Chapter 1

​Anna

Four little words took my evening from predictable to miserable in about as many seconds.
Five o’clock. My office.
It was like my brother didn’t understand that I had a life. One that required a crappy job, so I could pay my rent. My jackass boss—and I could use that term because when he laughed, he sounded like one—expected me in my seat an hour from now taking customer calls at Chicago Wireless Unlimited.
So I got straight to the point.
Uh, no.
I wasn’t going for witty and profound.
It won’t take long, Anna. I expect to see you in fifteen minutes.
That was my brother’s immediate response. Because of course, it was.
After eight months of radio silence, out of the blue, he demands my presence and I’m supposed to drop everything and break my neck racing to his Wicker Park office.
I sighed and threw a few nasty words at him under my breath. That’s exactly what he expected, and I knew it, which was why I was on my way there.
My brother, Jason, ruled over the Georgiou Family Construction business. What most didn’t see was the grime beneath the façade. Guns—that was the real family business. I wanted nothing to do with any of it. Not since Jason squeezed me out, pushed me away, and left me with nothing but the bitter taste of betrayal.
Pausing at the next crosswalk, I flagged down a taxi for a ride. When the car pulled along the curb, I jumped in and quickly discovered that it was already occupied. Maybe I was too lost in my thoughts to notice if the light was off. “I’m sorry. If—”
He stopped me with his hand. “It’s okay. You look like you might be in a hurry.” It was the strangest thing, and I had no solid justification for it, but it was like I was getting into a cab with an old friend.
“Thank you.” Smiling, I gave the driver the address to my brother’s office and settled back in my seat as he pulled into traffic. “Are we at least going the same way?”
“Not too far apart.” His voice was caramel. The sort of voice a woman wanted to sink into, the sort of voice a woman wanted to hear as it whispered sweet nothings. I had to fend off a physical reaction.
I fidgeted with the collar of my sweater for a moment and then glanced at the gentleman next to me. The way he was crammed into the seat gave him at least three inches over my five-nine—maybe more. I was a walking list of dating pool challenges. One of them was a man who could look me in the eyes. A needle in a haystack.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, letting my senses fill with his delicious, woodsy scent. On the back end was the hint of iris. Givenchy? With another deep breath, I was convinced I was right. I could almost taste the cedar base of the cologne. I’d once come close to landing a commercial for the stuff, so I’d scoped out the scent. It was in my top ten favorites.
I opened my eyes and glanced at him. With the way he was dressed, I had to wonder if he hadn’t recently finished a modeling shoot himself. The fedora sat slightly askew, but in a way that said it was intentional, not happenstance. It covered a head full of dark hair that was perfect for running my fingers through or fisting. Either would have worked for me.
Behind the dark gray Brunello wool coat, an equally dark suit peeked out, along with a crisp white dress shirt and a deep red silk tie that complemented it. I couldn’t see enough of the suit to guess the designer. To finish off the expensive look were black John Lobb dress shoes.
If he dressed himself, I would be impressed because he had excellent taste. Everything fit him like it was tailored especially for him. I raked my gaze upward and landed on his olive-shaded side profile. I’m not sure if I willed it so hard he was compelled to look at me or what, but when he did, my breath caught as the most crystalline blue deep-set eyes met mine. My heart tripled its pace.
He had an appealing, symmetrical face with a firm jaw and the most perfect dark dusty rose lips I’d ever seen. Madame Tussauds was committing a crime against womanhood by not having this specimen of a man in her museum. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, and I was certain he knew it when his lips quirked up on one side.
Normally, I didn’t openly gawk at anyone because I’d seen plenty of pretty faces during my time as a model, but there was something about him that appealed to me on a level very few ever had.
He gave a slow blink, showing off sexy long lashes. I was half tempted to reach out and touch him to make sure I wasn’t conjuring the perfect boyfriend. It had been a while.
“Like what you see?” He ended the sentence with a flirty smile, his tongue peeking out to lick his bottom lip.
