Chapter FIVE
PERLA FELT THE blood drain from her face. From head to toe she went numb. So numb she couldn’t move. Or speak. Or do anything apart from stare at the pain-racked face of the man who held her upright.
When the full meaning of his words sank in, she jerked from him, pushing him back with a strength that felt superhuman but only made him take one single step back.
‘Your wife? You...you’re married?’ The word choked out of her throat.
His nostrils flared and the skin around his mouth whitened. ‘Was. Same as you. Bereaved. Same as you. The night we met, I was mourning. Unlike you.’
The accusation slashed across her skin, waking her numbness. The tingle of pain came with a healthy dose of anger. ‘What makes you think I wasn’t in mourning too?’
‘Let me see, you were discussing cocktails with the bartender and doing nothing to bat off his very clear interest in you.’
‘And you think that automatically makes me less of a person? Because I wasn’t snarling at a total stranger?’
‘Your actions weren’t those of a bereaved widow.’
‘Everyone handles grief differently. Just because you chose to sit in a corner nursing your whisky and demanding silence doesn’t mean you have the monopoly on heartache.’
She watched his face harden further. ‘And what of the events afterwards? Which step of the grieving process did you tick by sharing the bed of a stranger before your husband was even in the ground?’
Despite her reeling senses, she fought to keep her voice steady. ‘That’s what bothers you, isn’t it? The fact that I committed some cardinal sin by seeking solace before I’d buried my husband.’
‘Was that what you were doing? Seeking solace?’ His gaze bored into her, almost as if he was willing her to answer in the affirmative.
Because that would make him see her in a better light?
She shook her head and started to straighten her clothes. ‘Does it matter what I say? You’ve already judged and found me guilty. I slept with you three days before my husband was in the ground. Trust me, you don’t detest me more than I detest myself. But tell me, what’s your excuse? Why did you sleep with me, other than that I was a willing body with a fascinating hair colour you couldn’t resist?’
Her question made him jerk backward. He frowned and slowly his hand fell away from her throat. Hazel eyes dropped to his hand, and she watched it slowly curl into a fist, then release.
‘For some of us, the pain reaches a point when it becomes unbearable. You were there. You offered a willing distraction.’
For some of us...a willing distraction...
Perla wasn’t sure which of the two statements hurt deeper. What she was sure of was that Arion believed both statements; believed she’d gone to the bar at Macdonald Hall for her own selfish reasons other than with grief in mind.
And, in a way, wasn’t he half right? The actions that had propelled her out of her car had had more to do with her frustration and anger at what Morgan had done to her than with pure grief.
The grief had come later, of course. Because, despite everything else he’d put her through, his loss hurt the two people she’d come to see as surrogate parents.
Terry and Sarah had partly filled a void she’d longed for Morgan to complete. They’d treated her as their own, and for someone who’d known only the coldness of the state foster system for most of her life, it’d been a blessed feeling to finally be part of a loving family. To feel a degree of being wanted she’d never experienced before.
Of course, she couldn’t tell Arion that; he wouldn’t believe her. She’d all but thrown herself at him in that car park, just after prattling on about Santorini and weddings.
She knew her actions had fallen far short of that expected of a newly bereaved wife. But she refused to let him keep denouncing her as a whore.
‘I went into that bar for a drink, nothing else. I’ve never picked up a man in my life. You were a mistake that shouldn’t have happened. But you happened. We had a moment. You can choose to shame me over it for as long as you live if it makes you feel better. I prefer to put it behind me, forget it ever happened.’
Hazel eyes narrowed and her breath caught. She’d been trying to reason with him. Instead, she’d made him angrier.
‘If you wanted to forget you shouldn’t have come here today. You should’ve appointed a representative and made them deal with this situation on your behalf. Coming here and parking yourself in my lobby tells me forgetting was the last thing on your mind.’
‘You’re wrong! Besides, I live in the real world, Mr Pantelides. Representatives and lawyers cost money. Hiring one to do the job I was perfectly capable of doing myself is irrational. The only thing this trip’s cost me is a train ticket.’
One smooth eyebrow rose. Then his hand glided back to her neck, then down to her shoulder to rest just beneath her breast. ‘Are you sure?’ His breathing had grown slightly ragged and his other hand was now flexing through her hair, toying with it.
‘Mr Pantelides—’
‘You once told me my given name pleases you,’ he murmured in that deadly low voice.
