The Greek's Ultimate Revenge

There would be no problem seducing her, he knew.

Women came easily to him. They always had. Despite Demetria’s bewailing, in his twenties he had indulged himself to the hilt. Now, in his thirties, he was more selective, preferring to choose women who could move in his world, who were sophisticated and discreet. Who understood what he wanted—and then moved on when he gave them the indication, as he always did.

Such women would neither know nor care that he was about to make a temporary diversion, in a call of duty, to seduce away this female who threatened his sister’s marriage, who was making a fool of a man who, up till now, he had always held in the greatest respect.

Now he let the female he was about to seduce, deliberately and calculatedly, respond to him, heighten her awareness of him, begin to make herself vulnerable to him.

He smiled.

Janine felt a kick go through her, powerful and shocking. The sculpted mouth parted, lines indenting around it, showing strong white teeth. It was an easy smile, yet it sent a frisson through her.

‘We have a mutual—acquaintance,’ he said, pausing minutely over the word. ‘Stephanos Ephandrou.’ He could see her stiffen fractionally as he dropped the name into the space between them.

‘Oh?’ responded Janine. Out of the blue he had mentioned Stephanos—what should she say? She knew Stephanos wanted her to be discreet about their relationship—yet here was a complete stranger who seemed to know there was a connection.

Her concern showed in her eyes. Nikos saw it and felt a stab of anger. Any lingering doubts he might have had that Demetria had somehow imagined her husband was having an affair vanished. The girl was carrying on with Stephanos. No doubt about it. His name had registered with her as loudly as if he’d rung a bell in her ear!

He forced his natural anger down. To display it now would ruin his strategy. Janine Fareham must have no idea of his hostility to her—indeed, she must think quite the opposite.

He bestowed another smile on her, and knew without vanity that it had distracted her attention from wondering why he seemed to know that she was connected to Stephanos Ephandrou.

He had been in two minds as to which approach to take with her. He could, indeed, have simply engineered her acquaintance and set out to seduce her as a complete stranger. That approach had its advantages—it would have been simple and straightforward. But a female who made her living from the protection of rich, besotted older men might well be worldly enough to be wary of quick seductions that would jeopardise her lucrative relationship with her current protector. Instead, Nikos planned to use his acknowledged ‘acquaintance’ with Stephanos as a lever with which to gain the girl’s confidence as swiftly as possible.

‘Perhaps you will take a coffee with me and I can explain?’ he went on, in that same smooth tone. He glanced towards the little poolside bar set back under the shade of some olive trees.

Still wary, but feeling she was being effortlessly manipulated by an expert, Janine let herself be ushered towards the seating area of the bar. It was a breath cooler under the trees, but she still felt her skin was flushed. The heat that was filling it, however, did not come from the sun.

She sat down on one of the canvas-backed chairs and the man did likewise, pausing only to beckon to the barman, who was already hurrying forward. Whatever it was that this man had, thought Janine, he had a lot of it! He wasn’t the type to get ignored by a barman—or anyone else.

And certainly not women. Janine watched as a couple of female guests with small children in tow, seated at a table further off drinking fizzy drinks, immediately turned their heads in their direction. Their eyes were not for Janine. One of them said something to the other in Greek, and they laughed before turning their attention back to their children.

Janine didn’t blame them for looking. The man sitting opposite her in his hand-tailored suit, would turn female heads wherever he went! Sexual magnetism radiated from him like a forcefield, pulling at everything in sight with a double X chromosome!

The barman was hovering, ready to take their orders.

‘A frappe, please, no sugar,’ requested Janine abstractedly. She had already discovered that iced frappes were the ideal way to take coffee in the heat of the day, and were delicious and cooling. Her companion ordered coffee—Greek, she assumed.

The barman nodded acquiescently and hurried off.

Nikos turned his attention back to the girl. She was still wary, he could see—but still radiating sexual awareness. Not that she was flaunting her reaction to him. If anything, judging by the way she was sitting—pulled back in her chair, legs slanted neatly out of the way, her hand resting on the knot of her sarong, shielding her breasts—she was trying to conceal it.

