Redeeming The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 5) (7 page)

The woman looked up at her and smiled. “Please have a seat. He’s on the phone at the moment.”

With no other option, Addie sat and waited, her full attention on counting the seconds between the flashes of lightning and the thunder. Although not a truly scientific method, the counting gave her a general idea of how close the storm was to her. Judging by the sound of it, the storm was getting closer rather than farther away.

When another rumble of thunder filled the silence, the secretary looked over at her. “Looks like the news was right. It said we were in for storms this weekend. As much as I hate the rain, we need it.”

Addie nodded in agreement. “It has been a dry summer.”

“I just hope the rain holds off until I get home. I hate driving in it and I need new windshield wipers,” the secretary said as she began to shut down her computer.

From her seat Addie glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows. So far not a single drop of rain had fallen, but the sky warned it was just a matter of time.

The door opened behind Shirley, and Addie looked away from the window. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. That call took longer than I expected.” Trent stood in the doorway to his office. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, but otherwise looked like the perfect model for corporate America.

“Please come in,” he said as he took a step into the reception area and stopped next to his secretary’s desk. “Shirley, have a good weekend. See you on Monday.”

Shirley gathered up her belongings. “There were some last minute changes to your schedule for next week. I updated everything on your calendar, Mr. Sherbrooke.”

Addie passed by Trent and entered his office but could hear Shirley as she continued to speak to him. As she waited for him to join her, she glanced around. A suit jacket matching his pants hung over the back of his desk chair. Several documents remained on his desk, as did a mug. A laptop remained open on his conference table along with several file folders.

Behind her the door clicked, causing her to glance in that direction. “Please have a seat.” He gestured toward the chairs around the conference table. “I expected that call to be over in under ten minutes.” He closed his laptop and moved it and the folders off to the side. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

Taking the seat facing the door, Addie pulled out her own laptop. “I just got here,” she reassured him. “Now, I have two different proposals for you today. Please keep in mind that I can make changes to either of them or start over altogether.” She logged into her computer and brought up the files containing her plans for Trent’s office. “I tried to keep with more traditional materials but at the same time keep the look masculine and contemporary. At least in my opinion, often when a decorator strives for a more contemporary atmosphere it becomes too feminine.” Her body sensed his proximity as he took the seat next to her.

“Sounds like you’re describing my father’s office since he let my stepmother redecorate.”

“It can be hard to find that right balance. Anyway, this is my first proposal.” She turned the laptop so he could see the screen better. “I picked a dove gray for the walls. It’s light enough to go with any other colors in the office but gives the walls just enough color, Mr. Sherbrooke.” In her personal opinion, anything was better than the peachy beige that covered the walls now. “And I found a carpet a few shades darker that would complement the color.”

Trent pulled the laptop closer to him, his arm brushing against hers. As if struck by the lightning outside, she pulled her arm away and hoped the heat she felt didn’t show on her face. “I kept this conference table but replaced the chairs. The ones you see are in forest green, but they also come in black as well as brown. I replaced the desk with a larger ebony-colored one, but if you prefer something lighter I found a similar one in a nice shade of walnut.” Addie went through everything in her proposal explaining what she’d chosen. Next to her, Trent remained silent, not giving her any hint of his thoughts on her ideas. By the time she finished, her mouth was dry and a tangle of nerves sat in her stomach.

“Like I said, Mr. Sherbrooke, this is just a preliminary idea. Anything can be adjusted or changed.” Under the table her fingers drummed against her thigh.

“Please, call me Trent.”

Trent transferred his gaze from the screen to her, meeting her eyes as another flash of lightning filled the room. Unable to stop herself, Addie flinched and took a deep breath. The storm was getting closer.

“Are you okay?”

She heard the concern in his voice and pasted on a smile. “Fine. Just not a huge fan of thunderstorms.” She reached for the computer, prepared to bring up her second proposal for his office. “I have another proposal if you’d rather see that one.”

“No need. I like this. How long will it take to get it all done?”

Addie blinked as his words sunk in. “Once work begins it shouldn’t take long. I have a painter and a floor company that I work with. I can call them tomorrow and schedule them. I already checked with the manufacturers and the furniture can be here in two weeks.” At first they’d claimed a month, but when she’d informed them the furniture was for a Sherbrooke, they’d changed their tune.

“Excellent. Send any invoices to my secretary and she’ll take care of them. And if you have a contract prepared already, I’ll sign it tonight.”

She pressed her lips together to keep the smile that wanted to break free hidden. “I do have a copy of my standard agreement.” She reached for her bag and the folder inside. “As soon as I have everything arranged I will let your secretary know.” She passed the agreement to him. Although short, it contained all pertinent information and protected her and her business.

“At our last meeting I mentioned my home in Newport. If you’re interested, I’d like to arrange a time for you to see it.” Trent read the contract as he spoke.

Now that was a stupid question if she’d ever heard one. “Just let me know what works for you.”

Trent scrawled his name on the contract and then grabbed his phone. “This weekend is open for me. Does either day work for you?”

“Saturday I am free.” In order to get Chloe to cover her Friday night shift she’d promised to cover her cousin’s shift on Sunday.

“Saturday it is then.” He handed the papers back to her. “If you’d like I can pick you up and we can drive down together. I know I wouldn’t mind the company.”

More thunder rumbled outside, but Addie feared he’d still heard the excited thud of her heartbeat. “Only if it doesn’t inconvenience you. I don’t mind driving down.”

Trent gave her a smile that used his entire face. No wonder he had such a reputation as an international playboy. His smile alone would send women right to him.

