by -Julia James
What nature had bestowed on him his obvious wealth had accentuated. The superbly tailored suit fitted him like a glove, and she could see it had most definitely not been an off-the-peg purchase. But the man wearing it did not look off-the-peg either. He looked, she assessed instantly, expensive. His dark hair was expertly cut, feathering very slightly across his wide brow, and the dark glasses he wore did not need to have the discreet designer logo on them for her to know they had not been purchased from a market stall.
His nose was strong, and straight, with deep lines curving from it to the edges of his mouth.
His mouth—
Sculpted. That was the only word for it. With a sensuous lower lip she had to drag her eyes from, forcing herself to gaze into the blankness of his shaded regard.
There was something about this man that was making her heart race—and it was not just because he'd all but woken her out of a sun-beaten slumber. She felt the world shift around her and resettle.
As if something had changed for ever.
Then a different emotion surfaced. She'd been too busy gaping at this fantastic-looking man to take on board that he seemed to know who she was.
'Who wants to know?' She countered his enquiry warily. If he wasn't from the hotel who else knew she was here, except for Stephanos?
She pushed h er hair back over her shoulders, feeling it tumbling warm and heavy down her back, and gazed at him, lips parted slightly.
Theos, thought Nikos, absorbing the sensuous gesture, she was perfect. Just perfect. The dream image of a sexy blonde.
But she wasn't cheap or tarty. Nothing so resistible! She was beautiful—head-turningly so. In an instant Nikos's expert eye took in the fact that she had one of those faces where every feature complemented every other, from her chestnut eyes, set in a heart-shaped face, to her generous mouth below a delicate nose. A golden tan gilded her flawless skin and her hair hung like pale spun gold down to her slender waist, faintly visible through the gauze of the turquoise sarong.
Desire flashed through him. Instant and insistent.
For a moment he felt consumed by it, overwhelmed. Then, with deliberate control, he subdued his reaction.
It was good that he desired her, it would make his task so much easier, but that was the only reason he should feel desire for her. It was a means to an end, that was all, and the end was the removal—permanently—of this girl from his brother-in-law's marriage.
And to that end it was also necessary that this girl should be sexually vulnerable to him, Nikos. His eyes flickered over her again.
She was sexually aware of him all right. He knew the signs. Knew them well.
Beneath his regard Janine felt colour stealing out along her cheekbones. Heat flushing into her blood.
She could feel herself reacting to this man. She couldn't stop herself. There was something about him that was more than his devastating looks, more than that potent aura of wealth, or even the potent frisson of the power that a man like this must surely wield in the world he moved in. There was a raw sexuality beneath that tailored suit, hidden in those veiled eyes. She felt it licking at her.
Making her want him.
The realisation shocked her.
How could she be responding so strongly to a man she'd just set eyes on—whose eyes she couldn't even see yet? But she was, and she couldn't stop it. She felt her breasts tighten, her pupils flare, the colour flood to her cheeks.
Nikos watched her responding to him. That was good, very good. He wanted her responsive, wanted her physically aware of him—wanted her vulnerable to him.
There would be no problem seducing her, he knew.
Women came easily to him. They always had. Despite Demetria's bewailing, in his twenties he had indulged himself to the hilt. Now, in his thirties, he was more selective, preferring to choose women who could move in his world, who were sophisticated and discreet. Who understood what he wanted—and then moved on when he gave them the indication, as he always did.
Such women would neither know nor care that he was about to make a temporary diversion, in a call of duty, to seduce away this female who threatened his sister's marriage, who was making a fool of a man who, up till now, he had always held in the greatest respect.
Now he let the female he was about to seduce, deliberately and calculatedly, respond to him, heighten her awareness of him, begin to make herself vulnerable to him.
He smiled.
Janine felt a kick go through her, powerful and shocking. The sculpted mouth parted, lines indenting around it, showing strong white teeth. It was an easy smile, yet it sent a frisson through her.
