by Sara Craven
But I’m not. And somehow I have to find my way through this, and keep my own integrity in the process. And lying here with my eyes shut isn’t going to change a thing.
She sat up slowly, pushing her still-damp hair back from her face with a slight shiver.
Meanwhile she had a job to do tomorrow, and preparations to make for that. Normal life was there to be got on with, even if the safe wall she’d thought she’d built around herself had suddenly come crashing down.
She trailed back into the living room, and switched on her hair-drier, staring unseeingly into space as she dealt with the tangled red waves, restoring them to some kind of order.
As, in the fullness of time, she would restore her life. Find a new calm—a new security.
There had never been any safety with Mick, of course. He’d appeared on her horizon like some great dark planet, and she’d been the moon drawn helplessly into his orbit. And by the time she’d realised the danger she was in, it was already too late.
But from the first time she’d seen him, she’d been in too deep, out of her depth and sinking.
As the drier hummed, Kate let her tired mind drift back over the months to where it had all begun…
‘Oh, come on, Katie, don’t let me down. It’ll be a laugh.’ Lisa’s tone was cajoling. ‘After all, when do we get a chance to get inside a hotel like the Zycos Regina? Don’t you want to see how the other half live? Besides, I really need you to make up the foursome.’
Kate bit her lip. It had been a long season on the Greek island of Zycos, and, although on the whole she’d enjoyed being a tour rep for Halcyon Club Travel, she felt bone-weary now that it was over.
All she wanted to do that evening was complete her packing for the following day’s flight, have a hot shower, and an early night. But Lisa, the fellow rep with whom she’d shared a small apartment all summer, wanted a night on the town.
She said cautiously, ‘Who did you say was going?’
‘His name’s Stavros,’ Lisa said. ‘And he’s the disc jockey at the Nite Spot down on the waterfront.’
‘Oh,’ Kate said. ‘That place.’
Lisa tossed her head. ‘You’re such a snob,’ she accused.
Kate sighed. ‘Not at all. It just hasn’t got a very good reputation, and you know it. It’s always being raided.’
‘Well, we’re not taking clients there,’ Lisa said. ‘And Stavros just plays the music. He’s gorgeous.’ She rolled her eyes lasciviously. ‘The other guy’s his cousin Dimitris from Athens.’
Kate began, ‘I don’t think…’ but Lisa cut across her.
‘Oh, come on, Katie. Let your hair down for once. It’s an evening out, not a lifetime commitment, for God’s sake. And we’ll be out of here tomorrow.’
Well that was true, Kate acknowledged. It was just one evening, and she could always invent a diplomatic headache if things got heavy.
Besides, if she was honest, she’d always had a sneaking curiosity about the Zycos Regina, the largest but also most exclusive hotel on the island, and set in its own private grounds well away from the lively coastal resorts favoured by the majority of tourists.
She knew that it was part of a chain of equally prestigious hotels dotted round the Mediterranean, their standards of luxury and service putting them out of the reach of the package tour market.
It might be fun, she thought, not just to see how the other half lived, but join them too for a brief while.
She smiled at Lisa. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘You talked me into it.’
She chose carefully from her limited wardrobe that evening, opting for a black linen shift, knee-length, sleeveless and discreetly square necked. Lisa, blonde and bubbly, favoured the outrageous look out of uniform, and would be wearing something skimpy and cut-off, but Kate felt that restraint was her best bet.
For that reason, she twisted her hair into its usual tidy pleat instead of leaving it loose on her shoulders, as she’d originally intended. And she applied just a modicum of makeup, darkening her long lashes, and applying a light coral glow to her mouth.
She slipped on a pair of strappy sandals, then stood back to view herself in the mirror.
The evening was warm and still, but she suddenly found herself shivering as if a small chill wind had penetrated the shutters of her room.
And heard a warning voice in her head say quietly, ‘Be careful.’
Oh, for God’s sake, she thought impatiently as she turned towards the door. What can possibly happen in such a public—and eminently high-class—place?
