The Greek's Pleasurable Revenge. Andie Brock

Calista bit down hard on her quivering lip. ‘It wasn’t like that.’

      â€˜Oh, but it was, Calista. It was exactly like that. Before my father had the chance to confront yours, to defend himself, he conveniently had a heart attack and died. I bet Aristotle couldn’t believe his luck.’

      â€˜That’s...that’s an awful thing to say.’

      â€˜It was an awful deed.’ He mocked her use of the totally inadequate word. ‘Not only was he profiting from his vile trade in arms, but when he got caught out he set up my father to take the blame. He betrayed his oldest friend. It doesn’t get much more awful than that.’

      â€˜No! I don’t believe you!’ Calista let out a cry of anguish. ‘My father had nothing to do with the arms-smuggling. And he would never have betrayed Stavros.’

      â€˜And I don’t suppose he was responsible for getting me arrested and banged up in jail for four and a half years either?’ Lukas gave a harsh laugh.

      â€˜No! I don’t believe that either. How would that even have been possible?’

      â€˜Remarkably easily, as it turned out. It seems your father had villainous friends in remarkably high places. Or should I say low places?’

      â€˜No! You’re making all this up.’

      â€˜Don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you didn’t know.’ Lukas ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. ‘No doubt you have tried to dress it up over the years—reshape your traitorous actions to ease your conscience, help you sleep at night. But the fact is you betrayed me in the same way your father betrayed my father. You traded your innocence for my guilt. I just hope it was a price worth paying.’

      Calista turned away from him, stumbling across the room towards the open doors of the terrace. She clearly couldn’t face him—well, that was hardly surprising. He stared at her silhouette, dark against the azure blue of the sea meeting the sky. He could feel the thrum of his pulse in his ears, a tightness in his chest that had yet to be released.

      He wasn’t done with her yet.

      â€˜So you see, agape mou, this is my little payback. My turn to let you see what it’s like to be used. To be taken advantage of. To have your body violated by someone for their own gain.’

      Closing the gap between them, he placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her so that she couldn’t avoid the hard, dark glitter of his eyes.

      â€˜So tell me, Calista. How does it feel?’

      * * *

      Calista tried to swallow past the shock that was blocking her throat. Her heart was thudding wildly in her chest, her palm still stinging from where it had connected with Lukas’s jaw. But her brain had gone into slow motion, struggling to process all the terrible things he had said.