Tris Later, when she was tucking him up in bed, she inspected his features carefully. He showed his fathering, this child born out of what she had thought a night of perfect love and which instead had been an act of ruthless and deliberate expediency. He had nothing of her in him, unless it was his temperament. In looks he was all Tony; his father in exact miniature from his dark blue eyes to his thick glossy hair. When she first discovered she was pregnant she had been out of work and depressed. She had fainted twice in one week and put it down to nervous strain until, despite the fact that she had barely been eating, she discovered that her skirt wouldn't fasten round her waist. She had known the truth then, but refused to accept it, confirmation finally coming in the shabby, impersonal interview room of a pregnancy advice bureau. They had been kind and helpful, offering to arrange for a termination of her pregnancy, despite its advanced state.They had probably considered that sh
TrisEthan was being unusually fractious this morning, and she wondered if he had caught her own tense mood. He had played naughtily with his breakfast, something he never normally did, his mouth sulky and pouting when she scolded him. "Don't go to work, Mummy," he pleaded tearfully. "Stay with me!" "You know I have to go, Ethan," she reminded him gently, "but tomorrow is Friday, and then after that Mummy will be at home with you for two whole days. Perhaps we will go somewhere nice, if you are a good boy for Chloe." "Where nice?" he breathed, tears forgotten. "To the Zoo to see the bears?" "Maybe. Finish your egg, there is a good boy." His recalcitrance had made her late, and although she ran all the way down the bottom of the avenue, she was just in time to see her bus go sailing past. Groaning, she pressed a hand to her side to stifle the aching stitch. She was going to be late, and there was nothing she could do about it, so she might as well make up her mind to accept the fa
TrisTris had worked through her lunch-hour and expecting that Tony would be detained by Gail had not thought to close her office door when she made her call. The result was that he walked in when she was right in the middle of it, and Chloe was describing Ethan"s newest trick. "Personal call?" Tony said sardonically when she had finished. "First time I have seen a spark of life in you since I got here. Does Matt know about him?" "My private affairs are my own," Tris retorted, colour scorching her skin as she realised the inference he had drawn from her words. Of course he would think she meant love affairs. She turned her back on him, searching through the files for an article she needed. When she straightened up Tony was standing right behind her. She could smell the faint tang of his" aftershave. His skin was firm and tanned, the blue eyes framed with ridiculously thick dark lashes. Just like Ethan's. Her heart pounded, and she bent down to close the cupboard drawer, trying to
Tony. Tony sipped his cognac and watched as the party winded down. Luscious chocolate chip cannoli cake and pots of strong coffee were served, and a relaxed atmosphere rippled through the rooms as family and friends began making their good byes.Tension swirled in his gut and fought with the lovely fire of the alcohol. This time he was in trouble. Big trouble. After the phone call with Valarie and Dominick, he decided to confront his mother with a well placed battle plan.Tony knew sticking with the family tradition was impossible. He also realized his mother believed strongly in rules and rarely broke them. He had decided on an alternate plan that seemed brilliant. He would throw her a story about a steady girlfriend, with a wedding in the firm future, and even promise a visit.Then he would calmly insist Valarie marry first because of her history with Dominick, and he would cite Papa’s heavenly blessing. Maybe he would tell her he saw it in a dream, something to soothe her doubts.
