fit with the character profile she had of Thanos but Alice found herself listening intently.
‘And it occurs to me that we could be of use to one another.’
Her eyes flared wide at this idea. Without knowing any details, she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up. And yet, it felt like…a light in the dark.
‘How so?’
‘My brother suggested last night that I should give Kosta Carinedes exactly what he wants.’
‘You’re going to stop getting photographed by paparazzi?’ Alice prompted, a hint of scepticism in her words, because the media loved Thanos and his antics like bees loved nectar.
‘I’m not sure that’s possible.’ He echoed her unspoken doubts. ‘But I’m going to give them the right thing to photograph.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘If Kosta wants me to settle down, then I’ll do just that. I’ll get married.’
It was so absurd that Alice laughed. ‘You’re getting married?’
‘That depends.’
‘On…?’
‘On if you’ll agree to be my wife.’
‘DON’T THINK OF it as a marriage,’ he added, when she hadn’t spoken for several long, confused seconds of silence. ‘Think of it as a job offer.’
‘To be your wife?’ She roused herself, finally, blinking as though that might help make sense of matters.
Thanos’s eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘Yes.’
‘Do you feel okay? Are you drunk?’
He laughed; a hoarse sound. ‘No.’
‘You can’t seriously be expecting me to marry you?’
‘Why not?’
‘Um…’ She sipped her water for something to do. ‘Because we just met yesterday?’
‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘But I already know everything I need to know to make this marriage a success.’
Alice lifted her brows in a silent entreaty for him to continue.
‘You are efficient, trustworthy and intelligent. I have been very impressed with your work ethic.’
Pleasure zipped through her.
‘But more than that, Alice, you need money, and this marriage would simply be a business arrangement.’
‘A business arrangement?’ She echoed his pronouncement, trying to make sense of that.
‘Why not?’
A crease formed between her brows and she lifted a hand, tucking a loose bit of chestnut hair behind her ear. ‘Is that even legal?’
His smile held a hint of derision. ‘You think arranged marriages are not binding?’
‘I…’ She couldn’t think straight. ‘I’m sorry. This has come totally out of the blue. You’re seriously saying you want to marry me?’
His gaze was laced with fierce determination, sharp enough to send a blade of apprehension down her spine. ‘I would do anything to get Petó back. Kosta has made his terms clear. This is the only way to fulfil them.’
‘I can kind of see that, I guess.’ She sounded anything but convinced. ‘Except I’m the last woman you’d ever marry. He’s never going to believe this is genuine.’
‘On the contrary, the fact that you are not like the kind of women I am attracted to makes you perfect for this ruse.’
Alice let out a soft laugh, hiding the way his pronouncement hurt. She knew she wasn’t particularly beautiful, and she had no hope that a man like Thanos would ever look twice at her. Not that she wanted him to—she was done with men, done with love altogether. Still, she had a little pride left and in that moment it had been completely hollowed out. ‘How do you figure?’
‘Because you are different. It makes sense that when I do eventually settle down, it would be with someone who challenges me, who stands out compared to my usual…type.’
She resisted the urge to pull a face, even though this conversation was becoming somewhat mortifying. ‘Okay, fair enough. But we just met yesterday.’
‘He doesn’t know that.’
‘I…’
‘For all he knows, you and I have been seeing one another for months.’
Alice lifted a brow. ‘Well, that would hardly be a ringing endorsement of my judgement.’ She lifted her hands apologetically, but continued explaining. ‘I mean, you’ve been in the papers—recently—photographed with different women.’
He waved a hand in the air, as though it barely mattered. ‘Kosta is an intelligent man, who has also done his share of living in the public eye. He knows as well as I do that papers make stuff up. I don’t particularly care what is written about me. I understand the newspapers and blogs have a job to do, but only a fool would take gossip as gospel.’
Alice ignored the implication that she was a fool, given that it had never occurred to her to question what was written about him. ‘I just can’t see this working.’
Determination fired in Thanos’s expression. ‘I would not suggest it if I didn’t think we could convince Kosta.’
Alice’s stomach flipped and flopped. ‘Marriage is a very permanent way to fix a problem like this.’
His smile was bordering on indulgent and Alice felt, suddenly, very naïve. ‘Marriages frequently end in divorce; ours would be just the same.’
‘Fated from the beginning,’ she said, nodding slowly.
‘As most are.’
She was too caught up in the complexity of this to properly note the hard cynicism to his voice.
‘So how would it work?’
He expelled a breath, as though he was relieved, taking her acquiescence for granted, so she hastened to add, ‘I’m not saying yes. I’m just curious as to the details.’
‘I admire your prudence.’
More pleasure, this time slamming against her ribs and catching her completely unawares. ‘Have you eaten lunch?’
‘Lunch?’ The unexpected question roused her from her thoughts. She thought of the bare pantry at home, and her stomach grumbled betrayingly. ‘No.’
‘Fine. Let’s go and discuss this properly.’
‘It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.’
‘So?’ He gestured towards the door with his natural authority and she found herself walking towards it.
But as she crossed the threshold, she felt the need to insist, ‘I’m not agreeing to this, Thanos. I think this is one of the craziest ideas I’ve ever heard, actually.’
‘Fine.’ He nodded, brushing aside her objection with ease. ‘But you are intrigued, no?’
‘Yes,’ she admitted, a half-smile reluctantly lifting her lips. ‘I’m intrigued.’
‘Good.’ He grinned. ‘Then this is a beginning.’ He moved to the elevator, pressing the button. It opened instantly. ‘I promise, I will make it impossible for you to refuse me, Alice.’
She stepped into the lift, and when it began to ascend instead of descend, she suspected the loopy feeling in her tummy