Exclusive!: Hollywood Life or Royal Wife? / Marriage Scandal, Showbiz Baby! / Sex, Lies and a Security Tape

THE RIDE TO THE OTHER SIDE of the island was delightful. Together they wandered hand in hand up a hill to the little rustic fish restaurant, all crooked whitewashed walls and bright blue shutters, perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the pristine sandy beach below. Immediately a large grey-haired lady in a bright flowered apron, wreathed in smiles, came to greet them.

‘Your Highness, what a pleasure to see you. And so well accompanied,’ the woman said with a broad smile.

She showed them to a secluded table with a wonderful view, and soon the red and white checkered tablecloth was covered with all sorts of dishes, ranging from fried fish to squid salad, lobster and a local specialty of meatballs in a delicious sauce that Victoria had grown particularly fond of in the past few days.

Now that they were away from the palace, and Alexandra’s oppressive presence, she’d recovered her mood of the night before. It was difficult to think of anything disagreeable like Bill’s ultimatum when she was being treated to so much solicitude. Determined to enjoy herself, she pushed the impending threat to the back of her mind. What could he do that hadn’t already been done? The scandal was fading, according to Anne—a seven-day wonder. Soon she would just be another item of old news.

Rodolfo was charming, as always, and she found herself melting inside when she looked at him, remembering all that had taken place the previous night. There was a new tenderness and intimacy between them that she had never known with a man before. What would it be like to leave? she wondered as she sipped a glass of chilled water. What would Hollywood and all the hype be like after this? That, and knowing that she probably wouldn’t ever see him again? Her heart sank at the thought.

Just as she was about to take another sip of water a shadow fell on the table and she looked up. A scruffy young man stood there, a smirk on his face.

‘Hi, gorgeous,’ he drawled in an American accent. ‘Having a nice day? Knew I’d find you if I looked hard enough.’

Rodolfo was looking at her, then at the young man.

‘Who are you?’ Victoria demanded, feeling her pulse race and her stomach lurch. This had to be Bill. How on earth had he found her?

‘You know what they say. You can run but you can’t hide.’ Bill wagged a finger at her and smirked again.

‘What do you want?’ she muttered, swallowing.

‘I told you what I wanted when I called you last night. But I guess it’s too late for that, honeybunch. You had your chance and you didn’t take it. Tough.’ With that he pulled a small camera from his pocket and snapped several quick shots.

‘Who the hell is this?’ Rodolfo rose quickly to his feet as Bill stepped niftily away from the table and made for the door.

‘He’s someone from LA. He—well—’ Oh, how could she tell Rodolfo?

‘What, Victoria? Tell me at once,’ Rodolfo commanded, leaning towards her and taking her hand in his. ‘You must tell me. He’s taken pictures. I need to know.’

‘He’s the boyfriend of the girl who introduced me to the doctor who gave me the pills,’ she said in a half-whisper. ‘He’s already tried to blackmail me. He—’

But before she could finish Rodolfo had spun on his heel and was marching across the restaurant. He caught up with Bill as he was about to get into his Jeep.

‘Hey—you!’ Rodolfo threw at the coarse-looking unshaven creature. ‘Give me that camera at once.’

‘You have to be kidding. This is tomorrow’s headlines.’ Bill patted the camera smugly. ‘You may run your own little show here on your fantasy island, Your Royal Highness, but where I come from money talks. Sorry.’ He made to switch on the engine.

But before he could do so Rodolfo lunged forward and caught him by the scruff of his neck. ‘I’m asking you nicely,’ he said, his voice low and filled with menace.

‘Hey, leave me be,’ the man said, trying pull away, his expression ugly. ‘I have every right to take pictures of who the hell I want.’

‘Not on my island, you don’t. As you just pointed out, I run the show around here. If you don’t give me that camera immediately I shall have you arrested for harassment. That, I believe, is a term that you should be familiar with where you come from?’

‘Hey, you can’t do that,’ Bill protested. Then, after pushing Rodolfo away, he revved the engine and skidded off down the earth road, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

Without hesitation Rodolfo pulled out his mobile and called the local police. They would stop Bill at the port. No way would he allow Victoria to be blackmailed or harassed by the press or by some unscrupulous drug dealer.

As he slipped his phone back in his shirt pocket and stepped back into the restaurant, it occurred to Rodolfo that his reaction had been somewhat out of proportion. It had been that of a man protecting the woman he cared for, he thought suddenly. He looked across at Victoria, standing uneasily by their table, not knowing what to do, and smiled at her reassuringly. He did care for her, he realised, more than he would have imagined—certainly more than he ever would have deemed possible. Last night, spent together in each other’s arms, had been so special, so filled with extraordinary sensations and tenderness, that he would find it hard to forget.

