Chapter 9
OLIVIA
I swiped my eyelashes with mascara a second time and tried to keep my hand steady.
This whole thing was ridiculous. I was putting on makeup so I could have drinks with a man I had no interest in. It was a lie, of course. I was putting on makeup for the dangerous man who translated for our boss.
I wasn’t sure what angle Nathan was playing. Maybe he was doing important work, but my petty, wounded pride wanted to show him what a fool he was to pass me up.
Plus, I was confident I could outplay Gio. I was a survivor.
The sky was painted in oranges and yellows at sunset, and the dust kicked up in the breeze as I followed the thin path to the main lodge. The soil beneath my shoes was pale, dirty sand that was so fine it was like powder. So different from the black earth I was used to back in America.
Frances waited just inside the lodge lobby and beamed a warm smile at me.
The Swede made quite a pair with her husband.
Did she know what Phillip had witnessed on the game drive yesterday?
As she’d escorted me back to my room last night, she’d seemed oblivious, but there were bullet holes in the side of the Land Cruiser.
My footsteps fell lightly on the wood plank floor that had been polished to a brilliant finish, leading me through the lodge to the bar. It looked different in the fading sunlight, less intimate than last night. The men were already seated and rose when I arrived to join them.
My breath caught at the sight of Nathan. He wore tan pants and a thin, dark green sweater, with the gun in its shoulder holster over that. Not even bothering to hide it, but then again, why would he? The patrolling escorts carried guns in plain view.
Nathan had shaved and his dark hair was tousled, almost as if it had been casually styled. Like he’d made an effort. Oh, holy hell, he was a beautiful man, and I cursed my pulse for quickening at the sight of him.
His gaze drifted down my body, taking in the ivory-colored top with sheer sleeves and fitted black slacks.
He looked like he was assessing me for a threat, but for all his acting, I could see right through it.
His gaze had nothing to do with his job, and everything to do with the other night.
The corners of my mouth crept up into a smile.
He liked what he saw, even though he didn’t want to.
Gio wore a black, tailored button-down shirt, with the top two buttons undone, over a pair of jeans, and his not-so-subtle cologne wafted in the air conditioning, overpowering me. He tried too hard to achieve a look of casual ease.
His dark eyes shifted, scouring over my body, and lingered on my breasts. He too approved of my appearance. Nathan had done it in a subtle, sexy way, but Gio’s leering gaze left me wanting a shower.
“He ordered wine for you,” Nathan said.
The large wineglass was half-full of a dark red. I didn’t drink red wine, but squeezed out a smile, turning to Gio. “Grazie.”
The Italian began immediately, and whatever he said gave Nathan pause. His focus returned to me, his voice softening. “You look beautiful this evening.”
The sharp breath I drew in was involuntary. Once again, I was betting these words hadn’t come from Gio, at least not the way they’d been delivered. And if they had, they still wouldn’t have held the same effect they did coming from Nathan. God, this was going to be awkward.
“Thank you. Is that how he said it?”
“Not exactly, but I don’t feel the need to repeat it.” His eyes were deep, dark, and there was a pull to them that was impossible to resist. He didn’t need to clean up what Gio was saying—I was certain I’d heard worse—but his desire to do so filled me with unexpected warmth.
The Italian spoke, snapping the moment between us. “He said, ‘How do you like working for my family?’”
I pasted on a polite smile. “You travel a lot, and that keeps me busy.”
“He wants to know how you ended up in Italy.”
I took a sip of the wine to disguise my discomfort. “I grew up unaware of the rest of the world. Now that I’ve seen some of it, I’d like to see the rest.”
Gio’s full lips pulled back, exposing a too-white smile. “Have you learned that Italy is the most beautiful country yet?”
“I haven’t seen much of it besides the airport. Like I said, your family keeps me busy.”
Nathan hesitated. “He asked if you’re interested in staying busy long-term.”
My mouth went dry, but I managed to speak. “Tell him thank you, and that I’d like to think about it.”
A complete lie, which I was sure Nathan could see, but it appeared to please Gio.
The stilted conversation continued as our boss finished his glass of wine and ordered another. He eyed my barely touched drink, which prompted me to choke down another swallow.
I didn’t want to talk to Gio. I wanted to know more about the man standing beside him, and although it was probably a bad idea to make him part of the conversation, I did it anyway. “Nathan, how many languages do you speak?”
