Flame Of Desire

Rosemary frowned. ‘Your father seemed to think it was the wine.’

‘Yes.’

‘I suppose this is your excuse for your rudeness earlier on,’ Rosemary snapped.

Sophie had known this was coming, had known since her outburst to Luke Vittorio at the dinner table that her stepmother would not let the incident pass. And in the light of her discovery about the two of them Rosemary’s anger was all the more understandable. She wouldn’t want to lose the handsome Italian because of the rudeness of her stepdaughter.

‘Yes,’ she nodded.

Her stepmother’s blue eyes were coldly angry. ‘What sort of an answer is that?’

‘I—Well, I just don’t like Mr Vittorio.’ Was it her imagination or did she see a faint glimmer of relief in her stepmother’s face? If she had it didn’t show now.

‘Don’t be ridiculous, everyone likes Luke.’

‘Well, I don’t,’ Sophie said sulkily.

‘It isn’t that important anyway. He’ll only be painting you, nothing else.’

Oh yes, he would, he would be providing a perfectly respectable reason for her stepmother and himself to keep in contact, to occasionally be seen together. Well, not if she could help it!

‘I don’t want to be painted by him.’

‘You’ll do as you’re told.’ Rosemary had obviously run out of patience with her. ‘And I don’t want any more rudeness to him. Your father would be very shocked if he knew about your behaviour.’

Not if he knew the real reason behind it! ’Yes, Mummy.’

Rosemary gave her a sharp look, suspecting sarcasm and finding none. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ and she slammed out of the room.

Sophie kept a watchful eye on her stepmother and Luke Vittorio all the next day, although there was really nothing to witness today. Perhaps Luke Vittorio had learnt by his folly of yesterday, but he seemed to keep a polite distance between himself and the other guests, Eve Jeffers being the only person he appeared to talk to.

Helen duly arrived for tea, blushing profusely after Sophie had introduced her to the artist. ‘Gosh, he’s lovely!’ She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Sophie gave her a disgusted look. ‘He’s arrogant and conceited.’

Helen’s eyes widened before her gaze wandered back to Luke Vittorio as he stood talking to Sophie’s father on the other side of the room. She couldn’t seem to see anything but the handsome Luke Vittorio, loving the way the cream trousers and shirt clung to his muscular body and accentuated his swarthy colouring.

‘Surely not?’ she said breathlessly.

‘Believe me, he is.’ And he had no right to be talking so casually to her father, not when he was having an affair with his wife. But a man like that wouldn’t give a damn.

‘Ooh, look!’ squealed Helen. ‘They’re coming over!’

And they were too, the two men talking amicably together. Her poor father, it wouldn’t occur to him to suspect this man of being interested in his wife.

Her father smiled at the two girls. ‘Mr Vittorio—Luke, has just been telling me that he would very much like to paint you, Sophie,’ he told her triumphantly.

She raised shocked eyes to that dark satanic face, flinching at the cold disdain for her in his eyes. ‘I don’t—–’

‘Of course I will not be able to travel down here for your sittings,’ Luke Vittorio spoke for the first time. ‘You will have to visit me at my apartment in London for that.’

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_b650e0d1-e804-5f49-8579-f8f003b882ad)

‘OH, but—–’

Her father frowned. ‘Surely that isn’t necessary, Luke. A couple of sittings down here would be enough.’

Luke shook his head. ‘I am afraid not. I do not work that way. I cannot work from sketches, and as I said, I do not have the time to travel down here for the necessary sittings.’

Sophie was speechless after her first words of protest. She didn’t want to travel up to London to see this man, visit his apartment, spend any more time in his company than she needed to. The glittering satisfaction in his deep brown eyes told her that he was enjoying her discomfort, and she knew with sudden clarity that this was his revenge on her for her rudeness of yesterday. Well, his satisfaction would be shortlived.

‘Mr Vittorio’s right, Daddy,’ she said with a smile, looking for some sign of surprise on the artist’s face and finding none. An expert at hiding his true feelings, was this man. That just made her all the more determined to thwart him. If he expected her to protest at his proposed plan he was going to be disappointed. ‘I can travel up to London at the weekends. I could stay at the apartment with Mummy,’ and so make it awkward for the couple to meet!

Her father looked undecided. ‘I suppose it is a solution. I must admit that when your mother first suggested this I didn’t realise I would have to lose my daughter’s company at the weekends too.’

‘Perhaps Mummy will come home and keep you company.’ Although she doubted it, she doubted it very much.

As if on cue her stepmother joined their little group, smiling her pleasure when told of the proposed portrait. She put her hand in the crook of Luke’s arm, smiling up at him, looking very petite against his superior height. ‘That’s marvellous, Luke,’ she said huskily. ‘It means we’ll see a little more of you.’

Not if Sophie could help it! Perhaps this was a good idea after all, perhaps this was a way to stop this affair before it became too important. ‘Not really, Mummy,’ she put in quietly. ‘It just means I’ll see more of Mr Vittorio.’

China-blue eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’ The seductive purr was gone from her voice.

‘I’ll be staying at the apartment and visiting Mr Vittorio at his home.’ The way she put it it sounded like an intimate arrangement.

A fact Luke Vittorio was quick to notice. ‘For professional reasons only,’ he said softly.

‘But of course,’ she glared at him. The remark hadn’t been meant for him.

‘Yes, of course,’ her stepmother echoed sharply. ‘And when is all this to start?’

‘I will call Sophie when I am free,’ Luke replied. ‘It will not be for a few weeks yet, I am engaged in other work at the moment.’

Sophie didn’t speak to him again until after dinner, but deliberately sought him out before he left. ‘I’ll look forward to seeing you again, Mr Vittorio,’ she said tauntingly.

‘I am sure you will,’ he returned mockingly.

‘Just tell me this, why did you agree to paint me?’ Her curiosity had got the better of her.

He raised a dark eyebrow as he slowly studied her from head to foot. ‘Why should I not? You will make an interesting study. There is a coolness outside belied by the heated passion inside. I will enjoy trying to capture this elusiveness of yours.’

Sophie’s face was fiery red by this time. ‘I’m sure you’re reading things into my character that simply aren’t there.’

‘I do not think so.’ He crossed one well-shod foot over the other.

They were seated together on one of the sofas, Sophie slightly unnerved by his closeness. He was clothed in a cream suit and brown shirt open at the neck to reveal the start of the thick mat of hair that she felt sure covered most of his body, and if anything he looked even more attractive than he had the previous evening. He would be leaving shortly which probably accounted for his less formal attire.

‘I do,’ she disagreed. ‘It isn’t’ heated passion you can detect, it’s burning anger.’