by Marie Kelly
“What is going on” she asked her eyes looking around the room
“You’re not Peter’s employer” she bit out looking angrily at the man before her
“Sit down Miss Andrews” he said calmly as she had sank down into the seat opposite him
“And actually yes I am…I now own this company… as well as many others” he had said his eyes following her every move carefully
“What do you want Mr Demitri” Lee said attempting to hold in the anger which bubbled just below the surface of her cool exterior.
“I don’t appreciate your pulling me out of my work with some made up story about my brother; I was told that something serious had happened to him” She had said icily, glaring coldly at the man opposite her.
Yanis Demitri held her look, his just as cold
“Oh believe me Miss Andrews as much as I appreciate how put out you are, I am not in the habit of wasting my own time, and with regard to your brother” he had sat back deeply into his chair his lips curving into an unpleasant smile
“It’s not so much about what has happened to your brother, more like what is about to happen to your brother”
Lee looked at the man before her, a feeling of panic rising within her
“What do you mean” she asked quietly
“I mean that your brother has been signing cheques which he shouldn’t have been signing.”
Lee’s eyes narrowed
“That’s a damn lie.. my brother isn’t a thief” she said with conviction
Yanis’s smile deepened like a cat playing with a mouse
“Granted Miss Andrews, your brother may not have realised what he was signing, but never the less his name is on the cheques”
Lee could feel her mouth drying as she stared in horror at the man before her
“You set him up” she said in shock
“But why?”
Yanis leant forward his eyes angry daggers as he spat venomously at her
“You know fine well why, I told you that I would make you pay”
Lee looked at him with disbelief on her face
“But I told you already.. it isn’t a suicide note…Jim and I are only friends… that is all we have ever been.”
“I am sure that you can fool your boyfriends with that little miss innocent routine of yours Miss Andrews” he said “but I read the note and I am no fool”
“Well if you really believe that Jim would try to kill himself then you are either a fool or you don’t know him as well as you think you do” she had retorted back just as angrily
For a few seconds the two of them glared at each other Lee realising that she was breathing more raggedly as the emotions rose within her. Finally he had sat back in his chair once more in full control of himself as he looked at her with calculating eyes, seeing how flushed she was as her eyes had shone so brightly, a magnificent green colour with the anger in them.
“I spent a lot of time finding out about you Lee” he said softly using her name for the first time.
“Your mother and father were killed six years ago in a car accident when you were only 18” he said his head raised looking upwards at some invisible spot on the ceiling, his tone almost bored, as he recounted her life story to her
“You brought up your younger brother who was only 15 at the time and who took the deaths of his parents very hard….getting into some trouble with the police when he was 16”
“That was a one off thing, and he has never been in trouble since” Lee had said jumping immediately to her brother’s defence.
Still not looking at her she saw the smile return to his face, not reaching his eyes which seemed to be focussed so intently on the ceiling
“Ah, yes… but when this comes to light.. who do you think the police are going to believe” he said, finally lowering his eyes to look at her with a triumphant smile on his face
“An ex-teenage delinquent or the CEO of one of the largest shipping companies in the world”
Lee bit her lip knowing the answer as well as he did.
“What is it you want” she asked softly, feeling the tightness within her stomach as she waited for him to drop the bombshell he had obviously planned so hard to set up
“What makes you think I want anything” he replied his tone once more playing with her.
“Because” she said slowly, her dislike for the man before her showing so clearly on her face
“If you didn’t want anything then I wouldn’t be here, and my brother would be sitting in a jail cell” she said
Yanis had given a small throaty chuckle
“You’re a very bright young woman Lee” he said softly “And yes, I do have a proposition for you….The cheques need never come to light if you do exactly what I tell you to do”
Lee sat silently her face grave
“Go on” she said
“I was wondering how I could make you suffer the way you made Jim suffer and then I realised that the only thing your type of women ever wants is money…so I am going to make sure that you have the life style you have always dreamed of, with access to as much money as you can spend”
Lee frowned, her face showing not only confusion but grim determination “Firstly Mr Demitri…You don’t know anything about me..” she began
“Oh I have met enough gold diggers in my time Lee to recognise one when I see it… so what happened did you find out that although Jim’s father owns a chain of restaurants he wasn’t really ever going to have enough for you to live the life you wanted”
Lee held back the retort which sprang to her lips, instead continuing in the same controlled tone
“Secondly how would that teach me a lesson?”
