Wife For A Night Read online

  When she reached her villa there was a chambermaid busy vacuuming her room. As she caught sight of Kate the girl made exactly the same mistake as Philip had done. With a little scream, she ran forward and clutched Kate's shoulders.

  'Oh, miss, what happen? You have kill yourself!'

  'No,' said Kate firmly, 'I'm fine. Somebody else was hurt, not me. It was Mr Andronikos's secretary, Nikos Vassiliou.'

  The colour drained out of the girl's face.

  'Nikos?' she exclaimed. 'Nikos is my brother. I am Anna Vassiliou. Is Nikos hurt bad?'

  'I think he'll be all right. Why don't you go down and ask the doctor?'

  'Oh, thank you, miss. I come back soon!'

  Anna positively flew out of the room. With a sigh Kate made her way into the bathroom, stripped off her ruined clothes and stepped into the shower.

  After ten minutes under its warm rain, she felt restored enough to dry herself vigorously. A firm knock sounded in the other room and she glanced hastily around her. How silly! All her clean clothes were in the bedroom. Winding a towel around herself, she opened the door.

  'Anna?' she asked.

  But it wasn't Anna who stood there. It was Philip Andronikos. His eyes met hers with a naked warmth that made her unconsciously clutch the towel closer around her.

  'I thought it was Anna,' she babbled in a high, unnatural voice that sounded quite unlike her own.

  'I couldn't make you hear the front door with the shower running, so I just came in,' replied Philip, his gaze sliding down the slender column of her throat and coming to rest on the gentle swell of her bustline. 'I sent Anna away in the ambulance with Nikos.'

  'How is Nikos?' asked Kate, lowering herself cautiously into an armchair and folding her arms nervously.

  'Dr Papadopoulos is optimistic. According to him, you probably saved Nikos's life. Anyway, he's stopped the bleeding and put a drip in, and he says they'll do a blood transfusion in Thessalomki. I won't know any more until I telephone the hospital tonight. But it's you I'm concerned about now.'

  'Me?' demanded Kate, rising jerkily to her feet and pacing-across the room.

  'Why should you be concerned about me? I'm perfectly all right.'

  She felt rather than heard him come after her; was suddenly acutely conscious of his warm, silent presence behind her. Then his hand seized her shoulder and he spun her round to face him. His breathing was fast and uneven and there was a pulse beating frantically in the side of his throat.

  'When I saw you on the yacht covered in blood,' he said hoarsely, 'I died a thousand deaths. I was convinced you were going to die and I could only think what a fool I'd been never to do this.'

  With ruthless force he dragged her into his arms and pressed his mouth down on hers. His kisses were deep and savage and demanding, and they released a hunger in her beyond anything she had ever imagined. A tiny groan escaped her as she opened her lips to his, then suddenly he had pulled her down on to the bed and they were rolling wildly in a frenzy of passion.

  The towel came loose and Philip flung it impatiently across the room before burying his head in the tender warmth of her breasts. His chin rasped her delicate flesh, sending shivers of excitement through her, then his tongue found the exquisite rosebud of her nipple. He went to work teasing and nibbling until she arched her back and thrust herself against him with a low moan of excitement. Her hands moved in frenzied circles across his back, pulling him hard against her so that they both quivered with longing. His lips moved up over her body in a trail of fire till they reached the slender column of her throat.

  'Oh, I love you, Katarina!' he said thickly, burying his face in her hair.

  She moaned indistinctly, pressing her body against his and shuddering with pleasure as his hands moved over her naked flesh. With a sudden cry of impatience Philip sprang to his feet and tore off his shirt.

  'Philip, no!' cried Kate, sitting up sharply on the bed.

  'Why not?' he demanded, his hands pausing on his belt-buckle. 'I want you, Katarina; I want you more than I've ever wanted any woman in my life. And you want me too, don't you?'

  The throaty vibrance of his voice, the way he looked at her through narrowed eyes, the sheer animal grace of his stance sent a thrill of longing through Kate. But shereached out and dragged a corner of the bedspread up to cover herself.

