Page 48 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
DOMINIC
“Where’s Linus? I can’t get a hold of him.”
Miranda gaped at him with a hapless expression and her cheeks flushed red. “I-I haven’t seen him.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Briefcase in hand, he was ready to go to today’s meeting with Galatis which was at the Parthenon. “Get him for me,” he ordered.
He glanced at his watch again. At this rate he’d have to go alone. He debated what to do as Miranda got on the phone and tried to locate Linus, but Dominic’s impatience was wearing incredibly thin. He was a stickler for punctuality.
Then he saw Eleni near the water cooler. Their gazes met, and she looked away quickly. A smile tugged at his lips. He’d enjoyed making her feel uncomfortable when she’d come to apologize for her behavior.
Something stirred in his loins, but he managed to tamp it down quickly. He could not go there. He swallowed, tightening his hand around the handle of his briefcase. “You’ll do.” It was most unusual that Linus wasn’t here, but Eleni was.
She stared at him, her eyes landing on his lips as if she wasn’t quite sure if he was speaking to her, or maybe she was lipreading. A line appeared between her slanted brows. “Are you … are you talking to me?”
“Do you see me looking at anyone else?” Screw Linus. He would rather not take this woman, but he needed someone just in case, even though he hadn’t needed to use Linus’ translation services yet because Galatis was still playing around, showing him Greek relics and forcing him to visit all sorts of places.
He turned to Eleni. There was no time to waste. “This way. You’re coming with me.”
“But what? Where?”
“If Linus turns up tell him I went without him,” he snapped at Miranda.
Behind him Eleni asked, “Shouldn’t I get my bag or—”
“You don’t need anything.” He headed for the elevator and expected her to follow.
“But where are we going? You haven’t said. Some notice would be good.”
“Why? Do you have other meetings to attend?” he snarled, then immediately regretted taking out his anger on her. It wasn’t her fault that he was going to the Parthenon, or that Linus was late, or that he couldn’t quite shake that image of Eleni in that short dress dancing as if her life depended on it, in a cage suspended in the air.
Her heels clacked along the street as they walked towards the car. Perhaps he had made a mistake. Already the heady scene of her perfume, flowery and fresh, seeped into his skin. If he wasn’t careful, he would be in danger of doing something silly.
“I don’t have meetings, but Isidora wanted me to do something for her.”
He turned to her. “You are here to work for me, in my employ. I will ask of you what I want, and you will comply. Is that clear?”
Her eyes widened. “Perfectly clear.”
His driver opened the door for him and he climbed in, leaving Eleni to totter over to the other side.
“Does that guy follow you everywhere?” she asked, as his bodyguard climbed into the passenger seat.
“He comes with the territory.” He opened his briefcase and pulled out some paperwork. In the meetings so far he hadn’t needed anything.
Sightseeing would be a more apt term for what Galatis had him doing. In fact, earplugs would have come in handy, because at least that way he could have blocked out the Greek’s prideful commentary about his beloved Athens. As if Dominic gave two fucks about it being the oldest city in the world, or the birthplace of democracy. The motherland of western civilization.
So what?
Every time Dominic tried to steer the conversation towards business, Galatis would use his big fat hand to placate him. Then he’d tell Dominic that he needed to be patient, that good things came to those who waited.
The first time he’d met the guy had been at the Acropolis Museum which the officials had to close off to the public for an hour so that the two of them could meet there. Dominic considered this a stunt. Galatis didn’t need to boast about his wealth or influence, but perhaps he felt a need to show the younger Steele. His father and Alexander usually dealt with this man, which was why Dominic was biding his time and letting him play his games. As they’d walked around the museum Galatis would boast and point out facts that had bored Dominic beyond comprehension.
The last meeting had been at the Acropolis, and today it was at the same place, the Acropolis, but, apparently, they were going to see the Parthenon which sat atop the hill. The old man couldn’t walk for more than a minute without getting out of breath. No wonder these soul-sucking visits were taking forever.
“Here.” He placed his briefcase on the space between them. “If I need you, I will call you.”
