Greek Passions - A Greek Billionaire Box Set

by Holly Rayner

  “Thank you, Mom,” Zoey choked out.

  “I want you to come back,” Melinda continued. “Whenever you’re ready, please come back and work here. I don’t want to do this without my daughter by my side.”

  Before Zoey could reply, the office door opened to reveal Stelios, bearing the most enormous bouquet of lilies Zoey had ever seen.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” he said by way of introduction, as the women struggled to get themselves into some semblance of order. “Your receptionist said you might be up here. She’s still fighting off a few of the more insistent reporters. These are for you.” He walked over to a still somewhat stunned Zoey, who accepted the flowers almost absentmindedly.

  “How did you get here so fast?” she asked, beginning to come back to herself. “The show just went off the air. I just saw you…”

  “We filmed that about an hour ago—I’ve been fighting through traffic to get here since. Zoey, I thought about everything you said to me as soon as you left the yacht. By the time you got in the car with Fulton, I was certain you were right. I should never have filed the lawsuit.” He turned to Melinda. “Ms. Forde, I’m so sorry for putting you through all of this.”

  “No, it was my fault,” she said nobly. “I shouldn’t have used the images in the first place. I apologize for that. Like I told Zoey just now, I’m going to bring everything to an end.”

  “The question of who did what isn’t important,” Stelios returned warmly. “Thanks to Zoey, I know that now. What matters is how we feel about each other, and where we plan to go from here.”

  “Then I’m going to do the most decent thing I can think of,” Melinda replied, “and leave you two to discuss that together.”

  The CEO smoothed out her crumpled dress, walked over to Stelios and gave him a quick hug. With that, Melinda left the room feeling grateful to her very bones—not just because the lawsuit was over, but because she was certain now that her daughter would never know the pain that a man named William Grant had once forced upon her. The man she had left with her daughter loved Zoey dearly, Melinda was perfectly sure of that.

  Back in the office, Zoey found a vase and put the lilies in water. She wasn’t sure how Stelios had known they were her favorite flowers, and she tried to think if she had told him before. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a presence behind her and turned to see Stelios with a serious expression on his face.

  “I wish I’d listened to you from the beginning, Zoey. I ruined a perfectly good evening out on the yacht.”

  “You should have, and you did,” Zoey returned quietly. “I was up all night strategizing, but that’s not anywhere near as important as what you said on that show this morning. Did you really mean it?”

  “I meant every word of it, Zoey. I love you with everything in me. From the moment you tried to warn me about the clientele here, I knew you were someone too special to ignore. I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but those few moments in the kitchen, cutting onions and talking with you, were some of the fondest ones in my life.”

  “Mine too,” Zoey admitted. “When the lights went out and we started to talk, it felt like you were trying to show me your soul. I love you, Stelios. And I know in my heart that I always will.”

  “I’m so grateful to hear you say that after all of the suffering I’ve put you and your mother through. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Of course I can, Stelios,” Zoey said earnestly. “I already have.”

  With that, she drew her lover close to her and kissed him with a gentle passion that grew more intense as her longing for love, so often starved, was finally sated in Stelios’ arms.

  The Greek embraced her and felt the heat radiating from her skin. Her heart beat rhythmically against his chest. He could see strands of hope in her joy-filled eyes as she whispered something in his ear. Stelios smiled and kissed her more deeply still, as sure as Zoey was that he had found what he’d been seeking his entire adult life. His world was nothing more than Zoey. Her lips. Her eyes. Her soul. Her heart.

  THIRTEEN

  Melinda found an unoccupied bathroom not far from her office and ducked inside. She had brought her purse with her, and in a matter of moments, her hair and makeup were as good as new. It was now impossible to tell that just moments ago, she had been spangled with tears, and the noble beauty that had once captured the heart of judges shone through once more. Her resolve flared in her eyes, and she felt renewed, and ready to take on anything the world could throw at her.

  “I’d better go save poor Annie before she gets run over by the Fourth Estate.”

  So saying, Melinda headed down to the reception area where, just outside the front doors, her receptionist was telling a rather handsome man to clear off. Zoey may have doubted Annie’s resolve before, but the woman had stood firm for over an hour.

  Melinda stepped outside, and reporters immediately began to swarm in her direction. She held up her hands to stop their advance and addressed them in a loud, clear voice.

  “You’ll have heard by now that the lawsuit has been dismissed, so I can only assume you’re sticking around for details about Mr. Zakridis’ relationship with my daughter. Well, I can’t speak for the gentleman or for Zoey, and the only comment you’re going to get from me is ‘no comment’. From this moment on, other than clients of Melinda Forde Singles, anybody who enters the building will have the police called on them. I hope that’s clear to everyone,” Melinda finished firmly, placing her arm around Annie’s shoulders.

