by Tee, Marian
Just one last time, I tried again and choked out, "Don't you want me anymore?"
Part II
Two, three days, tops. That was the maximum number of days Ioniko Vlahos was supposed to spend in Miami. All he had to do was personally check the books, evaluate the profit margins of his little sister's first business, and if everything about Associate meet his approval, then branches of it would start popping up in every property owned or managed by Vlahos Inc.
And from what he had seen, everything about the coworking place appeared promising and well thought out. While Katya's overhead could do with a little trimming, it wasn't anything a meeting with one of his accountants wouldn't solve. Other than that, everything looked good to go, and he had headed to Associate for one last visit and tell Katya goodbye...but instead he saw her, and everything changed.
His presence at Katya's coworking space normally caused a fuss, and while this type of attention used to discomfit him in his teens, it was something he now simply took in stride. Aside from inevitably showing him both the best and worst of human nature, his immense wealth had also exposed him to basically two types of women.
The female members at Associate were just like almost every other woman he met: they coveted him at first sight, some because they simply found him physically attractive while most others wanted him because they knew what he could afford to give them, which was basically the world on a silver platter.
Such women were completely dispensable, and he treated them as such.
The second type, however...there was just a handful of them, and most of them were related to him by blood, like Katya and their half-sister MJ. Aside from those two, it had been a long time since he last met a woman of this ilk who was not of his bloodline. Years, actually. And he had long accepted the idea that no other woman could be added to this list...until her.
* * *
"I told them you're the old-fashioned type of Greek," Kat confided to him, "and that's why everyone's on their best behavior now. So if there's something about Associate that you want to double check, now's the perfect time to do it..."
Her motives had then become clear, and Ioniko's gaze bored through hers. "In other words, you want me to make sure you're not going to lose money on this?"
His baby sister flashed him a cheeky grin. "And face. Don't forget how much I hate to lose face as well." And then she started pushing him out of her office. "Now go, and make sure you don't come back empty-handed. I want a thirty-page report---" She caught sight of the deadly glare Ioniko shot at her over the shoulder and said quickly, "I'm just kidding. A yes or no would also suffice, seriously." She finally managed to get her brother past the door. "Have fun!" And then she slammed the door on his face.
Damn brat.
But he was more amused than annoyed, just as how big brothers typically were, and a part of him was secretly pleased that his little sister still sought his help. Very well, he thought generously. He would---
A slender but full-breasted woman walked past him, head bent, gaze pinned to the book she was reading. He caught sight of her lips curved in a fond smile, and something about it was so intensely familiar that it had him spinning around to keep her in his line of vision.
The color of her hair was some divine shade between auburn and burgundy, with the lightest streaks of cinnamon, and her clothes were casual-slash-sporty, a black hoodie paired with matching sweat pants and shoes.
His gaze continued to follow her even as he tried to figure out what made her feel different and familiar at the same time.
Just something about her...
He watched her take one of the desks at the unreserved area. Watched her plug her ears and take a sip of her coffee before reaching for her iPad. She started typing. Kept typing. Was still typing even by the time he folded his length into one of the available desks across hers.
He pretended to read a book even as once in a while his hooded gaze would drift towards her. She had to know by now he was staring at her. But not once did she meet his gaze, and it didn't feel as if she was playing coy.
Interesting.
He came back to Associate the next day and tried to hide his impatience as he made some excuse to Katya about why he hadn't flown back to Athens as scheduled. He didn't want his little sister to know of his interest in the other woman; if she was what he believed she could be, then he didn't want to risk having Katya baulk at his plans to make the woman his mistress.
Days turned into weeks, but she still remained pretty much a mystery, mostly because she stuck to herself and the only time he saw her talking to another member, it had to be a man (fuck you, Wyatt-somebody).
It was also that one time he had heard her name mentioned - Schuyler - and had found himself savoring her name in his thoughts. Schuyler. The name perfectly fitted her, but he also felt instantly possessive about it. He wanted to be the only one to call her that and no one else.
And when it became clear to Ioniko that she was actually deliberately ignoring him, it only amused and intrigued him all the more. As soon as the perfect opportunity arose, he seized it and followed his beautiful little doll into the kitchen, just as a lion would corner a sweet unsuspecting lamb.
And in that moment, he found out everything he needed to know.
The way she had stiffened when he came close. The way she had held her breath and closed her eyes. The way he could practically feel her body throb into life at the mere proximity of him.
Ah, koukla mou.
That was when he knew.
She wanted him back.
* * *
If their first encounter was all his own doing, their second one made it seem as if the Fates were on his side. Being trapped in an elevator with another woman was, unfortunately, nothing new to Ioniko. The first time it happened, he had been sixteen, and his classmate's mother had been the type of cougar who craved for teenage cocks. After that, it happened twice in his mid-twenties, and another time in his early thirties. All of it had been staged, involving either money or some other trade, and if it had been any other woman but Schuyler, he would've thought the same thing had happened again.
