Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Carley
The final gulp of the drink I slammed before we left the bar is doing exactly what I need it to.
The heat in Nick’s stare helps too, of course.
As we walk across the lobby toward our dining destination, I can feel the strut in my step intensify.
The sway of my hips becomes a little more dramatic.
I raise my chin a little higher instead of keeping my eyes trained on the ground ahead of me.
I feel sexy.
I’ve never been the type of girl to want all eyes on me, to be the center of attention.
But whether people are staring because I’m with Nick or if I’m turning heads all on my own, I’m relishing it.
Being next to him—especially in this dress—is doing things to me.
It’s as though the confident air about him is expanding and wrapping me up in its clutches.
“I debated taking you somewhere in Little Venice, but I thought we’d stay here at the resort instead.”
He wants a quick getaway should the evening go south.
I didn’t mean to think it, but my anxiety broke through the thick cloud of confidence that enveloped me a moment ago.
“I’m happy with anything. I’m fairly easy to please.”
Oh, shit.
As soon as the words left my mouth, my body tensed with unease.
As a flush of embarrassment paints my cheeks red, I chance a glance at Nick.
He practically knocks me dead with a seductive grin, and the action sends flames licking through my body, straight to my core.
I know nothing about this man, but the smile that’s been taunting me all week is a quality of his I already can't get enough of.
“Duly noted,” he quips with a wink.
His eyes hold mine for longer than is usually comfortable, but I can’t look away.
No, not I can’t. I don’t want to.
I wrinkle my nose with unease and bite my bottom lip. Before I finally look away, I see a fire in his eyes that makes me nervous. I’m not a virgin, but I’m far from experienced. I’m sure Nick has been around the block more than I have, and I know exactly what that look means.
He doesn’t have to say the words, the promise in his sultry stare reveals his intentions for me this evening.
As moisture pools at my core, I know I will be taking a page out of Saylor’s book tonight.
“Are we eating in the main dining room?” I ask him, trying to change the subject as we exit the lobby to the upper deck at the back of the resort.
The sun setting over the water catches my attention and takes my breath away. Before Nick has a chance to answer my question, my feet stop of their own accord. I gaze out over the vast, turquoise Aegean Sea.
“Oh …” I drift off. “The view is absolutely stunning.”
“It is,” he agrees. “Especially with a woman as captivating as you in the foreground.”
With blushing cheeks, I face him once more and expect to see an insincere or phony look on his face.
But his expression is far from it. I smile through the shock of receiving such a genuine compliment for once.
The boys who usually toss them my way say things merely because they believe it will lead me into bed.
“To answer your question, no. We aren’t eating in the main dining room. I opted for something a little more private,” he begins. “I hope you don’t mind.”
He nods his head toward the water, and that’s when I see the glow of candlelight on the dock surrounding what looks to be a table set for two with a bottle of wine already sitting beside it. A waiter in a tux with a white towel over his arm is standing to the side, patiently waiting for us.
When I realize Nick opted for private elegance to public distraction, I immediately feel bad for thinking he tried to plan something that allowed for a quick getaway. He actually put thought in to this evening.
“It’s wonderful. No, of course I don’t mind,” I offer him a smile.
When he smiles back at me, I can see the relief in his eyes, however slight it may be.
Is he as nervous as I am?
It doesn’t seem possible. He holds himself with such an air of confidence, I never would have thought he’d be anything but.
He places his hand on the small of my back, and again, his touch is like a shock of electricity. I allow him to guide me to the stone steps that lead down to the pool deck. We cross the deck and walk down the final staircase to the sandy beach area below.
As I struggle to walk through the sand in the five-inch tall, strappy, leather monstrosities Saylor made me wear, he must realize my struggle.
“Here, let me help you,” he says.
Without warning, he whisks me into his arms like a prince rescuing a princess. I squeal briefly but quickly wrap my arms around his neck, gripping my hands together tightly as he carries me across the remaining stretch of beach.
Whether it be from close proximity or not wanting to fall, my entire body tenses up.
“You do not need to carry me … oh my goodness, this is embarrassing.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s a good excuse for me to come to your rescue. Let me bask in the glory of being a hero.”
His cocky smile does me in, and I relax immediately.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, then by all means.”
I allow my body to relax slightly, and the devious grin I receive in return sends another rush of warmth through my stomach.
When we reach the dock, I expect him to put me down immediately, but he doesn’t. He pauses for a moment and looks into my eyes. His head twitches in my direction at the same time as my neck cranes slightly toward him.
I lick my lips in anticipation of the kiss, but the longer we stare at each other, the quicker the moment passes.
I feel terrible when he puts me down, and I notice the look of disappointment on his face. Was he expecting me to lead? Was he waiting for a clearer sign that I yearn for his lips on mine? Once again, he puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me to the end of the dock over the water.
“Kalispera. Good evening,” the waiter greets us as we approach him. "My name is Markos, and I’ll be serving you this evening.”
“Kalispera,” Nick responds to him in what sounds like perfect Greek compared to the way our waiter spoke.
He impresses me even more than I already was.
Whatever it was he called me the other day, théa, it must have been Greek he was speaking.
