Never Say Love Read Free Page A

although he hadn’t particularly enjoyed seeing the bastard squirm.
    He felt his substance use was never uncontrolled, his strong willpower preventing the abuse he inflicted on his body escalating to addiction. Others, including his father, disagreed and after a short period of intensive counselling, he completely stopped smoking and gave up cigarettes, the lot.
    Scanning the arrivals hall as he cleared customs, Benito looked for James, spotting him after only a few minutes, waving and walking towards him with purposeful strides. The young Italian offered his hand as he approached his ride to the hotel, “James—long time!”
    “Benito, good to see you mate. Come on, the car is on a short stay.”
    The two stunningly handsome men, similar in age, Benito a couple of years older, shook hands before heading out of the terminal building and to James’ green Vauxhall.
    “Aw, shit!” James shook his head, “fucking hell, two minutes over and they’ve ticketed me.” Yanking the ticket from the windscreen he walked around to the back of the car and opened the boot, cursing a round of expletives as he went, allowing Benito to place his small case and flight bag inside. Benito walked around to the front of the car, initially the wrong side. “Bloody right hand drives,” he mumbled under his breath before walking around the car yet again and sitting in the passenger seat.
    James laughed as he pulled out into the traffic. “We’re all on the opposite side here mate,” he said as he negotiated the heavy traffic always present in London weaving his way through the docklands area and towards Reid’s Hotel—a five-star luxury hotel in London’s Covent Garden owned by Maggie Smyth, a woman Benito knew, who used to be friends with his father and his father’s cousins, Roberto and Ramiro, James was the hotel’s General Manager.
    “Dad said that you’ve been staying with Gia and Roberto until recently?” Benito asked.
    “Yep, I was there a few months when I came back from the States. Gia’s amazing, but I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. I sorted an apartment and moved out a couple of weeks ago. I’ve reserved a suite at Reid’s for you, booked it for a couple of weeks to start with. I’ve done you a deal on the rate; if you need it for longer, let me know...” James concentrated on the road as he negotiated the traffic which randomly appeared from all directions.
    “Thanks for all of your help. I have my instructions to visit Gia and Roberto before I check into the hotel, can we do that? Don’t want him breathing down my neck, and he will !” Benito grumbled, making conversation. “Do you like working at the hotel?”
    “Yeah, it’s a good job. The pay’s okay but hey, I’m back in the UK where I want to be, and there are a lot of perks.” He glanced at Benito, laughing. “Rooms to take the girls, you know what I mean?”
    Benito smiled and nodded. “I’ve no doubt I’ll be doing that before long.” He half laughed, “Don’t you work nights though? Isn’t hotel work unsociable hours?”
    “No, not really...” James stopped talking abruptly, his face turning hard as he slammed on the breaks to avoid an elderly man who had pulled out right in front of them, “Fucking hell—shouldn’t be on the roads,” his deep voice raised to shouting as he flapped his arm around, shaking his fist at the grey-haired man, who must have been 90, pootling around at a snail’s pace, holding up the traffic.
    Once the congestion had cleared, the old man safely out of the way, the two young men continued their conversation. “No, my assistant manager likes to work permanent nights. The fool is married—got himself lumbered with a wife and kids. She works during the day so he chooses to work only nights that way he can be at home in the day to mind his children, poor bastard!” James shook his head as he described the life of his night manager.
    Benito nodded in agreement, “How old is he—this fool?”
    The