Private Parts. Tori Carrington

work directly for Manolis. He brought me on board especially for this project.”

      She didn’t understand his grimace. “And you’ve known him for … how long?”

      She rubbed the front of her shoe against the back of her opposite calf. “I’ve been familiar with him for, oh, about eight months or so. He helped my father out with our law firm in Portland.”

      “He owns it,” he stated rather than asked.

      “Yes. Manolis currently owns it. But my father’s hoping to buy it back at some point.”

      “I’d tell him not to hold his breath.”

      “Oh, the hostility.” She put her notebook into her briefcase. “I picked up on it during the meeting. What’s the history here?”

      Troy scrubbed his hair back from his forehead. The telltale sign made him all the more attractive to her. “It doesn’t matter.”

      He looked at her again, but she couldn’t tell if it was because he was interested, or if he’d rather she’d left.

      “What are you doing here?” he asked.

      “I’m not sure I understand.”

      He gestured toward the table. “I don’t mean to cast a shadow on your qualifications, but—”

      “But you’re casting a shadow.”

      He didn’t blink.

      Kendall slowly uncrossed her legs and got to her feet. She collected her briefcase and sauntered over to him. “Rest assured, Mr. Metaxas, I’m very, very good at what I do.”

      “Troy. Please.”

      She stood within breathing distance of him and she noticed the way he seemed to inhale her scent.

      Hot. Definitely hot.

      “As to why I, um, stayed behind after the meeting …” She allowed her gaze to skim over his tall, solid form. “Well, I won’t lie to you, Troy. Ever since we crossed paths this morning, before I knew who you were, I’ve been attracted to you.”

      He cleared his throat, apparently not as unaffected by her presence as he’d like her to think. “I don’t mix business with pleasure, Miss Banks.”

      “Kendall, please.” She smiled. “And I don’t mix business with pleasure, either. My business is my pleasure.” She slid her free hand inside the lapel of his suit jacket, running her fingertips along the expensive material, and the back of her knuckles against his tight abs through his broadcloth shirt.

      He inhaled sharply.

      “And I happen to think that we can be as successful in the bedroom as in the boardroom …”

      3

      THE WOMAN WAS DOWNRIGHT distracting. And for the life of him, Troy couldn’t decipher whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

      Bad thing. Definitely a bad thing.

      More than at any time in the past year, it was important for him to give his full attention to pulling this contract together. And thoughts of Kendall Banks’s long, long legs weren’t helping him do that.

      To the contrary, they were inspiring him to think of a different business altogether. Monkey business.

      “Would you like a cheese plate with dinner?”

      “Huh?” Troy registered that he stood in the kitchen of the large Metaxas estate, and that Thekla Kalomiris, the housekeeper—who, along with her husband of thirty-five years, Frixos, took care of everything at the house and surrounding property—was talking to him.

      He looked down at the cold beer bottle in his hand, barely remembering taking it out of the refrigerator.

      “A cheese plate,” the Cypriot turned American citizen repeated. “Would you like one to go along with dinner tonight?”

      He squinted at her.

      “Roast lamb.”

      “Ah. No. No, I don’t think that’s necessary, Miss Thekla. Thank you.”

      He wandered into the connected dining room, looking out the French doors at the expansive deck that offered one of the most stunning views in Washington State.

      “Long day,” Ari commented, coming to stand next to him.

      “No longer than any other.”

      “Come on. Even you have to be stressed after that meeting earlier.”

      Ari turned toward the large table that could easily seat eighteen but was set for six tonight.

      “Actually, I’m relieved.”

      “Bullshit.”

      This from another meeting attendee, Caleb Payne, who, in addition to being Philippidis’s ex-employee, was also dating Troy and Ari’s younger cousin Bryna, thus explaining his presence at a family dinner.

      Caleb poured a finger of whiskey into a cut crystal glass and then took a long pull. “That despot is up to something. I know it.”

      Troy held his gaze. “Well, if anyone would be familiar with the way Philippidis operates, it’s you, Caleb.” He raised his beer to him. “That’s why I like having you on this side of the table. If you spot anything unusual, speak up.”

      “Oh, trust me,” Bryna said, taking the glass from Caleb’s hand and downing the remainder of the contents. “He will. I swear, it’s all he talks about lately. Nonstop. Even in bed.”

      “Oh, TMI,” Ari said, raising his hand.

      “I concur,” Troy agreed.

      Bryna smiled widely, apparently having gotten in her daily jab that made the brothers cringe at how quickly she was growing up. More than a cousin, she was like their younger sister considering she’d been raised by their father after her parents died when she was twelve.

      “What does TMI mean?” the elder Metaxas asked as he entered.

      The four looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

      “Never mind, Dad,” Ari said, pulling out the chair at the head of the table for him. “Just another acronym that will be passé before you have a chance to commit it to memory.”

      Percy Metaxas grimaced as he sat down. “Damn kids. Always reinventing the wheel.”

      “Not reinventing, exactly,” Bryna said, taking the seat to his left. “Just adding a little oil every now and again.” She briefly squeezed his hand. “I’m sure you got great use out of your own oil can when you were our age.”

      Percy’s grin was large. “Nothing that I can repeat in polite company.”

      Troy considered his half-empty beer bottle and placed it on the bar. “Since when are any of us considered polite?”

      Percy looked around the table. “Isn’t there someone missing?” Finally his gaze settled on Ari. “Where’s Elena?”

      Troy tried to hide his frown as he took the seat to his father’s right. Would there ever come a time when he’d hear her name and not instantly remember what had happened six months ago?

      He could only hope that his renewed business dealings with Philippidis would provide him that relief. Because it wasn’t doing him or his brother any good to continue to hold on to past grievances.

      “She’ll, um, be here in a minute,” Ari said, taking a seat two up from Troy, leaving the one between them for his fiancée.

      As if on cue, the woman in question hurried into the room. “Ari’s too much of a gentleman to share that I can’t seem to hold my liquor anymore.” She ran her elegant fingers over her swollen belly. “Sometimes it seems her favorite place is resting against