Jealous Lover (4 page)

“I never asked either of them. I didn’t want to hurt them with my curiosity, but my dad left me a letter.” She gave him only a hint at the truth. “Unfortunately, both my biological parents died at a young age, so I never had the chance to know them.”

What she didn’t tell him was she’d learned she was a direct descendant of Margarita Andresen, for whom the foundation had been named. She’d also come into a considerable inheritance, though the conditions of the trust wouldn’t allow her to fund the foundation with personal money. It might be safer to let him believe she was a mercenary. At least that would keep him from realizing he already owned her heart and soul.

“It is sad to be so alone in life,” he commented. “In Greece, everyone is family. Sometimes too many.”

His tone sounded fierce, yet his eyes shone with the affection he had for his extended Greek family. Despite being annoyed with them on occasion, he genuinely loved his parents, grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Crystal had loved being included, albeit briefly, in his big family circle. She wanted to ask about each of them, but thought it might be dangerous territory to tackle.

The phone rang and Demetri answered it. He spoke in rapid Greek, too quickly for her to translate the whole conversation, but she knew he was speaking to Makis. His friend would not be happy to learn they were together and she couldn’t tell if Demetri said as much.

They made love all day Sunday and throughout the night, turning into each other’s arms again and again, feeding on each other’s passionate need. The phone rang early Monday morning and Crystal knew Makis would expect Demetri to work, but he didn’t leave her side. They ate, bathed, slept and made love. She’d given herself a few days off work after the fundraiser, so nobody tried to claim her time, but his phone rang incessantly. For the most part, he ignored it. When he did answer, he was impatient and abrupt. Neither of them wanted anything to intrude on their intimate reunion.

By Tuesday morning, Demetri told her he had to get some work done. There were too many people in need of his time. After showering, they shared breakfast and he dressed in what she’d always considered his power suits. This one was dark blue and paired with a crisp white shirt. She wanted to strip it back off him, button by button.

“Meet me for lunch?” he asked as he dropped a kiss on Crystal’s lips. She slipped her arms around his waist and encouraged a deeper kiss. Since she wore only a white terry robe, he had no trouble finding bare skin. He caressed her until the brief goodbye kiss turned into a long, slow seduction of senses.

“You go to my head!” he charged when they finally paused for air. “If I don’t stop kissing you, I will never get any work done.”

She laughed softly while stepping out of his reach. “I need to get dressed, check in with my office and schedule some more vacation time, but I can meet you about one o’clock for lunch. Will that be okay?”

He nodded and gave her the address of his new office. “Also, your special lingerie is in my suitcase,” he added with a wink. “I would be pleased to know you are wearing it.”

Crystal smiled and blew him a kiss as he left the suite. Glancing around, she searched for suitcases with childlike anticipation. Most of his clothing had been unpacked and pressed by hotel staff, but a couple of cases were tucked in the bottom of the closet. She pulled out the smaller one and found the items he’d mentioned. There were several sets of bras and panties.

She slid the robe off her body and stepped into a pair of pale yellow thong panties. The design had a unique device incorporated in the lace. Nearly invisible wires pressed against her pussy, threading a tiny electrical transmitter against her clit and between the cleft of her cheeks.

The demi-bra cupped her breasts with lace that scooped around her nipples. More transmitters had been woven into the design. She knew Demetri carried the small remote to activate the sensors. He liked teasing her with electrical caresses when they couldn’t be together.

One of her friends on the hotel staff had brought some of her own clothes from her suite, so Crystal topped her special underwear with a flirty yellow flowered sundress. The thin straps left her shoulders and arms mostly bare. The low, square neckline barely covered the lacy bra. She’d just finished dressing when she felt a sizzle of energy tingling against her nipples and between her legs.

The current was so light she might not have felt it if her body hadn’t been super sensitive after days of Demetri’s loving. Excitement made her nipples stiffen and her stomach clench. She smiled, knowing he’d soon be too far away to activate the signal. Just as well or she’d be ready to jump his bones long before one o’clock.

