The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (20 page)

“And now you can get the hell out,” Serene demanded. “This is
my
island and you’re not welcome.”

“No, Serene. This is
not
your island,” Atreus declared. “I purchased it and named it after you, but now I have renamed it Redemption Island.” He reached out and held Carla’s hand. “For Carla.”

“Awww, Redemption Island,” Serene laughed sarcastically. “Isn’t that sweet?”

“Ridiculous,” said Nikolas.

“I have no interest in what you two think of me,” dismissed Atreus.

“Maybe you’ll have an interest when you find out what Nikolas will do to you if you don’t hand over the deed to this island. And not only this one, but Little Ekali too.”

Serene stepped back and rested her head on Nikolas’ shoulder with a smug, victorious smile.

“I can take away your share in Kostas Shipping like that,” said Nikolas, snapping his fingers. “Just
one little scandal
and I can turn the whole board against you.”

“I’ve done nothing to warrant a scandal,” said Atreus proudly.

“One little scandal and I’ll have my son in my arms,” said Serene, ignoring Atreus’ response. She looked up at Nikolas. “With a strong, decent, kind,
real man
as his father.”

Carla clutched Dios to her chest.

“You don’t love him. You gave him up. Why do you want him now?”

“She only wants to break up our family,” explained Atreus. He turned to Serene. “But, mark my words, you won’t. You
can’t
.”

“If you don’t give this woman exactly what she wants,” said Nikolas, “namely this island, Little Ekali and Dios, I can
guarantee
that I will destroy you. Professionally, personally, everything. Your name will be so dirty that people won’t even want to spit on it.”

“Get off my island,” Atreus demanded, trying to remain calm.
 

“Or what?” Nikolas countered. “One phone call to the board and it’s all over for you.”

“We’re going to Little Ekali now,” said Serene. “Our boat’s around the other side.”

“No, you’re not,” said Atreus. “You’re going back to Greece and never coming back here again.”

“Okay,” Nikolas shrugged, pulling his smartphone out of his pocket. “Let’s see what chairman Alessandro Marinos has to say about how you beat Serene within an inch of her life because she threatened to expose your plan about price fixing.”

Carla could barely catch her breath. How quickly paradise had turned into hell on earth. She looked at Atreus and, though his face was set in fierce determination, his hands shook. She couldn’t believe his next words.

“Okay,” he said. “Come to Little Ekali now. We’ll talk.”

*****

Chapter 3

“It’s totally up to you,” said Atreus. “If you want to come down and talk to them with me that’s totally fine, but if you want to stay up here with Angelique that’s okay, too.”

The last thing Carla wanted to do was to sit opposite Serene and Nikolas at the grand dining table to be sneered at and disrespected.
 

“But are you sure you’ll be all right without me?
 
If you need me to come I can.”

“I don’t want you to get upset,” he said. “Why don’t you just stay here and relax. I’ll have some dinner and tea brought up for you.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

She sank back onto the soft mattress and wished that Serene and Nikolas would just disappear. Atreus stroked the hair back from her forehead.

“I won’t be long, my love,” he told her, “I’ll get all of this over with as soon as possible and come back to you.”

“I can’t wait,” she said.

He leaned over and kissed her.

“Neither can I.”

His soft, thick lips pushed up into hers and a hot, tingling sensation spread through her body as his tongue flickered against her own. He caressed her breast through her white linen robe and pinched gently at her nipple. She wanted nothing more than to throw her legs around him and make love to him.

As if he had read her mind, he began to pull his belt out of its loops. He hurried to loosen his trousers from his hips and caressed her thighs as he pushed them apart. He moaned, wasting no time entering her, and they both breathed a deep sigh of pleasure and relief as he filled her completely and they became one. Atreus looked into her eyes as if he were losing himself, giving his very soul up as an offering to her.

“I love you, Carla,” he said.

“I love you,” she moaned, already riding a wave of bliss as his hips gyrated against hers. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. “Oh… God.”

He pushed himself into her again and again, each time heightening the peak of her orgasm until she could barely keep from screaming out in ecstasy. She grabbed a handful of sheet and stuffed it in her mouth.

“Oh, Atreus,” she moaned.

“Carla,” he moaned back, “my darling.”

He pushed all the way into her, holding her tightly as they rode the last waves of their climaxes together.

“So where’s this lucky lady then?” a young woman called out with a lilting Caribbean accent. “Oh!
 
Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

Carla and Atreus sprang apart and Carla clutched the sheet up to her neck. She looked up to see a young woman, her skin a beautiful shining ebony against her white masseuse uniform. A mass of hundreds of tiny black braids flailed from her high ponytail as she hurried out of the room.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said, her voice trailing off.

Atreus rocked back onto his knees and scrambled to zip up his trousers and secure his belt.

“That’s Angelique. I am so sorry.”

He looked so forlorn that Carla couldn’t help but laugh. First, she giggled, but then Atreus caught on and before long they were laughing out loud with the ridiculousness of it all.
 

After a few moments, Angelique poked her head out around the door with an awkward, exaggerated smile.

“That was kinda embarrassing, uh?”

Her full lips were painted into a dark purple, almost black bow that framed her smile perfectly, and her deep brown eyes were swept into sleek almond shapes with heavy kohl. A single gold stud shined from one side of her nose.

“Nothing happened,” Atreus smiled. “Come in.”

“I think that’s the best approach,” she agreed. She walked in with a small black bag and set it on the side table. “I saw nothing. Nothing at all.”

