Chapter Fourteen
ON THE WAY back to her apartment, Ashley gave herself a very stern talking-to.
She was not going to come over all hurt and needy today the way, cringingly, she had this morning.
She’d fallen right back into her old patterns—seeking to please, wilting at criticism, being desperate for praise.
She’d promised herself never again, and she’d meant it. No more.
Today Nico would be nothing more than a business acquaintance. She’d be friendly, professional, pragmatic, optimistic and just that little bit distant. And she’d try to forget last night had ever happened. She’d obviously forgotten a lot of things in her life. She could forget this, too.
Ashley was just stepping into her apartment when Ruth Boxall called.
‘Ashley.’ Her friend’s tone was full of relief. ‘I’m glad to catch you. I was worried, after hearing about last night.’
‘What did you hear about last night?’ Ashley asked as she nudged the door closed with one foot before kicking off her heels with a sigh of relief.
‘Just that Galletti created some sort of scene at a charity event, practically manhandling you from the room.’ Ruth sounded both disdainful and concerned, and Ashley sighed.
‘Oh. That,’ she said. Was everyone talking about that little scene?
‘Well, we’ve worked it out,’ she told Ruth briskly.
‘In fact, I’m spending the day with him today so the world can be reassured Infinite Innovations is experiencing a glorious new age of innovation and development.
’ She couldn’t keep a slightly mocking tone from her voice, though she’d meant it.
At least, she’d meant to mean it. ‘Get Jim writing a press release,’ she added.
‘Really?’ Ruth sounded seriously sceptical. ‘I thought Galletti wanted to destroy the company.’ Her tone turned cautious. ‘Because of what happened before, although I don’t know if…’
‘I thought you must have known about that.’ Yesterday, Ashley had suspected Ruth had more intel about Galletti than she’d shared with her.
It looked as though she’d been right. ‘The arrest at the ball, I mean,’ she clarified, in case there was anything else, ‘And the fact that my father framed him for embezzling millions?’ She still felt as if Nico had held something back from her… but what could it possibly be?
‘Yes,’ Ruth admitted. ‘Once I saw him, I realised. I didn’t know it was him, though, until he came to the office. Back then, he went by the last name Rossi.’
Rossi. The name rang like a bell in the back of Ashley’s mind, a faint echo of memory reverberating through her.
I’ve never been to something like this before. So I’m not bored yet. And certainly not when I’m not talking to you…
For a second she felt as if she were tumbling through time: she was leaning against a pillar, her head tilted upward, wearing this very dress, her stomach full of butterflies and her heart full of hope…
‘Ashley?’ Ruth asked, and she blinked, the memory vanishing like morning mist.
‘Yes, I’m here,’ she said, her voice only slightly unsteady, the memories still teasing her like the whisper of a ghost. ‘I think Nico realised that revenge wasn’t a good look for his company,’ she explained, ‘So he’s decided to keep some form of Infinite Innovations on.
Not me, which is probably just as well, but the rest of you. ’
Ruth was silent for a moment. ‘Did something happen between you two?’ she finally asked, and in her shock Ashley nearly dropped the phone.
‘Something happen?’ she dismissed, her voice rising to a revealing squeak.
‘No, of course not. We just came to…an understanding. Now, I’m afraid I need to go, to get ready for a big day of photo ops.
’ She said goodbye and ended the call without waiting for Ruth’s response.
The last thing she needed was her friend guessing what had happened between Nico and her last night.
That needed to stay a secret from everyone…even herself.
An hour later, Ashley was taking an Uber to a trendy café in midtown, where she’d hastily arranged for Nico to meet Andrew, a scientist developing hearing aids that used AI to adapt to different environments.
After that, she planned to take him to a nursing home that used the robotic toothbrush, before finishing at a lab uptown where they were working on improving a belt that monitored abnormal electrical activity in the brain to warn people with epilepsy and their carers about potential seizures.
After that…she’d probably come home and collapse in a heap of exhaustion.
Still, Ashley was determined to remain upbeat as she stepped out of the car and started walking smartly towards the café.
She’d chosen a professional look for the day—tailored trousers in navy-blue and a pale-pink blouse with mother-of-pearl buttons.
Her hair was back in a sensible ponytail, and the only jewellery she wore was a pair of pearl studs her mother had given her when she’d been twelve.
