by Cathryn Fox
The sound of footsteps heralded someone’s approach. She glanced past Mr. Georgiou to see an elderly gentleman enter the grand entranceway and collect her luggage. Dressed in formal wear, she took him to be the butler. Even though everything about the place, from the limo driver to the butler, seemed so formal, Mr. Georgiou himself appeared a little more laid back, a little easier going.
After Mr. Georgiou introduced her to the tall man with the graying hair he looked at her and said, “Damien has your room all ready for you. I’m sure you’ll like it. It has one of the best views in the house.” When she gave him a thankful smile, his handsome face softened, making him look even more boyish, like he could be any one of the guys sitting next to her in lecture hall. “You should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we can go over the details of your duties.”
“Okay,” she agreed when Damien moved to the foot of the grand staircase.
Mr. Georgiou’s voice dropped an octave, and sounded highly suggestive when he said, “And Alexis, if you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Anything at all…
Alexis swallowed, heat zinging through her blood as she considered the provocative edge to his voice. When she stole another glance at him, he gave her a polite smile, nothing on his attractive face to suggest he’d been hinting at something more intimate.
She shook her head to clear it, sure her jet-lagged mind was simply playing tricks on her.
His hand cut through the air. “Our home is your home and we want you to be comfortable here.”
“Thank you,” she said, relaxing as she once again took in the opulence of the place.
“But before you go…” Mr. Georgiou put his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and moved her in front of him. “I’d like you to meet Sophie. Sophie, you remember Skyping with Alexis don’t you?”
Sophie nodded, peeking up at Alexis shyly as she curled her ponytail around her finger.
“Hi, Sophie,” Alexis said, then crinkled her nose, and looked up the huge staircase. Hoping to put the child at ease by enlisting her help and assigning her responsibilities, she said, “I’m glad you’re here to help me out and show me around. Otherwise I might get lost in this place.”
Sophie stopped playing with her hair, and stood a little taller, clearly liking the idea of being in charge. “I won’t let you get lost,” she said, a childish confidence to her voice.
“I knew I could count on you.” She held her hand out to the little girl, and nodded toward the wide staircase. “Do you think maybe you can help me find my room?” From her previous exchanges with Mr. Georgiou, she knew how much the girl loved the ocean, so she added, “If I get lost in the hall for days, I’ll never be able to take you to the beach tomorrow.”
Sophie giggled and when she stepped forward and accepted Alexis’s hand, Mr. Georgiou smiled. “I can already see Sophie is in good hands.”
Her glance went to his chin, to where he was scrubbing his palm over his five o’clock shadow.
Speaking of good hands…
Shaking off a shiver, she let Sophie lead her to the stairs, but stopped when Mr. Georgiou said, “Oh, and Alexis, one more thing.” She turned and when dark, sexy eyes locked on hers, heat moved through her body. She swallowed the little rush bubbling in her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could find her words, he said, “Call me Nikko.”
“Okay,” she managed to push out. “I’ll see you in the morning, Nikko.” She turned her attention to the massive staircase, hoping her knees wouldn’t fail her as she climbed. She gripped the handrail, and held tight as she made her way up.
She chattered with Sophie as the little girl showed her to her lavish room. Once Damien delivered her luggage, he shooed Sophie out so Alexis could have some privacy while getting settled in. After the two disappeared, she spread her arms wide and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She took it the king-sized mattress, pretty floral bedding, gorgeous furniture and the en suite bathroom that was hers and hers alone. A little squeal sounded in her throat as she reveled in her good fortune. She grabbed her phone from her bag, punched in Melanie’s number and walked to the elaborate, floor-to-ceiling window with a spectacular view of the moonlit ocean. She pushed back the sheer curtain, released the latch on the window to push them open, and breathed in the salty sea air. A warm breeze rushed inside and ruffled her lacy curtains.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered when she spotted the infinity pool overlooking the ocean. She could just imagine herself lounging beside that pool, sipping a fruity drink and staring out at the view.
“Oh. My. God. What?” Melanie asked, concern in her voice.
She shrieked when she heard her friend. “Mel, you wouldn’t believe this place.”
“Oh Jesus, you scared the living shit out of me,” she scolded. Then she gave a loud sigh and said, “I knew it would be awesome.”
“Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“Tell me everything,” Mel demanded, and Alexis could just picture her friend throwing herself on her bed, pissed off that she was stuck at home working the corn fields instead of taking her own au pair job like she wanted. “If I can’t be there, then you at least have to let me live vicariously through you. So now tell me everything, and don’t leave out a single detail.”
Alexis shot a glance toward her closed door and lowered her voice. “Nikko is unbelievably gorgeous.”
“Nikko,” she sighed again. “Even his name is hot.”
“Everything about him is hot.”
“Wait, you’re on a first name basis with him?” Mel asked.
“He insisted.”
“Umm,” Mel purred. “Sounds like a man who likes being in control. I wonder what else you’d do if he insisted.”
Alexis laughed. “He’s my boss and I want to keep this job,” she said, even though she secretly wondered that herself.
“He might be your boss but not only is he young, gorgeous and a notorious playboy; he’s fucking rich, Alex. Rich!”
Exactly, which was why he had numerous waif-like models throwing themselves at him and wouldn’t give a plump farmer’s daughter a second glance. Not that she would ever try to seduce her boss, or act on the delicious things he made her feel, but it still didn’t stop her from thinking about it.
