Gemma shook her head, feeling a few curls of auburn hair escape. She’d confined her unruly locks for the evening’s auction. Her naturally curly hair was shoulder height, but for this evening’s event she’d wound her curls tight into a neat chignon at the base of her neck. Her wavy locks had been trying to escape and, with the gentle breeze blowing across the terrace, were now succeeding. She answered his question softly. “No companion. I’m here alone.”
The man’s smile deepened. His voice dropped a few steps lower. “That is a crime against humanity. Allow me to apologize for all of the other men out there who were so stupid as to leave you alone.”
Gemma felt a shiver of excitement rush down her spine and settle in her lower stomach at his words. His voice had all of her nerve endings standing at attention and his delicious accent fixed all her attention on him. She caught a hint of his aftershave as he moved, and her body reacted on a purely visceral level. I don’t want him to go anywhere. She looked him up and down, drinking in his powerful physique. Her breathing quickened. She licked her lips, letting her eyes move back up his chest. His white shirt and black bow tie subtly hinted at the muscles beneath. His tuxedo was most definitely not off the retail rack. It fit him just like it had been made for his, and only his, body. She didn’t let the obvious signs of his wealth intimidate her, lifting her head to meet his eyes.
He watched her carefully and seemed fully aware of the effect he had on her. When he raised a hand, and brushed a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, it felt like an electric current ran through her body.
She bit her lip and watched him, trying to think of something witty to say. She’d never felt such an instant attraction to someone before. Her libido urged her to not let this man out of her sight. “Are you here for the paintings?” She caught sight of his I.D. tag but could only make out the first name before he shifted and it disappeared from her view. Alex? Or was it Alexi? No, it was Alex. Her brain was a muddled mess swimming in too many glasses of champagne.
The man answered her question with a non-committal nod, as his eyes continued to scan her. His gaze came to rest on the goosebumps on her arms. “You’re cold?”
Gemma shook her head, but that didn’t stop him from removing his tuxedo jacket and slipping it around her shoulders. He pulled the neck together over her collarbones and kept it closed with his hand. “You should allow me to escort you back inside.”
“I should?” His scent and his nearness befuddled her brain in a way she couldn’t explain or escape. He was much too close for someone she just met, but she didn’t want him to step away. In fact, she had to restrain herself from bending towards him.
“You should. In fact, if you’re quite through looking at the paintings, we could go in search of some dinner.”
Gemma nodded slightly, “I haven’t had dinner.” Her words were only slightly slurred and she forced herself to stand up a bit taller. She reached up to remove his hand, but he held firm.
“We shall fix that then. Come with me, gatáki.”
Another of those sexy words… I wonder what language he’s speaking. Gemma didn’t balk at his commandeering of her person, nor did she argue with him when he escorted her from the exhibition halls and onto a private elevator. He’d released hold of his jacket and taken her elbow instead, almost as if he were afraid she would vanish if he let go.
Her feet weren’t working as well as normal. She stumbled as she stepped into the elevator, finding herself held tightly against a strong chest. “Sorry. Too much champagne.”
The man, who was yet to identify himself grinned, “I was right in calling you a gatáki—a kitten. You need a keeper. How much is too much?”
Gemma closed her eyes briefly and counted in her head. Twice. Then she opened her eyes and smiled up into his eyes. The thought of removing herself from where she reclined against his chest never occurred to her. “Three?”
“On an empty stomach? You are reckless.”
Gemma shook her head. “Never. Just a day that needed forgetting…er, well, the last part of the day needed forgetting. The first part was fine…” She broke off and bit her lip. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”
*****
Leo Moustakas looked down at the beautiful young woman half lying against him as the elevator bore them up towards the penthouse. I must have her. She was ripe for the picking and he was a willing farmer ready to bring in the harvest.
“Not at all. So, my almost-drunk gatáki, do you have a name?” Leo watched as she contemplated her answer. When she hesitated, he decided it really didn’t matter to him. He was only in Paris because of his brother’s promise to their father.
His mother’s birthday was coming up and his father had decided to add one of the recently discovered art pieces to his mother’s collection. As their father rarely travelled anymore, Alexi was tasked with selecting the painting, but he’d been summoned to the Middle East to close a lucrative shipping deal on behalf of the family company, Moustakas Shipping. Alexi was all about the company and increasing the family empire, while Leo was content to leave all of that to his father and his brother. He was having too much fun and saw no reason to change that dynamic.
Alexi had already secured the proper I.D. badge and approval to bid at the auction. Knowing Leo was in Monte Carlo at a car race, he’d asked his brother to fly to Paris to buy one of the paintings. Leo was bored and decided to attend the auction, use his brother’s I.D. and assume his brother’s identity for a day or two. Finding a lovely female in need of his companionship was a definite bonus.
Leo had watched her from a distance. When she’d stepped out onto the veranda alone, he’d known he couldn’t leave her that way. He had to have her in his bed, tonight—and possibly tomorrow night as well. Leo liked women and was never without a bedmate. He was incredibly spoiled, never once being denied female companionship. He attributed that to his good looks, charm and extreme wealth.
