All That Glitters Read online

  She stared at him, trying to control her lips, but they parted anyway in a delicious smile and finally she laughed, a peal of laughter that brought heads swinging in their direction. She leaned over the table, too, and said confidentially, "I think, Mr. Constantinos, that I'll be as sweet and charming as it's possible for me to be!"

  His hand left the flowers and darted out to capture her wrist, his thumb rubbing lightly over the delicate blue veins on the inside of her arm. "Being sweet and charming will also get you kissed," he teased huskily. "I think that I'll be the winner regardless! And I promise you that I'll kiss you hard if you call me mister again. Try to say Nikolas; I think you'll find it isn't that difficult. Or call me Niko, as my friends do."

  "If you wish," she said, smiling at him. Now was the time to tell him about the shares, before he became too serious about his charming act. "But I want to tell you that I've decided to sell the shares to you, after all, so you don't have to be nice to me if you don't want to. I won't change my mind even if you're nasty."

  "Forget the shares," he murmured. "Let's not talk about them tonight."

  "But that's why you asked me to dinner," she protested.

  "Yes, it was, though I haven't a doubt I could have come up with another good excuse if that one had failed." He grinned wickedly. "The little waif with the tear-streaked face was very fetching, especially as I knew a cool, maddeningly sophisticated woman was lurking behind the tears."

  She shook her head. "I don't think you understand, Mr. Con—er—Nikolas. The shares are yours. There's no need to keep this up."

  His lids drooped over the dark brilliance of his eyes for a moment and his hand tightened on her wrist. "Very well, let's discuss the damned shares and be finished with it, as you won't leave the subject alone. Why did you change your mind?"

  "My financial advisor, Charles Welby, had already told me to sell rather than try to fight you. I was prepared to sell them, but your manner made me angry and I refused out of sheer contrariness, but as usual, Charles is right. I can't fight you; I don't want to become embroiled in boardroom politics. And there's no need for that outrageous price you mentioned, market value will do nicely."

  He straightened, dropping her wrist, and he said sharply, "I have already given you an offer; I won't go back on my word."

  "You'll have to, if you want the shares, because I'll accept market value only." She faced him calmly despite the flare of temper she saw in his face.

  He uttered something short and harsh in Greek. "I fail to see how you can refuse such a sum. It's a stupid move."

  "And I fail to see how you'll remain a billionaire if you persist in making such stupid business deals!" she shot back.

  For a moment his eyes were like daggers, then laughter burst from his throat and he threw back his head in sheer enjoyment.

  Oblivious of the many interested eyes on them, he leaned forward once more to take her hand. "You are a gorgeous snow queen," he said huskily. "It was worth losing the Dryden issue to meet you. I don't think I will be returning to Greece as soon as I had planned."

  Jessica's eyes widened as she stared at him. It seemed he was serious; he was actually attracted to her! Alarm tingled through her, warming her body as she met the predatory gaze of those midnight eyes.

  * * *

  Chapter Three

  The arrival of the wine brought her a welcome relief from his penetrating gaze, but the relief was only momentary. As soon as they were alone again, he drawled, "Does it bother you that I'm attracted to you? I would have thought you would find it commonplace to attract a man's desire."

  Jessica tried to retrieve her hand, but his fingers closed firmly over hers and refused to let her go. Green sparks began to shoot from her eyes as she looked up at him. "I don't think you are attracted," she said sharply. "I think you're still trying to put me in my place because I won't bow down and kiss your feet. I've told you that the shares are yours, now please let go of my hand."

  "You're wrong," he said, his hand tightening over hers until the grip was painful and she winced. "From the moment you walked into my office this afternoon, every nerve in my body has been screaming. I want you, Jessica, and signing those shares over to me won't get me out of your life."

  "Then what will?" she demanded, tight-lipped. "What is your price for leaving me alone?"

  A look of almost savage anger crossed his face; then he smiled, and the smile chilled her blood. The midnight eyes raked over her face and breasts. "Price?" he murmured. "You know what the price would be, to leave you alone…eventually. I want to sate myself with you, burn you so deeply with my touch that you will never be free, so that whenever another man touches you, you will think of me and wish me in his place."

  The thought—the image it provoked—was shattering. Her eyes widened and she stared at him in horror. "No," she said thickly. "Oh, no! Never!"

  "Don't be so certain," he mocked. "Do you think I couldn't overcome any resistance you might make? And I'm not talking about forcing you, Jessica; I'm talking about desire. I could make you want me; I could make you so hungry for my lovemaking that you'd beg me to take you."

  "No!" Blindly she shook her head, terrified that he might really force himself on her. She wouldn't permit that, never; she had endured hell on earth because everyone saw her as a gold-digging little tart, but she would never let herself be reduced to the level of a kept woman, a mistress, all of the ugly things they had called her. "Don't you understand?" she whispered raggedly. "I don't want to get involved with you—with any man—on any level."

  "That's very interesting," he said, his eyes narrowing on her face. "I can understand that you'd find your marriage duties to an old man to be revolting, but surely all of your lovers can't have been so bad. And don't try to pretend that you went into that marriage as pure as the driven snow, because I won't believe you. An innocent wouldn't sell herself to an old man, and besides, too many men claim to have…known you."

  Jessica swallowed hard on the nausea that welled up in her and her head jerked up. White-faced, green eyes blazing, she spat at him, "On the contrary, Robert was an angel! It was the other men who left a bad taste in my mouth—and I think, Mr. Constantinos, that in spite of your money, you give me the worst taste of all."

  Instantly she was aware that she had gone too far. His face went rigid and she had only a second of warning before the hand that held her fingers tightened and pulled, drawing her out of her chair until she was leaning over the table. He rose and met her halfway, and her startled exclamation was cut off by the pressure of his mouth, hot and hard and probing, and she had no defense against the intrusion of his tongue.

  Dimly she could hear the swelling murmurs behind her, feel a flash of light against her lids, but the kiss went on and on and she was helpless to pull away. Panic welled in her, smothering her, and a whimper of distress sounded in her throat. Only then did he raise his punishing mouth, but he still held her over the table like that, his eyes on her white face and trembling lips, then he very gently reseated her and resumed his own seat. "Don't provoke me again," he said through his teeth. "I warned you, Jessica, and that kiss was a light one compared to the next one you will get."

  Jessica didn't dare look up at him; she simply sat there and stared at her wine, her entire body shaking. She wanted to slap him, but more than that she wanted to run away and hide. That flash of light that she had noticed had been the flash of a camera, she knew, and she cringed inside to think of the field day the scandal sheets would have with that photo. Nausea roiled in her stomach and she fought fiercely against it, snatching up her wineglass with a shaking hand and sipping the cool, dry wine until she had herself under control again.

  A rather uncomfortable-looking waiter appeared with the menus and Jessica used every ounce of concentration that she possessed in choosing her meal. She had thought of allowing Constantinos to order for her; in fact, he seemed to expect her to do so, but it had become very important that she cling to that small bit of independence. She