'Hello, Yianni? What's up?' That was all Andreas said for five minutes, though every so often he looked over at Lila. She smiled when he did.
Kouros finished his report with, 'I'm on my way to his apartment.'
Andreas checked to see if anyone could overhear. 'Looks like there's a lot going on.' Eavesdropping was a Greek national pastime. He had to be careful, even though most tables seemed filled with foreign tourists. 'Our boy here is in negotiations with the bad guys. My guess is the guy from the metro is with the muscle talent up north of the border. It fits with what D said setting up the metro meeting.'
Kouros added, 'The guy on the platform seemed really pissed at him.'
'And the next thing we know D's off to the girl's apartment, pressing hard to find fresh talent. What do you think?'
Kouros paused. 'He must be pretty desperate if he's shopping this sort of shit around to strangers.'
'My guess is there's trouble in…' he caught himself just before saying terrorist, 'paradise. Let's see what we can come up with to make it worse. Press Maggie for anything she can find on the girl's ex. Make sure we don't let D out of our sight. And try to pick up whatever he says.' Andreas paused. 'By the way, good thinking on covering A's place. Thanks.' He felt relieved, no matter what the tapes picked up.
'I knew that's what you'd want done. When will you be back?'
Andreas looked at his watch, then at Lila. 'First plane in the morning. It leaves at seven. See you then.'
Andreas put the phone on the table and looked at Lila. 'Get the picture?'
'Yes.' She played with her glass. 'So what do we do until then?'
'Until when?'
'Seven.'
'I have some ideas.' He grinned.
She smiled and flirted back. 'And what would they be?'
He pointed to a restaurant over by the windmills. 'How about dinner over there?' If this were a game of chicken, Andreas just blinked.
Lila didn't turn to look. 'Nope; it's filled with Athenians dancing on tables all night and having a wonderful time. Not in the mood.'
'Okay, how about a place across from where I parked?'
'Nope.'
'I'm out of ideas.'
'Let's find a place out of town, on a beach.'
He felt a new tingle, not from his phone, from her words. 'Sure, any preference?'
'No, you pick the place. I want to see what you think I might like.'
They walked back to the car along mostly deserted lanes. Lila wanted to avoid the paparazzi perched on Mykonos' main streets, and Andreas needed time to think, not shake more hands and resist more invitations. He was as anxious as a schoolboy on a first date with the prom queen. Where can I take her? He weeded out the obvious choices: extraordinarily expensive beach tavernas favored by many who simply wanted to show they could afford them whether or not they could, and cozier places too far out of town for what must be an early night.
He settled on a lovely taverna that sat on the beach closest to town, Megali Ammos. But as Andreas slowed down to park he recognized a group of locals walking toward the place. He preferred avoiding them and, so, kept driving. Five minutes later they were at Ornos Beach. It looked out on one of the island's prettiest coves — and its most romantic one at night.
Andreas turned left at the beach and took the first right into a parking lot. He drove to the far right corner and parked alongside a tall bamboo windbreak. Five feet in front of the Jimny, pots of green plants and brightly colored flowers lined a two-and-a-half-foot-high by four-foot-deep concrete ledge running the length of the solid white wall behind it. Everything disappeared when he turned off the headlights. It was an almost moonless night.
Andreas took her hand and led her around the windbreak to the beachfront entrance for the restaurant. He waved to the owner. He was talking to a customer and motioned for them to wait a moment. Lila turned and faced a mirror framed in an intricate mosaic pattern. His eyes fixed on her image.
'Stunning, absolutely beautiful.' Lila's eyes met his.
'I couldn't agree more.' He smiled.
She laughed. 'Not me, the mirror. Don't you love it?'
The owner came over and pointed to the mirror. 'My wife did that. The food's great too.' He was right, but Andreas and Lila weren't likely to remember what they ate.
Several complimentary drinks and two bottles of wine later, they were walking barefoot along the beach, shoes in hand. She reached out and took his free hand. They stopped between parallel rows of virtually invisible beach lounges and umbrellas. A couple was cuddling in the darkness several chairs away, and they didn't want to disturb them. Although from the looks of things they were oblivious to everything but each other.
'Let's sit over there.' Lila pointed to a lounge chair two rows back from the sea and far away from the couple.
Andreas walked to where she pointed and sat sideways on the chair. She poked him around until he looked as if he actually were lounging. Then she positioned herself between his legs, her back to his belly, using him as if he were her chair.
'Comfy?' was all Andreas could think of to say.
Lila took his hands and put them across her belly. 'Very.'
They sat staring out at the sea. He didn't speak. He figured there wasn't much left for him to say. Lila should be able to tell what was on his mind from what was pressing up against her backside.
'I like this.' She stroked the back of his hands with her fingers.
'Me, too.'
The only light came from villas dotting the western edge of the cove, and that faded into darkness long before reaching their part of the beach. And, of course, from lights on the riggings and masts of ships anchored in the cove, but they offered no more than the dim glow of candles and Christmas lights.
She pressed her butt against him ever so slightly, and her nails now ran along the back of his hands. He kissed the back of her neck. She turned her head toward his, and he kissed her lightly. She twisted onto her side and pressed her nose against his. 'Would you please kiss me like you mean it?'
He laughed. 'Like this?' Andreas drew his hand up under the back of her blouse and pulled her toward him. As he kissed her, he moved his hand along her back. He liked the feel of her bare skin. Andreas felt her lips relax and lightly danced his tongue between them. They parted slightly and he pressed into her mouth; he pulled her closer and ran his fingertips along her spine — bare all the way.
Suddenly, he stopped. 'So, how was that?' He thought it was a funny thing to do.
She was breathing too rapidly to answer, but from her expression he realized this was not a time for humor.
He kissed her again, and her mouth opened immediately. He slid his hand under the front of her blouse. She wore no bra. He pressed his hand back and forth across her chest, touching and squeezing as he did; she pushed to meet his touch. He fluttered the tips of his fingers around her nipples. Her breathing changed, her tongue pressed deeper into his mouth, and her hand groped for his groin. He gripped a nipple between his thumb and index finger, then firmly rubbed and squeezed. First one, then the other. She began to moan and he lost track of time.
Her sounds, her touch, her taste, her hand driving at his crotch had him quietly battling orgasm but when she slid her hand into his pants and grabbed him bare, Andreas whispered, 'Don't, I'll come.'
She jerked her hand away, twisted onto her back and started undoing her jeans. He grabbed her hands.
'No, not here. Someone will see us.' He'd forgotten all about that until now.
'Then take me somewhere where they won't.'
'I'll get a room.'
They made it as far as the car. She stopped him there, put a 'be quiet' finger to her lips, and pointed to the ledge in front of the car.
'Are you crazy?' he whispered. Those were his words, not his thoughts.
Lila walked to the wall, pushed a few plants aside, and sat on the ledge. She pulled her blouse above her breasts and up to her neck so that it hung down her back. She leaned back and undid the front of her jeans, then
