The interior was cool and shady with slivers of sunlight slanting in through the shutters. The air smelled faintly of herbs, and, gazing around, Lisa noticed that every window ledge was lined with terracotta pots sprouting densely packed greenery. ‘What a lovely home you have.’
Stella smiled, pointing to the easy chairs. ‘Please, both of you sit down.’
‘Are you sure I can’t help you with anything?’ Lisa said, ignoring this suggestion as she edged towards the kitchen door.
‘No, no.’ Stella was quite certain on this point. ‘You two relax, and let me prepare the food. I won’t take long.’
You two? Again she was bracketed with the last man on earth she would have chosen to be paired with. Lisa would have thought the distance that existed between them would have been glaringly obvious to everyone, especially to a woman who seemed as bright and observant as Stella. Wandering across the room, she casually picked out a window seat as far away from Tino as possible. Sitting down, she stared out through the barely open shutter.
‘Is that better for you?’
Lisa breathed in convulsively as Tino leaned across to open the shutters a little more for her. She could feel his warmth in every fibre of her being. And then he remained at her side so that the acute, and very troubling, awareness of him refused to fade.
‘You’re an early riser, Lisa.’
‘I always wake at dawn on a working day.’ Her voice was clipped, inviting no further conversation between them. And then, to Lisa’s relief, Stella bustled back into the room carrying a loaded breakfast tray.
‘Why didn’t you call me to bring this in for you?’ Tino demanded, crossing the room in a couple of strides to take the tray from her.
‘Because you were keeping our visitor company.’ Stella stared hard at him before releasing the tray, and then she turned to Lisa. ‘Forgive me, Lisa, I am sure you do not want to hear us bickering.’
‘You know my name?’ Lisa frowned, realising she had forgotten to introduce herself. She glanced at Tino, but he was suddenly too busy unloading the breakfast tray to notice. ‘I’m sorry, Stella, I should have said.’ Lisa made up for her earlier lapse with a smile, ‘I’m Lisa Bond. I’m here to do business with Tino.’
‘Business with Tino?’ Pulling a face, Stella made a fanning motion with her hand that required no translation.
‘I’m sure I can handle him.’ Lisa stared at him so that he could be in no doubt that she would.
‘So, what are your plans today?’ Stella looked between them as she piled their plates high with fresh bread and honey.
‘We have a meeting.’
‘I plan to take Lisa out on the boat.’
They both spoke at once, and Lisa bridled instantly. She had no intention of wasting the first of her five precious negotiating days on Tino’s floating gin palace.
‘And I will bring back some fresh fish for your supper,’ he added to Stella.
‘I shall look forward to it.’ Stella clapped her hands with pleasure.
Lisa looked from one to the other. Tino was not going to ignore her. And he was not going to draw this lovely, innocent woman into some devious plan he had concocted. They had more important things to do than catch fish today. She watched angrily as he tucked into his breakfast with relish. Breaking off a crispy crust from one of the chunks of bread, he dipped it in some honey.
‘No,’ she said flatly.
‘No?’ Tino paused, bread in hand, to stare at her.
‘I’m not coming with you—I have better things to do than idle my time away. I thought we both did.’
‘Lisa?’ Putting a hand to his chest, Tino affected an innocent expression.
‘Don’t you like boats?’ Stella looked concerned.
‘It isn’t that.’ Lisa hesitated. What could she say without causing an atmosphere? ‘I’m just not used to doing business—’
‘The Greek way?’ Stella suggested helpfully.
A glance at Tino was enough to convince Lisa that he couldn’t have been more pleased with the way things were turning out if he had scripted the exchange himself.
‘All Greek men are fishermen at heart, Lisa,’ Stella explained kindly, unaware of the tension stretching between her visitors. ‘It’s better if you just go along with their way of doing business.’
‘I’m sure you’re right, Stella,’ Lisa said politely, not wanting to cause offence.
‘What was that? What did you say?’ Tino could hardly keep the smile off his face.
