Irresistible Greeks: Unsuitable and Unforgettable. Jane Porter
she was brilliant. And, Stavros was right, a bit on the unemotional end of things. She was looking for an opportunity to better herself, and to make an impact on the world.
Jessica had been trying to talk Victoria into considering a few of her previous clients, but Victoria hadn’t been interested. Because she’d clearly been holding out for better. And had found it in Stavros.
Well, nice for some.
For you, too, she tried to remind herself, but herself wasn’t listening. Herself was sulking a little bit.
“Great, I’ll call down to the hotel later.”
“I’ll do it,” he said. “If you give me her room number.”
“Can’t,” she said, the word escaping before she could think better of it.
“Why?”
Her stomach tightened to a painful degree. “No sex, remember?”
“I’m not going to have sex with her, not at this point. I’m going to call and ask her to dinner.”
She cleared her throat, ignoring the little surge her heart had taken when he’d said the word sex. Because when he said it was so … evocative. Husky male tones wrapped in an exotic accent. It made her think of tangled limbs and heavy breathing and …
And what? Like she was some great sensual goddess? Like she would be able to enjoy being with him? Like he would enjoy being with her? Her throat ached and she couldn’t fathom the sudden onslaught of emotion. What was wrong with her?
“Yeah, I’ll call Amy and Cherry then and just let them know that … I’ll let them know they can return home.”
“At their leisure. They can stay in the city for a few more days if they wish. I’ll continue to pay their expenses for as long they remain here. An extended holiday doesn’t seem too unreasonable.”
“Ah, so you’ll ask Victoria out but I have to break it off with the other two?”
“As I said earlier, it’s just a job interview. And only one candidate can get hired, so to speak.”
“Right.” She leaned back in the chair and flexed her fingers, curling them into fists and letting her manicured nails dig into her palms.
There was no reason at all the thought of Stavros going on a date with Victoria should make her feel like she might be sick.
But it did. She couldn’t deny that it did.
She was seriously losing it.
“Well, if I don’t see you again before your date … break a leg.”
He smiled, but his eyes held a strange, unreadable expression. “I’ll see you. After at least.”
No. “See you then.”
THERE was nothing wrong with Victoria. She was beautiful, she was pleasant. Smart. She would make a wonderful queen. Over dinner she’d talked at great length concerning how passionate she was about charities, starting foundations and visiting hospitals.
She possessed all the qualities he required for a bride.
Yet as he thought of binding himself to her, he felt nothing. No matter how hard he tried. He felt like he was being suffocated. As if the weight of the crown would physically crush him.
Don’t think of marriage. Think of sex.
If he could find a connection with her on that level, then maybe nothing else would matter. If he could flirt and put them both at ease, put a wall between them, maybe the tightness in his throat would abate.
When the limo stopped in front of the hotel she looked at him from beneath her lashes, her open, friendly expression changing. Seduction, he decided, was her intent. Good. He knew the game. Often, he relished the game.
So, why didn’t he feel anything? Nothing. Not even the slightest twinge of interest in his stomach. When she cocked her head to the side and licked her lips, there was no answering tug in his groin. Indeed, there was no signal coming from south of his belt at all. It was as though that member of his body hadn’t registered her existence.
He was a man, a man with a healthy appetite for sex. And she was, on paper, a sexually attractive woman. What he should be doing was pressing her back against the soft leather seat and claiming her soft pink lips.
His body rejected the idea while his mind replaced the image of a rosy pink mouth with one painted in temptation red. And with that image came a tightness in his chest, his heart pounding harder, his mind suddenly filled with Jessica.
“I had a nice time at dinner,” he said.
“So did I,” she said, cocking her head to the side even farther. Why was it that some women thought affecting the mannerisms of a cocker spaniel was sexy?
Except, usually, he would find this sexy. He just didn’t now. No use pretending he didn’t know why.
“Good night,” he said, opening the door to the limo and stepping out into the cool night. He held the door for her, giving as strong of a hint as he could.
She frowned and slid out, her body on the opposite side of the door to his. “I had a … a really nice time.” Her blue eyes were locked with his, her intentions obvious.
“So you said.”
“I appreciate you taking me out.”
“We’ll go out again. When I’m through with my business here.” Where was the flirtation? Why couldn’t he even pretend that he was interested? Whatever he felt for Jessica, it shouldn’t have the power to reach him here and now. It shouldn’t be able to control his thoughts and actions. That was the sort of thing he’d spent most of his adult life fighting.
“Oh … okay.” She smiled. “That’s good, right?”
It should have been. But he didn’t have any sort of positive feeling about it. “You’re a … nice woman, Victoria.”
Nice? Where the hell had his seduction skills gone?
“Thank you. You’re a nice man, Stavros.” She cleared her throat. “Good night, then?”
“Good night,” he said.
She stepped out of the way of the door and he closed it firmly. He would walk her into the hotel, as was the appropriate thing to do, but that was all.
She looked at him one more time in the lobby of the hotel, requesting a kiss, and when he took a step back he could have sworn he saw a fleeting hint of relief in her eyes.
“Hopefully we’ll see each other again soon,” she said.
“Hopefully,” he said, turning and leaving her in the lobby.
He felt no such hope. He would see her again though. Just because something in him was off at the moment didn’t mean she wasn’t the right candidate for the job. For the marriage.
He grimaced, lifted his hand to loosen his tie, which suddenly felt like a hangman’s noose.
Victoria was a sound choice.
He gritted his teeth. Yes, she was a sound choice. It didn’t matter that he desired someone else. Desire, no matter how strong, did not have a say in the future of his country. Desire could not shake his resolve.
He closed his eyes for a moment, clenched his hands into fists to disguise the unsteadiness in his fingers. It was only lust. Nothing special. Nothing important. A picture of Jessica flashed through his mind and there was an answering kick in his gut.
In spite of his intentions, desire seemed to be shaking him from the inside out. And what he really didn’t want to believe was that a