by Lena Malick
“Your parents live here?” she asked. It never even occurred to her that Nik came from a wealthy family. As far as she knew, the only things he owned were books, diving equipment, and a motorcycle.
“Yeah,” he said, pulling her backpack from the trunk of the cab. “This is the house I grew up in.” He took her hand and pulled her toward the entrance. The tall double doors mysteriously opened for them, revealing a servant dressed in a black kimono, who greeted Nik with a formal nod. “Nikolaos,” he said.
Inside, the entry way was white marble, with a wide, sweeping staircase that curved gracefully to the floor above. The ceiling was so high it reminded Terra of a museum. Beyond the entry way was a large archway that revealed a sunken living room with plush white carpet. Terra could see a high wall of windows beyond that overlooked the shimmering ocean, the water so vibrant it was nearly purple.
Having just come in from the bright sunlight, Terra’s eyes were still adjusting. There was someone standing in the archway—a figure, tall and elegant, in a blue and gold wrap dress. She was slowly coming into focus.
Nik guided Terra closer to the figure, her tennis shoes squeaking on the marble floor. She felt so dirty from their travels that she thought she might be leaving a trail. Her hair was a mess. She still had traces of mud on her from their long trip out of Cancún, which now felt like a world away.
Feeling like road kill, Terra looked at the still figure and tried to compose herself. The statuesque woman had cold green eyes and black, lacquered hair, pulled back in a tight bun. She looked at Terra like she was something that needed to be disposed of as quickly as possible.
“Terra, this is my mother, Maia,” Nik said. Terra withered under the woman’s hard gaze, but managed to put her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. Maia placed her fingertips in Terra’s outstretched hand like she was testing cold water. Before Maia said anything, a voice boomed, “Nikky Nikky Nikky Nik!”
A large man barreled in and scooped Nik up in a bear hug. Nik and the large man began an excited exchange in Greek, talking rapidly and laughing. They both turned to Terra, Nik’s face beaming. “This is Terra,” Nik said. “Terra, this is my brother, Arteus.” The man looked at her, wild-eyed and excited, then scooped her up in a crushing, sweaty hug. “Terra Terra Terra Terra!” he exclaimed, spinning her in a circle before setting her down.
More brothers and sisters rushed in, like a small flood. Next came cousins, uncles and family friends. Nik’s family seemed to go on and on. They were all anxious to meet Terra, looking at her with excited faces and broad smiles. All except Maia, who kept her cold stare, easing to the periphery as the others crowded Terra, but never taking her calculating eyes off her.
Terra was unnerved by Nik’s mother, and by all the attention that was suddenly being thrust upon her. She did her best, putting on a brave face, shaking hands and trying to remember names, even though she was exhausted and felt self-conscious. She really wished Nik had given her a moment to clean up before meeting everyone, but she braved it, seeing how happy he was.
With the introductions finally over, people began to drift out of the room. An older man had his arm around Nik’s shoulder—his father? He was leading Nik out of the room as he spoke to him in hushed tones. The man glanced over his shoulder at Terra once.
The others left, talking to each other in Greek, until only Terra was left, standing in the middle of the large entry way. She saw Maia, standing near the far wall, statue-like, still staring at her.
Terra noticed Maia had something in her hand. The medallion. Nik’s medallion. The one he’d given to her, and that she had given back to him. Maybe it was a different one. Maybe they each had one, Terra thought. No, she could see the dent on the ridge of it. It was Nik's.
Maia held it, absently rubbing the face of it as she looked at Terra with the same cold expression. Finally, she turned without a sound, the medallion winking in the light, and drifted out of the room like a wisp of smoke.
Chapter 2
Terra was jolted out of her reverie. The plane was going through turbulence. She had a sour taste in her mouth—from the wine, she realized. The fasten seatbelt sign went on with a ding. Vicky was sound asleep, her head tilted back and her mouth wide open.
Terra checked her watch. At least another hour until they landed. The image of Nik’s mother was still fresh in her head. She sunk lower in her seat, frowning.
