Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
K ara
“This is without a doubt utterly… terrifying.” Maybe I was being a little overzealous, but we were standing on a beautiful, huge dock that led to the middle of nowhere. At least it felt that way. There were buildings on either side, but none of them were close. It struck me how strange it was having a lone dock that looked as if it was meant for partying on a massive piece of land directly on the beach in the heart of the city.
I heard music coming from several directions. We’d passed dozens of people enjoying the warm evening, including many lovers holding hands and kissing right there on the sidewalk. I’d had another twinge of jealousy.
“How so?” Havros placed the bag of items, including the canvas bag of wine and plastic tumblers he’d insisted on purchasing. He’d even favored my dare, heading inside the store in his dress shirt and swimsuit, the purchased flipflops on his feet.
That was the moment I’d gone from shocked to floored.
“Where are we? What is this place?” I wasn’t certain what to say or how to answer him.
I turned and watched as he laid out two of the four towels he’d purchased from the same scuba shop on the deck’s surface. Doing so had made me wonder if he had towels at home. Another ridiculous thought, but why make the purchases?
“My family owns the land. It took months of paperwork and finagling with officials, but we’re ready to start building a new restaurant and nightclub.”
“Kink on the beach?”
“Nice. Maybe one day. But no. This will be the crème de la crème of our facilities in Athens. Owned by the family, operated by Dimitrios’ wife.”
“I didn’t know he had a wife.” I’d done extensive research on Dimitrios and not once had a wife been mentioned. Water lapped at the dock posts, the light swells a reminder of the good times I’d had far too many years before. The moon was spectacular, bright enough to create luminous sparkles floating across the water.
“Willow. My brother does his best to keep both her and their relationship out of the media.” He kicked off his shoes and slumped down, immediately pulling the wine from the bag. “This is her baby, her vision and I must admit, a beautiful creation if only on paper right now.”
“Willow. That doesn’t sound like a Greek name.”
“Because she’s from America like you are. Boston.”
“Is your entire family in the habit of wooing and seducing American girls?”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“I guess you were right about asking questions I don’t want answers to. Is this legal?”
“We own the land, kitten. Relax and enjoy. This is a favorite place of mine.”
“What about Corfu?”
He popped open the cork and sighed. “A lot of both good and bad memories are associated with the island. And no, it’s not something I want in the article. Some things are very personal.”
I moved toward him, finally feeling comfortable enough to kick off the horrible, pink with flowers on the sides flipflops he’d purchased. As soon as I sat down, a cool breeze floated over us. It was the time of year that the nights became chilly when the sun went down. “You’ll have final say as to what goes into the article as required.”
“Ah, yes, the great attorneys.” He poured a glass, handing it to me. When he did, he stared into my eyes. “I’m sorry about that, but our corporation stands to lose a significant amount of money if enemies are given the opportunity.”
“Is that why Willow is such a secret?”
“Yes. She’s a weakness, one my brother as Boss doesn’t need. However, with the opening of the restaurant, I fear he won’t be able to keep the secret but for so long.”
“A weakness.”
“Yes, sweet kitten. Women are considered the greatest and most useful weakness we can have. Certainly, you’ve already learned that from your conversations with other syndicate leaders. Even men who gamble or were witnessed extorting money from celebrities find themselves more protected than men who harbor any feelings for a woman in their lives.”
“I feel sorry for them.”
“Yes, I do as well.” He poured his wine and after corking the bottle, leaned back on the towel. “You learn to be extremely cautious with activities. Over the years, my father has almost been killed several times due to leaks of his whereabouts.”
“I’ve heard that before. I was amazed that some of the men I talked with had no pictures of their family members in their offices or at their homes. One didn’t seem to care, but I heard later his wife was kidnapped and killed. So tragic.”
Havros was studying me as I spoke. I’d almost forgotten about the guy from Chicago who’d lost his home, his wife and unborn child in a house explosion. The article had been live for only two weeks before I’d learned what had occurred.
“The old ways of doing business are still being used even today.”
“What would you prefer?”
