Chapter 3
The next morning Costa took breakfast in his study, immersing himself in work. The business disaster he left Athens and came to Seleni to forget was still weighing heavily on his mind. Brooding on the mess only served to further sour his mood, which was black. Thoughts of Fidelio and Tallia preoccupied him throughout the night, giving him a restless sleep.
It was late when he finally left his study and went to the terrace where he imagined the lovebirds would probably be having breakfast, since it was almost ten o'clock. When he saw Tallia alone by the railing, Costa hesitated in the French doors that opened onto the wide deck. The table showed signs of two people having recently eaten, but Fidelio was nowhere in sight.
Tallia stood with her back to him, leaning against the high railing around the terrace, which jutted out over the edge of the cliff where the house was built. She was undoubtedly watching the waves crashing on the rocks below. Costa couldn't blame her as he often found himself enjoying the hypnotic beauty of the ocean's fury from the very spot where she stood. He especially liked to linger there during storms to enjoy the elements in their full, wild tumult.
Steeling himself to face her, Costa had to smile wryly as he acknowledged he had never felt quite so leery of a woman. When he joined her at the railing, he smiled to see her startle at the sight of him before she slowly offered him that same nervous, tremulous smile she wore yesterday.
Tallia was uneasy around him, which pleased him since he wanted her off balance. Studying her coolly, he wondered how much of her nerves came from a guilty conscience. She wasn't the usual brash, loud, self-assured tart Fidelio preferred- the sort Costa had plenty of experience getting his brother out from under. Usually it only took as much time as he needed to write a check to send those types packing.
Miss Tallia Maitland, however, seemed a bit subtler. Costa had seen no real heat in her expression when she was with Fidelio last night. Oh, she liked his brother, there was no doubt about that, but he could detect no passion from her towards his sibling. Her lack of ardor only confirmed his suspicion that she was focused only the bottom line, the main chance, and a solid gold meal ticket.
"Good morning Tallia, how did you sleep?" he inquired politely, leaning an elbow on the railing beside her and angling his body to face her.
Tallia blinked and edged just the slightest bit backwards to put some distance between them, before she responded softly, "Good morning. Very well, thank you. It’s wonderfully quiet here, I actually slept the entire night through."
"You have trouble sleeping?" he asked and leaned in to close the gap between them, just to see her reaction. Tallia's nostrils flared slightly, as did her remarkable eyes, which were smoky lavender in the harsh morning light.
"A-a little," she stuttered, her chest heaving gently. Costa imagined he could see her heart fluttering like a terrified birds. He kept staring at her and watched color rise in her face as a delicate blush warmed her wintry beauty the way it had last night over dinner.
Costa allowed a wry grin to curl one corner of his mouth, "You look very rested," he commented.
Without really knowing what he was doing, beguiled by that blush, he lifted a hand to brush a finger down one sleek, white cheek. As he suspected, she felt like velvet to the touch. To his surprise she shivered, and her thick, pale lashes dipped to cover her eyes. If her blush shocked him, Costa was fairly stunned by her reaction to his touch. He found it impossible to stop and drew the tip of his finger lightly to the corner of her mouth. Her lower lip trembled as she drew an uneven breath and heat exploded through his veins. She was attracted to him or a damn fine actress!
Dropping his hand, he tore his eyes from her before he did something stupid like kiss her. Costa could only imagine what it would do to Fidelio, to find his brother and his woman in a heated embrace. Poor Fidelio would be devastated.
Clearly Tallia was not thinking of her lover as she leaned ever so slightly towards him, inviting his touch. It took far more of his self control than it should have, to stop Costa from bending to cover her mouth with his own. He cut Tallia a cold look, furious with her for turning him on with only a shiver.
His anger was lost on her, as her eyes were still shut. Her entire body was quivering with reaction. Costa's mouth twisted into an ugly smirk, unimpressed with her overacting. He was almost tempted to tell her to take it down a notch, because he hardly touched her. Yet she was trembling like a leaf.
Shock lanced through him when he glanced away from her face and his gaze lit on the inside of her arms, where they rested on the brass railing. Needle marks marred the milky white skin of Tallia’s forearms. Outraged by the blatant evidence of her disgusting habits, he grabbed one of her wrists and ran his thumb roughly over the worst of the scars in the crook of her elbow. Tallia gasped in shock and tired to pull away, her slanted eyes flaring wide.
"Morning, sleepy head!" Fidelio called out as he bounded onto the terrace. Tallia jerked away from Costa with a guilty start and moved towards Fidelio.
"Are you speaking to me?" Costa asked with a condescending arch of his brow. He gripped the railing to keep from grabbing Tallia and dragging her back to his side. Fidelio had the grace to flush, even though it was a running joke between them that he always slept late while Costa rose at dawn and began working almost immediately.