‘If you’d been listening, you’d know,’ Lisa said tartly, and then froze. Stella’s face was a picture, and no wonder. She could hardly have expected her breakfast guests to start yelling at each other.
For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence, which Tino did nothing to break. Then, slowly turning back to his breakfast, he dipped another piece of bread into the honey.
Lisa felt she had to say something by way of explanation for her behaviour. ‘I’m so sorry, Stella. I don’t know what came over me.’
‘Think nothing of it.’ Stella dismissed the moment with a smile. ‘Tempers flare high when passions are roused.’
Passions! Passions? Lisa glared at Tino. Whatever Stella imagined, she was wrong—absolutely wrong.
‘Tino has always aroused strong passions in people,’ Stella added.
She couldn’t let this go on, Lisa realised, holding up her hands in front of her. ‘There’s absolutely no chance of Tino upsetting my equilibrium, Stella. It’s just that—’
‘It’s just what, Lisa?’ Tino demanded softly, unfolding from his chair.
As Lisa’s mouth opened to shoot back a reply he fed a piece of honey-soaked crust between her lips. ‘Suck on this,’ he suggested in an undertone. ‘You could do with sweetening up.’
Having no option but to chew, and then swallow, Lisa channelled her fury into her eyes, which locked with his fiercely.
* * *
Lisa had been marching along in silence since they had left the cottage, but now they were out of earshot she could speak her mind. ‘I’m not going another step.’
Tino glanced back at her without slowing. ‘It’s not too far away now. The harbour is just over there, around the base of the cliff.’
‘It’s not the distance that worries me.’
‘What, then?’ He ground to a halt, and turned to stare at her.
‘Stop this, Tino. I’m not going out on your boat. We both know you’ve got me over a barrel, but, if you have any decency left in you at all, you’d come back with me to the villa and hold our meeting like you promised—’
‘Not now, Lisa.’
‘What do you mean, not now?’
‘I mean I don’t want to discuss business right now?’ He put his face very close so she was forced to take a step back.
‘But once the deal is wrapped up we can go our separate ways,’ she pointed out, ‘which I know you want as much as I do.’
‘Once the deal is wrapped up?’ He stared at her mockingly. ‘You’re very sure of yourself.’
‘I’m confident that I’ve come up with the right deal for you?’
He laughed, throwing his head back. ‘So now you’ve got my best interests at heart? I don’t think so, Lisa.’
‘All right.’ She was forced to hurry after him when he started down the path again. ‘So we both need this deal.’
‘I don’t need anything from you.’
‘Really? So why are your people scurrying around trying to buy up everything in sight?’
That stopped him.
‘Maybe it pleases me to know that I can.’
‘I’m very happy for you, but my life is rather more complicated. I have loyalties.’
‘You have an overabundance of pride… and a highly inflated opinion of yourself.’
‘That’s rich coming from you!’
‘And if the tables were turned, you’d treat me differently? No. So don’t expect any leeway from me, when you’d give me none yourself.’ He turned back to the
path, forcing her to run after him again.
‘But you gave me your word that this week would be devoted to our negotiations.’
‘On my terms.’ He didn’t pause, or look back.
‘All right.’ Lisa stopped running. Resting her hands on her knees, she tried to catch her breath.
‘All right, what?’
At least he had stopped. He was standing a few yards away, waiting for her to say something. She fought for control. But as she straightened up her feelings erupted. ‘I suppose Arianna is happy about our little pleasure cruise?’
‘Arianna isn’t your concern.’
‘How convenient for you.’
‘Why are you worrying about Arianna?’
‘Someone needs to. I feel sorry for her.’
‘Why, exactly?’
‘I think you know why, Tino.’
‘No, I don’t. I’m waiting to hear what you have to say about it.’
‘All right, then… What the hell are we doing here?’ She gestured around. ‘We should go back to the villa and have our meeting under proper conditions. All this is far too distracting.’
‘I thought that part of our agreement was that I decide when and where our meetings are held.’
