The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (40 page)

“Ooh,” Atreus said. “I’m hungry. Maybe we should get some afternoon tea of our own?”

Carla smiled.
 

“Let’s do it. Maybe Mr. Sleepy-Head here will wake up for some scones and jam and cake.” She rubbed him on the back. “Hmm? Time to get up now?”

“He’ll never sleep tonight if he doesn’t wake up,” Atreus said as they walked over toward the lounge where afternoon tea was to be served.

Dios did indeed perk up. They settled him into a high chair next to the sofa and he began to bang on it with the palms of his hands. An elderly couple and a group of young socialites turned at the noise.

“I do apologize,” Atreus said to everyone. “His Highness is rather excited about afternoon tea.”

The socialite girls cooed and
ahhed
at Dios while the old couple looked on kindly. It occurred to Carla that perhaps they didn’t even know they were the owners. She was glad for Atreus, knowing he would appreciate the anonymity it was so hard to get.

Before long, Olivia came out. She headed over to Carla and Atreus while the wait staff attended to the customers.

“All seems to be going well,” Carla said.

“Absolutely,” Olivia said with a smile. “It’s very exciting. Did you want to eat?”

Atreus grinned.
 

“Yes, just about everything you’ve got on the afternoon tea menu. Stacks of cake, scones, cream, jam. Tea. Coffee. Everything.”

“Wow,” said Olivia. “Looks like you’re feasting.”

“I’m eating for two now,” Carla said, patting her belly. “That’s my excuse.”

Atreus put his arm around her.
 

“And
I’m
just a greedy pig.”

Hugo, the refined older gentleman who they’d put in charge as the hotel manager under Cressida’s watchful eye, strolled down the hallway past the lounge. He nodded at Olivia, and Olivia nodded back. Then Olivia hurried back to relay Carla and Atreus’ order to the wait staff.

“Is it just me…” Carla said, “or did Olivia and Hugo just have a moment there?”

Atreus raised his eyebrows and smiled.
 

“Maybe they did.”

But, soon all that was forgotten, and their troubles with Serene momentarily shelved. The wait staff were quick to bring a silver platter of sandwiches cut into small triangles—egg and cress, ham, cheese, beef, cucumber—and a cake stand with muffins and cupcakes and scones. Soon the white tablecloth was covered with pots of tea, sugar, milk, coffee, cream, and strawberry jam, plus fine china with gold edging.

“Whoa,” said Carla.

Atreus grinned. “Let’s eat!”
 

*****

Later that night, Carla lay on her front on their bed at the Gardener’s Cottage, flicking through wedding magazines. Dios was curled up in his crib in the next room though he was well capable of climbing out of it now and would need a small bed very soon.

Carla had a pair of scissors at the ready, to cut out anything that caught her eye, but she kept having to look over the same page again and again like she hadn’t taken anything in. Her attention was firmly fixed on Atreus’ conversation. He’d opened the windows to let the night breeze in, and the moon shone upon his face, making him look ghostly white.

“I don’t want anyone else to represent me,” said Atreus into his phone. “This is my son we’re talking about. I need you to do it for me…. Yes, Theo, I get that, but you must get where I’m coming from, right?... Thank you.” He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the windowsill. “You know all the background between us. I have a note she left behind when she first left. That might be useful….”

He looked back at Carla and shrugged. She’d never seen him look so worried.

“Well, I’m perfectly happy for her to visit him in a controlled environment, but I’d be concerned about her having him overnight. I’d want supervised visits until she can prove she’s stable. I don’t trust her. She might just run back to Greece and take him with her…. Yes, I know courts often favor mothers… You’ve got to make a strong case against her, and that will require nothing but the facts… Yes, you’ve got my email. I’ll reply right away. Any question you want.”

He was just about to hang up when he brought the phone back to his ear.
 

“Theo, I know you and I have been through a lot of cases together over the years, but this is the most important of my life. You understand that, right?... Good. I’ll get back to your email as soon as you send it. Okay, bye.”

Carla got off the bed and ran to him, enveloping him in her arms. She couldn’t stand to hear the depression in his voice, to see the hopelessness in his face.
 

“Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll get through this together. We will.”

His eyes had lost the shine of enthusiasm.
 

“I hope so, Carla. I sure hope so.”

Her heart ached for him. She knew that Dios meant the world to him—and to her too. Losing him would be devastating.
 

Wanting to comfort him, she grabbed his hands in her own and kissed his face softly.
 

“I love you, Atreus,” she whispered in his ear.
 

He responded with a tiny nibble at her neck. She giggled as he lifted her onto his lap, her legs straddling his.
 

“You make me so happy, dear. I am a lucky man,” he said as he kissed her deeply; his tongue softly caressing hers. She pushed herself down onto him gently, feeling him growing beneath her.
 

He pulled her blouse over her head and put his hands on her breasts. They had grown quite a bit during her pregnancy and had become extremely sensitive. She loved the feeling of him rubbing on her nipples. It drove her wild.
 

She unbuttoned his shirt to let her breasts rub against his strong, tan chest. She dragged her fingers along his strong biceps and licked at his neck.
 

Within seconds, Atreus became ravenous. He needed her. He longed for the comfort she offered and the assurance their lovemaking provided him.
 

He lifted her slightly to pull her panties from under her skirt, tossing them to the ground before unzipping his own pants and shimmying them down to his ankles.
 

All the while, Carla licked at him. Her tongue touching every part of his neck and shoulders. Her delicate fingers rubbing his chest.
 

