The Italian's Ruthless Seduction

Bella frowned at this thought. His sleeping in that room tonight would make it awkward for Bella to share Sergio’s bed without feeling inhibited. They weren’t the quietest of lovers. Unless, of course, all was confessed, then it would hardly matter. Jeremy was a man of the world. Why should he care if they were having an affair? Not that Bella liked the word ‘affair’. Surely their relationship had moved beyond that.

‘I need to finish Sergio’s birthday cake,’ Maria said as she hurried back into the kitchen. ‘Bella, there are not enough towels in the other guest room. Men need many towels. Could you take some more up for me? The big white ones. You know where they are.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Bella agreed.

‘After the cake is done I must go. I told Sergio this morning I could not stay all day. I have another cleaning job on Mondays. Could you say happy birthday for me?’

‘Yes, of course.’

Bella collected a couple of the luxurious white bath sheets from the cupboard in the laundry and carried them upstairs with her, walking along the corridor past her bedroom door, past the master suite and along to the furthest guest room. When she knocked, however, there was no reply. A second knock got no answer either. Possibly Jeremy was in the shower. Thinking laterally, she went back to her room and made her way across it and out onto the balcony in the hope that Maria had left the French doors open. It seemed likely, given the heat of the day. They were open, and Bella peeped inside to check that the room was empty before she went in. It was. She’d just placed the towels on the foot of the bed when Jeremy’s slightly muffled but still-audible voice reached her ears.

‘Right, Sergio,’ it said. ‘I’ve done what you asked. Now what gives where Bella is concerned?’

The voice was coming from the en-suite bathroom, echoing off the marble walls and carrying through the door. Bella knew she should leave the room immediately. No good ever came from eavesdropping. But she was a woman. A woman in love. Desperately in love. How could she possibly leave after her name was mentioned? She actually moved a little closer to the bathroom door.

‘Yes, I see,’ Jeremy said after a long silence. ‘Awkward that. So she knows nothing about your plans to marry a nice young Italian girl who will adore you and give you the family you want without causing you the slightest trouble.’

Bella clasped her mouth to stop herself from crying out. But, oh, the pain that seized her heart. She’d never realised that a broken heart was literally that. She could actually feel her heart breaking. Because Sergio did not love her. Not only that, he’d lied to her, claiming he wasn’t interested in getting married at the moment. And all the while he’d planned on marrying an Italian girl. A young Italian girl, Bella thought bitterly.

‘I have to confess you’ve surprised me, Sergio,’ Jeremy went on after another lengthy silence. ‘I know you always had the hots for Bella, but I thought you despised her. Still, I understand perfectly that the temptation to seduce the woman was too great to resist. Lust isn’t one of the seven deadly sins for nothing. But I would advise you to think carefully about where you go from here. No doubt she’s good in bed. Very good. It’s easy to become sexually obsessed with a beautiful woman who knows all the right moves. Or so I’ve been told. Obsession of that kind is not something I’ve ever experienced. Have you considered keeping her as your mistress, perhaps? That might work.’

Bella couldn’t bear to listen to another word. Somehow she made it back to her room without throwing herself off the balcony. Not that it was high enough to guarantee death. By the time she threw herself onto her bed, however, her heartache was turning to outrage, and anger. So Sergio had despised her, yet had the hots for her at the same time. What a charming thought! And there she’d been, thinking he’d invited her here because he was kind, and good. Everyone kept telling her what a good man he was. Well, he wasn’t. He was an out and out bastard. He’d done nothing since she arrived but use her. Her body and her brain. It was to be thanked that she’d never told him she loved him. That would have been the ultimate humiliation. This way she could at least extricate herself from this appalling situation with her pride intact.

Rolling onto her back, Bella stared blankly up at the ceiling and tried to work out how best to handle things. But it was a struggle to think, especially when all she wanted to do was surrender to self-pity and cry her heart out. But where would that get her? Bella had never been a habitual weeper or wringer of hands, another legacy from her hard-as-nails mother. When tears actually dared to fill her eyes, she dashed them away with a furious sweep of her hands, hardening her freshly broken heart at the same time and focusing her thoughts on what she should do.