Banishing his thoughts, Rodolfo went over to her. ‘The police will cut him off further down the road or at the ferry, so don’t worry. He won’t leave the island with those pictures. And if he doesn’t give the camera up voluntarily he’ll go to jail for a few hours. That should do the trick.’ He smiled down at her, his fingers touching her hair, and he made her sit down again. ‘There is no need to worry, Victoria. All that is behind you now, cara mia. But you must swear something to me.’

‘What is that?’ she asked sinking back onto the chair, her hand still held in his.

‘That if anybody should come bothering you or threatening you again, you will tell me at once. Trust me, Victoria. Above all, I’m your friend.’

She swallowed, then nodded silently, allowed him to pour her some more mineral water and sat with her hand covered by his.

‘Promise?’ He raised his glass to hers.

‘I promise,’ she said, smiling into his eyes. It felt strangely reassuring to know that he cared for her enough to worry about her well-being. ‘I wish I didn’t have to go back to Hollywood and that whole scene,’ she said suddenly.

‘Then why not drop the whole thing?’

‘Because I love acting—and the script of this new movie. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I can’t just run away. I would never forgive myself. I just wish—’ She cut off abruptly, looked down into her glass and sighed.

‘What do you wish?’ he asked softly.

‘That I was made of sterner stuff,’ she replied with a smile.

‘You are strong. But that world is full of traps. I know—I’ve seen it close-up. Are you sure you have to go?’

‘I have to. Apart from the fact that I’d never be able to face myself if I failed, I’m under contract. Ed would have a fit. No,’ she said, shaking her head and sipping more water, ‘I’m just going to have to face it.’

‘And fall back into old habits?’ he said, raising a harsh dark brow and withdrawing his hand from hers.

‘No. I’m determined not to.’

‘Easily said, when sitting here away from it all,’ he remarked dryly. ‘You don’t want to go back to popping pills, but you can’t guarantee that you won’t when the going gets tough.’

‘I will do my very best, I promise. And I’ll have Dottore Manfreddo’s tea.’

‘That’s not good enough,’ he said harshly, his eyes meeting hers. ‘I want you to swear to me that you won’t ever take those things again. Don’t you realise the danger? You have no idea what you’re taking. They could kill you, Victoria.’

Her eyes met his full-on, and she read the concern and anger in them and felt sudden resentment at his attitude. ‘Rodolfo, it’s easy enough for you to judge. You live here, in this magical kingdom, protected from everything. It’s different out there in the real world. I don’t want to fall back into anything, and I don’t believe I will now that I know the full truth, but I can’t promise you that in a crisis I won’t, because I don’t honestly know. I’d be lying. Sometimes the stress is overwhelming and, as we both know, I’m not good at too much pressure.’

‘You’re right,’ he conceded reluctantly. ‘Will you at least promise me that if you’re feeling down, overwhelmed or whatever, you will call me before doing anything rash, and that together we’ll find a solution? As I said before, cara mia, I’m above all your friend.’

She nodded. ‘I promise.’

Her friend. That was all. She supposed it was a lot but she wished he had said, I’m the man who loves you. But that wasn’t to be, she argued reasonably. And she was foolish even to think of such a thing.

Several minutes later Rodolfo rang the police and was advised that Bill had been stopped on the road and his camera confiscated. He had left the island furious, threatening lawsuits. But that, as Rodolfo knew, was just hot air.

‘He can threaten as much as he likes. The laws here do not permit harassment of my residents,’ he said autocratically. ‘Victoria, I suggest we go back to the castello and take a long afternoon siesta?’

He sent her an intimate smile filled with promise. His tender eyes and fingers, caressing the inside of her wrist, sent shivers jolting through her. Was it foolish to allow him to make love to her again? Was it courting trouble? Perhaps. But how could she resist? She had only a few days left before the dream came to an end and she returned to reality. She knew that, whatever the consequences for her own heart, she must live it to the full or regret it for the rest of her life.

A HEAT HAZE SHIMMERED outside, but in the shuttered bedroom of Rodolfo’s apartment the atmosphere was cool. Drawing Victoria towards him, Rodolfo slipped her top off, then her skirt and lacy undergarments. There was no pretence, no lingering over niceties, just a deep-rooted need to be in each other’s arms, skin to skin, throbbing heart to throbbing heart.

As her bra fell to the floor and his eyes fell upon her upturned breasts he sighed. ‘Ah, bellissima Victoria, how shall I be able to let you go?’ he whispered, letting his fingers trail down her throat, then down to caress the tips of her taut nipples.

