and left.
After a sleepless, frustrating night, Julia was in no mood to deal with a long list of complicated problems. Virginia, her middle-aged assistant, looked apologetic when Julia arrived at the office early the next morning.
“Please get my brother on the line when you can,” Julia said. Her mind was made up. She wanted out of this farce of a marriage.
“He’s already called for you.” Virginia hugged a file folder against her chest. “He asked that you call him the moment you got here.”
Julia reached for her phone and punched out the extension. Jerry answered on the first ring. “Come down to my office,” he said impatiently.
“Now?”
“Right now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
This morning was quickly going from bad to worse, much like her life. She paused, catching herself. Her thoughts hadn’t always been this negative. When had it started? The wedding? No, she decided—long before then. Three years before… She wondered why she was so aware of it now.
She rounded the corner that led to the suite of offices her brother occupied on the floor below her own.
“Jerry, what’s this all about?” she asked before she noticed Alek. She halted when she saw her husband sitting in one of the visitor’s chairs, waiting for her.
“Sit down.” Her brother motioned toward Alek.
Julia did as he asked. Jerry paced back and forth behind his desk. “I was contacted this morning by the Immigration people. I knew this would happen, I just didn’t expect it to be quite so soon.”
“We’re being investigated?” Alek murmured.
Jerry nodded. “The two of you are going to have to convince them you’re madly in love. Do you think you can do it?”
Julia saw that he focused his gaze on her. “Ah…”
“Yes,” Alek responded without hesitation.
“Julia, what about you?”
“Ah…” She’d never been good with pretense.
“She’ll convince them.” Alek revealed far more confidence in her than she had in herself. “It won’t take much effort.” He reached for her hand, gripping it in his own. “All we need is a little practice, isn’t that right, Julia?”
Only seconds earlier Julia had decided she wanted to end this charade of a marriage, no matter what the price. Just when it seemed that very thing was about to happen, she discovered herself willing to do whatever was necessary to keep their relationship intact.
Counseling. That was what she needed, Julia thought. Intensive counseling. She wasn’t an indecisive woman; that would be a death knell for someone in her position. Generally she knew what she wanted and went after it with a determination that left everyone in her wake shaking their heads in wonder.
It was Aleksandr who managed to discomfit and confuse her. It was Alek who made her feel as though she was walking through quicksand.
“Julia?” Jerry turned the full force of his attention on her. “Can you do it?”
Both men were studying her. Could she pretend to be in love with Alek? Pretend her happiness hinged on spending the rest of her life with him? Could she?
“I…I don’t know.”
“Shall I repeat what’s at stake here?” Jerry muttered.
It wasn’t necessary; he’d gone over the consequences of their actions when he’d proposed the idea of marrying Alek in the first place. The government did much more than frown upon such unions. There was the possibility of jail time if they weren’t able to persuade the Immigration department of their sincerity.
“Julia knows,” Alek assured Jerry calmly. “Isn’t that right?”
She lowered her eyes. “I’m fully aware of what could happen.”
“That’s fine and dandy, but can you be convincing enough to satisfy the Immigration people?” Jerry demanded.
She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. It wasn’t just a question of being able to pull this off with the finesse required; it also meant lowering her guard, opening her heart to the truth. She was attracted to him, both physically and emotionally. Otherwise she wouldn’t have participated in or enjoyed the few times they’d kissed. The most important factor wasn’t her ability to fool Immigration, but resurrecting the shield protecting her against the pull she felt toward Alek.
To complicate matters, the attachment she felt was growing stronger every day. She often found herself thinking about him. Hard as it was to admit, Julia had discovered she enjoyed his company and looked forward to the short time they spent together in the evenings.
“You’re sure?” Jerry asked, sounding as if he thought she was anything but.
“Positive,” she said, chancing a look in Alek’s direction. He caught her eye and smiled reassuringly. Taking her hand, he squeezed her fingers.
“We’ll do just fine,” Alek said to Jerry. “Wait and see. What both of you fail to realize is that Julia and I did marry for love.”
“Stop pacing,” Alek said, more testily than he intended. The Immigration officer was due in fifteen minutes and Julia was understandably nervous. Unable to sit still, she stalked the living room.
“Walking helps take my mind off the interview,” Julia snapped back.
The tension between them was thick enough to slice and serve for dinner. That would hurt their case more than anything they said or did. The man or woman doing the interview would sense the strain immediately and count it against them.
“You should know more about me,” Julia said, whirling around to face him as if this was a new thought. “The brand of toothpaste I use and stuff like that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not…. That’s exactly the kind of questions he’ll ask.”
“Julia, my love,” he said patiently, “a man doesn’t pay attention to such things. Now relax.”
“How can you be so calm?” Julia shrugged, raising both hands. “Our future hinges on the outcome of this meeting. There’s a very real possibility I could go to jail for involving myself in this…marriage.” Her arms seemed to have lost their purpose and fell lifelessly to her sides. “I’m not the only one who has a lot at stake with this. Your mother and sister’s plans depend on the outcome, as well. Didn’t you mention you’ve already seen to the necessary paperwork for them?”
“I’m aware of the consequences.”