Her lack of immediate sexual forwardness—despite his blatant appreciation of her charms—confirmed that he had been right to acknowledge Stephanos’s presence in her life. The girl had landed herself a very soft number indeed—and she clearly realised it would be folly for her to risk her position as Stephanos’s mistress, with all the guaranteed cashflow that it promised, for the sake of a brief interlude with a passing stranger. However much sexual pleasure she might gain from the encounter.

Hence her wariness.

Time to dispel it.

He slid his dark glasses off and slipped them into his jacket pocket. He relaxed back in his chair.

‘Perhaps I should explain that I am here at Stephanos’s suggestion,’ he told her smilingly. ‘Stephanos is a close friend and business associate, and when he heard I was coming to Skarios he suggested I stay at his hotel and asked me to seek you out,’ he went on, the lie coming smoothly and fluently. He felt no guilt about lying to her. He only had to remember Demetria’s tears and pleadings to absolve himself of all such guilt.

Janine made no answer. She was simply staring.

She felt her stomach clench. Dark, gold-flecked eyes flickered over her, long lashes sweeping down over his cheeks. Her lips parted in a silent exhalation.

If she had thought his mouth hard to tear her gaze from, those eyes made such an act totally impossible. They were eyes she could drown in…making her feel weak…

For one long, endless moment she let herself gaze into those gold-flecked orbs, and felt her stomach churning like a cement mixer.

What was happening to her?

She’d never reacted this strongly to a man! Never! But this man—this complete stranger, whose name she didn’t even know—was making the blood race in her veins, her face flush with heat…

Just by looking at her…

Their drinks arrived and she was grateful for the distraction. As the barman walked away she resisted the temptation to go back to gazing at the man opposite her, and instead forced herself to focus on what he had just said, not what he looked like.

‘Stephanos asked you to seek me out?’ she echoed dimly.

She sank back into gazing, riveted, into those magnetic, night-dark eyes.

They seemed to be looking into the heart of her. She felt herself go weak all over. All over again.

Nikos flashed another smile at her—and watched the girl’s pupils flare.

‘I hope you do not mind,’ he said softly, ‘that I have sought you out.’

His eyes rested on her and Janine felt her heart quicken. Oh, good grief, her bones were dissolving…. She just wanted to stare and stare.

Forcibly she dragged her mind back, fighting for composure. He seemed to be waiting for an answer.

‘Oh—no. Of course not,’ she managed to say. ‘It’s very good of you, Mr—er—?’

There was the slightest hesitation before Nikos spoke, but Janine did not notice it. Was quite incapable of noticing it.

‘Kiriakis,’ said Nikos smoothly. ‘Nikos Kiriakis.’

Through veiled eyes he studied her for a reaction but saw none. The name meant nothing to her. He’d gambled that it wouldn’t. Why should Stephanos talk about his brother-in-law to his mistress?

Nikos Kiriakis. Janine rolled the fluid syllables around in her head.

He was speaking again, and she brought her dazed attention back to what he was saying.

‘Stephanos also had another suggestion,’ Nikos went on, ‘which for my part I would be very happy to comply with.’ The lie rolled as smoothly as the first.

Janine stared. ‘What suggestion?’ Her voice still sounded totally abstracted.

Nikos was not offended. Usually he expected—and got—a hundred per cent attention from those he spoke to. But that Janine Fareham was incapable of bringing such focus to their conversation was only a good sign. A very good sign. He wanted her dazzled by him—lured by him.

‘As you know, Stephanos is currently en route to the States,’ began Nikos. He studied her reaction to this information—he calculated. Stephanos would have told her he was going to be abroad, although he doubted he would have told her that the reason for his sudden trip to New York was to take his wife to a fertility expert there.

‘He is concerned that you may not have anything to do while he is away,’ he continued. ‘So he asked me if I would look after you while I am here—stop you getting bored.’

Janine’s wandering thoughts snapped back. Suddenly the stomach-churning impact of Nikos Kiriakis’s physical presence vanished. There was something far more important to focus on.

