Chapter 7
As she closed the door of the townhouse behind the older woman’s back an hour later, she glanced up and down the street, noting the cars, open and closed windows and the old grey haired man walking his little yappie dog on a string. No blond man, no thugs with t-shirts saying ‘Have you seen Emma’, nothing except the unsettled feeling in her gut. She shut and locked the door and then went through the entire house locking all the windows. Again, she berated herself for leaving her ID’s and emergency fund at the villa. The urge to bolt made her unable to rest, and she paced the floor.
Her mind worked in the same circular pattern that her feet paced on the carpet. Finally, she forced herself to stop and put away her purchases from the day. She fingered the jewelry that Maria had insisted she purchase. Just one of them would have been close to what she made in a three months back home. Emma chewed her lip. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to rest until she had an escape plan.
She scrawled a note and grabbed one of the necklaces and the matching bracelet that Maria had said she should wear to the party tomorrow night. Digging around in Nikos’ closet, she found an old ball cap and tucked her hair up under it. She changed into jeans, t-shirt, and a light jacket even though it was plenty warm. She left the house in the opposite direction of what she wanted to go and hailed a cab. She had the driver drop her at a shopping center on the edge of the city.
She wandered in the shops, and felt reasonably sure that she hadn’t been followed. With no idea of its destination, she hopped a bus and rode until the neighborhood started to deteriorate into one of the seedier areas of Athens. Stepping off the bus, she immediately hailed another cab and asked the driver to take her to a high end pawn shop. The best thing about cabbies was they knew everything about the city and for a generous tip were usually very cooperative and not overly curious.
Before she got out of the cab, she stuffed the jacket and cap into her bag. She fluffed her hair and wrapped a scarf around her neck. She added a touch of lip gloss and mascara for the effect of a well-to-do young lady in need of funds but not wanting to ask daddy for them.
She pushed open the shop door and knew she was in the right place. Glass display cases held a wide selection of jewelry, watches, and nick-knacks that only people with disposable income would have in their homes. Emma smiled nervously at the shopkeeper and pretended to browse. This was all part of the game.
Finally, she wandered over to the counter where the heavy-set man waited patiently as she made a show of working up her courage. “I have some jewelry I would like to sell,” Emma said, looking around as if to confirm that the shop was truly empty.
The man’s expression didn’t change. “Of course. May I see it?” The man spread a black velvet cloth on the glass and looked at her expectantly.
Emma chewed her lip and paused for a long moment before heaving a sigh and dropping the bracelet and necklace on the cloth. The man’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she knew that he knew he was looking at the real deal. Still, he took his time examining the pieces and looked a few things up in a book. In the end, he offered her a quarter of what they were worth.
Emma smiled and dropped her nervous young lady act. If there was one thing she could do, it was negotiate. They went back and forth and Emma dug her heels in, using some of the tricks she had learned from her years working for her uncle. The thought of Uncle Malachi made her sick to her stomach and even as she closed the deal for over half of the jewelry’s value, she didn’t feel any satisfaction. Uncle Malachi was the reason she was pawning her jewels instead of wearing them. He was the reason that she had to always be prepared to disappear. He was the one who had ruined her life.
She took the cash and left the store. Following the same circuitous route home, she opened the front door of the townhouse just as dark settled itself firmly over the city. Emma smelled something mouthwatering coming from the vicinity of the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation, but she took the stairs directly to their bedroom, calling out a greeting and excuse of urgent bathroom needs to Nikos.
After a quick deliberation, Emma hid her stash in the middle of a dense book that was sitting among its fellows lining the many selves in the office. The title was in Greek, and it looked as if it had never been opened. It was the 7th book from the left and had gold lettering on its green cover. With a deep breath, she fought down yet another wave of anxiety. Every ounce of her wanted to flee. With an effort, she left the office to splash water on her face and join Nikos in the kitchen. She had done what she could for now. It would have to be enough.
Nikos looked up as she walked in. He had found her note, and hadn’t been sure what to make of it.
Went out for a walk. Be back later.
Emma didn’t like the city and it had taken much coaxing the night before to get her to agree to go out with Maria. He didn’t like how unsettled she had been ever since they had arrived in Athens. That haunted, wary look had crept back into her eyes and tension bowed her shoulders.
“How was your walk,” he asked when she slipped into the kitchen ten minutes after she got home.
“I got a bit lost so I was gone longer than I had anticipated. Your ancestors made a lot of amazing architecture, but they obviously had never heard of a square block,” she said and hopped up on the counter near him. She hated lying to him and hated how easily she managed it. Again, she was gripped with the longing for the day that the lies would all be gone.
Emma picked up the glass of wine sitting on the counter and sipped. She watched Nikos move confidently about the kitchen. His shoulders seemed tense and when she looked closer, she could see a tension around his eyes. Her heart squeezed. She had been so caught up in her issues, which were probably all in her head anyway, she hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t his usual even tempered self.
