Eligible Greeks: Tycoon's Revenge: Proud Greek, Ruthless Revenge / The Power of the Legendary Greek / The Greek Millionaire's Mistress. CATHERINE GEORGEЧитать онлайн книгу.
senses and lit a flame inside her. Her breasts felt heavy, and she caught her breath when he trailed his free hand down her front and discovered the hard peaks of her nipples jutting beneath her silk blouse.
Anger was her only weapon against the insidious warmth that licked through her veins. He thought she was no better than a prostitute. She would not, could not give in to the voice in her head which urged her to agree to his outrageous proposal. It would be devastating to lose Reynolds Gems, but far worse to sacrifice her pride and her self-respect.
‘Hell will freeze over before I agree to your disgusting suggestion,’ she snapped.
He shrugged. ‘Are you prepared to stand by and allow your father to lose the company he has devoted his life to for the past thirty years?’
Tahlia swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘Emotional blackmail is despicable. My father would never expect me to sell my body, even if it means losing everything he owns. You seem to think that your wealth gives you special privileges. Obviously you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth,’ she flung at him, remembering that Crispin Blythe had said that Thanos was a billionaire. ‘You believe your money can buy you anything. But it can’t buy me.’
‘In that case I may as well take what you give away freely to so many other men,’ he bit out savagely, seizing her shoulders and slamming her against his chest. He lowered his head and captured her mouth with bruising force. Tahlia gave a shocked cry, and he took advantage of her parted lips to thrust his tongue between them, exploring her with a bold eroticism that made her tremble. Anger came to her rescue and she pushed against his chest, but he merely tightened his arms around her until She felt as though she were trapped in a vice. She was determined not to respond to him, but he seemed to sense her resolve and eased the pressure of his mouth a fraction, changing the kiss from one of domination to a sensual tasting that she found utterly irresistible.
She felt as though her bones were dissolving. Her legs no longer seemed capable of bearing her weight, and she sagged against him, relaxing her balled fists and splaying her hands over his chest, feeling the heat of his body through his shirt. She felt his fingers slide up her nape and with a deft movement he released the pins from her chignon so that her hair uncoiled and fell in a scented silky curtain around her shoulders. He made a muffled noise in his throat and buried his hands in her hair, angling her head while he deepened the kiss. She responded helplessly, closing her eyes as she sank deeper into the velvet softness of his caress.
Lost in a world of sensory pleasure, she was unprepared when he suddenly lifted his head and stared down at her. The cold contempt in his dark eyes doused her in a wave of humiliation as she realised that she was clinging to him.
‘My offer still stands,’ he said coolly.
She jerked away from him, tears of shame burning her eyes. There was no evidence in his mocking expression that he had been stirred by the kiss, while she was a seething mass of emotions and could not disguise the effect he had on her.
‘My answer is still the same,’ she said curtly. ‘I am not for sale.’
She was sure he would taunt her with the fact that she had offered no resistance when he had kissed her again, but he shrugged uninterestedly and flicked back his cuff to glance at his watch.
‘In that case I believe we have covered everything,’ he said coolly. ‘Perhaps you’ll have better luck securing a rescue plan for Reynolds Gems elsewhere?’
He must know that her father had approached a number of banks for help and had been refused. But pleading with him would be utterly pointless, and would decimate what little dignity she had left. Somehow she forced her limbs to move, snatched up her briefcase, and even managed to bid him a cool goodbye before she swept out of his office with her head held high, determined to deny him the pleasure of witnessing her utter devastation.
Tahlia caught the tube back to Bond Street on auto-pilot, stunned by the events that had taken place in Thanos’s office. She could not believe he had made the foul suggestion that she should sleep with him in return for him buying Reynolds Gems. When she had first met him at the art gallery her instincts had warned her that he was ruthless, but now she knew just what kind of a man he was: a man who would pay for sex with a woman who he had admitted he despised. Unquestionably she had made the right decision when she had turned him down. There was no way on earth she would ever agree to be Thanos Savakis’s whore. She was furious with herself for allowing him to kiss her—and worse by far was the fact that while she had been in his arms she had forgotten everything—even her mother.
Her phone rang as she walked into her office, and her heart lurched when she saw that the caller was her father. ‘Is it good news?’ she asked him tensely, hardly daring to breathe as she waited for his reply.
‘The best,’ he assured her gently. ‘The consultant gave your mother the all-clear.’
Tahlia could hear the relief in Peter Reynolds’s voice, and tears stung her eyes. ‘Thank God,’ she whispered shakily. ‘Mum must be overjoyed.’
‘We both are,’ Peter said in a choked voice. ‘We’re going out to dinner tonight to celebrate—my credit card can just about take it. Will you come?’ He hesitated, and then added, ‘There’s something I need to discuss with you.’
‘Of course I’ll come,’Tahlia agreed, puzzled by her father’s tone. Her mother had beaten cancer and the world was suddenly a wonderful place, so why did he sound so tense? ‘Dad, what’s the matter?’
There was another long pause before Peter spoke. ‘I’ve had a letter from the bank, threatening to repossess Carlton House.’
‘What?’ Tahlia’s legs gave way and she dropped onto a chair. ‘What do you mean? I don’t understand. How can the bank repossess Carlton when you and Mum jointly own it?’
‘I had to remortgage the house as well as take the loan when we refurbished the shops,’ Peter explained flatly. ‘Your mother agreed to it because I assured her it was just a temporary solution to a cashflow problem with the company, and she thinks I’ve already repaid it. I was hoping the bank would give me some leeway, but I’m behind with the repayments and they are demanding I pay the arrears immediately. ‘There’s no money left, Tahlia. I’ve used every penny of my personal savings trying to keep Reynolds afloat. I hope to God Vantage Investments are serious about buying Reynolds Gems,’ he said thickly, ‘because if not I will be solely responsible for losing Carlton and breaking your mother’s heart. How did the meeting go?’ he asked; a note of desperation audible in his voice. ‘Steven Holt sounded pretty keen when I spoke to him a few days ago.’
Tahlia’s brain seemed to have stopped functioning. Her parents could not lose Carlton House. It was inconceivable. In her mind she pictured the graceful old manor house that had been built during the reign of Elizabeth I and which had been passed down through her mother’s family for generations. The house was a listed building and had been a serious drain on her parents’ finances for years, but they had swiftly dismissed any idea that they might be better to sell Carlton and move to a smaller house which required less upkeep.
Her mother would be utterly heartbroken if she was forced to move from the home she loved now, and after the past two gruelling years of fear and chemotherapy she did not deserve to suffer further misery.
‘Yes.’ She uttered the word instinctively, because she could not bring herself to say no—to reveal that the meeting had not gone as she or her father had expected, and that the CEO of Vantage Investments had been instructed to sound enthusiastic about buying out Reynolds by Thanos Savakis, head of Vantage’s parent company Savakis Enterprises, a man whose only agenda was revenge.
‘As you said, it was only a preliminary meeting. There are still a few points to discuss before a buy-out is absolutely certain. Leave things with me while you concentrate on Mum,’ she added hurriedly. ‘Why don’t you take her to Cornwall and stay with Aunt Jess for a few days? You could both do with a break, and Jess would love to see you both.’
She gripped the phone, willing herself to remain calm. ‘Dad…you’re