Pretending with the Greek Billionaire (6 page)

“Why do you dislike me calling you Stanzia so much?”

She didn’t. That was the problem. She’d never had a nickname before. She’d always been Constance, even when she was little. Beyond the novelty of it, having the soft sounds of his pet name for her rolling off his tongue made things ache inside that she didn’t want to examine too closely. She could imagine him whispering that name to her in the dark all too well. It was melodic and exotic and unique, and she was none of those things. But when he used that name, she felt like she was, and with him maybe she could be. But then what? Then she’d go back to her real life and Stanzia would be gone. She’d be Constance again. Better to remain Constance. Keep that layer of distance between them that the pet name shattered.

When she didn’t answer, he just shook his head and stuck his hand out again. “Take my hand.”

She frowned. The thought of holding his hand sent a warm ball of fuzzies spreading through her. Her fingers itched to curl around his; all the more reason to resist.

“What for?”

He briefly glanced at her, then back out the windshield. “Because you jump ten feet every time I get anywhere near you. We need to get used to each other and practice makes perfect, as they say.”

She still looked at his offered hand like it was a bomb ready to go off. It might not be in the literal sense, but voluntarily letting him touch her in any way was just another sexual accident waiting to happen.

“Stanzia. Do you want this little charade to work or not? Take my hand.”

She sighed, knowing full well she was being ridiculous. Holding hands. It was a small enough thing to do.

“Fine,” she said, slipping her hand into his. She couldn’t stop the little shiver of pleasure that skated up her spine as his warm skin slid across hers.

He laced their fingers together and turned his attention back to the road, although his thumb lazily caressed the back of her hand. It was such a sweet gesture, intimate even. She resisted the urge to squirm and focused her attention on the gorgeous island scenery flowing past her window. After a few minutes she began to relax, the rhythmic stroking of his thumb becoming almost soothing, or at least it would have been had the thumb doing the stroking belonged to anyone other than Luca.

“So,” he said, startling her out of her momentary comfort zone. “How long have you lived on the island?”

Her gut reaction was to tell him to mind his own business, but she supposed they did need to get to know each other a little. “About five years.”

“What brought you out here?”

“My father worked at the embassy in Athens. I came out with him from New York and fell in love with it. Mykonos was always my favorite. I always meant to go back home, but then I started helping out with the Family Aid groups and decided to make things permanent.”

He shook his head. “You just made things permanent? Took on six children for the rest of your life on a whim?”

“I didn’t say it was on a whim. I didn’t come to the decision lightly. But they needed me. I’d been helping in the house Sophia, Magdalena, Callie, and Elena were in, so they knew me. Trusted me. And I already loved them. Their House Mother fell ill and wasn’t going to be able to continue caring for them. There were no other homes available that could take so many. If I hadn’t stepped up, Sophia, Magdalena, and Callie might have been split up. I couldn’t let that happen. With Lexi and Irene, it was the same thing. And Elena…” Her smile grew a bit sad. “I already had more kids than I’d meant to take on, but she doesn’t trust many people. Won’t even speak to most people. We formed a bond, somehow. I figured she was meant to be with me.”

He nodded, but a small crease in his forehead suggested he couldn’t quite understand her choices. She didn’t expect someone like him to understand so it was hardly surprising.

“Aren’t you curious about where I live when I’m not here? What I do?” he asked.

Constance shrugged. “I don’t read the tabloids, of course, but I’ve heard enough of the gossip to know most of it, I think.”

Luca’s face hardened. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “Those so-called journalists don’t know anything about me.”

She searched his face, hoping for a hint as to what he was really thinking. She couldn’t possibly have hurt his feelings. Could she? Shame tugged at her. Despite his playboy reputation—and nothing she’d seen so far had suggested the gossip about Luca was anything but true—even a man like him must have feelings. Whether the stories she’d heard were true or not, it must suck to have people assume they knew everything about you when they didn’t even know you.

“You’re right. I apologize,” she said.

He glanced at her, a bit surprised, but waved it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“So, spill it then. I know you don’t live here full time, and I can’t imagine that even half the stories I’ve heard can be true. So what do you do when you’re not in Greece?”

