Bought By The Greek Tycoon. JACQUELINE BAIRD

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      ‘I think I need that drink,’ Theo Devetzi rasped as he settled down on the sofa, and then muttered something in Greek that to Jemma sounded suspiciously like a curse.

      ‘If you’ll wait here, I’ll go and get you a brandy. It will do you more good than champagne,’ Jemma offered. The man was obviously still in some pain, she thought compassionately.

      Meanwhile, Luke had placed a hand on Jan’s back and escorted her through the crowd. He smiled, and continued to smile in all the right places, while Jan accepted effusive birthday congratulations from her friends and they made their way towards her mother and father at the far end of the room. Luke could act the perfect consort without a thought, and his thoughts were centred on the lovely Jemma.

      He glanced around the room, wondering which man was her husband. He was a lucky man—or maybe not so lucky, Luke thought cynically. There had been no mistaking the sexual chemistry, the wild passion between Jemma and himself. Her poor husband was more to be pitied than envied, he concluded.

      But it was time he concentrated on Jan and did what he was here to do—help his grandfather. He glanced around the room and spotted Theo, safely seated, and briefly their eyes met. For a second Luke thought he saw panic in his grandfather’s gaze, but as he watched Jemma approached and handed Theo a brandy, and the old man was all smiles.

      Jemma handed the brandy glass to Theo. ‘You’re sure you’re okay?’ she queried, sitting down beside him and taking a good swallow from her own glass of champagne. She wasn’t normally a drinker, but dear heaven she needed something to steady her nerves and her stomach…

      ‘Much better,’ Theo reassured her, and took a sip of brandy. ‘Your sister Jan seems to know Luke well. Have you ever met him before?’ he asked casually.

      ‘No.’ Jemma gritted her teeth and lied. She had no intention of letting this sweet old man know what had happened between her and Luke a year ago. ‘But Jan has known him for years, I believe,’ she answered. Poor Theo started coughing again. ‘You sound as if you have caught a cold; are you sure you should be out so soon after your accident?’

      ‘No, really, I’m fine,’ Theo insisted, and then changed the subject by explaining to her what she had voted for at the board meeting—apparently she had agreed to another stock flotation to raise money.

      ‘It doesn’t make much difference to me,’ Jemma said lightly. ‘I’m mildly dyslexic with numbers, and what I know about high finance wouldn’t cover my little fingernail. But I wouldn’t say no to the money.’ Draining her glass, she put it down on a convenient table, as did Theo.

      ‘Well, there’s a simple answer to that.’ Theo took his opportunity swiftly. ‘You could sell me your aunt’s villa on Zante. It used to be my family home years ago, you know. Call me sentimental, but I’d rather like it back. I’m willing to give you well above the market value for it if you agree.’

      ‘It’s a nice thought, and I really would if I could, but I can’t sell it to you.’ Jemma saw Theo’s puzzlement and explained. ‘Aunt Mary left it in trust for me, and for my children, and for my children’s children, ad infinitum—all tied up legally.’

      ‘I see.’ The old man’s dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ‘Have you ever considered applying to have the trust broken? I believe it is possible.’

      ‘Maybe some day.’ When she was too old to have children, she thought. ‘But it’s not something I would contemplate at the moment…’ Plus, she owed it to her aunt Mary to follow her wishes, she thought with a tinge of sadness, but she saw no reason to tell Theo the whole story.

      ‘Of course that is entirely your prerogative,’ Theo said quietly, and raised his hands palms up in a gesture of defeat. ‘No matter. I have lived long enough to know that one never gets everything one wants in life.’ Suddenly he smiled and glanced across the room. ‘Not that my grandson is often thwarted. Now, tell me honestly, what do you think of Luke?’

      He is a sexual predator, skilled in the art of seduction, and he preys on the weakness of women, Jemma thought, but didn’t say it. ‘He seems…nice.’ She lied through her teeth again. ‘And I know Jan thinks very highly of him.’

      At the other side of the room Luke appeared to concentrate his attention on the Sutherlands, while in his mind he ran through the report he had read this morning. His London office had done some checking over the past two days—David Sutherland was a man in trouble and trying not to show it, he thought cynically. But, smiling down at the man and his wife, he exchanged a polite greeting with the couple.

      Luke already had a pretty good idea what Sutherland wanted from him. He had hinted as much on Wednesday evening once he’d realised Luke was the owner of Devetzi International. Sutherland wanted him to invest in Vanity Flair, or at the very least recommend it as a buy to his clients, in order to boost the share price and thus help Sutherland’s much-vaunted expansion plans. Luke had no intention of doing either, but he had to play it cagey for the moment.

      On the two occasions he had taken Jan out this week he had refrained from mentioning her inheritance to her. He had kept their relationship on a light, flirtatious level. But she had a great ability to talk about herself, and the model agency she had recently set up, which tied in with what Theo had said about her now owning her own business.

      Reminded of Theo, he glanced around the room and spotted him, still sitting on the sofa, the faithless Jemma Barnes beside him. But as Luke watched the old man turned slightly, his dark eyes clashing with Luke’s, and with a somewhat frantic wave of his cane he beckoned him over. What had happened now?

      ‘Excuse me,’ Luke said abruptly. ‘But my grandfather appears to need me.’ And with a brief apologetic smile at Jan and her parents he moved quickly through the crowd to Theo’s side.

      He was met by a torrent of Greek. The gist of it being that Luke was the biggest idiot in Christendom. What was he doing hanging on to the blonde beanpole? There were two daughters and he was dating the wrong one—the stepdaughter. Was he mad? Jemma was the one he should have been dating, and now—short of a miracle—he had blown Theo’s chances of ever getting his home back.

      Stunned by the news, Luke glanced at Jemma and back to Theo, feeling like a prize idiot. Then anger took over and he shot back in Greek. How the hell was he supposed to know there were two daughters when Theo had not even known and it had been Theo himself who’d told Luke the woman’s name was Jan?

      Luke’s grey eyes narrowed angrily on the downbent head of the lady in question.. he wasn’t surprised she couldn’t face him—then he glared at his grandfather. He must have been mad to let himself get involved with Theo’s crazy idea in the first place. Now he’d have to extricate himself from a relationship with Jan he’d never had any enthusiasm for in the first place. And it wouldn’t be easy. He began to tell Theo so in no uncertain terms.

      Jemma could tell the two men were arguing, and, much as she hated the idea of facing Luke, her compassion for poor Theo overcame her fear. Rising to her feet, she cut into the tirade of Greek in a cool, well-modulated voice. ‘Excuse me, Mr Devetzi, your grandfather is not very well, and shouting at him will certainly not help.’

      Jemma was telling him off! Luke was struck dumb at the nerve of the woman.

      ‘He’s had an accident, in case you’ve forgotten, and he should really be at home resting.’

      ‘I was not shouting.’ Luke finally found his voice. ‘We Greeks are as passionate СКАЧАТЬ