Chapter 20
London, England
Tallia sighed heavily as she put her bag down in the foyer of Emily's apartment. She glanced around while Emily paid their cab driver and thanked him for helping them with the suitcases. Tallia still couldn't carry anything very heavy, and caught herself sighing again. Emmy locked the door and she prepared herself to appear suitably impressed as she was given the grand tour. She knew she had been sighing all day, but it was hard to stop. She felt totally deflated, as if all the energy and will to live had drained out of her with each mile she moved away from Costa.
Back on Seleni, after a quick breakfast on the terrace, Emmy had rushed her into the waiting helicopter, which arrived while they were still eating. Tallia only had enough time to wave at Calamini, Neni, Ari and Gustav, all of whom gathered at the front of the house to see her off, before she left. Costa had been there, standing off to one side like a grim-faced statue, while Calamini sniffled and eventually burst into tears. With Emmy clinging to her, it had been impossible for Tallia to have a moment alone with Costa. Fidelio never even made an appearance, which wounded Tallia, though she understood he was just trying to avoid Emmy.
She learned later that Costa had tried to get her sister and his brother to have a sit down that morning. While they hurried through the airport in Athens to catch their flight, Emmy had told her as much in outraged tones. Emmy thought Costa a total brute after he ordered her down to dinner the night before. Her opinion had not improved after he tried to talk her into seeing Fidelio before she left, just to make sure they could not patch things up. Emmy had been incensed by the older Eustakhios’s interference. She ranted that Costa had no right to dictate to her. With a toss of her golden head, Emmy had proudly recounted how she told him it would be a cold day in Hell before she ever considered having anything to do with his brother. Tallia said nothing, already beginning to wilt in Athens from disappointment at having her time on Seleni cut so cruelly short.
On the plane, Tallia had almost immediately fallen into an exhausted sleep. Last night, after leaving Costa on the terrace, she had been up half the night with Emmy, who never went to sleep before three in the morning. When she and Emmy finally went to bed, she had hardly drifted off before she felt herself being carried by a pair of familiar, steely arms from her bed and across the hall into Costa's room. She woke by slow degrees, to the feel of Costa making the most exquisitely gentle love to her. He had kissed and caressed every inch of her until she was aroused and awake, and only then taken her with sweet tenderness, bringing her to one beautiful climax after another until Tallia thought she would die from the pleasure.
Afterwards, he simply held her in his arms. When she woke she was back in her own bed lying next to Emmy. Tallia would have thought she had dreamed the whole thing if not for the taste of Costa's kisses on her lips and his scent on her skin. Now she felt so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open.
Emmy had been giving her strange looks since she woke up as the plane began to land in Heathrow. Dreams of Costa filled her sleep during the flight. Tallia had an uneasy feeling that she had somehow revealed herself. Too exhausted to really care, she just wanted to lie down and rest. Her back was beginning to hurt again, and she had already taken all the painkillers she could stomach. She kept thinking of her all too brief moment alone with Costa this morning, before she had to leave.
Emmy had been directing Ari as he gathered their bags, so Tallia and Costa had not had any privacy. She had wanted so badly to kiss him one last time, but that had not been possible. Costa had discreetly taken her hand in his, his fingers playing with her engagement ring. There had been something in his face that frightened Tallia then, though she could not say exactly what it was. Perhaps it was a sort of sorrow or resignation, as if he didn't think he would see her again.
All he had felt free to say was a polite good bye and a pointed ‘be careful’ while his eyes shifted grimly towards Emmy. Tallia knew he was worried and that he didn't trust nor particularly like Emmy. She wished she could have told him he was wrong, and that Costa could have got to know Emmy better. If they had more time, Costa would realize Emmy was a great person, but there was no time. All she could do was promise him she would be fine. Then Emmy was yelling at her to go with her to the helicopter. As far as goodbyes went, Tallia thought, it had been dismal.
"Well, this place is great," she said brightly as she followed Emmy into the spacious living room.