Luca’s body relaxed and the tension level in the car decreased.

“I’m in New York frequently, so we have that in common. And if all this works and I start running the New York offices I suppose I’ll spend most of my time there.”

She’d known that much. She’d seen the pictures to prove how much he enjoyed the nightlife the city offered. But she kept her mouth shut and let him talk.

“I try to come here a few times a year. It’s quieter but still offers more than enough entertainment, and even with paparazzi roaming around, it’s still not as bad as back in the States. Usually. I’m afraid our little escapade yesterday might have stirred up the hornets a bit.”

“To put it mildly,” Constance said, letting the sarcasm liberally soak her words.

“Anyway,” he said, the eye roll evident in his tone, “my family is in real estate. I guess I don’t spend as much time at the office as my father would like.”

“Do you spend
any
time there?”

Luca scowled at her and Constance braced herself against the natural inclination to cringe.

“I keep abreast of what’s going on. My father has always had everything under control. He doesn’t need me there.”

Before Constance could dig at that particular can of worms, Luca turned down a narrow lane and weaved the car through several more streets before finally pulling to a stop in front of a jewelry store set in among the other shops on a typical brightly colored street. This shop was definitely more upscale than the rest. The façade looked carved from marble with double glass doors instead of the whitewashed stone and bright blue or red painted wood doors of the surrounding shops. Her stomach bottomed out. She couldn’t go in there. What had they been thinking? She couldn’t be engaged…especially to someone like him. She was so ordinary and he was the playboy prince of the Mediterranean.

Luca got out and walked to her side, opening her door. When she didn’t get out he poked his head inside, getting way too up close and personal. She tried to sit back farther but was already up against the seat. His gaze dropped to her bare legs and lingered for several moments before looking back at her face. His smile nearly stole her breath away.

“Coming?”

That sent all sorts of inappropriate thoughts flying through her head. She’d never survive six weeks of him. “You know this is crazy, right?” she said to try and excuse her suddenly heated cheeks and short breath. “No one is going to believe it.”

Luca took her hand and tugged her from the car. “Of course they will. Your boss didn’t seem to suspect anything. I don’t see why anyone else would.”

“Everyone will believe you because you tell them to?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head. “You really are arrogant, you know that?”

He shrugged. “Is it arrogance if it’s true?” Then he frowned. “Why are you so convinced no one will buy this?”

Was he really going to make her say it? He stared at her, waiting for an answer. Apparently he was.

“I’m not the type of woman you usually date.”

That amused grin was back. “What type of woman do I usually date?”

Constance did roll her eyes at that one. “Supermodels. Actresses. Tall, thin, gorgeous women with legs up to their necks and paparazzi of their own. I’m attractive enough, I guess, but I’m hardly who people will expect you to be marrying.”

Luca helped her from the car but instead of stepping back, he pulled her into his arms. She pulled against him a little, noticing the people beginning to stare. His car was impossible to miss. And so was Luca. People were starting to point and whip out their cell phones.

“Everyone is watching.”

He held on tighter. “Good. That’s the point. You need to learn to ignore them. Pretend they aren’t there. Unless they are right in your face, it’s not too hard. The tourists will keep back.”

“I thought you were against PDA.”

“I am, when it’s for real. But we want to put on a show, remember?”

Her eyes still darted back and forth until he captured her face in his hands and forced her to look at him.

“Ignore them.” He leaned in and kissed her until her mind fogged and she couldn’t remember what she was nervous about. When he pulled away, she remained passive in his arms. Was sedation by seduction possible?

“Now that I have your attention,” he said, smiling down at her like he was perfectly aware of his effect. “You are more than just ‘attractive enough’ and I would be happy to demonstrate how beautiful I think you are any time you want. I’ve never given a fuck what other people think and I have no intention of starting now. However, it would help matters if you’d stop acting like this was a sham and start acting the part.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and instead of jerking away she let herself enjoy the sensation of his lips moving over hers. It was over all too soon. He pulled away and took her hand again.

