The Corner Booth (6 page)

“Please, make yourself comfortable. Maria will assist you in anything that you might need. I will be back in a moment.” Standing uncomfortably at his quick exit, Cassie watched his retreating back, unsure what she should do next.

A small Spanish woman appeared out of nowhere, smiling shyly. Maria, Cassie presumed. She stared into the kind face, liking her immediately.

“Please sit, por favor.” The woman picked up one of the white square plates, placed several items on it and handed the plate over to Cassie, along with a crisp white napkin.

“Thank you.”

As she stared down at what was offered, Cassie was unsure of what she was looking at.

“Is there a problem, Cassie?” Stephanous asked from behind her.

She glanced dubiously at her plate before she looked to Stephan, who seemed to be laughing at her. She opted for honesty, as usual. “I am not sure what some of these things are.”

Stephan took a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs. He leaned forward to place items on his plate as Maria had done for Cassie. Stephan started to explain. “Well, these little items, which are wrapped in grape leaves, are called dolmades. I am not sure what Maria stuffed them with today, but there has not been a dolmades that I have not liked.” Stephan popped one in his mouth and winked at her before he continued. “The white chunks are goat and feta cheese, and I am sure you know what olives are.”

Giggling, Cassie looked back at her plate. “Of course I do.”

Stephanous smiled deeply. He liked her better when she relaxed and smiled. “And in the massively large basket are different types of bread. Those round items are pita, and then you have garlic, and more than likely olive breads. Maria, as you can see, takes very good care of us.” Maria’s face beamed at the compliment.

“You are not afraid to try new things, are you?” Sakis’s voice from behind her startled her. Sakis’s energy had changed the playful mood that flowed between her and Stephan.

“Of course not,” Cassie retorted sharply, mimicking his tone. After a small bite of the dolmades, she was relieved to find that it was delicious. “Oh! This is very good.”

Sakis sat down next to her on the sofa and leaned back, his arm on the back of the seat cushion. Even though he was not touching her, for Cassie, he might as well have been. Her whole body felt as if it was electrified by his nearness. Cassie watched as Maria came up, handing Sakis a napkin, waited as he placed it over his leg before she placed several items on a plate, as she had done for her.

Sakis took the proffered plate; Cassie tried to not stare as he popped a black olive into his mouth.

Except for the noises coming from the kitchen behind her, neither man spoke to break their silence. Whatever she had expected from her time with Sakis, this definitely had not been it, and she struggled to find something to say in the awkward silence. The saltiness of the appetizers made her very thirsty. As she rose to her feet, she was startled when both men also rose.

“I am sorry; I was just going to get something to drink,” Cassie apologized. Catching the look cast between the two men, she knew she had just committed a major faux pas, but she had no idea what.

“Please, have a seat. Maria will bring you whatever you need,” Sakis replied.

Choosing to continue to stand, she looked from Sakis to Stephanous. “I am quite capable of getting something to drink.”

Stephanous threw her a look of warning and moments later, Maria was in front of her again.

“Maria, please get Cassandra a mimosa when you have a moment.”

Cassie sat as Maria hurried away. She wanted to protest—she had no idea what a mimosa was.

Sakis took a seat once again next to her but Stephanous remained standing. For several minutes, Sakis and Stephanous spoke in Greek. When they were finished, he turned to Cassie. “I have a few errands to run. Enjoy your evening.” Stephanous saw the startled look that crossed her face, and he had another surge of empathy towards her. After he shook Sakis’s hand, he left the room.

Before she could say anything, Stephanous was gone and Maria had handed her a tall champagne flute. Cassie took a long drink of the refreshing liquid, realizing too late that the majority was alcohol. She had not been expecting that. Once again, it brought to light her naivety in social situations.

“You are very expressive, Cassandra. I fear you are uncomfortable again in my presence,” Sakis stated.

Cassie made the decision that no matter what happened, she would always remain honest with this man. She nodded. “I really have no idea what I am doing here. I don’t know what you want from me and right now, I am feeling pretty socially inept. So, yes, I am uncomfortable right now.”

He placed his plate on the coffee table. Sakis turned to face Cassie, and slid his hand underneath her hair to grip her behind her neck tightly.

Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to relax as she stared into his eyes and waited for his response.

“I like what you did with your hair, Cassandra,” Sakis stated almost absently.

