'This is probably good at this time if the year", he suggested pointing. Autumn is the best time for wild mushrooms and I love them served with seafood'.

'Mushrooms and seafood?' Sharon asked.

'Exactly'. Bryan's deep voice had a husky tone. She felt his warm breathing on her bate shoulder.

'Okay, I'll have that', she said hurriedly, nervously aware of him and his body even closer to hers.

'And I suppose that I'll just have pasta for the main course'.

She would have moved away then but Bryan shook his head, pointing to the menu again.

'Don't be so predictable!', he said softly, very close to her ear. 'Try the saltimbocca....'

'What's that?'

'It means...hmmmm...'Jump in the mouth'... it's veal escalope, rolled in harm, flavoured with sage, fried and then simmered in Marsala wine. Very rich but it's a Roman specialty. You must try it once at least. While you are in Italy and especially in Rome,you must be more adventurous, take a few risks for once in your life!'

She tensed. Picking up the undertone, the hidden meaning and hedged instinctively.

'Risks and banking don't go together!'

'Oh but they do', he drawled, looking at her intently. 'Lending money is always a risk but if you don't gamble, you don't accumulate as you know very well.

You have been working for David for long. He has the excuse of being middle aged but you're not.

'David is not middle aged', she said flushed and angry. 'He's just in his forties'.

Bryan laughed coldly, 'That is middle aged!

'Yes, well, David is still very....' she broke off the sentence not sure how she had wanted to end it in the first place and Bryan finished it for her in a hard Sardonic voice.

'Attractive?' Was that what you were going to say? I know you worship the ground that he walks on, and I'll be curious to know why you are so fixated on a man who was at university before you were even born! Dies he remind you of your father? Or didn't you have a father? If I had a crude mind, I'd suspect that it was David's money you were really interested in and that thought did occur to me before I got to know you but I have realised that you aren't materialistic.

No! It's David himself isn't it?' His dark eyes watched her tense profile closely.

'You have a real problem, Sharon. The gap is too wide. You'd regret it bitterly sooner or later if David is crazy enough to take what you are dying to give him'.

Her face was burning and a choking rage filled her throat. She turned on him furiously, her green eyes Stony with resentment.

'How dare you....?' she stopped as the waiter approached. Quivering, dark red, Sharon had to swallow the words that were boiling to get out.

Bryan was as cool as the icecubes in their drinks.

He smiled at the waiter. 'Ah, ready to take our order? Right'.

He ordered for both of them without consulting Sharon again which at any time would have infuriated her but which she accepted without comment then because she knew that she wouldn't have said a word without her voice shaking.

By the time the waiter left, Sharon had worked out what she really wanted to say to Bryan.

Before she could actually speak, someone else came to their table.

'Howdy, Bryan's, the woman said engulfing him in what looked to Sharon like a passionate embrace.

The woman was in her thirties. She had a figure that looked like the number eight. curving in and out exaggeratedly, full warm breasts, a tightly belted waist with rounded hips giving a curved line to the black satin evening suit that she wore. Her jewelries were loud. Diamonds shone on her ears, at her throat and at her wrists. Her hands sparkled with rings too.

She was someone who dressed to be noticed in every sense of the word. Sharon thought drily to herself.

The way she was kissing Bryan, they surely must have been lovers at one time. Good friends don't kiss on the mouth like that. So, that was the sort of woman he liked?

Sharon's eyes chilled. She was observing every little detail about him. Everything she could gather about him could help her defeat him before he succeeded in destroying David but she would not have expected him to love a woman like that.

'What kind of woman would you have expected him to be interested in?' a little voice asked in her head. 'Someone like you?'

'Of course not! she thought fiercely. 'I'd rather die than allow myself to get close to such as he'.

A second later, Bryan turned her way to introduce her.

'Angel, this is a colleague from London, Sharon Smith. Sharon, this is the wife of an old friend of mine, Angel Coleman's.

Sharon smiled politely and coldly, offering her hand. The other woman took it, her own smile cool, studying her with shrewd sophisticated eyes.

'You are in banking?' she said. 'Yes, I can tell that you are. A career woman, obviously. And it gives you all you need, why not? Fir some women, it is the answer, we don't need to get married these days afterall!'

Sharon kept her face cool, her teeth together but she knew that she had just been patronized and insulted

Bryan smoothly intervened. Openly amused by the instant hostility between the two women.

'I think your friends are about to leave Angel's.

She turned to look a Ross the room at a group near the door and wave, nodding.

'Yes I must go, love! Will we see you while you're here? Now promise that we will!'

'I'll do my best though I have many commitments and engagements in this conference but my last day here is free. Maybe we could meet then?'

'You must come to dinner, arrange it with John, Ciao!' Angel gave him another hug, nodded dismissively to Sharon and walked away.

Bryan sat down again, gave Sharon an amused glance. 'Well, you and Angel didn't hit it off, did you? A pity, she's a warm hearted woman....'

'So I noticed', Sharon said.

