VITTORIO'S LOVER (Vittorio Series) (14 page)

Re
calling how spotless the bedroom and bathroom had been loosened the knot that had begun to form in her stomach. Surely, Raffaele employed a maid who would have the bedding changed long before he returned. If the opportunity didn’t present itself while they were on the island, Jenesa wouldn’t have to worry about him figuring out who she really was until she was prepared to tell him. 

For a while, at least, her secret was safe.

                                                    ***

Raffaele was grateful for the darkness that surrounded them; it prevented Jenesa from seeing the vast ocean below and rattling nerves that were already frayed.
She hadn’t spoken a word since they’d taken off and was obviously uptight about flying, although holding his hand seemed to have relieved some of the tension because the warmth had returned to her icy fingers. Still, he had the uneasy feeling that being several thousand feet in the air was the only thing that kept her from bolting out of there, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with her fear of flying.

Was she beginning to have feelings for him? Raffaele believed she was.
Perhaps that made her uncomfortable; after all, it was much easier to be deceitful to someone you didn’t care about. He was painfully aware the same held true for him because it gnawed at his gut to continue letting her think he was Luca. At least she hadn’t called out his brother’s name while they were making love; a concern that had been eliminated by Jenesa’s insistence that their relationship remain platonic during their stay on the island.

How had this night spiraled out of control so quickly? He was
highly skilled at assessing difficult situations, determining a clear cut plan of action, and then proceeding with such single-minded tenacity. Failure was never a concern. Raffaele rarely changed course once it was set, although he wasn’t so inflexible that he wouldn’t consider a minor deviation if it was necessary to achieve his objective. The problem, he decided, was that he’d lost direction altogether with this woman and couldn’t seem to get his bearings again. Reluctant as he was to accept the hands-off edict she’d stone walled him with, he had to admit it might be just what he needed to restore his equilibrium.

Raffaele made no attempt to engage Jenesa in conversation until they were nearing the island, and then it was only to inform her they would be landing soon.
There was a ramp leading from the helipad to the base of wooden steps which ran up the side of a rocky cliff to the mansion. Under normal circumstances, he would have welcomed the exercise and taken the steps but there was no way Jenesa would make it to the top wearing spiky heels. Grady must have come to the same conclusion because he volunteered to drive them to the mansion once they’d landed.

“That won’t be necessary,” Raffaele replied pleasantly. “I’m sure you’ll want to start back right away, given the late hour.”

Grady glanced back from the pilot’s seat. “You know I’m a night owl, boss. It won’t be any trouble at all.”

Careful to keep his tone from revealing
his irritation, Raffaele spoke in his native tongue. “What are you playing at, Grady? I know you saw how choppy the water is, and you can smell the storm in the air. If you don’t start back soon, you’ll be stuck on the island until the storm blows over.”

“
Why did you bring her here?”

“You know why; to get her away from the party before she could destroy my brother’s life. I needed someplace private where we could talk without the risk of running into him or someone else in the family. Clearly, she is not here under duress.”

“Maybe not, but she
is
here under the misconception that you are Luca. What are you going to do, seduce her into sleeping with you and then claim she is a tramp for hopping from one man’s bed to another? Is that the plan, to ruin this woman’s reputation in order to save your brother’s?”

Raffaele’s eyes shifted to Jenesa
. It was evident by her tremulous smile that she had picked up on the edge in Grady’s voice and knew something was wrong. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and assure her that everything was all right, that he would never do anything to hurt her, but how could he make such a promise? He had no proof that she’d deliberately set out to trap Luca. And if her only shame was in falling for the charms of his brother, she was going to be crushed to discover she had been tricked into sleeping with Raffaele.

“Your gallantry is admirable,” he said, turning back to Grady, “but she does not need your protection. We agreed to keep our relationship on a nonphysical level while we are here. I will make no attempt to seduce her.”  At Grady’s dubious
expression, Raffaele added, “I gave her my word.”

Knowing Raffaele would never willingly break his word of honor, Grady conceded. “
When will you need to return, or are you planning on flying her back yourself?”

A much smaller and less luxurious helicopter was always kept on the island in case Grady wasn’t available or a quick run to the mainland was necessary
. His father was an experienced pilot and had taught Raffaele and his brother’s to fly before they were out of their teens so he had no qualms about his ability to get Jenesa home safely.  The question was whether she would be frightened to travel in the smaller chopper, especially since she would have to ride in the back by herself or sit up front with him where the domed glass provided a panoramic view of the vast ocean.

“I
will call you in a few days and let you know when to pick us up. In the meantime, I don’t want anyone to know where we are. You can inform my brothers I am scouting out a new land development prospect and will be in touch.”

“You got it. Just for the record, I don’t like what you’re doing. This is Luca’s mess; don’t you think he should be the one to clean it up?”

Raffaele sprung the latch on his seatbelt and stood up. “Probably, but switching tracks now will only derail the whole train.” Turning to Jenesa, he reverted back to English. “As much as I appreciate Grady’s offer to play chauffer, I have convinced him that my driving skills are adequate for the five minute drive up to the mansion.”

“Is that really what your
disagreement was about?” Jenesa asked after he helped her out of the helicopter.

“
Well…not exactly.” Raffaele looped his arm around her waist as they crossed the tarmac to the garage. “It seems Grady suddenly has this mental image of me as the big, bad wolf.”

“And I suppose I’m Li
ttle Red Riding Hood?”

