Chapter 8 Rated R Mellibea This is rated R because of some slight nudity, nothing major. Please bare with me. ^_^. Please tell me what you think of it, I love hearing from you guys! Email me at mellibea@yahoo.com Disclaimers: Sailor Moon or related characters are not mine. On with the story… On the Seashore Chapter 8 That night Serena couldn't sleep. Curled up under the covers, she couldn't find temporary relief, since images and unwanted thoughts perturbed her sleep. A man of tanned complexion and ardent blue eyes appeared in those dreams, he lay down next to her and shared her pillow. She could feel the warmth of his skin against hers, the contact of his lips, the hands that caressed her. She reached for him in vain in the heat of the night, only to discover with grief that she was alone. Angered, she removed the covers. What was happening to her? How could she feel this for a man that was almost a stranger and with all surety was her enemy? "Damn you, Darien Xandreou" she whispered. "I should've never come here; now I'm trapped and I can't escape." She finally managed to reconcile a troubled sleep, but she didn't last long in waking up since she was certain she heard something… someone was moving in the balcony. She sat up and removed the hair from her face, looking at the windows with her heart beating a mile per hour. She had thought the house was very far for intruders, but now… She put her feet on the floor and put on her white pullover gown, which matched with her nightgown. It was already morning and the air felt fresh as she went out into the balcony; a soft breeze stirred the trees over her head. There was no one there, of course, and yet… "Kalimera." Serena turned around and screamed. Darien was standing there, hands on hips, a few meters away from the living room's door, where it was obvious he had just exited from. He was wearing black pants, rolled up to his knees, which matched the shirt he had unbuttoned almost down to his waist. He looked so virile and devastatingly attractive… Serena suddenly remembered her dreams and, blushing, closed her gown tightly. "You!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" He raised an eyebrow and his cynic and mocking smile let Serena know he hadn't missed her blush or her defensive gesture. "This is my property" he dryly reminded her. "But you never come here" she protested and then interrupted herself. "At least…" "That's what Raye says" he finished. "She exaggerates, since I always come to visit Amy." "At this hour?" Serena consulted her watch. "No, I've gone fishing so tonight you can have fresh salmon." "I don't believe it" she replied and Darien shrugged. "The proof is in the kitchen. Do you want to see it?" "No… what I meant was… I can't picture you as a simple fisherman… fishing alone at dawn." "For Greeks, the sea is like the blood that runs through their veins" he laughed. "And in a fishing boat you're alone… you have a lot of time to think. Often, is the only place to do so." "A fishing boat?" Repeated Serena, surprised. "I thought you were the owner of a boat company." "Yes, I am" he nodded, "but is not the same. Just like my father, I have a fishing boat for particular use" he paused. "However, I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry." "Forget it" the girl bit her lip. "Besides, I wasn't able to sleep." "No?" He mocked. "No" she negated, feeling tense. "Is not exactly an easy situation… for any of us." "You can end it whenever you want" he suggested. "You mean… accept your money and then leave. Never!" "That won't be your last decision" he assured her. "I can wait." "Is not me… or you, who have to make that decision. Mina and Andrew are the only ones interested…" "Unfortunately, those sentimental notions don't have a place in the real world" he commented in a bored tone. "And what do you know about the 'real world', Mr. Xandreou, all cooped up in your ivory tower of money and power?" Serena's voice had a sharp edge to it. "All you have to do is wish for something and it comes true… snap your fingers and everyone hurries to obey you." "Of course, but you exclude yourself from that fascinating scene of obedient masses" whispered Darien in a sullen voice. "Of course. You can't expect to be the owner of the whole world." "I've never wanted that" his voice hardened. "Once I believed, like you, that love could overcome all obstacles, but not anymore. A collision between two different worlds can only lead to disaster" he looked pensive and bitter as he looked around him. "Is a lesson I learned enduring a pain I wish to no one… much less to my little brother." "But you can't protect him from the experience… nor prevent him from making his own mistakes" protested Serena. "It's just not possible." "Then you admit that what my brother and your sister have is a mistake." "No" she shook her head, feeling her sleepless night take its toll on her. "I'm only trying to say that you and I are not capacitated to judge for them. It was something terrible… a tragedy, that your marriage ended the way it did… that someone so enchanting, with her whole life in front of her… died the way she did, but Andrew and Mina have the right to live their own lives, no matter what happens." Darien was shocked and his raised figure suddenly seemed menacing at the light of the rising sun. "What do you know about my marriage?" "Nothing really" Serena swallowed hard. "But… I found your wife's picture and then I knew who it was." "What did you say?" He exploded. "Show it to me." Serena walked to the bedroom, feeling uncomfortable when she noticed he was following her. She took the picture