Читать книгу Eligible Greeks: Tycoon's Revenge - Шантель Шоу, Catherine George - Страница 10

HOW could he feel this overwhelming sexual attraction to Tahlia when he loathed her? Thanos wondered furiously. His brain acknowledged that she was an immoral slut, but his body was responding with humiliating eagerness to the delicate fragrance of her perfume. He could not tear his eyes from the soft curve of her mouth, and the tantalising fullness of her lips was proving an irresistible temptation. His desire for her was an unexpected complication that filled him with self-disgust, but no amount of reminding himself of Melina’s injuries could banish the fierce urge to crush Tahlia’s lips beneath his.

Thanos was going to kiss her. Tahlia saw the smouldering intent in his eyes seconds before he lowered his head, and she was stunned by the realisation that she wanted him to. He believed she had slept with his sister’s husband, and he had made his opinion of her quite clear, but for reasons she could not understand she made no attempt to deny him and simply waited, heart thumping, for his mouth to claim hers.

The first brush of his mouth sent a quiver of reaction through her. His lips were firm, sliding demandingly over hers, but Tahlia’s pride belatedly came to her aid and she clamped her mouth shut, fighting the overwhelming temptation to respond to him. He hated her, she reminded herself. And he thought he had good reason to destroy Reynolds Gems in a bid to hurt her. He adamantly refused to believe that she had not set out to deliberately steal his sister’s husband, and if she gave in to the urgent clamouring of her body and kissed him back it would surely confirm his belief that she was the immoral slut he had accused her of being.

But she had recognised the sizzling sexual chemistry between them at the art gallery, and now it was raging out of control, consuming them both. When he caught hold of her hand and drew her to her feet she went unresistingly—now they were standing so close, yet not quite touching, and her senses were inflamed by the subtle scent of male pheromones, the intoxicating heat emanating from his hard body that made her long to close the gap between them and have him crush her against his muscular chest.

His lips hardened, became more urgent, and her will-power crumbled beneath the onslaught. With a little gasp she opened her mouth, and he immediately thrust his tongue deep into its moist warmth, exploring her with shocking eroticism as he snaked his arm around her waist and jerked her close, hip to hip, her soft breasts pressed against his rock-solid body.

His hungry passion was like nothing she had ever experienced before, and it drove every thought from her head other than her frantic need for him to continue kissing her. She forgot that they were standing in his office, forgot that he owned Vantage Investments and had refused to save Reynolds Gems from collapse. She was only aware of him, of the demanding pressure of his lips and the faint abrasion of his jaw against the softer skin of her cheek as he angled her head and deepened the kiss to another level that was flagrantly erotic.

She was aware of the melting warmth between her thighs, and the rigid proof of his arousal pressing into her belly. With a low moan of capitulation she moved her hands to his shoulders. She would have wound her arms around his neck, but he abruptly snatched his mouth from hers and jerked his head back, his eyes glittering with contempt as he stared down at her.

‘What’s the matter Tahlia—has Damian Casson come to his senses and dumped you in favour of his wife? Surely you won’t find me a good substitute to relieve your sexual frustrations when you’re only attracted to married men?’ he taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm that made her skin crawl.

Tahlia gasped, and acting purely on impulse she raised her arm and cracked her hand across his cheek. ‘You arrogant bastard,’ she choked, shaking with anger and humiliation. ‘You kissed me. What were you trying to do—prove how irresistible you are?’

‘I certainly proved something,’ Thanos drawled as he strolled back across the room and leaned his hip against his desk, folding his arms across his chest in an indolent stance that disguised the fact that his heart was slamming beneath his ribs. ‘The sexual alchemy between us is as potent as it is inexplicable, and I admit I kissed you because I was curious to see how you would react.’ His eyes narrowed on her white face. ‘Hit me again and I promise you will regret it.’

Tahlia stared at the livid red mark on his cheek and felt sick. She had never struck another human being in her life, and she was shocked and ashamed by her violent display of temper. It was no good reminding herself that Thanos had deserved it. He had kissed her, but she had wanted him to, she owned miserably. Despite knowing his low opinion of her, she had been unable to resist him. What did that say about her morals? she wondered despairingly.

