The Greek's Convenient Cinderella Read online

  ‘Crystal clear,’ Tansy parried stiffly. ‘Any other rules?’

  ‘Don’t tell me any lies. If you make a mistake, own it and tell me about it. I despise liars,’ he admitted with a ringing authority that chilled her to the bone. ‘The stylist is waiting for you through that door…’

  Tansy rose unsteadily and moved forward, involuntarily intrigued by a man capable of arranging so much without input from anyone else. He had a strong eye for detail, she acknowledged, a knack for grasping potential problems in advance, even the little ones like what his fake wife might wear. And he hated liars. Her conscience twanged as she acknowledged guiltily that even he could not be expected to have guessed about the existence of a baby girl whom nobody had dared to mention. ‘How did you know what time I’d be arriving to arrange a stylist?’

  ‘I didn’t.’ Jude shot her an amused look. ‘For the kind of money I’m prepared to spend the woman was willing to practise patience and wait until you showed up.’

  As Tansy drew level with him to head towards the door he had indicated, he caught her hand in one of his to bring her to a halt. ‘Let the stylist be your guide. I don’t want a bride who dresses like a teenager.’

  Shaken to find herself that close to him and in actual physical contact with the warmth of his big hand engulfing hers, Tansy gazed up uneasily into tawny gold eyes that were as primal to her in that moment as a lion’s tracking prey. ‘I only look like a teenager because I’m so skinny,’ she muttered awkwardly. ‘I just never rounded out like my friends. I kept on waiting for it to happen but…it didn’t…’

  As Tansy heard those unnecessarily frank words fall from her lips scarlet heat rushed into her cheeks and she wanted to bite her tongue off. But there it was: she was indisputably tiny in the places women were supposed to be curvy and feminine, more boyish than lush in shape. On the plus side she could eat whatever she liked and burn it off again without much effort, but she had always longed for the curves she lacked.

  ‘You’re not skinny, you’re…slender,’ Jude contradicted soft and low, something in that dark purring drawl sending a tide of awareness currenting through her from head to toe. ‘Some men prefer that. Personally, I put a higher value on a more natural appearance.’

  ‘So you say,’ Tansy breathed, unimpressed by that claim, which she had heard before and found not to be true. ‘But it’s my bet that you wouldn’t be too impressed if you got treated to natural all the time. Men always think they don’t like make-up on a woman but I’m not sure that’s the case.’

  ‘You do have opinions,’ Jude noted.

  ‘Didn’t think you wanted to hear them.’

  ‘I do and I don’t,’ Jude confided. ‘I prefer to keep this relationship impersonal.’

  Tickled by that unlikely possibility and the sheer ignorance of human interaction with which he made that admission, Tansy shot him an amused glance. ‘Well, you will have to work very, very hard at making sure that you don’t fall madly in love with me because, I’m telling you now, you’re not my type,’ she heard herself tease.

  Jude gazed down in visible surprise at those clear almond-shaped green eyes sparkling with laughter and the pulse at his groin kicked up a storm of interest, disconcerting him. He rested a hand down on her slight shoulder, wondering what sort of sexual chemistry it was that felled him where he stood with a totally ordinary young woman. Gold-digger, he reminded himself darkly, but inexplicably it didn’t quell the desire and, with a sudden fierce impatience new to his experience, he stopped holding back and he bent his arrogant dark head and kissed her.

  Tansy hadn’t been prepared for that move. Later she thought that she should have been, when they were standing so close and alone and supposedly on the brink of what he in his insanity saw as a normal marriage. But the sensual, seeking brush of his mouth over hers made her stop breathing and freeze in astonishment. For a split second, he owned her with that kiss, owned her as no other man ever had because it was so exciting. Sensation burst low in her tummy and stabbed an arrow of heat down into her throbbing core. She pressed her thighs tightly together, struggling to kill that surge of awareness. And that fast, she was drinking in the unfamiliar but ridiculously arousing scent of him, discovering that that was an added aphrodisiac. He smelled good enough to eat, she found herself thinking as his arms came around her and her knees wobbled, and that all-pervasive heat spread like a traitor up through her entire body. Her hands closed on to his sleeves to steady herself.

