At His Revenge: Sold to the Enemy / Bartering Her Innocence / Innocent of His Claim
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While he’d been on the island he hadn’t dared let himself feel, but he was feeling now and the emotion hit him so hard he couldn’t breathe. He’d never let it out before and because he’d never let it out he had no idea how to haul it back inside again.
Business rivalry. She thought this was about business?
He had no idea how much time had passed but eventually he heard a voice behind him.
‘Boss?’
It was Takis.
Not willing to reveal even a sliver of weakness, Stefan kept his back to him. ‘Problems?’
There was a brief pause. ‘Possibly. The girl and her mother have gone.’
‘Gone?’ He was surprised how normal he sounded. Surprised by the strength of his voice given the turmoil inside him. ‘Gone where?’
‘Left the boat, boss.’
‘How can they have left the boat? Did they swim?’
‘Er—the boat docked twenty minutes ago, boss.’
Docked?
Stefan turned his head, saw the port, and realised with a stab of shock just how long he’d been down here. While he’d been trying to get himself under control they’d arrived in Athens.
‘How can they have gone?’
‘No one was looking, boss.’
Stefan rolled his shoulders to ease the tension. ‘You are telling me that two women, at least one of whom was in a weakened state, managed to leave my boat unobserved by any of my so-called security team within two minutes of arriving at Athens?’
‘It would seem so. I take all the blame.’ Takis sounded sheepish. ‘Fire me. Truth is, I wasn’t expecting them to leave. Selene is a very determined young woman. I underestimated her.’
‘You’re not the only one guilty of that.’ Stefan stared blindly out of the window, knowing that the blame was his.
Instead of listening, instead of proving he was someone she could trust, he’d been angry—and she had no way of knowing that the root of that anger had nothing to do with her.
No wonder she’d walked.
She’d had enough of male anger to last her a lifetime.
Takis cleared his throat. ‘I’m worried he might go after her, so I’ve already got a team on it and I’ve briefed a few people. Called in a few favours. We’ll find her.’
Stefan knew that the Ziakas name had influence. He had links with everyone from the government to the Athens police. But he also knew better than to underestimate his enemy, and in this case his enemy was formidable and motivated.
Stavros Antaxos wanted his wife and daughter back and he had a web of contacts every bit as impressive as Stefan’s.
Takis was watching him. ‘Have you any idea where she might go? Any clues?’
Where could she go? How did she plan to support herself?
She’d left the island with nothing. Not even the battered old bag holding her candles and soap and the money he’d given her.
Tension rushed into his shoulders. She had no one to defend her. No way of earning money.
He imagined some unscrupulous man handing her a drink. Imagined him being on the receiving end of that sweet smile and quirky sense of humour. Imagined her naked with another man—
Sweat broke out on the back of his neck and he uttered just two words.
‘Find her.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THREE weeks later Selene was balancing plates in a small taverna tucked away in the labyrinth of backstreets near the famous Acropolis when she heard a commotion behind her.
‘Hey, Lena, take a look at him,’ breathed Mariana, the waitress who had persuaded the owner to give Selene a job when she’d appeared out of nowhere only hours after she’d slipped away from the luxurious confines of Stefan’s yacht. ‘That man is smoking hot. He should come fitted with air-conditioning.’
Terrified of losing concentration and dropping the plates, Selene focused on her task until the meals were safely delivered to the table. ‘Two moussaka, one sofrito and one kleftiko.’ She was so nervous of doing something wrong and losing her job she didn’t even look to see who was attracting everyone’s attention and anyway, she’d had enough of ‘smoking hot’ men. ‘Can I fetch you anything else?’
‘Just that indecently sexy Greek man who has just taken the table behind you, honey,’ the woman murmured, her eyes fixed in the same direction as Mariana’s. ‘Do they all look like that around here? If so, I’m moving here. No question.’
‘That would be great for the economy.’ Selene added fresh cutlery to the table and removed empty glasses. On her first day she’d dropped a tray. It had only happened once. She’d learned to balance, concentrate and not overload. ‘How are you enjoying your holiday? Did you make it to Delphi yesterday?’ This was the part of the job she loved most of all—talking and getting to know people, especially when they returned to the taverna again and again. She’d used her mother’s maiden name and no one knew who she was. The anonymity was blissful, but nowhere near as blissful as being able to live her life the way she wanted to live it. ‘I’m going there on my next day off.’
‘We followed your advice and went early in the morning. It was perfect. It’s always good to have local knowledge.’
