‘Oh, but I had to. I had to size up the competition.’
‘There’s no competition.’
Riccardo felt a flare of rage. He couldn’t understand what the hell she saw in the man, and he noticed that she had yet to confirm that she would be ditching him. ‘We don’t have to get married. Yet. But I want us to live together. That way we can give Gina the family unit she’s missed for the past eight years.’
‘No!’
‘Why not? Does the man live with you?’
‘No, of course not!’
‘Then what’s the problem?’
‘Don’t you get it, Riccardo?’ She finished the glass of wine. Now she fancied another. ‘Yes, it’s important for Gina to have both of us, and now that she’s met you I recognise that you’re here to stay when it comes to her. But you just have to look at it from the point of view of a divorced person involved in an amicable joint-custody type situation.’ Charlotte took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eyes, which made her feel a bit giddy.
‘I don’t want to marry you or live with you because…because…we just don’t have that kind of relationship. Marriage and co-habitation should be about commitment and sharing, and wanting to be together. It shouldn’t be a duty undertaken because of force of circumstance, if you know what I mean.’ She pushed her hand through her hair and leaned on the table. ‘When I say “I do” to a marriage or even to a guy moving in with me, I want to feel excited about it.’
Riccardo flushed darkly. ‘Most marriages end in divorce. People start out with stars in their eyes, and then reality sets in and they find they can’t deal with it. What’s wrong with a business arrangement? It makes sense.’
‘Not to me. And we’re just going round in circles here, Riccardo.’ She gave in to temptation and poured herself another glass of wine. ‘I don’t want to marry you and I don’t want to live with you.’
‘There was a time when you would have jumped at the prospect.’
‘That was a long time ago.’ She rested the glass on the table and ran her finger lightly around the rim. ‘I was a different person then and so were you. We’ve both changed.’
‘You mean you became a responsible adult who decided that a passion-free relationship with a man who doesn’t challenge you is the safe, logical way to go.’
‘Ben is very challenging!’
‘Don’t get me wrong, Charlie. I’m not saying that he isn’t a thoroughly nice guy…’
Charlotte gritted her teeth. He managed in those few words to paint a picture of someone mind-numbingly dull, and she momentarily regretted her elaborate and fictitious description of a man who was sensitive and in touch with his feminine side.
‘I like nice, Riccardo.’
‘Because it’s safe?’
‘Yes, it’s safe, and what’s wrong with that?’
‘Nothing. But right now…’ Riccardo leaned towards her, every muscle in his body taut with menacing intent. ‘Life’s a little unconventional, wouldn’t you agree? And unconventional situations call for unconventional solutions. Besides…’ Riccardo relaxed back into the chair and twirled his wine glass lazily in his hand. ‘What we had was pretty strong, if I recall; who knows if it’s all still there, lying just beneath the surface? One touch and pow!’ He made a little explosive gesture with his hand and then deliberately looked at her very slowly, a leisurely, sexual exploration that made her skin burn.