Cassidy took a great interest in the skirt of her dress and started pleating it. With her eyes carefully following the pleating process she continued. “Soon after they moved in Joe started following me around the house. Cornering me in isolated rooms. I tried to tell Grammie. I was afraid of him, but I didn’t have the words. I was young. Innocent. I didn’t know what he wanted, not really, I just knew he scared me. I didn’t know what he wanted, but Rico did. Rico always managed to be around to save me. Except once.” Cassidy shook her head and went down another mental path. “Grammie had always been healthy and alert, but after the Jenkinses moved in she had several accidents, and she seemed to get sick every other week. She never fully recovered from anything.
“Rico was going to enlist in the Marines right after he graduated from high school, but he was worried about Grammie and me. So he didn’t. On one of Grammie’s good days he talked to her about me and my problems with Joe.” Cassidy still hadn’t lifted her eyes to his.
“Did your grandmother believe Rico?”
Cassidy was shivering in a beam of Greek sunlight. Theron rubbed her hands but they still trembled in his.
Her shadowed purple eyes lifted and looked directly into his in distress. “Of course she believed Rico. When Patsy returned from shopping, Grammie called her into the study and told her they had forty-eight hours to ‘get their carcasses’ out of her house.”
“And did they leave quietly?”
“The next morning I found Grammie at the bottom of the stairs.” Tears were rolling down her face. “She was cold. Already dead.”
“What did you tell Kelley when she arrived for the funeral?” He asked.
Cassidy laughed harshly. The sound grated in her throat. “Kelley never came to the funeral. She never took my phone calls. Tia Maria talked to her, but she said it wasn’t convenient for her to leave Greece at that time. But she and Patsy had had a long talk and everything would be fine. Patsy and family would be staying on in the house to take care of me.” She was now choking back sobs. Sobs she thought she had defeated years ago. “She wouldn’t even listen while Tia tried to warn her about the danger I was in. Joe was going to get me, there was no doubt.”
He wrapped her in a warm embrace. He was afraid he already knew how this was going to end. It was obvious she never talked about that time in her life. Now that the flood gates were open, it was better to let it flow out of her. To keep that kind of pain dammed up would harm her and their future relationship.
“I turned fifteen the day of Grammie’s funeral. He told me right there at the cemetery, standing right over Grammie’s grave, right over her dead body, that ‘tonight is the night I’m gonna make a woman out of ya’.”
Theos! Cold dread ran down Theron’s spine. His sources told him that Joe Jenkins was back in Athens. Theron would find a way to have serious charges brought against Jenkins and he would never get out of a Greek jail. He didn’t recognize his own voice. It was harsher than he had ever heard it before. “He raped you after your grandmother’s funeral!”
“No. No. He never got the chance. Rico took his savings out of the bank, bought a friend’s old Harley, and we disappeared on it that afternoon while the reception was still going on. I didn’t take any documents with me. If we were stopped I didn’t want the authorities to find out who I was and send me back to that house of horrors. I preferred going to juvy or into foster care as a Jane Doe.”
“Tia packed up all my important documents and put them into a safety deposit box. I only returned to Massachusetts on my way to Greece to pick up those documents.”
She had not rejected his embrace, so he tightened his arms around her. With the sunny smile and the twinkle she usually had in her eyes, who would ever have suspected such horrors scarred her soul?
Something was still bothering him, though. “Why did your grandmother leave the house to the Jenkinses? Surely her husband had left it to her?”
A hard light entered her eyes and her chin rose to a defiant level. “Grammie did not leave the house to the Jenkins. Kelley gave them permission to live there so that she wouldn’t have to be bothered by me, but it’s not her house, either. Grammie left it to me, free and clear.”
“Why have you allowed them to continue to reside there?”
She looked him straight in the eye. The question sent another chill down Cassidy’s spine. He was going to despise her when he found out what a coward she was, but it was better that he find out now. “When I was eighteen I thought about going back to Massachusetts and throwing those cretins out of my house, but the truth is I was too afraid. That monster used to back me into corners and pinch my breasts. He left black and blue marks on me. He was always making lewd remarks. He was planning on raping me.” The tears were pouring down her cheeks. “I was too afraid to go back. Even with Rico to protect me, I just couldn’t do it.”
Theron gently rocked Cassiopeia. Glad they had sat on the love seat so that he was near her, where he could offer her comfort.
Rico was a man who had definitely been worthy of her love. He, Theron Christofides, would make sure Rico’s son would always have everything he needed. The boy would never want for anything, even after he and Cassiopeia went their separate ways.
She turned into his shoulder so sweetly. So trustingly. Her sobs had subsided, but her tears were still flowing, soaking his polo shirt. He rubbed her back and thought of the best way to make his proposition to her.
A woman who had been through all she had been would probably rejoice at a business marriage. She had already been married to a man she had loved. What she needed now was protection and security, not love.
Chapter 19
When he had started the conversation Theron had never expected such a heart wrenching story. He had been fairly certain before, but now he was convinced she was the real Cassiopeia. The woman had no guile. There was no pretense about her. She had a tender heart, so he was sure she would agree to the marriage and the terms of their agreement. After all, it would ensure the future for her and her son.
