by T. C. Clark
“No, I’m turning into a bitch because I’m insecure with you and this isn’t working,” she said mostly to herself. She stood as dread filled her. She knew… she just knew that they weren’t going to make it, no matter what she said they wanted different things. At that moment she felt helpless and alone. So alone.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom, I need some space. I’ll be back in time for your speech,” she said absently.
“You belong to me Ada,” he said concerned about the sudden lack of emotion on her face. Ada was never one for icing someone out. She preferred outright confrontation; he didn’t know what to make of her sudden silence.
“Yeah but you never belonged to me.”
She walked to the bathroom in a fog of pain. It hurt to see clearly that their relationship would not survive. She felt someone walking right behind her, so close it felt like they would step on her dress. She moved to the side and then looked up when whoever it was stopped directly behind her.
Leslie Callis’s heart sped up as the beautiful woman looked up. She understood now why Nikos was dragging his feet about announcing his engagement publicly with his daughter. She was a gorgeous woman who drew eyes as she ran across the room in her golden dress.
“I’m sorry to bother you but I think you should know something about Nikos. My name is Leslie Callis and my daughter Dabria is Nikos long-standing fiancée. In our country, the men are allowed freedom for a certain period of time and I believe… me and my husband believe the time for him to honor his agreement has come.”
She delivered her speech with compassionate eyes because she could tell from the young woman’s expression that she didn’t know about the engagement. Fear, sadness, and anger came and went on Ada’s face.
Her eyes reflected a certain kind of horror that only women scorned understood. They pooled with tears as she digested the information. Thinking back she’d always wondered about why they’d never traveled to Greece together. She’d met his brothers here in Chicago but he’d always made excuses when he had to travel back to Athens. But still, something in her rebelled against it, the betrayal… the hurt.
“That’s impossible… he wouldn’t do that to me, he wouldn’t hurt me like that,” she whispered. Nikos was heading their way, his eyes full of warning but she ignored him and focused on the woman in front of her.
Hesitantly Leslie pulled out a small cut out of an article that had circulated in Athens just a few weeks ago and handed it to her. Ada read the article quickly the tears in her eyes falling onto her cheeks. She knew enough Greek to understand what she was looking at.
“Ada…” Nikos began shooting Leslie a furious look. He reached out for her but she backed up.
“Just tell me it isn’t true.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” he said only to be interrupted by her. Her expression so cold, so devoid of emotion that it shocked him.
“Yes or no Nikos. I don’t want you to tell me why. I just need to know, are you engaged to this woman?” She asked her face remained cold but her eyes pleaded with him to deny it as she pointed to the pretty picture on the paper.
“Yes, but…” he began only to stop as his name sounded through the center’s speaker system.
“I can explain this Ada, let me finish my speech and I will tell you everything,” he pleaded surprised at the depth of the desperation rising in his chest.
“Go Nikos I can’t even look at you right now,” she whispered keeping her eyes on the floor. She focused on not loosing her shit and embarrassing herself publicly.
He looked at her and hesitated. There was something final about this moment and that was something he couldn’t except. He’d made a mistake in not telling her about Dabria but he’d known in his heart if she’d known the truth their relationship would never have made it.
“You belong to me, Ada. I am the man you love, give me some time to explain and I can make it better.”
He turned to Leslie Callis with rage in his eyes. “I would appreciate it if you left and tell your husband to expect a call from me, I will not have you interfering in my life again.”
He turned and walked back to the stage his body stiff with regret. He had to fix this damage soon. He was not done with Ada, he wasn’t sure he ever would be. Once he got to the podium, he shook hands with the coordinator and began his speech. He could only watch as his woman wiped the tears from her eyes, gathered her things, and fled from the room.
He also saw the man from earlier stand and go after her. It took all of his self-control to keep from running to stop him. He had to do his speech for the charity. He would fix this he vowed to himself as they disappeared from his sight.
* * *
Ada barely made it to the door. She stopped when she felt a hand on her back for a moment she thought it was Nikos and reared back to slap him. When she recognized Luca through her haze of tears, she pulled back.
“I can’t… I can’t talk right now Luca. I need to get home. I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?” he asked his voice reflecting his concern. She looked like she was in shock.
“No, I’m not,” she said simply.
“I’ll give you my limo, Rico will take you wherever you want to go,” he said quietly texting his driver as he spoke.
“I can’t take your car.”
“Oh, you can and you will. I will be fine. In case you didn’t know I’m rich,” he said smiling to lift the mood. He hated how defeated Ada looked; it was as if the world had ceased to spin for her.
“Why are you helping me? You don’t know me and people in this world…” she said pointing to the rest of the room, “They aren’t nice just to be nice.”
“You remind me of someone I once cared a lot about. I let that person down. I don’t want anything from you in return for any help I offer. Please know that.” He held out his card for her to take. This one with his cell written on it.
