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While the thought of working on my birthday hadn’t disheartened me, because working with Neo was a secret thrill I wouldn’t pass up, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be thrown into the deep end of an unknown situation.
‘Preparation won’t be necessary,’ he said cryptically. ‘But dress formally.’
For the rest of the journey back to the villa he fell into silence, his profile not inviting conversation.
Inside, he excused himself, shutting his study door behind him with a definitive click.
I retreated to my dre
ssing room to face the daunting task of picking what to wear. Eventually, I chose a white gown made of the softest tulle layered over satin. The gathered material swept down from one shoulder and cupped my bust before falling away in a long, elegant sweep to my ankles. I complemented it with light, champagne-coloured strappy heels and a matching clutch, and left my earlobes and throat free—simply because the jewellery I owned was too understated for the gown, and because I still had no clear idea of where Neo was taking me.
As if I’d conjured him up, his firm knock arrived.
I opened the door and suppressed a gasp.
His business suit had been swapped for a dinner suit, a dark silk shirt, a darker-hued tie and bespoke shoes polished to within an inch of their life. With his freshly showered hair slicked back, and his face and that cleft in his chin thrown into relief, it was all I could do to not stare open-mouthed at the overwhelmingly dashing figure he cut.
His return scrutiny was electric, his eyes turning a skin-tingling stormy grey as they sizzled over my body. ‘You look exquisite,’ he pronounced, managing to sound arrogant and awed at the same time.
The combination melted me from the inside out, and my heart was pounding even before he held out his arm in silent invitation.
I slid my hand into the crook of his elbow, concentrated in putting one foot in front of the other as he led me not to the garage but out through the wide living room doors and down another terrace towards the helipad.
He helped me into the sleek aircraft, then strapped himself in.
‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’ I asked.
He slanted me a lazy, shiver-inducing glance. ‘You’ll see for yourself in a few minutes.’
The aircraft lifted off, flew straight towards the horizon for a full minute, then started to descend again. When it banked slightly to the right to land, I saw it.
The Acropolis.
Lit to magnificent perfection, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. ‘We’re meeting the client here?’
Neo simply gave an enigmatic smile, deftly alighted when the aircraft set down, and held out his hand to me. I’d been in Athens long enough to know that tours took place both day and night. But there was no one around—just a handful of dark-suited men, one of whom looked suspiciously like...Wendell.
A sharp glance at Neo showed that enigmatic expression still in place.
My heart thundered harder.
At the Parthenon, I wanted to linger, the beauty surrounding me demanding appreciation. But Neo’s fingers tightened.
‘You can have a private tour later, if you wish. But not now.’
I discovered why minutes later, felt something sacred break away and hand itself over to Neo without my approval or permission. Because there was no event. No client. Just an elaborately laid candle-lit table set for two in the middle of the Temple of Athena Nike.
Emotion, far too delicate and precious for this man who could be in equal parts hard and bitter and magnetic, swelled inside me. ‘Neo, why are we here?’
He stepped forward, drew back my chair. ‘You helped land a very big deal for Xenakis today. An achievement worth celebrating,’ he said.
And as that warm bubble of worthiness expanded inside me, he added, ‘Plus, it’s your birthday.’
My throat clogged, dangerously happy emotions brimming.
‘I spoke to your mother’s counsellor at the rehab centre. She didn’t think it would be wise to grant dispensation for your birthday. Syngnómi. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s fine. I’m just glad she’s getting the help she needs.’