  She felt alive and blazing with energy in a way she never had before and his lips were parting hers and hers were still clinging to his, her slight frame jerking in a shocking spasm of electrified pleasure as his tongue pierced the sensitive interior of her mouth. It was like a burning torch bursting into flame inside her and every skin cell was urging her to get closer to him. Her head swam with the dizzy intensity of it, every thought overpowered by physical reaction.

  Fully aroused and tense, Jude set Tansy back from him and dealt her a sizzling smile of appreciation. ‘Getting to know you better promises to be especially entertaining,’ he quipped as he tugged open the door that led into the room beyond.

  Not if I can help it, Tansy thought, gritting her teeth, torn between wanting to slap him and slap herself for succumbing to him like a dizzy, never-been-kissed adolescent. For goodness’s sake, she had literally been clinging to him! Her colour was high as the stylist approached her with a tape measure and the door behind her closed again. There was no time then for her to agonise.

  The other woman was hugely efficient, questioning her about colours and styles, likes and dislikes, while bringing up outfits on her laptop for Tansy to scrutinise. Tansy, who hadn’t had new clothes in longer than she remembered, found it a startling experience and when her companion moved on to asking her to preview wedding gowns on screen, it felt even more unreal to her. She was measured for every possible garment from the skin out and assured, when she tried to argue, that Mr Alexandris had specified that she was to have ‘everything’. And everything in Jude’s parlance seemed to encompass more clothing options than Tansy could ever have dreamt of owning and hinted at a lifestyle she had only glimpsed in her mother’s favourite glossy fashion magazines.

  She was on the way home again when Jude texted her the date and time for the register office wedding. It was only three days away and her eyes widened because even though Calvin had warned her that Jude was on a tight timeline, she had still underestimated the speed at which events would unfold and her life would change. But so would Posy’s, she reminded herself more cheerfully. She would be able to buy new clothes and toys for her sister. There would be no more scrabbling round charity shops for garments and playthings that some other child had outgrown. With hindsight she could see that her stepfather’s financial problems should have been obvious to her sooner, but then Calvin had always been very stingy about spending money on anything that did not directly benefit him.

  The next day, Calvin informed her that his boss was coming out personally to the house with the prenuptial contract for her to sign. ‘He’s going to be very curious about how Alexandris got to know you. Just act mysterious,’ he advised her.

  Tansy was not required to act anything because Calvin’s boss was scrupulously businesslike and polite, and he asked her no awkward questions. He even advised her to take the document to her own legal representative for a consultation. Tansy demurred and, after glancing through several pages, her brain staggered by the huge sums of money being offered to her as a mere ‘allowance’, insisted on signing then and there. After all, she didn’t have time to waste either, not if her stepfather were to feel secure enough to sign over custody of his daughter to her.

  She was not, however, that surprised when Calvin came through the front door in a rage that evening, slamming into his home study and, when he saw her in the doorway, throwing her a furious look. ‘I’ve been made redundant by the firm…overstaffed, according to t
he big boss. Load of rubbish! They’ve worked out that I must have lined you up with Alexandris and they see it as a breach of client confidentiality!’ he framed bitterly.

  Tansy said nothing. Indeed, she found herself thinking that, for once, smooth, smug Calvin had got his fingers deservedly burned for his manipulative ways, but ultimately he would be richly rewarded for the marriage he had made in her name, so the punishment of losing his job wasn’t that great. And that stung, that he could use Posy as a bargaining tool to satisfy his own greed and still have the nerve to pretend that he cared about his daughter.

  The following afternoon Jude phoned Tansy.

  ‘I’ve received a warning that the paparazzi may be on the brink of identifying you,’ Jude offered flatly. ‘To protect you, I need to remove you from that address. No newspaper will publish your name without a photograph at the very least. A car will pick you up in thirty minutes.’

  ‘A car? In thirty minutes?’ Tansy repeated, nervous perspiration beading her upper lip at the prospect of her situation and potentially the reference to her baby sister being published in a newspaper. ‘To pick me up and take me where?’