Thanos kept his expression deliberately blank, giving no clue to the internal battle raging inside him as he sought to bring his hormones back under control. Kissing her had been a mistake, he acknowledged grimly. He was furious with himself for succumbing to the temptation of her lush mouth, and his temper was not improved by the knowledge that he wanted to kiss her again, to slide his lips down her throat to the pulse beating frenetically at its base, then tug the pins from her hair and run his fingers through the pale red silk.

He studied her dispassionately, wondering if the tears clinging like tiny sparkling diamonds to her lashes were meant to make him feel remorse or pity. He felt neither. She deserved to lose her company, and she would still not suffer a fraction of the trauma his sister had suffered.

He had planned Tahlia’s downfall during the endless days and nights he had sat at Melina’s bedside, waiting for her to regain consciousness. He had felt so helpless and so afraid, he remembered grimly. He who had never feared anything, who had fought his way out of poverty to the pinnacle of success, had been scared that he was going to lose the one person in the world he truly loved. Now Melina was out of danger, and slowly recovering from her injuries, but he would never forget the accident that had so nearly claimed her life—and he would never forgive the two people he deemed responsible for it.

In the current financial climate Tahlia would never find another buyer for Reynolds Gems. Everything was going just as he had planned. But that was not entirely true, he acknowledged irritably. He could not remember the last time he had wanted a woman as badly as he wanted Tahlia and his hunger for her angered him. He had first-hand proof that she was a woman like his father’s mistress, yet still he was consumed with this damnable longing to possess her.

Maybe he should seize what he wanted and be damned, he mused grimly. He had planned to take revenge for his sister by fooling Tahlia into believing that his company would buy Reynolds Gems and then withdrawing his offer of financial support at the last minute. He had no interest in saving Reynolds’ three failing jewellery shops, but those shops were in prime London locations. The current recession meant that the property market had all but collapsed; he knew Peter Reynolds had tried and failed to sell the shops, and that now his creditors had run out of patience, but eventually the financial climate would improve and the shops would be lucrative investments.

Thanos’s business brain told him he would be a fool to turn down the opportunity to increase his property portfolio—and wouldn’t his revenge be all the sweeter if he made it personal? Buying out Reynolds Gems would save Tahlia from financial ruin, but he would demand repayment in full—in his bed!

The tense silence stretched Tahlia’s nerves, and her skin prickled beneath Thanos’s intent gaze. He appeared relaxed, but he reminded her of a panther: sleek, dark and dangerous as it eyed its prey. She had to get out of his office, she thought wildly. Gather what little dignity she had left and leave.

She retrieved her briefcase from the floor, where she had dropped it, and turned towards the door.

‘There might be a way I could be persuaded to buy Reynolds Gems…’

His soft drawl stopped her in her tracks, and she swung back to face him, her heart thumping. It was probably a trick, she told herself, or a joke at her expense, but she was desperate for a lifeline—however tenuous.

‘How?’ she demanded baldly.

‘The time-honoured tradition of bartering—each of us has something the other wants,’ he elucidated, when she stared at him blankly. ‘It’s possible we could negotiate a deal.’

Tahlia frowned. ‘What do I have that you want? I have nothing.’

Dark eyes burned into her, and she felt a fierce tugging sensation deep in her pelvis. ‘Don’t be naïve, Tahlia,’ he said, in a faintly bored tone. ‘You know perfectly well what I want.’ He crossed the room in two strides and slid his hand beneath her chin, holding her prisoner and forcing her to meet his gaze. ‘You,’ he said bluntly. ‘I want to take you to bed and enjoy the delectable body that you share so willingly with your numerous lovers.’ He ignored her gasp of outrage and continued coolly. ‘In return for your sexual favours I am prepared to buy Reynolds Gems for the full asking price.’

A bubble of hysteria rose in Tahlia’s throat. She had been right; it was a cruel joke. But there had been no hint of amusement in Thanos’s voice, and the feral heat in his eyes scorched her skin. ‘But…you don’t like me,’ she faltered, picking from the random threads of thought that whirled in her head.

That did seem to amuse him, and he laughed derisively. ‘It is not necessary for me to like you. I want to have sex with you; I’m not suggesting that we become best friends.’

