Chapter 2
“Wait, let me just get this straight. Nico Moretti wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend? And he’s paying you that much?” Beth’s eyes widened in surprise, her coffee cup frozen in mid-air.
Amber twirled her finger around her ponytail as she considered the absurd arrangement.
“Yup. We’re flying to Milan on Friday, the party is on Saturday and I’ll be back late Sunday afternoon. To be honest, how hard can it be? It’s just one weekend.”
She smiled outwardly, taking a sip of coffee. Internally, she was already a bundle of nerves. The thought of spending the whole weekend with Nico and his family, as well as pretending to be his girlfriend was overwhelming. As much as she tried to argue against the idea, he was ruthless in his negotiations and she finally caved in. A big part of her was curious to see where he came from and what made him Nico Moretti.
“But, Ambs, I don’t understand. Theo’s heard of Nico in business circles, fully respects him, and no offence, hon, but isn’t he, like, a romeo playboy? I mean, damn, he’s red hot, but are you sure you want to get mixed up with him?” She took a sip of coffee. “You know he’s called “The Closer” in his field?”
“I know, Beth. He’s dynamite at what he does – he’s only twenty-nine and one of the world’s top investment bankers, and yes, you’re right, he is very persuasive.” She shrugged her shoulders. “For whatever reason, he’s picked me.” She lowered her eyes as she felt her cheeks staining. You don’t know half of it, she thought. It felt strange hiding things from Beth, but she wasn’t yet ready to talk about the night they spent together.
“Well, I get it. It’s obvious he’s attracted to you. I mean, look at you, Ambs. I swear you get more stunning each year.” Beth smiled at her best friend and reached across the table to gently squeeze her hand. “I just want you to be careful okay?” She laughed at her words. “Then again, who am I to judge, right? Look how I fell, hook, line and sinker for Theo.” The girls laughed. “Jesus, Ambs, what is it with these international men in our lives.”
“I know, right? Must be something in the water at our flat.” She smiled, looking away. “I can’t get involved though, B. I mean, yes, he certainly is eye-candy but I refuse to be just another notch to add to his bedpost.” She closed her eyes, trying her best to blank her memory from their night together. “I did start to have feelings for him, but you’re right, he’s a player so best to cut my losses now, which is why I handed over his project. I don’t want to compromise our client relationship, so really, it’s best that this is business only.”
Beth nodded her head as she listened to her friend, still concerned over the arrangement but nonetheless deciding to drop the subject. They spent the remainder of the afternoon catching up, discussing wedding plans, Beth’s trip to meet Theo’s grandparents in New York and other gossip. It was fun to finally have Beth to herself for a few hours.
The next couple of days went by quite quickly as Amber was occupied with designing her storyboards for new clients. She didn’t hear anything from Nico, which slightly disappointed her, but she sternly told herself that she was merely a deal he had closed. He had no reason to contact her until Friday.
On her way home from work on Tuesday night, she had impulsively decided to stop off at the department store, Harvey Nics, to buy a few new items of clothing with the overly generous payment Nico had transferred to her the previous day.
Impulsively, she went into the lingerie department and couldn’t resist a few new sets even though she strictly told herself that it didn’t matter what she would be wearing underneath, as Nico wouldn’t be getting to see them. These were simply to build her confidence, not for him. In fact, she was determined to take one of her old bra’s just to prove to herself that he wouldn’t be getting near her. No way! This was a pure business arrangement, as she had no desire to be one of the harems of women who fell at his feet.
On Thursday morning, Amber jumped on the tube on the way to work and was browsing through the daily free newspaper. She idly flicked through the paper and then landed on the Gossip and Spotted section. Her eyes were drawn to an article about a movie premier that had taken place the night before in Leicester Square, with numerous accompanying photos of the red carpet.
Immediately, her pulse picked up and her heart started racing. There in the corner of the article amongst the others, was a photo of Nico, looking incredibly handsome in his tux. She noted his messy-looking hair, which she loved, but the rest of him was sharp and impeccably dressed. On his arm was one of the most stunning and well-known models in London. She was grinning at him like the proverbial cat who got the cream.
Nico, Amber noted, looked slightly irritated, but nonetheless was still posing with this gorgeous creature on the red carpet. Her heart sank. She closed the paper, refusing to look at him any longer. What the hell was he playing at, and indeed, what was she getting herself into?
She couldn’t help the jealousy that coursed through her as well as the disappointment she felt. Beth was right – he was a playboy. So why was he bothering with her if he could have any one of these amazing women on his arm?
Then she knew.
She felt used, as clearly, he thought her plain and therefore a suitable and plausible candidate to present to his family. She chewed her lip in concentration as the truth hit her and her eyes stung with tears. So that’s all she was to him, just a quick business deal he had paid for to keep the family pressure off him. It now made total sense.
The tube halted to a stop and Amber quickly jumped out of her seat and exited before the doors beeped shut. She felt tightness in her chest and had to sit down on the platform bench to take stock of the situation. Feeling hurt and used, but more than anything, she was beginning to get angry. How dare he treat her like that?
Impulsively, she crossed the platform and decided to go directly to his penthouse in Notting Hill to confront him. This was a sham and she no longer wanted to be part of it. Keeping tabs on his schedule, Amber knew he would be at home this morning with the designer.
