She smiles and rubs against me a little like a cat. “So good,” she says, an evil look of glee crossing her face.
I grin back at her, the crisis gone like so much dust in the wind, if only the rest of my life would sort itself as well. I put my hands on her hips and smooth her skirt out some more. “Yeah? You had a good time then?”
“Quit fishing for compliments,” she scolds, and I laugh. “You know that was amazing.”
“It sure as hell was. I think we need to make it a regular part of our afternoon coffee breaks.”
“We have afternoon coffee breaks?” she asks, smirking.
“We do now,” I answer, wiggling my eyebrows.
“I’d better get back to work though. I’ve got a lot of numbers left to crunch with this account.”
“Okay. But I’m giving you a ride home, so come get me when you’re done for the day.”
“And if someone sees us?” she says.
“I’m allowed to give an employee a ride home,” I tell her.
She shakes her head, then puts a hand on my cheek, her eyes tender and a tiny bit sad. “I would do anything for you, break any rule. Please don’t lead me into something that ruins me.”
Before I can formulate a response she’s gone, and I’m left in my office, at a job I don’t love, with a company that’s poised for collapse, a best friend who’s betrayed me and a family who’s abandoned me. I may very well be speeding toward my own ruin, and I’m just selfish enough to take Tess with me.
* * *
I’ve avoided going to see Christos for three days, but I can’t again. My mother is upset, and the guilt is killing me. I leave work early, telling Tess I’ll check in with her after I’ve seen him.
When I get to my parents’ house the place is quiet, my dad not home from work yet, my sister still off at a café with her friends after school.
“Niko!” my mother cries as she comes out of the back of the house to greet me. She kisses me on both cheeks and begins talking in rapid fire Greek. “You finally came…you’re breaking my heart…what is this you were mad at your father about…” She speaks some English, but since most of her life has been spent on this island raising children, organizing events at the church, and taking care of the family, she doesn’t have as much opportunity to speak it as my father does.
“Hi Ma,” I say, kissing her back. “I came to see Christos.”
She shakes her head and ushers me to the kitchen. “I’m about to bring him his tea, you come to the kitchen and then you can take it back to him.”
I follow dutifully, bracing myself for more of the inquisition. By virtue of being in boarding school and college abroad for so many years, I’ve been spared a lot of the Greek mother treatment, but there’s no question that mine is a master at it. She can emasculate me, shame me, worship me, and coddle me all in one conversation.
We reach the kitchen with its cerulean blue tile walls and I greet the cook who is already working on preparing an elaborate dinner at the large commercial grade stove in the corner. My mother goes to the marble island in the center of the room and begins setting up a tea tray, including a coffee and extra food for me.
“No coffee for Christos,” she admonishes as she gets the briki out and starts measuring coffee and water. Then she pulls out the sugar, putting one level spoonful into the mixture. “He’ll try to take yours, but he’s still recovering. He needs the healing herbs in the tea.”
“Okay, Ma,” I tell her, trying to hide my smile.
“Now,” she says as she bustles around digging out biscuits and honey. “Why is it that your deftheri has been here on his sickbed for days and yet you’ve not come to see him once?”
Yeah, I knew this was coming. I had plenty of time to come up with an excuse, but did I? Hell no, because no Greek guy wants to plan out how to lie to his mother. I default to the only thing I can. “I’m sorry. I got busy, and I should have made time to come sooner. Forgive me?”
I give her my most charming smile, the one I’ve been practicing since childhood. She makes a small sound of disapproval as she flips on the burner in the island cooktop and puts the briki on it to heat. “I may forgive you if you come to church on Sunday and stay for dinner.”
At least she’s predictable. “Of course, Ma. Anything for you.”
She beams at me and pats my cheek some more. “My beautiful boy. You make me so happy,” she says. The guilt stabs through me like a dagger to the gut.
She’s quiet for a moment, watching the coffee as it heats. I brace myself for whatever’s coming next.
“Your father tells me you were angry with him at lunch,” she says.
I run a hand across my chin, feeling the five o’clock shadow that’s already filling in. “I think Dad needs to stay out of my love life.”
“Even when your love life is taking place in the middle of his office?” she asks.
“Look, Mom, I don’t want to argue with you about this either. When was the last time you saw me date anyone more than twice? You’re the one who’s always asking why I can’t find a nice girl and settle down. Well, Tess is a nice girl and I’m not ready to settle down permanently, but I do want to be with her for now. I can actually see a future with her, you know? That’s never happened before.”
She puts her hand over her mouth, her eyes soft as she nods her head a couple of times. “You love her,” she whispers.
I feel my face flushing. I can only hope Christos is in bed where he belongs so he isn’t hearing all of this. I’m about to lose my man card.
“I don’t know. I might,” I mumble.
I look up at her from under my scowl. She leans over and kisses me on the forehead. “Then that’s all anyone needs to know. I will talk to your father and tell him to leave it. You can’t help it that the girl works for you.”
I break out into laughter. This is the part about being Greek that Tess can’t understand, the part I’ve tried to explain to her. It’s not that we don’t have rules, it’s that they’re sort of situational, and if you don’t like them, you simply ignore them.
