by Marie Kelly
“I have several charities which I work with Lee, and from the moment our engagement is announced you will be expected to take an interest in these”
Pausing he had looked at her
“Do you think you can do that” he had asked with a small thoughtful frown, before adding unpleasantly “In between your shopping trips of course”
The chance to do something during what she was fast coming to look on as her internment had instantly raised her spirits
“I’m sure I can show enough interest” she had responded, before the attentive waiter had appeared to take their order and place drinks before them.
Surprisingly the rest of the meal had passed pleasantly as Yanis had at her prompting described the different charities he supported, answering her many questions. He had looked at the young woman with real surprise at her obvious interest, telling himself that women like Lee Andrews just liked to find out as much information as they could, so that they could use it against men like Jim. However, she had grossly underestimated him because he knew how women like her operated, and she was wasting her time if she thought he would be half as easy a mark as poor Jim had been. Still he was pleasantly surprised at her quick mind and the way she asked pertinent and intelligent questions. Most of his lady friends would not have been able to grasp half of the information he was giving let alone be able to make sense of it. She however, had nodded with apparent understanding.
To his surprise he had found himself enjoying the meal slowly relaxing in her company to the point that he had began to joke with her, as she had laughed back, throwing in quick one liners of her own which had him laughing with her. He had also found himself admiring her smile, which would light up her whole features, enjoying the sound of her wonderful laugh, as her whole face would glow when she did. As the meal had ended he had looked at her contemplatively, she was good he thought to himself, very good.
Lee had also enjoyed the meal, finding him to be great company once he had stopped looking at her as though she was something unpleasant he had stepped on. She had been genuinely interested in his charity work and pleasantly surprised at the amount of knowledge he had about this work. It seemed to show that he was actively interested and involved, rather than just a cheque book patron. As he had relaxed she had found him smiling at her with that same smile he had used in the hospital the day they met and had found the sound of his masculine laughter had sent pleasant tremors once more down her spine.
Finishing the meal Yanis had guided her out of the restaurant placing his hand gently on her back, an action which had caused Lee to jump slightly at the sudden feel of his hand on her body. As they had moved into the waiting car she had gasped in surprise, flinching, as once more photographers had snapped pictures of the two of them.
Inside the car she had looked at him in surprise
“Who where they” she asked
“paparazzi” he replied unpleasantly “get used to them Lee, they will become the bane of your life…and when I throw you out, then they are going to pursue you with a vengeance…and you won’t be able to say a word” he added, the old unpleasantness creeping back into his voice and eyes.
Lee sat quietly for the rest of the short journey as he filled her in on plans made so far. She had grimaced at the amount of time and effort he had put into his vengeance plan, but had been relieved when he had informed her that her work had completely understood that she could not come right back, but had looked forward to seeing her when things were more settled.
Lee had recognised the area which the car had driven too. Not surprised to find herself on the expensive side of town, the complete opposite end of the social scale to her own small home. They had pulled up outside a large estate in which they had to be buzzed through security gates to reach the grand home which sat nestled in amongst the trees at the end of the long driveway. Lee had only seen such buildings on television or when she had visited some of the immensely rich clients who used the PR Company she worked for, her mind briefly returning to one in particular, before she had looked over at Yanis Demitri the other memory vanishing from her mind instantly. As she admired the building he had gently placed a hand on her elbow to move into the building with her, once again making her jump.
Inside, the house was decorated in the most sumptuous manner. It was clear to see that no expense had been spared in the décor, although Lee had felt that it was a little masculine and lacked some feminine touches, not surprising she mused, remembering Jim telling her that although many had tried, no woman had ever managed to move into his home on a permanent basis. Standing looking around with awe struck eyes, scared to touch anything in case she broke it; she became aware of a woman moving towards them. Middle aged with warm twinkling eyes she had welcomed Yanis and then Lee.
“Lee please meet Mrs D’Angelo…my housekeeper” he said smiling back at the woman
Lee had extended her hand, a broad smile on her face much to the other woman’s surprise.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you” she said warmly. The woman had looked at her for a second before shaking the hand and replying with a smile
“Please call me Maria Madam”
Lee had smiled
“OK but only if you call me Lee”
Watching this Yanis had frowned slightly. Maria was a shrewd woman, who often had plenty to say about the type of women he brought home, so why was she being so quickly taken in by the transparent gold digger before her
“I will show Lee to her room” he said moving up the steps with the expectancy of a man who was used to others following him, as indeed she had done with a last flash of teeth to the other woman, who much to her surprise had winked at her.
Opening the door to a room halfway down the corridor Lee had gasped as she walked in. The room was huge and beautifully decorated in light creams and rich reds. The large four poster bed which looked small in the space was exquisitely dressed and suddenly feeling very tired it had looked so appealing at that moment. Near to the bed Lee could also see a large comfortable couch and dressing table, and had spotted two doors on the farthest wall to where they stood. Moving over to the first he had shown her the large en-suite bathroom filled with everything she would need. Her eyes had been wide with wonder at the opulence of it and she had gasped again seeing the next door which led into a walk in closet, in which her purchases of that day had already been neatly hung.
