The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (27 page)

Each of them was beautiful, but none of them felt quite like this did for some reason.
 

“I love them all,” he said. “But I think we’re here to stay.”

“I hope so,” Carla said, sitting up. “I’d like to settle down for a while, Atreus. Traveling all this time with our baby inside me can’t be the best thing.”

Atreus maneuvered himself so he sat beside her.

“You’re absolutely right. We do need to settle down, to put down some roots, at least for a while.” He interlaced his fingers with hers and squeezed. “I’m so glad we’re starting this new chapter together.”

“Me too,” she said, her heart warm, her face spreading into a smile. “There’s no one I’d rather do it with than you.”

They heard footsteps on the stone stairway that connected the upper and lower lawns and looked back.

“I thought you said you wanted me to have Dios from three o’clock?” Andria said. “It’s five past.”

“Oh my gosh!” Carla said, jumping to her feet.
 

They were supposed to meet with Cressida, the hotel management consultant, at three. Luckily the drawing room where they’d planned to entertain her wasn’t all that far away.
 

They both gave Dios a speedy kiss as Andria hoisted him up into her arms and then they dashed up the stairs, across the terrace and into the mansion through a side door. As they turned a corner they almost collided with Atreus’ secretary, Lilia.

“I was just coming to look for you,” Lilia said. “Miss Maher is in the drawing room awaiting you.”

“Thank you, Lilia,” Atreus replied, then grimaced, embarrassed. He hated to appear lazy or for the staff to pamper him. “I’m afraid we’ve left our picnic things out on the lower lawn so, if you could arrange for Hanna or one of the other staff to clear it, that’d be much appreciated.”

“Of course.”

Atreus held the drawing room door open for Carla and they both entered to find a somewhat voluptuous woman at ease in one of the wingback leather chairs, sipping from a china cup with her little finger raised. She stood up at once when they came in the room and flashed a winning, red-lipsticked smile.

“How do you do?” she said in the most perfect, cut-glass English accent Carla had ever heard.

“How do you do?” Carla repeated, marveling at the woman’s outfit.
 

She looked just like a pin-up girl, with a floral swing dress that flared out over her knees, sheer stockings, patent nude high heels and a pastel green tailored jacket, nipped in at the waist and frilled out over her full hips. Her hair was immaculate, too, its thick, dark waves forming curls at the ends, with victory rolls up front. She had rounded cheeks but her substantial chin and forehead gave her a strong presence.

“You must be the beautiful Carla,” she said with a wide, genuine smile. “And you’re Atreus Kostas, of course. I’m Cressida Maher.”

Atreus smiled and shook her hand as she extended it, her nails a delicate shade of dusky rose.

“Pleased to meet you,” Atreus said.

“Jolly nice to meet you both,” Cressida replied, sitting back down.
 

She reached into a tan, vintage briefcase and pulled out a thick folder run through with dividers.

“Here’s what I’ve prepared so far. We’ll begin with recruitment.”

*****

“But I’m
pregnant
, Brian!” Sarah hollered, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t you care?”

Brian slid down into a seat at the kitchen table and swigged back his third energy drink of the night.
 

“Listen,” he said coldly, “I’ve told you twice now and I don’t want to say it again. Olivia’s going to get here in about half an hour and you need to be out of here. I’m not having some stupid girl muck things up for me.”

“Baby, please—”

His voice surged into aggression.

“Don’t make me tell you again!”
he roared.

Brian had stuffed all her clothes into some black trash bags that now lay by the door. Sarah picked them up, her face twisted with the pain and humiliation of it all. Brian picked up his phone and resumed Level 932 of Candy Crush.

“You know what?” Sarah said, turning at the doorway, her eyes like leaping flames. “I should have told Onella I wanted to look after her brother’s kid instead of Carla. Then
I’d
be living it up in some luxury place with Atreus Kostas; a
real
man. You know they’re starting hotels now, so he’s going to make them even more money. While you sit—”

Brian’s gaze snapped up to her as he leapt to his feet.
 

“Atreus Kostas is starting
hotels
?”

“Yep,” Sarah said, pushing her lips together into a hard knot. “
Luxury
hotels. Starting in Scotland. Kostas Hotels, they’re calling them.”

Cha-ching.
 

Sarah looked him up and down, trying to summon the words that could hurt him most. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

“You’ve got nothing on him. You’re a sorry, pathetic excuse for a man and I don’t give a damn if you never come and see this baby. In fact, you’re not welcome! We’re both better off without you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, his mind racing. “Get lost then and stop crowding up my hallway.”

“I hate you, Brian Kennedy. I absolutely
hate
you.”

As soon as she’d slammed the door behind her, he’d picked up his phone again.

Step one complete
, he texted his crony, Tom.
 
He considered adding,
One step closer to that arrogant bastard’s fortune!
but didn’t, just in case his phone ever fell into the wrong hands.

He couldn’t wait until Olivia arrived. His good fortune was staggering. Not only did he have a diamond-studded engagement ring in his pocket, the very one Atreus had given Carla, that would be worth about a million on the market, but he had the perfect tool for the next step of the job.
 

Olivia.
 

She was smart and outgoing, yet gullible and even downright stupid in his arms—just as he liked it. Her hotel receptionist job made her the perfect candidate for infiltrating Carla and Atreus’ new operation. And on top of that she
oozed
sex appeal, something he’d be quite happy to take advantage of as often as he could. That is, until he got bored with her and found another plaything.
 

