Page 8 of Billion-Dollar Baby Shock

‘Are you Dionysios Dimitriou ?’

It took a second for him to realise what she’d just asked because his head was full of a vision of slim pale limbs, copper hair and fresh-faced freckled beauty, memories rushing back from the night before of the way she’d lain down for him and had given herself with such trusting eagerness and responsiveness—

But now the question registered and he tensed all over. ‘How do you know my name?’

If possible, her face went even paler, freckles standing out starkly.

‘You are Dionysios Dimitriou.’

‘Yes, yes, I am…’ It wasn’t such a big deal, was it? Their not exchanging names had been a gimmick, a rare moment of anonymity indulged in, but he’d suspected that she’d had to know. He might be relatively reclusive compared to his peers but he was certainly not unknown.

‘Why does it matter?’

A cynical voice answered him, Because now she knows you’re a billionaire and she’ll inevitably want to foster some sort of intimacy.

She swallowed. ‘It matters because you were the man I was looking for last night…at the party.’

Dion had a vague memory of her saying something about finding someone—he’d even offered to help her. A sense of unease prickled down his neck. He frowned. ‘Why were you looking for me?’

She looked stricken. ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

‘What?’

‘I…’ she started and then stopped. ‘It’s hard to just come out with… It’s a lot.’

Dion was growing frustrated. The helicopter was so close now that it was hovering over the villa, making conversation all but inaudible. Dion spoke over the din. ‘Can this conversation wait till we get back to Athens?’

She shook her head. Dion cursed silently. What on earth could she possibly have to say to him? He’d never met her before.

But now you know her intimately.

A flash of heat went through his body at the reminder and a sense of exposure made his skin prickle.

He said, ‘Wait here, I’ll tell Antonio to stand by.’ He went outside and spoke to the pilot when he’d landed. Then he went back inside. All was silent again. It felt ominous.

She was pacing back and forth and stopped when he appeared. She said, ‘My name is Tara. Tara Simons.’

‘Okay. Now we know each other’s names.’

‘You know I’m from Dublin.’

Dion thought of his son, Niko, who would undoubtedly be waking up now. He wanted to be home to see him before work took over. ‘Yes…look, I have meetings and things to—’

But Tara interrupted him. ‘The thing is that I’m the mother of your baby, or at least I’m pretty sure I am. Your son. He’s my son too.’

Dion looked at her. Something cold in his gut started to spread outwards, turning his blood to ice. ‘It’s not common knowledge yet that I even have a son. How do you know?’ Protective hackles he hadn’t felt before rose to the surface.

‘Because it was my egg that was used.’

Dion shook his head as if he might be able to clear it. ‘But you’re not… I chose someone who was as close a match to me as possible.’

She gestured at herself. Pale skin. Red hair. ‘I’m aware that’s not me.’

Dion thought of his son’s eyes. Light. Blue-green. Someone had told him they changed colour after a few months but he was six months old now and they were still light.

But she’d been a virgin.

His mind couldn’t compute what she was saying. Of course, she hadn’t given birth to the baby, his surrogate had. It had been an egg donor. Chosen by him.

As if hearing his thoughts, she said, ‘There was a mix-up. My egg was used instead of the one you’d chosen.’

Dion scrambled to try and find meaning in this. And he seized on something. ‘You knew who I was all along, didn’t you?’

She shook her head, those bright copper strands moving over her shoulders distracting him . Dion cursed his weakness. He should have known last night was too good to be true. That such a woman couldn’t exist.

‘This was all a set-up, wasn’t it? You knew who I was and you set out to trap me and, lucky for you, I found you attractive.’

Now she looked green. Dion had to applaud her acting skills, because he was certain now that she’d somehow found out about his son and was using the opportunity to feather her nest. It was what his own mother had done.

‘No, that’s not it at all. I arrived in Athens yesterday and all I knew was your name and that you were due to be at the party. I wasn’t even sure what you looked like.’

Dion usually took pride in the fact that he managed to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. But that hadn’t stopped this woman. He recalled the way he’d first seen her. Engaging in her cute act at the buffet. Had she tracked his progress through the party? Staged that for his benefit?

He folded his arms. ‘The virginal act was particularly effective.’