Lee had been surprised to see just how much she had bought and was annoyed seeing the mocking look which crept into his eyes
“Glad to see you getting into the swing of things” he said softly
Angrily she had turned away from him biting back
“You were the one who sent along the list…not me”
Lee had felt him moving behind her, her whole body suddenly on high alert at his closeness
“Well I think I’ll leave you to it then” he said much to her relief
“But there is one thing we need to sort out” he said as his hands had quickly grabbed her turning her around to face him as she had gasped in surprise, before he had pulled her against the hardness of him, his mouth lowering to kiss her
For a second Lee had froze in shock, before with a small groan her lips had parted to deepen his kiss, feeling his mouth gentle yet insistent against hers as his tongue had began to explore the softness of her. Then sense had bubbled to the surface of her confused mind as she had pushed him away from her, her eyes shocked and confused with a tinge of fear filling them. As she stood unsteadily away from him, her breathing ragged, she had seen the look of desire in his eyes before they had once more been replaced with the coldness she had come to expect
“You..you said that you weren’t going to force me to sleep with you” she stammered
With supreme calmness he had smiled back at her
“That’s right Lee, but from now on you are going to have to act like you are madly in love with me….and not jump a mile like a frightened school girl every time I touch you. Because believe me, par
t of the deal here is that you play your part well…. It just won’t be as much fun for me if you don’t.
Through gritted teeth she had replied
“Don’t worry about me Yanis, I can fake it for the damn camera” she retorted
She had seen his eyebrows rise and with a smile he had moved forward
“Good, you finally managed to say my name…a start… now come here and prove to me that you can fake it”
With unsteady feet she had moved towards him unaware of how her hands had tugged at each other nervously, her teeth biting on her soft lip. He had taken each hand in his kissing them both slowly as she fought not to show the way his touch was affecting her, before his hands had moved to her hips pulling her closer in against him while his mouth had once again lowered to take hers. She had watched it all happen in slow motion, aware of her eyes closing as their lips touched. This time she let him kiss her and placing her flattened hands against the hardness of his chest she had slowly moved them upwards against him until they were wound around his neck, to bring her soft body harder in against his as she had kissed him back just as deeply, letting her tongue meet his as she felt herself sinking under the wonderful sensations he was rising within her.
He had groaned gently against her lips, as his hands had moved along her back her body reacting wherever she felt the heat of those firm hands through the thin material of her dress as he held her even tighter to him. After what seemed an age, he had moved her away from him his hands a little shaky
“OK Lee, you proved that you can fake it….I’m sure that Jim was impressed too” he had added his voice husky, as he had looked down on her with those dark unfathomable eyes
Lee dropped her eyes to the ground aware that she was breathing fast, her hand visibly trembling rising to gently touch her mouth.
As he moved to the door, opening it he had looked back at her, suddenly aware of how sensual she looked, her eyes wide and still full of the desire they had both felt, her lips red from their kiss and her breasts still rising fast and it took all his determination not to return to her at that moment
“For the record Lee, I never said that I didn’t intend to sleep with you…I said that I had never forced a woman to sleep with me”
With that he was gone, and Lee had sunk down onto the couch, her emotions in tatters. No man had ever kissed her that way before, and the strength of her own reaction to him had frightened her. This man was blackmailing her, threatening her beloved brother, and yet she wondered if he had lifted her and taken her to the bed if she would really have stopped him. With a tortured groan she knew that she wouldn’t have, still feeling the way her body longed for him to return to her. Dropping her head into her hands for the first time she wondered if she was in way over her head
“Please wake up soon Jim” she prayed quietly.
The next morning Lee woke at her usual 6.30, enjoying the feel of the power shower, as it fired warm jets of water across her body. She had then hunted through the clothes which had been delivered, before settling on black trousers and a soft blue jumper as the most practical clothing she could find. After brushing her hair, leaving it to swing freely down her back and applying a little gloss to her lips she had left the room not quite sure of where she was going as Yanis had not thought to show her around the house the previous evening, simply taking her to her room and leaving her there.
Therefore, she had moved around the different rooms downstairs, aimlessly looking for signs of a kitchen in which she could get a cup of tea.
“You look lost Madam” a voice behind her had said making her start
Turning round quickly, she had flashed the housekeeper one of her wonderful smiles making the woman smile back automatically
“Morning Maria... I am…I was looking for the kitchen” she said “and please call me Lee”
The woman before her had smiled again “OK Lee, I think you and I will be good friends” she said softly in her deep accent.