He dropped her slowly back onto his lap and felt her getting wetter. He couldn’t wait another minute. He was ready.
 

Quickly, he entered her. Faster than he had intended, but when he did, he felt her wetness surrounding him. He felt the pleasure.
 

At first Carla swayed slowly on top of him, but as he sucked on her nipples, her hips moved faster and faster, moaning his name over and over.
 

The sound of his name on her lips drove him mad. He pushed her harder and faster on top of him and she groaned loudly in his ear.
 

Suddenly and without warning, they both exploded in pleasure—in bliss.
 

In that one passionate moment, there was no Brian, Serene, or Nikolas. There was only Atreus and Carla. They were one. Experiencing passion, love, and comfort in each other; each yelling the others name with wild abandon, not caring if the world heard them.
 

*****

Chapter 3

“It’s right here,” Atreus said to the driver.
 

Often he preferred to drive them around himself, but that morning he’d told Carla that he needed every bit of attention available in case Theo rang and needed to talk about Serene and Dios and the trial. He’d also insisted they bring along Dios to see the Swanson-Jessup’s, even though they had originally planned to leave him with Andria.

“Just in case,” he’d said.
 

Carla knew he meant…
just in case they wouldn’t be seeing him as often
.
 

The very thought of it broke her heart.

The driver pulled up to the gates and spoke to the security guard. The gates then opened slowly, to reveal a long driveway that curved around behind a bank of trees. The driver took the road, and the house eventually came into view. It was truly gorgeous, its gray stone formed into turrets and a circular tower. Wisteria bloomed all over the front of it and chairs were set outside for a glorious view over the countryside.

As the driver pulled up, the Swanson-Jessups appeared at the main doorway. They smiled, though reservedly, and held onto each other’s hands.

Atreus got out, not bothering to wait for the driver to open the door for him as was customary, and carried Dios with him. Carla followed suit. She could practically feel Atreus’ pain pulsing through her.

“Good morning,” Atreus said.

“Good morning,” Carla echoed.
 

It felt so strange to be face to face with them. She couldn’t help thinking it was all her fault. After all, Brian had been so deeply involved and the only reason he’d followed Atreus in the first place was because of her.

“Please come in,” Jules said.

Atreus turned to the driver.
 

“Please come and collect us in an hour’s time.”

“Very good, sir.”

Carla and Atreus climbed the steps to the main entrance and turned to take in the spectacular view.

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Felix said, rather sadly. He looked up into the sky at a small cloud floating through the blue. “Isn’t it strange how much one’s perception of things can change? Before… you know, the incident, I’d never appreciated it much. Of course, I knew it was there, and I could say, academically, that it was aesthetically pleasing. But beauty, appreciating beauty, that process requires far more of you. And somehow tragedy or misfortune seems to bring it out of us more keenly. Well, that is true of me.”

The sorrow in his voice, and in his wife’s face behind him, even though she tried to smile, was almost unbearable. Carla knew that she and Atreus had planned to apologize when they got inside, but she could not hold it in any longer.

“We really are so incredibly sorry about what happened,” Carla said. “I feel it is all my fault—”

“Nonsense,” Jules said. “You weren’t the one who committed the act, therefore, it is not your fault.”

“But, I—”

“No, absolute nonsense,” Jules said firmly. “I won’t even hear of it. Now come on inside and we’ll have some tea.”

By the time they were sipping tea in the wood-paneled drawing room, Dios set up in front of an old video of Peter Pan the Swanson-Jessups had kept for their grandchildren, Carla and Atreus felt much more at ease.

“I really must assure you that we’re healing,” Jules said. “We are fortunate enough to be able to afford counseling and massage services here at the house, both of which are going a long way to helping us. Felix is spending a lot of time on the piano and in the garden.”

Felix smiled.
 

“Between compost and composition, I’m sure I’ll recover splendidly.”
 

Carla was so in awe of them, so brave in the face of their terrifying ordeal.

“We are very relieved to hear that,” said Atreus.
 

“But, how are you both?” Jules asked. “It must have all been a shock to you.”

Carla and Atreus looked at each other. It had been a shock, but with all that had been happening to them recently, it did not feel like it had come out of the blue. Besides, that was over, and now they had to focus on Serene.

“It was,” said Atreus, “but we’re moving on for the sake of Dios.”

“That’s good,” Jules said. “We were very glad to see you’ve kept the hotel open. Some people would have closed it, but there would be absolutely no need.”

Yet, still, Carla felt burdened.
 

“I know you say it’s not my fault, and I can accept that, but… I just have to say that I am sorry for bringing Brian into your lives. You, Atreus, and Dios, too, and you, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson-Jessup. You see, we were together for a couple of years and he became increasingly abusive as time went on. He was so set on getting me back, then punishing me for moving on, that he went to more and more drastic measures. I am so sorry that all of you were affected by that.”

Mrs. Swanson-Jessup’s eyes were so kind as she looked over at Carla.
 

“Felix and I forgive you if that is what you need to hear. And I suspect now you’ll have to forgive yourself. And maybe you have some healing still to do from that relationship. I know it can be very difficult to heal.”
 

She nodded at Felix. He cleared his throat.
 

“Yes. The woman I was married to before Jules was… not a very nice piece of work.”

“No, Felix,” Jules said. “You have to say it like it is.”

“Oh, all right. Excuse me for being uncouth but she was an abusive bitch of a woman.”
 

Jules nodded again.