by Abby Green
‘Miss Fitzgerald?’
Sidonie whirled around to see the assistant hovering with a tray. She rushed forward, aghast, and took the tray from the startled woman. ‘I can look after it myself. Thank you so much.’
The woman backed away. ‘If you need anything else I’m just down the hall. Mr Christakos shouldn’t be too long, I heard him say he wanted to keep the meeting short.’
Sidonie’s belly somersaulted. Was that because of her? She nodded her head and the woman left. Sidonie put down the tray. She didn’t want to sit at Alexio’s desk so she sat at a small coffee table on the other side of the room. She noticed that her hand was trembling when she poured the tea.
Lord. What was she doing here? Sitting in Alexio Christakos’s palatial office, waiting for him. He’d picked her up on a plane.
Sidonie blushed. She’d engaged him in conversation in the first place. If she’d buried her head in her book he probably wouldn’t have looked twice at her. Sidonie put down her teacup. She knew she could walk out of there right now, get her bag out of his car and melt into the crowds in London and quite possibly never see Alexio again... But, treacherously, she didn’t want to.
The novel sensation of putting herself first was uncomfortable. It felt like a coat she’d never worn. Tante Josephine’s face popped into her mind...but even Tante Josephine was okay for the moment, on holiday with her friends. There was no reason why Sidonie couldn’t be here, doing this.
Sidonie felt a sense of lightness, freedom, and it was heady. Dinner tonight. A place to stay. A chance to get to know this amazing man a little better. She breathed deeply and tried to quell her rapid heartbeat. That was all. And that was all she wanted. No matter what her body might be screaming for. She would emerge from this adventure with her emotions intact.
* * *
When Alexio could finally get away from his meeting, which he’d cut ruthlessly and uncharacteristically short, he headed for his office, pulling at his tie impatiently as he did so. Sidonie. When he’d ordered his driver to turn around before they’d hit the main motorway into London he’d felt like an abject fool. But the compulsion to go back and see her again had been too great. To find her, persuade her to stay.
And then she’d been standing there, like a lost waif, looking at his card, and the sheer relief that had rushed through him had eclipsed any niggling concerns about his uncharacteristic behaviour.
And now she was here, waiting for him. Alexio gritted his jaw to stop his body reacting. He had to get it together. It had been hard enough to concentrate in the meeting.
When he went into his office he didn’t see her and his blood turned to ice.
She’d left.
But then he saw the open terrace doors and his heart started beating again. He went forward and saw her slimly curvaceous form, that plump bottom, as she leant against the railing, taking in the view.
He went right up behind her and put his arms next to hers on the railing.
She started for a moment. ‘You scared me.’
Alexio imagined that he felt her heart pick up pace—or was it his? Her lush derriere pressed against him right there. And Alexio didn’t have a hope in hell of controlling his body.
She was tense in the circle of his arms. ‘Your meeting wasn’t very long.’
Alexio put out his hand and pulled her long, rippling hair over one shoulder, baring her neck. It was a crime to confine such hair. He bent his head and pressed his mouth to the soft skin just under her ear. Immediately she quivered and her bottom moved against him. His other arm came down and wrapped around her midriff, dragging her in tighter.
Theos. He would take her right here and now if he could.
He drew back slightly, dragging in breath, control. ‘I told them I had urgent business to attend to.’
Sidonie turned around in his arms and that was worse—because now Alexio’s steel-hard erection was pressed against her soft belly and the hard tips of her breasts were visible through her sleeveless vest tops.
‘Alexio...’
Alexio dragged his gaze up and met two pools of aquamarine.
‘Hmm?’
‘If I stay with you tonight...that doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you...’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m not saying I don’t want to, but I’m not like that.’ She winced. ‘I mean...I won’t sleep with you as some sort of payment. I would prefer to stay in a hostel or something.’
Alexio cupped her jaw. She would sleep with him. They both knew it.
‘I think you’ve already made your morals clear, and I respect that. Firstly, you are not staying in a hostel or anywhere else.’ His voice was rough. ‘Secondly, I do not expect you to sleep with me to pay me for the room. If you sleep with me it will be because you want to. Not for any other reason. We’re two consenting adults, Sidonie, not bound by any ties. Free to do as we wish...’
She was breathless now. He could feel her chest moving against him and he wanted to groan.
‘Yes...but after tonight we won’t see each other again... I don’t do one-night stands. We barely know each other.’
Alexio bent his head and feathered a kiss at the corner of one succulent pouting lip. He could feel her yielding against him.
‘I already know more about you than I do about my own secretary. And I thought you said you couldn’t get a flight for at least a couple of days...so that’s two nights... And you know what? You think too much. Tomorrow is a long way away. We have tonight, and that’s all that matters right now.’
* * *
Alexio’s apartment was not as Sidonie had expected. She’d anticipated some kind of penthouse apartment in a sleek building, but his loft-style apartment was in an old converted redbrick building on the Thames, with stunning views.
It had huge windows and exposed brick walls. Sleek and modern furnishings married well with the old shell of the building. Abstract art and compelling black and white photos hung on the walls. The furnishings were unmistakably masculine, but not in an off-putting way. It was comfortable.
