by Pamela Ann
“Why? It shouldn’t matter to you, or should it, Lindsey? Having a change of heart, omorfia mou?” My beautiful. “On top of that, my parents can’t know about this, not yet.”
Not in this lifetime. “No, thanks,” I responded, referring to his question about me changing my mind. I gave him a mocking, extra sweet smile. “So you’re keeping me as a secret for one week?”
Looking unaffected, he moved closer, testing me. “Not necessarily, but I don’t want my parents to learn about everything until the divorce is final.”
He was so close that I could see the thick, long curl of his ebony lashes. “Let me get this straight. You want me to fly out with you and your girlfriend in the same plane, share the same car, stay in the same place, like one little happy family?” Claudine was going to share his room, his bed, while I was across the hall? It ought to have been a joke.
I wanted to divorce the man, but I never said I wasn’t attracted to him. Knowing that he was bedding his girlfriend a few doors down would push my evil twin—my crazy, bitchy side—to come out and play.
“Claudine will be staying at my parents’ villa. They want to get to know her better. You’ll be staying with me and my grandfather will see you on a daily basis.” He pressed against me, smelling my neck, making me ache from within. “You smell the same.”
I was biting my lip, not wanting to answer him. Even though I wanted to move, my legs were rooted to the floor. “What should I say to your grandfather?” I asked, breathless, when I felt the bottom of his lip graze on my skin.
His hand reached behind my back, fingertips stroking my exposed skin. “I don’t know. He tells me that he wants to talk to you and that you need to convince him that our divorce is the only answer.”
This was the kind of sensual foreplay that I didn’t know how to stop. It was like he wanted to take a bite—a sample—but knew he shouldn’t. I, on the other hand, was getting wet. I wanted to taste him. It was wrong to want him, but I wanted one more taste before I let him go completely. No matter how much I wanted to, though, Dimitris was with Claudine. Best I knew that, however that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little bit of fun with this sexual dance we were participating in. “Why me? Why can’t you do that? He’s your grandfather, after all.”
I let out a moan when he kissed the base of my neck, almost nipping. What came next caught me off guard. “Because he needs to know that I wasn’t the one who walked away from it. My grandfather wants to know your reasons. I don’t know. You can ask him that yourself.”
When he shifted and took his heat off my flushed body, I was distraught at the withdrawal, almost pleading to have it back. “I see,” was all I could manage because my body was taking over my life right now and I needed to find a way to control it.
Eyes not leaving my body, he spoke harshly. “If there was another choice, I would’ve taken that instead of asking this of you. You’ll be back to your boyfriend in no time.”
Welcome back, Lindsey. You’ve landed on planet fuckery.
Chapter 4
At the crack of dawn, I was delivered to the private airstrip by the hired car Dimitris had sent for me.
Apparently, I was the last one to arrive. Rigidly, I climbed up the steel steps of Dimitris’s jet, noting that it was not the same one he had used last year—the one he’d used to take me places around Europe when he had felt like it.
There were two Greek, female flight attendants that greeted me when I got inside. Due to my strained circumstances, I barely gave them a glance and a tight smile before heading inside the cabin. I could see Dimitris was sitting on the left side, smiling at something a woman—who could only be Claudia—across from him was saying.
They stopped their nice, cozy discussion when I went past them without acknowledging either of them. The seats next to them were empty so I opted to head all the way to the back, where another set of cream seats sat facing each other, and took the one that kept my back to them. There were two long cream loungers on each side with just enough space and distance to tune the couple out.
I wasn’t expecting Dimitris to get up and formally greet me, especially after the way we’d parted last night, but he did so anyway. “Good morning, Lindsey. Do you need something to make you comfortable? We’ll be leaving in less than five minutes,” he said politely, which irritated me nonetheless.
“I’m okay, thanks,” I murmured, giving him a quick glance and a sour face.
I couldn’t even release a sigh when he finally left my “area.” Yes, it was mine for the whole duration of this blasted flight. If I was to endure the next fifteen hours—give or take—before we get to Athens, I was going to make myself at home and get as comfortable as possible.
