The Santorini Marriage Bargain

‘It’s a long story,’ Rhianne answered. ‘I need a drink before I tell you. Preferably something stronger than tea.’

‘A G&T it is, then,’ said her friend. ‘And I’ll join you. Why don’t you put your stuff into my spare room while I’m mixing it?’

As soon as they’d sat down, Rhianne blurted out the events of the day, from discovering Angus and Annie to being hit by Zarek.

‘Oh, Rhianne, I’m sorry.’ Karen clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes as wide as saucers. ‘What a terrible day you’ve had!’

‘Don’t I know it. Luckily I escaped with a few bruises, and that guy who dropped me off was the one who knocked me down. Whether it’s because he felt guilty I don’t know, but he’s giving me a job.’

Her friend’s mouth fell open. ‘Talk about landing on your feet.’

‘It’s only temporary, but it will do while I look around.’

‘You don’t sound impressed,’ said Karen. ‘He’s truly gorgeous. Just the man to get you back on your feet.’

Tell me about it, thought Rhianne. Angus had been good-looking, but Zarek was doubly so. With added charisma. Which would be difficult to ignore. ‘I couldn’t care less what he looks like,’ she told her friend fiercely. ‘I’m seriously off men for the foreseeable future.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ agreed Karen. ‘I still find it hard to believe that Angus has cheated on you with Annie. Did he really think he could get away with it? I wonder how long it’s been going on?’

‘I don’t think it’s the first time he’s done that sort of thing,’ acknowledged Rhianne bitterly. ‘Someone at work told me ages ago that she’d seen him with another woman. He denied it, of course, and I stupidly believed him. He’s away such a lot with his job, how do I know what he gets up to? But to cheat with my best friend…I shall never forgive him. In fact, I shall never trust another man as long as I live.’

‘They’re not all the same.’

‘No?’ she queried, her eyes rising disdainfully. ‘My father cheated on my mother, it’s why they got divorced. I always swore it would never happen to me.’

It was late when they went to bed, and Rhianne slept fitfully, thoughts of both Angus’s betrayal and Zarek’s kiss whirling round and round in her mind. Contrarily, when it was time to get up, she was in her deepest sleep. The alarm woke her, and she jumped out of bed, forgetting her injuries until she put her foot to the floor. It was stiff and painful, and in the full-length mirror on the wardrobe door she saw a huge bruise on her thigh, a vivid reminder of all that had happened yesterday.

And today she was starting a new job!

She actually felt fit for nothing. She wanted to stay in bed and wallow in her anguish. Both physical and mental. But jobs like the one Zarek had offered didn’t come along very often. The salary he’d mentioned was virtually double what she’d been earning. She’d be a fool to throw it away.

Karen had already left, so Rhianne had the house to herself. She showered and dressed carefully in a charcoal-grey suit, teaming it with a white blouse and medium heels. She brushed her thick hair and fastened it up on top of her head, and, with a final glance in the mirror, she pronounced herself ready.

The address was in the centre of the city, and she caught the tube in. Living in London, or even its suburbs, there was no point in having a car—even if she could have afforded one. Limping the last few yards to Zarek’s office, her heartbeat quickened.

This job offer had been so sudden, so unexpected, that she wasn’t sure whether she was up to it. He was a hard taskmaster, he’d said. Which also meant that she wouldn’t have time to dwell on what had happened. This had to be good. So why wasn’t she feeling happy? Why was she feeling that she would regret taking on this job?

Diakos Holdings occupied the top two floors of an impressive building. She was shot upwards in a high-speed lift and was evidently expected because she was shown straight through to Zarek’s office.

He stood up from his desk the moment she entered. ‘Good, I’m glad you made it.’ He wore a navy suit and a pale blue shirt and he looked the epitome of a successful businessman. His silk tie was navy also with pale blue polka dots. Everything about him screamed elegance and good taste.

