Chapter Three
GEORGIE KNEW EXACTLY what Alessandro had meant when he’d told her that trackpants and an oversized jumper weren’t going to do as a counterpoint to ski gear.
He was probably the sort who liked assets to be on display or else what was the point of them? Perhaps he hadn’t noticed that her assets weren’t exactly noteworthy.
How on earth he expected his sultry, sexy ex-wife to believe that they were actually a couple was a mystery.
But she didn’t have much time to dwell on that.
She left on the tight thermal leggings because they were a nuisance to pull on and off but she replaced the utilitarian ski top with a black cropped vest and a black cropped cashmere cardigan with little pearl buttons down the front.
The cardigan was a present from one of her sisters, who had decided three years ago that she needed feminising.
Georgie had laughed out loud at the time but in actual fact had ended up wearing it non-stop. She swept her hair up in a ponytail.
The only shoes she had brought with her were trainers, ski boots and bedroom slippers, so trainers it had to be, and she was sprinting down the stairs to the kitchen in under fifteen minutes.
Voices reached her before she hit the kitchen door. Stilted conversation between the men. No breathless girlish laughter. No woman’s voice at all, so either Sophia wasn’t there or else whatever had been sorted between her and Alessandro had left her literally speechless.
The door was ajar and Georgie automatically raised her hand to knock before remembering that she was supposed to be having some sort of relationship with Alessandro and so would hardly be announcing her arrival with a polite knock on the door.
She quickly took in the scene. A matter of seconds to get the picture.
What was the opposite of light-hearted? Borderline murderous maybe?
Coffee had been made and poured and although there was, actually and thanks to her, food available for a breakfast, there was nothing on the table.
Alessandro was standing, perched against the granite kitchen counter, sipping coffee.
The other three were at the table and while the men were doing their best with some conversation, hence the voices she had heard before entering, Alessandro’s ex-wife was most definitely not participating.
Georgie glanced at her. She’d changed overnight into a pair of skintight leopard-skin-patterned jeggings and a long sleeved very tight tee shirt that emphasised her abundant breasts and cleavage.
She was wearing high-heeled, knee-high leather boots and her make-up was immaculate.
Their eyes met and the brunette looked at her with loathing.
If looks could kill, Georgie thought, walking towards Alessandro while wondering what was going to happen next in this scenario.
From his vantage point, leaning against the counter by the window, Alessandro watched her approach.
Her bag of tricks had not yielded anything along the lines of designer or fancy, yet he was finding it hard to peel his eyes away from her slight frame as she strolled towards him with the sort of insouciant smile that barely concealed her nerves.
He’d been tough on her but needs must. The stakes were high and there had been no question that he’d done exactly what he’d needed to do. Still. She’d been unwittingly caught in the crossfire so it was no surprise that she looked nervous.
But sexy.
In the same thermal leggings but a restrained little cardigan and a small matching vest underneath it, and trainers. Grey and pink trainers.
His dark eyes flashed to Sophia, who was glowering at the kitchen table.
She’d brought an outfit she’d hoped would send his pulses racing. Instead, the leopard-skin print and the high heels and the long red nails looked tacky and distasteful.
‘Georgie…’
He reached towards her and lovingly tugged her to him and then dropped a light kiss on top of her head. No overt display of anything but enough to make him a little giddy, genuinely giddy, and when his eyes met Sophia’s he could see that his ex-wife had registered that tiny, involuntary response.
Time to hustle this along, was what he thought, and so for the next ten minutes, he did the talking. He talked a little business, talked a little weather, kept it light, glanced pointedly at his watch a couple of times.
He kept Georgie right there by him, offered her coffee and couldn’t have wished for a more credible display of their relationship when she accepted a cup and then asked whether anyone wanted anything to eat.
‘There are croissants! I just have to bake them! Honestly as good as fresh!’ She broke free of him and moved towards the fridge. ‘Also eggs…some bacon and lots of cheese…’
‘How long have you been in my ex-husband’s chalet?’ Sophia queried icily.
‘Oh, a few days.’
Georgie pulled out croissants from the fridge and made a deal of reading the baking instructions on the packaging before reluctantly returning her gaze to the other woman.