I know it’s a saying of admiration, and I’m making it my mission to find out exactly what it means tonight if it kills me.
Markos pulls my chair out for me. Before I have a chance to sit, I don’t miss how Nick casually forces him out of the way and takes his place. Another brownie point for him.
Taking the wine from the stand, Markos pours a small amount into Nick’s glass. After he samples it and approves, Markos fills my glass halfway before pouring more into Nick’s. With his attention on the wine, I use this time to slip out of my death heels. I’ll carry them back when dinner is over.
“The chef has prepared a wonderful feast for you this evening. Enjoy the wine. I will be back with your first course shortly.”
“Efxaristo,” Nick answers.
I wonder what he said.
“This is so nice, but I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.”
What I really wanted to say is, I hope this isn’t costing you an arm and a leg.
“No trouble at all,” Nick winks at me.
He picks his wine glass up at the same time as me, and before I can take a sip, he speaks.
“How about a toast?”
“To what?” I inquire.
He looks at me intensely, as he continues.
“Se afto to omofo vrady me afto to apolafstiko fagito kai stin igeia tis omorfis kopelas pu exo tin xara na dipno mazi tis.”
He could very well have told me I’m an ugly hag, but I would still be practically drooling over the enchanting words. They give me chills and make my heart swell.
What girl doesn’t want a hot guy toasting her in their native tongue?
“That’s lovely. What does it mean?” I ask.
“To a fabulous evening, delicious food, and the most breathtaking girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of dining with.”
His words leave me speechless. All I can do is blink and smile before lifting my glass and taking a large sip of the burgundy liquid.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I challenge once I’ve swallowed the delicious wine. “A handsome man such as yourself. You probably have gorgeous women throwing themselves at you all the time.”
“A few, here and there, but none of them grabbed my attention as completely as you did the first time I saw you.”
I try to blame the heat rushing through me on the wine, but it’s the promise that has returned to his stare that’s making me melt where I sit. I’m thankful for the skimpy dress and slight breeze coming off the ocean we’re sitting over.
As if knowing I needed something, some touch to let me know I’m not dreaming, Nick reaches his hand across the table and places his fingers over mine. I swallow the thick lust that’s caught in my throat and keep my eyes trained on his.
Fuck dinner.
I would give anything to take him back to my room and let him tell me how stunning he thinks I am until the sun comes up. With a knowing smile, Nick breaks the tension. “So how long are you visiting?”
I take another large sip of wine before answering. It might be the only thing keeping me sane until dinner is over. “We’re leaving tomorrow, unfortunately. I’m not ready to return to the real world.”
“I feel the same. We’re due to check out tomorrow as well.”
“At least you get to live at the beach. I get to go back to the concrete jungle.”
“Which part of New York are you in?”
“The city; the Upper West Side.”
“Swanky,” he laughs.
“I’m sure my apartment couldn’t hold a candle to your beach house.”
“Oh, I don’t know. The Upper West Side isn’t exactly the slums.”
“True,” I answer. And then, before I chicken out, I throw in, “What does théa mean?”
The finger that was just tracing his chiseled jawline stops abruptly. I’ve caught him off guard. I watch his eyes as he contemplates whether to tell me or not. It’s either really bad or really good, but I get the feeling he isn’t going to translate it for me.
“I’ll tell you later. After dinner … maybe.” He puts on that smirk that causes the butterflies in my stomach to flit around in a frenzy.
Our eyes continue to communicate as we each take another sip of our wine.
A silence falls between us, but it’s not awkward.
Far from it. It’s full of unspoken desires and promises.
Whether from the wine, the atmosphere, or Saylor’s words ringing in my ears to let go and have fun, I swing my foot out until it connects with the expensive fabric of his custom-tailored suit underneath the table.
The moment I find his leg, his eyes light up like a kid in a candy shop.
I don’t know what I expected to happen next, but what came spilling out of his mouth wasn’t it.
“Gianna, I didn’t have any expectations for this evening. Hopes, yes,” he smirks, but his expression is more serious than light. “But I’m only going to say this once.”
Now with a serious tone to match, he has my full attention.
“I’ve thought up over a dozen different ways to fuck you since the first moment I laid eyes on you.
On the chaise lounge in your cabana, over the bar down by the beach.
Most recently, bent over the arm of the sofa in the lobby when you showed up in that negligee you call a dress and those fuck-me shoes. ”
My eyes widen, and I’m struggling desperately to swallow, but I can’t.
I freeze in my spot, and before I have a chance to let my leg fall back to the ground, Nick reaches under the table and grabs a hold of my ankle.
Running his thumbnail from my instep to the arch of my foot sends powerful shockwaves through my stomach.
My eyes close of their own volition, and I relax into my seat.
“Currently, I’m debating whether or not to lay you down on this tabletop and indulge in my dessert before my dinner.”
My eyes shoot open again, and just like that, it’s as though Niagara Falls found a new home … between my legs.
“If you’re giving me the green light to act out any or all of my various fantasies with you this evening, then I suggest you hold off on the advances until after the main course. We’re going to need to gather as much energy as possible for what I have planned.”