The Greek Boss's Demand Read online

  And there was no easy way to do it.

  Yet the longer Nick stayed, the more inevitable it would become that he would find out she had a son. Once he knew she had a son…how long would it take before he worked out the rest and know she had kept the truth from him?

  Her heart kicked up a beat. Just maybe there was a chance Nick wouldn’t see the resemblance. Close relatives didn’t always notice such things, did they? After all, people were always telling her that in spite of Jason’s dark hair and eyes he was still unmistakably hers, even though she couldn’t see it herself. Maybe Nick would be the same?

  She looked closer at the huddle of players. Jason had his head cocked to one side, listening intently to the coach’s words, concentrating hard, his eyes dark and intense, and as she looked at him a chill whipped up her spine.

  Her son stood there focused and determined—every part a miniature version of Nick. Alex took a deep breath and tried to steady her heartbeat back into a normal rhythm.

  She’d been kidding herself. There was no way Nick could deny the resemblance. She sighed. That left only one course of action. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d have to do it—and the sooner the better.

  The team huddle broke up and Jason turned and waved, smiling as he ran towards her until he collided at force into her chest, swinging her with his momentum. She breathed in the happy, warm smell of him, mingled with grass and earth, and caught his laughter as he clutched on tightly around her neck and they spun each other round.

  ‘Pizza!’ he squealed.

  She laughed and stood up, catching his hand in hers as she turned to the car. ‘I hope you spent some time out there thinking about soccer, and not just what you wanted for dinner.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, tugging her along. ‘A bit.’

  Four pieces of pizza later, Jason started to slow down between bites. After a brief hesitation he reached for his cola and took a long drink. ‘Can you fish, Mum?’

  Alex blinked and put her piece down. It was noisy in the pizza bar and she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. ‘You mean with a rod and reel?’

  Jason nodded and studied the remaining pieces before reaching for the one with the most olives, despite it being the furthest away.

  ‘I’ve been known to catch the odd fish, sure.’

  Jason focused on his next mouthful before continuing. ‘I thought so. I told them you could do anything, but they still said I couldn’t come.’

  ‘You told who? And couldn’t come where?’ she asked, secretly pleased that Jason still had such faith in her.

  ‘Matt and Jack. They’re going fishing one weekend with their dads. They said I could have come but you were a girl and you wouldn’t know how to fish.’

  ‘That’s a shame,’ she said, feeling more than slightly put out. ‘Did you want to go?’

  ‘Sort of. The camping out sounded the best bit, though.’

  ‘Ah,’ she said, getting some idea of the real reason why they might be uncomfortable with a woman along. ‘I know why they didn’t want us to go.’

  ‘Why?’

  She smiled. ‘Well, how would they feel when we caught all the fish?’

  ‘I knew it.’ Jason leaned back in his chair and surveyed with only half interest the few remnants left in the pizza box. ‘I told them it wouldn’t make any difference even if I had a dad, because we’d still catch the most too.’ Then he burped loudly, clapped his hand over his mouth and collapsed into a fit of giggles.

  Alex laughed too, but inside felt his words as a boot to her heart. Hot tears stung her eyes.

  It’s the shock, she tried to tell herself as she brushed away the evidence with the back of her hand, pretending they were laughter induced. Naturally she would be feeling more sensitive than usual after Aristos’s sudden death and the arrival of Nick on the scene. Why else would she be crying into her pizza at dinnertime?

  But, despite what she wanted to believe, part of her knew there was more to her tears than that. Once again she was reminded that no matter how she tried to be both mother and father to Jason, to provide him with the balance his young life required, there would be times when she just couldn’t be both.

  Jet lag, Nick decided. It had to be jet lag.

  Why else would his legs be so unresponsive and his body so stressed and lethargic? Three kilometres into his run along the foreshore, it was obvious he wasn’t going to make his usual ten. The rhythm wasn’t there, his breathing was forced, and the power just wasn’t happening.

