Billionaires: The Playboy. Carol Marinelli
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suchlike.
The contract was signed and countersigned.
Sheikh Kedah wanted to sponsor them too, but of all the amazing things that were happening, the one that had Abby reeling the most was that she was ankles in stirrups and having a pelvic exam and that she left the clinic with six shiny packets of contraceptive pills.
She still didn’t know what would happen between them.
And that wasn’t Abby being coy or naive. She was seriously crazy about Matteo but she was also seriously crazy about her work. Yes, the contract might be watertight but sniping at her sponsor she didn’t need.
And Abby would snipe.
Oh, the giddy high of being with Matteo would be wonderful, Abby knew, but she’d been clearly warned that it would only be temporary.
Abby was a sore loser; it was the reason she’d got as far as she had in the racing world.
Losing Matteo, or rather the flirting and friendship and fun of them...well, it was something she treasured and Abby wasn’t completely sure she wanted to mess with what they had.
And he was reckless.
The more she knew him, the more she read about him, the more debauched Matteo’s lifestyle appeared.
Still, it was bliss to know that the flights were covered, and with that weight off her mind the race ahead had never had greater attention.
Abby even found the time for coffee with her friend Bella one morning, while Matteo took Pedro out for that shopping spree. Given that Bella was an engineer on the Carter team they had a very strict no-inside-info rule, but it was lovely to catch up.
‘Are you still walking on air after Dubai?’ Bella grinned.
‘I think we’re all just trying to get our head in the game for Milan, but yes,’ Abby admitted. ‘It still feels brilliant.’
‘And how on earth did you land a Di Sione as a sponsor?’ Bella couldn’t help but pry. ‘I’m not sharing details but you must surely know that everyone is put out? Who wouldn’t want a Di Sione sponsor? Even one as wild as Matteo.’
Abby smiled. ‘Just luck. I think he likes taking risks and, given our new status, we’re the biggest risk of them all.’
‘I think he’s the risk rather than you,’ Bella said and rolled her eyes. ‘Front page again.’
Abby frowned and Bella groaned. ‘Sorry, I thought you would have already seen the news. It’s everywhere,’ Bella said and handed Abby her phone.
There was Matteo, staring at the camera, but instead of his regular suit or slightly bleary-eyed look as he came out of a casino, this image told her that he came in just under the six-foot-three line.
It was a mug shot.
Abby briefly scanned the article and found out that Matteo had been arrested last night after a fight in a very exclusive restaurant broke out and management had had no choice but to call the police.
Patrons were shocked and distressed.
‘That’s Matteo.’ Abby shrugged and handed back the phone, and she managed a wry smile and a roll of her eyes while on the inside her heart sunk.
He was supposed to be picking up Pedro now and her young driver had been looking forward to the day with Matteo so much.
It wasn’t just that he had let down Pedro that upset her. Matteo created chaos; a night in wasn’t enough for him, nor a nice meal by the looks of things. It had to be drama; it had to end on a dangerous high.
That was the man she was considering sleeping with!
Well, not any more.
Abby truly didn’t know what to say. She could hardly tell Bella how crazy she was about him, nor how disappointed she was in him too.
Instead she called Pedro but, unable to get hold of him, she gave up and Abby did her best to forget about Matteo and whatever the latest trouble he found himself in. They chatted about some of the other teams, leaving their own out, and Bella also told her that she was serious about someone.
‘In the racing world?’ Abby asked.
‘Oh, no!’ Bella shook her head. ‘I had to change the battery in his car.’ She laughed. ‘He hasn’t a clue and that suits me fine. I’m keeping romance well away from work—I’ve had my fingers burnt way too many times in the past.’
It would serve her well to remember that, Abby thought as she drove home.
Tomorrow they flew to Milan. Once there, the car, which had been pulled apart and shipped after the Dubai race, would be meticulously put back together again and training would begin in earnest—fine-tuning the car and ensuring it was perfect for the practice race, and then she would make the final modifications for the race itself.
Now though, there was one brief night to relax.
Not that she could.
Damn you, Matteo, Abby thought as she turned on the news and sure enough the first thing she saw was his mug shot.
Abby switched it off and, when the doorbell rang, she hauled herself from the sofa and there at the door stood Pedro.
A very different-looking Pedro.
His hair had been cropped and he was wearing a sharp suit and, judging by the set of keys he was waving, he was the new owner of a car fit for a soon-to-be racing legend.
‘Matteo made it to take you out?’ Abby put her own anger aside and smiled as she let Pedro in. ‘How was it?’
‘It was brilliant.’
‘I tried to call you,’ Abby said.
‘I left my phone at Bernadette’s. I’m just on my way there now.’
‘So what happened with Matteo?’ Abby couldn’t stop herself from asking. ‘I saw on the news that he’d been arrested...’
‘And released without charge.’ Pedro shrugged as he walked into her lounge. ‘Some guy was arguing with his wife and got heavy. Matteo stepped in and the guy took his mood out on him. Hey, Abby...’ Pedro said to his very distracted manager, who was blowing out a guilty breath at her own presumption. ‘I wanted to ask you something—can Bernadette come to Milan?’
Abby guessed Matteo had suggested that Pedro ask her.
Pedro had wanted to bring Bernadette last time but things had been so incredibly tight that there had been no room for wives and girlfriends.
Things were different now.
‘Sure.’ Abby nodded.
She wanted Pedro to linger, to tell her all about his day, or rather anything else Matteo had even loosely mentioned, but he was soon heading off to show Bernadette his new clothes and car and to tell her the news. Abby spent the rest of the night wondering if Matteo would call.
He didn’t.
And so, by the time the team were due to fly to Milan, Abby was in a state of high anticipation at seeing him.
She felt a bit like a schoolmistress at an all-male school as they boarded the Di Sione jet. Everyone was in high spirits, everyone except Abby, because there was no sign of Matteo.
Abby sat in a plush leather seat and rolled her eyes as Pedro looked around the jet.
‘Who gets the suite?’
‘You do!’ The attendant smiled.
It was then, Abby knew, Matteo wasn’t joining them.
* * *
Milan she glimpsed from the inside of a luxurious coach that took them from the airport to the hotel.
Abby knew the hotel the Lachance team stayed at and she had chosen another one, as she always did, which gave