When Christakos Meets His Match

by Abby Green

  Sidonie felt the door slam in her face with his terse delivery. His personal life was obviously a no-go area. She thought of the darkness in her own past, and how she’d hate for Alexio to know about it, and figured maybe it was for the best that he wasn’t inviting this kind of intimacy.

  She turned and faced the front and saw the stunning cavalcade of lights in the town as it seemed to drop precipitously to the gaping black of the sea. Momentarily distracted, Sidonie breathed, ‘This is beautiful.’

  Alexio was parking the car outside an upmarket-looking hotel and a young man was rushing out. ‘We have to walk from here; the streets are pedestrianised,’ Alexio explained as he got out.

  He threw the keys to the young man, who was all but drooling at the sight of the stunning car, then came around to Sidonie’s door and opened it for her, giving her his hand to help her out. Sidonie felt shaky and insecure at the thought of being seen in public with Alexio.

  He kept her hand in his and said a few words in Greek to the man, whose face went pale. Then they walked away.

  ‘What did you say to him?’ Sidonie asked curiously.

  Alexio smiled. ‘I told him that if I came back to find one mark on the car I’d break his legs.’

  ‘Oh...’ Sidonie held in a giggle when she thought of the man paling so dramatically. ‘Well, that makes things clear for him.’ Her fingers tightened around his hand and she looked up. ‘You wouldn’t, though, would you? Break his legs?’

  Alexio stopped and looked down, horrified, ‘Of course not—what do you take me for? I just told him he’d be paying me out of his wages for the rest of his life.’

  Sidonie tucked her other arm around Alexio’s and said with mock relief, ‘Okay—that’s so much better than broken legs.’

  Alexio looked down. He could see the smile playing around Sidonie’s mouth, and that tantalising glimpse of long and slender leg. He could feel her breast against his arm and had to grit his jaw. It still felt tight after her questions about his mother... ‘You make her sound lonely.’

  The truth was that Alexio had always had the impression that his mother had been lonely, and he didn’t like the way Sidonie’s innocent comments had brought him back to a time when it had been all too apparent that he couldn’t protect his mother simply because she would not allow it. Not even when she needed it.

  He forced his train of thought away from that unwelcome memory. They were approaching a narrow street with a glittering array of jewellery shops and Sidonie had stopped, enthralled, outside the first one.

  She sighed deeply and sent a quick rueful glance to Alexio. ‘I have to admit to a deeply unattractive trait: a love for glittery objects. My father used to say I was like a magpie, obsessed with shiny things. I used to collect the most random objects and put them in a box in my room and then take them out to look at them.’

  Sidonie looked at the display again and Alexio couldn’t stop the prickle of something across the back of his neck. The sensation of exposure was strong, along with something like disappointment. A feeling of inevitability. This was what he was used to. Women cajoling, seeking something. And even though Sidonie wasn’t going about it in a way he was used to wasn’t it the same thing? She was hinting that she loved jewellery and that she expected him to spoil her with some.

  She looked up at him then and must have seen something in his expression. She frowned. ‘What is it?’

  Quickly he schooled his features. ‘Nothing.’ His voice was tight. ‘The club is just down here.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  SIDONIE FELT AS if she’d done something wrong. The look on Alexio’s face just now had been almost...disgusted. She felt stupid for blurting out that she’d always loved glittery things. It was a trait that she’d inherited from her mother and Sidonie didn’t like to be reminded of that. Especially when she knew deep down that it wasn’t like her mother’s love for real jewels. When she’d found her childhood jewellery box during the clearing of the house after her father had died she could almost have laughed, because it was full of ten-cent pieces, buttons and tin foil. Hardly a treasure trove.

  Sidonie tried to push down the sense of disquiet and followed Alexio into a very mysterious-looking doorway with no name on it. A man in a black suit with an earpiece let them in with a deferential nod to Alexio.

