The Greek's Baby Bargain (14 page)

“Where are we?” she asked.

 

“I have an island in the Caribbean. It’s off the coast of Venezuela. I’m sure you’ll be very comfortable here,” he said without taking his eyes off the dirt road.

Emma gritted her teeth as the jeep bumped along the road. The trip was only about fifteen minutes and suddenly the dirt road became paved. Traveling around large palm trees, she gasped when she saw the bright, clear waters out in front of them. The house was equally impressive with white stucco walls and tiled patios shaded with thatched roofs in various places. There were smaller buildings off to the side and Emma suspected they were the servants quarters. She envied the servants, knowing that they would be able to stay in this little oasis year long, just waiting for Dimitri to come along. What an idyllic existence, she thought.

He pulled up outside a great, wooden door and jumped out, coming around to her side of the jeep to help her down. “Ready?” he asked, his eyes hidden by sunglasses.

 

Emma shook her head. “I don’t think I am,” she replied.

 

That brought a smile to his face and he replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re ready in every sense of the word.”

That’s what she was afraid of, she thought to herself as she climbed out of the jeep. He led her into the house, the front door already opened by a smiling couple. “This is Moira and Divito. They’re the keepers while I’m not here. Moira is a fabulous cook. I’m sure you’ll find everything you need. If not, just ask and they’ll make sure it is delivered to you,” he said.

Emma shook htier hands, startled when they looked at her shaking fingers with confusion. They were obviously excited for Dimitri to be here so they could provide for him and they didn’t understand her trepidation.

“This way,” he said. “Divito, can you bring our luggage upstairs later? We’ll just wander around the beach for a while.”

Divito bowed and walked out to the jeep to efficiently get their luggage while Dimitri took her hand in his and led her up a winding stair case to the second level. She knew exactly what he was going to do and she followed along nervously but obediently. This was what she’d signed up for and, although they’d shared a bed a couple of times since her return, she was having trouble blinding following him for a seduction scene.

“Don’t you have work you need to do? I’m sure I can occupy myself on the beach if you need to work,’ she said desperately.

“Nope. I’ve delegated everything to my staff. I’m completely yours for the next few days.” He led her out onto a balcony and Emma almost cried with relief when he pulled out a chair for her. On the table sat a glass pitcher and two glasses along with a plate of cheese and fresh, tropical fruit cut into a beautiful pattern.

As dimitri held the chair for her, she heard his deep chuckle in his ear. “Emma, you always were so transparent. You thought I would get you here and simply take you to bed for the next several days, didn’t you?”

Emma blushed and looked away, quickly picking up the pitcher and pouring two glasses of the frothy drink. “Of course not. And besides, it isn’t like we’re strangers anymore, is it?”

“Of course not.”

 

“I mean, we’re already lovers in a way. So what’s the difference if we have sex here or back in Athens. It’s basically the same thing.”

 

“With one major difference,” he said with his deep voice.

 

She almost dropped the pitcher. “What’s that?” she asked, tyring to appear calm and unconcerned about what they were about to do.

“The last few times there had been no anticipation. It was all very passionate but not deliberate. This time,” he said softly, accepting the glass she’d forgotten to offer him, “I’m going to make love to you in the bright light of day, out on the beach, in the water, under the stars and in every way possible.”
“No,” she whispered.

His grin was feral, predatory and his eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Yes.”

He was as good as his word. Emma took a long sip of the creamy liquid and felt the liquor as it immediately soothed her nerves. But after drinking only a few sips, she felt him stand and come behind her, taking the glass from her trembling hands and pulled her against him. He kissed her right there on the terrace, unconcerned about anyone. Why would they? It was his island and the only other inhabitants were the servants who had been told to stay away until he required them.

Pikcing her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed. There, he made love to her for the rest of the afternoon, and Emma gasped when she rolled over to see the sun setting on the horizong from their bedroom. But Dimitri was relentless. He made love to her that whole afternoon, not even giving her tiem for dinner and she didn’t care. When Dimitri set his mind to something, he was the ultimate lover. When their passion had subsided on the bed, he carried her to the shower, soaping her body and making love to her against the cool tiles. Instead of dinner, he took her down to the beach and fed her shrimp and cheese, then stripped her of the bathing suit she’d donned only an hour earlier, making love to her on a blanket as the moon rose to take the place of the sun.

