She opened her mouth and no words came out. It was all the confirmation Antonio needed. He took her by the arm and steered her away from the lobby, towards the lifts.
‘Where are we going?’ Maisie gasped as he stabbed the button for the lift.
The doors opened and Antonio stepped inside with Maisie. ‘To my suite,’ he informed her as the doors whooshed closed.
Maisie spun to face him, jerking her arm from his grasp. ‘What? I’m not going anywhere with you—’
‘You already are.’
‘I’m meant to be back in the dining room! I’ll lose my job—’
‘I’ll pay you myself.’
‘I don’t want your money,’ she spat. ‘And it’s more than money, it’s my reputation. If I walk out on this job, I might not be hired for another one.’
‘If that is your utmost concern right now,’ Antonio drawled coldly, ‘then I think your priorities are out of order. But rest assured I will make sure your employment opportunities are not curtailed by our conversation.’
Maisie turned away, her arms folded, her whole body rigid. ‘It’s easy for you,’ she said in a more moderate tone, but one that still conveyed her complete disdain. ‘You’ve never had to worry about money.’
‘That is not actually true, but I’ll let it go.’
‘How kind of you,’ she retorted. ‘I know what you’re really like, Antonio Rossi.’ The sneering certainty in her tone made him still. For a second he felt icy inside, as well as horribly exposed. She knew what he was really like. She’d seen his weakness. Hell, he’d shown it to her. Of course she knew what he was like, and he hated it.
‘What I’m really like has no bearing on this matter,’ he informed her. The doors to the lift opened directly onto his penthouse suite and he stepped out onto the black marble floor, the glittering lights of Manhattan visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows. ‘All that matters is whether that child is mine.’
‘And if she is?’
That single word—she—cut him to the core. ‘She? I have a daughter?’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘You didn’t need to.’
‘Don’t assume anything.’ Maisie stared him down, her arms folded, her stance aggressive even as her chin wobbled a little bit. She was scared, and the only reason she’d be scared was if the child—this baby girl—really was his.
‘Then stop playing games, and tell me the truth. Is the baby mine?’ Maisie pressed her lips together, her gaze sliding away from his. ‘Maisie. I deserve to know.’
‘Why do you deserve anything?’ she demanded, her voice wavering only a little. ‘You pretended you didn’t know me, Antonio! I came to your office—’ Her voice broke and Antonio took advantage of the silence.
‘Why did you come to my office, Maisie? What did you want to talk to me about that day?’
‘Why did you pretend you didn’t remember me when you obviously did?’ Maisie flung back at him.
‘It seemed easier—’
‘Easier for you.’
‘And easier for you. I didn’t see our...relationship...going anywhere, and I didn’t want to have to reject you in public.’
‘Wow, what a prince.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘So thoughtful and charming. Really, I’m touched.’
‘I admit, it was not the best idea I’ve ever had,’ Antonio returned tightly. And it wasn’t the entire truth. He’d pretended he didn’t know her because he’d been so ashamed by his weakness, the weakness she’d seen. Even now it made him cringe, and then seethe. ‘In any case, you still haven’t answered my question.’
She remained silent, her gaze averted from his, her arms wrapped around her body as if she were holding herself together. Impatience warred with an incredulous hope. ‘Maisie—’
‘What do you want me to say?’ she interjected quietly. ‘What do you expect me to say?’
‘That’s why I’m asking...’