"Never a pair that looked that good," Alex joked nervously.

Tessa paused and looked up from her task of b.u.t.toning the garment, fixing an icy stare at her underling.

"You won't think they look so good when you're dead!"

"Sorry," Alex mumbled apologetically.

"Come on, let's go save the princess." Tessa growled, striding off in the direction of the pool.

Casey hated to admit it, but she was getting-correction, she was-drunk. Feeling a little buzzed and not being able to sleep, she opened a bottle of wine and consumed a third of it when she realized that she wanted to go for a swim.

A voice inside her brain told her this wasn't the way to start off on the right foot in her father's house, but that voice was swimming upstream against a sea of alcohol, and Casey ignored the m.u.f.fled sound inside her head. She floated on the pool's surface, her eyes partially closed and a dreamy expression on her face.

She let her mind roam as she imagined fantasies being played out.

Finally, the lover of her fantasies took on a familiar dark-haired, blue-eyed look. Thoughts of muscular arms and bronze skin put Casey's body into a most pleasing state.

Suddenly, the lights in the pool went out and Casey was left in darkness until her eyes adjusted to the dim light surrounding the patio. In that instant, it felt as if her heart stopped beating until the deck lights came into view. She cautiously swam to the edge, and when she looked up, she was staring into the blue gaze that, moments before, was doing unspeakable things in her fantasies.

Casey folded her arms on the top ledge of the pool and rested her chin on a forearm. "h.e.l.lo there , " she said with a seductive smile.

*Tessa eased her tall frame down to one knee in front of the smiling woman. Tessa was trying as hard as she could not to grin back at the beautiful girl, nor let her eyes roam below the water's surface. Just don't look down. Whatever you do, don't look down.

She reached up a hand and rubbed her own face, realizing that having this woman around could eventually get her killed.

A peculiar desire ran through her, one she hadn't felt in a very long time, and she knew that sooner or later, she would be sorely tempted to give in to Casey's charms. The odd thing was that she didn't know why. She was no stranger to the pleasures of a woman, but she'd never had trouble resisting one before. This one, however, affected her, and she couldn't understand how that could be.

"Ms. Meridio," Tessa began softly, "having trouble sleeping, are we?"

"Not exactly trouble. I suddenly had the urge to take a swim."

"Without a bathing suit?"

"Feels better this way." Casey grinned. "Besides, I thought it might help me sleep."

"Might I suggest a gla.s.s of warm milk as an alternative?"

Tessa said. "Ms. Meridio, might I also remind you that there are a great number of men on this estate, and as we speak, at least half of them are ogling you in the pool?"

Casey looked up at the windows of the mansion that surrounded the lower patio area where the pool was set. "Really?

I didn't even realize," she said with a mock sincerity that Tessa wasn't falling for.

Actually, Casey did realize. She wasn't much of an exhibitionist, but the alcohol helped lower her inhibitions to the point that it didn't matter. After the talk with her father, Casey knew there was only one thing that would bring Tessa out and that was if she thought Meridio's daughter was in trouble. Of course, Casey had no idea what she was going to do now that she'd gotten this far. The idea of flirting with this forbidding woman was one thing; actually thinking she could seduce such a beauty was terrifying.

*"Think you're sleepy yet?" Tessa asked in a bored tone.

She stood and moved over to where Casey's terrycloth robe lay across a patio chair. Tessa walked to the other side of the pool by the steps at the shallow end and held up the robe, indicating that Casey's swim was over. Tessa had a look on her face that said she wasn't used to being disobeyed.

Casey noticed the expression and immediately bristled at the superior att.i.tude. She took one look at Tessa's face and grabbed the metal handrails at her side, pulling her naked form from the pool. All the while, Casey watched Tessa's eyes for some hint of a reaction. What she received satisfied her to the core.

Tessa was sure her eyes went wide as she watched Casey's sleek body emerge from the semi-darkness of the water. She was caught up in the vision of muscles bunching and flexing in Casey's arms as she pulled her weight from the water. Casey's dripping wet form stood in the shadows as Tessa stood rooted to the spot at the other end of the pool. Casey reached up to run her fingers through her short hair, wringing some of the water away in the process. Tessa looked on and her stomach flipped. She couldn't see everything, but she did notice how Casey's b.r.e.a.s.t.s lifted sensuously, the moonlight gleaming against the wet skin, when Casey lifted her arms.

An intense heat settled between Tessa's legs, and she shifted her feet to ease the pressure the tight jeans were placing on her center. She didn't like losing control of a situation, and she most certainly lost control of this one. Casey was standing there, like this was the most ordinary thing in the world, and when Casey tilted her head back slightly, Tessa saw the smirk on her face.

Oh, I don't think you're quite ready to play with the big girls, my dear. Tessa turned to face Casey full on and held the cloth robe up, a shoulder in each hand. She gave a smirk of her own and arched an eyebrow in Casey's direction. You come to me, little one, the gesture said.

