Page 20 of Her Greek Inheritance
Gemma shook her head. “Sir, I can’t just go jetting off to Greece!”
The director smiled at her. “Of course you can. Don’t worry about your job here. It will be waiting for you upon your return. Just think of this as an extended vacation amongst the Greek Isles and a chance to restore an important piece of art history.”
Gemma felt ganged up on. “Sir, I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I have a young son…I can’t just take off at a moment’s notice. Restoring that piece could take months.”
The director gave her a pointed look. “That is not really much of an excuse. I have been made aware that your son is this gentleman’s biological child and Mr. Moustakas has no problem with you bringing the child with you. In fact, he insists your son accompany you.”
Gemma gasped and turned on Alexi. “How?”
Alexi looked at her. “I believe Miss Larsen now realizes how much her services are required.”
The director clapped his hands. “Excellent.”
Alexi shook the director’s hand and then placed a hand on Gemma’s arm, directing her towards the doorway with a firm hold. “Thank you for your assistance. Miss Larsen and I will hash out the finer details.”
He pulled her from the room. Gemma tried to break free of his hold, but he wasn’t giving her any quarter. He stopped her in front of the elevators and then remained quiet as he ushered her into his waiting vehicle.
“Alexi, you can’t make me go to Greece with you.” Silence. She gazed at him and tried again. “I won’t—”
The vehicle pulled up in front of her apartment and he slid from the vehicle, coming around and opening her door. As she slid from the car, he nailed her with his gaze. “Be ready to go the day after tomorrow. A driver will pick you and Damien up and bring you to the airport.”
Gemma tried to reason with him. “Alexi, I can’t be gone for…how long did you tell the director this job was going to last?”
“At least three months. We will re-evaluate things after that.”
“What things?”
Instead of answering her, he gave her a hard stare. “Why didn’t you tell me about him?”Himbeing her son.
Gemma’s anger rose. “And where would I have made such a call? You didn’t even tell me your real name! Moustakas? You told me your last name was Stakis.”
Alexi didn’t even have the grace to look ashamed. He merely shrugged his shoulders. “Stakis is my mother’s maiden name. I have realized that using my real last name tends to invite trouble in the form of tabloids and newspapers.”
Gemma closed her eyes, the hurt she felt at his betrayal like an open wound.
*****
Two days later aboard one of the Moustakas private jets, heading for Greece…
Gemma glanced around the bedroom of the luxurious jet and shook her head.Who even knew planes had things like bedrooms and fully equipped bathrooms? I sure didn’t.
She couldn’t believe she was on a plane with her son, heading for a country she knew nothing about, and preparing to meet people she didn’t know. Finding out that Alexi was Greek had fit together several pieces of the puzzle that up till now had been vague suppositions.
She’d known he had wealth, but finding out he had a private jet went way beyond her ability to comprehend. She groaned.Alexi likes getting his own way. Why else would I be some thirty thousand miles up in the sky right now? Why didn’t I send him away the moment I laid eyes on him again?
She looked over to where her Damien slept peacefully.If only things were different.The sexual tension between her and Alexi hadn’t burned up in their last encounter. Alexi seemed so different, and yet—the same.The only thing I can do is make the best of a bad situation. I’ve been doing it long enough now, I should be an expert at it.
She touched Damien’s forehead, smiling softly at how peaceful he looked. They’d boarded the plane ten hours earlier. Damien had been easy to entertain until he got tired. She’d tried to distract him a bit longer, offering him a variety of toys and even singing to him softly, but he’d been intent on trying to explore every inch of the plane. He’d found his way into Alexi’s study, where he’d gone immediately after takeoff and not returned.
She’d tried to retrieve her son, but Alexi had insisted he stay and she should as well. She’d taken a seat in front of the desk where he had sat and listened as he talked of his home and the various things he could provide for Damien’s future. The more Gemma had listened, the more it sounded as if Alexi was under the impression Damien was going to be living in Greece for more than a few months. She’d challenged him for an explanation.
Alexis merely raised an eyebrow arrogantly. “My son is going to be raised as a Moustakas. Whether or not you want to be a part of that is entirely up to you.”
Gemma had exploded.“How dare you threaten to take my child away from me! I’m his mother!”
“Yes, and I saw firsthand how you’ve been providing for him. Peasants in my country live in better conditions.”
His scathing comments hurt. She hadn’t been able to provide Damien a mansion to live in, because normal people didn’t actually live like that. There were many other people far worse off than she was and she wasn’t one to complain. But hearing Alexi judge her… It cut like a knife in an already gaping wound.