What The Greek Wants Most(14)

Because, even now, a pathetic part of him clung to the hope that maybe   his father hadn't known the full extent of the kidnapping threat; hadn't   known that Benedicto da Costa's reaction to being thwarted out of a   business deal would be to kidnap a seventeen-year-old boy, and have his   torture photographed and sent to his family to pressure them into   finding the millions of dollars owed to him.

His phone rang, wrenching him out of the bitter recollections. Glancing   down at the number, a bolt of white-hot anger lanced through him. He   forced himself to wait for a couple more rings before he answered it.   'Pantelides.'

'Bom dia. I've just had a very interesting conversation with my   daughter.' Theo detected the throb of anger in Benedicto da Costa's   voice and a grim smile curved his own lips. 'She seems determined to   pursue this rather sudden course of action where you're concerned.'                       
       
           



       

'Your daughter strikes me as a very determined woman who knows exactly what she wants,' he replied smoothly.

'She is. All the same, I can't help think that this decision is rather   precipitate.' There was clear suspicion in Benedicto's voice now.

'Trust me, it's been very well thought through on my part. Tell me, Benedicto, has she left yet?'

'Sim, against my wishes, she has left home,' he replied, his voice taut with displeasure.

A wave of satisfaction swept through Theo. 'Good. I'll await her arrival.'

'I hope this will not delay our meeting,' the older man enquired.

'Don't worry. The moment I welcome your daughter into my home, I'll head to your offices.'

An edgy silence greeted his answer and Theo could sense him weighing his   words to perceive a possible threat. Finally, Benedicto answered, 'We   should celebrate our partnership once the documents are signed.'

Theo's mouth twisted. Benedicto had already moved on from the subject of   his daughter. And he noticed there had been no admonition to treat her   well, or else …

But the knowledge that Benedicto had intensely disapproved of Inez's   intentions and had called him to air that disapproval was good enough   for him.

'Great idea. Unfortunately, I'll be busy for the next few nights.   Perhaps some time next week Inez and I will have you and Pietro over for   dinner.'

The fiery exhalation that greeted his indelicate words made Theo's grin widen.

'Of course. I'll look forward to it. Até a próxima,' Benedicto said tightly.

Theo ended the call without responding. He absorbed the pulse of triumph   rushing through his bloodstream for a pleasurable second before he   exhaled.

His plan was far from being executed. But this was a brilliant start.

He looked out of the floor to ceiling window at the sparkling pool and   the beach beyond and tried to push away the images that had visited him   again last night and the single hoarse scream that had woken him.

A full body shudder raked his frame and he shoved a hand through his   hair. Although he'd long ago accepted the nightmares as part of his   existence, he loathed their presence and the helplessness he felt in   those endless moments when he was caught in their grip.

The single therapy session he'd let Ari talk him into attending had mentioned triggers and the importance of anxiety-detectors.

He laughed under his breath. Putting himself within touching distance of   the man responsible for those nightmares would be termed as foolhardy   by most definitions.

Theo chose to believe that exacting excruciating revenge would heal him. An eye for an eye.

And if he had to suffer a few side-effects during the process, then so be it.

He tensed as his security intercom buzzed. Crossing the vast sun-dappled room, he picked up the handset.

'Senhor, there's a Senhorita da Costa here to see you.'

A throb of a different nature invaded his bloodstream. 'Let her in,' he instructed.

Replacing the handset, he found himself striding to the front door and   out onto his driveway before he realised what he was doing.

Hands on his hips, he watched her tiny green sports car appear on his   long driveway. The top was down and the wind was blowing through her   loose thick hair. Stylish sunglasses shielded her eyes from him but he   knew she was watching him just as he was studying her.

She brought the car to a smooth stop a few feet from him and turned off   the ignition. For several seconds the only sound that impinged on the   late morning air was the water cascading from the stone nymph's urn into   the fountain bowl. Then the sound of her seat belt retracting joined   the tinkling.

'You're late,' he breathed.

She pulled out her keys and opened her door. 'It took a while to uproot   myself from the only home I've ever known,' she said waspishly.

A touch from a well-manicured finger and the boot popped open. He strolled forward, viewed its contents and his eyes narrowed.

'And yet you only packed two suitcases for a three-month stay?' he   remarked darkly. 'I hope you don't think you can run back to Pai's house   each time you need a new toothbrush?'                       
       
           



       

She got out of the car.

From across the width of the open top, she glared at him. 'I can afford to buy my own toothbrush, thanks,' she retorted.

Theo nodded. 'Good to hear it.' Unable to stop himself, his gaze travelled down her body.

Faded jeans moulded her hips and her cream scooped-neck silk top left   her arms bare. Its short-in-the-front, longer-at-the-back design exposed   a delicious inch of golden, smooth midriff when she turned to shut her   door and the air lifted the light material.

Heat invaded his groin, once again reminding him of their kiss last night.

The kiss that had blown him clean away and rendered him almost incoherent by the time her brother had rudely interrupted them.

Hell, she'd been so responsive, so intoxicatingly passionate, she'd gone   to his head within seconds. What had set out as a   hammering-a-point-home exercise to convince her he meant business had   swiftly morphed into something else. Something he'd still been   struggling to decipher when she'd been hustled off his boat by her   suddenly protective brother.

One thing he'd been certain of was that had Pietro been a few more   minutes returning to the top deck, Theo was sure he would've had his   hands on her bare skin, exploring her in a more earthy way, propriety be   damned.

Luckily, he'd come to his senses. And, from here on in, he intended to focus on his plan and his plan alone.

She went to the boot and bent over to lift the first case. The sight of her rounded bottom made a vein throb in his temple.

He stepped forward, grabbed the cases from her and handed them to his   hovering butler. 'I'm running late for my meeting. We should have done   this last night like I suggested.'

He'd tried. But she'd stood her ground and he had quickly decided that   there was nothing to be gained from getting into a slanging match with   Pietro da Costa. That he'd also realised that his change of timing was   to do with that kiss and nothing to do with his carefully laid plans had   had him sharply reassessing his priorities.

'I'm here now. Don't let me stop you from leaving if you wish to.'

He smiled at the undisguised hope in her voice. 'Now what kind of host would I be if I desert you the moment you turn up?'

'The same as the one who blackmailed me into this situation in the first place?' she replied caustically.

There was a thread of unhappiness in her voice that grated at him.

'This will go a lot easier if you accept the status quo.'

'You mean just shut up and do as I'm told?' she snapped bitterly as she slammed the boot shut and walked towards him.

Unease weaved through him. With restless shoulders, he shrugged it away.   'No. You can protest all you want. I just want you to be aware of the   futility of it.'

She snorted under her breath, a sound that made his smile widen. She had   spirit, and wasn't afraid to bare her claws when cornered. Which made   him wonder why she withstood the unreasonable control from her father.   Were material benefits so important to her?

The heavy glass front door slid shut behind them and he watched her   reaction to his house. It was an architectural masterpiece, and had   featured in several top magazines before he'd bought it a year ago and   ceased all publicity of the award-winning design.

'Wow,' she breathed. 'This place must have cost you a bomb.'

Theo had his answer. Disappointment scythed through him as he watched   her move to the bronze sculpture he'd acquired several weeks back.

'I saw the exhibition on this two months ago. This piece is worth a cool   half million,' she gasped in wonder. 'And that one-' she pointed to   another smaller sculpture he'd commissioned by his favourite New York   artist '-is an exclusive piece, worth over two million dollars.'