A Fragile Heart (BBW Billionaire Light Romance) Page 7

  The drive along the coast was just as delightful as he’d promised. While Guy kept his attention on the snaking road, Elena looked down the steep drop to the sapphire sea below. Pastel coloured houses clung precariously to the cliff sides, the narrow streets winding down to small harbours.

  “That’s Positano down there,” Guy said. “We could come tomorrow and explore if you like? We'll walk down to the bottom. It's very steep.”

  At Amalfi they ate pasta at a restaurant overlooking the beach and sipped ice cold Prosecco.

  And afterwards they wandered the narrow streets, where Guy led Elena to a jeweller's shop.

  “Have a look inside,” he insisted, ushering her in. “Choose something to remind you of today.”

  It was cool and quiet inside the shop and as Elena drifted along, looking at the displays of gold, silver, diamonds and exquisite jewellery and watches, she knew that Guy was not going to let her out of the shop without buying something and so took her time deciding. At the side, in a small glass case, she saw just the sort of modest thing she was looking for.

  “There,” she said. “I'd like that bracelet please.”

  Guy looked at her with a mixture of frustration and amusement, but he nodded to the assistant who took out the small coral bracelet, probably the most inexpensive item in the whole shop, and fastened it onto Elena's bronzed wrist.

  Elena smiled her thanks as Guy paid. Outside the shop he pulled her to him. She’d half expected that he would be annoyed by her choice of present, but as he kissed her neck he just said, “Don't ever change, Elena.”

  §

  That evening she chose a simple silk shift dress in a deep apricot colour. She left her hair loose and curly and wore no jewellery other than the coral bracelet. Guy guided her to the table in the hotel's restaurant and she could see from his expression that he approved her choice.

  “Very subtle,” he remarked as she sat down.

  Elena was hungry after the exhilarating open air drive and was quite happy to sit back and let Guy order.

  She looked around at the busy dining room, at the expensively dressed women and wealthy looking men and found, to her surprise, that she no longer felt so out of place in this five-star hotel. Was it money that brought with it that sort of confidence, she wondered, or were some people born with a natural sense of entitlement?

  She was so deep into her thoughts that she failed at first to notice Guy's mobile phone ringing. This was unusual, as he’d kept it switched off most of the time they’d been away and had expressed the opinion that phones were intrusive when people were eating. However, that evening he pulled phone from his pocket and answered, listening intently to the caller.

  “I'll call you back,” said, putting the phone away, but he seemed distracted, and Elena could sense a subtle change in him. His mind was elsewhere, and he seemed to be gradually slipping back, from holiday into business mode.

  “I don't mind if you want to go into reception and make your call,” she suggested, as he seemed to be restless.

  “Good idea, I won't be long.”

  True to his word, Guy returned after only a few minutes, but he looked so serious and took her hand urgently as he slipped back into his seat at the table.

  “I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to have to leave you for a couple of days,” he explained. “Something big has come up and Graham needs me at a meeting in Zurich. I thought it was something he could finalise on his own but it turns out we both need to be there for this as we’ll need to sign contracts.”

  “When will you go?” Elena asked.

  “They've booked a flight for me early tomorrow morning. Look, I'll arrange for you to do whatever you want. I can get the manager to provide a guide and car and take you to some of the sights. There are so many things still to see here. Or you can go back to the boat and chill out if you’d rather be there? It means being on your own for a day or two.”

  Elena thought about the ideas for a while: Back to the boat or sight-seeing?

  “I think I’ll just stay at the hotel as we planned,” she said. “It's so lovely here. There's the pool. I can read and sun bathe on the balcony and just potter around the shops when I feel like it. It’ll be fine.”

  “Then I'll arrange to leave you some money in case you need anything, and you can order room service if you feel like it. I'll talk to the manager to make sure you have anything you could want.”

  “It's just a couple of days, Guy. I'll be perfectly all right.”

  There was a new intensity to their love-making that night, Elena shivering and moaning as Guy took her so urgently, so hungrily, but even so Elena knew that he was already slipping back into his real world – the world of big business where deals and contracts took precedence over holidays. Still, she comforted herself with the thought that she would only be on her own in a strange country for a couple of days.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Elena was roused by the noise of the shutters being opened, and the early morning light flooded into the room sending a shaft of sunlight onto the bed.

  “Sorry to wake you,” Guy said, as he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. “I have to go now, it's an early flight.”

  She was taken aback to see him fully dressed in a smart, navy business suit, crisp white shirt and black silk tie.

  “Did you have those clothes with you all along?” she enquired gently.

  “Yes, I keep some on the boat for times like this. I had them brought over. I have to be prepared, for these emergencies. It's my way of life, Elena.”

  Although she didn't want him to leave, she knew that what he said was unfortunately a fact of life for him; no-one became a billionaire without being prepared to give up their time when it was necessary, even if it was in the middle of a fantastic holiday.

