Never Say Love (16 page)

“Tesoro!” Benito walked to the edge of the bed, bending down beside her, his hand on her back. “Oh, baby, please don’t cry. Please…”

Rolling over and sitting up, Lucy flung her arms around Benito’s neck, “I love you.” She blurted out, her face wet with tears against his check, “I love you,” she sobbed.

“Baby, please don’t cry,” he held her tightly. “Don’t cry.” Staying with her held close, Benito was unaware of Michael in the doorway, watching them. Turning towards Lucy’s brother, he frowned whilst extracting himself from Lucy’s hold and walking towards him.

“Can I talk to you?” Benito asked.

“Sure, downstairs, I’ve just made some coffee.”

In the kitchen, Michael poured Benito a coffee from a cafetière, offering sugar and milk, which he declined. The coffee was good, better than the instant crap he’d had earlier.

Pulling one of the chairs out from the kitchen table, Benito sat down, “I want her to come home with me. Do you have any objection if she says she will?”

Michael studied the big Italian, sat back in one of the kitchen chairs, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “You hurt her. You know that, don’t you?”

“Not intentionally. She overheard a conversation, well part of it. She shouldn’t have heard
any
of it. If she had heard the lot, she probably wouldn’t have gone, wouldn’t have walked out. I would never hurt her, you know that?” Benito looked towards Michael, a questioning look upon his face, Michael answered with a nod, before Benito continued, “She’s special, very special.” He picked up his coffee and looked at Michael watching him. Studying the older sibling, he determined that he must be a salesman, he had to be, or a marketing guru. He imagined him being weak in confrontation.

The protective brother smiled, “She is special, but I think you’re genuine. You are—aren’t you?” He asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Very, and I promise I’ll look after her and if we do… you know, ever part company, it will be because we’ve both agreed.” Benito said, sounding sincere.

Michael picked his coffee up and joined Benito at the small round table, “What line of work are you in?” He asked, relaxed in the company of his sisters new
friend
.

Looking down at his coffee, spinning the cup around, Benito answered. “Security, my father and I own a security business.”

“Alarms?” Michael pressed, wanting to know all about the man who was hoping to take his, this relationship, or whatever it was with his sister further.

“No, nothing like that.”
Benito laughed, shaking his head. “We contract to some of the larger businesses in Italy. I’m here in the UK to expand the UK operation. We’ve tendered and won contracts at some of the larger players here in London and a few clubs, Henry’s is one, the place where we were last night; we do their security for them. I have several guys in there and then we do some more, well private and personal work.”

“Private?” Michael questions.

“Yeah, celebrities, that sort of thing.” Benito said flippantly, as if working with celebrities was just a run of the mill sort of job.

“Celebrities?
That must pay well?” Michael pushed for further information, wanting, quite rightly, to know more about the man he was potentially going to hand his sister over to.

“Yeah,” he sighed, wishing the guy would just shut up about him and focus on getting Lucy back on side, he wanted her desperately.

Reaching for the tin of Café Crème from his jacket pocket, he flicked the thin tin open and took out a small cigar, holding it between his lips. Searching around in his pockets for matches, “Shit, no light, can I use your hob again?” He stood, turning towards the kitchen.

“Sure,” Michael smiled, nodding towards the tin, still in Benito’s hand. “Have you got a spare one of those?”

Outside, both men stood in the garden, leaning against the wall, each with a small cigar, Michael fearful that his wife would return and be able to smell the tobacco smoke and know that he’d started smoking again, although he had no intention of actually doing that, this was just a one off!

They stood in silence, both relaxed, both men with their shoulders against the wall, Benito’s one knee bent, his foot placed firmly against the brick. “Look Michael,” he said, looking straight ahead, keeping his focus along the length of the garden, “I know you want to look out for your kid sister—I have a younger sister. So I’ll be straight with.” He said firmly.

Michael answered with an “Hmm, carry on…”

“I’ve got money, plenty of it, all earned honestly through my father’s business. He started the company years ago, for as long as I can remember, it’s all he did. I look after the people around me, my family, close friends
and
the people that work for me. Without any of them, well things wouldn’t be as they are, would they? I have to look out for the people that look after me. You understand? She will want for nothing. She can move in with me—I rattle around in that apartment on my own, she can have her own room if she wants; but I promise you, as one older brother to another, I
will
look after her. You have my assurance.”

Michael drew in his smoke before taking it from his lips and staring at the cigar, hell Lisa would be killing him when she got home for smoking again. The two men continued their standing in silence, the mid-day sunshine starting to heat their skins as they leant against the wall of the house.

“It’s not up to me mate, if she wants to come back with you,” Michael said, not turning to Benito, simply looking out over the garden. “If she’s happy, then I’m happy and I’ll support her, I’ll support you both, but only if she wants to.”

Benito smiled, squeezed the end of his half-smoked cigar out and turned to walk back into the house. “Why did you ever smoke these things?” He held what remained of his Cafe Crème towards Michael.

“Dunno, liked them at the time, and then gave up,” he shrugged, “Anyway, if you don’t like them, why have you still got them this morning?”

“Because last night and first thing this morning they were needed, anyway I
had
given up. You shouldn’t have let me have them last night.” Benito frowned.

Michael shook his head, “Go and get my sister. Talk to her and, if she wants to, take her home. Please don’t upset her and don’t hurt her again. She comes across as being hard on the outside, as knowing her own mind and maybe a bit stubborn, but inside she’s as soft as they come, she’d break easily,
very
easily.”

