Mistresses: Blackmailed With Diamonds / Shackled With Rubies

by Lucy Gordon;Sarah Morgan;Robyn Donald;Lucy Monroe;Lee Wilkinson;Kate Walker

  ‘You’re quiet tonight.’ By her side, Nikos reached forward and lifted his glass. ‘Missing Dimitri?’

  His sarcasm stung her. ‘He was interesting and very kind to me.’

  ‘Kind?’ His dark brows met in a frown. ‘How was he kind?’

  ‘He talked to me,’ she said simply. ‘Made me feel as though I had something to say that mattered.’

  His gaze rested on her face for a long moment. ‘And these people don’t.’

  ‘It’s not important.’ She flushed and gave a hesitant smile. ‘They obviously play an important part in your business. They’re all hanging on your every word.’

  He looked amused. ‘Is that how it seems?’

  ‘Either you’re a genuinely wise person or they want something from you,’ she said lightly, reaching for her own glass. ‘My money is on the latter.’

  ‘You don’t have any money,’ he reminded her in silky tones, his dark head suddenly disturbingly close to hers, ‘but if you want to lay bets, then I can think of a suitable forfeit.’

  Her eyes slid to his and her heart thumped hard against her chest. ‘They’re all wondering why you married me.’ And why that should bother her, she didn’t understand.

  He gave a slow, sexy smile. ‘You’re wrong, agape mou. They have only to look at you to understand why I married you. You look extremely beautiful tonight.’

  Her heart sprinted rapidly. She shouldn’t care what he thought. His comment shouldn’t make her feel good.

  Confused, she changed the subject. ‘So what do they want from you? Money?’

  ‘Isn’t that what everyone wants?’ He suppressed a yawn and dropped his napkin on the table.

  ‘Don’t you get tired of it? Everyone just fawning over you for money? Don’t you ever long to meet someone who isn’t afraid to tell you exactly what they think of you?’

  ‘Like you, you mean?’ He stood up suddenly and pulled her to her feet. ‘Let’s go and look round the museum.’

  ‘Are we allowed?’

  ‘Of course. Private view. You should enjoy it. They have some very rare examples of pots here. Right up your street.’

  Was there cynicism in his tone? She glanced at his face as they left the room but there was no sign of his usual mockery and he took her on a tour of the museum, again displaying a surprising depth of knowledge about the antiquities.

  ‘Dimitri was right when he said that you know a great deal about archaeology. Did you study it at university?’

  He gave a faint smile. ‘I read law and then did a business degree. More lucrative.’

  ‘And then you joined your father’s business?’

  He stilled. ‘No. I started my own.’

  ‘Oh—I assumed—’

  ‘My father has different interests.’

  She studied his tense profile for a moment, sensing that there was plenty more that he could say on that subject. ‘He must be very proud of everything you’ve achieved.’

  Nikos frowned sharply, as if the thought had never occurred to him. ‘We never talk about things like that.’

  Deciding that he clearly wasn’t comfortable with the subject of his family, Angie caught his arm and indicated another pot. ‘Look at that. Isn’t it amazing?’

  ‘Used for diluting the wine. The ancient Greeks never drank their wine neat. Aren’t you glad you didn’t live in the Minoan period?’

  She grinned. ‘If I’d lived in the Minoan period I would have been waiting at your table like a servant. They hadn’t exactly heard of equal rights for women.’

  ‘There have been some amazing finds further along the coast—’ He outlined an excavation that had taken place a few years earlier and she listened to him, absorbed, and then asked some questions of her own and it was only when she caught sight of a clock that she realised two hours had passed.

  ‘Oh, my goodness—’ she lifted a hand to her mouth ‘—everyone will be wondering where we are. We should go back.’

  His gaze lingered on hers. ‘What if I don’t want to go back?’

  Her heart skipped and danced. ‘What do they want you to pay for this time?’

  ‘Joint venture. A new hotel complex on the south of the island.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Do I say yes or no?’

  ‘I know nothing about business.’

  ‘But you’ve already proved yourself to be a fast learner.’ His gaze drifted to her mouth and she suddenly found that she couldn’t breathe properly.

