Adam's Secret

Knossos, once the home to a race of people believed to be the first civilisation in Europe, lies on the north coast of Crete and 5 kilometres inland. Knossos was once the centre of an important Bronze Age culture, and was occupied long before 3000BC by the Minoans. It was excavated by Englishman Sir Arthur Evans in 1900 and has since been spectacularly restored, sometimes excessively.

    The palace of Minos occupies the summit of a small hill, overlooking a fertile valley and hidden from the sea. It attracts thousands of visitors a year, each flourishing in the aura of this once wondrous kingdom.

    One man touched by the grandeur and mysteriousness of this place had made Knossos his mistress. To leave her would be a sacrilege. He stood tall and proud, meting out instructions. To the bare-chested archaeologist, Knossos was his life…his reason for living.

    Adam Tobias stood hands on hips, watching with eagerness as his workforce toiled in the baking sun, to unearth the secrets that the dig must surely divulge. A series of trenches were sunk into the ground on the south side of the hill. It was here that Adam hoped to unravel another piece of the jigsaw to the enigmatic Minoan Empire.

    Adam Tobias, a handsome man with long, blonde, flowing locks and a well-groomed beard could easily have been mistaken for someone belonging to another ancient tribe, the Vikings. His penetrating blue eyes had enticed many a fair maiden, and he often used his sexual charm to his advantage.

    He took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma only Crete could produce, the sweet smelling cyclamen and the wild lupines, mingling with the numerous mountainous herbs. Adam looked out onto the ancient city, with its magnificent red pillars and white walls, and imagined what it must have been like to live in such an incredible era.

    The splendid spectacle took on a role of insignificance, as his eyes were attracted to another creation of beauty. She approached, this black-eyed Goddess; her long, raven hair fluttering in the breeze. Not a bead of perspiration blemished her perfect honey-toned features, although the temperature soared. Even in a tee shirt and cut-off jeans, this girl oozed feminism like he had never encountered before.

    She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and smiled, her pristine, white teeth complimenting her full but luscious, moist lips. “Good afternoon,” she said in a distinct Greek accent. “I was wondering if you were looking for employees.”

    Adam wiped the glistening sweat from his face. “I wish I could offer you work, but I've a full workforce; besides, this specific work I believe will not suit you.”    

    She licked her lips and shielded her eyes from the sun. “Mr Tobias; I'm experienced at this type of work. I've worked on several such digs in Athens.”   

    “How do you know my name?” “

    “Everyone knows the great archaeologist, Adam Tobias.”

    “Have you any credentials you can show me?”  

    She sighed. “I'm afraid not.”

    He stood and pondered, her seductive stare working its charm. “My pay, I'm afraid is meagre. Funds for this project are not what we hoped.”

    “The pay will be fine whatever it is,” she smiled. “The excavation of this wondrous city will be payment enough.”

    Adam offered his hand. “Welcome to the team, Miss...”

    “Calandria…Calandria Yankas.”

    “Where are you from, Calandria?”

    “I live in Athens, and as soon as I found out about your excavation here, I left for Crete immediately.”

    “Where are you staying?”

    “A hotel in Heraklion.”

    “Well, Calandria, I'll get someone to pick up your things and move them to the Alexander Hotel. That is one of the only luxuries of this project we can afford. In fact, the hotel is being paid for by the Greek Archaeological Service; one of our chief investors in the project.”

    “So where do I start?” she asked.

    “You can help George and Alexi over there. What we hope to unearth here is evidence that the city expanded to the south. Other so-called experts have insisted that this is not so, but I'm convinced that Knossos was a city on a much greater scale than was first thought.”

    His eyes followed the graceful movement of the girl as she joined the others, who were scraping the earth, hoping to unearth treasures. He lit a cigar and smiled, a contented smile. He knew in his heart that he would have employed this girl no matter what.

    Adam climbed aboard the chariot and lifted the veil to kiss his new bride. Calandria looked radiant in her white wedding dress, her head donning a crown, not unlike her husband's. They held hands and the chariot moved slowly towards their new home. They took in the spectacle of Athens at night, countless lights like fireflies, illuminating the dark sky.

