The Touch of Aphrodite

by Joanna Mansell

  'You'll be staying in my hotel in Larnaca,' he told her, as the car moved smoothly away. 'You'll obviously need a few days to settle in —and unpack,' he added caustically, with obvious reference to the amount of luggage she had brought with her. 'We'll wait until next week before getting down to any serious work.'

  'Why do I have to stay in your hotel?' Emily asked, knowing that she would feel a lot more relaxed if she could keep some distance between herself and this disturbingly attractive man.

  'Because I promised Dimitri that I would look after you.'

  'I don't need looking after,' she insisted at once. 'Especially since you're only doing it out of a sense of duty. You really don't want me here at all, do you, Mr Konstantin?'

  'Nikolaos,' he corrected her softly. 'I told you to call me Nikolaos.'

  But Emily didn't want to be reminded of the fact that they were cousins, even if cousins only by marriage, with no actual blood ties between them. She sat in tense silence for the rest of the journey, and was relieved when the car finally drew up outside a hotel which was situated right on the promenade, and overlooking the marina.

  Nikolaos took her straight up to what was obviously one of the best rooms in the hotel. It had a balcony overlooking the sea, and the sun shone in gently through the wide windows.

  'This is very nice,' Emily said, forcing herself to be polite. 'But, of course, I can only stay here for a couple of nights, at the most.'

  Nikolaos's gaze narrowed. 'Why?'

  'Because I need a place of my own. I can't spend the next twelve months living in hotels. Perhaps I could find a small apartment —'

  'And how would you pay for it?' he enquired coolly. 'You won't inherit the bulk of Dimitri's estate until your year here is up. And I doubt if you've very much money left of your own, if the amount of luggage you've brought with you is a reliable indication of your spending habits.'

  Emily flushed because, of course, he was right. Why, oh why had she gone on that wild shopping spree? It had virtually wiped out her savings, leaving her financially vulnerable. And any kind of vulnerability had to be dangerous where this man was concerned.

  'I'll be earning a salary while I'm learning the hotel business,' she said with renewed stubbornness, determined to fight for her independence. 'I can pay for some kind of accommodation out of that.'

  For just an instant, Nikolaos looked surprised, as if he had expected her to welcome the chance to live in his hotel free of charge. Then he waved his hand dismissively. 'It's far more practical for you to live in the hotel. Once you begin your training, you'll be working at all hours of the day and night because the hotel trade is a twenty-four-hour-a-day business. It wouldn't make sense for you to live some distance away.'

  'I thought that you didn't even want me working under you, let alone living under your roof,' she pointed out. 'In fact, considering the way that you feel about me, I don't know why you've taken any of this on at all. Surely it would have been better to let someone else handle this whole thing?'

  'I couldn't do that,' Nikolaos said in a rather grim tone. 'I gave my word to my uncle that I would handle this myself, and I have to keep that word. I don't approve of the will that Dimitri made, nor do I think that you have any right to his estate, but I will still do everything I can to carry out his last wishes.'

  Well, that was plain enough! Emily told herself. Nikolaos Konstantin had made it absolutely clear that any help he gave her would be purely out of a sense of duty.

  'I'll speak to you again in the morning,' he went on in a more controlled voice. 'If you want something to eat, the hotel restaurant is open at the usual hours.'

  After he had gone, a couple of bellboys staggered in with her luggage, and she became embarrassed all over again as she realised just how much she had brought with her. She unpacked a couple of cases, and winced as she remembered just how much all these new clothes had cost.

  A little later, she went down and ordered dinner in the hotel restaurant, feeling rather self-conscious sitting at a table all by herself. At the end of her meal, though, when she tried to pay the bill, she discovered that Nikolaos had left instructions that all her expenses would be taken care of by him. Emily was used to paying her own way, so that was something that would definitely have to change. In the morning, she would muke that very clear to Nikolaos.

