- -
- 100%
- +
He leaned against the marble newel post as he watched Jodie descend the staircase like a regal queen. She had reapplied her bright red lipstick after dinner and he found it difficult to look away from her mouth. He couldn’t fault her long-sleeved black dress. It should have been modest but it clung lovingly to her thighs. The white stripe zigzagging from her shoulder to her waist and hips was pure Jodie. Despite her attempts to blend in with the crowd she couldn’t wear anything that might have her fade into the background.
“You gave a worthy performance at dinner tonight,” he said as she drew closer.
She cast him a haughty look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were very proper.” He should have appreciated the charade. Stergios remembered the family dinners she’d attended in the past. At times he hadn’t known if she’d been intentionally provocative or if she’d been unable to control her tongue. “You’re playing it safe. That’s not like you.”
She stood on the last step and met his gaze. “I know what is expected of me.”
“Especially if a wrong move will harm your chances with this family.” She wasn’t going to make a mistake soon. Jodie was using all of her knowledge from her past visits to dazzle and deceive. “What is it you want from us? Status? A favor?”
“As I have said before, I no longer want to be estranged from my father.”
She was sticking to that story but Stergios knew there had to be something more. What had happened that would cause this change of heart? What did her father have that she wanted? “Why?”
She frowned. “He’s my father.”
“He’s also the one who threw you out of this home.” And to someone like Jodie, that act would have been unforgiveable.
The corner of her mouth dipped before she looked away. “Emotions ran high that night,” she said quietly. “We said and did things we later regretted. It’s time to forgive and move on.”
Stergios raised an eyebrow at her practiced answer. “You think Gregory regretted his actions? That he wants forgiveness?”
She hesitated and glanced at the music room where her father was chatting with guests. “I can only speak for myself,” she replied in a faraway voice.
“You didn’t think the timing of that night had been suspicious?” He crossed his arms as he watched her closely. “He cast you out of his life when you were eighteen.”
Jodie’s head jerked and she gave him a cold stare. “Mairi kicked me out,” she corrected him. “This is her house and my father was obligated to agree with her.”
“And Gregory was no longer receiving child support from your mother.” His quiet tone didn’t soften the blow.
She pressed her lips before she spoke. “You think my father only tolerated me because of the money?”
There were many times when he had believed that. Gregory may have won full custody of Jodie, but he had constantly sent her overseas to any school that would take her. When she was away, it was as if Gregory forgot her existence. Each time Jodie had been expelled from a school and came here to live, Gregory had made it clear that the living arrangements would be temporary.
“He didn’t get rid of me the moment he could. I hadn’t just turned eighteen,” she reminded him. “If that had been his reason, he would have kicked me out months before.”
Stergios knew he had wounded her. Her rigid stance and cool tone didn’t give her away. It was in the way she tried to give a scornful smile. Her tremulous lips ruined the effect.
He had dug in and exposed a fear that had settled deep in her heart. It gave him no pleasure. But Stergios knew he couldn’t hold back if he wanted her to leave. He had to go in for the kill.
“It’s common knowledge that Gregory wanted to become a father so he could eventually live off the child support.”
Her forced smile tightened. “Yes, I’ve heard what was said during the divorce proceedings. That was one lawyer’s argument and it doesn’t make it true.” She took the last step and headed for the music room to join the others.
“Why would you want a relationship with a man who only showed an interest in you for the money?” he called after her.
“Perhaps you should ask your mother that question.” She whirled around. There was restrained anger in her movement but her expression was coldly polite. “My father married Mairi for money. She married him because he’s a respectable escort. He’s not a danger to her fortune or family like your father was.”
Stergios’s head snapped back. No one discussed Elias Pagonis in this house. In front of him. No one. Stergios had shed his father’s name years ago but he couldn’t rid himself of the memories and the damage Pagonis had created.
Jodie took a step closer as if she wasn’t aware of the emotional grenade she’d just lobbed. “Mairi and my father have been married for ten years and they have grown fond of each other. Is it really outside the realm of possibility that my father can grow to love his only child?”
