Page 5 of Marriage Masquerade

Nikos watched Gemma as she bid him goodnight. His gaze continued to follow her as she entered the outer office. Her thick chestnut hair caught back in a long ponytail at the base of her neck was tidy, even after a full day at work.

She always appeared immaculate. Slender, perhaps too slender, she dressed conservatively. Mostly in black and silver, he noticed.

Today, her black skirt swayed seductively against her long legs as she walked away. It hit her mid calf, a soft feminine garment. She had fastened her silvery blouse to within two buttons of the neck, but it displayed the generous curves that enhanced her femininity. The gold necklace that nestled against her throat warmed the honey tones of her skin.

Beautiful, confident, poised—he admired all those features in his personal assistant.

Almost as much as he admired her business acumen.

She didn’t look pregnant. How far along was she?

Surprised at the turn of events, he shook his head. Timing was everything—and he’d just received a second major blow.

Never in all the years she’d worked for him had Gemma been anything but totally professional. He’d taken her for granted, he realized. She’d been the perfect personal assistant. He couldn’t even remember their first few months together, but he knew they must have been awkward. There had been so much for her to learn. But she’d caught on faster than anyone he’d ever worked with.

Gemma had quickly become invaluable to him. Since talking with the legal department, he’d wondered if Gemma could prove equally valuable to the company—managing it in his absence?

He frowned, not even wanting to imagine giving into the inevitable. He had time, a week at least.

Frustrated with the turn of events, he moved back to his desk. He came from a family with strong loyalty, unbreakable family ties. How could a man betray his wife by having an affair? And especially betray someone like Gemma? His own family was large, but close. He’d do anything for them. They had only to ask.

Nikos often felt Gemma would do the same for him, which was rare in employees these days. Was her loyalty to the company or to him alone? Could he keep her on board? If his own situation didn’t improve, this would be the worst time for her to leave.

Her resignation was not an option. He had to convince her to stay. To hell with what people thought. She was a colleague, a close confidante, as well as an employee. Her departure would end that.

Nikos refused to even consider the idea.

He didn’t need this added problem. The documents delivered earlier reclaimed his attention. His visa had expired. Someone on the legal staff had screwed up and not applied for the extension when it was time. Now he had to figure out how to fight deportation.

He was in the midst of negotiations for new contracts with the longshoreman's union. Had just completed the buyout of a small domestic shipping line. Merging that into the parent company would also take time and his skills. He couldn’t afford to be gone for a week, much less the months it might take for him to return to Greece and wait for a new visa to be processed.

He wasn’t giving up. It’d take thought and an innovative strategy to address the problem. The problem was time was running out.

Hearing a noise in the outer office, Nikos looked up.

Gemma.

Blast it. He was slow today.

Why hadn’t he thought of her immediately? He quickly crossed to the door.

Gemma had gathered her purse and the tote that held her dress shoes. She’d already changed into low walking shoes for her trip home.

“Did you need something?” she asked.

“Come back in for a moment, Gemma. I may have an answer to our problems—yours and mine.”

He waited until she’d placed her things on her desk and walked toward him before continuing.

“Yesterday, the US Immigration Department served me notice. My visa expired some time ago, and Phil Mannering in legal failed to ensure its renewal. I’m being deported back to Greece.”

Gemma appeared stunned.

“Can they do that? You run this place. Can’t you get an extension or something?”

“Apparently, your federal law is such that citizens in my country need to be living there when applying for a new visa. Since the old one expired, I am required to apply for a new one. Had the current visa been extended before it expired, I wouldn’t be in this fix.”

“How long does that take to renew?” she asked.