Someone posted this picture on Facebook and I looked into the eyes and face of Nikolos Demopoulos. This is exactly how I pictured him when I wrote the story. So, to celebrate, how about I share that wee snippet from
His Man Saturday.
“Papa, I have – oh,
excuse me.”
The moment I turned
my head to see who had joined us, I felt the breath leave my body in one great
rush. I know I looked stupid as hell but the sight of the newcomer reduced me
to a puddle in a moment. My mouth hung open; I couldn’t look away.
A vision of Grecian
beauty, he reminded me very much of Michelangelo’s David. If I had to
guess at his age, I would have put him about around twenty-five or so. His black
hair was curly, framing his head like a halo. His face was almost feminine in
its beauty with eyes the color of warm chocolate, a strong aquiline nose, and
lips that looked full and pouty. He had high cheekbones that added the air of
strength to his face. When I allowed myself the ability to look lower, I saw
that he was slim and well-toned. His shoulders weren’t huge but they were broad
enough to make his waist look small. I wondered what his arse looked like,
making a mental image of the perfectly rounded globes. When he turned to close
the door, I saw that I was right.
“My son, Niko -- Nikolos.”
The son took my
hand, shaking it with much less vigor than his father had displayed, but
Nikolos shook it with no less warmth.
“David…uh, Dave.
Call me Dave.”
“I am pleased to
meet you, Dave.” His voice was less accented than his father’s, his English
flawless. He spoke the next words to Stavros, but his eyes never left mine.
“Papa, the mill is fixed; you can lead the tour there tomorrow. It was just a
branch got caught in the grinder.”
“Wonderful,”
Stavros bellowed.
“Grinder?” I asked.
When Niko smiled,
his face lit up with a glow. “Yes, the olives are ground so that we can extract
the oil from them.”
I smiled back. “I
look forward to the tour then. I can’t wait to see how this is all done.”
Stavros clapped his
hand on my back and laughed. “Good, good. We will take you on tour tomorrow.”
With that, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a bear hug that I thought
would break my ribs. Then, he kissed both my cheeks and patted them with his
huge hands. “Good, good. Come now, Niko, we must let them rest. He and
beautiful woman will need rest before the feast.”
Niko glanced at me
with one eyebrow raised. I wasn’t sure what message he was sending but I had a
good feeling I knew. How could I send the message back to him that his
invitation was welcome? I licked my lower lip, trying to think, but that seemed
to be the right one. He nodded, still smiling.
“Yes, Papa, we will
go.” He turned and left the villa without another word.
“Rest well, Mr.
Dave. I will send Niko to get you when it is time.”
“Thank you,
Stavros. I can’t wait.”
It wasn’t until
they left that I found the air to breathe again. What the fuck was I doing? I
was standing here practically drooling over that beautiful man and my woman was
laying down in the next room. Holy God, what the fuck was I doing? Was I
totally insane? I tried to convince myself that it was no different than the
pleasure palace in Taipei, that it was no different than any of the places Rick
and I had gone to. Oh shit, Rick. What would he do? What would he tell me to do?
God, this was stupid. This could blow up in my face.
With love,
Siobhan