When Theron looked down he saw Cassidy had cried herself to sleep. The poor woman was still recovering from the brutal injuries inflicted on her by Jenkins and he felt like a monster making her talk about the horrors she had to endure as a child. Cradling her in his arms he carried her into the den and placed her on the couch while he ran back to the patio for Enzio. Having a child around was not only inconvenient but also a lot of work. Theron looked into the child’s dark eyes and smiled at him. “If your mama agrees to my proposition, you and I will be seeing a lot of each other, my little friend.”
Enzio chortled and grinned. “Thee.”
Theron’s own smile turned into a large grin. “I will teach you to swim and how to speak Greek.”
He carried the boy upstairs, changed his newly filled nappie, and procured a fresh bottle. He sat in the rocking chair he had placed in the make-shift nursery and fed the child. “We will have to have a decorator come in and design a proper room for you. Will you like that? Or do you think mama will want to do that herself?”
Enzio closed his eyes and drifted off without a response. Theron continued to sit and rock the child while he contemplated all he had to accomplish that day.
He must call his attorney immediately. The prenuptial agreement that had been drawn up for the halted wedding to the faux Cassiopeia would have to be adjusted to make accommodations for Enzio and a few extras he wanted to be certain this Cassiopeia would receive. After they parted she would never have to work in a dirty bar again. She would never want for anything. Ever again. He would make sure of that.
After lunch he would broach the subject of their marriage to Cassiopeia, but first he had to get Dorcas, his housekeeper, back to work. Enzio was a good baby, but Dorcas could use her grandmotherly magic on the child while he engaged the mother with his proposition.
~*~
Cassidy was so excited at the prospect of a little walk around the grounds that she couldn’t keep a silly grin off her
face. She felt as if she and Theron had developed a solid link between them in the last few days.
Lunch was served by a middle-aged woman whom Theron introduced as his housekeeper. He explained the intricacies of the deal he had made with her “father”. It was difficult, try as she might; there was no way she could think of the man who had callously spurned her since her birth as her father. There would always be mental air quotes whenever the word was associated with him.
According to Theron, the Dolmides family had happily lived off the profits of their cruise line ships, but skimped on putting money back into the business. Over the last several years, there had been a few instances of the ships running into sand bars, thus sustaining extensive damages to the ships and passengers. The last one occurred off the coast of a small island called Evadne. A year later the ship was still stranded on the sandbar. An eyesore to all and a health hazard to those who lived on the island, fished the waters, and in fact to the overall economic health of the entire area.
The Dolmides’ personal money was well protected, but the company was about to sink. If this happened, the people who had been hurt or had lost a loved one would lose the expected compensation. Thousands of employees would be out of work. Many of the higher personnel would not be able to find comparable jobs in their fields because Dolmides loudly proclaimed everything the fault of the people on the ships. He even blamed those supervising them at corporate headquarters. Costas Dolmides never shouldered the blame for anything.
The local island people would lose because Dolmides, as the biggest cruise company in the Greek Isles, has edged all other companies away from “his” docks and now the other companies were not willing to start servicing those ports. They did not want to go head to head with Costas Dolmides,
Over the last few years there had been many rumors that Dolmides Cruises was going under and that Costas was going to let all “the little people” sink with it. Dolmides wanted the government to step in and pay off all claims against the company, but even if the government were so inclined, with the current state of the economy, there was nothing they could do. The unpaid claims were bad for an economy that depended heavily on tourism.
Dolmides argued that tourism was an important part of the Greek economy. Several government ministers, cronies of Dolmides, agreed. However, younger members felt it was not the government’s place to interfere in private commerce. A delegation approached Theron, who owned luxury hotels and resorts scattered throughout the Mediterranean, and asked him to become a White Knight. He already ran several smaller cruise ships around the various ports and they felt he would be a natural fit.
Theron agreed to salvage the company. He quietly bought up all the stocks not owned by the family. Even some of the extended family members quietly sold their stocks to him when it became apparent that Costas had no intention of pumping the needed capital into the company.
In spite of the millions Theron had used to buy up the shares, control was still out of his reach. He approached Dolmides and tried to work a compromise. The man refused to turn over control.
When it finally dawned on Dolmides that the government assistance he sought was not coming, he approached Theron with the tale of his illegitimate daughter in the United States. Apparently the cover-up of her existence had been very good, because until then Theron hadn’t known she existed.
Cassiopeia’s happiness at the beautiful day was now long gone and she was forced to swipe a tear from her cheek. One would think that after all this time her parents’ total rejection wouldn’t hurt anymore. And considering the way he treated everyone in his company, his customers, and the poor people on the island, she was glad that she hadn’t grown up under Costas Dolmides thumb.
That nasty old man didn’t want to let go of any control. Dolmides had informed Theron if he wanted to gain control of the company, and not lose the millions he had already poured into buying the shares, then he would have to marry the outcast daughter and father a son with her.