“Kara. We’re businessmen. We made a conscious decision to legitimize most of our business practices. Are there still some syndicates who see no use in modernizing or updating their ethics? Absolutely. You’ll find most brutal cartels operate with violence as their right hand. That’s not the way of the future.”
“I wish I could believe you, but you also traffic in illegal drugs and weapons.”
For the first time, I sensed he’d grown truly angry with me. He was staring off into space, but the buildup of heat had nothing to do with the strange and euphoric connection we’d felt. “Don’t believe the lies Theo told.”
“So you’re saying it’s not true.”
“I’m saying our business is multifaceted. Keep this on topic.”
He’d basically just admitted I was correct. However, pissing him off, especially at this moment, felt entirely too dangerous.
“I’m sorry, Havros. The contract specifically states I’m not to discuss illegal activities even if I see them with my own eyes. I wasn’t trying to insult you.”
“Weren’t you, Kara? Aren’t you more interested in the biopic that three networks are interested in making? Aren’t you more than ready to become rich and famous as you suggested?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair. I never told you I was a decent man, but I am a brother, a son, and a friend to many. I’m also an employer of some pretty incredible people who rely on my honesty and tenacity to make a living and feed their families. I take pride in that. Now, business discussions are over.”
I’d crossed a line. I’d gotten too comfortable with the subject of my interview. That was a huge no-no and part of the rules laid down by various ethics committees. Since I was freelance, I could form some of my own rules, but digging into his criminal activities was digging deep and low. “I’m very sorry. I think it’s time I go back to my hotel. I’ll understand if you don’t want to continue the interview after today.”
It took a few seconds before he exhaled. “I brought you here to show you something special to me and I intend on showing it to you. Grab your gear and follow me.”
He didn’t give me any time to respond before finishing the glass of wine and jerking to a standing position. I scrambled to keep up with him as he strapped the dive knife to his thigh and donned his mask and snorkel.
I did the same, although I was back to feeling uncomfortable around him. When he handed me a flashlight, I immediately turned it on, swinging it from one side of the dock to the other.
“Sharks won’t come this close. Don’t worry, kitten. Nothing you said changes anything between us. I will protect you against all threats, human or otherwise. Come on.”
He had his hand held out and the moment we touched, he tugged me close. There was something far too intimate about standing in bare feet and a bathing suit looking up at him.
The moment was deliriously invigorating. It was also terrifying. I didn’t need to feel anything for the man. Not one thing. Yet as he stared down at me with a soulful look on his face, my instincts told me the lines I’d crossed had only managed to arouse him.
“I don’t think I need to worry about the sharks. They’re tame in comparison.”
“No, you don’t.” He eased the mask onto my face before doing the same with his. As he pulled us toward the set of metal stairs leading directly into the water, I had another round of doubts. “Maybe you do need to worry about me after all.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the fish aren’t the only creatures interested in consuming their prey.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” He tugged me forward with enough force that we were pitched into the air by several feet.
Whoosh!
The rush of chilly water awakened all my senses. We’d dropped several feet while I struggled to hold the mask in place, fighting to keep from sucking saltwater into my lungs. It took me several seconds of being pitched into blackness before I remembered the underwater flashlight. I was scrambling to keep the snorkel in my hand.
Just as I’d experienced before, being submerged in the ocean blue was peaceful even as a hint of panic tore through me. He was already swinging the light back and forth, peering at me while pointing at a school of fish. I’d forgotten how incredible marine life looked with effervescent light. The colors were even more vibrant, the bright illumination revealing their true colors and intricate details.
Those were often lost even with the stream of sunlight beaming down. I was holding my breath, refusing to give up the magical moment as we swam away from the dock. Havros pointed to another group of sea life, the bioluminescent glow a transcendent sight. I was struck by the beauty of every creature, and the various seagrasses attached to the coral nestled on the shallow ocean floor waving from the motion of the water.
The beauty was mesmerizing, the memory of why I’d stopped diving slipping away.
