Georgia regarded me with a slight side-eye, as if she could sense that I was hiding something.
“I suppose so,” she said. Her eyes went to my Rolex, lingering there for a moment. I could tell she wasn’t regarding it with money-hungry eyes; more that she knew it was a sign of wealth, which meant another clue in the mystery of who I was.
“Now, maybe this is a Greek thing, but my mother always told me that it was rude to talk about yourself. With that in mind, I’m very curious to know what a woman like you is doing in our humble country.”
“A woman like me?” she smiled as she spoke, a slightly challenging tone to her voice.
“Beautiful and brilliant, that sort of woman.”
She chuckled before taking a sip of her drink and shaking her head.
“Alright, I’ll let you say beautiful. Butbrilliant? How could you know that after only talking to me for a short time?”
“I can tell by your eyes. You’ve got that… certain flash that shows there’s real intelligence behind them. I’m going to guess that the group you’re with, they’re students, right?”
She nodded once slowly. “Yeah, sure.”
“And I’m going to guess it’s a master’s program.”
Her small smile let me know that she was both impressed and conceding that I was on the right track.
“Yep.”
“And… you’re either a classics major, or a classical architecture major.”
That got her attention. “OK, how the hell did you know that?”
I gestured toward the floor. “The way you looked at the fresco when we walked in, you pored over it. No one who isn’t truly interested in Greek studies would look at a floor the way you did. And as far as the rest of your group, let’s say that students aren’t as hard to pick out as one might think.”
She chuckled. “I’m impressed. You’re a pretty good judge of character.”
“In my line of work, you have to be.”
“And what line of work is that?”
How could I answer that truthfully? After all, there was no way to simply tell her that I was the private physician for the most powerful Greek crime family in New York City, that I was part of a dynasty of criminals.
“I am a doctor.”
I could tell by the look on her face that things weren’t adding up for her.
“Doctors must get a lot of respect around here,” she said, referring to the deferential manner in which the staff and patrons of the bar had been treating me. “Not to mention, inspire fear.”
“Status, like names, goes a long way in Greece,” I replied. “Doctors… we’re respected here. Besides that it’s well known that I’ve treated some very high-profile patients.”
Now the look on her face suggested that, while she was still skeptical, she wanted to know more.
I threw back the rest of my whiskey, letting the booze settle in my stomach.
It was impossible to be around Georgia without being direct about what I wanted. Sitting there with her, my eyes on the slit of her dress that showed off a thigh that was both toned and silky at the same time… I knew I wanted more.
“My work is boring,” I said.
“Really? High-profile clients sound the opposite of that.”
“Trust me, it’s dull. And as much as I’m enjoying talking with you, I’d rather dance. What do you say?”
I stood, offering her my hand. She regarded it from where she sat, a sly smile forming on her face as if she knew that as soon as she took my hand and went off with me to dance, she’d be making a decision that there was no coming back from.