  They kissed a long and passionate goodbye and then, once he was gone, Elena snuggled back down into the vast bed, again trying to make the most of things.

  She couldn't help feeling disappointed that the idyllic break had been interrupted, but, at the same time, she knew that Guy was only following his normal pattern. After all, making millions didn't happen out of the blue, without effort and even sacrifices. It was just another example of their different worlds, she told herself.

  Accept it, make the most of the next two days and welcome him back, she determined. No moans about being left alone.

  She certainly didn't want to show any signs of being clingy or needy, and this was the perfect time to prove she could be self-sufficient.

  The first day passed surprisingly quickly. The morning was warm and Elena ordered room service, taking her breakfast of fresh fruit, croissants and coffee on the balcony, watching the boats down in the harbour.

  Later she chose one of the sleek new swimsuits she’d brought over from the boat and went down to the hotel pool. For as long as she could remember she had been uncomfortable appearing in public in swimming gear, due to her generous figure, but her love of water had been brought out in the last week on the boat and she swam several lengths of the large pool without difficulty. As she came dripping out of the water, and made her way to a lounger, she was amused and, for the first time in ages, flattered to see that one of the Italian waiters was looking at her with approval. It felt good. And she was beginning, very slightly, to feel comfortable in her own skin.

  Elena spent the morning reading by the pool under a parasol, sipping cool lemonade. She had her mobile with her but didn’t really expect to hear from Guy. He’d explained last night that he would be extremely busy while he was away, so he would just let her know when he was on the way back to the airport.

  After a while, she decided to send a text to Josh. She knew he disapproved of this holiday with Guy, but still she thought a brief message might help to heal their rift. She tried not to think about what state the little flat would be in if Josh had been having his mates to stay over and play their music until all hours. She’d have to ge
t him to help with a major clean up when she got back.

  She pushed the thought from her mind, and sent a brief message saying she was enjoying the break and hoped he was managing ok, too.

  Then it was time to shower and change. She would go out into the Piazza at lunchtime and have a pizza and coffee, something simple, away from the hotel, back in the real world, so that she didn't become too used to such luxury.

  Elena spent a pleasant afternoon drifting along the busy streets looking in shop windows at the range of beautiful leather handbags and shoes. She knew that if she wanted, for the first time in her life, she could buy anything in the shops.

  Guy had given her the number of the safe in their room and told her to use the euros he’d left in there. She had peeked in and been shocked at the amount. She wouldn’t touch it, she’d decided. She had enough already, there was nothing more she needed.

  Back at the hotel Elena collected a map of the area and some leaflets about places of interest to visit. She ordered room service again as she felt more relaxed eating in the suite than the thought of dining alone in that splendid dining room.

  She sat on the balcony with her lobster salad, strawberries and wine as she leafed through the tourist information. She watched as the sun began to dip below the horizon and the lights came on around the bay. She felt sleepy and decided on an early night. Tomorrow she would explore the churches and back streets of Sorrento, then, the next day, if the business meetings went well, it was possible that Guy might be back.

  It gave her a thrill of desire to think of his return – how quickly she had become used to his presence, not to mention her urgent need for him. It would feel strange to sleep in their huge bed alone tonight, instead of being safely entwined in his arms.

  §

  The next morning, she dressed casually in pink capri pants and a white cotton shirt. She’d still not got over the excitement she felt when she opened the wardrobe and carefully sorted through the beautiful array of clothes hanging inside, so many outfits to choose from it was hard to know what to wear.

  Leaving the hotel after breakfast Elena followed the map and found herself in the quiet back streets. There were many small churches tucked away, and she went inside them, marvelling at how richly decorated they were with oil paintings, flowers and candles. She put some change into a box and lit a candle. It was a long time since she had been inside a church but she found she liked the sense of peace. She consulted the map and saw that she was near the site of a monastery, its cloisters and garden open to the public.

  Following the narrow street further downhill, she saw the sign and went into the little sanctuary. There was no-one else there as she walked slowly through the shady cloisters which surrounded the courtyard garden. She stopped to take in the quiet atmosphere, wishing that she had a camera with her when she had a strange feeling that she was not alone.

  In fact, she felt as though she was being watched.

  Elena looked curiously around and thought, for a moment, that a shadow flitted between the stone columns of the cool cloisters. She shivered uneasily, unable to shake off the eerie feeling that she was being followed, even though there was no-one else in sight, and she decided to make her way out. It was too quiet out here and she wanted to be back among other people.

  She glanced around herself once she was back in the street, but there was just the usual noise of scooters, holiday makers sight-seeing or locals on their way to and from work.

  I’m just being over-anxious, she told herself, alone in a strange place. But she was twenty-eight years old and had lived in the lively metropolitan city of London for the last year, so why on earth was she being so timid now!

  She decided to try and find the lemon groves again and buy some more of that liqueur to take home. It had been so tranquil there, and she felt like she needed to sit down and chill out, instead of being spooked by these ridiculous fantasies.

