The Corner Booth (10 page)

CHAPTER 15

Shifting underneath the sheets, Cassandra woke slowly. The room was pitch black from the hotel’s darkening shades and curtains, and she had no idea what time it was. She rolled over, reached for the light on the nightstand only to gasp as the soft light illuminated the hotel room. Cassie sat, stunned. The whole bed was covered with long stem red roses. She never had someone give her flowers before, let alone so many.

After she picked up each individual flower, she placed them all in a pile and picked up the card that fluttered to the ground:

“For you, for being you. Thank you for your honesty last night. Happy Birthday, Cassandra.”

S

Cassie smiled softly as she recalled the previous evening. After what she had considered a pretty intense conversation, and then the appearance of Derek Chandler, they left the Pavilion. She wondered where he was going to take her next. For him, it was still early.

“So, this weekend is for you. It is your choice as to what we do next, Cassandra,” Sakis stated.

Glancing at him before she stepped into the car, she smiled. “Honestly, I would be very happy to just go back to the hotel, maybe watch some TV or listen to music and unwind. It has been a pretty rough week.”

Cassie knew her response confused Sakis. “How old are you?” he asked before he conceded and asked the driver to take them back to the Ritz Carlton.

As she sat next to him in the Range Rover, Cassie wanted nothing more than to slide over to him and rest her head on his shoulder. But something had stopped her from doing that. She wondered whether he would deem it childish or inappropriate. Instead, she had looked out the window as the evening lights passed by quickly. She was starting to really dislike second-guessing herself all of the time around him.

A short time later, they were back in the hotel room. Sakis immediately went to the bar. “What can I get you for a nightcap, Cassandra?”

She had no clue. “Choose for me, please?”

Seeming to like her answer, he perused the contents of the cabinet carefully. Cassandra watched as he deftly poured hers before he reached for his cognac. Walking up behind him, she slid her arms around his waist, her palms flat. Cassie could feel every indentation of his stomach muscles underneath her hands. Her head rested on his back; she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, feeling his warmth. Cassie knew that it would be so easy to fall in love with him. Sakis had jumped in surprise when she first touched him unexpectedly, but relaxed.

“I never said thank you for the gifts, Sakis. They are perfect and I love them,” she whispered.

He turned and brushed the bangs away from her eyes as he stared at her intently. Her words touched him. She was so innocent.
Maybe Tony was right.
He really had no right to pursue any type of relationship with her. For a moment, he had doubts as to the possibility of them being together as a couple. His hands dropped to his side, and he turned back to the drinks. “You are very welcome,” he replied gruffly as he handed her a glass. “Try this and let me know what you think.”

Sakis strode to the other end of the living room to stare out at the Boston Commons, putting distance between him and Cassandra.

Cassie was confused, but took a sip as he requested. The sweet, strong liquid slid down her throat, and surprisingly she loved it.

“Wow, this is delicious.”

“It is sherry. I figured you might like it.”

Unsure of the tension in the room, Cassie walked to the L-shaped gray sofa. The moment she sat, the long fireplace lit up and spread its soft light through the room. “Cassandra, shut the lights off, please.”

She went around the room and shut off all the lights as requested. Sakis had taken a seat on the couch in front of her drink, and her heart beat rapidly in her chest at the scene he was creating. He had never taken his eyes off her as she walked around the room, and now in the firelight, they seemed to glow intensely. She shivered.

“Cassandra, come here,” Sakis ordered.

Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, Cassie walked over to where he was seated, unsure of herself and the new feeling that filled her.

Sakis pushed the coffee table away with his foot. Reaching up, he put his hand on her hip and pushed gently until she stood directly in front of him. Gripping both hips tightly, he leaned forward until his head rested on her stomach. Cassie was surprised at the feeling of compassion that rose inside her. Hesitating only for a moment, she placed her hand on top of his hair before she ran her slender fingers through the strands while she wrapped her arm around him and across his shoulders.

“Sakis?” she whispered, confused.

When his head tilted back, she looked down at him for several long moments. As he moved back, he kept his hands firmly on her hips and tugged her gently, urging her towards him. With her hand on his shoulder to steady herself, she placed first one knee on one side of his hip and then the other. Sitting down on his lap, she knew what he wanted, but found it hard to settle on him, her face a soft shade of pink. She started to protest.