  Determined to put his reaction out of her mind, Sidonie tightened her hand reflexively in Alexio’s and he looked down at her. She was relieved to see that the tightness in his expression was gone and that the lazy, sexy insouciance was back.

  Another entrance was just ahead, with billowing white curtains wafting in the breeze. A stunning glamazon of a woman stepped out, dressed in a tiny black dress which showcased her astounding body.

  Sidonie nearly tripped over her heels and Alexio steadied her, looking down. ‘Okay?’

  Sidonie nodded, still struck dumb by the dark-haired Greek beauty who was now greeting Alexio very warmly with kisses on each cheek—far too close to his mouth for Sidonie’s liking. She felt something rise within her—something hot and acrid. Jealousy.

  The woman turned her gaze on Sidonie and dismissed her with a cool glance before turning back to Alexio. She pouted ruby-red lips and proceeded to talk to Alexio in Greek, which Sidonie of course couldn’t follow.

  Alexio replied in English, though, saying, ‘I’ve been too busy to come back. This is Sidonie—Sidonie, this is Elettra.’

  Sidonie smiled, but the other women barely smiled back at all. It was like the air hostess all over again. Far from making Sidonie feel triumphant that she had the man everyone wanted, it only made her feel insecure. Was Alexio even now looking at this woman and wishing he was availing himself of her charms instead of gauche, inexperienced Sidonie’s?

  But then the sight of the interior of the club took every thought out of Sidonie’s head. It was a massive, cavernous, breathtaking space. Dark and dimly lit with what seemed to be a thousand lanterns. A huge bar took up one entire wall. There was a dance floor with glowing boxes of neon lights in the old Studio 54 style. There were booths and private tables dotted around the place, and then there was a whole other level down below which was already heaving with people.

  Beautiful people were everywhere. Funky music throbbed from the sound system. It was achingly hip and exclusive.

  Elettra was leading them to a booth, her hips swaying sinuously in her teeny-tiny dress. When they got there Sidonie could see that they had a bird’s eye view of the entire place, and almost immediately after Elettra left—with clear reluctance—an equally stunning-looking waitress was there to take their orders. She was dressed in tiny shorts and a white shirt with very low-cut buttons. She had a pinafore-style apron that did little to detract from the sexiness of the outfit—if anything it fetishised it slightly.

  Sidonie felt seriously out of her depth.

  After Alexio had given an order he leant back and looked at her. She knew she must look like some wide-eyed hick.

  ‘Well? What do you think?’

  Sidonie sat back, overwhelmed, and gave a little laugh. ‘I think that we’re not in Kansas any more, Toto.’

  Alexio frowned and Sidonie explained with a wave of her hand. ‘When Dorothy ends up in Oz...’ She shook her head. ‘This is out of this world. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m used to grimy college student bars.’

  The waitress came back with small plates of finger food and a bottle of champagne. Sidonie groaned softly. She hadn’t realised she was hungry and she stole a glance at Alexio, who was watching her with amusement.

  ‘My appetite is just one big joke to you, isn’t it?’

  He shrugged and prepared some pitta bread and tzatziki, handing it to her. She ate it with relish and took a sip of the sparkling wine.

  Joking, she said, ‘I could get used to this, you know.’

  She missed
Alexio’s enigmatic look as she plucked an olive from a bowl. When she did look at him he was lounging back, regarding her with an expression that had her blood heating up. It was that look. The one that made him look hungry and made her feel hungry. But not for food.

  ‘I want to dance with you.’

  Sidonie swallowed what she was eating. The mere thought of dancing with this man made any appetite she did have flee. A slow, sexy hip-hop song was playing, its beat sending tremors of sexual awareness through Sidonie’s body.

  ‘Okay...’

  Moving out of the booth seat, Alexio stood and held out his hand. He looked so young in that moment, and so breathtakingly gorgeous, that Sidonie had to relegate it like a snapshot to the back of her mind because it was too much to deal with.