"I'm off to Tanos to pick up a few things, can I get you anything?" Fidelio asked, flapping a piece of paper in the air excitedly, while he slid an arm around Tallia and cuddled her close. A long list of things was already scrawled out on the paper.
"You are both going to Tanos?" Costa asked with studied indifference.
"No, Tallia is staying here to rest up," Fidelio replied with a broad grin, planting a smacking kiss on the top of her bright, pale head.
"I'd only slow you down," Tallia added with a self-deprecating smile.
Fidelio drew back to hold her at arms length and tenderly denied it, "I never said that!"
"Of course not, you're too nice to say it, but you know its true," she retorted with a crooked little smile.
"You can come if you want Tallia."
"I'm just kidding," she said after giving Costa a brief, uneasy look.
"Don't be frightened of the big guy," Fidelio teased, rubbing her back gently, "He looks mean, but that's just a show to keep up his image as a ruthless tycoon. He's really a softy at heart.
“C’mon Coco, stop glaring! I'm sorry we invaded your fortress of solitude, but it’s all for a good cause- I swear. Now, I have to go. Ari's got the boat ready and he's rarin’ to be off, but I promise I'll explain everything as soon as I get back!"
Costa was skeptical, but pasted a pleasant look on his face for his brother’s benefit. He doubted Fidelio's good mood would last through the day, but he wasn't about to say as much. He was, however, delighted to hear his brother was going, leaving him alone with Tallia. It would give him just enough time to get what he wanted out of her.
Yesterday he worried that she would be hard to get rid of, with her fragile, winsome beauty, but after her performance a moment ago he was confident they could reach a satisfactory agreement between them. With cool calculation he wondered if he could have her off the island by the time Fidelio returned. It would take some hard negotiating, but she had tipped her hand, showing him that she was more than willing to change sides- probably for a tidy price, he thought cynically.
It annoyed Costa to realize that even knowing what a mercenary, faithless tart Tallia was, he still wanted her. Truthfully, his lust for the fey creature was increasing exponentially with each passing moment, as if he was infected with some virulent, opportunistic virus.
He decided he would have a talk with her and then send her off to Athens in his helicopter. He would have her dropped off at his apartment and join her as soon as he let Fidelio down gently. His brother would never have to know the full extent of her perfidy, and after a night or two with her Costa was confident he would be glad to send her packing, never to darken eithe
r of their doors ever again.
"Why don't I take Tallia out for a little sightseeing?" he offered, struggling to keep the purring anticipation from his voice.
Costa wanted her, badly, but he would not have her sullying his home. He had to get her out of the house in case he lost control and gave in to temptation. They could indulge in a little flirtation as he showed her the island, and by the time they got back he would have the helicopter waiting to whisk her off to Athens and safely out of Fidelio's reach.
He suffered no flicker of conscience as he made his plans. He told himself it was for the best, and he was protecting his brother from a faithless bitch who was willing to transfer her affection from one man to the next at the drop of a hat. It was his duty after all, to watch his brother’s back. Someday Fidelio would thank him for his shrewdness.
"That would be wonderful!" Fidelio cried happily, making Costa feel like a dog despite his efforts to divorce all emotion from what he intended to do.
"Oh, you needn't go to any trouble-" Tallia rushed to say.
Fidelio cut her off, wrapping an arm around her shoulders he shook her gently and insisted, "Nonsense, you can't stay cooped up in this house! You're on vacation, Ally. I know the island looks inhospitable, but it’s really very beautiful. You'll see, and you can't hope for a better tour guide than Costa, he knows all the best views and secret spots. You have to go!"
Tallia looked less than delighted, but she smiled and nodded, giving in easily to Fidelio's wishes. Costa grinned then, taking pleasure in her discomfort. Clearly she was not quite as confident to be alone with him as she had seemed a moment ago, when she quivered beneath his finger like a flower under an errant breeze.
"Very well," she murmured passively.
"Great, that’s settled, go put on some sunscreen and get a hat, we can't have you burning to a crisp," Fidelio told her, turning her around to the door and sending her back into the house like an obedient puppy, with a tiny push.
As soon as she was gone Fidelio crossed the terrace to give Costa a grateful hug. "Thanks, I have some things I need to get that I'd rather she not see, if you know what I mean?" Fidelio confided in him with a wicked grin. "Now take extra special care with her, Coco, Ally tends to overdo things. Make sure she stays covered up and doesn't overexert herself, ok?"
"I think I can manage," Costa replied dryly.
Fidelio laughed and nodded, "Sorry, I just need everything to be perfect, and I worry about her. She's very special." Fidelio hesitated for a moment, as if he would say more, and then he laughed and exclaimed, "I'll see you this afternoon, we have to talk, I have so much to tell you- wish me luck!"
Not in the least pleased to see his brother’s obvious excitement, Costa gave Fidelio a rough shove towards the door and growled, "Go." Luckily Fidelio was too blissed-out on love to notice there was no humor in Costa's manner, and he spun around and practically skipped away.