The Mediterranean Tycoon

by Margaret Mayo

  ‘Seems a pretty reasonable description of the facts to me,’ he growled.

  ‘Your company was in trouble. I bought it. I gave you a fair price. End of story.’

  ‘A fair price? Is that what you call it?’ sneered Craig Eden, his top lip curled, his eyes brilliantly hard. ‘You didn’t buy my debts, did you? No, you were too crafty for that. By the time I’d finished paying out there was nothing left. Have you found out what it feels like to be afraid? To be haunted by a fear night and day? It’s what I felt when I thought my house was going to be taken off me. You broke me, Andreas Papadakis, and I saw no reason why I should live on the breadline while you lead a life of luxury.’

  ‘Except that it didn’t work out, did it?’ scorned Andreas. ‘Breaking the law never does. You’re not quite as clever as you thought you were.’

  As the police led the man away Andreas put his arms around Peta and Ben and for a moment none of them spoke, the sheer relief of the moment so overwhelming. Ben was crying, tears streamed down Peta’s cheeks, and when Andreas finally said, ‘Let’s get into the car,’ she heard a break in his voice, too.

  On the journey back to Andreas’s mother’s house Peta sat in the back with Ben, her arm tightly around him, never wanting to let him go again. ‘Did the man hurt you, sweetheart?’ she asked gently.

  ‘No, Mummy, he was a kind man.’

  ‘Did he feed you?’

  ‘Of course. I had lots to eat. I asked him why he had taken me to his house. I told him I wanted to go home. I said that if he didn’t take me back Andreas would come and get me. Andreas, were you really going to pay all that money for me?’

  ‘Yes, I was, Ben.’

  ‘Wow, you must be very rich. Are you the richest man in the world?’

  Andreas looked at Peta in the interior mirror and smiled gently. ‘Yes, I think I must be. If not the richest, the most fortunate.’

  It had taken one small child and one very beautiful young woman to make him realise that it was time he let go of the past and got on with his future. He loved Peta. He loved her with all his heart. The discovery was a glorious, uplifting experience. It was as though all the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He had lost so much in his life that he couldn’t bear it if he lost Peta now.

  And yet, looking at her in the mirror, he could see that now wasn’t the time to tell her. All her love was for her son at this moment, and it probably always would be. She had told him more than once that there was no place in her life for a man.

  Somehow he would have to change her mind.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ‘YOU deserve a holiday,’ Andreas said softly. ‘It’s time to relax and enjoy yourself once more.’

  It was a few days after Ben’s release. They’d all, including his mother, talked about nothing else except the kidnapping. About the way Craig Eden had tried to play on their feelings. The way it had been a rerun of Christos’s disappearance. The fear the whole thing had engendered. In its own way it had made a deep impact on all three of them.

  ‘We could leave the boys with my mother and—’

  ‘How can you even suggest such a thing?’ Peta demanded, blue eyes incredulous. ‘Don’t you know what I’ve gone through because of you? I want to go home,’ she stormed, shaking her head violently. ‘And when I say home I mean back to my own place. You’ll have to find another nanny for Nikos. I can’t do it any more.’

  The shock that ran through him felt like a rocket out of control; it ricocheted through every space in his body. She wanted to leave him! Move out of his life altogether! For the first time in his life he was at a loss for words. ‘Why?’

  ‘Do you need to ask?’ Her gorgeous eyes flashed, her lovely lips curled, twisting his stomach as he looked at them. ‘But apart from the obvious,’ she added, ‘I’m not cut out to be a nanny. I’m not even sure that I want to do office work any longer.’

  In other words she wanted to be free of him! It was like a knife stabbing into his chest. ‘So what do you want?’ he asked, aware of the gruffness to his tone. ‘You need to support Ben. I pay you excellent wages. You won’t do better anywhere.’ Lord, it sounded as though he was pleading with her, and he was. He couldn’t afford to let her go.

  ‘Money isn’t everything,’ she riposted.

  ‘That isn’t what you said to me before.’

