She’d found herself pregnant and all alone, no knowledge of where the father had gone, or if he would ever return. She wasn’t even completely sure he’d told her his real name, a fact that still grated on her nerves even two years later. God, I was such a sucker back then!
Gemma had quit believing in her own judgment where men were concerned after that. Now she kept to herself, worked as many hours of the day that she could, and loved on her little man. It was hard and lonely, but Aimee was always there to cheer her up. Besides, the minute she walked into the apartment this evening and held Damien in her arms, all of the day’s troubles would disappear.
He was her world, and none of this other stuff mattered in the least. The money needed for Tyler’s schooling was concerning, but she’d figure it out just like she’d done numerous times before. The fact that this was almost twice what she’d needed to come up with a year ago was like getting punched in the gut, but it was for her baby brother. I want him to succeed, and if I need to cut back to see that happen—well, that’s just what I’ll do.
Gemma pushed the tuition letter into her purse, trying to forget she’d even seen it. She turned to the work in front of her. Past and future can just take a backseat for now. Things have always worked themselves out before. They will do so again. Somehow…
Chapter 3
Washington, D.C.
Smithsonian Museum of Modern Art…
Leo navigated the museum, making his way towards the escalator that would take him to the third storey. He was impatient to make up for the lost time. In the past, coming to the U.S. was as easy as filing a flight plan and making sure his passport was current. Today it was a different story. Given the increased security measures, there had been forms to fill out and approvals needed before he’d received clearance to land his private jet at Dulles National Airport. While Leo understood the need for caution in these troubling times, his impatience to resolve the issue surrounding his brother’s stock was eating at him. I want this over and done with.
He’d hired a private investigator en route to the States, providing him with the address of G. Larsen and asking the man to find out everything he could about the woman in twenty-four hours’ time. Thanks to the lack of time, the private investigator’s report wasn’t all that thorough. Leo had been promised pictures of G. Larsen, but as of yet they had not arrived.
He stepped off the escalator on the third storey of the art museum and walked towards the left gallery, reviewing what he did know about this person.
The ‘G’ stood for Gemma. She was twenty-eight years old. She worked at the Smithsonian Museum in the art restoration department and lived with a man named Damien. The private investigator hadn’t included any work history for him. Leo assumed he was a freeloader and Gemma was carrying the financial burden for them both.
She lived in a rough part of Washington D.C. The report suggested he shouldn’t venture there unescorted due to the high crime rate. The man promised more information for him tomorrow, but Leo wasn’t content to wait. He’d called the museum upon landing at Dulles and was now headed towards the gallery where he was told Gemma Larsen would be working today.
He stepped into a large exhibition room. Glancing around, he saw a group of three women gathered around a table at the far end. Several other visitors were present, including a group of school-aged children and their tour guide. The guide wore a headset and droned in a monotone about the paintings displayed on the walls and the artists who had created them.
Leo took advantage of the other people to draw nearer to the small group of museum employees unobserved. Of the three women, one of them most definitely was not his target. The older woman had graying hair and spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose. No way she’s twenty-eight.
The second woman had long blonde hair, pulled up on top of her head in a neat ponytail. When she spoke, Leo cringed at her high-pitched voice. I hope she’s as young as she sounds. Maybe sixteen, seventeen possibly, but clearly still in her teens.
That left the third woman. She had her back to him. The tour group stopped in front of her and Leo mentally cursed, impatient to see what she looked like. She appeared to be very trim, possibly a little over five and a half feet tall. Her auburn hair was pulled haphazardly to the top of her head, secured with a cheap plastic hair clip. Even though the curve of her neck was delicate, her hands drew his attention.
Her long fingers moved skillfully over the area of the painting she was carefully cleaning. She moved her tiny brush in small strokes. He was amazed to see that her nails were completely unadorned. When her left hand came into view, he saw she wasn’t wearing any rings. Was I given the right information?
The report stated Gemma lived with a man named Damien. Leo had assumed that meant she was married. But if this is Gemma, and she wears no ring, is she living with a man without the benefit of marriage?
In Greece, she would be an embarrassment to her family and herself for acting in such a way. What on earth would cause Alexi to give a fortune to a woman like that?
Just then, the woman’s cell phone rang. She pulled the device from her apron and excused herself to walk a few feet away. Leo drew close enough that he could overhear her side of the conversation.
“Aimee? What’s wrong?” Leo could hear the worry in her voice, but then her husky laugh belied that assumption. “Well, I’m happy to know you’ve been thinking about me. Care to share this brainstorm with me?”
There was silence. He observed her from behind a pillar, watching as she listened intently to whomever was on the other end of the call. He could still only see the back of her body.
“Are you serious? Aimee, that’s the most hair-brained scheme I’ve ever heard of. Firstly, I can’t line dance, let alone entice men by swinging around a metal pole. Secondly, I don’t think even exotic dancers can make the kind of money I need inside of three months.”
Exotic dancing? Why does she need lots of money?
