Chapter One - What Had I Gotten Myself Into?

Anacá

In an instant, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up while his eyes held my gaze. I drowned in his hypnotic orbs, his touch causing my heart to skip a beat. 

“S-sir?” Josh’s startled cry brought me out of my dazed state and I broke the eye contact. 

Who was Josh’s sir? 

I turned to see the pale look on both Josh and Jordynn’s faces, and realization dawned on me. Was this man their boss? My first reaction was to flee, but with his iron-like grip on my hand, I couldn’t even budge an inch, let alone flee. 

“Is this what you do in my absence? Lunchtime was over five minutes ago. Where’s the weekly report for the Calligaris Project, Mr. Hemmingway?” 

My cheeks burned with embarrassment, realizing my folly. What had I done? I had proposed to my cheating boyfriend’s boss in front of the entire office. At that moment, I wanted the earth to open up so I could jump in and never emerge again!

“Sir, I was about to report when Anacá arrived...” His boss held up his hand to stop his banter. 

“I don’t want excuses, Hemmingway. And what about you, Ms. Barlos? Have you completed your target for the day? I don’t pay you to romance around in my office.”

Jordynn hung her head in shame, refusing to meet my eyes. A strange satisfaction coursed through my body at seeing her in discomfort. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’ll get it done right away.” 

“Sir, I’m sorry for the trouble Anacá has caused you. She didn’t mean to propose. It was meant for me, but we had a misunderstanding. So..” Before Josh could finish his speech, his boss held up his hand to stop him. 

“She’s my fiancée now. The matter’s closed. You can get back to work.” He turned to look at me, and my heart skipped a beat again. Why was I overreacting to him? Shouldn’t I own up to my mistake and end the matter? Why couldn’t I opt out while I still could? 

My conscience prodded me to apologize and save my *ss. But no words came from my lips as I gazed at him, drowning in his mesmerizing eyes. 

“Shall we?” His fiery gaze pierced my soul, and I nodded like a puppet, unaware of what he wanted me to do. I knew I was plunging into the fire, but I was helpless. 

He led me to the elevator, away from my shocked ex and the entire office. The door of the elevator closed, and I s*ck*d in a deep breath to control my jumpy nerves. 

“Would you like to have lunch with me, Anacá? We should celebrate our engagement.” He waited for my answer, releasing a slow, s*xy smile to steal my mind, senses, and heart. 

“Erm..” Our eyes locked as I hesitated a little. Should I apologize for my mistake, take my ring back, and run? I tore my gaze away while sucking in a deep breath to turn him down. 

With his thumb rubbing erotic circles on the back of my hand, it was tough not to cave in. “Am I that unappealing to you, Anacá? You don’t need to think so hard to go out with your fiancé.” 

The way he said my name was just so s*xy. It had me drooling already. But this wouldn’t do. I had to get a grip on myself. 

“No, umm. I don’t know you.” The elevator stopped at the ground floor, and he led me out. With everyone ogling at me, I could feel the warm flush creep up and spread all over. In all my twenty-four years of life, I had never behaved so recklessly. What had I gotten myself into now? 

With his hand still holding me captive, I had no other option than to match his stride. A sleek Jaguar stopped right in front of us, and a uniformed chauffeur emerged to open the door. 

“Thank you, Silas. You can wait here.” He helped me into the passenger side and eased into the driver's seat after dismissing his chauffeur. The car roared to life as I strapped myself in nervously. The man was brash. He hardly waited for me to agree. I would soon have to opt-out and run for the hills. This was a mistake! 

“Eros.” 

I blinked out of my daze and focused on him. “What?” 

“Eros Nikolaou! That’s my s*xy name, but you can call me anything.” He held out his hand for a shake while I gaped at it. Would he grab me again? His grip had already left its mark on my wrist and his presence on my system. “I’m not contagious, angel.” 

The nickname did magic on my senses, and I placed my hand in his. It seemed my body had a will of its own. The fiery touch of his rough skin caused goosebumps to erupt on my skin. I released him immediately, as if scalded. 

“Now you know me. We can celebrate our union.” His voice was low, raspy, full of underlying meaning. Was I imagining it? Why did his words seem to have a se*ual implication here? He drove out of the office premises while I tried to calm my jumpy nerves. 

Should I apologize for my mistake? “I’m sorry, Eros. I wasn’t in my senses. Josh betrayed me, insulted me, and I lost my mind. Can we forget this ever happened? I’ll take back my ring and leave. I swear I won’t bother you again.” 

The car screeched to a halt at the curbside, and I grabbed onto the dashboard for dear life. What the f*ck was he up to? I gaped at him to see the mad look in his eyes. He was struggling to control himself. 

“There’s no going back, Anacá. We’re engaged, and that’s irreversible. If it was a mistake on your part, it’s irreparable.” His eyes held a strange determination, and I knew I was neck-deep in trouble. How would I explain myself to my dad and Josh’s family? They would be devastated. 

“You don’t understand. My dad won’t accept you.” 

His gaze hardened as he stared at me as if reading my soul. “Leave it to me. Shall we go?” 

Just like earlier, he hardly waited for my approval. Steering the car through the busy streets, we reached Kifissia in a few minutes. My eyes went wide with horror when he stopped at Zimbra, the restaurant I had booked for Josh and me. Was this a joke? 

“Umm, why are we here?” I croaked, knowing the answer fully well. 

“To celebrate our engagement with a kiss. Why else?” 

I gasped in shock. How did he always go straight to the point? There seemed to be no filter to his mouth. “Why in the world would I kiss you?” The air crackled between us, making my heart race at the speed of lightning. 

“Because we’re engaged. It’s just the start, Anacá. We’ll do more than just kiss.” 

My nerves knotted in my stomach with apprehension. Jesus! Did he say that to a stranger? Unsure of what to say, I turned away to hide my flushed cheeks. We emerged from the car and walked up to the maitre d’hotel. 

“I have a booking for two in the name of Anacá DuVernay.” I could feel Eros’ jaw-dropped gaze on me for a change. 

“Yes, good evening, ma’am, sir. Please come this way.” He led us to a special table decorated with red roses, the way I wanted it. “Congratulations on your engagement! Enjoy!” 

The moment he left, Eros pinned me with a glare. “What’s the meaning of this, Anacá? How did you plan our engagement? Am I missing something?” 

I evaded his gaze, my heart sinking with dread. How would he react if he knew this was all for Josh? 

“Is this some sort of trap? Are you playing a bloody game with me, woman?” He stood up, totally misunderstanding me. 

I panicked and looked around to find people staring at us. “Please, Eros. You’re misunderstanding me. I had planned all this for Josh. Our parents wanted us to get engaged today. But he betrayed me with Jordynn.” 

Eros sat down with a grim look in his eyes. “So, I’m the rebound, right?” 

“No. It’s not like that at all. He insulted me, and I wanted to prove to him I wasn’t boring and undesirable.” The look in his eyes made me stop my rambling. And when his gaze dropped to my lips, I knew what was going on in his mind. 

“Prove it then.” His unwavering gaze held mine in a staring contest. 

“Prove w-what?”

“That you aren’t boring or undesirable. Prove it to me now. Kiss me, arouse me if you can.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Was that a challenge? How could he expect it in a public place? He smirked to see the hesitation in my eyes. “In private, then?” 

I knew I was in deep trouble.