Tony. I quickly followed her to the door and held her by her arm. “I have a proposition for you.” She threw her head back and laughed. The smoky sound beckoned like a witch casting a spell. “Well, then, you have come to the right girl.” She licked her lips with deliberate precision. The faint sheen of wetness gleamed in the light.“Proposition away.”He smothered a curse and decided to go for the blunt approach. “I need a pretend wife.”She blinked. “Huh?”“Yes.” He despised the slight flush his ridiculous admission caused and forged on. “I am having some family difficulties and I’m required to marry. I need someone to go to Italy with me for a week, pretend to be my wife, spend some time with my family, then leave.”“Why do I suddenly feel like I dropped into the Lifetime movie of the week?”“What is Lifetime?”She waved his question off. “Never mind, a girl thing. Um, let me think about this for a moment. You need me to pretend to be married to you, hang with your familly, stay in
Tris.Tris glanced at her fake husband and tried hard not to panic. The familiar shortening of breath and hammering heart alerted her to trouble.She swallowed, hid her face behind Italian Vogue, and prayed she’d keep it together. She hated the idea of anyone knowing about such a weakness, especially Tony. The whole crazy plan hit her full force as soon as his private plane shot into the air. Her finger itched with the snug band of platinum gold, and the two carat round diamond sparkled like icicles catching the glint of the sun. The ruse seemed doable in Nadia’s house. A day later, though, with a ring, fake husband, and family to con, she realized she was a complete idiot.What the hell had she agreed to?Tris couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t use the available weapon to keep Tony away from her family.But at what price? Meeting his sisters and mother. Sleeping in his bedroom. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t?Her fingers tightened around the glossy pages, and she breathed
Tony.Tony glanced at the poised woman by his side as he wound his way through the curvy hills toward his home. The top was down, and her gold red hair blew in the wind in a tangled mass, but she didn’t seem concerned. Her pursed lips told him she was thinking hard, probably getting into character to meet his family. During the last twenty-four hours, he’d learned a lot about Tris .Unfortunately, the tiny glimpse only made him crave more.The vivid green of trees and brown earth flashed by and welcomed him in a way that soothed his soul. His family owned land from generations back, which had all been passed to him. But he had always known from his first visit to New york City that he longed to make his mark there. Papa took him to visit his uncle, and the bustle of Manhattan fascinated his sense of challenge.Unfortunately, the crowds and chaos did not call to his need for privacy and land. When he decided to expand La Dolce Famiglia in the States, he sought the excitement of Manhatt
Chapter One. Tris. "So what are we having? Whiskey? Soda? Wine? You look like a wine person, do you need a minute? The bartender asked me , as i settled into an empty chair. "Any chance i can get a cosmo?" i asked looking around,it was a little too quiet for a Friday night. "Nope, but i have all the hard stuff." "Make it a shot of Jack Daniels." i said looking around the empty bar. Its a little past midnight now. And that's when i spotted him. He was tall and had broad shoulders. He had tattoos that slide all the way up to his shirt sleeves, his shirt was purple in color which complimented his skin well. He was about ten feet away from me, but there was enough light that i could see his eyes as they slowly dragged over my body without revealing a single thought. This guy holds his cards well. I though to myself as I caught him lick his slips slowly, such a guy move! The bartender came back to me with my drink and I lost concentration of the guy i was watching watch me for
Tony.Tony glanced at the poised woman by his side as he wound his way through the curvy hills toward his home. The top was down, and her gold red hair blew in the wind in a tangled mass, but she didn’t seem concerned. Her pursed lips told him she was thinking hard, probably getting into character to meet his family. During the last twenty-four hours, he’d learned a lot about Tris .Unfortunately, the tiny glimpse only made him crave more.The vivid green of trees and brown earth flashed by and welcomed him in a way that soothed his soul. His family owned land from generations back, which had all been passed to him. But he had always known from his first visit to New york City that he longed to make his mark there. Papa took him to visit his uncle, and the bustle of Manhattan fascinated his sense of challenge.Unfortunately, the crowds and chaos did not call to his need for privacy and land. When he decided to expand La Dolce Famiglia in the States, he sought the excitement of Manhatt
Tris.Tris glanced at her fake husband and tried hard not to panic. The familiar shortening of breath and hammering heart alerted her to trouble.She swallowed, hid her face behind Italian Vogue, and prayed she’d keep it together. She hated the idea of anyone knowing about such a weakness, especially Tony. The whole crazy plan hit her full force as soon as his private plane shot into the air. Her finger itched with the snug band of platinum gold, and the two carat round diamond sparkled like icicles catching the glint of the sun. The ruse seemed doable in Nadia’s house. A day later, though, with a ring, fake husband, and family to con, she realized she was a complete idiot.What the hell had she agreed to?Tris couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t use the available weapon to keep Tony away from her family.But at what price? Meeting his sisters and mother. Sleeping in his bedroom. Pretending to be someone she wasn’t?Her fingers tightened around the glossy pages, and she breathed
Tony. I quickly followed her to the door and held her by her arm. “I have a proposition for you.” She threw her head back and laughed. The smoky sound beckoned like a witch casting a spell. “Well, then, you have come to the right girl.” She licked her lips with deliberate precision. The faint sheen of wetness gleamed in the light.“Proposition away.”He smothered a curse and decided to go for the blunt approach. “I need a pretend wife.”She blinked. “Huh?”“Yes.” He despised the slight flush his ridiculous admission caused and forged on. “I am having some family difficulties and I’m required to marry. I need someone to go to Italy with me for a week, pretend to be my wife, spend some time with my family, then leave.”“Why do I suddenly feel like I dropped into the Lifetime movie of the week?”“What is Lifetime?”She waved his question off. “Never mind, a girl thing. Um, let me think about this for a moment. You need me to pretend to be married to you, hang with your familly, stay in
Tony. Tony sipped his cognac and watched as the party winded down. Luscious chocolate chip cannoli cake and pots of strong coffee were served, and a relaxed atmosphere rippled through the rooms as family and friends began making their good byes.Tension swirled in his gut and fought with the lovely fire of the alcohol. This time he was in trouble. Big trouble. After the phone call with Valarie and Dominick, he decided to confront his mother with a well placed battle plan.Tony knew sticking with the family tradition was impossible. He also realized his mother believed strongly in rules and rarely broke them. He had decided on an alternate plan that seemed brilliant. He would throw her a story about a steady girlfriend, with a wedding in the firm future, and even promise a visit.Then he would calmly insist Valarie marry first because of her history with Dominick, and he would cite Papa’s heavenly blessing. Maybe he would tell her he saw it in a dream, something to soothe her doubts.
