Chapter 6
KRISTA
Ididn’t come to Athens to sightsee, but I was here and there was nothing for me to do.
Tomorrow was when the real work started.
I would be trying to wrangle a man that was used to doing what he wanted, when he wanted.
A man that didn’t like me. That didn’t bother me.
Not really. But I was a human under my cargo pants and tank top.
Contrary to what I presented to the world, I did have feelings.
I changed into another tank, a little less military-esque, and changed into a pair of comfortable tennis shoes.
I was in good shape. I liked to run when I had time.
I worked out pretty religiously, but when I was on a job, I didn’t have that kind of time.
A stroll through Athens would help me get in my steps.
I put my key card in one pocket, my phone in another. “And this is why I wear pants with pockets,” I muttered to no one. My favorite lip gloss went into another pocket. Credit card and ID and I’m ready to go.
I heard laughter coming from the room across the hall, and for some stupid reason, I was jealous.
Not because I wanted to be in that room.
No way. But they were in there with each other.
I was the lone wolf. I was used to it, but for just a second I let myself imagine what it would be like to explore the city with a friend or, God forbid, a boyfriend.
I walked through the city and was in awe of the beauty. I didn’t take a lot of time to just be in a moment. I was always thinking about risks and next steps. I decided to play tourist. And since my dad couldn’t be with me, I was going to share every moment with a million photos.
I snapped pictures of basic things like a flower vendor and a pretty fountain that weren’t spectacular, but it was all about the vibe.
I was in Athens. I texted him several pictures at once and continued my stroll toward the Parthenon.
I did not come to Athens to skip one of the most iconic structures in the world.
Okay, there were probably a few others, but I had always been drawn to it because, hello, Athena.
I loved Greek mythology, and if there was a goddess I could admire and relate to, it was her. The warrior. She went through some shit and learned from it. Athena was wise. Strategic. And always calm.
I was walking faster the closer I got to the entrance. I paid my fee and followed the crowd. And then I just stopped. Right there on the path, while people moved around me on both sides. I took a picture and sent it to my father without a caption.
And then I continued up. It was a religious experience.
I wasn’t someone who believed in fantasies.
Never believed in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, but Athena was my girl.
I could feel her. I roamed around, ignoring the crowd and focusing on the iconic building.
I didn’t even take more pictures. I had the one I wanted.
The rest of the experience was going to be locked away in my mind where I knew I would revisit it often.
I had found a spot that wasn’t crawling with tourists to stand and appreciate the moment when a man materialized at my left elbow.
I felt his presence and was just a little irritated he was crowding me.
I was out of the way, which meant it was intentional.
I glanced over to see if it was a pickpocket looking for an easy mark.
It didn’t look like one. The guy was maybe forty.
Attractive enough. Maybe a local, with his olive skin, black hair, and square jaw.
But I didn’t like him. He had the aura of a man used to women falling at his feet—kind of like another man I’d recently met.
And maybe that was why I didn’t like him immediately.
“Beautiful view,” he said in English, with an accent that was definitely Spanish.
“Yes, it is.”
“I was referring to the lovely lady staring at a pile of broken marble.”
I nodded. It wasn’t the first time I’d been hit on. It didn’t happen as often as it probably did to the women Dash was hanging out with, but it happened.
“Thanks,” I said and started to walk away.
He was killing the vibe. Athena and I were just about to have a moment and he was ruining it. I spotted another area I could stand in without being run over by tourists. My new admirer fell into step beside me, which was now crossing into annoying territory.
“You should smile more,” he said. “You’d be much prettier if you did.”
I stopped walking and slowly turned to look at him. Yes, attractive but annoying. I didn’t want to be annoyed. I needed to save my annoyance quota for the month for a certain man. I did not have the capacity for two annoying men in the same damn day.
“You know what I think would be really hot?” I asked in a flirty voice.
He grinned. “I can think of a few things.”
“The back of your head is considerably nicer to look at than your face. So I’d prefer it if you walked away.”
He stared at me.
I waited to see if he was going to listen or make this a much bigger deal than it needed to be.
He walked away, to my relief, and I moved to the spot that I had picked out to commune with Athena.
The heat was oppressive, but I barely noticed.
From where I stood, I had a nice view of the city.
I took a couple of pictures of that too and headed back down.
I stopped at a little stand, bought myself a cold drink, and made my way back to the hotel. I was already composing the daily report I would send to Adrian Blackwell. I promised to keep him updated. I believed in transparency. And he and Briggs needed to know things were not off to a great start.
The room across from mine was suspiciously quiet. I paused with my door open and listened. Nothing. Was I expecting moans? Laughter?
I didn’t want to think about that too hard. I walked into my room and let the door shut behind me. I sat down at the small table positioned in front of the window with an amazing view of the city, opened my laptop, and pulled up my email.
I believed in keeping things short, sweet, and fact-based. They didn’t need my opinion or an essay about what a pain in the ass Dash was.