I’m blessed, she reminded herself. I’m on my way to marry the love of my life. It’s all been a dream come true. So stop moping, she reprimanded herself. It’s all perfect. It couldn’t be more perfect. Except…
Except for Nik’s mother. It was the only sour note. Try as she might, Terra couldn’t seem to fix it. The woman was convinced that Terra wanted to marry Nik for all the wrong reasons, and no amount of convincing seemed to sway her. Terra had lost a lot of sleep over the last year, trying to figure out a way to show Maia that she was wrong about her.
The plane smoothed out, making its way out of the turbulence. Terra took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. She didn’t want to think about Maia. She wanted to remember her favorite part of the last year—the proposal. She smiled at the thought. Umm, the proposal…
Chapter 3
“You can’t do that to me again,” Terra said, drying her hair with a towel.
“Okay.” Nik, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked at the ground like a scolded puppy.
“I don’t know anybody here. You can’t just leave me standing there alone like that.”
“I won’t do it again. I’m sorry.”
“I mean it.”
“I know you do.” Nik looked up at her. She was mad. He’d only seen her mad a couple times before, and never directed at him. He kept his expression serious, but the truth was that seeing her like this was, well, exciting.
It had been days since they’d had sex. They had both grown accustomed to their everyday routine—sometimes twice a day. One day they did it four times. It had become like a form of nourishment they both needed. But now it had been, what, five days? He couldn’t remember exactly as he looked at her, in her panties and bra, one hand on her cocked hip.
“You just left me there. With your mother staring at me.” Her eyes glowered at him under a furrowed brow.
“I know. Don’t be mad.”
“Well, I am mad.”
“I know, but don’t be.”
“Why? I can’t be mad?”
“Of course you can. But you shouldn’t be.”
“Why?”
“Because… Because, it’s turning me on. I shouldn’t say that, maybe you be more mad. I don’t know. But it’s true. So if you keep being mad, looking like that, I may not be able to control myself. And we’re supposed to go downstairs in a minute. My brother Arteus is waiting for us.”
“Me being mad turns you on?” Terra squinted at him, not sure if this was a ploy.
“Yes. I didn’t know it would. I never see you mad. I mean, like this.”
“Well… that’s okay.” She dropped the towel from her hair and walked closer to him.
“So, it’s not my fault.” He looked at her lean, tan body. All the diving and physical work she’d been doing had left her torso and abs defined with long, graceful muscles.
“Yes, it is.” She straddled his leg, letting her crotch graze his thigh. She could tell he was turned on. Not just by the strain in his pants, but by his eyes. She knew his green eyes looked subtly different when he was excited, taking on a misty quality. They were like that now.
“It is your fault,” she teased him. “It’s all your fault.” She slid forward on his leg. “And another thing—” His hands went to her hips and began to slide up. “Why do we have to sleep in separate rooms?” He pulled her closer to kiss her. “It seems rather childish. I’m very, very mad about that,” she teased, as his lips met hers.
When his hands cupped her breasts, the effect was immediate. The anger she felt just a moment ago morphed into desire. She re
ached down and undid his belt buckle as his hands moved up and cupped her face. Her wet hair fell around his face. He kissed her, his mouth opening to hers, making those breathy sounds he did when he was turned on.
She reached in his pants, sliding her hand inside his underwear and wrapping him with her hand. He really was turned on—his rigid excitement made her more eager. She moved up, sliding her leg over his hips, straddling him. He kissed her neck, working his way down to her cleavage as she arched back. His hands cupped her breasts, clawing her bra to the side to kiss her nipples. Her hand went to the back of his head. She moved up on him, getting into position, pulling her panties to the side for access. His hand reached behind her to unhook her bra—
“Hey Nikky-Nik! Where you at?!” Arteus bound into the room without warning, the door flying open and smacking the wall.
