The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love

173 Pages·2010·0.84 MB·English

by  Hofman Kate

The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman DCL Publications
LLC
www.thedarkcastlelords.com
Copyright ©2008 by DCL Publications First published in Australia, 2008
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman CONTENTS
THE APHRODITE AFFAIRS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Author Biography
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman THE APHRODITE
AFFAIRS
Odyssey of Love
© 2008 by Kate Hofman
All rights reserved
First Edition November 2008
DCL Publications
36 Monash Street
Melton South
Victoria
Australia
3338
www.thedarkcastlelords.com ISBN 978-1-92134772-6
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including 4
The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman photocopying,
recording, or by any information and storage retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product
of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or
dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHED IN AUSTRALIA
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman National Library of
Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Hofman, Kate.
Title: Odyssey of love / Kate Hofman.
Edition: 1st ed.
ISBN: 9781921347726
Dewey Number: 813.6
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman
Prologue
Nicole Carleton and Gregory Gianaris were married two years ago. A year later,
their daughter Marissa was born. Very happily married, they could wish that his
mother, Petra Gianaris, would not visit quite so often. Gregory's business
interests stretch far and wide, one might call him a typical Greek tycoon. Nicole
is a successful Romance writer, but when Marissa was born, she took a
sabbatical from writing, devoting herself to her husband and their baby daughter.
Their time has been divided between a Manhattan duplex on Park Avenue, their
house on Long Island, visits to his Greek island and staying with her father, who
lives in a small castle at Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
For the past month, they have been residing at Park Avenue, because of business
matters requiring Gregory's personal attention.
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love by Kate Hofman
Chapter 1
Early in the morning, Gregory said, "Nini, I have a business dinner this evening.
I'll change in my suite at the office. I don't think I'll be home before ten-thirty,
eleven. Agape mou—my love—will you miss me?" Nicole smiled. "You know I
will." She hugged herself to him, licking the corner of his mouth. He gazed into
her violetblue eyes, delighted at what he read there. He was surprised to see their
expression change suddenly. Her voice sounding unhappy, she said, "Oh-oh, I've
just remembered. Your mother called yesterday and told Marta she'd come to
spend this afternoon with us."
"Told Marta? But you were at home all day?" Nicole shrugged. "She'd rather
speak to our housekeeper than to me. And I suspect she'll demand you take the
afternoon off. Not to worry. I'll explain to her that this is a very busy time for
you. But she'll be livid when you're not home for dinner. You know as well as I
that your mother does not like me, to put it mildly. If I have to hear one more
litany of all the gorgeous, desirable, Greek near-goddesses you had affairs with
and could've married, instead of throwing yourself away on inadequate,
undesirable me..." Her soft voice trailed off.
Gregory was aghast. "Nini, does mother still do that?
That's despicable. Of course, I haven't lived like a monk, but I've been very
selective in my ... uh ... associations, you know that."
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love
by Kate Hofman
"Of course I do, Greg. It's just that she still seems to have a pet candidate for the
position of Your Wife. I thought once Marissa was born, she'd—But she only
sneers because I didn't give you a son. I told her that very virile men often have
daughters first, and in any case it is the man who decides the gender of the child.
All I can do is provide two 'x'
chromosomes. It's up to you to give me two 'x' for a daughter, or an 'x' and a 'y'
for a son. She nearly choked with rage and told me to keep my disgusting, filthy
ideas to myself. It was what she expected from a writer of pornography. I
pointed out I'm a Romance writer. ' The same thing, ' she bellowed. It was all I
could do to keep my face straight."
Gregory put his arms around Nicole. "Nini, agape mou, this is appalling. Why
didn't you tell me this before? I wish I could stay to tell my mother never to
offend you again, but I can't. Not today. But at least she does love Marissa."
When he saw the derisive little frown on Nicole's face, he added a surprised,
"Doesn't she?"
Nicole shrugged. "If she does, she has a peculiar way of showing it. Fortunately,
Marissa is only a year old, she sleeps a lot, so your mother's sneering remarks
are mostly aimed at me, with endless expressions of regret and sorrow for you
