Blackmailed Merger (3 page)

The two men had laughed, the one on Sam grabbing her arm and trying to pull her to the dance floor
.

“No go...you dance” he had laughed, Samantha trying desperately to pull away from him, just as a loud voice had caused him to halt
.

Spinning around, she had felt the rush of relief, as Dante had stood before them another man by his side.

In a whiplash voice he had rounded on the two men who had released both girls instantly, both men holding up their hands in submissive postures, Samantha once more feeling the excitement of seeing him there, his handsome features stern as he had in a low angry voice sent the two men scurrying out of the club.

Bella and Samantha had looked at each other with relief, both smiling their thanks at Dante, who was watching to make sure the men left. Finally he had turned to look at the women, his face once more softening into a friendly smile
.

“Are you OK
?
” he had
asked
a tinge of concern on his voice, both nodding
.

“Thanks to you” Sam had breathed, her eyes shining with wonder, giving him a large smile.   Dante had stared at her, seeing as the smile had lit up her whole features, her eyes glowing even greener.  It was the sound of a small cough beside him that had finally pulled him from his reverie
.

“Oh where are my manners
?
” he had laughed
.

“Samantha, Bella I would like for you to meet my good friend Philippe “

Sam had smiled politely at the man beside Dante, who was just a little
shorter,
and like his friend good looking, but in a more rugged way, with kind intelligent eyes
, Sam
liking Philippe instantly.  He had stepped forward nodding to both girls, his eyes lingering for longer on Bella, who had smiled shyly back at him.

“Please forgive Anton and Lucio
they are not really bad.......just have no social skills” both women laughing at Philippe’s
lightening
of the situation.  Grinning, he had extended his hand to Bella
.

“May I dance with you
?
” he had asked gently, Samantha surprised to see her friend blush as she had nodded moving with him to the dance floor.

Looking up at Dante, her breath had once more caught in her throat, seeing him looking down at her, his eyes holding hers,  Samantha feeling her knees suddenly so weak just from the look in his eyes, before he had looked away, as though he too were struggling with some internal turmoil
.

“Well I see that your friend Kate found herself a little playmate” he had finally chuckled, as Samantha had grinned back
.

“Yes, she usually does” she had said before adding
softly”
But she is also a good person” Dante nodding
.

“I am sure she is” he had murmured
.

“
But
....
It
would appear that you are now the only one not dancing
...
and that just seems wrong
” his
hand extending towards hers.  With a smile she had taken it and moved with him to the dance floor, her eyes once more sliding over his long back, shocked to find herself wondering what that back would
feel like
under her fingers.

As they had reached the dance floor, the song had changed, Dante smiling down at Sam with a wicked grin on his face
.

“It would seem the Gods are on my side tonight”
.

He had chuckled, as the slow dance had began, Sam feeling as he had pulled her softly into his arms, shivering with pleasure as their bodies had met for the first time.  As her hands had moved to hold his shoulder, his ha
n
d encircled her waist warm against the base of her spine, feeling as his breath had fanned her hair which she had pulled into a bun, both silent for a few seconds
.

It had been Sam who had broken the silence fraught with a strange tension that Samantha was so unused to as she had breathed in the scent of him feeling her eyes fluttering closed with pleasure
.

“You seem to be making a habit of rescuing me tonight” she had laughed gently, feeling as he had grinned back against her head
.

“Well if it means ending up like this....then I consider myself to have been lucky to have been in the right places at the right time”
Sam once more feeling the jolt of pleasure coursing through her.  She had felt as he had shifted to look down on her, as she had looked up at him.  Seeing a seductive look on his handsome face
.

“Though I think it only fair to warn you Samantha Trey”, pausing as she had looked expectantly at him
.

“That I find you very attractive, and I plan on making sure that no other man gets the chance to dance with you tonight”
.

Samantha had blushed, her green eyes flashing with delight and shyness.  While many men had over the years tried to chat her up, none had been as forward as Dante Durant and she had felt as her heart had beat so fast within her chest
.

