Page 5 of His Beautiful Revenge
“Manly stuff?”
She grinned. “Yep. Chop wood, hunt bison, that kinda stuff.”
From downstairs, they heard a pitiful whimper—Ziggy wanted his breakfast.
Norah sighed.
“I gotta feed the kid.” She left Lucian to shower and thumped downstairs. Ziggy was beside himself. She fought him off while reaching for his food, his nose seeking out the meaty chunks. As soon as she put his bowl on the floor, Ziggy fell on it with abandon.
Norah switched on the coffee pot and surveyed the contents of the fridge. Eggs. Eggs sounded good. She snagged a mixing bowl from the cupboard, feeling the satisfying crack of the shell against her palm. She grimaced as the egg white stuck to her skin and flicked the food into the bowl. She was whisking the eggs, adding some paprika, when Lucian came down the stairs.
Ziggy had finished his food and was now licking the empty bowl around the kitchen, the metal scraping against the floor tile. Lucian snatched up the bowl and Ziggy looked up at him with hope.
“Now you’ve done it,” Norah shook her head. “He thinks he’s getting extra.”
Lucian shrugged. “No dice, dog,” he addressed Ziggy, “Live with it.” He threw the dish into the sink. Ziggy harrumphed and wandered off. Lucian grinned and slid his hands around Norah’s waist, pretending to bite her neck.
She put the bowl of eggs into the microwave, fixed the time, and pressed start. She turned to face him.
“Boobie check.” Lucian pulled her shirt out and peered down her cleavage. “Yep, still there.” She half-smiled, a little irritated by his cheerfulness. Norah wasnota morning person.
Lucian smiled. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Do you want eggs?”
“Please.”
They were interrupted by the sound of wood being chewed. Lucian grabbed Ziggy and tugged him away from the table.
“Hey, hey, quit that.” Ziggy grumbled, rolling onto his back and biting his own leg, wiggling his body from side to side. Lucian laughed at their dog, teasing him with his toys and playing tug of war. “Stupid mutt.”
“Don’t call him stupid,” Norah said and bent to kiss Ziggy’s head. “You’re Mummy’s favorite boy. Yes, you are.” Ziggy licked her face and she giggled.
The microwave beeped. At the same time, a knock came from the front door. Norah threw Lucian the dish cloth.
“I’ll get the door. You deal with breakfast.”
“Okay. I’ll let his majesty out for a run. He’s antsy.”
The postman was waiting with a package for Norah to sign. She thanked him and was opening it when Lucian came back into the kitchen. “Anything interesting?”
Norah was studying the contents—a Conti-Tech brochure and letter outlining their future projects. The letter, by the looks of it handwritten by Giacomo Conti himself, asked her to keep the contents secret and requested she call his private office to set up a meeting.
I have studied your portfolio, Miss Reddy, and I think we can work well together. I’d like to hear your vision and see if we can build a professional relationship.
Look forward to hearing from you very soon.
Yours,
Giacomo Conti
Norah felt her body tremble.Conti-Techwanted her? She felt a little breathless. If she landed a Conti-Tech contract …god, it would send her career into the stratosphere. “Just a possible future client,” she said casually, stuffing the contents back into the envelope and slipping it into her bag. “Nothing interesting.”
As they ate breakfast, Norah asked herself when she had stopped confiding in Lucian about the important things in her life. Then it struck her. Had sheever?Had she ever trusted him? She studied him now. “How’s work?”
Lucian shrugged. “Busy. Too many egos at work on this latest job. I tell you, never work with diva photographers or supermodels. A nightmare to work with. It doesn’t matter what we’ve pitched; they always, always change their minds. You’re lucky in your line of work.”
“Yes,” Norah said dryly. “Because clientsneverchange their minds in my line of work.”
