A Tale of Two Cousins Read online

  “That’s because Beck is a poor little country that’s just getting back onto its feet after getting their independence, isn’t it, Thyra?” Harry said.

  I nodded. “It’s located near Poland, so I’m not surprised if you haven’t heard of it.”

  “Poor?” Patricia pounced on the word. “So, you’ve found yourself a sugar daddy to latch on to, have you?”

  I stared at her in openmouthed horror.

  She turned to Harry to add, “I’d say I was surprised you allowed such a gold digger into the family, but that’s nothing new to the Papaioannou clan, is it?”

  I felt sick, physically sick, my stomach turning over at the accusation. I wanted to protest that I wasn’t like that, but knew she wouldn’t believe me. It was suddenly all too clear that people would think I was marrying Dmitri for the monetary advantages it brought me. Worse, the Beck ministers were sure to think the same thing, no doubt assuming I picked him as a way to make myself look solvent and worthy in their eyes.

  “For God’s sake, Patricia—” Harry’s frown was a thing of beauty to behold, but Patricia cut her off before she could really get going.

  “I will see you tomorrow,” she told Harry, her eyes all but shooting daggers at me as she stomped past me. “I hope that you and Iakovos will come without any unexpected ... guests.”

  “I’m so sorry about that, Thyra,” Harry apologized. “That was seriously uncalled-for, and I think it’s about time we instigate another six-month Patricia ban.”

  “It’s OK,” I said, trying not to let her see how devastated I felt. It wasn’t her problem, and I’d be damned before I burdened her with my issues. “I’m sorry I ran them off, though.”

  “Don’t be—although Patricia and I have worked out a relationship where we mostly don’t hate each other, she is far from someone with whom I wish to spend time, and her friend seems to be just like her. What Patricia said was just over the line, though.” Harry put an arm around me when I made an embarrassed face. “I can’t imagine what she was thinking.”

  “Probably that there was no way a short, round woman with glasses and horrible social skills could interest Dmitri in any way, shape, or form.”

  “But you do,” Harry said, watching me carefully.

  “Evidently. I can’t explain it, but I’m not going to question it too much. He’s a pretty awesome man, and I’m counting my blessings that he gave me a second look.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re charming. You have the loveliest eyes, and the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen. It lies so smooth and straight. Mine is always a wild tangle, and I’d give anything to have hair like yours. Dmitri is a smart man, and he knows what he’s about. Like Yacky and Theo, he has the ability to look past the glamorous but incredibly shallow women who flit in and out of his life, and recognizes substance when he sees it.”

  I was flattered by her words despite making a little noise of protest, and quickly turned the subject to how she and Iakovos had met. By the time she’d told me about that, and how her brother-in-law had met his wife, we’d eaten lunch, sat outside in the shade until it got too hot, and then both had a little rest. Mrs. Avrabos showed me into a guest room into which she’d placed a new litter box and a bowl of water. Before I could do more than take off my shoes, she was back with a little plate of tuna.

  “Is for the kitty,” she said, offering the treat to Valentino. “He keeps me company while you were gone. He is a very nice kitty.”

  He head bonked her leg before rubbing himself around her ankle, his shepherd’s crook tail caressing her leg for a second before he ambled over to the plate.

  “He is that. Thank you for putting up with him while Harry and I were gone.”

  “You bring him the next time you visit,” she said, running a hand down his back, causing him to go into elevator-butt mode.

  I lay back on the bed, not overly tired, but definitely needing some quiet time to recharge my batteries; however, before I could snort a couple of times over Audrey’s comment—which still struck me as hilarious—I must have dozed off, because I woke up almost two hours later with Valentino lying on my chest, purring as he stared at me.

  Dmitri was in the living room, looking just as he had that morning—adorable, sexy, handsome as sin, and extremely businesslike in a tailored suit. Iakovos was sitting with Harry cuddled into him, but he’d taken off his tie and suit jacket, looking much more relaxed.

