One Week in Greece

by Demi Alex

  “Don’t back off.” One never told the competition what to do. Nor did one discuss the game plan. “I didn’t want the resort sold even before your dad was a factor. Now, I definitely won’t condone such a deal. I agreed to today because of you. Because I didn’t want to disappoint the woman Justin loves and the woman I want to get to know.”

  “Our past has nothing to do with the deal,” she pointed out, every bit the strong and competent businessperson she was. “I’ve collected all the information, and I’ve already made my decision. The rest was just icing on the cake. A way to present it to Luxury Homes and assure what I want happens.”

  “And we don’t need to work on this together,” Paul added. “We can compartmentalize the different relationships. You deal directly with Kosta and Christo where the resort is concerned. I’ll back off.”

  A solitary tear slipped down her cheek.

  “But we still need to talk.” He caught it with his thumb and wiped it away, unwilling to let a business transaction come between them. “Tell me what you feel?”

  She grasped his wrist, and even though he wanted to keep touching her, she managed to move his hand away. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it for what seemed like an eternity, then released it slowly, as if fighting for peace.

  “Talk to me. Tell me.”

  “Paul, you know how it is between us,” she said. “You brought it up and said as much last night. We have chemistry.” She shuddered as she spoke, but she stretched out her spine, sat straight, and didn’t avoid the difficult part.

  Respect for this beautiful woman filled his chest, gripping his heart. She was more than wonderful. Brave and honest, she’d placed it all out in the open, with no regard to her comfort or ego.

  “We do,” he said, once again not willing to lie. “Justin and I knew right away. I felt it from the first moment on the ferry. We have sexual chemistry. But we can’t risk our friendship. You mean too much to us.”

  Okay, so he was speaking about risking her getting hurt, but it wasn’t a lie just because he didn’t specifically say so.

  “We discussed it,” he admitted. “We’ve agreed it’s best to remain friends.”

  “What? You discussed it? You agreed?” Annoyance colored her chest and the hollow at the center of her throat pulsed. “No one decides for me.”

  She stood and glared down at him.

  “Damn it, this is the new millennium. Women want and have sex often.” She held her hands out and opened and closed them. “Newsflash, some of us even have the audacity to initiate it.” And like the sexy little siren she was, she looked over his shoulder at two German tourists and smiled. When they acknowledged her, she wiggled her fingers. The Germans started toward them. “See?”

  “Stop it.” Paul stood and yanked down her hands. He scowled at the Germans, and they changed direction. “You’re not being fair.”

  “You know what’s not fair?” She linked her hands at the small of her back and paced the tiny clearing. “You and Justin have each other. You go home together. I go home alone. And that’s not fair. Maybe I want to go home with someone, too. But I can’t because you two are stuck to me like white on rice, reminding me of what I can’t have.”

  “I thought you were here for work,” he said, grasping at straws to defuse the situation.

  “Yeah, I am. And I can’t do that when you keep looking at me like you want to devour me, or keep touching me and setting my body on fire, or then one of you kisses me and rejects me. It’s too hard.”

  He knew it to be the truth. He wouldn’t be happy in her position. And he didn’t want her unhappy.

  “I won’t spend every free minute with you and Justin.” She kept pacing, ticking off the reasons on her fingers one at a time. “And since there is no reason for us to spend time alone on resort business, you need to let me be. I need time away. Time alone. Without you and Justin.”

  “No,” he said, reaching for her wrist. “You can’t do that. That’s his biggest fear. He doesn’t want to lose you again.”

  “You love him enough to do anything in order for him to be happy.”

  “I do. I would.” But he was finding he’d do anything to keep her happy, too.

  “You’re lucky to have each other. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” She held her fist close to her chest and took a deep breath. “And while I’m truly happy for you, I can’t keep subjecting myself to the pain.”

  “No. That’s not acceptable.” He burned to take her in his arms, tell her how important she was to them, and make it all better. “No pain. No hurt.”

  “What hurts is not that you’re happy, but that you’re giving me mixed signals.”

  Her gaze swept over him and her plea for distance was apparent. He didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to think that someone else could get close to her. Not while they were in constant contact and communication. Maybe if she weren’t staying next door, maybe if he didn’t see her at every turn, then maybe he’d be able to accept it.

  He scrubbed his hand over his face and shook his head.

  No. Not even then.

  He didn’t want anyone else with her.

  “I know you’re committed to each other, and I’m working on being okay with being friends. I’m open to a relationship with you. I may be crazy, but I want a real relationship with you.”

  Hell, would she be happier being friends with benefits?

  “It hurts so much when neither one of you is willing to walk away or act on the sparks between us. We’re in a heated state of limbo. We can’t just ignore it and hope it goes away.”

  The friends with benefits idea was front and center. Acting on it meant no ignoring of the sparks. He agreed. He wanted it.

  “It’s because he can’t lose you again.” Swallowing his pride, he reached for the no-lying part he was committed to. “I don’t want to lose you. Don’t walk away, Bethy. Give us a chance, not to ignore this, but to figure things out.”