  ‘I don’t think I have the necessary qualifications to advise you.’

  ‘I could teach you.’

  As he’d been teaching her so many other things? ‘Nikos—’

  ‘Let’s go home.’ He took her hand in his and led her through the large, echoing halls of the museum and out on to the pavement where his car awaited them.

  Two weeks later, Angie lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, dimly aware that she was alone in the bed. Nikos had made love to her for most of the night and it had been amazingly, shockingly good. In fact, she found herself wishing that he hadn’t been forced to make an early start in order to meet a commitment that he had in Athens. If he hadn’t then they might have been making love again at this very moment.

  Bemused by her own thoughts, she sat up and tried to shake the sleep from her head.

  What had happened to her?

  What had happened to the woman who’d had no interest in sex or men?

  She no longer recognised herself. There were even moments when she’d started to believe that she was beautiful, thanks in part to the woman who Nikos had flown in from Athens. They’d spent an entire afternoon playing with the contents of Angie’s wardrobe and she’d had fun discovering how things could be worn.

  And then there was Nikos himself. When he made love to her, she felt beautiful. And, far from appearing bored or impatient by her love of antiquities, he actually took the trouble to show her things that he knew would interest her.

  And they were talking all the time. About everything. The only subject they avoided was Tiffany.

  She rubbed a hand over face, thoroughly confused.

  It was becoming harder and harder to remember that he was the man who had hurt her sister. Harder and harder to remember that this marriage wasn’t real.

  And she was increasingly confused about Nikos. She’d thought him to be a driven male with no interest in anything other than work or sex. But, while it was true that he was driven and naturally controlling, he was also well-educated and possessed a keen mind.

  It still confused her that such a man would be interested in Tiffany.

  But he did love sex, she reminded herself, sliding out of the bed and padding towards the elegant bathroom. So presumably that was what he’d had in common with her sister.

  Wasn’t that what her mother was always telling her? That men weren’t interested in conversation. Only in sex and having a good time.

  But there was a great deal more to Nikos than a love of sex, as she was beginning to discover.

  She ran herself a deep, scented bath and lazed in the water, her mind drifting, and then she dried herself and wandered through to the dressing room, determined to select something really nice to wear in case Nikos arrived home early.

  She spent half an hour rifling through the rails, trying various combinations and then finally dressed and stared at herself in the mirror. What exactly had happened to her? Since when had she become obsessed as to whether green suited her better than blue? Since when had she worried about whether the cut of a dress flattered her figure or not?

  Since when had she cared whether Nikos thought she looked beautiful or not?

  You are a sad, stupid fool, she told herself crossly, slipping her feet into a pair of sandals with impossibly high heels. Two weeks ago she wouldn’t have been able to walk in them. But since his comment about liking her legs in high heels she’d found herself trying on the highest heels in her wardrobe and then walking up and down in the privacy of their bedroom until she’d mastered the art.


  Which made her no better than the rest of the female population, she thought helplessly as she applied a small amount of make-up to her eyes and streaked a clear gloss over her mouth.

  Instead of punishing him, she’d fallen for him.

  She stared at her reflection in horror.

  She hadn’t fallen for him, she told herself quickly. She definitely hadn’t. Even if he hadn’t been involved with her sister, hadn’t contributed at least partly to her death, he was totally wrong for her in every way.

  ‘I’m surprised you’re awake.’ His deep, dark drawl came from directly behind her and she turned with a gasp of shock, feeling a rush of pleasure to see him standing there.

  She shouldn’t be pleased, she reminded herself helplessly. She should be wishing he’d spend longer in the office.

  ‘It’s already lunchtime.’

  ‘But you didn’t get much rest, did you?’ He strolled towards her and brought his mouth down on hers in a kiss that sizzled and reawakened her senses. ‘I’m taking you out to lunch.’

  She stared at him dizzily. ‘Out?’

  ‘If we stay in then I’ll just have to take you back to bed,’ he drawled softly, taking her hand in his and leading her towards the door. ‘And I want to show you the real Crete.’