Stergios struggled to focus as old anger swelled inside him. He wouldn’t allow Jodie to distract him with the mention of Pagonis. “Are you going to buy Gregory’s love with your inheritance and hope it becomes the real thing one day?”
“Do you think that’s the only way I can get love? By paying for it?”
Stergios heard the crack in her voice and the weak sound pulled at him. “Be careful with this plan,” he said roughly as he fought for control over his emotions. “You’ll soon run out of money. And when that happens, Gregory will have no use for you.”
“Why are you giving me advice, Stergios? I can’t believe it’s from the goodness of your black, withered heart. If my father loses interest in me, that will suit your purposes.”
“Because I don’t believe that’s why you’re here.” Rejection was the one thing Jodie Little couldn’t excuse. “You can’t accept that Gregory got rid of you.”
“He didn’t get rid of me.” She leaned forward and he noticed the suspicious moisture in her blue eyes. “He had to make a choice between his wife and his daughter.”
“And he’ll make the same choice over and over again.” Stergios almost missed the flicker of pain before she blinked. “You have money now but it’s nothing compared to what we have. We have more money, influence and power. You can’t compete.”
“I’m not trying to take him away from your mother.” Her voice was rough with annoyance.
“Oxi, it’s worse. You’re trying to become part of this family.” He viewed her plan as an invasion and he would use all of his resources to prevent that. “Do you actually believe we’re going to lower our guard and let you in?”
“No, of course not. It didn’t happen before. Why should it now?” She shook her head as if she was suddenly weary. “I am not the enemy, Stergios. I don’t have the power to hurt anyone.”
Stergios wanted to scoff at that declaration. “I disagree. I’ve seen the damage you cause without even trying.”
Jodie set her mouth into a grim line. “Don’t put all the blame on me.”
“You have always been trouble.” He raked his hand through his hair. “If you weren’t causing me headaches, you were destroying everything important to me. I can’t have you anywhere near Dimos’s wedding.”
Jodie stared at him silently for a moment before she raised her chin. “Sorry to hear nothing is going your way, Stergios,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You better get used to it while I’m around.”
The woman didn’t understand, Stergios decided. His gaze rested on the sway of her hips as she strutted to the music room. Jodie assumed he played fair but when it came to protecting his family, he wasn’t constrained by a gentleman’s code of conduct. He had learned early in life what it took to fight to the death. He followed the law of the jungle and always won. Always.
Stergios wandered into the music room a few minutes later. It had taken some time to purge the thought of Pagonis and rein in his emotions. Jodie had hit her mark and it appeared she had done so without any strategy. It was as though she could see through him however much he tried to dissemble.
He stood by the door as he watched one of the guests, yet another heiress and family friend, play his mother’s favorite sonata on the piano. Everyone seemed spellbound by the display of technical precision but the music didn’t reach him. Rarely did anything pierce through his armor these days. Just Jodie Little. Stergios frowned at that troubling thought.
“Stergios?” He turned and saw Zoi Volakis. He wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there. She was a petite woman with dramatic features who dressed just like every other female in his social circle. “I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly is Jodie to this family?”
“She is Gregory’s daughter from his first marriage,” Stergios answered. He refused to say she was part of the family. Legally she was a relative but her actions proved otherwise. She wouldn’t think twice about destroying his family.
“She doesn’t look anything like him,” Zoi decided. “And they act like strangers.”
So he wasn’t the only one who noticed that. “They’re Americans. New Yorkers.”
She gave a wry chuckle. “That must explain it. How long does Jodie plan to stay?”
Her casual tone hit a wrong note and Stergios went on alert. “She hasn’t said. Why?”
Zoi hesitated, as if she was reluctant to say anything. “Jodie is very close to Dimos.”
He looked around the music room for his cousin. Frustration and something dark and dangerous bloomed inside him when he saw Dimos and Jodie standing by the windows, apart from the other guests. “They grew up as cousins in the same house.”
