It was impossible not to be pleased with the young woman’s assumption that her dress had been crafted by an expert hand.
‘I made it myself.’
‘No kidding?’ Candice stared at her in amazement. ‘Gosh, I can’t even sew on a button without drawing blood.’
‘It’s not as difficult as it looks,’ Maddison said. ‘It’s such a simple straight up and down design.’
‘Which will look absolutely gorgeous on your slim figure.’ Candice shot an envious glance at the flat plane of Maddison’s stomach before returning to her face. ‘Are you wearing a veil?’
She shook her head. ‘I didn’t think it necessary.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Candice mused as she opened and uncoiled her hair-dryer. ‘Better to let your husband see what he’s getting, eh?’
‘Yes, something like that,’ she answered dryly.
Within a short space of time Candice had arranged Maddison’s hair in a casual but elegant knot on top of her head with a few tendrils strategically loosened to fall softly over one eye. She then went on to apply a light covering of make-up to highlight the sapphire blue of her eyes and a soft rose lip-gloss to draw attention to the curve of her mouth. Her dark lashes were lengthened with mascara and her cheeks defined with a subtle blush.
Candice stood back and gave a smile of approval. ‘You look fabulous. That handsome husband to be of yours is going to have his socks knocked off when he sees you coming towards him.’
Maddison stood up and twirled in front of the mirror, somewhat pleased to see the dress she’d made so hurriedly cling lovingly to her slim curves, flowing about her ankles like a soft cloud.
She wasn’t so sure about Demetrius’s reaction, however. He had eyes for no one else but Elena Tsoulis and it would do her a power of good to keep reminding herself of the fact. This was a paper marriage, a hands-off arrangement to keep the baying hounds of the press off his back. She had no right to think of him in any way other than as the man who’d been instrumental in bringing about her father’s fatal collapse, and as the man who stood between her younger brother and freedom. She had to maintain her hatred of him at all costs. He was the enemy and she mustn’t forget it.
He was the enemy.
CHAPTER FIVE
JEREMY MYALLS arrived not long after Candice had left. Maddison found his sweeping all encompassing gaze a trifle unsettling as it ran over her.
‘You look rather delectable.’ He took her hand in his and held it for a fraction too long. ‘Lucky Demetrius.’
‘Shall we go?’ she said, scooping up the single creamy rose the florist from downstairs had sent up prior to Jeremy’s arrival.
They went downstairs to where a white Mercedes was waiting. Maddison smiled shyly at the hotel staff on the way past the front reception and slipped into the plush interior of the car, wondering if every bride felt the same trapped bird flutters of panic in her stomach as she travelled towards the destination of her wedding ceremony.
The fresh spring air did a lot to settle her nerves once they arrived at the Royal Botanic Gardens. A light breeze coming off the harbour lifted her hair and gave some much needed colour to her cheeks as she walked with Jeremy towards a small knot of people standing overlooking Farm Cove.
Her eyes went immediately to the tallest amongst them. Demetrius was in a charcoal suit with a white shirt and silk tie looking every inch the proud groom. Her eyes clashed with his as she drew nearer, seeing the gleam of satisfaction reflected there as if he were congratulating himself on bringing about his particular form of revenge.
She gritted her teeth behind her small smile and took his hand as the celebrant drew the small crowd together to start the proceedings.
Maddison tried not to listen to the solemn words too much. She hated thinking about the false promises she was making, nor did she wish to think about the way she was tying herself, albeit temporarily, to such a ruthless man as Demetrius Papasakis. She kept reminding herself she was doing it to protect her brother, but as Demetrius slipped the gold band on to her finger she felt a shiver of something unrecognisable go through her as if something elemental had just passed between them in that simple act.
