Fighting to stop her gaze flickering back to him, Amy nodded and swallowed half of her champagne.
‘Let’s see what’s in these envelopes,’ Greta said, ripping hers open.
Amy followed suit and found inside a personalised card, thanking her for all her hard work since joining the museum, and two hundred euros to spend in the casino.
‘Last year we spent a day on Helios’s yacht,’ Greta confided, fingering her own pile of notes lovingly. ‘It was amazing—when we got back to shore Talia was so drunk Pedro had to carry her off.’
Her words did the trick, making Amy laugh at the image of Helios’s prim private secretary, brought along to keep events ticking along smoothly, losing control of herself in such a manner.
Some of her angst loosened and she made a pledge to enjoy herself. At some point just about everyone who’d had a work-based affair had to deal with an ex being present. She didn’t have to make a big deal of it. If she stuck to Greta’s side and avoided even looking at Helios she would be fine.
But stopping herself from staring became harder when they were taken through to the restaurant, which had been put aside for their private use. The seating plan meant she had an excellent view of the top table, where Helios was seated. So good was her view that the moment she took her seat his eyes found her.
She cast her eyes down to her menu, ostensibly familiarising herself with her selections. When she dared to look back up he was engaged in conversation with Jessica, an American curator who had worked at the museum for two decades.
‘You’re staring,’ Greta hissed.
Smiling tightly, Amy forced small talk from her lips, taking a small breath of relief when the starters were brought out.
Her plate was placed before her, and the waiter removed the silver lid with a flourish to release the beautiful aromas of roast sea scallops and smoked celeriac purée sitting in a shellfish broth. It tasted as wonderful as it smelled, and she wished she could appreciate it more, but as hard as she tried her awareness of Helios two tables away was all-consuming.
She was powerless to stop her eyes flickering to him, taking in the strong brown throat exposed by his unbuttoned white silk shirt—all the other men wore ties—and the way his dark blue dinner jacket emphasised the breadth of his chest. If she could only ever stare at one thing for the rest of her life it would be him.
He was laughing at something Jessica had said, his generous smile wide, his liquid eyes lively. A burst of jealousy ripped through her to see him enjoying Jessica’s company so much, a totally irrational feeling, considering that Jessica was old enough to be his mother, but real nonetheless.
It was some consolation that he hadn’t brought the Princess with him. If she’d had to watch him talking and laughing with her, Amy was certain she would have been sick.
And then his gaze found hers again and her stomach somersaulted. He raised his glass of wine slowly and took a long swallow.
An elbow in her ribs brought her back to earth.
‘Stop it!’ Greta whispered fiercely.
But she couldn’t.
Even when her main course of fillet of beef and truffle mash was brought out to her she couldn’t stop her eyes from constantly darting to him.
There was nothing wrong in looking, she told herself helplessly. So long as she kept away from him she could look. She just couldn’t touch.
After what felt like hours the meal was over. Before she could flee into the casino, away from the magnetism of Helios’s stare, he was on his feet and making a speech, which ended with him raising his glass and offering a toast to them all.
‘If you’d all make your way to the private beach at midnight you’ll find a last surprise for you,’ he finished with a grin. ‘Until then, enjoy the casino and the music and most of all have fun—you’ve earned it.’
Keeping herself glued to Greta’s side, Amy headed into the casino, which was every bit as opulent as she’d expected and very busy. However, Helios had arranged for them to have their own private poker, blackjack and roulette tables. She had no interest in playing but it was fun to observe, especially to watch Jessica, who seemed to be cleaning up on the blackjack table, to everyone’s amazement. There was soon a crowd forming around her.
The only blot on the landscape was a prickle on her neck: the weight of Helios’s stare upon her. It took everything she had not to return it. Without the dining tables separating them she felt vulnerable. It was only a matter of time before he sought her out.
Except it never happened. From out of the corner of her eye she watched him make his way around the casino and the adjoining dance room, speaking to all his staff in turn, his easy smile evident.