Twice Upon a Time Read Free Page A

eyebrows at him. ‘Trust me, my ego’s not that fragile. The painting is worthless because you smudged it,’ she said, crossing her arms.
    Ludo groaned. ‘Oh god. I'm sorry. It might have been a masterpiece!’
    ‘I won’t take money for it,’ she said firmly.
    Ludo raised his hands in resignation, then put them in his pockets, thinking about his next move. ‘I’m having a party on my yacht tonight. Just a few friends, nothing major. Would you and your friend like to come along?’
    Cinda tilted her head to the side. ‘Sure, why not?’ she said with a shrug. ‘We’ll come along. It’s not like the nightlife around here is off the chain.’
    Ludo laughed. ‘You have to make your own fun, Cinda. And I am quite good at making fun.’
    ‘I don’t doubt that for a second,’ she said, clearly flirting with him. He loved it when women who didn’t know who he was flirted with him.
    She was so beautiful. She looked like the Italian movie star that his grandfather was rumoured to have had an affair with all those years ago.
    Ludo could feel himself becoming more smitten with her as each second passed. She was just who he needed to pass the rest of the summer with.
    ‘I will meet you at the pier, to take you out to the yacht, si ?’
    ‘ Si ,’ said Cinda sassily. ‘Eight okay?’ she added as she moved past him, her shoulder lightly touching his as she headed across the roof and back through the door to the stairs.
    ‘Perfect,’ Ludo muttered under his breath, watching her move as he followed her down. He was relieved to see that Alexi and Sergei had taken his order and disappeared from sight.
    ‘See you tonight, then,’ he called as she disappeared into a room off the main corridor, closing the door behind her.
    Ludo stood on the landing for a moment before he turned to leave.
    ‘Oi, Prince Charming!’ he heard, and he turned to see her beautiful face peeking out of the doorway. ‘Thanks for rescuing me from the tower.’ She winked before closing the door again.
    Prince Ludo felt his stomach flip. There was such a thing as love at first sight.

3

    Cinda and Jonas stood at the end of the pier, the large yachts radiant like shining stars on the water around them.
    ‘What time did you say he was coming?’ asked Jonas, wearing a scowl on his usually very pleasant face. His tall and slender frame was decked out in white linen and, as usual, his sandy-coloured hair was tousled just so, with just the right amount of designer stubble on his face. He squinted his clear green eyes sceptically at Cinda as she scanned the water.
    ‘Eight o’clock,’ Cinda replied. She felt nervous but tried to sound reassuring. ‘He’ll be here any moment.’
    ‘I can’t believe you let yourself get picked up by some Euro-rat,’ he said crossly. ‘You’re such an easy mark, Cinda.’
    Jonas had wanted to stay in to watch Italian TV, which he found hilarious, and flirt with the Swedish boys who’d arrived that afternoon. The news that Cinda was dragging him out with some guy she’d met on a walking track didn’t appeal to him at all.
    ‘Since when have you ever said no to a party?’
    ‘It’s true, I was born to party,’ conceded Jonas. ‘Like you were born to paint. But waiting on the pier? A yacht? Really, it’s probably some shitty leaking boat with bad wine and a stereo with one working speaker.’
    Cinda looked at her watch. It was nearly eight. It would almost be morning back in Sydney. In a few hours her mother would be getting up. She’d make herself a cup of tea and probably check her online dating profile first thing, sitting at the old wooden table in the kitchen.
    Cinda repeated her prayer that this time her mother would choose a decent guy.
    Cinda’s father was a jazz musician who had run off when he found out Allegra was pregnant. Cinda hated him for not owning up to his responsibilities. Allegra’s second husband was a serial womaniser who ended up on a current affairs show for fleecing women