Anne Fraser - The Playboy of Harley Street

She smiled up at him, relief at having a familiar face to talk to evident in her grey eyes.

‘Lucy made me. She said if I stayed in my room she wouldn’t come to the party either, so I promised I would come for a short while.’

Grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, Fabio passed it to Katie. She took it with a grateful smile. ‘I still feel as if I don’t belong.’

‘Trust me, you’re already attracting attention. From the women as much as the men. They’re all wondering who you are. The men because they’re planning how to move in on you and the women because they want to know who the competition is.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ She smiled at him and he felt the strangest feeling—one he didn’t recognise—in the pit of his stomach.

‘But I don’t care if I do look like Cinderella. I’m here to do a job and if I have to join in, that’s what I’ll do.’ Her smile grew wider and her eyes sparkled mischievously. ‘I doubt I’ll ever be as close to the rich and famous again, so I’m going to enjoy it. Now, won’t you tell me who is who? I don’t want to embarrass myself or offend anyone by not recognising people I perhaps should. Later, I’m going to write it all down in my diary so I can tell my grandchildren about it.’

Fabio’s pulse was still behaving oddly. All of a sudden he wanted nothing better than to be alone with Katie and find a corner where he could keep bringing that mischievous glint to her eyes. But he couldn’t. They were both on duty. And … he groaned inwardly … she was a colleague. Hadn’t he told himself earlier that an affair was out of the question? That it would only lead to trouble sooner or later? But that had been before, when he’d been sure she wasn’t his type. Seeing her now was like a punch to his solar plexus.

He had to ignore the feeling in his gut, or at least he should ignore the feeling his gut. He wasn’t at all sure he was going to be able to do so.

‘Okay. See that couple over there?’ He indicated a man and a woman who were surrounded by fawning admirers. ‘You must recognise them. Every one in the world knows who they are.’

‘Oh, my God, yes! They’re on the front page of most newspapers. The golden husband and wife of the film world.’ Katie replied. ‘I just find it hard to believe that it’s truly them and not a couple of look-alikes.’

‘Come on, then, I’ll introduce you.’ He liked the way she wasn’t scared to show her wonder.

Panic flared in her eyes and she shook her head. ‘I’d rather not,’ she protested. ‘What on earth will I say to them?’

‘I think you’ll find that they are more than happy to have an audience,’ Fabio said dryly, and taking her by the elbow guided her across to the couple.

As it turned out, Fabio was right. The couple were charming and did most of the talking. All Katie had to do was nod and smile in the right places. She’d been terrified when she’d first come up on deck. The yacht was packed with glamorous men and women: the women in designer gowns that shimmered as they moved, diamonds sparkling at throats and hands, or in shorter, figure-hugging dresses, exposing long golden limbs; the men in tuxedos, with crisp white shirts and bow-ties. Everywhere Katie looked she thought she recognised someone from the movies or television or the modelling world. Next to the expertly made-up women in their impossibly high designer heels, Katie felt completely underdressed in her last season’s sundress, her face made up with only the merest slick of lipstick and mascara.

When she’d arrived, she had spotted Fabio immediately. Even next to the recognisable faces of well-known heartthrobs from the sporting and film world he’d stood out. Looking relaxed and assured in his dinner suit, his dark head bent to listen to something a flame-haired woman was whispering in his ear, he was the best-looking man on board. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up. Their eyes locked and her heart crashed against her ribs. Despite what she’d promised Lucy, she had been on the verge of hot footing it back to her cabin.

But before she could retreat, Fabio made a beeline towards her. Fleeing then would have made her look even more gauche than she already felt, and she was damned if she was going to let him see how unnerved she was, not only by the overwhelming number of beautiful people but the way the sight of him had stopped her breath. It had taken every ounce of her resolve to summon the smile she gave him.

Her heart was still pounding with excitement as the stars talked about their latest movies. If it hadn’t been for the music coming from a string quartet, she was sure everyone would have heard it beating.

‘Your cousin Kendrick was the stunt co-ordinator on set, you know,’ Oliver Douglas, one half of the fabulous couple, was saying.

‘And how is Kendrick?’ Fabio asked.

‘Crazy as ever. He keeps pushing the boundaries as far as stunts are concerned, and the directors love him for it. So do we, don’t we, darling? It makes us, or at least me, look better.’ Oliver smiled at his wife with a self-deprecating grin. ‘We’re just surprised he doesn’t get hurt more often.’

‘I guess as he didn’t manage to get himself killed when he was in the army, he’ll probably manage to keep himself in one piece on the set,’ Fabio said dryly.

Oliver frowned. ‘Didn’t he fly helicopters in Iraq or Afghanistan? Is it true he almost got killed rescuing some men who were pinned down by enemy fire? I heard something went wrong. That he went against orders and his commanding officers weren’t too pleased.’

‘My cousin has never been one to let orders get in the way of doing what he feels is right,’ Fabio said. Although his voice was quiet, almost gentle, there was a steely expression in his eyes.

Katie’s blood ran cold. She didn’t want to hear about the army. She didn’t want to hear about war. She certainly didn’t want to hear about rescue operations that went wrong. Couldn’t they find something more pleasant to talk about? Their movies, for example. Their houses in exotic places. Anything except war. Images of her brother flooded her head. The two of them laughing at an old movie. He cajoling her to join him on a huge roller-coaster at a theme park, and laughing till he cried at how she’d screamed. Unlike her, he hadn’t been frightened of anything.

Now he was dead. He hadn’t been playing a part in a movie. He was gone and he was never coming back. As tears burned behind her lids, she clenched her teeth so hard it made her jaw ache. She needed to get away. There was no way she could contribute to this conversation. Her head was spinning, making her feel dizzy, and she swayed slightly. Would her feet even obey her commands?

Fabio was looking at her through narrowed eyes. He took her by the elbow and steadied her. ‘Would you excuse us? There’s someone I have to introduce Katie to.’

Without giving the couple a chance to respond, Fabio steered Katie away towards a quiet area of the yacht. She gripped the rail tightly, trying to stop her hands trembling, taking deep breaths as she waited for the dizziness to pass.

‘What is it, Katie?’ Fabio asked. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’

Katie couldn’t speak through her numb lips. She clenched her jaw, praying that tears wouldn’t come. Not here, not in front of all these people, not in front of this man.

‘You’re shivering. Here.’ Fabio took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. It smelled of him. Lemon and spice.

‘Thanks,’ she mumbled. She wished he would go away. Then she could slink back to her cabin and give in to the tears.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ His voice was gentle.

Please, she thought, don’t be nice to me. Anything else—flirt, whatever—just don’t be kind. If he was kind, it would undo her.