The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (16 page)

Once they had stepped back and she had taken a deep, quivering breath, she punched in Atreus’ number. After a moment she hung her head.

“Voicemail?” the graying officer asked.

Carla nodded and gingerly placed the receiver back on the hook. She pursed her lips in an attempt to avoid crying. It didn’t work; an errant tear coursed down her cheek.

Carla brushed the tear away furiously. She didn’t want to cry in front of these jerks.

“And you didn’t want to leave a message?”

“No,” she said. “I’d rather try someone else I can speak to directly.”

She thought about her grandparents but didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. Her parents came to mind and, wishing she had them to talk to, she was no longer able to hold back. She burst into tears, wondering how on earth everything had gone so dreadfully wrong.

“I’ll call my fiancé’s sister, Onella,” she continued, choking on her sobs. “Can you please tell me her number? It’s in my phone.”

The officers looked at each other and laughed.

“Sorry. If the first call went through that counts. Even if it just went to voicemail,” he turned to his partner. “Take her to her cell.”

“Wait!” Carla pleaded. “You’ve got to be kidding! Please!”

“Rules are rules.”

“Let’s go,” the other one said, taking her by the arm and leading her back to her cell.

Carla gasped as the heavy, steel door slammed behind her. She felt like she was in a dream. Or, to be more precise, a nightmare.

After sipping stale, metallic-tasting water from a tin cup, she forced herself to sit down on the stained, lifeless mattress that barely cushioned her from the cold, hard bed frame. Unwilling to lay her entire body upon it, she remained perched in the corner; her knees drawn up against her body and her arms hugging her legs tightly. She imagined that Atreus was there with her, holding her close and keeping her warm.

She tried to convince herself that she was back in Atreus’ bed at the Greek villa, swaddled in affection and white Egyptian cotton. She stroked her own hair back from her forehead, willing herself to believe it was his hand doing so. She closed her eyes to stare into his.

It felt as though his eyes went on forever, holding a universe she would give up the world to get lost in once again…

But, try as she might, she was far too aware of her circumstances to fool herself. The moon shone through the tiny window and imprinted its dull light on the far corner of the barren, somber room. The glow of the interior light from the hallway cast a black shadow from each of the prison bars. And the cell’s ice cold concrete wall at her back served as a constant, hostile reminder of her situation.

She began to cry silently.

*****

“Bye, Cheryl,” the receptionist said as she pinned the tag that spelled out ‘OLIVIA’ onto her uniform.

Her colleague, now wrapped up to brave the cold night air, waved back with a smile and headed out the door.

But it was Olivia that Brian had his eyes on. Her dark, cropped hair accentuating her full lips and big, bright eyes. Her breasts, so large that they threatened to pop the buttons on her silk blouse. Her tight, round behind that made him want to grab her and bend her over right there at the desk.

He smiled as he approached the counter.

“Good evening, Olivia.”

“Good evening, sir,” she replied, her voice warm and accommodating. He couldn’t have had better luck. “How can I help you?”

“Olivia, have you heard anything about Suite 831?”

“No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t,” Olivia said. “But I can provide you with information about its availability and amenities available in all of our superior suites.”

She tapped on the computer’s keyboard.

“Oh. But, unfortunately,” she continued, regretfully, “Suite 831 is booked tonight. However, if you bear with me, I’ll go ahead and check our availability of similar rooms.”

“You needn’t worry. And, I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear,” Brian said, flashing the smile he had honed for so many years—the smile designed to put women at ease, to draw them into his web. “I suppose you haven’t heard but there had been somewhat of an incident there tonight, earlier this evening. Something to do with two women, a child and confusion about supervision, etcetera. Apparently, they have been, let’s say
traumatized
, by a man known as Atreus Kostas. I cannot go into the nature of the crimes due to victim rights and such but, anyway, the ladies are now down at the station giving their statements. Don’t worry, they’re safe, everything’s fine now. But I’ve been sent to evaluate the scene and make sure the culprit has not returned. Just routine procedure, you know how it is.”

“I see,” Olivia considered. “So you’re with the police?”
 

“Yes, that’s right,” Brian lied.

He reached into the pocket of his jeans and flashed a badge he’d ordered from the internet in front of her face. She had no idea it was fake.

“If you could bear with me for one moment, sir, I will go and speak with my supervisor.”

He laid one finger on her hand as she began to turn away from the desk. When she looked back in surprise, he smiled again, making his eyes earnest and innocent.

“Olivia, I have a confession to make,” he said.

“What’s that?”

 
“Oh, and my name’s Brian, by the way,” he said, extending his hand to her. “How rude of me not to introduce myself.”

“It’s quite all right,” she said.

“Are you naturally this lovely or are you just incredibly well-trained in customer service?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

“Oh, I... I don’t know,” she blushed, clearly caught off guard.

“Neither do I,” he said. “All I know is I feel very, well,
serviced
.”

She giggled at his double entendre.

“So what’s your confession, sir?”

Brian pretended to be strained by the question.

“You look like the model employee, Olivia, so you probably have no idea what this feels like, but my boss told me to be here two hours ago. And I had every intention of doing as he’d instructed. But I got in the car, my police car, to look over the particulars of the case and, before I knew it, I woke up a whole hour and forty-five minutes later! Can you believe it? The problem is that I’m already on my second disciplinary warning for lateness, ‘cause no matter how hard I try to get up on time it just feels like heaven to roll over and go back to sleep, doesn’t it?”