She vaguely registered the celebrant’s words for him to kiss the bride and her eyes fluttered closed as his head came lower, his breath caressing her up-tilted face before his firm mouth came down to press against hers. She felt the soft stroke of his tongue, its movement in her mouth holding a sensual promise she found hard to ignore. She kept reminding herself he was doing it for the crowd’s sake, but her own response had nothing whatsoever to do with the people watching and she wondered if he knew it.
‘I now present to you all, Mr and Mrs Demetrius Papasakis,’ the celebrant announced proudly as Demetrius broke the kiss.
The small crowd went wild with applause and Maddison found herself caught up in their enthusiasm, even smiling widely as several paparazzi cameras flashed in her face.
‘You look beautiful.’ Demetrius lowered his head to speak to her, his warm breath curling around her ear.
‘Did I have you worried?’ she asked with a spark of spirit in her eyes as she looked up at him.
His gaze slipped to where the neck of her dress hinted at the soft curves of her breasts, lingering there for a moment before returning to her face.
‘That dress would be wasted covering a window.’ He smiled a lazy half-smile. ‘And I’m beginning to think it’s a terrible waste covering your body as well.’
She wasn’t sure how to answer him. A part of her wished she had the sophistication to laugh off his flirtatious comment, recognising it as the sort of thing men say to women all the time, but another perverse little part of her wished he’d meant it sincerely.
‘Come.’ He took her arm in his and led her to where the photographer was waiting. ‘We have some official photographs to do before the champagne begins to flow.’
Maddison walked alongside him, very conscious of the hard length of his thigh against hers as he held her close.
She forced a smile to her lips as the photographer clicked his way through a series of shots, doing her best to look the part of the ecstatic bride while inside she was feeling increasingly apprehensive. Demetrius in this lightly flirting mood was a danger to her carefully constructed defences and she knew she’d have to keep her wits about her to avoid being drawn even further into his orbit of charm.
Once the photographer was finished with the official photographs Demetrius led the way back to where the cars were waiting outside the Opera House. Maddison walked by his side with her hand in the warm, firm grasp of his, her heart beating an erratic tattoo in her chest as she thought about what she’d just done.
She was married to him, committed in a way she hadn’t thought possible less than ten days ago.
She wondered what he was thinking as he handed her into the waiting car. Was he secretly gloating about his victory in bringing herself and Kyle to heel? Or was he busily planning his next clandestine assignation with his lover?
The reception was held in one of plush rooms of the Papasakis Park View Tower Hotel, and it was clear as soon as they entered the beautifully decorated room that no expense had been spared to ensure the occasion would be remembered as nothing short of lavish.
Demetrius handed her a glass of champagne as the waiter passed, clinking his own glass against hers, his dark eyes mysterious as they meshed with hers.
‘To a productive union,’ he said.
The sound of his glass against hers seemed to her to be exaggeratedly loud as if all the other background noise in the room had faded into insignificance.
She drank from her glass, all the time avoiding his eyes, desperate to conceal from him her increasing vulnerability to him.
Jeremy Myalls approached with an almost finished measure of Scotch in his hand and a smile on his lips that wasn’t reflected in his cold washed-out blue gaze.
‘My congratulations to you both,’ he said, his eyes lingering on Maddison�
‘No—’
‘Of course,’ Demetrius cut off her denial. ‘We’ll be leaving after the reception. I’ve left details of how I can be contacted with my secretary if anything should come up that needs my urgent attention.’
Maddison was almost certain that Jeremy looked a little put out that he hadn’t been informed previously of his boss’s arrangements. She felt a little irritated as well. How dare he take her on a honeymoon without discussing it first with her?
She waited until Jeremy had moved away to speak to another guest before confronting Demetrius.
‘I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get through a honeymoon without sufficient notice. I don’t have anything packed,’ she said in a tight undertone. ‘Anyway, I thought once today was over it was business as usual.’
‘It is business as usual,’ he replied smoothly, his eyes coming to rest on Jeremy Myalls, who was across the room.
‘But I don’t want to go on a honeymoon with you.’
