Page 5 of Adonis in Athens

By the time she got her luggage, passed through customs and found the car she’d hired to drive her to her hotel, she was drained. She’d left Las Vegas early yesterday morning, spent four hours wandering around the airport in New York, and then flown all night—through more time zones than she could count—before arriving in Greece at 11:00 in the morning. It was nearly 2:30 by the time she got to her hotel, and she was hot, exhausted and starving. Luckily, she was near Syntagma Square, which was a busy tourist area downtown, just a couple blocks from her hotel. She was too tired to explore much so she went to a kiosk where she bought two bottles of water, a chocolate bar and something called a tiropita. It had a fillo crust and was filled with a Greek cheese she’d never heard of called kasseri, but it practically melted in her mouth and she all but inhaled it. On impulse, and because at 1.49 euros it fit her budget, she bought another and forced herself to wander the busy winding streets for a little while. If she could make it until about 6:00, she’d sleep for 12 hours and be ready for tomorrow’s mission.

Though she was dreading it, she and Raegan had talked for hours about this, and came to the conclusion that she’d be better off getting it over with. Once she faced Apollo and got him to sign the divorce papers, she would be free to enjoy her remaining four days in Greece. She would have done anything to be able to stay longer but flying to Athens in the summer was ridiculously expensive and though she could have found slightly cheaper hotels, she’d wanted to stay somewhere that appeared safe and clean. Greece was generally pretty safe, but as a foreign woman traveling alone, she wasn’t comfortable taking any chances. A better hotel meant a more expensive one, which would diminish her already meager budget, resulting in less time here. She simply reminded herself over and over that this was still the trip of a lifetime. Well, it would be. Once she got the divorce papers signed.

Three days after her ill-fated engagement party, she and Raegan had walked into the government office where she’d requested a copy of her marriage certificate, stating that she’d lost it. Raegan had been standing behind her, fingers crossed, waiting as the clerk looked it up and verified her identity. Sure enough, on April 3rd, three years ago, she had married Apollo Lakkas. She’d known his last name because he’d given her his business card, but seeing the marriage certificate had left her a little light-headed. Raegan managed to get her outside and got her to drink some cold water, but for at least half an hour, Paige had been shell-shocked. She’d known it was possible, even likely, considering the vague memories she had, but it didn’t seem real. Who just walked into a chapel and got married to a guy she met at a club in Las Vegas during spring break? Apparently she did.

After it sunk in, she’d debated calling him, but Raegan thought seeing him in person would be better and give her some sort of closure. Besides, she needed to get divorced and it would be easier to do it in person. That way, she would know it was done and would be able to file everything as soon as she got back. She’d found a lawyer willing to draw up basic divorce papers for a reasonable amount, citing irreconcilable differences and that each party was responsible for their own debts and assets. They would need to have their signatures notarized at the embassy and then it would be over. She could walk away from Apollo Lakkas and their spontaneous marriage without looking back. Then she could enjoy Greece, a place she’d never dreamed she would get to; after all, this was her first true adventure.

Looking up into a clear blue sky, she couldn’t help but smile. She was really in Greece, and even though seeing Apollo again was going to be hard, she was as excited as she’d ever been about anything. No one back home had understood why she was suddenly running off to Greece, and she’d had to lie to everyone except Raegan, but this was truly a dream come true for her. Except for that pesky divorce thing. And the hotter-than-hot Greek god she still had to face. She didn’t remember a lot about the details of their time together, but she remembered him. Lord, who could forget a guy like Apollo?

Do not think about that, she told herself firmly as she crawled between the cool sheets. She absolutely had to force herself not to think about the way it had felt to have his strong body moving on hers, those amazing lips on her breasts, and his hands…she shook her head abruptly. No! Stop it! She closed her eyes and thought about Tom. Kind, patient Tom, who wanted to marry her and give her the kind of life she could only dream of: money, vacations, a beautiful house and a big, wonderful family. Things that a hunk like Apollo probably had no interest in—guys like him didn’t do that kind of thing with regular girls like her. Especially when they lived 7,000 miles away. Except, he kind of did. Because they were already married. Sort of. She dozed off remembering the first time he’d kissed her.

Paige woke up feeling like a new woman. It was early, just after 7:00, but getting 12 hours of sleep made a huge difference and she was ready to face the day. She dressed in a light summer dress made of white cotton and trimmed with eyelet lace. It fell off the shoulders, leaving them bare, revealing smooth, lightly tanned skin. It was a little short, falling mid-thigh, but showed off her legs and lots more silky skin. She hesitated, looking in the mirror and wondering what Apollo would think. She hoped he wasn’t disappointed. Though they didn’t have a future together, she didn’t want his memories to be that of a plain, boring American girl.

