The Summer Deal (7 page)

She’d haunted his thoughts from their first meeting. Now the fiancé was no longer an obstacle to establishing a personal relationship with Sammy, and Demo would be dammed if he didn’t sate this fixation he wasn’t able to dismiss.

As if able to read his mind, she shifted in her chair and pulled her hands into her lap, twiddling her thumbs with the speed of a NASCAR racer on a track. He’d made her uncomfortable, and that wasn’t his intent.

“
Koukla
is a term of endearment we use in Greek. It literally means ‘doll,’ but we use it to address little girls, or females that we value and hold dear.” He added the explanation in an attempt to ease her discomfort.

“I see,” she whispered, and continued to twist her hands. Her thumbs began to slow. “You’ve addressed your sister, Athena, and your mother like that on the phone many times. That’s sweet.”

“They’re very special to me.” Contemplating his next words, not wanting to distress her any further, Demo decided he needed to say them. “And, so are you.”

She raised those beautiful emerald eyes and locked on his gaze, appearing to search for answers to questions she didn’t want to ask. He’d been patient for months; he could give her a few more days to acclimate to a different sort of relationship between them.

“Sammy, don’t think for the next few days. Try to feel. Let’s leave work, threats, and New York behind us, and just get to know each other as individuals. Let me show you Athens and the country of my ancestors. I think you’ll like it.” He closed his hand over hers.

“Sounds good. Thank you.”

“Great. Let’s get going. The shops will be open soon.” Demo finished his
frappé
and stood. “I’ll make a quick call and meet you in the hall in a few minutes.”

*****

The Athens boutiques had every item and brand name Sammy wanted or needed. The difference from the New York stores was the physical layout and the personal attention- from A to Z. On the other hand, maybe the service was due to the sales clerks willing to accommodate each of Demo’s requests.

Sammy watched the broad shoulders and muscular back casually stroll about the store. This was trouble. She was letting her mind go wild when she really needed to keep her wits around her or she’d regret it. She laughed aloud.

I’ve died and gone to heaven with my own Greek god.

Once in the fitting room, a continuous selection of clothes bombarded Sammy. Each piece was more beautiful than the first. There was the crisp aqua linen dress with the daring plunge that emphasized her abundant cleavage all too well. The cream silk goddess dress, trimmed with a gold pattern of flowering blooms on the hem was a favorite, but so was the billowing white skirt with the matching halter-style top. And the problem was that the gorgeous outfits, as if by magic, just kept appearing, slowing her decision-making skills a little more with each garment.

Sammy picked the cream goddess dress, a denim skirt, a pair of capris, and a couple of tops. Exiting the fitting room with the pile rising to just below her chin, she looked up at a grinning Demo.

“Where’s the dress that matches your eyes?” he asked, and walked over to relieve her of the bundle.

“I feel frivolous taking all this. Not to mention the shoes and cosmetics you’ve sent back to the apartment.” And to make matters worse, he hadn’t allowed her to pay for a single thing. “These are more than enough. I’m sure my case will make it to the hotel by the time the sun sets.”

Instantly, his eyes lit up, and he looked like a little boy hiding a frog in his pocket. Demo didn’t argue, rather he handed her a pair of Levis and suggested she change into them before they left. He added a long sleeve cycling type shirt and turned toward the register to finish paying.

Perturbed, she took the jeans and headed back into the room to change. Elena, the woman who’d been carting all the clothes, followed. “Mr. Lakis is a good fish. Be sure not to let him get away. Not many like him in the sea.”

“No, no,” Sammy insisted. “It isn’t like that. Demo is my employer. We’re here for business, and my suitcase went on to Crete at the airport. Our itinerary has changed, and I need a few outfits for Athens.”

Elena patted her arm and smiled as she shook her head. “Don’t bother to explain, Sammy. Eh? Just enjoy your time in Athens with your boss.”

Either these Greeks were hopeless romantics, or they had the most active imaginations on earth. Sammy shrugged and stepped into the Levis, refusing to credit the thoughts of a dreamy relationship with Demo dancing in her mind. He was off limits. Not only was he her boss, she sternly reminded herself, she was also nothing like the women he dated.

Curvy, short, and a redhead, Samantha didn’t look like she belonged on his arm. And their differences weren’t simply physical. She’d been lonely growing up as a child, and she would continue to be alone with no children of her own to fill her adult home. Whereas Demo had been surrounded by family his whole life. Aside from his extended family, Demo had a brother, a sister and both parents. He was a mountain of strength within his family and radiated love to those in it.

You can’t ever give him the family he wants. Don’t think of taking any chances with him, no matter how tempting he is to you.

“Sammy, you ready?” Demo’s voice sounded behind the locked door.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

She quickly pulled her hair over the shirt collar and tucked the cycling top into the jeans. Opening the door, she spread out her hands indicating her outfit. “Why do I need to wear jeans? It must be ninety-five degrees out there.”

“Patience, my dear, is a virtue, and I promise, very worth the time.”

Sammy tugged at the collar growing very tight around her neck. His playful tone, laced with slow and sweet seduction, affected her physically. She was probably beet-red and made a perfect strawberry impersonation.

Placing his hand on her back, he guided her toward the door. “You’ll have your answer in under an hour.”

Suddenly his arm wrapped around her waist and held her up. She’d come into full body contact with a massive BMW motorcycle parked exactly outside the door. In the middle of the sidewalk.

“How ridiculous is this?” she exclaimed.

Chuckling, Demo pulled her around to the back of the shiny bike and placed a new red helmet on her head. “
This
is Athens, and what patience looks like to a Lakis man.”

“You left this bike in the middle of the sidewalk? Aren’t you worried about a ticket? Or even worse, someone killing themselves over it?”

