Four Years Later

Summer had come to the party island of Teleios, which had been steadily making its way to everyone’s lists of top travel destinations. Always the busiest season of the year, summer meant more work and hand in hand with this was the promise of more income. Buoyed by the thought of another productive year ahead of them, the atmosphere in the island was bustling with cheerful activity, and adding to the locals’ excitement was the knowledge that soon, their beloved island would once again be teeming with the world’s rich and famous. Celebrities, rock stars, business legends – all of them would be here, and the residents of Teleios would have the exclusive privilege of serving them.

For Pollyanna Graham, it was even more exciting, being her first time in Teleios. Only someone living under a rock wouldn’t have known of the island’s rising popularity and the way it was fast becoming the favorite vacation spot of every A-lister on the planet. She hadn’t even dared to dream of visiting Teleios until the day her parents received a letter from their best friends, Ezio and Dinah. They were also Pollyanna’s godparents, and the couple had written to invite her to stay with them for the summer.

It would mean part-time work at the farm, but even so we believe she will enjoy her time in the island. There is nothing quite like it, as you two have experienced during your visit. More than that, as she’ll soon be taking up hotel management in university, we believe her time here in Teleios can be a credit to her future profession.

And now she was here, Pollyanna thought happily.

Tying her long, strawberry blonde hair in a high ponytail, she stepped out of the house to begin another beautiful day at work. The thought had her smiling to herself because in truth, what her godparents had tasked her to do didn’t feel work at all.

A morning person raised to be self-reliant, Pollyanna had no problem at all waking up at the crack of dawn, preparing her own breakfast, then heading to the fields for her chores. Possessing a rare combination of cheerful optimism and a perfectionist streak, Pollyanna was happily meticulous in the way she cut stems, gathered flowers, and tallied her output for the year.

Her so-called work typically finished an hour or so before lunch, with her godfather taking over to load the flowers into the delivery van while his wife was responsible for bookkeeping. The three of them would enjoy a leisurely lunch afterwards, sometimes in the cozy warmth of the kitchen and other times in the patio of the Floros’ small but picturesque hilltop home.

Afternoons and evenings were for Pollyanna to spend any way she wanted, and so far there hadn’t been a day where she found herself lacking something enjoyable to do. But then, she was a simple girl at heart, with a natural ability to enjoy life’s smallest pleasures. Unlike most girls her age, she relied neither on money nor the latest gadgets to be happy.

“You’re so lucky to live here,” Pollyanna told her godmother wistfully while helping clear the table.

“You know my answer to that.” Dinah smiled affectionately at the eighteen-year-old girl, whose candid honesty she found very much endearing.

Pollyanna returned the smile, albeit ruefully. “Don’t tempt me, Nona.” The first time she had expressed her pleasure over Teleios, Dinah had told her she was free to stay with them for as long as she wanted. It was a thought that was proving harder and harder to resist the more time she spent on the island.

“I just don’t want you to forget you have options,” the older woman said innocently. “And if you’re worried about university, well, that’s what online courses are for, don’t you think? Unlike other islands, our Internet connection here is a lot faster. We only have---”

“---to respect Polly’s need to make the decision for herself,” her husband finished, but his eyes were twinkling. Gesturing towards the door, Ezio said, “Time for you to leave before my wife ends up twisting your arm into staying.” His voice was gruff, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

Kissing them goodbye and promising to be back by dinner, Pollyanna headed out with a happy smile lingering on her lips. Again, she opted for the longer route to town, taking on the rocky path that wound through the island’s woods so she could enjoy Teleios’ little-known verdant side. For most people, the island was all about beaches and parties. But thanks to Ezio and Dinah, Pollyanna had become privy to its best-kept secrets, which ranged from everything to hidden waterfalls to spectacular cliff formations to eerily beautiful caves.

Reaching the town, Pollyanna was able to greet most of the locals she bumped into by name. Even though she had only been in the island for a week, Pollyanna’s unassuming and easygoing nature had her becoming fast friends with everyone she came to meet.