    They turned towards Calandria's family and friends who were following on foot and bearing gifts, which was a tradition at an Athenian wedding. Calandria blew kisses at her weeping mother, who carried torches, apparently to emphasise her protective role. The flames of the torches and the Greek music functioned against the evil spirits that intended to harm the bride, or so the custom goes.
    They clenched hands and looked towards the Acropolis, feeling infinity with each other. After reaching the house, they indulged in a splendid feast, and no expense was spared as the joyous revellers danced and dined late into the early hours of the morning.

    Adam caught Calandria's father scrutinising him more than once. It was common knowledge that his wishes were for his only daughter to marry an Athenian, and not a foreigner. Adam would be thirty-eight on his next birthday and Calandria only twenty-three, but the age difference was not what bothered Stepan, her father. It was the obscurity of the man who had married his baby.

    Little was known about Adam, apart from him being an archaeologist; and the absence of any forthcoming kin at the wedding further ignited Stepan’s suspicion.

    “My parents are dead and I have no brothers or sisters,” insisted Adam.

    His best man at the wedding was George, his right hand man and Greek interpreter.
    It was only two months since that glorious day in June when Calandria had appeared to him, but their mutual attraction for each other soon turned into love. They had the same interests, and she was apparently besotted by this imposing figure of a man.

    Adam had shared with Calandria something he had never ever divulged to another being…his wealth. Adam was not as poor as he often made out, and could comfortably afford to finance the Knossos project himself, but his greed ordained that he pleaded to backers, cap in hand.

    He had made his new wife swear an oath that she would never reveal his secret. She agreed after much haggling, attempting to convince her husband to pay his workers a reasonable wage, but her pleas were ignored. The house that he had purchased in Athens did not come cheaply, and the price was more enhanced, considering the time they would spend there, but Adam was trying to impress his new father in law.

    That morning, they made love enthusiastically, looking forward to the honeymoon the following evening…a world cruise. Calandria embraced her husband and kissed him, before asking, “Adam, do you truly love me?”

    “What a strange thing to say on our wedding night, my Athenian pearl. Of course I love you… Why do you ask?”

    “No reason.” She kissed him again and closed her eyes.

Adam, transfixed by her beauty watched her as she slept, as he did often. His gluttonous nature would not leave him, and he often wondered if this beautiful young girl would be sharing his bed if it were not for his money and his notoriety. He, as usual put it to the back of his mind; after all, Calandria knew nothing of his opulence until after they were engaged. He kissed her on her forehead and pushed her dark hair away from her eyes, before slumbering peacefully in the knowledge that his affluence meant nothing to her.

    Adam and Calandria stood on the upper deck and looked out towards the coast of North Africa, feeling the warm sea breeze in their faces. They clasped hands tightly and talked, but Adam's thoughts were elsewhere…in another continent.

    Like a child brooding for a lost toy, Adam, she suspected was aching to return to his beloved Knossos, and only this morning, he had received news that a fragment of pottery had been found. With this exciting news, Calandria realised that her husband was wishing the time away, and what should have been a celebratory and memorable voyage, offered no such joy.

    They entered the elegant dining room, opting not to dine at the captain's table tonight, as Adam wanted them to celebrate their good news alone. They were ushered to a table and Calandria marvelled at the grand surroundings, taking in the crystal chandeliers and marble pillars.

    “Isn't this so wonderful, Adam?”

    “You’d better make the most of it, Calandria; there'll not be so many such voyages in the future… I intend to fully concentrate on the dig when we're back in Crete.”

    As they devoured their superb dinner, Adam talked only of the project and the renown it would bring him. He ordered champagne and drank to their success, and of course to Knossos.

    Calandria watched the blood drain from her husband's face as he almost choked on his champagne. He was looking past her, and Calandria turned to see what had caused such a distressing change in her husband.

    “What is it?”

    “Nothing, darling, just a bit of food gone down the wrong way.”

    “I'll be only a few minutes, Adam. I need the ladies room.”