  For tonight, though, she simply wanted to sleep. It had been a long and emotionally exhausting day, and the couple of glasses of local wine that she had had with her dinner were now adding to her drowsiness. She went back to her room, crawled between the crisp, cool sheets and immediately fell asleep.

  In the morning, she woke up to find that the sun was again shining palely down out of a clear blue sky. She had read that Cyprus in February could sometimes be chilly and wet, but this was obviously going to be a golden, sun-filled day, a welcome change from the grey weather she had left behind in England.

  Emily quickly showered and dressed. She decided against breakfast, because she didn't want to eat another thing in this hotel until she had sorted out the question of payment for her food with Nikolaos. Instead, she left the hotel and headed for the promenade, which was long and lined with tall palm trees, reminding her of the south of France.

  She strolled down towards the marina, where lines of yachts bobbed quietly, some quite small, others white and gleaming and expensive. Even this early there were quite a few other people around, some of them heading for the beach although it really wasn't warm enough yet for sunbathing. Quite a few of them smiled at Emily as they passed her, and she found herself smiling back. People here seemed different from back home. More friendly, more relaxed. Of course, a lot of them were obviously on holiday, which made a difference. But there was something welcoming about the atmosphere; people were calling out to each other and joking as they opened up the shops that lined the promenade; they were obviously happy in their work and looking forward to the day ahead. It was very different from the big city rush that Emily was used to, with everyone grimly jostling for space on overcrowded Tubes and buses, or hurrying along with heads down, ignoring the people around them, intent only on getting to work on time.

  Then Emily gave a small gulp as she suddenly saw a face that was very familiar. Nikolaos, walking purposefully in her direction, dressed very formally today in a dark suit and crisp white shirt, and looking more imposing than ever.

  Emily gave a silent groan. What was he doing here? Was he looking for her? As he drew nearer, though, his dark gaze fixed on her, and she realised that he looked rather surprised to see her. So, this meeting was purely coincidental.

  As he drew level with her, his black brows set into a distinct frown, as if he wasn't particularly pleased to see her.

  'You're up early,' he said shortly.

  "What did you expect?' she replied. That I would lie in bed half the morning? I'm not a lazy person!"

  'I thought that, after the long journey yesterday, you might have relaxed and ordered breakfast in bed,' Nikolaos said after a brief pause. That immediately reminded Emily of something that she needed to get settled right now.

  'I'm not ordering anything in your hotel until we've sorted out the question of the bill,' she said at once.

  Nikolaos's frown deepened. 'It's already been taken care of. All your expenses will be met by the hotel.'

  'They certainly will not,' she retorted. 'I'm used to paying my own way. I won't be treated like some — some charity case!'

  'What is this?" Nikolaos said cynically. 'Some ploy to impress me? A way of trying to convince me that you're independent, and don't accept other people's money?"

  Emily felt a huge rush of frustration. What did she have to do to get through to this man? Convince him that she wasn't interested in free rides?

  'I'm not the kind of person who wants something for nothing,' she said hotly.

  'Then why are you accepting the inheritance that Dimitri left you?' he countered immediately.

  'That's--that's different.'

  'I
n what way?' he enquired coolly.

  'In every way,' she told him angrily. 'And you know it!'

  His face immediately hardened. 'All I know is that I am under an obligation to provide you with everything that you need during the coming year. And if you want to comply with the terms of Dimitri's will, then you are obliged to accept that fact. And my guess is that you will accept it,' he added in a harsher voice. 'Nothing is going to stop you from claiming Dimitri's estate, is it?'

  Emily gave a sudden, deep sigh and abandoned the argument. She was quite sure that she couldn't say or do anything to change this man's opinion of her. He had labelled her a fortune hunter, and that was how she would forever remain in his eyes. Anyway, it didn't matter, she told herself defiantly. She was here to learn how to run Dimitri's hotel; nothing else was really important.

