the table. Whatever trouble Stelios had cooking, he wanted no part of it.
"Bonjour, mademoiselle."
Tahey suddenly found her chin being tipped up by the Greek billionaire, and her confusion only grew when she saw the seductive smile that had curved over his lips. He had always been charming and flirtatious, and she knew of his playboy reputation from the tabloids, but he hadn't ever tried hitting on her...until now.
"Um...bonjour back?"
Stelios laughed, and Tahey could only smile weakly even though she didn't really think her answer had been funny at all. Bonjour, merci, and c'est la vie were pretty much the sum total of her knowledge of French.
Sasha came to stand next to his brother and allowed a feigned frown to crease his forehead as he watched Stelios continue to banter with Dmitry's secretary. "What the hell is Stelios thinking?"
Dmitry's lips tightened.
"Doesn't he realize how impressionable Tahoma is?" Sasha shook his head in disgust. "I enjoy teasing Ms. Baskerville once in a while myself, but I've at least made sure she knows not to read anything in it. Stelios, however..." He stopped speaking, with Dmitry having already stalked off towards the balcony.
Job well done, Sasha thought, and he could only hope that Dmitry would thank him for it one day.
Dmitry could feel his blood boiling hotter as he heard more of Stelios' conversation with Tahey. What the hell was the other man thinking, poaching on his—-
Shit.
His steps came into an abrupt halt as he found himself grappling with an internal dilemma. Sasha's observations had been entirely accurate, and Dmitry knew better than anyone else what a gullible little fool Tahey could be. And as for Stelios...if there was any man who could turn Tahey's head around, make her forget about her feelings for Dmitry—-
Fuck.
Who knew if she still had feelings for him anyway? And with Stelios around, and Stelios being Dmitry's exact opposite - maybe it was inevitable for Tahey to forget Dmitry and move on with the Greek playboy.
And if that happened...
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Now was the time to prove to himself that he didn't care for her in any way.
That she was nothing to him.
But then he heard her laugh—-
A soft, musical sound that was only supposed to be his.
Just for his fucking ears, dammit.
And Dmitry saw red.
Tahey let out a startled gasp when a strong hand suddenly gripped hers just before she was being yanked off from her seat. Her head jerked up, and glittering golden eyes immediately captured her gaze.
"We're leaving." Dmitry's voice was low and rough, and his big hard body seemed to be bristling with barely leashed violence.
Uncertainty crawled down her spine, and a ball of trepidation pooled inside of her stomach even as she heard herself stammer, "O-Okay."
Her quick acquiescence seemed to mollify him somewhat. She could sense him calming down a little even as the tightness of his grip didn't ease. Turning around, Dmitry led her out of the balcony in a swift, powerful stride that had almost had her running just to keep up with him.
With her boss not even bothering to look at the other members of Strakh Inc., she could only give them a weak smile of apology just before Dmitry had successfully dragged her out of the hotel's penthouse suite.
"Where are we going?"
But instead of answering, Dmitry shot a question back at her in a snarl. "What the hell do you think you were doing?"
"I was just talking to Mr. Diamandis—-"
"It wasn't just that," he snapped.
Before she could reply, Dmitry had unlocked a door at the other end of the hallway. He then shot her a look that had her gulping in instinctive fear. "Get in."
Tahey hurried inside, knowing better than to argue. The room they were in was smaller than the one earlier, but it was just as lavish and had its own balcony as well. Turning around, she watched Dmitry put the lock in place, and her heart hammered away. She watched him slowly turn to face her, and her mouth slowly went dry as she saw the look on his chillingly beautiful face.
He was furious.
Very, very furious.
But more than that...
"You're jealous," she gasped.
The glitter in his gaze intensified, and the growl he emitted was enough to make her take a nervous step back.
Tahey had always been fascinated with big, dangerous cats. Even as a little girl, she had loved watching documentaries that showcased their strength and agility, the way they could make their kill with the deadliest of grace.
And thinking about it now...she finally realized that was what