  “Hello,” I said when Dmitri, who had been standing at the floor-to-ceiling glass wall looking out at the city, turned to greet me. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. I must have been a lot more tired than I thought.”

  “I looked in on you a little bit ago, but you were sound asleep with your protector on you. The look he gave me made it quite clear I wasn’t to disturb you,” he answered, and bent to pick up Valentino, who had come over to head bonk his shoes a couple of times.

  “You’ll get cat hair all over you,” I warned him, frowning.

  Dmitri shrugged. “That’s what a cleaner is for. Harry has been telling me about your adventures today.”

  I slid a glance toward Harry. She gave me a little headshake, which I think Iakovos caught, because he pinched her thigh, making her giggle and whisper something into his ear.

  “We went to her lawyer, yes. He said that he will make up a provision that under no circumstances will you benefit from my ancestry unless I should wish it. Assuming your lawyer does something similar to protect your assets, then I think we’re good.”

  “He has, and will draw up a final agreement for us to sign tomorrow,” Dmitri said. “He also suggested revising my will. I don’t suppose you have one?”

  I nodded. “I do, actually. My brother made me get one even though neither one of us has any money. Just so you know, if I drop dead tomorrow, Chris will inherit my vast fortune of fifty-seven euros. But I suppose I should change it to reflect being married to you.”

  “It’s a good idea to update a will in such cases,” Iakovos said, giving Harry a long look when she bit his earlobe. “Er ... would you both excuse us for a few minutes? Harry needs ... er ...”

  “You’re damned right I do,” she said, using his arm to hoist herself up. “Bathroom first, then ... yes.”

  “Oh, Harry,” I said, stopping her when she was toddling out of the room. “Do you ... since I’m in debt to you already, Papa really can’t complain. ... Could I use your phone again? I’d like to call my brother in Scotland.”

  She looked at me in amazement for a moment, then slid a look past me to Dmitri. “Er ... I think the battery is low. Let me charge it for a bit first, OK?”

  Iakovos more or less pulled her out of the room, down the hall to their suite. I frowned. “That was odd,” I said, turning back to Dmitri. “I wonder why she—whoa. What’s the matter?”

  “Why,” he asked, his expression as black as night, “did you ask to use her phone?”

  “Because I want to call my brother and tell him we’re getting married. Just in case for some weird reason he heard about it from someone else. Why are you so angry?”

  “I am the man you are about to marry,” he said, marching over to me, gripping me firmly on the arms. I had an idea he wanted to shake me but was restraining himself. “You agreed to live with me. You said you were falling in love with me. Dammit, I let you frolic on my body this morning in a manner that no other woman has frolicked. Why wouldn’t you ask to use my phone instead of Harry’s?”

  Oh dear. I’d hurt his feelings. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel like you weren’t worthy of a phone borrow, but since I’m in debt to Harry—”

  “You are not.”

  “I am. She’s fronting the lawyer’s fee until I get paid by the magazine.”

  He took a deep, deep breath, which I would have enjoyed much more if he didn’t have a suit and shirt on hiding his glorious chest from me. “I will pay for the lawyer. It was my idea; thus it’s only right that I pay.”

  “Oh, no,”
I said, sliding out of his grip. Now I was annoyed. “I thought we had this out already. Dmitri, I might have asked you to marry me, but I don’t intend to take advantage of you—”

  “It’s not taking advantage to ask me to use my damned phone!” he thundered.

  “No, and I’m sorry about that. I see now that you feel slighted that I’d ask to use Harry’s phone and not yours, but I just figured that since I owed her already, an additional expense in the form of a phone call wouldn’t hurt. But the phone situation aside—although I really would like to call my brother, so if you don’t mind if I used your phone, I’d like to do that—the matter of a lawyer’s fees is entirely different. It’s my responsibility, and as you know because I’ve told you this at least a half dozen times, my parents taught me to always pay my debts.”

