Arion reached into his desk and slid across a small black triangular piece of gleaming plastic.
There were no markings on it. It might have been one of those if-you-had-to-apply-for-it-you-couldnât-afford-it credit cards reserved for multibillionaires. Sheâd read about them in a magazine once. Or it might have been a loyalty card for die-hard coffee addicts. Perla had no way of telling.
She looked from the card to Arionâs face. âWhatâs that for?â she asked suspiciously.
âThat card lets you into that lift. The lift will take you straight to my penthouse. Youâll wait for me thereââ
âNo.â Perla stopped what was coming before he could finish.
His nostrils flared. âExcuse me?â
âI wonât do ⦠whatever it is you have in mind. I know what you think of me, but youâre wrong. What happened between us that night wasnât cheap and it wasnât tawdry. Not for me at least. And I despise you for thinking Iâd stoop that low to get you to help meââ
âBe quiet for one second and listen.â
The rough command in his voice dried her words.
âYou have nowhere to stay. I have a meeting in ⦠exactly eight minutesâwhich will last for five hours. Minimum. Unless you intend to wander the streets in the rain until Iâm finished, my offer is the best youâre going to get.â
Surprise stamped through her. âOh, you mean you want me to go up and just ⦠wait for you?â she asked.
âWhy, Mrs Lowell, you sound disappointed â¦â
Rich, powerful and impossible to resist
Sakis, Arion and Theo Pantelidesâthree formidable brothers who have risen up from the darkness of their pasts to conquer the world. Powerful, gorgeous and fabulously wealthy, these deliciously arrogant Greeks can have any woman they wantâbut none will ever tame them.
Until now?
WHAT THE GREEKâS MONEY CANâT BUY April 2014
Sakis is hungry to give in to the forbidden temptation of his buttoned-up PAâbut will the cynical Greek pay the price for breaking his golden rule?
WHAT THE GREEK CANâT RESIST June 2014
Perla Lowell is the last woman Arion should want yet he canât deny himself one night with this irresistible temptressâbut what will happen when the dark-hearted Greek discovers the consequences of succumbing to his desire?
Donât miss Theoâs story, coming soon!
MAYA BLAKE fell in love with the world of the alpha male and the strong, aspirational heroine when she borrowed her sisterâs Mills & Boon>® at age thirteen. Shortly thereafter the dream to plot a happy ending for her own characters was born. Writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon>® is a dream come true. Maya lives in South East England with her husband and two kids. Reading is an absolute passion, but when she isnât lost in a book she likes to swim, cycle, travel and Tweet!
You can get in touch with her
via e-mail at [email protected], or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mayablake
Recent titles by the same author:
WHAT THE GREEKâS MONEY CANâT BUY
(The Untamable Greeks) HIS ULTIMATE PRIZE MARRIAGE MADE OF SECRETS THE SINFUL ART OF REVENGE
Did you know these are also available as eBooks?Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk
CHAPTER ONE
THE CAR PARK was as quiet as sheâd hoped it would be. Inside her trusted Miniâs soothing cocoon, Perla Lowell bit the tip of her pen and searched fruitlessly for the right words.
Four lines. Four paltry lines in two hours were all sheâd managed to come up with. She swallowed her despair. Three short days from now sheâd have to stand up in front of friends and family and make a speech...
And she had no words.
No, scratch that. She had words. But none rang true. Because the truth... No, she couldnât...wouldnât subject anyone to the truth. Her whole life for the past three years had been a colossal lie. Was it any wonder her hands shook every time she tried to write? That her heart pounded with self-loathing for the lies she had to perpetuate for the sake of appearances?
But how could she do anything else? How could she repay kindness with humiliation? Because doing or saying anything else other than what was expected would bring devastation that she couldnât live with.
Anger mingled with despair. With a vicious twist she ripped the paper in two. The cathartic sound echoed through the car and spilled out into the night air. As if loosening the stranglehold sheâd exercised on her emotions for longer than she cared to remember, the tears sheâd been unable to shed so far now pierced through her tightened chest into her throat.
Her fingers gained a life of their own. Two halves of paper became four, then eight. She ripped again and again, until the sheet spilled through her hands in little wisps of illegible confetti. She upended her hands and watched the mess strewn all over the passenger seat. With a jagged groan, she buried her face in her hands, expecting finally, finally, to shed a tear.