There was a slight moment of panic for Casey as the warm night air surrounded her naked body, watching in surprise as Tessa stood her ground, preparing to see if she would give in.

*In each woman's mind, the first one to lower her gaze would lose. Tessa played at control and was determined to act as if Casey's body wasn't affecting her in the least. Casey, on the other hand, knew that if she looked down, it would be a display of subservience, and she wasn't about to give in. Casey took a deep breath and walked as nonchalantly as she could to Tessa.

That's it, Nikki. Make her come to you. For the Virgin's sake, don't look down. You can always take care of that ache between your legs with your own hand once you get back into your room, just don't look down...don't look down...don't- Oh my G.o.d! Theh Mou!

Tessa did look down. It was nothing more than the flicker of an eye, but Casey caught it. Tessa cursed herself, but it was too late, she already had the image burned in her brain. Curves and hard muscle in all the right places and most definitely a natural blonde.

They both knew who won this round, and when Casey stood in front of Tessa, she paused before turning around to allow Tessa to help her put her robe on. Tessa figured she might as well be slaughtered for a sheep as a lamb, so she felt no guilt in taking a good long look at Casey's shapely backside. She turned Casey around by her shoulders to face her.

"Sleepy yet?" Tessa asked.

"I don't feel too good...I think-" Casey began, then she got the oddest look on her face.

Tessa had seen that look plenty. It was the distinctive expression one has just before they unexpectedly lose their dinner all over your shoes.

Tessa raised an eyebrow menacingly. "Don't you da-"

Tessa could only watch as Casey did what no other person could have possibly done and still have hoped to be alive the next morning.

Tessa sat on a high stool, leaning one elbow on the ceramic countertop of the kitchen. Tessa liked to enjoy her midmorning meal in the quiet of the kitchen with only Olympia as company. The long counter was set up much like the kafeneia, or American cafes.

0.

*Olympia didn't try to engage Tessa in any inane conversation, and Tessa was always respectful and cleaned up after herself.

Tessa sat sipping on her Greek coffee while perusing the weekend edition of the Ta Nea. It was printed in Athens and usually arrived a day late at the local kiosk, where everyone else bought their newspapers and magazines, but this was the Meridio household. Meridio waited for nothing, and the paper was ferried in daily.

Tessa occasionally popped a bit of food in her mouth from the plate in front of her, chewing slowly and reading at the same time.

Olympia poured more of the strong, steaming coffee into Tessa's cup, and she offered a slight smile in thanks. Tessa's hearing was remarkable, and she turned immediately at the soft sound near the entrance to the kitchen, just in time to see Casey turning and attempting to leave the way she'd come. Olympia noticed the retreating figure and called out.

"Good morning, miss," Olympia said cheerily.

Casey was caught now. She really didn't feel like talking to anyone, and Tessa ranked number one on that list. After she became sick one more time that morning and couldn't feel anything beyond the pounding pain in her head, she remembered the events of the previous evening. She did not think she would ever be able to look the woman in the eye again for as long as she lived. Of course, who should be the first person she should run into this miserable morning but her father's Kare.

Casey mumbled a good morning without raising her bloodshot eyes. She gently eased onto the stool next to Tessa, praying she had a shred of decency in her heart. Casey was so wrong.

"Bet your head kind of hurts," Tessa leaned over and said loudly in Casey's ear.

Casey could only whimper in reply, her hand going up to her temple.

"Would you like a meal, miss?" Olympia asked, unaware of Casey's condition.

Casey looked up, and to Tessa's great satisfaction, she turned a few shades of green right before their eyes. Quickly shaking her head, Casey looked down at the plate Tessa had in front of her, *then looked up into the blue gaze.

"Sardelles," Tessa said in answer to the unasked question.

"Here, try one." Tessa cruelly held up the small grilled sardine wrapped in a grape leaf and wiggled it under Casey's nose.

Casey leaped from her seat and bolted from the kitchen as if the room was on fire. Tessa laughed loudly, a satisfied grin breaking across her face.

"You should be ashamed . What did you do to that girl?"

Olympia asked sternly.

"Me?" Tessa asked in disbelief.

"You didn't-" Olympia began.

"Are you crazy? Do I look like I have a death wish?"

Then Tessa revealed the drunken girl's exploits of the previous evening.

"She may really be ill. Perhaps you should go see to her,"

Olympia suggested.

"I should?"

Tessa was about to argue with Olympia, but she saw the truth in it. If anything happened to Casey on her watch, there would be h.e.l.l to pay. Tessa growled in frustration as she stood and went to find Casey.

Tessa stopped abruptly as the downstairs bathroom door opened and Casey walked out looking a little shaky. Even though Tessa was concerned, she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled to the surface.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything this small move that fast." Tessa chuckled.

