The Greek Tycoon's Virgin Mistress
Page 10
Not that she would cry, she vowed fiercely. Never! And if her face was wet even before she stepped into the shower, it was her secret.
Two hours later her façade of ice-cool elegance gave no sign of her inner turmoil as she stood in the wings, waiting for her cue to step out onto the catwalk. The fashion show was another charity event, sponsored by some of the world’s top designers and attended by New York’s social élite.
‘God, there’s not an empty seat out there,’ one of the younger models whispered after taking a peep at the packed audience. ‘Aren’t you nervous? I feel sick.’
‘Remember to look straight ahead, not at the audience,’ Anna advised with an encouraging smile. Gina couldn’t be more than sixteen—it was her first show and she was plainly overawed by the star-studded event. ‘That’s our cue. Come on—time to go.’
With no visible hint of nerves Anna squared her shoulders and strode onto the runway. As usual the lights blinded her for a few seconds but after eight years on the circuit she knew how to show off the stunning evening gown she was modelling to its best advantage and she walked on confidently. Four more steps, pause for a moment and then turn—the pattern was familiar and afterwards she wondered what had caused her to ignore her own advice and cast her gaze over the audience.
The formidable width of his shoulders and the proud angle of his head were unmistakable and for a brief, stomach-churning second she lost her footing and stumbled. It was only the thought of her utter humiliation should she fall into Damon’s lap that enabled her to regain her composure.
Snatching a sharp breath, she tore her startled gaze from his face and swung round to saunter back up the runway. What was he doing here? It must be a coincidence, she reassured herself frantically. It was impossible to believe he had deliberately sought her out after her violent rejection of him the last time they’d met.
From then on the evening became a test of nerve and it was only her professionalism combined with sheer, dogged determination that saw her complete the show.
She refused to glance at Damon again, although every time she neared the end of the catwalk her heart thudded painfully in her chest. But now, as she joined the other models for the finale, her eyes were drawn to him and the ache inside intensified.
He was a playboy and a philanderer—no better than her father. So what madness was it that insisted he was the other half of her soul?
‘Hell, I could do with a drink,’ one of the other models announced when they fought their way through the backstage chaos. ‘Are you staying for the after-show party, Anna?’
Not if she could help it, Anna thought grimly. But her presence at the party was expected and once again her professionalism saw her pin a smile on her face and join the throng of guests.
She noticed Damon the moment she entered the ballroom. In a room full of tall, dominant males, he stood out above the rest. Wealth and power were strong aphrodisiacs and when they were combined with his lethal brand of sexual magnetism it was hardly surprising that he was the subject of intense interest from every female present.
The woman at his side seemed intent on signifying ownership with her hand on his arm and her head tilted slightly so that it was almost resting on his shoulder. God forbid that she should ever appear so desperate, Anna thought scathingly as she fought the corrosive jealousy that burned in her chest. Luisa Mendoza was well-known on the modelling circuit as a man-eater. With her golden skin and mass of luscious black curls she was exquisitely beautiful—an exotic temptress who had obviously wasted no time in hooking her claws into Damon.
She couldn’t give a damn whom he dated, Anna told herself impatiently. But the sight of Luisa rubbing herself sensuously, and very unsubtly, against him made her feel sick. At that moment Damon glanced across the room. As his eyes trailed over her she blushed, furious at having been caught staring at him. He held her gaze for a second and then gave a brief nod of recognition before returning his attention to his companion.
He could not have made his lack of interest any plainer and to her horror Anna felt her eyes glaze with tears. She would not break down in public, she told herself fiercely. She longed to return to her hotel but it was her job to chat with the guests who had attended the fashion show and so she gritted her teeth and began to circulate.
The following two hours passed agonisingly slowly but at least she managed to evade Damon and she felt a huge sense of relief when she finally slipped out into the foyer of the fabulous art deco hotel. She had almost reached the main doors when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
‘Running away, Anna? You seem to have a habit of sneaking out of hotels.’