  She turned round and began to walk away from Nikolaos, towards the marina. Then she was rather disconcerted to find that he had begun to stride along beside her.

  'Why are you following me?' she demanded. 'You don't have to keep a watch over me, I'm not going to do anything that will disgrace the Konstantin family!'

  'I'm not following you,' he said curtly. 'I'm on my way to the marina. Some friends of mine are using my yacht today. I've a business meeting shortly, but before I leave I want to check that everything's ready for them.'

  'Your yacht?' Emily echoed. Her gaze skimmed over the lines of boats lying at anchor. 'Which one is it? No, let me guess,' she went on with a touch of sarcasm. 'The biggest and most expensive!'

  His dark eyes fixed on her scathingly. 'Do you think that I need to flaunt my wealth?' Then he walked on towards the marina, and agilely jumped aboard a medium-sized yacht moored near the jetty.

  Emily gave a small sigh. She just didn't seem to be able to say the right thing to Nikolaos. And this was the man she had to work with for the next year!

  Of course, it was all his fault, she told herself staunchly. He was so hostile and arrogant. But the whole situation was going to become quite impossible if they continued like this for the next twelve months. In fact, she really didn't think she could cope with it. She was so completely on her own, with not even a friend she could talk things over with. Some sort of compromise had to be reached, or she was never going to make it through the year; she would panic, crumble, or just give up and run for home.

  They needed to talk, she decided. And right now, before her courage failed her.

  She sat down on a bench near the marina and waited for Nikolaos to return from his yacht. She discovered that her heart was thumping rather fast and firmly told herself that was silly, there was absolutely no reason why she should be nervous of Nikolaos. Yet that didn't -top her skin from prickling in a most peculiar way when she finally saw him leaving the marina again. When Nikolaos saw her sitting there, waiting for n. he stopped dead and the dark frown reappeared on his face.

  'I don't have the time —or the inclination —to talk with you any further today,' he said tersely.

  His deliberate brusqueness very nearly made Emily get up and walk off. Instead, though, she forced herself to stay exactly where she was. She knew that she was the one who would have to make the first gesture — although it would probably be the hardest thing that she would ever do!

  'I think that perhaps I should apologise,' she said at last, forcing out the words because she really didn't think she had done anything that she needed to apologise for; she was simply trying to soften his attitude towards her. Instead of responding sympathetically, a look of extreme scepticism immediately appeared on Nikolaos's face. 'Do I detect a certain lack of sincerity in your voice?' he drawled.

  Emily was alarmed that he had picked that up so easily. What else had she revealed just by the tone of her voice?

  'I —er —I —' she began, totally flustered. Then she managed to get control of herself again. 'I'm simply trying to do something about this impossible situation,' she went on much more steadily. 'I want to end all this antagonism between us.'

  Nikolaos glanced at his watch. 'This conversation will have to wait,' he said curtly. 'I'm already late for my business appointment." Emily knew that if she gave up now, though, she might not find enough nerve to tackle this subject again. 'Let me walk with you,' she suggested. 'I really do want to talk to you.'

  'I'm not walking, I'm driving —to Nicosia. If you want to discuss something, you'll have to come with me.'.

  'To Nicosia?' she said, blinking.

  'It's only fifty kilometres,' he pointed out, with a touch of impatience. 'I'm not suggesting that you come with me to the end of the world.'

  'But —what would I do when I get there?'

  'That really isn't my concern.'

  'I suppose I could go sightseeing,' she said, after a moment's thought. 'How long will your business meeting take?'

  'A couple of hours.'

  'And I could return with you afterwards, to Larnaca?'

  'I wasn't proposing to leave you stranded in Nicosia,' he said drily.

  'Then I'll come,' she told him. She really did want to talk to him and try to get something sorted out today, while her nerve was still holding and she could stand up to this man.

  His car was waiting for him in front of the hotel. Nikolaos opened the passenger door for Emily, and then slid into the front seat beside her.