“Thanks, Mom. Maybe you can put in a good word for me with Dad.”
She nods and I know that she’ll do it. She’ll hassle my father until he gives in, and hell, he of all people shouldn’t care about messing with a few rules, God knows he isn’t playing by them.
Finished with the tea tray she lifts it and hands it to me. “Good. That’s settled. Now you go apologize to your cousin and everything in our family will be right again.”
I sigh. If only she knew how wrong she is. But I will shield my mom from this for as long as I can. I know it will kill her if she ever finds out.
“Okay. I’ll say goodbye before I leave.”
“Good boy. And next time you have these problems you come to your mother. You’re never too old for me to fix things for you.”
Greek mothers.
* * *
Christos is sitting in an armchair watching some old Die Hard movie when I enter his room.
His face is a bloom of colors—blue, black, yellow, green, and a smattering of purplish-red across one cheekbone and the underside of his chin. His left wrist is wrapped in a bandage, and his hair is combed back off of his face on one side where a line of stitches run from his temple into his hairline.
“Jesus, bro,” I say as I enter and set the tray down on the end table next to his chair. “I didn’t realize you still looked this banged up.”
He glances at me for a split second before returning his eyes to the TV. His face is impassive, no sign that he’s heard me.
“How could you?” he asks rhetorically. “You haven’t seen me since it happened.”
He’s pissed. But the thing is, so am I, and I don’t feel like groveling to get him to forgive me. Not when I suspect he’s violated my trust a lot more than the other way around.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I grab the demitasse of coffee off the tray. “It’s been pretty crazy at the office.”
He huffs
out a breath, the disgust practically dripping from him. “And over the weekend? Or do you work seven days a week now?”
I don’t bother to sit down because I can tell this visit isn’t going to last long.
“I’ve got a girlfriend, bro. We have plans on the weekends.” I grin and wink at him, but it’s not really friendly, and he knows it. My bitterness is in competition with his disgust, and the room is churning with the combination.
“So she’s your girlfriend now?” he asks, finally looking at me. “You tell Uncle Ari that? Cause I don’t think he’s going to be thrilled.”
“Don’t,” I warn him. “Don’t go there. I’m trying to be considerate since you’re laid up, and I’m sorry that you got jumped, but you need to stay the hell out of my relationship with Tess. And that includes not running to my dad about it. I can’t understand what about me and Tess scares you so much anyway.”
His eyes narrow and his mouth presses into a thin line. “Scares me? Why the fuck would I be scared of your girlfriend? The only thing that’s scaring me right now is how much she’s changed you in the short time you’ve known her. I mean, what the hell have you done with my best friend? The guy I grew up with would never choose a girl over his family.”
I can see my hand trembling as I hold the coffee, so I set it down quickly and fold my arms hoping that Christos didn’t notice.
I give him my coldest look, putting everything I’ve got into the showdown. “I haven’t chosen anyone over the family, but keep this up and you’ll force my hand. I’m not sure why you hate her so much, but you have no justification for it. She’s done nothing to you, I’ve done nothing to you, and we sure as hell haven’t done anything that’s a danger to the family. You on the other hand…” I stop myself right there, my anger having spilled words I didn’t intend.
Christos looks at me sharply. “What? What about me?”
“You’re the one who’s created this issue between me and Dad,” I cover. “You’ve dragged my dad into this campaign you’ve got against Tess. It makes no sense, Christos. None of it. Why do you hate her? Why is it so important to you that I don’t see her? And don’t say it’s because of fucking sexual harassment suits, we both know that if anyone were going to get hit with one of those it’s just as likely to be you as me. You’ve dated nearly every woman under the age of thirty in the entire office and half of them in the Athens office to boot.” I pause, remembering the first time I took Tess to lunch. “In fact, you tried to date Tess before I told you to back off. How the hell do you explain that?”
I’ve got him, and he knows it. I wait to see if he’ll come clean, if he’ll admit the real reason Tess scares him so much, wait for him to tell me that he and my father have betrayed me and put my entire future in abeyance for reasons I can’t even guess at.
I wait.
He shakes his head. “Never mind, man. I’m too tired to do this with you. If you can’t see what a problem she is for us then I can’t help you.”
I watch him for a moment while he returns his attention to the television. He won’t tell me. I’ve given him the perfect opening and he won’t do it. A lifetime of friendship, of family, of devotion, and he won’t tell me what he and my dad have wrought. But it’s there—as clear as glass—a prison they’ve sentenced all of us to. And while they’re focusing all this attention on Tess, who’s nothing more than a student intern, God only knows what else lurks out there ready to destroy the things we’ve all dedicated our entire lives to. Our family, our business, our principles. The resentment inside of me boils over, and I know that I’m about to burn bridges, storm castles, destroy cities.
“I’ll have your things moved to the pool house tonight,” I say as I walk to the door and turn the knob. “And you can consider your transfer out of Finance a done deal. Just tell H.R. where you want to go.” Before I leave I face him again. “If you ever decide to tell me what this is all really about I’m ready to listen. But as long as you insist on hiding behind these baseless accusations and fears, I can’t have you as my deftheri. I can’t have you as anything.”
