Katalavaynes?"

The contrite blonde nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry."

"Just don't do it again, that will show how sincere your promise really is." Tessa crossed the room to the open window.

Tessa knelt and scooped up some broken gla.s.s and tossed it in the trash. "Looks like the curtains knocked over a gla.s.s on the table...

no big deal."

"Thanks, Tessa," Casey said softly.

Tessa had her hand on the doork.n.o.b, poised to leave, but she turned at the last moment and leaned heavily against the door.

"Nikki," she said barely above a whisper. "You asked me on my boat if I had a nickname. Well, that's what my friends nowadays call me," she said to Casey's confused expression.

Casey crossed the room to Tessa. Smiling almost shyly, Casey reached out her hand until it slipped within Tessa's larger one.

Tessa's head was screaming at her by this point. She needed to say good night, to leave, and close the door behind her. Instead, Tessa refused to listen to her conscience and listened to her libido instead.

Holding Casey's hand, she pulled the woman into her arms, feeling the soft, warm body against her chest. The next thing she knew, her lips were pressed against the sweetest mouth she'd ever tasted. When Casey's lips parted and a tongue hesitantly pressed against Tessa's lips, Tessa not only allowed entry, but also permitted Casey to take her mouth in a kiss that left Tessa dizzy.

It started out gentle but quickly grew heated, their hungry mouths swallowing each other's moans.

Tessa turned their bodies until Casey was pressed against the solid oak door. Tessa's left arm leaned on the door over Casey's head, her right hand stroked the smooth skin of Casey's throat, moving dangerously low into Casey's cleavage. The hand came up again and slipped around Casey's neck as Tessa locked her lips fiercely with Casey's.

*Tessa was the first to remember where she was and whom she was with. She suddenly pushed away from Casey and held her at arm's length. She refused to meet Casey's eyes, struggling to control her breathing. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe I let it happen. Oh, G.o.d, how I want you.

Casey placed a palm on Tessa's chest, her own breathing erratic.

"I'm sorry, Nikki...I-I...I'm sorry," she repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"No." Tessa removed her hands from Casey's arms. "I'm to blame. I just got...I got a little carried away."

"We don't have to stop," Casey whispered softly.

"Yes...yes, we do...I do. I'd better go." Tessa turned and nearly fled from the room.

Casey leaned her forehead on the door, sighing deeply as she listened to the fading sound of Tessa's boots.

Chapter 8.

The early morning ferry trip back to Mkonos was a silent affair. Tessa barely said two words to Casey after the incident in Casey's bedroom. Tessa returned to using the same distant manner as when Casey first arrived in Greece. Tessa looked miserable, and Casey appeared as if her heart were breaking. It was a testament to how well Andreas Meridio actually knew Casey, for if he thought there was anything out of the ordinary, he kept it to himself.

Casey didn't feel like looking at anyone, let alone talking.

Once back at the estate, she said she had some things to work on in preparation for the dig, which was to begin in two weeks time. She closed the bedroom door and stayed there throughout the day. She came down for a cup of tea around midday, and even Olympia's ougatsa, a pastry of sweet custard dusted with cinnamon and sugar, could not entice her. Casey noticed that Olympia and Tessa seemed to be arguing on the patio. Their voices were low, but Casey watched as Tessa gestured strongly with her hands and stalked off toward Meridio's office.

When Casey was absent from the dinner table, Andreas Meridio looked at Tessa for explanation. Beyond telling him that his right hand broke Casey's heart, which was not something Tessa was eager to do, she could offer very little. When Meridio asked her to check on Casey and fix her a tea if she was feeling ill, Tessa could only comply with his wishes.

"Ms. Meridio..." Tessa knocked softly against Casey's door.

*"Casey?" she called once she realized no one else was about.

"Come in."

Tessa's first thought was to tell Casey to get her b.u.t.t downstairs or both of them would wake up at the bottom of the Aegean in the morning. Her next thought was to stay by the open door and call Casey to dinner. Both of those scenarios drifted away when Tessa saw Casey poised on the bench seat in front of the window, her knees bent and her arms wrapped around her legs. The sun was setting and the window was pushed open, the breeze delicately blowing at the wisps of golden hair that framed her exquisite face.

The color of the sun gave the woman's image an ethereal quality.

"I'm sorry" was all Tessa could think to say.

"What are you sorry for?" Casey seemed genuinely surprised at the words.

"I guess because I can't be the woman you want."

"I think that's my problem...you are the woman I want,"

Casey said, displaying a defeated half-smile.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew me, I mean really knew me. You'd change your mind if you understood the kind of person I was...that I am. If you knew the way I treat women."

"And you're that bad, that evil that you think I'd have a change of heart if I knew your secrets?"

Tessa's brow furrowed together, and for an unguarded moment, Casey thought she saw a deep, unendurable pain swirling within their depths.

