Page 37 of Tempting the President
I opened my eyes.
I tried to speak, but somehow I couldn’t. Like my voice, my stupid, beautiful voice, was a poison that would kill me if I spoke a word.
“Aria?”
Thank you.Thank you, Mr. Prescott, for being so good at lying.
Thank you.I tried to tell him with my eyes because I could no longer speak.
IT WAS ANOTHER PERFECTLYordinary million-dollar event. Expensively catered food, gorgeous décor, and a private resort. The guests invited to Jacqueline Koufos’ official debut in society, her eighteenth birthday, had been to a hundred other affairs like this. The only special thing about the event was that everyone knew Jacqueline had just been dumped by the Samaras’ heir, Eugene.
Or at least it was until a man, riding a powerful custom-made Harley Davidson under him, flew into the scene like a black and silver streak of fireworks.
The roar of his bike was the first thing they heard, coming from the back of the resort, where the beach was. It drowned out thesound of crashing waves, the clinking of glasses, and the polite laughter from the crowd.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning with gasps and screams of shock and horror as the man and his beast-like bike flew right over their heads—-
A female guest shrieked, “The cake—-oh my God, the cake, he’s going to crash into the cake!”
But instead the mysterious rider landed a foot away from the magnificent four-layered cake, the space perfectly calculated for him to execute a magnificent 360-degree spin with his bike’s rear wheel before turning around again to face the crowd.
The rider took off his helmet.
The guests burst into wild applause as they recognized the rider.Kellion Argyros. Theheir of one of Greece’s mightiest political clans.
Women sighed and simpered, what they did depending on whether they were single or not. Kellion Argyros was just eighteen years old, but oh, those smoldering looks of his, and the famous green eyes of the Argyros – it didn’t matter how young he was. The way he looked at them, with that all-knowing smirking gleam in his eyes...and that body. Oh, it was impossible that hard muscular body could have one inexperienced bone in it—-
He was one of them, but he didn’t feellikethem. Rich people were supposed to embrace idleness, but Kellion Argyros had always embraced life at its most dangerous.
And oh, when he spoke – it was always like he was toying with them. And my oh my – if it was Kellion, then it wasn’t a problem. They would so love to be played by him.
All these thoughts were clear to Kellion. It wasn’t as if any of the females around him were making an effort to hide what they felt, and it made him smile. One so wicked and dazzling it made their bodies throb even more. None of them realized that his smile was just for show, but even if they did, Kellion doubted any of them would care.
He paid his respects to his parents first. They were Jacqueline’s godparents and like the rest of the world, Kellion had learned how to play with them.
“You were so amazing, darling.” Carina was gushing. That really was all it took to make his mother happy and proud. As long as he was cooler than all the sons of her other friends, she would always love him.
Kellion bent down so his mother could kiss his cheek. Afterwards, his father Maurice clapped him on the back. “I say he takes after me.”
Kellion had no trouble returning his father’s smile. “Naturally.” He was used to playing the role of the perfect son. He had been doing it for years. For Maurice, all that mattered was for Kellion to display ruthless strength and cunning – the kind that would make him a worthwhile heir of the Argyros.
He gave them a chance. One full minute to make him feel like they saw him as their son.
They talked to him and about him, praising his skills behind the bike, telling him how everyone envied them for being hisparents, and how Jacqueline would surely be the happiest girl in the world to have him flying all the way from the United States just for her party.
But the minute passed and there wasn’t a single mention of how this was the first time they had seen him ride a bike in person and that the stunt he had pulled was dangerous as hell. No mention of the fact that before this, he had been hospitalized for a week because he had been practicing this stunt, over and over.
Nothing.
All they did was smile and beam at him.
Like he was their heir – their perfectly replaceable heir and not their son.
Something inside of him died at those smiles.
“Excuse me for a moment. I haven’t greeted Jacqueline yet.” Kellion’s voice was even, revealing not a single hint of how raw he felt inside.
“Oh, of course.” Carina waved him away.
