What power did an impoverished single mother have in the world?
Then she had an idea.
An awful, terrible, dangerous idea.
Nikos touched her knee. She jumped in her seat, causing the baby to give a whimper of protest.
“We need to talk. Alone. We’ll have Mrs. Burbridge watch Michael tonight.” He gave her a lazy smile that belied the predatory look in his eyes. His strong, wide fingers lightly traced the edge of her knee through her jeans. “We’ll have dinner. Discuss our future.”
Anna could imagine the type of reacquaintance he had in mind. She felt relatively sure that it wouldn’t involve a night of bowling or picquet. She trembled with anticipation and fear. He meant nothing less than full-scale seduction—which she wouldn’t be able to resist. Even knowing that he caressed her with a cold heart and punishment on his lips.
She cleared her throat. “I would love to have dinner with you tonight, but, um, I’m afraid I have other plans.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Plans?”
“Yes, plans. Big plans.” She swayed furiously back and forth in the plush rocking chair.
“Fascinating. With whom?”
She glanced down at the baby. “With a man.”
He followed her gaze with amusement. “Anyone I know?”
She scowled, knowing it was hopeless to continue when they both knew that she was a terrible liar. “All right, I’m going to spend the evening with my son.”
“Michael won’t mind if his parents spend time alone together tonight. Mrs. Burbridge is trustworthy, Anna. She comes highly recommended and I had her thoroughly vetted, believe me. Michael will be happy with her.”
“You called him Michael,” she said suddenly.
“So? It’s his name.”
“You accept that?”
She saw a flash of anger in his face which was quickly veiled. “It is done and over with.”
“You know I’m sorry about—”
“Forget about it. I have. Let’s talk about tonight. Shall we have Cavaleri serve us dinner under the stars? By the pool?”
Yeah, the pool. Which was conveniently adjacent to the poolhouse, the Moroccan stone fountain, and the manmade waterfall—all places where they’d made love during their brief months of happiness.
Not happiness, she reminded herself fiercely. Illusion.
“No, thanks,” she said. “I heard it might rain tonight.”
“Would you prefer we have dinner at L’Hermitage?”
Her breath caught at his suggestion. L’Hermitage Casino Resort. All the years she’d spent organizing the details of its creation, and she hadn’t even seen the inside since it opened. She ached to see it. In so many ways L’Hermitage was a part of her. She and Nikos had worked on it together. She’d never formally studied architecture, or interior design, but he’d still taken her suggestions to heart. She missed that.
“We’ll have dinner at Matryoshka,” Nikos continued.
Yes, her heart yearned. But she forced herself to take the safe course. She turned away.
“You can do whatever you want,” she said crisply. “But after Misha’s asleep I will stay in my room alone. I plan to get a sandwich and take a long, hot bath.”
He gave her another lazy half-smile, toying with her. “That sounds pleasant. I’ll join you.”
“You’ll find a locked door.”
“This is my house, Anna. Do you really think you can keep me out?”
She took a deep breath. He was right, of course. He had the key to every lock. And even if he didn’t, he could break down the door with one slam of his powerful arms. He’d find a way into her room, and that would be that.
Of course he wouldn’t need violence. One kiss and she’d fall at his feet like a harem girl, without a mind or will of her own.
Victor. The name of the Very Bad Idea pounded in her brain. He was her only hope to escape. Her only hope to survive.
It’s too dangerous, she tried to argue with herself. But her former employer had ties both in Las Vegas and in Russia, and the wealth to employ lawyers who could face the best Nikos had to offer. The two men already hated each other—ever since the day Nikos had stolen Anna away to be his executive secretary. If Victor was still in love with her, he’d be willing to help... For a price. Whose price was worse?
Talk about a rock and a hard place. Would there be any way for her to pit the two men against each other and emerge unscathed, without giving body and soul to either one?
She glanced at Nikos from beneath her lashes. His power seemed like a tangible thing. It scared her. No, she couldn’t risk getting Victor involved. It was too dangerous. Someone would end up getting hurt.
With as much grace as she could muster, she gently lifted Misha out from beneath the blanket, pulling down her shirt.
“He’s asleep,” she said softly. She carefully laid him down on the soft mattress of the crib. Nikos came to stand beside her, and for a moment they watched their child sleep. The baby’s arms were tossed carelessly above his head, and his long dark eyelashes fluttered against his plump, rosy cheeks as his breath rose and fell. She whispered, “Isn’t he beautiful?”
“Yes.”
She bit her lip at his abrupt tone, feeling guilty again about what she’d done. No matter how she hated him, how could she have separated a child from his father?
She took a deep breath. “I...I owe you an apology, Nikos. I should never have taken Misha away from you.”
“No.” His voice was low.
She licked her lips. Might as well get it all over with. “And I’m sorry for blaming you for my father’s death,” she said in a rush. “You invested in his company and he took advantage of you. He’s the one who chose to drink himself to death. I just wish you’d told me, so I could have tried to do something to save him before it was too late.” She paused, then sighed. “I guess we’ve both made a mess of things in our own way, haven’t we?”
He drew back, his eyes cold. “My only mistake was trying to take care of you.”
She was trying to be penitent, but his words caused resentment to surge through her anew. She backed away from the crib, keeping her voice soft so as not to wake their sleeping child. “Oh, I see,” she said furiously. “So was it for my welfare that you cheated on me during my pregnancy?”
He followed her across the room, clenching his jaw in exasperation. He shook his head. “What are you talking about? I never cheated on you. Although at this point I wish I had. Are you trying to make up lies to use against me in court? That’s a new low, even for you.”
She could hardly believe he’d try to deny it. “What about Lindsey?”
“What about her?”
“You might as well admit she was your mistress. She told me everything.” Anna stared blindly at the five-foot-high stuffed giraffe sitting on the powder-blue sofa in the corner. “Lindsey often came here during the last months of my pregnancy, supposedly to ask questions about her job. But I think the real reason was to torment me with details of your affair.”
For a moment there was silence in the shaded cool of the nursery.
“Lindsey told you that we were lovers?” His voice was matter-of-fact, emotionless.
“She told me everything.” Her throat started to hurt as the pain went through her heart again, ripping the wound anew. “How often you made love. How she believed you’d ask her to marry you.”
“It’s a lie.”
“Of course that part was a lie. She was obviously delusional. You’ll never propose to anyone.” She gave a bitter laugh. “I almost feel sorry for her. You use women when it suits you. But you’ll abandon her like you abandoned me.”
He became dangerously still. “You think I—abandoned you?”
“I wasn’t so sexy anymore, was I? The last three months of my pregnancy you wouldn’t touch me, you pushed me away, and finally you just left altogether. You replaced me with a younger, slimmer model.”
He looked down at her with narrowed eyes as his nostrils flared. “And that’s really what you really think of me? After all our years working together you think I would reject and abandon the woman carrying my child.”
She pushed away all the wonderful memories of them working, laughing, dancing together. Of nights under the stars. Days spent together in bed.
Wordlessly, she nodded.
“Damn you, it’s well known that having sex during the final trimester can induce early labor—”
“I had a healthy pregnancy!” Anna cried. “But you kept me prisoner for nine months. I let you do it because I thought you were just worried about our child. But you kept me away from my family and my work, keeping me helpless and alone. Then you left to live with your gorgeous young mistress. Make up some cockamamie story about early labor if you want, but the truth is you just didn’t want me anymore!”