"Yes," Tessa said. "I'm not who you think I am. I'm a horrible woman, you had that right on the first day."

Moving to stand behind Casey, Tessa willed her emotions back in check, never allowing Casey to see the hands that trembled slightly. Tessa screwed her eyes shut tight. It will only hurt for a short time, little one, then you can go back to America and find a nice girl you can spend forever with.

"I'm not the kind of woman that falls in love. I use women.

I take them when I want, for what I want. I can be s.a.d.i.s.tic and cruel, and I can f.u.c.k them for one night and never want to know their name. The next morning, I can throw them out of my bed without giving a d.a.m.n about their feelings."

*Tessa took a deep breath for this last bit.

"You are beautiful, but you just happened to be the woman standing in front of me at the time I got h.o.r.n.y. Don't read any more into it than that. Don't think I stopped last night out of some chivalrous notions you have about me. I stopped because I like my job here and your father pays me quite well to see that you stay safe. The check I got for saving your life the other day will make a nice down payment on a new boat."

Tessa was breathing hard but hiding it well. She knew the quickest way to get over someone was to find a reason to hate her.

She didn't think it would be hard to make herself sound loathsome to Casey, and she was giving her a lot of reasons.

Casey never looked up at Tessa; she kept her gaze trained on the sinking sun.

"My father is paying you extra...that's why you've been spending time with me?" Her voice shook.

"Yes," Tessa said between clenched teeth. "I'm sorry."

"Hey." Casey tossed her head back, the tightness of her jaw an indication of how hard she was trying to hold back her tears.

"You act like you're breaking my heart here. For G.o.d's sake, all we did was kiss. If I fell in love with every woman I kissed after dinner and a few drinks, I'd never get out of bed."

Casey ran her fingers through her short locks, willing herself not to fall apart in front of this woman. The last thing she wanted was for Tessa to see her cry.

"Please, tell my father I'll be down in a few minutes."

Tessa raised an eyebrow in surprise. G.o.d, this girl has more tenacity than I give her credit for.

Tessa nodded as she walked through the door and into the hall. The moment the door was pulled closed, both women felt a pain like the thrust of a knife twisting deep within their hearts.

Casey walked through the large garage that housed a half- dozen sports cars, pa.s.sing by the large s.p.a.ce that was meant for the limousine. Her father took the limo and left for the evening, citing that it was a men's club he would be at and that it was no place for a young lady. She walked around the sparkling blue car, *ensuring herself that there were no scratches. The car had arrived that day, and as she slipped into the leather interior, she was happy to be behind the wheel of her college graduation present once again. The car purred when she turned the key in the ignition. She pulled out of the garage swiftly, not turning on the headlights until she was down the long driveway of the estate.

Casey knew exactly where she wanted to go. She revved the car and turned onto the lane that would take her into Venetia, or Little Venice. Years had pa.s.sed since she'd been in the town, let alone the part of the city she was headed for. Her heart felt empty and she had only one goal. She wanted to be by herself, away from Tessa's prying eyes, and she wanted someone to make her feel good.

When she finally pulled up in front of the two-story building with its brightly painted balcony and the sign that read To Spilaio- The Cave-she knew she was in the right spot. She easily found parking around the corner; not much had changed. She promised the boy attending the cars a hefty tip if he saw that no one even dared to breathe on her auto, then she took a deep breath and went in through the back door.

A few women looked up from their dart game, but they thought it must be one of the regulars coming in at that hour. The night was early and The Cave was nearly empty, but Casey knew what the next few hours would bring. Every head turned when the beautiful blonde walked up to the bar. She kept from making eye contact with any one person, and carefully following tradition, she ordered a bottle of ouzo and two gla.s.ses in Greek.

Choosing a table against the back wall, Casey poured herself a gla.s.s of ouzo and turned the second gla.s.s over. A table of twenty- year-old women smiled at Casey's action and grinned and joked with one another. Finally, one of the bravest among them stood and straightened her leather jacket. She walked over and stood in front of Casey's table. It appeared the two made conversation for a few seconds, but Casey never turned over the second gla.s.s, so the woman smiled with good grace and went back to her table.

A few more of the early evening regulars tried their hand at impressing the woman who was obviously American but spoke *flawless Greek. Casey never turned over the second gla.s.s, but she smiled as she poured herself a second gla.s.s of the strong liquor.

The night was indeed young.

Tessa sealed the last envelope, and in an unhurried precise scrawl, she entered the figures in the books that Andreas Meridio would look at first thing in the morning. After crossing the room to the large black safe that was nearly as tall as her, she put the envelopes of cash into a canvas sack and placed the sack on a shelf inside. She turned her head, her hand instinctively going to the ever-present gun at the small of her back, when she saw Alex step into the room.