“For the next six weeks, Stanzia, you are mine. Don’t forget it.”

Oh she wouldn’t. It was all she
could
think about. But what happened once their time was up? He’d already stirred desires she had no time or energy to deal with, and she had no room for that kind of male-induced drama in her life. No price was too high to pay to keep her girls with her.

But spending six weeks with Luca might be dangerously close.

Chapter Six

Luca watched Constance’s eyes widen until her eyebrows nearly hit her hairline as the selection of rings was presented. The jeweler kept placing massive ring upon massive ring in front of her, clearly aware of Luca’s ability to pony up the cash and determined to make the biggest sale possible. Constance, however, wasn’t making the job easy. She waved off every gaudy monstrosity the jeweler tried to put on her finger. A fine sheen of sweat formed on the man’s brow, probably at the prospect that she wouldn’t find anything to her liking and he’d lose an enormous sale.

“Well, what would madam prefer?” the jeweler finally asked.

“I…” Constance glanced at Luca, clearly pleading for help.

He took pity on her. It was impossible not to with those eyes of hers gazing up at him like a puppy begging for treats.

“Perhaps something a little simpler,” he said.

He was immediately rewarded with a relieved smile.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Something simple.”

The jeweler’s forehead creased in a minute frown but he produced a tray of solitaires; simple, yet each large enough to cover her finger from base to knuckle. Constance chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes roaming over the selection.

Luca spied a ring tucked in among a display of sapphires and leaned down for a closer look. The center stone was a decent sized, probably three carats or so, a square-cut sapphire that shined with deep-blue fire under the lights. It was surrounded by small diamonds with another round sapphire nestled beside them on each side, set in a simple platinum band.

“That one,” he said, pointing to it. “Let’s see that one.”

Constance glanced at him in surprise and then down at the ring that they handed to him. Her face softened, a small sigh escaping her lips. He took her hand and slid the ring on her left ring finger.

“Luca, it’s beautiful,” she said, gazing down at it.

He brought her hand up to his lips, his eyes locking with hers as he pressed a kiss to the ring on her finger. “It’s not as beautiful as those big blue eyes of yours, but it’s close,” he said, loving the blush that stained her cheeks.

He’d said the words to keep up his part in the charade, but the moment he said them, he realized he meant every word. Instead of exploring that concerning thought, he turned back to the jeweler. “I think we’ll take this one.”

“Very good, sir,” he said.

Luca let go of Constance long enough to take care of the details and then rejoined her. He caught her staring at the ring, holding it up to let the light shine through and spread blue-tinged rainbows throughout the room. A smile touched his lips before he recognized the emotion gently warming him. He’d felt a range of things for the women in his life over the years. Lust, certainly. Protectiveness, sometimes. Affection, occasionally. Love, not to any significant degree, but tenderness…never. Until now.

He didn’t know what it was about her. Maybe it was because she despised him, or acted like she did. It was a novel experience being loathed by a woman. Or maybe it was that the things that mattered so much to everyone else in his life meant nothing to her. She didn’t care about his money, fame, fancy cars, or famous friends. That stuff made her want him less, not more. She might spend most of their conversations criticizing him and his lifestyle, but at least when she spoke he knew it was the real her speaking, not some version of her she thought he might like. There were few genuine people in his life—Joe, his housekeeper Mrs. Lasko, his father, and now Constance.

Before he could reflect too deeply on the bombardment of unwelcome feelings trying to creep their way into his heart, dozens of blinding lights flashed through the window. Constance jumped, a hand covering her mouth to try and contain the startled squeak that he heard anyway.

Luca sighed. Time to get the show on the road.

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple to keep the hovering jeweler from overhearing. “When we go out we’ll walk straight to my car. I’ll open the door for you. Please don’t fight me on it. It’ll just leave you in the middle of the vultures for longer, but make sure they get a good shot of the ring.”

Her panicked expression melted into annoyance. Her lips might have been smiling but her eyes were shooting daggers. “How do I do that?”

