Choosing Him: A New Adult International Romance Serial (Angelique's Greek Book 1)
Read Choosing Him: A New Adult International Romance Serial (Angelique's Greek Book 1) Online
Authors: Kay Brody
ANGELIQUE’S GREEK:
BOOK 1
Choosing Him
A Standalone Spinoff of The Greek Tycoon
By Kay Brody
Rights & Disclaimer
This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places and events contained have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are completely coincidental.
Choosing Him Copyright © 2016 Kay Brody
All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any manner or used in any way without advanced written permission by the author.
SPECIAL OFFER!
I’d like to offer you a copy of my
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This BIG BOOK PACK includes:
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The Greek Tycoon, Book 0.5:
Prelude To The Greek Tycoon
The Greek Tycoon, Book 1:
Left Holding His Baby
The Bad Billionaire, Book 1:
BRAZEN
Rock Star Romance, Book 1:
Captivated
PLUS…
3 Clean & Wholesome Romance Stories
The Carlisle Sisters, Book 1:
Unlikely Love
Nick & Lexi, Book 1:
Deserving Love
A Writer’s Romance, Book 1:
Infatuated Fan
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To claim
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Dedication
This book is for John.
You’re still the only one to make me swoon.
Chapter 1
“Would you stop going on about him already?” Carla said with a grin.
Angelique wrapped her sarong around the aquamarine bathing suit that showcased her curves. “Well, hurry up and set us up then,” she said. “It’s all right for you, you’ve already found the love of your life.”
Carla giggled. “I did, didn’t I?”
“You can say that again, my girl,” Angelique said. She waved her hand over the glittering poolside with a mock superiority. “Now, let’s get out of this hell hole.”
Carla laughed. “Hell hole!”
The Burj Karimi Hotel surpassed anything either of them had ever seen in terms of elegance and pure luxury—even Carla and Atreus’ villa on their private Bahamian island. Discreet signs in the entrance hall mentioned a seven-star rating and “Best International Hotel” awards for the last five consecutive years.
After entering the glass lobby from the poolside, the two women rode up on one of the two gold-plated escalators that flanked the massive, marbled space. Angelique rested her elbows on the side rail and cupped her chin in her hands. She sighed as she watched the hundreds of mini water fountains that sprang up from the smooth-cut stone.
“None of this is the same when you don’t have anyone to share it with,” she said.
“When was the last time you were in a relationship?” Carla asked.
“Oh, a few months ago I broke something off,” Angelique said. “Some American tourist called Chad. Total waste of time.”
“What was wrong with him?” asked Carla.
“I felt he was just using me,” said Angelique. “Like I was his
island
girl
, like a damn accessory or something. He never really wanted to know me for who I really am.”
Carla gave her a sympathetic look. Angelique plastered a smile on her face—what she always did when she wanted to hold back her tears—and gripped Carla in a hug.
“I am
so
ready to move on,” she said. “So, tell me, what do you know about him?”
“Not much,” said Carla. “Everything Atreus told me, I’ve told you already.”
“Tell me again, tell me again!” said Angelique. She loved hearing it.
Carla rolled her eyes and sighed in mock exasperation. “His name is Theodros.”
“Nickname: Theo,” Angelique cut in.
“He’s from the slums of Perama but made his fortune in hedge funds, whatever those are, and lives in Psychiko, the richest area in all of Greece.”
“A self-made man,” Angelique said dreamily, just as she had the last three times Carla had relayed this information to her. “I love it.”
Carla played like it was her first time saying it. “You know he only went to law school because he had extra time on his hands.”
“
And
he’s gorgeousness personified,” Angelique said.
She allowed him to walk into her mind without even having to conjure him up; his hazel eyes, so vivid against his dark bronze complexion; the way his hair wisped in sugar brown at his hairline was somehow emblazoned on the inside of her eyelids.
“Well, I’m nearly a married woman, so I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” Carla said, sticking her nose in the air.
They both laughed as they returned to the large suite they shared with Atreus, his housekeeper Hanna, secretary Lilia, and Andria, his mother.
“I can’t wait to see Dios,” Carla said.
“I know, he’s so cute,” said Angelique. “And you’re a much better mother than Serene could ever be, my girl.”
Butlers flanked the suite’s entrance, both outside as they held open the large, golden doors, and inside, waiting to cater to their every whim.
“I still can’t get used to this,” Angelique muttered to Carla.
It was only a few days before that she had been employed as Atreus’ household masseuse so she was not at all accustomed to people waiting on her.
“Hey, baby,” Atreus said as they entered the lounge. He got up from the wall-length sofa where he was attending to papers and kissed Carla on the lips.
The look of affection he gave her made Angelique even more keen to find the special one for her. She missed the tenderness of romance, but not the gut-wrenching agony when it all fell apart.
Hell no, not again.
This time she was in it for the long haul.
“Mostly everything’s organized,” Atreus said to Carla. “Just the final details to wrap up.”
“When are you guys leaving?” Angelique asked over Carla’s excited squeals. She was wondering how long she had to catch Theo’s eye, and how long she had left to make her choice.
