What the Greek Can't Resist

by Maya Blake

  His nostrils flared and a look passed through his eyes that made her think he was toying with the idea of arguing the point. Instead, he opened the door. ‘After you,’ he said.

  Walking in front of him across the large marble foyer felt like walking the plank on some doomed pirate’s ship. She was aware of the intensity of his scrutiny on her back, her legs...her bottom. Electricity sparked along her nerves and spread throughout her body.

  Slowly she noticed the sound of last-minute preparations in the vast space had gradually faded as people stopped to stare.

  David and Cynthia, the two colleagues who’d been recruited the same time as her, stood at the solid wood-carved reception, watching with blatant curiosity. She didn’t need to turn around after she passed them to know they were whispering behind her back.

  Same as she didn’t need to turn around to notice the moment Ari veered off towards his own office. Because her skin stopped tingling and her pulse began to slow.

  By the time she shut herself away in the tiny office behind the concierge’s station, she was shaking. Going to her coffee stand, she flicked the kettle on and practised her breathing as it boiled. She poured water onto the tea bag, then immediately gagged as the scent of camomile made her stomach roil violently.

  Abandoning tea in favour of water, Perla waited for the sickness to subside and threw herself into her work.

  She spent the rest of the day finalising catering requirements, confirming bookings and chasing RSVPs. The turkey sandwich she ordered for lunch stayed put and she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was to get sick within the first month of starting a new job in which she already felt compromised.

  But by six o’clock her feet ached, her head throbbed with a dull ache and the debilitating weakness that had dogged her all day was weighting her limbs. Shutting off her computer, she dug through her bag and located the painkillers she always kept to hand. Swallowing two, she took the lift to her suite, collapsed onto the bed, kicked off her shoes and pulled the covers over her head.

  The buzzing of her phone woke her an hour later.

  Dazed, she pushed the hair off her face and snagged the handset. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Perla.’

  Excitement jack-knifed through her body.

  God, the way he said her name should be banned. Or she needed to charge for it. Because she was sure she suffered a tiny nervous breakdown every time his voice grated out her name like that.

  ‘Um...hi,’ she mumbled, squinting in the darkened room.

  ‘Did I wake you?’ There was a frown in his voice.

  ‘No, I was just...no.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about your predicament.’

  ‘What predica...? No, I told you, I’ll handle it.’

  ‘You may not need to. Have you had dinner yet?’ he asked.

  She tried to make her brain work. ‘No, I haven’t.’

  ‘Meet me at the Athena Restaurant in half an hour,’ he said, naming the five-star restaurant on the first floor of the Pantelides WDC, headed by a very sought after Michelin-starred chef.

  Perla flicked the bedside lamp on and struggled to sit up. Thankfully, her headache seemed to have disappeared. ‘Um...why?’

  ‘I have a proposal to discuss with you. A new opportunity you might be interested in.’

  The thought of meeting with Ari so openly again after this morning and being the cynosure of all eyes made her nape tighten. Exhaling, she faced up to the fact she had to deal with that sooner or later. She refused to let gossip rock the self-esteem she was trying hard to rebuild.

  She cleared her throat. ‘I’d love to hear your proposal but I think the Athena is fully booked tonight. And yes, I know you own the hotel and can chuck someone out but I’d feel bad. Do you think we can order room service instead?’

  For a few seconds, silence greeted her suggestion. ‘Given our track record, do you think being in a hotel room alone together is wise?’ he rasped.

  Liquid heat flooded her belly, followed closely by chagrin. ‘Um, you’re right, it’s not. I’ll...come to you.’

  ‘Half an hour. Don’t keep me waiting.’

  She hung up and threw the covers off. Going to the bathroom, she took a quick shower, pleased that she felt a whole lot better now than she had all day.

  The dress she chose was functional and stylishly respectable without being overtly sexy. Pulling on the slingbacks she’d discarded earlier, she caught up her black clutch and black wrap and left her room.

  Despite telling herself this was just business, butterflies fluttered madly in her stomach as the lift rushed her downward.

  She stepped out of the lift and was about to head towards the foyer when her phone pinged.

  Come outside. A

  Slowly, she swivelled on her heels and headed out into the cool October night. Beneath the elegantly columned portico of the hotel, Ari leaned, cross-legged and cross-armed against a gleaming black sports car.

  The sight of him, magnificently imposing, arrestingly gorgeous, was incredibly dangerous to her well-being. He wore a dark blue cotton shirt with black trousers and a matching jacket that hugged his wide shoulders.

  The intensity of his stare as it drifted over her made her body grow hot all over. And even though he didn’t say anything, by the time his gaze returned to hers she had the distinct impression he was displeased.

  But then what else was new? Ari alternated between finding her irritating and being incredibly considerate.

  Given the choice, I’d settle for a little bit of peace.

  ‘What did you say?’ he asked, straightening from the car to open the passenger door for her.

  Realising she’d muttered her thoughts, she blushed. ‘Nothing. I thought we were meeting inside?’

  He shook his head. ‘Change of plan. I thought we could experience what Washington DC has to offer. You had a Greek restaurant on your list. Care to try it?’ he asked.

