Ries’ vision clouded, and he headed for the elevator. The housekeeper was in the front room and he stopped and talked to her.
“Please see that Stephanie’s bags are unpacked and her clothing returned to the closet and dresser. Remove her suitcases and other bags and see that they are taken down to the storage closet for safe keeping.”
“Miss Stephanie wishes to leave us?” the housekeeper inquired quietly.
“No, there was a misunderstanding. It’s not safe for her to leave the apartment. She’s taking a bath, please see that my orders are carried out before she is finished.”
“Very well. I will go do that right now.”
“Fine. I’m going out and won’t be in for dinner. See that Stephanie eats.”
The housekeeper nodded and Ries shoved his feet back into his shoes before getting onto the elevator, ignoring Chris’s puzzled look as the doors closed and headed to the ground floor.
“Want to talk about it?” Chris asked quietly.
“No. Make sure the other guards lock the elevator out once we leave. I don’t put anything past her right now.”
“Doesn’t she understand the danger she’s in?” Chris asked.
Ries shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think she cares.”
She’s gotten Damon’s attention now, and she’s made her choice.
Damon wins again.
Chapter 18
Stephanie filled the jetted bathtub with water, fury coming off of her in waves at how controlling and obstinate Ries was. He gave her orders as if she was the hired help and expected her to simply curtsy and obey him.
She was surer now than ever that Ries didn’t love her or even have true feelings for her, he just wanted to control her like a puppet master pulling the strings. That she was another one of his women he could snap his fingers at, and they bent over backwards to do his bidding. He was messing with the wrong girl!
She climbed into the bathtub, hissing at the heat of the water, but also liking the small bite of pain as it went perfectly with her current frame of mind. She was more certain now than ever that Ries would lose interest in her after the threat to their lives passed, and she would find herself out on the streets.
She’d most likely already lost her job and her apartment, and she would be starting over just like the day she arrived in Greece. But this time she’d be doing it with a broken heart.
“You need to find a way to leave him,” she murmured to herself as she sank down further into the water.
The thought tugged at her heartstrings – but not as much as the thought of Ries turning away from her, cold, and telling her to go back to where she came from.
“It’s not like he’s been including you in anything,” she murmured to herself, gaining resolve. “He doesn’t tell you about the investigation, or whether the authorities have been able to find Angelo moving around the city. You delivered your information – and now your job is done.
“And what was with the questions about his brother? It was as if he thought I was sneaking around with Damon…oh, my God. That’s probably exactly what he thinks. He can’t stand the thought that I might find his brother more attractive. He’s jealous of his own brother.”
Stephanie finished her bath, filling the tub several times with hot water and letting the heat soak through her before she finally decided to get out. She took her time in the bathroom, rubbing lotion into her skin and then brushing out her hair.
She was dreading another confrontation with Ries, but she refused to let him have his way any longer.
She opened the door to the bedroom. Her blood boiled when she realized someone, probably the housekeeper, had emptied her suitcases and replaced her clothing in the closet and dresser. She furiously reached under the bed for the suitcase, but it wasn’t there. It wasn’t in the closet either, neither were the other bags she’d brought with her.
She sank down onto the bed, realizing that Ries was making it impossible for her to leave with more than the clothes on her back. Even now, she wasn’t quite stupid or desperate enough to leave with no bag and no money.
She dressed after slowly, slowly calming down. She’d stay another night, and maybe tomorrow things would look better.
She entered the living space and spied the housekeeper giving her cautious looks.
“It’s okay, Carmella. I know Mr. Kafatos asked you to unpack my bags.”
“Mr. Kafatos wants the best for you. He told me to make sure you ate dinner tonight. Come, it is ready.”
“Where is Mr. Kafatos?”
“He left with Mr. Chris.”
Stephanie sighed, partially relieved that she wouldn’t have to tolerate another of his tirades. But also, sad that it had come to this between them. She wouldn’t have minded a candlelight dinner with Ries. The old Ries.
She’d really thought he might be someone she could have a relationship with. A happily ever after. She’d been so wrong. He was just another rich tourist who would do whatever he wanted at her expense.
The next few days weren’t any better. Instead of leaving the apartment each morning, Ries had started staying in – all day long. Ries was short-tempered with her, even more so now that he knew she’d spoken to his brother.
He was suspicious and angry with her over the smallest things, and Stephanie became convinced that he saw her as chattel – one more servant who was supposed to do what he said.
He continued to dictate to her, growing increasingly angry when she refused to do his bidding. He wanted to control her, but Stephanie could see no reason to give him that power. He may have thought he was helping, but he was treating her like a child.
It was clear that her time with Ries needed to end. Whether she liked it or not.
*****
On the fourth day after he’d found her packing her bags, Ries left the apartment right after breakfast and returned in the early afternoon. Stephanie had been sitting in the living room all morning, but he’d completely ignored her presence.