A short while later, she was standing outside his white building, which was situated on a premier road in Notting Hill. His new apartment was the luxury top floor penthouse, formally an artist’s studio with high ceilings and plenty of natural light spanning over five-thousand square feet. It was beautiful and with the renovations he had undertaken, it would be an even more incredible place to live. Grudgingly she had to agree that he had fantastic taste.
Taking a deep breath, she was just about to press the buzzer to the penthouse when the main door flew open. She jumped back in surprise. Nico stood there, a look of disbelief flashing across his face. Dressed in a finely cut suit, Amber had to blink to stop herself from staring. His dark grey suit and white shirt stood out against his lightly tanned skin, which made his green eyes more piercing than ever.
Feeling intimated, she was pleased she had chosen to wear her hot pink shift dress, which stopped a few inches above her knee. It was early September, and the weather was still warm so her tanned legs didn’t warrant the use of tights. She had worn her patent black heels, which elongated her legs and her long wavy hair was left long and gleaming in the sunlight, lightly lifting off her shoulders in the gentle breeze.
Slowly and seductively, his eyes raked boldly over her, taking in her appearance as his gaze slowly slipped downwards. The very air around them seemed electrified, as she felt heavy and warm under his scrutiny. Her heart fluttered wildly in her breast, and annoyed at herself for reacting to him, she cleared her throat, pretending not to be affected.
“Nico, we need to talk.”
“Of course, Amber. I’m on my way to a meeting, but perhaps you would care to ride with me? I’m going in your direction.” If he was surprised to see her there, he didn’t mention it.
“Fine.” She snapped her answer at him and followed him down to the garage at the side of the building. He led her to a black Ferrari. She rolled her eyes. Of course, it would have to be a Ferrari. He opened the door for her, and she mumbled a thanks without making eye contact with him before slipping into the low leather seat. It really was a beautiful piece, she marvelled as her eyes swept across the interior. Nico slid into the driver seat and shot her a wink, infuriating her. He laughed out loud as she shot him a dirty look.
“Carino, why are you so angry?” He smiled, his eyes studying her with a curious intensity. His voice, which was deep and sensual, sent a ripple of awareness through her. Amber fought to contain her emotions. Tossing her hair across her shoulders in a gesture of defiance, she swallowed hard, lifted her chin and boldly met his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Nico. I’ve changed my mind. I can’t go to Milan with you.”
“You can’t or you won’t, Amber?” His teasing tone was suddenly cool and disapproving.
“I, I won’t.” She looked away, wanting to break the intensity of his gaze. She felt him stiffen beside her.
“Do you want to explain why? I thought we had a deal. Have I not paid you enough?” He ground the words out between his teeth, his voice cold and exact.
Nico’s contemptuous tone sparked her anger further and she spun her head towards him, eyes flashing.
“This is not about the money!” Without thinking, she blurted, “Why don’t you take Rosie instead.” Amber immediately bit her lip as she referred to the model from the previous evening. Colour flooded her face at her slip.
“Rosie?” he scoffed. “If you are referring to the premier, I can assure you that I have zero interest in taking her to meet my family. I was merely accompanying her as a favour.”
Her fingers began to tremble, and she tightened them into a fist. She snuck a look at him from under her lashes. He was staring straight ahead, his features hardened. However, she had started this and now felt she had to go through with it.
“I see. But still, Nico, I don’t think it’s fair to your mother to go through with this.”
“Let me be the judge of that. Like I said, we had a deal and I expect you to fulfil your part of the bargain.” He assessed her coolly. Stunned by his bluntness, she took a quick sharp breath. Looking out the window, she was almost at her place of work. What was he doing here, anyway? Distracted by this, she turned to him in surprise.
“Nico, why are you pulling into the underground car park at my office?”
“Because I’m not happy with the designer. I’ve come to meet your MD and request my original one. If they fail to comply, they will lose my account.”
“What?” She sputtered, indignantly, the realisation of what he was saying dawning upon her. “Dammit, Nico. I told you, we can’t work together anymore.”
He gritted his teeth and his response held a note of impatience. “Amber, you are a very talented designer. I believe we work incredibly well together. If you can’t design my apartment, I won’t work with anyone else from your firm.”
“Nico, I—”
“I’m sorry, Amber. If my presence is so distasteful, I’ll look elsewhere. Please note that I’ll mostly be in Milan for the next two weeks. You’ll be on your own anyway.” He looked away, his tone softening as he continued. “About this weekend, my mother is really looking forward to meeting you. So please reconsider. On both counts.”
Amber felt as though she was swimming through a haze of feelings and desires. Baffled by his stern attitude yet soft voice, her anger evaporated, leaving only confusion. She looked at him as his intense gaze travelled over her face and searched her eyes. It was too easy to get lost in the way he looked at her as she felt her heart hammering in her ears. Damn him. She knew in that moment, against rational thought, that she could fall for him deeply. In return, he would no doubt leave her with a broken heart.
Before she could process this any further, the words were out of her mouth. “Okay, fine, Nico. I’ll come to Milan. And if you insist, I’ll help you finish the design work on your penthouse.” She thought she detected a flicker of triumph in his eyes. “However, I have one proviso.”
“Anything, Amber.”
She inhaled sharply, putting her hand on the door in preparation to exit. She couldn’t face him in case her eyes betrayed her. “After all this is done, I think it’s best if we never see each other again.” The car had ground to a halt in the car park. With that, she opened the door and without a backwards glance, she stepped out of the car and walked away.