Stavros, she disliked on sight. His coarse good looks might attract Lisa, but held no appeal for her. He looked her up and down smilingly, and she felt as if she’d been touched by a finger dipped in slime.
And Dimitris, with his flashy clothes and abundance of gold jewellery, set her teeth on edge too. As did the way he looked at her, as if he was mentally stripping her.
Oh, well, she thought with a mental shrug. The evening won’t last forever. It will just seem like it.
The club at the Zycos Regina impressed her immediately with its understated elegance, and subdued lighting. The clientele, mostly couples expensively dressed, were seated at tables set round an oval dance floor, and, on a corner dais, a quartet was playing soft dance music interspersed with interesting jazz.
‘It’s not very lively,’ Lisa complained loudly, twisting round in her chair to survey the other patrons. ‘If they’re all so rich, why aren’t they happier?’
Kate, uncomfortably aware of raised eyebrows and disapproving glances from adjoining tables, winced as she took a sip from the lurid cocktail that had been served to them all by an impassive waiter, and thought how much she’d have preferred a glass of wine.
It embarrassed her to see Dimitris flourishing a wallet full of notes, and clearly believing an extravagant tip allowed him to treat the staff like dirt.
It crucified her too to see Stavros stroking Lisa’s exposed skin with a proprietorial hand and leering into her cleavage, then finding Dimitris leaning towards her, murmuring throatily with a suggestive smile, and reaching for her hand.
Deliberately, Kate edged her own chair away, feeling as if she’d woken to find herself in the middle of her worst nightmare.
We don’t belong here she thought, with a sigh, as she began to plan her own strategic withdrawal. And we’d better leave before they ask us to go.
She wasn’t sure of the moment when she knew she was being watched, but she felt the impact of the glance like a hand on her shoulder.
She drank some more of the unpleasant cocktail, then risked a swift look round, wondering resignedly if the management had already been summoned.
It was a corner table, set slightly apart from the others, and occupied by three men.
And the man watching her sat in the middle. In his early thirties, he was clearly younger than the other two, and, equally obviously, he was the one in control.
Even that first lightning assessment told her that he was good-looking, although not classically handsome. The dark face was strong, the lines of nose and jaw arrogantly marked. But more than that he exuded power, a charismatic force that could reach across a crowded room and touch its object like the caress of a hand.
She knew she should look away, but it was already too late. For an electrifying moment their eyes met, and locked, and Kate felt her breathing quicken and her throat tighten in an odd excitement.
But there was no warmth in his gaze. His expression was cool and watchful, his brows drawn together in a slight frown, as if something had displeased him.
And no prizes for guessing what that was, Kate thought, as she turned back to her companions, her face hot with embarrassed colour.
‘Who’s that?’ Lisa had noticed the direction of her gaze, and was staring herself with open interest. ‘Do you know him?’ She giggled. ‘Have you been holding out on me, Katie?’
‘Not in the least,’ Kate said crisply. ‘Nor do I want to know him. I think he feels we�
�re lowering the tone of the establishment.’
The fact that she thought exactly the same herself seemed paradoxically to increase her resentment.
‘But I know him.’ Stavros leaned forward, eyes gleaming. ‘That is Michalis Theodakis. His father owns the whole Regina chain of hotels, and a great deal more, but the son now runs the company.’
Kate’s brows lifted. ‘Really?’ she asked sceptically. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘He visits all the hotels,’ Stavros explained. ‘Checking them at random.’
‘So who are the guys with him?’ Lisa questioned.
‘Who knows?’ His minders probably.’ His tone was envious. ‘He is already a multi-millionaire in his own right, but he will be even richer when he gets control of all the Theodakis holdings. If he ever does,’ he added, grinning. ‘They say he and his father have quarrelled and Aristotle Theodakis would do anything to prevent him stepping into his shoes.’
He sent Kate a sly glance. ‘Do you want him, kougla mou? Many women do, and not just for his money. He is quite a stud. You would have to stand in a long line, I think.’