Anger was good. Anger didn’t make him want to cuddle up with her on some overstuffed couch and watch old movies in their fuzzy pajamas. And anger would serve her better navigating through the circus that was his life than her sweet, gentle side would.

“Let your hand dangle. Don’t put it in your pocket. Shade your eyes from the cameras with that hand. We’re in a jewelry store after being caught making out at my home. Joe’s been helping the rumors fly. They’ll be trying to get shots of your left hand anyway so all you have to do is not impede them. They’re pretty good at getting what they want.”

He knew his bitterness was leaking out but he couldn’t help it. Constance’s anger faded a bit, replaced by a soft contemplation he wasn’t sure how to deal with.

The store’s manager escorted them to the door along with two men in security uniforms. “Our security officers will help get you to your vehicle, sir.”

Luca nodded. “Thank you.” Joe usually helped run interference for him when necessary but Luca had underestimated the need for such measures for their little shopping excursion. Oh, he’d known the photogs would be there, definitely, but not crowding so thickly around the doors that they wouldn’t be able to get out. “Ready?”

She took a deep breath and nodded, looping her arm around his waist so she could shelter under his shoulder. The manager opened the door and the first security guard began pushing his way through the crowd. The other would follow behind them, guarding their backs. Luca got a firmer grip on Constance’s waist and led her into the mob.

Her hand fisted in his shirt and she ducked her head, curling against him as much as she could and still walk. She raised her hand to shield her face from the cameras and the blinding flashes going off. The lights shone off her new engagement ring and the air rang with shouted questions.

Luca didn’t know if she was trying to show off the ring as he’d asked or if she was genuinely trying to hide her face from the cameras and had just forgotten her new accessory. Either way, the photographers were getting more than their fair share of pictures. By the end of the day there would probably be photos on every available publication and social media site out there. Mission accomplished. He should be happy; instead, he was pissed.

He opened the passenger door to his car and ushered Constance inside as fast as he could, slamming the door behind her so he could run around to the other side. The second he was in the car he cranked the engine and revved the gas, giving the paparazzi vultures a very brief warning he was about to move. If they chose not to get out of the way that was their fault. Unfortunately, they all moved enough they didn’t get run over and he was able to pull out on the street. Constance looked at him with wide eyes.

“Is it always like that?”

Luca gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached, then forced himself to relax. “No. Not always. Hopefully it’ll die down a bit now that they’ve got some shots of you with the ring. That’ll give them a few juicy details to splash around for a little while. And since we are planning on some photo ops, they might agree to leave us alone for the most part. There are always a few that will follow no matter what, but some of them aren’t too bad and will back off as long as they get an opportunity to get a good shot another time.”

“Yeah, well those few who will follow no matter what are on our tail.”

Luca looked into the rear view mirror and swore. “Hold on.”

…

Constance grabbed the door frame and tried to keep from shrieking as Luca suddenly swerved to the right, taking a corner he’d already nearly passed. The car made it with a squeal of tires and he gunned it.

“Aren’t you going a little fast?” she asked.

“Only way to lose them.”

“Are you nuts? You can’t lose them. This isn’t some car chase movie.”

Luca snorted. “Look behind us, Stanzia. It’s exactly what it is. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

She bit back another scream of terror as he zoomed up another narrow street. “Luca, this is insane. Slow down!”

“I’ve done this a million times.”

He cranked the wheel again and she braced herself to keep from being thrown against the car door. “You’re going to get us both killed!”

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to distract the driver?”

“You’re enjoying this!”

The grin he turned on her blazed with excitement. But there was something else there, behind his eyes. Something she couldn’t name but that seemed inexorably sad. Before she could dwell on it too long, he made another right into one of the few parking lots on the island, zooming down one of the aisles until he came to an empty spot. He swerved in and cut the engine.

Seconds later, the three paparazzo on scooters whizzed by the lot, not even pausing.

“There,” Luca said with a smile. “Lost them.”

Constance straightened from where she’d been cringing against the door and slapped his arm. “The next time you want to risk your life driving a hundred miles an hour through town, you let me out of the car first! What the hell were you thinking?”