  'No chauffeur today?' she asked.

  'I only use him on formal occasions.'

  'Our trip from the airport to the hotel was hardly a formal affair,' she pointed out.

  'But, in a way, it was, since it marked your arrival on Cyprus. Whether I like it or not, you are, at least temporarily, part of the Konstantin family. That means that you have to be treated with a certain amount of respect.'

  "Even though it sticks in your throat,' Emily said caustically. Nikolaos merely shrugged. 'Given the conditions of Dmitri's will, it was inevitable that you would come to Cyprus. It doesn't have to be inevitable that you stay, though.'

  She immediately looked at him suspiciously. 'What do you mean?'

  'That there's no reason why we shouldn't come to some kind of—arrangement.'

  "What sort of arrangement?' Emily asked at once. At the same time, her pale gold brows drew together. She had agreed to come on this trip because she had wanted to discuss certain things with him, and also try — although she had very little hope of success —to put right the very biased opinion he had of her. She had hoped to be able to make him see that life would be much easier for both of them if they could make an effort to start again, forget about their past differences and try to forge some kind of working relationship that would get them through the next few months. It rather looked as if Nikolaos Konstantin had very different ideas, however!

  'You intend to claim Dimitri's estate,' he now said in a very cool voice. 'I happen to think that you shouldn't have it. It belongs to his family.'

  'I am his family,' Emily said indignantly. 'My mother was his wife!'

  'For only a few years,' Nikolaos pointed out. 'And you are only his stepdaughter. As far as I'm concerned, that gives you no rights at all. You aren't a blood relative, you don't even use the name of Konstantin. You keep the name of your own father, Peterson. Although, as it happens, that's the one thing that I do approve of. You have no right to be known as Emily Konstantin.'

  'You keep talking of rights,' Emily retorted furiously, 'but it seems to me that you want to deny them to Dimitri, your uncle. He was entitled to do whatever he liked with his estate, and he made his wishes perfectly clear. He wanted to leave it to me. You won't accept that, though, you keep trying to override his wishes.'

  'Marriage to your mother made Dimitri forget that he had other obligations,'

  Nikolaos said in a much harsher tone. 'He has three elderly aunts, another nephew and two nieces. There is also myself, of course, although I am certainly not interested in claiming any part of his estate for myself. But my family are his blood relations, and therefore they are entitled to at least part of any interitance.'<
br />
  Emily was a little shaken by this statement, because she had never considered the fact that Dimitri might have members of his own family who might benefit from a part of his estate.

  'Are you saying that these aunts, his nephew and nieces, are in need of money?' she said hesitantly. 'That they will be in real hardship if they don't get it?'

  'Of course not,' Nikolaos said dismissively. 'They are all Konstantins; no member of the family would be allowed to fall into financial hardship. I would see to that.'

  'Then what is this all about?' Emily said a little more indignantly.

  'I am telling you that they have a more rightful claim to his estate than you do.'

  'Are they going to make a claim on it?'

  "No," he said, after a short pause.

  "Then it's just you who's stirring up all this trouble, isn't it?' she said angrily.

  'You want them to have it, instead of me. In fact, you don't really care who gets it as long as it isn't me!'

  Vkolaos's face became even more grim. 'It's obviously impossible to talk to you about this,' he said tersely. 'You don't seem to have any sense of decency or honour. You are simply a fortune hunter, like your mother.'

  That made Emily completely lose her temper. He could say what he liked about her, but he was not going to denigrate her mother!

  'Dimitri was very happy with my mother,' she said in an outraged tone. 'He loved her; in fact, he adored her! All he wanted was to be with her.'

  'My uncle was obsessed,' Nikolaos said dismissively. 'He gave up his home, his family, everything, just to satisfy his desire for your mother.'

  'He wasn't obsessed. He was in love!' Emily glared at him fiercely. 'Can't you understand that? Don't you know what love is, what it's like?'