Mail-order Bridegroom Part 52

"This afternoon at three," Sophia agreed, lounging complacently on the sofa,

her knitting untouched in her lap while she watched Kate prepare the twins'

lunch.

Kate shook her head. From everything she'd heard about hard-driving,

arrogant Damon Alexakis during the three weeks she'd worked for his sister,he didn't seem the sort to waste his precious time on a mother's helper.

Even if the mother's helper in question actually owned Kid Kare, Inc. and didn't just work for it.

Unless, she thought with a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt, he wanted to buy in and start exporting nannies. She supposed, given his penchant for buying and selling, it might be possible. She almost wished it were. Heaven knew it would give credibility to her business's vitality.

"Why would he want to meet me?"

"Damon likes to (enow everyone involved with the family. It's his way,"

Sophia said.

"He feels responsible."

"Not for me. I'm responsible for myself."

"Of course. I admire your independence," Sophia said wistfully.

"I.

could never be like you. But Damon is a bit old-fashioned, and it's important to humour him. You don't mind, do you? "

"No, of course not." Kate was aware of the fragility of Sophia's temperament. She had learned quickly not to do or say anything that would make Sophia worry needlessly. She gave the older woman a quick smile. "I'll be delighted to meet him."

It would be a chance to tell him a few home truths, she thought. Like what a philandering jerk his brother- in-law was.

If she hadn't known she'd be leaving Sophia in the lurch at a dangerous time, Kate would have left in the middle of the second week, the second she'd escaped from Stephanos's marauding hands and mouth the night he had cornered her in the kitchen. She'd hoped a bit of cold-shoulder treatment would solve the problem. But from the way he was watching her, almost leering whenever Sophia's back was turned, she feared he was biding his time.

If Damon Alexakis was the superman everyone seemed to think he was, maybe he could put a stop to Stephanos's lechery before Kate stopped it herself with a well-placed knee which would cost him some pain, her some embarra.s.sment, and Sophia the woman she needed to keep the twins under control.

Kate wasn't quite sure how she was going to tell Damon Alexakis that, however. She was still mulling it over when the taxi let her off outside the midtown building where Alexakis Enterprises had its offices.

The building was forty storeys marble and gla.s.s. Very sleek and modern-looking, exuding a sort of wealthy energy that reminded Kate all too much of the building four blocks north where her father had his own corporate headquarters.

It made her own tiny office in a converted floor- through brownstone apartment from the mid-seventies seem a store-front venture indeed.

She'd certainly been pipe-dreaming when she'd thought he might be interested in it. Damon Alexakis would never be concerned with a small potatoes business like hers!

No, Sophia had to be right. He only wanted to look her over, make sure that Kate McKee wasn't the sort of Irish serving girl whose backward ways and bog- bred brogue might corrupt his precious nieces!

Well, she had no fears of facing him about that.

Lifting her chin and smoothing her hair as best she could, Kate marched into the lift and punched the b.u.t.ton for the twentieth floor.

"Mr Alexakis is expecting you," the secretary, a competent-looking woman in her fifties, told her when Kate gave her name.

"Come with me."

Turning, she led Kate down a short hall and rapped briskly on the door at the end.

"Ms McKee is here," she announced, opening it and stepping aside so Kate could enter.

The room was more welcoming than Kate had imagined. The furniture was all streamlined modern teak, but the shelves held more than the requisite

books and papers. On them Kate also saw beautifully crafted Greek pottery, olivewood carvings and a set of jade chessmen. Hanging from the ceiling in thecorner of the room was a mobile of various fantastic fish, glittering andiridescent, moving gently now as the door opened and closed.

Damon Alexakis didn't seem to notice. He was sitting at his desk, scanningan invoice. He didn't look up until he'd finished it and signed it at thebottom. Then his gazed lifted and Kate found herself staring into a pair ofdark brown a.s.sessing eyes. He didn't smile.

Kate 'did. It was the first thing she told all her prospective employees.

"Smile. First impressions are important. And our clients want to know they're entrusting their children to happy people."

She'd always been sure that smiles swayed people's opinions. She was quitesure hers had no effect on Damon Alexakis.

"Mr Alexakis," she began determinedly, offering her hand, 'it's a pleasure tomeet you. "

He didn't rise, didn't take her hand. He stayed right where he was, his onlymovement the lifting of one dark brow.

"I can't imagine why."

The slight hint of a Greek accent she'd been expecting, the cold disbelief inhis tone she had not. Kate pulled her hand back and frowned.

"Sophia has spoken of you a great deal."

"Indeed? And did she tell you I won't tolerate adultery."

Kate straightened up sharply.