When she reached the first major crossroad, Pollyanna caught sight of a familiar face and called out in greeting.

“Oh, hey, Polly.” Tall and good-looking, nineteen-year-old Abram watched with pleasure as the curvy strawberry blonde made her way to him. “What are you off to do this time?” He adjusted his hold on the reins as he spoke.

“Mmm…” Pollyanna considered the question seriously.

In front of Polly, Abram’s pair of black horses continued to prance about, causing Abram’s fancy-looking carriage to shift on its wheels. Shaking his head in amusement, he remarked to Polly, “Take pity on my horses, will you? I think they’re trying to get your attention.”

Polly burst into laughter, but she was more than happy to pet the horses, which stood a lot taller than her five-foot-two frame.

“They probably think I’m their long-lost child or something since I’m so small,” she joked.

“Or they’ve fallen in love with you because you’re so pretty,” Abram flirted.

The compliment, albeit spoken in all honesty, was only wasted on Pollyanna, who hadn’t a vain bone in her body. Shaking her head back at Abram, she only said pertly, “I bet that flattery’s gotten you to earn a lot of tips from your female guests,”

“Well,” Abram said with unconvincing modesty, was pleased when it made Pollyanna laugh again. After, he asked, “So, what’s it to be for today?” He knew Polly only had limited time in the island and was eager to help his crush to make the most out of it.

“Maybe snorkeling, but only if it’s within budget.”

“I’ll do you one better,” Abram said smugly. “You know the manor on the other side of the island?”

“The one that belongs to the island’s owner?”

Abram nodded. “That one, and it’s at the back of the resort. Just go straight to its private beach, look for Chris, and tell him I’m loaning you my gear.”

“And that’s it?” Pollyanna asked doubtfully.

“Yep.”

And so with this, Pollyanna was off to the island’s biggest and most expensive resort. Wearing an old shirt over her modest one-piece swimsuit and flip-flops, she stood out unbecomingly from the resort’s exclusive clientele. It was not, however, the reason women around Pollyanna were giving her dirty looks. In truth, they hated the way the girl’s fresh-faced beauty and air of innocence made them feel old and fake, and they especially hated the way she didn’t seem to care at all about the attention she was drawing from the men.

When Pollyanna made it to the resort’s private beach, she was stunned to find it empty except for just one man standing at the far end, his back to her.

Chris sure had the most awesome job in the world, Pollyanna thought. Teleios’ public beaches were always crowded from day to night. To have all this to himself – well, it was like being king.

Too bad he’s being emo. It was a conclusion she had come to after observing the way the stranger continued to gaze faraway into the sea. Wanting to respect his emotional space, Pollyanna deliberately slowed down. The stranger was extremely tall, maybe more than a foot taller than she was. And sexy, Pollyanna couldn’t help noticing with a blush. Dressed in only a pair of black board shorts, the man boasted of ridiculously broad shoulders, a well-defined back, and strong, muscular legs.

This was definitely Chris, she decided. Add his ruthlessly cropped hair and skin so dark it was as if he had spent all his life under the sun, the man had all the makings of a lifeguard.

When she was a foot away, she stopped, cleared her throat, and called out, “Chris?”

* * *

The American accent made Kyrillos Gazis frown in utter displeasure. A tourist, he thought grimly, and a pretty bold one at that.

This was his beach, which even the resort’s guests were not permitted entry. He turned slowly, not relishing the prospect of having to reject another gold-digger. But before he could speak, the girl continued in earnest apology, “Before anything else, I want you to know it’s going to be okay.”

Kyr blinked. What the hell was she saying? His frown deepened. And who the hell was she? Just one look at her, and he knew right away someone like this girl wouldn’t be able to afford any of the services his resort offered. Her shirt was so old it could pass as a rag, the swimsuit she had under it was obviously the off-the-rack kind, and worst of all, her flip-flops were the kind only seven-year-old kids could wear without dying of embarrassment.

“I have no idea why you’re being emo…”

Kyr’s nostrils flared in disbelief. Did she just dare – did she actually describe him as being ‘emo’?

