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Fresh from the shower and with a towel wrapped round her, she was walking back into the state room when Aristandros entered. ‘Did I mention that I’m staging a social gathering at my Athens home this afternoon? No?’ he queried lazily, when she gave him a look of frank dismay. ‘I have some business to tie up with fellow investors and you’ll be acting as my hostess.’
‘Thanks for the last-minute warning!’ Ella gasped.
‘At least you don’t need to worry about booking time in the beauty salon,’ Aristandros quipped.
They flew from the yacht direct to the property. His villa on the Greek mainland was set in an unspoilt area of countryside. Surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, it enjoyed superb views of the mountains. Ella was surprised by the rural setting, for when she had last known Aristandros he and his grandfather had been very firmly rooted in the vast Xenakis townhouse in Athens.
‘Drakon still prefers life in the city, but I like to escape the skyscrapers and the traffic at the end of the day, and here I’m still less than half an hour from the airport,’ Aristandros advanced. ‘I spend a lot of time on the island now. I can work from home, and it’s very private.’
‘It’s beautiful here as well,’ Ella commented, wondering just how many different properties he owned round the world, and even if he knew himself without having to think about it.
‘The pearls look good on you.’
In receipt of that remark, Ella brushed the magnificent necklace at her throat with uneasy fingertips. It was matched by the pearl-drop earrings she wore, and most probably worth a fortune. A slender diamond-studded designer watch also encircled her wrist. She had no idea how much her growing collection of jewellery was worth, since nothing as vulgar as price was ever mentioned when Aristandros insisted on buying her a gift. The previous week an imposingly correct jeweller had flown out to the yacht with a magnificent selection of world-class gems for Ari’s private examination. He had decided on the pearls, which were reputed once to have belonged to an Indian maharajah. Ella had already decided that when she and Aristandros parted she would leave all such unsolicited presents behind her.
Presumably Aristandros was accustomed to rewarding the women in his bed with gifts of extraordinary generosity. But the glorious jewels made her feel more like a trophy piece of arm-candy than ever, and frighteningly deserving of the offensive label her mother had fired at her: Whore. Was that how other people saw her as well—a costly parasite earning a rich reward for pleasing her tycoon lover in bed? She cringed inwardly at the suspicion that she had sunk so low. Ironically, at a moment when she was dressed from head to toe in designer clothing, and sporting fabulous gems, her once-healthy self-esteem was at a very low ebb. She was very much afraid that on Ari’s terms she was just an expensive accoutrement, like a flash car—and, just as he only drove the world’s most expensive cars, he wouldn’t dream of showing off a woman without the spectacular looks, clothing and jewellery that paraded his wealth.
Catering staff already had the food and drinks for the reception organised. The house was immaculate, very contemporary in design, and perfect for large-scale entertainment. A svelte figure in a knee-length plum silk cocktail dress and stiletto heels, Ella joined Aristandros on the outside terrace where drinks were being served just as the first guests arrived. It was not very long before her cheeks were hot with self-consciousness. While everyone was scrupulously polite, it was brutally obvious that she was the focus of a great deal of curiosity. She tormented herself with worries of what stories might already have appeared in the local press about her. Ironically, it was the arrival of Ari’s courteous grandfather, Drakon, which caused her the greatest embarrassment.
‘Ella,’ the dignified older man murmured, stooping to kiss her cheeks in a kindly salute of polished Xenakis charm. ‘Is it rude to admit that, while I am delighted to renew our acquaintance, I very much regret meeting you in these circumstances?’
Lean, strong face broodingly dark and taut, Aristandros answered for her. ‘Yes, it is rude, and quite unnecessary, Drakon. What circumstances?’
The elderly Greek’s shrewd eyes withstood the challenge of his grandson’s grim appraisal. ‘Don’t pretend to be obtuse, Ari,’ he advised drily.
Rigid with mortification, and keen to escape the fallout and any further discussion, Ella was quick to move away to intercept Callie, who was toddling across the room to greet her. Helplessly smiling as the little girl came full tilt into her arms, Ella hugged her. Callie, adorable in a little blue-cotton dress, was as pretty as a picture, and already noticeably more confident and talkative than she had been when Ella had first met her. Callie expressed a desire for the toy rabbit that she took almost everywhere with her, and Ella was taking her back to Kasma to ask where it was when she heard the raised voices sounding from a room off the hall.