‘I am not sneaking anywhere.’
She swung round, trembling with outrage and fierce awareness when Damon strolled towards her. In his charcoal-coloured suit, grey shirt and burgundy silk tie he was breathtaking. Anna’s feet seemed to be rooted to the floor and she swallowed when he halted in front of her, so close that she could almost see the sparks of electricity that arced between them.
‘I’m finished here tonight. Duty done. There’s no reason for me to stay,’ she added pointedly as she allowed her gaze to trawl over him. ‘What are you doing here, Damon? Are you interested in fashion?’
‘Not in the slightest,’ he replied blandly. ‘But you know why I’m here, Anna mou.’ The glint in his eyes warned her that beneath the façade of urbane charm, his hot temper was simmering like volcanic lava waiting to erupt. ‘Why did you run out on me in London?’
‘My God, you flew all the way across the Atlantic to ask me that? And why now, after no contact for over two weeks?’
‘I returned to Greece with the intention of putting you out of my mind,’ he admitted grimly.
‘From the way you were pawing Luisa Mendoza tonight, you were obviously successful.’
‘Unfortunately that intention did not go to plan,’ he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘And with no disrespect to Miss Mendoza—she was pawing me. I’m not interested in her or any other woman. I have been unable to forget you, Anna—any more than I suspect you’ve been able to forget me.’
‘Did anyone ever tell you that a swollen head is not attractive?’ she queried sarcastically, desperate to hide the effect his words were having on her. She tossed her head so that her hair flew around her face in a halo of gold silk. ‘What makes you think I’ve spent the past two weeks pining for you?’
‘This,’ he said simply before he swooped and captured her mouth in a devastatingly possessive kiss that should have appalled her. Instead it breached her fragile defences so that she could do nothing but stand helplessly in his arms while he continued his flagrant assault of her senses.
His tongue forced entry between her lips to make a skilful exploration, while one hand slid to her nape to angle her head so that he could deepen the caress to a level that was shamelessly erotic. He ran his other hand restlessly over her body, from her waist, over her hip and down to cup her bottom.
Anna gasped when he hauled her close. The unmistakable feel of his arousal pushing against her stomach was new and shocking; yet fiercely exciting as for the first time in her life she became aware of the power of her femininity. There was no doubt that Damon wanted her with a hunger that should have terrified her, but instead of fear she gloried in the irrefutable proof of his desire.
Part of her wanted the kiss never to end and it was only when he lifted his head to stare down at her with a faintly triumphant gleam in his eyes that reality intruded with a vengeance.
‘How dare you?’ she snapped, her face flaming when she realised that they were incurring curious stares from a number of onlookers. ‘If you don’t take your hands off me right now, I’ll call for Security.’
‘Let’s spare ourselves such an embarrassing scenario,’ Damon drawled, plainly unperturbed by her fury. ‘My car’s waiting out front.’
‘Then I suggest you get in it. I have my own driver, thanks.’
‘Not any more—I told him you wouldn’t b
e requiring his services tonight.’
‘You’ve got a bloody cheek!’
Damon was already striding towards the door and Anna hurried after him as fast as her three-inch stiletto heels would allow, determined to give him a piece of her mind.
‘There’s no need to run. I promise I won’t leave without you, pedhaki mou,’ he mocked gently when she stumbled on the front steps. Before she could think of a suitably blistering retort, he slid his arm around her waist and ushered her over to his limousine.
‘This is ridiculous—you can’t just kidnap me. I demand that you take me straight to my hotel,’ she said in a loud voice intended to alert his driver. The car pulled away from the kerb and she shifted along the seat away from Damon.
‘Relax,’ he told her idly. ‘That’s where we’re going.’
‘But you don’t know where I’m staying.’
His slow smile reminded her of a wolf inspecting its prey. Of course he knew where she was staying, she realised shakily. He would have made it his business to find out.