  'No,' she said faintly.

  He laughed harshly and tore the flimsy covering out of her hands. His gaze rested deliberately on her taut pink nipples, the rapid rise and fall of her breasts, the pale curve of her hips.

  'You're lying,' he whispered. His fingers caught in the silky tangle of her hair and he forced back her head so that she had to look at him. 'Aren't you, my love?'

  She felt mesmerised by those blazing dark eyes, as if he could force any admission he liked from her. His mouth came down on hers, gently, teasingly, coaxing her into agreement. With one hand he reached out and lazily caressed the tips of her breasts, so that a quiver of need shot through her.

  'Aren't you?' he insisted.

  'Yes!' she cried in a tormented voice and struck his hand away from her.

  Scrambling to her feet and dragging the bed cover after her like some preposterous sari, she crossed the room.

  'All right, Philip,' she said in a low, angry voice. 'You can see perfectly well that I want you physically just as much as you want me. You've proved your point, so now you can just go away!'

  'Is that what you think I'm doing?' demanded Philip furiously. 'Proving some stupid point?'

  'Well, aren't you?' returned Kate angrily, picking up her travel bag and rummaging through it for something to wear.

  'No!' said Philip through clenched teeth. 'Why the hell should I?'

  Kate's fingers closed on a knit dress. Feverishly she hauled it over her head and ran her fingers through her tumbled hair. Then she tightened the belt and turned to face him.

  'Because you men are all the same!' she retorted angrily. 'All you want is a quick grope to prove your manhood and then you'll be off like a shot!'

  'Oh, I see,' said Philip sarcastically. 'You've had experience, have you?'

  Kate hesitated, on the brink of spilling out all that had passed between her and Leon. It was tempting to blurt out the truth to Philip, to tell him of the horror she had felt when she'd learnt that the man who had seduced her was already married to another woman. But shame held her back.

  'Not exactly,' she choked. 'But that doesn't mean that nobody has tried. And, let me tell you now, I'm just not interested in being a trophy on any man's wall. If you're trying to persuade me to have a cheap, nasty affair with you you can just forget it!'

  To her horror she found that her legs were trembling. Kneeling down, she tried to zip up her bag, but her hands were shaking so much that she could not manage it. Suddenly she found that Philip was right behind her, his body warm and reassuring against her, his powerful fingers closing over hers.

  'I do not want a cheap, nasty affair with you!' he said through his teeth.

  'Don't you?' retorted Kate. 'Well, it certainly looks like it from where I am!'

  Philip rose to his feet and paced around the room, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

  'Supposing, just supposing, I were not engaged to Irene, would you want to get involved with me then? I want the truth, Katarina!'

  Kate hesitated.

  'If you mean would I go to bed with you, Philip, then the answer's no. I don't ever intend to make love with a man unless I know that he's going to marry me.'

  'I see,' said Philip thoughtfully. 'And if you knew that I was a free man and that I wanted to marry you?'

  Colour rushed up into Kate's cheeks.

  'That's an outrageous question,' she murmured. 'I can't possibly answer it.'

  Philip stared at her intently, his gaze resting on her burning cheeks and downcast eyes.

  'I think you already have,' he said softly.

  Picking up his shirt, he dressed and strode across to the door.

  'I'm go
ing into Thessaloniki tomorrow morning to visit Nikos,' he said.

  'Would you like to come?'

  Kate hesitated.

  'Purely a business arrangement,' he assured her. 'You can stock up on film and that sort of thing.'

  'All right,' she agreed.

  She walked across to the front door of her unit and held it open for him.

  'I'll call for you about nine o'clock,' he said and dropped a swift, light kiss on her head.

  Neither of them saw the dark-haired girl in the red and white Givenchy dress who had just come round the bend in the path. She stood frozen for a moment and then hurried away, her face distorted with fury.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  KATE was still drinking coffee when a knock sounded at her front door the following morning. Dabbing at her lips with a napkin, she snatched up her jacket and hurried across the room.

