The Andreou Marriage Arrangement

by Helen Bianchin

  It was almost as if her whole body vibrated with the aftershock of sensation that was more than just sex.

  Dear heaven, she couldn’t even find the words to describe how she felt as she buried her mouth in the curve of his neck.

  She was barely aware of the soothing brush of his hand along her spine, or the touch of his fingers working a tactile massage at her nape.

  There was no sense of the passage of time…just the slowing of her ragged breathing as she became consumed by a sense of dreamy peace. Too emotionally spent to do more than close her eyes and drift easily to sleep.

  Loukas slid from the bed as the dawn lightened the sky, then showered; freshly shaven, he dressed in business attire and crossed to the bed and stood looking at his wife’s softened features.

  She slept curled to one side, a hand tucked beneath her cheek…rested, replete, her generous mouth slightly parted in the semblance of a smile.

  He felt his body stir, and he banked down the urge to take her mouth with his own.

  Except it wouldn’t stop there, and regrettably there wasn’t time. Cristos waited in the limousine to drive him into the city where he’d connect with Constantine, field a call from his mother, and attempt to vet the social activities Angelina had undoubtedly planned during his short visit.

  Beginning with this evening’s family dinner held in his parents’ home.

  Would Alesha recall he’d informed her of the invitation as she rested in his arms through the early morning hours?

  Possibly not. Rather than wake her, he’d leave a message with Hera, call between meetings, and issue Cristos with instructions to accompany her wherever she wanted to go.

  Alesha woke late, discovered she was alone, and gave a startled yelp as she checked the time.

  Nine? Half the morning gone…and where was Loukas?

  Then she remembered, and she shifted the bedcovers, took a shower, dressed in casual wear and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

  Hera relayed Loukas’ message, then she made fresh coffee and offered croissants, fresh figs, Greek-style yoghurt, and currant bread with honey.

  Alesha chose the figs and yoghurt, washed them down with coffee before taking a walk in the grounds.

  The day was warm, the air stirred by a slight breeze, and she admired the meticulously kept garden borders framing beds filled with floral blooms.

  Loukas’ mansion nestled against a hillside and offered a stunning panoramic view of the city reaching to the port of Piraeus.

  The place of her parents’ birth, where they had grown up and married before choosing to relocate in Sydney.

  There was a sense of timelessness, of an ancient age, often violent, as rulers fought for power and glory.

  She moved away, and heard the insistent ring of her cellphone as she paused to admire the swimming pool with its blue mosaic tiles, ornamental cupids at placed intervals spouting plumes of water.

  The sound of Loukas’ deep, slightly accented voice sent her pulse into a quickened beat.

  ‘A quick call to say I’ll be caught up all day and not in until around seven,’ he enlightened her. ‘We’re due at my parents’ home at eight.’

  ‘I’ll ensure I’m ready.’ She waited a beat. ‘Tough day?’

  ‘Nothing I can’t handle.’ He paused to speak to someone. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’

  An event Alesha prepared for with care, electing to wear classic black, killer heels, and subtle make-up with emphasis on her eyes. Hair—upswept or loose?

  ‘Loose,’ Loukas declared as he entered the bedroom and shrugged out of his suit jacket, then pulled his tie free.

  ‘You think?’

  He crossed to where she stood and framed her face, then kissed her. ‘Shame you’re already dressed. You could have shared my shower.’

  ‘Not enough time.’

  His eyes gleamed. ‘I could always ring ahead and say we’ll be delayed.’

  ‘But you won’t.’ A wicked smile curved the edges of her mouth. ‘Besides, I prefer a lover with a slow hand.’

  He trailed light fingers down her cheek. ‘You’ll keep.’

  Constantine and Angelina resided in the southern suburb of Voula, in a luxurious home located at the top of Panorama.

  Cristos deposited them at precisely eight, and no sooner did the limousine draw to a halt than the front door opened to reveal Loukas’ parents, who moved quickly down the wide steps to offer an affectionate greeting before ushering them into a spacious foyer where a vision in black stood poised at the base of an elegant staircase.

