The Greek Tycoon's Tarnished Bride (Men of the Zodiac) (9 page)

Nick happily chomped at the mini sausages and had a good try at feeding himself mashed potato and baked beans with the soft plastic spoon that had been provided, but the mini pancakes and applesauce for dessert were the biggest hit. It struck Erica that a few hours ago she was going to have to go a little hungry herself in order to make sure her son was properly fed. Her gaze roved over the dinner trolley that was still heaving with fruit, rolls, preserves, and cookies and wondered at how their lives had changed so quickly and profoundly.

Nick was going to be a very rich man one day, and she was going to be a rich Greek
’
s wife. Or was she? She shook her head as she tried to make sense of it all but suddenly felt overwhelmed. She needed to sleep and clear her head before she could even begin to make life-changing decisions. Or perhaps she needed to wake up because this was all a very strange dream! She dipped a chocolate-coated shortbread biscuit into the freshly-brewed coffee and bit into it. No, this wasn
’
t a dream, because if it was her mouth would be full of sawdust or something. That
’
s the way dreams turned out in her head most of the time.

The only sound in the room at that moment was of Nick blowing bubbles and scraping his spoon about on the high chair tray. A dart of pain hit her in the sternum. Ever since Nick had been born she had stored up nothing but contempt for Yannis. Part of her had wished that Nick would never seek him out when he was older as a no good loser wasn
’
t the role model she would choose for her precious child. But all that had changed now. Her presumptions had been incorrect, and by a cruel twist of fate, her child didn
’
t even have the choice because his biological father was dead. Her only living family, Nick
’
s grandmother and her mother, wasn
’
t interested in either of them and had made it quite clear that she didn
’
t want to be a part of their lives. If only she had a brother or sister to talk to. But no, all Nick had in the world was
her
and that was a precarious position to be in, a position she had mentally shut out since his birth because it was simply too difficult to deal with practically and emotionally. What if something happened to her? What would become of him?

Her mind was too muddled to process everything it had to deal with so suddenly and her throat tightened with the threat of tears. She needed to rest, her bones and head were screaming at her, but as was the way of things, Nick and his full tummy were ready to play. There had been so many times in the past when she had dreamed of having some childcare help, especially in the early hours of the morning, when it was dark and Nick was sucking the life out of her every two hours. Literally. Normal families would be there to help new mums—mothers, partners, siblings. Those painful hours were a stark reminder of how utterly alone she was in the world, but also that she was all that Nick had to cling to and the responsibility could be crushing when she was already low. Perhaps it was time for her to give a little ground and pick up the phone…

Chapter Six

“
Y
ou look
…
amazing.
” Tito stood up from his chair in the wood-paneled dining room and pulled out an antique chair upholstered in red silk as Erica approached. She was wearing a mid-length black dress that had silvery metal spikes dripping from the v-shaped neckline. Her hair was twisted up into a messy but elegant up do secured with a silver pin and her pointy stiletto shoes were deep scarlet velvet with silver spiked heels.

“Thank you.” She glared at his hands holding the back of her chair. “You like the outfit?”

“Of course.” He took the hint and let go of the chair. “It
’
s stunning on you.”

He heard her take in a sharp breath before saying, “Hardly surprising that you approve since you chose it all.”

So it appeared Erica hadn
’
t mellowed at all after a meal and a rest. Tito was glad he
’
d taken some time to refresh himself as well. Traveling in confined spaces was not on his list of favorite things, however spacious the vehicle. He had been relieved to find his suite was large and had plenty of windows and French doors onto a balcony that he had opened immediately to let the outside air circulate.

Let battle commence
.

“Erica, you didn
’
t specify anything beyond clean underwear in your immediate requirement list, and I thought it would be unfair to expect you to come to dinner wearing jeans.”

She took a napkin from the table and flapped it open before fixing him with an Arctic glare. “What
’
s wrong with jeans?”

“Nothing, it
’
s just that most women would rather die than dine in a place like this without dressing up a bit. The chef they have brought in for us has a number of Michelin stars pinned to his restaurant, I believe. And these guys can get temperamental about their work being respected, especially when they are shipped in at short notice.”

“Do you realize how patronizing that is to me? And rude?”

So she wanted a fight? Fine, he would have to take control of the situation; she would not embarrass him. “Turning up inappropriately dressed for dinner would also be rude on your part. I have spared your blushes, and a thank you for being so thoughtful would be nice.”

Her bottom lip twitched. “You
’
re unbelievably arrogant.”