I flashed the light in his face, trying hard not to laugh from the expression he wore. With his hair floating toward the surface, he certainly didn’t look nearly as formidable as before. I’d soon need to surface for air, yet I kicked out, moving further into the shadows. When he wasn’t right beside me, I spun around, almost panicking from being unable to find him even with the light.
As soon as I broke the surface, I yanked out the mouthpiece, taking several gulps of air as I twisted in the water. “Havros!”
“Did you miss me, kitten?” He scooped me into his arms, swinging me around as if we’d just been playing a game of hide and seek.
“Don’t do that!” I pummeled his chest before fighting to get free of his hold.
“What? I was right there.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“And you were worried about me.”
“Damn you.” I jammed the mouthpiece past my lips and dove again, swimming further away. He caught me within seconds, swirling both of us in circle after circle before bringing us to the surface.
He was grinning, obviously thrilled with the fact he’d made me nervous. “What’s wrong? Can’t take a little teasing?”
After yanking the snorkel from my mouth, I punched him playfully, yet harder than I’d intended, his head snapping back. “Oh, shit.”
When he floated onto his back, I debated reacting, but he wasn’t moving very quickly.
“Havros. I didn’t mean to do that.” I rushed toward him, momentarily horrified I’d hurt him. Well, duh. He’d played me again, jerking up and cupping my face. He yanked down my mask then his before wrapping his other hand around the back of my neck.
“Are you certain, glykó mou gatáki ? Or were you eager to see me squirm, maybe bleed?”
“You’ll know if that’s what I want.”
“I look forward to it.”
My breathing was ragged, my pulse racing. Yes, he’d had this effect on me from the beginning, but I was overwhelmed by the intense need for him, a desire so strong I couldn’t seem to control myself.
He furrowed his brow before dropping his head. “Yes, my kitten. I look forward to seeing all the nasty things you’re capable of.”
I hadn’t been prepared for him to capture my mouth, crushing his lips against mine. He wrapped one arm around me, keeping me as close as possible. While the water was chilly, the frenetic electricity we shared was rapidly heating the surface.
He spun me around in another circle before thrusting his tongue inside. For all the kisses I’d received and those I’d endured, nothing had prepared me for the passion this man exuded. His lips were soft, his hold firm, and his cock thick and throbbing as he pressed it between my legs.
I wanted to be angry, to do everything I could to shove him away, but nothing with or around him was normal. Including my reactions. The haze forming around us was beautiful, just as luminous as the world under water.
The kiss wasn’t just passionate. The moment of sheer and wanton intimacy had sparked those awakened senses into an entirely different level. No man kissed this way, soft when necessary, then possessive to prove a point. I was rattled, quivering all the way to my toes.
He took his time exploring my mouth while dominating my tongue. There was no doubt what he doing, taking full control in a way I wouldn’t want to fight. So I clung to him instead, angry the masks wrapped around our necks were getting in the way. I grabbed a handful of his hair, tangling my fingers in the long, wet strands.
They felt silky, more so than any man had the right to have. Even the feel of being in his arms wasn’t normal by anyone’s standards. I could float away on a cloud.
When he dared break the kiss a few seconds later, he instantly let me know he wasn’t finished by fisting my hair, yanking back my head to expose my neck. I wasn’t one hundred percent positive, but I was confident I’d heard a deep, rumbling growl before he nipped my earlobe.
I wiggled in his hold, trying to tell myself this was a very bad idea. But the bad girl side of me was winning, a completely inappropriate hunger forcing its way to the surface. I was shocked how intense the moment had become, the heat between us like a roaring forest fire. I’d never used so many adjectives to describe any experience with a man in my life.
There was something sinfully demanding about the way he raked his teeth from one side of my jaw to the other. It was highly possessive.
He wasn’t saying anything as he reared back, yet his eyes were screaming volumes. Lust and filthy fornication. That was what he had on his mind. When he yanked off his mask, I did the same, concerned why I was mimicking him. I had no intention of allowing anything to happen between us. That would be…
Reprehensible.
The word floated in my mind as he grabbed both masks in one hand, able to snag the snorkels as well. I hadn’t realized we’d floated closer to the dock until he swung the items onto the deck’s surface.