Deciding to redirect the conversation, Alexis pulled her curtain back, taking in all the other mansions dotting the mountain. “Nikko was right, the view is breathtak…” Her voice trailed off, her tongue thickening at the unexpected vision before her, a vision more beautiful than the cerulean waters lapping against the sandy shoreline far below her window.
“Hello? Alex, are you still there?”
“Oh my God.”
“Now what!”
“I just saw my neighbor.” Patio lanterns illuminated the grounds next door, giving sufficient light for her to see the man in the scant bathing suit as he climbed onto the diving board. Her glance moved over him, trailing down the firm ridges of his abdomen, to follow the sexy line of hair that disappeared into the material that did little to hide the huge bulge her fingers suddenly itched to explore. A wheezing sound escaped her lips. Alexis squinted her eyes and focused on his torso…and the area due south. Surely it was a play of the lanterns reflecting off the water that caused all those mouthwatering ridges, bulges and dips on his body? Sort of, nature’s way of Photoshopping.
She heard Mel sigh. “I take it he’s hot too.”
“Oh yeah. He’s in a Speedo and he just dove into his pool.” Alex gripped the curtain and leaned out her window for a better view. When Mr. Speedo surfaced on the other end, his hand came up to smooth his hair back and his gaze lifted to her bedroom window. A small, sensual smile touched his mouth when their gazes collided beneath the moonlight. Alexis dropped the curtain and jumped back, her heart hammering against her ribcage.
“Oh, shit. He just caught me staring.” She quickly threw herself on her bed, her long dark curls splaying across her pillowcase. “
How frigging embarrassing. He probably thinks I’m a voyeur.” She clamped her hand over her eyes at the thought, then snorted and flung it back onto her pillow. Too late for that now.
“The hell with being embarrassed. That’s fucking hot! Let him know you’re looking. Let him know you’re interested, that you like what you see. Isn’t that what you wanted—a sexy man to notice you, to give you some experience?”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts. This is it, girl. Don’t you dare puss out. Go for it!”
Alex’s stomach tightened as she thought about opening the curtain again, doing exactly as Mel suggested. Instead she groaned and rolled to her side.
“I’m not like you, Mel.”
“Come on, Alex. One of the reasons you took this job was to sample the local cuisine.”
“I know,” she groaned and rubbed her hand over her stomach where butterflies took flight at the thought of Mr. Speedo pulling her into his arms and… “but he’s so incredibly hot.”
“So are you.”
She frowned, knowing otherwise, but instead of dwelling on her full figure, she asked, What if he’s married?”
“What if he’s not?”
“But he’s Nikko’s neighbor.” What if she made a move on him and he wasn’t interested in more than flirting. If he told Nikko, she’d have to live with the embarrassment for the duration of her stay. On the other hand, what if she didn’t act on it, and missed out on the very thing she’d come to Greece for?
“Perfect.”
Alexis ran her hand along the soft bedding. “Why is that perfect?”
“Because,” she began, stretching out that one word. “if you can watch him, it means he can watch you, too.”
“And what exactly will he be watching?” Alexis asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
“You, sunbathing by the pool, topless, and bending over. A lot.”
Alexis laughed. “You are so bad.”
“And I bet Mr. Speedo is so fucking good.”
As a surge of heat moved through her, Alexis climbed from the bed and inched her curtain open again. She stole another peek at her young, well-built neighbor as he lounged against the side of the pool, his arms braced on the ledge, showing off a hard body that was clearly made for sex.
Alexis gulped when he glanced her way again.
“Oh shit, he’s looking at me,” she whispered into the phone, her pulse leaping like mad.
“Good, now give him something to look at,” Mel said.
He gave her a lopsided panty melting smile and crooked his finger.
“Oh. My. God. He’s inviting me to come down.”
Her friend squealed. “Jesus, Alex. Go for it.”
Alexis’s body flushed hotly as she pictured herself accepting his invitation, going down there in the sexy thong bathing suit Mel insisted she buy, and joining her hot neighbor in the pool like it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
She wet her bottom lip and asked in a low voice, “You really think I could seduce him?”
“Yes, girlfriend, I know you can seduce him. So get down there and do it!”
Acknowledgements
A book never comes together alone, and this one is no exception. I would like to give a great big thank you to Jan, Audra, Lilly, Renee and Sara for all the brainstorming sessions, and for reading every version, even those early scary one!
A huge thank you to my Mark, Alex and Allison. You all had a part in shaping this story, from the motorcycle information, the overachieving scholarship student, to the graffiti (Allison I love the M&M).
A huge thank you to my street team. You gals are the best! Thank you for your reviews and support. I appreciate you all so much!
To the people behind the scenes who made the book look good: Crocodesigns, for the gorgeous cover, Ironhorse formatting for making the pages perfect, and Debra Stang for the editing…thank you!
Cathryn
Other Titles by Cathryn Fox
Hands On with the CEO
Yours to Take
Torn Between Two Brothers
Spring Fling
His Obsession Next Door
Flirty in Whispering Cover
Hold Me Down Hard
Holiday Spirit
Pleasure Control
To discover even more titles by Cathryn Fox check out her website at
www.CathrynFox.com
About Cathryn Fox
New York Times and USA today Bestselling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
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