  And he needed to run. Needed to clear the fog that was clouding his brain, the fog that sprang from changing time zones and hemispheres—and from a girl he should have forgotten long ago.

  Who was he trying to kid? She was hardly a girl any more. One touch had confirmed that. His breath caught in his throat, he coughed and shot his rhythm to hell again. In rebellion, he cursed, kicking out one foot at the sand, spraying the heavy salt-encrusted grains far and wide, scattering seagulls up into the ever lightening sky.

  Breath rasped and scratched his throat. He needed sleep. Long, uninterrupted sleep. Instead last night he’d been plagued with visions of a leggy teenager, sitting cross-legged and smiling up at him from the midst of a field of yellow wild flowers, her long blonde hair almost liquid in the gentle spring breeze.

  She’d been nervous. But she’d come to meet him willingly, knowing that this was the day—their last together—and her shyness had faded under his touch and they’d taken each other to a place they’d always share.

  Or so he’d thought.

  Maybe he’d got it wrong back then. From the way Alexandra acted now, it was clear she wasn’t interested in sharing the time of day with him. He smiled to himself.

  The way she’d reacted when he’d suggested staying in Australia! She obviously couldn’t wait for him to get out of her life. He didn’t even know why he’d said that; he had no intention of staying here. Although it was more than obvious that Sofia was keen he should hang around a while.

  Maybe he should.

  So far Dimitri was insisting that all was well with the business in Athens, and it was clear that Sofia needed his support here. Maybe that wouldn’t be as onerous as he’d first expected. Somewhere along the line Sofia had transformed herself from a pestering child into a dark-haired beauty. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt him to stick around a while—at least until she’d had time to come to terms with her loss.

  A thin smile found its way to his lips as another reason to stay crystallised. For there was something infinitely satisfying about making Alexandra think she was not going to be rid of him too easily.

  But then, that was foolish thinking. He wasn’t here to settle scores. He was here to make sure the business functioned well and prospered long into the future. He should be thinking instead whether there was even a place for her in the operation.

  If he was going to leave the business in sound hands it was clear there’d have to be someone pretty damned capable in the financial area. Would a receptionist-cum-bookkeeper make the grade? He doubted it. It might be better to get someone better qualified in and just let her go. Although the employment agencies had had no success so far.

  Maybe it would be better getting Dimitri to come out from Greece. He would know what the job required, so they could employ the right person.

  Gulls wheeled overhead and a lonely swimmer hauled himself from the water nearby, shaking jewelled droplets from his body as he surged out of the shallows.

  A swim. Maybe that was what Nick needed to clear his head of this infernal jet lag. Lord knows, the run didn’t seem to be helping. He turned back the way he had come and headed along the beach.

  ‘He’s cute, don’t you think?’

  Alex looked up from her computer screen, in the middle of typing her letter. ‘Who’s cute?’ she asked innocently, keeping her face deliberately schooled as she minimised her computer screen. But Sofia was too busy closing the door to notice anything. She grabbed one of the visitor’s chairs by the arm and pull
ed it up close to the desk, hunkering down conspiratorially, her elbows on the desk, cupping her chin. She was grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘Nick, silly. Who else around here could I mean?’

  Alex smiled indulgently. While ‘cute’ wasn’t exactly the word that sprang to mind whenever she thought about Nick, it was obvious who Sofia was referring to. Apart from the two of them, the office only employed a part-time woman for the phones, for whenever Sofia had had enough of playing receptionist, and an ageing property manager who looked after maintenance issues.

  Still, she feigned surprise. ‘Oh, him. Sure, he’s not bad.’

  It was easy to play along. Sofia was the happiest she’d seen her since her father had died. If having Nick here did that for her, then at least something good would come from his visit. With no one else to turn to, Sofia deserved it.

  ‘I think he likes me.’

  Alex’s breath snagged in her throat. Oh, please, I don’t want to hear this!