  ‘I hadn’t discovered then that living with you was like living on the edge of an active volcano. And don’t try to change my mind, Andreas, because you’ll be wasting your time.’

  ‘Very well, we’ll go back,’ he said reluctantly, even though he wasn’t sure whether letting Peta have her own way was the wisest thing to do. Ought he to tell her now that he loved her? No, it had to be when she was in the right frame of mind. She would think he was using it as a tool to persuade her to stay. She wouldn’t believe him.

  He was aware that she deeply regretted letting him make love to her, that she constantly blamed herself for Ben being kidnapped; it was a guilt she was going to live with for the rest of her life. But didn’t she realise that he felt equally guilty? He couldn’t have felt worse had it been his own son. And he wanted to make it up to her. He had thought that a holiday would be the answer, the perfect antidote. Clearly wishful thinking on his part.

  Peta had slowly and surely wormed her way into his heart. She had shown him the error of his ways where Nikos was concerned; she had made him see that there was life after the death of a loved one. The trouble was she didn’t want a man in her life. She was happy living alone. Occasionally she forgot herself and let her emotions ride high, but almost immediately she regretted it and shut herself back into her ice palace.

  Was time and patience the answer? Or should he simply let her go?

  But he knew he couldn’t do that. If he had to go back to the beginning and pursue her all over again then he would. He would do it differently this time. He would do it the old-fashioned way, with flowers and gifts, and he would never, ever use his authority on her again.

  ‘My mother will be extremely disappointed,’ he told her now. ‘I think she was looking forward to having the boys.’

  Peta’s eyes flashed her indignation. ‘You spoke to her before me?’

  ‘I needed to make sure she’d have them before I asked you.’

  ‘You mean you thought that you’d tell me what we were going to do, the same as always. You never consider anyone else, do you, Andreas? You make up your mind and everyone’s supposed to fall in. Well, not this girl, not any longer. I’ve had enough of following orders. In future I’m going to do what I want to do. How soon can we go home?’

  He was stunned anew by her outburst. He hadn’t realised quite how strongly she felt. He was very tempted to answer in kind. But that would get him nowhere with a woman like Peta. Patience and consideration was the name of the game now.

  ‘I’ll make the arrangements,’ he said.

  Nikos and Ben were as disappointed as he was, and made their feelings very clear, but Peta was adamant.

  It was late when they arrived in Southampton. Peta had hardly spoken on the flight. She’d sunk into a world of her own. Most situations he could handle, but for once he didn’t know what to do.

  ‘Your property was let on a monthly lease,’ he reminded her as he drove to his own house, ‘so it might be a little while before you can go back.’

  Peta’s eyes shot wide. ‘I can’t wait a whole month.’

  ‘I promise I won’t let any harm come to Ben again.’

  ‘It’s not that,’ she snapped.

  No, it was him she didn’t want to live with. Because he’d made love to her she’d decided that she wanted nothing more to do with him. She felt that he’d over-stepped the mark, even though she herself had been willing. It had been a turning point in their relationship, one that she didn’t want to face. That and the fact that Ben had been kidnapped while they were making love. The two would be associated in her mind for ever.

  Peta was afraid. Afraid tha
t if she was forced to live in the same house as Andreas for any length of time she would give in to the yearnings of her body. There had to be another solution. She could, of course, spend the time with her parents—they would love to have her and Ben—but she didn’t see that as the answer either. Her mother would ask far too many pertinent questions, ones that she wasn’t yet ready to answer.

  The following morning she was relieved to find that Andreas had already left for Linam’s when she got up. The boys played happily with their Scalextric and she helped Bess with the washing. Not that the housekeeper wanted her to, but she needed something to take her mind off Andreas and the love that she felt for him.

  ‘Does Andreas ever mention his wife?’ she tentatively asked the other woman.

  ‘Quite often,’ she admitted with the widest of smiles. ‘There’s no escaping the fact that he used to adore that woman. I can’t see him ever marrying again. Pity, though. It’s all wrong that a man like him should remain single for ever. Why do you ask? Do you fancy him yourself?’