This morning, Nico had set the tone with his cool, practical manner. Now she would too.
Even so, Ashley’s heart gave a little lurch at the sight of him standing in front of the café, wearing a dark-grey suit that clung to his broad shoulders and a crisp blue shirt and a darker blue tie, a pair of designer sunglasses perched on his nose and hiding his eyes.
Next to the harried-looking businessmen and women hurrying by, he stood out like a beacon of authority, power and charisma.
She saw several women sneak second glances at him, clearly affected by his magnetic appeal.
Well, she wouldn’t be.
‘Good morning,’ she said briskly, as if she hadn’t been in his bed just a few hours ago.
‘Andrew Browning, a research scientist who is working on hearing aids, will be meeting us here shortly.’ She glanced at her watch before giving Nico a perfunctory smile.
‘Shall we go inside? Or would you prefer a photograph out here?’ She saw he had engaged a photographer to document their co-working.
It made sense, but it still annoyed her.
This really was nothing more than a publicity exercise.
Did Nico even care about the inventions that meant so much to her?
‘We can go inside,’ he replied shortly. ‘The photographer would like to get some more candid-looking shots, so the best thing is to pretend she’s not there.’
‘Of course.’ Easier said than done, when a woman dressed all in black was snapping away, but Ashley would do her best.
Nico held open the door for her, and as she went through she breathed in the scent of his aftershave and then wished she hadn’t, because it brought back too many fresh memories: the warmth of his skin; her lips on his throat; his hands…
Nope, she wasn’t going there. ‘What can I get you to drink?’ she asked.
‘One of my staff will buy the coffees,’ Nico replied in a tone that Ashley tried not to take exception to. Clearly, he was the host, not her. ‘What would you like?’
‘An Americano is fine.’ They went to an empty table by the window overlooking a bustling Rockefeller Center, every sense Ashley had thrumming with awareness.
It was going to be much harder than she’d hoped to act normal today, she realised.
To act as if she didn’t know every intimate detail, or almost, of Nico Galletti’s body.
To forget that, for a little while, he’d been so tender with her, that she’d ached with emotion for him and, despite every intention otherwise, her heart had ached to get involved.
‘Ashley?’
Nico’s voice broke into her thoughts, sounding more concerned than impatient, and she realised she’d simply been staring into space.
‘Sorry, a little tired today,’ she murmured, and then blushed while Nico gave a small, knowing smile of acknowledgement.
‘As am I,’ he replied, a hint of laughter in his voice, and Ashley quickly looked away.
He wasn’t playing the part he was supposed to, she thought resentfully.
She’d expected him to be as cold and distant as he had been this morning, but he seemed far too relaxed, the look in his eyes too knowing.
Was he enjoying teasing her this way, knowing what he did of her inexperience?
Was he playing with her just because he could? But, surely, he wasn’t that cruel?
‘What were you saying?’ she asked him, determined to remain practical and professional.
‘I was asking how you found these scientists and inventors,’ Nico remarked. He crossed one leg over the other, resting one long-fingered hand on his knee. ‘Did you search them out or did they come out of the woodwork?’
‘A bit of both, I suppose,’ Ashley admitted.
‘When we were first starting up, we offered grants to scientists to pursue the commercial development inventions that would help those who are differently applied. A lot of these devices were invented a long time ago, but they never had any practical market reach. At Infinite Innovations, we’re trying to take the abstract and turn it into reality.
Take an invention that was too expensive or cumbersome and make it for the regular person.
With that I mind, we invited scientists to make applications, and we chose the ones we thought had the most possibility. ’
‘Grants?’ He arched one dark eyebrow. ‘That must have cost a lot of money.’
‘We had investors,’ Ashley replied. ‘We were pretty fortunate with an early injection of financial support. Ah, here’s Andrew.
’ She smiled and waved at the young man who had dedicated his research to improving the lives of those with hearing difficulties.
She realised she was looking forward to Nico meeting him.
‘Hi, Andrew,’ she said as the young man stood in front of them, smiling.
‘This is Nico Galletti, the CEO of Galletti Finance, that has acquired Infinite Innovations. He wants to meet all of our key inventors and investors.’ She signed the words as she spoke, noting Nico’s faint eyebrow lift, the only sign of surprise he showed that Andrew was deaf.