Page 68 of The Boss

He reached over, placing his hand on mine, and I almost jerked my arm free. I didn’t, fearful of what he’d do. The tender, caring man had just returned, shoving aside the monster seeking revenge. “You aren’t to blame and I’m not convinced the two situations were caused by the same person.”

“Since when? You’ve been harping on the fact my brother is to blame this entire time.”

“Please lower your voice, Willow. As you’ve already seen, the restaurant has ears.”

“Then why are we here? I thought you didn’t want to be seen, especially with me.”

“That’s not the case.”

As intelligent as I was, I had to face facts that I wasn’t a conniving woman. At least not usually. That’s why it took me a few seconds to realize what he was doing.

Parading around his new fiancée.

“Arm candy. I didn’t know that existed in Greece. Will we end up on the front page? Should I lean over and kiss you or am I expected to crawl under the table and service you?” I was being bratty, but it was easy around his arrogance. I hammed it up for anyone taking videos, crawling my fingers up the length of his arm.

He grabbed my hand quickly, squeezing until a hint of pain washed up the length of my arm. “Don’t do that, Willow. It’s beneath you. When I said I hated games, I meant personally, but everything in business and politics is exactly that.”

“The best player wins all the gold?”

“In a manner of speaking. I may not be the ideal husband, but I won’t allow you to be embarrassed in front ofkatachristiká parásita.”

“You have me at a loss.”

“Abusive vermin.”

“I imagine there are those who call you that from time to time.”

He pulled the bottle of wine from the edge of the table, his eyes locking onto mine as he refilled both glasses. “Absolutely. If they aren’t doing so, then I’m not doing something right.”

I wanted to relax around him, but everyone was now staring at the two of us. He was calling out whoever was responsible.

“Are we still safe?”

“Very, little dove. My men have an ear to everything that occurs, including flights out of Athens as well as ferries coming into the port. Plus, they are in constant contact with various sources, which helps protect the borders from unwanted and unanticipated guests.”

“What about private boats?” No soldiers. Why did it feel like he was flaunting his power to the assassin? In my mind, he was playing Russian roulette.

“Possible, but you’ve seen where the house sits.”

“Including the stairs leading directly to the back door. Are you trying to get both of us killed?”

His laugh sent a shiver through me. He was not only in his element surrounded by his people, he was also in complete control. How long would that last before his luck ran out?

“Contrary to what you might think, I very much want to remain alive. You’re part of the reason why. You are not responsible for what happened. You need to erase that guilt at least, Willow. If not, it will eat you alive.”

“Like the guilt you have over whatever happened inside that dance studio?” I instantly regretted blurting out the question.

His face instantly hardened. “The subject is off limits.”

“You’re right. Guilt will eat you alive. You’re a shell of a man.”

The timing was perfect for the waiter to arrive, hopeful to take our orders.

I didn’t need to look at the menu, already knowing what I wanted. “Pastitsada.” I adored the cockerel and fresh tomatoes, the casserole one that was passed down by the Venetians.

“Fish Bianco,” Dimitrios ordered, preferring fresh fish with a garlic lemon sauce. He didn’t bother looking at the waiter as he handed the young man the menus. Instead of the smirk from before, I was rewarded with a pleasant but amused smile. “When you were here, you ordered the same dish every time we went out. Do you remember my mother insisting she make her version for you?”

I had to think about it and gasped. “Oh, God. I almost ate the entire casserole. Didn’t I?”

---