She paused for a moment and gave his predicament a bit of thought. “Well, if marriage is so important, why can’t you just have a fake fiancée? Wouldn’t that save you a lot of trouble?”
Not that she was applying for the position—even though his blue eyes were mesmerizing and his mouth looked as though it could do the most delicious things. The fact was she’d come to Greece with her own agenda. And getting caught up in someone else’s drama would only delay making life better for her and her mother.
* * *
This lady was sharp.
That was a definite bonus.
Cristo smiled. He knew from the moment he’d met Kyra that there was something special about her. And it went much deeper than her silky dark hair with long bangs that framed her big brown eyes. The rest of her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He imagined how seductive she’d look with her hair loose and flowing over her shoulders.
However, his interest in her went beyond her good looks. From the moment they’d met, he’d noticed the warmth in her smile and the ease in her manner. Who knew she’d end up being the answer to his problems? He hadn’t—not until this morning when he submitted his final proposal to the Stravos Trust to purchase its hotel chain. It had been summarily rejected without review.
He knew then and there that he was going to have to play by the off-the-wall rules laid out by the reclusive billionaire Nikolaos Stravos, whether he liked it or not. And he most certainly did not like having his business deals hinge on his personal life.
Although, Kyra’s suggestion of an engagement might make the arrangement a bit more tolerable. An engagement wouldn’t necessitate the use of attorneys and an ironclad prenuptial agreement. It’d be all very neat and tidy.
His gaze met and held hers. He needed more information in order to make this work. “How long have you been working at the Blue Tide? I don’t remember seeing you around here before yesterday.”
“That’s because yesterday was my first day. I used to work in the New York hotel.”
“Did you work there long?”
“A few years.”
“And it was in housekeeping?”
She nodded, but the way she worried her bottom lip was a dead giveaway that she was leaving something out. If he was going to trust her with this important deal, he had to know what she was leaving out. “What aren’t you saying?”
Her gaze met his as though deciding if she should trust him or not. After a few seconds, she said, “I’m currently taking online courses in international hotel management.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you be hesitant to tell me that?”
She laced her fingers together. “I didn’t want you to think I was ungrateful for my current position.”
He smiled at her, hoping to ease her obvious discomfort. “The thought never would have crossed my mind. I encourage all of my employees to further themselves. In fact, we have in-house training sessions periodically.”
“I know. I checked into them.”
Again, she was leaving something out, but he was pretty sure of what she was hesitant to say. “But we don’t offer the classes you are interested in. And if you don’t mind me asking, what might that be?”
She straightened her thin shoulders and tilted up her chin. “Property manager.”
Of course. He should have known. There was a get-it-done spirit to her. “I have no doubt that you will succeed.”
Her lips lifted into a warm smile. “Thank you.”
So she had drive. He respected that. But there was still so much that he didn’t know about her. The cautious side of him said to pull her personnel file, but there wasn’t time. However, his manager made a practice of thoroughly investigating prospective employees. She must have a clean history or she wouldn’t be here.
“I enjoyed our conversation yesterday. You’re a very insightful young woman. And I would consider it a huge favor if you were to help me out with my business issue.”
The panic vacated her eyes as her rigid stance eased. “I really do like my job with housekeeping. It allows me time to, uh...sightsee and stuff.”
“Will you at least consider my proposition?”
“I have. And the answer is no. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find yourself someone else to play the part.” She started out the door.
“Please think it over.” He threw out an outrageous dollar figure that put a pause in her step. “I really need your assistance.”
He was running out of time.
And options.
THE MOST LOGICAL thing to do right now was to keep walking.
Yet there was that note of desperation in Cristo’s voice. Something told her that he didn’t say please very often.
Kyra hesitated, her back still to him. Why was this most bizarre plan so important to him? What secrets was he holding back? And why did she care? This wasn’t her problem.
“If I didn’t really need your help, I wouldn’t have proposed this arrangement. I swear.” Weariness laced his every syllable. “I will make it worth your while. If that wasn’t enough money, name your price.”
Why did it always come back to money? “I’m not for sale.”
She headed straight for her cart of cleaning supplies. She dropped the feather duster back in its proper spot. Her curiosity got the best of her. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Cristo had followed her into the hallway.
He hadn’t. She breathed easier. What in the world did they put in the water around here? Because there was no way that whole scene was normal. After all, they were strangers. No one would ever believe they were a couple.
As she prepared to push her cart to the next suite, she recalled the large dollar figure he’d named and the offer to make it bigger if necessary. Okay, she may not be a gold digger, but that didn’t mean she’d turn her nose up at some extra income. But could she really play the part of his fiancée?
Could she pretend to be something she wasn’t?
Wouldn’t that make her a hypocrite?
Kyra paused in front of the next suite. She recalled how many times she’d gone round and round with her mother in the past year since her father’s death about putting on a show for her mother’s country-club friends. When her father had died, so had their silver-spoon lifestyle.
Kyra felt sorry for her mother—first losing the love of her life and then having to go back to work after twenty-plus years as a stay-at-home mom. With her mother buried beneath a mountain of debt, Kyra had moved back in to help meet the mortgage payments. And though this new position in Greece took her away from home, Kyra reconciled it with the fact that it paid more so she could send more money home.
The one other reason Kyra had taken the position was to help her mother—even if her mother swore she didn’t need help. With her father gone, her mother was depressed and lonely as her country-club friends had less and less to do with her. With no other family in New York, Kyra had hoped to locate her father’s extended family. If she could forge bonds with them, maybe she could make a life for her and her mother here in Greece. By once again being part of a warm, supportive family, perhaps her mother wouldn’t feel so alone.
One thought after the next rolled around in Kyra’s mind as she cleaned the remaining suites on the floor. All the while, her thoughts moved back and forth between doing what she felt was right and earning enough money to help her mother, who