Emmy's apartment was a loft in an old, converted factory building near Parliament. The decor was very modern, which was to be expected as Emmy was always on to the latest trends. She liked new things and avant-garde design. There were all sorts of paintings and sculpture around the room, including swank couches in gorgeous white suede and gleaming glass and mirrors. Looking around, Tallia couldn't help thinking it was not the sort of place a child could ever be set loose in. Of course, Tallia was a second grade teacher, so she always thought kid-friendly.
Emmy rolled her eyes and tossed her handbag on a glass coffee table with casual élan. Swinging around and crossing her arms over her breasts, her face split in an impish grin as she stated, "You hate it. Admit it, Ally. It’s all hard edges, chrome and polish. But it's not a museum. You don't have to tip toe around and avoid sitting on the furniture. This is your home now."
Looking around, Tallia nodded slowly, tempted to tell her sister the truth right then and there. Emmy certainly looked better now, as if she could handle the news. Even if she were not going back to Greece, Tallia would have felt the need to disabuse her sister of the idea that this was home. Unlike Emmy, Tallia could never feel comfortable in a place like this. She liked cozy and simple. As much as she loved Emmy, she needed her own space and privacy, not a roommate as messy as she knew her sister to be.
"Alright Ally, out with it. What the hell happened in Greece?"
Tallia straightened at Emmy's sharp-edged question. Her sister’s smile had vanished, and there was a determined glint in her eye. Suddenly Tallia felt as if she was the younger sister being called on the carpet for some transgression. She opened her mouth, but it took her a moment to say anything as she tried to decide whether to just blurt out the truth or not.
"W-what do you mean?" she asked weakly.
"You have got to be kidding me. You've been acting really weird since I got back to that island. What the hell happened while I was gone with Fido?"
Biting her lip, Tallia decided it would have to be the truth since she hated to lie. "Emmy, I didn't want to upset you before, but me and Costa… well-"
"Oh, my God! What did he do?"
"Emmy…" Tallia tried in a reasonable manner, though she could feel her cheeks flame with color.
Practically shouting at her, Emmy exclaimed, "You slept with him!"
"It's not like that," Tallia said, taking a breath to explain only to have Emmy cut her off again.
"That pig! He raped you?" Emmy's eyes narrowed to furious slits and she spat, "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to carve his heart out with a six-inch stiletto!!!!"
Shaking her head, Tallia laughed softly at her sisters’ dramatic over-reaction. It was so far from the truth. "We're getting married," she admitted happily, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers so Emmy noticed the ring, though she was a little amazed Emmy had not spotted it sooner, considering it was not exactly small or ordinary.
Emmy's finely sculpted brows crashed down and she eyed the ring like it was a tumor. "That thing is real?" she gaped.
Tallia bit her lip and nodded.
"I though it was costume jew… You cannot be serious, Tallia! There is no way in hell you can marry Costa Eustakhios."
"Why?" Tallia asked, more unnerved by Emmy's softly spoken words than if her sister were still screaming at her.
"Ally, do you even know who Costa Eustakhios is? He's the world’s biggest player. The man's a creep. He probably keeps a scoreboard. No, he's too arrogant for that," Emmy hissed coldly, "He probably has an assistant do it fo
r him."
Tallia shook her head, "What are you talking about Emmy."
"Oh, Tallia, that bastard seduced you," Emmy suddenly cried, rushing over to envelop her in a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry, I never even considered it. He wasn't even supposed to be there, and I was so busy with that bugger, Fidelio!
“God, I should have known not to leave you alone with that scum for even a minute. He's such a pig," she spat with disgust, "I can't believe he couldn't keep his bloody paws to himself! But that's just the kind of slime he is. He can't be alone with a girl without trying to get in her pants, and you are such an innocent."
"Emmy, you’re wrong," Tallia told her sister firmly, pushing Emmy away, since she didn't need comforting.
She had no idea what Emmy was going on about, but she knew her sister was wrong about Costa. Emmy had to be confused or thinking of someone else. Costa was not some sleazy, bed-hopping playboy, who went around seducing women. He had not seduced her. He had stopped the first time they almost made love when he realized she was a virgin. And then he insisted on marriage before they made love.