Stergios recognized Dimos’s awestruck look. He had seen that expression on his cousin’s face in a picture four years ago. Mairi had sent him a picture of a family event when he had been working on an assignment overseas. It was more than infatuation. He had known at that moment that Dimos wanted to claim Jodie.
And Stergios returned home immediately after seeing that picture. He had done everything in his power to keep Dimos and Jodie from getting together. Stergios could tell himself it was to protect the merger but there had been darker, more primal reasons he hadn’t wanted to explore.
“Is there anything I should know?” Zoi asked.
“No, of course not,” Stergios replied smoothly. “Dimos wants to marry you.”
She nodded her head but she didn’t appear relieved by his answer. “Dimos and I do not have a love match, but I take this commitment seriously,” Zoi said. “I’m getting married because it’s my duty to my family.”
Stergios tensed when he heard the warning underneath Zoi’s polite tone. He didn’t need this. Not now. “Dimos knows how important this merger is for both our families.”
“Good, but I am not as self-sacrificing as you may think.” She cast another glance in Dimos’s direction before she lifted her chin with injured pride. “I had tolerated the delays and setbacks before we got engaged, but I will not be humiliated by my husband’s wandering eye.”
Stergios gritted his teeth as he watched Zoi walk out of the music room. They were so close to getting this merger settled but it could all fall apart in the next few days. He took part of the blame. He had pushed Jodie too far and had hurt her feelings. She retaliated the only way she knew how.
He strode toward his cousin and Jodie. They seemed to be in a world of their own with their heads tilted close to each other. Dimos must have caught a glimpse of him. His forehead was creased with worry as he cautiously approached Stergios. “What’s wrong?”
“Stay away from Jodie,” he warned in a low, fierce tone.
Dimos flushed as he glowered at him. “Why? You can hate her all you want but—”
“She isn’t going to share her body or her bed with you.” Stergios watched with satisfaction as Jodie slipped out of the music room and hurried to the grand staircase. She wouldn’t be a concern for the rest of the night.
His cousin continued to splutter with outrage. “What the—”
“She’s leading you on because I told her not to,” Stergios said with brutal honesty. “Haven’t you learned anything about this woman?”
“You have no—”
Stergios leaned forward and watched with satisfaction as his cousin took a cautious step back. “And if this wedding doesn’t happen, if you try anything with Jodie, I will cut you out of this family.”
Dimos’s jaw went slack before his eyes glittered with hate.
“You’re supposed to be engaged,” he said as the anger flashed hot inside him. “Act like it. Go find your fiancée and pretend Jodie Little doesn’t exist.”
Stergios turned his back on his cousin and forced a genial expression before he mingled with the guests. Now if only he could afford the same luxury and act as if the threat of Jodie Little didn’t loom over his family.
* * *
Just a couple more days, Jodie thought as she rested her head against the soft leather chair. It was almost over and yet the knowledge didn’t relieve the coiling tension inside her. Dimos’s wedding was to be held the following evening and she would have finally proven to Stergios that she had no plans of revenge or destruction. But intuition told her that he wasn’t going to stop. He was going to find a way to push her out for good.
Jodie shifted in her seat and tried to relax. The ride in Stergios’s private helicopter was loud but she wore a headset to communicate. She had found the all-white interior and luxurious touches more intimidating than comfortable. It was just another reminder that the Antonious had more money and power than she.
She glanced at Stergios. He sat in the chair next to her and read his tablet. He was dressed more for a funeral than a wedding in his black designer suit and black silk tie. He had been moody since they had left the house and she had done her best to ignore him.
Jodie crossed her arms and tapped the pointed toe of her black stiletto heels against the floor. “I still don’t understand why I had to arrive at the wedding with you.”
He didn’t look up from the screen. “It’s a matter of logistics.”
She made a face. “You have a thousand relatives and not one could include me in their travel plans?”
“Not one.”
“And it has nothing to do with the fact that you won’t let me out of your sight until Dimos gets married?”
He swiped his fingers against the touch screen. “That is correct, pethi mou,” he murmured distractedly.
