Chapter Two
Three days later, Brenna checked her text messages as she followed the bellhop to the premier suite of Castillo Resorts and Hotels-Andros Island, Greece. Two from her mother demanding she touch base the moment she arrived safely, one from her sister saying pretty much the same thing, and one from Drew. She sent a quick I’m here and fine to her family before she opened the last text.
Please.
He’d sent her the same basic message repeatedly since the details of her one-night stand had arrived. Don’t go. What if it doesn’t work? I hate this. Stay with me.
She snapped the phone shut and ignored the familiar ache in her chest. She hated her scarred body next to Drew’s chiseled perfection. How the hell did he think she could ever sleep with him? She ran smack into the back of the luggage cart as the Castillo employee stopped.
“Miss? Are you all right?”
His thickly accented English rolled off his tongue with the same luscious sound that subtly laced Drew’s voice, even years after he’d left his homeland. “Of course. Just a klutz.” She smiled and pretended not to notice the way his gaze skittered away from the scar on her face.
He settled her bags in her room and waved off the tip. “All has been taken care of. There is a note by the refreshments and a phone near the bed should you need anything.”
The bellhop started to leave, but she reached to stop him. “Wait.” He glanced at her fingers curled over his hairy arm, and she jerked her hand away. “The other guest. Do you know…were you given his schedule?”
“I believe everything you need is in the note.” He smiled and disappeared into the warm afternoon.
Brenna watched the door close behind him before she moved to the large bank of windows running floor to ceiling, overlooking the Aegean Sea. The breathtaking view called up stories Drew had told her about his homeland. Why had she agreed to come to Greece? How could she follow through with pure insanity in a world that had raised the only man she’d ever truly desired and the one she’d never allow herself to have?
***
Was she in the room yet? Had she read the note? Would she comply? Everything depended on her willingness to play the game. The sharp breeze off the sea teased Kostas Drakos’s closely-shorn hair and stung his cheeks. His friend and business partner, Jackson Castillo, had suggested Madame Evangeline and her nearly magical service, but he had not yet suspended disbelief enough to trust in the mysterious matchmaker.
“Excuse me, Mr. Drakos?”
Kostas turned from the breathtaking seascape to the stocky bellhop. “Yes?
“Your guest arrived ten minutes ago.”
Relief and a strange uncertainty washed through him. “Good. Did you tell her about the note?”
“Of course, sir. All is as Madame Evangeline requested. Including the bodyguards at the door for the young lady’s peace of mind. Should she panic, she need only cry out for assistance.”
Kostas nearly groaned. He had every intention of making the lovely Brenna scream. He only hoped it would be in ecstasy, rather than fear or pain.
“Is there a problem, sir?”
“No.” He waved the older man away. “Thank you for your help.”
He waited another forty minutes to allow her time to settle in and follow the instructions before he hiked the narrow path to the suite.
***
Brenna shook her head and read the note again.
Ms. Halsted,
Welcome to Greece. I assume you will find your room satisfactory and the wine at the appropriate temperature.
I have taken the liberty of placing guards outside your door. Should you feel the need of them at anytime during the next twenty-four hours, simply call my name and they will assist you in any way you desire.
Please, do not take their presence as a lack of faith in your date for the evening. Mr. Kostas Drakos is a respected businessman. Rest assured, I have investigated every aspect of his personality and trust he will offer exactly what you need to overcome your problem. The guards are simply a security blanket, requested by Mr. Drakos himself. Should this venture exceed your comfort level at any point, the men will move you to different accommodations and ensure your utmost privacy.
In the basket beside the bed, you will find everything you need to fulfill both yours and Mr. Drakos’s fantasies.
Enjoy yourself, my dear,
Eve
The basket held a red satin mask, two sets of matching fur handcuffs, several long strips of white silk, condoms, and another note requesting she remove all clothing and lie on the bed wearing nothing except the blindfold.
Good God, what have I done?
She fingered the mask, appreciating the fine material beneath her fingers. Madame had spared no expense, even to the smallest detail. Panic rose in her throat and twisted her stomach at the thought of exposing her scars to a stranger. She hurried to the door and flung it open. On either side of the sidewalk stood two of the largest men she had ever seen. Both had thick, brown hair, dark sunglasses, and steely jaws. Sleek business suits did not hide their bulging biceps and massive thighs. Their sheer size would intimidate Godzilla, the pistol bumps beneath their jackets simply overkill.
“Do you speak English?”
They both nodded, but did not offer proof.
“And you know of Madame Evangeline?”
Again the simultaneous nods.
With a sigh, she stepped in front of the less enormous of the two giants and poked him in the chest. “I need a little reassurance with real words, please.”
A smirk tilted the corner of his mouth as he looked down, and one eyebrow quirked above his glasses. “Should you call Eve’s name, we will come to you, and the date will end. No questions asked.”
“And if the door is locked?” She almost laughed at his affronted expression. “All right, I get it. You will come if I need you, even if you have to break down solid-core doors to get to me, is that right?”
His half smile returned and offered comfort without words. She started into the suite, then hesitated and turned back. “Answer two more questions for me.”
The larger man turned toward her, silently encouraging her to continue.
“Do you know my guest?”
They nodded.
“Is he as arrogant as the two of you?”
A short, but no less real, laugh burst from the man on the right, as the one on the left offered a single-word answer. “More.”