Alexio was standing with his arms crossed, watching her. Sidonie blushed and answered his look. She shrugged slightly. ‘I’d expected something a bit more...’
‘Generic? Without taste?’ Alexio put a hand to his chest. ‘You wound me...although maybe when you see this your suspicions will be proved right.’
He took her hand and led her to an alcove off the main open-plan living area. It was a dark nook, decorated like an opulent private gentlemen’s club, with a pool table and a fully stocked antique bar. A huge mirror behind the bar made the whole space glitter with decadence.
Sidonie smiled. ‘Now, this is more like it.’
Alexio let her go and moved to the bar. He disappeared behind the counter to re-emerge holding a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses.
Sidonie’s skin prickled.
He arched a brow. ‘Can I tempt you with an aperitif?’
Sidonie saw then how the light was lengthening outside the huge stunning windows and over London. London Bridge was in view—an iconic landmark. She hadn’t even noticed that the day had almost flown by.
Vowing to stop thinking so much and just to enjoy, she went and perched herself on one of the velvet-covered stools.
‘I’d love one, thank you.’
Alexio expertly popped the cork with only the smallest, most sibilant hiss, and poured them both a glass of the sparkling golden liquid. Sidonie tried not to notice the label, which proclaimed it to be one of the most expensive brands in the world.
Don’t think. Enjoy.
He handed her a glass and then came around the counter to stand in front of her. If she widened her legs Alexio could step right between them. Sidonie’s pulse leapt.
But he merely clinked his glass to hers and said, ‘To us, Sidonie Fitzgerald. Thank y
ou for coming with me today.’
Sidonie couldn’t look away from that green gaze. ‘Cheers...and thank you for your hospitality.’
They both took a sip and Sidonie blinked at the effervescent bubbles rushing down her throat. She felt buoyed up, heady. Alexio took her hand again and something within her loved the way he did it.
He tugged her gently from the stool. ‘Let me give you the tour.’
Carrying their glasses, Alexio brought her through the living area and showed her the sleek kitchen, which again had a lived-in look about it.
‘Do you cook?’ she asked curiously.
He shrugged minutely. ‘I can cook enough for me. I wouldn’t put it to the test of a dinner party, though.’
Sidonie teased him to hide her nervousness. ‘So what have you lined up for tonight? Beans on toast?’
He looked back at her. ‘A chef from one of London’s best restaurants. He’ll be arriving to serve us in about an hour.’
‘Oh...’ That shut Sidonie up. For a second she’d almost forgotten who she was with...
Alexio was leading her up some wooden stairs now, with brass railing banisters. There was glass everywhere, all the spaces blending into one another seamlessly as only the best architecture could.
This upper level was like a mezzanine. Alexio was leading her to a room on the left, and Sidonie could see her bag on a huge white-covered bed. A window looked out over the Thames, and the en suite bathroom was rustic and yet delightfully modern, with two sinks and an enormous wet-room-style shower. A huge antique bath stood alone.
‘It’s gorgeous,’ she breathed, her hand tightening unconsciously around Alexio’s fingers.
He exerted pressure back and she looked at him.
‘This is your room, Sidonie. Like I said, I don’t expect you to sleep with me...but I won’t deny that I want you.’
Just that. Stark. No games. No false seduction. He wanted her. It was devastating in its simplicity.
Feeling shaky, Sidonie just replied, ‘Okay...thank you...’
Before they left he showed her how to pull the huge white curtains across the windows that were both walls and door for privacy.
Then he was leading her out along the corridor to another room. This one had to be his. Much larger. Bare but for some choice furniture. An enormous bed, a chair, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. And again that amazing view.
His en suite bathroom was black-tiled, undeniably masculine.
They came back out and Alexio showed her two other guest rooms and an office that looked to be equipped with enough technology to make a space rocket take off.
‘London is my next main base after Athens,’ he explained. ‘I spend most of my time between here and there.’
He led her back down to the bar and Sidonie perched on the stool again. Alexio refilled her glass and then produced a bowl of fresh strawberries from somewhere. Sidonie almost groaned when he dipped one in champagne and handed it to her. The taste of the sweetly tart fruit exploded in her mouth. She wasn’t unaware of his intent look at her mouth and she melted inside. She knew that at some point she would have to make things very clear to herself about how far she was prepared to go, because Alexio was waiting for the barest sign of encouragement. And yet she believed him when he said he’d leave it up to her. He wouldn’t put pressure on her. He wouldn’t have to!
Speaking of inconsequential things as the light outside Alexio’s apartment faded into dusk, Sidonie felt herself being more and more seduced. That line she didn’t want to cross was blurring and becoming something she wanted to leap over. The sparkling wine did little to help her keep her inhibitions raised.
After a while Alexio glanced at his watch and made a face. ‘I don’t know about you but I’d like to freshen up—and the chef will be here soon.’
Immediately he said that Sidonie felt sticky after the long day. She nodded. ‘I’d love to have a shower...if that’s okay.’
Alexio looked at her, and she was shocked and thrilled at the explicitness of it.