Scooping up the rest of the lingerie, she stashed it in a dresser drawer. In the bottom of the suitcase, she found various other sex toys. Padded nipple clamps connected by a diamond chain and fur-lined handcuffs intrigued her. A small leather whip with soft tassels. Her butt cheeks clenched at the thought of being whipped. She’d never been interested in pain, but she wasn’t averse to trying anything, as long as Demetri found it arousing. They’d briefly experimented with the fun underwear, but apparently he was interested in introducing her to more erotic toys. Her smile deepened.

The only other thing she found in the case was a DVD tucked into an almost hidden zippered compartment. Curious, yet feeling a little guilty, she pulled it out and looked it over, wondering if it was pornography. There was no label, but a sudden sickening feeling enveloped her. She’d left Greece with a broken heart after he’d accused her of cheating. He’d shown her a clip from a similar DVD. It had looked damning, but she hadn’t watched the whole thing and she’d never slept with the blond Adonis in the film.

Crystal went into the living room and booted a laptop computer the hotel supplied for VIP guests. She slipped in the DVD, watching as she revisited the tiny apartment where she’d lived in Greece. The camera angle focused on the small twin bed she’d used. Behind it was the door to the bathroom. She watched, hardly breathing, as her own image appeared in the doorway of the bath. Having just showered, she was dressed in red gym shorts and a white tank top, her sleeping attire back then.

The quality of the picture was surprisingly clear and there was no doubt to her identity. That much she’d already been shown. Next, a tall blond man appeared in front of the camera. He leapt across the bed and grabbed her, swinging her into his arms and throwing her onto the bed. After that, the video became X-rated as clothes flew and bodies started thrashing. A lot of pumping and moaning later, the show ended as abruptly as it had started. By then, Crystal was breathing heavily, too. Now, as then, the video shocked her. Demetri’s anger had been understandable, yet she hadn’t had sex with anyone but him while she was in Greece.

Over the years, when she’d grown less emotional, she’d come to the conclusion that Makis had somehow orchestrated the whole breakup. Wealthy in his own right, he had the money. He also had a sister who’d planned to marry Demetri, so he had plenty of motive. Though others in the Vardolas family and community had concerns about her and Demetri, they wanted their favorite son’s happiness above all else. Makis had to be the behind the deception.

When her heart stopped racing, she replayed the tape. Over and over she watched until she finally had some answers to her own questions. Armed with more knowledge than she’d had three years ago, she left the suite with the DVD tucked in her pocketbook. It was nearly noon, so she didn’t bother with her own errands, but went straight to Demetri’s new corporate headquarters.

Ignoring a stuttering secretary who tried to stop her, Crystal strode through the outer office and into his private office. She threw back the door and glared at the two Greek men.

“Good, you’re both here.” They rose and offered stilted greetings before she pulled the DVD from her handbag. Makis, standing to the left of Demetri’s desk, made a strangled sound. She gave him a dismissive glance and glared at her jealous lover. “This is your irrefutable proof of my infidelity? This pornographic video you obviously didn’t take the time or trouble to study?”

She slammed the disk against the edge of his desk, cracking it into pieces. When it fell to the floor, she stomped on it until it was crushed to bits. Both men stared at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“If you’d cared enough to really look at it, you’d have realized that once the naked man’s body blocked the video screen, you never see the woman’s face again. Under closer scrutiny, you might have noticed that the hands the mystery woman sinks into the man’s hair aren’t mine. There’s a ring on her left hand that looks like the diamond you gave me, but there’s no ring on her right hand. I told you I’ve never taken my mother’s ring off since the day she died. I always wear it on my right ring finger.

“The other woman’s hands are also beautifully manicured. Something I never managed in those days. And better yet, the woman who’s posing as me, wearing my clothes and having sex in my bed, has a lovely heart-shaped tattoo on her left ass cheek. I can guarantee that I don’t and have never had one!

“If you wanted me to leave, all you had to do was say so. You didn’t need such a convoluted scheme.” Her angry gaze left Demetri’s narrowed gaze to look at Makis’s stunned expression. “I don’t know why you’ve always considered me a threat, but I’m guessing you’re the sonofabitch who orchestrated this little piece of
proof
for Dem. You’re the worst kind of back-stabbing lowlife.