Tahlia flushed at his mockery. ‘I have always thought that lovers should also be friends.’ Thanos could not have made it clearer that he was only interested in using her body for his sexual satisfaction. ‘I am not a piece of meat,’ she told him scathingly, ‘and I am not for sale.’

Thanos’s eyes narrowed. How dared Tahlia speak to him in that contemptuous tone when, according to the press reports, she dropped her knickers for any Z-list celebrity who gave her the time of day?

‘Everything and everyone is for sale for the right price,’ he told her mockingly. ‘You should be grateful of my offer. Who else do you think will be prepared to shell out a six-figure sum for a failing company? That’s a damn good rate for even the most inventive hooker. And besides,’ he drawled, tightening his grip on her chin when she tried to jerk out of his grasp, ‘we both know you would not find it such an ordeal to share my bed. You might want to deny the sexual chemistry that burns between us, but your body is more honest.’

At that moment Tahlia would have given her life to deny his sardonic taunt, but from the moment he had moved close to her the exotic tang of his aftershave, mixed with another subtle masculine scent, had pervaded her senses and lit a flame inside her. Her breasts felt heavy, and she caught her breath when he trailed his free hand down her front and discovered the hard peaks of her nipples jutting beneath her silk blouse.

Anger was her only weapon against the insidious warmth that licked through her veins. He thought she was no better than a prostitute. She would not, could not give in to the voice in her head which urged her to agree to his outrageous proposal. It would be devastating to lose Reynolds Gems, but far worse to sacrifice her pride and her self-respect.

‘Hell will freeze over before I agree to your disgusting suggestion,’ she snapped.

He shrugged. ‘Are you prepared to stand by and allow your father to lose the company he has devoted his life to for the past thirty years?’

Tahlia swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘Emotional blackmail is despicable. My father would never expect me to sell my body, even if it means losing everything he owns. You seem to think that your wealth gives you special privileges. Obviously you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth,’ she flung at him, remembering that Crispin Blythe had said that Thanos was a billionaire. ‘You believe your money can buy you anything. But it can’t buy me.’

‘In that case I may as well take what you give away freely to so many other men,’ he bit out savagely, seizing her shoulders and slamming her against his chest. He lowered his head and captured her mouth with bruising force. Tahlia gave a shocked cry, and he took advantage of her parted lips to thrust his tongue between them, exploring her with a bold eroticism that made her tremble. Anger came to her rescue and she pushed against his chest, but he merely tightened his arms around her until She felt as though she were trapped in a vice. She was determined not to respond to him, but he seemed to sense her resolve and eased the pressure of his mouth a fraction, changing the kiss from one of domination to a sensual tasting that she found utterly irresistible.

She felt as though her bones were dissolving. Her legs no longer seemed capable of bearing her weight, and she sagged against him, relaxing her balled fists and splaying her hands over his chest, feeling the heat of his body through his shirt. She felt his fingers slide up her nape and with a deft movement he released the pins from her chignon so that her hair uncoiled and fell in a scented silky curtain around her shoulders. He made a muffled noise in his throat and buried his hands in her hair, angling her head while he deepened the kiss. She responded helplessly, closing her eyes as she sank deeper into the velvet softness of his caress.

Lost in a world of sensory pleasure, she was unprepared when he suddenly lifted his head and stared down at her. The cold contempt in his dark eyes doused her in a wave of humiliation as she realised that she was clinging to him.

‘My offer still stands,’ he said coolly.

She jerked away from him, tears of shame burning her eyes. There was no evidence in his mocking expression that he had been stirred by the kiss, while she was a seething mass of emotions and could not disguise the effect he had on her.

‘My answer is still the same,’ she said curtly. ‘I am not for sale.’

She was sure he would taunt her with the fact that she had offered no resistance when he had kissed her again, but he shrugged uninterestedly and flicked back his cuff to glance at his watch.

‘In that case I believe we have covered everything,’ he said coolly. ‘Perhaps you’ll have better luck securing a rescue plan for Reynolds Gems elsewhere?’

He must know that her father had approached a number of banks for help and had been refused. But pleading with him would be utterly pointless, and would decimate what little dignity she had left. Somehow she forced her limbs to move, snatched up her briefcase, and even managed to bid him a cool goodbye before she swept out of his office with her head held high, determined to deny him the pleasure of witnessing her utter devastation.