She was totally enraptured, leaning toward him just enough to tell him she was hooked.

“It sure does,” she agreed.

“So, while I understand your position, I’d
really
rather not get into an official agreement with the hotel over this, if you get my meaning,” he explained. “It’s better if I just go upstairs, do my thing and leave without anyone but you and me knowing about it. I’d really appreciate if you’d help that happen. All I need from you is a ‘yes’ and a key to that room. I know, I know. I should have gotten it from the ladies involved but I can’t go back and ask them now!”

Olivia looked behind her to see if anyone was watching.

“Well, okay,” she said. “But I’m not responsible if anything goes wrong, am I?”

“Of course not!” Brian laughed. “And, anyway, what could go wrong? It’s just you, me and an empty room.”

“True. All right, go ahead,” she said. “Here’s the key.”

She slid it across the desk and smiled shyly. He looked deep into her eyes, ensuring that his hand touched hers as he took the key.

“You’re really an angel, aren’t you? You’ve made my day,” he said with a wink.

She smiled and sat down at the desk, releasing a contented sigh as she went back to her work.

Brian headed toward the gold doors of the elevator, but only got halfway across the marble floored lobby before he turned back.

“Olivia?”

“Yes, sir?”
 

“Please, it’s Brian,” he said.

“OK,
Brian
,” she repeated. “What can I do for you?”

“Ooh, a loaded question,” he flirted. “Well, I expect you get this all the time and I know it’s rather bold so, do forgive me.”

He picked up one of the hotel’s business cards from the holder and wrote his phone number on the back.

“Call me if you ever feel like getting together for a drink,” he continued.

She smiled and pocketed the business card.

“Thank you,
Brian
,” she said in barely more than a whisper. “Maybe I’ll do just that.”

“I sure hope so, Olivia.”

He walked away, turning to watch her when he reached the elevator. He was feeling more lustful by the second and when the elevator doors closed he thought of how her heavy tits would bounce out of her blouse when she stripped for him. He closed his eyes and pictured his lips closing around one of her nipples, sucking forcefully until she screamed with pleasure. His imagination began to run wild and he felt himself getting hard.
Focus, Brian
. He had to focus on the task at hand.

The elevator’s bell rang at the eighth floor and, stepping through the open door, Brian followed the signs to Suite 831. Slipping the key into the lock as silently as possibly, he began turning it, imagining the fear and surprise on Carla’s face as she realized that he had her trapped. What else could she do but admit his greater commitment, intelligence and guile? His ability to outsmart Atreus Kostas, one of the richest men in the world, was surely a sign of his superior manhood; a power that she could not ignore.

He opened the door to find Onella asleep on the bed, fully clothed and breathing gently. There was no one else in the room. The suite had a modern, open design that required little more than a quick glance to take everything in. Even the bathroom was empty.
 

Approaching Onella, he reached into the waistband of his trousers and pulled out his knife. Hovering above her, he thrust his hand out and grabbed her by the throat, jerking her up into sitting position. She awoke screaming.

“Shut up!” he said, pressing the knife to her neck. “The only reason you need to speak is to tell me where Carla is.”

“I don’t know,” Onella gasped. “Leave her the hell alone. She’s far too good for you.”

“You know exactly where she is.”

“No. I
don’t
.”

 
“Spit it out, bitch, or I’ll slit your throat.”

“Go on then, asshole, because I don’t know,” Onella spat. “But even if I did, not even Jesus himself could persuade me to tell you,
malaka
.”

*****

Chapter 4

Brian stumbled through the door with a bottle of Dom Pérignon in his hand. He was trying to drown the disgust he felt in himself; in his inability to act when Onella practically dared him to kill her. All of that hard work, that time and effort getting into the room, and the only thing he’d left with was a bottle of fucking champagne.

At least I’ll get to fuck that sweet thing from the front desk,
he thought.
Whatever her name was.
 

Sarah ran out from the living room and launched herself at him in a hug.

“Where have you been, babe? I got so worried about you. It’s getting light outside.”

“I don’t have to report to
you
,” Brian said. “I didn’t even know you were here.”

“Oh wait, listen. You’ll never guess what happened...” Sarah began, oblivious to his negativity.

He extracted himself from her embrace and pulled the ring from his pocket to evaluate it yet again.

“Oh my God! Honey!” Sarah said, misinterpreting his intentions. “What did you raid a jewelry store for me?”

She took the ring from him and slipped it onto her finger.

Brian laughed and puffed out his chest.

“No, something
much
better than that.”
 

“Gosh, I’ve never seen a diamond so big! And are all of the smaller ones diamonds, too? Jesus. How could you afford this?”

She admired it, twisting it in the light, then posed for him, fluttering her eyelashes and swaying side to side as she placed her now dazzling hand on her hip. Then she slapped him playfully.

“You know you could
actually
propose to me.”

Brian snorted and walked toward the kitchen.

“Are you kidding me? It’s not for
you
! You’re not exactly marriage material, Sar.”

 
Her face fell and she followed him.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who is it for, then?”

He looked her up and down and set about fixing himself a coffee.

“Where’s Carla?” he asked, ignoring her questions. “Has she been here?”
 

“Oh, so you’re saying that Carla’s marriage material and I’m not?”
 

“Give it a bloody rest, will ya,” Brian replied.

Sarah’s voice cracked.

“I’ve been waiting here for you
all evening
and you didn’t come, then this bitch barges in here turning everything upside down to the point where I have to call the police to come and take her away. Then,
still
I’m waiting—”