  The two women retreated inside the building, and a few moments later, the reporters outside began to disperse.

  “Thanks for holding down the fort, Annie,” Melinda said warmly.

  “Not a problem, Ms. Forde,” the receptionist replied.

  “I’m going to be holed up in Zoey’s office for the next few hours. Please send any clients we may have today there.”

  Annie nodded and slipped behind her desk. “Have a nice day,” she called after Melinda.

  After nearly half an hour, Zoey and Stelios came downstairs and informed Melinda that they were off to spend the rest of the day making amends, Zoey promising her mother that she would be back at her post early the next morning.

  By that afternoon, Melinda marveled at just how calm and quiet everything had become. Only a few hours ago, everything had been in chaos. It seemed amazing to her how quickly things could change, but one thing hadn’t changed since morning: not one client had come through her doors all day.

  That wasn’t unusual. Melinda’s fees were astronomical, after all. On average, she got two or three new clients each week, and normally she was perfectly fine with that. But Zoey had put a flaring spark in her heart that morning, which Melinda was finding it difficult to ignore.

  Ever since Melinda had seen Zoey and Stelios together, and seen for herself the authentic attraction they had for each other, she had been consumed with the idea of helping other people to experience the kind of love her daughter now felt. For years, she had matched people together for no other reason than it paid well, but now she yearned to help someone, anyone, to become truly happy. As those thoughts raced through her mind, a sharp knock rang out on the office door. It opened a moment later to reveal Annie and a tall gentleman in a salt and pepper suit.

  “Ms. Forde, this is Mr. Branden Kingston,” the receptionist started. “He says he’s a former client of yours. He’s been widowed for three years now, and feels it might be time to start dating again.”

  Mr. Kingston stepped forward and offered his hand, as Annie quietly slipped out of the room. Melinda started at the name, and turned to see a man with a stalwart gleam in his eye. He had short brown hair, a rectangular face, and a well-kept goatee. He wore large round glasses that made him look something like a software technician, when in fact he was the retired owner of a greeting card company. Of all the clients she had encountered over the years, Branden was one of the few Melinda had ever truly cared about.

  “Mr. Kingston!” Me
linda exclaimed. “You were one of our earliest clients. It’s wonderful to see you again. I was so sorry to hear about Claire. She really was a good woman.”

  “The best,” Branden replied. “When she died, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to love again. But it’s been three years, and I think I’m ready to try.” His tone was earnest, and it was plain that he felt guilty about even approaching Melinda for her help.

  “None of us are meant to live alone,” she said reassuringly. “I know Claire. I helped you to find her, after all, and I know the last thing she’d want is for you to be alone. So please, Mr. Kingston, don’t feel apprehensive about anything, and just have a seat right here,” she said, indicating the leather ottoman in front of her desk. “Let’s review your profile in case anything has changed, and then I’ll be able to make a recommendation for you.”

  Branden agreed, and for the next fifteen minutes, Melinda’s heart swelled as she worked on his profile. Not only had she been granted the chance to bring love into someone’s life, but that someone was Branden, one of only a handful of people she had matched properly in her company’s history. He had always been a wonderful man: someone who exuded gentleness and was loyal to a fault. She internally celebrated the opportunity to help him find love once again. And then she saw something that pretty much brought tears to her eyes. It was something she had failed to consider before: Melinda Forde’s match list.

  The longer Melinda scrolled through the list, the deeper her heart sank. She might have experienced a profound change that morning, but her list of clients remained depressingly familiar. Names like Brie Hudson leaped out at her, and she cringed at the horror someone like that could wreak in Branden’s life. There were women on the list that made Brie look like an angel. Cruel, heartless, greedy, women. They wouldn’t be able to plunder his business because he had sold that when Claire died, thinking the entire thing seemed hollow without her. The sale had, however, earned Branden several million dollars and, given the chance, they’d be on that like flies on honey.

  There was nothing for it except to bring everything to a halt, and Melinda had no choice but to tell Branden as much.

  “One of the reasons I decided to come to you was because of your candor, Ms. Forde. Less reputable people would probably pair me with anyone just to earn a fee, but I know that’s something you never do here.”

  “No,” Melinda agreed, shaking nervously. “These are all current clients, Mr. Kingston. Give me a few days to go through our older records, and I’ll give you a call. I’m certain we can find someone who will complement you perfectly.”

  With a resigned expression, Branden agreed.

  The pair shook hands, and the gentleman left Melinda feeling better than she had in years, but still very uneasy; no matter how far she went back in the agency’s records, it was still going to be difficult to find someone good enough for Branden.