He flicked on his best acidic smile, one he usually kept reserved for his mother or any other unfortunate female that had been thrust upon him with dewy eyes and a heart full of romantic hope or avarice. “I
’
m trying to do the right thing where everyone is concerned.”

Her voice sharpened still further. “Don
’
t you realize that—”

“Ah, thank you,” Tito said loudly as a man in a black waistcoat handed them both a large, red menu each. “I
’
d like a double gin and tonic while we decide. Erica, for you?”

He could see her exquisite, angry tongue run over the bottom row of her teeth beneath her tightly closed lips, and her eyes had darkened. “I
’
d like a cocktail. A strong one. Something that matches my shoes and numbs the pain of wearing them.”

The waiter leaned to the side to look at her red shoes and nodded politely. “In that case, might I recommend a classic Boulevardier? A sophisticated blend of Campari, sweet vermouth, and Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon, strained over ice and served with a twist of orange in an antique 1920s cocktail coupe glass.”

“Perfect,” Erica said with a sudden wide grin and a wink. “I have childcare tonight, don
’
t you know? So I can afford to let my hair down a little bit.” Tito blinked as she blasted him with eyes that were opened a few millimeters too wide to be as innocent as they were pretending to be. “Isn
’
t that so, Tito?” she purred and slid her mischievous focus down to opening the menu flat on the table.

“That is quite so.” He copied her movements with the menu as the waiter disappeared and flicked quickly through the thick pages. “I
’
m glad you
’
re taking some time to relax. Today can
’
t have been easy.”

Her voice dropped to a low hiss. “Before that man comes back I want you to know that I am not enjoying this nearly as much as you think, or would like to think, I am.”

“Polite of you to wait for him to leave,” was Tito
’
s flat reply, and he continued to stare at the menu. “What makes you think I would assume you are having the time of your life? The expensive clothes? The servants and childcare? The cocktails and vintage champagne list?” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “You found out the father of your child is dead today and that both your lives could be in danger. You have been forced to leave everything you are familiar with behind at a few minute
’
s notice, and your lives are about to change forever. I
’
m not a complete moron, and I
’
m not made of stone either. You must feel terrible.”

“Oh.”

“Especially as you lost your own father at such a young age.”

She stared down at the menu and took a sharp breath in, her shoulders visibly tense. “You know about that?”

“I know just about everything about you, Erica. I had you thoroughly investigated, remember? The team was very thorough.”

The conversation dried up for a few moments as the waiter came with their drinks, lit the candle on the table, and left them to choose from the menu.

Erica took a long drink of her cocktail, and he could see her fingers tremble as she set the delicate glass down onto the white linen table cloth. There was a brittle edge to her voice. “It doesn
’
t seem fair that you know so much about me and yet I know precious little about the man who is expecting me to marry him without a word of protest.”

“We can fix that given a little time.” He swirled the chunky glass that held his own drink and the ice cubes clattered like beer bottles rolling around the bottom of a fridge. “We only met a few hours ago, after all. But it would be helpful if we could remain civilized with each other in order to do that.”

“I just feel like I
’
ve been picked up, squeezed, and now I
’
m being forced to do so many things that I really don
’
t want to. And there
’
s nothing I can do about it because
it
’
s not about me
. None of it is about me. It
’
s about you and Nick and a man who I knew for a week who is now dead. And his relic relatives. And some nutters who are out there trying to kill a whole bunch of people and…” Her shoulders slumped, and the look she gave him was almost pleading. “
I don’
t know if I can go through with all this however high the stakes are.”

“You must.” Her vulnerability was laid bare. “For Nick. You are all he has to count on now, and you can
’
t let him down because of your own weakness.”

“I
’
m not weak!”

“Then you can do it, and I am here to help you and make everything as easy as it possibly can be.” He reached out and took the small pale hand that lay helpless on the tablecloth. “You
’
ve survived on your own this far. God knows how, but you have, so that shows the strength of character and decency in you. Unfortunately it
’
s not immediately obvious to the outside world.”

She sniffed. “What
’
s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what I
’
m referring to.”

“The fact that the Momma Frangos Mafia think I
’
m a worthless whore who should probably be stoned to death rather than bring up their precious male heir?”

He felt winded by that outburst, but it had such feeling behind it he also felt a stab of admiration. Erica Silver really was a mummy tiger. “Yes, exactly that.”

“And is that how you see me?”

He didn
’
t want to think too hard about how he saw her in case his body reacted involuntarily to her allure once again. He swallowed hard and focused on the space between her eyes. “It
’
s not important what I think. This isn
’
t going to be a genuine marital relationship between us so it
’
s not possible to engage in any kind of emotional trade-off. I am here to be Nick
’
s physical and moral guardian. Being his legal stepfather will ensure a safe future for you both and a smooth transition into the next phase of your lives.”