After a moment he looked down at her as if he didn’t know how she’d come to be standing by his side. ‘Will you excuse me?’ He frowned. ‘I have something to see to.’
She didn’t get the chance to respond for he’d already moved away, leaving her with a half empty champagne glass and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She turned away and smiled at one of the guests as they approached.
‘Hello, Maddison,’ an older woman said, taking her hand in hers. ‘I’m Nessa Koulos. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since Demetrius told me he’d found the woman of his dreams.’
Maddison couldn’t imagine Demetrius speaking of her in such a way; it was more likely he’d describe her as the woman of his worst nightmare if the truth were to be told.
‘I’m very pleased to meet you,’ she said, shaking the other woman’s hand, hoping her surprise wasn’t showing. ‘Have you known Demetrius long?’
‘It seems for ever.’ Nessa gave a self-effacing grin. ‘But then we more or less grew up together. We’re cousins, you see.’
‘Oh, I didn’t know…’
‘Demetrius doesn’t talk much about his family,’ Nessa went on. ‘His parents’ divorce hit him hard, he was so young. My parents and I were his second family during the worst of it.’
Maddison wasn’t sure how to respond. She didn’t want Demetrius’s cousin to think she knew nothing of her new husband’s background but she was torn with the desire to find out more about the things that had shaped his character.
‘We haven’t had much time to talk about our respective families,’ she said carefully.
Nessa gave an amused laugh. ‘Yes, it was rather a whirlwind courtship, wasn’t it? But then, your father worked for him for years, isn’t that so?’
‘Yes,’ Maddison answered without elaborating any further.
‘You have a younger brother, don’t you?’ Nessa asked, scooping up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
‘Yes, he’s…working interstate at present.’
‘Oh? Where?’ She took a sip of the bubbling liquid, her dark eyes on Maddison’s face.
Maddison wasn’t so foolish as to fall into such a carefully laid trap. She had no idea if Demetrius had organised for his cousin to milk her for information about Kyle’s whereabouts and she wasn’t going to take the risk no matter how nice Nessa appeared to be.
‘I’m not exactly sure where he is right at this point,’ she answered with the bare minimum of truth she could comfortably get away with. ‘He moves about a bit. You know what young men are like.’
‘I do,’ Nessa agreed wryly. ‘I have two boys of my own, nineteen and twenty-one. Never a dull moment, I can assure you.’
Maddison sipped at her own champagne, hoping the conversation would soon shift to another topic.
‘I’m so glad Demetrius has come to his senses and settled down,’ Nessa said after a pause. ‘He’s been playing the field too long. It’s high time he sired a son or two to carry on the family name.’
‘We haven’t discussed children as yet,’ Maddison said, hoping her cheeks weren’t as hot as she felt inside.
‘Don’t leave it too long,’ Nessa said. ‘Demetrius is almost thirty-five; he needs a solid base to come home to. A happy home would do wonders for him.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Maddison avoided the other woman’s eye.
‘I know you’ve probably heard all about his relationship with Elena Tsoulis,’ Nessa said after a small pause. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. Elena knows which side her bread is buttered; her ex-husband, Mikolas, is watching her every move. I’m sure she’s only been playing with Demetrius to get Mikolas’s attention; she should never have divorced him in the first place. Greek men can be very territorial about their women, as I’m sure you’ve heard.’
‘Yes, I had heard something to that effect.’
‘Don’t look so frightened.’ Nessa smiled reassuringly. ‘I’m sure Demetrius won’t be too hard on you.’
‘I’ll have to do my very best to behave.’
‘How terribly boring, my dear,’ Nessa said. ‘You keep him guessing for as long as you can; men like Demetrius just love a challenge.’
‘Yes, I have noticed.’
‘Underneath that high-powered exterior a real man’s heart is beating,’ Nessa added. ‘Don’t lose sight of that no matter what happens.’
