Mr. Handsome: A Billionaire Romance (15 page)

“Since we’re already talking about different drinks and alcohols, I’d mention rum and Coke; one can never go wrong with that. Then I’d ask if she’s ever tasted straight rum before and explain what it tastes like. I’d then say something along the lines of, ‘you have to at least try it’ to get her seriously thinking about it.” Austin nodded and I continued.

“Then I’d mention that I was heading to a happy hour house party…” Austin cracked up when I said that and I smiled. “People are into a lot of cool new stuff, like happy hour house parties and early morning raves…”

Austin nodded and he sobered a bit.

“You’re completely right, you have to think of something on the spot, it’s good, continue.” Austin smiled at me and I wrapped up my hypothetical sales pitch to the hypothetical woman.

“I would tell her that I happen to have some of that really good rum I was talking about and ask her if she wants to try some. By that point, I know I’ve convinced her enough to do it, because she hasn’t walked away. So she’ll try it.”

Austin’s smile widened and he sat forward.

“Yes, exactly, because she
hasn’t walked away
. That’s pretty much our motto at Six Fountain, ‘If they haven’t walked away, you’ve got ‘em.' We go after every opportunity to lessen the percentage that a consumer won’t buy a product.” Austin told me some more about Six Fountain and his advertising team. The more he talked about it, the more excited I got to start working for him.

“So, have I done a good job of convincing you yet?” I laughed and Austin grinned. He certainly did not have to sell me on Six Fountain.

“I’m already sold, Austin, I’d love to work at Six Fountain,” Austin smiled wide and stood up. So did I and he surprised me by pulling me into a hug.

“Great! It’s awesome to have you on board. So I’ll shoot you an email tonight with some info and you can come by the offices tomorrow to fill out all the paperwork and stuff, then we can get started!”

I laughed at Austin’s exuberance. Really I was just as excited, I was finally doing what I set out to do in this city. And I owed it to Jeffrey.

Chapter7

Jeffrey

Work was hectic that day, and I wasn’t focused. All I could think about was Christina, was she still in my bed, lounging around naked? Was she getting ready for her interview? Did her interview go well? Did that Austin guy hit on her, was he professional? Did she get the job? Most importantly, when was she going to come by for our office sex?

“Hey Jeff,
Christina
is here to see you,” Victor paged me over the phone, his voice was colored with exaggerated interest.

“Send her in,” I paged him back and a minute later she was walking through the doors to my office. She looked amazing in a blue summer skirt with a form fitting white tank top and a light blazer to complete her look. I glanced at the time and saw it was twelve forty-five, she must have just come from her interview.

I glanced down at her feet and saw she was, of course, wearing heels. They were wedges, but she still looked too sexy to be out in public in my opinion.

“Guess what?!”

I looked up at her face as she skipped over to me and I caught her in my arms when she reached my desk.

“I’m guessing you got the job?” I asked. Her caramel colored eyes were alight with happiness as she nodded. I couldn’t help but press a kiss to her lips, she was really cute when excited. Christina nodded, her curly black hair bounced around in its ponytail. I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and then sat down in my desk chair while I pulled her onto my lap.

“Austin was really smart, but he was great and really excited about his work. Which got
me
excited for working for him. I’m going to be starting in just a couple of
days
, that’s how much he wanted me on his team!”

I placed my hand on her knee and caressed her leg up to her thigh.

“You went to your interview dressed like this? Please tell me you changed in the car…”

Christina’s eyebrows furrowed with bemusement and she glanced down at her long bare legs.

“This is appropriate for work, plus Austin was dressed casually as well. Oh and get this, he was the model who had congratulated me for quitting with Marissa last night at the shoot.”

Christina went on about how it was a small world and gushed over what she would be doing at Six Fountain when she started working, but all I could think about was how
we
had met at a photo shoot. Now she was sitting on my lap in my office, soon she’d be working for Austin every damn day.