    He watched Calandria head towards the powder room, as immaculate as ever in her sky blue dress. His other eye was firmly focused on the attractive lady, who was being escorted to a table by the waiter.
    With her mass of red locks and her unmistakable walk, she excelled in wiggling her so trim bottom. She had not changed. She was elegantly attired in a white trouser suit, her perfectly applied make-up and fine arched eyebrows enhancing those so blue eyes; her rouge, highlighting her fine cheekbones. The petite upturned nose confirmed her identity. She had never aged a day. She could still pass as someone ten years her junior, instead of thirty-four, her true age.

    Adam picked up the menu and peered over the top of it to see that she had opted for a table facing his. He swallowed his champagne, still hiding behind his menu, and afforded another glance. The redhead was wiggling her fingers at him.

    He approached her table, looking around to ensure his wife was not on her way back. He towered over her and she smiled at him, raising her right eyebrow, as she always did when she was in control.

    “Well, Adam, isn't this a surprise?” She sniffed the air. “I see you're still wearing that awful after shave.”

    “Melissa, what’re you doing here?”

    “Well, I haven't come here for the skiing have I? Incidentally, did you get your newspaper?”

    Adam blushed. “Listen, Melissa,” he stuttered, looking around nervously. “Our marriage was going nowhere. It was stale and we weren't even sleeping together.”

    Melissa grinned. “Hmm, I was about the only female in Kensington who wasn't sleeping with you.”

    “Why are you here? Revenge, is that it?”

    “Sit down, Adam and stop being so melodramatic.”

    “I have company... Er…a business acquaintance,” he lied.

    “Really?”

    “Yes, really… Now, tell me what you want? Our marriage is well and truly dead, Melissa. In fact, it's been cremated and the ashes deposited down the lavatory.”

    Melissa fluttered her long eyelashes. “Charming as always eh, my pumpkin? Don't flatter yourself; I've no wish to rekindle our marriage… You bastard! Did you honestly think I would let you just walk away and get away with it?” she said, raising her voice and attracting stares from other diners.

    Adam lowered his voice. “We hated each other; besides, I left you with an ample bank account. Enough to keep you in comfort for the rest of your life.”

    “Shit! You're bloody serious... You are bloody serious aren't you? Do you think fifty thousand pounds was going to last me a lifetime? You skinflint. You haven't changed a bit; in fact, I'm surprised you splashed out for this cruise.”

    “I've told you, I'm here on business.”

    “Champagne and a whore on your arm… No, you definitely haven't changed. Who is she?”

    “I've told you; she's a business acquaintance.”

    “Yeah, yeah.”

    He again glanced over his shoulder. “Listen, Melissa; this is a very important business deal. I'm trying to persuade her to part with some of her riches and partly finance my newest venture. If she agrees, then the skies the limit.”

    Melissa yawned and looked at her fingernails.

    “Please, don't spoil this for me,” he begged. He saw Melissa smiling and looking past his shoulder. He turned to see Calandria had returned and was looking in his direction, shrugging her shoulders and mouthing, “What?”

    “What's it worth for me then?” asked Melissa.

    Adam reluctantly conceded. “Quarter of a million Euros. How I'm going to explain you though is something else.”

    “A quarter of a million,” she moaned… “Make it half a million and you have a deal?”

    Adam's troubled mind was working overtime. “Okay, but you say nothing of who you are. You're a business acquaintance…have you got that?”

    “Adam, your champagne is going flat. Aren't you going to introduce us?” asked Calandria, who had joined them.

    “Calandria, this is Melissa, a business associate. Melissa, this is Calandria.”

    “A business associate? How come she is on this cruise?” asked the Greek beauty.

    “Come on back to our table, Calandria and I'll explain.”

    “Won't you join us, Melissa?” prompted Calandria.

    “No she's...”

    “I'd love to... I'll just powder my nose first. I love champagne.”

    The couple returned to their table. “So what's going on, Adam?” quizzed Calandria.

    “I was going to tell you… The meeting wasn't planned until later on in the week, but what the hell… Calandria, I want you to listen carefully. The entire Knossos project could depend on that woman. I want you to pretend that you're a prospective sponsor. You see, if you can convince her you're about to donate a large sum of money to the project, then there's a good chance she will follow. We need to convince her that the dig has much potential.”

    “Are you serious? Who is she?”

