Ruthless Milllionaire, Indecent Proposal

The white motor launch was in pristine condition. A blue and white striped canopy shaded the rear deck which had bench seats softened by blue and white striped cushions. Tina was invited to sit down and relax while Jason got the boat under way again and Ari took Theo to fetch drinks and give him a tour of the galley.

She sat and tried to concentrate on enjoying the marvellous view, let the day flow past without drawing attention to herself. Tonight’s family dinner would test her nerves to the limit, but at least her mother would be there, helping to keep normal conversation rolling along. And despite the stress this meeting with Ari’s parents would inevitably cause, Tina told herself she did need to see the Zavros home environment, check that it would be a good place for Theo to be if visits to Santorini had to be arranged.

She smiled as she heard Theo say, ‘I’m not allowed to have Coca-Cola. Mama says it’s not good for me. I can have water or milk or fruit-juice.’

Welcome to the world of parenting, Ari. It isn’t all fun and games. Making healthy choices for your child is an important part of it. Would he bother to take that kind of care or would he hire a nanny to do the real business of parenting?

Tina mentally ticked that off as an item to be discussed before agreeing to visits.

‘Okay, what would you like?’ he asked, not questioning her drinks ruling.

‘Orange juice.’

‘And what does your Mama like?’ ‘Water. She drinks lots of water.’

‘No wine?’

Not since you put intoxicating bubbles in my brain.

‘No. It’s water or coffee or tea for Mama,’ Theo said decisively.

‘Well, after our hot walk, I guess iced water would be the best choice.’

‘Yes,’ Theo agreed.

He carried out jugs of orange juice and iced water, setting them on the fixed table which served the bench seats. Theo brought a stack of plastic glasses, carefully separating them out as Ari returned to the galley, emerging again with a platter containing a selection of cheeses and crackers, nuts, olives and grapes.

‘There we are! Help yourselves,’ he invited, though he did pour out the drinks for them—water for him, too.

‘I love olives,’ Theo declared, quickly biting into one.

‘Ah! A true Greek,’ Ari said proudly.

Tina instantly bridled. ‘Theo is an Australian.’

‘But Yia Yia is Greek, Mama,’ Theo piped up.

‘Definitely some Greek blood there,’ Ari declared, a glittering blast from his golden eyes defying Tina’s claim.

‘True,’ she agreed, deciding the point that needed to be made could be driven home when Theo was not present. Australia was their home country. Theo was an Australian citizen. And the family court in Australia would come down on Tina’s side. At least she had that in her favour.

Ari chatted away to their son who positively basked in his father’s attention. He explained about the volcano as they sailed towards what was left of it, telling the story of what had happened in the far distant past, how the volcano had erupted and destroyed everything. Theo lapped it up, fascinated by the huge disaster, and eager to walk up to the crater when they disembarked there.

Then it was on to the islet of Palea Kameni for a swim in the hot springs—another new exciting experience for Theo. Tina didn’t really want to change into her bikini, being far too physically conscious of Ari looking at her to feel comfortable in it, but she liked the idea of letting Theo go alone with him even less. He was her son and she was afraid of giving Ari free rein with him without her supervision.

Unfortunately Ari in a brief black swimming costume reduced her comfort zone to nil. His almost naked perfectly proportioned male body brought memories of their previous intimacy flooding back. She’d loved being with him in bed; loved touching him, feeling him, looking at him, loved the intense pleasure he’d given her in so many ways. It had been the best time of her life. It hurt, even now, that it had only been a charming episode for him. It hurt even more that she couldn’t control the treacherous desire to have him again.

She could if she married him. She probably could anyhow. He’d lusted after her before without marriage in mind. But having sex with him again wouldn’t feel the same. She wouldn’t be able to give herself to him whole-heartedly, knowing she wasn’t the love of his life. There would be too many shadows in any bed they shared.

It was easier to push the memories aside when they were back on the boat and properly dressed again. Ari in clothes was not quite so mesmerising. He and Theo took over the wheel, playing at being captain together, steering the boat towards the village of Oia on the far point of Santorini while Jason was busy in the galley.

