‘I can see why,’ Andrew said with a charmingly flirtatious smile for her. ‘How did he propose, Hannah? If you don’t mind me asking?’
Uh-oh. Her mind blanked for one awful second before she thought screw it and gave a light, teasing laugh. ‘Oh, it was so romantic, wasn’t it, Luca?’ she practically purred, sliding an arm around her intended’s waist. His body tensed under her hand and she enjoyed the feel of bunched muscle and taut abs before she continued with her story. ‘He surprised me with a trip to Paris for the weekend—on a private jet.’ She slid Luca what she hoped was an adoring look from under her lashes, enjoying the way his wary expression changed to one of cautious interest. He wanted to know where she was going with this. ‘And then one magical evening he took me to the top of the Eiffel Tower—he’d rented the whole thing out so it was completely private.’
‘I didn’t think you could rent the Eiffel Tower,’ Andrew said and Hannah continued without missing a beat.
‘Oh, you can, if you know the right people.’ She dared to wink. ‘Isn’t that right, Luca?’
He smiled blandly. ‘It is.’
‘And then what happened?’ The woman in green satin had asked. Everyone was listening to her story now, clearly intrigued by the over-the-top romanticism. Hannah knew she shouldn’t lay it on too thick; this was Luca Moretti, after all, and his reputation had clearly preceded him. And yet...if Luca was going to do a thing, she knew he’d do it properly, proposing marriage included.
‘And then he told me how madly in love he was with me,’ she finished blithely, ‘and he proposed. Down on one knee.’ She ended this utter fabrication with a happy sigh.
Andrew Tyson smiled faintly as he nodded towards her hand. ‘But you don’t have a ring, my dear.’
‘Oh, but I do,’ Hannah assured him. ‘Luca presented me with the most magnificent ring—a family heirloom, actually, hundreds of years old, although he changed the design for me. Sapphires and diamonds,’ she added, remembering what Luca had said earlier. ‘Gorgeous.’ She paused for a moment, picturing the fictitious ring, while everyone remained silent and spellbound.
‘What happened to it, then?’ asked the lanky woman rather sulkily.
‘Oh, it was too big. Silly Luca.’ She patted him playfully on the cheek and ignored the glimmer of warning in his mahogany eyes. ‘It’s at the jeweller’s being resized.’ She turned a twinkling smile onto Andrew Tyson. ‘But I assure you, the next time I see you, you’ll be suitably blinded.’ Now why had she said that? She didn’t want to see Andrew Tyson again. She certainly didn’t want to keep up this pretence. She’d just got carried away.
‘I’m sure,’ Andrew murmured. ‘Charmed, my dear, charmed.’ He turned to another guest and Hannah only just kept from sagging with relief, now that the adrenaline was leaving her in a cold rush. She could feel the watchful gazes of the other businessmen and their wives, no doubt wondering what a man like Luca Moretti saw in her.
‘You’re a natural,’ Luca murmured in her ear. ‘You should be on the stage.’
‘Shh,’ Hannah chided. They eased away from the group as they both gazed out at the sea, now swathed in darkness. The moon was just rising, sending a sheen of silver over the water. ‘Actually, I quite enjoyed myself.’
‘I could tell.’ He shot her an amused look, although Hannah could still feel how tense he was. ‘You almost had me believing I gave you an heirloom ring.’
‘Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?’ Hannah replied. Actually, she had enjoyed believing in the fantasy for a few moments. Wearing the dress, drinking the champagne, acting as if a gorgeous, powerful man adored her. It could get addictive, enjoying all this attention and luxury, and she needed to remember none of this was real.
‘If I’d known how much you’d get into the spirit of the thing,’ Luca remarked, ‘I would have let you in on the secret earlier.’
‘I think it’s more of a case of needs must,’ Hannah returned. She glanced back at the assembled group. ‘We should mingle, I suppose.’
‘I suppose.’
‘Tyson’s wife isn’t here? Or his children?’
The traces of amusement on Luca’s face disappeared. ‘They’re joining him tomorrow. Tomorrow’s dinner will be the big black-tie event.’
‘When will he announce who has won the bid?’
Luca shrugged. ‘Who knows? I think he’s toying with all of us.’
Hannah glanced at Andrew, who was working his way through the crowd, talking to everyone individually. ‘He seems a nice man.’
‘Appearances can be deceiving.’
She turned back to Luca, surprised by the hardness in his voice. ‘You don’t like him.’
‘I don’t know the man,’ Luca answered as he tossed back the rest of his drink. ‘But I don’t like being forced into play-acting. His demands are unreasonable and irrelevant.’
‘And yet you still chose to go after his resorts.’
‘I told you twice now, the land is valuable. Now let’s go.’ He took her arm and moved back to the crowd, and Hannah had no choice but to follow his lead. The Luca Moretti she knew wouldn’t kowtow to anyone’s demands, especially if he thought they were unreasonable. So why was he in this case?
She had no time to ponder the question as they were plunged back into the complicated social dynamics of three men who clearly respected if not liked each other, and were all bidding for the same job, while Andrew Tyson presided over them all.
At dinner Hannah sat next to Daniela, the sulky, beautiful woman who was partner to James, the CEO of a slick development company in the City. ‘So how long have you been working for Luca?’ she asked Hannah as the first course was served.
Luca, was it? Hannah covertly studied Daniela’s tall, lithe build, the long blond hair she kept tossing over her shoulder in an artful, deliberate way. ‘Three years.’
‘And you have been engaged for how long?’
A couple of hours. ‘A few weeks.’ Hannah took a sip of the cold cucumber soup to keep from having to say anything else.
‘I never thought a man like Luca would marry,’ Daniela said with a burning stare for the man in question, who was chatting with Simon, the third developer, across the table. ‘He always seemed like the type to love and leave.’
‘Until he found someone he wanted to stay with,’ Hannah returned.
Daniela arched an eyebrow, the scepticism evident on her face. ‘You’re quite different from the women Luca is usually seen with. Not quite as...polished.’
Stung by this unsubtle put-down, Hannah lifted her chin. ‘I didn’t realise you knew him.’
‘Oh, I know him,’ Daniela said darkly and Hannah inwardly seethed. Luca could have warned her that a former paramour would be here, unsheathing her claws and trying to draw blood. And what if she gave something away to this elegant harpy? Daniela might know more about Luca than she did. Judging by her smouldering looks, it seemed almost a certainty. The idea made her feel unsettled in a way she didn’t like. She wasn’t jealous, just annoyed and angry all over again at Luca putting her in this position.
By the time the dessert plates had been cleared and coffee served, Hannah was having trouble keeping up her sparkly pretence. The excitement of pretending to be someone she wasn’t had worn thin, and she longed only to return to their room and go to sleep. Actually, what she really wanted to do was go back to London and snuggle with her son. When she’d been in the bathroom changing she’d managed to speak to Jamie on the phone for a few minutes, listening to him chatter about his day, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.
Luca