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He inwardly grimaced as the sound of high heels rang out, but then turned and there was Donatella, dressed to the nines and in full make-up and of course, as always, she attempted to kiss his cheeks, but as always he halted her with a warning look that could halt a bullet train at full throttle, and just the slightest pull-back of his head. Gabriel did not perform niceties merely because it was expected.

‘How is il Conte this morning?’

‘He is resting,’ Gabe answered.

‘And you,’ she said. ‘How did you sleep?’

Gabe couldn’t be bothered to answer her, just asked a question. ‘How come you are here?’

‘I have some forms from the Associazione to go through,’ Donatella said. ‘It is too much for Eduardo.’

‘I can deal with them,’ Gabe smoothly responded. ‘You don’t need to trouble yourself.’

‘It is no trouble.’ Donatella smiled. ‘I love the palazzo and the gardens…’ She shrugged. ‘Eduardo would be too proud to forward things on to you. He still thinks he knows what he’s doing.’

God, she was a bitch.

But in truth, it was a delicate situation.

As his grandfather’s health had deteriorated, as Eduardo had slowed down almost to a halt, Donatella had stepped in. Just a little too enthusiastically. Donatella indeed did a lot of work in town with the heritage buildings, and he didn’t doubt her passion for the place. But the palazzo had always been well run and taken care of.

And private.

He didn’t like seeing her in his grandfather’s reading room. Nor did he like the way she called for Maria to serve her coffee in there.

‘That won’t be necessary,’ he told Maria. ‘Perhaps you can serve coffee for Signora Vincenzo in the guest lounge…’ He gave Donatella a tight smile. ‘I’m sure you’ll be comfortable working there.’

He was cold, and perhaps unfairly so, but her stilettoed feet were just a little too firmly over the threshold for his liking.

Gabe wasn’t nice with her, but then he wasn’t nice.

He was, though, with Stella.

Chapter Five

STELLA AWOKE ON her birthday ridiculously excited, though not because of that.

She would be spending the day with Gabe.

Closing her eyes, she recalled their kiss and was a little embarrassed to face him, given how she’d run off.

She’d been close to asking him up to her suite. To take their kiss somewhere more private…

Her attraction to him astounded her still.

Sitting up, Stella looked around the pleasant but small suite, completely unable to imagine him here, or his reaction if she’d then had to tell him she was a virgin.

Or not?

She took a breath, reminded herself she was here for work, not romance, or even a fling.

But then she thought of the latter.

And the thought of a fling with Gabe didn’t scare her.

Knowing it would be just a one-night stand, or one-day stand, from the very start…

No fear of rejection, no waiting for it to end…