‘Really?’Your new boss has very exacting standards where his staff is concerned. Absolutely, I’ll help you.Standing in the changing room, Brianna stared at her reflection—the safe black suit she’d initially chosen had been tut-tutted away by the assistant and replaced with a slate-grey one, which was gorgeous; a cream linen one, which Brianna wasn’t sure about; and an olive one, which was fab too—although the skirt was just a touch too short for her liking. Now she was wearing a chocolate-brown suit that, as the assistant had promised, worked well with her coloring. It calmed her complexion and brought out the blue of her eyes, and with her hair done, her make-up on, and the right shoes... Standing on tiptoe, Brianna assumed a snooty pose and decided that she actually might just pass as Elmo Nicoli’s assistant—and she could afford to help her mother now, could pay the lawyer, and, if the ruling didn’t go their way, would be able to pay off Aunty Debby and Maya.Maya…Sitting on the
‘Already? That’s quick. Normally, it takes you forever to find someone suitable."Not this time.""So stay for dinner," Annabella pleaded. "Lucia would be delighted, and so would I—it would help me take my mind off this little one." She ran a hand over her swollen stomach. "I’m getting more nervous by the minute.""You’re going to be fine," Elmo said, even trying to smile as he did so. "You’re both going to be fine." What are you reading?"A baby name book—I’m down to about thirty names for a girl, but if it’s a boy..." She paused for a second, watching as Elmo swallowed, pain flickering across his usually impassive features. "I want to call him Elpido."‘That’s good.’ Elmo nodded. "That’s how it should be—it is the right thing to do."‘You’re sure? I mean, I know... She didn’t finish her sentence and waited for Elmo to fill in the impossible gap. Only he didn’t, instead running a hand over his forehead and then squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger for a s
He never got to finish. He was yanked forward by his jacket a generous few inches, then slammed back hard against the wall."Shut it," Elmo snarled, his face inches away from Gilberto’s. "You make me sick.""You believe her?" Gilberto gave a nervous but mocking laugh. "You believe her against your own family?""You are married to my sister," Elmo snarled. "You are not my blood." What the hell are you doing, messing around?‘I wasn’t. She’s the one who was coming on to me. She’s the one who set me up."Rubbish," Elmo snarled. Don’t try to lie your way out of this. You go near her again, and I will not be responsible for my actions. Elmo’s hands were still pushing him up against the wall, his voice low and menacing. "You stay well away from her."You mean you haven’t gotten rid of her? Gilberto’s voice was aghast."Why would I get rid of her when it was your mistake?" She is my personal assistant now, and one wrong move from you, and don’t think I won’t tell my sister."She set me up."
"It says here Roberta called."His voice held the warning ring that was becoming increasingly familiar. It was her first week working for Elmo, and already she was looking at the clock, willing the next few hours to just please hurry up and go, so that she could wave goodbye to him until Monday.‘She did.’ Brianna gulped, not looking up, but instead staring at the note he had put on her desk—focusing not on the message she’d written but on his tense fingers that were drumming over it. "Half an hour ago." But you were on another call..."And what did you say to her?""Just that," Brianna offered. "I said that you were on another call and I’d let you know..." A rather shaky finger hovered near his and pointed to her note. "Which I did.""She told you it was urgent, I presume?"‘She did.’ Brianna cleared her throat. "But nearly everyone—""You do realise that I’ve been trying to get hold of her for two days?" His voice was pure ice."She sounded anxious," Brianna attempted. "She sounded
‘Good morning!’ Used to not getting an answer, Brianna pushed it open, her high heels echoing on the floorboards, then silencing whenever she hit one of the thick, luxurious rugs. Her new shoes were already starting to hurt as she called out into the empty hallway—this was only the third time she’d been to his home in the morning, and on both other occasions Elmo had greeted her from the kitchen with the briefest of good mornings and a rapid rundown of their schedule.but not this morning.Feeling like an intruder, she walked along the darkened hallway—the luxurious surrounds were not quite familiar enough yet to fail to impress. His Toorak mansion home had been meticulously decorated, with no expense spared—exquisite antique furniture clashed marvellously with the latest in everything modern—but it was definitely a male home. Feminine touches were markedly absent—no flowers brightening corners, no splashes of color to take away the rather austere lines, no photos on the heavy wooden
God, but she was gorgeous. A bag of nerves, perhaps, but utterly, utterly gorgeous.The last week had been difficult in the extreme, with Elmo waiting for her to make a mistake, waiting for her to slip up, to show her true colors. Only to date, all she had been was a breath of fresh air, clipping in and out of his office with her wide smile, charming his colleagues and the boss to boot! There was no question she was capable of the role—would, in fact, be extremely capable once she’d mastered a few more of the basics.Sometimes he actually forgot for a moment just who she was...At moments like this one, he actually forgot that she was Maya’s cousin. Elmo could see her hands in her lap and her knees bobbing up and down, and he wanted to still them—wanted to trap her legs with his thighs, wanted to take that mouth with his and taste it. Why couldn’t he have felt like that last night? listening to Mandy—or was it Mindy?—droning on and on. As beautiful as she was, he hadn’t even been both
Elmo could sense her disapproval, and for once it unnerved him—though his assistant’s approval was usually the last thing he required as he got on with the business of being a Nicoli. Yet he was tempted to tap Jeremy on the shoulder and tell him to stop the car and let him out. He wanted out of the car and away from the bloody lot of them.Tapping his fingers impatiently, Elmo dismissed the odd impulse. He didn’t really want to be alone with his thoughts today of all days. It wasn’t Brianna’s disapproval that was gnawing at him—it was his own dread and loathing.He was trying to center himself. It was as if he were surrounded by a million scattered compasses, and the needles, which had hovered without direction for so long, were suddenly settling, all homing in as the universe moved the world along and everything aligned to bring things to an unwelcome head. A new life was coming into the world—a new life that meant his shattered family would have to meet, might talk...That he might
Brianna watched as his free hand bunched into a fist and saw the little bit of color that was left in him literally drain away. His Adam’s apple bobbed a couple of times before he managed to carry on. "How was Mum?" He closed his eyes on the excited chatter, raked his hand through his hair, and dragged in vital oxygen."Of course I hope to see them." It just depends on when we go to Rome. I’m glad you’re calling him that—no, really. I’m fine with it now...Just for a second, his voice broke, and so evident was his pain, so abject his misery, that Brianna had to force herself not to go over—had to literally stop herself from walking over and taking the phone from his hand, telling Annabella he would call back later.But Elmo recovered quickly, nodding blindly and forcing himself to go on, his cheery voice absolutely belying his hopeless stance. "Elpido would be very proud."‘A boy?’ He didn’t look over; he just clicked off the phone and stared out of the window into the darkening night