“Shhh,” he whispered. “Relax, Cassandra—I am not going to hurt you.”

Finally settling, she could feel him hard beneath her and the sensation in her stomach rocked her to her core.

The second he could feel her heat on him, Sakis was lost. He grabbed her roughly around the neck, pulled her face down to his, and covered her mouth with his own. Urgently, he kissed her; when she slowly weakened, he took the advantage and thrust his tongue into her warm mouth. His lips sucked gently at hers, only to release her seconds later to kiss her deeply again. His hands roamed over her arms, scraped down her back through her clothing, before they moved to her front to cup her breasts, squeezing, all the while never taking his mouth from hers.

Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life as he took her places she had never been before. Where his fingers touched, he lit a fire and soon, Cassie wanted more. Sakis seemed to know at each point when she couldn’t take anymore; finally he turned her and slid his hand under her to keep her leg against his hip, until she lay flat on her back. As if on their own, her long legs wrapped around his waist until Sakis was nestled firmly. A slight sheen of sweat covered them both. Shifting under his weight, her legs slid off his hips to entangle with his and her pelvis thrust against him. Both moaned in unison at the contact.

As he rose onto his forearms, he moved away from her mouth and kissed down her bare neck until he reached where the shirt blocked him from continuing. Laving her with his tongue, Sakis growled in frustration at the fabric. He stared down at her. Her lips were still wet from his kisses. He knew that he should stop where he was, but temptation won out; he needed just a bit more.

“Unbutton your shirt for me, Cassandra.”

With shaking fingers, she undid the tiny crystal buttons until the fabric fell away.

His eyes feasted on the sheer lace bra. “Is that one of my gifts?” At her nod, he growled. “I need to give my dresser a raise. I very much approve.”

His head dropped to the tiny nub that seemed to want to tear through the fabric. He nipped at her with his teeth; she shuddered in response. Moving from one to the other, he nipped for several moments before he took one in his mouth and sucked heavily through the thin fabric.

Cassandra moaned and arched her back; her hands slid down his back to where his shirt was tucked into his pants and tugged until she was free to slide her fingers under it and back up along his muscled back.

Reaching underneath her, he gripped her ass in his hand and squeezed tightly as he thrust against her rhythmically.

Cassandra was rocked by the intensity of his movements, and wanted nothing between them. She wanted to be skin to skin. She wanted to be all his. She wanted to go, completely, to where he was taking her.

Sakis knew that she was losing it. Her moans had taken on an almost frantic pitch. Each sound that came from her throat pulled him deeper and deeper into his own lust. He couldn’t continue; soon he would be unable to stop. Sakis slowly eased up on the motion of his hips but continued to lie on top of her as he cooled down.

“Sakis, please!” she begged in his ear.

He sat up quickly and he adjusted himself in his now tight pants, before he covered her back up with the fabric of her shirt. With her hands pressed to her face, Cassie took a deep, shuddering breath. He rose to his feet, reached down and gripped both of her wrists to haul her to her feet, making sure her body did not come in contact with his. He only had so much willpower. Her hand in his, he walked her to her bedroom door.

“Tonight is not the night, agapi. God, how I want it to be and someday you will understand. Get some sleep, princess. Your weekend is not over.”

He kissed her on the forehead before he pushed her through the door, closing it firmly behind her before he could change his mind.

Cassie had lain in bed for a long time. Her whole body ached for release; if he had followed her into her bedroom, she would have welcomed him with open arms. Now, in the morning, she was glad that he hadn’t. Somehow, maybe with his maturity, he knew that she would have regretted it.

CHAPTER 16

Neither man heard her as she entered the room. The thick carpet felt soft and plush beneath her feet, and she wiggled her toes, loving the feel of it under her skin. Sakis and Stephanous sat heads close together as they whispered in what seemed like an intense conversation on the couch that not long ago she had been sprawled over. A rush of excitement went through her and she shivered at the memory. She was unsure whether she should interrupt or turn and go back into the bedroom until they finished.

