Chapter 3
Having communicated formally by email and text messages, they had arranged to meet at Heathrow the following day. Adjusting her sunglasses, Amber peered out of the window as the driver Nico had sent to collect her sped along the motorway.
She was a bundle of nerves, yet there was a tingling of excitement also present in the pit of her stomach. Part of her couldn’t wait to meet Nico’s family and see the other side to this ruthless businessman. The other part was nervous at the thought of playing the part of his pretend girlfriend. How would it be possible to separate her growing feelings from her acting? This was beyond complicated and her head spun with the possibilities of what the weekend would entail.
As the car pulled up to the airport, Amber jumped out of the back with her weekend bag, thanked the driver and then headed to the British Airways desk. Their flight was at three-thirty p.m. and it was just before two o’clock so they had plenty of time. Locating the check-in area, she perched her sunglasses on her head and concentrated on weaving her way through the busy airport.
She felt him before she saw him. Her eyes were magnetically pulled to him as he stood, phone in hand, perched by the first class desk. She stopped in her tracks as his eyes searched hers and drank her up, closing the distance between them.
Dressed in casual khaki trousers, a fitted black t-shirt, which did nothing to conceal his muscular chest and arms, his weekend bag was casually stored by his feet. Amber felt the hustle, bustle and noise of the airport melt away into the distance as she was drawn into their own bubble, gazing intently at each other. No doubt he was attracting attention from some of the giggling women who walked past him, but he was oblivious to them. His face broke into an irresistibly devastating grin and Amber smiled shyly in return as she walked up to him.
“Hi.” She smiled warmly at him, his grin infectious.
“Hello, carino.” His voice was deep and husky, sending tingles up her spine at the affectionate Italian endearment he insisted on calling her. “For a moment there, I wasn’t sure you’d show.”
“I gave you my word, Nico.” Blushing lightly, Amber looked away and moistened her lips. She turned back to him and caught him staring at her mouth, his gaze darkening. Abruptly, he picked up his bag and also taking hers, he placed his hand on the small of her back, leading them to the desk.
Having never travelled first class before, Amber found herself thoroughly enjoying the experience. Throughout the short flight, Nico relaxed her and kept her entertained with funny stories which at times, made her laugh out loud. She found herself feeling very comfortable and enjoying his company as she relayed humorous tales of her clients.
All too soon it was time to land at Milan Malpensa and once again, Amber was overcome with nerves at the thought of the next couple of days together. As if sensing her change in demeanour, Nico studied her before he quietly spoke.
“I’m sorry if I have put you in an awkward position, Amber.” Her head snapped up in his direction, surprised at his confession and moment of humility. Before she could say anything, he held up his hand to continue. “Please don’t worry about meeting my family. I assure you they are good people and also very easy-going so I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy yourself. I’d hate for you to feel uncomfortable.”
“Nico, I, er, don’t know what to say.” She spoke and gestured with her hands. “I’m not quite sure how you expect us to behave around them. Are we, umm, going to have to be…together in front of them?” She found herself stammering and floundering over her words as her thin fingers tensed in her lap. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat, waiting for his response as she found herself concentrating on her nails, unable to meet his eyes.
He didn’t say anything for a beat and Amber wondered if he too was having second thoughts. She felt his finger lifting her chin and turning her to face him.
“Look at me, Amber,” he commanded.
Reluctantly, she met his gaze.
“I want you to be comfortable around me, okay? I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t happy with.” She heard his sharp intake of breath. When he spoke, his voice was cool, but his eyes had darkened with emotion. “If that means you don’t wish to show any affection towards me, then I’ll act accordingly.” He released her chin and fastened his seatbelt in preparation for landing.
A tumble of confused thoughts and feelings assailed her, but before she could respond any further, the plane started the descent and the overhead speakers came on with landing announcements. Each one was lost in their thoughts for the last few minutes of the flight.
Once landed, they swiftly made their way through the arrivals terminal and out into the mild warm weather where Nico’s driver was waiting for him. After what sounded like a few pleasantries in Italian, the driver gave her a wide smile, conspicuously looking at both her and Nico, while he opened the door with a flourish.
“Grazie!” Amber flashed him a smile and shuffled into the back seat, wondering about their brief conversation. Nico slipped into the seat next to her, pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text message. Once finished, he set his phone in his pocket, relaxed into his seat and flashed her a smile. Amber’s heartbeat picked up. This was it, she was here now and there was no turning back. She returned his smile and turned to look out the window as the car manoeuvred its way through the traffic exiting the airport.
After a few minutes of taking in the sights surrounding her, she found herself restlessly bouncing her knee. She had so many questions, but aware that this was nothing more than a weekend business deal, she was unsure how much she could ask about his personal life.
Lost in her thoughts, she felt his large warm hand gently caress and still her knee. Surprised at the contact and thrilled by his touch, Amber felt her skin prickle with goose bumps. Wearing her favourite deep green wrap dress, it was already a few inches above her knee to start with, but sitting down, it had risen further, exposing her lightly tanned thigh. She raised her eyes to Nico to find him looking at her legs boldly. Shifting slightly uncomfortably at his scrutiny, she adjusted her dress, trying to pull it down. Nico gently removed his hand, and she instantly missed his touch.
“Speak, Amber.” His deep voice broke through the tension.
“I’m sorry? Pardon?”
“You have a lot of questions. I can see from the way you’re fidgeting. So ask. What do you want to know aside from what I’ve already told you?”