Terra screamed, launching herself over Nik, doing a quick roll on the bed as she pulled the bedspread over her. Arteus, munching on a roll of bread, hardly noticed. “I wait for you downstairs. Why you no come?” Nik had asked his family to speak English around Terra, as a courtesy. Apparently their courtesy didn’t extend to knocking before barging into a room.
“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” Nik said, fastening his pants like nothing happened.
“Sheesh, I wait and I wait. You say you come, you no come.” Arteus turned to go with a sigh. When he was gone, Terra let out a long, exasperated moan into the pillow.
“I know. We’re a close family. Nobody knocks. We better go.”
Downstairs, Nik and Arteus began an animated conversation in Greek. They were joined by more of Nik’s siblings, all talking excitedly. Terra felt left out again. She kept looking for Nik’s sister, Anna. They were here for her graduation after all, but Terra hadn’t even seen her since they arrived.
“Okay, come,” Nik said, taking Terra’s arm and leading her away.
“What? Where are we going? Where’s Anna? I haven’t even seen her yet.”
“We have to get ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“You’ll see.”
“See what? What’s going on? We just came downstairs. Why are we going back up?”
Nik lead her back to her room without answering. When they got there, one of Nik’s sisters—or cousins, Terra wasn’t sure which—was sitting on the bed. Terra let out a sigh, reminding herself to stay calm and be positive. She liked Nik’s family, they were very nice, but they were just… everywhere. The house was enormous, but they seemed to always crowd into the same area.
She hoped they could pick up where they left off—once her sexual energy had started up, Terra found it difficult to turn off. It didn’t look like that was going to happen now, leaving Terra with an itch she couldn’t scratch.
“Terra, this is my cousin, Bacilla. She’s going to help you,” Nik said.
Terra smiled at the woman, then turned to Nik. “I’m sorry Nik, but help me what?” She was trying, she really was, but frustration was setting in.
“You’ll see,” Nik said.
Bacilla stood and took Terra’s hand, leading her out of the room and down the hall. More of Nik’s family were in the hallway, watching them, smiling. Okay, Terra thought. Just go with it. Whatever the hell’s going on, just... go with it.
Bacilla led Terra into a large room filled with scented candles and fresh cut flowers. One wall of the room was floor to ceiling glass, overlooking the ocean. The water was so close that Terra could see seals on the rocks below. The sun was descending into the darkening Aegean Sea, lighting the horizon in vivid orange and brilliant yellow.
In the center of the room was a large bed with a dozen colorful dresses laid out. Terra could tell the dresses were made of expensive material. They looked hand made. Bacilla motioned Terra over as she picked up one of the dresses. She held it in front of Terra, assessing it. Terra realized Bacilla was about the same size as her. These must be her dresses.
“This is beautiful,” Bacilla said in a quiet voice, surprising Terra with her perfect English. “But this one would bring out your eyes more.” She took the dress away and held up another. She got behind Terra and turned her toward the mirror. “Or this one,” Bacilla said, pulling the dress away and replacing it with another.
Terra’s hand touched the material. It was real silk, caressing her hand like a soft whisper. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was breathtaking. She’d never seen such a beautiful dress. She realized it was probably worth more than all the clothes she’d ever owned in her life.
Terra turned toward Bacilla. “I don’t know what you’re dressing me for.”
“I know. You’re not supposed to,” whispered Bacilla with a sly smile. Terra found her presence calming. It was easy to trust her. “We’ll do it all. You just relax.”
“We?”
Three other women came into the room. Terra looked at Bacilla and started to say something, but Bacilla put her finger to her lips. Shhh.
As Terra stood there, Bacilla undressed her, down to her underwear, then slipped a robe on her and sat her on a chair. One of the other women sat on the floor in front of Terra and began to give her a foot massage and pedicure. Another sat next to her and worked on her nails. The third woman massaged Terra’s neck and shoulders.
Bacilla put on some dreamy classical music. It was a completely new experience for Terra, who had never been to a spa or had a massage. She’d never gotten anything more than a haircut. She found it relaxing and sensuous, being at the center of all that feminine attention, and being touched by so many hands.
