The Pregnant Mistress. Sandra Marton
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told you. I don’t have details. Ah. They have seared scallops. I just love—”
“You must know something. Is he an American? Or is he a foreigner?”
“Both, actually.” Amanda lifted the menu higher. All Sam could see of her sister was the top of her head. “Which shall I have, the duck or the scallops? Decisions, decisions.” Her tone was artificially bright. “I know,” she said, folding the menu and waving for the waiter. “We’ll get both, and we can share.”
Sam paid no attention as her sister placed the order. Why should she suddenly think of Demetrios Karas? She’d thought of him before, far too often, but always when there was time to relish how he’d looked when she’d dropped his jacket into that stall. Why think of him now, in the midst of what was going to be a pleasant lunch?
“Well,” Amanda said briskly, “that’s done. Now tell me how you’ve been. And what you’ve been doing, who you’ve been seeing—”
“Answer the question, please. Who’s the man who needs a translator?”
“I told you. A friend of—”
“Am I supposed to believe that he’s nameless?”
“Sam.” Amanda leaned forward. “Cross my heart and hope to die—”
“That’s what you always said when we were kids and you were about to tell me a lie.”
“For goodness’ sake,” Amanda said with indignation, “we aren’t kids anymore. Besides, you made it perfectly clear that night at Carin’s that the last person in the world you wanted to bother with was Demetrios Karas, so why on earth would I try and set you up with him again?”
Sam stared at her sister. “I didn’t mention Demetrios Karas.”
Amanda blinked. “Didn’t you? I could have sworn you just said—”
“I didn’t,” Sam said flatly.
“Well.” Amanda smiled, picked up her glass, then put it down. “Well, you said you thought I was trying to fix you up. And I guess I just thought of the last time that happened. And—”
“Actually,” Sam said softly, her gaze fixed on her sister, “I didn’t say that, either. I simply asked who it was that needed a translator. You were the one who started babbling about not fixing me up with the highly esteemed Mr. Karas.”
“Really, Sam—”
“Really, Amanda. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. For goodness’ sake, here I am, trying to give you some good news—”
“What does it have to do with that man?”
“What…Ah. Here’s our lunch.”
Deftly, Amanda divided the scallops and the slices of duck breast. Sam watched her through narrowed eyes.
“You know what man,” she said, after a few minutes. “Demetrios Karas.” Her sister’s face went from pale pink to deep rose. It was not, Sam thought coldly, a good sign. “This is about him, isn’t it?”
Amanda sighed, put down her knife and fork and touched her napkin to her lips. “Look, you’re making a big deal out of nothing. Yes, okay. What happened was, Nick had dinner with Demetrios a couple of nights ago. And Demetrios said—”
“Whatever he said, it was a lie!”
“For goodness’ sake. Why would Demetrios lie?”
“I didn’t even tell him my name!”
“What?”
“Did he describe me to Nick? Did Nick figure out that…? Amanda. The man’s a liar.”
“But why would he lie? Honestly, Samantha—”
“Oh, that’s it. Take his side instead of mine.”
“Will you calm down?” Amanda looked around them, then leaned over the table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I want nothing to do with Demetrios Karas! I don’t like him. And I especially don’t like being set up by my very own sister.” Sam plunked her napkin on the table. “Enjoy your lunch. I’m out of here.”
“Are you nuts?” Amanda grabbed Sam’s wrist as she began to slide across the booth. “You’re acting like…” She paused, cocked her head. “You don’t like him? But you said you’d never met him.”
“Never mind what I said. I’m telling you that I want nothing to do with—”
“Uh, am I interrupting something?”
Sam jerked her head up. Nicholas al Rashid stood beside their table, a smile on his handsome face. A tentative smile, anyway, Sam thought furiously. Maybe he wasn’t as dense as his wife. Maybe he’d already figured out that she wasn’t to be played with.
“Nick,” Amanda said, and let out a breath. “Darling, would you please tell my sister that she’s behaving like an idiot?”
“Nicholas,” Sam said curtly, “whose idea was this? Amanda’s? Or yours?”
Nick gave his wife a bewildered look. “What’s she talking about?”
“I don’t know. I started to tell her about Demetrios and she exploded.”
Sam tugged her hand free, shot to her feet and glared at Nick. “Actually, I don’t care whose idea it was. You can just tell Demetrios Karas that—”
“Tell him what?” a voice said, and Sam froze. There was only one man who could take a couple of simple words and make them sound as if he were murmuring them into a sated woman’s ear as she lay in his arms.
Please, she thought, oh please, let this not be happening. Let the floor open and swallow me whole…
But it was happening. Demetrios Karas had joined Nick beside the table. Sam held her breath. His gaze swept over her, moved past her to Amanda…and returned to fix on her face. She’d always wondered if people’s jaws really dropped in astonishment. Now, looking at him, she knew that they did.
He was as stunned to see her as she was to see him.
Then—then, nobody knew what had happened. Not Nick. Not Amanda. Her knees went weak with relief, but it was short-lived. They would know, in a couple of minutes.
“Sam?” Nick said softly.
Her brother-in-law slid his arm around her waist. She looked up at him, heart thumping.
“You okay?” he murmured.
She nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. I just…”
Just what? She had only two choices, turn tail and run or stick out the next embarrassing moments. There was no real choice. She’d never run from anything in her life…anything but this man. All these weeks, she’d told herself she’d come to her senses that night and put a stop to what had been about to happen. Now, faced with the living, breathing reality of Demetrios Karas, she was forced to admit the truth.
Fate had permitted her to escape him that night, but it wasn’t going to give her a second chance. She was going to have to deal with this and do it without flinching.
“Nick,” she said, on a deep breath. “Mandy. I know you meant well, but—”
“So, Nicholas. You told me your sister-in-law was a talented linguist. You neglected to mention that she is also a beautiful woman.”
Sam blinked. Demetrios had recovered his composure. The self-confident smile was back—but the glitter in his eyes was hard as ice.
“Save your breath,” she said coolly. “I’m not that easy to impress.”
The intake of Amanda’s breath seemed to echo