The Corner Booth (12 page)

The doctor knew the procedure and was waiting just inside the doorway. “Tell me what happened.”

“I pushed her to get her away from the oncoming car; she struck her head pretty hard, as you can tell.”

His light flashed into her eyes, and the physician nodded. “Take her upstairs. My bag is in Mr. Carras’s room already.”

Moments later, Stephan placed her gently on the bed, and stepped aside to give the doctor room. Cassie moved her hand away from the fabric to allow the doctor to gently remove it from her skin. Wincing as it stuck to part of the dried sections, and then at his probing fingers, she refused to cry out. Stephanous watched as she steeled herself and made no sound, but had to turn away when he noticed the tear as it slowly slipped from the corner of one eye. She was a tough bird, for sure. Stephanous stepped out of the room to call Sakis and inform him of what was going on.

After a lengthy examination, the doctor called Stephan back in. “She will need a few stitches. I am not seeing a concussion or any other symptoms that cause me any great concern. Your friend is alert, and is answering my questions easily and without hesitation. I feel comfortable not placing any restrictions on her activities, but, if for some reason she starts vomiting, passes out, or becomes incoherent then you must get her to the hospital as quickly as you can. Those symptoms are a sign of something major going on internally. Be sure to give her these for the headache she will have soon, if she doesn’t have it already. Your friend seems to have a high tolerance for pain.”

“Great. Thank you, Doctor.”

The physician turned back to Cassie and prepared to stitch her up. “I will put a topical cream on the wound, which will numb the skin a bit, but it will still hurt when I start stitching. Are you okay with that?”

Nodding her head, Cassie closed her eyes as the doctor began his work. Thankfully he was quick and efficient, and the procedure was over quickly.

When he left the room, Cassie slowly sat up and grimaced at the blood that was drying on her.
She must look horrid.

“Do you think that I could take a quick shower and get out of these clothes?”

Stephanous hurried to her side. “Of course. Sakis’s bathroom is through those doors. Do you need help undressing?”

Startled, Cassie’s eyes met his. His somber look held no hint of humor. She smiled.

“That is sweet but I am good. Be back in a few minutes.”

CHAPTER 19

A short time later, after turning the water off, Cassie could hear the heated argument in Sakis’s bedroom. She grabbed his robe from behind the door and threw it on, still dripping wet, and made her way to them.

She could tell Sakis was furious, his face set from anger. If he looked at her that way she would have been terrified, but Stephanous sat back calmly in his chair and watched Sakis pace the floor. She had no clue what they were saying and wished, not for the first time, she could speak Greek.

“Hi, Sakis!”

Stopping in mid-stride, Sakis spun around. He grabbed her neck tightly, and he tipped her head back so that he could get a better look at her injury. The doctor had done a great job stitching her and with her shower, she actually looked normal. All he could see was the goose egg of a bump and a tiny Band-Aid that covered the stitches. “How are you feeling, Cassandra?”

“I am great, thanks. You don’t need to worry, Sakis. It was an accident and honestly, it really isn’t that bad. I just hit the edge of the car. Quite minor, actually.”

Sakis seemed as if he wanted to say something in reply to her statement. Instead, he loosed his grip on her and stroked her cheek with his fingers as his body visibly relaxed.

“Please leave us, Stephanous,” Sakis ordered, never taking his eyes off her.

Rising without a word, Stephanous closed the door softly behind him and left them alone.

The moment she heard the door click, Cassie rose on her toes to kiss Sakis on the lips softly. His eyes widened in surprise. His arms wrapped around her as she pulled away; he held her close to him and softly returned the kiss. Within seconds, the chaste exchange became more heated and she wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging tightly. He removed his mouth from hers; he didn’t pull away, choosing instead to kiss her softly on her neck several times as he untied the robe and slid his hands against her warm skin.

“I was so afraid when Stephanous called that you were seriously hurt,” he muttered against her skin.

“As you can see, I am just fine,” she whispered back. Her face turned a bright shade of red as he stepped back and held the robe open so that he could look at her. This time, she was completely naked, with no covering at all. Sakis’s eyes darkened as he took in every inch of her. She was beautiful.

He lifted her up in his arms as he dropped his head again to claim her lips while he carried her over to his bed. Gently placing her on the mattress, he slid next to her. With the belt not tied anymore, the robe fell away and Cassie tried to cover herself.

“No. Leave it alone, Cassandra,” Sakis whispered. His hand stilled hers before it moved over to cup one of her breasts in his hand. “Look how perfectly you fit, as if you were made just for me.” He claimed the small nub, nipping before drawing it into his mouth deeply.