  Peta turned her head away so that Bess wouldn’t see the quick colour that warmed her cheeks. ‘Heavens, no. He’s too demanding. Not my type at all.’

  ‘What is your type?’ asked the housekeeper, nothing but warm interest on her face.

  ‘I’ll know when I meet him,’ returned Peta quickly. ‘Shall I go and peg these out?’ She now knew for sure that Andreas had no serious intentions where she was concerned. An affair was most definitely all that he wanted. It wasn’t worth the heartache.

  When Andreas returned he was thankfully not alone. ‘Peta, I’d like you to meet my brother, Christos. Christos, this is Peta.’

  ‘Nikos’s nanny,’ informed Peta, taking his hand. She saw Andreas’s frown but ignored it. She felt it necessary to make it perfectly clear what her position was in this household.

  Christos’s handshake was firm and warm, his smile full of genuine interest. He was a couple of inches shorter than Andreas but with the same black hair, although his eyes were a lighter brown and his face less aggressively male. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you from the staff at Linam’s. They were sorry to see you go.’

  ‘I was given no choice.’ She heard Andreas’s indrawn breath but she didn’t look at him. ‘And I won’t be Nikos’s nanny for much longer either. I’m looking for work elsewhere.’

  ‘You are?’ Christos showed his surprise. ‘Why’s that? Doesn’t my brother pay you enough?’ It was meant as a joke but Andreas didn’t smile.

  ‘It’s not the money. I just don’t like being a nanny.’

  ‘You could go back to Linam’s. They’d welcome you with open arms.’

  He had more of an accent than his brother and she found it very attractive.

  Andreas grunted something that sounded like an affirmative but Peta knew that she would never work for him again. She wanted to distance herself as far away as possible.

  ‘Are you joining us for dinner?’ asked Christos.

  ‘Of course she is,’ said Andreas before she could speak.

  There he went again, telling her what to do. Her blue eyes flashed daggers in his direction and if Christos hadn’t been there she would have told him exactly what she thought of him. Instead she smiled sweetly at his brother. ‘It would be my pleasure.’

  During the meal Christos seemed unable to take his eyes off her. ‘Tell me all about yourself,’ he said. ‘My brother here has been remarkably reticent where you’re concerned. All I know is that you have an eight-year-old son who was kidnapped. You must have been out of your mind with worry.’

  Peta nodded. ‘Indeed I was. They were the blackest days of my life.’ Blacker even than when Joe had dumped her, and that had been bad enough. ‘But all’s well that ends well,’ she added brightly.

  ‘Do you have any brothers or sisters?’

  ‘No, there’s just me—and my parents. They live in Cornwall.’

  ‘Do they know about the kidnapping?’ He’d stopped eating and was giving her his undivided attention.

  ‘Goodness, no,’ she said with a half-laugh. ‘I rang today to let them know I’m back but I didn’t want to worry them.’

  ‘They’d think Andreas wasn’t looking after you properly, is that it?’ he asked with a grin and a sideways glance at his brother.

  Andreas scowled, and the longer she talked with Christos the blacker his face got. Peta pretended not to notice. She liked Christos. He was easy to talk to and genuinely friendly and interested. She couldn’t see him ever barking orders the way Andreas did. She would like to bet that he got on well with the staff at Linam’s.

  ‘How do you like working in England?’ she asked.

  ‘Very much. I think I’d like to live here. How about letting me take over Linam’s altogether, Andreas?’

  Andreas shook his head decisively. ‘No go, Christos. I thought you were eager to return to Greece?’

  Christos looked at Peta and his dark eyes were meaningful. ‘I hadn’t reckoned on meeting this charming young lady. How about letting me take you out tomorrow night, Peta?’

  ‘I don’t think that would be a good idea,’ growled Andreas.

  Christos shot him a quick, startled look. ‘Am I treading on toes here? I had no idea. I’m—’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Peta swiftly. ‘And, yes, I’d love to come out with you.’ Quite why she had said that she didn’t know. But Andreas didn’t own her. Why shouldn’t she go out with Christos? It would be a fun, no-strings-attached night. She’d be able to relax and let her hair down—something she was finding it increasingly difficult to do with Andreas.

