The Greek Tycoon's Lover (9 page)

“What?” still distracted with his chest and arms and more than a little interested in taking off that towel and discovering what was underneath.

Dimitri chuckled. “I don’t think you’re ready for me to answer that question. What can I help you with? Besides what I’d like to help with?” he joked.

Helen licked suddenly dry lips and looked at the door frame, the carpet, anything to avoid looking at his magnificent body, the memory of which was still sending tingles throughout her entire body. “I’m afraid there has been a mix up. The clothes in the closet you mentioned can’t be for me,” she said, wishing her voice would remain more even.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “Let’s go see. I thought I was very specific.”

She considered letting him lead her back to her stateroom, but that would mean his almost naked body touching hers in the small hallway. So she turned back and headed quickly toward her room.

When they were back in her room, she walked over to the closet full of beautiful clothes. “See,” she said, her hand waving toward the clothes hanging in the closet. “These are too expensive,” she said. “They are obviously someone else’s clothes. Perhaps the ship’s staff mixed up the clothes.”

Dimitri shook his head and went through the clothes. “Nope. These are yours. I didn’t select them personally, but I told my secretary what I wanted and this is pretty close. She did a good job,” he smiled and pulled out a yellow bikini that was barely three triangles and lots of string. “How about this one?” he suggested.

Helen could only stare at the scraps of materials. “You think I should wear that?”

“Of course. You’d look incredible,” he said, but had to put it down since his body was already hardening at the idea of seeing her in the bathing suit. He wasn’t sure how much the towel would hide and he didn’t want to scare her off before he even got her out to sea. “If that’s too risqué, how about this one?” he suggested, and pulled out another one that was only slightly larger.

This bathing suit was red and blue with only slightly larger triangles. “I can’t wear that,” Helen gasped.

“Why not?” he questioned, liking the idea of her wearing the suit. “You definitely have the figure for it,” he said.

She was already shaking her head before he finished. “No! I can’t wear that. I would look ridiculous.”

“Why on earth would you think that?” he asked, laughing at her outraged expression. “You have all the prerequisite parts and, from what I can see, they are all in the perfect shape for these outfits.” He couldn’t hide the lascivious grin or the glance that took in her slender hips and voluptuous breasts in a single, sweeping glance.

Her hand went up and fluttered around the tiny scraps of material as she struggled to find words to adequately articulate her issues. “It’s too small,” she finally said.

“How about this,” he suggested and pulled out a pretty yellow sundress.

Helen was so relieved that he hadn’t pulled out yet another bathing suit that she grasped the hanger as if it were a lifeline. “Fine. Yes, that’s lovely.”

Dimitri laughed. “Good. I’ll see you up on deck in five minutes,” he said.

Helen held the yellow fabric against her stomach, relieved to see him walk away. When she was alone again, she lifted the dress up and examined it more closely. “Wow!” she exclaimed, seeing the halter top and backless dress for the first time. Looking warily at the bikinis still laying on the bed, she sighed, relieved that at least the dress was less revealing than the bathing suits.

Peering into the closet, she realized that all of the bathing suits, ten of them, were in various colors of the rainbow but all were bikinis. Helen put a hand to her forehead, wondering how she could escape swimming during this trip. It should be relatively easy considering that she was an employee instead of a real guest.

Helen pulled the dress over her head and looked at it in the mirror as it drifted down over her curves. Shaking her head, she pulled off her bra, then refastened the halter top. There was no back to the dress so her bra straps were too obvious. Thankfully, there was enough support in the halter top that she didn’t have to wear one. The front dipped much more dramatically than she had ever worn before. As she twirled, she realized how pretty she looked. Was this really her? She stared at her reflection in the large mirror and was awestruck by the person gazing back. Her skin was creamy yes, but that was only enhanced by the yellow color, something she’d always avoided because she didn’t think it would look right on her. The skirt was short, ending several inches above her knees but it wasn’t indecent.

The knock on the door indicated that Dimitri was tired of waiting for her. Grabbing her pen and notebook, she hurried to answer the door.

As soon as she opened the door, his eyes clashed with hers. She lost the battle before it began and blushed when she felt his gaze move slowly down her figure in the yellow dress. “You look lovely,” he said finally. “I knew you would.”

“Thank you for the clothes. I’ll take good care of them and I promise to use them gently so someone else can take them when this is over.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” he grumbled a moment before he took her hand to lead her down the hallway. He stopped when she was outside the door and tossed her pen and notebook back onto the bed. “You won’t be needing these,” he said.

He then pulled her along behind him before she could utter a protest. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” Dimitri said as soon as they entered the dining room. “I’d like to introduce Helen. She’s here as my special guest,” he said. “This is Martin and Aimee,” he introduced, waving to a handsome man with silver in his hair and his arm around a lovely woman with blond hair and a warm smile. “And over there,” he said, indicating another couple on the opposite side of the round table, “is Kevin and Marie.” Kevin had blond hair and Marie had dark hair and dark eyes. Both smiled, but Marie’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as she looked Helen up and down.

“Finally,” Kevin joked. “I thought you two would never emerge,” he laughed and the rest of the group joined in as Helen blushed furiously, understanding what they were implying.

“Would you?” Dimitri asked as he held out a seat for Helen.

“Nope,” Kevin replied but pulled Marie closer to kiss her ear. Marie was more than happy to feel his affection and smiled into his gray eyes.

The mood was light and jovial as they left the harbor, the ship making good time out of the dull London temperatures and along the dark, gloomy French coastline. They stayed inside the parlor until they reached the Spanish coast and the clouds started to disperse. As the morning aged, the sun started to heat the group and eventually, they moved from the parlor to the deck, all of them laughing and talking, arguing about various topics. It was interesting to see Dimitri with his friends. He was a completely different person than he was in the board room, but still the devastatingly handsome and charming man she’d fallen in love with.