and gave it to him. "An unforgivable mistake" he said harshly. "I gave specific orders. I said to throw everything away, I wanted nothing that reminded me of her" he looked around him noticing the messy bed, Serena's belongings all around the room and the clothes she had taken off the night before. "Nothing" he repeated. "But is not easy to forget… a beauty like Setsuna's." "But one can try" He pressed his lips together. He broke off the back part of the frame, threw it indifferently aside and then tore the photo into million pieces, which he let fall to the floor. "Oh, no" screamed Serena, astounded. "How could you do such a thing?" "It was very easy, believe me" he turned to her and gave her a scornful smile. "This… is the only complication" he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to him. She looked baffled into his decided face, but when she tried to pull away, he implacably kissed her. The smell of his skin, perfumed by the sunlight and sea, seemed to invade her senses… filling her with an intense longing. She returned the kiss with the same vibrant urgency and parted her lips anxious to taste his tongue exploring her mouth. Pressed against his body, she could feel the tension in his muscles just like the flame that burned inside her. Darien's hand shook as he opened her pullover gown. Then he kissed all the way down her neck and shoulder, before sliding his fingers under her nightgown's strap and pulling on it, exposing a breast of rosy tip so he could caress it. He covered it with his hand and caressed the hardened nipple with his thumb, making Serena bite her lower lip and groan in pleasure. Then he leant his head forward and with his lips took hold of the pink nipple. Serena trembled with pleasure and raised her hands to entwine them at the nape of Darien's neck, which lifted her in the air to then lay her down on the bed. Then he lay down next to her. She felt like she was dreaming again. Fear and excitement shook her small frame. Darien's body was pressing her down into the soft mattress. She could feel his whole body. She tensed against him with incomprehensible desperation. Darien pulled down the other strap, concentrated and absorbed in what he was doing. His mouth searched her smooth skin. His hands urgently caressed her body through the thin material of her gown. "Se thelo" he whispered in a hoarse voice against her heart, which was beating forcefully. "Se thelo poli." Those words whispered in a strange language, which her instinct told her only talked about physical need and not tenderness, destroyed her dreams and Serena came back to cold reality. , she thought scared. She had to be… laying down on the bed Darien had shared with his wife… a young girl whose promising life had ended in loneliness and desperation and whose picture now laid shattered on the floor. And she was letting Darien touch her… was letting him use her as a sexual exorcism. She laid her hands on his chest and pushed him away, tense with panic. "Matia mou… What's wrong?" "Everything" she whispered hoarsely. "Let me go, get away from me. How… there you…?" She climbed down from the bed feeling remorse and embarrassment; she covered her naked breasts with her nightgown, hands trembling all the while. Darien straightened, resting on his elbow, and observed her through half-closed eyes and a cynic smile on his lips. "Is not a question of daring, agape mou. You wanted it as much as I did. Maybe even more" he added cruelly. Serena blushed with embarrassment. "Get out of here. Get away from me" she stammered. "Are you sure?" In his voice, in his gaze that almost undressed her, was a deliberate insolence. "Maybe you should learn to be more willing… like your sister. You would see that in that way you could gain something more, since, under the circumstances, I can be very generous." "And become one more of the 'Xandreou women?'" Serena raised her chin. "You overestimate your charms. I would rather beg for money in the streets." "Is your choice, of course" Darien shrugged and climbed down from the bed. "But I have to warn you that there's a limit for everything I'm willing to offer… for everything" He paused so she would understand the meaning in his words. "For your sister's sake, it would be wiser if you reflected on your decisions… the sooner the better" he walked to the open door and turned around. He raised two fingers to his lips and blew her a goodbye kiss, before adding in a low voice: "Be sure to tell me if you change your mind." "About what?" She asked him tensely. "Everything" he replied and then he walked away. It was another perfect morning, hot even under the parasol. Serena, resting on a deckchair on the balcony, could hear the voices coming from the living room and knew that Raye had arrived to make her daily visit. She had to admit that her distrust towards the Greek girl had been unjust. For Mina, her presence in the house was the string that linked her to Andrew and also the outside world, since there weren't any phones. Three endless days had passed since the devastating encounter with Darien and, although she hadn't seen him or heard from him, her feelings and senses were still sunk in complete chaos. She had told herself hundreds of times that this crush, because that was all it was, didn't mean anything. Her life in England might not be so easy, but she had always managed to keep going, and she had the reputation of being a sensible girl worthy of trust. However now… , she thought desperately. , she told herself. She that in Karthos she wouldn't be able to accomplish that. Living in this house was a constant torment, with