The Mediterranean Tycoon

‘I appreciate it. And good work needs rewarding.’ He leaned towards her and Peta panicked. What sort of reward was he talking about? A kiss? More than that? She shrank even further into the seat.

‘You’ll see a handsome bonus in your pay cheque at the end of the month.’

Peta breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I’ve not typed my notes out yet,’ she pointed out. ‘You might be disappointed.’

‘I don’t think so. You’re by far the best assistant I’ve had in a long time.’

‘In that case,’ she said, taking advantage of one of his rare moments of companionship, ‘could I take a laptop home to do the notes? I really won’t have time at the office and I don’t want to work late and leave Ben again.’

‘Consider it done,’ he said. ‘He needs you as much as I do.’

Peta must have shown her surprise because he added, ‘Believe me, Peta, I do appreciate that you have a home life. I press people hard, I know—it’s the only way to get anything done—but I too have a life outside work.’

‘You do? I thought there was nothing more important than turning around ailing businesses.’

‘I know I give that impression. I’ve always worked hard.’

‘So what do you do outside work hours?’ she asked, amazing herself by her temerity.

‘I too have a son,’ he admitted. ‘A son who complains that he never sees enough of me.’

His confession stunned Peta. Of all the rumours that had spread through the company, this wasn’t one of them.

‘You look surprised.’

‘I am. I didn’t know; I didn’t realise; I thought…’ Her voice tailed off in confusion.

‘You thought I was a workaholic, maybe even a bit of a playboy in my spare time? I do know what’s being said about me, Peta.’

‘But you don’t care to correct it?’

‘My private life is just that—private. I prefer it to remain that way.’

‘You can rest assured I’ll say nothing,’ she said, and at that moment they drew up outside her house.

‘Wait!’ He leaned forward and put a hand over hers when she made to open the door. ‘Gareth will let you out.’

His touch meant nothing and yet it took her breath away. She turned her head to look at him and his brown eyes darkened and his lips brushed her cheek. Just that, nothing more, yet it felt as though he was making love to her.

‘Thank you, Peta, for brightening up my evening. You look truly beautiful.’

Peta was saved answering by his driver opening her door. She climbed out speedily, turning only at the last minute to smile weakly at her boss. The compliment was late, yet it made more of an impact because of it. Her fingers trembled as she put the key in the lock, and the car didn’t move until she had safely closed the door behind her.

CHAPTER THREE

ANDREAS pondered his problem. He could, of course, get another girl from the agency, but how many was that now? And Nikos had liked none of them. There had to be another answer. He drank cup after cup of black coffee until finally a solution came to him. It put a smile on his face as he showered and got ready for work, and he was impatient for Peta to arrive.

When she did he called her straight into his office. Andreas Papadakis didn’t believe in beating around the bush. If he had something to say he came straight out with it. In his opinion it was the only way.

‘Miss James…Peta, I need your help.’

He saw the way she frowned, pulling her delicately shaped brows together. He saw the way she bit her lower lip, which she always did when she wasn’t sure what to expect of him. Gone was the sexy dress of last night, replaced by one of her smart suits. The dress had amazed him. He had never imagined her wearing anything so revealing. Amazed and pleased him. He’d heard a few whispered comments about what a lucky so-and-so he was to have an assistant like that. And it had certainly made him look at her in a new light.

Not that he hadn’t already realised her potential. She was an exceedingly attractive girl who never made the most of her assets. That gorgeous auburn hair, for instance, was always tied uncompromisingly back, and those lovely dark blue eyes were never shown off to their advantage. Last night, when she’d carefully made them up, he had felt their full impact for the first time. The things they’d done to him were best forgotten. She was such an ice-cold maiden that if she’d read the ignoble thoughts in his mind she would have very likely walked out of her job. And now he needed her more than ever.

‘Can you think of anyone in the secretarial pool who’d do your job as well as you?’

‘You’re sacking me?’ The colour faded from her cheeks, her eyes widening in dismay.

‘Of course not,’ he assured her quickly. ‘I have something else in mind.’

Her chin lifted in another of her delightful habits and she looked at him warily.

‘I need someone to look after Nikos.’

‘Your son?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you’re asking me. Why?’

‘Because his current nanny’s handed in her notice.’

Her incredibly blue eyes flashed her indignance and he wondered why the hell he hadn’t noticed long before now how gorgeous they were. They were enough to send any man crazy.

‘I’m a qualified secretary, not a child-minder,’ she retorted. ‘I don’t want to spend my life looking after someone else’s children.’

Andreas hadn’t expected her to say yes straight away, he had known she would need a lot of persuading, but she sounded so adamant that he feared she would never agree. Perhaps he ought to give her no choice, either she take the job or… No, if he did that he’d risk losing out both ways. ‘You hate having to leave Ben every day, don’t you?’ he asked quietly.

She nodded. ‘More than you’ll ever know.’

‘Oh, I do; you underestimate me. This is the perfect solution. It will solve your dilemma as well as mine. You and Ben would move into my house, you’d be there for him whenever he needed you, and you could also do some work for me from home.’ To him it was the simplest solution, the obvious one.

The look on her face spoke a thousand words. ‘Mr Papadakis, living with you is the last thing I want. Ben and I are happy as we are. I love my little house. Why should I give it up? And, for that matter, where’s your wife? Why can’t she bring up her own child?’

Andreas’s eyes shadowed as his thoughts raced back to the blackest days of his life. ‘My wife’s dead,’ he told her bluntly, ‘and you wouldn’t need to give up your house; you could let it.’ He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and pressed home his faint advantage. ‘Sit down. Think again about the benefits.’

Reluctantly she perched herself on the edge of a chair, crossing her legs so that her skirt rode up. Not for the first time he felt a stirring in his loins. But that sort of thing had to be put to one side. He needed her to feel safe, not threatened. He hadn’t failed to notice in the car last night how she had drawn back from him when he kissed her cheek. Someone, somewhere along the line, had destroyed her trust in men, and he had no intention of adding to it.

‘I desperately need someone to look after Nikos. You know how much time I put in here—the poor little guy hardly sees me.’

‘So why don’t you work from home?’

It was a logical question and he grimaced. ‘I’d love to, but if I’m to turn this company around I need to keep my finger on the pulse.’

‘How long would you expect me to do the job?’

‘I don’t know. Until I find someone else, perhaps, maybe even indefinitely if it works as well as I hope it will. You won’t lose out, I assure you.’