The Heir: A Standalone Greek Billionaire Romance

by Laurence, Selena

  Ugh. I’m such a sucker for him. He smiles shyly at me, and I can tell he knows he overstepped.

  “Fine,” I grit out of the side of my mouth. “Yes,” I tell Anton. “I can get a ride home with Niko.”

  He and Cass get their stuff together and give me hugs and kisses goodbye. As he leans into me, Anton says, “If you need anything at all, call me right away. I”ll get you no matter what.”

  I smile and thank him. “I’ll be fine,” I promise. He still doesn’t look convinced.

  When Anton and Niko shake hands, there’s some sort of guy thing that goes on between them. I can see it in the way they grip each other’s hands too tightly and look hard at one another. At this point I’m so pissed at boys I just want to go home and sleep for the next two days. Idiots. Every one of them.

  After they leave, Niko pulls me up from my chair and envelops me in his big arms. “Sorry about all of that,” he murmurs in my ear as he sways a bit to the music playing in the bar.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask, my body stiff as he tries to get me to dance with him.

  He stops and looks down at me, cupping my cheek in his hand tenderly. “I honestly don’t know, but I think it had a whole lot less to do with you and me than it did with me and Christos. We haven’t been getting along. We either avoid each other or argue. I’m not sure what the problem is.”

  “You shouldn’t have sprung this—us—on him like that. I think his feelings were hurt as much as anything.”

  He sighs and pulls me closer. I give up the rigor mortis routine and melt into him. “You’re probably right. And I did make him promise no chicks tonight. It was supposed to be him and me. A guys’ night so we could catch up, get back in our groove.”

  “Then you fucked up, buddy.”

  “Yeah. I did. When I saw that bartender all over you I couldn’t help myself. I got all caveman and then I just wanted to show everyone in the damn place that you belong to me. I don’t get to at work all day and it’s driving me crazy. I really am sorry, princess.”

  “You should be,” I tell him without any real heat because he’s now nibbling on my earlobe and I can’t think.

  He chuckles.

  “But this stuff with Christos? It scares me, Niko. We have enough working against us. If Christos is fighting us too, I’m not sure we can survive that.”

  “Hey.” He leans his forehead against mine. “I will handle my cousin. He’ll get past this. I’ll tell him I’m sorry for not making more of an effort to hang out and I’ll make it clear to him he has to accept this—us. It’s not his decision. You’re not his choice, you’re mine. He’ll have to learn to live with it, and I have no doubt that if he gets a chance to really know you he’ll like you a lot.”

  “Okay,” I answer. It occurs to me though that I’m learning something about breaking the rules. The more you break the harder things get. You upset the status quo and it complicates everything. The dominoes start to tumble and there may not be a way to stop them. I set Niko and I on this path, and from what I can see it’s only going to get harder.

  “Come on princess,” he cajoles. “Don’t go weak on me now. You and I are breaking the rules together, remember? And we’re going to come out the other side victorious. I’m your prince, right?”

  “You actually sound like some ancient Greek god,” I tell him. “They were always tempting poor mortal women into horrible decisions.”

  He plants a soft kiss on my lips. “You can take the man out of Greece…”

  “Can you take this woman out of the bar?” I grin at him, his kisses and even his ridiculous posturing getting all of my girly parts warm and tingly.

  “Let’s go.” He grabs my hand and leads me out.

  We walk into the cool night air, and right away I can smell the ocean that laps at the edge of the island a few blocks away.

  “Should we go to the boat?” Niko asks. “I’d take you to my house, but I don’t feel like dealing with Christos yet.”

  I nod in agreement and we set off along the cobbled walkway down the hill to the waterfront. We haven’t gone even ten yards when we hear a strange sound from one of the many small alleyways that line the larger street.

  I lean closer to Niko. “What was that?” I whisper, peering into the dark of the narrow passage.

  “Sounds like maybe somebody passed out,” he answers. “Probably just a drunk.”