Yanis’s lips had curled as he smiled again, an unpleasant smile which made her shiver slightly
“I’m glad you asked….Then I will take it all from you and return you back to your old boring life and you will once again have nothing…only the memory of what it was like…and the desire to get it back… maybe then you will see what it’s like to play with peoples emotions, because a woman like you Lee will never have any more than this glimpse of the good life”
Lee had held his gaze, refusing to rise to the bait in his words “And for how long will I have to endure your privileged lifestyle” she had asked, her voice as contemptuous as his, as she had emphasised the word Your, seeing how his eyes had flashed angrily
“Well, you will never know…one day you will just be asked to leave in the clothes you first arrived in.. I will of course have them dry cleaned” he had added with a touch of disdain
“How very thoughtful of you” she had replied, her voice clipped and as cold as his before giving a short laugh devoid of any humour
“Wow is that your big plan Mr Demitri..” she had flicked her eyes over him, seeing how his face grew darker at the obvious sarcasm in her tone “so how will this all work?”
He had looked at her with eyes narrowed
“You are going to move in with me as my fiancée” he said, finally gratified at the sudden look of shock which filled her face
“You are blackmailing me to sleep with you” she cried in horror, her eyes staring at him
He had frowned angrily
“I didn’t say anything about you sharing my bed” he replied “I have never had to force a woman to sleep with me, and I certainly don’t intend to start with you” he said with complete contempt in his voice “Please don’t flatter yourself”
Lee had closed her mouth tightly at his rejection of her and sat glaring at him, before finally saying in a softer voice
“You are making a terrible mistake Mr Demitri. As I have told you all along that letter is about something completely different. It has nothing to do with any suicide attempt…why can’t you understand that Jim simply had an accident, a terrible tragic accident”
“OK, Lee” he said with the softness of a crouching tiger “then enlighten me. If it is really something else then tell me what that letter refers to”
Lee opened
Lowering her eyes she had quietly whispered
“I promised that I wouldn’t tell. Only Jim can tell you”
“How very convenient” he said his tone dripping with sarcasm
“Well what is it to be. Do I call the police or should I start to make appointments for you to update your wardrobe”
Lee glared at him her eyes not even attempting to conceal the hatred she felt, making him laugh softly in triumph as he had picked up the phone
“Stacey, could you go ahead with the appointments we discussed for Lee Andrews” he said before sitting back to look at her
“A car will pick you up in 5 minutes when you will start your new life Lee. Tonight we will dine together at Chez Jardine and tomorrow you will accompany me to the premier of a new Film and then the day after that we will announce our engagement.”
“What about my brother” she said softly “How do I know that you won’t do all this and then have him thrown in jail anyway?”
“You have my word” he said arrogantly as though that was the end of it
“Not good enough” she had quickly bit back
Yanis had frowned
“OK, probably as well under the circumstances. I will have a document drawn up with my lawyers, which details our agreement, stating that you will not get to keep anything from our time together and that I and only I can end our engagement at any time I wish. In return you will be given the incriminating documents relating to your brother…good enough”
“Yes” she replied “But I want to add one proviso…that when Jim wakes up and clears me of what you are accusing me off then I get to call off the engagement and you never come near me again”
Yanis had frowned “You still persist with your story” he said his eyes once more holding hers, “but OK”
“I will contact your employer and explain to them that you need time off…I am sure they will be happy to give you an extended holiday…after all I am one of their biggest customers” he said with a smile which did not reach his eyes
Lee had stood up moving towards the door throwing him a dirty look which made his lips curl
“Until tonight” he said softly “Make sure you dress formally.. wouldn’t want my new fiancée feeling out of place” he said in a tone which seemed to imply the exact opposite, as Lee realised that there was nothing that he would like more than for her to feel out of place.
“There is an itinerary in the car for the next few days, you will move into my house tonight, so buy everything you need and have it sent over this afternoon”.
Stopping at the door Lee had looked at him “Wow, you have thought of everything” she said as he smiled
“I always do” he replied, before she had added her eyes flashing self righteously
“Except of course how Jim is going to feel when he finds out about all of this” she said as she moved out of the room to the waiting car.
As the door closed behind her Yanis Demitri had frowned. The exchange had been less satisfying than he had hoped for. Her determination at sticking to her story had annoyed him. He knew Lee Andrews type only too well. Although she was dressed demurely her hair pulled back from her face, wearing a suit which still did not disguise her wonderful figure, he could still see her from the night he had called at her home. Then her long, layered naturally wavy hair had hung around her body which was only just concealed in a bath robe showing off her wonderful curves, giving her a sensual wild look, which he had found himself reacting to. He had admired her lovely face then just as he had done in the hospital when they had first met and had been disappointed when she turned out to be Lee Andrews, recognising his attraction to the young women from that first meeting.
With a frown he remembered his friend lying on the hospital bed. Had she captured him with those wonderful eyes which seemed to promise such passion, or that soft wide mouth of hers, so full and red. His mouth tightening as he determined to make sure that Lee Andrews, the cold hearted gold digger he knew her to be, would rue the day she played with Jim’s heart.