‘And how long have you two been seeing one another?’
‘Not your business, Sophia,’ Alessandro interrupted.
‘It is,’ the other woman said acidly, ‘when your latest conquest is going to be—’
‘Drop it.’
Going to be what? Georgie wondered. She realised that her presence had been temporarily forgotten in the war of words.
‘You may have got me to sign your papers, Alessandro, but we both know that you are not a man who holds down relationships. Where do you think this is going… Miss…whatever your name is? Do you think that you are the first to become besotted with my husband, only to find yourself discarded on the usual heap by the side of the road? You will soon be joining a queue, my dear. I speak from experience.’
‘And on that note, I think transport awaits you, Sophia. Miguel… Henry…is there anything else we need to do or has everything been completed to your satisfaction?’
‘I can have everything sent to you by email no later than tomorrow evening, Signor Barbieri.’
Georgie took a back seat as the dregs of coffee were drunk and the two older men stood up, getting ready to go.
Outside, there was no falling snow but the winter wonderland of white seemed to announce too beautiful a day for the unpleasant atmosphere inside the chalet.
Bags were already by the door. She expected that Alessandro would have had a driver at the ready to come and fetch the party of three. She had no idea how they had arrived at the chalet but she didn’t notice any cars outside.
She was startled when she heard the whirring of something overhead and she followed in awed silence as they all turned in the direction of the sound, with Alessandro being the first to lead the way out of the kitchen, grabbing a jacket from the console by the front door while the others slipped on coats.
He pulled open the door to the sight of a helicopter hovering in the clear, cold turquoise sky over a cleared patch, a helipad, which Georgie had never really noticed because, even in summer, her duties did not involve her doing anything outside the chalet.
As it came closer, the noise of the blades became louder and louder until, at last, when they whirred to a stop, the sound of silence was almost as deafening.
Georgie had never seen anything like it. Surely she would have heard if they’d arrived in a helicopter? Perhaps they had been driven to the chalet and now this was just the most expedient way of dispatching them.
She watched, her mouth agape, as someone hopped out and then there was a flurry of activity as Sophia’s Louis Vuitton holdall was gathered up, along with the two duffel bags belonging to the guys.
‘So, Alessandro…’
‘Please, Sophia. Not now. Everything is settled and I will be in touch with you tomorrow about a schedule of ongoing arrangements. I hope I’ve made it perfectly clear that change of plans at the last minute will carry consequences?’
Georgie began sidling into the background. Soon, she too would be dispatched in the most expedient way possible. Not a helicopter…more a few curt words, a warning or two and then a door slammed in her face once she’d called a taxi to collect her.
‘Wait here for me.’ Alessandro briefly looked at Georgie.
‘Should I do anything?’
‘Anything like what?’
‘Say a few goodbyes,’ Georgie suggested vaguely. ‘I don’t want to appear rude.’
‘Why not? You won’t be seeing any of them again, least of all my ex, and the less interaction from you, the better. Sophia will look for any excuse to cause trouble so the less ammunition she has, the better off we’ll all be.’
‘Okay. I’ll head inside and start cleaning up.’
‘There’s no need.’
‘Who else is going to do it?’ she asked wryly. ‘It’s what I’m paid to do, after all.’
He looked as though he was about to say something but then, instead, spun round on his heels, headed out towards the helicopter where the men were already climbing up the stunted steps.
He had his hand on the small of Sophia’s back, urging her along to follow suit.
She was having none of it. She was glaring at Alessandro and engaging him in urgent conversation about who knew what.
Now what? Georgie thought.
For a start, she was back to having nowhere to stay for the next few days, which was something she hadn’t even thought about earlier when she’d dressed for work.
She’d still been too caught up in whatever drama she’d found herself in.
But now…?
She saw Sophia look daggers in her direction, smile and then she disappeared into the helicopter, but not before slapping away Alessandro’s offer to help her up.
At that point, Georgie turned back into the chalet and headed to the kitchen. She swept up the coffee cups and was busily washing them when the kitchen door was pushed open and there he was, face like thunder.