Nine Months To Tame The Tycoon by Chantelle Shaw, Annie West
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ITWASDUSKwhen the helicopter flew low over Mykonos and landed in the grounds of the hotel. Perseus One was the first hotel Takis had bought when he’d established his hospitality business and he was proud that he had developed it to a level of breathtaking opulence demanded by its millionaire and billionaire clientele.
The marina was full of luxury motor yachts, and the hotel’s casino was packed. On an island renowned for a party atmosphere, Perseus One was the place the rich and famous flocked to every Friday evening when a well-known DJ hosted an all-night party.
Takis strode into the nightclub and scanned the crowded dance floor. Lissa’s pale blonde hair made her easy to spot. She was dancing with a guy who Takis recognised from the newspaper photo was Tommy Matheson—a lethargic young man whose only pursuit in life was spending his father’s billions.
Lissa looked stunning. She wore the red dress she’d worn the last time Takis had seen her in Santorini. It clung to her newly voluptuous breasts and the swell of her belly where his child lay.
Anger surged through Takis when he saw how other men looked at Lissa as if they were imagining her naked. How dared they gawp at her? She was his. He was stunned that he felt possessive and jealous. They were not emotions he had ever experienced before or known that he was capable of feeling.
He strode across the dance floor and dropped his hand on to Lissa’s shoulder, spinning her round to face him. The idiot she had been dancing with beat a hasty retreat after one look at Takis’s grim face.
‘What the hell are you playing at?’ he demanded, raising his voice above the pounding disco music.
Lissa tilted her head and looked at him. She did not seem surprised to see him. ‘I’m dancing and enjoying myself,’ she said coolly. ‘Is there a problem?’
He ground his teeth together. ‘I have warned you before not to play games with me, koúkla mou.’
‘Or you will do what, precisely? Take me to a pretty villa and leave me alone with no companionship and nothing to do except ask myself why I agreed to marry you?’
Her sarcasm further enraged him. ‘You are carrying my child,’ he snapped. ‘Do I need to remind you of the reason why it was necessary for us to marry?’ His eyes were drawn to the rounded swell of her stomach beneath the tight-fitting dress. Pregnancy made Lissa even more beautiful and sensual, and Takis longed to caress her gorgeous body. He clenched his fists to stop himself reaching for her. ‘You are my wife and I do not appreciate you making an exhibition of yourself in public.’
Her eyes flashed, and he realised that she wasn’t as calm as she made out. In fact, she was very, very angry. ‘I don’t understand why you should complain about me socialising with my friends. You have made it clear that you are not interested in spending time with me.’
She shrugged off his hand and carried on dancing, moving her hips sinuously to the pulse of the music and sending Takis’s pulse skyrocketing. He clamped his arm around her waist. ‘I want to spend time with you now. We’re leaving.’
She glared at him. ‘You can’t frogmarch me out of the nightclub.’
‘I think you will find that I can. Keep walking,’ he advised her, ‘unless you want me to carry you out of here.’
Lissa must have realised that he was serious, and she huffed out a breath as she walked beside him across the lobby. A lift whisked them up to the private suite that Takis kept for when he visited the hotel.
‘Why do you object to me meeting my friends?’ She rounded on him.
‘I object to you courting the attention of the paparazzi.’ Takis thrust the newspaper into her hand. ‘A photo of my wife flirting with another man in a hotel that I own is not the sort of publicity I want for my business. You have made a fool of me.’
Lissa stared at him. ‘I wasn’t aware that the photo had been taken, or that it was published in the tabloids. What, do you think I wanted this to happen?’ she demanded when he looked disbelieving.
‘It’s an occupational hazard. You attract attention.’
‘You think I deliberately sought media interest?’ She paled. ‘Well, if that was my plan, it worked. You have been avoiding me for weeks, but when you saw my photo in the newspaper you couldn’t get here fast enough so that you could criticise me, just like my grandfather used to do.’
‘The situation is not the same,’ Takis growled, guilt knifing him in his gut when he saw the shimmer of tears in Lissa’s eyes. He guessed they were tears of anger. She was trembling with fury, and the air between them crackled with temper, hers and his.
‘It’s exactly the same,’ she snapped. ‘The only way I can get your attention is by behaving badly in public.’
‘We are not in public now, and you have my undivided attention.’ He did not know if he had moved or if Lissa had, but he was standing in front of her, so close that he saw her eyes darken and he heard the sudden quickening of her breaths. Takis was aware of the exact moment the spark between them caught light. He could not resist her, he didn’t even try.
