Chapter 3
Stephanie delivered the next tray of drinks, flirted a bit with the older Middle Eastern gentlemen at the table, and then headed for the next table in her area.
She kept looking around the bar for the two men from the night before, starting to question her own sanity in the face of everyone else’s disbelief.
After leaving the bar the night before, and the unfortunate encounter with Ries whatever-his-name-was, she finally made it to the police department.
Only one officer was on duty and she told him her story, only to have him also suggest that she hadn’t really seen anything worthy of investigating.
The bar was dimly lit, she’d just finished working an eight-hour shift, and since she didn’t have any evidence and couldn’t name the men involved, in the eyes of the officer the incident simply hadn’t taken place.
She’d even mentioned it to Terri when she’d arrived for work this afternoon, and Terri also had told her she must have been seeing things. “No one would conduct that kind of illegal activity out in the open. Get real,” Terri had told her with a small laugh as she’d walked away to start her shift.
Maybe I just thought I saw something nefarious?
Is my life so boring that I’m now conjuring up conflicts when there aren’t any?
Stephanie shook her head and headed back to the bar, stopping short when she spotted Ries.
She observed him from the other end of the bar, and it was obvious the man was nursing a humongous hangover.
His head was hanging low, his color was slightly off, and his jovial personality was completely missing.
She watched him for a long moment, thinking that at least he’d been willing to listen to her.
He had been so focused on getting her to party with him, she hadn’t truly given him a chance to help, but he’d seemed concerned at least. Even more than the police officer she’d originally told her tale to.
She blew out a breath, nodded thanks to Tomas and headed to deliver the drinks, bringing her directly past Ries. She didn’t look at him until she heard him call her name in surprise.
“Stephanie? Tikanis?”
Stephanie turned around and shook her head at his words, “I don’t speak Greek.”
“I asked how you were,” Ries informed her.
“You remember me?” she inquired skeptically.
“I was not so drunk that I wouldn’t remember a beautiful woman in distress. You didn’t even give me a chance to help you solve your problem,” he softly accused her.
“You would have helped me?”
When he nodded, looking even paler with the movement, she took a step closer and told him softly, “You would be the only one then. The police are not interested in what I saw.”
“You obviously saw something,” he agreed with her.
Stephanie gave him a shy smile, realizing that his eyes had never once strayed from her face.
He’d not commented on her skimpy outfit, nor had he stared at her bare limbs with lust blazing in his eyes.
He was looking at her. Listening to her.
He was concerned for her. It was the first time since arriving in Greece and taking this job that Stephanie had actually felt like a person and not an object to be lusted after.
“I know what I saw but I am beginning to think maybe I made it all up. No one thinks what I saw is possible.”
“Everything is possible,” Ries told her, moaning softly and dropping his head into his hands. “I can’t believe I am this hung-over.”
Stephanie smiled and reminded him, “You were fairly drunk last night.”
“But after meeting you, I didn’t drink anymore.” Ries hung his head for a moment, murmuring softly as if his words were meant only for his own ears, “By Hades, I feel like hell warmed over.”
Stephanie gave him an indulgent smile and he realized that she was patronizing him. “Truly, I didn’t have anything else to drink. I know my reputation precedes me but I was worried about you.”
“While I don’t know about your reputation, I find it hard to believe you even gave me a second thought. You don’t even know me,” Stephanie told him.
“I know you were distraught last night and needed help.”
“Well, that was then. Tonight, it appears that you are in need of help. I recommend drinking plenty of water and staying off the booze tonight and possibly tomorrow. If you want to kill yourself that is a rotten way to go.”
Ries looked at her, his eyes going blurry again and he scrubbed at them, wishing he knew why he was feeling terrible.
Seeing her turn her back to walk away, he sighed and slid off the bar stool, intending to go back to his room and sleep off the rest of this sickness.
His feet barely hit the floor before it was spinning, the floor rising to meet him as he tipped forward.
He reached out for the bar stool, his hand hitting it hard as he took a stumbling step; he couldn’t seem to get his balance.
Suddenly, Stephanie was there, her arm around his waist, holding him steady. “Hey! Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“I don’t feel well, at all.”
“Want me to walk you back to your room? My shift is over in a few minutes and I can leave now. I don’t know if you should be alone right now,” Stephanie offered.
Ries raised a brow at her and then answered, “Yes.” He truly wasn’t feeling up to being amorous, but if she was offering, he’d do his best to perform.
He reached an arm around her shoulders and then squeezed her close for a moment, brushing his fingers up the side of her neck.
“I can’t promise anything but I’m willing… ”
Stephanie stiffened and met his eyes. “I wasn’t propositioning you; I was simply offering to help you back to your room. Nothing else.”
Ries felt his hopes fade away and he gave her a sad look, “More’s the pity.”
“Yes, a pity. Sit here and wait for a minute,” Stephanie guided him back to the stool he’d occupied seconds earlier.
She delivered the drinks on her tray and then returned it to the kitchen.
She called out to Tomas and he tossed out her jacket and purse moments later. “Come on, Ries. Where are you staying?”
Ries gave her directions to the room he’d rented in town and several minutes later they arrived outside his hotel room door. His yacht was docked down by the water but he always took a room in town so that he had options.
He produced the key upon her request and after opening the door, she simply pushed him inside.
“Drink plenty of water tonight and no more booze,” Stephanie told him.
“I can do that.”
“Good. I hope you feel better,” she told him softly.
Ries opened his mouth to invite her inside, hoping to change her mind about spending more time with him, but she merely pushed him further inside the room and shut the door. He stared at it for a long moment before turning and heading for the bed.
Stephanie walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the elevator and forcing herself not to go back to the room and take him up on the invitation she’d seen in his eyes.
The night before he’d shown her his true colors, and the last thing Stephanie needed was a playboy thinking she was an easy mark.
He’d not hit on her tonight but she reasoned that was mostly because he was so hung-over. She had no doubts that if she was to see him again, he’d be all smooth talking and charming as he tried to get her to offer more than her waitressing duties.
So many of the bar’s patrons seemed to think that waitressing with a smile meant they were also being offered other sorts of services and “happy endings” for a small fee.
Stephanie had initially resented that aspect of her job but had since learned to politely redirect their unwanted attention , and, if need be, she’d simply pass the table off to Terri or one of the other waitresses more adept at handling them.
Stephanie could not bring herself to do that and she hadn’t intended to start now.
Not even for a gorgeous Greek with bedroom eyes and a killer smile like Ries.