By the end of their time together, Emma knew that every room in the house had been baptized with their lovemaking. After two years of marriage to him, he’d showed her more this weekend than she’d ever imagined possible. He was creative in his positions and each one was better than the last. And he drove her crazy with mindless passion so each time he came to her, she was begging, crying and demanding that he finish. He was the most attentive, warm and caring lover she oculd ever imagine, even during those long, lonely nights when she’d kept away from him, she never could have imagined this kind of passion between two people.

And what was worse, within five days, Emma was crazy in love with him once again. As she laid on the beach naked, letting the sun warm her skin while Dimitri swam through the ocean, she wondered if she’d ever not loved him. Accepting that Dimitri was not the kind of man one could fall out of love with. She understood now that, the best she could ever expect from life was to endure each day without him.

Feeling the spray of water on her warm skin, she looked up, shading her eyes with one hand while looking at the magnificent man standing over her.

 

“You’re goreeous, you know,” he said and laid his wet, hard body over hers. “And I want you once again.”

Emma knew that protesting would be pointless. The man was too good of a lover and he’d trained her body to need his as much as she needed food and water. Sighing happily, she put her arms around his neck and arched into his body. “You’re wet,” she gasped as his cooler skin touched her heated flesh.

His deep chuckle sounded in her ear as his teeth nibbled on her ear lobe. His hand moved between her thighs and he said, “so are you.”

 

“Yes!” she exclaimed and pulled him over her, her body already needing to feel him inside her, moving against her, needing the release only he could give her.

Emma pulled on the pretty red silk dress and surveyed her reflection in the mirror. The dress made her feel sexy and powerful. Perhaps it was the red, or maybe it was the way Dmitri looked when he stepped behind her. feeling and wasn’t going to question it too closely. since their return from the Caribbean, she thought. each day and neither wanting to question what might lay ahead of them. Whatever the reason, she liked the

Nothing was examined too closely It was like both of them were living

 

“I like it,” he said, his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo. “Where did you get it?” he asked. “I don’t believe I picked it out.”

She smiled with secret realization and looked back at him in the mirror. “No. I saw it in the window of a store today and just decided to buy it. Do you mind?” she asked, smoothing the shiny silk over her waist and hips seductively.

His eyes sparked but she couldn’t interpret his expression. “Why would I mind? It’s about time you started using the credit cards I gave you. What have you been using as spending money all this time?”

Emma laughed, relieved that he wasn’t angry about her using more of his money. “Rico or the other body guards always have cash on them so I don’t have to use any more of your money.” She’d felt uncomfortable using the credit card since the deal had been a pregnancy for the money he’d already given her. Sure, Rico had handed her the credit cards, but she still hadn’t felt right using them.

“I set up accounts for you so you could spend whatever you want. I’m not stingy, Emma. I never was. Did you think otherwise?” he asked.

Emma turned and faced him, her worried eyes looking up into his dark ones. “No!” she answered immediately. “You were very generous. I never felt as if you cared or even noticed what I spent. In fact, your mother was the one who encouraged me to spend more on my clothes, explaining that you had a certain image to maintain.” She smiled tentatively before saying, “You wouldn’t believe the horror on your mother’s face once when I told her I was going to wear that black and white gown that I liked so much to another occasion. Apparently, I’d been photographed in the dress and wearing it a second time was a definite no-no.”

Dmitri didn’t laugh at the story. In fact, he stared at her for a long moment, as if he was trying to figure something out. Finally, he turned away and put on his cuff links. “We need to leave,” he said and walked out of the bedroom.