being saddled with me for a wife, and a daughter who is small for her age, she
never fails to mention. Philip doesn't agree with her, and I prefer the opinion of
our doctor to your mother's."
When she saw Gregory's unhappy expression, she hastened to hug herself to
him, kissing his taut jaw, reaching 9
The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love
by Kate Hofman
up to kiss his mouth. Instantly, his arms closed around her. After some time, she
whispered, "I'm sorry I mentioned your mother's rudeness. Don't worry, Greg,
I'll manage just fine. You have a great day at the office and I hope the dinner will
not be too desperately boring for you."
"It will be all of that, agape mou, because I'll wish I were with you instead."
"Mmm—I'll have to think of ways to make the enforced separation up to you."
She kissed him again, and he held her tightly to him.
"Now I won't be able to think of anything else all day long," he sighed. He
glanced at his watch, saying, "I really have to go, Nini. I hope the day won't be
too dire for you. Feel free to tell my mother to go home if she becomes totally
impossible."
Nicole laughed. "Don't worry. Bye, Greg, my darling."
But Petra Gianaris was even more impossible than usual. When Nicole refused
to wake Marissa from her afternoon sleep, she insisted on sitting beside the
baby's crib, sneering at mother and baby in equal measure, evidently hoping her
strident voice would wake the baby.
When Marissa woke and Nicole picked her up, Petra angrily told her to leave the
baby to her grandmother. Nicole stood her ground, changed her daughter and
began to feed her, but Marissa turned her tiny face away.
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The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love
by Kate Hofman
Frowning worriedly, Nicole said, almost to herself, "Marissa seems very warm
... Maybe I should sponge her down with some cool water."
Petra sneered, "You're a typical overanxious, incompetent mother. Thee mou.
When I think of the dozens of wonderful women my son could have married,
who would not panic at everything. I told you to leave Marissa to me. Tchah!
Marissa. She should've been named for me, but no doubt you overruled my son's
wishes."
Coldly, Nicole said, "I don't care about your opinion of me, but you will back
away from my daughter now. I will take care of her. I'm going to call our doctor,
because I'm worried about Marissa panting for breath and getting more feverish
by the moment."
Ignoring Petra's enraged scolding, Nicole picked up her fretful daughter and
carried her to the telephone. The receptionist tried to reassure Nicole. "The
Doctor will hurry over, as soon as he's finished with his patient. But if you are
very worried, perhaps you should call an ambulance." Nicole said, "I'd so much
rather wait for Dr. Barstowe, who knows Marissa. I am very reluctant to hand
her over to total strangers in an Emergency Room, particularly while my
husband isn't here. Please ask Philip to hurry?"
"I sure will, Mrs. Gianaris. Meanwhile, I think you had a good idea, sponging
her down with cool water. That'll bring the temperature down a bit."
Always considerate, Nicole called the housekeeper. "My daughter is ill, I've
called the doctor, Marta. Please don't do anything about dinner until I let you
know." Cutting short 11
The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love
by Kate Hofman
Marta's expressions of concern, Nicole went back to sponging Marissa down
with cool water.
By time Philip Barstowe arrived, in spite of Nicole efforts, Marissa's temperature
was up again. After examining the baby, his expression grave, Philip said,
"Nicole, I think you'd better call Gregory. I don't like this rasping breath. Sudden
fevers aren't unknown in babies, but in spite of my best efforts her temperature
continues to go up. She should be in hospital."
Desperately worried, Nicole said, her voice shaking, "Philip, I've been trying to
call Greg for the last two hours, but he must have his cell-phone turned off. And
I don't know the name of the hotel where the business dinner is being held. Oh,
Philip—"
With an effort, Philip succeeded in getting Nicole to sit down, stressing that
more could be done for Marissa in hospital.
While Philip telephoned, Petra joined Nicole and said, her voice dripping
venom, "So you can't get Gregoris to answer his cell-phone? Tchah! He didn't
tell you the name of the hotel because there is no business dinner. Whenever he
is with Artemis, he turns his cell-phone off." Disappointed at Nicole's total lack
of reaction to what Petra considered a live grenade, she went on, "Artemis and
Gregoris have been lovers on and off since their teens. Their fathers were second
cousins, so there was no objection to them getting married, but unfortunately
before my son could propose to Artemis, you bewitched him with your
despicable tricks, taken from the filthy books you write. Small wonder he turned
away from 12
The Aphrodite Affairs: Odyssey of Love