'Wow! he murmured, laughing silently. 'Well that's Angel. It doesn't mean anything, she's always very over the top whatever she dies'.

'Dies her husband know that she's so ... fond ...of you?'

The icy sting in her voice didn't bother him, his eyes had a mocking gleam in them.

'John? He adores her the way she is... they have a very happy marriage. She's a wonderful wife and mother. They have four boys and two girls, she runs their home to perfection. John is lucky and he knows it's.

Sharon stared at him, uncertain now about his relationship with Angel, wishing she knew the truth about that, about every other aspect of his life. What sort of man was Bryan Ferdinand?

They went into dinner a few minutes later. The Neal was superb, the wine matched it. Sharon only intended to drink one glass but without noticing it, drank far more because the waiter kept refilling her glass.

They talked about the conference over the table at first then as the evening wore on, Sharon spoke less and less. She was feeling light headed, dreamy, a heat and excitement running through her veins.

Across the table, Bryan watched her with those hypnotic eyes while they drank their coffee.

'Liqueur?' he suggested as the wine waiter arrived with his rattling trolley of bottles.

She hastily shook her head. 'I have already drunk too much wine. I don't want a headache in the morning', she looked at her watch. 'In fact, I think that I should be on my way to bed now, we have to get up very early and there's a very crowded day ahead of us'.

On their way to the lift, she paused to look out through the main doors at the Rome night.

'It's stopped raining.What I wanted to do this afternoon was take a walk round the city, but I couldn't go out in all that rain'.

'Why not take a short stroll now?' Bryan suggested.

'It's much too late and I haven't got my jacket with me', she said. But she was drawn towards the door, tempted in spite of common sense.

'We needn't walk too far, just look down the Spanish Steps', Bryan said putting an arm around her, pushing the door open.

While she was still thinking about it, she found herself outside the hotel, in the warn autumn night. The torrential rain had washed the sky and the city clean, the air was soft and still, stars shone over the Roman rooftops and a crescent moon sailed above them.

'It's magical', she breathed, staring around her.

With the rain out, everyone had gone out to enjoy the city.

The night was full of people, walking, talking, the lights of Cafe and bars, the sound of guitars, of someone singing Italian with a throb in his throat.

'You don't want to catch a chill. Put my jacket round your shoulders', Bryan said and she looked round in surprise as she dropped his evening jacket around her.

'What about you?' she asked He looked so formidable in his black trousers and waistcoat, he had that atmosphere of arrogance, high courage, disdain. 'Aren't you cold in just her shirt- sleeves and that thin waistcoat?'

He shook his head. 'Forget it. Don't worry about me, I'm tough.Do you want to window shop? If we go down the steps, we shall see so many designer label places we could pick from'.

'Going down the steps would be fine', she said wryly. 'It's coming up again in this dress that could be a problem. The skirt's so tight'.

Bryan's dark eyes wandered slowly over her, lingering on her long smooth legs. 'That dress is dynamite', he murmured huskily and her colour deepened.

She turned away hurriedly and began to walk along the road.She did not quite know how it had happened but in her dreamy mood, her hostility got lost somehow, somewhere. David pushed to the back of her mind. She was too wrapped up in the romance of the Rome night.

Passing a dark shop doorway, she heard a movement, a sound, there was a couple standing in the shadows, a skinny boy on jeans and a girl in a brief tight skirt and pink sweater. They were passionately kissing, bodies pressed so fiercely against each other that it was hard to say where one began and the other ended.

As Sharon paused to stare, the boy's hand began to slide up into the girl's tiny skirt and she gave a little moan.

Sharon spun to walk away and cannoned into Bryan.

He had seen the couple too. He looked down at Sharon who was breathing raggedly, shivering as though she was cold.

'I...we... we'd better go back inside', she stammered, her face darkly flushed.

Bryan followed her as she headed back towards the hotel, bit as they passed another shop, he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into the doorway.

She gave a cry of protest, looking up angrily and then his mouth was on her own, hard, hot, compelling. It was almost as though he had lit a forgotten fuse inside her, she began to shake, a flame leaping through her veins, her whole body going up in fire, an explosion that left her helpless.

Her lips parted moistly under the invasion of his tongue. She felt her legs give under her and put her arms round his neck and clung to him shuddering in a reaction she couldn't stop or understand.

It was a long time since anyone had made love to her. She had buried desires, needs, hungers that she refused to feel. They had betrayed her once, she wouldn't give them another chance.

Tonight though, the wine must have loosened her inhibitions, allowing her hidden emotions to escape. The couple kissing passionately in the dark doorway had not helped matters. She had realised just what she was missing as she saw them going at it together as though their lives depended on it.

Deep within her, she felt the beat of an erotic drum.

Her fingers clenched in his hair, closed on the firm nape of his neck,moved down his back, passionately aware of the male strength of the warm body under the evening shirt, aching to touch him more intimately, unconsciously moving invitingly against him, her hips pressing closer.