Oh, yeah, he knew he was hot. I huffed, unsure how I could extract myself from the embarrassing situation I’d landed in. Instead of running from it, I paddled around in the pool I’d jumped into with both feet. “Actually, yes. Did you come from a modeling audition, or maybe a magazine shoot?”
A deep baritone laugh turned my insides mushy. Tall, dark, and yummy was a treat for the eyes and ears.
He shook his head. “No, I came from a business meeting.”
“I’m well connected with designers. I could probably get you an audition if you ever wanted one.”
His lips stretched into a puddle-maker smile. The whites of his teeth gleamed, and his eyes held a hint of mischief. “No, I think I’ll stick with business.” His eyes traveled over me. “Are you a model?”
“Well, I’m trying to be.” I’d traded shifts with a guy at work so I could make an audition the next day. Apparently, the designer needed someone my size for one of his pieces.
His gaze raked over me again, and I almost expected a comment. Instead, he asked, “Do you enjoy it?”
Shrugging, I rolled my eyes. “Maybe. I think it’s fun to get my picture taken. I haven’t found my calling yet, so I’m playing around until I do.”
His head tilted. “How old are you?”
I skewered him with a look. “That’s not polite.”
“It’s not polite if you’re over twenty-five. You look like you’re barely eighteen.”
I scoffed. “I’m twenty-two, thank you very much.” Looking his face over, I noticed a few subtle wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old either. “Let me guess, thirty?”
He held my gaze and then nodded. “You’re good. I had a birthday about a month ago.”
“I’ve been to enough modeling auditions now that I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing.”
“Are you ever wrong?”
I smiled. “Maybe.” Yeah, I was flirting with him. Not sure why. I couldn’t seem to keep a boyfriend. Most of the time, they lasted maybe a week or two and then up and disappeared. No call, no text, nothing. Gone like they never existed. For a single gal who wanted a family, it was beyond frustrating.
The thought brought me back to my current companion. In mere seconds, I’d be getting out, and he’d yet to give me his name. That needed rectifying. I stuck my hand out. “Anna Georgiou. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Anna.”
“Are you seeing anyone?” I couldn’t believe the question left my mouth, but clearly, he was pulling strings I was unaware of.
Shaking his head, he lifted his lips, showing off more of his teeth. “No. If I was, I wouldn’t have tolerated the flirting.”
Well, that did something to the pitter-patter of my heart. Faithfulness was a humdinger of an attractive quality.
The cab coasted to a stop along the curb.
Tilting my head, I asked, “You won’t give me your name?”
“Perhaps we’ll see each other again.”
I hitched an eyebrow up. “And you aren’t going to ask for my number?” I had curves, and sometimes, my insecurities got the better of me, but for the most part, I loved my body and knew I was attractive. I also knew when a guy liked what he saw. He did.
His eyes held mine as he gave me a smirk. “Have a good evening, Anna Georgiou.”
With a frustrated exhale, I pushed out of the door and shut it a little harder than I normally would. I watched for a second as the cab pulled away, and I let out an exasperated sigh. My net broke as I was landing the fish in my sea. I huffed and faced my brother’s building.
My gaze traveled up the fifteen stories, a sense of dread suddenly pooling in my stomach. For the life of me, I couldn’t fathom why Jason wanted to talk to me. I breezed past the doorman, took the elevator, and punched the number for the top floor. The unease I had about the meeting made the ride up take forever. I wasn’t physically blindfolded; it was metaphorical, and I was inching toward the electric chair.
Stepping off the elevator, I swallowed my fear, put on a shiny new coat of confidence, and walked straight into his office, ignoring his secretary’s protest. I stopped in the middle of the room as the brunette charged in and stopped behind me.
“Mr. Georgiou, I—” the woman, maybe my age, stopped short as my brother faced me.
Loosening the scratchy wool scarf, I met Jason’s cool green gaze. There was a quiet power to him that reminded me way too much of our stormy-eyed father, Michael. Both could command a room with their presence, a heavy watchful silence that made the air crackle.