‘I can’t believe you came all this way just to torment me,’ she whispered, unable to keep the faint tremor from her voice.
‘I hate to disillusion you but I have a number of important business meetings in New York. When Kezia mentioned that you were here, it seemed a good opportunity to meet up and discover the answer to several pertinent questions—the most important of which, you’ve already confirmed,’ he added with a satisfied smile as his gaze focused on her mouth.
Once again Anna was aware of the sizzling chemistry between them. Raw, primitive, sexual attraction at its most basic, she registered as she felt her nipples harden to tight buds that strained against the soft jersey-silk of her dress. Her frisson of fear was not of what Damon might do, but what she wanted him to do, and she was thankful when the car pulled up outside her hotel.
‘I’m sorry to curtail such a fascinating conversation, but it’s been a long day,’ she said icily. ‘There’s no need for you to escort me inside.’ Her irritation trebled when he slid out of the car and followed her to the door. His amused smile made her want to hit him, her frustration a tangible force as realisation slowly dawned. ‘You’re staying here, too, aren’t you?’
‘As a matter of fact, I’ve been here for the past two days. I’m surprised we didn’t bump into each other at breakfast.’
‘You really are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met,’ Anna informed him bitterly when he followed her across the reception area and into the lift. Two days. He’d been staying here in her hotel for two whole days and hadn’t bothered to let her know. It certainly put her in her place, she thought bleakly, unaware that he could decipher every expression that flitted across her face.
‘I told you I had urgent business to take care of. But now I’m all yours, Anna mou,’ he breathed softly. The lift suddenly seemed airless and she inhaled sharply, her eyes locked with his dark velvet gaze.
‘You’ll forgive me if I don’t jump for joy,’ she croaked, her attempt at sarcasm lost beneath the huskiness of her tone. The lift halted at her floor and she hurried along the corridor, intent on reaching the sanctuary of her room before he caught up with her. Of course it was hopeless—his long stride easily outmatched hers and she paused outside her door.
‘What is it exactly that you want, Damon?’
‘Who used to call you Annie? Your father?’ he pressed, when she failed to answer. ‘Did he ever hit you, pedhaki mou?’
‘Of course not.’ Anna opened her door and stumbled inside. She was so startled by his question that she didn’t register he had followed her into her room until it was too late. ‘My father wasn’t like that—he was kind and…and funny and I loved him.’
The shimmer of her tears made Damon’s gut twist and he had to force himself to continue.
‘So who upset you so badly that the mere mention of his nickname for you caused you to react the way you did in London?’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s none of your business.’ Shock, fear, shame—all the emotions her stepfather had once evoked surged through her.
Phil used to accuse her of deliberately leading him on. He’d said it was her fault that he couldn’t keep his hands off her and, although common sense told her she had done nothing wrong, there was a part of her that wondered if she had somehow deserved his attention.
Maybe her stepfather was right and she was intrinsically bad. She was an adult now but the fears of an impressionable teenager were still locked inside her head. She would die of shame if Damon ever learned of the things Phil had said to her, the suggestions that even now made her shudder with revulsion. Maybe Damon would believe she had encouraged her stepfather.
With a low cry she spun away from him, her shoulders rigid with tension.
‘Go away, Damon. Didn’t you get the message when we were in London? I don’t want to have anything to do with you.’
‘You’re lying.’
It wasn’t a question but a statement delivered with his usual arrogance.
‘My God, what do I have to do to get through to you?’ she cried, her eyes wide and despairing when she turned back to face him. ‘Leave me alone.’
‘How can I when you are inside my head every minute of the day and night?’ he growled. ‘How can I forget you when you respond to me with such passion? You feel it, Anna, the same as I do. There’s something between us—chemistry, awareness, call it what you will. All I know is that I have never felt this way about any other woman.’