Casey was about at her limit. She looked up into Tessa's amused expression while tears filled her eyes.

"You can be a very horrible woman, did you know that?"

Casey abruptly brushed by Tessa , leaving her standing there, wondering what just happened.

Tessa could barely react, thinking only of Casey's words. Of course, I'm a horrible woman...ask anyone on the island, they'll tell you that.

Looking at the stairs up which Casey just fled, she ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her neck. Funny thing was, *she didn't want to be horrible to Casey. She was taking great pains to be a b.i.t.c.h to this sweet girl, and for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Was she jealous? That was always a possibility.

No, when it came down to it, this gentle woman could end up getting hurt in all this, and Tessa didn't want to see that happen. For some unexplainable reason, she felt very protective of Meridio's daughter. Again, a feeling she didn't want to admit. She knew she was being paid extra to see that no harm came Casey's way, but it was something more-a feeling deep inside that told her she would probably do it for nothing.

Tessa realized that this new lady of the house complicated her plans, and she didn't like complications.

Shaking her head, she moved back toward the koozena to face Olympia, realizing an apology to Casey would definitely be in order. After entering the sunlit room, she opened a cabinet and pulled an olive wood bowl from the shelf that contained a number of tiny herb-filled bags. Tessa had no idea how complicated her life was about to become.

Tessa knocked gently on the door to Casey's room. She could hear the m.u.f.fled sound of Casey crying, and the noise tugged painfully at her heart. She only meant to tease Casey. She had no idea it would affect her the way it had. Olympia told Tessa that Ca.s.sandra hadn't been home for nearly six years, and this must be rather frightening for her, living in another country and preparing to start a new job.

Tessa knocked again. "Ms. Meridio," she called out.

"Go away!"

Tessa took a deep breath and fought the response to go back the way she'd come. She attempted to turn the doork.n.o.b and found it locked, then she reached into her pocket for a set of keys.

"I hope you're decent because I'm coming in, whether you like it or not."

Tessa opened the door to find Casey lying on her bed, her arms hugging an oversized pillow to her body. Casey whipped her head around and quickly wiped her eyes when she saw Tessa enter her room.

"How did you...Oh, great. Don't tell me you have a key to *my room, too," Casey muttered as she sat up and reached for a bottle of aspirin on the bedside stand.

"I have a key to every room on the estate," Tessa said dryly, setting the tray in her hands onto the table. She plucked the bottle of aspirin from Casey's hands and tossed it in the wastebasket.

"Hey!" Casey cried out.

"Those things will kill you," Tessa said. "I have something that will work better anyway."

Casey leaned back against her pillows and watched in disbelief as Tessa sat on the edge of the bed and placed tiny amounts of powders into her palm. She reached into the small bags tucked in a wooden bowl and took the tiniest pinch of the herb, allowing the grains of powder to fall into her outstretched palm. Casey watched as a design took shape in Tessa's hand. When Tessa was finished, the small circle of herbs in her palm was no more than two inches across. They formed a design comprised of a circle and two progressively smaller circles and inside the smallest one was an X.

Tessa looked up, but a strange look crossed her face.

"I...uh...I think I should have done this in your hand," she uncharacteristically stammered.

"Why, what do I have to do with it?" Casey asked suspiciously.

"You, uh..." For some odd reason, Tessa was finding it hard to describe. She demonstrated by sticking out her tongue and pretending to swipe it against her palm.

"I have to lick it out of your hand?" Casey asked with skepticism.

"Well, it's more like you just press the flat of your tongue against the powder to coat your tongue with the mixture. The design is more than a picture. It's done this way because the taste buds on your tongue will react to the different herbs and the areas of your tongue that they touch. Sorry, I've just never done this for anyone else before."

Casey smiled through her headache and looked up into the blue gaze that looked more human than at any other time since the two women met. She reached out and pulled Tessa's hand closer to her.

*"After what you saw last night, I guess I shouldn't be embarra.s.sed about this, huh?"

"After what I saw last night, you don't have much to be embarra.s.sed about."

Casey blushed and realized that was probably as close to a compliment as she would ever come with this unusually stoic woman. She leaned her face close to Tessa's hand.

"Remember, just let it coat your tongue and don't swallow until I tell you."

Casey paused and looked up one last time at the beautiful woman . "You do know that if you poison me, you'll never get away with it," she deadpanned.

Tessa couldn't keep from chuckling at Casey's comment. It was then that she realized what a huge mistake it had been to put the herbs within her own hand. She felt the warm wetness of Casey's tongue press against her skin and her eyes closed to the intense pleasure she derived from the feeling. Behind the closed lids, she envisioned Casey's tongue against a part of her body much farther south, and she had to stiffen her muscles to curb the shiver that was tingling along her spine.

"Gross," Casey said, and Tessa's eyes opened quickly.