Chapter 10
“Y OU’RE SURE YOU’RE all set?” Damen asked over the phone, his voice made sharp by worry. It was the first time his wife and daughter were traveling without him, and it didn’t feel right. At all.
Biting back a curse, Damen said, “I don’t think this is a good idea—-”
“Damen.” His wife’s extra-sweet voice cut him off.
Damen scowled. “You’re going to sweet talk me into not worrying, aren’t you?”
“ Ne .”
His scowl worsened. “And of course, in Greek, too. Because you know I find it a fucking turn on.”
His wife answered with a soft laugh that traveled down the line like an invisible caress. “Since you know everything I’m planning, and you know how this is going to turn out...” She trailed off.
“What if I ask one of your devoted slaves to fly with you?”
Mairi cringed at the term, knowing her husband was referring to Stavros Manolis and Ioniko Vlahos. Both men had, once upon a time, certain feelings for her. “They no longer feel that way, Damen. You know that.”
“Maybe Stavros,” Damen allowed grudgingly. He had played matchmaker for his friend, and as far as he knew, that one resulted in sparks. “But Vlahos?”
She rolled her eyes at the animosity underlining her husband’s voice. “Seriously, stop that. We both know you don’t hate him anymore.”
He grunted. “You’re right. I don’t. But I’m not blind either. That man still has feelings for you.”
“Whatever.” The nanny entered then, Jane carrying Nala in her arms. “I have to go now. I’ve got to put on the carrier and then we need to get to the airport to make it on time.”
“You’re using my jet, matakia mou. Which means it’s on standby for your convenience.”
“I know that, but I still don’t feel good about making everyone wait. If I told them I’d be there at ten, then I’ll do everything I can to be there at ten.” Jane had reached her now, and with her uninjured hand, Mairi reached out to touch her little girl’s nose.
Nala’s eyes sparkled upon seeing her mother, and she began gurgling in laughter when Mairi started making faces.
Damen heard the sounds Nala was making and his face softened. “She’s up?”
“Yep. And I think she feels the same way I do.” Her voice lowered. “We both miss you a lot.”
Damen’s chest tightened. “As I with you two.” When a knock sounded on his office door, he knew it was time to end the call. “You will call me the moment you board?”
“I promise.”
“And you will text me every few minutes?”
“Promise.” She paused. “You haven’t asked about...the problem.”
“Is there something I must worry about?” he asked levelly.
“None,” she said quickly.
“Then that’s answer enough for me. I told you, matakia mou .” His voice became flat. “I will never doubt you again.” Memories struck him, a time when he hadn’t been as wise and he had accused Mairi of betrayal. A time when his cynicism and inability to understand the power of love made him believe in a stranger’s words over the woman he loved.
Mairi didn’t need Damen to say a word to realize where her husband’s thoughts had gone. Her heart squeezed painfully at the sudden strained silence between them, and she whispered, “Damen.”
One, two moments passed before he answered. “Yes?”
“The past is where it belongs already. Leave it there.”
His lips twisted, not even surprised that his wife had seen through him. “Your generosity never fails to amaze me, sweetheart.”
“I love you.” A smile touched her face. “And Nala says she loves you, too.” She touched her daughter’s cheek. “Tell Papa you love him, too, Nala.”
Nala obediently made sounds.
Mairi giggled. “She’s trying to say it in Greek, trust me.”
His lips curved slowly. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.” A dry voice, but it couldn’t hide the love behind the words. “Take care, all right?”
“We will.”
She was smiling when she ended the call, and she was still smiling even by the time they made it to the airport.
It had her anti-romantic nanny shaking her head. “You’re so disgustingly in love, Mrs. L.”
Mairi laughed, the words causing her to hug her baby tightly. Nala giggled with her.
“Keep hugging her like that and you’ll break her ribs,” Jane threatened.
Mairi immediately loosened her grip. “Spoilsport,” she muttered. “I don’t even get why you applied for the job knowing you’d be exposed to my ‘hopelessly romantic ways’.” And those were the nanny’s exact words, not hers.
The tall, svelte blonde flashed her a cheeky grin. “The pay was irresistible. Plus, the catch was so easy. I just had to prove I would never fall for Mr. L.”
Even Mairi had to laugh. That had been funny, and even funnier was how it had taken them over twenty nannies before they found Jane. Thanks to a lie detector, they had known Jane’s heart hadn’t skipped a single beat even when Damen had walked half-naked in front of her.
Mairi’s and Jane’s eyes met, and they both laughed simultaneously. Wiping her eyes, Mairi gasped, “Oh God, when I remember the look Damen had given me.”