Knowing that her ‘local knowledge’ had been rapidly acquired over a three-week period, Selene smiled. ‘I’m glad you had a good time.’
‘We did. And talking of good times—’ the woman peeped over the top of her sunglasses ‘—that guy makes me want to forget I’m married. If he’s looking for company, send him my way.’
A nasty suspicion pricking the back of her neck, Selene turned and glanced towards the man who was attracting so much attention.
Stefan lounged at a table in the far corner of the taverna. Even without the expensive suit there was an unmistakable air of wealth and power about him, and yet she knew women stared not because of the promise of riches but because his raw masculine appeal promised sex as they’d never had it before. He attracted women like iron filings to a magnet with no apparent effort on his behalf. Perhaps that was why, she thought numbly. Perhaps it was his supreme indifference that provided part of his appeal. Every woman wanted to be the one to catch the attention of a man whose attention wasn’t easily caught. There wasn’t a woman alive, even those happily married, who could look at this man and not wonder what a night with him would be like.
And she knew.
His gaze locked on hers and she knew her changed appearance hadn’t fooled him for a moment. In that single look she was hit with the full force of his masculinity. Her body burned under his steady appraisal but even though she wanted to she couldn’t look away.
Something passed between them. Something raw and primal that made it impossible to think of anything but those intense, unforgettable hours she’d spent in his bed.
Desperately, she tried to remind herself that none of it had been real. At least, not for him.
‘Kalimera.’
He spoke softly and Selene almost stumbled, tightening her grip on the tray to stop it from crashing to the ground.
It wasn’t fair that she should feel like this.
By rights she should be able to look at him and want to slap his face. Instead all she wanted to do was grab the front of his exquisitely tailored shirt with both hands and rip it open, exposing the man underneath. On the surface he seemed so urbane and sophisticated—civilised—and yet beneath the trappings of success was a man who had fought his way to the top with his bare hands. He had no scruples about doing what needed to be done to get what he wanted. Of course he didn’t. He ran his business according to his own agenda with no thought for anyone else. He’d used her to score points against her father. Knowing that, she wanted to look away, but those dark, dangerous eyes wouldn’t release her from that invisible bond that held her trapped.
Her brain appeared to have shut down and she was breathing so fast she started to feel light-headed. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Pausing for a drink in a local taverna after a long, stressful day at work.’ He stretched out his legs, as relaxed as she was tense, those dark eyes watchful.
‘Why pick this one?’
‘You already know the answer to that.’
Why would he have tracked her down? Why go to that trouble?
She could feel everyone watching them, straining to hear the conversation. Saw her boss watching her with a frown and remembered just how precious this job was. ‘What can I get you?’
‘Just coffee.’ Somehow he managed to make that instruction sound intimate. ‘I like your hair. The cut shows off your face.’
The compliment threw her and she lifted her hand to her newly cropped hair.
She’d cut it herself, with blunt scissors and nothing but a chipped mirror in which to view the results. With a few hacks of those scissors she’d become Lena. And when she’d finished hacking she’d scooped up the mounds of soft golden hair and added them to the rubbish where no one would find it. It was the first thing she’d done in her new life. The second was to get a job, and she knew she’d been lucky to get this one when so many were struggling.
‘What do you want, Stefan?’
‘You didn’t have to cut it. You don’t have to hide.’
Panic gripped her and she glanced over her shoulder to check no one was listening. ‘I’m not hiding. I’m working in a restaurant in full daylight. And I’d like to take your order.’
‘You’re trying not to draw attention to yourself. You’ve cut your hair. You’re nervous. I can protect you.’
There was a strange fluttering low in her belly. ‘Too late. I don’t believe in heroes any more.’
‘How about man’s ability to make a mistake. Do you believe in that?’
She didn’t dare listen. He was smooth, persuasive and a master negotiator. She knew he would probably be capable of convincing her of anything.
‘I’ll fetch your coffee.’
‘What time do you finish?’
‘It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to come here again. You mustn’t come here again. You’re too—conspicuous.’ Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. The thought that her father might find her made her feel sick. She’d contemplated hiding away but that would have made it impossible for her to work, and if she couldn’t earn money she couldn’t be independent. And that wasn’t all, of course. She refused to live her life in hiding.
He read her mind and his gaze darkened. ‘I won’t let him hurt you.’
‘You were the reason he hurt me last time. If you come here, you’ll attract attention. I don’t want you here again.’
He reached out, those long, strong fingers trapping hers. ‘I repeat—he won’t hurt you.’