Even while Leo was trying to make sense of her conversation, she turned towards his hiding place. He barely contained his gasp of recognition. She was the same woman he’d spent the most memorable night of his life with in Paris two years ago. His eyes narrowed. This is all just a weird coincidence.
He listened a moment longer as she ended her call. “Aimee, you’re my best friend, but this really isn’t your problem. It’s mine. I’ll figure out a way to come up with the twenty grand…I will. I’ll see you later, I need to get back to work.”
Wow! Twenty thousand dollars? Leo looked at her attire and realized that in her world, that was probably a small fortune. In his, it was nothing, a pittance.
Suddenly, an idea came into his mind. If she needed twenty grand, he could write her a check right now—if she’d agree to sign a document transferring the stock certificates back to the family. She didn’t have the certificates yet, so there was a chance she didn’t even know about them. She would not be worried about such a small sum of money if she did. I can accomplish the task at hand and be home before the weekend.
He stepped out from behind the pillar as she turned to go back towards the table and softly called her name. “Gemma.”
She stopped. Her back stiffened momentarily before she turned and stared at him. Her mouth was open wide, shock evident in her eyes. She took a single step towards him, whispering brokenly, “Alexi?” Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed at his feet.
Leo surged forward to catch her. His mind raced at her reaction. She thinks I’m you, Alexi. God! I wish you were here to make sense of all of this. Who is this woman and what were you to her that she would faint at seeing you again?
Chapter 4
Gemma slowly came back to consciousness. She might be lying down, but her mind reeled as though she was still falling. Alexi’s back! Thoughts crowded her mind. Why now? Where has he been? God, he looked just the same… Shouldn’t he have aged a little bit in two years’ time?
She lay there a few seconds more, her eyes closed as
she tried to deal with her emotions. I was so happy to see him after that night in Paris. He was my knight in shining armor, providing the commission I needed to pay Tyler’s tuition and fix my car’s air conditioner. What would he have said if he’d known how tight things really were for me?
Would it have made a difference in how he left? Would he have stayed if he’d known how much our time together truly meant to me?
Gemma’s head throbbed. She needed to open her eyes and deal with whatever was awaiting her. She’d survived Alexi leaving once before, so whatever he was here for, she would simply deal with it and then he’d leave again. Heart, don’t get involved. Stay neutral.
His low voice, the accent that had one time sent her heart racing, reached her ears. She heard her supervisor reply. She took a breath and braced herself to see his familiar face again. It was time to let everyone know she was awake.
She opened her eyes and pushed herself to a sitting position. She’d been moved to a small alcove, away from the other visitors to the museum. She looked up and met Alexi’s eyes. Anger at his betrayal surged through her. “What are you doing here?”
Alexi had been speaking into his phone and he now murmured a goodbye and placed it back in his pocket. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Gemma felt all the emotions she’d kept bottled up these last two years bubble to the surface. He promised he’d only be gone a little while. God, I was so infatuated with him, I had no clue he wasn’t using his real name. “Angry! What are you doing here?” Her voice rose. She bit off her words, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself than she’d already done by fainting.
Her supervisor cleared his throat. “Gemma, is everything alright?”
Gemma flushed. “George, everything is fine. This man just surprised me. I haven’t seen him in a few years and I was shocked. I’m fine.”
Her supervisor didn’t look convinced.“Are you sure? I can call an ambulance…”
Gemma and pushed herself to a standing position, ignoring Alexi’s attempt to assist her to her feet. “No need. See, I’m fine. If it’s alright with you, I’m going to take a small break and speak with him for a moment.”
George glanced at his watch. “The day’s almost over. Take as much time as you need.” He walked off.
Gemma waited until he was out of earshot before she turned on Alexi, hands on her hips.“You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”
The look he gave her said he didn’t care about her feelings. He tucked his hands in his pockets. “Is that so?”
Angry? No. Gemma was outraged. “Yes! That’s so! Where have you been for the last two years?”
“Working.” He said smugly, with no hint of apology.
“Working.” She looked at him and shook her head. “Well, go back to work and leave me the hell alone!”
“I came here to see you.”
“Bully for you! I have nothing to say to you. I waited for you to come back, but you didn’t even have the courtesy to call or send a letter letting me know I would be waiting in vain.” Gemma felts tears spring to her eyes as the old hurt pushed to the surface. She’d thought she was in love with Alexi, whatever his last name was. He’d told her it was Stakis, but that had proven to be a lie. She’d spent precious resources trying to track him down, even hiring a private detective. But without sure knowledge of his country of origin, the detective could find nothing. There hadn’t seemed to be anyone with the name Alexi Stakis. “Just go away.”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.” His sardonic smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Gemma turned and headed for the closest door, using her keycard to open it. “Then I’ll leave. Have a nice life!” She shut behind her, seeing the look of disbelief in his eyes. There was something different about him, something harder and more callous, but she wasn’t going to spend too many brain cells worrying about it.
