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CHAPTER ONE

CHRISTOS STEPHANIDES had never been into women in uniform Had he been, the world would certainly have known about it for the tabloid press reported his every endary appetite for super fast cars, luxury holy beautiful woossip columns

The young woht his attention, however, was not in his usual style Nor was she even aware of his scrutiny because the tinted s on his limousine shielded hireen fitted jacket and tailored skirt that accentuated her tiny waist and delicate curves just as her plain shoes showed off her aorthy legs

'That woman in the peaked cap Is that an army uniform?' Cristos enquired idly of his second cousin, Spyros Zolottas

The portly old ht attendant'

At the exact ust of wind dislodged the woround Vibrant streamers of Titan hair flew out in an arc behind her as she sprinted off in pursuit She caught up with the cap only a few feet frolorious hair she was struggling to coil back into concealment Surprised by the vivid beauty of her oval face, Cristos stared Luhted skin as fine and s

Tiht be a chauffeur'

Disconcertion pleated Cristos' ebony brows, for to his ory as a servant Watching the redhead cli seat of a Bentley that bore the discreet but uno of a hire coe choice of career for a woman'

Predictably, Spyros loosed a sleazy snigger 'With a body like that she may well find it very lucrative'

Distaste filled Cristos Spyros had always given him the creeps but he was faher than other more instinctive responses

'Are you thinking of your betrothed?' Having er h 'Petrina is a well brought-up girl who knows her place, and if she doesn't know it yet you're just the man to tell her!'

'We will not discuss e a cool note of warning, which in no way reflected the level of his exasperation

Cristos was a Stephanides and Petrina was a Rhodias Their fae would forge even closer ties Matrimony was for the preservation of wealth and power and the raising of the next generation Nobody expected Cristos to be faithful but it would be tasteless to acknowledge that fact out loud His cousin's vulgarity offended him

In truth, Cristos had no time for the other man's laboured efforts to flatter and a for the usual punch line to come After all, Spyros only ever approached him when he wanted money Once Spyros had concocted elaborate tales of invest and sure-fire business ventures that required capital If those failed to i about how his faambler and a waster, Spyros had once revelled in his reputation of never having had to work a day in his forty-odd years of life

SixSpyros to work in the London office of a freight company, one of the many subsidiary businesses that made up the vast Stephanides empire He had hoped that, separated from familiar haunts and cronies, Spyros would make a fresh start To aid that objective, Cristos had paid off all his cousin's debts His own grandfather, Patras, had laughed like a hyena In fact, when Cristos had given Spyros a job Patras had laughed so hard he had almost needed resuscitation

'Spyros is a leech and a loser There's one in every family and we're too rich to let his nearest and dearest starve Pay hie him' Patras had laid a bet that within months Spyros would have reverted to his old habits

Cristos had accepted the bet He saw no reason why the Stephanides clan should fund the dissolute lifestyle that shah he had every respect for his grandfather, it was his firm belief that soo Now Cristos believed that he had lost that bet, for his keenly intelligent gaze had already noted that his lateall the visible stress of a e of an aard occasion

'I know you have to be wondering why I came to meet you off your plane' Spyros paused and breathed in deep 'I wanted to thank you personally for the opportunity you gave me last year to turn my life around'

Lean, strong face expressionless, Cristos stared steadily back at the older man, his surprise that his cousin should speak so freely in front of Timon concealed 'If that has been the result, I a smile

Cristos was enough of a cynic to be disconcerted but he was also genuinely pleased

'You will join us for dinner this evening before you leave?' Spyros pressed with enthusiasm

Cristos had had other plans His currentat the aparts was sex on silk sheets with a wo zeal With regret he shelved that sensual ie and cursed his powerful libido His principles had spoken: the very least that Spyros deserved was recognition of his achievement

Before she had even arrived at Gemma and Rory's apartment in the leafy city suburbs, Betsy had pro her sister said So when Gemma widened her china-blue eyes and tossed her pale blonde head and said, 'I think being very skinny is aging,' Betsy, who stuffed herself with biscuits in the forlorn hope that she would develop a larger boso

When Gemma exclai with a te and hid her hands below the table as estion that her casual jeans and shirt made her look like a boy and even a later reference to her lack of material success in the world Indeed she was proud of herself for not rising to the bait

Rory shared the same table, both with them and not with theirlfriend and her older sister pronounced Every so often hein a new conversational subject but no matter what it was it always seerist for her rim, tense and embarrassed Like Betsy, he was in the dark as to why Gemma seemed to have a need to verbally attack Betsy in every way she could

After all, on the face' of things, Betsy rather than Gerind and the chip on her shoulder Three years earlier, Betsy and Rory pad been on the bri

nk of getting engaged when Genant and that Rory was the father of the baby she was carrying Their parents had urged Betsy to take the news on the chin She had done so She had been far too proud to show any sign of wanting to hang onto a one behind her back to sleep with her very much prettier sister She had also cared too hastly situation worse than it already had been and tear her whole family apart And unhappily for her, Betsy reflected ruefully, she had never yet learned how not to love Rory

'Every other single girl I know is out partying seven nights a week… I can't believe that you still haven't found a bloke of your own!' Gemma commented tartly

For a split second angry pain gripped Betsy and she pushed restive fingers through the feathery fringe of dark red hair on her pale brow She almost blurted out that she had had a bloke of her own until Gemma had stolen him and she only bit back that crack with difficulty The cost of restraint made hot pink flare over her cheekbones and she let her pride do her talking for her and she lied 'There's a guy at work… I' him'

In open disconcertion, her younger sister stared at her 'What's his name?'

'Joe…' Betsy compressed her lips and looked down at her meal without appetite The saretted it, for she realised that that one lie would only lead to further lies But Joe did exist, she re him, he had at least asked her out 'He's new… he started at Io-'

'What age is he? What does he look like?' Interested questions flooded from Gemma