They had a delicious lunch of freshly cooked fish and salad. After all the activity and with his stomach full, Theo curled up on the bench seat, his head on Tina’s lap and went to sleep. Jason was instructed to keep the boat cruising around until the boy woke. If there was still time to visit Oia, he could then take them into the small port.

‘We don’t want him too tired to enjoy his birthday party tonight,’ Ari remarked to Tina.

‘No. I think we should head home when he wakes. We’ve done all you promised him, Ari. He should have some quiet time, building the Lego train station before more excitement tonight,’ Tina said, needing some quiet time for herself, as well. It was stressful being constantly in the company of the man who was intent on breaking into her life again.

‘Okay.’ He gave her an admiring look. ‘You’ve done a good job with him, Christina. He’s a delightful child.’

She gritted her teeth, determined not to be seduced by his compliments, deliberately moving her gaze to the black cliffs ahead of them. ‘I think it’s important to instill good principles in a child as early as possible,’ she said, a sudden wave of resentment towards him making her add, ‘I don’t want him to grow up like you.’

His silence tore at her nerves but she refused to look at him.

Eventually he asked, ‘What particular fault of mine are you referring to?’

‘Thinking women are your toys to be picked up and played with as you please,’ she answered, wishing he could be honest about himself and honest to her. ‘I want Theo to give consideration to how he touches others’ lives. I hope when he connects with people he will always leave them feeling good.’

Another long silence.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ari lean forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. ‘If you had not fallen pregnant, Christina,’ he said softly, ‘wouldn’t I have left you with good memories of our relationship?’

‘You left me shattered, Ari,’ she answered bluntly. ‘My parents had brought me up to be a good girl believing that sex should only be part of a loving relationship. I truly believed that with you and it wasn’t so. Then when I realised I was pregnant, it made everything so much worse. I had to bear their disappointment in me, as well as knowing I’d simply been your sex toy for a while.’

In some ways it was a relief to blurt out the truth to him, though whether it meant anything to him or not was unknowable. Maybe it might make him treat her with more respect. She was not a pawn to be moved around at his will. She was a person who had to be dealt with as a person who had the right to determine her own life and this time she would do it according to her principles.

Ari shook his head. He was in a hard place here. He wasn’t used to feeling guilty about his actions or the decisions he’d made. It was not a feeling he liked. Christina had just given a perspective on their previous relationship that he’d never considered and quite clearly it had to be considered if he was to turn this situation around.

She was staring into space—a space that only she occupied, shutting him out. Yet her hand was idly stroking the hair of their sleeping son. He was the connection between them—the only connection Ari could count on right now. He was no longer sure he could reach her sexually, though he would still give it a damned good try. In the meantime he had to start redeeming himself in her eyes or she would never allow herself to be vulnerable to the physical attraction which he knew was not completely dead.

He’d felt her gaze on him at the hot springs, saw it quickly flick away whenever he looked at her. She kept shoring up defences against him by reliving how he’d wronged her in the past. Would she ever let that go or would he be paying for his sins against her far into the future?

‘I’m sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘It was wrong of me to take you. I think it was your innocence that made you so entrancing, so different, so special, and the way you looked at me then … I found it irresistible, Christina. If it means anything to you, there hasn’t been a woman since whose company has given me more pleasure.’

As he spoke the words which were designed to be persuasive, there was a slight kick in Ari’s mind—a jolting realization that he was actually stating the truth. When he’d moved on, he’d mentally set her aside—too young, not the right time for a serious relationship—but the moment he’d recognised her in Dubai, he’d wanted to experience the sweetness of her all over again, especially when he’d just been suffering the sour taste of Felicity Fullbright.

Christina shook her head. She didn’t believe him.

‘It’s true,’ he insisted.

She turned to look at him, dark intense eyes scouring his for insincerity. He held her testing gaze, everything within him tuned to convincing her they could make another start, forge a new understanding between them.

‘You didn’t come back to me, Ari,’ she stated simply. ‘You forgot me.’