What had he just said to her? What was all that about Stephanos telling him she might be bored? Telling him to look after her? Surely, considering Stephanos’s determination to keep her role in his life quiet, it was madness to send this Nikos Kiriakis to look her up?

Nikos saw the consternation in her face. It would not help his strategy.

‘Perhaps I should tell you,’ he said, his eyes resting on her, ‘that, as a close friend of Stephanos Ephandrou, I am aware of the relationship between you, Ms Fareham—’

Her eyes widened, her consternation deepening.

‘You are?’

CHAPTER TWO

OH, YES, thought Nikos savagely—that was good, Ms Fareham, that was very good! That little touch of surprise, and widening those big, beautiful eyes of yours. What the hell did you suppose everyone would think about your relationship with a fifty-two-year-old man? His mouth tightened.

She was sitting there, gazing at him, her eyes wide in her beautiful face. As if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. As if neglected wives, heartbroken and despairing, had nothing to do with her. As if she were not responsible for his sister weeping in his arms.

The dark current of his anger surged dangerously near the surface. He forced it down. It had no part to play in his scheme now. The time for venting his anger on her would come later.

He made his mouth give a brief smile.

‘Do not look so surprised. Such relationships are not unknown,’ he remarked. For all his intentions, a sardonic tone was audible in his voice. He took a mouthful of coffee, then set back his cup with a click on the metal surface of the table.

Janine eyed him cautiously. Stephanos had urged such discretion that she was taken aback by this man calmly referring to it. But then, she reasoned, presumably such relationships were not unusual. Especially not with non-Greek women, with their more relaxed attitude to sexual behaviour. Clearly Nikos Kiriakis saw nothing exceptional about it.

Even so, it was disconcerting to hear this complete stranger refer to it. Although, of course, she realised belatedly, he wasn’t a stranger to Stephanos. It was odd that they were friends, though—Nikos Kiriakis was easily a generation younger than Stephanos. He didn’t look much over thirty, really. Thirty-five at the most. He was certainly in incredible physical condition…

‘Please don’t look so alarmed,’ he went on, the smooth note back in his voice. ‘I appreciate that Stephanos wishes to be discreet about your relationship. It is very understandable. You may be assured of my discretion.’ He smiled again, a warm, reassuring smile, and she felt suddenly breathless.

‘So,’ said Nikos, knowing he had overcome that barrier successfully, ‘would you care to undertake a little sightseeing? It would be very useful to me as, amongst other business matters, I am here to see whether this island would be suitable for a summer villa for myself.’

That was true enough, he thought. From what little he’d seen of the island firsthand so far, and from what Stephanos had already told him, it might well be suitable. The most southerly of the Ionian islands, Skarios was dryer and hotter than the others, and far less developed. The airport had recently been extended to allow tourist planes to land, but there was general agreement that any development should be both upmarket and sympathetic to the landscape—like his brother-in-law’s luxury hotel, which had been designed to be low-rise and traditionally styled.

‘Well,’ he went on, ‘what do you think?’

About what? thought Janine, trying to drag her mind back, because she had resumed gazing raptly at the incredible man sitting opposite her.

‘Showing me the island?’ he prompted, well aware of the reason for her vagueness, and well pleased by it. Her reaction was exactly what he’d hoped it would be.

Janine felt her breath catch. Those gold-flecked eyes were resting on her, making her feel…feel…

Breathless. Totally breathless….

‘What do you say?’ pursued Nikos. He was in no doubt as to her answer. Not in the slightest.

‘It sounds wonderful!’ said Janine, unable to stop herself sounding enthusiastic.

Suddenly Nikos Kiriakis’s arrival could not have seemed more timely.

Stephanos had extracted a reluctant promise from her not to hire a car and explore the island herself—‘The roads are far too dangerous!’ he’d said anxiously—which had left only the not very appealing prospect of taking taxis or restricting herself to the very limited tour buses.

She’d be an idiot to turn down the opportunity of keeping company with the most breathtaking man she’d ever set eyes on…

Careful, a voice inside her cautioned. This Nikos Kiriakis might be gorgeous, but, believe me, he has the same effect on every female he comes across. Just because he eyed you up it doesn’t mean you should start getting ideas.