He held up his hand. “It’s okay, Cora. I’ll take it from here.”
The woman glared at me, and I shot her my best smile as I waited for her to shut the door before I returned my focus to Jason.
“Okay, Jason, why am I here?”
My brother cocked an eyebrow. “We could at least exchange pleasantries. We are family.”
Holding in a snort, I rolled my eyes. We weren’t close. Not anymore. The shift started the year before Papa retired. I’d assumed it was nerves. He was taking over the company, and it was stressful. Then Papa left for Greece without so much as a word, and my best friend—my brother—became a memory. Jason’s girlfriend didn’t even survive the promotion. After trying for months to find out what changed, I’d given up. He was cold and indifferent and if that’s how things were going to be, then fine. I’d give him the same treatment.
“Yeah, and we see each other in passing on holidays and special occasions. For the most part, we stay out of each other’s lives.” The last time we were in the same room together was Thanksgiving three years ago.
Slipping his hands from his pants pockets, he faced the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows lining his corner office.
It’d been my father’s before he’d stepped down. I didn’t visit a whole lot as a kid, mostly because our nanny didn’t venture too far from the house. When she did, we went to the park or the museum. It wasn’t until I reached an age where I could understand things that I realized why. The company my father kept weren’t the kind of people you visited during the day.
Many times, I wondered if that was why my mom split right after I was born and why she didn’t take us with her. I always thought it was my fault. She died when I was around eighteen. My brother was twelve years older than me, and I’d wondered if he resented me for it after he dropped me. Maybe her death was the last straw for him. Alive, we could still see her, but with her death, she was gone. Perhaps he couldn’t handle the idea that I’d run Mom off and he never got to see her again. Yeah, I’d been to therapy, but that feeling still reared its ugly head from time to time.
The office had changed a lot since the last time I was here. When it was my father’s, it resembled the inside of an ancient library with everything dark. Now, it was something out of a modern home design magazine. Minimalist furniture with warm, earthy tones.
Exhaling softly, I joined Jason at the window. Even as miffed as I was about being here, I could still appreciate that Chicago city view. I swept my gaze from one side to the other. We stood in silence for a moment, both seeming to enjoy watching the city from above.
“How are you, Anna?”
“I’m fine.”
“I heard you and Andrew are no longer an item.” This time he cut a glance at me.
I blinked. Andrew and I had only dated a few months, but the fact that Jason knew about him shocked me. I never had the impression my brother cared about what was happening in my life, especially since he barely spoke to me anymore.
He also didn’t ask questions without a map and an end destination, so where was this going? “What do you want, Jason?”
Turning to me, he exhaled. It was then I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He was tired. Part of me wanted to hug him and tell him that sissy was here, and I’d take care of him. I didn’t. Wouldn’t. The last time I even attempted to do that, I left crying.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “The family business has shifted and we’re weaker than we once were.”
Our family was no longer in the skin business. Right before Jason cut ties with me, he’d started the process. Two weeks ago, with the closure of the last strip club, that era had ended. Of course, I didn’t get the information directly from Jason. I read about it on a news website. I wanted to ask why it took so long, but he’d stopped answering my questions, so I knew it was pointless to try.
“I’ve got less than an hour to get to work, so I’ll ask again, what do you want, Jason?”
“It’s not what I want, it’s what the family needs.” He caught my gaze. “We will be aligning with the Kalantzis family. To do that, there needs to be an official union. You have been promised to Ari Kalantzis. Lucas Kalantzis’s second.”
My breath caught as I stared at him. Promised? “What?” I nearly whispered. I was only vaguely aware of the Kalantzis family. As a kid, I met Thea during ballet lessons. I’d always had the impression that she hated me.
He faced the city again. “You don’t understand, and I’m sorry. I wish I could explain, but I can’t right now.”
