by Tee, Marian
"If I somehow misunderstood..." The billionaire's tone was stiff, and my confusion grew. It was my first time to hear him sound anything but flirtatious, and I had a feeling something did get lost in translation. "And you are truly not attracted to me..."
My mouth opened and closed. What was he saying? How did we get to this point?
"Then there is no need to make up lame excuses about it."
It took a few seconds for the meaning behind his words to sink in.
Oh my God.
I looked at him helplessly. "Dude..."
But unlike before, this didn't make him smile, and it just made me feel worse and better all at the same time. Un-effing-believable. Girls like me should be the one pining for and running after men like him...and not the other way around. How could he not know that?
"I can't believe you're making me say this," I began.
The billionaire's lip curled. "If it's going to be another lie---"
"But I'm attracted to you."
Ioniko's expression remained hard-jawed and inscrutable, and I didn't know whether to laugh or start looking around for hidden cameras. Because honestly? This whole situation felt more and more like I was being pranked for some gag show.
"I'm really attracted to you, okay? I mean, of course I would be. Duh. Do you think I'm made of stone? I swear to God, on my grandparents' graves, on your ancestors' graves...please say you get it now," I begged, "because this is getting really embarrassing?"
My last words seemed to have worked because Ioniko's rigid posture had noticeably relaxed, and I sighed in relief. "So you believe me now?"
"If you'd kiss me..." I shot him a look, and a crooked grin flashed over his lips. "You can't blame me for trying, koukla mou."
"I could and would under normal circumstances, but right now I'm just glad you're back to normal---" Ioniko suddenly started walking towards me, and my voice quickly took on a tone of alarm. "Wait!"
Ioniko stopped moving with visible reluctance.
"Nothing has changed. Let me just be clear---"
"Are you saying you lied about being attracted to me?" he demanded.
"No, of course not." I couldn't say the words fast enough since he was doing it again, acting and talking like my being attracted to him was a matter of crucial importance, and oh my God, but it was honestly getting harder and harder to keep my hold on reality. "What I mean is that my attraction to you has never been the issue. It's entirely expected that I'd be attracted to you, but you on the other hand..."
"You still don't believe I'm attracted to you."
His exasperated tone had my lips twitching. "I hate to break it up to you, dude---" This time, the term had his green eyes gleaming, and the adorable but distracting sight had my words trailing off as I forgot my train of thoughts. What was I about to say again...oh...right.
"I'm not the only one who's going to think your attraction to me makes little sense. It's going to be me and the whole world---"
"Then that only means one thing." His broad shoulders moved in a shrug so arrogantly dismissive only someone as rich as Croesus could get away with it, and guess what? Ioniko Vlahos was that, and his next words simply served additional proof of this.
"You and the rest of the world would be wrong."
Riiiiiiight. Only decades of living the most lavish of silver-spooned lifestyles could cultivate that kind of arrogance, and I had the craziest urge to laugh and cry. "Oh, Ioniko."
He frowned. "Tell me what I should say or do---"
"It's not that easy," I protested.
"But there must still be something," he cut me off, "that I can do to convince you---"
"Short of giving me a list of reasons to explain why you're attracted to me?" It was meant as a joke, but the glint in his eyes made me realize that he was taking me seriously. Shit. I quickly shook my head, but before I could even open my mouth he was already speaking.
"Your body's one of the first things that grabbed my attention."
My eyes flew open. "I..." I want you to tell me more. But I caught the words in time and stubbornly tightened my grip on reality even as a flush darkened my cheeks and a feverish heat started spreading throughout my body.
"Few women have curves like yours," Ioniko continued huskily. "Slender but full-breasted and with the kind of hips a man's hands were made to grip..." His voice had turned into a sexy rough rasp, and oh God, but the texture of that sound...it made me imagine that was exactly how his tongue would feel, the moment it stroked my flesh. "Your hourglass figure is every man's dream come true, koukla mou."
Oh God, the way he was looking at me now. Like he was dying to devour me, and it made me want to believe. Made me want to believe so badly that he really was attracted to me---
No, Mathers. Don't go there. Don't.
So I lifted my chin and told him, "I'll start dieting tomorrow then."
But of course, this only made him grin, and I found myself thinking in Yoda speak: arrogance personified, all billionaires apparently were.
And damn if it didn't make them all the hotter.
"Do you want to hear more?"
"No." Hell yes!
A moment later, I saw him smirk and I remembered too late that Ioniko Vlahos' perfection also included an uncanny ability to read minds. Or just mine at least. Shit.
"More often than not, I find that a woman's mouth only has one use, and it's not for talking---"
I couldn't help wincing. "Dude." What he just said was more asshole-y than arrogant.
"But you're different."
"Ha!" It took teeth-grinding effort not to let his words get to my head. "What you really mean is that I'm eccentric---"
"I'm saying you're one of the few women outside my family who doesn't bore me," he drawled.
"Or maybe you have low standards for dating, and the women you've dated so far have forgotten what their own personalities are---" I quickly raised my hand when I saw him start to speak. "But I got it. I'll get rid of my personality, and you'll stop being attracted to me."