the memories of the dark past Darien had shared with his beautiful wife… and with her own memories, more recent and more intense, she couldn't get away. The memory of his caress still burned in her mind. Darien's presence was still in the bedroom, provoking a shiver in her that she couldn't control. Amy had gathered the pieces of the photography, with her lips pressed tight and a discrete attitude. Her boss's marriage was something she was obviously not willing to talk about, although she talked with Mina for hours about the good old times, when Darien and Andrew were children. Raye had explained the situation to her and the old woman had taken Mina under her wing, dedicating herself to treat her with love. As for Darien, he kept away, seemingly waiting for a message from her telling him that she was willing to talk to him, thought Serena with bitterness. But despite everything, she could still feel his presence. Sometimes, the Villa seemed so close that she could almost touch it and while she sunbathed or swam she was under the impression that someone was watching her, although she knew that was absurd. The need to get away before it was too late was obsessing her. One part of her mind told her that her mission in Karthos was a lost cause, that Darien had all the aces and that it might be better to accept his financial agreement. But she knew that if she suggested to Mina to forget everything and go back to England, she would stubbornly resist. Mina, sunk in her own emotional chaos, had no idea of the confusion that was tearing her sister apart. And Serena didn't want her to find out. "Kalimera" Raye appeared by her side, elegant and fresh, with a tight green dress. "Amy insists on making your sister rest a wile on the bed." "She's been very kind to us" commented Serena, feeling her whole body tense. "She loves Andrew and she wants to see him happy" Raye shrugged and sat by her side. "But the problem is how to accomplish that. Chad promised me that he would take Mina to Andrew's side as soon as he gets a chance, but Darien now leaves the villa very seldom and when he does leave is for a very short time… and he leaves Yannis watching over my brother" she frowned. "We have to find a way to get him away from the villa for a few hours." "I suppose he'll have to go to Athens…" whispered Serena. "You mean to go see Zoe? Who knows? Darien never talks to me about that and, anyway, he's very worried about Andrew. In fact…" she leant towards her "…He told Chad that he might take him to the United States soon to go see a specialist and if he does… I think that'll be the end of our hopes. You wouldn't be able to follow him." "No" negated Serena. "Does Mina know?" "No, I thought it would be best not to tell her. But" added Raye "That means we can't waste any time. We have to make Darien leave the villa for half a day… or maybe a whole day" she looked at Serena in the eyes. "I think that'll be your job." "What?" Serena sat up straight. "What are you talking about?" "You'll tell Darien you want to see him because you want to make a deal" smiled Raye, "but far from here, so your sister won't find out and worry. Then you'll keep him by your side" she added giving her a mischievous smile. "That won't be a problem, he's a very attractive man and I think he… likes you." "No" exclaimed Serena, blushing. "I'm sorry, but I can't… I won't do it. Is impossible. Besides, Darien wouldn't believe me, since I clearly told him that I wouldn't make any deals with him." "But, isn't it a woman's privilege to change her mind?" Raye asked her. "I think that's something Darien knows very well." "Yes, I can imagine, but I don't like this kind of games." Raye shrugged again, this time with an air of misfortune. "Then we can't do anything. Andrew will leave for the United States and you'll go back home with a good tan and a little bit of money." "I'll never manage to do it" groaned Serena, desperately. "How could you know, if you won't try?" Asked Raye. "Besides, Darien has always said that it's better to make a hard deal than an easy one. He awaits some resistance" she looked at Serena with brilliant eyes. "But he can't always choose the battle field… nor the weapons." There was an uncomfortable silence and Serena finally answered: "Alright, I'll try it, but I don't promise anything." "Good" approved Raye, smiling. "Because now you could have the perfect opportunity. I think my brother is coming towards us." Serena saw that a blue fishing boat was rounding a corner and it was approaching the deck. "Oh, God!" She exclaimed out of breath and turned to Raye. "You knew… didn't you?" She accused her. "You knew he was coming and tricked me." "No, I swear, he didn't tell me anything during breakfast. But it's a chance we can't miss" she continued begging. "For Andrew's and Mina's sake, you have to tell him you want to talk to him in private. Ask him to take you in the boat… and try to retain him until sunset. You have to give us some time." She stood up. "As soon as you leave, I'll take Mina to the clinic to pick up Chad, so he can supervise the reunion, and then we'll all go to the villa" she gave Serena a peck on the cheek. "Good luck to us all" she whispered and quickly left. Serena observed the nearing boat and the figure at the helm and then raised her eyes to the sky. There was still a lot of time before the sunset, she noticed with anguish. And she'll need more than luck to get out of this one untouched. "Oh, God, why did I agree?" she groaned, feeling more and more desperate by the minute. On to chapter 9… What did you think. Pray tell. I love email! Mellibea@yahoo.com.