I was a little surprised and maybe a little disappointed when he let me go, but immediately noticed he’d slipped both arms under the water. “What are you doing?”
Seconds later I found out as he pulled off his swim trunks, tossing them on the deck. By the light of the half moon, I was still able to see the lust-filled look on his face as he reached out. When he started tugging on my bikini bottoms, I immediately jerked my head up from the dock to the shoreline. The music was loud enough I could hear the words, although I couldn’t understand a single one.
Yet the heated feeling was more about the thought of being caught. “We’re outside. We’re in a public place. People could walk by.”
I found it interesting I didn’t argue with him or try to fight off his hands as he yanked the tight material down my thighs.
“Yes, we’re outside in a beautiful location. My family owns the property, remember? And let them. I have no issue showing off what belongs to me, an incredible prize.”
“I don’t belong to you and I’m no one’s prize. Trust me on that.” I still wasn’t fighting, even sliding my palms up his chest and over his shoulders.
“Hear me, Kara. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
With the simple twist of time, he’d become the possessive man every woman wanted, the one plastered on the covers and pages of dark and demanding romance novels. His roughness intensified as he lifted me from the water, holding me aloft for a few seconds. As he brought me down, the tip of his cock easily slipped into my wet opening.
I squirmed, a single moan escaping. He held me tightly, allowing me the briefest few seconds of luxurious control as my muscles stretched to accommodate his huge shaft. I threw my head back, nervously laughing as I stared up at the stars.
Nothing had prepared me for the rush of vibrations or the jolts of current. Yet I continued to think and believe all of this was madness. While every moment spent with the man was also intoxicating, this was something I had to consider wrong on so many levels.
This man was a ruthless powerhouse with an image of a bloody dagger tattooed on his arm. That alone made a huge statement of what he was capable of.
Murder.
He was also someone I didn’t know, a complete stranger. Okay, so we’d gotten to know each other fairly well over the course of a few hours, but not enough to become intimate. My heart was racing, specks of vibrant color floating in front of my eyes like a swarm of insects. I pushed my palms against his chest in some crazy effort to free myself.
Mistake.
His arms tightened around me and he threw aside any possibility of allowing me any additional control. I was yanked all the way down, both the force and the friction just as alarming as how large he was. No man should have a cock that size. I was fearful he’d split me in two.
My pussy throbbed, the ache raw and blissful at the same time.
“What’s wrong, gatáki ?”
It was just another rhetorical question. How could anything be wrong? “I…”
He didn’t extend the courtesy of allowing time for me to answer before driving his tongue into my mouth. This time I tasted hints of cabernet and the spicy sauce, a hint of tobacco mixing everything together in a toxically amazing concoction. I’d never been kissed like this before, the brutal savage topping what he’d done only minutes before.
He was so intense that I felt his two-day stubble as it shifted back and forth across my cheeks. I’d never known my skin to be this sensitive, the slight burn adding to the craziness of his actions. We were floating in the middle of the Aegean Sea somewhere close to ten or eleven at night. I was with a self-proclaimed villain and I was supposed to be keeping a professional distance.
Every bit of logic flew from my mind as he ground his hips back and forth, his cock pushing in even deeper. The ache remained, but as my pussy pulsed, clenching and releasing, I was pulled away from all good girl thoughts. Who cared if anyone saw us?
When he broke the kiss this time, a white-hot lick of lightning nearly destroyed my system. He wasn’t finished with taking what he wanted, wrapping his long fingers around my hair and yanking back my head at an awkward angle.
This time, I was positive I’d heard the growl, a deep and throaty sound only made by wild predators. I close my eyes as he dragged his tongue down the side of my neck, seconds later using his teeth to yank aside a portion of my bikini top.
I wiggled in his hold as soon as he flicked the tip of his tongue across one nipple. When I acted as if I was going to shove him away, I was rewarded with two sharp cracks of his hand on my naked bottom.
While the momentum was cut by the water, the liquid also exacerbated the pain to a degree. My moan was likely his reward. I was still shivering, but more from excessive heat and desire that seemed to have no ceiling.