    “She’s a rich widower who has money to burn, and she’s a lover of archaeology. “

    “I don‘t know, Adam; you know how I feel about dishonesty.”

    “Please, Calandria,” he pleaded, as he eyed the returning fiery redhead.

    The content redhead sat opposite the couple. “Ah, that‘s better. Now for that champers... Pour please, Adam,” Melissa demanded, holding out her glass.

    Adam spoke. “Yes, Calandria, as I was telling you, Melissa is also considering donating a sum towards the dig at Knossos.”    

    Melissa raised her eyebrow and sneered at her deceitful husband.

    Calandria spoke. “I've seen your work and am impressed, therefore I'm willing to make a donation of say, two hundred thousand Euros.”

    Adam appeared pleased. “Well, that's very generous of you. I'm sure your involvement will be well rewarded.”

    “How?” asked Melissa.

    Adam looked towards her and wished that he could pull that irritating eyebrow from her face. “Pardon?”

    “How will her involvement be rewarded? If I'm to donate such a sum, what will I get for my money?”

She removed a silver cigarette box from her handbag and offered one to her associates, which they both declined. Adam watched in horror as she lit the cigarette with the silver engraved lighter that he had given her on her birthday. The words stood out as he gazed upon it. To Melissa, love Adam. She rubbed her fingers along the lighter teasingly and blew out a plume of smoke towards the ceiling, before placing the lighter on the table next to Calandria.

    He loosened his tie and felt the perspiration running down his face, inwardly harbouring dreams of reaching across the table and throttling the cow.

    “Well, what do I get?” asked Melissa.

    “Em, of course you get to be named as a founder of the dig, and you'll no doubt be featured in many magazines, portrayed as a generous woman, if that is your wish.”

    Melissa rolled her eyes. “Is that it? If I put in the big bucks then I expect to get something more rewarding out of it, if you get my meaning?”

    Adam scowled at her, as it was apparent that she was enjoying seeing him squirm. “This is not a money making venture, but I'm sure a little trinket would not go amiss, seeing as we're sitting on a potential goldmine,” he smiled.

    Calandria slammed down her glass on the table. “Mr Tobias! That is an outrage. I was under the impression that everything unearthed at Knossos would be handed over to the Greek Archaeology Service to exhibit in the museum?”   

    He narrowed his eyes at her, realising that she was overplaying her role. He dabbed his glistening forehead with his initialled handkerchief, the complicated scenario obviously affecting him.
    “Officially it does, but a little trinket would be just reward for our enterprise.”

    He felt a foot rubbing against his, and he blushed, attempting to conceal his apparent embarrassment. The foot climbed higher, towards his groin, and he swallowed his champagne greedily. Calandria was obviously enjoying her role more than he thought.

    He looked into the eyes of Melissa and she blew smoke into his face, which was one of his pet hates. He coughed and felt another foot massage his leg, this time belonging to the redhead.

    Adam, in an attempt to conclude the meeting, spoke up. “Our business is concluded. If you’d hand me your cheques before the end of the voyage, I'll be most grateful.”

    “How grateful, Mr Tobias,” teased Melissa, emphasising the word, Tobias.

    He accepted that she would never forgive him for changing his surname. He looked towards Calandria, who was glowering at Melissa. This was getting out of hand.

    “May I have a receipt please?” asked Melissa.

    “What?”

    She winked. “A receipt saying I'm a partner in the enterprise. That's of course if you trust me to give you the cheque later.”

    He offered her a bogus smile and removed his pen from his inside pocket. She passed him over a notebook from her handbag and he scribbled away.

    “And I'm sure Calandria would like a receipt too,” insisted Melissa.

    He nodded and complied with her wish, after all, it was not for real. He once more felt the offending feet rubbing against his groin and rose up, revealing to all his bulging embarrassment. The women laughed in unison, watching an elderly woman gasp at his predicament.

    Adam left the table and headed for the bar, several smirks directed towards him when he tried to conceal his erection.

    Adam reached his cabin about midnight, expecting Calandria to be asleep. The more he drank, the more he felt satisfied with the day’s unexpected events. Things had turned out not too bad after all, and he had handled himself admirably.

