The Greek Tycoon's Lover (8 page)

“Of course. I’ve packed for any kind of weather but I’m not sure about the weather in Greece. I plan on getting more appropriate clothes once we get there.” She looked at his amused face and blushed, wondering why she’d brought up something that couldn’t possibly interest him. Clearing her throat nervously, she continued, “In the meantime, here is the agenda for this afternoon’s meeting,” handing him a piece of paper.

Dimitri tore his gaze away from her features and forced his eyes to look down at the schedule. She was a little drill seargent, that was for sure. He took the paper and placed it behind him on the desk, enjoying the view as she walked out of his office and back to her desk. The gentle sway of her hips created images in his mind which only hardened his already aching body but he didn’t mind. Relief and blissful satisfaction would arrive soon.

Chapter 6

Saturday morning was dull and gray but nothing could dampen Helen’s spirits. Her tiny house was completely packed in boxes, ready to be shipped to Athens that afternoon. It would be in a storage space until she found a suitable apartment and her clothes, all the new ones that she’d busily purchased over the past week, were in a suitcase, pressed and ready for her new job. The old ones had been given to a charity so she could never slip back into that old, awful, dull routine again. This was a new life and she intended to live every moment as much as possible.

When the doorbell rang, she answered it quickly, not bothering to even look through the peep hole. “Good morning,” she said shyly, allowing Dimitri to walk into her family room. “I’m ready to go,” she said.

Dimitri looked down at her sharp business outfit, complete with her new, sexy heels and almost groaned out loud. The idea that he was finally getting her alone, well almost alone, and away from business was a heady aphrodisiac. He wanted this woman more powerfully than he’d ever wanted any other woman. But he still had to move slowly. She had no idea about her own self worth and appeal. He’d start showing her immediately.

“Great. Let’s get going,” he replied, putting a hand to the small of her back to lead her out of the room.

“Oh, let me get my bags,” she said quickly, trying desperately to suppress the shiver of excitement that charged through her system at Dimitri’s warm touch on her back.

He grabbed her hands and pulled her back to his side, shaking his head. “No. This will be your first lesson. My driver is right outside. He’ll bring down your bags.”

Helen’s soft blue eyes stared at him uncomprehendingly for a long moment before she nodded her head. “If you say so.”

“I say so. Come along,” he said. He hadn’t missed the shiver at his touch and instantly his body reacted. He was going to have to do something soon. He wasn’t sure how much longer his body could take this continuous state of arousal when he was around her. Or not around her, he reminded himself. Just thinking about Helen could snap his body to attention. And he thought about her a lot.

Helen preceded him out of the apartment, his hand touching either her back or her arm gently but the heat was so intense, she felt as if she were being burned. The long black limousine that was waiting out front was already attracting attention from the early morning pedestrians out walking their dogs. She smiled to the few she knew before ducking her head into the back. She took a seat on the opposite side from Dimitri, her back toward the driver. “So what time is our flight?” she asked, laying her hands on her lap in an effort to hide the shaking. When she realized she looked nervous, she changed her mind and opened her planner and picked up her pen, ready to take notes on whatever he might toss at her.

He pulled the daytimer from her lap and tossed it onto the seat next to her. The pen followed. “We aren’t flying,” he said and took her hand to pull her into the seat next to him. He didn’t continue to touch her, but he didn’t move away when her shoulder touched his arm.

This new position made every cell in her body shiver with excitement. She wished she could sit back on the other side, away from him but she couldn’t do that without looking silly. “Oh! Well, how are we getting there?” she asked, pressing her hands on her lap to hide the shaking, then balling them into fists when they still showed her nervousness.

Dimitri looked down at her, hearing the trunk close shut indicating that her bags were stored away already. “We’re going by ship,” he explained.

That definitely surprised her. Why on earth would they be going by ship? She knew of course that he built ships and transported material in them, but she never imagined she would be one of those items en route. “Ship? I….I don’t think I understand.”

He sat back and stretched his long legs out in front of him and leaned his head back against the plush, black leather seat. “I’ve decided to take a long overdue vacation this time around. We’re taking this trip slowly. I have four friends who will be traveling with us. I believe they’re already on board.”

Helen’s mind worked quickly. “This wouldn’t happen to be your yacht, would it?” she asked, biting her lip as the anxiety of traveling in such luxury hit her full on.

“Yes. Is that a problem?” A horrible thought occurred to him and he lifted his head to look back down at her. “You aren’t afraid of water, are you?” he asked, seeing the fear in her eyes but not understanding it.

Helen saw the concern come into his eyes and shifted quickly to reassure him. “No, no! Nothing like that,” she answered. “It’s just that…” How could she tell him her feelings about being in such opulence? Of course, his office was impressive and she’d heard about his home but she’d never been inside that penthouse, turning down the nice holiday invitations she’d received over the past several months. But his yacht? This was too much. She didn’t feel right traveling with him like this.

“What?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.

“Well, your yacht…I read about it in one of the society columns one day.”

Dimitri smiled, the amusement showing in his eyes. “Are you reading about me other Sundays?” he asked, already knowing the answer by the blush on her cheeks.

Helen flushed, afraid she might have revealed too much about her feelings for the man. She quickly tried to back track. “You’re in the society and business columns often,” she admitted honestly. “The women you date are very lovely,” she whispered, almost ashamed that she’d peeked into his life in such a voyeuristic way.

Dimitri could not have asked for a better opening. “And how do you think you compare to them?” he asked.

Helen shrugged and looked out the window so he couldn’t see her face. “Oh, I know I don’t even rank in their world.”

“And what would you say if I told you that you are ten times more beautiful than they are?” he asked. “You wouldn’t believe me would you?”