A woman, deliberately trapping herself in an elevator with Ioniko, in order to seduce him.
But since this was Schuyler...
It had been a struggle for Ioniko to keep his face expressionless while Schuyler's on the other hand went from shock to horror, and he almost lost it when she actually started glaring at the ceiling.
"I hope you're not blaming God for this." Ioniko's amusement deepened when Schuyler only shook her head in response. Most other women would have leapt at the chance to engage him in conversation, but this woman...
"It should only take a while for maintenance to get the elevator up and running again." Another voiceless answer by way of a nod, and Ioniko's lips pressed together in a concentrated effort to remain unsmiling. Ah, koukla mou. Did his beautiful doll truly believe such responses were enough to hide the obvious?
It was in the way she kept looking away and then looking back at him right after. The way she couldn't seem to stand still. The way she kept licking her lips. She wanted him, alright, but equally obvious was how much she was fighting against her attraction to him.
Let's see how long you'll last, Schuyler mou.
His hooded gaze flicked back to hers. "Ioniko, by the way."
"Schuyler."
The way she tried to cut their conversation short with her curt answer only served to amuse him. "And that's it?"
"That's it."
They parried with words, one after another, and he almost felt pity for her. Ah, Schuyler mou. She was so damn innocent that she failed to realize her words and actions were doing the opposite. If she wanted to turn him off, then she should have simply shut up and played dumb. But instead, every second only proved he was right about her. She would make the perfect mistress, and so when the elevator finally lurched back into movement...
It was another perfect opportunity to make a move, and he had
her backed into a corner in the next second. He saw genuine fear flash in her eyes, but along with it he also saw the way her lips started trembling in unconcealed excitement.
She's scared of me, but she still wants me.
His gaze locked with hers just as he heard the doors open behind him.
She's still scared.
His jaw tightened.
A moment later, Schuyler had ducked under his arm, and he deliberately made no move to stop her as she made her escape.
Fuck.
His grim mood remained even as he made it back to his hotel suite, and his mood only became blacker when he received a call from his sister first thing in the morning the next day. "I saw the security footage," Katya told him. "Or rather, I heard the guards talking, so I managed to take a little peek..."
"I don't want to talk about it," he said curtly.
"Too bad," Kat retorted, "since we are going to talk about it. Schuyler's a nice girl who deserves an equally nice guy---"
"And you're saying I'm not?"
"You eat girls like her for breakfast then spit them out like trash."
"Are canned insults all you can do now?"
"I'm being serious about this," Kat growled. "Schuyler---"
"Is my business," he snapped, "and not yours, so stay out of it." He cut the call short right after, furious at the way his sister had successfully stung his conscience.
Of course he damn well knew Schuyler was a nice girl, ergo forbidden. He could've stopped her from leaving at any point in time yesterday. He could've kissed her to submission. But he hadn't. Because she was a nice girl, and when he had seen Schuyler's frozen expression...it had made him want their first kiss to be different. To be something that he didn't force on her or something he had to seduce her into wanting...
Which meant what, he asked himself savagely. Did this mean he was going to wait for Schuyler to kiss him first? If so, then he might as well fucking wait for the sky to turn pink and pigs to start flying.
* * *
A phone call after breakfast allowed the siblings to mend fences quickly, but it helped that Ioniko also promised he wouldn't ever deliberately hurt Schuyler.
Not the most reassuring promise, Katya acknowledged to herself, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to pin him down to anything better or more straightforwards. Anyway, her brother's honor had always been unimpeachable, and she trusted Ioniko to ensure that Schuyler would be alright before whatever it was they had ended.
After learning from Katya that Schuyler hadn't shown up in Associate, he resorted to checking her Instagram and saw right away that she was sipping latte at a Starbucks nearby. This was another first for him: he had never resorted to using social media to stalk a woman's whereabouts before, and while the truth chafed...it wasn't enough to keep him away.
When he reached the block of buildings pinpointed by Google Maps, he held back from crossing the street just so he could feast his eyes on her.
She was seated by the windows, hair pinned up in its usual careless bun, and dressed in another oversized hoodie that couldn't quite hide the fullness of her breasts. No sweat pants though, and Ioniko couldn't help frowning at the way her track pants molded to every curve of her shapely long legs.
Fuck.
He noticed the way other guys at the cafe were eyeing her, and he didn't waste any time after that. "Kalimera, Schuyler."
He saw surprise and confusion flicker in her gaze at the sight of him, but after that he also saw longing. It was the briefest of flashes, but it was enough, and the tension inside him eased a little. He still hadn't forgotten how irritated he had felt, seeing her speak to another man at Associate, and had not wanted to feel the same thing again here.
Schuyler made the usual expected fuss about him coming, and he responded per usual by ignoring her protests, knowing that it would eventually die down and she'd buckle back to work. Having watched her for so many hours at Associate, he had noticed early on how dedicated and disciplined she was to her job.
