Boxed Set: The Billionaire’s Desire Complete Collection (Books 1-3 and Bonus Books 1 and 2) (Submitting to the Billionaire) (5 page)

            As we were sitting in our seats, he said that when we landed we would be driven to the hotel where we would have just a few minutes to freshen up before we had to go to the office.  He also reminded me that the following day I would be shopping all day with a personal shopper who I would meet in the morning.

            "Sounds good.  Joshua, I was thinking about something, I never signed any sort of contract regarding our agreement.  Isn't there some sort of document I am supposed to sign?"

            He looked at me with an almost mocking grin his face.

            "Oh, no?  You didn't sign anything, huh? Hmmm, interesting."

            I didn't know how to react because I couldn't tell if he was serious or if he was teasing me.  For a millisecond I had a mini panic as I thought that perhaps there really was no agreement. 
Look where you are and where you are going.
 
You’re on a private jet!
 
Of course there is some sort of agreement!
  As soon as I reminded myself of that, I started thinking rationally again.  I didn't give him the satisfaction of letting him see me squirm.  I replied calmly.

            "No, I didn't sign anything."  I held his gaze to let him know that he would not intimidate me.  I think he appreciated me not backing down because he answered my question.

            “I anticipated you would ask me about this. “  He handed me an electronic tablet.  “This is yours.  Keep it with you at all times while we are in Dubai.  Open the yellow folder icon.”

            When I clicked on it, I saw a document labeled “personal and confidential" inside.  I clicked on that and there in front of me was a detailed contract explaining everything we discussed. 

            "Read it over, and if you agree, sign it electronically and send it to me.  You have 24 hours to review it.  And, if at any time something is too much for you or you don’t want to do it, just say ‘stop’ and I will.”

            I planned to read it carefully later that evening but, as long as it had all of the information we had discussed written into the contract, I didn't see a reason why I would
not
sign it.  I put the tablet in my bag and closed my eyes to rest for a few minutes while we landed.  All of the shades were drawn because the sun was so hot it would have instantly heated up the inside of the jet, so I didn't get to see anything as we landed.

            As soon as we hit the ground, I looked at the time and realized I had to take my pill. 

            “Joshua, I have to take my pill.  Can I quickly grab a bottle of water?”

            “Of course.  I’ll have the flight attendant get it for you.  Is everything okay? What are you taking?”

            “Everything is fine.  It’s just my birth control pill.”

            He raised his eyebrows, silently asking the question.

            “I’ve been taking them since I was 15 to regulate my cycle.”  My answer seemed to satisfy his curiosity as I drank the water.  We then gathered our things and exited the plane.

            As soon as we stepped off of the plane, it all started to feel real to me.  We were surrounded by nothing but desert for miles and it was easily over 100°.  A beautiful Rolls Royce was waiting to drive us to our hotel. 

            “Welcome back to Dubai Mr. Hunter, I hope your flight was enjoyable."  Our driver was wearing a black and white uniform and held out his white gloved hand as he helped me into the air-conditioned car.  I saw a gun at his hip as he held out his hand and it terrified me.  Joshua greeted the driver and then joined me in the car.

            “He has a gun!”  My panicked whisper didn’t faze Joshua.

            “He has to have a gun.  He is also one of my security guards.  This car is bullet proof by the way.  Every car we will be in on this trip will be bullet proof.  And although you may not see them, security will be with me wherever I go.”  His matter of fact tone placated me and I was able to relax for the remainder of the ride. 

            We were staying in the Burj Al Arab hotel and I was not prepared for what I was about to see.  To describe the hotel as opulent barely scratches the surface.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Gold and marble lined the walls and floors everywhere you turned.  I had never seen anything like this, and I was savoring every moment of it.

            I felt as though I was in a fairytale as we were shown to our rooms.  Joshua was booked in the Royal suite and it was adorned with lavish decor.   It had floor to ceiling glass windows, it was two levels and he had a private butler, a private elevator and a private theater.  The lower level housed the dining area, a lounge, and library.  The upper level housed two bedrooms.   The master bedroom had a rotating four-poster canopy bed and an adjoining marble bathroom that had a spa bath, walk-in shower, and designer bath products.  The second bedroom also had an adjoining bathroom with the same amenities.

