Читать книгу Proud Greek, Ruthless Revenge - Шантель Шоу, Chantelle Shaw - Страница 7

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.