by Lacey London
‘My mother has, how you say, polyamorous relationships.’ Stelios continues, without a hint of a blush. ‘Three boyfriends, all very happy.’
Pausing with my fork to my mouth, I look over at Janie for confirmation and raise my eyebrows when she nods to confirm what Stelios is saying is true. Wow. Knock me down with a feather. I’m beginning to discover Konni and Janie might have more in common than I first thought, a lot more. Maybe Konni’s approval of Janie isn’t so hard to believe after all.
‘What about you, Stelios?’ Oliver asks, staring at him intensely. ‘Do you have polyamorous relations?’
‘Before, yes.’ Stelios says truthfully, wrapping an arm around Janie’s waist. ‘But now, no. My Janie is the only woman for me.’
‘What makes Janie so special?’ Moving her seat closer to Marc, Gina smiles at Stelios. ‘Why give up a bachelor’s life for our Janie?’
Seemingly lost for words, Stelios plants a kiss on Janie’s cheek and sighs melodramatically. ‘There are simply no words to describe why my Janie means so much. The dictionary just is not big enough…’
As Stelios continues to rave about Janie, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Dropping my napkin next to my plate, I ignore the scowl from Oliver for abandoning him and head for the stone staircase. The strong sun burns down onto my neck as I hitch up my dress and make the short trip back to the villa.
Removing my sunglasses, I smile as I find Calix reading a newspaper on the terrace.
‘Hi, Calix!’
‘My apologies!’ He stammers, hastily jumping to his feet and abandoning his newspaper. ‘I was taking a break. What can I do for you?’
‘Please don’t get up on my account. I’m just nipping to the bathroom.’ Signalling for him to sit back down, I continue on my way before stopping when a thought suddenly hits me.
‘Calix?’ I say quietly, pausing in the doorway. ‘Do you have a moment?’
‘Of course.’ Placing his newspaper on the floor, Calix nods and taps the bench next to him.
I crack my knuckles nervously and gingerly take a seat. ‘I want to ask you about Stelios.’
Calix breaks into a huge grin at the mention of Stelios’s name and he nods animatedly. ‘Ask away. I have worked for Mr Christopoulos for many years now. I know everything there is to know about Stelios.’
Although this is exactly what I wanted him to say, my stomach churns with dread at the prospect of discovering something I don’t want to hear.
‘What is Stelios like?’ I ask, looking around the terrace to ensure we are completely alone. ‘I know the man he portrays himself to be, but who is Stelios really? There isn’t a single trace of his personality or an insight into his life in this entire place. Apart from his personal bedroom, it’s like he doesn’t even live here. This villa could be a showroom.’
Slowly nodding, Calix shrugs his shoulders and exhales slowly. ‘Stelios is very… private person. He keeps cards close to his chest.’
‘Private?’ I repeat, not willing to accept that many people would use the word private to describe Stelios. ‘He doesn’t seem very private.’
‘Oh, he is.’ Calix says assuredly. ‘Mr Christopoulos never lets you know what is going on up here.’ Tapping his forehead, Calix gives me a knowing wink and folds his arms. ‘Stelios is expert poker player. Everything is a game to him and he must win. Stelios, he never lose. Not once.’
Allowing his words to sink in, I tap my fingers on the bench thoughtfully.
‘Is he a nice man to work for?’ I ask. ‘Does he treat you well?’
‘Mr Christopoulos treats me very well.’ Calix says confidently, his face suddenly serious. ‘I have no bad words for Stelios.’
Still not satisfied that Stelios’s intentions are good, I try to steer the chat down another avenue. ‘Has Stelios has many girlfriends?’
‘Oh, Stelios has had many, many girlfriends.’ Calix giggles and leans back onto the cushions. ‘So many!’
‘He has?’ I reply, my mind drifting back to when Konni said the same thing down on the beach.
‘Very many!’ Laughing as he speaks, Calix loosens his collar. ‘Stelios is always with girlfriend. One to the next to the next…’
‘Wow!’ I whisper, trying not to show how much this piece of information bothers me. ‘Does Stelios treat Janie any differently to these other girlfriends? He certainly seems to be taken with her.’