'We have a mutual—acquaintance,' he said, pausing minutely over the word. 'Stephanos Ephandrou.' He could see her stiffen fractionally as he dropped the name into the space between them.
'Oh?' responded Janine. Out of the blue he had mentioned Stephanos—what should she say? She knew Stephanos wanted her to be discreet about their relationship—yet here was a complete stranger who seemed to know there was a connection.
Her concern showed in her eyes. Nikos saw it and felt a stab of anger. Any lingering doubts he might have had that Demetria had somehow imagined her husband was having an affair vanished. The girl was carrying on with Stephanos. No doubt about it. His name had registered with her as loudly as if he'd rung a bell in her ear!
He forced his natural anger down. To display it now would ruin his strategy. Janine Fareham must have no idea of his hostility to her—indeed, she must think quite the opposite.
He bestowed another smile on her, and knew without vanity that it had distracted her attention from wondering why he seemed to know that she was connected to Stephanos Ephandrou.
He had been in two minds as to which approach to take with her. He could, indeed, have simply engineered her acquaintance and set out to seduce her as a complete stranger. That approach had its advantages—it would have been simple and straightforward. But a female who made her living from the protection of rich, besotted older men might well be worldly enough to be wary of quick seductions that would jeopardise her lucrative relationship with her current protector. Instead, Nikos planned to use his acknowledged 'acquaintance' with Stephanos as a lever with which to gain the girl's confidence as swiftly as possible.
'Perhaps you will take a coffee with me and I can explain?' he went on, in that same smooth tone. He glanced towards the little poolside bar set back under the shade of some olive trees.
Still wary, but feeling she was being effortlessly manipulated by an expert, Janine let herself be ushered towards the seating area of the bar. It was a breath cooler under the trees, but she still felt her skin was flushed. The heat that was filling it, however, did not come from the sun.
She sat down on one of the canvas-backed chairs and the man did likewise, pausing only to beckon to the barman, who was already hurrying forward. Whatever it was that this man had, thought Janine, he had a lot of it! He wasn't the type to get ignored by a barman—or anyone else.
And certainly not women. Janine watched as a couple of female guests with small children in tow, seated at a table further off drinking fizzy drinks, immediately turned their heads in their direction. Their eyes were not for Janine. One of them said something to the other in Greek, and they laughed before turning their attention back to their children.
Janine didn't blame them for looking. The man sitting opposite her in his hand-tailored suit, would turn female heads wherever he went! Sexual magnetism radiated from him like a forcefield, pulling at everything in sight with a double X chromosome!
The barman was hovering, ready to take their orders.
'A frappe, please, no sugar,' requested Janine abstractedly. She had already discovered that iced frappes were the ideal way to take coffee in the heat of the day, and were delicious and cooling. Her companion ordered coffee— Greek, she assumed.
The barman nodded acquiescently and hurried off.
Nikos turned his attention back to the girl. She was still wary, h
e could see—but still radiating sexual awareness. Not that she was flaunting her reaction to him. If anything, judging by the way she was sitting—pulled back in her chair, legs slanted neatly out of the way, her hand resting on the knot of her sarong, shielding her breasts—she was trying to conceal it.
Her lack of immediate sexual forwardness—despite his blatant appreciation of her charms—confirmed that he had been right to acknowledge Stephanos's presence in her life. The girl had landed herself a very soft number indeed— and she clearly realised it would be folly for her to risk her position as Stephanos's mistress, with all the guaranteed cashflow that it promised, for the sake of a brief interlude with a passing stranger. However much sexual pleasure she might gain from the encounter.
Hence her wariness.
Time to dispel it.
He slid his dark glasses off and slipped them into his jacket pocket. He relaxed back in his chair.
'Perhaps I should explain that I am here at Stephanos's suggestion,' he told her smilingly. 'Stephanos is a close friend and business associate, and when he heard I was coming to Skarios he suggested I stay at his hotel and asked me to seek you out,' he went on, the lie coming smoothly and fluently. He felt no guilt about lying to her. He only had to remember Demetria's tears and pleadings to absolve himself of all such guilt.