He bent his head and claimed her mouth, kissing her with a desperation that on one level appalled him. He had no control when it came to this woman. An alarm rang in his mind, reminding him of the one other time he had abandoned all control when he had kissed his stepmother. This was different, he assured himself. He was not an impressionable teenager who had been convinced that his stepmother’s occasional kindness to him was a sign of affection. Marina had broken his youthful heart and taught him that trust was a fool’s game.
He lifted his head and stared at Lissa’s lips, softly swollen from his hungry kisses. A hectic flush highlighted her cheekbones, and Takis knew she felt the tumultuous desire that was a ravenous beast inside him. He tightened his arm around her waist, bringing her body into even closer contact with his. But he tensed when he felt a rippling movement where her stomach was pressed against him.
‘Was that...?’ He could not disguise his shock.
Lissa smiled. ‘Your son is saying hello to his daddy.’
Takis was shaken. Even at Lissa’s scan, when he had seen the image of a baby on the screen, he’d felt a sense of unreality. But the movement he’d felt within her belly was not an inanimate image. It had been made by a tiny foot or fist. His son. A child he had never wanted, but nevertheless the baby deserved to have a kind and caring father. Takis did not know if he had those qualities in him. He rather doubted it. If he allowed himself to soften even a little, he might just fall apart.
He stepped back from Lissa and saw her stricken expression. Takis knew he needed to say something, but the longer the silence stretched between them the harder it became to think of anything that she might want to hear.
‘Our son will be born in a few months and you had better get used to the idea,’ she said in a low, intense voice that had more impact on him than if she had shouted. ‘You promised to protect and love him, but I have seen no evidence that you will do so.’
‘I promised to protect and provide for my child,’ he corrected her. ‘He will want for nothing.’
‘He will want his parents to love him. Every child needs to be loved, and when they are not it causes terrible damage. I know, because my grandfather withheld his love from me, and I felt worthless. I won’t allow you to make our son feel that he is unwanted by you or a burden,’ she told Takis fiercely. ‘I won’t allow it.’
Lissa opened her eyes and looked around at an unfamiliar room before she remembered that she had spent the night in the second bedroom in Takis’s private suite at the Perseus hotel. She had intended to return to her own room, but Takis had arranged for her things to be brought to his suite and she had deemed it safer not to argue with him.
They had both needed to calm down after their blazing row over the photo that had appeared in the tabloid newspaper. Lissa forced herself to be honest about her decision to meet Tommy in Mykonos after she’d seen on a social media site that he was visiting the island, which was a popular party venue. She’d felt lonely and abandoned at the villa in Santorini. Damn it, Takis had abandoned her.
It had occurred to her that the paparazzi would probably be in Mykonos, keen to snap pictures of Tommy and his celebrity friends. She hadn’t consciously hoped to provoke a response from Takis, but in the cold light of day she was sickened by the realisation that she’d behaved like she used to do when she had desperately sought her grandfather’s attention.
Lissa ran her hand over her stomach and felt the little fluttery movements of her baby kicking. It was an incredible sensation that she had wanted to share with Takis. But his expression when he’d felt their son move had been hard to describe. He’d looked shocked, but there had been something else in his eyes. There had been fear, Lissa realised as she recalled Takis’s expression. It had only been a flash of emotion before his features had reassembled into those hard angles that she found so fascinating.
Her stomach rumbled and taking care of her baby instantly became her top priority. Trying to fathom the mindset of the stranger she had married was fruitless anyway. She slipped on the silky robe that matched her negligee and stepped on to the balcony. Her heart missed a beat when she found Takis sitting at a table spread with a variety of breakfast options.
‘Come and eat,’ he said, standing up and holding out a chair for her. As always, he looked gorgeous in black jeans and a cream shirt, beneath which Lissa could see the shadow of his dark chest hairs. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, and she wished she’d worn her shades to hide the evidence that she’d cried herself to sleep last night.
‘What a view,’ she murmured, wanting to distract his attention away from her. On one side of the hotel was the old port and beyond it the white cubed buildings of Mykonos town. An iconic windmill stood on the hill above the town. Lissa turned her head the other way and gave a soft sigh at the sight of the turquoise Aegean Sea sparkling in the sunshine.
‘Perseus One offers the best views of the island. It’s one reason why I bought the hotel.’ Takis poured tea into a cup and placed it in front of Lissa. She buttered a freshly baked roll and filled a bowl with berry fruits and yogurt. Incredibly, the tensions of the previous night had eased.
‘How did a boy from a poor village become one of Greece’s most successful entrepreneurs?’ she asked him.
He shrugged. ‘It was hard at first. I was sixteen when I left my village and hitched a ride to Thessaloniki. I had no money and slept on the streets until I found work as a labourer on a construction site. I think I already told you it’s where I met Jace.’