I shut the door softly after I walk out. I forget to say goodbye to my mother. I forget to do anything but get in my car and drive. I drive until the road reaches the sea, and then I get out, walk to the sand and stand looking out at the waves until the sky turns dark and the sickness in my soul subsides.
Tess
I haven’t seen Niko in two days and I’m worried. He’s returned my texts but he was vague and short. Something about working out of the office and handling some family issues. But I know there’s more to it than that. The last time I saw him he was on his way to visit Christos, then radio silence. Knowing how close they are, I have to think something’s happened to Christos or with Christos.
Because of that fear, I’m relieved to walk into work and see Christos sitting at the spare chair in my cubicle. If he’s all right then I have to assume that Niko is as well.
I reach my desk and get my first look at his face. It’s bruised, but they’re fading, and the cut on his forehead is healing up, the stiches small and neat. Hopefully he won’t have much of a scar.
“Hi!” I say, and it comes out artificially chipper. I bite my lip in embarrassment, trying to modulate my tone appropriately. “Um, it’s good to see you well enough to come back,” I finish as I sit in my desk chair and face him.
He nods, his expression serious. “Thanks. And thanks for helping me that night. Probably wasn’t how you envisioned things when you went out to have fun.”
I relax a bit into my seat. I’d like nothing more than to have a do over with Christos. I’m not sure why he doesn’t like me, but if I’m really going to keep seeing Niko I need to at least try with his cousin.
“I’m happy you’re okay,” I tell him honestly. “That’s all that matters.”
He takes a deep breath, thoughtful for a moment. “Can we talk?” he asks.
I laugh. “I think we already are.”
He chuckles. “Yeah. But I’ve got something a little more serious in mind.”
“Okay. Of course.”
He looks around. The office is pretty empty, most people are still at lunch or just getting back, gossiping and grabbing coffee, before settling in at their desks.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” he tells me. I nod at him to continue. “I’ve spent my whole life being trained to protect Niko, advise him, watch over him. I know it probably sounds really weird to you—I tried to explain it to some Americans in college once and they looked at me like I was a creepy stalker.” He laughs bitterly.
“I get it,” I tell him. “The expectations are somewhat different in the culture I come from, but I get it. I have an older brother and he would do virtually anything to protect me.”
Christos’s face darkens, but then he gives himself a small shake, almost like he’s literally rolling something off his back.
“I think you have the ability to hurt him,” he says bluntly. “In ways you don’t even realize, and I didn’t know how to handle that so I tried to warn him away from you.” He scratches the back of his neck, yanking on his tie a bit. “It obviously had the opposite effect.”
I blink at him a few times, having no idea what to do with that information. “Why?” I ask, genuinely perplexed. “I mean, how could I hurt Niko? He’s the one with all the power here in case you haven’t noticed.”
He shakes his head sadly. “Then you haven’t seen the way he looks at you. It’s pretty obvious who has the power, and trust me, it’s not my cousin.”
I think back to Niko’s confession to me on his boat. Christos is talking about an entirely different type of power. “So you’re afraid I’ll break his heart?” My voice is soft, sad, and I am too.
“Can you promise me you won’t?” he asks.
I think about it. Can anyone ever promise they won’t inadvertently destroy another person? No matter how much you love someone can you absolutely guarantee you won’t hurt them? I don’t think so. I don’t
think it’s possible to make that kind of promise. That’s why love is risky, why we run from it, and avoid it, and ridicule it, and deny it. It’s the riskiest thing you’ll ever try with the most essential part of yourself.
“I’m not sure anyone can make a promise like that,” I answer, willing him to understand.
“I need you to,” he says, his eyes earnest and almost desperate. “No matter what happens, I need you to swear to me that you won’t do anything that would break Niko.” He pauses. “Please.”
“What is this really about, Christos?” I ask. Something here isn’t right. He’s not telling me everything.
He brushes off my question. “Promise me, and I’ll never give him trouble about you again. I’ll fix all of this between him and me, but you have to swear to me.”
He’s so desperate, so focused, and of course I’d never do anything to hurt Niko if I can help it. Never. Maybe if I promise this Christos will be appeased and Niko will come out of hiding?
“Okay.” I nod, becoming more convinced as I speak that this is the right choice. “I promise. I won’t do anything that would hurt him. His heart is safe with me, Christos. He’s safe with me.”
His relief is visible. He exhales as if he’s been holding a breath for long minutes. He stands and puts his hand out to me across my desk. I put mine out to shake, but instead he simply holds my fingertips, looking deeply into my eyes. “Thank you, Tess. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve your pledge, and I don’t deserve his friendship, but I’m very grateful for all of it. I’ll try my best not to let either of you down.”
He drops my hand, then turns and walks away, shoulders hunched and head down. A single tear rolls out of my eye and snakes its way down my cheek. Something terrible has happened to the heir and the spare of Georgios, and it might break me to watch.
The Heir: A Standalone Greek Billionaire Romance Page 17