An hour later, I was relieved when one of the nice attendants placed a tray full of snacks and refreshments on my table before handing me the pass code for the Internet connection.
Pulling my laptop out, I went on Facebook, trying to check if any of my friends were online. I needed someone to keep me company and the thought of having my friends more accessible made me somewhat less nervous.
Okay, none of them really knew what the hell was going on, except Emma, of course. I wasn’t ready to divulge such a sensitive subject just yet. I had to make up some elaborate lie about Emma’s make-up artist, Ants—who I became good friends with—inviting me to Europe for this photo shoot he was doing. In truth, Ants did have a photo shoot in the south of France, so it was basically half a lie, somewhat.
Checking my inbox, I found one message from Trista. Borrowed your basket weave red soles, sweetie! Thanks in advance. Love you!
My closet was going to get ransacked by my three housemates—best friends, evil sisters from a different vagina. Smiling, I was typing my reply when I heard the dynamic duo get up and seem to be walking towards my end. They became silent when they went past me, heading straight to a door that was located at the very end.
The bedroom, of course. How could I forget that Dimitris liked to have a bed on the plane? We practically spent most of our “air-time” on it. Were they going to have sex while I was close by? Where I could easily hear any banging going on? Fucking hell. They better not or I would be forced to knock some sense into the both of them.
After half an hour, neither surfaced from the room. As the time ticked away, I threw more glances at the damned door. Sighing, I closed my laptop, took off my designer ballet-flats and fixed myself a nice sleep nook with the other soft-cushioned cream leather seat next to me.
I had white leggings on and a white, loose top that had some artsy design on it, but had a braided, exposed, T-shaped back that stopped a little over halfway. It wasn’t necessarily daring, but I wanted to push other people’s uptight buttons. Say the jerks that haven’t left the bedroom yet.
Since last night, I hadn’t slept and was practically borderline hallucinating. Therefore, I pulled out my special blankie that my nanny, Esmeralda, made for me. Ever since she had left, I never slept without it. It was the only thing that gave me comfort.
I needed its security more than anything today.
~L~
When I opened my eyes some time later, I was surprised—no, I was flabbergasted—to find Dimitris sitting across from me, pretty much waiting on me to wake up.
“I should add the word ‘creep’ to your list. What the hell do you want?”
“Always bitchy, aren’t you? Don’t you ever get tired?” he asked, folding his legs with his arms on the armrest, fingers linked together, looking at me with amusement.
“Go to hell!” I spat at him, needing him to scram back to where he came from.
He snickered. “I’m already in it.” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone before directing a loaded question to me. “Care to join me, wife?”
What did that question really mean? I wondered, fazed yet curious. “I’m not your wife.”
That made him somewhat formidable. “We consummated the marriage, didn’t we? If I recall correctly, you rode me three times that day and—
”
“That’s enough!” I hissed at him, throwing my blankie at his taunting face. No, we weren’t going back down memory lane. Not when he probably did the nasty in that bedroom with his girlfriend, leaving her sated and passed out before he came out here to torture me.
“What? Can’t take the truth that you couldn’t get enough of me? Sex was, after all, what you wanted all along.” He gave me a wicked smile before smelling my blanket. “You always were attached to this thing. I found it cute and endearing that someone so catty and feisty twenty-four-seven couldn’t sleep without her special blanket.”
I licked my lips, not taking my eyes off him, mesmerized at the sight of him smelling my blankie. His eyes flickered to my groin when I pressed my legs together, my body reacting to him like it always did.
“Getting wet, ómorfi gynaíka mou?” His voice was deep and husky, an octave lower than its usual register.
Instead of denying the obvious to the man who knew my body inside out, I handed out my hand, trying to take my blankie back. “Give it back, please.”
“Come and get it.”
“It’s not funny. Give it back to me.”
Dimitris was playing the devil, unyielding. “I wasn’t aiming to be funny.”