“Thank you,” she said quietly knowing there was nothing else she could say in this situation. She really did need the ride. She got into the car and forced herself to calm down. It didn’t take long for them to arrive back at the penthouse; she stopped when the driver refused to leave.
“I’ll be fine now. I can figure it out from here,” she said to the older man who was still hovering discreetly.
“I was instructed to act as your driver for the rest of the night and I am sure you will need me again,” he replied patiently.
“No, I don’t want to interrupt you or Luca’s night. I got myself into this, I will get myself out.”
“Listen I have a daughter about your age and I would hope someone would step in for her if she needed it. Don’t worry about upsetting our schedule, trust me Luca is a big boy and he can take care of himself. Let us help you out tonight. He is an honorable man. He would only send me if he thought I would be needed here,” he answered firmly. He then got back in the car unwrapped a small brown paper bag of food and cut on the radio.
Ada thought about arguing but knew she needed to get out of here as soon as possible. Nikos was her weakness; she couldn’t afford to talk with him tonight. She disgustingly knew that he had the magic touch when it came to her. She needed space and time to analyze how she’d gotten herself into this shit.
She moved quickly grabbing only the most important things. She was lucky she lived so minimally, it made this brutal process quick. When she was done and almost out the door, the tears came. Thick, ugly, gut-wrenching tears. She let the pain of everything she’d lost tonight consume her.
It took her a while to pull herself together. She wrote a small note for Nikos, telling him it was over and she wouldn’t be back anytime soon. She couldn’t walk out without having that small bit of closure.
She took one last look at her past and closed the door with grief in her heart.
* * *
Nikos left the event directly after his speech. For the first time in a long time, he was afraid. All the way home he thought about wh
at he would say to fix this situation. He’d seen it in Ada’s eyes, the beginning of the end.
He would have to use everything he had to convince her to stay with him. He had to tell her the truth about Dabria now; they wouldn’t survive another confrontation like the last one. When he got home and walked through the door, his adrenaline spiked hard.
The penthouse was empty; Ada had clearly come and gone since they last spoke. He could understand her need for space right now. She was probably at Eden’s, this could work for him. He could call Dabria and set up a meeting.
He’d almost convinced himself that everything would be okay when he noticed her part of the closet. His breath left his chest when he searched through the rest of the house and found a lot of her things gone.
When he got to the kitchen, he stopped cold. He saw the small note with Ada’s words scrawled across it. He skimmed it and was comforted by the rage that replaced the fear. She’d told him so many times of her love. He’d actually started to believe her and yet the evidence proved otherwise.
Only one other woman had ever mattered to him and she’d also betrayed him by disappearing into the night. Did she think was love? If this was the other way around, he would be in her face demanding answers.
In the back of his mind, he knew his reaction to this was too extreme. But he couldn’t make his brain realize it. He could only see her leaving as an act of betrayal.
How could you love someone and then leave them so quickly? He felt a curious numbness seep through him as he realized the power he’d given her over him. He knew whatever barrier he thought was in place to protect him was never real.
The pain he felt now was soul destroying. If she felt even a little of what he did, there was no way she would have run without a fight. He sat down on the chair and crumpled the note with a massive fist and tried to control the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
He would get her back where she belonged and this time they would do things on his terms. He would control every aspect of their relationship by using the explosive attraction to tighten his hold on her. She may detest the word mistress, but she would have to get comfortable with the term.
She may not love him the way she claimed, but he’d seen the pain in her eyes. He could use that and this time he would make sure that the power he’d so carelessly given her would remain with him and that he would never again feel this all-encompassing gut-wrenching pain.
* * *
One month later….
Nikos walked into the room and threw his suitcase in the corner blatantly ignoring Julian sitting on his couch. His younger brother eyed him with worry; it had been 30 days since Ada went missing. They knew she was safe, she’d sent word telling them so, but that had not stopped his brother from losing his shit daily.
Personally Julian thought this was Nikos fault. They’d all assumed Ada knew about Dabria and was comfortable being with Nikos without the trappings of marriage. His brother’s intense reaction to her leaving left all of them worried. They had elected him to look after Nikos for now because he was between fights.
Nikos was a man who’d been forged in fire. It was his pure will that had got all of them through the rough times of their childhood. During that time he’d changed, they’d all noticed it. The coldness growing in him, but they’d accepted it because of all that he’d sacrificed for them in the past.
But Ada brought out the softer side of him, turning their stone cold brother into a hot-blooded man. In those moments that man laughed and joked as he had done once before when he was young and because of that they’d accepted her into their family as surely as if she was his wife.
They’d never imagined how quickly he’d revert back to his old self once she was no longer in it and to be honest seeing his brother like this made their relationship seem like a mistake.
“Why are you here Julian?” Nikos barked. He pulled out the expensive crystal decanter and poured a shot of aged scotch and downed it quickly. It was another dead end today when Ada decided to disappear; she’d done an excellent job.
