The earlier sailing trip around Biscayne Bay had been a success despite one guest almost ending up being launched overboard after one too many mojitos.
Keeping her fingers crossed for the same success tonight, she pasted a smile on her face as the lift doors opened onto the foyer that led to the cordoned-off VIP lounges where the runway shows were being held.
Ari Pantelides stood with a group of guests. Head and shoulders above most men, he was the first person she saw when she stepped forward.
The punch to her solar plexus winded her for an instant. Her mouth dried as she took in his imposing shoulders and breathtaking physique.
It really was a sin how one man could possess such a strikingly commanding presence. He turned to another guest and Perla caught a glimpse of that designer stubble. The memory of its roughness against her breasts and thighs sent a pulse of heat straight between her legs.
God, she really needed to get a grip. Like, right now!
Of course, he chose that moment to turn his head towards her.
Hooded eyes speared hers before they rose to rest on her hair. Recalling his fascination with her hair, she fought the foolish urge to touch the elaborate knot she’d worked the tresses into.
You’re here to work!
The stern reminder focused her a little.
Turning to the blonde woman at her side, she said, ‘I’ll be around if you require anything else, Mrs Hamilton. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the show in an hour.’
She left Selena Hamilton to find her husband and headed straight for the head waiter. After reassuring herself that everything was running smoothly, she found a quiet corner and activated her mini tablet. Double and triple-checking every detail was essential. The two designers whose shows they would be visiting were temperamental at the best of times and, with runway shows, seating arrangements could descend into chaos with little warning.
‘Kalispera, Perla.’
Her hand trembled and she nearly lost her hold on her tablet as the deep voice washed over her. Her one visit to Santorini meant she understood the greeting.
Her head snapped up and her eyes collided with steady hazel eyes. ‘Good evening, Ar...Mr Pantelides. How was your trip?’
His eyes narrowed slightly at the hasty correction but he didn’t comment on it. ‘Predictable. You seem to have settled in okay. I hear your boat trip today was interesting.’
It wasn’t a question and she had very little doubt that he’d been checking up on her since her arrival.
‘Yes, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, pardon the pun, but the orientation was very useful. And your head of Events let me shadow him for a day to get the hang of things. That was useful too...’ She stopped when she realised she was babbling. But, with him standing so close, she was dealt the full force of his powerful aura and the spicy scent of his aftershave. She’d smelled him up close and personal and knew continuing to breathe him in was not a very wise idea. ‘Anyway, I need to get back to work.’
He stopped her with a brush of his fingers down her arm. Electricity shot through her body. ‘How did your in-laws take your new status?’ he asked.
She froze, looked at him to see if he was being sarcastic but his eyes only held mild interest. ‘A lot better than some of the Pantelides employees.’ She bit her lip at the slip. She’d meant to let the avidly curious looks and whispers behind her back slide right over her. But it’d been hard not to be affected.
Her stomach hollowed when his eyes narrowed. ‘Who’s been giving you a hard time?’ he asked, his voice low and dangerous enough to send a shiver down her spine.
‘Sorry, I didn’t stop long enough to take names. Besides, can you really blame them? Morgan’s actions nearly brought down your company.’
He stilled. ‘So you know the full details of what he did?’
Perla frowned. ‘Of course I know. Even though your brother tried to protect me from the whole truth, I got enough from the papers to put the pieces together. Frankly, I was surprised Morgan’s benefits weren’t stripped from him, all things considered.’
His jaw clenched for a moment before his face cleared. ‘Those benefits weren’t advantageous to you in the end, though, were they? It must have been upsetting to find out that the man you loved would betray you that way?’ This time there was a definite question in his tone. His incisive gaze bored right into her. As if he was trying to understand her. And, more specifically, her actions on the night they’d met.
To admit that she hadn’t been thinking straight when she’d slept with him—least of all of her dead husband—would only make things worse. ‘It’s not easy to find out, no.’ But compared to the bombshell she’d received on the night of her wedding it was a walk in the park.