“I hope so…I will try not to be any trouble to you” she said gently, as the woman had looked at her for a few seconds
“I show you the dining room. Yanis is already there. You have breakfast with him”
Lee’s heart had sunk to her feet. She had hoped to avoid him until the evening when she would be expected to play the dutiful girl friend by his side. Biting down the groan she had followed the older woman to a room down the hall and thanked her once she had opened the door for her.
As she entered Yanis had looked up in surprise.
“I didn’t expect to see you this early Lee” he said in his sensual voice, which once more, she had found so pleasant as she felt the small tremors pass through her, remembering once again how his mouth had felt against hers, how he had tasted as she had held back the small moan which rose within her.
“Really” she said taking a seat opposite him “and why is that”
He had looked briefly at his watch “Most women are not known for getting up this early” he replied
“Well maybe you should try to meet some women who have to work for a living Yanis…I imagine that your mistresses don’t do much of that” she replied haughtily
She saw his lips twitch “Really, am I mistaken or are you not now one of the idle rich kept women”
Lee glared at him lifting the tea pot to pour herself a cup of much needed tea
“Not by my choice” she said “I guess that’s the difference…you forced this”
“Is this not what you have always wanted Lee” he asked leaning closer in to her as she had scowled at him “No it is not” she said with conviction, bristling as he had laughed softly at her
“Why do you fight this? Why not enjoy it while it lasts” he said, his dark eyes flicking over her face
“Because this is not who I am” she retorted angrily “I just want Jim to wake up so that I can get back to my own life, not “she searched around for the right word “...this”
“Still playing your little game, Cara” he said although there was a hard edge to his tone as she had leant back in submission.
“This afternoon we have an appointment with my lawyer to sign the paperwork we discussed…if you like I can change the time, so you can go shopping” he had offered, watching her
The last thing Lee wanted to do was to go shopping again, but the thought of an early visit to Mrs Green perked her up.
“OK, change the time. Can the driver take me where I want to go….or am I stuck with your schedule” she asked “There is somebody I would like to visit”
“Who” he asked suspiciously, his eyes glaring over at her
“You are not to visit any other men”
Lee had looked at him in shock. “My God, do you think this badly of all women or am I just a special case” she bit back at him
He had looked at her without commenting
“I want to visit a friend, a neighbour, an old women, who I try to see every day….make sure she eats”
Yanis had scowled, “isn’t that what social services are for” he asked
Lee had once more gasped in shock “She is an old women, who enjoys some company….or do you begrudge her that”
The two of them had once again locked eyes, glaring at each other before he had sat back
“Fine, give me her name and address and I will add her to the list of acceptable places for the driver to take you too”
“Acceptable places..” she said aghast “I have to clear everywhere I go with you” she asked in horror
Yanis had smiled “Yes”
“If you want to visit any other place other than those already on the itinerary then you need to clear it with me”
Lee’s lips had tightened “What about Jim” she asked
Yanis had frowned at her “I have thought about that, and as much as it disgusts me that you go there to salve your conscience.. you might actually be the one person who may bring him out of his coma…so we will both go together at night”
Before she could comment he h
ad thrown down his napkin rising in a quick fluid movement from the table
“I will phone you later with the time for the lawyer and will see you then”
He stopped by her chair, her eyes level with his hips, as she had flushed slightly averting her eyes at seeing his taught body so close to her
“Should we kiss as I go to work. cara” he asked his tone mocking as she glared back at him, causing him to laugh gently
“Now it is that kind of coldness that will drive your love into the arms of another” he said, surprised at the sudden look of pain which had crossed her eyes as she looked down into her cup.
As he left the room Lee pushed back the tears which had risen to her eyes. He had hit a nerve and she bit her lip as the memories had rushed back to her.
She remembered David Jones. He had been her first love, the man who had taken her innocence. He had been so perfect she had thought, tall handsome and charming, one of her firm’s biggest customers who had wined and dined her for months before they had become lovers. Lee remembered how he had make love to her, uneasy at the way she was already comparing his kisses to those of Yanis. Even more alarmed when she realised that he had not matched the intensity of the Greek who held her a prisoner in a gilded cage, nor had he raised within her half the sensations that Yanis seemed to be able to produce at a mere touch.
Lee remembered how she had thought herself to be so much in love, and how she had believed him to hold the same feelings. Yet when he had asked her to marry him, she had hesitated. She had panicked and asked for time to think about it. Two days later when she had arrived at his home to give him an answer, she had surprised him as she let herself in with the key he had given her, finding him in bed with another woman. Lee had been devastated, refusing to accept his apologies, as he told her that he thought she didn’t care about him because of her coldness when he had proposed. She remembered how David had tried for months to see her before he had finally given up as she continued to refuse to meet with him or even to talk to him.
At that time it had been Jim who had held her and comforted her, telling her that it wasn’t her fault, telling her that if he had truly loved her then he would have waited forever to get her answer. He had been there for her, which was why she was there for him now, and so despite her rising concern about the way she reacted to Yanis she knew that she could never tell him what she knew.