‘And how do you plan to stop him? I’d rather rely on myself, thank you.’
‘The police questioned him and then released him. You haven’t been out of our sight for the past three weeks.’
The shock was physical. She snatched her hand away from his. ‘Our sight?’
‘I had to ensure your safety. As you pointed out when we last met, my actions put you in danger. The least I could do was fix that. He won’t touch you again.’
‘You’ve had me followed?’
‘For your safety.’
The thought made her grow cold. He’d had her followed and she hadn’t noticed. She’d been alert, on the look-out, but she hadn’t noticed. How could that have happened?
She looked around but no one stood out. There were tourists. A group of Americans. An English couple. A bunch of local men. Two giggling teenage girls. ‘How? Who has been watching me?’
‘You wouldn’t have seen them so stop beating yourself up for being unobservant.’
‘I’ve been looking.’
‘Takis only employs the best in his team. If you’d spotted them they would have been out of a job.’
Takis. Selene remembered how kind he’d been to her mother that day. How kind he’d been to her. ‘He’s …’ She sighed. ‘I liked him.’
‘I only employ the best, too. As I said—you don’t need to be afraid.’
‘I’m not afraid. And I don’t appreciate you interfering.’
‘You accused me of putting you in danger. You have to allow me to put that right.’ His tone was conversational. Casual. No one watching them would have guessed they were talking about anything more significant than the menu.
‘If you don’t want to put me in danger the best thing you can do is stay away.’
‘We’ll talk about it over dinner, Selene.’
‘No way.’
‘Last time we spent an evening together we had fun.’ He hesitated. ‘I want to see you again.’
The air left her lungs in a rush and she was so shocked she simply stared at him. Terrified that someone might have overheard, she didn’t dare look at anyone. ‘The last time we spent an evening together you ruined my life. And my name is Lena. I’ll fetch your coffee.’ She backed away from him, knocking into the table behind her.
The last time we spent an evening together we had fun.
Those words sent images rushing back into her head. Images she’d been trying to delete for the past three weeks.
She walked briskly back inside the taverna, shaking so badly she was convinced everyone would notice.
Fortunately they all seemed too overawed by the identity of their illustrious visitor to pay any attention to her pale face.
‘Everything OK?’ Mariana walked up to her, her cheeks pink from the heat. ‘It’s a hot one today, that’s for sure.’
A rowdy group of young men took a table near to them and Selene took a step towards them, but Mariana stepped in front of her in a smooth move.
‘I’ll take them. They look as though they’ve had a bit too much to drink already. Just my type.’
Selene frowned. ‘I can handle it.’
‘You serve Ziakas. He’s more important. Plenty of people round here wish he’d give up running his company and run Greece. He’d soon sort out our problems. You only have to look at him to know there is nothing that man doesn’t do well.’
Selene stared at her for a moment, wondering how she could have been so obtuse. ‘You work for him. You’re the one who has been watching me.’
Mariana hesitated and then shrugged. ‘One of them. I don’t see why it has to be a secret. If a man was going to all this trouble for me, I’d want to know. I mean, the guy has done everything except call in air support. He obviously adores you.’
‘I thought we were friends?’
‘We are friends. Just because I’m an expert in hand-to-hand combat doesn’t mean I can’t have female friendships.’
Selene’s head was reeling. ‘So you’re—?’
‘Ex-military. But fortunately I also make a mean cappuccino. It’s a useful skill.’
Mouth tight, Selene picked up the coffee order from the counter and thrust the cup to Mariana. ‘In that case you can serve him. He’s your boss.’
‘A few layers above me. Technically I work for Takis. I don’t understand why you’re upset.’ Mariana’s expression was curious. ‘The guy has virtually enlisted the Marines to keep you safe. And he is so tough. If a guy like him were that keen on me I wouldn’t be complaining. Unfortunately I only attract losers and once they discover I can break their arm with one twist they run away terrified. No idea why.’
‘He’s not keen.’
‘Right. So he’s going to all this trouble just for his entertainment? I don’t think so.’ Marianna added a spoon to the saucer. ‘Why not just go out with him a few times? Have some fun with his bank account?’
‘The problem with rich guys,’ Selene said tightly, ‘is that they think all that money gives them the right to trample all over you.’
Mariana’s gaze slid to Stefan. ‘He can trample on me any time he likes. Sadly he hasn’t looked once in my direction and that’s because he can’t stop looking at you. Are you seriously not going to do anything about that?’
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