The Greek Tycoon's Lover (18 page)

Helen allowed the kiss, even participated for several heart-stopping moments, before she remembered her purpose and pulled out of his arms, surprising him with her force. “No! This has to end,” she stated emphatically and turned away. “I can’t marry you,” she said. “It would never work.”

“Why not?” he ground out, furious.

“We’re from two different worlds. You’re from the ultra wealthy and I’m from the working class.”

“And yet over the last two months, you’ve acted as my wife, entertaining and even charming some of the most powerful people in Europe. And you’ve done a fantastic job, I might add.”

Helen’s pride was torn between the idea that he liked her entertaining and her love for him. “Regardless, it’s time we stopped playing house and moved on.”

There was a long, tense silence until he said, “You’re really turning me down? You won’t marry me?” he asked, stunned.

Helen nodded her head. “No. I can’t marry you.”

He watched her, noting the way she’d picked up the towel from the bed and was folding it one way, then whipping it open and refolding it differently. Her fingers were shaking and he knew something was wrong. He just didn’t understand. “Can’t or won’t?” he demanded.

Helen shrugged. “Both apply.”

She turned her back on him, waiting for the end when he would accept her word. When she heard the string of oaths uttered in Greek, then the door slam, she almost fell to the floor. But she had too much to do. Helen dressed quickly and applied more makeup than usual in order to cover the dark circles under her eyes from her restless night and her crying fit. It was hard to apply since tears kept escaping, creating streaks down her cheeks.

Turning to the closet, she pushed open the door with a shaking hand. It was as if the act of packing would make their split official and she didn’t want to do it. Unfortunately, it had to be done. Stepping inside, she turned on the light and surveyed the clothes. It was amazing but most of the clothes she had were from him. She hadn’t realized how much he’d bought for her, their days filled with planning while the evenings were taken up with dinners, parties, and other events and clothes would just magically appear in this large, spacious closet now filled with designer dresses and outfits. They were bright and colorful, all of them making her feel pretty and sexy.

Those days were gone, she told herself. Pulling on one of her black skirts, the ones she’d bought for her new job here in Greece and had thought so sophisticated, now seemed dull and lifeless. It matched her mood, she thought.

Helen fought back the tears, feeling like a part of her body had left with Dimitri when he’d stormed out of his beautiful penthouse apartment. Taking out her old, beaten up bags, she started loading in her clothes, leaving behind the ones that Dimitri had bought for her, knowing she didn’t deserve them anymore. But when she opened the drawer that contained her lingerie, her fingers shook as she gently touched all of the lacy, sexy underwear and bras. Inhaling painfully, she scooped up all of the garments and piled them carefully into her suitcase. He probably wouldn’t even know that she’d taken them.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Miller,” the doorman to the building said as she emerged from the elevator. “Mr. Theopolis has already left but Tony is standing by, ready to take you to the office.”

Helen sighed. “Thank you, Chris,” she said in Greek. “But I don’t think that would be appropriate.”

Stepping out into the painfully hot sun almost knocked her to her knees again. Her stomach was in knots and she walked slowly to the bus stop, her heavy suitcase trailing behind her. She would empty out her desk and tender her resignation, knowing she would have to move back to London. She couldn’t work for Dimitri any longer, not that he would want her. She now knew that the position he’d created for her was not a real job. It had been his plan to get her here to Greece. He didn’t need her in that capacity any longer.

She still had the key to the corporate apartment that he’d given her back in London. She would stay there tonight and submit her resignation immediately. Surely he wouldn’t mind if she stayed just one night, would he?

Going into the office, she was already late since it was past ten o’clock. The first thing she noticed was that there was a tension that was not normal. The executive floor was always hopping with people working diligently on whatever task or takeover they had going, but this was a strange tension. She walked down to her office and sat down behind her computer, immediately writing several sentences that outlined her resignation.

Printing it out, she walked down the hallway to Alessandra’s desk. “Would Dimitri have a moment this morning to see me?” she asked, her fingers shaking as she held the letter behind her back.

Alessandra’s gray hair swished by her face, her frazzled eyes glancing up at Helen in relief. “Oh, Helen, you know you don’t need an appointment to see Mr. Theopolis. He always makes time for you. And this morning, maybe you could put him into a better mood. I for one would be grateful,” she said, reaching for the phone to call Dimitri.

Helen didn’t mention that her news might not create the atmosphere that everyone would want. In fact, it might even make it worse. But she kept silent, mentally crossing her fingers that Dimitri would actually see her.

“Helen is here, waiting to see you, Mr. Theopolis,” Alessandra efficiently relayed. The shock on her face as she listened to Dimitri’s answer told Helen just how angry he was.

Alessandra slowly put down the phone and looked up at Helen nervously. “He said he’d try and fit you in this afternoon,” she explained, her eyes confused. “But…I thought…we all thought…,” she started to say, but didn’t finish her questions. “Never mind,” she said lightly, smiling professionally as she picked up her pencil and pulled Dimitri’s calendar forward. “He has a few minutes right before lunch time. Would that be okay?” she asked.

Helen nodded and thanked Alessandra, then walked back to her office, her feet unsure of how to move it seemed.

She worked diligently through the morning but took a few minutes to book a flight back to London in two weeks, wondering how she was going to work through these fourteen days, loving him the way she did and knowing that he felt the same way. Maybe he’d release her from the job immediately since it wasn’t a real position, just one he’d made up. Well, he’d never said he loved her, but he must if he wanted to marry her, right?

Helen sighed and shook her head. There was no point in traveling down that path. It would only lead to more pain and she had enough of it as it was. Looking at the calendar, she groaned out loud when she realized that there was another dinner party scheduled for tonight. How could she have forgotten that? She’d just been discussing it with Dimitri yesterday afternoon.