Since Atreus’ ex-wife Serene and her lover Nikolas were due to take possession of Atreus’ Bahamian paradise, Little Ekali, he’d told all his staff they could choose redundancy with a handsome pay off, or to continue working for him in another capacity.
“A week or so,” said Atreus.
“Are you still thinking of coming with us?” Carla asked, winding her arms around Atreus’ waist.
Angelique twisted at a braid. “I’m not sure.”
As much as she loved being with Carla, her new found friend, and Atreus and Dios, a new, wild idea was forming in her head without her permission. She’d told herself it was too bizarre, too outlandish to become a reality, but it haunted her like a ghost and kept her up at night. She knew her soul would give her no rest if she followed them to Scotland as they started what would become the flagship of the newly formed Kostas Hotels brand.
She imagined the freezing cold her colleague Peterson had told her about when he’d gone to visit his father in New York. She couldn’t even begin to imagine it, having lived in the Bahamas every day of her twenty-four years.
“I … I kind of had an idea,” she said, turning away. She was so used to feeling confident, but she suddenly felt it all drain away.
“Shoot,” Atreus said, crossing back over to his papers.
Carla followed and snuggled up next to him, leaning her head on his strong shoulder.
“Promise you won’t laugh,” Angelique said. The uncertainty in her own voice sounded strange even to her own ears.
Carla gave her a withering look—the kind only true friends can share.
“Okay,” Angelique said. “My crazy idea is that, for the Kostas Hotel brand, we could do a spa retreat kind of hotel. Somewhere like where I come from, natural, you know?”
They both nodded and smiled, which empowered her to find some momentum.
“Like where there’s clear sea, good beach, some jungle, rivers, waterfall, birds singing, all that kind of thing. I really want people to be able to come there and relax. Relax like the world doesn’t even exist. Somewhere you can’t hear cars or clubs or anything like that,” she continued excitedly.
“That sounds incredible,” said Carla.
“Imagine they wake up in the morning,” Angelique said, now gesturing and pacing the room, “and all they can see from the window is nature. Flowers, the ocean, white sand. Then the staff brings them fresh food grown right there—organic, of course. Then they have all kind of massages or spa treatments, or go to the pool, chill out on the beach, whatever they want. A haven away from the whole world. Like paradise itself.”
“You’ve sold me,” said Atreus.
“I see it kind of like Little Ekali,” Angelique continued. “But more intimate. Greenheart cottages that open their doors right onto a white, sandy beach. Flowers and fruit trees everywhere.”
“Let’s do it,” said Carla, with such decisiveness that Atreus rocked back from her in surprise and Angelique felt her heart would burst.
“What about Scotland?” Atreus asked.
“We’ll still go,” Carla said. “Scotland will be the first, this one the next. How about it?”
“I like that,” said Atreus, then turned to Angelique. “Where were you thinking of? Bahamas?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve always wanted to visit St Lucia. Dominica is called the Nature Isle, so that might be worth looking into. Or Nevis, or Anguilla, or Guadeloupe. Or even the Seychelles or somewhere like that.”
“There’s so much to choose from,” said Carla.
“Endless choices!” said Angelique. Excitement buzzed through her as the possibilities multiplied in her head.
Atreus grinned. “Maybe one day we’ll have a hotel in each one!”
“Let’s hope,” said Carla, interlacing her fingers with his.
Angelique beamed. “You guys are awesome,” she said. “This is like a dream come true. Actually it’s more than that, ‘cause my dream was to run a beauty parlor. This is a hundred times better than that.”
“Oh, shut up,” Carla said, grinning. “
You’re
the most awesome person I know. You deserve every bit of success you get.”
“Hey!” said Atreus, batting her and pretending to be offended. “Aren’t I the most awesome person you know?”
Carla batted him back, giggling. “Yes, okay, you and Dios. Then you, Angelique.”
“Sorry,” Atreus said to Angelique, in such an insincere way that it set them all of laughing.
Angelique looked at them, her true friends, and breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction. For the longest time, as happy as she had been, there had been something bugging her. Like hearing someone knocking on the door, but never being able to find the door and open it to find out who’s there. Though she knew she was still not quite at the threshold, she felt as though she’d turned into a corridor where the knocking was louder. She was on the right track.
Only one thing bothered her. “But where’s Theo going next?”
“Wherever he wants,” said Atreus. “Once he’s tied up the Little Ekali details, I don’t need him for anything else.”
“Oh.”
Angelique’s heart plummeted. So Theo was to retreat back to his Psychiko mansion, never to be seen again. It seemed there was no way their relationship could bloom. It would be stuck forever, their magnetic potential unrealized, left to fester in her head.
She barely knew this guy, she told herself, it shouldn’t bother her so much, but that didn’t seem to make any difference. She slumped into a pink, gilded armchair at the side of the room and tried to hoist her heart back up to its rightful place. She picked at the elaborate stitching. It felt like her heart was stuck at the bottom of a chasm. Or else it had an anchor tied to it.