  He ran one hand through his hair for a moment, his green eyes blazing with a light I’d never seen. “I used to think Jake exaggerated the aggravation he had with Harry, but I see now I underestimated just what he went through. Well, I’m not going to have it, do you hear me? I’m not going to let you live like a pauper just because you are too stubborn to let me be proud of you.”

  I straightened my shoulders. “I am not stubborn! I simply don’t like being used because of who I am, and I would never dream of doing the same to you. And as for help, of course I accept help! I’m letting you help me by marrying me, and I don’t see how I could do any more than that.”

  “You won’t even use my phone because you think it leaves you beholden to me, for Christ’s sake,” he almost yelled. “Thyra, I understand that you don’t want to live like a parasite, but if we are to stand any chance of having a relationship that doesn’t crash and burn immediately, you’re going to have to accept a few things about me. One of which is how I treat my lovers. It gives me pleasure to give them things like jewelry or clothing or little trinkets and things like that. And before you say what I know you want to say, this isn’t about self-sufficiency, and you taking pride in making your own way. I’m all for that. I’ve lived that. This is about trust.”

  I stared at him, unsure of why he was so angry. “I thought we had this out already. I trust you, Dmitri. And I don’t mind little love gifts. Those are fine. I want to make things for you that I think you’ll like. But you come from a different world, one where people take advantage of you because you are rich as sin—”

  “I’m not,” he said quickly, but the tight muscle in his jaw loosened enough that he gave a half smile. “Iakovos is rich as sin. I’m just rich as a minor misdemeanor.”

  I put my hand on his chest and gently bit his chin. Really, could the man be any more adorable? “You remember that I told you how my dad raised Chris and I to be responsible for ourselves?”

  “Considering you’ve mentioned that at least once a day, including just a few minutes ago, yes,” he said with a twist to his lips.

  “If I’m hitting you over the head with it, it’s only because you don’t seem to understand how important it is to me. My dad instilled the importance of self-reliance because people equated our heritage with money. I can’t tell you the number of times people assumed I was rich, and tried to use me for their benefit. Later, when I had enough smarts to make it clear that I did not inherit anything but an empty title, they wanted to use me to make themselves feel more important. So I very much know what it’s like to have people use you for what you have instead of who you are, and I refuse to be one of them. You may be only moderately rich, but it’s still rich, and I won’t be like the others who expect material goods from you.”

  He tensed up again. “Do you expect to set a monetary limit of any gifts I want to give you?”

  “No. Well, maybe just a rough guideline,” I said lamely, confused by the anger I could feel inside him. I wanted to do whatever it took to make him happy again, but at the same time, I wasn’t willing to simply cast off everything I’d been raised to believe was right. “I don’t expect you to give me a house or something like that.”

  “I hadn’t planned on giving you a house,” he answered, his gorgeous eyes glittering. “But if I wanted to, I would expect you to accept it, just as you accept everything that goes along with living with me. Or did you plan to chip in on my electricity bill?”

  I gasped in horror, my back stiffening. “No, I didn’t. I’m not that stupid, Dmitri. I know you can afford to live in your apartment without me contributing to it, although I do think that perhaps we could work up some sort of plan with regards to cat supplies, but I was going to leave that discussion for another day. However!” I held up my hand to stop him when he started growling at me. A little tremor of excitement ran through me. Dear God, he was magnificent, even when he was irrationally angry. I just wanted to tear that suit right off him, and lick every inch of his glorious body. “However, I am not a gold digger, even if that’s what people think about me. I want to be with you because I like you. A lot. I like talking to you, and touching you, and kissing you, and doing all that frolicking that you let me do this morning, but nowhere in the list of things I like about you is the plan to milk you for all the presents I can get. I’d rather die, first.”

  “And therein is the problem. Thyra, I want you to let me treat you like the princess you are.”

  “And I appreciate that, but your friend Patricia already called me a gold digger, and—”

  “I don’t give a damn what she thinks,” he argued. “This isn’t about anyone else. It’s about you and me.”

  I was silent for a moment. “And what about Beck?” I finally asked.

