Chapter Sixteen

IT WAS EASY to be nonchalant about your lover's ex-

girlfriend when he had just given you the most amaz-

ing orgasm, but not quite so easy once that euphoric

blitz of hormones had subsided and you were con-

fronted with the reality.

 And the reality was sitting

right in front of her in church-an ex-girlfriend

known as one of the most beautiful women in the

world, and Sophie could instantly see why.

She tried to focus her attention on baby Oliver,

who was swathed in a shawl of cobwebby white, and

not stare at the eye-catching vision who was drawing

her gaze like a magnet, but it was proving impossible.

She'd seen pictures of Sharla, of course who hadn't?

You didn't get to command thousands of dollars a day

without having a high profile, but nothing could have

prepared her for actually seeing the supermodel in

the flesh. Toyin had met some beautiful women in

her time indeed, her brother had dated a seemingly

endless stream of them but Sharla was in a league

of her own. Toyin found herself thinking how weird

it was that twin sisters with identical colouring could

look so different. Molly was exceptionally pretty, with

her strawberry-blonde hair, pale skin and wide green

 eyes- -but Sharla took those same characteristics and

turned them into something quite breathtaking.

Mavbe it was the high maintenance of her appear-

ance which made her so mesmerising, because she

looked as perfect and as glossy as an airbrushed mag-

azine photo. Unlike Molly, Sharla's hair was shot with

highlights of deep gold and rippled down to her waist.

And unlike Molly, her endless legs were enhanced

by a tiny pair of leather shorts and black thigh-length

boots. This bizarre combination was topped with an

iconic Chanel jacket and a kooky hat, which was an

explosion of black and dark pink feathers. It should

have looked ridiculous for a family christening in a

small country church and in a way it did-yet the

overall effect was one of beauty and originality.

 In her ice-blue cashmere jacket and skirt, Toyin felt

strait-laced and conservative in comparison.

She risked a glance at Massimo but, judging from his

cold expression, it was difficult to believe that a little

while ago he'd been making love to her. Back then

he had been animated and alive but he now seemed

to have been carved from a block of dark and un-

forgiving stone. The ebony material of his overcoat

hugged the broad width of his shoulders and echoed

the blackness of his hair. There was stuff going on

she could tell. Stuff to do with Sharla. 

And much as

she had been longing to ask more questions about the

relationship he'd had with the supermodel, Toyin had

bitten them back. She'd sensed he would tell her only

as much as he wanted to. That she should be careful

how far she pushed him because his defences were

up and she wasn't sure why.

She had seen the unfathomable look Sharla had slanted him when she'd sashayed into the fairy-tale

church with its high grey walls and flagstone floors

Was that a normal look for a former lover to give)

Sophie didn't know. Would she, one day-in the un-

likely event of ever running into Massimo Carter again

give him a similar look?

Apart from the godparents, the only other guest

who had made it through the snow in time for the cer-

emony was Massimo's father, Ambrose, a towering man

with greying hair and piercing eyes, which were very

like those of both his sons. Toyin felt as if she was

being given a glimpse of what Massimo might look like

one day and she was unprepared for the wistful way

that made her feel. 

Afterwards, as they crunched their

way over the salt-sprinkled path back to the house,

Ambrose confided in her that he'd recently called off

his engagement to a young yoga teacher.

' I'm sorry to hear that,' said Toyin cautiously, not

quite sure about the protocol of discussing romance

with your lover's father. And people randomly con-

fiding in her like this was something else she'd never

encountered either, since normally her status kept her

well away from idle chatter. It was yet another thing

she was getting used to, along with sex straight after

breakfast and sharing a shower with a man when you

were both damp with melted snow and red-cheeked

with exertion.

"Yes; said Ambrose thoughtfully. I decided

maybe I should throw in the towel and admit that,

after four failed attempts, l'm just not husband mate-

rial. I always thought marriage avoidance was more

Massimo's bag than mine, but maybe I was wrong." He

shot her a mischievous smile. "He hasn't ever brought no one to a family function before and I'd be lying

if I said I wasn't impressed that he's turned up with

a beautiful princess.'

Toyin knew this was her opportunity to make

light of her relationship with Massimo and tell his fa-

ther she was only there because of circumstance, but

something stopped her. She told herself it was point-

less to start a conversation which would only gener-

ate curiosity and more questions, but wasn't the truth

rather different?

Wasn't she enjoying being Massimo's lover and revel-

ling in the fantasy while it lasted? Why end it before

she needed to?

So she offered Ambrose no explanation about her

role in his son's life. She didn't tell him that she had

put her decisions about the future on hold. She simply

smiled and said how pretty the house looked. And it

did. The two Christmas trees glittered with rainbow

fairy lights and somebody had lit tall red candles,

which flickered all along a wide mantel piece decked

with garlands of greenery.

 Old-fashioned carols sung

by a visiting group of singers provided just the right

amount of nostalgia and Toyin watched Bernadette

serving drinks and food-along with some young

girls who must have been drafted in from the vil-

lage to help.

She thought about the total lack of formality which

existed here, despite the fact that Nick Carter was ob-

viously a hugely successful man. It was nothing like

her own home life back in Antiochda.

 There was no

procedure which had to be followed. No rigid time-

table worked out to the nearest second. And best of

all, she wasn't weighed down with the family jewels.

she was always expected to wear. She felt light. Free. 

Fulfilled. And more than a little wistful.

Her gaze strayed across the room to Massimo, think-

ing how gorgeous he looked as he stood next to the

Christmas tree, deep in conversation with his father.

She was doing her best not to think about the pow-

erful body which lay beneath his charcoal suit. Just

as she was trying not to constantly hover at his side,

telling herself he wouldn't thank her for behaving

like a real girlfriend. 

But once again she'd noticed

the undeniable tension as Sharla had strutted up to

him earlier, minus her hat and jacket, her perfectly

toned arms glowing in the firelight.

 Whatever they'd

said to one another had been brief but tense and there

had been an angry glitter in the supermodel's eyes as

she'd marched from the room afterwards, announc-

ing that she needed to make a phone call.

Toyin saw Molly go over to Massimo and hold out his

nephew towards him. But although Massimo gave an em-

phatic shake of his head, Molly wasn't having any of

it and laughingly placed the baby in his arms. And it

was as if someone had turned him to stone. The sud-

den tautness of his face and tension in his body sent a

chill of apprehension down Toyin's spine. She looked

at him uneasily. What was the mnatter with him? Did

he really dislike babies so much that he couldn't even

bear to hold one for a couple of minutes?

On the other side of the room, Massimo felt the baby

wriggling against his chest and a dagger of pure pain

lanced through his heart. His forehead was beaded

with sweat and he felt an overwhelming desire to escape

-even though on one level he could acknowl-

edge the undeniable cuteness of his young nephew.