“Oh.” She looked away; slightly embarrassed that he could read her so well. “Okay, well, can you tell me a little more about yourself….about your family?” She settled back into the seat and turned to face him, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Sure. Let’s see.” He glanced at his watch. “We have approximately just under an hour and a half until we reach Lake Como, so in return, I want to know everything about you too. Deal?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her answer.
She swallowed. Was she really ready to tell him about her screwed up family? She hesitated before answering whilst he patiently waited. However, there was something about Nico Moretti that made her want to trust him, some kind of underlying magnetic force working and drawing her towards him, even though she was trying her best to resist.
“Okay, deal.” She spoke softly.
“Molte bene.” He seemed almost relieved that she agreed to talk about her family. Reaching for a bottle of water, he opened it and passed it to her and then did the same for himself. After taking a long swig, he adjusted in his seat and began speaking.
“So, my family. As I mentioned to you before, I have two sisters. We were all educated at University in England, but my eldest sister, Gabriella, decided to return home. Unknown to me, she had a boyfriend in Italy who immediately proposed upon her return. She has twins, aged two, called Benito and Carlo and we’ve just heard the good news that they are expecting their third child.”
“Wow,” Amber laughed, “Congratulations, Uncle. That’s a handful.” She made a mental note to remember their names.
“Si! The kids are great, but definitely entering the terrible two’s.” He laughed too, shaking his head before continuing.
“My sister, Camilla – Mia as we call her – is a few years younger than me, just turned twenty-five, and splits her time between London and Milan.” His face softened as he spoke of her. It was clear to see that they were close. “Mia studied at The London School of Fashion and is now starting to really make a name for herself with her designs.” He frowned slightly. “I’ve told her time and time again that I can set her up with her own boutique but she refuses, wanting to do things by herself.”
“She sounds amazing. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“I think you’ll both get on very well…. you’re both very creative, obviously.”
Amber smiled and nodded in agreement. It would be great to meet Mia and learn more about her designs. Amber especially liked the fact that she was keen to work hard and establish herself, rather than just trade on her family connections. She was immediately forming a respect for her.
“And your parents?” she probed, enjoying learning about his siblings.
A warm smile spread across his face. “Well, my parents have been married for the longest time – my mamma, Annalisa, got married when she was seventeen. My papà, Gianmarco, is self-made.” Nico took another sip of water before continuing. “He owns Morretti Investment Banking in Milan, which is where I work, overseeing new business. Started it from the ground up and now it is one of the most respected banking organisations in the industry.” He spoke proudly of his father. “Because he spent most of his time at work, growing up, my mamma played a big role in our lives. She’s pretty amazing.”
Amber impulsively squeezed his hand and then realising what she did, she tried to pull away, but Nico held on and her heart-rate picked up as she watched him entwine their fingers. Heat spread across her face as she looked at him, chewing her lip in uncertainty of the situation. She felt his thumb gently circle her hand, sending tingles to the pit of her stomach. What was he doing to her? Distracted, she didn’t know what to say. She was lost in the sensation.
“Tell me about you. Who is Amber Preston?” His smooth deep voice cut through her thoughts.
She laughed nervously. “There really isn’t much to tell, Nico.” She looked away. God, she wished she didn’t have to reveal things about her messed up childhood.
“Amber,” his voice was soft, almost tender as he brought her attention back to him. “It’s okay, you really don’t have to tell me anything if you prefer not to.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I come from a really different background to you, Nico. I’m not sure where to start.”
“Try me. Tell me about your parents.”
Amber shrugged. It was now or never. “There’s not much to tell, unfortunately.” This time she felt him lightly squeeze her hand. Looking at their joint hands, she felt the courage to carry on. She took a deep breath.
“My dad had a string of affairs whilst I was growing up and each time, my mother forgave him, always welcoming him back.” Her voice hardened as she recalled her mother’s tears. “Unfortunately, one day, when I was fifteen, he just left with one of his women and never looked back. My mother turned to drinking heavily. It got out of control – nothing I could say or do could bring her back.”
Her eyes filled with tears and she took a calming breath. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters, although Beth is just like the sister I never had and her family pretty much took me in and looked after me.” A few tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “One day, I came home from school and found her unconscious on the sofa. I panicked when I couldn’t wake her and called for an ambulance…”
Her voice broke as she recalled that devastating day. “It was too late, Nico. She had taken an overdose with a cocktail of painkillers and alcohol.” A sob escaped from her throat and tears openly spilled over, but she quickly tried to brush them away. “I was sixteen years old.” Before she knew it, Nico moved across the seat and wrapped her up in his strong arms as she broke down crying.
Part of her was mortified as she had never talked about her past, but in some way, she felt a huge burden being lifted off her shoulders by confiding in him. She tried to move away, embarrassed by her outburst, but Nico kept her in his strong arms. He gently stroked her hair as she cried, his voice soothing when he spoke. “Mio Dio. I’m so, so sorry, carino.”
She sniffed as she felt her tears drying up. “It’s okay, Nico. I’m okay now.” She smiled, sadly. “I wasn’t for a long time, not until I was persuaded to have counselling. It really helped. You know, I couldn’t touch alcohol until last year?”
“You are stronger than you know, carino. I hope you know that.”
“I hope so. That’s why I made peace with alcohol. I know the root of her demise was her depression – it was so severe.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, continuing to stroke her hair. “Thank you for sharing something so personal with me.”
Amber sniffed and laughed, wiping away the last of her tears. “Good thing I didn’t give up on alcohol. Got anything stronger than this water?”