  Lexi, Loukas’ young sister, all grown up in her early twenties, tall, dark-haired, impeccably dressed…the antithesis of the defiant teenager Alesha remembered from five years ago.

  ‘Hi.’ Lexi hugged him. ‘You’ve given me the best gift of all…a sister.’ She turned towards Alesha. ‘Welcome.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Lexi offered quietly, ‘Thia Daria is waiting in the lounge to offer a formal greeting.’

  Constantine’s sister…a dour spinster, Alesha recalled, with an acerbic tongue, and wondered if perchance she’d mellowed a little since the last time they’d met.

  Not a smidgen, if the woman’s severe expression was any indication.

  ‘So,’ Daria began imperiously. ‘You are the pawn Dimitri offered to save his wretched soul.’

  Oh, my, this had all the portents of being a fun night.

  ‘Hardly his soul.’ She met the older woman’s steely gaze and held it. ‘He took that with him.’

  ‘I speak the truth.’

  ‘A truth I’m very aware of,’ Alesha offered calmly. ‘Did you imagine otherwise?’

  ‘Loukas is my godson. As the only male Andreou of his generation, I consider it is of vital importance he has taken a wife worthy of bearing his name.’

  ‘While I consider the importance lies with Loukas’ ability to share equal partnership in Karsouli.’

  Lexi clapped her hands lightly. ‘Well fielded.’

  Constantine indicated a collection of comfortable sofas. ‘Please, be seated. I’ll open the champagne.’

  ‘I prefer ouzo.’

  Naturally, Alesha conceded, Daria would take pleasure in being contrary. Was it a game? Maybe two could play…

  Over dinner, perhaps.

  A delicious meal prepared especially by Angelina, comprising several courses…tasty samples of various seafood dishes, followed by mouth-watering sweet honey and nut pastries and fresh fruit.

  It was during dessert that Daria made an announcement in the form of a statement…no one could possibly term it a suggestion, Alesha decided a trifle ruefully.

  ‘You have denied your family the pleasure of participating in your wedding. A ceremony will be repeated here in Athens. Tomorrow,’ she determined firmly, ‘we will shop.’

  ‘A reaffirmation of your marriage vows,’ Angelina declared with enthusiasm. ‘All that is required will be the documented proof the marriage has already taken place.’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘There will be guests…a party.’ She paused for a few seconds. ‘Afterwards you will take Alesha to the island for a few days,’ she concluded.

  Oh, my. The light touch of Loukas’ hand on her thigh caused her to look at him askance.

  ‘A charming idea.’ His eyes speared her own. ‘Alesha?’

  That was right…throw the ball into her court! Like she was going to refuse? ‘Charming,’ she agreed. In a moment of inspiration she turned towards Lexi. ‘I’d love it for you to be my attendant.’

  ‘Done,’ Loukas’ sister concurred with delight. ‘Which means I get to join in the shopping expedition.’

  ‘It will be my pleasure. My gift to you both.’ Constantine beamed as he sank back in his chair. ‘And now we shall adjourn to the lounge and Angelina will bring the coffee.’

  It was almost midnight when Loukas summoned Cristos and they took their leave.

  Alesha settled into the rear seat of the limousine as Loukas joined her, and she sat in reflective silence
as Cristos traversed the driveway.

  Loukas reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. ‘You managed very well.’

  His features appeared as shadowed angles in the evening’s darkness, illuminated by passing street-lighting and the beam of oncoming traffic.

  ‘Your aunt is a lioness.’

  ‘Yet beneath the surface lies the heart of a pussycat.’

  ‘You’re kidding me?’

  ‘You’re now part of the Andreou family. One Daria guards with her life. You will discover she is generous to a fault,’ he relayed quietly. ‘And very caring towards those who earn her trust.’

  ‘You could have warned me what to expect.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ Loukas conceded. ‘But would it have made any difference?’

  No. For how could she have disappointed his parents, Lexi…Daria, even, if she’d indicated a reaffirmation of her wedding vows was too much to ask?

  ‘So we get to do it…when?’

