by Marian Tee
But it just wasn’t that.
And she finally realized it.
In a short span of time, she had recognized in him a kindred spirit. Someone she was just born to get along with like a house on fire. It was in the way he had helped her when she had tripped, in the way he had made his classmates welcome her.
In just one day, he had made her care for him. It probably wouldn’t make Damen happy, but it was the truth. It wouldn’t have probably made Leon happy either since the way she cared wasn’t exactly what he wanted. Her affection towards him would always be that of a teacher, a mentor.
The realization had her relaxing and ignoring his words, she asked with a smile, “Shall we have a meal first?”
The smile Mairi sent him was beautiful, and despite himself, Leon couldn’t help reacting to it. The smile knocked him sideways, but he strove to hide it. Shrugging, he said indifferently, “If that will make you feel better.”
“It will,” she reassured him.
He gave her a suspicious glance.
Pretending not to notice, Mairi gestured towards the place prepared for him, which was at the foot of the table. When he took a seat, the cuffs were immediately removed, but they were then placed around his left ankle, chaining him to the chair.
He was grudgingly impressed. “Smart.”
“He is, quite,” Mairi said not so modestly.
The twinkle in her eyes made him frown. “Something’s changed.”
Attendants started serving them soup. After thanking them, she looked at Leon, meeting his gaze directly. “It was wrong of you to kiss me.”
The bald-faced declaration took him aback. He hadn’t expected that from her, and now he was even more convinced something had changed. “If you’re waiting for me to apologize, I won’t.”
“I know. I’m not holding my breath for it, but I just wanted to say it all the same. You were wrong, but I was also wrong for letting my guard down.”
The words made him frown. He didn’t like hearing the professor blame herself. “It’s not your fault. You’re right. I was wrong. I’m sorry I took advantage.”
Silence.
He looked up.
“Sorry,” Mairi said quickly. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I made you apologize.”
He grunted. “Don’t expect it to happen often.”
She nodded. “Yup.”
Leon finally realized what was wrong. “You’re no longer nervous,” he said. “Why?”
“Tell me first. Why are you after me?”
“You’re sexy and beautiful and cute all rolled into one.” He laughed when she turned red.
“Just so you know,” she said severely, “I’m blushing because I don’t handle compliments well. It’s not because I’m attracted to you or something.”
“Or something.”
She shook her head, unable to stop herself from grinning at the suggestive look the younger man sent her way. “You’re helpless.” Before he could answer, she went for the kill. “But I know it’s not the truth.”
Leon stilled.
“There’s nothing that remarkable about how I look or act, Leon. So why don’t we both quit beating around the bush. It wasn’t that at all.”
They didn’t speak for a while, both of them concentrating on finishing the first course. Only when the plates were taken away did Leon finally speak. “Why does it matter? We both know now that I don’t stand a chance.” His lips twisted. “Probably never did.”
The way he pointedly looked around him made her say quietly, “I know you know about my past. Everyone probably does. If you also think I was – am – a gold-digger, I would really appreciate it if you say it to my face.”
The ever-so-polite rebuke shamed him. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Mairi inclined her head, but she said evenly, “I’ll only forgive you if you tell me the truth. Why did you choose to target me?”
He winced. “You make me sound like a serial killer.”
She shrugged.
“Now who’s calling names?”
“You said it, Mr. Arlotta, not me.”
Somehow, the lighthearted banner cut him to the quick. He didn’t deserve her to be so damn nice about everything when they both knew what he had done could have ruined her marriage.
“You remind me of my mother,” he heard himself say.
“Umm…” Mairi bit her lip very hard. This was like a scene straight out of Fifty Shades. She only realized she had said the words out loud when Leon started to laugh.
“The fuck did you say?”
She turned red. “Sorry, but I couldn’t help thinking it—”
He shook his head, amusement still underlining his voice as he said, “It’s definitely not that, trust me.” He winced at the thought. “I know about the books. My sister told me about it. And it’s not that.”
“Umm, sorry?” she said weakly.
“My mother is more like…Esther Leventis.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
“I know about your mother-in-law. I’ve read about you two in the papers.”
“Yeah, she totally loves talking about me,” Mairi said miserably.
He snorted. “I guess you could say that.” He sobered. “My mother’s from the same mold. Bitchy as hell, rich as fuck, and unfortunately – beautiful, too. She fell in love with my father, who hadn’t a euro to his name. She gave birth to me, didn’t find his life that nice, so in the end, she dumped my father and me and married the man her parents had chosen for her. End of story.”
“Oh.” She asked slowly, “Does that mean, you thought by…with me, maybe you could turn the tables around and hurt me?”
A short hard laugh escaped him. “I wasn’t that diabolical. Actually, I thought the opposite. I thought maybe I could show everyone that with me, it could work.”
“But I’m married,” she protested.
“So was she when she fell for my father.”
“Ah.” She gave him a disconcerted look. “I’m in love with my husband, though.”
He said flatly, “I know.”
“Super in love.”
“You don’t have to super stress it out,” he returned mockingly.
“Sorry.”
