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released tension she hadn’t been aware of maintaining once
the plane left the tarmac and New York fell rapidly away.
    Putting distance between herself and Luca
was the right thing to do. Perspective would give her time to come up with a
solution to the mess in which she found herself and would give Luca time to
realize he couldn’t treat her as his sex toy. Once his initial anger had time
to dissipate, they could work out a civilized repayment plan. Maybe. Even if he
wouldn’t be reasonable, she would just have to refuse to let him use her body
for revenge.
    Not that she’d been very good at telling
him no, she acknowledged wryly. She was buying herself time to put up a wall
between herself and Luca. By the time the plane touched down at Logan, she
almost had herself convinced she could see Luca again and not fall into bed
with him.
    * * * * *
    Luca entered the elevator for his office
feeling surprisingly good, in spite of what had happened with Phoebe. Well,
probably because of what had happened with her, but not what had led to last
night. He’d dealt with his father and was now on his way to work. To see her,
his lover.
    It was ridiculous to feel so excited to see
her again, especially knowing what he did about her. Only a fool let himself
fall for someone who was greedy and scheming. He tried to understand how she
could put money above their burgeoning relationship. As he’d told her, he
couldn’t relate to that kind of need, having grown up in a wealthy family.
Still, he couldn’t imagine any circumstances that would have made him take money
to leave her if the situation had been reversed.
    He had to keep it firmly in mind why she
was now his lover. In effect, he had bought her, as distasteful as that was. It
wasn’t the best way to deal with her betrayal, but he didn’t have it in him to
overlook her actions, or to just let her go. Fool that he was, he cared too
much… Luca squashed that thought as it formed. All he needed from her was
physical pleasure until he no longer wanted her. Any feelings he’d had for
Phoebe before she revealed her true nature had to die a quick death.
    Mentally steeling himself for the assault
to his senses the moment he saw her, he entered the office. Immediately, he
noticed her desk was empty. As he drew nearer, he saw it was exactly as he had
left it last night. Feeling just a spark of hope that he was misinterpreting
the scene, he knocked on the office washroom. When no one answered, he tried
the door, finding it unlocked, and pushed it open. It was as empty as the
office.
    Anger exploded through him and he cursed as
he stomped back to her desk. Her home computer was connected to the office’s
network, so she could work from home. It took Luca very little time to call up
her internet history, to get an idea of where she had gone. Rage made his hands
shake and he refused to recognize the hurt rushing through him at her betrayal.
    * * * * *
    “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
Phoebe asked Anya several hours later.
    Her sister nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. I have
a lot of tests ahead of me, and you can’t accompany me. Why should you hang out
in the hospital room when you could be resting? You look exhausted.”
    Phoebe eyed the patient suite where the
staff had installed Anya. “This place is probably nicer than my room.”
    “Go.” Anya tossed a pillow in her general
vicinity. “Get some fresh air and see the sights. We haven’t been to Boston
since we were little.”
    Phoebe blinked. “You’re right. I’d
forgotten we came here with Mom and Dad.”
    “I was seven, so you must have been about
thirteen.”
    Anya had spoken without much emotion, but
Phoebe couldn’t expect her sister to go to pieces at the memories of the
long-ago family vacation when she herself had forgotten all about it. There
were more pressing matters on which to dwell, instead of bittersweet memories.
“Well, I might sightsee later, but right now, I’m going to sleep.” She