In the car Lee had found the itinerary that he had talked about. She had read through the plan for the week which consisted mainly of visits to shops and salons for more treatments than she had ever even heard of. With a small groan Lee had thrown the paper to the side praying that Jim would wake up soon to save her from the tedium that the itinerary promised. She had never been somebody who could spend days on end pampering herself, needing to be busy, needing to be working, and she had closed her eyes in pain at the thought of having to follow his mind numbing list.
With a firm set to her chin, she had made plans of her own. She might not be able to work, but Lee had always been a keen volunteer for several charities, and perhaps she could turn the tables on Yanis Demitri and at the same time help out those charities who could so badly use the money which he seemed determined to throw at her. It was the least he deserved she thought, cheered a little at the chance to use the situation to her own ends.
The rest of the day Lee found herself being whisked firstly to the salon, where a chatty hair dresser had admired her long thick hair, only tidying up her layers so that they were sharper and more prominent. She had then enjoyed an interesting session with a make-up artist who had shown her the right way to apply make-up along with hints on the colours which worked best for her, and by late afternoon, Lee had left with bags of make-up and hair products which she had thrown into the car.
From there she had found herself in an exclusive boutique in which the owner, Claire, had already been forwarded by Yanis a list of outfits she would require to begin her new wardrobe. She had admired Lee’s figure clapping her hands with pleasure
“Oh, you have such a lovely figure” she had said in delight “So often I am expected to work miracles on those who really should know better” she had said with a wicked grin.
Lee had tried on outfit after outfit, as some where packed up for her while others were placed back on the peg, rejected by the owner who would walk around her with each outfit nodding or shaking her head for assistants to take the appropriate action. Finally she had given Lee a stunning three quarter length cocktail dress, made of a soft floaty material which clung to her body as it fell to her ankles. The red strapless dress was simple elegance which fastened at her back, gathering under her breast where it fell gently brushing sensually against her body, giving small glimpses of her wonderful shape beneath. Looking at her reflection Lee had been amazed at how good she looked. Complimenting it with matching red strappy shoes and an evening bag Lee had finally found herself ready for her first dinner with Yanis Demitri.
CHAPTER TWO
As she had stepped out of the car the flashing of camera bulbs had momentarily blinded and surprised Lee, who had jumped, her eyes widening with confusion. Quickening her pace and throwing up her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden glare, she had moved into the exclusive restaurant, with its soft music and wood panelled luxury, and had given her name to the maître de who had smiled welcomingly to her before directing her to what was obviously the best table in the house. There Yanis was already waiting for her, and Lee had swallowed a lump in her throat on seeing him. Dressed in a black dinner suit, he looked every bit the play boy Jim had described to her. His wide muscular shoulders fitting so well in the designer jacket, which he wore with an air of belonging as he had looked supremely comfortable in his surroundings, while she felt nervous and still a little rattled by what had happened outside. Seeing him sitting so calm and confident Lee had proudly raised her chin, as she had stepped forward to meet with him, determined not to show her true feelings, knowing what pleasure it would give him to see how out of place she actually felt. As he had stood to greet her she had felt the tingle of awareness once more, fully appreciating how magnificent he looked, his wide shoulders tapering to slim hips, his thick black hair layered against his tanned skin and those wonderful dark penetrating eyes following her as she moved towards him, his head lifted proudly as he watched her approach. Trying not to look at his seductive mouth which was smiling softly at her she had dropped her eyes as her body had jumped to attention at just the sight of him.
Lee knew that Yanis Demitri was 32, as both he and Jim had attended the same classes throughout their boyhood years, but he was much taller than his friend, over 6 foot, and as she approached the table he had extending his hand and captured hers to kiss her fingers gently. The feel of his lips on her skin had caught her by surprise, as she had bit her lips to prevent the small gasp leaving her mouth, once more feeling the small current of electricity travel down her spine, as she had quickly pulled her hand from his, much to his amusement as his dark eyes had mocked her.
Sitting down once more he had openly admired her, his dark eyes framed with the longest lashes she had ever seen on a man which were slowly and unashamedly travelling down her whole body.
“Very nice…I can see why Jim enjoyed you so much” he muttered, causing Lee to frown
“Did you enjoy your shopping trip” he asked conversationally
Lee had sighed, her eyes meeting his
“Do you really care” she asked her voice dripping with contempt
He had opened his eyes wide his innocent expression laughing at her
“But of course Cara, I am interested in everything my future wife does”
Lee had once more bitten her lip to stop the caustic words from leaving her mouth, instead lifting the menu to look at the food, suddenly not feeling hungry any more.
Dropping the sarcasm in his tone he had suddenly become very serious, his eyes delving deeply into hers, holding them as his face had become more sombre
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