“Thank you.”

As he leaned in closer to her, he did not release his hold but instead, brought her closer to him as his voice lowered to a whisper.

“I am going to be honest with you. I have no idea what I want from you either, which is one of the reasons I wanted to spend more time with you. It was with a hope to get to know you better and you me, so that maybe, I could figure it out. As far as being socially inept…” Sakis shrugged. “There is much that you will learn with our time together. You can either embrace it, or you can continue to feel inept. One of the things I have noticed about you in the very short time we have known each other is that you are extremely intelligent and are not afraid to speak your mind. I hope that you continue to do this.”

“And you would not think any less of me?”

“Of course not, because it is a wish of mine to keep an open communication with you.”

Cassandra’s slender lips curved up slightly and formed a half smile. “I have the distinct feeling that I am going to have to remind you of this conversation sometime in the near future.”

His head lowered further; his lips almost touched hers. “Now, in that, I have no doubt.”

When he released her unexpectedly, Cassie had to stop herself from falling back against the cushion. She felt disappointed that he had not kissed her, curious what it would feel like to have his mouth against hers and was even more shocked to realize that she had wanted him to.

He pulled her up to stand next to him. “Come, let me give you a tour of my home.”

CHAPTER 8

Cassandra stared at the photographs that lined the wall of the hallway. Sakis had stepped away again, this time to take a call that he had said couldn’t wait; she was left alone with her own thoughts. She hadn’t minded a few minutes to herself. The tour of the mansion had taken a long time. There had not been one door that he had not opened, and she was struck by the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Every room was pristine, perfect, and some suites even seemed to have a theme, yet all were untouched. This was a showcase home, and several times, even Sakis seemed surprised at what was behind some of the doors, causing her to laugh at him through the process. There was not one statue, wall art, or pillowcase that gave her any idea of who he was as a man. She was filled with loneliness and compassion. Here was someone who obviously had millions of dollars, yet his home felt empty, devoid of warmth.

Now, as she stood in the hallway, she had a different feeling altogether. The wall was filled with photographs. Cassie stared at face after face in the pictures, seeing the same dark hair and eyes as Sakis’s. Many of the people in the photographs looked as if they could be his family, with the same strong features, black hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. Now, here, was a true testament to who he was or had been. In viewing photograph after photograph, the distance between their two worlds seemed to stretch and expand even further. Here, the pictures did what the grand house with all of its fine art and pieces of furniture could not.

Her reality was she had no one to call family. There were no pictures of siblings spread throughout her room. No mother or father, aunts or uncles. No phone numbers to call, just to say hello. It never bothered her being an only child until that moment. Sakis’ richness wasn’t in the house, but covered on his walls, yet she wasn’t sure he even knew how wealthy he was.

With her arms wrapped around her waist, she walked slowly and took in every picture frame. There were old and young people everywhere. The majority smiled back at her, many with their heads thrown back in laughter. Several pictures held snippets of time of Sakis. At the end of the hallway, the last picture was black-and-white, and she stared, transfixed. She guessed that it was also taken in Greece from the buildings in the background. Sakis was seated at an outdoor café, with an older man whose face was filled with deep wrinkles. Sakis held a cigarette in one hand while he gripped a glass, and his other arm was thrown casually behind the chair of the older gentleman, with his head thrown back, laughing. The old man, bent slightly with his arms on the table, also laughed but stared with what could only be described as love at Sakis. She could not help but smile at the pure joy that came from the photograph. It was if she were seated next to them, could imagine the sun on her face, smell the scents of the surrounding café, hear the honking horns, watch the people walking.

“I believe that I loved him more than anyone on this planet.” Sakis spoke behind her with a hint of sadness.

She continued to stare at the picture. “Who is he, Sakis?”

“He was my grandfather. He passed away last year the way he would have wanted it to happen: peacefully in his sleep, after an evening drinking ouzo with the family. He was perhaps the wisest person I knew, and a piece of my heart died with him.”

Cassandra’s eyes filled with tears at his heartfelt words. Turning, she placed her hand on his chest. “I am sorry for your loss.”

