by Pamela Ann
“Now you’re just being silly….” I blushed, feeling a little dizzy. “You can just say that you like it. There’s no need to go all crazy for compliments. There’s nothing I’d love more than you not being able to resist devouring me.” Beaming, I placed a soft kiss on his lips as I tried to push away the thought of what had happened earlier in the afternoon.
He made a sour face before pulling me against his chest. “I don’t like men lusting after what I have. The Greek in me takes over, and it always gets me in trouble. You’re mine, but other men don’t give a fly’s arse about that. I bet Brody didn’t care, either. Am I right, or am I right?”
“Well, that’s different. He’s in love with me,” I blurted out without thinking.
His eyes darkened. “Exactly. Rather hard to paw off stubborn men even though they know you’re fully taken and not to be shared.”
It would be nice if he let Claudine know that, too.
“Does the same sentiment apply to you, Dimi?”
“It does,” he replied with grimness. “Things will change from now on. I promise you that. I don’t want to cause any more heartache.”
Thank you, Jesus. He better push that bitch to the side, or I might start demanding things from him.
Without bothering to respond, I nodded at him. “Ready? What time’s the reservation?” I changed the subject, not wanting anyone to ruin our first night out in months.
Shaking his head, his eyes dropped to the low V of my dress, staring wildly at my showcased cleavage that were dusted with some illuminating powder. “Not yet. I’m not ready by a long shot.”
I knew that deep timber to his voice all too well, and we surely couldn’t afford to do what he was already imagining in his wicked head.
“You better not,” I warned him, patting his cheek a couple times before arching my brow at him. “We don’t have time for that. Besides, I worked too hard to look too hot to resist for you, so let me savor it all night. Please?”
“This is going to be torture. You better make it worth my while once I have you all to myself tonight, yineka mou. I’m warning you, this man won’t be gentle tonight, guaranteed.”
My passionate monster.
“I don’t expect you to,” I whispered into his ear before he wrapped his arms around me like gridlock.
“Mmm, I love coming home to you,” he sexily grumbled before I felt both of his hands cup my butt, giving it a tight squeeze. “This dress is fatal, ‘cause I already want to kill that tight cunt of yours.”
Too much sex talk, I helplessly thought.
“I might not forgive you if you ruin this outfit before I get to enjoy you suffering a little. You need a hefty dose of delayed gratification, Mr. Kosta.”
He made a deep, wicked laugh that went straight to my quivering pussy. “My, my … You really get me worked up, love. Okay. Let’s have it your way.” His wicked finger grazed the inner smoothness of my thighs, and his eyes widened when he found out I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. “Bloody Hell, let me fuck you even for a little bit. I won’t even come. I just want to feel your cunt grip me for a few seconds.”
“Delayed gratification, remember?” I snickered, patting his chest. “Now, why don’t you be a good boy? Go get ready to take this gorgeousness out to dinner so you can flaunt me a little. How about it, Torque?”
He released a defeated sigh. “On it, woman,” he uttered before giving my bottom a hard spanking. “Now, get this glorious arse that I have yet to visit downstairs and enjoy a glass of champagne while you wait for your Greek god. Because, if you stay in the bedroom with this raging cock of mine, I won’t be blamed for my Neanderthal side when it comes out. I will have you splayed wide open on that big bed we have, fucking you in deep, long strokes.”
Rolling my eyes, I darted out of there in a heartbeat, not wanting him to indulge in one of his wicked fantasies. Trust me, the guy had many. However, as much as I wanted to have some fun and games with role playing, I had meant it when I had said I wanted us to be seen in public. We both needed to appear united and very much together.
It wasn’t anything major, but it was a good start. It was a little step, yet as long as we were both progressing towards the same goal, the same destination, it should suffice.
Chapter 20
Lindsey
Almost an hour later, I was sitting across from him in a small, cozy restaurant that overlooked the beautiful sea. My eyes were busy gathering the rustic charm of the surroundings, while he was too caught up gazing at me, unable to get enough of taking me in with those fathomless eyes of his.
It was almost too overwhelming. Even the nice man, who clearly owned the place, made a comment that I was lucky to have a man who was crazy in love with me. After thanking him with a smile, I rolled my eyes as he left, making a joke out of it. “Crazy you might be, but crazy in love? That’s still out to be decided.”
“Your hair and that face of yours should be abolished. My cock hasn’t stopped throbbing since I saw you like this,” he said, as though he hadn’t heard me say a thing. His indecency could seriously take a backseat for the time being.
“Dimi!” I shushed him, throwing him a warning look. “We’re dining out. Please fucking behave!”
He was unfazed by my reaction. “Behave? You’re sitting across me, looking way better than dessert and donning no panties, and you ask for me to behave? You should’ve thought better than tease me this way. You know I become an animal when it comes to you, yineka mou.” His voice hadn’t toned downed, making me blush crimson.
“Shh, just shush it!” I was biting my lip, looking around, hoping no one had heard him. Even though we were secluded in a small area, one could never be too sure if someone was eavesdropping on our conversation. Most especially since the media seemed to have found out that I was back.