“And you.” She swung her attention back to Demetri. He’d had time to control his features, but she could see the emotion churning in his eyes. “You’re even less a man,” she accused. “You let your damn pride keep you from accepting my love even though you knew it was pure and beautiful. You’re an emotional coward of the worst sort.

“If I never see either of you for the rest of my life, it will be too soon!”

With that, she swung around and left the room in a whirl of fury. She slammed the door hard enough to make the walls shudder, and it was so satisfying that she slammed the second one with an equally jarring thud.

The walk to the elevator was short, with quick, angry strides. By the time she punched the down button, reaction to her emotional temper tantrum had begun to register on her body. Then another shock registered as a current of power zapped her between the legs and at each breast. She gasped, shocked and outraged by Demetri’s sensual manipulation when he knew she was furious with him.

Trying to ignore the arousing jolts of energy, she pushed the button again and waited impatiently. Another much stronger current sent heat racing through her body. Her nipples hardened and throbbed. Her pussy clenched and wept. Yet another blast from the wired underwear had her staggering. Blood raced through her body and roared in her ears. Her breath hitched and her legs trembled so badly that she leaned against the wall for support.

“Finally!” she whispered roughly as the elevator pinged and the doors opened. She tried to compose herself as several people exited. Another wave of erotic tension stung her, making her knees wobble. Breathing roughly, she stepped inside the elevator and closed the door. The next sizzle of power nearly brought her to orgasm and she slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

Crossing her arms over her sensitized breasts, she dropped her head to her knees as her pussy clenched and unclenched in a spasmodic rhythm that matched the power surges. Literally too weak to stand and push a floor number, she tried breathing slowly and deeply, hoping Demetri would stop his sensuous torment.

A short reprieve had her relaxing just a little, but then the elevator door opened and he was there, filling the space. Crystal sensed him before she lifted her head and saw him. She knew her expression held a combination of accusation and beseeching.

“You’re not sorry to see me, are you?” His tone was light, almost coaxing. The doors closed behind him and he pressed the stop button to keep them from being disturbed. Then he reached for her and drew her into his arms.

“I’m sorry to torture you with your toys,” he murmured against her hair. “But I had to deal with Makis before I could come to you. I didn’t want you to get too far. I couldn’t bear losing you again.”

Crystal heard him through a haze of desire. She didn’t care so much about what he was saying as his tone and the fact that he’d come after her. She rubbed herself against him, feeling his arousal grow more obvious with each brush of their bodies.

He slammed his mouth onto hers and she returned his deep, hungry kisses with a pent-up passion that soon had both of them panting for breath. When they finally gasped for breath, she whispered in his ear, “Fuck me.”

Demetri’s groan was loud and long as he unfastened his belt. With trembling fingers, she helped unbutton and unzip his pants. Soon his rigid cock had been freed. In another instant, they had her vibrating thong shoved aside and he’d buried himself deep inside of her. He ground himself tightly against her clit, soothing her engorged flesh. She came with the first thrust and muffled her scream against his shoulder. Several hard, forceful thrusts later, she came again. This time he joined her and they sagged against each other for support.

“
S’agapo
. I love you,” Demetri finally confessed with a ragged sigh. He brushed the damp tendrils of hair from her flushed face and studied her features. “I thought I would go mad when you left Greece, but I was a jealous fool. It took me months to get over my bruised pride and start thinking clearly again. I watched the DVD many times and came to the same conclusions you did, but I had to be sure who had betrayed me.”

“Makis.”

He nodded. “I didn’t want it to be my lifelong friend. I finally had to face the facts.”

“I’m sorry, really sorry,” said Crystal, her eyes filling with tears for his pain and heartache.

“I had just confronted him before you arrived. I only learned the whole truth a few weeks ago. Then I started making plans to come to America and dissolve our partnership. I cannot do business with a man who betrays my trust. He didn’t deny it or lie to me again, but he knows our friendship is destroyed.”