Her ash-blond hair fell just above her shoulders and was parted on the side, all one length—nothing exciting. Her hazel eyes had regular eyelashes that forced her to go out of her way to use lots of lengthening mascara to make them longer. The smattering of freckles across her nose made her crazy, but in temperatures like they had both here and at home, she only wore foundation for special occasions since it was usually gone before she arrived at her destination anyway. Her lips were funky, too, with the lower one slightly larger than the upper. She always tried to use pale colors on them so the disparity was less obvious. Even though Tom said it was sexy, she’d never believed him.

She turned away from the mirror and put the divorce papers, her passport, cash and credit cards into the cross-body purse she’d brought, along with lip gloss, her room key and a map she’d picked up at the front desk. She would take a bus to Piraeus, where Apollo’s family’s shipping company was located, and then she would walk or take a taxi to the building. It was still early, though, so she planned to take her time grabbing a bite to eat and wandering around the Square. The Greek Parliament House was directly across the street from Syntagma Square, and she’d read that the changing of the guards was something she should see. She’d also heard that feeding the pigeons was fun, so she would do that too. Hopefully it would be interesting enough to distract her from what she had to do.

The Greek Parliament House was just north of the square and she took the time to read a bit of the history in the guidebook she’d grabbed at a kiosk outside the hotel. It said the building had been erected in the mid-1800s and had an austere neoclassical façade. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sat out front and was protected by the presidential guard, called Evzones. They wore traditional attire called foustanellas, which were essentially white skirts that had 400 pleats, representing the number of years the Greeks had been under Turkish rule. The skirts were paired with white, long-sleeved shirts, an embroidered vest and pointed red shoes with large pompoms. It was like nothing she’d ever seen in the U.S. and she took pictures with her phone, hoping she would remember all the details.

The changing of the guards took place every hour on the hour and she waited for the next change to occur. It looked like a slow dance where the soldiers kicked their legs in the air. She found the synchronization of the ceremony fascinating and got in line to take a picture with one of the guards once it was over. She felt a moment of sadness as she handed her phone to the nearest tourist so they could take the picture, wishing Raegan had been able to come with her so they could enjoy this together. She wondered if this was the kind of thing Tom would enjoy, but something told her it wasn’t. He was probably more interested in staying at a resort with a golf course than exploring Greek customs and history.

Seeing that time had slipped away, she decided to skip feeding the pigeons that roamed around everywhere, and looked for the bus to take her to Piraeus. Hoping she didn’t get lost, she sat at a window and took in every detail of the city. The mix of old and new was incredible, and she wished she’d brought a good camera to get pictures of the dozens of buildings that had such spectacular architecture. She didn’t own a camera like that, though, and asking Tom if she could borrow his seemed a bit odd considering they weren’t speaking. She hadn’t heard from him since the night of his surprise and in a way she was relieved. Despite the fact that he’d said he would think about “adventures,” the idea that he had to spend time thinking about it was pretty telling. She didn’t have to put any effort into it; she knew instinctively that she wanted to see and do new things. She didn’t make a lot of money, but she always spent it on experiences before items.

The apartment she and Raegan shared was filled with hand-me-down furniture and thrift store finds. Though she’d invested in a professional wardrobe since she worked in the sales and marketing department of a professional hockey team, the rest of her clothes were older and bought for comfort; jeans with the knees torn out, concert T-shirts, and yoga pants from Walmart. She’d bought the dress she was wearing today, though, specifically for this trip. Paired with beaded white sandals and silver earrings, it had felt Greek to her, and she thought she looked pretty today. Maybe not pretty enough for a guy like Apollo, but hopefully attractive enough to at least not embarrass herself.

The bus let her off on a busy corner in what appeared to be a shopping area, and the kind gentleman who’d sat next to her got off as well, telling her that the office she was looking for was just a block north. So she headed in that direction, grateful that the numbers on the buildings and shops seemed to be going the right way. When she arrived, she felt the first twinge of fear creep up her spine. What if he was out of town? What if he didn’t even work there anymore? What if she’d come all the way to Greece for nothing? Or worse, what if he’d unwittingly gotten married and she was about to completely destroy his life? Somehow, she hadn’t thought about that until just now.

She vacillated and stood on the street chewing her lip in a panic. Finally, she reminded herself that he’d been equally responsible for walking away without a second glance and if he hadn’t been concerned that he’d possibly gotten married, it hadn’t been her job to seek him out. Until now, anyway. Lifting her chin and steeling her resolve, she opened the door and stepped inside, grateful that there was air conditioning. There were three men standing behind a large counter that separated the back of the office from what appeared to be an informal reception area, and they glanced in her direction with obvious interest as she approached. A young man who’d been on the phone immediately disconnected and said something to her in Greek.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I don’t speak Greek. I’m looking for Apollo—Apollo Lakkas.”