‘Don’t be absurd,’ Kate said coldly, aware that her flush had deepened. ‘And do keep your voice down. I think he’s planning to have us thrown out.’
That icy considering look had thrown her badly. He had seen her companions and judged her accordingly, so naturally she was honour bound to prove to him that his low opinion of her was entirely justified.
Teeth gritted, she reached for her drink, only to find the whole nasty concoction cascading down the front of her dress as her arm was jogged by a passing waiter.
She gasped and jumped up, shaking her skirt. Stavros and Dimitris were on their feet too, shouting angrily and gesticulating at the waiter, who was apologising abjectly and proffering a clean napkin.
‘I’d better go to the powder room,’ Kate interrupted, embarrassed at the attention the accident was attracting.
She turned, and cannoned into a tall figure standing behind her. As his hands grasped her arms to steady her, she realised it was Michael Theodakis.
‘Allow me to make amends for the clumsiness of my staff, thespinis.’ He spoke excellent English, she thought, with just a trace of an accent which, allied to his low-pitched drawl, some women would undoubtedly find sexy. ‘If you will come with me, my housekeeper will attend to your dress.’
‘There’s really no need.’ She freed herself, and took a small step backwards, her face warming. Because, close to, he was formidably attractive—over six feet in height, broad shouldered and lean-hipped. And prudence suggested she should keep her distance.
‘But I think there is.’ Somehow, he had repossessed her hand, and was leading her between the tables towards the exit.
‘Will you let go of me, please?’ Kate tried to tug her fingers from his grasp. ‘I can look after myself.’
‘You are deluding yourself, thespinis, especially when you keep company like that,’ he added with a touch of grimness.
She lifted her chin. ‘It’s not for you, kyrie, to criticise my friends.’
‘They are old and dear acquaintances perhaps?’ The sardonic note in his voice was not lost on her.
She bit her lip. ‘Not—exactly.’
‘I thought not.’ He walked her across the hotel foyer to the row of lifts and pressed a button.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked in alarm, as the lift doors opened.
‘To my suite.’ He steered her inexorably inside. ‘My housekeeper will join us there.’
‘Take me back to the ground floor, please.’ Kate was shaking suddenly. ‘I want to go home—now.’
‘It will be safer for you to remain at the hotel tonight.’ He paused. ‘I have a confession to make to you, thespinis. I sent Takis to spill your drink deliberately.’
‘You must be crazy.’ Kate felt dizzy suddenly. ‘You can’t hope to get away with this—even if you do own the place.’
‘Ah,’ he said softly. ‘So you know who I am.’
‘Your fame goes before you. But I’m not interested in being added to your list of conquests.’
He laughed. ‘You flatter yourself, my red-headed vixen. My motives, for once, are purely altruistic.’
The lift doors opened, and Kate found herself being marched along a wide corridor towards a pair of double doors at the end.
‘No.’ There was real panic in her voice. ‘I want to go home.’
‘So you shall,’ he said. ‘In the morning when I am sure you have suffered no lasting ill effects.’
‘Ill effects?’ Kate echoed, as another wave of dizziness assailed her. ‘What are you talking about.’
He said flatly, ‘Your drink was spiked, thespinis. I saw your companion do it.’
‘Spiked,’ Kate repeated. ‘You mean—drugged? But—why?’
He shrugged. ‘To make you more amenable, perhaps.’ He opened the door, and guided her into the room beyond. ‘There is something called the date-rape drug. You may have heard of it.’
She said numbly, ‘Heard of it—yes. But you must be mistaken. It can’t be true…’
His mouth twisted. ‘If the man you were with had asked you to sleep with him tonight, would you have agreed?’
She gasped. ‘God—no. He’s repulsive.’
‘But might not take rejection well, all the same,’ he said drily. ‘Which is why you must not return to your apartment tonight.’