“Apparently.”

“Should I be concerned that your friend feels the need to offer his protection?”

Raffaele
stopped abruptly. “
Are
you concerned,
mio piccolo
?”

Jenesa peered up at him with the wide-eyed trust of a child. “Of course not
. I wouldn’t be here if I thought you weren’t going to honor your promise.”

Satisfied that she didn’t believe he was going to pounce on her
the moment they were alone, Raffaele ushered Jenesa into the car.

                                                     ***

Majestic
. That was the first word that came to mind when Jenesa got her first glimpse of the mansion. The moon had slipped behind a blanket of clouds, but the columned entrance was clearly visible beneath a multitude of lights that ran the length of the huge porch. Softer lighting lined the framework of the roof, illuminating the entire mansion and giving it mystical glow. It reminded Jenesa of the beautiful palaces she’d seen on a trip to Venice a few years earlier; yet another reminder of the different world’s she and Raffaele lived in.

From the garage, which housed another vehicle like the one they’d driven in
as well as several scooters, Raffaele led her into a moderately sized room. With the exception of several wooden benches and two storage bins, it was void of furniture, although the colorfully tiled floor lent a cheerful atmosphere to the place.  Built into the walls on either side were shelves where neatly folded beach towels were stored, and below that were smaller cubbies that contained footwear of varying sizes. To her left was another door which led outside, presumably to the beach.

 
Jenesa followed Raffaele across the room and through a set of double doors.  After closing the doors behind them, he asked her to wait there while he accessed a panel on the wall. Was he honestly worried she would try to see what numbers he punched in and memorize the security code? The urge to laugh was suddenly so strong, she had to clench her teeth to keep it from escaping. What did he think she was going to do; hire a helicopter to fly her here at a later date so she could make off with whatever valuables she was able to squeeze into a duffle bag?

The idea was so ridiculous, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Do the police actually respond if a burglar sets off the alarm?”

“Alarm?” Raffaele looked puzzled.

“That is a security system, isn’t it?”

“If it is, it’s not a very good one,” he chuckled. “It’s a motion detector that triggers the inside house lights. Come with me and I’ll show you how it works.” He headed for the opposite side of the room, stopping just short of the doorway, and motioned for her to go first. 

The instant Jenesa crossed the threshold, the lights in the hallway switched on.  “I don’t get it,” she said as he joined her. “Why would you want to make it easier for a burglar to find his way around?”

Raffaele’s lip twitched, apparently amused by her question. “It isn’t meant to aid a would-be thief; we have other security measures to prevent a break in. My mother had it installed after one of my nieces wandered into a darkened room and got frightened when she couldn’t find her way out. The island itself is pretty much a deterrent for any type of crime.”

“I guess it isn’t exactly the ideal location for a quick get-away,” she replied, embarrassed that she hadn’t even considered that.

“Not by air, although one would think that would faster than by boat. You see,” he explained as they walked through the hallway, “there is only one safe place a boat can dock, and that is on the other side of the island. It is more high-tech than this, but essentially, there is an invisible parameter fence around the island that alerts our security company if a water vessel gets within a thousand yards.”

“
But…cruise ships and pleasure boats must pass that closely on a routine basis.  Surely your security company doesn’t send someone out to investigate every time it happens.”

“No, they are familiar with the schedules of the larger ships,” Raffaele said as they passed several rooms and continued towards the front of the mansion. “
They monitor the activity and only become concerned if a vessel circles the island more than once or approaches the alcove where our own boats are docked. It doesn’t happen often, and is usually an inexperienced sailor who is lost and looking for help.”

Jenesa shivered.  “It took nearly an hour to get here. I would be scared to death to be left alone on the island knowing that help was so far away.”

“Back-up comes from the mainland, but the first responding security team is located on another island less than ten minutes away by chopper and twenty by boat.  They would arrive before an intruder had time to make it up to the house.”

“Your family is very wealthy. What if an intruder came by helicopter
with the intent to kidnap? They could be inside the house within five minutes.”

“We have safeguards against
uninvited aircraft too.” As they reached the front of the mansion, Raffaele came to a halt at the base of a grand staircase and turned to face her. “Tell me,
cara
, do you always have such morose thoughts?”

“Normally, no. But then I’m not the only one concerned about being so isolated, am I?”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone in your family must have
considered the same
morose
scenarios, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken precautions to prevent them.”

“
One of the drawbacks of being wealthy and influential,” he shrugged.

“I don’t envy the type of responsibility that comes with it,” Jenesa said earnestly.  
“It must be difficult at times.”

“It is,” Raffaele replied, eyeing her speculatively.  “
There’s always someone wanting a handout, always a question as to whether people seek your company because of your financial status or because they genuinely enjoy being with you.”

Jenesa’s heart wrenched.
Raffaele was so strong, so self-assured; it made her sad to think he had doubts about everyone he met. It hurt even more to know those doubts had crept into his mind while they were making love and were probably still there. No wonder he was so quick to believe Jillian had set her sights on Luca because he was rich. It was obvious the Vittorio’s were a close-knit family; part of that closeness had to be due to their inability to trust anyone on the outside without first questioning their motives.

Compassion outweighed common sense as she lifted her hands to frame his face
. There were no words to express what she felt so deeply in her heart, no way to convey that it was the man she wanted, not his money or power or social status. Jenesa couldn’t even call him by his real name because of the horrendous lie that stood between them, although she desperately wanted to.