Jane had to clutch her stomach. She was laughing too hard. “I know.” She remembered that very clearly. She had already passed the test with flying colors when Mairi had suddenly come to her feet and shouted, ‘Wait.’
Everyone turned to Mairi. ‘What is it?’ Damen demanded, a concerned frown marring his handsome face.
Mairi shook her head. ‘I need to ask her one last question.’
In the act of getting up from her seat, Jane promptly sat down again at Mairi’s words. ‘No problem, Mrs. L.’
‘What else could you ask her?’ Damen asked.
‘I want to ask if she has a crush on you.’
‘We already asked that, ma’am,’ the polygraph expert reminded her.
‘I know, but we haven’t asked Ms. Jane with Damen half-naked.’
All eyes flew to her.
‘What the hell?’ Damen burst out.
‘Whoa.’ This, from Jane.
‘As you wish, ma’am.’ A deadpan tone from the polygraph expert. He glanced at Damen inquiringly. ‘Sir?’
‘Mairi,’ Damen growled.
‘Please,’ his wife begged. ‘I just need to make sure. It’s different when you don’t have a shirt on.’
‘MAIRI.’ Softer and more ominous now.
She gave him her best puppy look eyes, something her former student, Katya Vlahos, had taught her.
Damen cursed under his breath.
Jane laughed. ‘Go on, Mr. L. Feel free to seduce me.’
‘Shut up, kid,’ Damen muttered, but he was already reaching for the collar of his shirt. In one swift movement, he had pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the wide, muscled expanse of his deeply tanned chest.
Mairi sighed.
The sigh had his cock hardening.
Fuck.
He tried to control his reaction, but it was impossible.
Jane burst out laughing.
‘The subject’s heart has not skipped a beat, but she may be in danger of losing her breath due to too much respiratory and abdominal exertion.’ He paused. ‘In other words, your current state has her almost dying of laughter. Sir.’
‘Fuck off,’ Damen gritted out.
But this time, even Mairi was laughing.
Mairi and Jane looked at each other again. And just like that, they were laughing once more, and this time even little Nala joined in, clapping her hands in delight.
Behind them, her bodyguards remained stoic. They were already used to their mistress’ bouts of insanity. Past immigration and on their way to the hangar, Mairi caught sight of a familiar face, and her laughter died.
Déjà vu again, she thought. Over a year ago, she’d had a confrontation with the woman heading her way, also in this very airport.
Jane stopped laughing as well. “Mrs. L?” she asked worriedly. Following her employer’s gaze, she saw a sophisticated-looking blonde heading their way.
Oh. Jane recognized the other girl right away. It was Alina Kokinos, the former fiancé of Damen Leventis.
A moment later, and the blonde stopped walking as well, having seen who was in front of her. Pain flashed in her eyes as her gaze found the infant.
The last time Mairi had seen the other girl, Alina had been with Damen. Then, she had let her doubts get the better of her. Then, she hadn’t yet believed in Damen’s love for her.
Never again, she swore to herself, squaring her shoulders.
Tightening her hold on Nala, she resumed walking. She was determined not to give the other girl the time of the day. She didn’t want to have anything to do with Alina, period. And she wouldn’t have, if not for Alina speaking the moment Mairi walked past her.
“My therapist told me I should be okay with how things are.” The moment Alina spoke, the entire area fell silent. It was clear everyone wanted to listen in.
Mairi forced herself to keep walking.
Hatred filled Alina’s heart at the way Mairi looked so damn dignified. It wasn’t fair the other woman had everything she wanted, everything that was supposed to be hers because Damen had been hers first, too.
“She told me there was nothing for me to be jealous about because the whole time, Damen had always treated me with respect while you were and will always be a slut to him.” She lifted her chin. “And even if you have a baby, it doesn’t change a thing. You’re still a gold-digging slut, and sooner or later he’ll realize his mistake and come back to me.”
Mairi slowed down.
“Mrs. L?” Jane didn’t like the look on her employer’s face. It wasn’t sad, wasn’t angry, but it was still... terrifying.
“Could you take Nala from me for a moment?” Mairi asked calmly.
Jane reluctantly took the baby and the carrier from her employer. “Are you sure about this, Mrs. L.?”
“It’s a long time coming,” was the cryptic reply.
Oh man , Jane thought. This was going to be really bad.
Alina kept her back straight and chin up as she watched Mairi head her way. She hated the frisson of apprehension that ran down her spine, but even so she couldn’t stop it.