  Christos smiled but Andreas’s eyes were hard and narrowed, and later that evening he came to Peta’s room. She was undressed and ready for bed when he pushed open the door. He didn’t even knock, and she didn’t have to look at his face to know what he’d come for. Every muscle in her body grew tense.

  ‘What game are you playing?’ he demanded. ‘What made you say you’d go out with Christos?’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ she asked with the characteristic lift of her chin. ‘You don’t own me.’

  ‘I don’t own you, no, but I thought we meant something to each other.’

  ‘Then you thought wrong, Andreas. I should never have given in to you. It was a huge mistake. I don’t want to get involved with anyone. I thought you knew that.’

  ‘Not ever?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘Not ever.’

  ‘Then why are you going out with Christos?’

  ‘Because he looks as though he’ll be fun. I need a little lightness in my life at this moment.’

  ‘He fancies you.’

  ‘Nonsense,’ she retorted. ‘He’s only just met me.’

  ‘That doesn’t stop it. I too fancied you from the word go. It’s a male thing. It’s what develops from it that’s the problem.’

  A shock wave sizzled through Peta’s body. Andreas had fancied her from the beginning? He’d sure had a funny way of showing it. He’d done nothing but bark and bawl at her from the very second she’d set foot in his office.

  ‘Let me tell you,’ she said, eyeing him boldly, ‘nothing will develop between me and Christos. You, above all people, should know that.’

  ‘I know that when a girl meets the right man nothing can stop it.’

  ‘And you think Christos might be the right man for me?’

  ‘Who’s to know?’ he asked with a very foreign shrug.

  ‘Are you jealous, Andreas?’ She knew that he couldn’t be, but what other possible reason was there for his behaviour?

  ‘I simply want to make sure that you know what you’re doing. Christos is a charmer. Make sure you don’t get your fingers burnt.’

  And Andreas didn’t think he was a charmer himself? Heavens, he had charmed the socks off her. He had made her fall so deeply in love with him that no man would ever interest her again. Christos was merely a diversion, someone to take her mind off her aching heart.

  She closed her eyes. ‘There’s no ch
ance of me doing that,’ she said in a soft whisper. And when she opened them again he had taken a step towards her.

  Peta backed away, felt the bed behind her legs, and knew that she had nowhere to run. Panic spread through her. ‘If you wouldn’t mind I’d like to go to bed,’ she said sharply.

  A slow smile spread across his face. ‘That’s the best invitation I’ve had in a long time.’

  It took a few seconds for her to realise that he was teasing. A few seconds in which her heart did several somersaults and her legs threatened to give way. Andreas, teasing! That was a first. ‘I meant alone,’ she stressed.

  His smile widened. ‘Sleep well, then, my beautiful Peta. I think the boys should go back to school now. I’ll take Nikos in the morning and explain to his headmaster. I think you should take Ben.’

  Peta nodded.

  ‘And you’ll pick them up after school?’

  ‘Of course,’ she answered swiftly.

  ‘So I’ll see you at breakfast?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘May I kiss you goodnight?’

  He was asking! Unbelievable! How could she refuse? But fear filled her heart as she gave a little nod.

  She need not have worried. It was the lightest of kisses, the sort she gave Ben. A gentle hug and then he was gone, and she was left wondering. Had he taken her at her word? Had he accepted that their little romance was over? Was her time here not going to be the ordeal she’d expected?

  As she crawled into bed Peta could find no answer to these questions. Andreas wasn’t the type to give in, not when he’d set his sights on something. Even if she couldn’t move back into her house maybe she ought to find somewhere else to live temporarily.

  She discovered over breakfast that Christos had been living in Andreas’s house while they were in Greece. Not that it should have surprised her, but it was something she’d never thought about. And now, as they tucked in to one of Bess’s cooked breakfasts, he looked at her with a warmness that made her glance covertly at Andreas.

  He was, as she had expected, frowning his disapproval. His eyes were on his brother, not her, as if trying to work out how serious Christos was.