He took the engagement ring out of his pocket and twirled it around his finger, still not quite able to process just how valuable it was.
 

He imagined the ring on Carla’s elegant finger, and realized suddenly that he didn’t love her anymore. The tender feelings that once carved a hollow out of his heart were gone. He felt flat, stone cold. The only thing he wanted now was to reel her into his web so he could dominate her one last time and show Atreus who the real man in this equation was. He’d discard her after, just like all the others.

Carla wasn’t special any more, but she’d led him right to the goldmine that was Atreus Kostas. And Brian couldn’t be happier about that.

A knock came at the door and Olivia walked in. Without a word, she perched herself on her knees in front of him and he went to work fondling her large breasts, laughing to himself as he did so. Sometimes even he couldn’t believe how good he was.

He commanded her to strip and ride him and she was happy to oblige, spreading her thick thighs open and sliding down onto his dick, moaning and coming right away, even before he filled her. She was one of the easiest women to please he’d ever come across. Lucky for her since he wasn’t about to go out of his way to get her off if she was a frigid ice-queen.

He let his spent member slip out of her and flop onto his belly.
Now
he’d be able to focus on the plan.
 

He reached over and grabbed a dirty shirt from the cushion of the couch to wipe himself off with. Usually that was a job he’d make Sarah do but she wasn’t there. And it was too early in his relationship with Olivia to ask her to do it. He was still stuck in the charming stage.
 
For now.

Olivia leaned in and breathed in his ear.

“I love you.”

An evil grin stretched across Brian’s face.

“Yeah, baby.”

*****

“Have you heard of Kostas Hotels?” he asked Olivia a little later.
 

He’d flicked the television on and they watched some mindless movie together. She’d insisted on snuggling up close to him. Normally, he would have extracted himself after a few minutes but this time he let it go. She had to be in the right state of mind.

He’d wanted to time the question just right, so that it seemed like a casual, passing thought rather than the subject his mind had dwelled on throughout the entire night—including during the conversation where she insisted on discussing their ‘feelings’ and he had reassured her that
yes
, for the hundredth time, he really did love her.

“No, I haven’t,” she said. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I think I saw a vacancy or something somewhere,” he said vaguely. “I forget.”

“For what position?” she said, sitting up.

“Trainee manager.”

She clasped her hands together.

“Really? Perfect! Let’s look it up right now!”

He already had his smartphone at the ready.

“Kostas Hotels trainee manager,” he said as he tapped the words into Google. “Yup. Check it out.”

She squealed as she took the phone from him.

“Boutique luxury hotel in the Scottish Highlands seeks a variety of staff for managerial roles,” she read. “Oh my God, Brian, have you seen the pay?”

“Is it good?”

“Good? It’s
fantastic
.” She pulled him close and planted kisses all over his face. “You’re the best boyfriend ever. Do you have a laptop? I want to apply
right now
.”

“Just let me get up, babe. I’ll go get it.”

She leaned forward on the sofa and squealed again.

“Oh, baby, this is amazing!”
 

“I’m just glad you’re happy, babe.”
 

He crossed the room, grabbed his laptop and set it on the coffee table in front of her. Opening it and firing it up, he watched her intently. The enthusiasm in her eyes was blazing, blinding her to everything else.

He sat next to her and tucked the longer side of her edgy, asymmetrical haircut behind her ear.
 

“We’ll make you a killer application,” he said. “You’ll be sure to get it.”

She crossed her fingers on both hands, and then her legs, giggling.

“Let’s hope.”

He giggled right along with her until her face fell.

“What is it, babe?” he asked, gently touching her arm.

She cradled one hand inside the other and stared down at them in her lap.

“What if I get the job? I’ll have to move away.”

“Then I’ll have to come with you,” he replied immediately.

“And leave your job?” she asked hopefully.

“I can do my work from anywhere. You think I’m going to let you slip out of my hands now?”

She leaned back into his arms and gazed up at him.

“I feel really stupid, but I still don’t really know what you do.”

He grinned and ran his fingers up her thigh.

“Well, we’ve been…preoccupied.”
 

She giggled.

“That’s true.”

He pretended to get serious, taking her hand in his.
 

“I’m an accountant, babe.” He leaned forward to pick up the laptop, then placed it on her lap. “Now let’s make an application that’ll blow them the heck away.”

She smiled up at him adoringly.

“Let’s do it.”

*****

Chapter 2

“Everything looks great,” the midwife said, looking over Carla’s results.

Carla loved the soft, comforting timbre of her Scottish accent. Her name tag read
Laura
.

Atreus reached over to squeeze Carla’s hand and they smiled at each other.

“You have a February baby,” Laura said, grinning. “Probably around mid-February—Valentine’s Day!”

They all laughed a little.

“That seems like a lifetime away,” Atreus said. “We’ve already picked out names.”

“They’ll change,” the midwife said with a knowing smile as she filed away their paperwork. “Well, there’s nothing more to go over for today. Our office will ring you to arrange your next appointment when the time comes. That’ll be for your ultrasound. Until then, make sure you have my number and you can ring me in case of any pressing concerns or emergencies.”

She handed Carla and Atreus each a card with all her contact details.

“Thank you so much,” Carla said.
 

Laura had given Carla advice about nutrition and morning sickness, and had generally put her mind at ease. She felt like leaning across the desk and wrapping her up in a huge hug.