She sobered. Anyway, this isn’t a good time for getting ideas like that. This time should be devoted to Stephanos.

But Stephanos isn’t here…and he’s sent Nikos Kiriakis to me…

To show you around, stop you getting bored, she reminded herself acidly. Nothing else…

He was talking again, and she brought her mind back with a snap.

‘Good. Then we are agreed. We shall make our first excursion tomorrow!’ There was satisfaction in his voice. He had made contact, and got her agreement—incredibly easily!—to spend time with him alone. Now it was time for the next step in his carefully planned campaign.

‘For today—’ he shot back his cuff and glanced at the gold watch circling his wrist ‘—it is too late to make any kind of expedition. Besides—’ the smile quirked again ‘—I have only just flown in from Athens, and that pool looks far too inviting to resist.’ He frowned, as his gaze took in just how thronged with children it was. ‘Perhaps it will get quieter later.’

‘Yes, it empties out around six-ish,’ confirmed Janine. Her spirits were zipping around in her, whooshing like crazy. ‘The sea is a better bet right now. A path goes down to the beach just beyond the pool.’ She indicated with her hand.

He nodded. ‘The sea it shall be, then,’ he said. His eyes swept over her once more. ‘Perhaps you would care to join me there later when you have finished your sunbathing?’

Janine’s eyes flickered. ‘Thank you—yes.’

Her voice was still breathless, and she felt light-headed.

Nikos got to his feet. ‘I’ll see you down there,’ he told her, and bestowed one last smile on her for good measure before he walked away towards the hotel.

Janine gazed after him until he disappeared from view.

Slowly, she bent her head to drink her frappe through the twin straws in the glass.

Her pulse was racing.

Nikos plugged his laptop cable into the wall-jack in his room and dialled into his e-mail. As he waited for his latest messages to download, the image of Janine Fareham floated enticingly in his mind. He let himself indulge in recollecting her charms, plentiful as they were, and replayed the exchange he had had with her.

Satisfaction filled him. Things were going exactly to plan. She was responding to him very satisfactorily.

And you are responding to her—definitely responding…

But that was good, he reasoned immediately. It was good that he should feel such desire for a woman he needed to seduce. It would lend great verisimilitude to the undertaking.

And danger?

He rebuffed the notion immediately. What danger was there for him in this enterprise? None. He would seduce Janine Fareham, enjoy her—because she looked as if she were going to be very enjoyable indeed—and that would be that. She would not be returning to Stephanos.

Without conceit he knew that he had a lot more to offer than a man of Stephanos’s age! And even if she thought she could go back she would discover otherwise. Once Stephanos knew of her defection there would be no way that he would take her back after she had fallen into his, Nikos’s, bed!

No, his plan was entirely without danger—least of all to himself. Janine Fareham was a stunningly attractive female, and he would certainly enjoy taking her to bed—but then he always enjoyed taking beautiful women to bed.

And so many were so willing…

A caustic smile parted his lips. Demetria might volubly yearn for the day she saw him finally married, and berate him for his sexual lifestyle, but it was hardly a problem for him. The stream of women wanting him to desire them was endless, so even if he did tire of them—as he always did—it caused him no difficulty. He simply moved on to the next one.

There was always a next one.

And there would certainly be another one once he had finished with his brother-in-law’s mistress.

Irritated with himself for giving form to such pointless musing, he stabbed at the mouse button to open the first e-mail his PA had forwarded as worthy of his attention. In an instant his mind was preoccupied, diverted totally on to business matters.

By the time he had surfaced from his business affairs, the sun was setting. The room temperature was pleasantly cool, thanks to the background air-conditioning, but when he stepped out onto the wide balcony of his room the afternoon warmth enveloped him. Even without his jacket he was far too hot.

Returning indoors, he stripped off and donned a pair of swimming trunks, before reaching for a pair of crisply cut cotton shorts and a casual shirt. As he reached for a beach towel the image of Janine Fareham in her skimpy bikini wafted once more through his mind. She would be waiting for him by now, no doubt.

Time to go to work.

