Excerpt of "Deadly Secrets" - Chapter Two, Part Three

It was a lot later before she opened her eyes again. She looked around, startled. She was sure she’d been there for too long and was going to be late for dinner. She rushed out of the bathtub, grabbed a towel, and went to her bedroom to check her watch. It was almost eight o’clock. She vigorously dried herself and blow-dried her hair.Then she put something on in a hurry and rushed downstairs.
The dining room was empty, so she made her way to the living room. Sophie was sitting by the window, sipping some wine. Lovelier than ever, she was wearing a champagne dress and had her hair pulled back in a white ribbon. She looked up as Helena walked inside.
Helena was about to apologize for been late but was interrupted by a cynical voice, “It was nice of you to finally show up.”
She turned around to face Dimitris. Before she could open her mouth, Sophie stood up and stared at him, disapprovingly. “Dimitris, you have to stop treating Helena like this. It wasn’t her fault, and she was hurt as much as the rest of us… maybe more. So don’t be so harsh on her.”
He seemed as if he was about to say something, but finally remained silent.
Sophie came and took Helena’s hand. “Let’s go eat, sweetie. I know you must be starving.”
Helena let Sophie lead her out of the living room without a backwards glance. They walked into the dining room, with Dimitris following right behind them. As soon as the women sat down, Dimitris went and sat at the head of the table.
Helena was shocked! This was too much. This man aggravated her,and the fact he was going to stay for dinner made things even worse. Who does he think he is, sitting in my father’s place at the head of the table?
She tried to be as polite as possible for Sophie's sake. It was obvious Sophie liked Dimitris, and she seemed so excited to have him and Helena there.
Dimitris, on the other hand, could be very charming if he wanted to. He kept on talking to Sophie, totally ignoring Helena. It was Sophie who drew Helena into the conversation several times, and every time, Dimitris would shut her out.
Helena was furious with his arrogant behavior. However, she was even more furious with herself and her conflicting emotions. What was wrong with her? She wanted to get up and run as far away from him as she could, while at the same time, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
She couldn’t help but secretly admire his flawless profile and that perfect, hard to resist body of his. His mere presence set her emotions on fire, and she couldn’t think straight.
Helena found herself lost in wild thoughts and was caught off guard when she realized he was talking to her.
She drew a deep breath and stared at him, only to get lost in the intensity of his gaze. Was that desire she could see in his eyes, or was she mistaken? She swallowed hard, and looking around, she realized they were left alone. Where is Sophie?
“She went to answer the phone,” he responded to her unspoken question.
Helena took a sip of her wine and tried to clear her thoughts. It’s the trip and all the emotions triggered by coming back, she tried to reason with herself. That’s why she was acting so weird. It had to be it… It just couldn’t be him causing the turmoil inside her and throwing her off balance.
She sat there silently, realizing she never heard what he had told her. Never mind, she thought. She had no intention of talking to him, after all. She would just wait until dinner was over, and then he would be gone.
“Why did it…” Dimitris started, but his voice trailed off as Sophie came back.
Helena saw the concerned look in his eyes, as he watched Sophie walking inside with a gloomy expression on her face and her lips pressed into a thin line.
What now? Helena wondered. However, she remained silent.
They finished their dinner in silence, and then Sophie asked them to join her outside on the veranda for coffee and dessert.
Helena was spellbound by the amazing view of the almost black waters of the sea at night, sparkling like liquid silver from the reflection of the bright light of August’s full moon. It was breathtaking.
She sunk into a lounge chair and closed her eyes, inhaling the fragrance of jasmine and roses mixed with the salty sea breeze. What a wonderful sensation!
Everything would have been so perfect, if he weren’t there. She couldn’t deny he was a very handsome man, but he was also so arrogantand irritating.
Helena remained silent until after coffee and dessert were served, trying to avoid looking at him. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin, and her heartbeat accelerated. His mere presence set her emotions to overdrive, and she couldn’t think straight. What is the matter with me? Why am I acting like this? she kept wondering. She had never met anyone before who had such an effect on her.
When Sophie went inside for a while, Helena stood up and walked over to the railings. She stood there, letting her eyes wander over the sparkling sea and the sky, covered with millions of stars.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She heard his voice, soft and sensuous, next to her ear. She was taken aback by the proximity and turned to face him. Brushing her arm against his chest, she felt her skin burning from the touch. He was standing unbearably close… and he looked and smelled so good…
“Helena, I don’t bite,” he said, seeing her instinctive reaction to pull back.
“Oh! But I’m sure you do,” she replied, trying to steady her voice and make it sound sarcastic. But instead, it sounded deep and trembling. She was surprised to see the longing in his eyes—those captivating eyes of his, which could so easily make her pulse accelerate. She nervously wet her lips and took a few steps away, trying to place some distance between them.
“Why did it take you so long?” he asked, repeating the question he had asked earlier.
Helena glanced at him, puzzled. What does he care, anyway? Then again, judging from the look in his eyes, he did care.
“I don’t know,” she whispered simply, and her answer surprised even herself. She didn’t want to talk about this with anyone, but especiallywith him.
He stared at her for a few seconds, and Helena wished she could tell what was going through his mind.
She watched him take a step closer, and drew a deep breath. She had this crazy feeling he was going to kiss her, and time seemed to stop. She knew she should pull away, but she couldn’t—she felt immobilized. What if he does? she wondered, and was shocked to realize she wanted him to.
“I’m so sorry to leave you alone, but I had to make a phone call.” Sophie’s voice brought them back to reality.
Helena walked back to her lounge chair and sat down, while Dimitris leaned against the railings, squeezing them tightly.
“We’re all tired,” Sophie said, turning to Helena. “I think we better go to sleep,” she added and wished them goodnight.
Helena watched her walking towards the French doors, and was furious to see Dimitris showing no intention of leaving. She jumped out of her seat. “I’m going to bed, too!” She wasn’t about to stay out on the veranda with him. She didn’t trust him, and above all, she didn’t trust herself and her emotions.
She hastily followed Sophie inside. “Who does he think he is, acting like this?” Helena burst out—not being able to hold back any longer— and without waiting for an answer she went on, “How rude of him to remain here, while everybody is going to bed!”
Sophie stared at her, surprised. “But my dear child, Dimitris lives here,” she said.
Helena was left speechless.


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