Page 33 of Giorgio

“If I say no, you are going to anyway.”

“Do not get personally involved son. Do not make the mistake of taking this further.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Like sleeping with her.”

The silence that followed was ponderous and fraught with tension. Giorgio’s fingers curled into fists, and he had to turn his back to hide his expression. That was what was bothering him and now it was out in the open. He was attracted to her. Hell, it was more than that.

He was drawn to her in ways he could not understand. She was not his usual type. He had been with incredibly beautiful women and Juliana could not compete. But there was something about her – she had lost her memory but was not whining or crying about it.

She was direct and not impressed by how wealthy he was. He could talk to her and not have to watch what he said. She had a light about her that he had never seen in the women he was acquainted with and she made him want to protect her from everything, including himself.

He was worldly. He had his first sexual experience when he was thirteen and had been with so many women, he had lost count. He had never known hardship; everything was his for the taking. Women fought over him – he had been around the world several times and had seen almost everything.

But with her, he was seeing things in a different way, and it scared him. It had taken just one week for her to get under his skin, and he had no idea how to deal with it. He couldn’t touch her, but staying away from her was torture. He was out of his depth.

“I have no intention of allowing that to happen. She is not even my type.” He was lying to his father, and he had a sinking feeling the man knew.

“Good.” Alfredo said briskly. “I would hate for this situation to become more complicated. Shall I call Allegro?”

“No. I will find her.” Without another word, he left the office.

Alfredo sat back and stared at the space his son had just occupied, a frown on his brow. He had no idea what to make of the situation.

On the one hand, Giorgio was showing an interest in the company for the first time, but there was the concern that thiswould turn out to be a disaster. Sighing deeply, he answered the incoming call and buried the troubling thought.

*****

Aldo met him in the marble entryway, his hands folded behind his back, his face expressionless as usual.

“Where is the signorina?”

“Still in the library.”

He stopped in the middle of handing the man his jacket, a frown on his brow. “All this time?”

“She had snacks and lunch and has been reading.” Dusting off specks of lint, Aldo folded the jacket over one arm.

“Is she all, right?”

He nodded. “The maids have been checking on her at intervals.”

“Thank you.”

With a nod, the man went on his way, leaving him standing undecided in the middle of the hallway. He had spent several hours with the advertising department, doing some brainstorming, and coming up with a plan. Even though he had been involved, his mind had been on her and wondering why she hadn’t called him.

He should have gone to a game with some of his friends, but had made a beeline for home, because he wanted to check on her.

Dragging restless fingers through his already tousled hair, he strode towards the library and shoved the doors open without even knocking.

She was propped up on cushions, her broken leg elevated, and she was absorbed in a thick book opened on her chest. Her head lifted, and her eyes searched his face, no doubt to see if there were any residual anger there.

“Hi.” Her voice was soft and devoid of anger.

“Hi.” He advanced further into the room until he was sitting at the end of the sofa. “What’s that?”

“Pride and Prejudice.” She lifted the book so he could see the spine. “I think I read it before.”