“Can’t or won’t?” He didn’t answer, so I continued, “It’s been months since you spoke to me, Jason. You send me a text less than an hour ago, demanding that I get here as quickly as I can. Now, all of a sudden, I’m getting married? And you can’t explain?”
My brother went from looking tired to haggard. “No, I can’t.”
Staring at him, I cocked my jaw. “No.”
He turned toward me, nostrils flaring. His arms dropped to his sides as his hands fisted. “I’m doing what I have to do. It’s my job to ensure our family is safe. Marrying Ari Kalantzis does exactly that and you’re old enough to understand the situation.” Taking a breath, he turned away again. ”The decision is made, Anna. Ari will be contacting you. Figure out a date and take care of the arrangements. Hire a wedding planner if you need to, but get it done.”
I was slack-jawed and numb as I stood there. A flood of emotions overwhelmed me—grief, shock, anger, and a host of others I couldn’t form into words at the moment. “Who are you and what have you done to my brother? He wouldn’t do this to me.”
There was a pregnant pause. “That man died three years ago.” His voice was cold and lifeless. Turning back to the window, he recrossed his arms over his chest. “Like I said, Ari should be contacting you soon.”
“Will he let me continue working at my job, my modeling?” Not that I was all that keen on keeping the job. I was one heavy breather away from getting a police whistle and giving a creep hearing loss. I’d made up my mind when the next time some weirdo asked about the color of my underwear, I would tell him black like my soul and then rattle off a bunch of nonsense that sounded like I was putting a curse on him.
Shrugging, my brother’s gaze lowered to the floor. “I met him briefly, so I can’t say. He didn’t seem exactly thrilled about the arrangement either.”
The wheels in my brain began to turn. If this Ari guy didn’t want to be married either, then what were the chances I could annoy him to the point that he’d decide he wanted nothing to do with me? My odds were favorable, right? Or maybe I wouldn’t have to resort to that. Maybe I could talk to him. “Wonderful. Two strangers getting married. What joyous nuptials that will be.”
“They don’t have to be happy. Work it out with your soon-to-be husband and get me the date as soon as you have it. I’ll text you Cora’s number and she’ll send over a guest list for the invitations.”
Anger burned in my chest. The audacity to think he could command me to marry a man I didn’t even know. “I don’t have a say in this, do I?”
“No.” He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Good luck with your audition tomorrow, Anna.”
“Wait. You were aware of my audition?” He made no sense. How could be so indifferent, and at the same time, keep track of me? He had to be one of the most frustrating men I’d ever met. The guy in the cab was now a solid second place, maybe third. My boss was a complete horse’s rear, so it was a toss-up.
He looked at me, his eyebrows knitted together. “You’re my little sister. Of course, I keep an eye on you.” He tipped his head toward the door. “If you need a car, stop by Cora’s desk, and tell her. She’ll make it happen. Shut the door on your way out, please.”
Bam, the conversation was over. I’d seen my father do that to people, including Jason, more than once. Guess he’d been an A-plus student.
I seethed as I marched out of his stupid office and slammed the door. His secretary let out a scream and jumped, glaring at me as I stalked to the elevator. Yeah, right now, I don’t like you either, honey.
Shoving the front door open, I stepped outside and even the blustery air couldn’t chill the heat coursing through my veins. The nerve. The sheer arrogance to think that I’d happily go along with this.
Unless I could frustrate that Ari Kalantzis guy to the point he’d run screaming, the marriage was happening. I hated it, and to most, running would be an option. But it wasn’t an option for me. It’d been ingrained in me from a very young age that my father was the boss, and what the boss decreed was law. That power had transferred to Jason. He declared I was getting married and that was all there was to it.
Taking a deep breath, I held it to the count of three, and let it out. It was a calming technique my yoga instructor taught me. Reason returned. There was nothing I could do about it tonight. I didn’t have Ari’s number, and even if I did, I needed to prepare what I was going to say without sounding like a petulant teenager. He didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry him. By the time he called, I’d have something prepared that would get us both off the hook.