Demetrios took a step towards her. Despite herself, she stepped back. The look on his face was frightening.
“And you think that will solve the difficulty between us? That all you have to do is run away and everything will be fine?”
“There is nothing between us. And I am not running away.”
His eyes grew hot and dark. He moved closer; she stumbled back.
“You run, even now,” he said softly. His gaze moved over her, down the length of her body, then up again. “What are you afraid of, Samantha?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly, and hated how defensive she sounded. She’d had this all planned, and now…“I’m not afraid of anything. I just don’t think working for you is a good idea.”
“You lie.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
He reached out. She jerked back, but not quickly enough. His fingers threaded lightly through her hair.
“Don’t—don’t do that.”
“Do what?” His gaze moved over her face; she could almost feel it, like a caress. “Nicholas says you’ve done many things that take courage.”
“Nicholas talks too much.”
“He says you see life as a challenge.” His hand slid to the nape of her neck and she fought the almost overpowering desire to close her eyes and purr under his touch. “And yet, you fear me.”
Sam jerked free of his hand. “That’s ridiculous!”
“You fear what it would be like to find yourself in my bed.”
“My God, what an ego you have!”
“Is it because you know how it would be between us? That you’d lose all control in my arms?”
“All right. That’s it.” She brushed past him, reached for the door. “Goodbye, Mr. Karas.”
Demetrios caught her wrist. “I would be a lover who demands your soul as well as your body,” he said in a rough whisper. “That terrifies you.”
She was trembling and she didn’t know the reason. Nothing he said was true. She wasn’t a wide-eyed innocent, afraid to lose her virginity, afraid she would find such a transcendent experience in his arms that it would leave her empty once their affair ended.
She was trembling with anger, that was all. Anger, at his incredible conceit.
“You’d like to think that,” she said, “but my reasons for not wanting to work for you are much simpler. I don’t want to work with a man who wants to seduce me. I don’t believe in sleeping with my employer. My career depends on my reputation, and it’s far too important for me to jeopardize it.”
“Fine.”
“It took me a long time to establish my credentials. People who deal with me know that I’m all business.”
Demetrios nodded. “Very well.”
“I’m not about to do anything to…What do you mean, ‘very well’?”
“I mean that you’re right. I, too, keep the two parts of my life—business and pleasure—separate from each other.”
Sam stared at him. “But—but a minute ago, you were—”
“I accept your terms, Samantha.”
“What terms? I didn’t—”
“We’ll shun all intimacy and maintain a working relationship only. Do you agree?”
She blinked. In the past five minutes, she’d quit, he’d fired her, he’d told her that sex with him would turn her world upside down but that sex would be off limits. Was she crazy, or was he?
“Are you saying you’ve decided not to fire me?”
Hell. That was what he was saying, all right, and how had that happened, when his very first words to her had been, “You’re fired”?
“Yes,” he said calmly, “I have.”
“Why?” Sam folded her arms. “What changed your mind?”
The sight of you, Demetrios thought, the look of challenge in your eyes, the scent of your skin, the softness of it…
“It’s a business decision. I admit, I was…irritated.”
“Irritated? By what?”
“Miss Brewster. Samantha. Must we—”
“Yes. We must. And I much prefer Miss Brewster, Mr. Karas.”
Demetrios gritted his teeth. “Very well, Miss Brewster. It was your attitude.”
“My attitude? Oh, that’s wonderful. That’s incredible.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “I do not have an attitude, Mr. Karas. You, on the other hand, have nothing but.”
“Then we are more than a match for each other. Unless…”
“Yes?”
An insolent smile angled across his mouth. “Unless you don’t think you’re up to the challenge.”
“My God!” Sam threw up her hands in disgust. “Your conceit is appalling.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she snapped, “it most certainly is.”
“Fine.” He took a step towards her, caught the ends of her belt in his hands. “In that case,” he said softly, “I have only two more questions.”
Sam’s heart lifted into her throat. He was drawing her towards him, undoing the sash. Stop him, she told herself, don’t let him do this…
His eyes locked on hers as he parted the robe. “Are you naked under this robe, Miss Brewster?”
The hoarsely whispered question stunned her. Slap him, she told herself, put your hands on his chest and push him away.
Instead, she lifted them, curled her fingers into his shirt. Her body was on fire and Demetrios hadn’t even touched her—but he did, now. He slipped his hands beneath the robe, slid them up her back, then down, stroked her as she tried not to tremble.
“And are you a good translator?”
She caught her breath as he cupped her naked bottom, lifted her to him, brought her against his erection, and she felt a silken wetness bloom between her thighs.
“No,” she said shakily, “I’m not good. I’m excellent.”
He gave a soft laugh, lowered his face, bit lightly at her throat. “Fine. Because that’s all I want of you, gataki. Do you understand?”
“What did that—” Her breath hitched. His hands were moving on her, sliding over her skin. “What does that mean? What you called me?”
“Kitten.” He cupped her breasts, stroked his thumbs over her nipples, and she made a sound that was almost a moan. It was all he could do not to lift her in his arms, carry her to the sofa and take her, bury himself inside her. “Are we agreed, then? You will work for me. Nothing more.”
The idea wasn’t even a possibility. How could it be, when just his touch was driving her insane? “Samantha?”
But she had never walked away from a challenge. She was strong, not weak. Why walk away when all she had to do was find the right balance of power?
“Yes,” she said, “we’re agreed.” Slowly, she ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip, then rose on her toes. “But I want you to know what you’ll be missing,” she whispered, and she put her hands in his dark, silky hair, drew his head down to hers and lost herself, if only for a moment, in the heat, the passion, of his kiss.