  Shocked by her sudden impulse to tell him that going back to bed would suit her just fine, Angie followed him down the stairs and into the black Ferrari that he’d parked in the drive. ‘I thought we’d already seen the real Crete.’

  ‘You’ve seen historic Crete. Now I want you to see Crete as it is today.’

  He drove inland to a tiny taverna hidden amongst olive groves with a stunning view of the mountains and the sea.

  Clearly he knew the owners, because he chatted in Greek and then guided her to a table shaded by leaves. A faint breeze whispered across the terrace and she watched as he ordered food and wine, more relaxed and at home than she could ever remember seeing him.

  ‘What is this place?’

  He was a man who owned numerous properties and private jets, a man who travelled the world on business and yet he’d chosen to bring her to a tiny restaurant populated by friendly locals.

  ‘Jannis serves the best food on Crete,’ he told her, leaning forward to fill her glass from the jug. ‘After trying his lamb, you’ll never eat anywhere else again.’

  His unexpected smile made her breath catch. ‘You’re home earlier than I expected. Was your meeting successful this morning?’

  ‘Extremely boring.’ He sat back as Jannis placed a number of dishes on the table between them. ‘Next week I have to attend a meeting in Athens about the project Dimitri told you about. I want you to come. Try these. Dolmades—stuffed vine leaves. Delicious.’ He placed the food on her plate and she stared at him.

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yes, you.’ He gave a careless shrug of his broad shoulders and helped himself to food. ‘You understand what they’re talking about. I want to make sure they spend my money wisely. You can translate all that archaeological waffle.’

  She felt a rush of pleasure and then put her fork down, thoroughly confused by her own thoughts and by his unexpected invitation. This wasn’t the way their relationship was supposed to be.

  ‘You’re not eating. You don’t like vine leaves?’

  ‘I love it—’ She glanced down at her plate. ‘It’s just that—’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She smiled and picked up her fork again, suddenly reluctant to spoil this special lunch by delving too deeply into what was going on in their relationship. ‘Tell me how you met Jannis.’

  They sat in the taverna, ate, drank and talked until late afternoon and finally Nikos rose to his feet and wandered into the kitchen to settle the bill and say goodbye to Jannis.

  The older man walked out of the kitchen with him and embraced Angie warmly. ‘Always I say to Nikos that eventually he find a woman who is beautiful and clever. You are that woman.’ He kissed her on both cheeks. ‘You will visit us again soon.’

  They drove home at a leisurely pace and Nikos uttered a long, fluent curse as he saw a black limousine parked at the front of the villa. ‘It appears we have visitors.’

  She watched as his knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. Obviously not very welcome visitors. ‘What’s wrong? Who is it?’

  He switched off the engine, his handsome face an expressionless mask. ‘It’s my mother.’ He ran a hand over his roughened jaw and for a moment she thought he might actually turn the car round and drive away from the villa. But, before he could move, the door opened and a tall, elegant woman walked down the steps.

  Angie felt herself stiffen with embarrassment. For some reason, the reality of meeting Nikos’s family hadn’t entered her head. What would they think of this marriage? What would they think of her?

  ‘Nikolaus!’ The woman hurried towards the car but before she could reach them she was overtaken by a young girl who sprinted towards them, long dark hair flying around her shoulders.

  ‘Nik!’ She bounded towards the car and flung her arms round Nikos before he could extract himself from the driving seat. ‘We wanted to surprise you.’

  ‘You’ve certainly done that.’ Nikos’s tone was rough but there was warmth in his eyes as he stroked a hand over the girl’s head.

  ‘She was desperate to see you.’ His mother had reached them and Nikos climbed out of the car and embraced his mother. ‘Let’s go inside.’

  ‘Nik, even you can’t be that rude!’ The girl turned to Angie, her face glowing with excitement. ‘I’m Ariadne; I’m Nik’s sister. I want to know everything—’

  Nikos’s jaw hardened. ‘Ariadne—’

  ‘Well, you are such a dark horse!’ Ariadne turned to him, dark hair swinging around her face. ‘I think you’re never going to marry anyone, all my friends are living in hope, and then all of a sudden we hear that you’ve fallen in love and got married in England! How romantic is that?’

