The Andreou Marriage Arrangement

by Helen Bianchin

  ‘You should have called me.’

  It simply hadn’t occurred to her to do so. ‘Why? I took care of it.’

  He touched a light finger to her lower lip. ‘Next time, call.’

  He’d been concerned about her?

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Do it, Alesha.’

  He cared? Really cared enough to worry about her safety? No other man, with the exception of her father, had shown such concern.

  Loukas managed to surprise her, when she least expected it, and whatever frustration the day held dissipated to nothing.

  ‘Okay, I will. I promise.’

  Standing so close to him was beginning to affect her, and she moved around him, entered the foyer and ran lightly upstairs.

  She thought wistfully of the spa-bath, a scented candle or three, and muted soothing music. Except it wasn’t going to happen. Instead she’d settle for a leisurely shower.

  On reaching the master suite she discarded her outer clothes and entered the en suite, loosened her hair, set the water dial to medium, then she shed bra and briefs and stepped into the large tiled stall.

  Heaven, she determined as the water cascaded over her body, and she reached for shampoo, lathered her hair, rinsed and applied conditioner, then she reached for the scented soap…only to freeze as the glass door opened and Loukas joined her.

  Splendidly naked…as if he’d be clothed, a wicked imp taunted…he loomed large in the confines of the shower stall.

  Shocked surprise didn’t cover it. Without conscious thought her hands moved to act as an automatic shield.

  ‘Modesty, agape?’ Loukas drawled with musing humour as he caught up the soap and began smoothing it along her arm.

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ Her voice sounded strangled, even to her own ears.

  ‘Sharing your shower?’ He turned her away from him and tended to her back, using long strokes that eased over her bottom and slid down to her knees…then crept up to encompass her shoulders. When he was done, he caught hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him.

  ‘Don’t.’ It was a heartfelt plea he chose to ignore as he shifted her hands and palmed her breasts, lightly examined their soft fullness, then slid to the curve at her waist before slipping to the intimate vee between her thighs.

  The brush of his fingers caused her body to arch, and she balled one hand into a fist and aimed for his chest.

  Except he deftly fielded it before it could connect.

  For a wild moment her eyes seared his own, and her lips formed a soundless gasp as he brought her fisted hand to his mouth and lightly brushed his lips across her knuckles.

  His eyes were dark, heavy with lambent warmth, and she gave a startled cry as he clasped her shoulders and began to massage the taut muscles, easing in to loosen the kinks.

  It felt so good, and she sighed as he rendered a similar treatment to her back, easing up to her neck to knead and soothe until she relaxed completely beneath his touch.

  Not content, he massaged her head, and she closed her eyes and let her mind drift until he shifted her beneath the beating water to rinse the suds from her hair, her body.

  Alesha turned to face him and swept her hands over her face to dispense the excess water.

  ‘Better?’

  ‘Much,’ she admitted. ‘Thank you.’

  The stress of the day had diminished, together with the loosening of tense shoulder and neck muscles. Although there was a need to escape the confines of the shower stall…and the man who stood far too close for her peace of mind.

  A wet naked man who with just a look could cause her body to go into sensual meltdown.

  Did he know?

  She hoped not. After Seth she’d vowed never to allow another man to get beneath her skin…ever.

  Yet Loukas was steadily invading her senses, there…a strong magnetic force who managed to arouse feelings she hadn’t known she possessed.

  For one wild moment she wondered what it would be like to let go…to feel sufficiently secure to initiate sex and soar together in mutual delight. To gift him every sensual pleasure and know they were twin souls meant only for each other.

  How emotionally freeing that must be.

  Loukas glimpsed the faint wistfulness apparent, the fleeting emotions…and wondered if she knew how well he read her expressive features.

  There was an urge to lift her high in his arms and take her, here, now. He could, easily. Except he wanted more than her mere compliance.