"I almost blew your f.u.c.king head off, Vlakas! " Tessa hissed.

"I-I didn't know it was you," Alex stammered. "I thought you went with her."

"With who?" Tessa asked, slamming the safe's door, then spinning the handle before she punched a series of b.u.t.tons on a computerized panel.

"Meridio's daughter," Alex said in a confused manner.

"Isn't she in her room?"

"No, she said..." Alex looked into Tessa's eyes as realization flooded his features. "She said she was pulling the car around to get you...and you two were going out," he said slowly. "She wasn't coming to get you, was she?"

Tessa's eyebrow arched so high that Alex could only mumble a few prayers in his head, praying to the Virgin for protection from his mentor's temper.

"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" Tessa seethed.

"She's gone," Alex said with al the resignation of a dead man.

Tessa turned and stalked from the office and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Not bothering to knock, she flung open the door to find an empty room. She slammed the door shut behind her, went back downstairs and into the foyer, leaving a stream of curses in her wake that made Alex blush.

"I'll go look for her," Alex muttered by way of an apology.

"You..." Tessa had her fist clenched and her arm halfway *c.o.c.ked, ready to lay the brawny man out. She stopped and took a deep breath to get control of herself. Alex wasn't dumb, just not always smart. He let Casey get the better of him, but Tessa had been on the receiving end of that, too. Casey was cunning when she wanted to be. "You...just stay here in case she comes back. If she shows up, call me on my cell phone."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then you better pray like h.e.l.l that Meridio doesn't want to give his little girl a good night kiss when he comes home!" Tessa nearly shouted.

Tessa hadn't really been sure in which direction to start out.

She went by the beaches and some of the local nightclubs but saw no sign of Casey. Trying to think like an innocent woman wasn't easy. Besides the local places, she couldn't figure where else Casey would venture. Suddenly, Tessa slammed on the brakes and pulled off the deserted road. Did I say innocent?

Now that she thought about it, Casey was anything but innocent. She was a woman with a broken heart and she was hurting. What would Tessa want in that case? To get laid naturally, to get good and drunk, then to find some woman willing to help her forget her heartache. Tessa spun the car back around to head to the Kastro. If Casey wasn't there, then at least Tessa was an expert at where every lesbian bar was on Mkonos.

It was one in the morning, and The Cave was packed to capacity.

Casey had been the focal point of the evening, but she knew what she was looking for, and she wasn't about to settle at this point, not for a couple more hours at least. She was close to the halfway mark on her bottle of liquor, but she sipped slowly, enjoyed a few mezes, and was able to keep her wits about her. Some of the women were attractive and some charming, but Casey kept the second gla.s.s on her table turned upside down, a silent invitation to those wanting to capture her affection for a short time or the rest of the evening. If the waiting woman decided she wanted to join you in a little entertainment upstairs, she turned the gla.s.s over and poured you a drink. Once you swallowed the drink and turned the gla.s.s back over, the deal was signed. It meant the woman was *yours for as long as you both were happy with the arrangement.

It was a simple tradition but followed closely, and the rules were strictly enforced. Once you drank the offered libation, the woman was yours without grief from those who had taken their chances and lost. This setup tended to eliminate fighting and it lent to the casual s.e.xual aura about the place.

It was what The Cave was all about after all. The second floor was a large studio with couches, chairs, and boxes, but no lights.

You did whatever you wanted with whomever you chose to be with in the darkened room, while those around you, sometimes standing or lying right next to you, did the same thing. It was all consensual, and you could have it as gentle or rough as your taste preferred. There were no names and no complications. There was absolutely nothing responsible about it, and that was exactly what Casey wanted.

A shadow fell across Casey's table, and when she looked up, she smiled. Very tall, very sleek and muscular, short black hair that fell into her eyes a bit, and when she smiled, the brown eyes smiled, too.

Brown eyes...well, guess you can't have everything, Case.

The woman said h.e.l.lo in perfect English. Casey grinned but returned the greeting in Greek. Casey indicated the woman should sit but didn't yet pour a drink for her new companion.

"You're not Greek, I'm thinking," Casey said in a quiet voice.

Casey leaned forward until her elbows rested on the table.

"Does that really matter?" she said in Greek.

Her companion laughed and shook her head, thinking that she could certainly give the beautiful American a night to take back home and tell her girlfriends about.

Tessa came out of Pierro's . She threw the attendant a bill and settled herself in her car. It was twelve thirty and she was getting worried. She began to think Casey might do something foolish.

Picking some Greek girl up in a bar was one thing, but what if Casey wasn't caring much about life in general? Would she try to hurt herself?

No, that's not Casey's style...think. If you wanted to get laid, 0.

*where would you go? Wh.o.r.ehouse? Possibly, but Casey's the last woman in the world that would have to pay for s.e.x. What if she didn't want anything but a good screw...no questions...no complications...