She flashed Carla a teasing smile and unzipped the bag to reveal small bottles of oil. Angelique was so beautiful that Carla felt a flicker of jealousy rise in her chest. If she didn’t trust Atreus completely she would have been worried.
 

“Now get out of here,” Angelique teased Atreus, “so I can make your madam feel like a queen.”

“She is a queen,” said Atreus. He leaned over and kissed Carla. “She’s
my
queen.”

“That’s right,” Angelique said with a hearty nod. “And don’t you forget it.” She arranged the bottles in a line and nodded over her shoulder at Carla. “Come, my girl.”

“I’d better go down and meet you know who,” said Atreus.

“All right, darling,” Carla said. She drew him into a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. “See you soon. I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby.” Atreus kissed her and then nodded back at Angelique. “You’re in good hands.”

Carla thought of gorgeous Angelique giving Atreus a massage in the past, as she must have done for him to make such a remark, and felt another flash of jealousy. She had to remind herself that she trusted Atreus.

“So,” Angelique said once Carla had cinched her robe together and come to stand with her at the side table. “I have cinnamon oil there, jasmine there, rose there, lavender there, then there’s blue lotus, verbena, gardenia and vanilla. You could choose any you want, as many as you want, and then I’m going to mix them with coconut and jojoba oil. This is all about you, okay, so you choose exactly what you want. Whatever makes you feel good.”

By the time she had made her selection and Angelique had arranged the oil and the bed, Carla felt much more relaxed.

“I’m sorry we got off to such a bad start,” said Carla, then giggled. “Maybe Atreus will learn to knock the door now, uh?”

Angelique grinned.

“Aww, you’re so nice,” said Angelique. She leaned forward and wrapped Carla up in a warm hug. “You’re so much nicer than that horrible Serene. I shouldn’t really say it but I cannot stand the woman.”

“That makes two of us,” Carla said, hugging her back.

“Well, never mind that,” dismissed Angelique. “Let’s pay her no mind. Oh gosh, listen to me, I come here talking about that silly woman when I’m supposed to be relaxing you.”

“That’s okay,” Carla said with a smile.

“All right, my girl,” Angelique said. “Now, do you have any special music that you want on during the massage?”

“Good idea,” said Carla. She remembered a selection Atreus had put together for them when they were back in Greece. She glanced at the bedside table. “Oh, but it’s on Atreus’ phone and I think he took it with him. Can I go grab it quickly?”

“I’ll go get it for you,” said Angelique.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Carla said. “I wouldn’t mind dropping in on Dios anyway before we start. I’ll go.”

“No problem,” Angelique said. “You want me to wait in here or outside?”

“Oh, in here is fine,” Carla said. She handed her the TV remote with a smile. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Angelique gave her another hug.

“You’re the best!”

Carla hurried down the corridor and checked on Dios sleeping soundly in his crib. She paused to look down at him. His hands were still so small, curled up in a fist. It was hard to comprehend that this tiny boy would soon be a big brother.

She padded down the stairs to the dining room and lifted her hand to the handle of the glass door. She froze as she saw Atreus and Serene in the room alone, their bodies pressed up against each other as they kissed. They did not see her. Sobs stuck in her throat and not knowing what to say or do, she turned and bolted back up the stairs.

*****

“Get off me!” Atreus demanded, pushing Serene away from him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Atreus, I came here for
you
,” Serene said, forcing herself onto him again. “Please don’t turn the mother of your child away.”

Atreus wriggled away from her grasp and held onto her shoulders so she could not advance toward him again. “What?
 
You’ve come here for
me
?”

“Yes, of course,” Serene admitted. Her eyes welled up with tears. “I don’t want Nikolas anymore. I did not realize what kind of a man he was. He’s a cruel man, Atreus, nothing like you.”

“I am in love with Carla,” Atreus stated bluntly.

“Let’s forget any of this ever happened,” Serene pleaded. “Let’s forget Carla and Nikolas and go back to when we were happy, just you and me.”

“You’re forgetting your son,” Atreus said icily.

“Right, and Dios, of course,” said Serene. “That goes without saying.”

“We will never be together again,” Atreus declared. “Never.”

Serene gazed into his eyes.

“But we were so perfect together, you and me. I was the one who stood by you when you had nothing, when you
were
nothing, because I saw potential in you. I was there every step of the way when you build Kostas Shipping from the ground up. Admit it, you would never have been successful without me. You need me.”

“Things have changed,” said Atreus. His voice was flat. “You left me. You left our son without a second glance. You only care when it suits you.”

“But—”

“Read my lips, Serene. Even if hell itself freezes over we will never be together again. I love Carla. I am going to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her and if you don’t like it that’s just tough.”

“So is that how you want to play it?” Serene dared him.

“I’m not playing.”
 

“That’s good to hear. Neither am I. I’m going to destroy everything you have.” Serene vowed.

Atreus threw the glass door open and turned at the threshold to face her.

“Bring it on.”

He walked out and slammed the door behind him.

*****

“What a bastard,” Angelique said, pacing the floor. “I just can’t believe it.”

Carla stuffed a couple of the warmest outfits Atreus’ staff had purchased into a suitcase, her hands shaking.

“I would never have believed it either, if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.”

It took all her strength to keep from collapsing on the bed in heaving sobs.

Angelique sucked her teeth and shook her head.

“What an idiot that man is.”

“How can I get off this island?” Carla said. She picked up her smartphone from the bed. “I can only find flights from Nassau.”

“Don’t you worry, my girl,” Angelique replied. “You book your flight and I’ll sort out everything else.” She took her own smartphone from her pocket and strode over to the door. She twisted the key until it clicked. “Just in case the rat tries to come up here.”