Her breath hitched. ‘How can I forget if you keep reminding me?’
‘Perhaps I don’t want you to forget. Perhaps I want you to relive the pain and devastation and the pleasure with me.’ One thumb teased her nipple and she felt her knees give way. ‘If I have to be like him, then maybe I deserve whatever I get.’
The rawness in his voice struck deep inside her. ‘Like who?’
He shook his head. ‘No one. We’ve already committed the crime, Perla mou. The guilt will never leave us.’
Sensation bombarded and it was all she could do to keep her thoughts straight. ‘So your solution is to commit the crime again?’
‘If you’d stayed away, that would’ve ended the matter. But you’re here now, front and centre, and I find that I lack the willpower to let you walk away.’
Her shocked laughter scraped her throat. ‘You speak as if I have some sort of power over you—’
‘You enthralled me from the moment I saw you.’ The words were spoken with no pleasure. None. There wasn’t even a hint of a compliment in there.
‘I’m sorry I affect you that way. Let go of me and I’ll remove myself from your presence.’
His laugh was self-deprecatory. ‘I’ve had you wedged against this door for the last twenty minutes. A gentleman would’ve offered you a drink, shown you the spectacular view from the tower deck, then offered to have you chauffeured home.’
‘There’s absolutely nothing stopping you from doing that.’
‘But there is. Perla, I’m not a gentleman. Your panties are shredded at my feet and in the next sixty seconds I intend to be deep inside you.’
The words murmured, hot and urgent, against her neck made her close her eyes against the drugging inevitability that assailed her. Need, ten times more powerful than she’d experienced the first time with him, shot to her sex, leaving her drowning in liquid heat.
Perla barely managed a squeak when he swung her up in his arms and strode purposefully down a hallway. He stopped at the first door on his right and thrust it open to reveal a large white-carpeted bedroom. Black and chrome stood out in sharp contrast to each other, with no warmth or decorative aesthetics to lighten the mood.
He deposited her on the bed and pulled off her skirt, then froze. His mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds before the groan exploded from his chest.
‘I thought I imagined how exquisite you were but I didn’t.’ Again the words were spoken with a starkness that caused a sliver of ice to pierce her pleasure.
‘Arion...’
He rubbed the back of his knuckles across her sex, then stepped back and undressed with swift, jerky movements.
Pulling her thighs wide apart, he muttered something in his native language, his fingers biting into her thighs.
Sucking in a needy breath, she glanced up at him and almost wished she hadn’t.
He looked tortured, his face a hard mask of desire as he surged inside her. He’d already damned himself by sleeping with her the first time.
They were caught in a spell neither seemed capable of breaking, and she watched that knowledge eat him alive as he penetrated deeper inside her.
‘Ari...’ It felt wrong, but it also felt so right, just like it had the first time.
The need to pull him back from his torment, if only for a moment, made her reach for him.
She touched his face and he refocused on her. Hazel eyes stared deep into hers as he increased the tempo of his thrusts. Almost possessed, he took her pleasure to another level. By the time her orgasm tore through her, she believed she’d touched something sacred. With a guttural cry, he followed her into ecstasy. Deep convulsions ripped through him as he collapsed on top of her. Her hand slid from his face to cradle his sweat-slicked neck. She shut her eyes as sensation drifted into calm. She knew it was elusive; that what they’d done was in no way calming or solace-giving.
They’d given in to their animal instincts. Had let that damning temptation run free. And yet...
Before she could complete the thought, he surged upright and swung himself off the bed. Keeping his back turned, he pulled on his boxers and trousers.
‘The bathroom’s through there. Get dressed and come and find me. We need to talk,’ he threw over his shoulder before he left the room.
Dazed and confused, she lay there for several minutes, staring at the beautifully designed chrome ceiling lights. It took several deep breaths and a severe talking-to before she managed to pull herself together.
She returned to the living room to find him at the window, still shirtless and breathtakingly gorgeous.
He turned at her entrance and raked a hand through his hair. ‘Are your in-laws expecting you back tonight?’ he asked, his eyes exhibiting none of the tormented pleasure she’d witnessed minutes ago.
‘Yes,’ she responded warily, wondering where he was going with his enquiry.
He nodded. ‘Then I’ll make it fast. Pantelides Inc. has been through a lot in the past few years. I don’t wish to draw any more unwanted attention to the company.’ He went to the desk and picked up a pad and pen.