“Hello, Alina,” Mairi said politely as she stood in front of her former rival. Although, looking at the other girl, the qualification was something Alina would still likely have trouble accepting.
Alina slowly looked at Mairi from head to toe, her lips compressing as she took note of the expensive but understated jewelry gracing the other woman’s ears and throat and the equally tasteful frock Mairi had on.
“You know what my therapist also told me?” Her lip curled. “Fine feathers don’t make fine birds.” She was hoping to rattle the other woman into making a scene, but instead she received a smile that left her nonplussed.
“I’m just glad, you know.”
“About what?” Alina asked sharply.
“That your therapist hasn’t told you to jump off the nearest bridge yet,” Mairi said with pseudo sincerity. “Because then you’d be dead in a heartbeat.”
Behind her, Mairi heard one of her bodyguards snickering. It was Chucky, for sure. It was always Chucky who was quick to laugh. The sound was abruptly cut off, but by then it was too late, their audience coughing as they did their best to muffle their own laughter.
Alina’s face flushed with anger. “You’re so crass! No wonder Damen treats you like—-”
“Like what?” Mairi demanded, losing her temper. She just had it. She just really about had it with this girl. “Like a woman he’s obsessed with? Because yes ,” she said feelingly. “That’s exactly how he is with me. If a slut is what you call someone who can’t help wanting her husband, anytime anyway he wants then yeah, I’m a slut, and happily so because you know what? I love how he can’t get enough of me, and he will never get enough of me. No matter what you do, no matter if you walk in front of him with your cup negative-AAA breasts bared naked—-”
The slur had Alina screaming, but this time, Chucky had also lost it. Together with the rest of her bodyguards, everyone had burst out laughing.
But Mairi wasn’t finished. “—-and shake your hips like Taylor Swift, my husband WON’T ever want you the way he wants me!”
“SLUT!”
“TOOTHPICK!”
Alina screamed again. “Do you think I don’t know about you? You think the whole world doesn’t know about you? I’ve read the news, bitch, and I know your sluttish gold-digging ways haven’t ended. You’ve got your claws in the students of Christopoulos University.”
Mairi lifted her chin. Remembering Velvet’s words, she said coolly, “So I’m a cougar. Sue me.”
“Oh my God, you are so crass .”
“Yup,” she agreed with relish. “I’m a crass cougar. RAWR. ” Mairi suddenly made a clawing motion at Alina’s face, taking the other woman by surprise. She would have fallen completely on her ass if her own bodyguards hadn’t caught her.
But it was enough for Mairi. As far as she was concerned, the other woman’s humiliation was complete and she had said everything she needed to say. This time, she had made it clear to Alina that no matter what the other girl did, Mairi would always believe in her husband.
Jane and Nala met her halfway. “You were so awesome, Mrs. L.,” Jane muttered under her breath as she strapped Nala back to her employer.
“Was I?” she asked faintly.
“Absolutely. Like... this awesome.” Jane mock-clawed at Mairi.
Behind them, the bodyguards laughed once more, and Mairi turned red. Oh my God, had she really done that? And had she really called herself a cougar? In fact, had she really cheerfully accepted being called a crass cougar?
She looked down at her daughter. “Don’t disown me, please?”
Nala blinked up at her. I’ll think about it, Mama.
Mairi groaned.
Jane laughed.
Once they had boarded the jet, a surprise was awaiting her. “A present for you, Mrs. Leventis.” The present was a freshly bathed, freshly brushed mixed-breed mongrel with a noticeable scar on its face. She had once told Damen she wanted a pet. ‘Nothing fancy, though. Just maybe one from the dog pound, someone that would really need us.’
And this was exactly it.
A card came with her present.
She shall look after you in my absence. When I made inquiries at a shelter, they immediately thought she’d be a good choice. She may be small, but she’s not to be underestimated. She was said to have defended her employer against burglars, hence the knife wound. Its employer died a week ago of a heart attack and they thought she’d be happy with us. I think so, too.
The tiny dog barked, calling her attention.
“It’s so ugly it’s almost cute,” Jane said with her usual honesty.
Mairi bit back a smile. It was true. Half-pug, half-Chihuahua, and maybe something else. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She loved it already and she knew Damen was right. This little dog would be perfect for their family.
She sent Damen a text when the stewardess was done strapping her and Nala to their seats.
Mairi: I got your present. I love it. On our way now.
Damen: Good. I’d love to see you do that clawing thing in person.
Mairi suppressed a mortified moan, and looking over her shoulder, she glared at her bodyguards, but no one wanted to look at her.