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the number when she rattled it off. “I still have some more packing to do.”
    He turned toward his computer. At least this gave him an excuse to ignore the persistent Shelley Hanson and her identical pair of silicone-enhanced microphones. “Okay, don’t go anywhere until I get back to you.”
    “Thanks, Shane. I owe you for this.”
    “You owe me for a lot more than this. One of these days I’m gonna call in all these little favors.”
    “Anytime, cutie.”
    He smiled at the warmth in her voice. For a second, it lifted his spirits. “I’ll talk to you later.”
    With his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks, Rafe stared up at the massive relief on the lobby wall of the Art Institute of Athens. The ancient marble depicted Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite and Eros deep in conversation. The plaque just to the right of the relief dated the piece to ca. 420 B.C.
    He let out a low whistle. Old. And probably worth a fortune. A burst of excitement raced through him at the thought. If the marble in his briefcase matched the one he had back in Florida, he was close to collecting the payoff he’d been waiting for his whole damn life.
    “Mr. Sullivan, Dr. Gotsi will see you now.”
    Turning at the sound of the deep female voice, he lifted the case at his feet and followed the lithe woman down a long hallway. He waited while she punched in a security code and pressed her hand against a fingerprint analysis screen. The metal door at the end of the hall opened with a swish.
    “This way.”
    She led him to a secure conference room and slipped an electronic key into the slot near the door. She waited for the light to turn green, then pushed the door open.
    A woman rose from her seat at the end of a long gleaming table. Dark hair fell down around her shoulders, a pale pink suit molded to her sleek figure. The feline smile curling her bright red lips was meant solely for him. “Mr. Sullivan, I’ve been waiting for you.”
    Her Greek accent was thick, her eyes large and black as onyx.
    Rafe stepped into the room, waited until the assistant backed out and closed the door, then turned his attention toward Dr. Maria Gotsi. “The pleasure is all mine, as always.”
    Her heels clicked across the marble floor, and she reached out with both hands to grasp his arms, pulling him close as she kissed both of his cheeks in the familiar Europe an greeting. Her memorable jasmine scent wafted through the air, tickling his senses. She eased back and sent him an alluring gaze.
    She was almost as tall as he was, easily six feet in her heels, a fact he knew gave her an advantage in her business dealings—and her personal ones, as well.
    “I was thrilled when Elise told me you were in town.” She smiled, stepping closer. “As it turns out, I happened to have a cancellation just this morning.”
    He hid his victory grin. He was pretty sure he knew who’d cancelled, and it was all the more reason to get this little meet and greet over with as soon as possible.
    “Must be my lucky day.”
    “Could I be so blessed as to discover you crossed the Atlantic simply because you missed me?” A bright red-tipped nail trailed down the sleeve of his jacket.
    His eyes narrowed as he studied the chiseled features of her face—the prominent bone structure, flawless skin, supple lips. He knew from experience the body underneath all that pretty packaging was just as perfect as the face, and forthe first time since he’d met the Greek scientist, he had absolutely no desire to see any of it for himself.
    That little fact shocked the hell out of him.
    He lifted the briefcase in his hand, refusing to give the thought any more time than it deserved. “I brought you something.”
    Interest flared in the dark depths of her eyes. “You tease me with history, Rafael.”
    And it was the only thing he was going to tease her with, period. He unfastened the straps, dialed a code on the latch and popped the top. Then he lifted the velvet pouch inside, sliding the