In Petrakis's Power
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A short while after the memory of her dream started to fade, the muted sound of the doors opening stirred her awake just in time to see a uniformed member of staff enter the compartment with a refreshment trolley. She was a young, slim woman, with neatly tied back auburn hair and a cheery smile.
‘Would you like something to eat or drink, sir?’ She addressed Ludo.
With a gently amused lift of his eyebrows, he turned his head towards Natalie.
‘I see that you have returned to the land of the living. Are you ready for some coffee and a sandwich?’ he asked. ‘It’s almost lunchtime.’
‘Is it, really?’ Feeling a little groggy, she straightened in her seat and automatically checked her watch. She was stunned to realise that she’d been asleep for almost an hour. ‘A cup of coffee would be great,’ she said, digging into her purse for some change.
‘Put your money away,’ her companion ordered, frowning. ‘I will get this. How do you take your coffee? Black or white?’
‘White with one sugar, please.’
‘What about a sandwich?’ He turned to the uniformed assistant, ‘May I see a menu?’ he asked.
When the girl handed a copy of said menu over to him, he passed it straight to Natalie. About to tell him that she wasn’t hungry, she felt her stomach betray her with an audible growl. Feeling her face flame red, she glanced down at the list displayed in slim gold lettering on the leaflet in front of her.
‘I’ll have a ham and Dijon mustard sandwich on wholemeal bread, please. Thank you.’
‘Make that two of those, and a black coffee along with the white one.’ He gave the assistant their order, then waited until she’d arranged their drinks and sandwiches on the table and departed before speaking again. ‘You sounded a little disturbed when you were dozing,’ he commented.
Natalie froze. Remembering her dream, and thinking that she must have inadvertently cried out at the very real sensation of her dad spinning her round and round, she answered, ‘Do you mean I was talking in my sleep?’
‘No. You were, however, gently snoring,’ he teased.
Now she really did wish the floor would open up and swallow her. As the train powered through the lush green countryside she hardly registered the sublime views because she was so incensed.
‘I don’t snore. I’ve never snored in my life,’ she retorted defensively. Seeing that Ludo was still smiling, she added uncertainly, ‘At least … not that I know of.’
‘Your boyfriend is probably too polite to tell you.’ He grinned, taking a careful sip of his steaming black coffee.
Her heart thudded hard at the implication. Not remotely amused, she stared fixedly back at the perfectly sculpted profile on the other side of the aisle. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend. And even if I had you shouldn’t assume that we would—’ Her impassioned little speech tailed off beneath the disturbing beam of Ludo’s electric blue eyes.
‘Sleep together?’ he drawled softly.
Anxious not to come across as hopelessly inexperienced and naive to someone who was clearly an accomplished and polished man of the world and about as far out of her reach socially as the earth was from the planet Jupiter, Natalie bit into her sandwich and quickly stirred some sugar into her coffee.
‘This is good,’ she murmured. ‘I didn’t realise how hungry I was. But then I suppose it’s because I didn’t have any breakfast this morning.’
‘You should always endeavour to eat breakfast.’
‘That’s what my mum says.’
‘You told me earlier that she was from Crete?’
The less tricky question alleviated her previous embarrassment a little. Even though she had only visited the country a couple of times, she’d grown up on her mother’s enchanting tales of her childhood homeland, and she would happily talk about Greece until the cows came home. ‘That’s right. Have you been there?’
‘I have. It is a very beautiful island.’
‘I’ve only been there a couple of times but I’d love to go again.’ Her grey eyes shone. ‘But somehow or other, time passes and work and other commitments inevitably get in the way.’
‘You must have a demanding career?’
Natalie smiled. ‘It’s hardly a career, but I’m extremely glad that I chose it. My mum and I run a small but busy bed and breakfast together.’
‘And what do you enjoy most about the enterprise? The day-to-day practicalities, such as greeting guests, making beds and cooking meals? Or do you perhaps like running the business side of things?’
Privately she confessed to being inspired to do what she did because her dad had run an extremely successful hotel business. As she’d grown older she’d picked up some useful tips from him along the way, in spite of the eventual dissolution of her parents’ marriage.
‘A bit of both, really,’ she replied. ‘But it’s my mum that does most of the meeting and greeting. She’s the most sublime hostess and cook, and the guests just adore her. Taking care of the business side of things and making sure that everything runs smoothly is my responsibility. I suppose it comes more naturally to me than to her.’
Ludo’s compelling sapphire-coloured eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘So … you like being in charge?’
The comment instigated an unsettling sensation of vague embarrassment. Did he perhaps think that she was boasting? ‘Does that make me sound bossy and controlling?’ she quizzed him.
Her handsome companion shook his head, ‘Not at all. Why be defensive about an ability to take charge when a situation calls for it … especially in business? A going concern could hardly be successful if someone didn’t take the reins. In my view it is a very admirable and desirable asset.’