  The groan comes again, followed by coughing and a gruff, “Fuck.”

  “He sounds like he might be hurt. Should we check?” I ask.

  “We aren’t going to check anything,” Niko says, stepping in front of me. “I will though if that’s what you want.”

  “Be careful,” I admonish. He looks at me over his shoulder like I’m an idiot, then pulls his phone out of his back pocket and turns on the flashlight, stepping into the alley.

  “Shit,” he says. “Christos?”

  Niko

  Christos is a bloody mess, his face bruised and scratched, his nose dripping blood, and his knuckles shredded where he holds his hands in front of his eyes to shield himself from my flashlight.

  “I got jumped,” he croaks out before I rush forward to kneel in front of him. I hear Tess’s shoes clacking on the pavement as she runs into the alley behind me.

  “Oh my God,” she says as she reaches us and takes a look at my best friend.

  “Who the fuck did this?” I demand.

  “I don’t know, man,” Christos gasps, clutching his ribs. “They came out of nowhere.”

  “We’ve got to get him to the hospital,” Tess says.

  I hoist Christos to his feet, wrapping his arm around my neck to support him. I hand Tess my phone to call an ambulance, but Christos stops us.

  “No. I’m okay. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

  “Now’s not the time to be noble, man. You’re seriously fucked up, you need to be checked out. There could be things broken, internal bleeding.”

  Tess’s eyes are big but she’s tough, and she nods in agreement. “He’s right, Christos. You have to see a doctor.”

  “Take me to your dad’s,” Christos tells me. “He’ll get the family doc to take a look.”

  I look at Tess, and she shrugs, as unsure of this as I am. I sigh. “Okay, but if he says you need to go to the hospital, you’re going.”

  Christos grunts in agreement and I ask if he thinks he can make it to the car where we left it around the corner. He nods and we slowly make our way to his Maserati GranCabrio. After loading him into the back seat I reach for the passenger door to help Tess in.

  “I’ll get a cab,” she says, putting a hand on my arm.

  “No, it’s late and whoever did this to him could still be around.”

  “It’ll take you too much time to drop me off, you need to get him to your dad’s.”

  I open up the door. “Yeah, and you’re coming along. I’ll drop you off later. Is that okay?”

  She purses her lips. “Isn’t this sort of a private family thing? Christos doesn’t even like me. I’m sure he doesn’t want me there for all of this.”

  “But you’re not here for him. You’re here for me. I want you with me.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and I realize that they aren’t simply words. I do want her with me, no matter what might happen over the next few hours. I want Tess to be with me for it. I want her in my parents’ home, talking to my family, listening to our business. It’s scary, but I do want it.

  “All right,” she answers. “Whatever you need.”

  “Thank you.” I give her a short kiss on her sweet lips and we get in the car and head out of the city.

  * * *

  My parents’ villa is about five miles out of town, on a precipice that juts out from the cliffs above the ocean. The original building has been there for hundreds of years in one form or another, and it’s where my father was raised and my grandparents still live. Dad built a second house when he took over the family business, and I grew up there. It’s a typical Greek
design, lots of white stucco and blue accents, window shutters, wooden doors, terra cotta stairs outside and inside going from one level to the next.

  I phone ahead to warn them we’re coming and my dad calls the doctor right away. He doesn’t question Christos’s decision to forego the hospital and I’m somewhat surprised by that.

  We pull up in the long winding driveway that ends with a parking circle made of cobblestones.

  The place is lit up like Athens, and I’m sure it’s in anticipation of our arrival. The moment I turn off the ignition my parents, Cara, and my dad’s security guys rush out to the car. They’re in such a hurry to get to Christos that no one seems to notice Tess, who stands next to the passenger door silently watching the commotion.

  “My darling boy,” my mother cries when she gets a look at Christos. “Who would do this to your beautiful face?” She cups his cheeks. “Cara, run and make sure the blue bedroom is ready for him.”