Janine made no answer. She was simply staring.
She felt her stomach clench. Dark, gold-flecked eyes flickered over her, long lashes sweeping down over his cheeks. Her lips parted in a silent exhalation.
If she had thought his mouth hard to tear her gaze from, those eyes made such an act totally impossible. They were eyes she could drown in...making her feel weak...
For one long, endless moment she let herself gaze into those gold-flecked orbs, and felt her stomach churning like a cement mixer.
What was happening to her?
She'd never reacted this strongly to a man! Never! But this man—this complete stranger, whose name she didn't even know—was making the blood race in her veins, her face flush with heat...
Just by looking at her...
Their drinks arrived and she was grateful for the distraction. As the barman walked away she resisted the temptation to go back to gazing at the man opposite her, and instead forced herself to focus on what he had just said, not what he looked like.
'Stephanos asked you to seek me out?' she echoed dimly.
She sank back into gazing, riveted, into those magnetic, night-dark eyes.
They seemed to be looking into the heart of her. She felt herself go weak all over. All over again.
Nikos flashed another smile at her—and watched the girl's pupils flare.
I hope you do not mind,' he said softly, 'that I have sought you out.'
His eyes rested on her and Janine felt her heart quicken. Oh, good grief, her bones were dissolving.... She just wanted to stare and stare.
Forcibly she dragged her mind back, fighting for composure . He seemed to be waiting for an answer.
'Oh—no. Of course not,' she managed to say. 'It's very good of you, Mr—er—?'
There was the slightest hesitation before Nikos spoke, but Janine did not notice it. Was quite incapable of noticing it.
'Kiriakis,' said Nikos smoothly. 'Nikos Kiriakis.'
Through veiled eyes he studied her for a reaction but saw none. The name meant nothing to her. He'd gambled that it wouldn't. Why should Stephanos talk about his brother-in-law to his mistress?
Nikos Kiriakis. Janine rolled the fluid syllables around in her head.
He was speaking again, and she brought her dazed attention back to what he was saying.
'Stephanos also had another suggestion,' Nikos went on, 'which for my part I would be very happy to comply with.' The lie rolled as smoothly as the first.
Janine stared. 'What suggestion?' Her voice still sounded totally abstracted.
Nikos was not offended. Usually he expected—and got— a hundred per cent attention from those he spoke to. But that Janine Fareham was incapable of bringing such focus to their conversation was only a good sign. A very good sign. He wanted her dazzled by him—lured by him.
'As you know, Stephanos is currently en route to the States,' began Nikos. He studied her reaction to this information—he calculated. Stephanos would have told her he was going to be abroad, although he doubted he would have told her that the reason for his sudden trip to New York was to take his wife to a fertility expert there.
'He is concerned that you may not have anything to do while he is away,' he continued. 'So he asked me if I would look after you while I am here—stop you getting bored.'
Janine's wandering thoughts snapped back. Suddenly the stomach-churning impact of Nikos Kiriakis's physical presence vanished. There was something far more important to focus on.
What had he just said to her? What was all that about Stephanos telling him she might be bored? Telling him to look after her? Surely, considering Stephanos's determination to keep her role in his life quiet, it was madness to send this Nikos Kiriakis to look her up?
Nikos saw the consternation in her face. It would not help his strategy.
'Perhaps I should tell you,' he said, his eyes resting on her, 'that, as a close friend of Stephanos Ephandrou, I am aware of the relationship between you, Ms Fareham—'
Her eyes widened, her consternation deepening.
'You are?
CHAPTER TWO
OH, YES, thought Nikos savagely—that was good, Ms Fareham, that was very good! That little touch of surprise, and widening those big, beautiful eyes of yours. What the hell did you suppose everyone would think about your relationship with a fifty-two-year-old man? His mouth tightened.