‘Meet you back down here in twenty minutes?’
‘Okay.’ Sidonie slid off the stool.
She relished the opportunity to get some space, even for a few minutes. Alexio was so all-encompassing. She still couldn’t really believe she was here, with him.
When she let herself into her bedroom she pulled the drapes over the door and windows, marvelling again at the genius design. She went to the main windows overlooking the view and opened one, breathing in the late spring London air.
London Bridge was teeming with traffic, but Sidonie felt deliciously cut off from everything. The real world was fading, being held at bay. With Tante Josephine safe, and away from her own worries, Sidonie could fool herself into thinking she had no responsibilities. She could just...indulge.
Realising that she was standing mooning at the view, she galvanised herself into action, unpacked some things and took her shower.
Afterwards, wrapped in a towel, she bit her lip as she looked at her pathetic clothes options. Jeans and more jeans. T-shirts. She had one smart outfit that she’d brought over for the meeting with the solicitor, but that was a black skirt she’d worn for work as a waitress and a black shirt. She’d look as if she was going to a funeral.
Clothes had become a luxury a long time ago, when she’d sold most of her more expensive items to help pay for college while her father had been struggling.
She felt absurdly gauche right then, knowing that Alexio must be used to women who dressed like...women. Not impoverished students. Which was what she was. But what she wouldn’t give right now for some sleek little black number...
Sighing deeply, Sidonie reached for a pair of dark denims that might be construed as smart and selected a grey T-shirt with a glittery sequin design on the shoulders. She slipped on the slingback heels she’d worn for the meeting and, after inspecting herself in the mirror and balking at her freshly scrubbed pink face, applied some make-up to try and make up for her woefully inappropriate outfit.
She was tempted to put her hair up again, but recalled Alexio taking it down earlier. The thought of those hands and long fingers touching her made her leave it alone. She didn’t want to tempt him in any way unless she was competely prepared for his response. But then, she didn’t think she’d ever be prepared for the response of a man like Alexio.
Sidonie took a deep breath, as if that might ease the tumult in her breast and in her blood. The ease with which this relative stranger seemed to have sneaked under her skin scared her and exhilarated her in equal measure. It was like being on a rollercoaster ride with no one at the controls.
CHAPTER FOUR
ALEXIO CAUGHT A movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up from where he was pouring some wine into two glasses. His heart stopped in his chest.
Sidonie stood at the bottom of the stairs, her hands clasped together. She was in black figure-hugging denims and pointy shoes. She wore a grey T-shirt with something that sparkled on its shoulders. She hadn’t put her hair up—because she knew he’d just take it down?—and it tumbled over her shoulders, glowing with an inner fire that flared under certain lights.
Despite the obvious cheapness of her clothes, once again he was struck by her natural beauty, and he wondered how on earth he’d ever dismissed her. The jeans he’d put on felt restrictive, and he gritted his jaw against his newly rampant libido. He had been mourning its dysfunction only twenty-four hours ago. The irony was not lost on him.
He put down the wine bottle and walked over. He saw her cheeks flush as he got nearer. His blood leapt in response. It was as if they were linked. Attuned to exactly the same rhythms. Making love with this woman... Alexio knew instinctively that one night would not be enough, but he pushed that revelation down rather than deal with the skin-prickling awareness of something dangerous that
accompanied it.
She looked nervous and gestured to her clothes, clearly self-conscious, making Alexio feel as if he wanted to reassure her in a way that no other woman of his acquaintance ever needed.
‘I didn’t come prepared for a fancy dinner. You’ll have to excuse me.’
Alexio took her hand. His voice was gruff. ‘I want you to be comfortable. I didn’t make much effort either.’
He saw her eyes drop to take in his plain white shirt and faded jeans. Bare feet. She looked back up again and her eyes had grown wider, their pupils dilated. Her cheeks were more flushed. She wanted him.
She obviously heard movement in the kitchen and said, ‘Was I longer than twenty minutes?’
He smiled. ‘About forty...but I allowed for that. It seems a safe bet where a woman is concerned.’
He immediately saw the aquamarine fire in her eyes, the way her small chin tipped up, and expected a tart reply. But he wouldn’t let her hand go when she tried to pull away. He had to keep touching her. It was like a compulsive need.
‘You’ve known a lot of women, then, to make this empiricial study of their time-keeping on a general level?’
Alexio’s smile faded. He could see past the bluster to where there was a hint of genuine insecurity. He touched her jaw and saw her mouth firm, as if warding off his effect on her.
‘I’m no monk, glikia mou. But neither am I half as promiscuous as the press would like to paint me. When I take lovers I’m always up front. I don’t offer anything more than mutual satisfaction. I’m not into relationships right now.’
Sidonie looked at him with that incredibly direct gaze that seemed to sear straight through him.
‘Okay...’ she said, and smiled, showing that gap between her teeth.
Alexio wanted to throw her over his shoulder so that he could take her upstairs right now and to hell with dinner.
She grinned then in earnest, and bent down to do something. Alexio saw her shoes being kicked off on the floor and her height dropped by an inch.