"I beg your pardon?"

He gave a harsh laugh and stood up. She took a step backward. He was far taller than she'd expected. Stephanos was only an inch or two taller thanshe was. Sophia was a tiny woman.

"Nervous, Ms McKee?" he drawled.

"Should I be?"

"d.a.m.ned right you should. I know you've pulled the wool over Sophia's eyes.She thinks you're G.o.d's gift." His mouth twisted bitterly."The more fool she. But I know different.""And what exactly is it that you think you know, Mr Alexakis?""All about you. And Stephanos.""Stephanos? And me?"She didn't have to guess what he thought any longer. It was all too clear.

Be calm, she always told her prospective nannies. Be steady and rational.

Kate saw red.

"You think Stephanos and I?-- Let roe tell you something about your precious

brother-in- law, Mr Alexakis! Stephanos Andropolis is a woman ising creep.It's no wonder you can't keep a mother's helper, the way he acts! Every oneof my girls had the same complaint."

It was Damon Alexakis's turn to look astonished. Still his eyes narrowed andhe paused before he asked, "What are you saying, Ms McKee? Are you denyingthat you and Stephanos--' " I most certainly am! "

He gave a rude, disbelieving snort.

"You didn't meet him at the Plaza Hotel last Wednesday?"

Oh, h.e.l.l, Kate thought. She knew her cheeks were reddening. It was the

curse of her ivory complexion.

"I was meeting my father," she said stiffly.

"Your father looks a lot like Stephanos?"

"No, of course not. I had met my father for lunch. It was my day off. He

was there with a business a.s.sociate and--' she didn't want to explain this,didn't want to even think about the foolishness she'd committed last Wednesday '--and as we were leaving, I--I ran into Stephanos."

"Who just happened to be there, too. A coincidence?" Damon asked in a

silky tone.

"I don't know what he was doing there," Kate said flatly. She had only thanked heaven at the time that he was.

"You must have been very glad to see him," Damon said. His eyes were watching her intently.

"I was, as a matter of fact," she said irritably.

"So glad that you tucked your arm in his and kissed him? So glad that you went off with him towards the rooms?"

"I never went to his room! I didn't even know he had a room!""Of course you didn't," Damon said with patent disbelief."If you think I'm having an affair with your brother- in-law, you're a fool.""You're the one who's the fool, Ms McKee," Damon said flatly."Stephanos won't marry you, if that's what you're hoping for.""I don't want to marry Stephanos! I don't even like him! He makes me sick!""Protesting a bit much, aren't you?" he asked with deceptive mildness.Kate sighed. She wanted to tear her hair. d.a.m.n Stephanos. d.a.m.n her father, whose plans she'd been trying to thwart by pretending to be glad to see Stephanos. And d.a.m.n Damon Alexakis for putting his own construction on what had been an act of desperation on her part, and certainly not encouragement to Stephanos.

The last thing Kate wanted was an affair.

No, that wasn't quite true. The last thing she wanted was to getmarried--and that was her father's plan.She ventured a look at Damon. He was looking at her, his expression harsh and sceptical. She remembered everything she'd ever heard about him how clever he was, how smart, how, according to her father, a man would have to get up d.a.m.ned early in the morning to put anything over on Damon Alexakis.

She didn't imagine he was going to be satisfied with anything less than the truth.

Did she want to tell him the truth?

No.Did she have a choice? Not really. Not when a man as powerful as DamonAlexakis thought she was out to ruin his sister's marriage. All it wouldtake would be a few words from a man like him and Kate's fledgling business,which she had worked so hard to develop, would die without a prayer.

Her father, disapproving all the while, had at least vowed not to act against her business venture.

"I won't stop you, Kate," he'd said when she'd announced her plans to open

Kid Kare.

"I won't have to. You'll see how hard it is, and you'll come around. You'll stop yourself."

His certainty that she would fail had done more to encourage herdetermination than anything. She'd begun Kid Kare the next week, and hadworked now for three years. At last she was getting a reputation for placingcompetent, well-mannered, responsible people in child care situations.

She was succeeding in spite of his prediction of failure. Eugene DeMo maydidn't acknowledge it, and he certainly hadn't ever given his daughter hisblessing. But it was a sure sign of her success, that he was now takinganother tack he was proposing a marriage between her and Jeffrey.

There was no way Kate was marrying Jeffrey. Or anyone else. Not after her marriage to Bryce!

If her father wanted a male successor, he'd have to adopt one. Kate's future was all tied up with Kid Kare--provided Damon Alexakis left it standing.

"I can explain," she said quietly now, composing herself as best she could.

"Oh?" Once more he lifted that mocking brow.