He had two world-class detectives working around the clock trying to locate her. He honestly didn’t know what he would do when he found her; he had a driving need to do so.
She had twisted his mind inside out with her disappearing act. He could still smell her in every room; feel her presence in every area of the house. He wanted to wring her neck for hurting him like this… if she thought he’d just let her walk off into the sunset she had another thing coming.
“We are worried for you brother,” Julian said his hawk-like eyes following his every move.
His youngest brother was dressed in fitted blue jeans and a short sleeve v-neck white shirt. His muscles on full display. He must have come straight here after his fight in Vegas. He was the reigning MMA heavyweight champion at FFC. He looked concerned which only pissed Nikos off more.
“Take your worry somewhere else Julian I’m fine. She’s just one woman… one of many in the world,” he said dismissively.
“Lie to yourself all you want. I know she was more than just one of many to you. We just want you to come back home. Maybe the good Greek air will lift your spirits or a not so good Greek girl can lift something else… either way, I can’t leave you here alone.”
“I’m fine,” he said absently pulling out his laptop and opening his research folder. He’d spent the last month researching Rossi IT; he needed something to destroy to relieve some of the pressure building in his chest.
“Do you think seeing her again will help you out of this funk?” Julian said walking to stand in front of his desk. Nikos examined his younger brother and for a moment he allowed himself a brief proud smile, all of his sacrifices had been worth it… all the brothers had grown into strong, financially independent men. He’d always been more of a father to all of them and was satisfied with how well they turned out. He shook his head to clear it; he needed to focus on the task at hand.
“I don’t know, but I have to find her,” he answered absently once again stomped by the numbers in front of him. Luca Rossi was a great businessman he admitted begrudgingly. He was sure Luca was helping her; according to his investigators, she’d only made contact with the Italian and Eden.
Nikos’s couldn’t threaten Eden she was a sweet woman who’d been through enough in her short lifetime. He was also pretty sure she wouldn’t willingly give him any information. So he focused his energy on Luca. He’d assigned a group of managers to test and manage any weaknesses found in his company. He was close to having him too. In fact if his deal went through with the Germans he would have the power he needed to hurt Rossi Technology.
“Okay if I tell you where she is can you promise me that whatever happens next… this will be the end of it?” Julian said quietly.
Nikos looked up at him with cold eyes. In a matter of seconds he was out of the chair and in his face. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was too upset and that he needed to control his reaction.
“You know where she is and you are just getting around to telling me,” he snapped standing annoyingly close to his brother. Nikos was taller but Julian was bigger due to his strict training regime for his job. He also was no longer afraid of his big brother, he respected him but he wasn’t going to back down.
“No Nikos, I wouldn’t have kept that from you even though you’re acting crazy right now. I know where she is going to be this weekend and I’m willing to tell you and if you can promise me, you can keep your shit together.”
Niko hated his loss of temper in front of his brother but he could not control his emotions when it came to this woman. She did this to him, had shown him paradise and taken it away. It was time to teach her a lesson. He thought about Dabria and how she owed him this.
An evil smile formed on his lips. She wouldn’t stand a chance against him. There was a reason she’d run instead of facing him, he’d wager his entire fortune that she was just as miserable as he was. He wouldn’t take her again until she begged
for it and this time she would be aware of the fiancé waiting in the background.
Julian didn’t like the look on his brother’s face but it was better than the desperate rage that had been there before. He prayed that Ada was ready for him; because he had a feeling he’d just invited a hungry monster to dinner with an innocent lamb.
Three
I can't make you love me...
Ada paced back and forth ignoring the indulgent smile on Luca’s face. She knew coming to this event was a mistake. She had said so in California, again on the plane, and now she was almost chanting it in their small suite in France. She knew she couldn’t hide forever.
After Leslie Callis’s bombshell, she’d left Nikos and never looked back. She’d turned up on Eden’s doorstep with only the items in her hands and pain in her heart. Her best friend had taken good care of her standing up to Nikos and keeping her out of his sight. Although she had cried at least two years worth of tears with the help of Luca and Eden she had quietly put her life back together as best she could.
She now had a small apartment in downtown Chicago and was working part-time with the sexy Italian she’d met the night her world had come crashing down.
She looked at Luca who watched her every movement with serious eyes. He had helped to convince her not to cancel, telling her that hiding from Nikos wouldn’t work. They had the same friends and moved in the same circles.
“Something tells me I shouldn’t have come here,” she said more to herself.
“This is necessary,” Luca said taking another sip from his lukewarm scotch. “You can’t go on hiding from the man forever. It’s time for you to confront him and you know that.”
“The only reason I’m here is because of the promise I made to Ashley to help out for the weekend, long before all of this happened. If it wasn’t for that, I would take the coward’s way out,” she whispered hating the butterflies filling her belly.
