One-Night Baby

‘You can’t?’ he cut across her. ‘Or you won’t?’

‘I’m sorry, Santino, I really can’t…Couldn’t you get someone else?’

‘I want you.’ His jaw firmed.

‘You…’

Even as the light of hope sparked in her eyes her voice faded in recognition of her mistake. She knew Santino Rossi would never want her the way she wanted him. He felt a rush of triumph as he interpreted the signs. Kate was a good actress, but not that good. She might act prim, but there were fires burning very close to the surface of this new Kate Mulhoon’s decorous manner.

‘I’m only offering you a job, Kate…’

She flinched at the put-down, but quickly recovered.

‘I already have a job…two jobs, in fact. I represent Caddy at the agency, and for the time being at least I’m her manager. Obviously there’s a conflict of interest and I won’t—’

‘Remain her manager? Stay at the agency? Well, now you won’t have to because I’m offering you a job.’

‘Look, all of this is so sudden…’

And the last thing she wanted was to antagonise him with a flat refusal, he guessed. He let her squirm for a while.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ she said at last, clearly thrown.

‘You don’t have to say anything right away. Think about it. You’ve got until tomorrow morning to decide.’ He liked deadlines. When he put one in place something had to happen. Inactivity killed him.

‘Why me, Santino?’ She looked at him curiously.

Because the window of opportunity was open and he had never been one to walk on by. ‘Because after this debacle on the set I know I need to hire someone who understands the business, someone who works well with my team, which you’ve already proved you can do, someone who can liaise between me and my people on the ground. It would be a vast improvement on your present position back in London. You’d have your own department. You’d report directly to me—’

‘This is all going way too fast—’

‘Really?’ He angled his head to stare at her. ‘I’ve never had the impression that you’re slow…’

No response.

‘My organisation needs someone like you.’ He threw her a smile. ‘Just think about it…’

‘You don’t hold back, do you?’ she whispered, fixed on his gaze.

‘Salary wouldn’t be a problem—’

‘No…Sorry…I can’t stay on in Rome.’

Her voice was flat as if reality had kicked in, extinguishing the fantasy he had spun for her. He was disappointed, of course. But defeat wasn’t in his lexicon and he wasn’t about to back off now.

‘I have to be back in the UK by this weekend at the latest,’ she went on, voicing some inner thought and unwittingly handing him a compromise.

‘Okay…’ He eased his shoulders in a shrug as if it didn’t matter to him one way or the other what she did, but his mind was scrutinising the facts—she was an intelligent woman, and he had just given her the opportunity of a lifetime. There had to be something else. Someone else? Was this feeling jealousy? If so, it had to be a first. He kept his face impassive as he delved a little deeper. ‘Of course, if you have personal reasons—’

‘I don’t. At least…’

‘Go on.’ He could hardly hold back the bite in his voice.

She clammed up. She retreated into herself leaving only the prickles on show. He eased off too. Like all good negotiators, he knew when to take his foot off the gas. ‘Well, if you could just stay until the weekend, by which time the new director should have settled in, I’d appreciate it. And of course I’d pay you well for your time…’