“Yes, I will,” he whispered, moving even closer. His palm landed on the door, near her face, his breath feathering over her. The heat of his body coated her with an awareness she didn’t want. Every inch of her froze, and she struggled to pull air into her lungs. “Make no mistake about me. To ensure my sister’s happiness, I will do anything that is required of me, and not feel a moment’s regret about it.”
Her stomach tight, she forced herself to speak. She had no doubt that he was speaking the truth. “But it doesn’t really serve your purpose, does it? Ruining me won’t set your sister’s world right. You need me, and you don’t like it.” His mouth tightened an infinitesimal amount and she knew she had it right. “That’s why you collected all that information. Because you needed at least an illusion that you have the upper hand in the situation, to make sure you’re the one with control.”
Something dawned in his gaze and she knew she had hit the nail on its head. Her pulse jumped beneath her skin. “You have twisted something very straightforward into a game. I would have dropped everything to take care of Tyler. But now, I’ll only come if you agree to my condition,” she finished, every nerve ending in her stretched tight.
She was playing a dangerous game. But she would do this only on her terms, refused to let herself be bullied again. Even for Tyler.
His gaze swept over her. “Fine. Just remember one thing. I’m agreeing because this suits me. This way, you’re my employee. You do what I say. You can’t cry foul, can’t say I manipulated you.”
“Even if I did, it’s not like you’ll lose any sleep over it.”
His teeth bared in a surprisingly warm smile. “Good, you’re a fast learner. I’m the one who will be paying you. I’ll even have my lawyers draw a contract to that effect.”
“Isn’t that a little over-the-top? I’m there to help Tyler, not for any other reason.” His continued silence sent a shiver of warning through her. “Am I?”
He didn’t answer her question and his expression was hidden by the thick sweep of his lashes. A knock sounded on an interconnecting door she hadn’t noticed. The brunette she had spied earlier walked in, her mouth set into a charming pout. Her long-legged gait brought her to the sitting area in mere seconds while her expertly made-up gaze took in Nikos and her with a frown.
She pulled him toward her, nothing subtle or ambiguous in her intentions. “I thought you wanted to celebrate, Nikos. Are you ever going to be free?”
Her mouth dry, Lexi watched, her thin T-shirt too warm.
His gaze didn’t waver from Lexi. A sly smile curved his mouth as he obviously noticed the heat she could feel flush her cheeks. He wrapped his hand around the woman’s waist, his long fingers splayed against the cream silk of her dress. “I believe Ms. Nelson and I have concluded our business to mutual satisfaction. So, yes, I’m free to celebrate, Nina.”
CHAPTER THREE
NIKOS CURSED LOUDLY and violently. The words swallowed up by the crowd around him didn’t relieve his temper one bit.
It had been three days since Lexi Nelson had come to see him and yet the sneaky minx had avoided his assistant’s phone calls. Exasperated, Nikos had been reduced to having Kane discover her shift times at the club. Thoroughly disgusted by his minions’—a word he couldn’t stop using ever since she had—failure to persuade the woman to leave for Greece, he had flown back to New York.
He had arrived at three in the morning, forced himself to stay awake and arrived at Vibe five minutes after five. Only to find her gone. So he had his chauffeur drive him to her apartment in Brooklyn.
But even after a ten-hour shift, the irritating woman still hadn’t returned. He had been ready to call the cops and report her missing. In the end, he had entered her apartment, barged into a bedroom and forced the naked couple in the bed to tell him where Ms. Nelson was. Her eyes eating him up, the redhead had finally informed him that Lexi had gone straight to another shift at a coffee shop around the corner.
So here he was standing on the sidewalk at nine in the morning outside the bustling café amidst jostling New Yorkers. He was tired, sleep-deprived and furious.
He understood the need for money. He was the epitome of hunger for wealth and power, but this woman was something else.
Ordering his chauffeur to come back in a few minutes, he entered the café. The strong smell of coffee made his head pound harder. With the hustle and bustle behind the busy counter, it took him a few moments to spot her behind the cash register.