  ‘A hotel, where you will remain undetected and safe until we meet at the register office tomorrow—’

  ‘I can’t move into a hotel!’ Tansy exclaimed, worrying about Posy.

  ‘You will accompany my security team to the hotel. I don’t want you exposed by the press before my family even meet you. You don’t have a choice about this,’ Jude informed her grittily, and that was the end of the call.

  ‘Jude thinks the press may be on to me,’ Tansy told Calvin as she hurried downstairs and her stepfather appeared in the lounge doorway. ‘He wants to have me picked up and moved to a hotel until the ceremony but I can’t just walk out on Posy.’

  ‘Of course, you can. Susie’s on her way over,’ Calvin told her in impatient disagreement. ‘I’ve already warned you, Tansy. What Alexandris wants, he has to get because he could still walk away. You’re not dealing with Mr Average or Mr Obliging here.’

  ‘You could hire a nanny for Posy until tomorrow. You’re about to come into money. You can afford to hire someone,’ his stepdaughter reminded him doggedly. ‘Then I wouldn’t have to worry about her.’

  ‘You make such a fuss about her. The kid will be fine with Susie. Good grief, I can’t wait until you move out of here!’ the blond man admitted in a burst of unhidden irritation. ‘You’re one of those women who always thinks they know best about everything. Alexandris is welcome to you!’

  Tansy concentrated on packing an overnight bag. That she was getting married to Jude the next day felt surreal. None of the new clothing she had been promised had arrived as yet and she still only had her green dress to wear. Of course, he wasn’t expecting her to appear in a wedding gown at the register office. The bridal finery would be reserved for Greece and the first day of her official wife role. She bustled next door into Posy’s room where the baby was napping, and she crept about filling a bag with the baby necessities she would require for her sister’s benefit the following day and set the bag aside.

  Downstairs she tackled her stepfather about a topic that had begun to worry her. ‘You haven’t asked me to sign anything yet to take charge of Posy,’ she reminded him nervously.

  ‘It’s not that simple…’ Calvin frowned at her. ‘Social services would insist on being involved in any change of child guardianship. The only way you can legally have Posy is to adopt her, but you’re getting married and because of that Alexandris would have to be part of the adoption application. I suggest you take it up with him after the ceremony.’

  ‘Adoption?’ she questioned in complete bewilderment. ‘But you told me you could sign Posy over to me.’

  ‘Alterations in child custody arrangements are more formal than that and hedged around by legal safeguards,’ Calvin informed her loftily. ‘I can give you permission to take her abroad and I’ve pulled every string in the Alexandris armoury to get the kid her passport in time without Alexandris realising that it’s the kid and not you who needs the passport. But I’m afraid that’s the best I can do for now.’

  ‘That’s not fair, Calvin. That’s not what we agreed,’ Tansy protested in consternation.

  At that point, her mobile rang again, and a man called Spiros, as mentioned and named by Jude, informed her that he was waiting for her at the back entrance to the house. Regretfully appreciating that she couldn’t just tuck Posy into a case and pack her as well, Tansy grabbed her overnight bag and warned Calvin that Posy would need to be accompanied by her baby bag and her stroller when Tansy took charge of her the next day.

  ‘I’ll drop her off with you after the ceremony. I’ll be outside the register office,’ he promised cheerfully.

  Tansy gritted her teeth because she didn’t trust him. He had already grossly deceived her by promising to sign over custody of Posy when, as a lawyer, he must have known from the outset that that wasn’t legally possible without the involvement of the local authorities. How could she have been so stupid as to trust Calvin’s word about anything? On the other hand, as long as Posy seemed to be only a burden in her father’s eyes, it was unlikely that he would want to reclaim his daughter in the future, Tansy reasoned, striving to silence the anxious insecurities pulling at her.

  She compressed her lips as she emerged from the house. Her bag was immediately claimed by an older man in a suit, who directed her towards the narrow rear gate beyond which a car was parked in readiness.