‘Taken?’ Calix repeats, frowning in confusion.
‘With all the gifts and introducing her to his mother.’ I explain. ‘He seems very keen on her.’
‘Oh, I understand now.’ Rubbing his hands together, Calix shakes his head. ‘Stelios is very wealthy man. Stelios spends a lot of money on all women. He has so much and it makes him happy to buy things for other people. So, why not?’
‘Why not…’ I repeat, walking over to the balustrade and watching the others eat their brunch on the beach down below.
Their laughter drifts along the sand, making the whole scene appear the epitome of family togetherness. It’s like an idyllic postcard of the perfect holiday. Glasses are clinking together merrily, happy chatter fills the air and smiles are fixed on all but one face as waiters attend to their every need. But something feels off, wrong, somehow, and yet I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly it is.
‘Has Stelios introduced any other women to his mother?’ I ask, watching Janie hug Konni closely.
Joining me by the railing, Calix fixes his gaze on the beach.
‘All of them.’ He says quietly, not taking his eyes off Stelios. ‘Stelios falls in love very quickly and back out of love just as fast. These women, they come and go like the wind. He loves me, love me not. Same story every time.’
Obviously recognising the look of alarm on my face, Calix rests a reassuring hand on my arm.
‘But please, be certain Mr Christopoulos cares for Janie very much. I can promise you that.’ Keeping a serious expression on his face, Calix smiles thinly and places his hands in a prayer pose. ‘This time, I hope and pray he has found the right woman…’
* * *
Letting the ocean wash over my toes, I watch my pink toenails sparkle beneath the clear water and try to commit the moment to memory. In just forty-eight hours, our Mykonos adventure shall be over and we will be back on home soil. The sand will be shaken from our flip-flops and our suitcases will be locked away until the next voyage. Not wanting to give up on my vacation just yet, I roll onto my stomach as the heat from the sun wraps around my body, reminding me there’s still time left to enjoy Greece and all that it has to offer.
Reaching for my cocktail, I look around the beach and smile at the many sun-seeking holidaymakers, each one sprawled out on the powder-soft sand. They look like prawns on a barbecue, just waiting to be drenched in oil and cooked to a golden perfection.
A sudden wave crashes over my legs, soaking me with salty water as I throw myself back on the sand. Courtesy of Stelios, the guys have been whisked away by Calix to watch football at a bar further along the shore. I fully expected Oliver to decline, but to my surprise, he instantly accepted and off in the limo they went. Ever since, Gina, Lianna and I have been toasting ourselves on the beach.
With the guys happily watching their beloved football and Janie enjoying a glass of ouzo at the villa with Konni, it seemed the perfect opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy the island.
‘Do you want to go for a walk?’ Lianna asks, rubbing her annoyingly-flat stomach and yawning. ‘I’m going to fall asleep again if I stay here any longer.’
‘Go on then.’ Pushing myself up, I grab my kaftan from the lounger behind me and slip it over my wet swimming costume.
‘I’m coming, too.’ Gina adds, abandoning her beach towel. ‘Where are we going?’
Glancing at Lianna for an answer, I follow her as she walks towards the water.
‘I don’t know.’ She mumbles, twisting her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. ‘Left or right?’
Resting my hands on my
hips, I take a step back as a family pad across the sand in front of me. To the left, the beach stretches out around a cobbled bay, before trickling off into the water. To the right, a pebbled path leads the way to a bunch of iconic white buildings and traditional cafes.
‘Right?’ I suggest, pointing at the pretty structures.
Not bothering to respond, Gina and Lianna automatically set off walking in the direction I am indicating.
As we make our way along the shore, we fall into a comfortable quietness and soak up the atmosphere. The breeze that has provided a lovely cooling sensation all afternoon has subsided and all that’s left is a warm haze of sunshine. Slipping down the straps on my kaftan, I pause to dip my toes in the ocean. A tiny fish races past my foot, enticing me into the water with a splash of silver as it disappears into the depths of the ocean. Resisting the urge to dive straight in, I force myself to carry on walking and quickly catch up with the others.
