The Affair Read Online Free Page A

that emanated from him, adding to the steamy humidity inside the cab.
    He leaned back and looked at her, the smile fading from his face as he shook his head sadly. ‘I’m afraid my Spider-Man days are over. Papa died a few months ago and I had to take over the family business.’
    His mood changed so abruptly and his voice suddenly was so sad that Nina wondered if this were true. She was taken aback momentarily. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’
    They sat in silence for a moment, Nina unsure what to say. The driver kept his gaze intently on the road ahead, his windscreen wipers working furiously. Nina started to regret that she had been so flippant about Spider-Man. She had been having so much fun, she had overdone it. She had been guilty of doing exactly that since she was a child. Her father had always been telling her ‘Nina, you’ve gone too far,’ and so she had learned to tone down her natural exuberance.
    The stranger saw the frown on her face. He hadn’t meant to upset her with his seriousness. What a sensitive little creature she was. He wanted the carefree, playful girl back. He slid his foot along the floor, out of view of the driver, and gently tapped hers. It’s okay, it seemed to say. He smiled and Nina felt herself relax again.
    ‘It was a terrible shock for all of us,’ continuedthe stranger. ‘And now I have so much to do. I have to go back to Italy to sort out the family estate.’
    He kept his head down, then looked up sadly, theatrically, through the rain-streaked window. The taxi slowed in the traffic. They were approaching a huge flashing Coca-Cola sign. It towered over the intersection at the heart of Kings Cross. Usually Nina liked to watch the sign change shape, morphing into a new image. But tonight she ignored it, totally absorbed in the surreal conversation she was sharing with this interesting man. Nina realised she was completely happy, sitting in the back of the slow-moving taxi. The time, all the stresses of the day, her past, her future, everything fell away.
    ‘Italy, why Italy?’ she asked.
    The stranger looked at the passing shops for inspiration. The taxi drew level with an inner-city coffee house, a place he knew well. He often popped in there for a leisurely breakfast with the newspapers. Nina knew it well too. She sometimes dropped by for a quick coffee while she was shopping. The windows of the café were covered in posters and large striped umbrellas dripped over empty tables on the footpath.
    ‘Oh, don’t you remember?’ asked the stranger.
    Nina could tell by his tone he was feeling pretty pleased with himself. She smiled, looking forward to whatever was coming.
    ‘I’m sure I told you. My family owns the Lavazza empire.’
    Nina followed his eyes to a poster in the windowof the café. Lavazza Qualita O’ro it declared in gigantic type above a photo of a steaming cup of rich black coffee in an impossibly white cup with matching saucer.
    ‘ That Lavazza coffee?’ she asked, pointing.
    The stranger reacted as if he was noticing the poster for the first time.
    ‘Oh God, they have our old poster up. Oh, that’s so frustrating. Yes, that Lavazza coffee empire.’
    Nina considered the stranger. She allowed her eyes to range over his face, taking in his fair hair and freckled complexion. She raised one eyebrow and pursed her lips. Then she slowly and deliberately looked over the rest of him, ending with a derisive snort at his trousers tucked into mismatching socks. Without a word, she had conveyed her message. Italian indeed!
    The stranger enjoyed her appraisal. He found it acutely seductive to have this enigmatic beauty, with the pixie smile and the big sad eyes, looking him over.
    Nina felt the tension building between them. It was intensely, delightfully thrilling. She felt that delicious ache in the pit of her stomach, a luscious throbbing in the secret depths of her body. She was a little surprised at her physical reaction and shifted in her seat, smoothing her dress