            I was booked in the one-bedroom deluxe suite a few floors down.  Of course, it was not as stunning but, it was still impressive.  I had a private butler as well, and it also had floor to ceiling glass windows. It had two levels and the lower level housed the living room, dining table and guest bath.  The upper level housed the bedroom with a king size bed, a luxury bathroom with a Jacuzzi, and a dressing room.  It was easily bigger than my small apartment back in the States.
  
The view from my room was beyond breathtaking.  We were completely surrounded by water.  I was still gazing out of the window when Joshua told me we had to go to the office. 

            The office was in a high tech, state of the art building with glass windows all around.  Joshua introduced me to the people I would be working closely with while we were in Dubai, and I also met his assistant Samira.  I liked her the second I met her.  She was an older lady, around 50, and she had a very warm personality.

            “It is so nice to meet you Sarah.  I have heard wonderful things about you.  You have made quite an impression on Mr. Hunter.”  She beamed at me and I was instantly drawn to her kind personality.  “Come, let’s get you set up in your office.  There are a few tasks that I know Mr. Hunter wanted you to complete before next Wednesday’s meeting.”

            “Next Wednesday?  I thought it was this Wednesday.”

            “Both meetings this week have been pushed back a week.  There was some sort of conflict with one of the partner’s schedules.”

            I had to admit I felt a bit of relief knowing I had more time to prepare.

            We started walking to my office and Samira was very chatty with me.  “So how do you like Dubai so far?”

            “It is absolutely breathtaking.”

            I thought she was going to launch into a bunch of small talk but as soon as we reached my office she closed the door.

            “There is quite a bit of buzz about you around here.”  She raised her eyebrows, holding back a smile, and almost looked like she was fascinated by me, as if I were a celebrity or something.

            I looked at her, totally perplexed.  “About me??  Why?”  

            “Mr. Hunter has never brought anyone with him to Dubai unless they were a partner.  There is something very special about you.”  She gave me a look that said she was excited about finding out more. 

I was a little bit uncomfortable with her reaction because it made me feel that he had big expectations for me.  My plan was to work hard, do a good job, and make partner in five years.  I didn’t know what he expected beyond our agreement and my hard work.  And it made me nervous.

“Your files are in the cabinet behind you and everything has been scanned to your computer so that you can access everything there as well.  If you have any questions I am just a phone call away.”  And with that, she smiled and left my office.

I took a minute to sit and take it all in.  The view my office was beautiful.  I was starting to get the feeling that every view from every window in every building was going to be beautiful in Dubai.  I smiled a bit to myself because I was so proud of how far I had come. 
I won’t let you down Joshua
.  I dove into the research on the Jameson file so that I could prepare a spreadsheet for next Wednesday’s meeting.

            The rest of day was grueling as I barely had time to get acclimated before diving right into work.  By the end of the day I was exhausted.  It had been a long nearly 24 hours and all I wanted to do was go sit in the bath and relax.  I was just finishing up the first draft of the spreadsheet when Samira came to my door.

“The car will be here for you in five minutes to take you back to your hotel.  Tomorrow is a day of shopping for you.  Mr. Hunter would like for you to have a specific wardrobe while here in Dubai.  Your personal shopper, Asima, will meet you for breakfast at the Sahn Eddar restaurant at the base of the atrium of your hotel at 8:30 a.m.  Have a nice evening.”  She smiled as she left my office.

CHAPTER TWO

            My butler woke me at 7:00 a.m. and I dragged my exhausted body out of bed. 
Ugh.  Do I really have to go shopping ALL day today?
  Most women would have loved to shop all day, but I would rather be in the office working.  However, Joshua wanted me to have a specific wardrobe while in Dubai, so there would be no push back from me on this.  But, I did ask him to cancel the glam squad for the day.  I was more than capable of making myself look presentable and, thankfully, he agreed.

            At 8:25 I went down to Sahn Eddar to meet Asima for breakfast.  She was extremely lovely and we had a nice chat about the types of clothes I like to wear.  Normally, I was told, a personal shopper gets a sense of your style and then does the shopping for you so that you can spend your time doing other things.  Joshua wanted me to go with her and try everything on so that we would not have to waste any time sending things back for different sizes.  Asima was able to decipher my style personality and we ended up having a nice time shopping together.  It was a long day and most of our time was spent at shops in the Mall of the Emirates and the Dubai Mall.  I think I purchased something from every major designer boutique in the malls, including jewelry.  By the end of the day, I had to admit that I enjoyed myself.  It was fun to be able to buy all of those expensive things without even blinking at the price tags.  I had spent more in one day than I had made in the last five years.  All of my new things were going to be delivered to my room the following day and Asima and her team were going to take care of putting everything in its place.  I didn’t have to do so much as hang up a shirt.  It was all going to be taken care of for me. 
This was the life.

