“We were discussing your autocratic demand for me to appear at your office
tomorrow.”
“It was a request, Bella,” he said patiently.
“And of course I will honor it. Shall we say ten in the morning then? I’m a bit
tired, and I’d like to sleep in.”
“Of course. Don’t overtax yourself. Order in room service tonight for dinner.
Your expenses are being taken care of.”
Of course. She hadn’t expected anything less and knew better than to argue. The
Anetakis brothers were thorough if nothing else. And very serious about their perceived
obligations.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said.
He uttered an appropriate goodbye, and she hung up the phone. A smile popped
her lips upward as she hugged her midsection in delight. Oh, she’d planned to pay him a
visit the next day, all right.
Two
T heron sat back in his chair and surveyed the skyline of the city from his
window. After a busy morning of meetings and phone calls, he actually had a few
minutes to breathe. He glanced at his watch and grimaced as he remembered that Isabella
Caplan was due in a few minutes.
He felt like a revolving door. Isabella was in, and then she’d depart for Europe,
while Alannis would be arriving in a week’s time from Greece. Thankfully he’d be rid of
his obligation to Isabella in short order. He’d make sure she was adequately provided for,
arrange for someone from Anetakis International to meet her in London and have a
security team see to her safety for the duration of her stay.
Alannis, on the other hand…He smiled ruefully. She was his own doing. He and
Alannis had what could only be considered a close friendship. Perhaps an understanding
was a better term, though he was open to the relationship growing into more. He knew he
needed to settle down now that he was taking over the New York office. It was
something he’d discussed candidly with Alannis a few weeks before.
They’d make a good couple. They understood each other. She was from a solid
Greek family, old friends of his father’s. Her own father owned a shipping company.
They were well matched, and so it stood to reason that they’d gravitate toward each
other.
She’d give him friendship and children. He’d give her security, protection.
Yes, it was time to settle down. His move to New York was in all likelihood
permanent, as Marley had no desire to move from the island where she and Chrysander
had made their home. And if he was going to be living here on a permanent basis, it
seemed the best course to find a wife and start his family.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He frowned and looked up
as he uttered the command to enter.
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THE TYCOON’S REBEL BRIDE
6
MAYA BANKS
SILHOUETTE DESIRE 1944
THE ANETAKIS TYCOONS
“Sir, Ms. Caplan is here to see you,” Madeline, his secretary, said as she poked
her head in the door.
“Send her in,” he said brusquely.
As he waited, he straightened in his seat and drummed his fingers idly on the
desk. He tried to draw on his vague memories of the girl but all he could picture was a
very young Isabella with big eyes, gangly legs and braces. He wasn’t even sure how old
she was now, only that she’d graduated. Wouldn’t that make her somewhere around
twenty-two?
He summoned a gentle smile as the door swung open. No need to scare her to
death. He was on his feet and walking forward to greet her when he pulled up short, all
the breath knocked squarely from his chest.
Before him stood not a girl, but a stunningly beautiful woman. An invisible hand
seized his throat, squeezing until he twisted his neck to alleviate the discomfort.
She smiled tentatively at him, and he felt the gesture to his toes. For a long
moment, all he could do was gawk like a pimply-faced teenager experiencing his first
surge of hormones.
Isabella was dressed in formfitting jeans that slung low on her hips. Her top, if
you could call it an actual top, hugged her generous curves as snugly as a man’s hands.
The hem fell to just above her navel, and that, coupled with the low-slung jeans, bared
her navel to his view.
His gaze was drawn to it and the glimmer of silver in the shallow indention. He
frowned. She had a belly ring?
He looked up, embarrassed to be caught staring, but then he locked eyes with
hers. Long, dark hair fell in layers beyond her shoulders. Long lashes fringed sparkling
green eyes. A hint of a smile curved plump, generous lips and white teeth flashed in his
vision. Two dimples appeared in her cheeks as her smile broadened.
This was not a woman who could ever escape notice. The past several years had