‘Can you believe this is Janie’s life?’ Lianna muses, bending down and drawing a line in the sand with her finger. ‘After Texas, Florida and London, who would have thought she would find herself here? She certainly landed on her feet, that’s for sure.’
My stomach flips as I recall my chat with Calix earlier. Janie has uprooted her entire life. She has moved away from her friends and her family to be with a man her son detests. What if it is all for nothing? Usually, I feel like I am a great judge of character, but what if I am wrong? What if Oliver is right? What if Calix is wrong and Stelios is going to move on to someone else very shortly?
Thinking back to my talk with Marc only adds to my concern. Marc was adamant Janie is in a great position, but he was also adamant Stelios’s financial affairs are the reason why. It’s no secret Marc has always been financially-driven. It’s due to his hard work and dedication that Suave is such a roaring success, but surely he wouldn’t risk Janie having a broken heart for his own personal gain. Would he?
Smiling at a passing couple as they pose for photographs in front of the ocean, I try to make sense of what I have discovered on this trip. I came to Mykonos worrying Janie was using Stelios for his money, but I’m preparing to leave with the concern she’s merely a pawn in his game. I always knew it would take someone special to couple up with Janie. She was never going to fall in love in the local coffee shop, or with the delivery guy who smiles at her ever so sweetly. A character as big and as bold as Janie deserves a story much bigger than that and a peculiar Greek billionaire with a sketchy past is amazingly, exactly what she was holding out for.
‘Do you think Stelios loves Janie?’ I say to Lianna, who quickly frowns back at me.
‘Are you serious?’ She replies, picking up a shell from the sand. ‘Of course, he loves her!’
‘How can you be so sure?’ Pointing to another shell by her foot, I wait while she pops it into her pocket.
Li brushes her fringe out of her face and carries on walking. ‘You just have to look at how much money Stelios has spent on her to answer that question…’
‘Apart from the money side of things.’ I groan, becoming tired of talking about Stelios’s cash. ‘Remove the extravagant gifts from the equation and what evidence have you seen that proves Stelios genuinely cares for Janie?’
Pursing her lips as she considers my question, Li looks down at the ground for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders. ‘I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, but you are kind of putting me on the spot here…’
Sighing heavily, I turn my back to the wind and try to shake the feeling of nausea that is causing my skin to prickle. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Li.’
‘Why?’ She asks, linking her arm through mine. ‘Janie is a big girl. If this relationship turns out to be an extended holiday romance, so be it! Just let her enjoy it while it lasts.’
Realising she’s the second person to say those words to me in as many days, I try and fail to believe them.
‘That’s the thing, Li. The wedge between Oliver and Janie is bigger than ever. If this goes on for much longer, I don’t know if they’ll be able to repair their relationship.’ Sadness washes over me as I think back to how hard Oliver has worked at building bridges with his mother over the past few years. ‘If this is nothing more than a fling, Janie and Oliver’s relationship will have been destroyed for nothing.’
‘I’m going to stay here.’ Gina says confidently, before Lianna can reply.
‘You don’t fancy looking around the shops?’ Turning to face her, I squint as the sun shines into my eyes. ‘We’re nearly there now.’
‘No, you don’t understand. I’m staying here, in Mykonos.’ Gina says with a silly smile. ‘I want to feel sand beneath my feet and sun on my skin every day of the year. I want to live by the ocean and wake up to a new adventure every single morning. I’m not going back…’
‘I’m afraid holidays don’t work like that, Gina.’ Tugging on her arm, I throw my arms around her shoulders as a giant wave washes away our footprints. ‘Not unless your name is Janie…’
Chapter 15
Slowly lifting my head off the pillow, I untangle myself from Oliver’s arms and stretch out my legs. Despite being curled up in a luxurious bed all night, I barely slept a wink. As Oliver snored next to me, I stared up at the ceiling and tried my hardest to work out the enigmatic Stelios Christopoulos. I have scrutinised every aspect of his life for almost eight hours, yet I’ve come up with a big fat nothing.