She nodded. ‘The two of you became friends.’
‘We shared the same drive and ambition. Jace supported his mother, but when he went to prison I looked after Iliana. It was the very least I could do after Jace had saved my life.’
He saw that Lissa was shocked. ‘We were attacked by a gang. One of them attempted to stab me in the back and Jace punched him. Witnesses were paid to lie and say that Jace had started the fight. He was found guilty of grievous assault for which he was given a prison sentence.’
‘That was terribly unfair. Poor Jace. Eleanor said that you and Jace are as close as brothers.’
‘I guess we are.’ Takis was silent for a moment and then released his breath slowly. ‘I had a half-brother who died when he was a small child.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Lissa waited for him to add more to the tiny snippet of information about his past. But she sensed he had retreated into himself and had told her more than he’d intended.
‘Soon after Jace was released from prison our fortunes changed when we won two million euros on a lottery ticket,’ Takis continued. ‘We shared the money equally and came to Mykonos because we’d heard that it had a great party scene. This hotel was for sale. It was derelict, but I saw its potential. I used my winnings to buy the place and turned it into the most exclusive resort on the island. At the same time I put myself through college, studying every evening, and gained a business degree.’
‘You make it sound easy, but you must have worked incredibly hard,’ Lissa murmured, feeling huge respect for him. The people she knew, people like Tommy Matheson, took their wealthy lifestyles for granted. They had been handed them. It’s what people had believed of her too.
Takis looked at his watch. ‘My helicopter pilot has just arrived from Athens and we will leave for Santorini in an hour.’ His brows rose when Lissa nodded. ‘I expected an argument.’
‘We did enough of that last night,’ she said ruefully. The state of their marriage was the elephant in the room that neither of them had addressed. There would have to be a discussion, but this morning there was a precarious connection between them that she did not want to break. ‘Besides, it’s too nice a day to argue.’
Takis grinned, and Lissa’s breath snagged in her throat. He was impossibly sexy when he smiled. ‘For once we both agree on something, koúkla mou,’ he murmured. ‘I propose we call a truce for today.’
‘That’s two things we agree on.’ She smiled back at him and her heart lifted as she felt a little spurt of hope that they could work things out. ‘Who knows, we might actually get the hang of this marriage thing.’
Lissa had assumed that the helicopter would take them directly to the villa in Santorini, and she was surprised when they landed in the grounds of a grand-looking building on the island.
‘I thought you might like to see the hotel I purchased a few months ago. The building has been undergoing extensive renovations and I plan for it to open next summer,’ Takis explained as he ushered her through the front door.
The hotel’s main lobby was still a shell, but Lissa immediately saw its potential. Sunlight streamed through the huge windows, and the views of the caldera were breathtaking. ‘I’m guessing that you can watch the sunset from this side of the hotel.’
Takis nodded. ‘The rooms in the original part of the building were once caves that had been carved into the mountainside and were used to store wine. The hotel has been extended and there are fifty guest rooms and suites.’
He gave Lissa a tour of the ground floor and pointed out the various function rooms. ‘As you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done inside. I asked a few interior designers to pitch a concept for the hotel and they all suggested it should be a party venue. Admittedly the designers came up with different themes, but essentially it would have the same club vibe as Perseus One in Mykonos.’ He rubbed his hand over his stubbled jaw. ‘I’m not sure it will work as well here.’
Lissa followed him through a set of doors and stepped on to a patio. From outside it was clear to see that the hotel had literally been carved out of the cliff in a series of terraces. A few rooms, she guessed they were the suites, had private pools. Far below, the sea was cobalt blue and made a stunning contrast to the white walls of the hotel and the vivid pink bougainvillea that tumbled over the balconies.
‘Santorini has the reputation of being the most romantic of the Cyclades islands,’ she said. ‘I think you should make romance the theme of this hotel. Perseus One is where people go to party. But say a couple met at the nightclub in Mykonos, and a year or so later they wanted to return to Greece to get married. The Santorini hotel could offer wedding packages.’
She walked across the patio, which jutted out from the cliff so that it appeared to be floating above the sea. ‘This would be a perfect setting for weddings. And you could also promote anniversary packages. People like to return to the place where they were married.’
Lissa warmed to her theme as ideas bounced around her head. ‘I see Perseus One as the young, hip hotel for singles who want to have a good time and perhaps find romance. You could name this hotel Aphrodite after the goddess of love. The concept here is a little more grown-up, still fun but the decor is elegant and tranquil, and instead of a nightclub you have a restaurant that offers fine dining.’
She blushed when she realised that she had been talking non-stop. ‘Sorry, I got carried away. I’m sure you have a vision for your new hotel.’