She couldn’t live like this any longer, and she’d resolved to leave Ries, no matter how much he tried to fight her on it.
He headed down the hallway and entered his bedroom. She followed him, walking in just as he was shutting the bathroom door and she called out to him, “Ries, can we talk?”
He opened the bathroom door and met her eyes warily, “What is it?”
“I can’t keep doing this,” she told him, wishing there wasn’t so much distance between them. They’d been so good together, if only they could get back to that place…
“I know this has been hard on you,” Ries’ eyes were as hard as ever. “But I just want to see you safe,” he hesitated, then opened the door and took a step toward her. When he was close enough to touch her, he gently brushed her hair off her cheek and searching her eyes, he drew her against his chest.
Stephanie let herself be held, slowly relaxing her muscles as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She closed her eyes. She’d missed this part of their relationship and had yearned to get back there somehow.
But what if it was all an act?
Ries ran his hands up and down her back, his thumbs finding the pressure points that were tight in her shoulders and slowly working them free. “You’re really tense. Lie down and let me rub your back.”
Stephanie pulled back and gave him a curious look. “You want to rub my back?”
“I’ve been told I give a mean massage,” he told her, and Stephanie tried not to let jealousy ruin this moment by wondering who had told him that.
She turned toward the bed, but before she could lie down, Ries stopped her and quickly pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. She was still processing that when he unhooked her bra and then pushed her onto the comforter.
Stephanie did so, keeping her bra in place until she was lying down, and then slipped the straps over her shoulders and let Ries take it from her fingers. Her shorts had a drawstring in the front, and Ries reached beneath her, untied them, and skimmed the
m off her legs, leaving her clad in nothing but the skimpy thong underwear she’d donned that morning.
He skimmed his hands up the back of her leg and asked, “Are you cold?”
She shook her head, turning and watching him as he reached into the bedside table and retrieved a bottle of oil. He poured some into his hands and then rubbed them together before placing both palms in the middle of her back. He used just the right amount of pressure to have her moaning in delight as the tension fled and her muscles turned into jelly.
He paid attention to every inch of her back, her legs, her feet, even her butt. When he murmured for her to turn over so that he could do her front, Stephanie was so relaxed that she did so without a care for her nakedness. At some point during his massage of her butt, her thong had disappeared, but Stephanie couldn’t have told you when.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered as he put a kiss on each eyelid to make sure she complied. “Keep them closed and just feel.”
Stephanie did so. Her senses heightened and her skin felt like a live wire had been attached to it as he used his palms and fingernails.
He rubbed her shoulders, her collar bones, and then each arm in turn, paying special attention to her palms. He then moved to her feet and worked his way back up, avoiding her erogenous zones and driving her crazy with need for him to put his hands on her breasts or between her legs.
She could feel him next to her thigh, but each time she squirmed or opened her eyes, he simply removed his hands and waited for her to hold still and close them once more. Then he continued his massage, almost chastely – driving her into a deeper state of arousal.
Stephanie was going out of her mind and when he finally placed both palms over her breasts, she could only arch up into his touch and clasp his hands to keep them in place, should he think to remove them again.
“Ries,” she whimpered. She opened her eyes, bowled over by the look of lust burning in his eyes. “I need you.”
“And you shall have me,” he told her. He bent his lips to her skin then, mapping each and every erogenous zone, some she didn’t even know she had. When he reached the apex of her thighs and moved them apart to make room for his hands, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to the beautiful feelings he was creating.
“Stephanie, open your eyes. I want to see you when you fall apart for me.”
She complied with his request, watching him as he pleasured her, her breathing coming between her lips as she raced toward the pleasure that was just…out of …reach.
“Let go. I’ve got you,” he whispered, changing the angle of his fingers and touching that spot that was guaranteed to send her over.
She groaned his name as her orgasm rocked through her, barely able to register when he made room for himself between her thighs and quickly slipped a condom on.
She’d been impressed from the beginning that Ries had never forgotten to protect her in this way, and now she raised her knees, locking her ankles behind his back as he slowly slid into her until he was fully seated in her warmth.
He began to move, linking their hands together and raising them above her head as his hips shuttled his cock deep inside of her. She tried to move her hands down, but he only pressed them against the pillow and changed the angle of his thrusts, quickly pushing her back toward another orgasm.
Stephanie couldn’t deny the pleasure they gave one another. She arched against him, going over once more while he continued his slow and easy movements inside of her.
Once her shaking subsided, he released her hands, grabbed her thighs and pulled them up higher on his hips and then leaned forward, warning her, “Hang on tight.”
He began to pound into her then, touching her womb with each thrust and then withdrawing almost all the way before thrusting back inside once more. Stephanie lost count of how many times he moved within her before he stayed there, tossed his head back and yelled her name as his body shuddered.
She watched his face, shocked when he reached between them and started moving once more, demanding that she come with him one last time. Stephanie didn’t believe it was possible, but Ries proved her wrong.
