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‘He just stepped right over her,’ Costa repeated. ‘I called for water and he didn’t even turn. In fact, he and his friends laughed. Their yacht had a doctor, its own helicopter, and yet they just let her lie there. And then, when no help arrived, they had Security move her because their guests were arriving. She messed with the aesthetics, I suppose. I have hated him for a very long time.’
‘Yet you do business with him?’
‘I do,’ Costa agreed. ‘Or rather, until this afternoon Idid. There are a lot of deals made on those yachts, and I taught myself to play his filthy game in order to beat him at it.’
So far this experience was proving less cathartic than he had hoped. Instead it was making his guts burn.
‘I was always going to cut loose, though, and I was very much looking forward to severing all contact the other night. But then, dear Mary, I’d have left him all toyou.’
Mary blinked, taking it all in, yet still wanting to know much more, but clearly Costa had already said way more than he’d intended to.
‘It’s one long weekend,’ he told her. ‘And you’d have most of it to yourself.’
‘To myself?’
‘Friday we’ll be on Thira, sorting out your wardrobe and getting our stories straight...’
‘Thira?’
‘Santorini.’
‘But I thought you lived in Athens?’
‘Santorini is where we will sort out the things a serious partner would know—for, believe me, the whole island will be watching me with my outsider...’
‘Outsider?’
‘You.’
Mary shrugged, despite how much it hurt to be described this way. ‘I am always an outsider.’
‘Not to me. And I’ll be with you.’
‘How would we say we met?’
‘We’ll deal with that later...’ Costa said dismissively, but then appeared to give it some thought. ‘Best we stick close to the truth and say you were dating a mutual acquaintance...’
He shrugged.
‘Friday evening we would fly to Anapliró, to say a quick hello to my mother.’ He held up one finger. ‘You can spend the day as you like until the party on Saturday night.’ He held up another. ‘I am spending the day with her on Sunday.’ He did not raise a third finger. ‘There’s no need to for you to come along.’
‘I might want to come along.’
Costa actually gave a half-laugh. He obviously thought she was joking.
‘You would have the entire day to yourself.’ He raised a third finger. ‘We’d fly back to Athens on Sunday night, and from there you would return to London.’
While he made it sound so straightforward, clean and above board, Mary hated how much it made her sound like a paid escort. Inwardly she laughed wryly at the fact that she’d never so much as been kissed by a man, save for that wretched slobber from Eric the other night...
‘Look, I know you must think...’ She didn’t know how best to put it. Her cheeks were scalding. ‘I mean, when we met—’
‘I understand that you are trying to change your life,’ Costa cut in. ‘I really mean it when I say that I am only paying for your acting skills. I need a devoted girlfriend in public. The fact we have chemistry only serves to make it more believable...’
‘Chemistry?’ Mary checked, because that was the very thing she had been attempting to hide, yet he simply stated it upfront.
‘Élxi,’Costa stated it in Greek, for her bewilderment had him momentarily wondering about his choice of word in English. Certainly he did not doubt for a second the energy that thrummed between them. ‘Lure’ was what he settled for. ‘I find you beautiful, and there is no denying that we are attracted to each other. I mean, look at the photo!’
Though Mary stood stock-still, there was no denying it. And she didn’t need to see the photo again to confirm thesomethingthat had nearly occurred the other night.