Her mouth dropped open and now she went from green to red in the face. If he weren’t so blindsided he’d have to admit that he could watch reactions crossing her face all day.

‘How dare you even suggest such a thing?’ she hissed. ‘I was a virgin actually.’

Dion snorted. ‘You expect me to believe that a woman of…how old are you anyway?’

She folded her arms. ‘None of your business.’

‘I think that horse has bolted by now. Your age.’

She looked mutinous for a second but then she dropped her arms and said, ‘Twenty-five.’

Dion’s eyes widened. ‘You really expect me to believe a woman of your age was still an innocent? Of everything you’ve said so far that’s the most outrageous.’

Now her face was burning. ‘It’s true and I had my reasons and they are not your business because you are hateful and, I agree, last night was a mistake.’

‘I never said last night was a mistake. I might regret it now because I was duped by a beautiful face but I can’t deny it was enjoyable.’

Dion had to admit that he didn’t really believe she’d been faking her innocence. He’d felt the tightness of her body, how she’d resisted and then the exquisite mind-bending pleasure of her body accommodating him. Massaging his length. His body responded now and he cursed himself.

At that moment the pilot knocked discreetly on the outer door. Dion turned and they had a short conversation. He turned back to Tara. ‘We have to leave now. The winds are picking up.’

* * *

‘Duped by a beautiful face!’ And… ‘It was enjoyable.’ Tara felt as if she were going to explode. For her last night had been life-altering. But then, she’d been a novice and he didn’t even believe that now.

Even more disturbingly she couldn’t get out of her head that he’d thought her beautiful . She’d never felt beautiful in her life and she hated that in spite of everything she wanted to ask, You really think I’m beautiful?

She said as coolly as she could, ‘I’ll get my things.

’ She turned on her heel and went and got the holdall with her shoes and dress, and her handbag.

Even though she’d got a shock to find out who she was with, at least she had found him.

Not that he seemed to be remotely inclined to believe her or listen to her.

When she returned he briskly ushered her out of the villa and over to the helicopter, and inside.

This time he didn’t help strap her in. She did it herself.

Soon they were lifting into the air and off the island.

Tara was too distracted to take in the beauty of the white houses strung along the coast and the sparkling sea. Empty beaches.

Before long the mainland coast came into sight and then, the sprawling city of Athens.

They landed in an airfield at a small airport, presumably the same one as last night.

Tara could see a yellow Athens taxi waiting, alongside a much sleeker SUV.

Dionysios’s chauffeur-driven car. It seemed as though he had no intention of giving her any special treatment any more.

When they were on the tarmac Dionysios turned to her and said, ‘I don’t believe for a second that you’re the mother of my child. I think somehow you found out and you’re an opportunist who sought me out.’

Tara strove for calm. ‘I am almost certain that I am the biological mother of your son, and I should be given a chance to prove it with a DNA test, because if he is my son then we have a lot to discuss. For starters, why were you with me last night and not him?’

His face darkened. ‘Not that it’s any of your business but he is perfectly fine—’ He broke off to look at his phone and frowned.

He looked up again. ‘I don’t have time for this.

I have to go. You have no grounds to demand a DNA test. If you have anything further to communicate you can do so via my legal team.

Their contact information is on my company website, which shouldn’t be hard for you to track down, considering your sleuth work in tracking me down. ’

He gestured to the taxi, waiting. ‘This taxi will take you wherever you want to go. The fare is paid. Goodbye, Miss Simons.’

He turned on his heel and disappeared into the back of his car.

Tara just stared as it smoothly glided out of the airfield.

Before it disappeared through the gates she sprang into action.

She wrenched open the back door of the taxi and got in and said to the driver, ‘Can you follow that car, please?’

Dionysios Dimitriou might be done with her, but she was not done with him.

* * *

The taxi managed to follow his car through the city and up into the leafy hills where Tara caught glimpses of vast villas behind high walls of greenery and steel fences. Much like the villa where the party had been held—only last night? It felt like a lifetime ago.

Eventually his car slowed and turned into a particularly formidable set of gates, bracketed by high stone walls on either side. There was a security guard outside. Refusing to be daunted, Tara told the taxi driver he could let her out at the side of the road.