‘Did you have any doubts?’ she enquired, looking curiously around her once her perusal of Zarek’s attire was over. His office was state-of-the-art efficient, cool colours, sleek furniture. There were no paintings on the walls, nothing to take his mind off the job in hand. There was a view over the Thames, but the venetian blinds were angled so that they blotted it out.

‘I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t,’ he answered. ‘We did meet under rather exceptional circumstances, and my offer of a job was not done in the normal way. I would have perfectly understood if—’

‘Mr Diakos,’ interrupted Rhianne. ‘I gave my word.’

‘Of course you did,’ he said. ‘I should never have doubted it. You’re a woman of integrity, and I like that. How are you feeling this morning?’

‘Stiff and painful,’ she answered.

‘Up to working?’

‘Of course.’

‘Then we’ll begin.’

Her office was next to Zarek’s with an interconnecting door. In business mode he was very different to the man she had met yesterday.

She discovered that this was the newest branch of Diakos Holdings, and that Zarek was here to oversee things. Their head office was in Athens, and they had other branches in Europe and the United States. It was a world of high finance, and the sort of figures that were tossed around caused Rhianne’s head to spin.

He worked her hard, giving her no opportunity to think about her problems and when Zarek said they were finished for the day, she was amazed to see that it was nearly seven o’clock.

‘You’ve done well,’ he told her. ‘I didn’t expect you to keep up.’

‘Do you always work this late?’ she asked.

‘Sometimes later. Is it a problem for you?’

Rhianne shook her head. ‘It helps take my mind off…’ She tailed away, but Zarek knew what she was talking about and nodded. ‘I’d like to repay your hard work by taking you out to dinner. You must be starving.’

Almost immediately Rhianne recalled her suspicions. Her eyes blazed and, with a defiant lift of her chin, she declined his offer. ‘My friend is expecting me. She’ll have a meal cooked by now. In any case, Mr Diakos, I don’t believe in mixing business with pleasure.’

‘Of course,’ he answered evenly. ‘But bear it in mind for another occasion. Dining with me is part of the deal. It would certainly be business because I rarely switch off. You’d find yourself taking notes.’

Rhianne looked long and hard into his dark eyes and saw nothing other than complete honesty—or was there something more? The intensity she saw there made her heart leap and unwanted heat flood her skin. She felt raw vibes crossing the divide between them. With a shake of her head she turned away, picking up her bag and heading for the door. ‘Goodnight, Mr Diakos.’

‘Goodnight, Rhianne.’

The next few days followed a similar pattern. He worked her hard, but Rhianne didn’t mind, and then on Friday afternoon Zarek asked whether she would be prepared to work the next day.

‘Is this what you mean by being a hard taskmaster?’ Rhianne asked. ‘Seven o’clock every night and then weekends.’

‘So it’s a no?’ A wry smile curved his lips as though it was what he had expected.

‘You push yourself too much,’ she pointed out. ‘Is it really necessary to work on a Saturday? I thought everything was up to date.’ Heavens, he’d worked like there was no tomorrow every day, what else was there left to do?

‘On this occasion, yes, because I have to go home to Santorini. My father’s not well, and I want to be on top of things before I go.’

‘Then of course I’ll come in,’ she answered quickly and quietly. ‘I’m sorry to hear about your father. Is it serious?’

‘I’m sure it’s not, but my mother needs me. Will you be all right in my absence? I know you must still be hurting over your fiancé’s indiscretions. Have you spoken to him yet?’

Rhianne shook her head, and the pins came out of her hair, causing it to tumble about her shoulders in a cloud of auburn waves. She had always been so careful to keep it neat and tidy for work that she felt embarrassed, putting her hands to it and trying to fix it back up.

‘Don’t,’ said Zarek at once. ‘Your hair is your crowning glory; leave it loose. I like it that way.’

He liked it! What was that supposed to mean? He wasn’t supposed to like anything about her except her efficiency. Personal issues were not allowed. Hadn’t they straightened that out after The Kiss?