  She turned the map around trying to make sense of her surroundings, then threaded her way through the busy streets.

  As she walked on she became aware that she had probably taken the wrong direction. After all, map reading had never been a strong point, and she soon began to feel a little lost. There were fewer people about and it felt as though she had somehow wandered to the very edge of the town. She slowed down to look at the map again and, suddenly, was aware of a black car cruising slowly on the street, right alongside her. There was a movement on the pavement behind her, too close, and just then a voice whispered in her ear.

  “Elena?”

  “Yes?”

  She turned around, and there was a young man directly behind her, dressed in a black suit and dark shirt, with wrap-around sunglasses. He put out his arm, leaning it heavily across her shoulders.

  She tried to shrug him off, but his arm slipped down, holding her tightly around the waist. The car had come to a stop and the driver jumped out, swiftly reaching Elena's other side and holding her wrist.

  Before she knew what was happening she was bundled across the pavement into the back of the car. The man who’d been holding her slipped onto the back seat beside her as the driver jumped in the front and the car took off at speed.

  Elena managed to reach across to try the door handle, but it was locked. She’d been snatched so quickly that it all seemed like a terrible dream.

  The man leaned over and fastened a safety belt around her. Then, taking her handbag, he rummaged around until he found her mobile. He put the phone into his inside pocket as Elena just sat there, frozen numb with shock, her heart pounding.

  The awful realisation hit her:

  She had been abducted in broad daylight ...

  But why?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elena's mouth was dry and her hands trembling as she began to fear what was going to happen to her. The man in the back of the car was hunched, looking out of the window, and she realised he was only young, perhaps nineteen or twenty. Her mind began to fill with terrible images of rape and murder and her heart raced as she tried her best to gulp in some air.

  The young man turned and glanced briefly at her, perhaps thinking that she was starting to become hysterical.

  “No harm,” he said.

  No harm? What then had they got planned for her. As the car left the town and followed the road more slowly into the country, Elena tried to control herself and, as the first waves of shock began to subside, she realised that her instinct had been correct. It hadn't been a figment of her imagination; she must have been watched and followed during the day.

  Then, she remembered, someone had whispered her name, just before she was taken. It was becoming more and more frightening. They must have seen her come out of the five-star hotel. They probably thought she was wealthy and they could get money for her release. But how did they know her name? The answer was clear – Guy. They must know the connection.

  "Look, I don't know if you can understand English, but I'm not rich, okay?” she said. “I'm just an office worker from London.”

  There was silence in the car. Elena tried again.

  “If you think that someone is going to pay you huge amounts of money to let me go, you’re wrong.”

  But there was still no response. Elena decided she must try again, one final time.

  “I’m in Sorrento with Guy Silver, that's right, but it's only casual. We're not serious or anything. He's not going to pay you any hostage money to let me go, you know ...”

  There was a brief conversation between the two men, and Elena wished she could understand even a word of Italian, but it all made no sense to her. She sank back on the seat, trying to control her shaking, which was becoming worse, and closed her eyes.

  The car slowed down and Elena saw that they’d approached a pair of large wrought iron gates which stood open, with a gravel drive beyond. They stopped at the bottom of a flight shallow stone steps, leading to a stucco yellow-coloured villa with shuttered windows either side of the entrance.

  The two men got out of
the car, and the driver held the door open for her. She allowed herself to be led, apprehensively, up the steps to the heavy wooden door, which was not locked and opened at a slight push.

  She was led down a dim, marble floored entrance hall and into a large room on the left at the back.

  Elena was dimly aware of the golden painted walls, huge mirrors and antique furniture. A female figure was standing looking out of the window at the far end of the room. She turned slowly, and even against the light, Elena was able to recognise the elegant woman she’d seen in that photograph with Guy.

  Elena felt her knees give way and sat down heavily on the nearest velvet sofa.

  The woman glanced at her, then began to speak to the two young men in a furious outburst. They shook their heads and attempted to answer, but she continued. Elena couldn’t understand a word of it, but it seemed that she was still angry with them as she waved them away. They shrugged and left the room, dropping Elena’s mobile phone onto a low carved table in front of her. The woman turned to a side dresser and poured amber liquid into a small crystal glass.

  “Here,” she said, in perfect English. “Drink this, it will help to steady your nerves.”

  Elena took the glass and sipped slowly. She had no idea what was happening to her, but as the brandy slipped down, the warmth spread and she began to stop shaking.

  The woman was watching her closely, and Elena became aware of just how beautiful she was. Tall, slim and elegant, with olive skin, high cheekbones and dark hair drawn back into a chignon. In her black dress and silver hooped ear-rings she looked just like someone from the Royal Ballet.

  “I apologise, Elena,” she said. “I asked my young cousin to invite you to come here today because I wanted to meet you. Unfortunately, he and his idiot friend thought they would play out some silly Mafiosa fantasy game. I can see they have frightened you.”