The slightest hint of color already on her cheeks darkened and she swallowed. Throughout their meeting she’d yet again remained professional if not a bit nervous. Before this moment, he’d wondered if perhaps he shouldn’t pressure her. At least during this and their previous meetings she’d displayed no outward signs that she was attracted to him. She hadn’t flirted or done any of the typical things women tried to snag him. But then she’d blushed when his hand came into contact with hers and it’d grown darker when he offered to pick her up.

“The company would be nice. Does eleven o’clock work for you?” His original reason for asking her to stop by tonight rather than sometime next week was because he planned to ask her out for dinner after their meeting. Now though, he rethought his strategy. Tomorrow after they
toured his house, he’d take her out. Once she left tonight he’d make reservations for them at the Spiced Pear. As much as he wanted to proceed with the plan he and Marty agreed on, he didn’t want to come on too strong and spook Addison away either.

“Uh, sure. That time works.” She pulled out a business card and wrote on the back. “Here is my address, but if you need to call me, my cell number is on the front.”

He accepted the card even though he didn’t need it. Thanks to Marty he had her home address, as well as the address of her parents, already in his desk. “Great. If you want to wait a moment, I’ll walk out with you. I’m going to call it a day.”

Before she answered, he stood and walked back to his desk. Grabbing his suit jacket, his eyes followed Addie as she packed up her own belongings. With deliberate movements she placed one item in at a time as if each thing had a specific place. When she finished, she stood, smoothed down her dress and then slipped the strap of her bag over her right shoulder. Unlike the previous times they’d met, she wore a dress tonight, and the sleeveless style revealed her well-toned upper arms.

“All set?” he asked as he retrieved his briefcase and came around toward the door.

Rather than speak, she nodded and walked toward the door. On cue, he pulled it open and allowed her to exit first. Not that he minded in the least. With her in front of him, he could let his eyes wander and appreciate her form without her any the wiser. And he definitely liked what he saw. She was an average height, but she had killer legs, perfectly shaped and toned. He suspected she exercised on a regular basis. Her waist was tiny and although she had her back to him now, he already had a mental picture of her breasts. Judging by the way her dress fit, they were lush and full but not ridiculously large.

When they reached the elevator, he pushed the button. “Please dress casually tomorrow. Whatever you normally wear on the weekend,” he said as a way to break the silence. “I certainly won’t be wearing a tie.”

Addie laughed, a sweet lyrical sound. “Then I might still be in my pj’s when you pick me up.”

The image of the type of sleepwear worn by the women he usually spent time with popped up. While he had no doubt Addie would look fantastic in any of those outfits, he doubted those were the type of pj’s she wore. “Whatever works for you,” he answered as the elevator door opened and they stepped inside.

“So where in Newport is your home? Is it on Bellevue Avenue?”

Slowly the elevator began its descent and he leaned up against the glass wall. “No. It’s on Ocean Avenue. It was built—” The loud crack of lightning echoed through the elevator, cutting off Trent’s sentence just before the lights blinked and then went out.

“Please tell me we’re not stuck.” Addison’s voice trembled from the other side of the glass elevator.

He remembered her reaction to the storm in his office. “It shouldn’t take them long to get us going again.” Stepping forward, he picked up the emergency phone in the elevator wall. After a few seconds, a voice responded on the other end.

“Security.”

“This is Trent Sherbrooke. How long until the power is restored? I’m stuck in the elevator with a business associate.”

“I’m not sure, Mr. Sherbrooke. The entire block is out. Maintenance is trying to contact the electric company. It may be a while.”

“Bad news?” Addie asked when he hung up the phone. She stood near the back wall, her arms crossed just above her waist.

“The whole block is out.” He placed his briefcase on the floor along with his suit jacket. In the distance he heard the hint of thunder or at least he assumed that was it. “They know we’re in here and are working on the problem.”

“Last winter an ice storm took out all the power in the city. It took them days to get everyone up again,” she said with the barest hint of a catch in her voice.

He’d spent the worst of the winter months in England working on a land acquisition project so he’d not been affected. “I’m sure it won’t take them that long to get us out.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Addie answered. Thanks to the security lights in the elevator he could see her face and her facial expression revealed her true feelings on the matter.

In a few short steps he crossed to her. “Like I was saying, my house was built in 1911 for Madeline Curran. Her father made his fortune in the shipping business and the house was a wedding present to her,” he explained as a way to distract her.

Outside, a streak of lightning lit up the sky, followed soon after by a distant clap of thunder.

“Sounds like the storm is moving away.” Addie moved next to him, her arm bumping up against his.

“Counting the seconds between the flash and the sound? I do that sometimes, too.”

“Knowing how close or far away it is helps,” she said. “Too bad it hasn’t rained yet. We could use it. My mom has complained all summer about her grass not getting enough water. She’s a bit obsessed with her yard. She loves to garden. Her roses are her pride and joy.”

Trent latched onto the everyday topic. “What about you? Do you enjoy gardening as well?”

“I kill everything I try to grow. I once even managed to kill a cactus,” she said with a hint of humor in her voice.

He looked over at her profile. “How did you manage that? I thought those were easy.” Plants weren’t his thing, although he knew a great deal about them thanks to his mom. His mom had adored flowers. She’d had a whole greenhouse full of beautiful plants at their estate on Martha’s Vineyard when he was a child. His father’s second wife had cleared the entire thing out not long after they married.

Addie dropped her arms to her sides. “So did I, but I overwatered it. Now the only time I have flowers, they come from the florist in a vase or they are made of silk.”

With no idea how long they might be stuck, Trent lowered himself to the floor, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Then he took his suit jacket and spread it out next to him. “You might want to get comfortable. Or as comfortable as possible.” He gestured to the suit jacket he’d spread out. “Have a seat.”