  Pleased that he’d remembered, she smiled. ‘I’d love to.’

  He straightened, waited for her to slide in and shut the door behind her.

  Unable to stop herself, Perla watched him round the bonnet. God, even the way this man moved demanded attention. His lean, sinewy grace seemed innate.

  The moment he shut the door all her senses flared to life. His scent was intoxicating, addictive in a way that made her want to throw herself across the console and slide her greedy hands all over him.

  Expecting him to start the car and drive, she glanced at him and caught his rigid profile. When his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel and gripped tight, she knew he was fighting the same raw need.

  She must have made a sound because a choked noise filled the tense space.

  ‘Ari...’

  He sucked in a jagged breath. ‘We are not teenagers and we are not animals.’ His voice was rough, darkly husky. ‘We have enough self-control to be able to resist this...this insanity between us.’

  Her hand tightened around her clutch. ‘I agree.’ Although fighting it felt like a losing battle right now.

  ‘What happened between us can’t happen again,’ he continued gratingly. The mild self-loathing in his voice finally pierced the cocoon of sensual delirium.

  Stung, she whipped her head to stare out of her window. ‘I get the message loud and clear, Ari.’

  ‘Do you?’ he demanded, and she knew he was staring at her because she could feel the intensity of his gaze on her skin.

  She bit her lip to stop another helpless moan from escaping. ‘You hate me because I remind you of something in your past. I don’t know what exactly. Maybe it’s connected to this insane temptation we can’t kill. I could find a reason to hate you too but what good would hate do either of us?’

  ‘I don’t hate you,’ he growled. ‘There
are a lot of things I feel but, rest assured, hate isn’t one of them.’

  A little bit of the hurt eased but hearing that self-loathing still present in his voice made her heart lurch. ‘That’s good to hear.’ She took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when his scent filled every atom of her being. ‘I’d suggest handing in my notice and finding a new job if I could—’ She jumped at the snarl that filled the car. ‘But I’ve only been working a few weeks, and my chances of finding another job are—’

  ‘You’re not quitting this job. You’re not going anywhere.’ He pressed the button that started the ignition but he didn’t drive away. ‘You signed a contract so you’re staying put.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ARI MADE SURE his words left no room for doubt or ambiguity. Which was laughable, considering he was nowhere near as stalwart under the barrage of the emotions coursing through him.

  He’d firmly believed he had regained some control after yesterday’s incident. It was the reason he’d called to discuss business with her. He’d been so certain, after seeing her in that bikini and not jumping on her like some hormone-riddled teenager, he could see Perla, be within touching distance of her without experiencing that unbridled depth of yearning that seemed to claw up from his very soul.

  A soul he’d believed withered and charred after Sofia...after his father...

  But now, with her seductive, addictive warmth so close, her husky voice seeming to caress him whenever she spoke, he knew resisting this insanity wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought.

  But resist he had to. The guilt that had ridden him from the very moment he’d slept with Perla still resided beneath his chest. It fought savagely with his intense attraction but it never went away...

  I remind you of something in your past...

  She had no idea how accurate that was.

  ‘Okay, I’ll honour my contract. But, um...do you think we can get out of here? The valet attendants are beginning to get frantic at the backed-up traffic.’

  A quick look in the rear-view mirror confirmed her words. With a twist of the wheel and a foot on the accelerator, he squealed out of his hotel’s driveway and onto the freeway. The sound of the throaty engine drowned out his thoughts for the precious few seconds it took to regain a little bit of his control.

  Masculine pleasure at the purr of the powerful engine beneath him soothed his turbulent pulse and he inhaled slowly.

  Next to rowing, alone or with his brothers, powerful engines like these were his passion. Except he didn’t get to indulge enough. It was probably why he’d succumbed to temptation—

  Stasi! Enough with the excuses. Perla had hit the nail on the head. They’d been weak with temptation and he’d succumbed. Not once but twice. The only way to avoid being no better than his father would be to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  ‘Ari, could you slow down a little, please?’

  A quick glance showed her death grip on the bucket seat. He cursed under his breath and eased off the pedal. ‘My apologies.’

  She nodded and her fingers relaxed. ‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ she asked as he signalled off Connecticut Avenue and slid to a stop in front of the Greek restaurant. Perla didn’t know it but it was one of his favourite restaurants outside of his homeland.

  As they were led in, he found himself following the line of her body again. The way her black dress hugged her tight behind, the way her black wrap caressed her shoulders and her black heels made her legs go on for ever.

  His thoughts screeched to a halt. She was wearing black again. And not just a touch here and there but black from head to toe...as if she was making a statement.

  Was she?

  ‘You’re scowling again.’

  They’d reached their table and she was already sitting down, while he stood beside it, arrested by his crazy thoughts. He gritted his teeth, pulled out his chair and sat down.

  Business. Focus on business.

  ‘You asked what I wanted to talk to you about.’

  She nodded as he beckoned the sommelier. She ordered a white wine spritzer and he a full-bodied claret. Once they were alone again, he took out his mini tablet and set it on the table between them. A few swipes and he had the page he was looking for.

