Adonis in Athens - Page 24

“What time do we go to dinner?” Paige asked.

“We’re meeting at 8:30 so we have a little time.”

“Maybe I should shower and do my hair now,” she murmured. “In case it takes us a while to find what I need.”

“Oh, we have a few minutes,” Melina said smoothly. “Let’s sit and get to know each other.”

“Lena…” Apollo’s voice held a slight warning.

She smiled up at him prettily. “Oh stop it—I’m not going to chase her off! God, nothing would make me happier than to see you married off and out of my hair.”

He burst out laughing. “Technically, I’ve been married three years and am still in your hair.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, but she wasn’t here. Now she is…” Her eyes twinkled, further evidencing their closeness.

“We’re only married legally,” Paige said quietly, putting the dress on a hanger as she came out of the bathroom. “It’s not like I’m moving to Greece.”

“You wouldn’t consider moving to Greece?” Melina looked at her intently.

Paige started. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s beautiful here, but my job, my family—my whole life is in Las Vegas. I don’t know the language here so I probably wouldn’t be able to work or anything, and I’m not looking for a rich man to take care of me.”

“I know that, koukla mou.” Apollo reached for her, pulling her close. “Of all the issues here, that isn’t one of them. I don’t know everything about you, but I know that.”

“Honestly, that never crossed my mind!” Melina said quickly, noting how protective her brother was. “The chemistry between you is so clear—anyone can see the attraction—it seems that you’d be thinking of ways to make this work.”

“I…” Paige’s voice trailed off. “I don’t, uh…” She stared at Apollo helplessly.

“We haven’t gotten that far, Lena,” he said gently, surreptitiously squeezing Paige’s waist. “The idea was for us to spend time together, get to know each other on a more intimate level and see what happens. What’s the point of making plans when we don’t know if we even have feelings for each other?”

Melina snorted, standing up and starting to pack up the garment bag. “That’s some bullshit if I ever heard it! You two are so far gone for each other you might as well have it tattooed on your foreheads. The only thing you should be thinking about right now is the logistics of how to be together. Everything else is already there!” She leaned over to hug her brother and then reached out her arms to Paige. She kissed her on each cheek and squeezed her tightly. “He’s a really, really good guy,” she whispered against her ear. “And he adores you—don’t let him go.”

“Whatever you just said,” Apollo grunted, “better not scare her away!”

“Skase!” Shut up! She laughed, waved and bounded down the stairs.

“Efharisto!” Paige called after her.

“Your pronunciation is pretty good,” he commented.

“Efharisto.” They laughed together before she hurried to lock herself in the bathroom. She didn’t want to think about logistics or anything else; she wanted to make herself as beautiful as she could tonight and help him impress his clients. There was time to think of that other stuff after he closed this deal.

7

They arrived at the restaurant at 8:25 and let a valet take the car. They were meeting at the five-star restaurant within the Hotel Grande Bretagne, and Paige felt a wave of nausea as Apollo took her arm. Dressed in the beautiful red dress with brand-new red heels that matched perfectly, as well as a new coordinating evening bag, she momentarily panicked. This wasn’t her world and these were possibly the most important clients of Apollo’s career. If she messed things up for him, she would never forgive herself.

“It’s going to be fine,” he soothed, taking her arm and leading her inside. “You’re beautiful, intelligent and work in sales—that’s essentially what this is. No one expects you to know about the shipping industry, so any thoughtful comments about business in general is the extent of what you’ll need to contribute. I know you well enough to know you’re smart and care about your career, so your sales and marketing knowledge can only be a bonus. Don’t worry.”

“I don’t want to screw this up for you!” she whispered. “And what’s our relationship?”

He smiled. “Since you don’t have a ring, and I told them I was dining with a friend, let’s say we had a college romance if it comes up and that we’ve rekindled it. That way, we’re covered if I find it necessary to take you into the restroom and bend you over the sink!”

She nudged him with her elbow. “Not tonight, big guy—all you should be thinking about is closing this deal. And maybe—” her eyes danced with mischief, “—you’ll get something like that later if you do.”

He kissed her full on the mouth, careful not to smear her lipstick. “Promises, promises.”

The Italian businessmen were already seated with their wives and Paige scanned them quickly. The older couple, Pio and Clara Carozo, were probably in their mid-50s and seemed both classy and austere. Clara was dressed elegantly but not overdone, and Pio wore a simple suit without a tie. The younger couple, Fabrizio and Maria Romano, screamed arrogance and new money. She guessed them to be in their late thirties, but it was hard to tell with the amount of makeup and obvious plastic surgery she’d had and his almost too-noticeable attempt to be casual and modern. Her dress was so low-cut her breasts nearly spilled out of the top and her lips had so much filler they didn’t look right with her tiny nose and eyes that had already been lifted to the point they seemed to be squinting.

Keeping her smile friendly but reserved, Paige sat next to Maria and three seats down from Clara. They were strategically placed so that the couples were next to each other, but since the table was round they would be able to converse freely. Apollo was on Paige’s other side and he rested his arm on the back of her chair as they ordered wine and exchanged pleasantries.