Maddison was almost relieved when someone attracted Nessa’s attention and she excused herself to go over to speak with them. The reprieve gave her time to absorb Demetrius’s cousin’s revelations, which had shown a side of him previously unknown to her. She wondered about his family background, how his parents’ divorce had affected him. Nessa hadn’t indicated his exact age at the time but somehow she assumed he hadn’t been all that old. She also wondered if either of his parents was still alive and whether he had any contact with them. She backtracked over the various conversations they’d had but couldn’t recall a single mention of anything to do with his family. It seemed strange now she’d had time to reflect on it. Maybe Nessa was right, there was more to Demetrius than met the eye; the only trouble was, did she want to see what it was?
Demetrius came back to her side to farewell the departing guests prior to their own departure. Maddison stood by his side, his arm around her waist, smiling at the various friends and associates as if she couldn’t be happier, when in fact she wished no one was leaving yet so that she would have a little more time to prepare herself for whatever he had planned in terms of a honeymoon. It still annoyed her that he hadn’t mentioned his intention of carrying the charade of their marriage that far. It made her feel as if she were acting in a play without seeing the script first.
The last of the guests had left when he turned to her, dropping his arm from about her waist.
‘I’ll meet you upstairs shortly,’ he said. ‘Pack a few things for a weekend in the country. I won’t be long.’
She watched as he disappeared through the double doors of the reception room, her brow furrowing at his curt dismissal.
She turned on her heel and, giving the waiting staff a defiant look, picked up a fresh glass of champagne from the nearest table and took it with her towards the lifts.
She stabbed at the call button and while she waited sipped agitatedly at her drink, anger curling like a serpent in her belly. She wondered if he’d slipped out for a quick liaison with Elena before returning to act out the role of besotted husband.
When the lift arrived she decided on impulse to get off on the fifth floor where a cocktail bar was situated. If Demetrius was going to think she would be ready and waiting when he returned he could think again.
The young cocktail host came over with the drinks menu and an appreciative male smile.
‘Good evening, Mrs Papasakis, what can I get you to drink?’
Maddison hadn’t expected to be recognised and wondered if it had been wise to try to get the upper hand when the playing field was now so unbalanced. She wondered if Demetrius had sent out a brief on her, informing his staff of her arrival at the hotel.
She gave an answering smile and after the briefest glance at the menu chose the first item that caught her eye.
‘I’ll have a Mai Tai, thank you.’
‘Won’t be a moment,’ he said and bowed away.
Maddison sat somewhat self-consciously as he went away to fetch her drink. She wasn’t all that comfortable in bars at the best of times; to be sitting in one owned by the man who was now her husband made it even more unusual. But he wasn’t just her husband, she reminded herself, he was the man responsible for her brother’s exile and her father’s early death. She had to keep that at the forefront of her mind at all times, especially now as his ruthless machinations had brought about their marriage.
For that alone she hated him with a passion. She was nothing more than a toy he’d decided to play with for a short while. He’d used her vulnerability over Kyle’s behaviour to achieve his own ends. She wasn’t all that sure she believed his story about needing a cover-up relationship; it didn’t make sense that he would need to go to such lengths. He was unbelievably wealthy and used to taking control. It seemed unthinkable that he would allow himself to bow to public pressure in such a way. He was a man who was quite clearly used to getting his own way no matter who or what obstructed him. With a click of those long masculine fingers he could remove any obstacles without a single flicker of conscience if indeed he even had one.
The more she thought about it the more she began to recognise the devious way his mind worked. He was obviously using her as an insurance policy to make her pay for the loss of his boat, knowing she would never reveal her brother’s whereabouts to him even under threat. And he’d certainly threatened her. She still got the shivers when she thought about that kiss.
Her drink arrived and she took a tentative sip before setting it down again.
Several people had drifted into the bar and before she could shrink back to avoid being noticed a blond head turned in her direction and a cold blue gaze singled her out.
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