He brushed another stray piece of hair back behind the young woman’s ear and smiled down into her bright green eyes. “You’re very beautiful. Polý ómorfi.”
She smiled up at him. “So are you.” When she realized she’d spoken aloud, she blushed.
Leo was even more taken with her. He found her shyness strangely intoxicating. Before he could stop himself, he lowered his lips to her own and tasted her for the first time. She didn’t pull away. Leo deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
She sighed into the kiss, melting in his arms. He had a moment’s doubt in regard to her sobriety, but the sexual chemistry between them caused him to relax. It was obvious from her responses that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Not one to deny himself carnal pleasure so freely offered, he took full advantage of their situation. As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, he swept her up into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom beyond. He still didn’t know her name, but in the heat of the moment, that didn’t matter.
They quickly divested themselves of their clothing, falling upon the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and sighs of passion. Their joining was intense and repeated throughout the night. Leo finally fell into a heavy sleep around four o’clock in the morning, his arms wrapped around the young woman whose name remained a mystery.
As the light of morning peaked through the window coverings, he roused himself. He rolled over, intending to once again sate his body in the beautiful young woman from the night before. But his arms encountered the coolness of sheets that had been vacated some time earlier. He pushed himself to a sitting position and scrubbed a hand over his face, listening for sounds from the bathroom. Nothing.
He slipped from the bed and pushed the bathroom door open. Empty. He pulled on a robe, heading out of the bedroom in search of the young woman.
He checked the other rooms of the penthouse. Her clothes and purse were gone, just as she was. Finally he realised she’d left him without a trace. Skipped out in the wee hours of the morning without leaving him any way to contact her.<
br />
Leo slammed his fist against the wall. For several minutes, he struggled against his anger. Drawing a breath, he repeated his well-rehearsed mantra. No commitments. There are plenty of other women out there to spend your time with. No need to send down for an expensive trinket or piece of jewelry. This one’s already gone her own way.
He left the auction house later that morning with the business card of an art restoration expert in his hand, a receipt for the badly damaged Monet, and the memory of an auburn-haired, green-eyed woman who’d rocked his world. I’ve never had such an intense sexual encounter before. It still stung that they’d missed the chance to indulge in one more round again this morning.
Leo shook himself. Her disappearance was fortuitous. They’d both gotten what they wanted from the brief affair and life went on. Their night of passion was only a memory now—a memory he planned to quickly replace with his next sexual encounter. He glanced back at the hotel. How long it will take to forget her eyes glazed over in passion?
Chapter 1
Thessaloniki, Greece
Present day…
Leonidis Moustakas, known to friends and family alike as Leo, stared at his father in disbelief. “What do you mean, the search is over?”
Vasil Moustakas, the current CEO of Moustakas Shipping and Leo’s father, declined to respond.
Leo was left to speculate the reason behind his devastating words, just as the corporate attorney and other employees in the boardroom were. He shook his head in disbelief. They’re no longer going to search for Alexi? How can that be?
His twin brother, Alexi, was lost at sea. His yacht disappeared in the South Pacific Ocean. It was three weeks since anyone had heard from him. The transponder beacon had long since stopped transmitting any sort of signal. A freak storm was to blame. While Alexi was an excellent sailor, he’d not been able to weather the sudden storm. He’d only had two crew members with him, long-time employees of the Moustakas family. Leo and his parents had done everything they could to give the families of the others hope, but it seemed they had none left for themselves. Aparádektos! This cannot be happening!
“We have to keep looking,” Leo insisted. “We have it narrowed down to a hundred square miles—”
“Of open ocean with several currents. Not to mention the storms that have been through there since his last transmission. It is like looking for a mustard seed on a sandy beach. It’s simply adýnatos—impossible.” The man in charge of the search gave them all a sympathetic look and shook his head. “It simply can’t be done. After this many weeks…there would be no survivors.”
His father looked at Leo, unshed tears in his eyes. “Your brother is not coming back. It is time to deal with that and move forward.” Vasil Moustakas was a proud man and, at the age of sixty-nine, one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in this part of Greece. He and his brother had built their shipping company into an empire, one Alexi had been thrilled to take over one day.
Over the last few years, Leo had been forced to give up some of his playtime in order to help his brother manage the growing shipping empire. Alexi had expanded the company to the Middle East, and then to Russia. Now they were heavily present in Asia, a truly international company and one of the wealthiest in all of Greece. Leo had taken over some aspects of their European market, but now it looked like even more responsibility was going to fall on him.
“The board needs your brother’s stock certificates before we can move forward.” Vasil’s tone was weary. “I’ve had his housekeeper search the house here.”
Leo shrugged. “They are probably in his safety deposit box.”
The attorney shook his head. “We’ve already emptied that and the safe at his apartment. The stock certificates were nowhere to be found.”
Leo’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t understand. Where else could they be?”
The attorney answered, “Your brother conducted most of the company business from his home in Paris. Your parents believe he must have taken papers he considered important there.”
