Chapter 4: The Host

"It seems that you are well taken on the trip, yes?" The butler spoke English with a slight Italian accent. I nodded as I was looking at the grandeur of the palace. It was nice and all and I can say that the decoration speaks about its owner's wealth.

"What is that?" He asked as I turned to look at the butler. He was calculating me as I was smiling at him.

"Yes, the service was great. I have no complaints," I said in English as I spoke with good pronunciation, considering that my mother was an American.

"Ah, of course. Now come along," the butler said as he was showing me the interior of the palace as I was looking at the portraits that were showing on the wall. We were walking along the hallway as I was trying to remember where we were until the butler stopped in front of the giant oak door.

"After you," he said as he was opening the door and I saw that it was a study room that has lots of bookshelves. Now that was my guilty pleasure of all time. I was walking toward the bookshelves without having a second thought of coming inside this room.

The butler closed the door as I was scanning the books. It has everything that I could dream of. The encyclopedia of Ancient Greece, Greek Mythologies, The Ancient Civilization: Greece and their Empires. I was scanning the books that I don't even know there was someone else in the room.

"It seems to me that you are more interested in the books than meeting me then, Ms. Ferranti," a rich, velvety, sultry masculine voice spoke in English hit my eardrums as I turned to look at the man that was leaning against the mahogany desk.

I was taking in his features as he was standing there like a Greek god with his immaculate black Armani suit. I was gulping at the sight as I was checking him out, up and down before I settled on his face.

His toned thighs.

His broad shoulders.

His narrow waist.

And that was not it. When I turned to look at his face, I sucked in a breath as I was taking in his beauty.

His jet black hair.

His high cheekbones.

His aristocratic, straight nose.

His electric blue eyes.

I never thought human eyes can be so alluring as his right now. I involuntarily stepped closer to him one step before he chuckled. I was blinking a few times before blood rushed to my face.

"It seems that you are speechless when I caught you staring at the books. Please, no harm was done and I am glad that you are here to speak about the problem," he said before I snapped my eyes into his electric orbs.

It was enticing to not look away from it.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I was trying to remember why I was here in the first place. Right, the exhibition, the gemstones, the pleading.

And I will not be doing the last one even if the situation asked me to.

I smiled at the man as I was stepping closer to him before I was offering my hands to him. He looked at me, calculating my intention before I was speaking to him in English.

"It seems that you know who I was but I don't know your name. All I know is that you are called Mr. Zeus. It's very kind of you to arrange this meeting as soon as possible to settle the problem of the exhibition in 2 days," I said as Mr. Zeus smirked at me. He took my hand and I thought he was going to shake it but he did something completely different.

He kissed my knuckles.

I was surprised as my eyes were widened before the electric was running through my veins at the contact of his mouth on my hand. I was breathless for a while before he was straightening his back again.

"I'm happy to help. Now that you are here, I say we discuss the problem now, yes?" Mr. Zeus said before I blunted the next question.

"I don't even know your name," I said before I just realized what I did. I was closed my hand with my hand before Mr. Zeus was smirking at me.

"My name?"

"Well, it was uncomfortable to keep calling you Mr. Zeus now and then. I thought that since we're alone…we might get informal with each other. But it's okay if you don't want to, Mr. Zeus—"

"Zander,"

"What?" I asked him as I was blinking my eyes at him. Mr. Zeus smiled at me before he was tucking my hair behind my ear.

"You can call me Zander when we're alone," he said huskily before I was nodding at him. He beamed before he was stepping away from my personal space. I was looking at his electric orbs before he went to sit behind his desk. He unbuttoned his suit as he was ushering me to take a seat.

I wondered if anyone has ever seen the muscles beneath his clothing?

God, where has that thought come from before I was taking the seat and I pulled out the files that I have been keeping to show to him to convince Zander to give me the gemstones for the display?

"So, here is the list of the gems that we will be using during the exhibition. I don't know if you will have something similar to it but I hope you can replace it with something else," I said as I was putting on my professional persona. I was explaining to Zander about how it was important to put on the gems on display from his company.

I hoped that he would be agreed with me and doesn't ask me to beg and plead at his feet right now. I was waiting for his answer when he was raking through the papers as I was looking at his electric blue eyes were scanning it.

I wonder what he will think when there was another woman, naked underneath him as he was scanning her? Will he be pleased?

I shook my head slightly before Zander was putting the papers down and looked at me. I was smiling at him before he was rubbing his chin. Not a good sign, but I will be willing to make it happened. No matter what it takes.

"Okay, I will lend you my gemstones from our company but there's a condition," he said as I was looking at him. I nodded at him before he smirked and leaned closer to me. "You have to go on a date with me,"