I wrapped my legs around his hips as he sucked on my hardened bud. The feel of his mouth was incredible, my mind spinning as to just how amazing he felt. He was so muscular, easily holding me in place as he enjoyed licking and nipping first one nipple then the other.
He let go of my hair, running his fingers all the way to the end. I kept my back arched, a clear level of encouragement to keep doing what he was doing.
“A bad but beautiful kitten.” When he pinched and twisted my nipple, the rush of pain mixed with a sure shot of adrenaline.
I was forced to bite back a scream. Embarrassment for being caught was one thing, but I didn’t need to put an exclamation point on the fact we were fucking in the open.
Another moan floated up toward the sky and as he pulled almost all the way out, I grabbed his shoulders. “No.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he growled. He thrust inside, his grin from my ragged sounds growing wider.
When he repeated the move, my pussy spasmed. I knew it wouldn’t be long before he gave me a mind-blowing orgasm.
He whispered words in Greek I didn’t understand and didn’t ask him to repeat them. The sensations were far too amazing. I pressed my knees against him, fingering his hair as he continued fucking me.
As impossible as it seemed, his cock swelled even more. The friction added to the moment and within seconds, a sweet, satisfying climax rushed up from the depth of my core.
“Oh. Oh. Yes.” I lolled my head seconds later, my eyes now only half open. They were completely unable to focus and the rush of blood through my system overwhelming. I twisted and tugged his hair as a rush of emotions rolled through me. I shouldn’t be allowed to feel this incredible. I definitely shouldn’t want this as much as I did. But here I was, moaning like a porn star as he plunged in and out.
For once and one time only, I let go, allowing myself to feel the utter thrill as I lost all control. I was uninhibited, a far cry from the woman I’d been only hours before. He’d done this, this larger-than-life man parading around as a pillager of women.
The passion we shared was unadulterated, the closeness I felt by being in his arms indescribable. Yet no one could ever know. Not a single soul. This was damning. I’d likely end up burning in the fires of hell for what was occurring.
Was it worth it?
Yes. God, yes.
He tweaked my nipple, the pain adding to the eruption of ecstasy. I pressed my forehead against his shoulder, no longer able to control any aspect of my bodily functions. I longed to see him in the light, to bask in his rugged body. I wanted to spend time going over every inch of his thick cock, scraping my fingernail down his sinewy veins.
I should feel embarrassed from my thoughts, but the excitement was increasing. As I came down from the glorious plateau, I dug my fingers into his shoulders and bucked hard against him.
“My little kitten has a wild side.”
Yes, I did. Suppressing it had worked for only so long. I lifted my head, staring the man in his eyes. I sensed he was close, so close to releasing deep inside of me. I dragged my tongue across my lips and knew they were slightly swollen from the delicious abuse he’d given them.
He smiled in his funny, wry way before spinning me around. When he walked around the dock and closer to the shore, it wasn’t long before his feet touched the ground and my bottom was revealed for the world to see.
“What is this?” As I’d done before, I struggled to get out of his hold, but he was far too strong for me.
Another two hard cracks were smacked on my backside. “I can do whatever I want, kitten. You’ll need to get used to that.” He swiveled his hips, thrusting harder and deeper. His momentum was crazy good and it wasn’t long before I felt another explosive orgasm coming. Before I succumbed to his brutal control, I squeezed my muscles.
It was my turn for delight as his eyes opened up wide, his entire body tensing.
Seconds later, his mouth claimed mine in a brutal kiss just like before. It was also a dark promise, one filled with sinful nights and savage passion. He slipped his arm between us, managing to pinch my nipple; the pleasure mixed with the pain, the mixture something I knew I’d learn to crave.
As the opium-like stream of passion continued to ebb and flow, his body spasmed as mine had done before. In those next few and amazing seconds, he erupted deep inside, filling me with his seed.
That was when I knew there was no going back. This sweet release would always be ingrained in my mind.
As he pulled back, his chest heaving, he nuzzled against my ear. “And now, little kitten, I have full control of you and your attention and I have no intention of letting you go.”