  His hand in hers, Alexio led her to the dance floor, which was filling up with similarly minded couples. He drew her into his arms, close to his body, and it was the most natural thing to loop her hands and arms around his neck.

  His hands were possessive on her, sexual. One hand rested over her buttocks. The other slid under the gaping hole at the side of her dress to splay across her naked back. Lord. How was she expected to stay standing when he touched her like that? As Sidonie looked into his eyes the infectious beat of the music throbbed through every vein and made her tingle. She realised, not for the first time, how far under her skin he’d sneaked.

  There was something so...so up-front and unashamed about him. He was too confident to play games. Too assured. She knew exactly where she stood. And even though that brought misgivings about how cool she was with that—which was a lot less cool than she pretended—she couldn’t blame him for her growing confusing emotions. Her attachment.

  The fact that she trusted him was huge. She’d never trusted anyone, really...not since those awful days when her mother had exposed a very ugly side of reality and herself. Sidonie suspected now that her highly developed reticence had influenced her experiences with her first two brief relationships. No wonder they’d been unsatisfactory; she hadn’t let either of them get too close.

  But Alexio... Alexio had smashed through a wall she’d been barely aware of building around herself and now all that remained was rubble. And her exposed beating heart. It hit her then, as she looked up into those golden compelling eyes...she was falling for him. And it was too late to stop herself.

  Her arms tightened around Alexio’s neck in automatic rejection of her thought, as if she could ward it off if she squashed it right away. But Alexio couldn’t read the stricken nature of her revelation. He saw only those wide aquamarine eyes and felt Sidonie’s arms tighten around him and he pulled her even closer.

  Her breasts pressed against him, her hips welded to his, and his arousal was urgent and insistent. Damn her. He never lost it like this.

  Wanting to punish her for something he wasn’t even sure of, Alexio cupped the back of her head and, as the throbbing beat of the music changed and got faster, bent his head and took her mouth in a bruising passionate kiss.

  As if something was holding her back, Sidonie didn’t respond for a moment. Incensed by this, Alexio used every skill in his arsenal to make her respond—and when she did his blood ignited.

  After long, drugging moments, Alexio struggled to drag himself away from Sidonie’s mouth. He felt dazed. The music was faster now. People were dancing around him. They were the only ones standing still. She was slow to open her eyes. They looked slumberous, filled with hidden depths. Filled with...emotion. Instantly Alexio waited for that cold feeling to infect him, but it didn’t.

  Before he could feel any more disjointed he all but dragged Sidonie off the dance floor and back to the booth. The food had been cleared away. They sat down and Alexio took a swig of champagne. But it was no good. He couldn’t feel civilised sitting next to Sidonie with that provocative dress testing his control every time she moved.

  He took her hand and she looked at him. Her mouth was swollen. Her eyes were huge, pupils dilated.

  ‘Let’s get out of here...’

  She opened her mouth, paling slightly, as if she saw something in his expression that frightened her slightly. He felt feral.

  ‘But we only just got here.’

  Alexio forced himself to calm down and tried not to think about the fact that when he usually came to a club with a woman it was a very different experience. He was usually a lot more in control.

  Tightly he said, ‘If you don’t want to go we can stay...’

  ‘Why do you want to go?’ she asked, surprising him. Most women would have pouted or sidled up to him, trying to distract him, cajole him.

  ‘Because,’ he offered with brutal honesty, ‘I’m afraid if we don’t leave that I’ll get arrested for making love to you in front of an audience, and the last time I checked this wasn’t a sex club.’

  ‘Oh...’ Sidonie said, in a small voice barely audible above the music. She took a swift sip of her drink and then looked at him. She was all at once shy and confident—again that intriguing mix. ‘In that case maybe we should go...’

  Relief and anticipation swept through Alexio as he grabbed for her hand and led her out of the booth—this time back to the VIP exit.