He quickly masked his surprise, perhaps considering whether to share. “Six.”
I wanted to ask him which ones. Really, I wanted to hear him speak all of them, but just listening to his version of my words in Italian was delicious torture. God, I needed to get a grip. His rejection the other night had somehow made him more desirable.
Talking to Nathan directly ruffled Gio. He said something with his uncomfortable gaze set on me.
“He’s asked about your boyfriend. Is he American?”
“Sure.”
Nathan’s eyes clouded over, like he was fighting a cringe. “Do you find American lovers can satisfy you?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “Most of the time.”
“How many lovers have you had?”
Really? “Enough to know what I like.”
That failed to draw a reaction. Nathan’s expression was perfectly schooled. “He wants to know about your accommodations. If you’re lonely in that cabin by yourself.”
My mouth raced ahead of my brain. “I was the other night, wasn’t I?”
There was the reaction I wanted. A stunned Nathan was the most beautiful version of all. His gaze darted away. “Is that what you want me to tell him?” It came out sounding unhappy, maybe angry. “Do you want him to come back to your room?”
Was he worried about my safety? Or was there something else that made him intensely dislike this idea? Because if it was jealousy, that made no freaking sense.
“No. I’m not interested in him.”
No, my interest was squarely on the American. Yeah, it would probably be a mistake if we slept together, but so what? It was just sex, and yes, I was lonely. I’d felt alone ever since . . . I felt alone all the time now.
“Tell him I’m a lesbian.”
“Lesbica?” Gio looked thrilled. Of course that was an English word he’d recognize.
“No, signore,” I said to him directly. “Please explain I was kidding.”
The two men went back and forth in discussion, and since I couldn’t understand it, my gaze drifted out to the landscape beyond the window where the light was almost gone, but I could still make out a herd of elephants on the bank of the river.
A buzzing phone drew my attention.
“Mi scusi.” Gio answered it and disappeared from the room, leaving me alone with Nathan and the bartender who polished glasses in the corner.
“I’ll tell him you’re sick when he gets back.”
I groaned. “I can’t just avoid him the whole trip. There are only five of us at this damn resort. Seriously, I’ve got this.”
Nathan’s intense expression was like hitting an air pocket. “He expects you to sleep with him.” He gently set his calloused hand on my arm, which lingered on the edge of the bar.
“He’s going to be disappointed. I already told you,” my breathing went uneven, “he’s not the one I’m interested in.”
His hand remained, tingling on my skin as I fought back the urge to latch onto it.
“The other night . . .” he started.
No. I didn’t want to hear the “what a mistake” speech now, the one he’d been gearing up for me since the fuel truck yesterday. “Shit, don’t—”
“I wish things were different.”
His gaze swung away, a frown on his face, but I could tell his displeasure was self-directed.
Information he didn’t want to reveal. It made me want to pull him into a kiss full of longing and desire, one that would have had us hurrying together to my cabin, or perhaps his, since it was closer.
But he retreated when footsteps approached.
“Vodka,” Gio announced to the bartender. Then he said something to Nathan that sounded like a dismissal.
The tall American nodded, and as he passed by, he whispered it under his breath. “Bathroom.”
“Vodka?” I repeated, heavy with disapproval.
I wasn’t about to get drunk with the guy who wanted to seduce me, and certainly not my boss. Plus, what if he abruptly decided he wanted to leave like Vitale often did? I was always on standby with the Abramo family.
“Si, bella.” Gio snatched the shot glass up when the bartender finished pouring it, waiting impatiently for me to do the same, so he could clink the glass with mine. “Salute.”
Fuck.
It burned all the way down and lingered in the back of my throat. I hadn’t even set the glass on the table before he motioned for a refill. “No, grazie. Uno.” I glanced around. “Bagno?”
He waved a hand toward the door.
Nathan’s large form leaned against the wall, and he straightened when he spotted me. His emotionless mask was nowhere to be found. Instead, his face was streaked with concern. “Several women have gone missing after spending the night with him.”
My heart lurched and thudded faster. “You’re worried he’s going to kill me?”
“Yes. Take this. Put it in your pocket.”
There was no time to refuse. Something plastic and bottle-shaped was pressed into my hand, like a squeeze bottle of eyedrops. My fingers curled around it, and I followed his order, jamming it into a pocket.
“He can’t kill me,” I said. “I’m his goddamn pilot.”