“I can still taste you on my lips.” As if to show me how much he hungered for me, he stuck out the tip of his tongue, licking his bottom lip as he pinned me with those glowy, tantalizing depths of his.
He was smoldering before me, and I had to shift in my seat because I was getting excited from the dark, sexy heat he radiated. My pussy started to seep out moisture, and with no underwear to speak of, it made it more sensitive and in dire need of assistance.
“How’s your pussy doing, love? A little wet, is it?”
Shaking my head, I cleared my throat, trying in earnest to control myself and the urges. “No, of course not. Don’t be absurd. We’re here for dinner, not sex.”
“You’re thinking it as much as me,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. You crave the feeling of me between your legs, taking over you, dominating you. You like it most especially when I fuck you good while adding a little sting of pain. That gets you really worked up, making your cunt really wet, begging for more.”
I focused my eyes on the small scented tea candle that was in a red Moroccan glass with gilded gold, trying my damnedest not to get swayed by the picture he had portrayed.
Needing to change subjects, I thought of other things that might deter him. “So, uh, how did your meeting go earlier?”
He seemed amused. “I see that you want to make this a little sweeter for me, so let’s play your game. Then we can play mine when I have you all to myself.”
“Are you going to always be this insatiable?” I blurted out of nowhere, carelessly wondering if it was what had led him to be in Claudine’s bed.
His mood immediately changed from teasing to serious in a second. “I’m a hot-blooded man, of course I am, but when it comes to you, I’m zealous to a point where I sometimes cannot control myself. I thought we’ve established that from the very start. Why are you so curious now, yineka mou?”
“It’s just …” I trailed off, finding it hard to say what I wanted to next.
“It’s just what?” he pressed on, looking too critical for my liking. “Did you happen to go on the internet and read all the fabricated stories that are written about me?” He shifted in his seat, as if ready
for open discussion. “If you have any lingering question, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m all yours.”
I wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or was truly being genuine about the whole “open for discussion” offer.
“I haven’t had the chance to go online,” I admitted truthfully. It was true. I hadn’t been on it since I had gotten there, but he didn’t have to know I had seen the paper at the airport in London.
He solemnly nodded, deep in thought, while I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I was too busy noting everything that was going on behind those eyes. He was clearly aggravated, as if he was dying to tell me, too. If I did, what happened then? What if things spiraled out of control? I meant for him to do it, but not anytime soon. When the right time came, we would be in much better shape than we were right then. Until that time, he had to go through the rigorous process of trying to appease my request of staying mum about the subject.
“I apologize if I sound a little too ungrateful for your love and affection,” he murmured, giving me a diffident look. “I just wish I had the power to make this all disappear. I’ve racked my brain, trying to remember something, but I always come out empty-handed. Do you know how confusing that is to me?”
“Maybe you had way too much alcohol and barely remember, like Carter?” It wasn’t truly enlightening, but I had to appear vague and clueless about what had happened. Though he was aware that I knew the woman in question was the French, clingy ex of his.
He merely shrugged, lost in thought before his phone rang. Sighing deeply, he told me it was his father asking if he could buy a failing company that was owned by the brother of one of his best friends. Apparently, it was such a hefty price that he had immediately turned down the offer.
After he excused himself to take the call, I looked out at the view, distracting myself as I wondered how long it would take for the food to come. Dimitris informed me that he had previously given him the menu he wanted, so it should take a while. The wine that was served a few minutes after we sat down was left untouched. Dimitris usually never went without alcohol during dinner; as a result, him skipping this one meant only one thing. He was leery of drinking after the scandal for some reason.
By the way he had sounded and described that night—what little he had told me before I stopped him—it was quite clear he was really confused by the whole ordeal, as if he couldn’t believe it, either. The questioning doubts could easily be seen in those eyes I knew so well. However, were those missing pieces really that relevant when it was blatantly obvious from the pictures what kind of activities they had just enjoyed?
My blood was still simmering a little from the nasty images that had popped into my mind when he came back from talking to his father. I was becoming a master of deceiving myself that things were going to be okay. Knowing quite well that Dimitris would pick up on my mood, and we would most likely have a serious conversation about it, I had best put my happy face on.
As he discussed his father and the rest of his clan, speaking about his cousin expecting their third child and how everyone was excited about it, I let myself become immersed in his world, forgetting mine for a while.
Our dinner turned out rather lovely once he and I chose to cover less tumultuous conversations. It was great to see us charter less highly charged territory and head into a friendlier one. It reminded me of our great days, island hopping as he showed me his beloved Greece and its beauty.
After our main course, consisting of lamb chops and veal, I was stuffed; however, he insisted we share dessert. Once the array of a dozen or so sweets came out from the kitchen, he unexpectedly proposed a toast.
