Read Online Under the Italian's Command by Susan Stephens - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Stephens
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canapé…
She took one last look at him before the door swung shut and decided he looked pretty pleased with himself. No wonder! The clerks probably kept his little black book alongside Lorenzo’s court appointment diary to enable him to take full advantage of each adjournment. Plus he’d just gained a slave of cuisine. Who wouldn’t be feeling smug?
So, how did she explain why the heart of this independent-minded woman was racing with delight at the thought of serving him?
Because like a cup of hot chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in, Lorenzo Domenico was wicked, but irresistible.
Carly’s hope of presenting the perfect canapé faltered at the entrance of the twenty-four-hour supermarket. She stood outside staring through the plate-glass window at people fighting over Christmas food and just knew she couldn’t face it. Turning on her heel, she hurried across the street towards Greasy Jo’s. The local pizza parlour had never let her down…
By half past seven she was back at the flat carving up pizza in the kitchen. She heard the front door open and Lorenzo and his friend come in.
Lorenzo and male friend…
Thank goodness! She wasn’t sure that even for the sake of the scholarship she could have waited on some It girl with the hots for Lorenzo!
Giving her hands a final lick, she wiped them down the front of her jeans, and then, picking up the platter of oozing pizza, she backed her way into the sitting room and turned around with a flourish. ‘Gentlemen…’
Two pieces of pizza flew off the plate.
She ignored the startled glances and carried on. Dipping low, she offered, ‘Gorgonzola and gherkin, pickled onion and pastrami, or…’ and she was rather proud of this one ‘…squid ink and pineapple…’
Beneath his tan Lorenzo paled. ‘Thank you, Carly . Perhaps you’d like to put them down over there?’ He indicated the furthest corner of the room. ‘And then perhaps you’d like to pour the chilled white wine?’ He said this in a slightly harder voice.
The chilled white wine?
‘Of course…’ She gave a little laugh, scooping up the pizza on the floor as she made her escape.
Exchanging an amused shrug with his friend as he went to retrieve the plate, Lorenzo said, ‘Excuse my pupil. She’s embarked on a rather steep learning curve—’
‘Drawn up by you?’ Ronan’s lips pressed down. ‘Pass the pizza, will you? I’m starving.’
‘Me too,’ Lorenzo confessed. He and Ronan had been students together; they’d eat anything. Not that Carly needed to know that! ‘So, what d’you think of her?’
‘You’re a lucky man. She’s gorgeous.’
‘Do you think so?’ He played it cool.
Ronan gave him a look. ‘How long do you intend to keep up the tough-tutor act?’
‘For as long as it takes.’
Ronan raised his yet-to-be-filled glass in a toast to him, while he called unrepentantly, ‘ Carly —wine.’
‘Lorenzo…’ Ronan remonstrated, shaking his head in disapproval.
But he knew he’d be lucky if he didn’t get that wine poured over his head, Lorenzo thought, already smiling as he anticipated the banter that would ensue between him and Carly once Ronan left.
Carly ignored Lorenzo’s summons. Leaning against the kitchen door, she thought back to when she had been such a together sort of person—that was before Lorenzo came along, of course. Now she barely knew her own name, let alone remembered to chill the wine. There was only one thing for it…
Rinsing off some ice cubes from the back of the box, she dropped them into the wineglasses, filled them to the brim with warm white wine and stirred vigorously.
Lorenzo’s stare found her face like a heat-seeking missile the moment she came back into the room. Lifting the wineglass, he held it up to the light without comment.
‘So you liked the pizza?’ she said with relief, glad
She took one last look at him before the door swung shut and decided he looked pretty pleased with himself. No wonder! The clerks probably kept his little black book alongside Lorenzo’s court appointment diary to enable him to take full advantage of each adjournment. Plus he’d just gained a slave of cuisine. Who wouldn’t be feeling smug?
So, how did she explain why the heart of this independent-minded woman was racing with delight at the thought of serving him?
Because like a cup of hot chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in, Lorenzo Domenico was wicked, but irresistible.
Carly’s hope of presenting the perfect canapé faltered at the entrance of the twenty-four-hour supermarket. She stood outside staring through the plate-glass window at people fighting over Christmas food and just knew she couldn’t face it. Turning on her heel, she hurried across the street towards Greasy Jo’s. The local pizza parlour had never let her down…
By half past seven she was back at the flat carving up pizza in the kitchen. She heard the front door open and Lorenzo and his friend come in.
Lorenzo and male friend…
Thank goodness! She wasn’t sure that even for the sake of the scholarship she could have waited on some It girl with the hots for Lorenzo!
Giving her hands a final lick, she wiped them down the front of her jeans, and then, picking up the platter of oozing pizza, she backed her way into the sitting room and turned around with a flourish. ‘Gentlemen…’
Two pieces of pizza flew off the plate.
She ignored the startled glances and carried on. Dipping low, she offered, ‘Gorgonzola and gherkin, pickled onion and pastrami, or…’ and she was rather proud of this one ‘…squid ink and pineapple…’
Beneath his tan Lorenzo paled. ‘Thank you, Carly . Perhaps you’d like to put them down over there?’ He indicated the furthest corner of the room. ‘And then perhaps you’d like to pour the chilled white wine?’ He said this in a slightly harder voice.
The chilled white wine?
‘Of course…’ She gave a little laugh, scooping up the pizza on the floor as she made her escape.
Exchanging an amused shrug with his friend as he went to retrieve the plate, Lorenzo said, ‘Excuse my pupil. She’s embarked on a rather steep learning curve—’
‘Drawn up by you?’ Ronan’s lips pressed down. ‘Pass the pizza, will you? I’m starving.’
‘Me too,’ Lorenzo confessed. He and Ronan had been students together; they’d eat anything. Not that Carly needed to know that! ‘So, what d’you think of her?’
‘You’re a lucky man. She’s gorgeous.’
‘Do you think so?’ He played it cool.
Ronan gave him a look. ‘How long do you intend to keep up the tough-tutor act?’
‘For as long as it takes.’
Ronan raised his yet-to-be-filled glass in a toast to him, while he called unrepentantly, ‘ Carly —wine.’
‘Lorenzo…’ Ronan remonstrated, shaking his head in disapproval.
But he knew he’d be lucky if he didn’t get that wine poured over his head, Lorenzo thought, already smiling as he anticipated the banter that would ensue between him and Carly once Ronan left.
Carly ignored Lorenzo’s summons. Leaning against the kitchen door, she thought back to when she had been such a together sort of person—that was before Lorenzo came along, of course. Now she barely knew her own name, let alone remembered to chill the wine. There was only one thing for it…
Rinsing off some ice cubes from the back of the box, she dropped them into the wineglasses, filled them to the brim with warm white wine and stirred vigorously.
Lorenzo’s stare found her face like a heat-seeking missile the moment she came back into the room. Lifting the wineglass, he held it up to the light without comment.
‘So you liked the pizza?’ she said with relief, glad
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