He reached into his pocket and drew out his cell phone, dialling her number then pressing the speakerphone button, so he could begin removing his work clothes as the phone rang. She answered on the fourth ring.
‘Luca, hi.’
Her voice wrapped around him like tendrils from the deep sea, threatening to drag him under. He pressed his hand to the wall, emulating a nonchalant pose.
‘Where are you?’
The sound of laughter filled the phone, distant and remote.
‘Out at dinner.’
‘With whom?’
‘Myself.’
‘Why?’
‘You weren’t home. I presumed you were busy, and I was hungry.’
‘The freezer’s full.’
‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And I took that to mean, eat out,’ she said, so he could just picture her slender shoulders shrugging with casual indifference. Hunger flicked through him.
‘I haven’t ordered yet. Why don’t you join me?’
He jerked his head once in silent agreement. ‘Text me the name of the restaurant. I’ll see you soon.’
She might not know the city, but Olivia had exceptional taste. She’d opted for one of the most adored restaurants in Rome. Not the fanciest, nor the predilection of the glitterati, but a place where true Romans who loved good food, wine and conversation chose to eat. And because the owner Francesco understood the value of placing beautiful patrons in the windows, Olivia had been afforded a prominent table in the centre of the glass that framed the front of the venue.
Luca approached slowly, his eyes picking her from a distance, and, owing to the fact he was coming from across the street, he had several moments to observe her while she studied the menu, a small frown on her stunning face.
She wore a black dress, simple yet elegant, with cap sleeves and a neckline that was low enough to show the smallest hint of cleavage. The dress was fitted to her waist then flared a little, to just above her knees. Her blonde hair was left out, slightly curled, and she’d applied a coat of red lipstick, completing the look of femme fatale. She was beyond beautiful; she was exquisite, a completely unique woman who was impossible to ignore. Indeed, as he moved closer, he was aware of the table behind her—a group of four men on what looked to be a business dinner—casting lingering glances in her direction, appreciating her in a way that made Luca’s blood boil.
But he stamped out that reaction before it could take hold.
He had no right envying her that kind of attention. Theirs was not a real marriage, and whatever they were sharing was a very temporary state of affairs. Sleeping together didn’t equate to anything more serious—they both knew that—and he was glad. If anything, it was useful to observe her like this, to see her from outside the restaurant. The symbolism didn’t escape him. A physical barrier stood between them, and in a few weeks that physical barrier would be a whole other country, and then, something more significant—a divorce. Soon, they’d be strangers, just memories to one another.
As that thought hardened in his mind and heart, she looked up, her eyes landing on him, widening, before a smile curved her perfect, pouting lips.
‘Hello,’ she mouthed.
His own grin was slow, and felt a little discordant, but she didn’t appear to notice. With a graceful shift of her hand, she indicated the chair opposite, wordlessly inviting him inside, to join her. His gut tightened with something like anticipation and then he nodded, pushing into the restaurant. Let’s make the most of this.
‘Buonasera,’she greeted him as he approached her table.
He dipped towards her, pressing a kiss on her cheek, lingering there longer than necessary so he could breathe her in and placate nerve endings that were firing wildly, desperate for her, for more, for everything.
‘Ciao.’
He slid into the seat opposite, grateful that the table was small and intimate, that their knees brushed and that neither shifted to break that connection. But why would they? They’d been far more intimate than that, and yet the small contact sent a thousand flares through his body.
‘How was your day?’
He’d been floating on air after leaving the office, the success of his meeting with the Azzuri chairman puffing out his chest. But there was a light behind Olivia’s eyes, a thousand lights that made her whole face shimmer, that pushed his own thoughts of his day from his mind completely. ‘Fine.’ He brushed it aside as though it meant nothing. ‘Yours?’
‘Actually, it was pretty wonderful.’
His gut rolled. ‘Oh?’