  'You're early, Philip!' she said, flinging open the door. 'It's only eight thir--Oh!'

  For it was not Philip who stood there, but Stavros Marmara. Although his eyes were slightly bloodshot, he looked in every other way a picture of healthy young manhood. His olive skin glowed, his limbs were tanned and muscular under white tennis clothes and, as he caught Kate's gaze, his perfect teeth flashed in an engaging smile.

  'May I come in?' he asked hesitantly.

  'Yes, of course,' said Kate, puzzled. 'Can I get you some coffee?'

  'Thanks,' agreed Stavros.

  He followed her into the small dining area and hovered nervously while she poured the coffee.

  'Do sit down,' she invited. 'Have some rolls, too, if you like.'

  'No, thanks. I never really eat breakfast, but the coffee looks fine.'

  Kate saw his hesitation and took pity on him.

  'Are you calling to ask me to play tennis, or can I do something for you?' she asked.

  Stavros let out his breath in a long sigh.

  'To be frank, it's a tricky situation,' he admitted, stirring his coffee. 'But I want to begin by apologising to you.'

  'Apologising?' echoed Kate in a baffled voice.

  'Yeah. About the accident yesterday. I guess it was our fault really. We were all totally plastered and we were fooling around in a pretty stupid way, but I never thought anything like that would happen. It's lucky you were there. I'll bet you saved Nikos's life.'

  Kate made a small, embarrassed gesture with her hands.

  'I only did what anybody else would have done,' she said.

  'Anybody who wasn't drunk and totally useless,' corrected Stavros with a shamefaced grimace. 'Anyway, I want you to know Irene and I are very grateful to you. Which makes it even harder to say what I have to say now.'

  'Oh?' asked Kate warily.

  Stavros's dark eyes met hers for an instant, then flickered uncomfortably away to a point on the wall above her head. He took a quick gulp of his coffee.

  'Irene saw Philip leaving your villa last night,' he said bluntly.

  It was Kate's turn to look uncomfortable, but somehow she kept at least a partial control on her response. Although her cheeks flamed, her voice was cool and steady as she replied, 'Yes, he came to discuss some business matters with me,' she said. 'He's planning to take me into Thessaloniki to buy some more photographic equipment today.'

  'I hope for your sake that's all that he's planning,' rejoined Stavros sombrely.

  'I don't know what you mean,' said Kate.

  'Look, I don't know how to put this,' continued Stavros, 'but Philip is the kind of guy that likes women. He's had a real harem over the years, but they

  never meant a damn to him. Sooner or later he's going to marry Irene.

  Everybody knows that, so normally nobody gets hurt. But you don't seem like the usual kind of woman that he tangles with.'

  'Oh. What's that?' demanded Kate.

  Stavros shrugged.

  'Rich bitches out after a good time,' he said.

  'Well, you needn't worry about me,' retorted Kate coolly. 'I'm quite sure that Mr Andronikos has nothing but a professional interest in me, just as I do in him.'

  Stavros flung up his hands defensively in front of his face.

  'Hey, look, I'm sorry,' he said. 'I guess I was right out of line even to mention it. Anyway, I'm relieved to hear you say that. Irene's been crying her eyes out, worrying about it. You know, she tries to pretend she's so cool and sophisticated, but she's just a baby underneath it all. She's really crazy about Philip and she hates it when he plays around on her.'

  He drained the last of his coffee and stood up.

  'Well, thanks for putting up with me, Kate,' he said warmly. 'Maybe I'll take you up on that game of tennis one of these days, OK?'

  As the door closed behind him, Kate collapsed in a chair, put her hands over her face and shuddered. It was less than a week since she had first met Philip Andronikos, but in that time her world had been turned completely upside-down. She was certain of only one thing—that she felt thoroughly confused and upset. Events were simply moving too fast for her. From the first moment Philip had exerted a powerful magnetic attraction over her, but it was an attraction she distrusted. He projected a strong, almost aggressive aura of virility, but that was not the only basis for Kate's response to him. If the current that passed between them every time they met had been only physical, she would have run a mile.