  ‘My new resort and casino in Bermuda, set to open in two months.’

  Her brow rose. ‘Another one?’ She leaned closer and swiped through the pictures. Slowly her mouth fell open. ‘It’s spectacular.’

  He allowed himself a small smile. ‘I worked closely with the architects to achieve the results I wanted—a private resort which caters to extreme water sports lovers without taking anything away from the signature luxury casino.’

  ‘Water seems to be a major theme for you, doesn’t it? Eighty per cent of your portfolio is built on or around water.’

  He was impressed that she’d done her homework. ‘I grew up around water and started rowing from a very early age.’

  ‘You rowed?’ she asked in surprise.

  ‘Competitively for six years, four of those with Sakis and two with Theo.’ It had been one of the few ways he and his brothers had coped with their shattered lives.

  She played with the beads on her purse. ‘Did you win?’

  ‘Of course.’

  She laughed, the sound so pure and delightful, his stomach clenched. ‘Of course. How many titles?’

  ‘Five that are worth mentioning. My mother has all my trophies from when I was a child.’

  Her head tilted to one side, traces of laughter lingering in her eyes. ‘I can’t quite picture you as a child. You look as if you were born looking like you do now.’

  Against his will, his smile widened. ‘For my mother’s sake, I’m glad that wasn’t the case.’

  A sudden wave of anguish passed over her face, erasing the laughter. Then it was gone. Reaching out, she took a slice of bread from the basket the waiter had set between them and broke off a piece. ‘Is your mother still around?’

  He tried not to let his mixed feelings about his mother show. ‘Yes. She lives at the family home in Athens.’

  Curiosity built in her eyes. ‘Do you see her often?’

  He shrugged. ‘When I’m in Greece. Which isn’t often enough, she tells me.’

  ‘Are you two close?’ He detected the faint longing in her voice and wondered at it. It suddenly struck him that, beyond the intense sexual pull and the actions of her dead husband, he didn’t know much about Perla Lowell.

  ‘We used to be. There was a time when I shared everything with her. She was my best friend and she encouraged my every dream. Then...my father happened.’

  Her breath caught slightly. ‘He...happened?’

  The usual fierce reluctance to revisit the past spiked through him, even though he’d been the one to open the door. Despite his reticence, he found himself nodding. ‘A few months before I turned eighteen, a journalist uncovered my father’s duplicitous life. Details of fraud, corruption, embezzlement all came to light.’ His insides twisted with remembered agony that he hoped his face didn’t reflect. ‘Overnight, our lives were turned upside down. I was working in one of my father’s companies and was in the office with my father when the fraud squad stormed the building.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘That must have been very difficult to witness.’

  ‘It would’ve been if I hadn’t realised quickly that I would be busy trying to save my own skin.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  For a moment, he considered not uttering the words. Considered hiding it from her the way he’d hidden this fact from his brothers, from his mother. Only a distant uncle knew what Ari had suffered, and Ari had made sure to enforce the attorney-client privilege that prevented his uncle from ever divulging the truth.

  ‘My father tried to shift some of the
blame of his fraudulent activities onto me. He implicated me in a few of his bribery scams and tried to get me to take the fall so his charges could be lessened.’

  Her eyes darkened with shock. ‘Oh, God! Why would he do that?’

  ‘I was his firstborn son, and had taken a keen interest in the business since I turned sixteen. I had a good head for figures and the authorities knew he’d been grooming me to eventually take over from him. Because I was still under eighteen when he was arrested he figured I would get off easily. For a short while the authorities believed him.’

  Her eyes grew dark with sympathy. ‘That’s horrible. How did your brothers take it? Where was your mother?’

  Unable to stop, his lips twisted as old wounds were ripped open. ‘Sakis and Theo didn’t know... I never told them.’

  Her mouth dropped open. ‘You didn’t?’

  He shrugged. ‘What good would it have done? By the time we were done with my father, enough devastation had been spread around. It was my duty to protect them from more hurt. Revealing that I possibly faced jail when they were counting on me was not an option.’

  ‘But...you’ve been carrying it for all this time...’

  ‘Human beings are predisposed to carrying a hell of a lot of baggage,’ he answered. ‘And I have very broad shoulders,’ he added, in the hope of lightening a suddenly heavy atmosphere. But her eyes only grew more solemn, as if she shared his pain, sympathised with his blighted past.

  ‘Broad shoulders or not, you shouldn’t have had to bear that on your own. Your mother...’

  ‘Retreated to our villa in Santorini and locked herself away. Her husband’s betrayal was too much for her. She couldn’t cope.’ He’d needed her more than ever in the darkest time of his life. And she’d abandoned him. Just as she’d abandoned Sakis and Theo when they’d needed her the most.

  It had taken a long time for Ari to forgive her, a long time to get past his anger and bitterness at her weakness. But he’d learned to smother it. Because he’d needed to get past his personal devastation in order to take care of his brothers. To salvage the charred remains of the family business his father had decimated with his greed and carelessness.