‘I do now, thanks to you.’ Takis took off his sunglasses and the gleam in his grey eyes made Lissa’s heart flip. ‘I really think you’re on to something with the wedding venue suggestion. Which leads me to the reason I brought you here.’
A woman walked across the foyer towards them. ‘This is Zoe,’ Takis introduced her. ‘Zoe, I would like you to meet my wife, Lissa.’
As they exchanged greetings Lissa immediately liked the Greek woman’s friendly smile.
‘Zoe is an architect,’ Takis explained. ‘My idea is for you to design the lobby and function rooms and Zoe will work alongside you to advise you from an architectural perspective.’ He smiled at Lissa’s stunned expression. ‘That is, if you decide to accept the contract I am offering you.’
‘Seriously?’ she asked huskily. She wanted to work when the baby was older, but instead of returning to hotel management she had been thinking about starting an interior design business. ‘Why have you asked me when you could hire a more qualified and experienced interior designer?’
‘I was impressed with your designs at Francine’s hotel when I looked through the portfolio that you had left on the desk. I also know that you recently completed an online design course and were awarded a diploma. While we were in Athens I overheard you phone your sister to tell her of your success,’ Takis explained when Lissa looked puzzled. ‘I wondered why you did not share your news with me.’
‘I didn’t think you would be interested,’ she confessed. She remembered when she was a child, feeling proud that she’d won a prize at school for an art project, but when she’d rushed home to tell her grandfather, he’d told her that drawing pictures was a waste of time. She couldn’t bear to have had Takis react in the same way.
‘I like your idea of making the hotel a wedding venue,’ Takis said. ‘The name Aphrodite is a nice touch. You have the vision and artistic flare, and Zoe will help with the structural elements of your designs.’
‘I would love to accept the contract.’ Lissa could not hide her excitement. Ideas for the Aphrodite’s lobby were already forming in her mind. ‘This is an incredible opportunity for me. I won’t let you down,’ she promised Takis. She felt overwhelmed by his faith in her.
Maybe things were starting to fall into place, Lissa thought later when they had returned to the villa and she immediately set about turning the garden room into a design studio. She had been hurt that Takis had kept his distance after their wedding when he had left her in Santorini and returned to Athens. But earlier he had opened up a tiny chink when he’d talked about himself. She felt a connection with him because, like her, he had experienced tragedy in his life. The death of his younger brother. She only wished he’d revealed more. Why hadn’t he?
Lissa frowned as she remembered his strange reaction when he’d felt the baby move inside her. He’d looked horrified, and the almost tortured expression on his face had been the same as at the ultrasound scan when Takis had stared at the baby’s image on the screen. Was his reaction something to do with his brother’s death?
He had not planned to have a child, Lissa reminded herself. Undoubtedly, he had been shocked when he’d learned of her pregnancy, and it was not surprising if he was taking some time to come to terms with the prospect of fatherhood. But he was the one who had insisted on marrying her and she was glad of his determination to claim his baby.
The rapport she’d felt with Takis today filled her with hope that they could make a success of their marriage. She certainly wanted to. She wanted him, Lissa admitted, feeling a sharp tug of longing in the pit of her stomach when she thought, as she so often did, of all the wonderful ways he had made love to her on the magical night they had spent together. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they had swum beneath the stars at the Pangalos hotel. She had been plagued with insecurities she’d had as a result of her grandfather’s coldness towards her, but now she was going to be a mother and she had discovered that she was strong and fierce and utterly determined to protect her child from feeling rejected by his father.
She sighed as her mind returned to Takis. After their perfect night together she had crept from his bed while he was still sleeping, afraid that if she stayed she might not be able to hide how much he affected her. She had returned to Oxford and tried to get over him. But she never had. Night after lonely night she had ached for him, and the ache was worse now that he was back in her life, but not in the way she wanted.
Lissa’s stomach grumbled, reminding her that it was time she fed her baby. She had asked the housekeeper to make moussaka for dinner because it was Takis’s favourite. But when she went into the dining room she was surprised to see only one place had been set on the table.
Efthalia came in, carrying a casserole dish. ‘Kyrios Samaras told me that he would not be staying for dinner,’ she explained.
With a sinking heart and a sickening sense of déjà vu, Lissa looked out of the window and saw the pilot climb into the helicopter. Was Takis planning to abandon her once more? Disappointment brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away as anger swept through her in a hot tide of temper. She would not let Takis do this to her. To their baby.
She hurried across the hallway and burst into his study. ‘You have asked me several times if I was playing games, even though I’ve always been honest and open with you. Now I’m asking you the same question.’ She glared at him. ‘You had better have a good explanation for why you are leaving me and our baby again.’