The Greek Tycoon's Wife (2 page)

‘No, not for seven years. My only link is Harvey. It always was.' The assistance of her mother's patient, but ultimately unsuccessful admirer had only been forthcoming when Katie had convinced him that she would go ahead with her plan with or without his help.

‘If you're thinking about recruiting someone whose visa is running out and wants to stay in the country, forget it,' Harvey had told her in the plush surrounding of his City chambers. ‘Unless, that is, you
want
to expose yourself to criminal prosecution.' He pushed his metal-framed half-moon glasses up his thin nose and looked at her severely.

‘I hadn't thought of that,' Katie admitted with wide-eyed dismay.

‘Seems to me you haven't thought much at all.'

‘If you're going to try and stop me…'

‘If I thought I had any chance of succeeding I would,'
the legal brain admitted with engaging candour. ‘For your mother's sake I want to make sure you think this thing through properly—if such a thing is possible?'

‘She was very fond of you too.'

Poor Harvey; there had only ever been one man for her mother and she had given up everything to be with him. Katie had wondered whether she'd ever find a love like that—one that didn't think of consequences, one that lasted for ever. She wasn't actually sure she wanted to. The idea of falling victim to such a blind, relentless passion was actually rather scary.

‘You do appreciate that it's very unlikely that the sort of man who would marry you for a one-off payment would be satisfied with that?'

‘How do you mean?'

‘I mean there's a strong possibility that a man like that would have questionable scruples. He'd be back for more,' Harvey explained bluntly. ‘And then there's the question of making yourself vulnerable to blackmail.'

‘But there won't be any money, I'm giving the rest away.' Katie couldn't help but think that dealing with hardened criminals had made Harvey a little overly suspicious.

‘That's another thing—is it really wise to give up your
entire
inheritance too?'

‘Non-negotiable,' Kate interrupted abruptly.

‘In that case—' the lawyer sighed ‘—how do you feel about raising the amount you'd pay the groom?'

‘By how much?'

Harvey told her and she gasped. ‘You've got to be kidding…?'

‘It might seem a lot, well, actually it is a lot,' he conceded. ‘But in the long run I really think this is your safest bet. As it happens I know of a person who needs an injection of cash and for reasons I can't go into he prefers not to approach the usual sources…'

‘Five hundred thousand pounds is quite a big injection,' she began doubtfully.

‘True, but the capital left over would still be more than enough to provide a very generous income for the Grahams, and there would be no question of this man ever demanding anything else of you or troubling you in any way. I'd personally guarantee that.'

‘Why does this man need so much money?' she asked bluntly.

‘I'm really not at liberty to discuss that, the choice is yours. All I can say is that I will
personally
guarantee this person's integrity.'

Even if this man was shady, what were her alternatives? She could advertise in a personal column but, Harvey was right, what sort of weirdos would respond to an ad for a husband?

‘All right, then.'

‘Excellent. All I have to do now is persuade N…him…'

‘Persuade
him
…?'

‘Don't worry, dear, I'm sure he'll come around,' Harvey soothed.

He had come around and up until now Katie had had no reason to regret her decision.

‘So this man you married, he could be anywhere, doing anything…he might even be dead. Oh, that would be convenient.'

Her friend's joking words jolted Katie back to the present.
‘Sadie!'

Sadie grinned sheepishly. ‘Well, it would. I'm just being practical.'

‘I want to divorce the man, not put out a contract on him!'

Sadie normally respected the younger girl's reserve but at that moment her curiosity got the better of her. ‘So all you know about this man is his name?'

Katie had never elaborated beyond saying that marriage
had been the only way she'd been able to inherit the money from her Greek grandfather's estate. Which begged the question why was Katie flat broke these days?

Katie nodded. ‘Nikos Lakis.' She found herself strangely reluctant to say the name.

‘Is he Greek?'

‘I assumed so.'

‘Nikos Lakis…mmm. Did he look as sexy as he sounds?' Sadie giggled huskily. ‘Or was he short, fat and balding?'

‘I can't remember,' Kate replied shortly. She wasn't quite sure why she lied. Many of her memories of that day were hazy, but not the face of the man she had stood beside and exchanged solemn vows with.

She didn't know what she'd been expecting but it hadn't been Nikos Lakis.

Harvey, watching her face anxiously as the tall Greek had arrived, must have seen the spasm of shock that had passed over her features.

‘I suppose there is a little resemblance to your brother,' he murmured, intuitively sensing the source of her distress. ‘I should have said…'

Katie shook her head. ‘He's not really like him.'

She wasn't just saying this to make Harvey feel better. Peter's face had been extremely attractive, but stood next to this man he would have been invisible. Her twin hadn't possessed the sheer physical presence that this stranger had in abundance.