‘But we can’t have them here.’
‘Exactly.’ His voice was maddeningly controlled. ‘You’re becoming forgetful, Lisa. I already told you that we are not holding any meetings today.’
‘So, you’re breaking your word?’
‘I don’t remember saying we wouldn’t be holding any meetings this week. You shouldn’t have agreed to something before you were certain of the terms.’
‘Don’t you dare lecture me on business etiquette. I agreed to your terms before I realised how irresponsible you were going to be.’
‘Irresponsible?’
‘Yes,’ Lisa insisted fiercely. ‘Irresponsible. Now, can we stop wasting time, and get back to the villa? I want a shower—I’m all salty. We can still get in a couple of hours of discussions before lunch… What do you think you’re doing?’ She glared down at the hand on her arm. ‘Don’t you dare touch me!’
But he was already propelling her along the path.
‘I’m warning you—’
‘And I’m telling you,’ he fired back, dragging her in front of him to stare into her eyes. ‘I make the decisions here, and today business is off the agenda. You heard me tell Stella I’d get her some fish for her supper? Well, that takes precedence over anything else.’
‘You’re going fishing?’ Lisa demanded incredulously.
‘No, Lisa—we’re going fishing.’
Before Lisa could stop him he swung her off the ground, and held her so tightly she couldn’t fight him off.
‘If I say we’re going out on the boat, we’re going out on the boat,’ he informed her as he strode along. ‘And if I choose to take hold of your arm, I take hold of your arm. Do you understand me any better yet, Lisa?’
‘I understand you’re a brute—and you’d better put me down right now, or face the consequences.’
‘Consequences? What consequences are those, Lisa?’ His pace didn’t falter. ‘Are you going to set your lawyers onto my legal team? Because I strongly advise you to think twice before you do that.. unless, of course, you want to be begging me to give you a job in a couple of months’ time.’
‘I wouldn’t expect you to give me the dirt from under your fingernails.’
‘As I don’t have any, you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not too worried about that.’
‘Are you going to put me down—or shall I scream?’
‘Scream all you want.. no one will hear you.’ They’ll only think we’re having fun. You’re not going to win this one—accept it.’
Lisa kicked her legs furiously in reply. ‘This isn’t a joke, Tino.’
‘What’s your problem? Are you still worried about Arianna? Or are you more worried about being alone with me?’
Lisa gave a short, scornful laugh. ‘Yes, I am worried about Arianna—but as for you?’ She looked at him with disdain. ‘I couldn’t give a damn about you.’
Dropping her to the ground, he held her at arm’s length, the tension flaring between them. ‘No need to descend to the language of the gutter, young woman.’
‘To describe you?’ Lisa couldn’t believe she was shouting. ‘I’d say it’s absolutely necessary.’
‘And if I told you Arianna and I aren’t a couple?’
‘I’d be happy, relieved—for her. And I’d still want to go back to the villa. No contact between us other than for business, remember that, Tino?’
‘So, we shouldn’t do this, for instance…’
The breath shot out of Lisa’s lungs as he dragged her close. Feelings exploded out of her. And it wasn’t the fact that Tino was kissing her that went storming through her brain, it was the fact that she loved it. He felt good, better than good. Making rough, animal sounds, she moved passionately against him. But as he moulded her even closer to him she hated him—hated him for making her want him so badly it hurt, so badly her legs were giving way beneath her.
She came to her senses abruptly. Bond Steel’s future depended on her, and this was how she behaved? Tino was only playing games with her, and while she was distracted his troops were swarming all over her business.
She started fighting him then. She fought his mouth, his lips, his tongue, and she grappled with his hands, making sounds of fury in her throat. But he had her bound so tightly against him, she could hardly breathe, let alone break free. And then, just when she felt she had no more fight left in her, he let her go, and stood back.
‘So this is your idea of persuasion?’ he said.
‘It’s a lot more honest than kissing you back.’ Turning her face away from him, she held her forehead with her hand. ‘I can’t believe I’m in this position. I hate you so much.’