‘But I have to.’ Kate was shaking. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to steady herself. Collect her thoughts. ‘My—my things are there. I’m going back to England tomorrow. Besides, they may have drugged Lisa too.’
His mouth curled. ‘I doubt they would need to.’
She said hotly, ‘You have no right to say that. You don’t know her.’
He smiled faintly, ‘I admire your loyalty, thespinis, if not your judgement. Now, I think you should lie down before you fall down,’ he added with a slight frown.
‘I’m—fine,’ Kate said thickly.
‘I don’t think so,’ he said, and picked her up in his arms.
She knew she should protest—that she should kick and fight, but it was so much easier to rest her head against his shoulder and close her eyes, and let him carry her.
She could feel the warmth of his body through his clothing. Could smell the faint muskiness of some cologne he wore.
She sensed a blur of shaded light, and felt the softness of a mattress beneath her. Dimly she was aware of her zip being unfastened and her dress removed, and tried to struggle—to utter some panicked negation.
A woman’s voice spoke soothingly. ‘Rest easily, little one. All will be well.’
Kate felt the caress of clean, crisp linen against her bare skin, and then the last vestiges of reality slid away, and she slept.
She dreamed fitfully, in brief wild snatches, her body twisting away from the image of Dimitris bending towards her with hot eyes and greedy hands, her voice crying out in soundless horror.
Once, there seemed to be a man’s voice speaking right above her in Greek. ‘She could solve your immediate problem.’
And heard a cool drawl that she seemed to recognise in the wry response, ‘And create a hundred more…’
She wondered who they were—what they were talking about? But it was all too much effort when she was tired—so tired.
And, as she drifted away again, she felt a hand gently touch her hair, and stroke her cheek.
And smiled in her sleep.
CHAPTER THREE
SHE was on fire, burning endlessly in feverish, impossible excitement. Because a man’s hands were touching her, arousing her to feverish, rapturous delight. His mouth was exploring her, his body moving against her as she lay beneath him, making her moan and writhe in helpless pleasure. In a need she had not known existed—until then.
And she forced open her heavy lids and looked at the dark face, fierce and intense above her, and saw that it was Michael Theodakis.
Kate awok
e, gasping. For a moment she lay still, totally disorientated, then she propped herself up on an unsteady elbow, and looked around her.
Her first shocked realisation was that she was naked in this wide, luxurious bed, her sole covering a sheet tangled round her sweat-slicked body.
In fact, the entire bed looked as if it had been hit by an earthquake, the blue and ivory embroidered coverlet kicked to an untidy heap at its foot, and pillows on the floor.
It was a very large room, she thought, staring round her, with a cream tiled floor, and walls washed in a blue that reflected the azure of the sea and sky. The tall shutters had been opened, and the glass doors beyond stood slightly ajar, allowing a faint breeze from the sea to infiltrate the room and stir the pale voile drapes in the brilliant sunlight.
She shook the sheet loose, restoring it to a more decorous level, as she began slowly to remember the events of the previous night.
She didn’t know which was the most extraordinary—the danger she’d been in, or the fact that Michael Theodakis had come to her rescue.
He must, she thought, have been watching very closely to have noticed her drink being spiked. But his attention would have been attracted by Stavros whom he’d clearly identified as trouble.
And he’d naturally be anxious to avoid any whiff of scandal being attached to his hotel, however marginal that might be. But whatever his motivation, she couldn’t deny she’d had a lucky escape.
Shuddering, Kate sat up, shaking the tangle of red hair back from her face in an effort to dispel the faint muzziness which still plagued her—and paused, her attention suddenly, alarmingly arrested.
Because this room bore signs of occupation which had nothing to do with her, she realised, her heart thumping. Like a brush and comb and toiletries on the mirrored dressing table, a leather travel bag standing on a trestle in one corner, and a man’s jacket tossed on to one of the blue armchairs by the window. And she could have no doubt about the identity of their owner.
She whispered, ‘Oh God,’ and sank back against the pillows, her mouth dry, and her mind working overtime.