Read an Excerpt
The Greek Tycoon's Secret Child
By Cathy Williams Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
Copyright © 2004 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-373-12376-0
Chapter One
Dominic Drecos hadn't expected to like this sort of place. In fact, he had always been contemptuous of those high-flying businessmen who played at happy families while taking time out to frequent the sort of nightclub that offered them the opportunity to ogle beautiful young women, dressed in next to nothing, for the price of some very expensive alcohol. The sort of place where a woman sold her dignity for ridiculous tips. In fact, a nightclub pretty much like this.
But he hadn't been able to get out of this. His very important client, along with his entourage of two accountants and three board directors, had insisted.
They wanted to see London at night, by which they had not been referring to a refined restaurant in Knightsbridge followed by a stroll through Piccadilly Circus. Nor had they meant an evening of culture at one of the theatres in Drury Lane.
"Where the hell am I supposed to take them?" he had asked his secretary in frustration. "Do I look like the sort of man who goes to places like that? And before you answer that one, remember that your job may be on the line." But he had grinned at his fifty-five-year-old secretary. "I don't suppose you could recommend somewhere? Do you go to places like that?"
"Don't think they allow grannies in, Mr Drecos," Gloria had said with commendable seriousness. "I'll ask around and find somewhere appropriate."
It had been to her credit that she had managed to find one that, at least, had not involved any erotic table dancing or live performances in overhead cages. Thank heavens.
In fact, he thought now as he looked around him with the obligatory glass of champagne in his hand, aside from the minuscule dress code of the waitresses, the place wasn't too sordid. The lighting was a little subdued, admittedly, but the food had been passable enough and if the drinks were outrageously priced, then what the hell?
This particular deal was worth a substantial amount of money, and his client appeared to be having a good enough time.
And it had to be said that the array of gorgeous waitresses paraded before him were manna to his jaded soul.
Dominic Drecos had had it when it came to meaningful involvement with members of the opposite sex. Just the thought of his ex-girlfriend was still enough to bring him out in a cold sweat, even though he had, thank heavens, neither seen nor heard anything of her for the past six months.
No, sir. Conversation. Intimate meals out. Theatres, presents and the whole paraphernalia of courtship could take a running leap as far as he was concerned.
He forced himself back into conversation with his client, asked politely interested questions about his Oxford University education, and glanced discreetly at his watch.
It was when he looked up that he saw her.
She was standing by their table, tray balanced, naturally, on her hip, body inclined slightly forward. Typical ploy of the waitresses, he had drily observed earlier on. They leaned over to take orders, revealing a tantalising amount of cleavage, in many cases cleavage that seemed to owe their existence to science rather than nature, smiling provocatively as they encouraged the punters to fling their money away on champagne. They would, of course, be taking a cut of each bottle they managed to entice out of their customers.
This one was using the same tired ploy, along with the same smile, same tilt of the head, but he hadn't noticed her before.
Where had she come from? She certainly hadn't been in evidence at their table before now. No, that girl had been a brunette of ample proportions and wickedly provocative eyes.
"Can I interest you gentlemen in some of our champagne?" she coaxed now, in a voice like slowly burning smoke.
Dominic was amused and slightly surprised to find that the question running through his head was what else she had on offer of interest. To him.
Surprised because since Rosalind he had managed to conduct a very celibate existence, untempted by the many women with whom he came into contact on virtually a daily basis. Either through his very hectic social life or through the myriad business dos that he was obliged to attend.
Her eyes flitted around the group of men and found Dominic's and, as if reading the message lazily conveyed in his broodingly dark gaze, she looked away quickly and straightened ever so slightly.
"Perhaps a couple more bottles?" His client sat back in his chair, knowing that his question was more in the nature of a flat statement. None of his henchmen would dare query the need for yet more champagne and Dominic, who would easily have made known his thoughts on any such thing, found himself readily agreeing.
"Why not?" He was finding it difficult to tear his eyes away from the blonde.
She wasn't just good-looking. Good-looking blondes were a dime a dozen. She was exotically unusual. Slimmer than most of the other waitresses in the place, with a lean, boyish frame that should have lent her an androgynous look but didn't because her face was just too damn feminine. Heart-shaped, with a short, straight nose, very large, almond-shaped eyes whose colour he couldn't discern because of the discreet lighting, and framed by the most amazing hair he had ever seen. Hair the colour of vanilla, poker-straight and almost waistlength.
He relaxed back in the chair, all the better to survey her, aware that he was now behaving like one of those sad old businessmen he had mentally sneered at earlier on.
She was, he noticed, making sure not to look in his direction. Which he found just a bit irritating, partly because he was footing the bill for the very expensive and highly unnecessary champagne she had succeeded in persuading them to buy and partly because he was accustomed to being looked at by women.
So he said now, in a smooth drawl, "But that's the last of the champagne, my darling. Some of us have a full day's work in the morning." An equally smooth halfsmile accompanied that remark.
He heard the patronising arrogance in his voice and winced, but hell, anything to get her to look at him.
Celibacy, he thought with wry amusement, must really be kicking in if he now found himself reduced to trying to commandeer the attention of a waitress in a nightclub.
But it worked. She looked at him and he could see the need to appear friendly warring with cold distaste. She began gathering the empty glasses onto her tray, and as she turned for his she leaned slightly forward, offering him a glimpse of generous cleavage that looked all natural, and said in a sibilant, deadly whisper,
"I'm not your darling." Then she was standing up again, the bland smile back on her face, and heading off into the shadows.
How dared he? Mattie thought furiously. Of course, she had encountered that sort of thing before. Well-oiled businessmen with eyes on stalks, thinking that they could talk to her in whatever suggestive voice they wanted.
For the most part, she had learnt to ignore them. She was a waitress, whatever her outfit of high shoes and small, tight dress might indicate to the contrary, and there was a strict policy of not fraternising with the customers.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Greek Tycoon's Secret Child by Cathy Williams Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
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