The Greek Millionaire's Marriage by Sara Wood Read Free Book Online Page B

woman. She supposed that Dimitri was used to shuffling his mistresses around in order that they never met. How tacky.
    They’d eaten their mezedhes , choosing delicacies from the countless small dishes of tempting snacks, and had been served with a beautifully presented dish of red mullet before Dimitri ended his non-stop commentary on the delights of Greek cooking.
    She’d listened patiently, sipping champagne with the strangely loud notes of a haunting Greek folk tune swirling about them noisily from a hidden music system, and wondering when he’d get to the point.
    During his monologue, Dimitri had leaned confidentially towards her. Because of the deafening music she had been forced to do the same, so that she could hear what he’d said. It had given an uneasy intimacy to the meal.
    The haunting notes of the bouzouki filled her head and stirred her emotions. She wondered if that was deliberate and she tried to remain unaffected, but it was difficult with Dimitri’s handsome face so close, the faint scent of aftershave lingering in the air whenever he threw back his head and laughed.
    The waiter deftly slipped dishes of artichokes, courgettes and green beans beside each of their plates andthen exited, discreetly closing the door. She almost felt like calling him back, because being alone with Dimitri seemed increasingly risky.
    The tender flesh of the fish seduced her tastebuds but Olivia instantly adopted a businesslike air and broke in on Dimitri’s lyrically sensual praise of the dish. Before she knew it, he’d be moving from food to other things…
    â€˜I have to check in to my hotel this afternoon. There isn’t enough time for a tour around Greece’s gastronomic delights,’ she rebuked. ‘Tell me what you want me to do in exchange for a quick divorce. And don’t suggest sex. You can find that elsewhere.’
    In a leisurely movement, Dimitri leaned back in his chair, eyeing her over the rim of his flute. He looked very satisfied with himself.
    â€˜You could get me out of a difficult situation,’ he said casually. Olivia popped a forkful of green beans into her mouth and made no comment. Dimitri sighed as though the weight of the world lay on his shoulders. ‘It’s my mother.’
    Her lashes flicked up in surprise. She’d thought the blonde was his problem. ‘Go on.’
    He tried to sound concerned. It wasn’t easy when his pulses were hammering with the cleverness of his plan and every inch of him surged with hard-to-suppress excitement. Carefully he produced a frown and another sigh.
    â€˜Once I am a free man she wants me to marry a suitable woman—’
    â€˜As opposed to an unsuitable one like me,’ Olivia said drily.
    â€˜I’ve never understood why you two have never got on,’ he told her. ‘The fact is, all these years she’s beenhassling me to trace you, to divorce and remarry and to provide heirs for the Angelaki empire.’
    â€˜You…didn’t search for me at all?’ She sounded surprised and disappointed.
    He scowled, hating to remember that time. Of course he hadn’t. She’d made it clear that she didn’t love him. What was there to be gained—other than heartache and a series of heated arguments?
    With cold precision he had cut her from his heart and sealed up the wound. In time he had found that his anger and frustration eased. And soon he had discovered that his married status kept scheming women and their mothers at bay so that he could get on with burying himself in non-stop work.
    â€˜I saw no point,’ he replied cuttingly.
    Olivia winced. So much for vanity. Yet his indifference hurt. He hadn’t even bothered to find her in the hope that their marriage might be saved. That told her how deeply he felt about her—and marriage itself. It confirmed what she’d feared. Dismayed, she hung her head. All she could do was make a quick exit and try to