"And here I thought the things I'm telling you are meant to prove I find you attractive."
"It is," I told him innocently. "So please go on. Any other lies, I mean, reasons---"
While he didn't actually roll his eyes, the look he gave me was explicit enough. I saw what you did there, the glint in his green eyes told me, and I couldn't help grinning in response. So you did. But is there anything you can do about it?
"I'm a coffee person."
Ioniko had spoken all of a sudden, and it had me scrambling for an appropriate response. "I...I think I'm going to start drinking tea."
"I often see you reading books, and I like it---"
"Actually, I'm just faking it."
"I believe you're not the type to spend endless hours taking selfies---"
"You won't think that once you see what's stored in my photo library."
"And then there's our chemistry---"
"We have one?"
"It's off the fucking charts, but I love how you keep fighting it---"
"Oh no. Why do I have a sudden urge to be clingy---" Wait. What did I just say?
"I'm glad to hear that, koukla mou." His hands claimed my waist as he spoke, and he had already hauled me close, my body plastered against his, by the time I realized what just happened.
"You tricked me!" And I was so glad - no, I mean, I was horrified. Horrified! Just plain horrified to feel how horribly hard...and horribly hot...and horribly seductive...
Green eyes glittered down at me, and my heart lurched at the sheer amount of heat in his gaze.
Oh God, I'm dead.
"I always get what I want, my Schuyler."
The sensual purr in his voice had my body trembling, and it took everything to resist the urge to melt against the devastating hardness of his body. "I'm not yours---"
"But you are."
"I'm not."
His eyes gleamed, and a moment later he purred, "You are."
Oh! I realized r
ight away what game he was playing, and I was impressed and terrified at the same time. Gaaaah. This man was really, really good, and not just at flirting. He was good with women, period.
I lifted my chin, intending to tell him that no matter what he did, I would never be...
Oh!
It hit me from out of the blue, and hundreds of images flashed in my mind, all of them featuring the twenty-plus male characters that Sara and I had brought to life...
There was no denying that the billionaire knew his way around women...but what I had forgotten was that I also knew my way around alphas, and maybe...just maybe I knew enough to level the playing field even?
Ioniko stiffened. "I don't think I like the look in your eyes."
"I'm not surprised."
His gaze narrowed. "Schuyler---"
"The reason why I don't want to let myself believe you're attracted to me is because I don't want to fall in love with you," I blurted out in a rush.
"I see." His gaze became veiled, which unfortunately was no surprise either.
"I'm betting you wouldn't want that either."
After a moment, he said evenly, "You would be right."
"Ouch, but expected, so that being said and with you knowing what you know now...if I ask you to forget you even know me, would you?"
"No."
"I thought so, too, which is why..." I took a deep breath. "I'd like to try going out with you---"
A blindingly gorgeous smile slashed over Ioniko's lips. "I'd like that, too---"
"And with other guys as well," I finished.
The smile abruptly disappeared. "Parakalo?"
"If it helps, you can date other women, too---"
"I only want you."
While the words made my heart skip a beat, the coldness of his tone also made me feel wary and uneasy. "I just think it's better this way---"
"I am not in the habit of sharing my woman with anyone else," he cut in icily.
I know, I wanted to say. It was the alpha in him, and it was exactly why I was using this approach to force him to back down.
"I do not appreciate being manipulated."
"You know it's not like that."
"You truly will not change your mind?"
"I can't."
"Then there is nothing left to say."
My fingers curled into fists as I watched Ioniko turn away. In moments, he was gone, and I told myself this was how it should be. It might hurt for now, but this was the right thing to do, and even if my foolishly romantic heart was insisting I should've given us a chance...
Nope.
Just nope, nope, nope.
* * *
I was back at Associate the next day, bright-eyed, smiling, and determined not to let a certain Greek billionaire keep me from enjoying one of my most favorite places in the world. Plus, unlike him, I hadn't billions of dollars to burn, and I had already paid for a year's use in advance. I couldn't afford to keep working at Starbucks when I had free coffee waiting for me---
"Well, hello there."
I had just gotten past the turnstile when Ioniko's baby sister greeted me, and while that wasn't anything out of the ordinary, the slyness in her tone definitely was, and I turned to her in a mixture of wariness and confusion. "Hi---" I stopped speaking when I saw the mischievous grin on her lips.
"Yup," she said cheerfully. "My brother told me just enough for me to realize you're the only woman in ages to have said no to him."
The only woman in ages?
Did that mean there had been another woman...
But I was quickly distracted from my thoughts as I heard Kat call out to her assistant. "Can you take over?"
"Sure thing."
And then Ioniko's sister was hooking her arm around mine and dragging me to the nearest table, saying, "You have got to tell me everything."
"I do?"
"Sit," she ordered with a gesture to one of the vacant chairs, and I found myself meekly obeying even though I was a good three years older than her.
A few moments later, and Kat was back with two steaming mugs of coffee, and I said awkwardly, "Thanks."
"Aww. You're shy," she cooed. "Is it because I might be your future sister-in-law?"
