Sat at the reception desk, Matthew watched Sarah from over the top of his laptop. She moved between their guests with ease, effortlessly graceful and effervescently friendly. Her tight black jeans hugged her legs in just the right way, and his mind slipped into memories of what it had felt like to caress her naked body just hours earlier.
Clearing his throat, and mind, he snapped back to more productive thoughts.
Sarah had returned to the kitchen, where she had been periodically sneaking sips of tea and nibbles of her own breakfast. Remembering that Matthew had been equally busy that morning, she prepared him a plate of fresh fruit and poured him a coffee. Walking past the long buzzing table, she cast a wide smile at Matthew as their eyes met across the hall.
‘Surely you can spare a moment for breakfast?’ she said, laying the plate and coffee before him.
‘Thank you.’ He reached for a slice of peach and brought it to his lips. ‘I find it hard to stop.’
‘I know you do. So, stop and eat something. The bookings will still be there in a few minutes.’
‘Thank you. By the way, how did you get those magazines and papers?’
‘I ordered them. The papers are licensed printouts. And I just ordered a bunch of subscriptions to all the major foreign magazines.Vogue.Vanity Fair. A few business-related ones too. They’re all coming direct to us now. Even the local daily papers. Can’t be bothered collecting them from Fiorellino anymore.’
‘Brilliant. Great idea.’
‘Can I get you anything else?’
He cast his eyes across the paper-covered desk. ‘No, I’m fine. Thanks.’ His eyes seemed extra green this morning.
‘Well, let me know if you do,Matteo.’ She turned on her heel and walked away before she could catch the reaction on his face.
Hearing her say his name – his legal name – for the first time lit a fire in his belly. He clenched his jaw and watched her intently as she returned to tend to their guests.
Matteo. She had practically purred.
Collecting the empty bread basket from the table on her way past, Matthew saw Sarah return to the kitchen. Finding his feet, he moved quickly.
Sarah was looking through packets and boxes in the walk-in pantry when Matthew’s presence startled her. ‘What did you say?’ he asked from the doorway.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Just before. What did you say?’
‘I told you to let me know if you needed anything.’
‘Then?’
‘Then . . . what?’
He stepped into the pantry and pulled the door behind him. Just a thin sliver of light was able to enter through the narrow gap, casting shadows across their faces. ‘You said my name.’ He pressed her against the wall.
‘Matteo?’ she repeated, slowly.
A guttural moan escaped him, running his eyes over the length of her body. ‘That’s . . .’ He swallowed past the breath caught in his throat. ‘You’ve never . . .’
‘Would you rather I didn’t?’
‘Say it again.’ He dipped his face into her neck, finding her collarbone, which he began to tease with his lips.
‘Matteo. . .’
‘What are you doing to me?’ he asked, now resting his forehead against hers, biting his lower lip. ‘You have this way of . . .’
Sarah pressed a finger to his lips, ‘Shh. Everyone will hear you.’
‘I couldn’t give a fuck right now.’ His right hand crept under her top and found her bra, while his left hand moved down her back and grabbed her bottom. ‘You’re so damn sexy, Sarah. You don’t know half of what you do to me.’