Getting up, I yanked my blankie out of his death grip to no avail. The second time I yanked, he pulled me with the use of his arm and I found myself sitting on his lap. A sharp gasp came out of me when I felt his hardness poking my butt cheek. His eyes—the magnetic blues—up this close always were my downfall. My body involuntarily gave a pleasured shudder, making me even more aroused. “Dimitris,” I moaned when a finger slowly traced my chin, down to the valley of my breasts. Shit, no! I silently chided myself. I was fighting a delirious battle with my body, but goodness…his pulling power, his dark beauty and his masterly skill of casting a spell over me, was entrancing me to become a libidinous woman, his for the taking.
“Do you want me to touch you?” he rasped out, his voice utterly sexy. I was ready to combust on his lap.
“Yes.” I was shameless. I knew I was divorcing him, but damn, I couldn’t deny this sexual pull he had over me and my body was more than ready to be his. I want to be possessed by this man, one more time before I said goodbye to him. Once, it’s all I asked.
“Where?” he asked, his thumb circling my nipple over my shirt. “Here?” I nodded, arching my back when his thumb reached the cleft of my groin, thumb rubbing against my covered mound. “Or here? Which is it?”
“Everywhere. Anywhere.” I let out a moan when his thumb pushed against my folds, rubbing frantically. I wanted his fingers on me, not over my clothes. “Touch me,” I pleaded, not caring if his girlfriend was asleep inside the bedroom.
“I don’t think your boyfriend will appreciate that, wouldn’t you agree?” He murmured in my ear, hot and playful.
What a conniving bastard! As if I was doused with a bucket full of iced water, I came out of my sexual trance, jumping off his lap to seek my own seat.
“I’m just looking out for that lover of yours. He seems to be in love with you. I wish him all the luck.” Dimitris got up, his hardened state blatantly evident from the rise of his trousers. “Sleep well, my beautiful wife.” Dimitris walked away with my blankie in his hand before he strode inside the confines of the bedroom, joining his girlfriend.
Chapter 5
Unfortunately, when dinner was served, Dimitris adamantly urged me to join them. I wanted to punch his balls. I wanted to claw his eyes out and stomp on his dick, just so he would know how furious I was with him, however the attendants were around the area and I wouldn’t dare lose my bearings right in front of the girlfriend; hell to the no. So, I had to control my irrational reactions.
Past caring about any kind of decency, I followed Dimitris, barefoot and disheveled, to join them for dinner. Claudine, the French, beautiful woman, had a smile on while holding out her perfectly manicured hand to me. “Nice of you to join us, Lindsey.” When I didn’t take her hand, she withdrew it, acting as if my rejection hadn’t happened.
Dimitris almost pushed me to move, making me slide into his vacated seat before he sat next to me. “Excuse Lindsey’s dour mood; I did warn you about her attitude, Mon Ange.” My Angel.
Fucker. I hated him. His angel? Are you kidding me! That’s it! I’ve had enough crap for the day. I decided to ignore them the whole time I munched on whatever my hands could get. If Claudine directed me a question, I ignored her like a choleric child, moody and ill tempered.
After my silent dinner, I headed straight to sleep. The exhaustion and stress of being around Dimitris as well as his Mon Ange were driving me insane. I kept asking myself why the hell I should be jealous, but I didn’t have an answer other than “just because”.
~L~
A quick stop to refuel in London and four hours later, we arrived in the smoldering heat of Athens.
Claudine was ahead of us as we deplaned, speaking vivaciously in French before Dimitris stepped closer to inform me about his plans. “You’ll be dropped off at my villa first because I have to take Claudine to my parents’ home before joining you.”
He had a villa? “Villa? What happened to your building?”
“It’s still there,” he answered curtly, ready to walk ahead of me.
My curious nature had to know the reason. “Why would you buy a villa then, if you have your home?”
He looked like he was thinking about my question. It took him about a minute to reply, “Because I don’t go there any longer. Out with the old, in with the new; isn’t that how the saying goes?”