I sputtered on my coffee, heard the other woman choke and giggle, and when I looked up, it was to see Kat brushing a hand over the wet splotches of coffee spit on her blouse.
Oh my God, someone effing kill me now.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry---"
"It's fine," she reassured me with a laugh. "You're totally forgiven..." Her tone became mischievous once more. "As long as you fill me in on the rest."
Fifty minutes later, and Kat had successfully exploited my shame, and I had somehow ended up telling her everything that had happened so far between Ioniko and me. Strangely enough, she also seemed absolutely gleeful about the way I kept blowing her brother off, and when I was done talking, she told me right away, "You did the right thing, and now..." A devious expression crossed her lovely face. "Let me take care of the rest..."
"But there's nothing---" To take care of, I ended silently. But there was no point talking out loud since Kat had already given me a little wave and was now walking away.
"I'll be right back," she tossed over her shoulder.
The naughty wink that had accompanied her words was a little worrying, but I forced myself to cast all thoughts of it aside and start thinking about more important things like work. Since Sara and I had decided to launch the next batch of side stories in three weeks' time, this meant I had roughly a week to finish my part of the project.
It took a while to find my groove, but when I did, I typed page after page and only stopped when my stomach sounded growling. I headed to the pantry and was in the processs of draining a cup of noodles in the sink when Ioniko's sister suddenly popped out from nowhere, and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
"Found you!"
"Gaaaah." I quickly righted my hold, with the plastic cup nearly slipping out of my fingers. "You almost cost me my lunch!"
"Forget about lunch and tell me what you think of this guy."
"Kat!" I half-laughed, half-yelped as she practically shoved her phone in my face.
"Oh, sorry, too close?"
"Even for someone half-blind, yeah." I flicked a glance at her phone, which indeed showed some guy's photo. "What is this about?"
"I'm just trying to figure out your taste in guys."
"But---"
"And then I'm going to make my brother jealous."
"Kat!" I nearly lost hold of my noodle cup for the second time.
"It's going to be fine, don't worry," she said reassuringly. "You only have to tell me if the guy is cute or not. That's all."
I shook my head. "I really don't think..."
"Please?"
Kat's puppy-eyed look proved impossible to resist, and I said with a sigh, "Fine."
"Great." She showed me the photo again. "So this guy, cute or not?"
My brows furrowed. "He looks weirdly familiar."
"But is he cute?"
"I guess."
Kat fished her phone out of my hand, and I started on my noodles as I watched her swipe and click on her phone. When she also seemed to take a screenshot, I asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Curating."
"Oh." What did that even mean?
She gave me her phone back, and on it was a photo of another guy. "How about this one?"
"Nope."
Type. Swipe. Screenshot.
"How about this?"
"Nope."
Type. Swipe. Screenshot.
"This?"
I frowned. "That guy looks familiar, too."
"Really?"
"Or maybe not." It wasn't like I had any old male friends to forget. My high school was exclusive for girls, and Sara was the only one I had hung out with in college.
"Is he cute though?" Kat insisted on asking.
"I guess." I was starting to feel bothered about the
whole thing, and I couldn't help feeling relieved when after about twenty more photos, Kat's assistant had politely butted in to remind Kat about calls she had to make and force her boss back to work.
Safe at last, I thought with a sigh as I returned to my desk. I knew I was being stupid, but just thinking about whether another guy was cute or not made me feel like I was being unfaithful---
Stupid is right, Mathers, I scolded myself, so stop thinking that way.
"Hello, Schuyler."
I glanced up in surprise. The man who had addressed me by my name looked as if he came straight out of a Jane Austen novel, with his longish black hair and aristocratic features...and oh my God.
My jaw dropped.
It was Guy #1 from Kat's series of photos, and no wonder he looked so awfully familiar. I finally remembered occasionally catching a glimpse of him around Associate, and usually it was when both of us happened to be browsing the latest titles Kat had added to Associate's shelves.
"Um..." I could only watch dumbly as he folded his length into the chair on my left. This guy had his own dedicated desk, so what was he doing here---
"Schulyer?"
I jerked in my seat. What in the world was happening? I had been a member of Associate for fourteen months, and in all that time I had never been approached by a stranger here. As far as I knew, only Kat and Wyatt---
A shadow fell over me, and it was like suddenly finding myself falling into a rabbithole when I saw who it was taking the other vacant seat next to me.
While his harshly refined features made him seem like the real-life inspiration for tsundere, eyeglass-wearing bishounen of Japanese comics, it was the fact that he was Guy #4 from those photos Kat had shown that made my jaw drop for the second time. And...and...oh, no wonder this guy looked familiar as well! Whenever I failed to nab the last cup of instant cheese ramen from the pantry vendo, it was usually because this man had gotten to it first.
There had to be some mistake, I thought right away. Something like this had never happened to me before, and my misgivings grew when I belatedly noticed the way the other women in the room were all looking at me, and suffice to say, it wasn't because they wanted to make friends.
Shit, shit, shit.
I cleared my throat. "I think there's been some kind of mistake." And whatever it was, I really didn't care. Right now, all I knew was that the sooner I got the hell away from these attention magnets, the better, too.