The three men in the back stopped talking and were now listening intently as the young man who’d greeted her cocked his head slightly. “Yes, Apollo. Your name?”

“Paige,” she said, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Paige Carter. From Las Vegas.”

The man picked up the phone and spoke in Greek, except for her name, and nodded. “He will come. One moment, please.”

“Thank you.” Paige tried not to think about her queasy stomach or sweaty palms. It would be okay. He would want to get this over with. He probably barely remembered her and would be embarrassed, ready to do anything to make this go away.

Apollo was having a shitty day. He’d had to fire yet another receptionist who didn’t seem to think she actually had to give the staff their messages, and now his sales team was pissed because they were having to cover the phones and front desk. His father had called him at least a dozen times so far today, trying to keep up with the business he’d been too sick to participate in for the last year. His oldest sister was trying to set him up with one of her girlfriends, and now that they had no receptionist he was thinking his upcoming vacation in Santorini wasn’t going to happen.

Drumming his fingers on his desk, he stared out the window at the water. He loved the sea, and loved running his family’s shipping company even more, but there were days he just wanted some freedom back. He’d given up a lot to take over after his father’s stroke, and most of the time he didn’t regret anything at all. It was just once in a while, on a beautiful summer day like today, that he wished he could grab a towel, jump on his motorcycle and drive down to one of the many beaches he loved. He would go for a swim and then lie on the shore soaking up the sun. When he was sufficiently burned and sleepy, he’d go home, shower and take a nap. A day at the beach always relaxed him and when he woke up he’d call a few friends and go out for a beer or coffee, hanging out, flirting with beautiful women and basically enjoying life. Instead, he worked 10-12 hour days, six days a week, and met with his father almost daily during afternoon siesta to update him. Though they were technically closed on Sundays, he usually came in to the office to catch up on paperwork and other things that he was distracted from when the phones were ringing and clients were coming in and out.

Sighing, he sent the younger of his two older sisters a text, asking her to come in and man the phones. She would be annoyed, but that was too bad. He and Melina were close but she’d left most of this to him even though she got her share of the profits. While his father was still the owner and controlling partner, after his stroke, Apollo had been promoted to president and CEO of the company, with a salary that compensated him well. Before he’d taken over, he and his sisters had gotten small dividends from the profits after everyone was paid and all bills were covered. His father had taken a full salary and had begun giving Apollo a bigger share as he’d started grooming him to take over one day. Then he’d had a stroke and Apollo had been forced to sink or swim; since this was his family’s legacy as well as his future, he’d busted his ass to keep the company afloat. He’d done a damn good job too, using his double major from Yale in Information Technology and International Finance to bring the company not just into the 21st century, but to also infuse it with new clients and a fresh ideology. It had served them well and his father, though concerned at first, now bragged about how his son was a business genius.

A bored, overworked business genius, he thought in annoyance. He wanted to get out of here today so bad he could taste it, but even if he managed to get away for a few hours, he was expected at dinner at 2:30 and then his father would grill him instead of taking his usual nap during afternoon siesta. By the time all of that was done, Apollo would need to come back to the office. They stayed open until 8:00 on Thursdays even though clients didn’t usually come in that late, but they took a lot of calls from the U.S. who were anywhere from 7 to 10 hours behind them. He was setting the groundwork to open a branch of the company in Los Angeles and negotiations were going well, but he didn’t trust anyone else to get it started. He wanted to open the office himself, make sure it was done correctly, but that would leave the office here in Greece without a real manager. He didn’t trust the sales team to have access to bank accounts and other sensitive information, and while he trusted his sisters, they didn’t know the business well enough to handle it. The project was probably going to fall through because there just weren’t enough hours in the day, and it was disappointing, but he couldn’t be in two places at once and much as his father was getting better, he still had a long way to go.

His phone buzzed and he grabbed it absently, still lost in his thoughts. “Oriste?” Hello?

“You have a visitor!” Tasos, one of the sales guys, spoke with a hint of mischief in his voice.

“I don’t have any appointments,” Apollo muttered, glancing down at his desk calendar.

“I’m pretty sure she’s not a client,” he chortled. “She said her name is Paige Carter.”

He mispronounced the American name badly but Apollo still recognized it immediately and froze. Paige Carter?! His Paige? What the hell was she doing here?

“I’ll be right out,” he said shortly, hanging up. Holy shit, the girl he’d been dreaming about for three years was here in Greece? In his office?! What did that even mean? Had she come looking for him? He stood up and tucked his button-down shirt back into his slacks and ran his hands through his too-long hair, thinking he really needed a trim. Damn, he hadn’t thought he’d ever see her again, even though he thought of her more often than he wanted to admit.

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