  “I’m not walking away. I need some breathing room.” She removed his fingers from her wrist. “It’s just that this is too hard.”

  “I understand,” he said, relieved she wasn’t turning her back on them, but not happy about the melancholy in her voice. “How can I make it better?”

  “You can’t,” she said, moisture shining in her pretty eyes. “My body knows what it wants. It wants what it can’t have.”

  He reached for her, curled his fingers around her nape, and held her to his chest. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent.

  “It may not make things better, but know that my body wants the same, koukla mou.”

  She stayed in his embrace, her hands bunched between them, as her breath evened out and her body relaxed.

  “Okay. We’re in agreement.” She pushed back and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. “You allow me time to acclimate to this new friendship. Don’t crowd me and give me space. Let me have a night of sleep. I give you my word that I won’t run.”

  Feeling like he had no choice, he watched her walk away.

  Let her go.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Numbers bled on the computer screen, and for the first time in his life, Justin had no clue what they meant. While boring for most people, financial reports were his passion. Yet he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care at this point.

  Where the fuck had she gone off to with Christo?

  Why had she gone?

  And most importantly, what had they done while they’d been there?

  He adjusted the climate control setting to twenty-one degrees. He needed to chill the hell out and concentrate.

  His part in what Kosta had asked of them was less than a two-hour job, and once he had the presentation ready, he could spend every one of her non-work related hours with her, making sure she didn’t wander off like that again. He wouldn’t give her the chance to even consider anything with Christo or anyone else.

  “How are you
going to feel when someone, not you or me, makes our beautiful and sexy friend come?”

  Paul’s question taunted him on a continuous mental audio loop. Christo bending his head to her face was the featured video.

  He stood and paced the office, acknowledging the friends’ arrangement couldn’t last as it was. Not only was she beautiful and sexy, but she was also the most sensuous woman he’d ever known.

  Bethany liked sex. Needed sex. She had a ravenous appetite for the sensual pleasures in life.

  Be honest. You don’t want her as a simple friend.

  A knock at the door surprised him, and he turned to see Kosta enter. He held a plate of grilled octopus, and the delicious smell made Justin’s stomach growl.

  “How did you know we skipped breakfast?” Justin asked, trying with all his strength to recompose himself and not think about Bethany in their bed.

  “I didn’t,” Kosta said, placing the meze on the desk. “The octopus compliments the ouzo. Not as nicely as sausage could, but it’ll have to do.”

  He produced a miniature bottle of chilled Plomari Ouzo from one pocket and two shot glasses from the other.

  “Good call,” Justin said, positioning a chair for Kosta before walking around the desk and taking his own seat. “Thank you.”

  Aware that Kosta was eyeing him, Justin twisted off the cork and poured the ouzo, wondering why he’d come to visit. He’d never concerned himself with reports before. He’d trusted Justin to review them and simply signed off.

  “Did you have a nice dinner?” Kosta asked, raising a glass to his mouth.

  “As always,” he answered, knowing the old coot wasn’t referring to the meal. He reached for a fork and speared a piece of octopus.

  “Then why does it look like you’ve been pulling on your hair and it feels like the North Pole in here?”

  The man was up to something. And Justin was in no mood for vague games. “Why did you bring this here, when you’ve never lifted a dish in your life?”

  “Eh, you know.” Kosta hedged meeting his gaze and pretended to search for the perfect piece of octopus. “A little bird told me what happened on the terrace this morning,” he said at last. “I was worried you kids had an argument. I don’t want Bethany uncomfortable.”

  “She’s not uncomfortable,” Justin said, thinking of just how comfortable she’d looked in Christo’s arms.

  “And I don’t want unnecessary problems between Paul and his cousin.”

  Yes. They’d been overheard. News travelled quickly amongst the staff. Most of the employees had been with Vaso’s Dream for years, and they were more like family than staff, so everyone knew Kosta wanted “the boys” to get along.

  “It’ll be okay. Paul said he’s going to speak with Christo and set things straight. Paul won’t let anything hurt their relationship.” Or hurt Bethany, he added silently. “They’ll figure it out.”

  Kosta’s gaze narrowed and he put down his fork, as if needing his hand free to speak. “And how do you feel?”

  “About?”

  “Bethany,” Kosta said, tapping his hand on the wood between them, clearly impatient. “I have eyes. So I don’t need to know what you feel. I want to know what you’re going to do about it.”

  Justin released a long, slow breath. He really didn’t have the patience this morning. How the hell was Justin supposed to tell Paul’s uncle that they lusted after the same woman, but only one of them wanted to keep her?

  “It’s not appropriate to discuss—”

  “First, I’m not questioning your commitment to my nephew.”

  “Didn’t cross my mind. But I don’t think our relationship with Bethany is anyone else’s business. I won’t discuss it,” Justin said.

  “I don’t want details, my boy. I simply have concerns to air.”

  The man was honest and smart, and his commitment to his family’s happiness could never be questioned, either. He’d obviously thought a lot about the situation.

  Justin decided to hear him out. “Go on.”