As the stranger she was about to marry inclined his dark head in acknowledgement of Harvey and turned his attention briefly to her, Katie saw there was none of Peter's petulance in this austerely beautiful face, nor any of the warmth. In fact, she saw as he came closer that he wasn't anything like her twin at all.

This man was ice.

Seven years later she was helpless to control the little shudder that slipped down her spine or the nervous flutter
in her tummy as she visualised those silver-shot midnight-dark eyes fringed by decadently dark lashes set in an otherwise starkly uncompromising bronzed face.

Even if he hadn't been an attention-grabbing six feet five of solid bone and muscle and moved with the natural grace of a top-class athlete, who could forget those eyes…? She hadn't. They'd even featured in some disturbingly erotic dreams that had disrupted her sleep over the years.

‘He's alive.'

Sadie raised her eyebrows at her friend's emphatic tone.

‘Actually I've never seen anybody quite
so
alive.' His vitality had been like an electric current. His brief touch had made her skin tingle and she'd been relieved he hadn't prolonged the contact more than absolutely necessary.

‘I thought you couldn't remember what he looked like.' Sadie watched the distant, almost dreamy expression cross the younger woman's face.

‘I can't, it was just an impression,' Katie replied a little quickly, too stubborn to admit even to herself the impact her bought bridegroom had made on her.

‘Quite a coincidence you both being Greek.'

Katie's soft lips firmed and her eyes filled with scorn. ‘I'm
half
Greek.'

It was a half that showed in the contours of her oval face with its proud, high forehead, straight classical nose, delicately sculpted lips and long, swan-like neck. It was also a half she was always ready to deny. The half that had heartlessly cast off the daughter who had offended their precious family honour.

Not even after her husband had died and she'd been left to bring up two young children on the small salary she'd earned working part-time as a legal secretary had Katie's mother tried to contact her family who had rejected her on her wedding day.

Katie and her twin had been brought up with very little
knowledge of their mother's culture, which suited Katie fine. She had no time for people who could punish a woman for falling in love outside her class and culture. No, as far as she was concerned she was all British.

K
EPT
late by an unexpected emergency at work, Katie rang Tom to arrange to go directly to the hotel where they were having dinner. She dashed home, fed the cat, a particularly evil-tempered ginger tom called Alexander, and got changed in record time. As she emerged from the taxi nothing about her demeanour hinted at the breathless haste with which she'd got ready.

High heels crunching on the gravel, Katie hurried across the forecourt unable to dismiss the nagging feeling she had forgotten something. Walking into the brightly lit foyer, she smoothed down her freshly washed hair, which she hadn't had the time to blow-dry properly; it fell river-straight almost to her waist, gleaming like the finest spun silk under the bright lights, which picked out the rich chestnut highlights in the deep glossy brown strands.

Tom was waiting. His face lit up as she appeared and his obvious pleasure made Katie glad she had decided to wear the dress Sadie had given her with a plea for her to make use of it.

Tom kissed her hard on the mouth, which was surprising; he was normally quite undemonstrative in public. ‘You look beautiful!' he said huskily as they drew apart.

‘You sound surprised…' Her teasing hid a secret worry. Was it entirely normal to be thinking about whether you'd remembered to unlock the cat flap while you were being passionately kissed by the man you were going to marry? ‘It must be the dress.' Though he never openly criticised the way she dressed, Katie knew he would have liked her to dress up more.

‘I didn't even notice the dress,' Tom replied huskily.

‘Well, there's not a lot to notice, is there?' she responded, glancing uncertainly down at the midnight-blue slip dress that clung to the soft curves of her body a little too lovingly for her comfort. ‘You don't think it's a bit…
obvious
?'

The appeal made Tom throw back his head and laugh. ‘You couldn't look anything but cool and classy if you tried, and I'm the luckiest man in the world.'

He might not think so soon.

Katie took a deep breath. There was never going to be a good time to tell him this, so now, she reasoned, was as good a time as any other.

‘Tom, there's something I need to tell you,' she told him urgently.

A flicker of impatience crossed her fiancé's boyishly handsome features. ‘We'll talk about it later, sweetheart,' he said, grabbing her hand. ‘We're late as it is, and Nikos isn't used to people keeping him waiting.'

The name was so unexpected it hit her like a blow, snatching the air from her lungs and the thoughts from her head. There was a loud whooshing noise in her ears and it took several heart-thudding seconds before the room stopped spinning.

‘Nikos…?'
she faltered. ‘That's a pretty unusual name.'

‘Not in Greece.'

No way could fate be that cruel. ‘He's Greek…?' she asked with extreme casualness.

Tom nodded. ‘That's right. We were at Oxford University at the same time, though Nik dropped out before he graduated.'