With his hand over hers, he nodded. “Thank you, Cassandra. Come, let us continue our tour. We are almost finished.” He gently urged her to step into the next room. The area was less opulent than the other rooms that she had visited in the home. Instead, this one, like the living room off the kitchen, was personal. They had entered his bedroom. The king-sized bed took center stage and she did everything she could to look everywhere but there. Sakis chuckled. “You have become so nervous. What are you afraid of, Cassandra? Would you think that I would just pick you up, toss you onto the bed and have my way with you?” Sakis moved closer to her until there was hardly any space between the two of them.

Her first instinct was to take a step back, yet she stood her ground. Her breath quickened as he gripped her face tightly in his two hands.

“I will confess, I have wanted to taste those sweet lips of yours since last night. May I?” Without waiting for an answer, Sakis dropped his head and pressed his mouth hard against hers. She was frozen in place by his actions. Sakis gripped her tightly from behind, and thrust her against him as his tongue worked its way into her mouth.

She could feel his arousal hard against her stomach. It was too personal and too fast for Cassie. She pushed at his chest, but it was several moments before he realized that something was wrong.

He stepped back, looked down at her bowed head and frowned. Her chin gently lifted as his finger tilted her head up.

“Cassandra, look at me.” His quiet request echoed in the silence.

As she lifted her eyes, his own widened in shock at the tears swimming in their depths. He felt out of his element. Something was wrong and he had a strong need to know what.

“Tell me.”

“You just caught me off guard.”

“You are lying. Interesting. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tell, but with you it is obvious.”

“No.” Cassie’s face flushed; she lowered her head, embarrassed.
What the hell was wrong with her?

Comprehension dawned on him as her face flushed a deep red and his voice softened even more. As hard as she worked to come across as older and sophisticated, she was still young, from a small town. “Cassandra, are you a virgin?”

“No! Not really.” Cassie was embarrassed by the line of questioning.

He led her to the edge of his bed, and sat her before he sat down next to her.

Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. He’d never been in this situation before, and it made him feel old. A feeling he didn’t like. Women usually threw themselves at his feet, even when he was a teenager. “I hate to tell you this, but you either are or you are not, which leads me to believe that you are? It is okay, you know—it is nothing to be ashamed—”

“I am not a virgin, Sakis. Trust me.” Cassie’s sharp tone dripped with cold sarcasm. Yet, for one moment, he heard the catch in her voice.

Gooseflesh broke out over Sakis’s skin. He had heard that tone only one other time in his life, and he had hoped he would never hear it again. His features hardened.

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Cassie blurted. “I am really sorry.” Cassie tried to step around him, but he refused to move.

She could feel him stiffen.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Sakis’s controlled voice was laced with fury. He needed her to tell him.

Misunderstanding his anger, she lifted her chin defiantly and watched him as he stood to his feet. She was sure it was to get away from her. “It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t ask for it, if that is what you are implying. And quite frankly, I think I have adjusted pretty good for someone who has gone through what I have in my childhood.”

Sakis paced the floor as he listened to her words. When she became silent, he turned to face her. “Are you finished now? I never said it was your fault and there was nothing in this conversation—nothing from my words—that implied you should have even thought that.” His fingers ran through his hair as he stared at her. Her eyes seemed large and so sad as they stared back at him. She looked tense, frightened, and very vulnerable. Another woman’s face flashed and blurred his vision. He never wanted to see that expression again.

He pulled her up into his arms and he wrapped his own around her tightly. His large hand cradled her head against his chest. Slowly her body relaxed and her hands wrapped around his waist tentatively as she returned his embrace. With a cheek to her hair, he closed his eyes. With her, he felt different; in less than twenty-four hours, she changed him in tiny ways. When he dropped her off last night, he had actually missed her. He rarely missed anyone, including members of his own family.

“You must know, Cassandra, I did not give you a tour of my home so that we would end up in my bedroom, and there was never an intention to kiss you.” He watched as the confused emotions flushed her face. He pressed his forehead to hers. “Do not misunderstand. It is not that I have not wanted to kiss you—it just wasn’t planned. What happened to you was wrong, and the one who did this is not a man. Lovemaking should not be something you fear, but something that just with a thought of your lover, a chill runs through you in anticipation. Your first time should be a memory that is precious, held tight to your heart for you to relive time and time again, especially during the darkest times of your life. I promise you, standing in my home tonight, that I will be your first time one day soon, and I will show you how a man should love a woman her first time. I guarantee the first time with me will wipe away any fear of what should have been a cherished moment.”