Cassie closed her eyes as the pull reached all the way down to her core. For several minutes, he worked from one breast to the other, unable to get enough as he squeezed and sucked in pure enjoyment. Cassie could feel how hard he had become as he pressed against her leg. She wanted to feel him. Reaching down between them, she pressed her hand against his erection.

He had not expected her touch; he jumped slightly and moaned against her skin. Shifting slightly, he allowed her better access. As she stroked him through his pants, he skimmed his finger over her ribcage, across her stomach, and hesitated for only a moment before his hands slid farther down. Pushing on her thigh to give him access, he leaned back so that he could look at her. Cassie’s face flamed an even brighter red.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are so beautiful.” As his hand slid between her folds, he stared at her face and watched the mix of emotions while he inserted one finger inside her. Groaning in unison, sweat broke out over Sakis’s skin. She was so hot and wet already, and they had barely done anything. He wondered for a moment what she would sound like as she climaxed and how easy it would be to get her to that point. Once the thought was there, he knew what he would do; he just hoped he had enough willpower to hold back on his own.

When he kissed her stomach, she jumped; he moved his body lower on the bed. Cassie knew what he was going to do, and it shocked her.

“Sakis, no!” she begged.

Ignoring her, he gently kissed her between her legs and inhaled her musky scent. Licking her with his tongue, Sakis took his time as he pushed first one finger and then another inside her again. She was so wet that she was actually soaking his bed. As he separated the folds, he stared at the tiny button that had grown from her excitement. Licking it, he loved the way she jumped; it was sensitive already, but he wanted it to be throbbing. Without any warning, he sucked her hard into his mouth, while he flicked it with his tongue. She moaned loudly. He lifted his head to see her head thrash on the pillow and her hands grip the blankets on either side of her. He had never seen a lovelier sight. “Cassandra, open your eyes.”

It took a moment, but she stared at him as he lay with his head between her legs. She expected him to say something else, but looked shocked as he lowered his head again to suck and pull once again. This time, his fingers slid in and out of her faster.

Her whole body shook, out of her control. “Sakis!” Cassie thought she was going to pass out.

Cassie lay quivering when she finished, confused as he rose from the bed. She could hear water running and then silence. She didn’t even care what he was doing, but could only focus on the throbbing between her legs.

Moments later, he reentered the room still completely dressed, his arousal more than obvious to her.

“Sakis?”

Her questioning look stabbed at him. He wanted her more than life itself right now, but he wanted their first time to be perfect. Right now, as fired up as he was about the incident, it wouldn’t be and he didn’t want to hurt her.

Smiling down at her in reassurance, he closed the robe so he didn’t have to look at her naked body. “There will be a time, love. Just not now.” He would have laughed aloud at her expression of disappointment if he didn’t ache so much.

Rising to her knees, she sidled up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You asked me this morning to think about what I wanted for my birthday. You promised that if it was in your power to give it to me, you would.”

“I remember, Cassandra.” He knew what she was going to ask, but because of her past, he wanted her to say it. He wanted her to be okay.

Her lips pressed close to his ears, she whispered, “I want you to make love to me, but not like it is my first time, but as if I were your last. That is what I want for my birthday.”

Sakis stripped down completely. Slowly, he slid the robe off her shoulders and down her arms, and tossed it onto the chair. “Lie down, Cassandra.” He pushed gently on her shoulders until she was settled comfortably on the soft pillows. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he cupped her face gently with his hand and traced a finger down her neck, over her chest, to her navel, where he spread his fingers over her flat stomach. He was so conflicted with the emotions that raged inside him. She was not one of his whores, who were easy to dismiss after a night of sex. This was Cassandra, the girl from Vermont who melted his heart just at the thought of her. She was becoming a part of the air he breathed and if he took her now, there was no going back.

Cassie laid her hand on top of his. Her body cooled from the fire he had started inside her, but her heart beat frantically in her chest.

Her soft voice reached through his conflicted thoughts. “Sakis, I am yours. You cannot deny it.” She pushed his hands down.

He groaned when they reached her core, still wet. Sliding his thumb over her, he smiled ruefully at the way she jumped. Her body was still sensitive there. Reaching to the nightstand, he ripped open the tiny package to prepare himself before he climbed on the bed. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her up so that she was closer to the head of his erection. As he rubbed it back and forth against her, she saturated him in moments. Unable to stop himself, he groaned loudly.