  ‘I imagine my mother and Daria already have the details in hand.’

  Alesha didn’t doubt it for a moment.

  Sleep didn’t come easily, and she sighed a little as Loukas drew her close and brushed his lips to her temple. ‘You want me to help you sleep?’

  ‘Depends what you have in mind,’ she managed in a voice husky with tiredness.

  ‘If I promise to do all the work?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  ‘I assume that’s a yes?’

  His light teasing held a sensuality that warmed her blood and sent it pulsing through her body. ‘What are you waiting for?’

  A faint chuckle emerged from his throat as he sought the softly beating pulse at the edge of her neck, savoured a little, then his lips trailed a path to her breast, suckled there, and moved low to create the sort of sensual havoc that demanded release…hers, by him.

  He gifted it to her, eventually, and caught her as she climaxed. Then he held her for what remained of the night, sleeping as she slept until dawn crept over the horizon and gave birth to a new day.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LOUKAS’ words ‘have fun’ echoed in Alesha’s mind as Cristos drove to Voula, collected Angelina, Daria and Lexi, and headed towards one of several elite shopping areas in the city where designerwear graced exclusive boutiques.

  Angelina and Daria quibbled and clicked their tongues as one gown after another was submitted for their approval…or not. Mostly it was not.

  ‘Don’t despair,’ Lexi encouraged quietly. ‘They both have excellent taste.’

  And no regard whatsoever to cost, Alesha perceived, and gave up figuring the exchange conversion.

  By comparison, it made shopping for the dress in Sydney with Lacey seem like a breeze.

  ‘Lunch,’ Daria announced. ‘After which Cristos will take us on a tour of the city until the shops reopen.’

  Although Alesha had explored some of the tourist sights with her parents during her last visit to Athens, it proved interesting to revisit familiar places and hear a different perspective of the history. Tales passed by word of mouth through the generations, doubtlessly distorted by the passage of time, but there was a sense of admiration that some of the buildings had been painstakingly assembled without benefit of machinery so long ago.

  To pass over ground trodden by an ancient civilization, where the blood of her ancestors had been spilt, and heretics were put to death.

  Modern roads, homes, industry now covered ground that had once been barren. If one possessed an overly vivid imagination, it was almost possible to hear the thunder of galloping horses, the roar of men as they went into battle, the clash of swords.

  A return to the city streets where some of the most famous shops were located ensured forays into a few, where recognition of the Andreou name resulted in almost obsequious attention.

  ‘Today we look, we compare,’ Angelina confided. ‘Anything of particular interest we request a twenty-four-hour reserved hold. Tomorrow we return and decide.’

  It was late when Cristos departed from the Andreou home in Voula and headed north to Kifissia.

  All Alesha had to show for the day was one glossy designer-emblazoned bag.

  She thanked Cristos when he deposited her outside the front door of Loukas’ home, greeted Hera on entering the foyer, then she ran lightly upstairs to their suite, toed off her shoes, undressed and ran a bath where she luxuriated in a leisurely scented soaking before emerging to dry off and don a towelling robe.

  Loukas entered the room as she caught the length of her hair and twisted it into a loose knot, which she fixed in place with a large clip.

  ‘Hi, you’re home,’ she offered as he crossed the room to her side. The mere sight of him, his presence, invaded her senses, and her insides felt in serious danger of melting into an ignominious puddle as he framed her face and took her mouth with his own in a lingering kiss.

  ‘You shared an enjoyable day?’

  Alesha rolled her eyes. ‘Do you have any idea how the female members of your family shop?’

  ‘That bad, huh?’

  ‘Don’t you dare laugh,’ she threatened.

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’ He rested light hands on her shoulders. ‘Which ache the most…feet or shoulders?’

  ‘Both,’ she said succinctly, and almost groaned as his fingers sought out the kinks and knots and began to ease them with an expertise for which she could only thank him.

  Heaven…he could have been a masseur in another life.

  ‘Should I ask how many purchases have been made?’