Upon their marriage, Theron would receive the stock Costas had placed in trust for Cassiopeia on the day she was born. She was due to come into the trust on her thirtieth birthday, but by marrying with Costas blessing the control of the stock would become Theron’s. That would then give Theron a fifty percent share of the company. Costas would give him his proxy to vote however he wanted to. On the day Cassiopeia gave birth to their first son, Costas would then sign over all his shares to his grandson, for a large amount of Euros, and the shares were to be held in trust for the boy. The old man probably expects the baby to be named after him!
Cassidy was shocked to learn that her father had put anything in trust for her. Was it guilt? Or did he actually have feelings for her?
What did it matter? He had ignored her all her life and apparently treated everyone like crap. Not the kind of father she had dreamed of as a lonely little girl, or a terrified teenager.
Enough! She thought. Stop worrying about personal stuff.
Theron had jeopardized his own businesses and personal wealth to save the ailing cruise company and all the people associated with it.
He trusted her with the truth. That had to mean something. Didn’t it?
She liked him. She really liked him. She ignored the sneaky little thought that kept trying to tell her that it was more than like.
He had saved her and Zio from that crazy pervert Jenkins. Theron had brought them all the way across the world to his private hideout to protect them. He had even taken care of their personal needs himself. Cassidy knew that changing Z’s diapers would be considered dangerous, even hazardous, work by most people, and yet he did it and never complained about the task.
He had to like her. Maybe even care for her, didn’t he?
Here she was, just a few months shy of twenty-five and she had never had a boyfriend. Sure she had gone out on dates, but there was never anyone she trusted enough to be a boyfriend. In spite of that she had a baby, thanks to Rico’s untimely death, but no boyfriends. Thanks to Jenkins.
She was a strong woman She could ride anything put before her, be it a Harley, a wild mustang, or a skateboard. She could handle the meanest drunks and still make preachers smile. She could face down a jealous wife and wind up wiping the woman’s tears and becoming her best friend. But when it came to a certain playboy who had been named sexiest man in the world by not one, not two, but three different tabloids, she knew he was way of out her league and to hope he might someday learn to love her was like wishing on a shooting star. It filled a person with wonder and excitement until it disappeared into the night sky.
Their relationship could be over before the star even had a chance to fizzle. She might be inexperienced in interpersonal relationships between men and women, but even she was bright enough to pick up on the fact that he never alluded to forever. He just wanted her to give him the company and a son.
A son!
So if she married him they would have sex, but other than that would they have a real marriage?
Or was this just another business deal for him?
If his kisses were anything to go by, having sex with him certainly wouldn’t be a hardship. The way he used his tongue made her toes curl. Forget his tongue kisses, when he relaxed and forgot to use his sophisticated smile, but actually let loose with a boyish grin, not only did her toes curl, but every butterfly in creation was let loose in her tummy and champagne bubbles burbled throughout her blood stream.
Rico always told her she could do anything she set her mind to. Well, if she married Theron she wanted it to become a real “happily ever after” marriage. Her children deserved that kind of security. She had no intention of drifting from man to man. Once she committed herself to Theron, she would stay committed.
But was he a forever kind of man?
Oh! Who was she trying to kid? If she committed herself . . . She was already committed. She would tell him she had made her decision while they were touring the grounds. She might as well see her new home now.
&nb
sp; He would have to wait until Lynda and Moose could get here before they could tie the knot. After all, there was still the injunction to be set aside before they could get married, and Moose was her lawyer. Not to mention they were also her family.
But just because they would have to wait a few days to get married, it didn’t mean they had to wait until then before they could “do it”, did it?
Before she could blurt that embarrassing question out, Cassidy excused herself and headed for her room.
While she washed the tear streaks off her cheeks, she got a good look at herself in the mirror. Shoot! She needed an elastic. She looked on the bathroom vanity, then moved into the bedroom to check out the top of the bureau. How could the man have found her clothes that fit her perfectly but forget about her hair? For crying out loud! He always had a hand in it, stoking it, caressing it. How could he have forgotten something as essential as an elastic?
There were a few scarves in the drawer. She wasn’t sure, but they felt expensive, like they were made out of real silk or something. It was a shame to use them as hair ties, but there was no way she was going to walk out in the heat of the Greek midday sun with her heavy hair hanging down her back, making her neck perspire.
Chapter 20
His palms were sweating. His palms never sweat. He never got nervous. Not when he had to deal with difficult business negotiations, not when he was with a supermodel or Hollywood star, not even when he had to put his mother into the clinic for rehabilitation for the third time. Now, not only were his palms sweating, but his heartbeat was accelerated, and he had a chronic bulge in his pants. What was it about this little scrap of a woman that caused his body to react this way?
Abstinence. He had been abstinent for far too long. Longer than he had ever been in his adult life. Plus he had an intimate knowledge of all her assets after physically caring for her. Not as intimate as he would like, but he was working on satisfying that situation. Theron knew every inch of her body was real and completely hers. That in itself was an incredible turn on, as the Americans liked to say. Once he had bedded her he would no longer feel this strange feeling. It may take a few times, perhaps ten or twenty, but after that these strange sensations will have subsided and he would return to his established routine.
The Counterfeit Bride Page 12