The Greek Billionaire and I

“I…see.” Weak is a dick. Weak is a dick—

A choked sob escaped Dotty, and the sound of it horrified and shamed her that she quickly covered her mouth and did her best to keep it inside.

“Dotty—” Elizabeth reached out to the younger woman but when Dotty shook her head profusely, Elizabeth knew better than to insist on comforting her.

“I’m…okay.” Dotty managed a smile.

The way the girl was trying to be so brave made Elizabeth smile, too, albeit shakily. She just saw herself too much in Dotty that it was hard to maintain a professional distance. “Just this once, Dotty, I’m going to forget I’m a doctor. Just this once, I want to talk to you as one survivor to another. Because you will survive this—”

Dotty almost wanted to cover her ears. Cruelty, she could handle. Idiocy, she was used to. But this kind of niceness? This kind of support? She squeezed her eyes shut. Weak is a dick, weak is a dick, weak is a dick.

“I know that right now, you’re thinking you can do it on your own. And maybe you can, but that’s not the point. Don’t let your pride force you into a corner, Dotty. Accept help when you can but be wise, be careful, be selective about the people you trust.”

She forced the words out. “I’m scared.” Dotty felt like she was drowning in shame as she admitted the truth. “Mom and Dad were supposed to be there for me, but they weren’t. I know they need help, I know I shouldn’t be angry, but I am…I hate myself for hating them, but I do.” She struggled to control the emotions rising inside her, but it was too late. Dotty started to cry. “Why can’t they be strong for me? Why do I always have to be strong for them?”

This time, when Elizabeth drew the girl into her arms, Dotty didn’t resist. “I’m sorry, child. Some people are just weak. Some people just can’t be trusted, and there’s nothing you can do but be strong for yourself…until you find people who love you enough to be strong for you.”





Chapter One




Mykolas Sallis nodded in acknowledgment as the school employees he walked past on his way to the library respectfully murmured his name in greeting. Although he rarely visited his stepsister’s school, it came as no surprise to him that everyone seemed to recognize his face. The owner of the school, Rose Thorn, was supposedly very good at flattering the egos of its school’s wealthy patrons. Considering the amount he donated every year to support the school’s arts program, Mykolas suspected that GAYL’s employees probably even knew his favorite food.

“Do you have a private room here where I would not be disturbed?” he asked the librarian upon entering the library, which was thankfully empty. Waiting at the school hall had proven to be too exhausting, with school girls tittering all around him.

The librarian answered nervously, “The faculty room of the library is currently unoccupied, Mr. Sallis.”

“That will do. Please let my sister know where I am when she comes.”

The faculty room was at the far end of the library, tastefully decorated and with one side made entirely of glass, allowing Mykolas to see those who entered the library. Taking one of the chairs, Mykolas absently scanned the room, and his gaze eventually fell on the iPhone next to a heap of books. Reaching for it on impulse, he found the phone without a password, causing him to grimace as he was very big on security.

Idly deciding to check the phone’s messages, Mykolas almost choked when he read the one sent by someone named Andrew to the phone’s owner.

10:01 Can I borrow the keys?

10:01 You already have it.

10:02 What?

10:03 The keys to my heart.

10:07 Velvet?

10:08 Sorry for the late reply. Busy killing myself coz your stupid jokes drove me to suicide.

Keys to my heart? Mykolas didn’t blame the phone’s owner for attempting suicide at that. He moved to the next message, which was sent by Thomas, yet another seemingly ardent admirer.

13:15 How about going for a movie tomorrow night?

13:16 Thomas, you’re a good guy, so I’m going to tell you the truth once and for all.

13:17 What is it?

13:18 I’m a lesbian. I want your dick – but not for the reasons you’re hoping for.

The next one came from a third admirer, Greg.

14:24 I’m serious, Velvet. I don’t think I’ll be able to live without you.

14:25 But I CAN live without you, and that’s the problem.

Mykolas shook his head, reluctantly impressed by the woman’s answers, which were always snarky but witty. It would be interesting to find out who this Velvet was, and a second later, an idea came to him, causing a smile to play on his lips as he pocketed the phone.

****

“I think I left my phone somewhere,” Velvet admitted unhappily to Mandy as she fell in step next to her friend.

Mandy groaned. “You just almost lost it yesterday. See? You should have taken my advice and used a strap or chain to keep it with you at all times.” A slim dark-haired girl, Mandy was a very practical sort, the kind that would accept charity even from her worst enemy if she was down on her luck.

Velvet hated spending for unnecessary things, but maybe Mandy was right and that strap was more of a necessity than a frivolous purchase. “I’ll buy it soon as I find my phone. I think I left it…” She had a light bulb moment, which caused Velvet’s jade-colored eyes to flash brightly. “I think I know where I left it! I was at the library this morning and I must have forgotten to take it with me when I was called to sub for Andrew’s class.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“No, it’s okay,” Velvet said over her shoulder. “Let’s just meet later for dinner.” When she got to the library, she was hailed by the librarian even before she could take another step past the counter.

“Ms. Lambert? A gentleman found your phone in the faculty room.”

Velvet accepted the phone, bemused at the way the librarian was looking at her with interest. “A gentleman?” That seemed an odd way to refer to one of the male teachers, so she asked the younger girl, “Who is it?”

“He says he’ll call you.”

“Oh. Okay. Umm, thanks.” Slowly, she turned around and left the library, feeling like she had just had the oddest conversation in her life, and that was saying something. As she headed to the teachers’ dorm, her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her.

Fishing it out and seeing an unidentified number, Velvet answered the call. “Hello?”

Mykolas leaned back against the plush cushions of his yacht’s custom-designed sofa. He had hoped to meet the intriguing Velvet Lambert – a little digging in her phone allowed him to figure out her name – but his meeting with his stepsister had to be cut short because of an emergency back in Athens.

Velvet’s frown was evident in her voice, and this made his smile widen. “You have found your phone then.”

The voice at the other end of the line was decidedly Greek, a deep accented baritone filled with sensual confidence and natural arrogance. Oh no, Velvet immediately thought. Her friend Mairi’s Greek billionaire sounded exactly like this, and look what had happened to her. Granted, Mairi and Damen Leventis were a couple now – they had just gotten engaged last night, in fact – but even so, the sheer amount of drama the two had gone through to earn their happy ever after was too much for Velvet.

And so she said crisply, “Yes, I did. Thank you for handing it to the librarian. Goodbye.”