The Summer Deal by Aleka Nakis

answers to questions she didn’t want to ask. He’d been patient for months; he could give her a few more days to acclimate to a different sort of relationship between them.
    “Sammy, don’t think for the next few days. Try to feel. Let’s leave work, threats, and New York behind us, and just get to know each other as individuals. Let me show you Athens and the country of my ancestors. I think you’ll like it.” He closed his hand over hers.
    “Sounds good. Thank you.”
    “Great. Let’s get going. The shops will be open soon.” Demo finished his frappé and stood. “I’ll make a quick call and meet you in the hall in a few minutes.”
    *****
    The Athens boutiques had every item and brand name Sammy wanted or needed. The difference from the New York stores was the physical layout and the personal attention- from A to Z. On the other hand, maybe the service was due to the sales clerks willing to accommodate each of Demo’s requests.
    Sammy watched the broad shoulders and muscular back casually stroll about the store. This was trouble. She was letting her mind go wild when she really needed to keep her wits around her or she’d regret it. She laughed aloud.
    I’ve died and gone to heaven with my own Greek god.
    Once in the fitting room, a continuous selection of clothes bombarded Sammy. Each piece was more beautiful than the first. There was the crisp aqua linen dress with the daring plunge that emphasized her abundant cleavage all too well. The cream silk goddess dress, trimmed with a gold pattern of flowering blooms on the hem was a favorite, but so was the billowing white skirt with the matching halter-style top. And the problem was that the gorgeous outfits, as if by magic, just kept appearing, slowing her decision-making skills a little more with each garment.
    Sammy picked the cream goddess dress, a denim skirt, a pair of capris, and a couple of tops. Exiting the fitting room with the pile rising to just below her chin, she looked up at a grinning Demo.
    “Where’s the dress that matches your eyes?” he asked, and walked over to relieve her of the bundle.
    “I feel frivolous taking all this. Not to mention the shoes and cosmetics you’ve sent back to the apartment.” And to make matters worse, he hadn’t allowed her to pay for a single thing. “These are more than enough. I’m sure my case will make it to the hotel by the time the sun sets.”
    Instantly, his eyes lit up, and he looked like a little boy hiding a frog in his pocket. Demo didn’t argue, rather he handed her a pair of Levis and suggested she change into them before they left. He added a long sleeve cycling type shirt and turned toward the register to finish paying.
    Perturbed, she took the jeans and headed back into the room to change. Elena, the woman who’d been carting all the clothes, followed. “Mr. Lakis is a good fish. Be sure not to let him get away. Not many like him in the sea.”
    “No, no,” Sammy insisted. “It isn’t like that. Demo is my employer. We’re here for business, and my suitcase went on to Crete at the airport. Our itinerary has changed, and I need a few outfits for Athens.”
    Elena patted her arm and smiled as she shook her head. “Don’t bother to explain, Sammy. Eh? Just enjoy your time in Athens with your boss.”
    Either these Greeks were hopeless romantics, or they had the most active imaginations on earth. Sammy shrugged and stepped into the Levis, refusing to credit the thoughts of a dreamy relationship with Demo dancing in her mind. He was off limits. Not only was he her boss, she sternly reminded herself, she was also nothing like the women he dated.
    Curvy, short, and a redhead, Samantha didn’t look like she belonged on his arm. And their differences weren’t simply physical. She’d been lonely growing up as a child, and she would continue to be alone with no children of her own to fill her adult home. Whereas Demo had been surrounded by family his whole life. Aside from his extended