LITMIR.BIZ

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      Lucy figured dimly that all the colour must have drained from her face. She felt icy cold all of a sudden, and tried to formulate words through numb lips. ‘That’s why you appeared—you didn’t even trust me to come up here and do this. You suspected something all along.’

      She watched as his face flushed a dark red, and found herself sinking back down onto the chair.

      ‘All this time you’ve thought that I might do something like this.’ She shook her head and looked up, pain shattering her insides as she had to ask, ‘Is that why you slept with me? Because you thought it might be easier to control me?’

      His lack of response and that stony visage was confirmation enough. As if watching a movie in slow motion, Lucy went all the way back to when she’d tried to resign and Ari had told her she couldn’t. It must have been then. He must have decided at that point that she might be a liability and planning some kind of revenge.

      She somehow found the strength to stand again. She felt even clammier now. She’d always known what Ari was, the kind of man he was, but somehow in the past few weeks she’d let herself forget it.

      He put out a hand towards her but Lucy flinched back, moving behind the chair, ‘Lucy—’

      ‘No. I don’t want to hear it. I know it’s over. It’s all over. That’s the only reason you slept with me. I’ve been really—’

      She stopped and bit her lip before she could say stupid. She lifted dead eyes to his. ‘Blood really is thicker than water, isn’t it?’ She smiled a small harsh smile. ‘Perhaps this is a step forward in fostering a new regard for your half-brother?’

      Her smile faded. ‘Anatolios doesn’t know about the merger. It happened exactly the way I said it did. The reason I passed off the conversation earlier as nothing was because he was beginning to suspect something and asked me about it. I didn’t tell you because I figured he’d never find out before the morning and you didn’t need the hassle.’

      She hitched up her chin. ‘I intend to resign once the press conference is over, I can’t see why you wouldn’t agree to that now.’ She smiled with brittle brightness. ‘After all, I can’t imagine you want to be faced with an assistant you had to sleep with for business every day.’

      Lucy turned and walked stiffly to the door, then looked back, somewhere in his general direction. ‘I can organise my own flight home tomorrow after the press conference. I’d prefer that, and I’m sure you would too. I’ll work out my notice if you insist, but I’m happy to collect my things from the office on Monday too.’

      And, opening the door, she slipped out.

      Ari watched the door for a long moment. The earth was shifting underneath him. He had been about to refute her reasoning behind why he’d slept with her, but then, when she’d interrupted him and obviously decided that that had to be the case, he hadn’t spoken up.

      He could have stopped her from leaving. He could have told her. Why hadn’t he?

      Ari sat down heavily onto the ornately brocaded sofa behind him. Without the awful stomach-churning red mist of anger that had gripped him, he had to concede that of course he trusted Lucy over his opportunistic brother any day of the week. This whole scene had all the clumsy and unoriginal hallmarks of Anatolios. But he’d just seen them together and … his mind had imploded.

      His fists clenched when he saw how easily he’d misinterpreted the situation. She was wrong in this case. Blood was most certainly not thicker than water. If Lucy had been guilty she’d never have jumped to the conclusion she had. She’d have defended herself vociferously, she’d have cajoled and enticed, perhaps even tried to seduce him into bed to distract him. But he didn’t need reminding that she hadn’t come near him since Paros. His mouth twisted. And could he blame her? When he’d all but hustled her off the island like a fugitive. But he had just been so … so overwhelmed that she’d witnessed his excruciating weakness. She’d seen him cry. And she hadn’t turned away in horror, she’d been gorgeous, sympathetic, understanding … It had been too much.

      He couldn’t deal with that. No one had seen that side of him. It had been locked away for so long—he’d been alone against the world for so long …

      And that was why he’d let her stand there and believe he’d seduced her deliberately. His life hadn’t been on an even keel since he’d started noticing her, desiring her. That had been part of his knee-jerk response tonight—the knowledge that he’d been so hungry for her that he’d followed her to the room for that and not because he might have suspected her of espionage. He’d felt intensely vulnerable for the brief moment when he had contemplated that that could have been the reality.

      He stood abruptly and made for the door. He had to go back downstairs, had to smile and pretend everything was OK, when he felt as if his insides were twisting tight in his gut. Lucy was right. It was over. Where could it go from here anyway? He would not let her see him be weak one more time. No woman was worth that.

      The next morning, when the press conference was over, Lucy avoided the scrum of shocked and chattering press and went up to her room. She picked up her one small bag, she was leaving all the bought clothes behind, and went down to the lobby to check out.

      She was just arranging for a taxi to take her to the airport when she felt her arm taken in a spine-tinglingly familiar grip and a smooth voice spoke over her to the concierge. ‘My driver will look after her, thank you.’

      She stiffened under his touch, her whole body crying out shamefully for more.

      ‘That’s really not necessary.’

      He smoothly moved them away, his hand still on her arm. Lucy fought not to pull it free, afraid he might guess how badly he was affecting her.

      ‘Lucy—’ he sighed heavily ‘—about last night—’

      ‘Please. You don’t have to say anything.’

      ‘I do.’ His hand tightened, and she looked up against her better judgement. His eyes were so green that she felt pole-axed.

      ‘You were wrong, I never slept with you because I thought you were capable of espionage. I read the situation entirely wrong and I’m sorry. But you’re right … it’s … this—us—is over.’

      Lucy tried to school her features, even though she felt as if someone had just stabbed her in the belly. Relief that he had trusted her was eclipsed by sheer pain that she shouldn’t even be feeling. ‘What about … your brother?’

      Ari grimaced. ‘I’ll deal with him. It’s not for you to worry about.’

      No, thought Lucy faintly, still reeling and hating herself for it. Because she wouldn’t be working for Levakis Enterprises any more.

      ‘Look, I’m leaving for New York from here for about ten days, to make sure the merger goes smoothly over there. If you still intend to resign—’

      For a second Lucy heard nothing but a roaring in her ears—what other option did she possibly have? It cleared just in time for her to hear him say, ‘That should give you time to sort yourself out.’

      Lucy nodded dumbly. Even though she wanted this, had asked for this, to be faced with it now was like no other devastation she’d ever felt. But how on earth had she thought it might play out? she admonished herself. Aristotle Levakis would never keep a discarded lover hanging around like a bad smell. And of course they couldn’t go back to a benign working relationship, no matter how she’d thought it might happen.

      Ari walked her out to the entrance, where his car was waiting. He handed her in and said, ‘I want to thank you for all your work. This merger wouldn’t have happened nearly as smoothly without you.’

      Oh, please just don’t, she almost said. Their affair was reduced to this—trite thanks for her work on the project and for pleasuring her boss in bed in between meetings. The glaring cliché of

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