TrisTris had worked through her lunch-hour and expecting that Tony would be detained by Gail had not thought to close her office door when she made her call. The result was that he walked in when she was right in the middle of it, and Chloe was describing Ethan"s newest trick. "Personal call?" Tony said sardonically when she had finished. "First time I have seen a spark of life in you since I got here. Does Matt know about him?" "My private affairs are my own," Tris retorted, colour scorching her skin as she realised the inference he had drawn from her words. Of course he would think she meant love affairs. She turned her back on him, searching through the files for an article she needed. When she straightened up Tony was standing right behind her. She could smell the faint tang of his" aftershave. His skin was firm and tanned, the blue eyes framed with ridiculously thick dark lashes. Just like Ethan's. Her heart pounded, and she bent down to close the cupboard drawer, trying to
TrisEthan was being unusually fractious this morning, and she wondered if he had caught her own tense mood. He had played naughtily with his breakfast, something he never normally did, his mouth sulky and pouting when she scolded him. "Don't go to work, Mummy," he pleaded tearfully. "Stay with me!" "You know I have to go, Ethan," she reminded him gently, "but tomorrow is Friday, and then after that Mummy will be at home with you for two whole days. Perhaps we will go somewhere nice, if you are a good boy for Chloe." "Where nice?" he breathed, tears forgotten. "To the Zoo to see the bears?" "Maybe. Finish your egg, there is a good boy." His recalcitrance had made her late, and although she ran all the way down the bottom of the avenue, she was just in time to see her bus go sailing past. Groaning, she pressed a hand to her side to stifle the aching stitch. She was going to be late, and there was nothing she could do about it, so she might as well make up her mind to accept the fa
Tris Later, when she was tucking him up in bed, she inspected his features carefully. He showed his fathering, this child born out of what she had thought a night of perfect love and which instead had been an act of ruthless and deliberate expediency. He had nothing of her in him, unless it was his temperament. In looks he was all Tony; his father in exact miniature from his dark blue eyes to his thick glossy hair. When she first discovered she was pregnant she had been out of work and depressed. She had fainted twice in one week and put it down to nervous strain until, despite the fact that she had barely been eating, she discovered that her skirt wouldn't fasten round her waist. She had known the truth then, but refused to accept it, confirmation finally coming in the shabby, impersonal interview room of a pregnancy advice bureau. They had been kind and helpful, offering to arrange for a termination of her pregnancy, despite its advanced state.They had probably considered that sh
Tris. It was after seven when Tris stepped wearily off the bus at the end of her road. There had been a last-minute panic necessitating recall of an article and she had worked late to help Nick get the crisis sorted out. The adrenalin flow which had helped her through the day had abated, leaving her feeling drained and exhausted. Her feet dragged as she walked up the tree lined avenue. It had been a perfect spring day, and now as long golden shadows fell across the pavement the last liquid notes of birdsong filtered sweetly through the air. She had a long way to commute, but she had particularly wanted a house with at least some pretensions towards being rural. She knew North London wasn't fashionable and people raised their eyebrows when they discovered how far out of town she was, but the house had a long back garden, which was enclosed with hedges and boasted half dozen wizened apple trees, and in the spring when they were in blossom and the cherry trees flowered along the suburb
Tris.The two men emerged from the office, and Tris darted a quick look at Tony's shuttered face. It told her nothing. When they had gone she stared unseeingly at her typewriter, ignoring the over flowing "in" tray, her mind racing frantically in circles as she tried to think of a way of ensuring that she need never set eyes on Tony Blake again. There wasn't one, of course. Not unless she gave up her job, and that was impossible. In a more buoyant economic climate she might have done so, even if it meant taking a drop in salary, but to take the risk in the middle of a depression would be extremely foolhardy. She needed her salary. Every penny of it. She closed her eyes, shivering suddenly with cold. The office door opened and she jerked upright, her face paper-white, but it was only Matt Dyson, one of the sub editors. It was the joke of the Globe that while Tris gave every other male the cold shoulder, Matt Dyson, the original worm who never turned, was her only male escort. "Is so