“…but seriously, it’s going to be okay.” Her voice rang with sweet sincerity.

If she offered to pray for him now, Kyr thought, he would not be responsible for his actions.

“Just pray to God---”

“Shut up,” he snapped.

She looked at him with hurt shock, and he almost told her that she was lucky he wasn’t strangling her yet.

“Who the hell are you?”

She frowned up at him. “I’m not telling until you apologize---”

“I’m going to give you ten seconds,” he interrupted her in a hard voice, “to tell me your name, or you’ll be apprehended by security for trespassing.”

Her eyes widened.

“Nine.”

“You are so nasty!” Her appalled cry was accompanied by a look of incredulity, as if her young, foolish mind couldn’t comprehend that not everyone in the world was a saint.

“Eight.”

“I can’t believe Abram’s your friend!”

Ah. Kyr recognized the name easily. Abram, one of the island’s local flirts, he thought, and no doubt using his connections to win himself some points with the idiot in front of him.

“Six.”

“You skipped seven! You’re cheating!”

“No, I’m just being accurate. Five.”

“Liar!”

“Four.”

“I can’t believe---”

“Three.”

“You win!” Her grudging tone, combined with her disapproving glare, almost made him smile. Almost. “I asked Abram for a recommendation about where I could snorkel, for a reasonable price, and he told me I could borrow his gear from you.”

Silence.

“Can I?” she asked finally.

Kyr studied her from head to toe, his gaze deliberately insolent as it roamed her form. He took note of the lush red-gold silk of her hair, her creamy skin, and voluptuous curves. He suddenly remembered that he had not fucked a girl for almost a year now, and just as soon as the thought occurred, his cock twitched, as if saying it could do with a fuck.

Kyr glanced back at the girl, and his cock stretched and hardened. He thought dispassionately, I could do worse. And so Kyr heard himself say, “I know a good place to snorkel.”

She looked at him doubtfully, as if waiting for the catch.

Smart of her, Kyr thought. Maybe she wasn’t that much of an idiot, after all. He continued easily, “It won’t cost you a thing, and it comes with free food as well as a ride on my yacht.”

Her eyes went wide, and her lips opened and closed.

She looked, Kyr thought in amusement, very much like a blowfish.

“Did you just say ‘yacht?’” Her voice was faint.

He didn’t answer and simply waited for the inevitable.

And to her credit, she was able to figure out the truth in the next second. “You’re not…Chris, aren’t you?”

“No.” He gave her a devastating smile, and Kyr wasn’t surprised at all that the girl reacted to it like all the others did. The only difference was that her blush seemed genuine enough.

“Who are you then?” she stammered.

“Does it matter?” Excitement was starting to stir in his blood in a way that he had not felt in years. He thought about how she would react to the other things he could show her, in the most intimate ways, and his excitement deepened.

In front of him, she was giving him another one of her ‘blowfish’ looks, and Kyr nearly smirked. A very cute blowfish she made, but it was still a blowfish, and he had never met a woman who could be so unguarded with her expressions like this one was.

“Of course it matters,” she was arguing with him. “I’m not that stupid. I won’t go anywhere with a stranger, especially someone like you.”

He raised a brow. “Someone like me?”

“Too rich for your own good,” she spelled out before hurrying to add red-faced, “No offense meant.”

Kyr mentally rolled his eyes. Didn’t she know that insults lost their power when they were followed by apologies? Pulling out his phone from his board shorts’ pocket, he dialed a number and when it started to ring, he handed it to her. “He will vouch for me.”

“Who is it?” Her tone was extremely suspicious.

Instead of answering, he deliberately surprised her by taking her hand, gently but firmly forcing her slender fingers to open so he could place his iPhone in her palm. “I’ll be waiting by the yacht.” He started walking away.

She gasped. “You are so---”

“And this time, I’ll give you…” He paused then said generously, “Two minutes.” He heard her gasp again, the sound teeming with frustration, and this time it did make him smile.