  “The first time I met you, my boy, you were barely young men, but I knew you were supposed to be with my Paul. Sometimes you just know. I knew.” Kosta rested his arm on the desk and leaned forward to look into Justin’s eyes. “The first time I heard Bethany’s voice, my heart told me there was something special about the girl.”

  “She is special,” Justin agreed.

  “I can’t explain it, but somewhere deep inside I knew I had to get you together. The three of you.” Kosta held up three fingers and pinched them together. “I’m sure, beyond any doubt, I did the right thing. The three of you need each other. Together, you are complete.”

  Justin almost choked on the ouzo. Shaking his head, he placed the glass on the table and stared at Kosta. Maybe the language barrier was misconstruing his words?

  “No,” Kosta said, pointing at Justin. “You understand what I’m saying.”

  “You can’t know that,” Justin said, reaching for his ouzo again. “You didn’t even know we had a past with Bethany.”

  “I didn’t know. I told you. It was a feeling in here.” Kosta pointed to his chest. “Don’t you think you could have prepared this financial presentation from New York and Christo could have played tour guide instead of Paul?”

  Justin liked Kosta’s thought process, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it.

  Kosta tapped his finger to his temple. “In my mind, I had to introduce you and let nature take its course. I did. Nature did. So why not?”

  There were so many reasons he could think of. The logistics of a life together and how society would react were a legitimate concern. More for her than for them. They’d already dealt with society. Furthermore, he and Paul had family support. Justin doubted Bethany would have that.

  “We can’t reserve for a table for three on Friday nights. What will people think?”

  Kosta threw up his hands, then smacked them on his thighs. “Who cares?”

  “Her father will care. She cares what her father thinks. And Paul doesn’t want anything long-term with her.”

  There. He’d said it. He’d summed it all up in one breath.

  Drained and empty, torn between his own happiness and the happiness of the ones he loved, he was forced to accept the consolation prize of friendship.

  “All those Facebook posts about only living once and reaching for your dream have much truth, my boy. You must be honest with yourself.”

  “I am being honest,” Justin said, combing his fingers through his hair. “I can’t risk either one of them being unhappy.”

  “So you will be unhappy?”

  Shrugging, Justin picked up his glass and didn’t bother to answer.

  “You are right, my boy. A woman cares what the man in her life thinks. Your job and Paul’s job is to be that man, or men, for Bethany. If she has your support, she won’t need anyone else’s. And if her father cares for her…well, he’ll come around because she’ll make him. Bethany needs you to care.”

  Surprised by the insight, Justin rose and hugged the older man. “Thank you, Kosta. But we’re not going to talk about this anymore.”

  “Okay. I respect that.” Kosta backed off. “They should be done with business and having lunch. Should we join them?”

  “No. I’m not in the mood to be their intermediary. Let them deal with each other.”

  “Brilliant!” Kosta patted him on the back. “Just brilliant!” He turned and walked toward the door, making funky clucking sounds of joy. “What a smart boy. You know them well.”

  Justin burst out laughing. “This is an unorthodox convo.”

  “It is what it is,” Kosta replied.

  The door swung open, and Paul barreled in.

  “We need to talk.” Paul lifted his chin at Justin, while clasping his uncle’s arms and setting him aside. “Now.”

  “I’ll see you boys later.”

  Radiating with tension, Paul looked over his shoulder
and watched Kosta leave. He released a breath and sank into a chair. “Time’s up, babe. The lady knows what she wants. It’s up to us.”

  * * *

  Not happy with her request, but understanding it, Justin reluctantly agreed to the time needed to acclimate to their new relationship. The rest of the world wasn’t as easy in accepting “unique” or “different” relationships as the people on Mykonos were. The island had earned its hedonistic reputation because of its open-mindedness. New York, Athens, and any other realm they occupied were not the same. They had no choice but to give her the time she’d requested.

  He somehow managed to do City Wings stuff, clearing the remainder of the day for whatever came their way.

  But a simple coffee and an afternoon swim wasn’t cutting it.

  “Where the hell is she?” Justin asked, checking his phone for the tenth time.

  “We agreed to give her the space she asked for. You fucking insisted on it,” Paul said. “So we’re sitting around like dicks, not doing what we want.”

  “We want her long-term, as a friend,” Justin maintained, hoping he’d manage to convince himself he believed it, before he saw her with someone else. “If we’re willing to do that, she’ll be good with it. She won’t avoid us, will she?”

  “No idea,” Paul said, pulling himself from the water and sitting on the ledge. “She should be here by now. I’m turning into a fucking prune waiting.”

  The second the words were out of his mouth, she strolled into the courtyard. “Hey. Looks like you’re enjoying the afternoon.”

  “Join us,” Justin blurted, then kicked himself in the ass. Nice of you to respect her need for space, dickhead.

  “Maybe next time,” she said, clearly forcing a smile. “I’m going to take a short nap and get ready for tonight. Later, dudes.”

  She gave them her back, wriggled her fingers over her shoulder, and walked into her room.

  “Later, dudes?” Paul muttered. “Seriously? She’s just going to strut off like that and leave us hanging? We should go after her and make sure she’s with us tonight.”