‘Write your account details on here. I’ll have funds transferred to your account first thing in the morning.’
The pain she’d been holding in a tight ball since she got up from his bed burst into her chest. ‘Excuse me?’ she rasped.
‘I’m not unsympathetic to the fact that your husband left you in dire straits. I’m trying to make some form of reparation,’ he replied, his voice still devoid of emotion.
‘By sleeping with me and immediately offering me money afterwards?’ Her own voice was sickeningly shaky and pain-filled but she didn’t shy away from it. She wanted Arion Pantelides to know exactly what she thought of him. ‘Why don’t you come right out and book me for a repeat performance next Tuesday?’
His jaw tightened. ‘What happened tonight won’t happen again.’
‘Hallelujah! Finally, something we both agree on. I thought you were pretty vile to accuse me of the things you accused me of before. But this...this is a new low.’
His grip tightened around the pad until it buckled beneath his strength. His gaze lowered but the rigid determination in his face didn’t abate. ‘Okay, perhaps the timing is unfortunate—’
‘You think?’ she snapped.
‘But the offer remains. It’s your choice whether to accept it or decline.’
‘You can shove your offer where the sun doesn’t shine!’ She stalked past him to where she’d dropped her bag what felt like a thousand years ago. Snatching it up, she marched to the lift and pressed the button. Nothing happened. She stabbed harder, feeling her chin wobble with impending tears.
Dear God, no! No way was she going to cry in front of him.
‘You need this.’
She turned. He was holding up the triangular card he’d given her earlier. She went to snatch it from him but he pulled it back at the last second.
‘Perla—’
‘No, don’t say my name. You lost the right to speak to me when you offered me money for sleeping with you, you disgusting bastard.’
‘Stop and think for a moment. The two situations have nothing to do with one another. You’re being melodramatic again.’
‘And you’re being a complete ass who is holding me here against my will.’
‘Think rationally. It’s almost midnight. You’re putting yourself in danger by attempting to return home at this time of night.’
‘After everything you’ve said to me, you expect me to believe my safety concerns you?’ She gave a very unladylike snort and glanced pointedly at the lift.
‘Perla—’
‘The only thing I want from you is to make the lift work, Ari. I want to leave. Right now.’
He sighed, and again she heard that weariness in his voice. ‘I may not be a gentleman but I’m not averse to being schooled.’
She frowned when she realised he wasn’t mocking her. He really meant it.
Turning, she faced him fully. ‘First off, I wouldn’t force a woman who wants to leave to stay against her will.’
He nodded, came forward and offered her the card. She took it.
‘Second, don’t ever, ever try to give a woman you’ve just slept with money. No matter your intention, it comes off as super sleazy.’
Hazel eyes gleamed before his eyelids veiled his expression. ‘But your situation still needs to be addressed.’
‘It’s my problem. I’ll take care of it.’
He took a deep breath and she couldn’t stop her eyes from devouring the sculpted chest that rose and fell. ‘What were your skills before you gave up your career?’
The out-of-the-blue question threw her for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and tore her gaze away from the golden perfection of his skin. ‘I was an events organiser for a global conglomerate.’ She named her previous employer and his eyes widened a touch.
The fact that she’d managed to impress Arion Pantelides sent a fizz of pleasure through her.
‘I’m leaving for LA in the morning but Pantelides Luxe has been on a recruitment drive for the last six weeks.’ He scribbled a name and number on the mangled pad and passed it to her. ‘If you’re interested in interviewing for a job, call this number and speak to my head of HR.’
Unsure how to take the offer, she stared at him. ‘Why are you doing this?’ she finally blurted.
‘I’m trying to find an alternative solution to your problem. Is this too not acceptable?’ he asked, his face set in its usual world-weary lines.
‘It’s acceptable but I’m not sure it’s the right solution for me.’
He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. ‘From where I’m standing, your options are slim to nil. Don’t take too long in deciding or you’ll find yourself back to square one.’
‘Okay...thanks.’ Her limbs felt heavy as she turned away. She told herself it was because she was drained from the head-on collision with Arion, and not the disconcerting realisation that she didn’t want to leave. Because that would be ridiculous.
She slid the card through its slot and heard the smooth whirring of the lift.