  “I’m okay, Theia,” Christos chokes out.

  My dad has his security guys take Christos from me, and they move him toward the house as Pop turns to me, his eyes lighting on Tess briefly before he addresses me.

  “Your Theia and Theios are on their way,” he says, referring to my aunt and uncle, Christos’s parents.

  “And the doctor?”

  “Should be here in a few minutes,” Pop answers. He looks at Tess again, reminding me that I’ve been rude.

  “Pop. This is Tess. She was with me when we found Christos.” I turn to Tess. “This is my father, Ari Stephanos.”

  My brave girl steps forward and extends her hand, a warm smile on her face. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stephanos.”

  “American,” my father says. “And very lovely,” he adds, giving her one of his charming smiles as he takes her hand and holds it between his two palms. “Thank you for being there to help my nephew and son.”

  “Of course,” she answers. “I only wish I could have helped more.”

  “Come. Come inside. Both of you. We will have some wine while we wait for the doctor and then maybe you two can help cheer up Christos.”

  I spend the next forty-five minutes splitting my time between the lounge with my father, and the bedroom Christos is laid up in where my mom is softly talking to him and cleaning up his wounds. I take Tess to the lounge where she opens up an eBook on her phone and assures me she’ll be fine. Christos looks better already getting all the dried blood washed off, but he’s going to have some serious bruises.

  We listen to my dad tell stories about his stint in the Greek navy as well as the first few times he tried to do business in the US. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, in either job.

  When the doctor finally arrives, my father asks me to keep Tess company while he goes in to hear what the doc has to say to Christos.

  “He’s charming,” Tess says after he leaves the room. “I see where you get your tendencies from.”

  I chuckle. It’s true, my dad is one hell of a salesman. It’s tough to resist him no matter what he’s suggesting.

  “He liked you,” I tell her. “I can tell.”

  “Does he know I work for him?”

  I shake my head. “No, but I’m sure he’ll have questions about you now that he’s met you.”

  She nods, brows pinched in thought. “Do you think this was such a good idea? I understand that Christos is supposed to go along with whatever you want. I don’t think it’s very fair, but I get that’s how you guys do things. But your dad? What if he says I have to leave the company?”

  I stand and move from my chair to the sofa where she’s seated. “I probably should have discussed it with you first.” I’ve made one error after another tonight. I’m trying to be the good guy Tess wants, but it’s hard. I’m not used to having to check with anyone else when I make a decision, and all I want is to keep Tess with me—everywhere all the time, damn the consequences.

  She picks up my hand and shifts to face me. I want to lean forward and suck her beautiful lips into mine, taste their sweet berry flavor.

  “Now that he does know, we need to decide how we’re going to handle it.”

  I scratch the back of my neck, wondering how to balance all of these people and their various demands—Tess asking me to be honorable, Christos asking me to be easy, my dad asking me to be the heir, whatever the hell that might entail. I’ve been ignoring what’s going to happen if Tess and I kept seeing each other, but she’s right. We can’t act like this is a normal situation. There are landmines everywhere.

  I lay my head on the back of the sofa, face turned toward her. “Do you have any suggestions?” I ask, secretly crossing my fingers she’s got an answer to all of this.

  “It’s your family,” she scolds.

  “I know.” I take a deep breath and put my bravado back into place. “I will explain it to my dad. I’ll tell him that this isn’t me screwing someone at the office. You’re important and we’re seeing each other, and we’re being discreet. He’s going to have to get used to this. I promised you this would be okay and I won’t let anyone, not even my family, hurt you, Tess. I swear it.”

  I stroke her hand with my thumb, then lean forward and place a small kiss on her lips. “I know I’m a handful, but I’ll never stop trying to redeem myself and be the guy you want me to be,” I tell her.

  “Mr. Stephanos?” The doctor leans his head into the room.

  I stand and go to greet him. “Yes. How is he?”