When Mairi flashed him a peace sign, he had to shake his head in amusement. She was such an intriguing mix of maturity and childishness he didn’t know what to make of her. And to think, the Greek billionaire had to deal with this every day. Something to envy and pity him for, definitely.
By the time desserts were served, they were both at ease, and no mention was made again of what had led to this meeting. There was no need actually. Mairi only had to talk about Damen or her daughter, and it was there for him to see.
The love they had was unshakable.
If his parents had the same thing, they would never have separated either.
Mairi excused herself afterwards, telling him she had to feed her daughter. When she came back down, it was to find Leon waiting for her by the entrance hallway, clearly ready to leave.
“I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome, Ms. Yay.” Again, a look at the CCTV.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s not watching, I told you.”
“Probably not now but in time, he will. And I’d like him to know from here on, you will always be Miss Yay to me.”
“It was nice talking to you, Leon,” she said dryly.
“It was my privilege, Professor.” He held out his wrists, and the cuffs were removed.
She hesitated for a moment before blurting out, “I’m really sorry about your parents.”
He nodded.
“Please don’t let it color your view of life.”
He nodded again.
She saw in his face that he no longer wanted to talk about it. “Goodbye, Leon. Oh, and tomorrow, just in case you’d think you’re the reason – I won’t be at school. I don’t have classes to teach and I need to fly to Greece.” She hesitated. “Also, there may be report
s coming out about me causing parents to withdraw their children from CU.”
Leon frowned as Mairi explained why. “That’s bullshit.”
“It will die down in time so…” She shrugged. “Anyway, I thought I should let you know because I’ve also been told by Dean Blanchard that the media may know about…you.”
Leon blinked. He hadn’t thought about how his actions would affect her in that way. “Fuck.”
The self-accusation in his face made her say quickly, “It’s not your fault.”
“No. I should have thought about that. I apologize, Professor.” He reached for the doorknob. “I’ll make sure no one in the class speaks about it to the media.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You have that much power in school?”
Leon only shrugged.
She was visibly impressed. “That’s so cool.”
“I didn’t say it to impress you,” he said irritably. Dammit, he didn’t like how the way she was looking at him made him feel good. “I’m going now.” He looked up at the CCTV again. “Take care of her, Leventis, or I’ll do more than kiss her next time.”
Mairi’s gasp made him feel really good about himself, allowing Leon to leave with a smirk.
Chapter Seven
“You’re sure you’re all set?” Damen asked over the phone, his voice made sharp by worry. It was the first time his wife and daughter were traveling without him, and it didn’t feel right. At all.
Biting back a curse, Damen said, “I don’t think this is a good idea—”
“Damen.” His wife’s extra-sweet voice cut him off.
Damen scowled. “You’re going to sweet talk me into not worrying, aren’t you?”
“Ne.”
His scowl worsened. “And of course, in Greek, too. Because you know I find it a fucking turn on.”
His wife answered with a soft laugh that traveled down the line like an invisible caress. “Since you know everything I’m planning, and you know how this is going to turn out…” She trailed off.
“What if I ask one of your devoted slaves to fly with you?”
Mairi cringed at the term, knowing her husband was referring to Stavros Manolis and Ioniko Vlahos. Both men had, once upon a time, certain feelings for her. “They no longer feel that way, Damen. You know that.”
“Maybe Stavros,” Damen allowed grudgingly. He had played matchmaker for his friend, and as far as he knew, that one resulted in sparks. “But Vlahos?”
She rolled her eyes at the animosity underlining her husband’s voice. “Seriously, stop that. We both know you don’t hate him anymore.”
He grunted. “You’re right. I don’t. But I’m not blind either. That man still has feelings for you.”
“Whatever.” The nanny entered then, Jane carrying Nala in her arms. “I have to go now. I’ve got to put on the carrier and then we need to get to the airport to make it on time.”
“You’re using my jet, matakia mou. Which means it’s on standby for your convenience.”
“I know that, but I still don’t feel good about making everyone wait. If I told them I’d be there at ten, then I’ll do everything I can to be there at ten.” Jane had reached her now, and with her uninjured hand, Mairi reached out to touch her little girl’s nose.
Nala’s eyes sparkled upon seeing her mother, and she began gurgling in laughter when Mairi started making faces.
Damen heard the sounds Nala was making and his face softened. “She’s up?”
“Yep. And I think she feels the same way I do.” Her voice lowered. “We both miss you a lot.”
Damen’s chest tightened. “As I with you two.” When a knock sounded on his office door, he knew it was time to end the call. “You will call me the moment you board?”
“I promise.”
“And you will text me every few minutes?”
“Promise.” She paused. “You haven’t asked about…the problem.”
“Is there something I must worry about?” he asked levelly.
“None,” she said quickly.
“Then that’s answer enough for me. I told you, matakia mou.” His voice became flat. “I will never doubt you again.” Memories struck him, a time when he hadn’t been as wise and he had accused Mairi of betrayal. A time when his cynicism and inability to understand the power of love made him believe in a stranger’s words over the woman he loved.
Mairi didn’t need Damen to say a word to realize where her husband’s thoughts had gone. Her heart squeezed painfully at the sudden strained silence between them, and she whispered, “Damen.”