‘May I make another suggestion?’ he asked. The sensation of his breath on her neck told her he’d moved close. Far closer than was good for her equilibrium.
She glanced over her shoulder. Up close, his sexy stubble made her want to run her hand over his jaw, feel its roughness just one more time. ‘What?’ She forced herself to speak.
‘Allow my driver to get you back home?’
The thought of slogging through the rain to catch the last train to Bath made her waver dangerously. The sudden realisation that she could be doing so minus her panties made her stomach flip over.
She could stand on principle and endure a hugely uncomfortable journey, or she could give in this once. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll give him a half hour heads-up. It’ll give us time to eat something on the tower deck before you leave.’
* * *
It took all of two minutes the next day to realise she had zero options. And really, had her head not been full of singeing memories of what she’d done with Ari the night before, she’d have come to that realisation a lot sooner.
But as much as she’d tried to push the shocking events that had stemmed from her complete lack of control from her mind, the more the vivid memories had tumbled forth.
She’d slept with Ari Pantelides for a second time, even after his blistering condemnation of her reasons for doing so the first time. Almost a day later, her internal muscles throbbed with the delicious friction of his possession.
But, even now, it was the vivid memory of his tortured face that haunted her.
Enough!
Perla glanced down at the piece of paper Ari had handed her. A quick call to a local lawyer this morning had reiterated Ari’s warning. She had no recourse because Morgan had changed the terms of his contract.
Unless a miracle fell into her lap—and she was cynical enough to realise those were rarer than unicorn teeth—she and Morgan’s parents were headed for the welfare office.
While her prior experience had been with only one large chain of hotels, she’d excelled at her job and enjoyed it enough to feel a tiny thrill at being given an opportunity to re-enter the business world again.
As for Ari...
According to her previous search, he was rarely in London and therefore the chances that they would meet again were minuscule.
Ignoring the stab of discontentment that realisation brought, she grabbed the phone and dialled the number before she lost her nerve.
The swiftness with which her previous job history was taken and the interview scheduled left her floundering. As did the realisation that the interview itself would be spread over two days.
Feelings of insecurity started to rush back, a legacy, she knew, from her dealings with Morgan. Although she hated herself, she couldn’t stop the feeling from growing.
When she found her fingers hovering over the phone an hour later, contemplating calling back to cancel the interview, she pursed her lips and straightened her spine.
Morgan might have succeeded in whittling away her self-confidence, through threats and blackmail, but giving in now would see her in the far more precarious position of being without means to support herself and his parents.
Besides, she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe she wouldn’t even get this job—
No!
She might not believe in unicorns but neither would she succumb to doom and gloom. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back from the phone and went to find her in-laws.
Explaining to them why she had to return to London again so soon was a little delicate, seeing as she’d told them the outcome of her previous visit. She didn’t want to get their hopes up because she’d been out of the job market for far too long and knew realistically she could fall flat on her face the first time, positive thinking or not.
‘Are you sure that’s what you want to do? London is so far away,’ Sarah said worriedly.
‘Nonsense, it’s only a short commute by train. And don’t forget, we need all the help we can get right now. We wish you all the best, Perla. Don’t we, Sarah?’ Terry glanced at his wife.
Sarah smiled, her eyes brightening a little from the devastating sadness still lurking in their brown depths. ‘Of course we do. It’s just that...we don’t know what we’d do without you now that Morgan is...’ Tears filled her eyes and she dabbed at them with the hanky Terry slipped into her hand.
Perla felt her throat clog and quickly swallowed. This was the reason she’d stayed. The reason she’d kept Morgan’s secret and given up her career.
Watching them console each other in their grief, the need to protect them surged higher. From the moment she’d been introduced to Terry and Sarah Lowell, they’d taken her into their hearts. After the devastation of Morgan’s revelation, she’d known, just as he’d deviously surmised, that she couldn’t turn her back on the only promise of a proper home she’d ever known.
Neither could she reveal the secret that would’ve destroyed his parents.
The familiar guilt for the secret she carried and could never share made her rise from her seat. ‘I...I’d better go and brush up on my interview techniques.’
In the hallway, she paused for a second to steady her breathing. Then she straightened.
Morgan was gone. Terry and Sarah were her responsibility now.
Briskly, Perla entered her bedroom and busied herself sorting through her meagre clothes. Three interviews in two days meant she would have to be inventive with her wardrobe.