For the next hour, the women pampered and prepared Terra, doing her hair and makeup. None of them spoke, except Bacilla, with her calm, assuring voice. Terra looked out at the sea most of the time, listening to Bacilla, watching the sun slide into the horizon. Bacilla told her how people from all over the world came to see the sun set in the Aegean. Terra felt so relaxed it was like she was slipping into a dream.
The dress fit her as if every stitch was custom sewn to her exact size. It both clung to and slid over her body like a gentle summer breeze. Bacilla put her in low heels with high straps that wrapped her ankles. The final accent was a thin necklace of turquoise and sapphire. Terra didn’t look at herself until they were finished.
She stood in front of the mirror. Bacilla stood next to her. The other women sat on the edge of the bed. They were all watching her. Terra looked at herself. Tears welled in her eyes. One of the women quickly handed Bacilla a tissue. She dabbed Terra’s eyes.
“I’ve never… I’ve never seen myself like this,” was all Terra could say. Aside from a miserable high school prom, she’d never really dressed up before. It was like looking at a different version of herself. She’d never thought of herself as beautiful. Attractive maybe. Or, as her mother used to tell her when she was a little girl, ‘pretty enough for all normal purposes’. But looking at herself now, she saw herself as… no, she felt, truly beautiful.
Bacilla moved behind her, looking over Terra’s shoulder at her reflection. “You are absolutely stunning,” she said, whispering it in Terra’s ear. Terra turned to her, fresh tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you.”
Bacilla led her back out into the hallway. The end of the hallway was lit from the windows in the far room. Framed by the archway at the end of the hall, lit in silhouette, stood Nik. He was looking in her direction, awaiting her arrival.
Bacilla stood back as Terra walked toward Nik. As she got closer, she could see he was wearing a dark blue suit over a crisp white, collared shirt. He was clean-shaven, scrubbed and polished. Even his hair had been trimmed.
His beauty caught her breath. On her last step, as he took her hand, she faltered slightly. She wasn’t sure if she’d wobbled on her heel or if her knees gave out. His eyes roamed over her. “My God,” he said in a hushed tone. “My Aglaia.” Terra remembered from her Greek mythology class that Aglaia was the Greek goddess of beauty and magnificence.
Nik lead her outside, where a limousine was wai
ting for them with the back door open. Once inside, the car sped off. Terra turned to Nik. “Where are we going?”
“I lied to you.”
“What? When did you lie?”
“We’re not here for Anna’s graduation. She graduated last year.”
“Oh. So—then, what?”
He looked at her, his lips pursed. “I can’t say. Yet.”
“Alright.”
“You trust me?” he asked.
“Yes. Completely.”
He looked slightly relieved, but Terra could tell he was nervous. As they drove, Nik looked out the window at the passing ocean. She held his hand, squeezing it, hoping to get him to turn back to her.
They were just south of Athens. As the road turned inland, Nik lost the view of the ocean. As if losing his lifeline, he turned from the window and looked at Terra. He had that look she’d seen before, like he had something important on his mind, and was gathering the courage to say it.
The road banked and the view of the ocean opened up again. Nik turned away from her, again looking out at the sea.
A source of strength, Terra thought as she looked at the back of Nik’s head, and the ocean beyond. Nik got his strength from the ocean. It was his source of courage. Maybe he was drawing on it now.
She held Nik’s hand firmly. His palms were sweaty.
Terra thought about the last few days—their quick departure from Cancún, the hasty plans, the false pretense about Anna’s graduation. His family—everyone so excited, like they were all in on something. And Nik’s mother, looking at her like she knew something. Like she had already judged her. Like…
A source of strength—
“OH GOD!” Her hand went to her mouth as it hit her. Nik turned to her quickly. The limo driver lurched the car. “Oh, my God!” She grabbed Nik’s arm. “Oh Nik, I know. I’ve figured it out. You’re going to—”
“Shhh.” He rapped on the glass partition and motioned to the limo driver to keep driving.