‘That doesn't sound like someone you'd know…' Katie gulped hoarsely. Dropping out equated with someone being reckless, someone who might at a push get into debt, someone who might resolve the problem by…
Stop this,
she told herself sternly,
you're getting paranoid.

‘You mean I'm a boring old stick.' Tom pouted, exploiting his boyish charm for all it was worth.

‘You're not old…' Katie protested, subduing a flicker of irritation. ‘Or boring,' she added hastily. ‘You're solid and responsible.'

‘That makes me feel a hell of a lot better,' Tom responded, his charm fading abruptly.

Conscious she had hurt his feelings, Katie tried to soothe his injured pride.

‘Women don't actually want to marry exciting men,' Katie told him, believing it. ‘They're too unreliable.' She stopped, unhappily aware that she was only making matters worse.

To her relief Tom recovered his humour and laughed loudly.

‘No, they just want to make mad passionate love to them,' he suggested, thinking she looked especially adorable flushed and confused.

‘Some women might, but not me,' Katie insisted firmly. ‘Men like that are vain and shallow and only interested in looking cool,' she sneered.

Tom winced. ‘You'll not share that with Nikos will you, sweetheart?'

‘I shall hang on his every word like it's inscribed in stone,' she promised dutifully, willing to flatter his friend if it made Tom happy.

‘You'll like him.'

Katie couldn't hide her scepticism.

‘Women do,' Tom assured her authoritatively. ‘Actually you're right, Nik wasn't in my circles of friends; in fact he was a bit of a loner. He used to ride around on this dirty great motor bike…'

Katie nodded. She was beginning to get the picture, and she didn't find it comforting. Someone reckless, who liked danger…her imagination had no problem at all picturing
Nikos Lakis in motor-bike leathers looking brooding and dangerous.

‘I was there when he swerved to avoid a kid that ran out into the road. I didn't do much, but he got it into his head that I'd saved his life.'

Katie listened to his modest pronouncement with a tender smile. ‘Which means you probably did.'

‘I only did what anyone else would,' Tom insisted with a self-deprecating shrug. ‘To be honest I was surprised when he kept in touch after he left. Apparently it caused some almighty family row when he dropped out, but everything's cosy now. His old man had a heart attack and major bypass surgery a couple of years ago and Nik took over the family firm…they're a Greek shipping family, though since the seventies they've diversified dramatically…They're billionaires… Are you all right?' he added, examining her waxily pale face with concern.

Katie took a deep breath and refocused on his anxious face. Relief made her feel quite light-headed. A Greek billionaire's son! She felt like laughing at her irrational fears. Let him be the biggest bore of the century; it no longer mattered.

‘Fine.' She lifted her hand briefly to her forehead and felt a light sheen of moisture on her skin. ‘Minor blood-sugar dip, I didn't have time for lunch today,' she admitted, making a silent vow to tell Tom the truth before the evening was out.

Tom frowned disapprovingly. ‘They take advantage of you at that place.' He squeezed her shoulder. ‘Never mind, not long now and you'll be able to hand in your notice.'

‘Hand in my notice?' Katie echoed blankly.

Tom laughed. ‘You'll be far too busy to work when you're my wife. Of course, if you want to continue with a little charity work…'

Katie could hardly believe what she was hearing—Tom
expected her to quit work when they were married! There was no way!

‘You've got a bit more colour in your cheeks now,' he observed, blissfully unaware that it was hostility to her impending retirement that had produced the delicate tinge of creamy rose to her pale honey complexion. ‘Come on, love, the sooner we feed you the better.'

‘And your friend doesn't like being kept waiting,' Katie couldn't prevent herself from adding drily.

His friend called Nikos.

How stupid she'd been to be spooked by a name. There were most probably hundreds—no,
thousands
of men called Nikos in the world, she told herself as she followed Tom into the dining room.

This isn't happening!

‘Here she is, Nikos.' Tom, oblivious to the frozen state of the young woman beside him, proudly pushed her forward. Like a marionette she responded stiffly. ‘This is Katie. Didn't I tell you she was totally gorgeous and clever too? Come on, sweetheart, don't be shy…'

Shy?
More like paralysed with shock and horror, not to mention being scared witless into the bargain! Oh, God, this meal looked like one she wasn't likely to forget in a hurry!

If the floor had opened up at her feet Katie would have jumped into the black hole rather than live this moment. Even at the best of times she hated it when Tom introduced her to his friends with this sort of fanfare. Maybe there were women out there who could live up to the sort of lavish build-up he gave her, but Katie knew she wasn't one of them.

The dark-suited, long-limbed figure rose with languid, almost feral grace to his feet. ‘You did indeed, Tom.'

