“Your husband was going to meet Christa at her hotel. I persuaded her to turn her attention elsewhere. Favor done.”
“How dare you,” Julia hissed. She leaned forward at the waist and Pacciani took a surprised step back. “How dare you come to this place of beauty and say these ugly things to me.”
Pacciani’s face clouded in confusion, as if he were witnessing the impossible transformation of a kitten into a lion. He lifted his hands in surrender.
“I mean no harm.”
“Oh, yes you do.” Her voice grew louder. “You and your friend, or whatever she is to you, mean nothing but harm. I don’t care what she told you or what her plans were. You didn’t prevent my husband from doing anything. Do you hear me?”
Pacciani scowled, as he became conscious of the fact that all eyes were on them. Julia’s exclamation could be clearly heard by the other guests.
Then his angry expression morphed into a condescending smile.
“All men require a little—how do you say? Recreation. It is too much to expect one woman to be enough.” He shrugged his shoulders as if he were reciting a commonly known fact.
“Women are not items on a buffet. And my husband doesn’t share your misogyny.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “I won’t be telling Professor Picton anything, other than that you accosted me with lies. Now go away and leave me alone.”
When he made no movement to comply with her instructions, she pointed an angry finger toward the door.
“Get out.” Her steely voice filled the room.
(It was, perhaps, not the most polite strategy for removing a guest at a lavish event.)
Julia ignored the looks of incredulity and censure, glaring determinedly at Pacciani, whose face was a mask of fury.
He lunged toward Julia but was caught at the last moment by a woman who took hold of his arm with an iron grip.
“I’ve been looking for you.” Mrs. Pacciani scolded her husband, but not before giving Julianne a hostile glance.
Pacciani cursed in Italian, trying to shake off his wife.
“Let’s go.” Mrs. Pacciani tugged at her husband’s arm. “There are important people we need to speak to.”
With a threatening look, Pacciani turned and accompanied his wife to the hallway.
Julia watched their retreating backs with no little relief. And more than a little anger.
(Which effectively ruined her afterglow.)
“Darling?” Gabriel smiled as he entered the room, striding confidently in his tuxedo. As usual, all eyes were on him and his handsome form as he moved smoothly across the floor.
A few whispers were exchanged by some of the other couples as they watched Gabriel rejoin his wife.
His smile disappeared. “What’s wrong?”
Julia pursed her lips, trying to control her anger. “Professor Pacciani cornered me.”
“That bastard. Are you all right?” Gabriel placed a light hand on her shoulder.
“He offered an apology for Christa’s behavior in Oxford. I lost my temper and made a scene.”
“Really?” Gabriel squeezed her shoulder as he fought back a smirk. “Tell me more.”
Julia began to shake, the aftermath of a rush of adrenaline.
“I called him a misogynist and told him to go. And I pointed at him.” She lifted her index finger, staring at it in disbelief.
“Excellent.” Gabriel brought her index finger to his lips, where he kissed it.
She shook her head. “Not excellent. Embarrassing. Everyone heard me.”
“I doubt very much that anyone would blame you. The female guests probably despise him for his lechery, and the male guests probably despise him because he’s slept with their wives.”
“He wanted me to tell Katherine that he dealt with Christa. He’s after a job at Columbia and Katherine is a friend of the chair.”
“He’ll never get it,” Gabriel scoffed. “Katherine was Lucia Barini’s supervisor. She’s a friend of mine, as well. She’ll see through him.
“Perhaps Pacciani wants the job at Columbia in order to be with Christa.”
Julia appeared disgusted. “I wonder what his wife thinks about that.
“He also told me that he prevented you from having a tryst with her.”
“With whom?” Gabriel’s tone was sharp.
“Christa. He said you were going to meet her at her hotel, but that he distracted her. That’s why I lost my temper. I’m afraid the other guests heard everything.” She glanced around the room uncomfortably.
Gabriel cursed, shifting his gaze toward the door. Pacciani and his wife were nowhere to be seen.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Gabriel linked their hands and piloted her to a quiet corner. He looked over her shoulder to be sure that no one was eavesdropping.
He brought their faces close together, dropping his voice. “Christa propositioned me right before your lecture. I should have said something at the time, but I didn’t want to upset you.”
Julia gazed at him reproachfully. “And afterward?”
“I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Which is why you didn’t tell me about your secret conversation with Paul.”
A muscle jumped in Gabriel’s jaw, and he nodded.