She might not feel uncomfortable having him seated in front of her, but he also expected her to not let it be a hindrance...and he was right. After a grumble or two, she settled down and went back to work, and he opened his iPad to do the same.
Three hours later, however, he caught her staring, and sexual satisfaction purred inside of him. She hastily looked away, but of course it was too late. If his beautiful little doll was in the mood for some time out from work, then perhaps...
"You know..."
They could play a little, and so the game started, with Ioniko reaching for her hand.
"You're welcome to do more than just look." The look that she shot him at his words almost had his smirk turning into a grin. While most women would've cried tears of joy at such an offer, his Schuyler was looking at him as if he had just suggested for her to pair her coffee with stir-fried worms.
A moment later, he saw her gaze jerk down to their clasped hands, and an idea came to him. "Are you done for work?" The question was innocent enough, but it was only so she wouldn't think much of the way he started playing with her hand. A stroke here and there, fingers twining and untwining, and throughout it he was rewarded by the way she gaped and winced, cringed and bit her lip...
Ah, koukla mou, you enchant me.
But because her now-red face looked fit to explode, he took pity on her and slowly withdrew his hold as he asked, "Can I take you out for lunch?"
He waited for her to make her usual protests, but instead he heard her say, "Yes."
His brows shot up. How unpredictable she was. And a little while, he found himself surprised yet again, with the way she mumbled an excuse before making a dash for the ladies. Extremely unpredictable, he mused, but undeniably cute, and she got even cuter when she joined him outside the cafe. One look at her face told him that she had finally figured out the truth about him, and he braced himself for disappointment. Just as a leopard would never be able to change its spots, something would always inevitably clue Ioniko in on how people truly felt about his money.
It could be anything from an avaricious gleam in their eyes to an outright change in their attitudes and a complete switch to deference that typically bordered on a sickening level of obsequiousness.
He waited for Schuyler to be just like everyone else, but instead...
She couldn't even get the word 'billionaire' past her lips, was treating it like the term was a blasphemy, and relief blazed inside of him. Schuyler mou...thank you. He hadn't realized how much her reaction mattered until that moment, and he wasn't able to stop his lips from twisting into a crooked grin.
"It just sounds so ridiculously unreal."
She also sounded ridiculously defensive, like she was ashamed of her reaction, and he had to clench his fists to keep himself from hauling her into his arms. She might not know how rare her attitude to his wealth was, but he did, and when he saw Schuyler lift her gaze upwards as if she was blaming God that she had to be tangled up with a billionaire...
He was almost tempted to do the same but for the opposite reason. Doxa to Theo. Thank God. And then he took hold of her hand.
She was immediately panicky, which was cute, and she became even cuter when she told him, "This is stupid."
"My holding your hand?"
"No, of course not." Her tone was impatient, yet another thing most women wouldn't dare use in his presence, and this only pleased him more. "I'm talking about you...and me."
"Ah."
"I thought you were out of my league, but obviously I was wrong."
"So I'm no longer out of your league?"
"Dude."
For Ioniko, that pretty much sealed it. Maybe there were other women who could be just as immune as Schuyler was to his billions. But another woman who unthinkingly referred to him as...dude? That was a rarity beyond compare right there, the one-of-a-kind variety, and he knew then.
He took her hand and brought it to her lips.
"You enchant me, koukla mou."
; Translation: I will never let you go.
But since she was too stubborn to read between the lines, she kept trying to pull out of his hold, and it was only the unmistakable growling of her stomach (another one-of-a-kind variety) that eventually persuaded her to having a meal with him.
"Where would you like to eat?"
"The fanciest place you can afford." And when he raised a brow at her, she told him, "That should tell you something."
"Enlighten me."
"I'm a gold-digger."
Ioniko only laughed and even magnanimously gave her a chance to prove it by taking her to McDonalds and making her pay for their meal. A gold-digger would've left him and angrily stomped away the moment a big, yellow M showed up in front of them. Schuyler, on the other hand, completely forgot about being a greedy little bitch the moment she had her triple cheeseburger and fries in front of her.
"I'm going to pray really fast, okay?" And it was fast indeed, the impromptu one-liner prayer being over in a blink of an eye, and then she started eating.
"I'm so sorry," she apologized between bites. "But I tend to be this hungry when I'm stressed out at work."
"I'd love to know more about your job."
"You're sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because when I usually start talking about work, I rarely shut up."
"I will never ask that of you."
"Don't say you haven't been warned." She took a deep breath. "So...have you ever heard about otome games?" And it was as she promised. She never did shut up. Her eyes had started sparkling the moment she spoke about work, her smiles came out more often, and her voice often took on a giddy note whenever she gushed about her game's "fandom".
It was, all in all, a completely fascinating sight, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Theo. God. Everything about this woman attracted him, and as he listened to her start talking about the most popular heroes of her game, the urge to touch her proved impossible to resist...
Her voice broke off the moment she felt his fingers re-twine with hers. "Ioniko." But the breathlessness in it only made his fingers tighten.