She swallowed, eyes closed, then let out a tiny gasp of delight when his thumb grazed the aching tips and his other hand reached between her thighs for that special secret spot inside that she had never known existed until yesterday.

Next they were lying on the bed. Rodolfo caressed her, relishing the warmth, her honeyed response as his fingers reached inside her, making her writhe with delight as expertly he stroked while he took the tip of her nipple between his teeth, taunted and laved, driving her to distraction.

Only when he knew she could bear it no longer, that he had brought her to a peak several times, did he allow himself the ultimate pleasure. In one quick thrust he penetrated her, making her gasp. This was not the tender lovemaking of yesterday, but a hot, harsh need for completion in which she joined him. Braced on his hands above her, Rodolfo took her in long deep thrusts that left her on the verge of madness. Then she curled her legs around his waist and brought him down upon her, and together they spiralled once more, reaching new heights of unexpected pleasure, spinning into a whirlwind of delight that knew no boundaries.

CHAPTER SEVEN

HER BAGS WERE PACKED and she was ready to go.

Gazing out over the cliff and down to the sea, Victoria could barely believe that her time on Malvarina had gone by so fast. The past days had been spent making love, dining in Rodolfo’s apartment, living as if they were a couple, not two strangers who had come together by chance and whose lives were about to take different routes.

‘The car is ready.’ Rodolfo came up behind her and slipped his hands around her shoulders. ‘I shall miss you, cara, more than you can ever imagine.’

Victoria swallowed. She had promised herself to be brave, not to let her feelings get involved. But that was impossible. Rodolfo was all she’d ever dreamed of in a man. Now she was about to lose him for ever. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks and she swallowed hard, determined to try and put up a good front.

‘Cara, what is the matter?’ he asked, seeing her tears. He raised his thumb to her cheek and brushed them away. ‘You must not cry, darling. We have spent the most wonderful time together—a time that neither of us will ever forget.’

She nodded, forced herself to smile and pretend that all was well. ‘I’m fine. Just a little emotionally upset at the thought of having to go back, that’s all.’

He frowned. ‘Victoria, remember your promise.’ She nodded, and he took her hand. With one last look at the sea she turned and followed him. This interlude would remain etched in her mind for ever, she realised.

Soon they were reaching the island’s small airport, where the jet Anne had sent for Victoria was already on the tarmac. As she and Rodolfo alighted from the car and someone from the plane took her luggage, a familiar voice reached them.

‘Rodolfo, darling.’ Alexandra marched over towards them and, ignoring Victoria, slipped a hand onto Rodolfo’s shoulder. She dropped a kiss on his cheek. ‘It’s been awfully lonely without you, mein lieber. Where on earth have you been hiding?’ she asked, an insinuating smile touching her lips.

‘I’ve been busy. You remember Victoria?’ he said pointedly, removing her hand from his shoulder.

Alexandra turned with a raised brow and looked Victoria over from head to foot. ‘Ah, yes, the Hollywood headline. I’d forgotten.’

Victoria stood her ground and gave her a similar look back, but didn’t bother to answer. Instead she turned to Rodolfo. ‘I’d better be going,’ she murmured.

‘Of course. Goodbye, Alexandra.’

‘Bye-bye, caro,’ the Countess schmoozed. ‘I hope I’ll be seeing more of you now that you’ll be less occupied,’ she added with a significant look.

Rodolfo simply picked up Victoria’s tote bag, which she was taking with her on the plane, and slipped his hand under her elbow.

They walked in silence, accompanied by two airport staff. Victoria felt the pressure of his hand on her elbow and closed her eyes tight, as though trying to engrave the memory—the feel of him—inside her for ever.

Then they were at the plane. Rodolfo handed her bag to the crew and followed her on board into the sleek yet impersonal cabin, with its beige leather seats and glistening chrome tables.

‘Well, I guess this is it,’ he said, looking into her eyes.

‘I guess so,’ she answered as they stood uncomfortably aware of one another. Then suddenly she was in his arms and he was holding her tight. ‘Take care of yourself, cara. And remember. I’m here if you need me. Stay in touch, won’t you?’

She nodded into his shoulder, swallowing the flood of tears so near to the surface. Then she raised her face and his lips came down on hers, firm, warm and possessive. His arms caressed her back and they embraced. It was a kiss she’d hoped would last for ever, but inevitably it came to an end.

Rodolfo raised his head, smiled down into her eyes. ‘I think I’d better go now,’ he said. And, raising her fingers to his lips one last time, he kissed them. ‘Bon voyage, cara. Thank you for some of the most beautiful moments of my life. I will remember our time together for as long as I live.’

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