“Macy, see if they’ll do a deal for three months. I’ll take that. I’ll be ready to start in the new year. But get me the best money that you can.”
She set the phone down, feeling a lot better now that she had a plan to get the burden of the debt Mandy had run up under control.
Now she’d have to call Angelo and let him know about the baby. He deserved that much.
Macy called back two days later, ecstatic with the deal she’d managed to secure Gemma. The contract was for four months and would start in the new year, and she’d managed to better the money, as well.
As for telling Angelo about her pregnancy, in the end Gemma’s parents convinced her that it would be better to tell Angelo face to face. Her father was quite forceful about it, and was ready to come along, too, until Gemma talked him out of it. But she was pleased to see that he was looking a lot happier. Her pregnancy had given him a new interest in life.
Gemma had argued at first that flying to Strathmos was an expense she couldn’t afford, particularly with the costs that the baby would incur, but in the end they’d convinced her.
So a week later Gemma found herself across the world again on Strathmos. She called ahead to make sure Angelo was in residence. The first person Gemma saw when she reached the resort was Lucie.
“Gemma-” the slight blonde threw her arms around her “-you’re back.”
“Not to stay, I’m looking for Angelo.”
Lucie stepped back, her eyes curious. “He’s around somewhere. But it’s the Christmas show tomorrow night, you must come watch. Even though Stella Argyris is the star of the show-and she never lets anyone forget it. She’s even more of a pain in the butt than I remembered.” Lucie rolled her eyes.
“I will.” If she was here that long. If Angelo didn’t kick her off the island the moment she delivered her news. And that reminded her, she’d need to book accommodation in the village later so that she’d have somewhere to stay for the night. Although, if the worse came to the worse, she had no doubt that Lucie would let her use the sofa in her unit.
“Any idea where I can find Angelo?”
Lucie shook her head. “He was talking to Mark earlier outside Dionysus’s-but that was a while ago. Have him paged,” she suggested.
“Thanks.” Gemma had no intention of forewarning Angelo about her presence.
She wandered around, Angelo wasn’t on the overcast beach where the westerly wind blew the sand up in gusts. Nor was he in the entertainment complex, although Mark greeted her eagerly. She didn’t catch a glimpse of him in the lobby so she made her way to the casino. The gaming rooms were already occupied by some of the more hardened gamblers and she smiled at the bouncers as she made her way into the Apollo Club, but there was no sign of Angelo there, either.
She’d just about given up, deciding he must be in his penthouse and that she’d have to have herself announced, when she saw him seated in one of the many coffee bars, with a woman who was making every effort to keep his attention, flicking her long dark hair from her face, thrusting her chest forward to show off a superb stretch of cleavage.
Gemma turned away, her heart constricting. What had she expected? He’d told her he intended to forget her, and what better way than with a beautiful woman?
Angelo was gorgeous, wealthy…of course women would throw themselves at him. She’d never expected him to hanker after her. Yet seeing him with someone else hurt. Horribly. She made blindly for the exit. Outside the air was cool, the wintery edge of the wind cutting through her cardigan.
Gemma headed for the entertainment centre. As she rounded a bend, she saw Mark approaching from the opposite direction. She had no desire to talk to anyone so she slipped through a door into the massive Apollodrome super bowl where the Christmas extravaganza would be held.
She slipped into a seat and fought to blink back the tears that threatened. People came in and out, a couple of guys shifted props across the stage, but in the huge space she remained unnoticed.
It was a while before she gained sufficient control over her emotions to feel up to venturing out. The people had started to buzz in and out and she didn’t particularly want to bump into anyone she knew. So she stayed where she was and realised the final dress rehearsal must be about to start. Squinting, she recognised several of the dancers in their workout gear, a couple of the backing singers. Just as she was about to stand to leave, all the lights came up and she saw Angelo walk up the centre aisle.
But he was not alone.
The beautiful brunette clung on to his arm, talking vivaciously, her fingers tapping against his arm, demanding his attention. Angelo bent his head.
Gemma shrank back and felt a searing stab of jealousy.
When Mark came across the stage, the brunette rose onto her tiptoes, kissed Angelo’s cheek and made for the stage stairs. It was then that Gemma realised that this must be Stella Argyris.
Clearly, Angelo already had a new mistress.
She rose clumsily to her feet, intent on getting out of here. She saw Angelo turn as if drawn by some sixth sense and freeze.
Then she was plunging out of the row of red seats, her heart tearing with pain, desperate to get to the exit, to get away from the sight of them…of him.
Why had she come back to Strathmos?
She should have called him, told him about the baby over the phone. She should never have let her parents talk her into doing the right thing.
But her reluctance to lie to herself made her face the truth.
It wasn’t because of the baby that she was here. She’d come because she’d hoped that there was a chance to salvage something between them. That Angelo would take one look at her and know that he wanted her forever.
No chance of that. She’d deluded herself. Angelo had already found a new bed partner. Moved on. He wasn’t the kind of guy to fall in love with someone like her. So what had she been thinking?
A hand closed around her arm. “I heard you were here, asking for me. What do you want?”
Affronted and upset, she yanked out of Angelo’s grasp. “I made a mistake. I should never have come back.” And then she tried to move past him.
He blocked her path, his body broad and intimidating. “So why are you here?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
His fabulous eyes glinted. “I will decide if it matters. Something brought you a long way back. What?” There was an intensity in his tone that she didn’t understand.
She shrugged, ducked around him and started to walk quickly, her head down, intent on getting away from him.
He kept up with her. “We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” She rushed down a flight of stairs, her sights fixed on the exit to the Apollodrome. A vision of Stella Argyris kissing him filled her mind. “There’s nothing to say.”
She reached the exit and broke into a run, desperate to get out of the entertainment complex, to get away from him, before she started to cry.
She could hear his footsteps behind her. She ran faster, dimly aware that people-performers and tourists-were staring at her as she bolted past.
They’d reached the exit doors. Gemma plunged through them, into the salty windy air. She veered away, heading for the pathway to the village.
He caught her arm. “Slow down.”
“Let me go.”
He ignored her. Pulling her around to face him, he said, “You wanted to see me, now you’ve nothing to say?”
“Exactly.”
“We need to talk.”
She stuck her jaw out. “We don’t.”
“Okay, I’ll talk, you can listen. But I suggest we do this in the privacy of my suite-unless of course you like the idea of public scrutiny.”