As he spoke he jerked her into his arms, his dark eyes burning with desire and frustration and a degree of tenderness that made her ache inside. The tears that she had fought to hold back since she had first set eyes on him at the fashion show slid unchecked down her face.
‘You don’t understand,’ she sobbed, beating her hands wildly against his chest.
‘Then make me understand.’ He ignored the blows she dealt him and tightened his arms inexorably around her until she gave up and crumpled against him, her shoulders heaving. ‘I want to have a relationship with you, Anna,’ he told her quietly. He tilted her chin and stared down at her. ‘Friends, as well as lovers,’ he added steadily when she shook her head in fierce negation of the suggestion. ‘And I think I understand why you find the issue of trust so difficult.’
She sincerely doubted it, Anna thought grimly. No-one knew the secrets locked inside her head. She had been unable to confide in anyone about her stepfather’s unnatural fixation with her and had never spoken about his taunts or the way he had tried to touch her—not even to Kezia.
‘Why won’t you accept that I’m just not attracted to you?’ she muttered as she struggled out of his hold and endeavoured to put some space between them. He seemed to dominate the room and her eyes were drawn to the formidable width of his shoulders and the proud angle of his head. Helplessly she focused on his mouth, remembering the way it had felt on hers, and her lips parted in an unconscious invitation.
‘I believe you are as captive to the attraction that burns between us as I am,’ he told her seriously. When I hold you—kiss you—your body tells me what you refuse to admit. You want me, Anna, with a passion that matches mine. But events in your childhood—and your father’s betrayal in particular—have left you wary of giving in to your emotions.’
‘What has Lars got to do with this? I told you, I adored my dad.’
‘And he deserted you. He rejected you and chose his second wife’s children over you. I understand how devastating that must have been for you, pedhaki mou.’
‘I doubt it,’ Anna muttered wearily. ‘My father was a serial adulterer who broke my mother’s heart. You can hardly blame me for wanting to avoid the same fate.’ She swung away from him, wishing he would just go and leave her in peace. ‘I’m tired, and I don’t want to talk about it,’ she muttered, stiffening when he came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
‘I can’t help you until you learn to have some faith in me,’ he said gently.
Damon made no reply as he began to massage the tight knot of muscles at the base of her neck. Anna knew she should move, put some space between them, but the feel of his hands on her skin was heaven. He kneaded her flesh with firm, yet gentle expertise, easing her tension so that she gradually felt herself relax.
‘Better?’ His warm breath feathered her cheek and a soft sigh escaped her. She offered no resistance when he turned her in his arms, her eyes widening a little as she absorbed the warmth in his. Common sense dictated that she should step away from him and demand that he leave. Instead she tilted her head and waited with a curious sense of inevitability for him to capture her mouth in a slow, sensual kiss that demolished her resistance.
This was where she wanted to be, she acknowledged as she wound her arms around his neck. He knew it and there seemed little point in trying to deny it any longer. She knew it was ridiculous, but when Damon held her she felt safe.
She parted her lips, eager to accept the probing warmth of his tongue as he took the kiss to a deeper level of intimacy. Suddenly nothing else mattered—not her father who had destroyed her trust in all men, or her stepfather who had wrecked her self-esteem. All that was important was the feel of Damon’s lips on her skin as he trailed a line of kisses along her jaw and found the sensitive pulse point at the base of her throat.
When he lifted his head a fraction she traced her lips over his cheek, paused at the corner of his mouth before initiating a tentative exploration with her tongue. For long moments he allowed her to take control, until his hunger for her became an overwhelming need that saw him slide his fingers into her hair to hold her fast while he took the kiss to a level that was blatantly erotic.
‘Damon.’ She gave a soft cry when he suddenly swung her into his arms and strode purposefully towards her bedroom. Alarm bells rang faintly in her head but she ignored them. For years her stupid hang-ups had prevented her from exploring her sexuality—but not any more. She wanted Damon to make love to her. She wanted him to release her from her prison of fear and prove that she was a normal, sexually responsive woman.