No problem. She would simply discuss the issue with Marie and make sure that everything was in order. There was no need for Helen to be there in person as long as the staff was well qualified to serve.

The time of her appointment arrived and Helen made her way back down the hallway. Alessandra’s hair even more out of place than it had been earlier in the morning, an occurrence which had never happened before. Alessandra was efficient and professional, exactly what Helen used to be like before Dimitri brought her onto his yacht, she realized.

The older woman waved Helen into the office, explaining that Dimitri was ready to see her. Instead of the relief Alessandra had shown upon Helen’s earlier arrival, the older woman now looked wary, as if Helen’s meeting with Dimitri would mean a more difficult afternoon.

Helen walked in but stopped at the doorway and knocked. “Enter!” was his only response, he didn’t even look up from the document he was reviewing. And apparently tearing apart if the red slashes and notes were any indication.

“Sit down,” he ordered and Helen’s whole demeanor shook at the anger in his voice. He’d never treated her like this but she supposed having one’s marriage proposal rejected did things to a man.

He continued to read and slash while she waited and Helen knew it was a power move. She didn’t mind though. She loved looking at him, her eyes softening as she watched him work, amazed at how quickly he could absorb information. She sighed as she turned away, tearing her eyes from his magnificent form.

“Regretting your answer already, Helen?” he asked, still reading through the document.

Helen swallowed painfully but shook her head. “No,” she said out loud when she realized that he wasn’t looking at her.

He looked up then, his dark, black eyes boring into her. “Then I suppose this is about tonight’s dinner. Is everything ready? You’ve already discussed the menu and the settings. What else is there to talk about?” he snapped.

Helen stood up and handed him the paper. She silently went back to her seat, letting him read through the page. But before she’d even sat down, she heard the tearing sound and swung back, her mouth open in shock.

“Trying to take the easy way out?” he asked smoothly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, angry now herself. How dare he tear up her letter of resignation! How rude!

Tossing the torn letter into his trash, he said, “I mean, you’re in love with me. And now you’re running away. The only issue I need to discover is why.” He stood up and came around the desk, slamming his office door and then walking back to her. “What are you hiding, Helen?” he asked softly, leaning over her chair, trapping her in the leather seat.

Helen shrunk back into her chair, terrified of his tone. She’d heard it in meetings before. It was nice and polite, but combined with the look in his eyes, she knew she’d have to get out of here as quickly as possible. The tone and the look meant he was working through all the evidence and coming up with an answer. And with Dimitri’s intelligence, he usually came up with the right one.

Knowing she’d have to be strong, for him as much as for herself, she forced her chin higher. Her eyes could not meet his, although she tried. Swallowing tightly, she said, “I’m not hiding anything, and I’m not in love with you.”

He watched her for a long moment, his eyes taking in each of her features one by one before he said, “You’re lying.” He pushed away from her chair and stood up. His arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her. “The big question is why. What would be so horrible that you would deny everything we have between us?” His voice was softer, the anger no longer vibrating in his tone.

Helen took a long, fortifying breath and stood up, blinking back the tears. “There’s nothing between us, Dimitri. I thought this would be a casual affair,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and looked at the middle of his chest, unable to hold his gaze while she lied to him. “I’m going home. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

She started to walk away until she heard Dimitri’s voice behind her. “No, you’re not, Helen.”

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, a chill racing up her spine at his unrelenting voice. “What do you mean?”

He waited until he was standing over her, looking down into her worried blue eyes. “I mean, I moved you out here at considerable expense. You will fulfill the terms of your job requirements until I decide that the company has been adequately compensated for your move expenses. Understand, Helen?”

He couldn’t do that, could he? She wasn’t sure about the legality of the issue but her pain turned to anger at his threat. “That’s not fair!” she retorted furiously.

“You’re right. I don’t play fair. When I want something, I get it. And I want you, as my wife, in my bed, forever,” he said, not a trace of doubt in his voice. “Sooner or later, you’ll tell me what you’re hiding, Helen. And once you do that, we’ll work together to find a solution.”

Helen’s eyes lost their anger and turned worried. Dimitri in full battle mode was terrifying. He never lost. She’d seen him forge through difficult business dealings too many times and he was brilliant, applying superior logic and merciless business tactics to everything he did.

She would just have to be stronger. She’d seen him work. She’d learned his tricks. After all these months of observing him in the board room, she was sure she could avoid his efforts. She had to, for both of them. He needed something she couldn’t provide. He’d have to accept that. She should just tell him, she thought to herself. But then the memory of him making her feel soft and feminine, alluring and wanted; a whole woman; stopped her admission. She’d never had that before meeting him and she couldn’t deal with losing it now. If he knew the truth, he would pity her and probably help her in some sort of generous way, but he’d never think of her as a whole woman again.

If she was going to gain anything out of this relationship, she was going to retain those memories.

“Please, just accept this as my decision,” she pleaded with him.

He shook his head. “Not an option. We’re good together. You’re in love with me and just fighting against some ghost that doesn’t make any sense.” He leaned forward, so close she could smell his cologne and inhaled, loving the scent of him as much as his touch and his smile. “And what’s more, I’m in love with you too. So face the inevitable, Helen. We’re going to be together.”

His words tore her up inside. He loved her! Those words were so sweet, so wonderful and yet, caused her more pain than she had ever known in her life. “No. I can’t.”

“Can’t isn’t in my vocabulary. Until you’re speaking my language, we’ll just have to do it my way,” he said and pulled her into his arms, his mouth covering hers hungrily. Helen had no defense against him. She wanted him so desperately and her body, so used to feeling his magic touch every night, usually more than once, was starved after a night with him only holding her gently in his arms. She could no longer resist his kiss than she could stop breathing.