She closed her eyes. ‘You make me feel like a—like a—’
‘Whore? Prostitute?’ he supplied helpfully. ‘I can see that the distinction might be difficult to make but you’re obviously perfectly satisfied with your career choice and who can blame you? There are far worse ways of earning a substantial sum of money.’
She gave a gasp of outrage and her eyes flew open. ‘Whatever you may think of me, I’m not promiscuous!’
‘At the price that you charge, that is hardly surprising,’ he drawled, a sardonic gleam in his dark eyes as they swept over her flushed cheeks. ‘Clearly you know how to keep yourself exclusive. Only the richest can afford you.’
Deeply offended, her eyes flashed her distaste. ‘I hate you,’ she said passionately and he smiled.
‘Maybe. But you need my money, pethi mou, which says a lot about your character, don’t you agree?’
Overwhelmed by a sudden impulse to tell him exactly why she needed the money, Alesia stared helplessly into his arrogant, handsome face and fought the impulse to slap it.
She couldn’t tell him.
She’d come this far—
And she didn’t need to defend herself to a man she didn’t like or respect.
She rose to her feet, determined to put distance between them, but lean brown fingers closed around her slender wrist.
‘If you’re about to make an exhibition of yourself then think again,’ he advised silkily, the expression in his eyes like a building thunderstorm. ‘You’re now my wife and I expect you to behave as such. This is not the time or the place for female tantrums. Everyone is looking at you. Sit down.’
Alesia tried to jerk her hand away but his grip tightened mercilessly and she sank back into her chair wondering how on earth she was going to get through the next hour with this man, let alone a lifetime.
Awash with hatred for him, she glanced up and saw a sultry-looking brunette staring at her with a stricken expression on her lovely face.
Alesia frowned. ‘Now I see what you meant about people staring. She looks pretty upset,’ she muttered, glancing sideways at Sebastien who was lounging in the chair next to her. ‘Am I to assume she wanted to be sitting where I am?’
Part of her found it hard to believe that anyone would choose to marry Sebastien Fiorukis but there was no missing the misery in the other woman’s gaze.
Sebastien fastened night-black eyes on the girl in question and gave the ghost of a smile. ‘Quite a few women wanted to be sitting where you are, pethi mou,’ he drawled, ‘so you should just count yourself lucky.’
Lucky?
‘Don’t you even care that she’s upset?’ Alesia made a sound of disgust. ‘You are totally unfeeling. Perhaps she was in love with you. She might be heartbroken.’
‘Heartbroken.’ He studied her, his gaze speculative. ‘Funny—I never would have thought you were a romantic. After all, you’re the woman who just married for yet more money. Are you telling me you believe in love?’
Alesia bit her lip. ‘She’s obviously upset—’
He gave a cynical smile. ‘So would you be if you saw your glamorous lifestyle threatened. Relax. Her affection is no more than wallet-deep. Her wounds will be healed by the next rich man foolish enough to glance in her direction.’
Alesia stared at him in appalled disbelief. ‘Who have you spent your life mixing with? Where did you get such a low opinion of women?’
‘From people like you, perhaps?’ His tone was lethally smooth and she flushed deeply, knowing that she was in no position to contradict him.
How could she? She did want his money, even though it wasn’t for her benefit.
‘Let’s not pretend that either of us believes in fairy tales or love.’ His eyes fastened on hers. ‘You certainly don’t or you wouldn’t be sitting here now.’
Love.
Glancing at the girl one more time, Alesia saw raw jealousy in her eyes and almost laughed at the irony of the situation.
Whatever the emotion driving her, the girl clearly wanted to be sitting where she was sitting. She was probably the envy of at least half the women in the world.
And she’d never felt more miserable in her life.
Alesia returned her gaze to her plate and almost jumped as she felt Sebastien cover her hand with his own.
Startled by his unexpected touch, she lifted her gaze to his and was instantly mesmerized by the look in his seductive dark eyes. It was a look that teased and tantalized, a promise of things to come, and for a moment she just stared, held captive by the sheer sexuality of his presence.
He had something that she’d never encountered before—
A magnetism. A—