Helen laughed nervously. “I’d think you are just being kind like all the other men in the office.”

He didn’t grit his teeth or growl at that reminder of other men’s interest but it was close. Each time he thought about it he wanted to punch something, preferably the men’s faces that had dared to intrude on Helen’s time and what he considered his own. “But you said they were being nice to you so they could get better access to me. What’s my motive? I certainly don’t need better access to myself. Perhaps I’m being honest.”

Helen watched his face, wondering why he was teasing her so much. But she didn’t see any amusement in his features. Deciding to be straightforward with him, she said, “I don’t understand.”

Dimitri sighed heavily, wishing he could just pull her into his arms and kiss her so she’d get it. Slowly, he reminded himself. “I know you don’t. But over the next few weeks, I’ll make sure you start.”

She couldn’t answer him since the luxurious car pulled to a stop. She looked out her window and sure enough, they were at the pier. But it wasn’t the pier where all the other yachts were docked. No, Dimitri’s yacht was too large for those. It was small compared to the large ships surrounding them but since they were cargo freighters and his a personal vessel, his still looked enormous. It seemed like a very luxurious cruise ship to her untutored eyes. From what the articles said about it, the vessel basically was exactly that, a private cruise ship with just about every conceivable luxury possible including a weight room, cinema, large dancing area, more bedrooms than a large house and palatial dining as well as other entertainment areas. She saw that there was even a helipad on top of one end and a crystal clear pool with decking.

They were greeted by the captain himself as well as a ship mate who literally ran down the gangway to retrieve their bags. Dimitri excused the captain in order to show Helen to her stateroom.

Opening the door, Helen gasped in awe at the beauty surrounding her. The stateroom itself was almost as large as her entire house. The king sized bed was covered in white satin and the carpeting was thick and soft. There was a sitting area and a bar, filled with drinks and a refrigerator. “Will this be okay?” he asked.

Shaking her head and turning to face him, she was startled to find that he was so close. She had to step back in order to remember what she had been about to say. Clearing her head of all the silly, romantic thoughts his nearness induced, she said instead, “Mr. Theopolis, are you sure you want me in this stateroom? Shouldn’t this be for one of your guests?”

“You’re going to feel silly calling me ‘Mr. Theopolis’ on board. Just accept that it is more appropriate for you to now call me Dimitri and stop worrying about any kind of significance with using my first name.” He looked around the stateroom and nodded his head, “As for you staying in this suite, you are one of my guests so yes, I do want you in this stateroom. Make yourself at home. And since I suspect that these bags,” he said referring to the large, black bags being set inside her door, “are filled with business clothes, I took the liberty of having a more appropriate wardrobe delivered for you. I think they are already hung up in the closet. You’re a size six, correct?” he asked, his eyes moving down her slender figure.

“Yes,” Helen said nervously, wringing her hands as she looked around the amazing room. “But I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable working in this room. I should be with the rest of the staff in their quarters. And you really don’t need to buy me clothes. If what I’m wearing or have brought along isn’t appropriate, I’ll definitely exchange them for better items.” She felt awful that she had gotten things so wrong. Wishing she could just crawl into a corner where she could conceal her embarrassment, she hid her eyes, looking down at the carpet.

Dimitri closed the distance between the two of them and put a hand under her chin so he could look down into her eyes. “This would be where you need to accept my advice. You are to be treated as a guest, starting immediately. If any work comes in that is so imperative that I have to deal with it, I’ll let you know. Until then, you should change out of those business clothes and put on at least a sundress, or even better, a bathing suit. The forecast is for eighty five today and we’ll be in the Mediterranean by noon so the heat will be intense. You will definitely be overdressed in those clothes.”

He turned and put a hand on the door knob and looked back at her, winking at her nervousness. “Believe me Helen. This is a completely different position. Relax, come up on deck when you’ve changed clothes.” He turned to leave. “Oh,” he said, stopping and turning back to her, “I’m in the next room. Feel free to stop by for anything at all.”

Helen was alone, standing in the center of this incredible room and wondering what he was talking about. He seemed so mysterious and she realized that she had no idea what her responsibilities would entail, besides the vague idea that she would be in charge of entertaining and other possibilities.

Opening the closet doors, she looked in awe at the most incredible wardrobe she’d ever seen in her life. The colors were nothing like what she usually wore. Not a single outfit was in black, tan or gray. They were in every color of the rainbow, all having their tags still on them. Her fingers reached out to touch the lovely clothes, taking out several to see them more clearly. They were obviously designer originals but who were they made for? She recognized the tags but there were no price tags on them. She guessed that old phrase, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” applied to these articles.

She looked around and shook her head. “There has to be some sort of mistake,” she said to herself. “These can’t be the clothes he ordered for me.”

Stepping out of her stateroom, she looked down the long hallway. There were only two rooms on this hallway and he’d said his was right next door. The only other way to go was up and onto the main deck. So she walked carefully down the hallway, noticing that the ship was already moving. Had they taken off the moment Dimitri had stepped on board? Apparently, she sighed.

Knocking tentatively on the door, she waited for a long moment, wondering if she’d misunderstood his directions. But a moment later, Dimitri appeared in the open doorway, his chest glistening with droplets of water and the only covering was a thick towel wrapped precariously around his waist.

Helen could only stare at the amazing muscles in his chest and shoulders. The man’s body was packed! His biceps and triceps were like a body builder’s with ridges in all the right places. Her eyes then moved down, eagerly taking in the additional ridges of his stomach muscles, following the dark line of hair that disappeared into the depths of the towel.

“I’m flattered,” his deep voice said, interrupting her mind’s imagination and forcing her eyes to snap back up to his. “But I’m guessing your perusal doesn’t mean what I’m hoping it means.”