  She somehow forced a bare smile to her face. ‘Of course he likes you. You’re his cousin. You’re a nice girl. Why wouldn’t he like you?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, you don’t get what I mean. I mean he likes me. You know—like, seriously likes me.’

  ‘That’s…nice.’ Alex wondered what else she was expected to say. She looked at the girl sitting opposite, her dark eyes shining with hope in her impeccably made-up face, her insanely long acrylic fingernails painted the exact shade of her crimson lips.

  Sofia had never had the greatest history with boyfriends, and little wonder, given her domineering father and his ability to drive away potential suitors with a single bellow. If only his interest had been motivated by his daughter’s welfare. Instead, Alex suspected, he’d always had the future of the Xenophon Group foremost in his mind. Whoever married his daughter and sole heir would end up with the fruits of Aristos’s labour. How could any mere male qualify for such bountiful reward?

  And then along came Nick, apparently with Daddy’s blessing, and for the first time in her life Sofia thought she was onto a winner.

  Sofia and Nick. Why did that seem such an unlikely pairing? And why should she even care? It wasn’t as if she had any claim on the man, after all.

  ‘I was wondering,’ Sofia said, ‘if you could help me—while he’s out for a little while, talking to some of the tenants?’ She tilted her head to one side, making her large gold double-hoop earrings jangle. ‘Seeing you know Nick much better than me, what with being old friends and all.’

  Alex shook her head. ‘You’ve got the wrong idea. That was a long time ago.’

  ‘But I haven’t seen him since I was six, and he hardly took any notice of me. Even though way back then I thought he was gorgeous. I just thought you might have some idea of what he likes, you know. You must have talked about something when you were in Crete together. What did you guys get up to anyway?’

  The breath left Alex’s lungs so fast it made her cough. What on earth would Sofia think if she told her the truth? I gave him my virginity and he took me to heaven. No, definitely more information than Sofia needed to know. And much more information than Alex needed to be reminded of. Besides, they had done other things on Crete—it was just hard to focus on them now. Now that Nick was here. She licked her lips, buying time.

  ‘You know—the usual things one does over there. We visited ruins and museums. Remember, Nick was studying an archaeology unit back then. No doubt he’s still interested in the subject. Why don’t you ask him about it?’

  Sofia screwed up her nose. ‘I guess. But that’s not really what I had in mind.’ She fidgeted with her bangles, then checked her nails. ‘I don’t know—does he have a favourite colour or something?’

  Alex smiled to herself, instantly transported back to Crete.

  Nick was holding her face in his hands, his lips close to hers, and the breeze was floating tendrils of her unbound hair around them both.

  ‘The colour of the ocean, deep and clear. The colour of the sky, bright and endless. The colour of your eyes…’

  She shook her head before she could think too much about the kiss that had followed.

  ‘Blue.’

  ‘Cool!’ Sofia flicked her glance to her watch. ‘I have to go shopping. He’s taking me out to dinner tonight, and I just feel I need to get into something a little less—black.’ She paused and pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes filmed with tears. ‘It’s just so hard being reminded all the time.’

  ‘It’s bound to be. A shopping trip is probably just what you need—but can I get you anything now?’

  Sofia sniffed, and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. ‘No. I’ll be fine. I have to get going. Nick and I have a lot of things to organise with the company and everything. You know how it is.’ She rose and headed for the door, but halfway through stopped and turned around. ‘He asked if you were coming, but I told him you probably wouldn’t be able to get a babysitter at such short notice. He didn’t seem to know you had a kid. You haven’t told him?’

  He knows!

  Ice formed in her veins, yet somehow she managed to force her jaw to work.

  ‘Ah. No, not yet. We haven’t had much chance so far to catch up, that’s all.’

  Another sniff and a shrug later Sofia was gone. Alex sat stunned, her breathing shallow and fast, her mind racing.

  He knows.

  But how much did he know? How much had Sofia told him? She’d never shown much interest in children in general or in Jason in particular. What could she have given away? Maybe there was still time.