All thoughts of hallucination vanished. Katie hadn't heard it for seven years, but the deep, cultured voice was exactly as she recalled it. The bitter-chocolate tone with the
merest hint of an accent made goose-bumps break out like a rash over her skin and had, she suspected, some worrying connection with her tingly feelings.

Despite her scornful dismissal, the
tingly
feelings continued to make their presence felt.

‘Tom's told me so much about you I feel as though we already know each other.'

Unlike her, Tom didn't seem to notice the sinister, sardonic edge in the soft words or see the cold hostility in the other man's remarkable eyes as they roamed casually over her body, lingering longer than was polite on the exposed slopes of her breasts.

Despite the fact disbelief was ricocheting wildly around inside her head, Katie could almost admire his nerve, her own was very near to breaking-point. It wasn't just not knowing how or why he was here—
and that was bad enough!
—it was the not knowing what he was going to do or say next that really terrified her.

Their glances locked, the expression on those finely chiselled features revealed little, but as their eyes briefly touched Katie was left with the definite impression that he was enjoying every second of her discomfiture. It was that discovery that enabled her to hold it together.

Katie welcomed the fortifying flicker of anger; it was something solid and real for her to cling to. The malicious pleasure she'd seen in those dark, unfathomable depths was inexplicable to her. Admittedly buying a husband might make her deserving of the odd sneer and snigger in some ungenerous quarters, but if she'd been doing the buying he'd been bought, which hardly made his position one of superiority…not that you'd know, he looked so damned pleased with himself.

Though that smugness and self-satisfaction might have something to do with the billions he no doubt had in his bank account.
And I gave him money…
When her mind started working again she might be able to figure that one
out, but right now she had to swallow a bubble of hysterical laughter; the situation was positively surreal.

‘Katie, darling, this is Nikos Lakis.'

Like Tom, he was wearing a dark grey suit; unlike Tom's, it was not cut to disguise a spreading waistline. It was hard to imagine the man standing there indulging himself in the necessary excesses to result in a thickening waistline…everything about him was hard and he exuded an aura that said, ‘I'm in control'. She'd not come across many men like that but those she had she hadn't warmed to. They thought the world revolved around them.

Her mind drifted back to the small, stuffy little ante-room of the register office. She recalled the tall, commanding figure so much younger than she'd been expecting who'd strode in displaying an unnerving
presence
and none of the humility she'd expected of a man desperate enough to marry for money. Knowing he'd been born with a solid gold spoon in his distressingly sexy mouth explained the arrogance, but not why a billionaire's son had married for money.

My God, I've been married to a Greek million…no, billionaire for seven years and I didn't even know it.
Even the most soapy of daytime soaps wouldn't dare come up with a storyline that far-fetched.

Katie was forced to revise her opinion about control slightly as her wide, shock-glazed eyes slid to the passionate curve of his wide, sensual lips…the light, quivering sensation in her belly intensified. If he did lose control he'd probably do it in a spectacular way. A totally inappropriate mental image of those predatory lips crashing down on her own flashed across her vision…

Katie was just getting on top of her wayward imagination when her nightmare smiled—it wasn't helpful. The smile exuded a sensual menace totally in keeping with her wild imaginings. Her bemused brain sought refuge in irrelevant details like the sculpted curve of his lips and the slashing
angle of his high, angular cheekbones. Over the years she'd decided that her imagination had exaggerated the raw sexuality Nikos Lakis exuded—she now knew differently! The man oozed sex appeal from every pore; it was hardly decent.

Katie's obedient lips did the necessary social smiling, but her eyes were another matter; they continued to broadcast horror, confusion and bewilderment.

Tom, cheerfully oblivious to the screaming tension or her reluctance, pulled her farther forward with pride.

‘Pleased to meet you, Katherine.' One dark brow quirked. ‘It is
Katherine
…?'

She glared…he knew full well it wasn't. Like herself, he had a copy of the marriage certificate that Harvey had locked safely away…
Harvey
! The trusted family friend must have known his identity and he hadn't told her—the duplicity of men was staggering, she thought, wisely skimming over her own forays in that direction of late.

‘No, actually it's Katerina.'
Do you, Katerina, take…
She gave her head a little shake to chase away the intrusive memory. ‘Only nobody calls me that any more,' she added, anxiety and escalating antipathy making her soft voice terse and sharp.

‘That's a pity, it's a beautiful name.'

It was the way he said it, but then a bus timetable would sound dreamy when spoken by that silver tongue. No, not silver—if that deep, velvet-textured drawl had a colour it would be a deep, decadent purple. She gave her head a tiny shake, irritated by the whimsical nature of her thoughts. Purple or puce, a voice like that constituted a very dangerous ability in a male, especially one who looked like this.