    He slipped off his trousers and staggered into the dressing table, putting a finger up to his mouth. “Shhh!” He switched on the light and the sight that greeted him almost sobered him up.

    Calandria and Melissa were lying in each other's arms, as naked as the day they were born. They sat up and smiled at the bemused intruder.

    “What is the meaning of this? Calandria, how could you?”

    “Doesn't it turn you on, Adam? Two of your wives naked in bed together?” teased Melissa.

    “You know?” gasped Adam.

 

    Calandria giggled and nuzzled Melissa's neck “Give us some credit, you moron; of course we know.”
    “You do? But...”

    The two women kissed and faced their tormentor.

    Melissa giggled. “Sit down, Adam; I'm sure you'll need a seat after what you're about to hear.”

    He slumped into the chair and Melissa continued. “After you left me, I grieved for a while, until I realised that I didn't love you at all. I wanted to get back at you in any way I could, and so, I hired a private investigator to track you down. All roads led to Athens, but that’s as far as it got… It made sense you being there, as you're obsessed by old ruins… Anyway, I flew to Athens and was about to give up, when I saw your loathsome, pathetic face staring up at me from a newspaper stand. You, in your arrogance had chosen to be interviewed in an archaeological magazine, and I read of your venture in Crete. That is when I met Calandria and fell in love.”

    “What? You're…you're l-l-les...?”

    “Lesbians? What's a matter, can't you say it? We're lovers, and with Calandria, I found what real love was. Anyway, that's another story… We came up with an elaborate plot to hurt you, and the only way to do so was hit you where it hurts, in the wallet. I knew you would be only too willing to accommodate Calandria, and she had no trouble in seducing you. The rest is history.”

    Adam squirmed as the two women again kissed. “Whoa! I don't understand… What have you gained from this? Okay, I lose two wives, but I can live with that.”

    Melissa grinned. “You don't understand do you? Your arrogance prompted you to divulge to Calandria just how much you're worth. So what we require from you is two and a half million Euros.”

    “Ah! Do you think I'm stupid?”

    Melissa manoeuvred the sheets to purposely expose the breasts of the two women, before continuing. “Actually, yes I do. Stupid for thinking you could walk out on me, and stupid for letting your ugly mug be displayed on the front of the magazine. Also, stupid for believing that Calandria could love you.”

    “But, she put her family through the marriage. Her name will be disgraced and she’ll not be allowed a divorce.”

    Melissa continued. “Oh, but she's not legally married to you is she, as we never divorced? You're a bigamist, you bastard… Now you have a decision to make. You hand us over the two and a half million and Calandria will remain married to you; separated of course, but I'm sure the money will more than compensate for her sorrow.”

    “And if I don't?”

    “Well, I'm not certain the length of a prison sentence in Greece for bigamy, but I 'm sure it’ll be long. I'm not a greedy woman; I'll leave you with ample funds to live comfortably. Let's say, fifty thousand Euros.”

    Adam was enraged. “You cow! Why don't you castrate me while you're here?”

    Melissa smirked. “Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention. You now have two partners.”

    “No way! I'll give you the money, but Knossos is mine!”

    “We have receipts to say otherwise... I'm not an unreasonable woman. I'll tell you what; sell us your share of the project and you’ll never see us again.”

    “Never! Absolutely not.”

    “Then you have two new partners.”

    “Those receipts mean nothing.”

    “Really? Shall we let a court decide?” smiled Melissa.  

    There was a respite in communication before Adam spoke. “How did you know what was going to happen in the dining room?”

    Calandria spoke for the first time. “We didn't. We only intended to take your money, but as things turned out, Melissa saw the opportunity to take something from you that is dear to your heart.”

    “But, I don't understand. Why go through with the fiasco in the dining room? Why didn't you just get straight to the point?”

    “Because, I wanted to see you squirm,” interrupted Melissa. “The more the conversation progressed, the more you dug yourself into a hole... We revelled in your misery.”

    “And the feet beneath the table?” he quizzed.

    The women looked to each other and laughed. “Seeing someone being tortured is an aphrodisiac, Adam. You're a greedy and ruthless man, and I can't find it in my heart to pity you. In the end, your vanity betrayed you. Now, if you'll be so kind, put the light out on your way out.”