“How clinical.”

“Practical.”

“And it
’
s blindingly obvious that I am the fly in the ointment in all this. Nobody wants me involved, but none of you will get your way unless I cooperate.” She leaned forward to finish before the approaching waiter reached their table. “My future is precarious in all this. I need certainties and guarantees not just empty reassurances. You
’
re asking me to give up everything except my son, for years. I have to consider what happens after I
’
m not required anymore.”

“And
that
is why we are here to talk.”

The waiter smiled as he reached their table, and Tito realized he was still holding Erica
’
s hand. They looked like lovers. “Are we ready to order?”

Tito had stared at the menu for some time, but the words his eyes had read hadn
’
t registered in his brain. “Erica?”

“Almost there,” she murmured. “You go first.”

He glimpsed down at the flowing script and picked the first items on the starters and mains. “I
’
ll have the Isle of Portland seafood cocktail followed by Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak cooked medium rare, sauté potatoes, and a green salad.”

“Any sauces with that, sir?” Tito shook his head and the waiter turned to Erica. “And for madam?”

Erica licked her lips thoughtfully and suddenly food was the last thing on Tito
’
s mind. How could one woman
’
s mouth be so sexy and intriguing at the same time? “I
’
m spoiled for choice…um, I
’
ll have the hand-dived scallops with tomato, verbena, and fresh English peas followed by Lababdar style chicken curry and all the trimmings. And some of your very delicious sounding hand-cut chips.” She smiled at the waiter and then caught Tito staring at her. “Can
’
t beat curry and chips.”

Was that indignation on her face? Or another fiery challenge? He couldn
’
t decide so he just tipped his head to one side in a quizzical fashion because at least she seemed a little happier. “If you say so. Some wine to go with it?”

She shook her head and took a slug of her cocktail. “I
’
ll stick with this.” Her scarlet lips puckered, and her lipstick shone with a sugary sheen before licking it off. “Stronger than I thought, that. But bloody nice.”

“
Good.
”

Her shoulders straightened, and her nostrils flared for a second. “So, Nick only gets his massive inheritance if he moves to Greece, is nice to his granny and aunties, and reaches the age of twenty-one, right?”

“Almost. His legacy will be in trust for him until he is twenty-one, so he will have access to all the material things he needs before then, but at the discretion of his trustees.”

“And you are chief trustee.”

“Yes.”

Her shoulders rose and fell with what looked like irritation all over again. “It must be nice to have so much power all of a sudden.”

“Erica, I am a very wealthy and powerful man already, so I wouldn
’
t describe this situation as particularly
nice
. It
’
s a big responsibility and a long-term commitment.”

She looked away and frowned. “So to continue. The rest of the Cretan tribe don
’
t want me around for reasons already mentioned, so the only feasible way for Nick to secure his legacy and for me to stay with him until he
’
s grown up is to marry you. Because nobody over there will argue with you, right?”

“If you want to put it like that.”

“It
’
s charitable of you to sacrifice yourself in such a way. Why bother?”

He thought he
’
d been over all this, but it would do no harm to set down precisely what needed to happen. “I bother because Yannis
’
s final wishes were for you both to be looked after. In the current circumstances the only way I can protect you properly is to get Nick out of the UK where he can be traced. Yannis wanted Nick to inherit everything from him if he should die, and the only way I can get that to happen right now is to get him to Greece and start a life there. The other trustees have made it a non-negotiable point. The trustees have also stipulated that you are not welcome in Greece, but as you aren
’
t willing to be parted from him, and I can
’
t force either of you to relocate, we have to fix that somehow. The only way I can think of to bring all these things together quickly is to marry you. Does that make sense?”

“It makes sense but that doesn
’
t mean it
’
s not completely crazy.”

“Can you think of any other way around it? Because even if you came to Greece on your own as a single woman you
’
d never be able to get near him, let alone live with him, don
’
t you see?” He softened his voice. “The Frangos women are very old-fashioned. They won
’
t like the fact that we are married, but they will respect it and have to accept you.”

“They won
’
t approve of us being divorced later on though, will they?”

“When that happens it won
’
t matter anymore. Nick will be a man and he will take charge of his own life and legacy.”

“And what happens to me then?”

He shrugged again. So many questions he didn
’
t have a firm answer to. “Well, I guess we can have an amicable divorce and…” He ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. “You walk away with an appropriate financial settlement?”