“So how was your day?” Christina looked at me expectantly and she smiled happily. I couldn’t help but kiss her again.

“It’s better now that you’re here. I couldn’t focus much. I was missing you.”

Christina smiled shyly and she leaned in to press another kiss to my lips.

“I do have to thank you though…for getting me noticed by Six Fountain in the first place.” Christina’s tone was soft and her lips were nearing my neck. I smiled. I had been waiting on this for a while. Christina kissed my neck and her fingers began loosening my tie.

“Is the door locked?” she whispered against my skin and I cursed. I had been so excited about her being there that I forgot to lock the doors after she came in. “I’ll go and lock it,” she said with a giggle and then slid from my lap to walk across the room.

Christina returned to the desk after locking the door and I picked her up and brought her over to the couch. She already had my blood boiling from her entire outfit, the look of her long legs, and her excitement. I just wanted to own all of her. We managed to keep things quiet and in under thirty minutes.

She was in my bathroom cleaning up while I fixed the couch from having traveled halfway across the room. She walked out looking good as new, when before her skirt was turned around, her ponytail was pulled free, and her shirt was pushed up.

“Have you…ever had office sex before?” she asked me tentatively. I could tell she was actually curious and not insecure about it.

“Not in this office, no. There’s no one else I’d rather make love to in here anyway.” I said the thought out loud after I answered her question and I froze.

Christina looked at me strangely and my heart pounded as I waited to see how she would take it.

“Was this…your father’s office?”

I nodded and Christina glanced around with new awareness in her eyes. I knew how I felt about her deep down, I was just unsure if I was ready to admit it out loud yet.

Christina’s gaze swung back to me and she studied me for a moment as I stood there like a freaking idiotic statue.

“So, I’m special…you’ve told me enough times,” Christina said softly with a smirk.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and smiled. She really was perfect.

“Yes, you are special to me, extremely special,” I said before striding over to her and taking her up in a bear hug. Christina giggled and I was just about to nuzzle her neck when Victor sounded over the intercom.

“Jeff, stop playing around with Christina, you do have work to do still…” I rolled my eyes and Christina laughed again before I reluctantly let her go.

“You do have work to do, it’s the middle of the day. The boss is supposed to set an example,” Christina teased and I snorted.

“I don’t mind if my employees have office sex. Hell, we can make it a part of the work schedule, right before lunch so everyone works up a good appetite.” Christina slapped my chest; her laugh sounded beautiful and carefree. Christina went to unlock the door and I sighed.

“Jeffrey, you act like I’m about to take a long trip to Madagascar or something. You’ll see me in a few hours at home,” Christina reassured me. The fact that she called my house, ‘home’ made me feel a lot better.

“Okay, you have a point,” I said, but then Christina seemed like she had remembered something.

“Actually, I’m going to do my nails with Vanessa when she gets off work…so you’ll see me in a bit longer than a few hours.” Christina smiled innocently and then puckered her lips for me to walk over and give her a parting kiss. With that she breezed from the office and a stupidly grinning Victor walked in.

“She was here for quite a long meeting,” Victor said suggestively.  I rolled my eyes and he chuckled before he came over and dropped a stack of files on my desk.

“We have a pending lawsuit on our hands.” I frowned, my entire mood tanked and my posture became rigid. “It’s pending; the case could turn out to be hot air really. It’s involving Greywing and the Ireland deal. Apparently, Ireland was leaning towards Greywing and they switched to us on too much of a whim, almost as if they were bribed to do it. Anyway, Greywing wants an investigation, the lawsuit is pending on the results.” I didn’t curse, I kept my cool and sat back against the edge of my desk.

“So the deal with Ireland is on hold now because the Greywing folks are pissed off they decided to go with us?” Victor nodded. I felt like hitting something. “It’s insulting is what it is. Never before have they lashed out at us like this. They’d be ruining their own reputation anyway by this, it’s a low blow. Completely uncalled for.”  Victor nodded, he was mulling it over in his mind as to why Greywing would pull a stunt like that.