Tahlia caught the tube back to Bond Street on auto-pilot, stunned by the events that had taken place in Thanos’s office. She could not believe he had made the foul suggestion that she should sleep with him in return for him buying Reynolds Gems. When she had first met him at the art gallery her instincts had warned her that he was ruthless, but now she knew just what kind of a man he was: a man who would pay for sex with a woman who he had admitted he despised. Unquestionably she had made the right decision when she had turned him down. There was no way on earth she would ever agree to be Thanos Savakis’s whore. She was furious with herself for allowing him to kiss her—and worse by far was the fact that while she had been in his arms she had forgotten everything—even her mother.

Her phone rang as she walked into her office, and her heart lurched when she saw that the caller was her father. ‘Is it good news?’ she asked him tensely, hardly daring to breathe as she waited for his reply.

‘The best,’ he assured her gently. ‘The consultant gave your mother the all-clear.’

Tahlia could hear the relief in Peter Reynolds’s voice, and tears stung her eyes. ‘Thank God,’ she whispered shakily. ‘Mum must be overjoyed.’

‘We both are,’ Peter said in a choked voice. ‘We’re going out to dinner tonight to celebrate—my credit card can just about take it. Will you come?’ He hesitated, and then added, ‘There’s something I need to discuss with you.’

‘Of course I’ll come,’Tahlia agreed, puzzled by her father’s tone. Her mother had beaten cancer and the world was suddenly a wonderful place, so why did he sound so tense? ‘Dad, what’s the matter?’

There was another long pause before Peter spoke. ‘I’ve had a letter from the bank, threatening to repossess Carlton House.’

‘What?’ Tahlia’s legs gave way and she dropped onto a chair. ‘What do you mean? I don’t understand. How can the bank repossess Carlton when you and Mum jointly own it?’

‘I had to remortgage the house as well as take the loan when we refurbished the shops,’ Peter explained flatly. ‘Your mother agreed to it because I assured her it was just a temporary solution to a cashflow problem with the company, and she thinks I’ve already repaid it. I was hoping the bank would give me some leeway, but I’m behind with the repayments and they are demanding I pay the arrears immediately. ‘There’s no money left, Tahlia. I’ve used every penny of my personal savings trying to keep Reynolds afloat. I hope to God Vantage Investments are serious about buying Reynolds Gems,’ he said thickly, ‘because if not I will be solely responsible for losing Carlton and breaking your mother’s heart. How did the meeting go?’ he asked; a note of desperation audible in his voice. ‘Steven Holt sounded pretty keen when I spoke to him a few days ago.’

Tahlia’s brain seemed to have stopped functioning. Her parents could not lose Carlton House. It was inconceivable. In her mind she pictured the graceful old manor house that had been built during the reign of Elizabeth I and which had been passed down through her mother’s family for generations. The house was a listed building and had been a serious drain on her parents’ finances for years, but they had swiftly dismissed any idea that they might be better to sell Carlton and move to a smaller house which required less upkeep.

Her mother would be utterly heartbroken if she was forced to move from the home she loved now, and after the past two gruelling years of fear and chemotherapy she did not deserve to suffer further misery.

‘Yes.’ She uttered the word instinctively, because she could not bring herself to say no—to reveal that the meeting had not gone as she or her father had expected, and that the CEO of Vantage Investments had been instructed to sound enthusiastic about buying out Reynolds by Thanos Savakis, head of Vantage’s parent company Savakis Enterprises, a man whose only agenda was revenge.

‘As you said, it was only a preliminary meeting. There are still a few points to discuss before a buy-out is absolutely certain. Leave things with me while you concentrate on Mum,’ she added hurriedly. ‘Why don’t you take her to Cornwall and stay with Aunt Jess for a few days? You could both do with a break, and Jess would love to see you both.’

She gripped the phone, willing herself to remain calm. ‘Dad…you’re not serious about the possibility of losing Carlton, are you? I mean, there has to be a way…’

‘The only way I can settle the debt on the house is by selling the company,’ Peter said flatly. ‘A while back there were a couple of other firms who were interested in buying Reynolds, but I turned them down because Vantage Investments offered the best deal. If Vantage should change their mind I’m sunk. The bank is putting pressure on me, and there’s no time to find a new buyer. You say that a few things need to be ironed out? I think I should call Steven Holt.’