At the bottom of the flight of steps that cut into the rock between the gardens and the sea he paused, looking around him. To one side of the hotel beach and further out to sea the windsurfers were clearly in action, skimming and twisting over the surface of the water. Immediately in front of him were two rows of loungers and parasols, and a bar café was set back from the beach, to save guests having to go back up to the pool level.

Out to sea, the westering sun was turning the water to turquoise.

He could see no sign of the girl.

And then he spotted her.

She was out to sea, swimming offshore in a leisurely breast-stroke. Her hair, he could just tell at this distance, seemed to be knotted on her head, out of the water.

Casting around to see which lounger she had taken, he saw the beach bag she’d had up by the pool and walked across to toss his towel down on it. Then he undressed down to his trunks to wade into the water. It caressed him like silk, and, with a lithe movement, he dived forward, striking out to sea in a powerful, fast stroke.

He closed the distance between the shore and the girl in a few moments, and then went right on past her. He needed exercise after the inactivity of the day. Besides, the vigorous exercise would help to drain off that layer of submerged, persistent anger he had felt ever since Demetria had dropped her bombshell. It wouldn’t drain out completely, of course. Nothing could make it do that until the cause of his anger was removed. But he knew he had to keep his feelings under tight control—he must not, must not, let it show. Janine Fareham must get no inkling of it—not until it was far, far too late for her.

Just thinking of her, of the pain she was causing Demetria, the damage she was doing to Stephanos’s marriage, made the anger surge through him again. It flared through him, urging his muscles forward, pushing him past the pain barrier as he churned through the water at a punishing speed.

Only when he was several hundred metres out to sea did he finally slow, his burst of energy and aggression spent. He turned over onto his back, temporarily exhausted, floating on the swell of the sea for a while, letting his heart-rate slow and his muscles recover.

His anger seemed abstract now, far away. Demetria and her suffering seemed far away too. Another image formed in his mind. The image of a beautiful blonde with a sun-kissed body and softly rounded limbs.

The woman he was going to calculatedly and deliberately seduce—because she was his sister’s husband’s mistress.

For a few brief seconds another emotion surfaced. An alien one. Unwelcome.

Reluctance.

Reluctance at the task ahead of him.

And reluctance to question why he felt that way. What was wrong with what he was planning to do? The girl was threatening to destroy his sister’s marriage—he was simply trying to help Demetria, who had quite enough torment in her life coping with her infertility. She did not need her husband cheating on her with a younger woman!

And just because, he reminded himself tightly, the younger woman in question had turned out to be so incredibly desirable, that was no reason to flinch from what he had promised Demetria he would do. No reason to feel reluctant to pursue his carefully planned strategy of calculated seduction.

He put his reluctance aside. There was no reason why he should not do what he was setting out to do. The girl had got her claws into his brother-in-law—he was going to remove them. End of story. He had set out on this course and he would pursue it to the end. He would accomplish what he had set out to do—what he knew he had to do.

And use whatever it took to achieve that goal.

There was nothing else to be done.

He flipped over and headed back to shore with a steady, unhurried stroke, making for the girl who was his target and his mission. She too had circled round to head back towards the beach, still kicking with her leisurely breast-stroke, head held high out of the water. As he neared her he dived and swam underwater for some metres, emerging just in front of her in a shower of spray.

Janine’s breast-stroke stalled abruptly. She’d been miles away mentally, using the smooth, rhythmic movement of her body in the sea to let her mind drift miles away.

But not too many miles. Just as far as the memory of the man whose face had been burning into her retinas since she had laid eyes on him. Once he’d disappeared from view, heading back up to the hotel, she’d gone back to her pool lounger and scooped up her things, heading down to the beach.

She’d tried to sunbathe again, but it had been impossible. Impossible to relax. She’d been fizzing with electricity—electricity generated by Nikos Kiriakis.

She’d given up trying to relax and instead had knotted up her hair, retied her bikini straps firmly, and gone into the water. Here, cool blue satin slipping past her heated body, she had given herself to the indulgence of recalling every last detail of the most breathtaking man she’d ever laid eyes on.