Tallia shook her head, refusing to believe that she had totally misread the man she was in love with. Yet, a strange pain twisted inside her as she thought of the last two weeks. She wondered if she had missed something or just lost her mind. The man Emmy was describing was nothing like the man Tallia had fallen for on Seleni. How could Emmy say such things about Costa and with such authority?
"I wish I were," Emmy retorted softly. "Ally, you don't know how men can be, especially men like Costa Eustakhios. He's filthy rich and thinks women are toys to play with and discard when they loose their appeal. He goes through girls like most people go through tissues.
“The paparazzi dubbed him the ‘King of the One Night Stand’ and joke he'll run out of women to shag if he keeps at it the way he does. He is not a nice guy. He's notorious for sleeping around and…" Emmy looked down at her ring, "for giving jewelry as a… well, 'parting gift' is what they call them. The more expensive the gift the more he… uh….
"Oh shit, Ally, I am so sorry, this is all my fault."
"No," Tallia whispered numbly, "it's not like that. He asked me to marry him," she repeated stubbornly.
She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw the sympathy and pity on Emmy's face. She wanted to blot out the doubts that were suddenly crashing down on her as if she were standing in the middle of a house of cards. Only it felt as if the falling cards were made from slabs of concrete.
God, had she been a fool? Had she let a very slick, practiced Casanova seduce her? She thought of how easy she had been… how she begged him to make love to her, and she wanted to die of mortification. Had Costa been playing a game all along, just amusing himself because he was bored? Was she just too stupid to realize how deceitful he really was?
She thought back to her first day on Seleni. In his car he revealed his open hatred and disdain, in the casual cruelty with which he treated her. Was that the real Costa? Was he her tender lover, or a cold-blooded bastard who decided to have a little fun? Was she a clueless fool who stumbled blindly into his clutches?
"This time he's really gone too far," Emmy was snarling as she began to pace around the living room. "You were a virgin… did he even realize that?"
When Tallia said nothing, Emmy pushed her onto one of the gorgeous suede couches and rushed off. She was back in a minute with a glass of water. Tallia sipped automatically, feeling shell-shocked. She tried to sort through the last weeks to decide what was real. From the first, her relationship with Costa had seemed like a dream. Now she had to wonder if it really had been. Everything had seemed so perfect, so much like a magical fairy-tale.
"He did this to make me pay for marrying his brother," Emmy said angrily. "Fido always said Costa was a vindictive bastard. He said that when things got too serious or Fido even mentioned the word marriage, Costa would buy off his girlfriends, seduce them away from him, or scare them off with all sorts of ugly threats.
“Fido used to brag that Costa was the most ruthless person he had ever known. He claimed Costa would do anything to get his way or once thwarted, have his revenge. He told me Costa once had a girl deported when she refused to break off her relationship with Fido. The man is positively medieval… or Sicilian in his thinking."
Emmy's remark struck an awful cord in Tallia's memory. She thought of the night Costa almost made love to her and how he refused to continue. He had realized she was a virgin, and thought that was an honor reserved for a husband. Obviously, he had gotten over his old fashion views quickly when she had thrown herself at him. Her humiliation was complete as she realized that she had helped him seduce her by overcoming his one tiny kernel of scruples. She had talked him into deflowering her!
Looking back, she realized he had been seducing her. The fishing trip, the kiss in the fig grove… she could remember his amused looks, even hear his low, cynical laughter. She just knew with a sick certainty that he had been plotting to get her into bed throughout that day, and probably even before.
His words in the car, which had haunted her for the past weeks, 'we can reach some sort of agreement', came back to her. She felt like an idiot because only now did she understand them. Costa had not been talking about money at all. He had wanted sex even when he thought she was his brother’s girlfriend!
"Oh God," Tallia groaned, lurching to her feet and dropping the glass she forgot she was holding. It smashed on the polished floor boards, but she didn't notice, "Where's the bathroom?" she moaned, clapping a hand over her mouth to stop herself from being sick all over one of Emmy's lovely couches.
For Your Love Only Page 22