She set the glass down and grabbed his hand that was slowly stirring a simmering soup as he stared broodily into its depths. With gentle pressure, she pulled him to her. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as she wrapped her legs around him before pulling him down for a kiss. Her lips brushed his, and she pressed her body to his. A bit of the tension left his frame. His hands slid behind her back as her hands twined in his hair as she pulled him down for more. His mouth met hers and she felt him respond to the reassurance, passion, and love she poured into her embrace.
“Can I do anything to help,” she asked when the kiss spun itself out.
“You just did.” Nikos folded her into his arms and held her fast against his chest. He burned with passion and love for her, but never more so than in this moment. She had read his need perfectly.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Her voice was muffled against his chest and she squirmed a bit to get her face free. He let her go immediately, knowing that she didn’t like to have her face covered.
“No. It is nothing. Work stuff that shouldn’t bother me,” he said, dismissing the topic. He did not want to tell Emma that Cassandra was driving him insane, hounding his footsteps, flirting, and just being an overall nuisance. He had no idea what she wanted, but he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She had an agenda and he kept reminding himself not to fall for her tricks, yet again. Changing the topic he asked, “How was shopping? Maria said you didn’t buy very much.”
“Oh, it was fine. You know I don’t care for it. When did you talk to Maria?” Emma forced herself to sound casual, but she wanted to know what Maria had said.
“She dropped by the office. Her daughter works in the marketing department. I just saw her in passing. She likes you. She said you are a good girl even though your Greek is terrible.” Nikos laughed as Emma rolled her eyes- even if it was true. Greek had proven to be an impossible language for her. “I told her I was giving you private lessons, but you are an unruly student.”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “Unruly?”
“Well, it seems like you are more intent on distracting me than building your vocabulary. Every time I try to teach you, we end up naked and you don’t seem very interested in the word for table anymore.” He stepped back away from her halfhearted punch on the shoulder. He laughed and realized that he hadn’t laughed all day.
“What did Maria say to that?” Emma asked as she started giggling.
“Well, she said that you were a smart girl. Maria knows a thing or two about distracting a man. She is a vixen.” Nikos waggled his eyebrows and grinned.
Emma blushed and giggled harder. Maria was a lovely woman, but she had a hard time envisioning her as vixen. She really hoped that he was joking about telling Maria about her ‘Greek lessons.’ For whatever reason, whenever Nikos started speaking in Greek, her body responded. He could be talking about grapes and the temperature in the vats to Alec, and next thing she knew, her body was hot and wanting. There was something about the flow and cadence in his voice when he spoke in his native tongue.
On impulse, she said, “What are you making? Say it in Greek.” Her eyes sparkled as he looked up and held her gaze.
Nikos grinned and spoke in slow, seductive Greek. His eyes smoldered as they watched her lick her lips.
“That sounded dirty. Tell me more,” Emma purred, sliding off the counter and pressing herself against him.
Nikos scoffed and slanted his eyes down at her. “If lemon chicken soup and salad can get you this excited, I can’t wait to see what happens when I tell you about the main course.”
“I hope it tastes good cold.” She reached around him and turned the stove off. “How do you say that you are going to make mad passionate love with a woman who loves you?”
Nikos gave a chuckle. “I could tell you, but I prefer to show you. It is a lesson best learned by doing, not saying- stríngla.” Emma raised an eyebrow. “Vixen,” Nikos clarified with a wicked glint in his eyes.
Emma’s stomach gave a pleasant flip. She loved it when he looked at her as if he was going to devour her and worship her all at once. “Whatever you say, professor,” she said over her shoulder as she led the way from the kitchen, pulling her shirt over her head as she went.
It was a long lesson. Finally, Nikos rested back against the headboard of the big king bed, and Emma leaned against him. The soup would indeed be stone cold by now, but neither of them seemed to be in a hurry for dinner. They relaxed into each other and let the tensions of the day melt away.
“I hate the office,” Nikos said quietly. “When my father was running the vineyard, I worked in the office every day. Dimitris and I ran things together. When my parents died, it took me a long time to be comfortable away from the city and people. But now, I feel like things are pressing at me from all sides and moving so fast.” He gave a short laugh and pulled a hand over his face. “God I sound like an old man.”
Emma boosted herself up to kiss him gently. “All evidence to the contrary. No old man could have just done that.” She kissed him again and sighed as she relaxed back down against his shoulder. “I know what you mean, though. I love the quietness of the vineyard. The city is loud.”
Nikos quietly traced circles on Emma’s back and wished that they were back in the villa where the only thing that moved fast was Abigail. “Can we go home, Nikos?” Emma whispered the words against his chest, echoing his thoughts. He pulled her closer to him and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“You don’t have to stay, Emma. I know you don’t like the city and aren’t comfortable here. I have to stay- for a couple more weeks at any rate. I can have someone drive you home tomorrow, if you like.” He would send her back to the villa if she wanted to go, but he held his breath, hoping she would stay.
Temptation pulled hard at her. It felt like a lifeline, a chance to run for safety. She knew she wouldn’t feel right at the villa without him. He was her safe place, not a house or rows of vines. With grim determination, she clung to that thought. “I’m not going anywhere without you. We can make it for a couple of weeks.” Emma snuggled in closer and hoped that she would never have to challenge that declaration.