“I
...
I think that would be OK” she had managed dropping her head and this time allowing it to rest on his shoulder, feeling as he had pulled her in even closer.

True to his word, Dante had remained at
Samantha’s
side for the rest of the night, much to the
chagrin
of many of the other girls in the club, who had tried to catch his eye.  However, he seemed oblivious to everything but her, and Sam had felt her attraction for the enigmatic man growing with every second in his company.  He was smart and funny, and the two had very quickly relaxed in each
other’s
company, Samantha’s quick wit allowing her to keep up with his dry one
liners
, enjoying seeing as his dark eyes had wrinkled with each comeback. 

She had also watched as Bella, normally so shy around men had looked at the other Greek man the same way she looked at Dante, the two girls flashing each other knowing smiles.  Philippe seeming to be as taken with Bella as she was with him, his eyes resting so warmly on her, as the two had huddled together laughing and joking , both girls enjoying themselves. 

As the barman had cried out last orders, rather than the relief she normally felt, knowing that she could go home without
ruining
Bella or Kate
evening
, she had felt disappointment
.
  Kate had moved over to her friends, smiling, her words full of innuendo as she had informed them that she would see them in the morning before moving
out of the club with the blond
tourist.

Sam and Bella had looked at each other before Philippe had said so softly
.

“Wow........you don’t find many people kind enough to give a poor needy girl a bed at this time of the night...that guy is such a humanitarian”
.

The other three breaking down into hysterics, before Sam and Bella, both suddenly ashamed at laughing at their friend had jumped to her
defence
.

“She
just wants
to enjoy her holiday”
.

Philippe grinning widely at Bella

“Well I guess that if you feel you need...”
.

Bella raising her hand, a determined expression on her lovely face
.

“Philippe.........do not finish that sentence if you want to see tomorrow”
.

Making the others laugh once more, Philippe looking at Bella with an even wider grin
.

“Maybe we should ask the owner of the club to stay open later” Dante had cried, a sparkle in his eyes, as the two girls had chuckled, thinking him to be joking
.

“I doubt he is going to do that for us” Bella had smiled, as Dante had looked over at Philippe
.

“I don’t know............hey Philippe how about it”
.

Bella and Sam both looking at the other man, seeing the way he had laughed back, shaking his head
.

“I have a feeling my friend that while we might enjoy that
I might need to find a new work
force in the morning”
.

Bella had looked warily at Philippe, who had returned her look, his eyes questioning
.

“You own this place
?
” she had said softly, seeing as he had nodded his head
.

“Yes.........but I do not really run it”
.

He had then gone on to explain that both he and Dante worked abroad, both of them owning different businesses on the island on which they had grown up
.

Dante had nodded beside Sam adding
.

“It helped to bring in tourism and make sure that the island could survive”, both girls smiling once more

“That is wonderful that you are able to help” Sam had said softly, Dante smiling gently back at her, before he had risen quickly to his feet
.

“OK my friend, we should escort these lovely ladies back home to their residence” his eyes sparkling full of mischief
.

“
Wouldn’t
want them to get lost in the dark”

Sam chuckling
at
the obvious reference to how they had met, flashing him a smile over her shoulder as she had moved towards the exit
.

“Well I may have got lost, but
I’m
not complaining about what
I
found
” she
had thrown back, seeing the way his wonderful lips had curled into a large grin.

The walk back to the villa they were staying was far too short for Sam.  The four had naturally paired into couples, with Philippe and Bella falling behind Sam and Dante.  When he had moved to take her hand into his, she had let him feeling a surge of happiness in the pit of her belly, letting their fingers entwine
.
Walking contentedly home he had pointed out different buildings on the cobbled narrow streets, telling her stories of what made them so special, Sam loving the sound of his voice, laughing as his stories had become more outlandish.  All too soon they had reached the villa, and she had felt disappointed, not sure what would happen next.