One, two moments passed before he answered. “Yes?”
“The past is where it belongs already. Leave it there.”
His lips twisted, not even surprised that his wife had seen through him. “Your generosity never fails to amaze me, sweetheart.”
“I love you.” A smile touched her face. “And Nala says she loves you, too.” She touched her daughter’s cheek. “Tell Papa you love him, too, Nala.”
Nala obediently made sounds.
Mairi giggled. “She’s trying to say it in Greek, trust me.”
His lips curved slowly. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.” A dry voice, but it couldn’t hide the love behind the words. “Take care, all right?”
“We will.”
She was smiling when she ended the call, and she was still smiling even by the time they made it to the airport.
It had her anti-romantic nanny shaking her head. “You’re so disgustingly in love, Mrs. L.”
Mairi laughed, the words causing her to hug her baby tightly. Nala giggled with her.
“Keep hugging her like that and you’ll break her ribs,” Jane threatened.
Mairi immediately loosened her grip. “Spoilsport,” she muttered. “I don’t even get why you applied for the job knowing you’d be exposed to my ‘hopelessly romantic ways’.” And those were the nanny’s exact words, not hers.
The tall, svelte blonde flashed her a cheeky grin. “The pay was irresistible. Plus, the catch was so easy. I just had to prove I would never fall for Mr. L.”
Even Mairi had to laugh. That had been funny, and even funnier was how it had taken them over twenty nannies before they found Jane. Thanks to a lie detector, they had known Jane’s heart hadn’t skipped a single beat even when Damen had walked half-naked in front of her.
Mairi’s and Jane’s eyes met, and they both laughed simultaneously. Wiping her eyes, Mairi gasped, “Oh God, when I remember the look Damen had given me.”
Jane had to clutch her stomach. She was laughing too hard. “I know.” She remembered that very clearly. She had already passed the test with flying colors when Mairi had suddenly come to her feet and shouted, ‘Wait.’
Everyone turned to Mairi. ‘What is it?’ Damen demanded, a concerned frown marring his handsome face.
Mairi shook her head. ‘I need to ask her one last question.’
In the act of getting up from her seat, Jane promptly sat down again at Mairi’s words. ‘No problem, Mrs. L.’
‘What else could you ask her?’ Damen asked.
‘I want to ask if she has a crush on you.’
‘We already asked that, ma’am,’ the polygraph expert reminded her.
‘I know, but we haven’t asked Ms. Jane with Damen half-naked.’
All eyes flew to her.
‘What the hell?’ Damen burst out.
‘Whoa.’ This, from Jane.
‘As you wish, ma’am.’ A deadpan tone from the polygraph expert. He glanced at Damen inquiringly. ‘Sir?’
‘Mairi,’ Damen growled.
‘Please,’ his wife begged. ‘I just need to make sure. It’s different when you don’t have a shirt on.’
‘MAIRI.’ Softer and more ominous now.
She gave him her best puppy look eyes, something her former student, Katya Vlahos, had taught her.
Damen cursed under his breath.
Jane laughed. ‘Go on, Mr. L. Feel free to seduce me.’
&
nbsp; ‘Shut up, kid,’ Damen muttered, but he was already reaching for the collar of his shirt. In one swift movement, he had pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the wide, muscled expanse of his deeply tanned chest.
Mairi sighed.
The sigh had his cock hardening.
Fuck.
He tried to control his reaction, but it was impossible.
Jane burst out laughing.
‘The subject’s heart has not skipped a beat, but she may be in danger of losing her breath due to too much respiratory and abdominal exertion.’ He paused. ‘In other words, your current state has her almost dying of laughter. Sir.’
‘Fuck off,’ Damen gritted out.
But this time, even Mairi was laughing.
Mairi and Jane looked at each other again. And just like that, they were laughing once more, and this time even little Nala joined in, clapping her hands in delight.
Behind them, her bodyguards remained stoic. They were already used to their mistress’ bouts of insanity. Past immigration and on their way to the hangar, Mairi caught sight of a familiar face, and her laughter died.
Déjà vu again, she thought. Over a year ago, she’d had a confrontation with the woman heading her way, also in this very airport.
Jane stopped laughing as well. “Mrs. L?” she asked worriedly. Following her employer’s gaze, she saw a sophisticated-looking blonde heading their way.
Oh. Jane recognized the other girl right away. It was Alina Kokinos, the former fiancé of Damen Leventis.
A moment later, and the blonde stopped walking as well, having seen who was in front of her. Pain flashed in her eyes as her gaze found the infant.
The last time Mairi had seen the other girl, Alina had been with Damen. Then, she had let her doubts get the better of her. Then, she hadn’t yet believed in Damen’s love for her.
Never again, she swore to herself, squaring her shoulders.
Tightening her hold on Nala, she resumed walking. She was determined not to give the other girl the time of the day. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Alina, period. And she wouldn’t have, if not for Alina speaking the moment Mairi walked past her.
“My therapist told me I should be okay with how things are.” The moment Alina spoke, the entire area fell silent. It was clear everyone wanted to listen in.