‘No.’ Tahlia fought to keep the panic from her voice. If her father phoned Vantage he would learn from Thanos that there was no deal and never had been, that the offer to buy Reynolds had just been part of a cruel trick designed to punish her. This was her fault, she thought despairingly. If Vantage had not approached her father he would have sold Reynolds to one of the other firms who had been interested, and Carlton House would be safe.

‘Are you prepared to stand by and allow your father to lose the company…?’ Thanos’s voice mocked her. The thought had torn her apart, but she had rejected his solution, vowing to find another way to save Reynolds. The defeated note in her father’s voice now made it clear there was no other way. It was not simply the company that was in danger but Carlton House, and her parents’ happiness and peace of mind.

‘Each of us has something the other wants.’ Thanos was a billionaire who had the means to buy Reynolds, and in return he wanted…

A tremor ran through her. He wanted to have sex with her. She couldn’t do it, she thought wildly. But hard on the heels of that thought came the acknowledgement that she had no choice. Her father had admitted he was at rock bottom, and she was at the limit on her own overdraft and credit cards. She could not raise enough money to cover one mortgage repayment on Carlton, let alone clear the arrears.

‘There are just a couple of minor points that need clarification before Vantage agrees to the deal,’ she told her father, forcing herself to sound calm. ‘I’ll get back to them and sort it out. Can I speak to Mum?’ she asked quickly, before her father could argue.

‘Oh, yes—of course…’ There was a moment’s silence, and then Vivienne’s voice sounded down the line.

‘Tahlia! Isn’t it wonderful?’ she said tremulously. ‘I feel as though I’ve been given a second chance at life.’

The raw emotion in her mother’s voice tore at Tahlia’s heart, and she swallowed the tears that clogged her throat. ‘I hope you enjoy every minute of it, Mum,’ she whispered. ‘You and Dad deserve to be happy.’

And she would do everything in her power to help them, she vowed fiercely as she put down the phone. Even the unthinkable.

Thanos emerged from the en suite bathroom and padded across the bedroom to answer the phone, his brows lowering in a frown as he listened to the message relayed by the receptionist. He hesitated for a few moments, wondering why Tahlia Reynolds was standing in the lobby of his hotel at eleven o’clock at night, and silently acknowledged that he was intrigued.

‘Inform Miss Reynolds that I will see her in my suite in fifteen minutes,’ he murmured, before he replaced the receiver. It wouldn’t hurt Tahlia to cool her heels, and if the reason for her unexpected visit was sufficiently important she would wait until he was ready to see her. He also needed to get dressed—unless he intended to greet her wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. When he recalled his body’s involuntary reaction to her at their last meeting it was clear that clothes were a necessity, he conceded, his mouth curving into a self-derisive grimace.

To his annoyance his curiosity grew over the following quarter of an hour, and after pouring himself a liberal malt Scotch he paced restlessly around his suite. What did Tahlia want? Had she, after all, decided to offer her body in return for him saving her father from financial ruin? His mouth twisted as he recalled her scathing refusal to sell herself to him earlier in the day. Her reaction had surprised him, he acknowledged. He had first-hand evidence that she had the morals of an alley cat, and the recent story of her affair with another married actor was not the first time her love-life had been reported in the press.

He had been certain that she would agree to sleep with him in return for his agreement to buy Reynolds Gems, but instead she had looked as scandalised as if she were a vestal virgin—which was a laughable notion, he thought sardonically.

‘Hell will freeze over before I agree to your disgusting suggestion,’ she’d flung at him with icy scorn. So why was she here now? Undoubtedly she wanted something. In his experience women always did, he thought cynically. He stared out of the window at the night-time view of London: the myriad lights of buildings and cars glowing like bright jewels against the black velvet sky, the illuminated London Eye sparkling like an enormous static Catherine wheel. His mind flew back six months to another hotel—this time in Athens—and another woman whose visit had been unexpected.

