Talk about a glutton for punishment.
* * *
It was barely five in the morning when he became aware of the buzzing of his phone, on the bedside table. He reached for it quickly, not wanting to wake Genevieve, who was fast asleep in the crook of his arm. They’d spent hours making love the night before—hard and fast at first, filled with pent-up emotions and frustrations, and then long and slow, with him delighting in delivering the best kind of torture, driving her wild and then bringing her back from the precipice, showing her what her body was capable of, how prolonging release could enhance pleasure exponentially. And then, as proof of how far she’d come since they’d first met, he’d watched as she’d pleasured herself, her cheeks flushed as she’d tipped over the edge, crying his name and reaching for him, even then, wanting—needing—more. Despite that, the buzzing of the phone had woken him, and made him aware that he was already hard and aching for her anew.
He would have silenced the call and turned off his phone, except for the fact that, at the last moment, he saw the call was coming in from Washington, and he had a premonition that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
He eased himself from the bed, walked as swiftly from the room as he could and then swiped the phone to answer.
‘Konstantinou.’
Silence met his pronouncement.
‘Yes?’ he barked down the line, aware who it was likely to be.
‘Senator James Wilson,’ came the voice he already hated from the man he loathed and despised. ‘We need to talk.’
‘Do we?’ Nikos drawled, moving deeper into the yacht, further from the bedroom suite. ‘About what?’
‘You, and my wife.’
‘Ex-wife. And I think you mean my fiancée.’
Silence. But a silence that was loaded with animosity; Nikos felt it and understood it. But what grace could he give this man? He’d had Genevieve in his life, his bed, her loyalty and love in his hands to treasure, and he’d treated her like a piece of dirt. For all Nikos had made mistakes in his marriage, it had never been intentional, nor cruel. The effects had been the same—he’d hurt his wife—but that had never been his aim. Far from it.
‘Is she there?’
The question was flooded with angry indignation. There was no way Nikos was going to pass the phone to Genevieve. ‘She’s sleeping.’
A hiss—clear fury. ‘You don’t know what you’re getting into.’
‘Do I seem like someone who makes poor decisions?’
‘Have Genevieve call me.’
‘For what purpose? You’re divorced. Whatever you once shared is over.’
‘What’s the matter, Konstantinou? You jealous?’
He laughed then. A low, soft rumble. ‘Of a man who does not even know how to please a woman? Oh, yes. My anxiety is off the charts.’
James cursed. ‘Get her to call me.’
‘I’ll do no such thing. Not when it’s clear you can’t be trusted to play nice.’
‘Oh, Genevieve knows I don’t play nice—and she knows what’s going to happen now. It’s her own fault. And yours too, I suppose.’
‘What’s going to happen now is that you’re going to take yourself off and have a long, clear think about whether or not you want me as an enemy,’ Nikos said, letting the words fall. ‘You know who I am.’
Silence, but there was no need for an answer, anyway. Not when the other man would have to have been living under a rock not to know who Nikos was. ‘You can imagine who my contacts are. With a handful of phone calls, I can make sure your political donations dry up—permanently. And I will delight in doing so, believe me.’
‘You—can’t—’
‘Can’t I? Would you like to test me?’
A spluttering sound. ‘Fuck you,’ he shouted.
‘You’ve said that already, Senator. Surely a man of your intelligence can think of something more creative.’