‘No,’ Tino countered steadily. ‘What you hate is the way I make you lose control.’
‘I know what I mean.’
‘Dangerous ground, Lisa. You know what they say about hate.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself!’
‘I don’t.’
Lisa made an angry sound. ‘So, I’m stuck with this for the next week?’
‘If you mean me.. then, yes, you are.’
‘Well, don’t ever try that again,’ she warned. ‘And don’t give me that look either. I’m warning you… I mean it, Tino.’
‘Of course you do.’
Tino knew what was at stake for her, Lisa realised, and, like it or not, she was tied in to this. Tino Zagorakis held the fate of Bond Steel in the palm of his hand, and she had to play by his rules, or risk losing everything.
He stood watching her, slouched on one hip. ‘Do you know what you need?’ His voice had turned low and mocking.
‘No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.’
‘You need someone to say no to you, Lisa—someone who can curb your headstrong ways.’
‘Headstrong?’ She’d never put a foot wrong in all her adult life—and no one in his right mind would call her headstrong. No one would dare. ‘And I suppose you think you’re man enough for the job?’
‘I know I am.’
The sardonic murmur made Lisa shiver with desire. She had to fight it, fight him. ‘I’ve had enough of this. I want to go back.’
‘Not a chance,’ he said flatly. ‘We are going to enter into negotiations Greek style.’
‘What are you talking about? Greek style?’ Ancient tableaux of partly clothed men and women captured in various poses of sensual indulgence sprang into Lisa’s mind. She was prepared to go a long way to secure the deal, but not that far.
‘We’re going to get properly acquainted before we sit round a table.’
‘Properly acquainted?’ Her throat squeezed tight. ‘Why? I don’t want to.’
‘Bad luck for your company.’ He shook his head.
‘No—stop… wait a minute.’ To Lisa’s relief he stopped
walking and turned around.
‘So, we’re agreed?’ he said. ‘No more talk of business today?’
She muttered two words grudgingly: ‘All right.’
‘That’s good, Lisa.’
Did he have to make it sound as if she had achieved something monumental?
‘That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?’
Lisa confined herself to a glare.
‘There can be no possibility of a deal until I find you more biddable.’
‘Biddable?’ That was too much! ‘So, now you’re resorting to blackmail?’
‘Blackmail?’ Shaking his head, Tino made a sound of disappointment with his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He was teasing her, taunting her—baiting her. ‘No, not blackmail, Lisa. You see, if you respond well, I will be fair. But if you are determined to remain wilful and contrary, then you will have to be tamed.’
‘Tamed? I’d like to see you try.’
‘Is that a challenge, Lisa?’
And then, incredibly, before she realised what he meant to do, he had picked her up and put her over his knee! And before she could recover from that, he exclaimed, ‘Theos! You would send me mad!’ And let her tumble to the ground as if her naked flesh had scorched him.
Wiping a hand over his eyes, Tino looked as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. Scrambling to her feet, Lisa couldn’t believe it either. She didn’t know whether to rail at him, or laugh, and the longer they stood staring at each other, the more she wanted to laugh.
Tino was clearly stunned that a moment of passion had brought him to the point where he had almost put her over his knee and spanked her, while she was surprised the idea excited her so much. She had to think fast. She couldn’t let this drive a wedge between them or it would be the end of the deal. ‘We both need some cooling-off time.’ Nervous laughter bubbled out of her, but Tino’s expression stopped it dead.
What was this turning into? Tino stared at Lisa hard. He had never come close to losing control before, but right now his senses were raging. In an ideal world, sex between them would have been fun—explosive—but the courtly dance of civilised behaviour stood between them. That and his determination to bring her to heel. But he realised now that where the thought of subduing a woman physically was anathema to him, the thought of spanking Lisa as a prelude to something else was overwhelmingly appealing.
The Millionaire's Virgin (Mills & Boon By Request) Page 6