  FOURTEEN

  At ten-thirty that evening, Zoey returned to her apartment feeling happier than she had ever imagined possible. She and Stelios had reprised their yacht adventure, and though there had been no romantic night sky, everything else had been perfect. On top of that, Stelios had insisted on pampering her all day to make up for all the stress the lawsuit had caused. He had taken her to the finest spa in the city, and even now, hours later, Zoey could feel herself glowing. Every cell of her body seemed to be at peace, and for once, her mother was doing nothing to disturb that.

  Her mother had called sometime between the date on the yacht and her time at the spa, to tell her about her appointment with Branden. When she heard that her mother had helped a customer, Zoey gave such a large whoop of celebration that Stelios nearly leaped a foot in the air. Zoey was certain everything was coming together at last, and she couldn’t imagine how things could get better. When she fell asleep that night, it felt as if Stelios had purchased cloud nine and moved her there to live forever.

  Over the next few days, Zoey resumed her post at Melinda Forde, and with each passing hour, she and her mother grew closer. Melinda’s newfound devotion to genuine relationships made Zoey’s job twice as hard as it had been before. She now found herself counseling the people she met with, trying to convince them to consider factors other than money and potential advancement.

  At first, the effort was a disaster. Zoey’s clients were noncommittal. But eventually, people began to come around, aided by Melinda’s unrelenting showmanship and politeness, and within a few weeks, many of Melinda and Zoey’s matching efforts had resulted in steady relationships, as clients slowly learned to let go of their pasts.

  Much to their dismay, however, Mr. Branden Kingston remained single and alone. Well, he wasn’t quite alone. He had gotten into the habit of showing up at Melinda Forde every two or three days. He always arrived just before lunch and visited with Melinda in her office. They went over his profile and talked about old times, he about Claire and she about William. Their conversations often went on for hours, unless there was another client that needed Melinda’s attention. Noticing this, Zoey began to work to make sure that happened as rarely as possible. She kept a close eye on Mr. Kingston, but his behavior never changed. All he ever did was show up and talk.

  “I’m going to have to earn my ‘Relationship Specialist’ title,” Zoey murmured to herself one afternoon.

  She waited by her door until she saw Branden leaving Melinda’s office.

  “Mr. Kingston!” she called. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  “Oh, hello, Zoey. I was just having a lovely chat with your mother. What can I do for you?”

  “I just wanted to make a little suggestion.”

  She began to whisper in his ear, and as she did, Branden’s expression became skeptical.

  “What makes you think…” he began quietly, when Zoey had finished.

  As a reply, the young woman simply pointed to the title emblazoned on her office door.

  “Trust me. I know these things. It’ll be perfectly easy. I promise.”

  Reluctantly, the older man nodded and headed toward the front entrance.

  The moment he was gone, Annie called Zoey over to Reception. She had been able to see everything perfectly from her desk.

  “What did you whisper to him, Ms. Forde?”

  “Never mind that,” Zoey replied playfully, “not any of your business today I’m afraid.”

  “With all due respect, if it gets me fired, it is my business. What I mean is, your mother clearly likes that man, and I just hope you didn’t tell him anything that might keep him from coming back.”

  “I didn’t say anything like that, and don’t worry, you won’t be fired,” Zoey said gently.

  She was certain she knew what Annie was really worried about; Melinda had never been in this good a mood for this long, and the receptionist was worried that the honeymoon period was going to end.

  Zoey didn’t blame her. Granted, it had been nearly two months since her mother’s attitude had changed, but there had been several horrible years before that. It was going to be some time before everyone accepted that a new Melinda Forde had come into the world, and Zoey only hoped her whispered suggestion would be enough to help things along.

  When work ended at four thirty, Zoey went outside and was pleasantly surprised to see Fulton standing on the sidewalk, next to Stelios’ town car.

  The driver had a stoic expression that Zoey hadn’t quite learned to read, but he greeted her cordially when she approached.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Forde,” he said, holding the rear door open. “Mr. Zakiridis would like to request a moment of your time.”

  “Far more than a moment,” Stelios corrected from inside the vehicle.

  “It’s good to see you again, Fulton,” Zoey replied before slipping inside the vehicle beside the man she loved.

  “I’ve missed you these last few days,” she opened, kissing Stelios on the lips as the driver shut the door and took his place in the front.

  “I missed you too,” Stelios replied, re
turning her affections. “I was tempted to ignore the meeting and stay in New York, but I had to oversee my Canadian holdings. A lot of people would suffer if anything went wrong, so I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

  “I understand. My mother’s been keeping me company while you’ve been gone. The last few weeks she’s been like a completely different person.”

  The town car sped forward, and Stelios must have given Fulton his orders earlier because he said nothing about where they were going. He looked preoccupied, and Zoey couldn’t help but call attention to it.

  “I’m sorry,” Stelios responded to her questioning. “It’s just…I’ve been thinking that you ought to meet my relatives.”

  “That’s a fantastic idea,” Zoey replied enthusiastically. “Were you worried that I might not be willing to do that?”