She’d felt that instant attraction to him, and that angered her even more. It was like the first night they’d met in Paris. I know the price of giving into that chemistry and I’m not paying it twice. Alexi wasn’t trustworthy. Even the way he made her feel was nothing more than a pretty lie. Being with him had come at too high a price for Gemma to afford. Better to stay away from him all together.
*****
Leo cursed as the door shut in his face. He hadn’t been expecting her to follow through on her threat. He took the elevator down to the ground floor. The private investigator had told him she owned an old blue Toyota Corolla. After speaking briefly to the security guard on the pretense of checking out a flat tire for her, he was directed to the employee parking garage.
He easily spotted her car, the paint fading and rust showing through in several places. He didn’t give her another chance to evade him, so he positioned himself between the door and her vehicle, hoping he speak with her before she summoned the guards for help.
While he waited, he went over everything that had just transpired. She thought he was Alexi, a point he intended to use for his own benefit. It was also obvious that she was the same woman he’d slept with in Paris and that the chemistry between them was still there.
Most puzzling was the fact that she hadn’t seen Alexi in quite some time. Two years was what she’d accused him of. That made even less sense, knowing what Alexi had done. He imagined various scenarios to explain why Alexi would just abandon her and still give her his stock, but none of them were remotely plausible. Could this have something to do with the attempted kidnapping and his resulting paranoia? But why would Alexi just abandon a woman he obviously cared for? Nothing made sense. Yet.
The doors opened. He watched Gemma step out from the cool building and into the humid heat of the parking garage. She took half a dozen steps before she saw him waiting for her. She squared her shoulders and marched towards her vehicle. “Go away!”
“I need to talk to you. I need to explain—”
She rounded on him. “Do you really think anything you say can justify you disappearing for two years?”
Leo nodded. He stepped toward her, noticing that her eyes dilated and her rate of breathing increased. He felt the surge of attraction as well, but mentally shut that part of his body down. For the moment. “Family matters took me back to Greece. I’ve only just now been able to return.”
Gemma shook her head. “I’m not buying it.” The anger wasn’t as prevalent in her voice this time.
A crack in her armor? Leo pressed his advantage.“It’s true. Please say you’ll forgive me? I couldn’t even call because I lost my phone and your number.”
“You could have called. You knew where I worked…” She paused and then flushed bright red. “I never told you where I worked. I did the restoration work at that small gallery in Maryland.”
She looked so lost, Leo almost felt sorry for her. Almost. He came up with what he hoped was a plausible excuse. “I called the gallery, but by then it had changed ownership. No one knew who you were.”
Gemma’s shoulders sagged. “The owner died about a month after you left. Some people from California bought it, but they ended up closing it down six months later. It’s a dry cleaner’s now.”
Leo could see her anger slip away. He gave into the urge to touch her once more. Lifting a hand to her cheek and slipping his fingers into her hair, he dislodged the plastic clip in the process, sending her hair cascading over his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Gemma closed her eyes briefly. He thought she was going to give into the attraction building between them. But, just like the door she’d slammed in his face, she closed off her emotions and pulled away. “I’m sorry as well. I’ve moved on.”
Damien! Leo knew he needed to make his move now or risk losing this chance. “Look, I overheard you talking to your friend. To Aimee?”
“You were spying on me?” she asked, outraged.
Leo shook his head. “No, but your phone rang just as I was about to announce myself. Anyway, I overheard you telling her you needed money. I know I can’t undo
the past, but I can help with that at least. Will you let me?”
Gemma shook her head. “I don’t want your money, Alexi.”
Leo gave her a hard look. “So you’d rather dance half-naked for a bunch of strangers than sleep with me again?”
Gemma gasped. Leo only felt a moment’s regret for using sex and money together. He’d never paid for sex in his life, but he was willing to do so now, if it meant he could have her again and get the stock transfer signed. Anything to avoid having to marry Petrina!
“I never said I was going to dance half-naked, and I’m pretty sure they are mostly naked these days.” Gemma shivered in what he guessed was revulsion at the thought of having to degrade herself in such a way.
Leo stepped close to her once more. “We were good together, don’t deny it.”
“I won’t, but that doesn’t mean I should repeat the experience.”
Leo grinned at her. “Oh, but you want to. You’re already thinking about it, aren’t you? The way I made you feel.”
Gemma shook her head in denial. “Stop it! That was two years ago. I’ve moved on.”
Leo lifted her left hand, “I don’t see a ring.”
“So? A ring doesn’t necessarily mean anything, nor does not wearing one.”
She was speaking defensively. Leo reached out and pulled her against his body. “Whatever you need, I can give it to you. Just imagine… We can rekindle our passion and you won’t have to worry about the twenty thousand dollars.” He kissed the spot just below her ear, noting with satisfaction the quick inhalation of her breath and the shiver than ran down her spine. Gotcha! “Fee-li se me.”
Gemma shook her head, “What’s that mean?”
Leo kissed her cheek. “Kiss me,” he whispered against her ear. “Kiss me and tell me you want this again.”
Daddy's RockStar Friends ( A Reverse Harem Romance) Page 14
