Chapter Thirty-Six #2
‘We worked on safeguarding everyone,’ Adriana interrupts.
‘Insurance-wise, we told everyone we could not be responsible for their safety if they wandered off from the villa. Christos told every single guest that people have died going off by themselves on Greek islands. There have been terrible tragedies so we were careful. Nobody could know that Dan would just leave …’
‘I should have realised he’d go into crisis mode!
’ Rose can’t let herself off the hook. ‘I thought it was OK because he was allowing himself to be an ordinary human, not a co-dependent person focused on a troubled long-term girlfriend. I was sure there would be guilt but not this! Not this random running away. He’s not the type! ’
Adriana is shorter than Rose. The tip of Adriana’s head nearly reaches Christos’s shoulder. With Rose, she is up to Rose’s chin.
They have been through so much together.
Adriana had helped her sister come out of the hellhole that was life post-shooting on The Talisman Effect. She isn’t going to let bloody Dan ruin this. They will track the stupid man down if it’s the last thing she does.
Plus, there are two tired and emotional women in reception and someone has to deal with them before they start hitting each other.
‘Rose, how about you let me rescue you for once,’ says Adriana.
‘No,’ says Rose automatically. ‘It’s my circus, they’re my monkeys.’
‘You need to be calm for the rest of the retreat. We have the rest of today and tomorrow to go. We are going to finish this. Go and make yourself some tea. Leave this to us.’
For a moment, Rose is going to object and then she stops. Adriana wants to take care of this. Rose needs to let her.
Adriana begins to issue instructions to her husband:
‘Get Alexei to go out and charm those crazy women out there. Tell him that everything we said to him about not flirting with guests is now off. He can flirt like mad. But only with those two. Whichever one bites, he takes her. Get Stavros too. He’s weeding at the entrance.
He can mop up whoever Alexei leaves behind. ’
Christos nods.
Alexei is only twenty-eight but he has been engaged to be married five times. Once to a woman with a yacht. Adriana says it’s because Alexei is more than just an Adonis: he’s got some magic ingredient that’s catnip to all women.
Christos thinks that his cousin being a six-foot-two part-time fireman helps.
No woman can resist a fireman.
‘Tell Alexei to take the women to the bar, get them cocktails.’ Adriana is on fire giving instructions.
Christos loves her when she’s being fierce.
Most people never see that side of her but his little Adriana is a tiger when it comes to taking care of family.
He’s pleased that Rose is letting her take control.
‘Play that love song album that Alexei knows all the words to,’ Adriana continues. ‘When Stavros is there and they’re settled, you can brief Pavel and Marceline. Tell them to alert all the taxi drivers, round up everyone they can. The taxi men and women know everything that happens on the island.’
Christos nods.
‘We cannot phone the police about Dan for a second time. But we are going to find him. He is not leaving Greece.’ Adriana is grim. ‘Tell them it’s the hotel’s future at stake. And Rose’s,’ she adds softly.
Christos nods and takes out his phone.
India and Keera are still hiding in reception.
Keera’s watching her mother and Julia.
Julia is taller than Bobbi and, as such, it looks as if she’ll win the battle of the interlopers.
But Keera, watching, knows that her mom has a few years on Julia. Dr Bobbi was razing egos to the ground when Julia was still in knee socks.
The argument about stealing taxis and plane seats has become dirty.
Bobbi mutters something about ‘trampy outfit’ while staring at Julia’s tiny white shorts.
‘I wear what I want,’ snarls Julia, losing the cut-glass accent a bit as she gets angry.
‘Really?’ demands Bobbi. ‘I work in show business, baby, and at a certain point, classy women know to put it away!’
‘Oh yeah! The fashion police are coming for you, sister,’ Julia shrieks. ‘What are you wearing? A pink gingham dress made for someone much younger!’
India winces. ‘So much for women enabling other women to get along in the world,’ she whispers to Keera.
‘They’ve both been drinking,’ says Keera suddenly. ‘That’s the magic ingredient.’
‘Not drugs?’ asks India.
‘Nah. They’d never have got them on the plane. Wine or vodka, something for the flight.’
‘That makes sense. No wonder they’re riled up.’
Suddenly, Christos appears. He’s not dressed in his usual chef’s whites and, instead, looks like a very handsome bear in an aqua linen shirt and chinos.
‘Ladies, we don’t often get such beauties here,’ he says in a soft purring voice and steps between Julia and Bobbi.
He has clearly switched on some hitherto unseen charm button, because the smiling chef and adoring husband of Adriana is gone and in his place is a veritable Valentino of Villa Artemis.
‘I am Christos, one of the owners of this fine hotel, and I am so delighted to welcome you both, such elegant ladies, here to Greece. The birthplace of goddesses bows before such beauty.’
Keera winces. Overkill?
But both her mother and Julia seem to be buying it.
‘Hey, you cannot keep the good ones to yourself,’ says a chocolatey deep voice, heralding the appearance of Alexei.
He’s panting slightly and again wearing his yoga outfit of tiny grey yoga top and spray-on Lycra shorts that leaves nothing to the imagination.
Keera’s sure that Alexei is kept away from the hotel’s female guests on purpose and, now, she can see why.
He’s changed from bendy, calm yoga man into a sensual flesh and blood Greek statue who’s left his fig leaf at home.
He is clearly on a mission to seduce – or to pretend to seduce.
He reaches her mother first, takes one hand in both of his and kisses her on each cheek, continental style.
From their vantage point, Keera and India can smell his aftershave. He must have sprayed the whole bottle on himself before he left the studio.
Another man appears behind Alexei, younger and nearly as handsome, wearing no shirt to cover his muscular bronzed chest, just shorts and flip-flops, and with leaves bewilderingly in his hair.
‘Stavros,’ says Christos joyously, expertly diverting Stavros over to Julia. ‘We need your help in the bar. These ladies deserve a long, slow, comfortable cocktail to help them recover from their journeys. Where did you say you came from?’ he purrs to Bobbi, putting an arm around her.
‘Most recently Nevada,’ says Bobbi, unable to move from Alexei’s side because his big arm is encircling her cosily.
‘I bet you need a little rest. You don’t look as if you’ve come all that way,’ he adds admiringly. ‘You’re fresh as a daisy.’
From her hiding place, Keera sees her mother bloom under Christos and Alexei’s attention. It’s award-winning stuff.
‘I’m actually here to see my fiancé,’ insists Julia.
‘She’s not his fiancé,’ says India, shocked.
‘I think they are on a retreat today in the mountains,’ lies Christos. ‘You ladies need a retreat beside our infinity pool.’
‘Retreat is boring,’ says Stavros, staring deeply into Julia’s eyes and running a hand up and down her arm, from her shoulder to her wrist.
He’s not as good as Alexei, Keera thinks, but he’s going to be, very soon.
‘We could have champagne,’ suggests Alexei, leading the way, swaying slightly as he walks, taut buttocks displayed in his tight yoga gear.
‘Is it bad to use men’s sexuality for our own gain just because it’s convenient?’ asks Keera of India.
‘If those boys can calm Julia and your mother down for even half an hour, I think it’s a win-win situation,’ says India. ‘Now we’ve got to find Dan.’