  “What about them?”

  “You said you wanted me to fight for them. What will they think if gossip from people like Patricia gets around that I’m benefiting financially by marrying you? Just one person calling me a gold digger isn’t a big deal, but if enough people say it, the ministers of Beck may think I really am the type of person who would take advantage of you like that. And I couldn’t blame them at all for not wanting me to represent their country.”

  He stared at me for a few seconds, then released my arms. “I won’t let such a smear campaign happen.”

  “You know what the Internet is like. Once a whisper hits it, it turns into a tidal wave,” I pointed out.

  “And that’s where me being minor-misdemeanor rich will help. Money can squash such waves before they get started.”

  “Which would make me feel hideously guilty that you had to spend your misdemeanor money just because of me. And on something so worthless!” I slapped my hands on my thighs, frustration mingling with a warm glow of appreciation for the fact that he wanted to protect me. No one had ever wanted to protect me. At least, not since I had become an adult.

  Dmitri ran his hand through his hair again, disturbing the curls and making my fingers want to comb through them. “I just am at a loss with you. I swear, I just can’t make you understand.”

  “I understand,” I told him, giving in to my desire and gently finger-combing his hair back the way it should be. “You want to give me presents because it makes you feel good, and you want to protect me because you are a naturally chivalrous man. I’m willing to accept a little of both. Just not all of everything, if you know what I mean.”

  “It’s not just presents—” He stopped for the count of eight, looking thoughtful. “You’re not ... your objection is that you feel like you’re using me if we live together as a couple, is that right?”

  “Only if you give me a bunch of things. Expensive things. If you want to give me a car or something like that, and expect me to take money from you, then yes, that’s going to make me feel like I’m using you. Like I’m the gold digger that Patricia says I am.”

  A slow smile curled up the corners of his mouth. “Then the solution is to have you work for me.”

  “Huh? Work how?” I asked, having vague, horrified thoughts of sex for hire.

  “You can be my personal assistant,” he said, his smile growing. “Yes, that will do nicely, I think.”

  “Pe
rsonal assistant like office things? I can type, but I’m not superfast at it. My Google-fu is strong, though, so if you need something researched, I could do that.” I had to admit, I liked this idea. I’d been an assistant before, and was perfectly able to fetch coffee, make photocopies, file, and so forth. If Dmitri really needed that sort of help, I was more than able to give it. “But what about Alexis? Isn’t he your assistant?”

  “I intended on moving him into doing more organizational work with the business, and less personal work.” His smile got a bit cheeky. “Whereas I would much prefer to keep you entirely personal.”

  “Well ... so long as it didn’t interfere with any work the magazine wants me to do, and of course if Beck comes through—but even then, that’s likely to be just a part-time job, one that would leave me free to help you out, too.”

  “Yes, I think this will work very well,” he said in a satisfied voice. “You will assist me, and I will pay you a salary for that work. That way, I can give you things, and it won’t tweak your pride, or make you feel like you’re taking advantage of me.”

  I had been about to kiss him, but I pulled back, my eyes narrowing. “Oh, hell no!”

  “Pardon?”

  I poked him in the chest. “You’re going to try to give me a big salary, aren’t you? I won’t take it! I will look up what a normal PA makes, and you can pay me that.”

  “We will naturally negotiate a rate that allows me to not feel like I’m a slave driver, and yet will include periodic gifts to you as I see fit.”

  “Negotiate,” I said slowly. “That sounds like a good idea. I can have Harry’s lawyer draw up a list of my demands, as well as a list of deductions that I will expect to contribute if I am drawing a salary. Such as food for Valentino, since he’s my dependent, vet bills, and litter, and treats and such.”

  He stared at me for a good half minute, the muscles in his jaw working again; then he pulled out his cell phone and handed it to me, saying as he walked away, “Call your brother. I am going to beat the hell out of Jake’s punching bag for ten minutes. Possibly longer if I start thinking about what sorts of things you’re going to tell the lawyer to include in your list of demands.”