  In a flash she maximised her computer screen and finished typing the letter before printing it off. She read it through once more and nodded. Perfect. All it needed was her signature.

  She was doing the right thing; she was sure of it.

  In a moment it was signed and sealed and ready to be dropped off on Nick’s desk before he was back from seeing the tenants.

  She took a deep breath and, suddenly parched, reached for her glass of water. It was empty. She stopped by the small office kitchenette to fill it, popping the envelope on the adjacent benchtop while she poured the cool spring water. She was standing at the dispenser, with her back to the door, when she felt it.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Hairs prickled on the back of her neck and her heart belted out an erratic beat that reverberated in her head, spelling out exactly how she felt. Scared.

  Quickly she turned, feeling his presence before there was so much as a sound.

  Water sloshed over the glass’s rim, but she hardly noticed or cared. ‘Nick! You startled me.’

  He was leaning against the doorway, hands in pockets. Strange how even in such a casual stance Nick could look all man. Relaxed, comfortable—predatory.

  Slowly he peeled himself away from the doorway and moved closer.

  There was no telling what he was thinking. His dark eyes were unfathomable. He stopped a couple of feet in front of her, filling all the remaining space in the tiny kitchenette. She swallowed. Until Nick moved she was stuck here, with a brimming glass of water the only thing between them. As defences went, it wasn’t much, but somehow just holding it there made her feel better. If only she could hold her hand steady.

  ‘Sofia took me for a tour of the properties yesterday.’

  ‘Yes, I heard.’

  ‘It’s a large portfolio. I was impressed by the quality of the holdings.’

  ‘That’s good.’

  Alex winced at her lame responses, but how was she supposed to concentrate with him in the room? It was all she could do to keep her hand from shaking and spilling some more water.

  ‘I imagine it takes quite a bit of accounting skill to keep up with it all.’

  ‘Not really,’ she said, studying the glass and using all her powers of concentration to will it to stay level. ‘Once the systems are in place—’ What am I thinking? If he wanted to imply that she couldn’t do the job, it would be in her interests to agree with him. She jerke
d her eyes up to meet his.

  ‘Actually, you’re right. It’s very complic—’

  Nick jumped back before the wave of spring water could collect him fair in the chest, and Alex realised she hadn’t just kicked up her chin when she’d changed her response.

  Even with his quick evasive action the water landed at his feet, beading droplets over the sculpted black leather of his Italian shoes. In a flash he relieved her of the glass, and its remaining contents, and deposited it on the benchtop alongside the letter—his letter while she stood there dumbfounded.

  ‘You’re jumpy, Alexandra.’

  She looked up at him, preparing to apologise, but he took her shoulders in his large hands. Instantly every cell in her body seemed to contract and freeze.

  ‘Do I make you so nervous?’

  She sucked in a necessary breath—only to find the oxygen she so desperately required infused with the scent of this man. Heat replaced the coldness she’d been feeling, warming sensations and desires she’d thought long buried. Under her discount designer jacket and tailored shirt her breasts felt swollen and firm, aware of even the slightest brush of fabric over the points of her bra. And now that feeling coiled downwards, stirring feelings long since forgotten.

  She sighed. There seemed little point in denying it. ‘Yes, I guess you do.’

  He laughed, softly and openly, his breath curling warm against her face as his thumbs gently traced the line of her collarbone, almost hypnotising her. The flesh tingled under his touch. Alex felt her eyelids flutter. Oh, God! He hadn’t forgotten how to make her feel good, just as her body hadn’t forgotten how to respond to his.

  ‘But why, Alexandra, should I make you nervous? I am just a man. A man who, after all, you know—intimately.’

  Something about the way he spoke made her look at him—really look at him. Why was he doing this to her? She willed her body not to be carried away by his touch, but that same body seemed intent on ignoring her. After all, this was just what she’d dreamed of, night after lonely night—being with Nick, enjoying his touch. Now her dreams had become reality, at least in part, and it was so hard to deny herself that for which she’d yearned so long.