“Not really,” he said. Snapping the strap under her chin into place, Demo pointed down the connecting storefronts and laughed as a young couple dismounted less than two meters in front of a café. “It’s a part of life here.”

“Why aren’t we taking the car?”

“Because we want to enjoy the ride to its fullest.” He put on his own helmet and swung a long leg over the motorcycle. Scooting forward, he nodded for her to get on.

Rising to her toes, she grabbed a hold on his broad shoulders and climbed up. Sitting behind him, his tight jean clad rear tucked neatly against her thighs, did nothing to convince her not to think of her boss in a sexual or romantic way.

Oh well, she was here. She may as well go for the ride. She squeezed her thighs a bit and tapped his shoulder to let him know she was ready. As the powerful BMW lurched forward, she found her tentative hold on his shoulders was insufficient, and wrapped her hands around his middle, settling securely against him for the trip.

Silliness and immaturity. That was what was happening. She’d been misreading his simple friendly overtures. She’d never been able to read men correctly. Considering her father had walked out of her life at eight, and with no uncles and absent grandparents, there was no normal man to compare the opposite sex to.

Mistakes filled twenty-seven years, and one of them was her ability to characterize the men in her life. Signs of Brad’s unstable mental state had always been there, but she hadn’t recognize them. She’d been naïve and believed his obsession was a sign of love.

Damage done, he’d left her romantically timid and beaten. Sammy hid behind a strong professional façade. She preferred the woman she was today, but she wanted to add another aspect to her life: carefree romance and fun.

It's doable; now I have the experience and knowledge not to lose my heart.

Sighing at the thought, she wondered if she was strong enough to truly abandon her inhibitions and come out in one piece. Especially with the man whose body she was pressed up against so intimately. She loosened her hold and tried to straighten against the force of wind.

Half an hour later, she acknowledged Demo had been correct. Riding south along the rugged coastal road on a motorcycle definitely pleased the senses more than being cooped up in a car.

The feel of the arid Greek air against her face was invigorating, and the variety of smells wafting in the breeze at the stoplights was enticing. There was the sweet jasmine from the blooms dotting the landscape on the left, the appetizing aroma of the cubed meat from the
souvlakia
on the charcoal grills, and the tantalizing scent of the sea on their right.

The cliffs dropped into the azure water, calling Sammy for a swim. On each twist and turn, she tightened her hold on the muscular body pushing against her, and found herself enjoying his clean masculine scent above all the others.

This wasn’t a ride, but a surreal flight into something she didn’t quite know how to identify. As if burdens rushed off her shoulders, she was lighter, free of concerns that had previously weighed her down.

Glorious, she felt glorious, just like the gold speck that glittered in the distance on the edge of a cliff. What was it?

Slowing the bike, Demo pulled off to a small space between some shrubs on the cliff. He removed his helmet and turned to speak to her. “This is Cape Sounion, and the Temple of Poseidon is atop that cliff.” He pointed to the gold shimmer she’d been admiring. “The ancient Athenians built it to make offerings to the god of the sea. They believed it would keep their men safe when they sailed away from the city-state.”

“Is it covered with gold?” Sammy asked.

Shaking his head side to side, he smiled. “No, but seeing it from here, a person could make that assumption. It’s the sun reflecting at just the perfect angle off the age-worn marble. You’ll be able to see it as we get closer. It’s my favorite spot near Athens to watch the sun set.”

He replaced his helmet, and returned to the road. As they approached, the columns on the temple took shape, and the magnificence of the mount was inspiring. She’d read stories of an Athenian king committing suicide here, but she couldn’t remember why.

They arrived at the archeological site and parked. Demo took her hand and quickly led her past the café and gift shop. Once inside the gates, she noticed the awning pulled over the ticket booth window.

“Don’t we need to pay an entrance fee?” she asked, tugging on his hand.

“
Ts
,” he made the peculiar noise through slightly parted lips. “I mean, no. The visitors are required to leave at sunset, and nobody in Greece would dare charge us for less then ten minutes to visit a public place that belongs to all Greeks.”

Their feet hurried over the well-worn marble path as they passed ruins Demo identified as belonging to Athena’s temple. Walking beside the roped off area of one of the best-preserved structures from ancient times, Poseidon’s Temple, they veered off the trail.

Demo spoke as they climbed over the fallen marble spewed on the grounds. “This is a Doric-style temple with six columns on the front and thirteen columns along the side. Archaeologists have restored some of it, but these are the original stones the ancients rested on. What you see is truly a treasure,”

“Not all,” she said, saddened by the graffiti on the marvelous structure dating back hundreds of years.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t always roped off. Much of this is centuries old, but most of it is from World War II. It’s rumored that Lord Byron left his mark here, but I spent many afternoons as a kid looking for it and never found it.”

“It’s too bad people didn’t respect it and vandalized it,” she said.

“The Greeks were struggling to stay alive at that time. Others didn’t know any better. Today, it’s under government control, and people can go to jail for defacing antiquities.” Demo picked a large marble slab and they sat down side by side.

An entranced Sammy studied the beautiful temple as he relayed the story of the competition between Poseidon and Athena to be the patron of Athens. “They both wanted control of the city. Obviously, Athena won, but the Athenians wanted to honor Poseidon for his dedication to them and for protecting them and looking out for their ships out on the water. They built this temple for that purpose.”

“It makes sense that they picked a place with a view of the sea for him,” she added.

“Sacrificially and strategically, this was an important position. But what thrills me the most about this place still happens today.”

He paused, and she found herself wanting to urge him to speak faster. The sun was almost down, and they’d have to go soon.

“Go on,” she pleaded impatiently.