            That night I ate dinner alone at the Bab Al Yam in the lobby of the hotel.  It was so peaceful to sit there and take in the gorgeous views of the sea.  I still felt like I was in fairytale dream, and one day I would wake up and it would all be over.  But until that day came, I wanted to live in the moment. 

The rest of the week was arduous as I dove into my project.  There was an urgency in the air as everyone worked to meet deadlines.  Jameson was a huge client and the entire office was working on something for them.  The big meeting was coming up and many people were a bit on edge.  By Friday I didn’t even have the energy to go have coffee with Samira after work.  I went straight to my hotel room and slept until Saturday without eating dinner.  I did a bit of sight-seeing over the weekend.  I didn’t feel strange walking around by myself,f but I would have much rather gone sight-seeing with Joshua.  I had only seen him a couple of times at the office since we arrived.  He was swamped with preparing for the big meeting with Jameson.  Both Saturday and Sunday I took a bunch of pictures and went to a couple of souks to find souvenirs for my brothers.   

On Monday it was back to the grind at work.  Tuesday was even more grueling than the day before.  I was working on a spreadsheet when Samira came to my office.

“I wanted to stop by and tell you your schedule for this evening.”

“This evening?” 
I hope I get to see Joshua tonight.

“Yes.  You are scheduled to have dinner tonight with Mr. Hunter, his younger brother Jake, his companion Vivienne Worthington, and Mr. Hunter’s business associate, Conrad Winthrop III at 8:00 p.m.  The attire is business attire.  Something similar to what you are wearing is fine.” 

She hesitated for a moment and then leaned in and whispered to me.  “Mr. Hunter’s brother is a bit quiet and serious.  He’s kind enough but he’s not overly talkative.  That girlfriend of his is something else.  I don’t want to fill your head with any pre-conceived notions, but you will see for yourself what I’m talking about.  Mr. Winthrop is a bit of a ladies’ man.  The eternal bachelor is what they call him around the office.  He may be a bit flirtatious with you, especially since there is so much buzz about you around the office.  But he’s very kind.  He tends to be a bit competitive with Mr. Hunter.  He’s the Vice Chairman and Global Head of Growth Markets and he is one of Mr. Hunter’s closest allies.  So there is your mini summary of who you will be meeting tonight.  Have a wonderful time at dinner this evening.”  She shot me a mischievous smile before retreating from my office.

 I was deep into compiling numbers when I heard a light tap on my door.  I looked up to see Joshua casually leaning against my door, one hand in the pocket of his beautifully tailored suit, and I had a sharp intake of breath. 
Damn it, that man is gorgeous
.

“You startled me.”

“I didn’t mean to.  I see that you are submerged in a project.  Jameson, I presume.”

“Yes, I am preparing the spreadsheet.  It will be ready by tomorrow.”

“I know it will.  I have no doubts about your work.  I assume Samira told you about dinner tonight?”

“Yes, she did.”

“OK, good.  You will meet my brother and his girlfriend.  She is what is known as a busy body.  She will probably try to get information out of you regarding the nature of our relationship.  I trust you will remain discreet about us.”  It was definitely not a question.

“Of course.”

“Good.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.  In fact, I don’t know very much about you Joshua.”

As his gorgeous dark eyes held my gaze, a wry smile touched the corner of his mouth.  “In time you will know all you need to know.  You will also be meeting my business associate Conrad.  He can be overly spirited at times.” 

I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of fire in his eyes when told me I would be meeting Conrad.

“The car will pick us up at the hotel at 7:45 p.m. and I will meet you in the lobby.”  He started to walk away and then stopped, half closed the door, and leaned in my office.  “Sarah?”

“Yes?”  My eyes met his.

“Wear something sexy underneath your clothes this evening.  I want to think of you wearing something only for me.”  He winked at me and walked away. 

I sat there speechless, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. 
How is it possible that this man still affects me this way?
  I had to push that thought out of my head and focus on the task at hand.  I wanted my work to be flawless.