  ‘Shoes,’ she offered. ‘Even though I have a perfectly suitable pair of my own.’ She lifted a hand, then let it fall to her side. ‘Your mother has offered me her lace wedding veil.’

  ‘I believe it’s exquisite.’

  ‘I thought this would be simple.’

  ‘Shopping to my mother, Daria and Lexi is an art form,’ Loukas assured her solemnly. ‘And accorded due reverence.’

  ‘Tomorrow we take up where we left off.’ She turned slightly to look at him. ‘There’s no chance I can take a rain check and spend the day with you in the city office?’

  ‘It would be more than my life is worth.’

  ‘You’re kidding me? The powerful omnipotent Loukas Andreou bows down to the three women in his life?’

  ‘Four,’ he corrected with an amused smile. ‘You neglected to include yourself. And shopping, in this instance, is of the utmost importance.’

  ‘I shall think of ways to make you pay,’ she threatened with dire emphasis, and heard his husky laugh.

  ‘Sounds interesting.’

  ‘Is this second wedding, for want of a better word, scheduled to happen soon?’

  ‘Early next week, I believe.’

  ‘You mean, you don’t know for sure?’

  ‘Tuesday has been mentioned.’

  She could do this. The trick was to be more assertive and not allow the Andreou women to make all the decisions.

  ‘Is there any social engagement I should be aware of?’

  ‘A fundraiser on Saturday evening for a worthy charity Andreou has sponsored for a number of years.’

  Consequently attendance would be expected together with the gift of a sizable donation. Which meant an Andreou bride would garner considerable interest.

  But then, hadn’t Loukas also drawn attention as her husband at a similar charitable event Karsouli supported in Sydney?

  Wealthy tycoons were known to donate generously to worthy charitable causes. Most chose to give something back, with time and money for those genuinely in need. Committees organized events, provided entertainment and a three-course meal including alcoholic beverages…and charged accordingly.

  It gave the social elite an opportunity to select designer gowns, wear their jewellery, be seen and the chosen few to appear in the media social pages.

  ‘How was your day?’ She hadn’t thought to ask, and he removed his hands as she turned to face him.

  ‘Busy. Constantine is considering s
emi-retirement. It means reshuffling a few executive staff, selecting suitable replacements and aligning a technical infrastructure I can oversee from Sydney.’

  ‘And you’re okay with his decision?’ It would mean a heavier workload, possibly a reasonably regular commute between Sydney and Athens.

  Would she accompany him? Somehow the thought of remaining in Sydney alone didn’t hold much appeal. She’d miss his presence…sharing her bed, the pleasure of his touch through the night. Dammit…she’d feel as if a part of her were lost.

  For a moment she couldn’t think. Where had that come from? It meant she cared…when she’d silently sworn not to become emotionally involved.

  A hollow laugh rose and died in her throat.

  Sure, like that isn’t the joke of the year!

  ‘It’s inevitable, given he’s reached his early sixties.’

  For a moment she looked at him blankly, for she’d lost the thread of their conversation.

  She glimpsed the faint gleam in his dark eyes as he lifted a hand and traced light fingers down the vee of her robe, loosened the ties at her waist, then he shaped the slight weight of her breasts.

  ‘Beautiful,’ he complimented gently. He lowered his head and brushed his lips to each in turn, then he sought the faint scar beneath one sensitive peak, caressed it…and sensation speared through her body.

  ‘You’re wearing a new perfume.’

  ‘It’s soap,’ she managed in a slightly strangled voice, and felt his mouth curve into a smile. ‘Gardenia,’ she added and gasped as he lifted his head and took possession of her mouth.

  Magic, sheer magic, she registered dimly as she threaded her fingers through his hair and leant into the kiss, gifting as well as taking, absorbing everything he chose to give…and more.

  It wasn’t enough. She needed him, all of him, naked, skin on skin, his body fused with hers in a primitive mating, uniquely and exclusively theirs in a way there could never be another for either of them.

  Was that love?

  Lust, certainly. But surely love was a different entity, involving trust and fidelity.

  And she couldn’t love him…could she? Hadn’t she sworn never to let another man get beneath her skin and steal her heart?