  “Your cousin is going to be fine. He received a bad beating, but nothing’s broken, and there are no signs of concussion or internal organ damage.”

  “Thank God,” Tess says as she joins me.

  “He’s not going to be up and around for a few days. In twenty-four hours he can start taking regular anti-inflammatory painkillers. In the meantime I’ve prescribed something stronger. Your mother’s been given the instructions for his dosage. I’ll be back to check on him tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Thank you, doctor.” I shake his hand again and my dad’s security guy, who’s been hovering nearby, shows him out of the house.

  I turn to Tess. “I should go see him.”

  “Yes. Absolutely. I’ll be right here whenever you’re done.”

  I can’t help but lean down and kiss her again. “Thank you,” I say, my voice low and gritty as my throat is thick with relief for Christos.

  “You’re welcome.”

  * * *

  When I get to the hallway outside of Christos’s room I hear him talking to my father. I’m about to turn the knob on the door when I hear my dad say, “You’re sure it was Arabic they were speaking, and they mentioned the shipments to Syria?”

  “Yeah,” Christos answers. “I recognized the tattoo one guy had on his hand. It was the same one Malik had. And the part about Syria was crystal clear, no matter what language they were speaking.”

  I grip the knob tighter, but then my dad’s voice rumbles out again, “Not a word about this. To anyone. You did the right thing telling Niko you didn’t see them. I’ll say I’ve filed a police report. We’ll tell the office the same story.”

  “Okay,” Christos says. “What are we going to do about it? Do you think they’ll try something else?”

  “I’ll have the security detail deal with that. You don’t need to worry. But I want you handling those accounts personally from now on. I want you there every step of the way. You need to be at the docks checking the arrangements for each of those shipments. Up the security, double-check the contents. We can’t let a shipment go wrong again. Understood?”

  “Yeah. I got it.”

  “Good boy,” my dad says.

  I pull my hand back from the doorknob. I’m shaking and my throat is dry, parched, the tang of fear coating my mouth. I turn and dive into the bathroom next door when I hear my father’s footsteps coming closer. He leaves Christos’s room as I slide down the door on the inside of the bathroom, putting my head in my hands and wondering what in God’s name I’ve just stumbled
into.

  * * *

  I spend ten minutes trying to clear my head. When I finally stand from the floor I have to follow my gut and it tells me that this is serious shit and I can’t unhear what I have. But until I figure it all out I’m not going to say a word. I’m disgusted, sick, and torn to pieces, but I won’t let them know it, because they’ll only lie more. They’ve obviously been lying to me for a very long time.

  I step into Christos’s room and he’s already fast asleep, undoubtedly pulled under by the lure of prescription painkillers. I watch him for a moment, thinking about a lifetime of brotherhood, of trust, and shared objectives. When did it stop being about the two of us together? When did he become indispensible while I became nothing more than a figurehead, a mascot to prop up for public consumption? The pretty, fun, stupid one. They might as well have given me a crown and a sash for all the importance I actually have. I swallow the bile down, and leave the room. The room where the true heir sleeps.

  * * *

  When I enter the lounge my dad is entertaining Tess again. I’ve lost my taste for his charm, however.

  “It’s late,” I say as I walk in and reach for Tess’s hand. “I need to get you home.”

  She looks a little surprised by my abruptness but she takes my hand and stands anyway.

  I turn to the man who’s professed that I’m the most important thing in his life for twenty-four years. The man who’s been lying to me for God knows how long, and probably would have continued to forever if I hadn’t overheard what I did tonight.

  “Please tell Mom goodbye for me.”

  “Of course,” he says, his eyes tired. “We’ll see you this weekend?”

  “I’ll let you know,” I hedge. “Let’s go,” I say to Tess. She thanks my father for the visit, and I take her to the Maserati. Once we’re in and headed down the long driveway back to the main road she asks, “Was everything with Christos okay?”