The sun felt good on Helen’s bare arms and she felt wonderful as she basked in the attention of Dimitri as the six of them drank coffee and sat around the glorious pool which would be heated until they arrived in warmer climes.

After a delicious lunch of light sandwiches and fresh fruit, the other four slowly left, leaving Helen and Dimitri alone. “Your friends are nice,” Helen said, suddenly nervous as she sat alone under his intense gaze.

“I think so.”

“Where did you meet them?”

“I went to college with Kevin and Martin. Martin has been with Aimee since their senior year and have four kids, all of whom are currently in school.”

“How did Marie and Kevin meet?” she asked, curious but also wary of his relaxed perusal.

“They’ve been together for about three years, still not married but not from lack of trying on Marie’s side.”

“Why doesn’t Kevin want to get married?”

“It will be his third wife,” he said. “The first two married him exclusively for his money.”

“Really?” she asked, genuinely surprised. She’d liked Kevin, thinking he was a kind, romantic soul as he made sure Marie was secure in the knowledge that he loved her with small body language.

“Why does that surprise you?”

“Because Kevin doesn’t strike me as the kind who would fall into that kind of a relationship. Besides, he’s very handsome. Why wouldn’t a woman want him for himself?” she asked.

There was an odd expression on Dimitri’s face as he looked at her. “I’m not sure I like you noticing other men,” he finally said.

Helen laughed, thinking he was teasing her. “Well, it’s not as if he’s going to fall at my feet in love with me,” she joked.

“Why not?”

Helen rolled her eyes. “I can see in the mirror, Mr. Theo…” she stopped herself at his look. “Sorry, Dimitri. That sounds odd.”

“Ignoring your reluctance to use my first name, which I’m guaranteeing will disappear by the end of this cruise, why do you consider yourself so unattractive?”

Helen shrugged. “Oh, I know I’m not ugly or anything. But nor am I the stunning beauty you usually go out with.”

“And what if I disagree?”

Helen smiled, not realizing the sadness in her expression, and looked away. “You’re a very nice man.”

Dimitri laughed. “Helen, you’re probably the only person who would ever say that. No, I’m not nice. Nor do I ever want to be considered nice.”

She was stunned by that announcement. Dimitri? Not nice? Good grief, he was one of the nicest, gentlest men she’d ever met in her life. It was one of the many things she loved about him. “But you’re very nice to me.”

“Perhaps because I have an ulterior motive.”

She almost snorted her amusement at that comment. “What on earth could you want from me?” she laughed. “You already pay me an excellent salary.

Dimitri leaned forward and took her hand, pulling her out of her seat and leading her over to the railing. “I want to know the name of the man who convinced you that you aren’t beautiful,” he said. He moved so that her back was to the railing and one strong arm was on either side of her, caging her into an almost-embrace, trapping her there so she couldn’t get away.

Helen’s mind was whirling at his touch and she looked up into his handsome face. “Excuse me?” she asked.

“His name, Helen. You couldn’t have done this on your own.”

Helen stared, shocked. “No one did this to me. I’ve never really dated. Men don’t really come on to me,” she explained, a note of pain entering her voice. She had to look away, unable to hold his gaze. Admitting something like that to a man like him was difficult. She’d had one man in her life and yes, he’d said some horrible things. But she’d disregarded them, knowing what a jerk he was.

“Or maybe you just don’t realize that so many men are coming on to you,” he suggested, thinking of Jim and several others he’d seen watching Helen while she walked down the hallway recently.

Helen shook her head. “No, clearly, I’m not the femme fatale kind of woman.”

“I beg to differ,” he said softly and leaned forward, his lips gently brushing hers.

Helen’s heartbeat stopped at the first touch of his lips against hers, her eyes wide with shock as she watched him lift his head and look down at her, gauging her reaction.

It took her several seconds to get her brain to function again. When she was able to speak, she asked, “What was that for?”

“I wanted to kiss you.”

The look in his eyes was dark and intense and she wished she could understand what that meant. “Why?”

Dimitri sighed and rolled his eyes. “Because you’re gorgeous, and…” his answer was stopped as his cell phone interrupted them. Looking at the caller id, he swore under his breath and flipped open the phone. “Dave, this had better be good,” he said warningly.

Dimitri listened for a long moment but wouldn’t release Helen’s hands from his own. He nodded several times, then flipped it closed without a word. “We have to work. Sorry about this,” he said. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”

“I’ll help,” she said and followed him along the decking to the office built up with every conceivable electronic devise. Helen worked through several conference calls, taking notes, then typing them up and assigning action items to Dimitri’s various department heads. As she sat taking notes on the next conference call, she felt Dimitri’s hands against her shoulders, stiffening as he started rubbing the tense muscles. Not by word or tone did Dimitri reveal that he was doing so much more than working through the meeting. Helen, on the other hand, missed several possibly pertinent issues when his hands kneaded her tense muscles.

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear so the people on the conference call couldn’t hear, “Relax, Helen. I’m not going to bite,” he explained.

But Helen couldn’t relax. She was almost shivering with awareness of this man and his hands that trailed down her back as he paced the relatively large conference room behind her, or when he stopped and took the pins out of her hair, letting the brown curls fall down her back, then massaging the scalp himself. Once the meeting was over, he put a hand on either side of the conference table beside her, leaning over and reading the last paragraph she’d transcribed. “Send that out to the other members of the meeting, they’ll want to emphasize that in the marketing strategy,” he said, pointing to several areas of the text but Helen could barely breathe as she felt herself wrapped in his arms.