Dinner that night was delicious and the couple they were dining with very amusing. The gentleman told stories about his childhood while his wife rolled her eyes in amusement. The whole evening was light and fun but Emma felt an undercurrent of tension between the Dmitri and the other man. She didn’t understand it and looked at him occasionally, trying to decipher what was bothering him. But his look was blank and she sighed at the futility of seeing something he didn’t want her to see. Dimitri was the ultimate actor and had years more experience than she’d ever have.

“Dance with me,” he said once the dessert was taken away.

Emma immediately stood up and fell into step with him. She’d always loved to dance with Dmitri. He was light on his feet and the perfect partner. Never mind the bliss of just being in his arms.

They stayed like that for several dances, their bodies swaying to the music, one hand on his shoulder, the other clasped gently in his warm, large grip. She looked up into his eyes, her breathing increased and all she wanted to do was leave the restaurant and go home so she could be in his arms.

He must have felt it as well since he looked down at her, his eyes on fire. “Let’s get out of here,” he said roughly.

Emma nodded but at just that moment, Lisa stepped onto the dance floor. “No way, handsome,” she said, shaking her finger at him. “I’ve been dying to dance with you all evening. You can dance just once with me before abandoning me to my oaf of a husband who hates to even hear music that might get me on the dance floor.”

Emma smiled at Lisa before turning to Dmitri. “I’ll go to the ladies room and freshen up. I’ll meet you back at the table.”

 

“Fine,” Dmitri said and took Lisa’s hand, bowing slightly.

Emma ignored the small spark of jealously that flared to life in her chest. She didn’t like the look in Lisa’s eyes but remembered how nice the couple had been during dinner. She wasn’t going to be silly over one little dance, she told herself.

In the ladies room, she reapplied her lipstick and touched up her nose with powder. There wasn’t much more to do since she didn’t wear a great deal of makeup and her hair was still neatly pinned where the hair dresser had placed all the curls earlier in the afternoon.

Stepping out, she immediately saw Dan leaning against the bar in the lobby. When he caught her eye, he pushed away and hurried over to her. “How about a drink while those two dance?” he suggested.

Emma looked into the dining room, wondering if the dance would take that long. Surely Dmitri wouldn’t be more than a few minutes, would he? “I don’t think…” she started to say.

“Nonsense. They’ll be a while,” he said and took her arm to lead her to the darker side of the bar. “Don’t leave me here all alone. I’ll look ridiculous. beautiful women will think I’m a dunce and we can’t have that, can we? to enter into a very lucrative arrangement with your husband and we wouldn’t want the press to assume he’s dealing with a social idiot, so just one drink,” he coaxed. “For the sake of your husband’s reputation,” he joked, adding to the plea.
All the other

I’m just about

His grip was a little more firm than she was comfortable with but she didn’t want to cause a scene so she went along with him, wondering if she could just have a few sips then head back into the dining room to see where Dmitri was.

“Fine, I’ll have some ice water,” she said, not wanting anymore alcohol.

 

“Don’t be silly,” he said. “A martini for the lady,” he told the bartender who immediately started pouring liquor into a shaker.

 

Emma was instantly wary. “Please, not a martini. I don’t usually drink hard alcohol,” she explained.

He only chuckled at her apprehension, not taking her seriously. “Then it’s time you lived on the wild side, my dear.” He picked up the glass the bartender had efficiently place on the bar and handed it to her. “To us,” he said softly.

Emma didn’t like the intimate tone of voice or the way he’d positioned them on the darker side of the bar. She didn’t want to drink to anyone other than her husband gritted her teeth at the man’s audacity. “How about to a nice evening?” she suggested instead.

“Whatever.” Dan’s eyes snapped impatiently but he took a sip of his bourbon, then guided her away from the bar.

Emma was becoming more concerned when she realized his intent. “Dan, why don’t we go back into the dining room,” she said, pulling back when he started to head towards a darkened corner of the room, away from the bartender who was the only person in the lobby at this time and where the walls would shield them from the other restaurant guests.

Dan pulled her along behind him, unaware or just unconcerned with the note of apprehension in her tone. “How about if we come over here and you can tell me more about yourself? I didn’t get a chance to learn about you during dinner and I have a feeling that you’re going to be fascinating.”