The black skirt and satin shirt she’d worn to London would have to make another appearance. As would the black dress she’d worn the night she’d met Ari.
Laying the garments on the bed, she couldn’t help the treacherous bite of sensation that nipped at her. Both outfits held memories she’d rather forget, of Ari’s hands on her body, undressing her, stripping her bare before taking her with masterful possession.
Heat flared high, making her fingers shake as she scraped back her hair and forced the memories away.
She had no business thinking about another man in this house; in this room. Even if that man was the only person in her life who’d made her feel special and wanted for a brief moment in time. Even if the memory of his face as he’d taken her forced feelings of protectiveness as well as desire to surge into her chest.
It was over and done with. Move on.
* * *
‘Congratulations and welcome to the company.’
Perla heard the words from far off, still numbly disbelieving that she’d actually got through the gruelling interviews to secure a job on the Pantelides Luxe events management team.
‘I...thank you.’
The two other candidates who’d also been offered similar jobs out of the twenty-five candidates wore similar expressions of pleased wonderment.
She’d got the job, with a salary and benefits that had left her mouth agape when she’d read them on her contract. Now she forced herself to focus as the head of HR continued to speak.
‘For those who require the option, your first month’s salary will be paid to you in advance of month’s end. Just tick that option when you sign your contract. But remember if you should decide to leave the company before the first thirty days are up, you will be required to reimburse the company.’ He looked directly at her as he said that.
Slowly anger and embarrassment replaced the stunned pleasure.
Had Ari Pantelides been so unprofessional as to share her private financial affairs with others? It was bad enough that she’d seen the morbidly curious looks on a few of the employees’ faces as she’d been introduced. She was well aware that the widow of the man whose actions had caused a Pantelides oil tanker to crash and pollute a breathtaking African coast only a few short months ago was the last person they expected to seek employment in this company.
Knowing that her financial dire straits were being shared with others made her skin crawl with shame.
Forcing her head high, she returned the older man’s stare, barely hearing the end of his welcome speech as she tried to grapple with her emotions. Fifteen minutes later, contract in hand, she started to leave the room.
The low hum of her mobile had her rooting through her handbag.
‘Hello?’
‘I understand congratulations are in order.’ The voice, deep and gravel-rough, sent a pulse of heat through her belly.
‘I...how did you get my phone number?’ she blurted to cover her inner floundering.
‘You’re now my employee, Perla. Prepare yourself for the fact that some of your life is now an open book to me.’
A shiver went through her at the low, dark promise. As much as she tried to tell herself she wasn’t affected, his voice did things to her that were indecent. Her hand tightened on the phone. ‘So open that you decided to share some of it with your HR director?’ she demanded.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Did you tell your HR director that I needed money?’ The very thought of it made her flush with mortification.
‘Why would I do that?’ He sounded amused. Vaguely it occurred to her that he didn’t sound as tormented and as bleak as he had a few days ago. Why that thought lifted her heart, she refused to contemplate as she reminded herself why she was annoyed with him.
‘Because he offered a month’s salary in advance. I may have been out of the general workforce a while but even I know that salaries don’t get paid in advance.’
‘Did he offer only you that option?’ he asked.
‘No, he offered it to the other new employees as well.’
He remained silent for several heartbeats. ‘The reason for that perk is because most of the people I hire for the role you’re filling are young, dynamic graduates. Broke, young, dynamic graduates who I expect to hit the ground running. The last thing I want them to be thinking about is how to pay their rent or feed themselves. If and when I headhunt other talent, I offer them signing-on bonuses too. Either way, everyone gets the same treatment.’
The bruised hurt eased a little. ‘Oh, so I wasn’t singled out for special treatment?’
‘Now you sound disappointed,’ he mocked in a low tone that was equally as lethal to her senses.
‘I’m not.’ And of course, now he’d explained the reason for the stipulation, it made total sense. How better to keep his employees happy and loyal than to ease the one thing certain to add to their anxiety in their first months of employment? Realising there was something else she needed to do, she cleared her throat. ‘Thank you...for giving me this opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down.’
Again a thoughtful silence greeted her words. ‘I’m glad to hear it, Perla, because I’m giving you the chance to prove it sooner rather than later.’
Her heart jumped into her throat. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It means I’m throwing you in at the deep end. You fly out to join me in Miami after your accelerated orientation tomorrow. My assistant will provide you with the details.’