Page 53 of Secret Admirer
The adrenaline in his veins hadn’t let him sleep.
He needed to leave Miami, but if he took his private plane, he’d be sitting with the pilot and staring at his phone or tablet with no destination in mind. Rome didn’t feel right, despite what he'd told Lorenzo last night. Here, Bart saw the boards, the flights, and the possible destinations and hoped this would inspire a choice.
Once he'd chosen something his driver would take him to his pilot and he'd be off.
As a boy the hustle at the airport had intrigued him. Today he hoped it drowned out how lonely he’d been last night, without Rebecca at his side.
He stared at the monitor and a vision from the past went from fuzzy memory to vivid color. The vision wore royal blue and her perfect face was framed with dark hair--Nadia, holding a paper cup of coffee.
Americans loved drinking out of these and Rebecca wasn’t alone. Bart nodded his hello. “Nadia, I thought you left yesterday.”
She shrugged but smiled. “I intended to, but my flight was cancelled.”
In Rome she’d surprised him when she'd said her next stop was Miami and they'd flirted as he suggested they go together. This time he put his hands in his pockets and wished she was Rebecca, who had somehow tracked him down. “Did you get the necklace?”
Her eyebrow lifted as she tossed her empty cup into a trashcan behind them. “My secretary told me I had a package from you. I’m excited to get home now--thank you.”
That was the beginning of the end of his life. Rebecca hadn’t deserved being treated like a criminal. His skin buzzed. He’d been wrong. If a man had crossed him like that, Bart would ensure he was out of business. No wonder Rebecca had left him. “Yes, the hotel packed your necklace in with our stuff.”
She studied him with wide eyes. “Sounds good.”
“Why was the necklace important to you?”
“My grandmother was the only person that watched out for me as a girl. She taught me to be tough as nails and not care about anyone’s egos when I go after what I want. And that’s all I have left of her now, other than memories.”
“I see.”
“So why are you flying commercial?”
Because I was afraid of being in love. The thought hit him like a freight train. How had he missed that? He stumbled for words as this wasn't something he'd ever share with Nadia. “I didn’t want my family to know.”
Both brows lifted. “That doesn’t make much sense.”
He sounded like an idiot. Had he always been afraid of love? He kept himself around women like Nadia, beautiful, but too busy to ever want anything from him, and where he’d never have to worry he’d hurt anyone. His face was hot as he said, “I was bored and thought I'd look at the billboards and randomly choose somewhere to go.”
She shook her head but laughed low. “Now that sounds more like you. Rich boy problems.”
Rebecca must think him the worst snob. No one ever made him question his own world before. He gave her a sheepish grin. “Nadia, can I ask you a question?”
She pointed to a nearby coffee shop with a line. “If you’re buying the coffee, I’ll answer.”
Rebecca and his sister had acted like coffee in paper cups was normal. Nadia clearly agreed so it was just him that lived in his bubble that nobody had bothered to point out to him, except Rebecca. “This way.”
They stood in the back of the line and Nadia said, “Perfect. What’s the question?”
Bart was aware of the people around them and waited. Nadia ordered a mocha latte something and he just ordered the same. It was time to try what Americans thought was normal.
Maybe he’d get a clue on what to do next. Once they both had their coffees, he guided them away from the crowd for privacy. “When we were together for that week, did I ever make you promises that broke your heart?”
She shook her head while she said, “No. I knew what I was getting.”
“What was that?” His body stilled. How did Nadia see him? He’d never asked anyone before, but if he wanted to apologize to Rebecca he needed to see his character flaw--was there more than one?
Nadia sipped her mocha and sized him up, holding her cup between her hands. “Someone not looking for a serious relationship but wanting to have a good time. And since I was in Milan often enough, spending my non-working hours with you that one week was fun. We went to nice parties, we ate at great restaurants and we saw a few things I’d have never put on my own schedule.”
And she fit into the profile of women he usually spent time with. Rebecca had been the exception. He saw that now. He took a small, tentative drink of the mocha, which was definitely sweeter than what he was used to. “But you weren’t looking for serious?”
She flinched but then pursed her lips. “I thought you were getting serious with Rebecca.”