Lifting her pelvis, she offered herself to him silently and he could not resist the invitation. Pushing against her, Sakis closed his eyes, overcome with feeling her tight and wetness that wrapped around him; with an arm under her knee, he lifted her leg to give him deeper access. When he gazed into her eyes, her face flushed with passion and anticipation, he knew she was ready, and without hesitation he drove hard and deep into her willing body.

For Cassandra, Sakis’s primal movements, his unceasing words of endearments, both in her language and in his, was enough to remove her fears of her past. Lying under him, it felt right. Every movement, every thrust. She wanted to be everything for him. Her slender arms wrapped around him; she held him tightly as she felt his urgency and movements quicken until his sweat-covered body shuddered before he dropped heavily on her. Yes, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

CHAPTER 20

After Sakis had showered and taken her to the guest room next to his where the clothes and other personal items had been brought from the Ritz Carlton, he made his way downstairs to find Stephan. He wanted answers about what happened today, and Stephan was the only one who could provide them to him.

He went to the bar in the family room and fixed himself a drink before he took a seat opposite Stephan, who also had already helped himself to the bar and was on the phone. Both men nodded at each other in acknowledgement. Sakis waited patiently for him to finish up the call. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Well?”

Stephanous took a long drag on his cigarette before he responded. “Nothing yet.”

“And you are sure that that car was aiming for you both?” Sakis asked coolly.

“Whether it was her or me, I couldn’t tell you. Logically, my gut says it was after me and she was collateral damage. I don’t believe anyone knows about her.”

“Yet.”

“Correct. Yet,” Stephanous acknowledged grudgingly. He was sure that she was now on Derek Chandler’s radar, after running into him last night at the Pavilion. In this situation, the police would not make an attempt on either one of their lives. There just wasn’t any reason.

“So. Someone had the balls to go after my right hand man, run him down in the parking lot of the fucking zoo. What does that tell us?”

“There is going to be another hit,” Stephan stated without hesitation.

“Yes. I don’t want to be blindsided like this again.” Sakis spat out the words. “Get security together and brief them. I want no mistakes here at the house or anywhere else. Am I clear?”

“Of course.”

Hearing a noise from the kitchen area, both men turned to watch as Cassandra walked into the room stiffly. She had taken another shower, but she felt sore, in a good way. Her headache was coming back full force and she needed the painkillers. She hated to interrupt them, as intently as they were talking.

Still speaking in Greek, Stephanous turned back to Sakis.

“And her?” he asked.

Reaching for the cigar box, Sakis clipped the end before he lit it carefully, inhaled, and blew the smoke out slowly. “I am not willing to give her up right now.”

Even though he knew Cassie didn’t understand what they were saying, Stephan instinctively lowered his voice, speaking urgently to his friend. “Sakis! It is too dangerous. She will be a target the moment that whoever this is figures out how close she is to you.”

“Then we need to be careful to try to avoid them finding out for as long as we can.”

“Sakis!”

“Stephanous, she is not up for discussion. I trust you to take care of her, just as you did today. As you have always done with me.” Glancing at Cassie, he felt with all of his being that Stephanous was right, yet he knew he was lost when it came to her and the only way he would give her up would be if she no longer wanted to be with him. He turned again to Stephan; he locked eyes with his friend. “If there ever comes a time, and I pray there doesn’t, that you have to choose between saving me or her…you will choose her.”

All color left Stephan’s face. “You cannot expect—”

“Promise me now,” Sakis ordered.

As he looked at Cassie again, Stephan felt sick to his stomach. “I promise, but I don’t like this. I don’t like any of it. One week, Sakis. She has been in our life one week.” Noting her pallor, he rose, pulled out the prescription bottle that the doctor had given him and placed several of the pills into his palm. She had to be in such pain, especially with the once-over he knew Sakis had probably just given her. His employer’s sexual appetite was intense to say the least, especially with a new conquest or after avoiding danger. She was the perfect storm. Pouring water into a glass, he handed both to Cassie.

“Thank you,” she muttered gratefully and popped them easily in her mouth before she sat down on the couch next to Sakis.

“So. What are you two talking about?” she asked curiously.

Sakis laughed. “Just work, Cassandra. But I have had enough of that conversation. Tell me, what are we to do with you after all of this birthday excitement? Stephan tells me that the doctor says you are free to resume normal activities. My original intention was to go to the club.”

“Ouch. Probably not with this headache. I am thinking DVD, baby.” Cassandra smiled at Sakis while she tucked her feet under her on the couch.

“Movies it is.” He responded to her request lightly, as Stephan and Sakis stared at each other over the top of her head.