Benito nodded and returned to Lucy’s room finding her half dressed in jogging bottoms and a t-shirt, looking down at her bed, trying her best to tidy the mess that she had created.

Turning as he pushed the door open
. she was faced with the handsome creature that had hurt her so badly, looking at him, her eyes appeared empty of all emotion, she shook her head. “You’ve been talking to Michael, I heard you.”

Benito looked towards her open bedroom window
and realised he and Michael must have been below it when they were talking, she would have heard everything. “You eavesdropped?” He smiled, that killer smile, making her wilt, making the urge to go back with him stronger, yet deep down she knew she shouldn’t, she should say “goodbye” now, before she allowed herself to be hurt any more.

“No!” she snapped, “I heard what you were saying and what Mikey was saying.” She muttered as she tidied the room, pulling the duvet straight and then folding her clothes.

“So will you come back with me, please?” He asked. He’d never begged for anything in his life before, let alone a woman to come home with him. He
was
maturing!

She stopped folding and looked at him. “You’re my first ever, proper, you know that and I don’t expect this
…” she flapped her hands between the two of them, “that this should last a lifetime, it would be too surreal, too good. If we’re going to be bed partners, girlfriend and boyfriend, whatever you Italian’s choose to call yourselves, I do expect it to last just a little longer and I really don’t want to be thought of as a
quick shag
. I’m
not
an easy lay, you
know
that and I
don’t
want to have the reputation as being one either!”

“I know you’re not!” He
snapped, “And I have said I’m sorry, you should never have heard me talking! You only heard the end. If you had been there from the beginning, you would have heard the whole conversation. You just took it out of context.” Moving around the room, looking impatient, he shoved his hand in the pockets of his leather jacket, “So are you going to come and stay with me?”

Lucy carried on with the folding, “I still feel like crap, really crap,
But that helped,” she pointed at the flat cola and empty pack of crisps, “Where did you learn that one?”

“Experience.
Are you coming with me?” He pressed.

Thinking carefully, she threw the last of the folded clothes on top of the pile on her bed, turning away from him she sighed deeply. He was gorgeous, no scrub that he was stunning, better than anything she could ever have hoped for in the past, and yes, she believed she loved him,
had
loved him, but now… he’d hurt her, and badly at that. The confident and rational side of her told her to stay away, to leave well alone, yet her heart was telling her to go with him.

Thinking carefully for a few moments, she turned towards him.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I can’t allow myself to be hurt again. I’ve learned the hard way, haven’t I?” Looking down at the floor, away from him, she felt a stray tear pass over her cheek, followed by another.

Stunned by rejection, Benito stared into the room, at his girl, who he’d hurt, unintentionally, but none the less, he’d hurt her. “Lucy, please… please come with me,” he found himself pleading, something he’d never done in his life before, ever.

Turning towards him, her eyes brimming with tears, she shook her head, “No, I’m sorry, I can’t.” She spoke softly, continuing to shake her head whilst fighting back the urge to drop to the floor and sob, the heartbreak feeling stronger as she looked at him, his shoulders hunched, the desperation in his face, the longing very clear. “I can’t Benito,” she whispered.

Not knowing what to say he
just stood there. This was one of those situations that he couldn’t handle, something that could not be fixed by sending in one of his heavies. Shit, he needed some help. How do you convince a woman, this woman, that beautiful girl,
his Lucy
, that she needed to come home with him? In short, he couldn’t, he didn’t have the skills or the knowledge to do it. He didn’t know what to say!

Struggling to deal with this the best way he could, he stood upright leaning against the door frame, his face hardening slightly, taking on a boardroom posture as if ready for a battle of words. “And this
is
what you want?” he asked firmly, “you
are
sure?”

Lucy breathed deeply before raising her tear filled eyes towards him. “No, it’s not what I want at all, but I can’t allow myself to be hurt again
. I’m so sorry Benito, please go.” Her voice wavered as she continued to fight back the deluge of tears, the sobs that tried in vain to make their break for freedom.

For the first time since his mother passed away, Benito felt what he assumed was sadness deep in the pit of his stomach, “You’re sure?” he asked, wanting confirmation from his darling Lucy before he left.

Nodding her head she looked up at him the tears falling freely across her cheeks, “Yes, please go.”

Without saying another wor
d, he turned and headed downstairs and out of the house, this feeling, almost alien to him, eating away at his insides. Climbing in behind the wheel of the Range Rover he sat, hands on the wheel just staring through the windscreen. “What a fucking moron you’ve been!” he openly cursed himself, “you twat!”

Driving aimlessly around, Benito called James, “Fancy a night out, playing the game?” He asked as James answered.

Taken back by the sudden desire for his friend to hit the town, with the sole intention of picking up a woman, James initially remained silent.

“James, are you there?” Benito asked, jabbing away at the buttons of his in car hands free system.

“Yeah, I’m here
; but why? What about Lucy, didn’t you go and see her this morning?” James sounded confused.

“Shit James!” Benito snapped as he banged the heel of his hand on the steering wheel, “she doesn’t want me anymore. Wants nothing to do with me!” he hissed, “sent me away and you know what?” he snarled, “
she can go fuck herself because I don’t care!”

Turning the car around, his destination home, he listened to more silence as James thought carefully about his answer
. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his friend further, especially whilst he was in charge of a lethal weapon, the Range Rover.

“
You don’t mean that Benito. Get yourself round here mate—come to the hotel. I’ll meet you in the bar.”