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“Everyone will believe what we tell them Hailey. I will take all fault and blame for when our engagement ends, and we will tell our mothers that we want to take our time planning the wedding, enjoy being engaged and able to be public with our relationship now that the takeover is complete. All you have to do is smile, give that little grin you wore while lying in Demetrius’ bed while in my arms and everyone will think us simply besotted with one another.”
“No Stefano,” she said wanting to pull away from his hold entirely, but his hands held her to him, gently but firmly so she couldn’t escape. “I won’t do it.”
“Then I will be forced to relocate you until Demetrius and Olympia are married,” he countered. “The only place with an opening you could qualify for would be the office in Greece and you are far too pale to last there for a week let alone the next four months until the wedding has taken place and then however long it takes to ensure Olympia is happy.”
“I truly hate you Stefano,” she said clenching her jaw knowing she had no choice, not unless she wanted to find a new job, which she didn’t. She loved what she did here, and she wanted it to continue for a long time to come.
“I know,pethi mou, but in time you’ll see I have your best interests in mind also.” He knew she didn’t believe him, but she would, eventually she would see what he knew quite well, she was meant to be his.
Stefano heard the single knock on the door and lowered his lips to hers, cupping her cheek to keep her face from view as she gasped, letting him slip his tongue into her mouth to continue it.
Chapter 2
“O
h…Stefano I am so sorry,” Athena said, trying to move the men there for their meeting with him out of the doorway.
“No, Athena, it’s fine,” Stefano stated, reluctantly pulling back from the kiss that had ignited his desire fully. He saw the bright spots of color hit Hailey’s cheeks and pulled her up against his side, turning her so the men couldn’t see the sparkle of anger and awareness of why he’d kissed her in her eyes. “I should have told you not to disturb us and hold all meetings until Hailey left.”
“I…I don’t quite know what to say,” Athena replied, and Hailey saw a tinge of anger on her face making her wonder if he had been sleeping with his assistant. She wouldn’t be surprised, after all, the woman was his type.
“Neither do I,” Jacob, Hailey’s direct supervisor, stated looking between them. “Hailey…”
“Gentlemen, please accept my apology,” Stefano said stopping the question he wasn’t sure how to pose. “I’ve been out of town for the last week, only returning early this morning and haven’t had a moment with her until now.”
He turned to her cupping her face gently as he gave her a look that would have fooled her had she not known his true feelings towards her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You are far too distracting to my schedule,pethi mou. I will pick you up at five and we’ll have a leisurely dinner to celebrate.”
“I’m sorry, celebrate what?” Jacob asked looking between them in even more confusion after seeing the exchange.
“The end of hiding our relationship,” Stefano answered with ease as the three men looked on in surprise. “The first time I was in town to talk with Carter about the company I was beyond surprised to see Hailey again. It’d been probably seven years since I’ve been to the Cove for any length of time and was amazed to find the beautiful girl from next door all grown up into a stunning woman. I’m sure you understand the reasons for us not saying anything while the takeover was going on, but the last thing that is ever on my mind when Hailey’s around is business,” he added in a way that didn’t instantly make the others think of sex and she was mildly thankful for that.
“So, it’d seem,” Athena said as her eyes tightened a bit.
“I know I should have said something earlier when I had you call down to have Hailey come up, but I wanted to make sure she was good with us coming out first. I didn’t want her to have everyone thinking she’s just some girl to me since her ring is still at the jewelers being resized,” Stefano replied, and the woman’s eyes grew large in surprise.
“I’m sorry, did you just say ring? As in engagement ring?” Athena questioned. “But she’s…I thought…she’s nothing like…”
“Nothing like the girls I used to date? I know, it’s the biggest draw, and yes, Hailey has said yes to my proposal. I can’t wait to be able to announce it to everyone now,” he replied and had their engagement been real she would have been very suspicious of his relationship with the woman. “After we tell our families at least, if Hailey’s mother or mine hear about it from someone other than us we’ll never hear the end of it, I’m sure you understand that though, right?”
“Of course, Stefano,” Athena said, and the men nodded.
“Good, now you run back and be you,” Stefano said dropping a light kiss onto Hailey’s lips. “We’ll go out for dinner and I promise to be down to get you at five,pethi mou.”
“I’ll see you then,” she replied knowing she couldn’t say anything else, not after the scene he’d laid out for them.
“Gentlemen come on in, and Athena, hold all calls and ensure my calendar stays clear for late this afternoon so I can get downstairs to get Hailey for dinner,” Stefano told the woman and she nodded moving over towards her desk as he shut the door behind them.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath that a wedding will take place,” Athena said turning a glare onto Hailey as it closed. “He’ll never marry you; his family will never accept it.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that one Athena,” she said with a smile. “See, Elena adores me. She and Nikolas have lived next to my parents for the last…sixteen years. If Stefano marries anyone, it will be me. I may not know Greek as you do, but I’m also not his assistant. I work solely for spending money and because I am quite remarkable at graphic design. So, in this situation, I’m far more acceptable than you ever hope to be.”
“He’s been in my bed. He was there not six months ago,” Athena stated, and she shrugged giving the woman another smile simply to irritate her.
“Stefano is a man Athena and men have needs. I haven’t asked who’s been in his life before me, but I do know no one will be in it beyond me going forward. You see, unlike some I have the utmost respect for myself and I have something that Stefano is desperate to have…take a guess what that is. No? He wants my virginity, and I will be glad to give it to him and him alone after the wedding. So, you see,” she mused knowing it was infuriating her as she took her phone from her pocket on the ruse of checking it, “I’ve managed to snare him without bedding him yet. He’s quite enthralled with the prospect of what our wedding night will be like and although I’ve kept him from my bed, it does not mean I don’t know how to keep him coming back.”
“You think you’ve won but you haven’t yet. I’ll have him back in my bed and you out of the picture in a month. Don’t get too comfortable, you’ll never have his ring permanently,” Athena said stalking back to her desk and she wasn’t about to let a Kyra-wannabe get to her.
“We’ll see about that one, won’t we? Now, don’t forget to clear Stefano’s schedule so we can go to dinner. He’ll be quite cross if you mess up and you wouldn’t want to lose your job, right? So, do what you do as keeper of his calendar whilst I go grab more clients with my work. Oh, and remind him that I abhor Italian, he just can’t seem to remember, not that I really blame him though, after all when we’re alone together work and food are the last things on his mind,” Hailey tacked on knowing the woman would suggest Italian simply because she claimed to hate it when in truth, she adored it.