‘No. I put you away from me for reasons that I thought were valid at the time but I didn’t forget you, Christina. The moment I recognised you in Dubai, the urge to pick up with you again was instant. And that was before you told me about Theo.’

She frowned, hopefully realising the impulse had been there before she had spoken of their son. ‘You were with another woman,’ she muttered as though that urge was tarnished, too.

‘I was already wishing that I wasn’t before I saw you. Please … at least believe this of me. It’s true.’

For the first time he saw a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. She lowered her long thick lashes, hiding her thoughts. ‘Tell me what your valid reasons were.’

‘To my mind, we both still had a lot to achieve on our own without ties holding us back from making choices we would have made by ourselves. You’d barely started your modelling career, Christina, and it was obvious you had the promise of making it big on the international scene. As your sister has done.’

Her mouth twisted into a wry grimace as she looked down at their sleeping son. ‘If you didn’t forget me, Ari, did you ever wonder why I never broke into the international scene?’

‘I did expect you to. I thought you had chosen to stay in Australia. Some people don’t like leaving everything that is familiar to them.’

‘I wasn’t worth coming back to,’ she murmured, heaving a sigh that made him feel she had just shed whatever progress he had made with her.

‘I was caught up dealing with family business these past six years, Christina,’ he swiftly argued. ‘It’s only now … meeting you again and being faced with my own son that my priorities are undergoing an abrupt change.’

‘Give it time, Ari,’ she said dryly. ‘They might change again.’

‘No. I won’t be taking my marriage proposal off the table. I want you to consider it very seriously.’

She slid him a measuring look that promised nothing. ‘I’ll think about it. Don’t ask any more of me now.’ She nodded down at Theo. ‘I’m tired, too. Please ask Jason to head back to Fira.’

‘As you wish,’ he said, rising from the bench seat to do her bidding.

Trying to push her further would not accomplish any more than he had already accomplished today. She didn’t trust him yet but at least she was listening to him. Tonight would give him the chance to show her the family environment he wanted to move her and Theo into. He had to make it as attractive as he could.

CHAPTER SEVEN

WHILE Theo was occupied fitting the pieces of the Lego train station together, Tina tried to imagine what her life might have been like if she hadn’t fallen pregnant. Would she have picked herself up from the deeply wounding disillusionment of her love for Ari and channelled all her energy into forging a successful modelling career?

Almost certainly.

She had been very young—only eighteen at the time—and having been rejected by him she would have wanted to show him she really was special—so special he would regret not holding onto her.

Cassandra would have helped her to get a foot in on the international scene. Given the chance, she would have tried to make it to the top, delivering whatever was required to keep herself in demand and in the public eye; fashion shows, magazine covers, celebrity turnouts that would give her even more publicity. Ambition would have been all fired up to make Ari have second thoughts about his decision, make him want to meet her again.

When and if he did she would have played it very cool. No melting on the spot. She would have made him chase her, earn her, and she wouldn’t have given in to him until he’d declared himself helplessly in love with her and couldn’t live without her. He would have had to propose marriage.

Which he’d done today.

Except the circumstances were very different to what might have been if Theo had never been conceived. That completely changed the plot, making the marriage proposal worth nothing to her.

Though Ari’s face had lit up with pleasure at seeing her in Dubai.

But that was only a fond memory rekindled.

She wasn’t the same naive, stars-in-her-eyes girl and never would be again, so it was impossible for him to recapture the pleasure he’d had in her company in the past. Surely he had to realise that. Empty words, meaning nothing.

She shouldn’t let herself be affected by anything he said. Or by his mega sex appeal which was an unsettling distraction, pulling her into wanting to believe he was sincere when he was probably intent on conducting a softening-up process so she would bend to his will. It was important to keep her head straight tonight. He had rights where Theo was concerned. He had none over her.

It was still very hot outside their room when it came time to dress for the birthday party. Her mother, of course, was wearing black—a smart tunic and skirt with an array of gold jewellery to make it look festive. Tina chose a red and white sundress for herself, teaming it with white sandals and dangly earrings made of little white shells.