Why did I get the feeling that he was referring to Claudine and me? Ass. I merely gave him a piercing look before he strode to the awaiting car and briefly spoke to a man who was dressed in a business suit, possibly someone who worked for his father. There were two awaiting limos at the tarmac; both had the chauffer standing next to the opened door. Claudine took the first one, still attached to her phone, barely giving the driver a glance.
I was at least happy with the fact that I wouldn’t be riding with them. Almost reaching the other limo, assuming that it was meant for me, Dimitris caught up with my strides. “There’s dinner prepared at my parents’ villa tonight. My grandfather insisted to bring you there. Will you be ready in two hours? I know you must be jet-lagged, but he’s very persistent.”
Damn, I would barely have the chance to gather my thoughts and get my crap together before I had to face his family. God knows what awaited me. I had heard scary stories about Greek families placing their sons above all, so my apprehension could be a little biased, though. “Am I allowed to say no?” I asked, still looking ahead and giving the best smile I could muster to the driver who smiled back nervously before peeking a frightened look at Dimitris.
I slid inside the cool confines of the limo and was surprised when Dimitris spoke to the driver quickly before joining me inside the car and shutting the door with him.
“Aren’t you riding with her?” I asked, snidely.
“I am, but you and I need to talk.” He looked at me darkly with his jaw locked together, losing his cool. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t smile so invitingly towards any of my male employees. We haven’t officially divorced so you’re Mrs. Kosta in my home country. I expect you to act with decorum and not flirt your way around men here.” He held up his finger, stopping me from biting his head off. “I know how you work; you’re a flirt. We both know that, but you’re carrying my name here. You can’t simply act like Lindsey Mason. You have to be Lindsey Kosta. I’m hoping this doesn’t leak to the media, but if it does, I don’t want any news about you being reckless while you were in my country.”
“Dimitris!”
“Seven days, Lindsey. One week. It’s not that much to ask,” he grounded out like the voice of reason.
“Fine. I can’t flirt with any man under your payroll. Got it. What else?” I snapped, glaring at him while at the same time wanting to get lost in his eyes. Mad woman. Why, yes,
I certainly was one.
“Yes. Wear a damn bra!” he shot out before opening the car door and leaving me more enraged than I already had been.
Like I care! Just because we’re in his country, didn’t mean he had become my rhyme or reason. I wasn’t going to bend over and let a man give me orders about what I wore or couldn’t wear. Didn’t he know me already? I wasn’t to be trifled with because I would do the total opposite.
His villa sat atop a hill with a breathtaking view of the magnificent Acropolis far ahead. It had a massive pool and a beautiful garden with all sorts of roses of different colors. The blossoms’ intoxicating fragrance added to the setting. Dimitris’s home was grand and beautiful. I stood there, appreciating everything, but couldn’t help thinking that he probably had chosen this home for Claudine, or maybe they chose it together.
Thea, the sweet, aged woman who told me she had been Dimitris’s nanny since he was a baby, greeted me kindly, but there was something about the way she looked at me that made me uneasy, like she was measuring me up or something. Knowing Dimitris told me that it was only his grandfather that knew about our marriage, I found it odd for Thea to be acting this way. Maybe she liked Claudine and thought I was usurping her? By the way she spoke about Dimitris, or Kýrios to them—the master of the house. It didn’t take much to know that she was simply in awe of him.
“Kýrios told me to put you in this bedroom. His is right over there, the last one to the right.” Thea pointed out kindly, her accent made me warm to her. She reminded me of those ladies that ran the taverna’s along the shores of Aspasia during my summer here last year. They were amazing and loving women.
The room overlooked the garden and I was delighted for the thoughtfulness of Dimitris. Though he may hate me, he still remembered how much I liked the smell of flowers.
“Someone will be here shortly to bring you your things, along with some refreshments.” Thea bid me goodbye then, while I stood there, feeling at a loss.