  A quick coupling in the shower, invigorating as it would be for him, wouldn’t be her idea of fun…yet. He was treading delicate ground, with the need to earn her trust…completely and without reservation. Something that required time, patience and care.

  ‘I should go.’ Did her voice sound as awkward as she felt?

  His mouth formed a faint smile. ‘You could stay and return the favour.’

  Run the soap over his body? Reach for him?

  ‘It’s easy,’ Loukas encouraged gently as he placed the soap in her hand and covered it with his own.

  Her eyes flared as he brought the soap to his chest and began easing it in a slow circular pattern extending to his throat, the tops of his arms and down to his waist.

  Easy? How could this kind of intimacy be easy when she’d never indulged in it before?

  Especially when the man was Loukas…who steadily with every day and night that passed seemed to extend the boundaries in their marriage.

  Worse, she found herself increasingly in a state of ambivalence…alternating longing for his tenderness, the promise of something more, yet nervously reluctant to accept it.

  The nerves in her stomach tightened into a painful ball as memory provided vivid recall of Seth’s unfeeling cruelty, both verbal and physical.

  Don’t…the word screamed silently inside her head. Don’t bring your ex into the equation. There’s no comparison between Seth and Loukas.

  Focus on the now. You can do this.

  Slowly, in gradual increments, the stroking of soap combined with the hiss of hot water cascading from the dual shower heads began to have a soothing effect, and there was a sense of pleasure verging on eroticism evident in washing a man’s body.

  Not any man. Loukas, she admitted with a degree of surprise.

  Alesha avoided meeting his gaze as sensation flared deep within and began to pulse through her veins as fascination combined with reluctant admiration for his superb musculature, defined and sculpted by physical fitness. The slender waist, the lean hips…dear God, the size of him in a state of semi-arousal.

  Surely he wouldn’t take the soap there…except he did, much to her embarrassment, although to be fair he kept it clinical and he released his hand from her own as he turned to present his back.

  Not that it made much difference, and for a brief few seconds she was strongly tempted to throw down the soap and escape.

  Instead, she began smoothing the soap across the expanse of his shoulders, noting the flex of powerful muscle tone as she swept long strokes down to his waist and back to his shoulders until she’d covered every inch.

  He possessed a tightly shaped butt…cute, she accorded, then she stilled in shock at the thought she might actually be deriving a degree of enjoyment in washing him.

  When she was done he turned to face her, and colour flooded her cheeks as she saw he was fully aroused.

  Ohmigod… Chill, she bade silently as she endeavoured to keep her breathing steady. It’s just a normal male reaction.

  Didn’t his ministrations with the soap have a similar effect on you?

  Had that been the object of the exercise?

  She needed to get out of here now.

  One wrong move…

  ‘I’m sure you can manage the rest.’

  With that, she stepped around him and pushed open the glass door, filched a folded towel from one of many stacked on a nearby rack and wrapped it round her slender form before collecting another to deal with her hair.

  Alesha was dr
essed when he emerged, and she spared his impressive frame a quick glance. A white towel hitched at his hips accentuated his olive-toned skin, and her pulse quickened as he discarded it and pulled on briefs.

  ‘I’ll go check on dinner.’

  They enjoyed a pleasant meal, sipped wine, and indulged in easy conversation. Loukas was a skilled raconteur, and she began to relax…until he mentioned the need to return to Athens for a short period of time.

  ‘Business,’ he relayed.

  ‘How long will you be away?’

  ‘We,’ Loukas corrected, and saw her lips part in disbelief.

  ‘You want me to go with you?’

  ‘It’s an opportunity to reconnect with the family.’

  Alesha had met his parents and his younger sister several years ago when she’d accompanied her parents to Greece. Then she’d been a carefree young woman of twenty, in love with life, establishing her career with Karsouli and studying for an honours degree in business management.

  A lot had happened in the intervening years. Now she was Loukas’ wife, an equal partner in Karsouli, and all too aware Loukas’ parents knew the facts surrounding their son’s marriage.

