Voices reached her before she hit the kitchen door. Stilted conversation between the men. No breathless girlish laughter. No woman’s voice at all, so either Sophia wasn’t there or else whatever had been sorted between her and Alessandro had left her literally speechless.
The door was ajar and Georgie automatically raised her hand to knock before remembering that she was supposed to be having some sort of relationship with Alessandro and so would hardly be announcing her arrival with a polite knock on the door.
She quickly took in the scene. A matter of seconds to get the picture. What was the opposite of light-hearted?Borderline murderous maybe?Coffee had been made and poured and although there was, actually and thanks to her, food available for a breakfast, there was nothing on the table. Alessandro was standing, perched against the granite kitchen counter, sipping coffee. The other three were at the table and while the men were doing their best with some conversation, hence the voices she had heard before entering, Alessandro’s ex-wife was most definitely not participating.
Georgie glanced at her. She’d changed overnight into a pair of skintight leopard-skin-patterned jeggings and a long sleeved very tight tee shirt that emphasised her abundant breasts and cleavage. She was wearing high-heeled, knee-high leather boots and her make-up was immaculate. Their eyes met and the brunette looked at her with loathing.
If looks could kill, Georgie thought, walking towards Alessandro while wondering what was going to happen next in this scenario.
From his vantage point, leaning against the counter by the window, Alessandro watched her approach.
Her bag of tricks had not yielded anything along the lines of designer or fancy, yet he was finding it hard to peel his eyes away from her slight frame as she strolled towards him with the sort of insouciant smile that barely concealed her nerves.
He’d been tough on her but needs must. The stakes were high and there had been no question that he’d done exactly what he’d needed to do. Still. She’d been unwittingly caught in the crossfire so it was no surprise that she looked nervous.
But sexy.
In the same thermal leggings but a restrained little cardigan and a small matching vest underneath it, and trainers. Grey and pink trainers.
His dark eyes flashed to Sophia, who was glowering at the kitchen table.
She’d brought an outfit she’d hoped would send his pulses racing. Instead, the leopard-skin print and the high heels and the long red nails looked tacky and distasteful.
‘Georgie…’
He reached towards her and lovingly tugged her to him and then dropped a light kiss on top of her head. No overt display of anything but enough to make him a little giddy, genuinely giddy, and when his eyes met Sophia’s he could see that his ex-wife had registered that tiny, involuntary response.
Time to hustle this along, was what he thought, and so for the next ten minutes, he did the talking. He talked a little business, talked a little weather, kept it light, glanced pointedly at his watch a couple of times.
He kept Georgie right there by him, offered her coffee and couldn’t have wished for a more credible display of their relationship when she accepted a cup and then asked whether anyone wanted anything to eat.
‘There are croissants! I just have to bake them! Honestly as good as fresh!’ She broke free of him and moved towards the fridge. ‘Also eggs…some bacon and lots of cheese…’
‘How long have you been in my ex-husband’s chalet?’ Sophia queried icily.
‘Oh, a few days.’
Georgie pulled out croissants from the fridge and made a deal of reading the baking instructions on the packaging before reluctantly returning her gaze to the other woman.
‘And how long have you two been seeing one another?’
‘Not your business, Sophia,’ Alessandro interrupted.
‘It is,’ the other woman said acidly, ‘when your latest conquest is going to be—’
‘Drop it.’
Going to be what?Georgie wondered. She realised that her presence had been temporarily forgotten in the war of words.
‘You may have got me to sign your papers, Alessandro, but we both know that you are not a man who holds down relationships. Where do you think this is going… Miss…whatever your name is? Do you think that you are the first to become besotted with my husband, only to find yourself discarded on the usual heap by the side of the road? You will soon be joining a queue, my dear. I speak from experience.’
‘And on that note, I think transport awaits you, Sophia. Miguel… Henry…is there anything else we need to do or has everything been completed to your satisfaction?’
‘I can have everything sent to you by email no later than tomorrow evening, Signor Barbieri.’
Georgie took a back seat as the dregs of coffee were drunk and the two older men stood up, getting ready to go.
Outside, there was no falling snow but the winter wonderland of white seemed to announce too beautiful a day for the unpleasant atmosphere inside the chalet.