“So, have someone empty out his apartmentand send the papers here.” Leo’s mind went to his brother. Alexi had been a very hands-on company man. More than once Leo had discovered him dressed like a longshoreman and working alongside their employees on the deck of a ship. He’d tried telling Alexi this wasn’t proper behavior for the future CEO of Moustakas Shipping, but Alexi had laughed his concerns off.
Since being the target of an attempted kidnapping while he’d been visiting the United States, Alexi had become more secretive about his schedule. He rarely announced his arrival in Greece, only letting his parents know he was coming home for a visit from the airport as he was getting into a limo. Leo had never understood why Alexi changed so much, but the fear of endangering others or being kidnapped successfully seemed ever present in his mind. Nothing Leo had said could change that. Now it’s too late!
Leo realized everyone else in the room was watching him and he schooled his features, ready for whatever was coming next. “Did I say something wrong?”
Vasil’s face took on a hard look as he watched his only remaining son. “You will go to Paris and bring the papers back. I can’t… Your mother and I cannot deal with the thought of some stranger going through your brother’s things.” When Leo opened his mouth, his father spoke again. “This is not a request as much as an order. We need closure and cannot have that until your brother’s belongings are back here in Greece.”
Leo shook his head. “Without a body for a proper funeral there will be no closure.”
Several of the board members and longtime family friends present made noises of shock. Leo didn’t care. He wasn’t onboard with stopping the search for his brother’s body. He still held out hope that somehow Alexi had survived. As twins, he and Alexi shared a bond that no one else could understand. Deep in his heart, Leo just couldn’t believe his brother was dead. He didn’t feel it, but he kept that to himself—especially around his distraught parents. He couldn’t give his mother false hope, and seeing the devastation in his father’s eyes kept him silent on that front as well.
“Fine,” Leo conceded. “I’ll leave for Paris this afternoon. I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or two.”
The attorney handed him a folder containing all of the legal documents that would be required to close out any financial accounts Alexi had created in Paris and to gain access to his apartment. “Good luck.”
Leo nodded wordlessly. He gave his father one last look, and left the boardroom. Sending word to have his private jet fueled up and ready to leave within the hour, he packed a small bag, and headed for the private airstrip where all of the Moustakas’ jets were kept. He’d make a quick trip to Paris, load up all of Alexi’s papers, clean out his bank accounts, and return. Once the important things were secured, a moving company could take care of the rest of his brother’s belongings. The attorney and his parents could sort through everything.
Three hours later, Leo stared at the papers in his hand in disbelief. Gaining access to his brother’s apartment in Paris had been very easy, the doorman having been told to expect him sometime this afternoon. Alexi had always been organized. Finding the stock certificates was as easy as opening the floor safe and pulling out the right folder. It was the paper attached to them that caused Leo to pause:
Transfer paperwork showing that all of his stock in the family company had been transferred to a G. Larsen who resided in America. The ink was smeared and the rest of the first name was unidentifiable. Leo couldn’t even tell if G. Larsen was male or female.
Leo was dumbfounded. Since when did Alexi know any Americans—let alone an American he’d leave a billion dollars of stock to? The paperwork clearly stated that this was a woman. Leo wondered how Alexi could have been involved with a woman this closely and no one in the family had known. The date was several months after his attempted kidnapping, which made even less sense. Alexi, my adelfós. What was going on with you? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?
He sat there for almost an hour, searching his brother’s computer for anything related to G. Larsen, but he kept coming up empty handed. Finally, with no other options available to him, he packed the papers up and headed back to the airport. The rest of Alexi’s belongings could wait. This latest situation could not.
On his way back to Greece, he called the attorney and apprised him of the situation. He knew his father would be furious that he hadn’t been told first, but Leo wasn’t about to be responsible for causing his father to have a heart attack over the phone. No, telling this news was better done in person. The attorney told him to go straight to the company headquarters upon his arrival and that he would make sure his father was there waiting for him.
Leo arrived back at the company just before nine o’clock that evening. He was shocked to see the full board of directors in attendance, along with his father and several others, Petrina Pappas amongst them. Leo gave her a hard look. Why is she here? Remembering the hard task at hand, he pulled his attention back to his father and the somber board members staring at him.
“Patéras, I didn’t realize I was interrupting a board meeting.”
“The board meeting was called after your phone call.” His father’s expression indicated his anger that the attorney was called before he was. “I was told this would be for the best. Please, tell us what you have found so that we may deal with the consequences and all return to our homes and our beds.”
Leo looked at the unsmiling faces gathered around the large table. He ignored the smile Petrina sent him. They’d been on again off again lovers for several years, but while she would like nothing better than becoming Mrs. Leo Moustakas, he had no intention of ever letting the beautiful, conniving woman get ahold of his family’s wealth. She was fantastic in bed and always up for a good time, provided he added enough incentive to the deal, but that was where the attraction ended for him. He’d thought more than once that she was slightly unstable, but he had no proof and so far, she was willing to go away when he was through with her.
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