He had been shocked when Yalena had phoned him out of the blue and suggested they meet up. Fifteen years had passed since the woman he had loved had broken off their engagement and married his best friend, and he admitted he had been curious to gauge his reaction when he met Yalena and Takis again. But Yalena had come to his hotel alone, dressed like a tart and clearly confident that Thanos would not turn down her offer to leave her husband for him. She had made a mistake all those years ago, she had told him tearfully. She realised now that she loved him, not Takis—although Thanos noted that she had only arrived at that conclusion since his name had been included on the list of the world’s top one hundred richest men.

Yalena had been dismissive of the fact that her husband adored her, and worked hard to give her a good lifestyle, and Thanos had felt a mixture of disgust and disappointment that he had been so wrong about her. For years he had put her on a pedestal—the discovery that she was an avaricious gold-digger, just like every other woman he had ever met, had filled him with contempt and the bitter realisation that he had been a fool to waste his emotions on her.

The knock on the door dragged him from his memories. Tahlia was here. He finished the whisky, savouring its warmth as it slid down his throat. What would he do if she had come to offer herself to him? He felt a tightening sensation in his groin, and his nostrils flared as sexual heat flooded through him. He wanted her badly, and he could afford her. Why not indulge himself? he brooded. He hadn’t had sex for months. Combining visiting Melina in hospital with running a billion-pound company had meant that he’d had neither the time nor the inclination for his usual meaningless sexual liaisons with lovers who knew better than to expect commitment from him. Celibacy did not suit him, he owned as he strode across the suite. His body felt taut, hungry for satisfaction, and anticipation licked in his veins.

The door of Thanos’s suite swung open and Tahlia wondered if he could hear her heart beating frantically against her ribs.

‘Tahlia,’ he greeted her coolly.

His heavily accented voice caused a delicious little shiver to run down her spine, and at the same time exacerbated the tension that had shredded her nerves during the fifteen minutes she had been forced to wait downstairs in the bar. He stood back for her to enter, and for a few seconds her resolve wobbled, and she was tempted to turn tail and flee. But somehow her legs continued to propel her forward—like a lamb into the wolf’s lair, the voice in her head whispered as she moved into the centre of the room. Another tremor ran through her when she heard the click of the door closing behind her.

‘You are the mistress of surprise,’ Thanos drawled as he strolled towards her.

‘What do you mean?’ she queried sharply, colour storming into her cheeks. The word mistress touched a raw nerve. Thanos believed she had been James Hamilton’s mistress. He assumed that she was sexually experienced. The fact that she was not made what she was about to do even harder.

‘I did not expect to see you at the art gallery, and I did not anticipate you turning up here tonight.’ Nor had he anticipated his reaction to her when he had opened the door—the way his heart had slammed in his chest at the sight of her, looking utterly exquisite in the same blue silk gown she had been wearing the other evening. His desire for her weakened him, and he resented the effect she had on him. ‘What do you want, Tahlia?’ he demanded tersely, moving away from her to avoid the subtle drift of her perfume that teased his senses.

Tahlia shot him a quick glance that encompassed his black silk shirt, open at the throat to reveal a few inches of bronzed skin covered with crisp, dark hairs, and his superbly tailored black trousers which drew her attention to his lean hips and muscular thighs. The table lamps placed strategically around the room emitted a soft apricot glow that threw his sculpted cheekbones into sharp relief and danced across his gleaming jet-black hair.

He was unfairly gorgeous, and her stomach muscles clenched as she relived those moments in his office when he had crushed her against his body and his lips had claimed hers with untamed passion. No woman would ever tame Thanos, she brooded. Beneath his veneer of urbane sophistication she sensed power and ruthless ambition, a magnetism that commanded the respect of other men and drew beautiful women to him in droves—yet none would own him or control him, and only the most foolish would try.

The expression on his coldly handsome face was not encouraging, but she had spent the evening listening to her mother’s excited chatter about her plans for the garden at Carlton House while her father had looked increasingly strained and haunted. She had finally accepted that she would do whatever it took to prevent her parents from losing their home.

Her mouth felt dry. She licked her lips nervously and prayed that when she spoke her voice would not waver. She did not want him to know how much this was costing her. ‘I’ve come to tell you that I accept your offer,’ she said baldly, lifting her head and meeting his midnight gaze steadily. ‘I’ll sleep with you in return for you buying Reynolds Gems, for the price my father stipulated to Vantage Investments.’