  Not very, Angie thought painfully, wondering what the teenager would say if she knew the truth of their relationship. Aware of a swift exchange of looks between Nikos and his mother, Angie wondered just how much the older woman knew.

  Did she know that this marriage was a sham?

  Nikos introduced her formally and then they all made their way to the terrace that overlooked the pool and the beach and Maria, Nikos’s housekeeper, served iced drinks.

  After half an hour of polite conversation, Ariadne stripped off her jeans and her top and walked down the steps to the pool. Nikos followed and Angie was left alone with his mother.

  Suddenly she felt impossibly shy. ‘You must think this marriage is very sudden, Mrs Kyriacou,’ she said in a strangled voice and was surprised when the older woman covered her hand with her own.

  ‘Call me Eleni,’ she said gently, ‘and please don’t feel awkward. I always knew that when Nikos finally fell in love he’d do it instantly and with no fuss and bother. It’s part of the man he is. He knows his own mind. Always has.’

  ‘Oh—well—’

  ‘I’m just so relieved that everything has worked out.’ She glanced towards the pool, watching with a benevolent smile as Nikos threw Ariadne into the water. ‘For a while I was really worried about him—he sacrificed so much for us—’

  Angie stared at her. Sacrifice wasn’t a word she associated with Nikos. ‘He did?’

  Eleni gave a shudder and reached for her drink. ‘I can hardly bear to think about it. There was this girl—’ She took a sip of her drink. ‘She was exceptionally beautiful and extremely young.’

  Despite the heat of the day, Angie felt suddenly cold. Instinctively she knew who Eleni was talking about and she wanted to stop her. Wanted to warn her that the girl in question was her sister, but her mouth wouldn’t move.

  ‘Few men would have been able to resist her,’ Eleni murmured sadly, the expression on her face wistful and tired. ‘I don’t blame anyone. But I was worried about Nikos.’

  ‘I would t
hink he’s old enough to look after himself.’ Her lips stiff, somehow Angie managed to formulate the words. ‘Why shouldn’t he have an affair with her?’

  Eleni made a sympathetic noise and covered Angie’s hand with her own. ‘Now I’ve upset you and for no reason. It wasn’t Nikos who had an affair with the girl—it was Aristotle. My husband.’

  ‘Your husband?’ Angie’s voice cracked as she struggled to grasp the implication of those words.

  ‘My husband isn’t always wise when it comes to women. Several times during our marriage he’s—’ Eleni broke off and gave a wan smile, clearly finding the subject matter distressing. ‘Never mind, you don’t need the details. He always comes back to me and that’s what counts, but this time was different. She was different. Cold. Calculating. She knew what she wanted. Marriage. Him. At any cost.’

  Angie sat in perfect stillness, hardly able to breathe. ‘Marriage? To your husband?’

  ‘Aristotle was a fool, of course. He should have seen what sort of girl she was, but he didn’t. She was scheming and greedy. I was so afraid. If it hadn’t been for Nikos—’ Her eyes were haunted and she took a sip of wine. ‘I almost didn’t tell him. I didn’t want to worry him but when I discovered the diamond was missing I was afraid it was serious—’

  ‘She stole the diamond?’

  Eleni shook her head. ‘It went missing and I was afraid that Aristotle had given it to her as a gift. The diamond has great significance within our family. Had my husband given it to his mistress then it would have meant only one thing—’

  ‘That the relationship was serious?’

  ‘That’s right.’ Eleni’s smile was wan. ‘Fortunately I was wrong about the jewel. The diamond was with Nikos all the time. Aristotle asked him to have the stone polished and the setting checked. Nikos’s schedule is so packed it had taken him ages to sort it out and it was lying in his safe, forgotten!’

  Angie felt like an impostor, sitting here, having this conversation without revealing her true relationship to the girl in question. Without revealing what she knew about the diamond. She understood now why Nikos had needed the necklace so urgently. ‘So the girl’s relationship with your husband wasn’t serious?’