Bryan gave a thick groan, his legs sliding between her thighs, his hands still hanging from her shoulders. She felt him unzip the velvet dress, it parted. Bryan's hand slid inside and caressed her back, followed the curve if her spine downwards to her buttocks, his fingers inserting themselves into the top of her tiny silk briefs.

The dark breathing absorption that they shared was suddenly broken by the sound of running feet, screams and shouting.

They fell apart, very flushed, out of breath. A teenage boy ran past the shop doorway. They saw a woman's handbag clutched in his hand.

Before Bryan and Sharon could move, a whole string of people ran past after the boys reaming angrily in Italian.

A police whistle sounded nearby, the boy dived down the Spanish Steps. The crowd followed him.

The sound of the pursuit died away from the city.

Sharon shakily did up her zip without looking at Bryan,her head averted.

All the excited heat had evaporated and she was suddenly very cold.

Sharon felt cold indeed. What had she been thinking? How could she have allowed this arrogant man touch her the way he had? What a mess. He must think that he had her where he wanted her.

She had always known that he was dangerous to her but she had not really known the extent of the danger.

What weakness could have made her lose herself, her self control and all this way?

She could not look at him, she did not know what she would find in his eyes, mockery? scorn? triumph? condescension? She did not want to know. She just did not want anything to make her feel lower than she was already feeling just then.

'Come to my room, Sharon's, Bryan said with an urgency that made her stiffen.

She turned on him, her face white now. 'I feel sick, do you know that?' she broke out. 'You got me drunk and you knew that I was not used to drinking and you kept pouring wine into me, right the way, through dinner. You had this in mind all the time, didn't you? You set me up and it nearly worked. I almost fell for the oldest trick in the book'.

There was a silence you could have cut with a knife. His eyes turned into glittering black ice.

'You did fall for it', he drawled, admitting her accusations, mocking her. 'I could have had you if that stupid boy hadn't come past this way at the time he did.

After all these years of waiting for David to finally notice that you are a woman, you are so frustrated that you fell into my hands like a ripe peach, and I didn't even have to try very hard'.

She hot out at him, he ducked and she hurt her hand on the edge of the shop window. Gasping in pain, she shed his evening jacket, let it fall to the floor and as he be t to retrieve it,Sharon turned and ran, holding back tears, fighting not to give way to the emotions swamping her. Two minutes later, she was back in the hotel, in the safety of lights and other people.

She didn't know if Bryan followed her or not. The lift was standing open and she ran into it at once, pressed the floor button, the doors closed and she was taken up to her room.

Once she was there,behind closed doors, she could start to cry.

She cried and cried, wishing that she never had to see his arrogant face again.

She kept recalling what he had said about her being so frustrated that she had fallen into his hands like a ripe peach and that he didn't even have to try very hard.

That was exactly how he saw her.

And why not? She had shown him that she could not resist him. Immediately he grabbed her, she had opened up like a flower in spring.

She had not resisted. She had acted as though she had not had a man touch her before which explains why he feels that she was frustrated.

How was she ever going to face him now?

Early next morning, she still had to go to the conference with him and endure his cold mocking eyes. Eyes that would look condescendingly at her like a cheap call girl.

Why had she decided to go for the stroll. If she hadn't, then she probably, no definitely would not have seen the couple making out passionately and be reminded of her loneliness and Bryan would not have taken advantage of her vulnerability.

She guessed she should be thankful that the boy ran past at the time he did because had he not, she shuddered to think what would have happened.

Bryan would most probably have taken her there and then and she would have been unable to do anything except moan like a dog in heat.

Sharon slept fitfully that night.

She kept waking and imagining all that took place that evening and the words that were exchanged. Especially all the rude and degrading words that Bryan had used on her. She clearly deserved it.

Nobody had for Ed her to take too much wine nor to act wantonly with him and she who had always shown hostility towards him.

He would think that it was all a pretence.

What to do? She would just have to act as though nothing happened the previous night. Her countenance would read 'It never took place'. If he thought that he was cold and arrogant and could treat women especially her in a condescending manner, then she was going to show him that two could play the game.

She would make sure that she was as cold as an ice queen and very arrogant as well but she had to see how she could sleep so that she would be fresh both physically and mentally in the morning.

Sharon thought of David, and felt that if she failed to represent the bank well, then she had most definitely failed him and that would be giving the ultimate victory to that arrogant man who thought that he was God's gift to the womenfolk.

She slept again, this time calmer because she realised that she had a duty to perform and the task had to be successfully carried out.

She could not admit defeat. No, that was not Sharon Smith.

She woke feeling very refreshed and far better than yesterday. She got put the cloth she was going to wear. She had to look cooperate, businesslike and stern and not like a seductress.

She knew that she had slept badly but she knew that it was nothing her make up would not fix.

And another thing was that since he kept feeling that she was besotted with David, it would be wise of her to allow him to keep thinking that. That could work in her favour by helping her carry out her ice queen guise effectively.