They finally collapsed against one another in a tangle of trembling arms and legs, the sweat drying on their bodies.
At some point, Ries removed the condom and left the bed. The sound of the shower turning on woke Stephanie up and she sat up, stretching and feeling the delightful burn of muscles well used.
She slipped her legs over the side of the mattress, intending to join him in the shower, but an envelope lying on the dresser caught her attention. She hadn’t seen him bring it in, but it was tantalizing. A clue. Evidence? There were no markings on the front, and the flap was merely tucked in, not glued.
Her curiosity got the best of her and she eyed the bathroom door, debating the wisdom of snooping. When Ries was like this, she didn’t want to leave him – or upset him in any way.
When she heard Ries close the shower door, she wrapped a sheet around herself, picked up the envelope, and opened it up. Inside were several pictures of Angelo – the art thief she’d seen in the bar and followed, and the man who was committed to killing Ries and his brothers. She knew that Ries believed he was also intent on killing her now as well.
The pictures showed Angelo in several places around the town, many of which she recognized. Stephanie was enraged. It seemed they were following this man around, instead of arresting him and letting her and everyone else get back to their normal lives.
The shower turned off and moments later Ries exited the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, and surprise on his face when he saw her standing in his room with the pictures in her hands.
“When were you going to tell me you’d found the assassin?” she demanded, her voice shaking with anger. The emotions surrounding the recent lovemaking only made his betrayal hurt more.
“That information was on a need-to-know basis, and I didn’t feel you needed to know.” Ries didn’t even try to sugarcoat his reasons, only making her more irate.
“How can you say that? The whole reason I came to you was because I wanted to see this man arrested for stealing the art. Why hasn’t he been arrested?”
“The art smuggling ring? That’s what you think this is all about? This guy Angelo is a well-known assassin and currently has accepted a contract to kill me. He isn’t the real problem – whoever hired him is. We need to find them.
“I thought that was the reason you came to me. I didn’t realize protecting some priceless art was more important than my life.”
Stephanie shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. “That’s not what I meant. You’re twisting my words around.” She searched the floor near the bed, spying her clothing and quickly picking it up. She needed to get away from him.
“You know what, Stephanie. Maybe you should leave this city if you can’t trust that I am handling this in the best way possible. He wouldn’t follow you far. Not when I’m his primary target.”
“Well it’s not like you’re letting me help,” she tossed back at him angrily. “I used to be part of this investigation. Now I’m – nothing! A prisoner.”
Ries’ eyebrows went up. “And that’s not going to change. I won’t have you putting yourself in harm’s way again.”
Stephanie stomped her foot in frustration and threw the pictures down on the dresser. “Fine. As if I care.” She stormed toward the doorway, holding her clothing and the sheet in front of her like a shield. She held back tears of disappointment and betrayal, refusing to let them fall where he could see.
Not that he’d care, but still…
She paused at the doorway, giving him one last look, more committed than ever to leave Ries.
He didn’t need or want her help. She wasn’t sure what sex with him a short while ago had meant, but in her book, it was goodbye. He didn’t want her help?
Fine. She’d give him what he wanted.
Chapter 19
“I’m leaving. Please don
’t try and stop me.” Stephanie’s words struck fear in his heart, overshadowed by his anger at her distrust and lack of faith in him.
“That would not be advisable.” He told her quietly.
“I really don’t care what you would advise. What? Are you going to keep me here against my will? Because that’s the only way I’m staying. I’d like to think you respect me more than that.”
Ries looked at her, terrified for what might happen to her once she left his circle of protection, but also knowing he couldn’t and wouldn’t keep her prisoner. Because he did respect her. And in a way, he understood her.
Why can’t we both have what we want? Why can’t she be safe and useful, at the same time?
He stared her down, but this time she didn’t back down. He thought about trying to convince her to stay, but the militant look in her eyes, brimming with tears she was trying so valiantly to hold back, kept him silent.
He said nothing and moved back, gesturing toward the open doorway and looking away as she walked through it.
His heart broke as she vanished. He had thought that, maybe, she might be the one.
The urge to follow her, to plead with her, overcame him. Maybe if he showed a little humility, she would stay. Maybe she would understand.
He dressed quickly, but by the time he reached the elevator, she was already on it and headed for the ground floor. Chris appeared moments later, listening to one of the other security guards in his earpiece.
“Did you tell Stephanie she could leave the building by herself? She arrived downstairs moments ago, her shoes in her hands and a sheet on the floor of the elevator,” Chris asked him with an incredulous look on his face.
“She’s welcome to do whatever she likes.” The words wrenched themselves from his lips. “I can’t stop her.” He shook his head. “Let her go.”
“Ries. You said…”
“Let. Her. Go.”
Chris spoke quietly into his earpiece and Ries shook his head forlornly. He walked into the living room where he flopped down on the couch to wait. All of her belongings were still in the bedroom – so she couldn’t really mean to leave forever.
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