“We’re getting to be too much competition for them. Usually, we never have to compete with Greywing for a contract; we had our slightly smaller lane, and they had their big lane, what with the space crafts and all. Now we’re moving in on their military turf.”  Victor made sense of Greywing’s motives; I had figured that also, but I wanted Victor’s insight to be sure.

“You’re right…what do you think, should we make our partnership with Cromwell public? They did have that shady situation, but they are still respected and well known in the industry for their innovations.”

Victor considered this and after a short while he nodded.

“Yes. Cromwell will be on board because he needs to get his good name back, plus I’m sure he’d like to rub it in Greywing faces that he’s rising back to the top after they turned him down right after his own legal issues settled,” Victor pointed out.

I smiled like the damn Cheshire cat.

“I guess we’re at war with Greywing, then.”

Victor chuckled in anticipation.

“This is why we are friends,” he said simply before he went to go make the calls that would announce Stargate’s partnership with Cromwell. If Greywing was scared of our success, I’d simply rub it in their faces. I decided to put a quick call in to Cromwell to let him know.

Of course, he was eager to do it, so once I got the official green light I put in the word to Victor who was already downstairs with the marketing team. I needed to see Vanessa about the Ireland situation. I went down to her office and found her on the phone, pacing around her desk. She looked pissed and I knew she would be. The deal with Ireland was Vanessa’s shining achievement so far; it’s what got her the job as head of public relations.

“Yeah, that’s wonderful. I just wanted to make sure we had a clear and open line of communication throughout the entire process…no, no, no there is definitely nothing to worry about, as I’ve said. Mister Bates will be getting in touch with you shortly, once he has been fully brought up to speed.”

I let Vanessa finish the conversation and when she hung up she took a huge breath and let it out slowly.

“Greywing is definitely jealous of our goods. So what, we’re edging in our success? It’s called competition for a reason! If they think they can sideline us with this crap it’s not going to happen. I’ve got a stack of contracts simply waiting to be signed. We’ll balloon overnight,” Vanessa ranted and I patiently let her finish, though I was ready to get down to the root of things.

“What is the basis of Greywing filing the suit against us? They have to have something, they can’t incite investigation into our deal with Ireland over hot air, and the term free enterprise is not taken lightly in the USA.”

Vanessa nodded and she pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to me. Both she and Victor knew me long enough to know that I don’t read things. I simply held it and waited for her to explain.

“There is general tiptoeing we have to do when making international deals, of course, you know this. But since Ireland had basically drawn up contracts with both us and Greywing and is simply wondering which to sign there is precedence for concern. Why were two agreements drawn up for the same purpose? Was Ireland trying to have a surplus of military aircraft made for any particular reason? Why the hold off on signing a contract? Why the sudden decision? You know how politics work, that’s what this is. Just to put a wrench in things. Which by the way, you need to be ready for cameras, Greywing only got their way because they went straight to the media with it, first in the UK and then here today.”

I went over to Vanessa’s desk and grabbed the remote for the TV mounted on the wall across from her seating area.

I turned on the news, and there it was. Rumors and speculation. I fucking hated that word.

“Alright, we won’t get riled by this, we need to stay focused and deliver. Tell me what possible deals can be made?”

Vanessa prattled off a few names, a couple of countries, and corporations. None of them interested me, I needed something big, something noticeable…

“Recently a certain US Air Force representative reached out to us with inquiries.” 

My head snapped over to Vanessa in interest.

“What kind of inquiries?” I asked and Vanessa informed me that they were interested in our hyper efficient fighter jets.

“Well, duh! Work on that, Vanessa, that’s what we need.”

Vanessa got on the phone and I left her office to go and meet with the legal team. If we started pushing Greywing out of their position with the US military, then it was game on. It looked like everyone was going to be working late that day.