  * * *

  The return journey to Alexio’s villa in the car was torturous. Sidonie was acutely aware of the thick sexual tension that enveloped them. Alexio had looked so...primal back at the club. She hadn’t had a chance of pretending everything was normal after that dance and after his bald declaration. She’d wanted them to be alone as badly as he had.

  Alexio looked at her now and lifted his arm for her to come close to his side. Sidonie didn’t hesitate. She slid her arms around his hard-muscled torso and rested her head on his chest. Alexio’s hand found the hole in the side of her dress and sneaked underneath, climbing up until he could cup her breast, his fingers pinching a nipple.

  Sidonie’s breath grew choppy. Between her legs she was embarrassingly wet.

  By the time they reached the garage and he stopped the car Sidonie had to peel herself off Alexio.

  He growled softly, ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

  Sidonie stopped and looked at him. He had that look again, and it sent tremors of excitement into her blood. ‘Inside?’ she said hopefully, already imagining the huge bed.

  Alexio shook his head and as he did so moved his seat back. ‘No time. I can’t wait. Take off your knickers.’

  Sidonie’s eyes went very big when she saw Alexio’s hands go to his belt. He started undoing it. They were going to do it here. Right now. Heat washed up through Sidonie and her hands shook with need as she did as she was bid, sliding her panties off and down her legs.

  When they hit the floor of the car Alexio reached for her and brought her over to straddle his lap. Sidonie’s heart was out of control as Alexio dragged her dress down to bare one creamy white breast, its nipple already hard and pouting flagrantly for his mouth and tongue.

  She groaned out loud when he surrounded it in sucking heat and clasped his head. Her hips were already grinding gently against his lap and the hard bulge she could feel there, still constrained by his trousers. Feeling frustration build, Sidonie reached down, lifting up slightly, and almost wept with relief when she could feel Alexio’s naked arousal pushing against her where she ached.

  When he thrust up and into her their mingled breaths were harsh in the quiet of the small space. Sidonie could feel the steering wheel digging into her back, the gearshift against her knee, but she didn’t care. Her body rose and fell against Alexio’s. They were both so turned on and ready that their mutual completion shattered around them in minutes. Sidonie could only sag against him afterwards, her mind a blissful blank of nothingness.

  * * *

  As dawn broke over the eastern side of the island and bathed the western edges in a pink glow Sidonie lay awake, w
ith her cheek resting on Alexio’s chest. Despite their frantic coupling in the car as soon as they’d got back, their hunger for one another hadn’t been dented.

  She knew he was awake too because she could feel the tension in his body. The master bedroom of the villa, despite its vast airiness, felt like a cocoon around them. Sidonie never wanted to leave this place, or this man. For a second she resented the inevitable intrusion of reality and responsibility—and then felt immediately guilty when she thought of Tante Josephine. Of course she couldn’t expect her aunt to deal with the debts incurred by her mother.

  Sighing deeply, Sidonie snuggled closer to Alexio, hating how a shiver went down her spine, as if someone had just walked over her grave.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Sidonie shook her head against him and whispered, ‘Nothing.’ Everything, she didn’t say.

  A question she’d wanted to ask him for days rose up within her and, longing for a diversion from her own thoughts, she lifted her head and rested her chin on her hand against his chest.

  He looked at her and she almost smiled at the wariness of him. As if she were some kind of unexploded device.

  ‘Can I ask you something?’

  A small smile played around that gorgeous sexy mouth. ‘Do I have a choice?’

  ‘Not really,’ Sidonie said cheerfully, and then, ‘Why did you turn your back on your inheritance to make your own way?’

  She’d asked him the question that first evening in his apartment but he’d deflected it easily. Now his face became inscrutable, and Sidonie prepared herself for another brush-off, but to her surprise his chest rose and fell in a deep sigh. As if he was giving in.

  He said carefully, ‘You do know that if I tell you I’ll have to kill you?’

  Sidonie nodded with mock seriousness. ‘I know. However, I feel like I’ve packed a lot into my twenty-three years, so I’m prepared to go if I have to.’