  The city hotel was famous and exclusive. Tansy felt like a fish out of water from the moment she walked through the lofty-ceilinged foyer with its marble floor and magnificent glittering crystal chandeliers. The opulent formality of her surroundings was overwhelming. She was wafted up in a lift and shown into a superb suite that included a spacious living area as well. In the bedroom she found a small selection of the garments she had chosen with the stylist awaiting her, and relief filled her because a smart outfit had been included and she thought the dress and toning jacket would be perfect for the civil ceremony. After carefully trying the clothing on, she sat in the silky robe that had been included with the gorgeous lingerie and wondered how to fill what remained of the day.

  It had been so long since she had had time to herself because, for months, every day had revolved round her baby sister’s feeding and sleeping schedule. She walked through her ridiculously luxurious accommodation and smiled with rueful appreciation, curling up on a sumptuous sofa to watch TV before calling room service to order an evening meal. Replete from those treats, she ran herself a bubble bath and lay in it, fretting about whether or not Susie had remembered to put Posy to bed with her favourite toy. Recalling her stepfather’s accusation that she was too fussy, she wondered if that was true. Not long afterwards she climbed into the extremely comfortable bed, set her phone as an alarm and lay back, thinking in disbelief, I’m getting married tomorrow…

  CHAPTER FOUR

  TANSY ROSE INCREDIBLY early the next day and then had to fill the empty hours that stretched before the late-afternoon ceremony.

  Only after lunch did she begin getting ready. She slid into the diaphanous lingerie, relishing the smooth, unfamiliar slide of silk against her skin and the pretty adornments of lace and ribbon. The dress zipped, she slipped on the high-heeled courts and donned the jacket. The unruly tumble of her hair round her shoulders made her wince because it looked untidy. Her hair needed to go up to set off the stylish rose-coloured suit. With deft fingers she braided her hair and anchored it to her head. A text arrived to tell her when she would be picked up and she was down in the foyer ahead of time, nervous as a cat on hot coals.

  It isn’t every day you get married, she soothed herself, but it wasn’t as if it were a real marriage. Love didn’t come into their agreement and she had to admit that that made her sad, because she had always assumed that when she got married she would genuinely care about her
partner. This marriage is for Posy though, she reminded herself, don’t make it personal. But the recollection of her little sister frightened her as well at that moment because she was imagining how Jude Alexandris might react to the revelation that she had been less than honest with him. He would be angry. She hadn’t told him an actual lie, but she certainly hadn’t matched his forthrightness either.

  Pale and taut, Tansy entered the waiting room in the register office feeling slightly nauseous with nerves. Jude was already there, tall, dark and devastatingly spectacular in a dark grey designer suit that accentuated his sleek, athletic build. Just looking at him stole the breath from her lungs. From the bronzed glow of his skin to his glossy black curls and wide, sensual mouth, he emanated compelling masculine allure. Her tummy flipped and her heart thumped in her ears as she collided with glittering dark golden eyes enhanced by inky black lashes. All of a sudden her legs felt disconnected from the rest of her. A hint of a smile curved his beautifully shaped mouth, lighting up his lean, shockingly handsome features, and she blinked, utterly dazzled by that sudden flash of powerful charisma.

  ‘Who will be acting as the witnesses?’ she whispered as she drew level with him.

  ‘My security guards. These past weeks I’ve seen enough of lawyers to last me a lifetime,’ Jude confided with grim amusement, a big hand curving to her spine to urge her forward as the registrar’s assistant signalled them.

  He didn’t like her hair up, Jude mused, but she did look very stylish and rather more mature, although when her eyes danced with amusement, her inner teenager shone out like a neon light. He suspected she was the sort of woman given to giggling at inappropriate moments. But that sassy smile, accompanied by the downward-cast eyes and the soft flutter of her lashes as she nibbled at her fuller lower lip, ensnared his attention every time. That hint of uncertainty and shyness was incredibly enticing. He invariably went for bolder women, who laid out sex like an all-you-can-eat buffet, no questions asked, nothing on the forbidden list. He liked straightforward, he liked simple, he didn’t like room left for misunderstandings or women who played games, available one day, strategically unavailable the next.