  How could she refuse…and on what grounds?

  ‘We’ll take an evening flight out tomorrow evening.’

  So soon?

  Athens. At this time of year the temperatures would be similar, with autumn in one country and spring in another.

  There was a part of her that looked forward to visiting the city again. The ancient and the new, the sense of history.

  Playing the newly-wed wife beneath the keen eyes of Loukas’ family was something else.

  ‘I’ll take these through to the kitchen and load the dishwasher.’

  Loukas joined her, and set up the coffee-maker, then when it was ready he filled two cups, placed one on the servery and leaned a hip against its marble edge and spared her a discerning look.

  ‘We’ll stay at my home in suburban Kifissia, then spend a few days on the island.’

  Okay, she could do this. Like she had an option?

  ‘Pack light. My mother and sister will undoubtedly plan at least one shopping expedition.’ He shifted to his full height and indicated his coffee. ‘I’ll take this with me and work for a few hours.’

  A full day at the office and packing with lightning speed ensured Alesha didn’t have time to think…which had to be a bonus.

  Loukas, on the other hand, juggled everything with admirable expertise, filled a carry-on bag with essentials, and offered a musing smile as she queried, ‘Is that all you’re taking?’

  ‘I have clothes in each of my homes.’

  Of course. ‘You lead a charmed life.’ Not exactly fair, when he worked long hours between office and home, and achieved more in a day than most men accomplished in a week. What was more, he managed to do so with exemplary ease.

  He crossed to her side, slid a hand to her nape and kissed her briefly, but with a thoroughness that left her catching her breath.

  ‘Relax.’

  Like she could do that when he invaded her senses and melted her bones?

  He made her think of the impossible…only to dismiss it out of hand. They had a marriage. The beginnings of affection…maybe. It was enough. More than she’d expected. So why did she feel as if her emotions were spinning out of control?

  Ridiculous, she chided silently as she tossed cosmetics and perfume into a bag and slotted it into a suitcase.

  She caught up her shoulder bag. ‘Shall we leave?’

  A chartered Lear jet awaited them at Sydney airport, and, once airborne, Loukas opened his laptop and focused on work, while Alesha did likewise.

  Although her father had preferred to travel via a commercial flight, she admired the advantage of a chartered jet whose interior held luxurious recliner sleep chairs, together with designer office accessories enabling a corporate high-flier to work in comfort.

  For the duration of the flight they both spent large slices of time on their laptops, ate, slept and took the occasional break.

  Alesha found it stimulating to discuss Karsouli on a one-to-one basis; to present a few of her ideas for its future…proposals Dimitri had listened to, but not implemented due to lack of capital—something she hadn’t known at the time.

  The strategies Loukas intended—some of which were already in place—had her approval, and she could only applaud his long-term plan to return Karsouli to its former power amongst a global industry.

  His keen mind, intelligence combined with a certain ruthlessness to elevate him sharing equal prestige with some of the world’s known financial peers.

  Qualities that offered a different perspective to the man who’d taken on the husband role…in a business arrangement that, for her, was becoming increasingly personal with every passing day.

  Night, she corrected. For she couldn’t deny she found comfort as he held her through the night. To stir in sleep, and have him reach for her. The feel of his lips against the soft-beating pulse at the base of her throat. Just knowing he was there.

  And the sex…more, so much more than she’d ever dreamed possible. Wondrous, exciting, magical.

  But that’s all it is, she reminded herself. Good sex is just…good sex, and not to be confused with a deeper emotion.

  So…enjoy the ride and don’t question the motives?

  Fine, if you could separate the prosaic from the illusion.

  After all, what was she to him other than a partner in every legal sense?

  It was late afternoon when the Lear jet touched down in Athens, and they emerged to balmy sunshine, passed through Customs to be met by Loukas’ driver, Cristos, who transported them via limousine to suburban Kifissia where luxury homes surrounded by trees and beautiful gardens exuded wealth.