He had been her shadow for the past few days and she had been unable to shake him off. It didn’t matter if she talked nonstop or gave him the silent treatment. He didn’t care if she wanted to have a private moment with her father or get lost in a crowded party. He had always been at her side.
Jodie pointedly looked away from him and nervously peered through the window. She didn’t like the way the dark gray clouds filled the sky or how the choppy waves crashed against each other in the Aegean Sea. She hoped they landed soon before the weather got rougher.
Just as she was going to ask how much longer the trip would last, Jodie saw the island as the helicopter pilot started his descent. Her lips parted with surprise when she saw the rolling hills covered with fat, leafy trees. After meeting Zoi and her family, she had expected one big amusement park filled with pristine beaches, golf courses and all the amenities. This looked like an uninhabited island.
As the helicopter set down on the landing pad, Jodie caught a glimpse of a house. It was white and modern with clean lines and a flat roof. It wasn’t a mansion and she assumed it wasn’t the main residence. It probably belonged to one of the islanders.
She scrambled out of the helicopter inelegantly in her form-fitting orange dress and sky-high heels but she refused Stergios’s assistance. She stood at the edge of the helipad as she watched him confer with the pilot.
“Where is your suitcase?” Jodie asked as he walked past her, effortlessly carrying her bags.
“Everything I need is here,” he said, patting his briefcase.
She didn’t doubt it. The man was outrageously sexy and didn’t have to primp or make any effort to look good. It really wasn’t fair.
Jodie followed him along the gravel path, falling behind thanks to her spindly heels. She heard the whine of the helicopter behind her as it ascended. “It’s very quiet here,” she commented as she brushed her hair away from her face.
“Not for much longer, I’m sure.”
There was no music or the sound of conversation. What kind of event was this going to be? A wedding should have a festive tone, even if it was arranged.
“The way Zoi had talked about her wedding, I thought there’d be more decorations,” she said as she tried to walk faster. “I’m not saying she’d line the helipad with flowers but I wouldn’t put it past her.”
Stergios didn’t say anything as he waited for her to catch up.
Jodie stopped next to him and placed her hands on her hips as she looked around. It was strange that no one had met them. “Where is everyone?”
His mouth settled into a harsh line. “At the Volakis Island, I assume.”
Jodie frowned with confusion. “Wait. What?” She shook her head as she tried to make sense of what he said. “Isn’t this the Volakis Island?”
“Oxi, this is my home,” he replied in a resigned tone.
She glanced around again at the white sand beach and leafy trees. The island was unspoiled and isolated. Free from any distraction. It suited Stergios.
“Why did we have to stop here?” She whirled around and watched the helicopter fade into the gray sky. “Why didn’t you ask the pilot to wait?”
“He’ll be back in three days.”
“What?” Her heel skidded against the path. She grabbed his sleeve but her hand barely wrapped around his muscular arm. “I don’t understand what is going on.”
His eyes were cold and wintry when she met his gaze. “You didn’t leave when you had a chance,” he said in a clipped tone. “You didn’t stay away from Dimos. You left me no choice.”
Her mouth parted as the shock and confusion crashed inside her. “What are you saying?”
“You’re not going to the wedding,” he announced. “You’re stuck here with me until I decide it’s safe to let you go.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!” She looked around the island, the scent of the briny ocean and the promise of rain suddenly overwhelming. Her head began to spin as she took deep gulps of air. “I did not agree to this. My father is expecting me at this wedding. It will embarrass him if I unexpectedly don’t show up.”
“You have no choice in the matter. I suggest you get inside before the storm hits.”
She waved her hands in the air as she spluttered with outrage. “Do you honestly believe that I will just follow you? Only because you say so?” She reached inside her purse and grabbed her phone. “You forget that I’m not an Antoniou who mindlessly obeys your orders.”
“Put that away,” Stergios replied. “You’re not going to reach anyone. There is no internet or phone connection on this island.”
She refused to believe him. A man as important and powerful as Stergios Antoniou would have all of the latest technology. But as she held up her phone she saw he was telling the truth. Maybe she was in a bad range. Maybe she had to go higher on the island.