He’s a seventy-year-old billionaire with a reputation for being a womaniser and making bad decisions. With three failed marriages to his name, he’s never had a lasting relationship and has a larger-than-life personality that makes Willy Wonka appear low-key. He keeps any signs of his character locked away in his bedroom, almost as though he’s ashamed of who he really is. He believes throwing money at his problems will make them go away and apart from his business associates, his staff and his mother, I haven’t seen him with a single friend.
Rubbing my tired eyes, I yawn as I walk across the room and push open the balcony doors. There are so many contradictions whooshing around my mind that I can’t think straight. When we first met Stelios back at Suave, I didn’t put much thought into who he really was. As far as I was concerned, he was the owner of a company we wished to work with and nothing more. Now, he is either Oliver’s potential father-in-law or the man who caused the demise of his relationship with his mother. Right now, I’m not sure which is worse…
‘Clara!’ Hearing my name being called, I pop my head back into the room and spot Lianna hovering by the door. ‘Clara, you’ve got to see this!’
‘What is it?’ I whisper, not wanting to wake Oliver.
‘Just get out here!’ Stamping her feet excitedly, she motions for me to hurry up.
Tugging down the hem of my nightshirt, I allow Li to drag me down the lobby and into the main building. Desperately trying to ensure my bum isn’t showing, my jaw drops open as we come to a stop in the foyer, or at least, what was the foyer. The once minimalistic area has been completely transformed into a winter wonderland. Giant icicle-inspired baubles dangle from the ceiling, the walls have been delicately draped in flowing sheets of glitter and the palatial couches are nowhere to be seen. A dazzling display of silver roses creates an incredible archway for arriving guests, shielding them from the blue skies and sunshine outside.
‘When did this happen?’ Reaching out, I touch the soft petals of a rose and smile in awe when it sparkles back at me.
‘Stelios had his team work right through the night.’ Lianna explains. ‘Isn’t it amazing?’
Admiring the dramatic decorations, I nod in response and follow her through the hallway. Stelios’s legendary parties are renowned in the fashion industry, but nothing could have prepared me for this. The villa is unrecognisable. Outside, Mykonos remains the same, but in here, it couldn’t be more different.
‘How many people are coming to the party?’ I ask Lianna, who is busily snapping photos of a huge ice sculpture.
‘I don’t know, but I overheard Aris saying he was catering for a couple of hundred. Plus, some huge names are going to be here, apparently!’
‘Like who?’ I reply, following her outside, where Marc and Gina are enjoying a breakfast fit for a king. ‘Giulia Romano?’
‘Shh!’ Letting out a shocked laugh, Li puts her fingers to her lips.
Flashing her a wink, I join Marc and Gina by the pool and pull out a chair at their table.
‘What’s going on out here?’ I ask, frowning as I realise Marc is scribbling on a notepad. ‘You’re not working, are you? You promised to leave the business at home!’
Not bothering to look up, Marc continues to make messy scrawls on the pad.
‘Do you have any idea who’s going to be here tonight?’ He stammers, frantically turning the page.
‘Li was just telling me there are going to be some big celebrities attending.’ Squinting at the paper, I try to get a glimpse of what he’s writing. ‘Anyone in particular you want to meet?’
‘Celebrities?’ Marc scoffs, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. ‘I couldn’t care less about celebrities. I’m talking about businessmen, entrepreneurs, tycoons…’
Rolling my eyes, I zone out as Marc rambles about what an amazing opportunity this is to make connections within the industry. His refusal to stop working is incredibly frustrating. We have won with Suave. Our wish was granted. We have money and a successful company. We have everything we ever wanted. Why is he still pushing for more?
‘When will it ever be enough for you?’ I say under my breath, not realising before it’s too late that I’m speaking out loud.
‘What are you talking about?’ Pausing with his pen to the paper, Marc finally looks up.
‘I’m talking about this.’ I reply, pointing to his pile of paperwork. ‘You have Suave. Why do you want more?’
‘Do you think Stelios just stopped at one business?’ Marc says with a grin. ‘Suave is just the beginning. If we continue to invest the profits, one day, we could have all of this, too.’