She put Theo in navy shorts, navy sandals, and a navy and white top with red stripes across the chest. He insisted on having the big red birthday badge with the smiley face and the number 5 pinned onto it. Ari had bought it for him this morning on their stroll around the shops and Theo wore it proudly.

‘See!’ he cried, pointing to his badge when Ari came to pick them up.

Ari laughed, lifted him up high, whirled him around, then held him against his shoulder, grinning at him as he said, ‘It’s a grand thing to be five, Theo.’

There was little doubt in Tina’s mind that Theo would love to have Ari as his Papa. Her heart sank at the thought of how much would have to change when the truth had to be admitted. Ari’s parents already knew. She could only hope they would handle this meeting with care and discretion.

To her immense relief, Ari seated her mother beside him on the drive to his home on the other end of the island. It was near the Santo winery, he said. Which reminded Tina that he had come to Australia on a tour of the wine industry there. As they passed terraces of grapevines, it was fascinating to see the vines spread across the ground instead of trained to stand in upright rows. To protect the grapes from the strong winds, Ari explained to her mother who happily chatted to him the whole way.

Eventually they arrived at the Zavros home. The semicircular driveway was dominated by a fountain with three mermaids as its centrepiece, which instantly fascinated Theo. The home itself appeared to be three Mediterranean-style villas linked by colonnades. Naturally it was white, like most of the buildings on Santorini. Ari led them to the central building which was larger than the other two. It all shrieked of great wealth. Intimidating wealth to Tina.

‘We’re dining on the terrace,’ he informed them, shepherding them along a high spacious hallway that clearly bisected this villa.

The floor was magnificently tiled in a pattern of waves and seashells. They emerged onto a huge terrace overlooking the sea. In front of them was a sparkling blue swimming pool. To the left was a long vine-covered pergola and Tina’s heart instantly kicked into a faster beat as she saw what had to be Ari’s parents, seated at a table underneath it.

They rose from their chairs to extend a welcome to their guests. Tension whipped along Tina’s nerves as both of them looked at Theo first. However their attention on him didn’t last too long. They greeted her mother very graciously and waited for her to introduce her daughter and grandson.

Maximus Zavros was an older version of Ari in looks. His wife, Sophie, was still quite a striking woman with a lovely head of soft wavy hair, warm brown eyes and a slightly plump, very curvaceous figure. Although they smiled at her as she was introduced, Tina was acutely conscious of their scrutiny—sizing her up as the mother of their grandson. It was a relief when they finally turned their gaze to Theo again.

‘And this is the birthday boy,’ Sophie Zavros said indulgently.

‘Five!’ Theo said proudly, pointing to his badge. Then he gave Ari’s father a curious look. ‘Your name is Maximus?’

‘Yes, it is. If it is easier for you, tonight you can call me Max,’ he invited, smiling benevolently.

‘Oh, no! I like Maximus,’ Theo said with a broad smile back. ‘Mama took me to a movie about a girl with very long hair. What was her name, Mama?’

‘Rapunzel,’ Tina supplied, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes at what was bound to come next.

‘Rapunzel,’ he repeated. ‘But the best part of the movie was the horse. His name was Maximus and he was a great horse!’

‘I’m glad he was a great horse,’ Ari’s father said, amused by the connection.

‘He was so good at everything!’ Theo assured him. ‘And he saved them in the end, didn’t he, Mama?’

‘Yes, he did.’

Ari’s father crouched down to Theo’s eye level. ‘I think I must get hold of this movie. Maybe you and I could watch it together sometime. Would you like to see it again?’

Theo nodded happily.

‘Well, I’m not a horse but I can give you a ride over to the table.’

He swept his grandson up in his arms and trotted him to the table, making Theo bubble with laughter. It startled Tina that such a powerful man would be so playful. Her mother and Sophie were laughing, too—any awkwardness at meeting strangers completely broken. She glanced at Ari who was also looking on in amusement.

He quickly moved closer to her, murmuring, ‘Relax, Christina. We just want to make this a special night for Theo.’

‘Have you told them of your plan to marry me?’ she asked quickly, wanting to know if she was being sized up as a possible daughter-in-law.