His eyebrow rose at that, but his smile just grew broader. “I was thinking I’d give the bastards the slip. And I did. How about a little gratitude?”

“Gratitude? Are you kidding? We could have been killed. I’ve got kids! If you want to throw your life away, be my guest, but my life is spoken for. My girls have been through enough without losing another parent, thank you very much.”

Luca waved her off. “You’re being dramatic.”

“No, I’m not.” She yanked on her seat belt to get it off her neck.

“It’s no big deal, Constance. They were chasing us. Now they’re not. End of story.”

She opened her mouth to object again. Her heart still pounded so hard she was probably going to have internal bruising and if she didn’t catch her breath soon she was going to hyperventilate. She focused on drawing a few deep breaths in and out of her lungs.

A man, presumably the owner or person who worked at the lot, ran toward them, his face a mottled purple as he chewed them out in rapid Greek. Luca rolled down his window, apologized, and slapped a large wad of euros in the man’s hand. He rolled the window back up while the man was still smiling and inviting him to stay longer.

Constance still hadn’t regained full control of herself but Luca completely ignored her borderline panic attack and moved on. “I was going to take you home to grab whatever you’ll need for the next few weeks, but we need to get back. I think Joe has something planned with the kids this afternoon.”

“I don’t live too far from here. It wouldn’t take long to swing by.”

She told him the address and he checked his watch. “All right, but we’ll need to hurry. Joe will get his panties in a bunch if we ruin his plans.”

“What about the girls’ things?”

“We can deal with moving them over tomorrow. I think the first night we should be on our own. Get that woman who helps you to watch them. They’ll survive without you for one night.”

Constance shook her head, the whole situation beginning to feel like a giant wave that was getting ready to slam into her and drag her under. How did she go from a quiet House Mother to being chased by the paparazzi? Somehow it didn’t seem possible that it had just been yesterday that she’d collected the girls to go for a walk that had led her into this man’s yard. And arms. And bed if he had his way.

Oh, she hadn’t forgotten that little nugget of sheer insanity, and now she had a massive rock on her finger that weighed her down, dragging her under the wave of emotions it was getting harder to contain.

“Before that happens, we need to discuss—”

“There’s nothing left to discuss,” he said, impatiently, restarting the car and easing out of the parking lot.

“You don’t know even know what I’m going to say.”

“I know exactly what you’re going to say. You had no idea it was going to be like this. It’s too much. You don’t think you can deal with it all. It’s not worth it.” His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, but he kept his gaze firmly on the road. “Save it. I’ve heard it before. My charming personality isn’t the only reason I’m single. You, however, have signed an ironclad contract. I held up my end. You are still in your director’s good graces. Your turn to hold up your end.”

Constance bit her lip. Oh, he’d definitely heard it all before. His tone was so bitter she had no doubt whoever had said it had hurt him badly, perhaps several someones. It couldn’t be an easy life to live. Despite his domineering manner and the terrifying encounter they’d just had, along with the promise of future daily torments, Constance didn’t want to be the next person to give him the same speech. Even if she’d been ready to do just that.

She sat straighter in her seat, mentally re-gathering her wits. “That’s not what I was going to say,” she said quietly.

“No?” he asked with a mild scowl, obviously not believing the lie.

Fine. He didn’t have to believe it. It didn’t matter anyhow. “No,” she repeated. “I was, however, going to say that if this is what your life is always like, I’m not sure I can condone the children’s participation in all this.”

Luca’s frown deepened. “The children were Joe’s idea. I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I certainly wouldn’t want my own children subjected to this shit day in and day out. Which is why I’m never going to have any. But in this instance at least, I can assure you they’ll be fine. Joe has arranged for some private excursions somewhere and has invited specific photographers. Not those paparazzi vultures that follow me around. We’ll have enough security there no one will get near them. The photographers will only be there for a few minutes for some shots of us. We’ll keep the kids out of sight. They won’t be swarmed, and they’ll be safer on my estate than in your house at the moment. It won’t be hard for the press to find out where you live. At least at my place the gates will keep them out.”