Stephanous was, once again, the first to see her. Stopping in midsentence, he smiled at her as she stood in the doorway. She looked so young in the oversized bathrobe, her hair rumpled from sleep. Her skin was flawless and clear, the dark circles gone from under her eyes. He liked seeing her this way. Her eyes were trained on Sakis. Stephan coughed softly.

Sakis looked up and smiled at Cassandra. “Good morning! I trust you slept well.”

Stephanous didn’t like the look of disappointment that flickered for a moment before she hid it and plastered a smile on her face. He wondered what had transpired last night while he was gone. Whatever it was, Cassie had been expecting more than the cool greeting. She had so much to learn about Sakis: most importantly, he was never one for public displays of affection.

“I did. Thank you very much. The roses are beautiful and a wonderful way to wake up.”

“You are welcome.” As he turned back to Stephanous, he handed the papers he held in his hand over. “Thank you for this. Can you give me a moment with Cassandra and then we will finish our conversation?”

“Of course,” Stephanous replied.

Cassie watched curiously as Stephanous was dismissed. “Does everyone always obey you?”

Sakis laughed. “If they know what is good for them.” He walked over to her.

As he grabbed the front of her robe, he pulled her towards him and dropped his head to kiss her deeply as his hands started to untie the belt. “Happy birthday, Cassandra.”

Cassandra’s first instinct was to stop him, and then she thought better of it. He was in for a shock because she wasn’t wearing that much underneath. She felt brazen.

His kiss softened; he gently pushed the fabric aside and slid his hands across her skin. His sharp intake of breath seemed loud in the room as he pulled away from her.

“For God’s sake, Cassandra, are you trying to kill me?” He gasped. He couldn’t help himself; his eyes raked over her perfectly rounded breasts, their dark points jutting out and begging him to touch them. Traveling farther down over her flat stomach to the vee in her legs, she was covered by the smallest undergarment that cut high and left nothing to the imagination. Just simply knowing that she had a Brazilian wax was a sight he had not expected. Sakis’s legs went weak. He wanted nothing more than to rip off that tiny piece of fabric, pick her up right there in the middle of the living room and feel her legs wrap around him again, this time as he drove into her. Always in control, Sakis hated the way his body responded to his thoughts and the sight of her naked body. As his gaze came back to her face, he realized she knew exactly the effect she was having on him.

Chuckling, he closed her robe and tied the belt tightly. “You have just taught me that I can never underestimate you. Go get dressed, Cassandra.”

“Casual or fancy?” Cassie made her tone as light as his so that he could not hear her disappointment.

“Definitely casual.”

Twenty minutes later, she sat at the small table and sipped the coffee that Stephanous had placed in front of her, trying desperately to hide her deep disappointment from both men. Sakis seemed oblivious of her tangled emotions but Stephanous could read her like a book. He was proud of her, the way she held it together, as if Sakis’s words did not bother her at all.

“Of course, I understand,” she had stated as she took another drink after he finished telling her that he had to go to a meeting for the afternoon and that Stephanous would be at her disposal.

Kissing the top of her head, he didn’t even look back as he headed out of the hotel suite to the office downtown.

Stephanous sat down at the opposite end of the table. As he poured himself a cup of the steaming coffee, he waited for the normal tirade that always ensued after Sakis disappointed one of his women. When silence continued to stretch thinly around him, he cast a look at Cassie, who stared at him curiously.

“Yes?”

“So, you are to babysit me until he returns?”

Staring at Cassie, he wondered at her silence with Sakis. Relieved that he didn’t have to deal with a crying woman, he smiled tentatively. “No, I am going to take you wherever you would like to go for your birthday, until he is free. There is no babysitting involved.”

Cassie wondered what she wanted to do that she hadn’t done yet in Boston, but also something that would take Stephanous completely out of his own element. “I would like to go to the zoo.” She got a deep surge of satisfaction as Stephanous choked on his coffee.

“The zoo? You have got to be kidding me, right? What are you—five?” he asked, horrified.

With a sweet smile at him, she shrugged. “You and Sakis seem to have a fascination with my age. Age has nothing to do with wanting to visit the animals, and the Franklin Zoo is a great place to start. Besides, it is something I have been wanting to do for a long time and it is my birthday, after all. Of course, you might want to change out of that suit that you have on. Otherwise you are going to stand out like a sore thumb.”