“Ms. Lambert? A gentleman found your phone in the faculty room.”
Velvet accepted the phone, bemused at the way the librarian was looking at her with interest. “A gentleman?” That seemed an odd way to refer to one of the male teachers, so she asked the younger girl, “Who is it?”
“He says he’ll call you.”
“Oh. Okay. Umm, thanks.” Slowly, she turned around and left the library, feeling like she had just had the oddest conversation in her life, and that was saying something. As she headed to the teachers’ dorm, her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her.
Fishing it out and seeing an unidentified number, Velvet answered the call. “Hello?”
Mykolas leaned back against the plush cushions of his yacht’s custom-designed sofa. He had hoped to meet the intriguing Velvet Lambert – a little digging in her phone allowed him to figure out her name – but his meeting with his stepsister had to be cut short because of an emergency back in Athens.
Velvet’s frown was evident in her voice, and this made his smile widen. “You have found your phone then.”
The voice at the other end of the line was decidedly Greek, a deep accented baritone filled with sensual confidence and natural arrogance. Oh no, Velvet immediately thought. Her friend Mairi’s Greek billionaire sounded exactly like this, and look what had happened to her. Granted, Mairi and Damen Leventis were a couple now – they had just gotten engaged last night, in fact – but even so, the sheer amount of drama the two had gone through to earn their happy ever after was too much for Velvet.
And so she said crisply, “Yes, I did. Thank you for handing it to the librarian. Goodbye.”
Mykolas gazed at the phone in amusement. That was the first time a woman had hung up on him.
Velvet’s frown became more pronounced as her phone vibrated, signaling an incoming message. Persistent just like Mairi’s Greek billionaire. This really wasn’t good.
I have a confession to make, Velvet Lambert. I went through your phone and read a couple of your messages.
About to cross the street to get to the dorm, Velvet abruptly stopped walking with an infuriated gasp. How dare he?
All of them had come from your ardent admirers. Their devotion to you makes me want to see you and find out whether you are as desirable as they make you sound to be. However, I am not like most men who are easily swayed by appearance. I want my woman not only wonderful to look at but wonderful to spend time with as well.
I am sure that you are the same. So I propose a bet.
And that was that.
Velvet waited for another incoming message, but none came. If he thought leaving her hanging like that would make her call him—
Velvet’s phone rang, and she froze. Don’t answer it, Velvet, an inner voice cautioned inside her head. To distract herself, she resumed walking, crossing the street to get to the teachers’ dorm. She took the stairs steadily and tried to keep her heartbeat at pace with her steps.
Her phone stopped ringing just as she slid the key into the knob and unlocked her door.
Good, Velvet told herself. He’s lost his patience. She pushed the door shut with her hip and after dropping her bag to the floor, she threw herself on her bed and gazed up at the ceiling. Seconds ticked by. Slowly, she placed her hand on her heart, which was still thudding. Restlessness built inside her, and Velvet realized that she hadn’t been this annoyed – or this intrigued – in ages.
The librarian had called the person who found her phone a gentleman. Most likely, he wasn’t working for the school then. Was he a visiting professor? The thought had her wrinkling her nose.
Her phone rang again.
Before she could think twice, Velvet answered the phone. “Hello?”
Mykolas purred, “You sound breathless.”
Damn it, but she was. “Don’t take it personally,” she managed to quip. “I’m always like this when talking to potential stalkers.”
“You’d be lucky if I stalk you.”
Damn it, damn it, damn it but why did this man’s voice sound so sexy to her? He was arrogant as hell, which was usually a turn off for her but right now, it was the opposite. There was just something about his voice that told her this man had every right to be arrogant. He was that...desirable.
She gripped the phone more tightly, needing a few seconds to make sure her voice was not breathless as she said, “Dream on.” It was a lame ass reply, and Velvet knew it. By the way the man chuckled, he seemed to know it, too. And to rub salt into the wound, the sound of his chuckle was also sexy as hell. Damn it.
“While I’d love to keep talking to you more, agape mou, I unfortunately have an urgent business meeting to attend to. May I talk about our little bet?”
“It’s not our little bet.”
But the man only continued to speak as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “While I know your name is Velvet Lambert, I chose not to look you up online. As such, I do not know what you look like. All I know is that men find you…irresistible.”
The way he spoke the last word made it sound like both a promise…and a threat. He would find her irresistible like the other men, but unlike the other men, he would do something about it. Thinking about what that “something” was caused Velvet to scowl. It was that – or shiver, which she would do only when hell froze over.
“And now, let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Mykolas Sallis.”
Mykolas Sallis. Her lips parted, moving to mouth it silently as if his name alone was irresistible. The thought had her shaking her head. What was wrong with her? This man was a stranger, and here she was, mentally sighing his name!
“I gave you my name so that we both know what to call each other. But like me, you shall not look me up.”
“And why wouldn’t I do that?”
“Because that’s the bet, agape mou. The way you have men enslaved intrigues me. I want to see if you can do the same to me even if I have not seen you.” He paused. “And I want to know if I can do the same to you without you seeing me.”
“If I see you—”
“—you will want me to f**k you.”
Velvet choked.
Mykolas smiled. “The loser of this bet is the one who asks to see the other first. If I win, I will have the pleasure of making you mine to command in the bedroom.”
“And if I win?” Velvet wanted to smack herself the moment the words came out. Asking means you’re interested, dummy!
“Trust me, agape mou,” Mykolas purred. “This is not something you would not want to win.”