  It was only six months since Leon Clark had let her down so badly, and her feelings were still too raw and confused for her to risk any further disillusionment. Whatever trendy ideas Leon might have had, Kate wanted only the traditional blessings: love and marriage. But was Philip Andronikos really likely to offer them to her? On their first meeting she had glimpsed a quite different side to Philip from the one most people saw.

  Beneath the tough exterior of the business tycoon there had been a man as sensitive to beauty as she was herself. A man who played the bouzouki with fire and passion, and sang love-songs with a fervour that brought tears to her eyes. And he had other good qualities too. At Porto Carras she had seen his loyalty and affection for the people of Ayios Dimitrios as he'd spoken of his plans for the village.

  Yet Philip's loyalty to the traditional Greek customs cut both ways. Kate had no doubt that Philip would make a loyal husband and father when he married. But was he really likely to fly in the face of custom and marry a penniless foreigner? Or was Stavros right? Did Philip see Kate only as another in a long line of women to be used and then discarded? Realism compelled her to admit that it was all too probable. Whatever Philip had hinted at in the heat of passion last night, was he really likely to break his engagement to Irene?

  'No,' she said aloud. 'Of course not.'

  Despairingly she picked up the coffee percolator and saw her own distorted face staring miserably back at her from its silver surface. Well, it was only too easy to get a distorted view of things when Philip Andronikos was around, but she must keep control of herself. 'I have to remember two things,' she whispered to herself. 'Irene loves him and my relationship with him must be purely a business one.'

  When Philip arrived shortly after nine o'clock she was ready and waiting, dressed in her jade-green skirt and blouse, with her camera bag firmly gripped in both hands.

  'Hello,' he said, his eyes kindling as they met hers. 'Did you sleep well?'

  She gave him a subdued smile and then looked hastily away.

  'Yes, thank you,' she said formally. 'Did you?'

  He gave her a long, measuring look.

  'What's the matter with you?' he demanded.

  'Nothing!'

  'Then why are you staring at me as if I'm the big, bad wolf?'

  'I'm not!' she denied.

  His lips set and for a moment he seemed like a stern, unyielding statue carved out of Pentelic marble. Then suddenly his mouth relaxed into a lazy smile.

  'Never mind,' he said softly. 'Let's get going.'

  For the first hour or so of the drive they chatted easily. In response to Philip's questions Kate told him of her country childhood, of a majo
r bushfire she had filmed for a news bulletin, of the places she had visited in Europe, of various adult-education courses she had studied. In return Philip told her of the triumphs and disasters of his climb from poverty to wealth and she listened, enthralled, feeling as if it were some fairy-tale saga. Somehow she had expected that, after the hard struggle to set up the first Andronikos hotel, everything must have been smooth sailing for him. But Philip's terse account of the setbacks he had suffered made her realise how wrong that was. A major fire, the collapse of a bank, obstruction from local councils and an airline strike had all been just incentives to grit his teeth and keep going. Kate felt a new wave of respect for the man beside her who seemed to radiate vitality, power and determination.

  'I don't think anything would stop you from getting what you wanted,' she said as they neared a small picnic spot near Poligiros.

  'Probably not,' he agreed wryly. 'Listen, do you mind if we stop for a few minutes? I need a break.'

  'Of course not,' agreed Kate.Philip pulled the car to a halt next to a picnic table and climbed out. Then he stretched slowly, flinging up one arm to massage the tension out of his neck muscles. Kate watched those deft, powerful fingers at work and felt a tremor of longing shoot through her.

  Philip caught her gaze and smiled wickedly.

  'If you had any heart you'd do this for me,' he grumbled. 'What I really need is a woman's touch.'

  'What you really need is a strait-jacket,' retorted Kate, backing away.

  One tanned, muscular arm shot out and caught her firmly by the shoulder.

  'I thought you said you once did a course in Swedish massage,' he said. 'All I'm asking for is a neck rub. I was working on that damned computer until three a.m. last night and I've got a pain like a knife in the back of my neck.'