  Alesha’s eyes widened slightly as the limousine turned into a gated entrance and eased to a halt outside the entrance to a double-storeyed palatial mansion.

  ‘My home base,’ Loukas informed her as he led her into a large marble-tiled foyer where a middle-aged housekeeper, whom he introduced as Hera, greeted them. Cristos followed with their luggage.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she complimented simply. Elegant, she added silently as he led her upstairs to their bedroom suite. Rich furnishings, solid furniture, imposing mirrors and artwork adorning the walls.

  A very large home for one man, she perceived, although fitting given he headed the Andreou consortiums and doubtless entertained…business associates, as well intimate dinners à deux with women.

  Had any of his former mistresses shared his home?

  And what if they had? His past was his own.

  He’d vowed fidelity…the question had to be whether he intended to abide by it.

  Emotional introspection following a long international flight, comfortable though it had been, did not make for a good mix.

  What she needed was a leisurely shower, a change of clothes, dinner and a good night’s sleep…in that order.

  The spacious bedroom suite held one bed, albeit king-size, two walk-in robes with adjoining dressing rooms, two en suites.

  Alesha opened her bag, extracted fresh underwear, tailored trousers and a knit top, then she entered the en suite Loukas indicated as her own, ignored the temptation to linger overlong, and chose to sweep her hair into a careless knot atop her head, vetoed make-up with the exception of lip gloss and emerged some ten minutes later to discover Loukas in the process of pulling on a cotton shirt over chinos.

  Heeled sandals lent her height and aided confidence, she added silently as she slid them on.

  Hera had prepared a delicately flavoured moussaka, a greek salad, with fresh fruit to follow, and Alesha declined coffee in favour of tea, lingered over it and endeavoured to fend off an increasing weariness while experiencing envy of Loukas’ apparent vitality.

  How did he do that?

  ‘Why don’t you go up to bed? I have a few calls to make before I call it a night.’

  It was all too
easy to acquiesce, and she cast him a musing smile as she rose to her feet. ‘Goodnight.’

  ‘Sleep well.’

  She did, almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, and she was unaware of Loukas’ presence as he slid in beside her, or that he curved her in close against him.

  Alesha murmured indistinctly as she slid into the dream, subconsciously aware the sound moved to a purr of pleasure as lips nuzzled the sensitive curve between her neck and her shoulder. Mmm, nice.

  So, too, was the gentle drift of fingers over the delicate slope of her breast, and her mouth relaxed into a winsome smile as the tender peak hardened beneath their touch.

  She shifted a little, unconsciously arching her body as the hand slid to her waist, explored the diamond pin at her navel, before tracing a pattern over her stomach.

  A husky sigh emerged from her throat as a mouth fastened over one breast and gently suckled, sending sensation spearing through her body, and she groaned softly in the need to beg for more…only to give a satisfied moan of pleasure as deft fingers slid to the apex between her thighs and found her throbbing clitoris.

  If this was a dream, she didn’t want it to end, for the pleasure was so acutely intense it almost transcended into reality.

  Afterwards she couldn’t pinpoint precisely when she became aware of emerging consciousness…only that she did, and she reached for him.

  ‘At last you wake, agape mou,’ Loukas murmured with a husky chuckle.

  ‘Uh-huh.’ She captured his head and framed it as she sought his mouth with her own in a piercingly sweet kiss that touched him more deeply than he thought possible.

  It unleashed a primitive hunger he fought to control as he shaped her body and entered her in one unrestrained thrust, absorbing her startled cry as her vaginal muscles gripped his hardened length.

  For several seemingly long seconds he remained still, gentling his mouth into an erotic supplication, then he began to move, slowly at first as he took her with him, her increasing urgency matching his own as they became consumed by electrifying passion.

  Incandescent, primal…she cried out with the force of it, and held onto him, almost afraid to let go in case she shattered into a thousand pieces.