‘Yes, but there will be no pressure for you to agree tonight. This is a different beginning for us, Christina, with our families involved, because it is about family this time.’

His eyes burned serious conviction into hers.

It rattled her deep-seated prejudice against believing anything he said. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to let her inner angst go. This was a different scenario between them with their families involved. She decided to judge the night on its merits, see how she felt about it afterwards. To begin with she told herself to be glad that Ari’s parents were the kind of people Theo could take to because there was no avoiding the fact they would feature in his future.

Maximus Zavros had seated Theo in the chair on the left of his own at the head of the table. Sophie ushered Tina’s mother to the chair next to Theo’s and to the right of her own chair at the foot of the table. Ari guided Tina to the chair opposite Theo’s, putting her next to his father before sitting beside her.

As soon as they were all seated a man-servant appeared, bringing two platters of hors d’oeuvres. Another followed, bringing jugs of iced water and orange juice.

Ari’s father turned to her, pleasantly asking, ‘Can I persuade you to try one of our local wines?’

She shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I prefer water.’

He looked at her mother. ‘Helen?’

‘I’m happy to try whatever you suggest, Maximus. I’ve tasted two of the wines that were sent to my room and they were quite splendid.’

‘Ah, I’m glad they pleased your palate.’ He signalled to the servant to pour the chosen wine into glasses while he himself filled Tina’s glass with water and Theo’s with orange juice. He beamed a smile at his grandson. ‘Ari tells me you can swim like a fish.’

‘I love swimming,’ was his enthusiastic reply.

‘Did your Mama teach you?’

Theo looked at Tina, unsure of the answer. ‘Did you, Mama?’

‘No. I took you to tadpole classes when you were only nine months old. You’ve always loved being in water and you learnt to swim very young.’ She turned to Maximus. ‘It’s important for any child to be able to swim in Australia. There are so many backyard pools and every year there are cases of young children drowning. Also, we live near Bondi Beach, so I particularly wanted Theo to be safe in the water.’

‘Very sensible,’ Maximus approved, nodding to the pool beyond the pergola. ‘There will be no danger for him here, either.’

That was just the start of many subtle and not so subtle points made to her throughout the evening, by both of Ari’s parents. They were clearly intent on welcoming their grandson into their life, assuring her he would be well taken care of and greatly loved. And not once was there any hint of criticism of her for keeping them in ignorance of him until now.

She fielded a few testing questions from Maximus about her own life, but for the most part Ari’s parents set out to charm and Tina noticed her mother having a lovely time with Sophie, discussing the forthcoming wedding and marriage in general.

After the hors d’oeuvres, they were served souvlaki and salad which Theo had informed Ari on the boat was his favourite meal. Then came the birthday cake and Ari reminded Theo to make a wish as he blew out the candles—all five of them in one big burst. Everyone clapped and cheered at his success.

The cake was cut and slices of it were served around the table. It was a rich, many layered chocolate cake, moist and delicious, and Theo gobbled his piece up, the first to finish.

‘Will I get my wish?’ he asked Ari.

‘I hope so, Theo. Although if you were wishing for a horse like Maximus, that might be asking for too much.’

‘Is wishing for a Papa too much?’

Tina’s hands clenched in her lap. Her lungs seized up. The silence around the table felt loaded with emotional dynamite.

‘No, that’s not asking for too much,’ Ari answered decisively.

Her mother leaned over and pulled Theo onto her lap, giving him a cuddle. ‘You miss your Papou, don’t you, darling?’ She gave Sophie a rueful smile. ‘My husband died a year ago. He adored Theo. We didn’t have sons, you see, and having a grandson was like a beautiful gift.’

‘Yes. A very beautiful gift,’ Sophie repeated huskily, her gaze lingering on Theo for a moment before shooting a look of heart-tugging appeal at Tina.

‘I think with Ari giving him such a wonderful time today.’ her mother rattled on.

‘Ari is very good with children,’ Sophie broke in. ‘His nephews love being with him. He will make a wonderful father.’