She was sitting there, gazing at him, her eyes wide in her beautiful face. As if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. As if neglected wives, heartbroken and despairing, had nothing to do with her. As if she were not responsible for his sister weeping in his arms.
The dark current of his anger surged dangerously near the surface. He forced it down. It had no part to play in his scheme now. The time for venting his anger on her would come later.
He made his mouth give a brief smile.
'Do not look so surprised. Such relationships are not unknown,' he remarked. For all his intentions, a sardonic tone was audible in his voice. He took a mouthful of coffee, then set back his cup with a click on the metal surface of the table.
Janine eyed him cautiously. Stephanos had urged such discretion that she was taken aback by this man calmly referring to it. But then, she reasoned, presumably such relationships were not unusual. Especially not with non-Greek women, with their more relaxed attitude to sexual behaviour. Clearly Nikos Kiriakis saw nothing exceptional about it.
Even so, it was disconcerting to hear this complete stranger refer to it. Although, of course, she realised belatedly, he wasn't a stranger to Stephanos. It was odd that they were friends, though—Nikos Kiriakis was easily a generation younger than Stephanos. He didn't look much over thirty, really. Thirty-five at the most. He was certainly in incredible physical condition...
'Please don't look so alarmed,' he went on, the smooth note back in his voice. 'I appreciate that Stephanos wishes to be discreet about your relationship. It is very understandable. You may be assured of my discretion.' He smiled again, a warm, reassuring smile, and she felt suddenly breathless.
'So,' said Nikos, knowing he had overcome that barrier successfully, 'would you care to undertake a little sightseeing? It would be very useful to me as, amongst other business matters, I am here to see whether this island would be suitable for a summer villa for myself.'
That was true enough, he thought. From what little he'd seen of the island firsthand so far, and from what Stephanos had already told him, it might well be suitable. The most southerly of the Ionian islands, Skarios was dryer and hotter than the others, and far less developed. The airport had recently been extended to allow tourist planes to land, but there was general agreement that any development s
hould be both upmarket and sympathetic to the landscape—like his brother-in-law's luxury hotel, which had been designed to be low-rise and traditionally styled.
'Well,' he went on, 'what do you think?'
About what? thought Janine, trying to drag her mind back, because she had resumed gazing raptly at the incredible man sitting opposite her.
'Showing me the island?' he prompted, well aware of the reason for her vagueness, and well pleased by it. Her reaction was exactly what he'd hoped it would be.
Janine felt her breath catch. Those gold-flecked eyes were resting on her, making her feel...feel...
Breathless. Totally breathless....
'What do you say?' pursued Nikos. He was in no doubt as to her answer. Not in the slightest.
'It sounds wonderful!' said Janine, unable to stop herself sounding enthusiastic.
Suddenly Nikos Kiriakis's arrival could not have seemed more timely.
Stephanos had extracted a reluctant promise from her not to hire a car and explore the island herself—'The roads are far too dangerous!' he'd said anxiously—which had left only the not very appealing prospect of taking taxis or restricting herself to the very limited tour buses.
She'd be an idiot to turn down the opportunity of keeping company with the most breathtaking man she'd ever set eyes on...
Careful, a voice inside her cautioned. This Nikos Kiriakis might be gorgeous, but, believe me, he has the same effect on every female he comes across. Just because he eyed you up it doesn't mean you should start getting ideas.
She sobered. Anyway, this isn't a good time for getting ideas like that. This time should be devoted to Stephanos.
But Stephanos isn't here...and he's sent Nikos Kiriakis to me...
To show you around, stop you getting bored, she reminded herself acidly. Nothing else...
He was talking again, and she brought her mind back with a snap.
'Good. Then we are agreed. We shall make our first excursion tomorrow!' There was satisfaction in his voice. He had made contact, and got her agreement—incredibly easily!—to spend time with him alone. Now it was time for the next step in his carefully planned campaign.