“People are going to worry if we don’t show up.” She hated how her voice escalated as she took short, choppy breaths. “Especially you. You have to be at the wedding. You’ve been part of it every step of the way. Will it still go on if you don’t manage every moment of it?”
“One of my assistants is calling my mother to let her know we’ve been detained because of mechanical problems.”
He sounded indifferent. She hated it. Hated him. “You thought of everything. How long have you been planning this?”
“It came to me this morning. Does it matter?” He gave a shrug before glanced at the darkening sky. “We need to go inside.”
“No.” She looked around wildly, her heart pumping. There had to be a boat around here. A Jet Ski. Something. She would find a way to escape if she had to comb through every inch of this island.
“Come along, pethi mou,” he said with a bite of impatience. “The caretaker is away but you are safe with me. After all, you are my guest.”
She scoffed and cast him a look of disbelief. “I am your hostage.”
Stergios flinched. He went pale as his expression turned blank. “What did you say?” His voice was a rasp.
“You heard me.” Jodie didn’t like how the air suddenly crackled between them. Alarm trickled down her spine. “You have kidnapped me. You, of all people.”
He dropped the suitcases on the ground as if his fingers went slack. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His hand sliced through the air. “This is not a kidnapping.”
“You are detaining me against my will.” Her voice faded as he approached her. It took all of her courage to stand her ground.
“Did I take you by force?” he asked through clenched teeth. “Are you in chains?”
Jodie saw the haunted look in his eyes and she knew he was wrestling with old memories. But she couldn’t afford to show him any sympathy. “What are you saying? That I’m not your prisoner because I had a comfortable ride over here?”
He stabbed his finger in the direction of the house behind him. “You will have a room of your own and plenty of food. You will have comfort and privacy. I will make sure every one of your needs are met.”
“As long as I do what you tell me?” She flung her hands high in the air. “Forget it. I’m not going into that house. How do I know that you won’t lock me in the room?”
“There are no bars on the windows. You can come and go as you please.”
“As long as I stay on the island,” Jodie added. “That still makes me a prisoner.”
He closed his eyes and drew in air between his teeth. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side. “This is not a kidnapping.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “Then get me off this island right now.”
He paused as the tension radiated from his body. Just when she thought Stergios was going to explode, he opened his eyes and took a step back. “Oxi. No.”
His answer was so quiet and calm. He didn’t care what he did or to whom. “I should have expected this.” She shook her head in disgust. “This is why you intimidate everyone. They can sense that you aren’t the gentleman you pretend to be. They know there’s a wild animal just underneath ready to pounce.”
“I’m going inside.” Stergios walked away and grabbed the luggage. “You can do whatever you please.”
She stamped her foot as the fury ripped through her. “What have I done to deserve this?” she called out to him. “Why do you hate me so much?”
Stergios slowly turned around. His eyes were cold and his mouth was curved in a stern frown. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. He was back in control. “Hate you?” he asked. “Jodie, I don’t give a damn about you.”
“You’re lying,” she yelled. “You wish you could forget me. You hate how I make you feel.”
The corner of his mouth hitched. “Dream on.”
“I could tell that night in the wine cellar,” she blurted out. “That’s why you ran away. You were ashamed that I had that much power over you.” Ashamed that, of all women, it had been me.
Stergios’s harsh features tightened as he hunched his shoulders. She could tell she struck a nerve. He was trying to hold himself back before he retaliated.
Jodie pressed her fingertips against her lips. She had to curb her tongue. She was already vulnerable to this man. She didn’t need Stergios to figure out how he made her feel. She was the one who lost control when they were together. He was the one who had power over her.
“I’m going to make you regret this,” Jodie said in a hiss as she turned around and went back up the steps. “And you will have no one to blame but yourself.”
* * *
Stergios paced along the windows that overlooked the beach. He had discarded his jacket hours ago and had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. It was turning dark and the rain was still coming down hard. Jodie had not made an attempt to find shelter.