“Here’s to you, my love—my everything. May you and I be blessed for in upcoming year with great joy and, hopefully, less drama than the current year has put us through. You’re the light of my life, and I cannot say enough how much you’ve inspired and motivated me to be become a better man. Your strength and unending persistence to stay with me amidst the chaos proves how much you love me. And I hope, someday, I’ll be worthy of it again. I love you, yineka mou. Nothing will ever change that. So, thank you for being here, for being the stubborn woman you are, for simply being a force of nature I couldn’t possibly tame. You truly fascinate me, and I’m honored to be the man standing next to you. I will cherish you forever. I am yours and you are mine, and it’ll remain that way for as long as I’m alive.”
After he raised his champagne flute, I followed suit and took a lengthy sip, feeling even more emotional than I had before we’d started dinner. It was as if, when the doubts started to arise, he immediately squashed them, one-way or another.
The remainder of the night was spent with his immediate family at Pappou’s villa. I had never known how it was to be in a loving family, and having Elias on my side, cherishing me as if I was already a part of his family, meant too much to me. I loved the feeling of having someone worry for me just because. It was touching to see that Maria and Yannis, Dimitris’s parents, had already warmed to me as if I was still their daughter-in-law. In their eyes, as Dimitris had told me before, I was still his wife because, even though we were divorced, our love continued on and was still going strong. Strength to strength, riding the most difficult of waves, remaining as a whole, a unit. The confirmation made me stirred me in ways I wasn’t used to.
Whatever indecisions and doubts I had before should be addressed, but before I opened up that can of worms with Dimi, I had one person to see. Only then could I ever wish to say that I could happily carry on with my life.
As for that evening, I wanted to enjoy the warmth of having a loving family. For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged with them. It was an alien feeling, yet it was one I welcomed with open arms. Gone were the ill feelings I had held beforehand along with the notion that someone was out to get me. I felt secure enough to start opening myself to let them all in and start living again.
It was such an amazing feeling that, when I got home with Dimi, I didn’t want the nonsensical, animalistic sex we both normally indulged in. I wanted to make love to him. For him to show me how much he loved me, showing and giving me a world we both thrived in.
The experience was raw and emotionally charged, making love to him as we kissed, as I silently wept with each stroke he thrust into my willing body. He made me his in every possible way. The intensity of my emotions and the tears made me feel bare and exposed like never before. The fright still remained in the background, but I let him into my heart and soul anyway.
Chapter 21
Lindsey
There comes a time in one’s life when we prepare for an encounter. What I did soon would pave how I conducted my future with Dimitris.
Getting Claudine’s address wasn’t difficult, since her home had been featured several times in gossip columns. The internet could be such a useful tool for a career in stalking. I was sure I would be a top-notch detective if life didn’t pan out the way I had planned it.
Convincing Dimitris’s people to hand me the keys to one of his beloved sports cars—the lethal red Ferrari Enzo, which was a prized baby he had acquired the previous year—wasn’t much of a hardship. Dimitris had taken it upon himself to bark out orders that I should be given whatever I wished for, and if someone defied that order, they would be immediately sacked. The older man polishing the cars, who vaguely mentioned that he was Thea’s brother, actually winked at me and made a joke out of it, saying the boss was wrapped around my pretty fingers while. I had laughed it off then, but deep down, my insides were twirling and doing perfect splits, thinking of just how much Dimitris thought of me and my needs.
I didn’t technically speed, since the powerful car was too formidable for my own taste, and this was coming from a woman who thrived on the highs of whatever form she could get. I loved fast cars, but this one felt like it would zoom into outer space if I stepped on the gas pedal too hard. I swear, it felt like it could be used to teleport or something. So, much to my utter dismay, I had to apply caution—a foreign word I
barely recognized.
Claudine’s residence wasn’t far from Dimitris’s home in another affluent area of Athens. I thought I was close to her home when my phone started shrilling, distracting me.
Upon seeing Dimi’s name flashing at me, I cursed, wondering what I should do next. If I chose not to take his call, he might have a team of his buff Greek god guards out to search for me. Reluctantly, I had to slow down and find the nearest curb to park so I could properly take his call without fearing for my life.
Silencing the engine, I took a long, shaky breath before taking his call.
“Hey,” I greeted, hoping I didn’t sound too suspicious.
“What have you been up to, yineka mou?” he murmured on the other end, making me scrunch my face before letting my thumb aimlessly feel the luxurious texture of the steering wheel.
“Nothing much … really. You know, exploring and stuff.” It wasn’t a full lie, was it? I perked myself up so he wouldn’t pick up on my odd behavior. “What’s up, babes?”
“Can you meet me in the office, say in forty minutes? Vassilis should be ready to drive you whenever you’re done getting ready.”
Now it was my turn to get suspicious.
“Is there something in particular you want to see me for?” My teeth were biting different parts of my bottom lip, trying not to worry about this sudden request, or maybe it was simply a coincidence that he had called me when I was on my way to confront the French bitch.
“There is, but I won’t disclose it until you get here.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip some more, his response not easing my doubts. “Well, then I suppose I have no other choice than to see you ‘cause, if you won’t tell me, I might just drive myself insane theorizing. You know me.”
He made a light chuckling sound. “Please come. It would be a shame if you decided not to. See you in less than an hour, yeah?”