Dash and I went over the schedule. He’s not happy I’m here. We are not on common ground. I expect more pushback over the coming days. I will keep you updated if there are any major issues.
Krista Hedley.
I sent it and closed the laptop. I hated being a narc.
I would prefer to be someone collaborating with Dash instead of tattling on him, but he didn’t want to play nice.
All I had asked him to do was sit down with me and discuss the schedule.
We could have talked through his plans and then we would have spotted any pending issues that need to be resolved.
An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
But Dash seemed to prefer doing things in the moment, on the fly, to be reactive instead of proactive. And that was why we would never see eye to eye. I liked to overprepare. He liked to be a dumbass.
I had left that line out of the email.
Dash wasn’t my boss. His family was. I had a contract and a professional obligation.
I also had a one hundred percent success rate that I had built over years of exactly this kind of work.
None of that changed because the subject in question was stupid handsome and cocky in a way I found as intriguing as it was infuriating.
I took a shower to wash away the day and hated that I loved the luxury products that had been provided.
God, I could get used to being pampered.
When I stepped out of the shower, I couldn’t resist putting on the lotion that made my skin feel like silk.
My hair smelled like I’d been rolling in strawberry fields.
Damn, I might have to indulge and buy myself some of these products. My dad would never let me live it down if I showed up for our weekly breakfast smelling like strawberries, but the rest of the time, I was golden.
I pulled my hair up, dressed in another pair of cargo pants and an Army T-shirt, and collected my phone and room key. I was starving. The hotel had several restaurants and I planned on taking advantage of the extremely generous per diem the Blackwells provided.
I opened my door just as the door across the hall opened. The models from earlier spilled out of the room. I felt my stomach clench and then heat flood my cheeks. Embarrassment or anger, I didn’t know which.
They saw me and the laughter softened into something more private, and they moved past me toward the elevator with the unhurried ease of women who were embarrassed by nothing. Not even stumbling out of a man’s room drunk before dinner.
The door across the hall had not closed, and for some unknown reason, I couldn’t move. I stood there staring. Waiting for what? I didn’t know. I should close it for him.
And then he was there all half-naked and gorgeous like one of the Greek gods I’d been thinking about all day. He was my Dionysus. The god of indulgence and pleasure.
Thank God Athena didn’t fuck with anyone. Like her, I will not fall for the charms of anyone, definitely not him.
The man knew he was gorgeous. He leaned against the open door with his hand against his bare chest. I swallowed hard because his pinky finger was either intentionally or unintentionally pointing to the happy trail that disappeared under the low-riding waistband of his sweats.
Gray. Fucking. Sweats. Does he know what those damn things do to a woman?
Of course he did.
I had worked alongside special operations units. I had done physical training with men who treated their bodies like weapons of mass destruction. Very careful. Very strategic. I was not a woman who was easily impressed by a man’s body. But fuck me, it wasn’t fair.
When I tore my eyes away from below his waist, I found him grinning at me.
“See something interesting?” he said.
I quickly pulled myself together. “I see you’ve got a lot of nerve talking shit about my cargo pants when you walk around in sweats like that.”
Dash grinned. “I wear a lot less in private than I do in public.”
“So you’re a different person behind closed doors?” I asked.
“Aren’t we all?”
“Not me,” I said, shrugging. “What you see is what you get.”
Dash shook his head. “Oh, I bet there’s a lot going on behind that pouty little face of yours.”
“I am not pouting,” I said.
“Oh, look at those little pouty lips.” He reached out like he might touch my face.
I slapped his hand away and took a step back. “Hell no. I saw those models leaving your room. You need to wash those hands before you get near me.”
Dash grinned. “What? They were just helping me do my taxes.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Whatever. It’s none of my business.”
“Where are you going right now? Have you decided I’m too much of a pain in the ass and you’re heading back to America?”
“You wish you were so lucky,” I said. “I’m going to get dinner.”
His eyes twinkled with excitement. “You know, I haven’t eaten.”
“You probably should. Judging by the looks of your company, you drank your breakfast and lunch. Try solids for dinner.”
He laughed. “Let’s have dinner together.”
“No thanks. There is not enough bleach in the world to get me to step foot in that room.”
“Why would you assume I wanted to have dinner in my room? Is that what’s on your mind, Captain Krista?”
I shut my room door and checked to make sure it latched. Then I started down the hall. “Good night, Dash.”
“Burn those fucking pants,” he called out.
“Get tested,” I replied without breaking my stride. “I’ll pick up some bleach.”
His laughter followed me down the hall. I slapped my hand against the elevator button and refused to look back. I didn’t want to know if he was watching me.
I stepped into the elevator and only then did I allow myself a quick glance. He wasn’t there. Why would he be? Why would he watch me walk away when he’d just spent a long afternoon with two woman who were hot professionally? The man was probably beyond sated.
And then I was thinking about Dash and sex.
I groaned and put a finger to my temple. That was an image that was never going away.
Tomorrow was going to be rough.