The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1 (18 page)

“Girls’ day out!” Annie cried, throwing her hands up into the air as the coach pulled out of the bus station in Portland. “Aeropostale, Guess, J. Crew—get ready, lovers, because here we come!”

On the seat beside her, I laughed, bouncing in my seat. I was just as excited as she was to be leaving the city for the day. It seemed ridiculous after all the trips I’d taken with Rawn in the past few months. Italy. Hawaii. New York. They had all been somewhere new and unforgettable. And I was thankful to Rawn for it, for his generosity and the time he took to plan such travels.

But this day trip with Annie, a shopping expedition down to the Woodburn Premium Outlets, about an hour’s drive outside of Portland, was something I badly needed. From the forested highways to the thrill of buying designer labels at half price, from Annie’s buoyant company to the grounding I felt being on a bus that smelled of sweat as opposed to being on a plane scented with jasmine, I needed this.

This was home.

This was me.

It always would be, even with the newfound freedom I had with my paycheck. I had received a call from my parents this morning. They were in tears, the happy kind. It would appear someone had paid off all of the family’s medical bills.

Rawn had worked fast. It had only been a week since I was in the hospital—when I told him about my true reasons for graduating early. I did not love Rawn any less or any more for paying off the medical bills; my love for him was not dependent on such acts of charity, but my appreciation of him had grown. I was thankful to have him in my life.

But there was one problem to his charity. Now my parents wanted to meet him. They insisted on it. I had to tell them the truth. They would have traced the payment back to him anyway. My mom had been wearisome, afraid I was putting myself in a bad position dating my boss, but she would come around, especially after she met Rawn.

“I wish Mellissa could have joined us,” I chirped, mentally waving goodbye to the skyscrapers as we left the city far behind us. “She would have loved a day away with us. She’s afraid that once I leave Ms. Goldstein’s office, she won’t have anyone to talk to at the company anymore. But I promised to visit her every day. Also, I think she’s having a personal crisis of some sort, though she won’t talk about it.”

“Poor Mellissa,” Annie said. “We’ll buy her something nice to cheer her up. Maybe one of those new beaded bracelets that all the celebrities are wearing.”

“You mean the beaded bracelets that Logan Mitchell is wearing,” I teased. “He’s fronting the campaign for them.”

“Hey, I have to support my man. What is he, like thirty? His pretty face won’t last forever.”

“What about George Clooney? And Brad Pitt? And Matthew Fox?”

Annie put her hand up. “Okay, okay. I get it. Logan Mitchell will look hot until the day the aliens take him away. That’s the benefit of being a younger woman. I don’t have to keep up with my man. He’ll always look older than me, even with the Botox we get.”

“Did you even talk to Logan at the product launch party?” I asked. I couldn’t believe that was only a little over a week ago. With everything that was happening, it felt like it was another lifetime.

“Not technically. But I swear at one point during the night, I saw him staring over at me. I mean like, really staring. It was dark. He probably just mistook me for someone else. Or he was wondering if I was stalking him—which I was, of course. But I don’t know…when I caught him staring at me…it just felt…momentous.”

I was a little worried. The expression on Annie’s face told me how much she was latching on to that stare, like a lovesick teenager. Celebrity crushes were fine when we were girls, but we were women now. Young women, but still women. I worried that if she became too obsessed with Logan Mitchell, she would miss out on an opportunity to be with someone really good. Someone in Portland. Not a movie star in Los Angeles that, I hated to say, probably didn’t know her name.

“Annie, I’m sure if Logan Mitchell knew you as well as I did, you would be the only girl on his red carpet. But his life sounds pretty messed up right now. When we spoke in the garden, he made a reference to his battle with substance abuse. The only person Logan Mitchell should be in a relationship with right now is himself. You deserve a man close by. Someone who worships the ground you walk on.”

Annie laughed. “Madison, I’m not talking about wedding bells. I just think the guy is hot. And I love the fact that I was at a party with him. Give me this one, okay? We don’t all have men taking us away on exciting adventures like you. Mama has to work with what she was given. I’m a student. I’m more than a student. I’m a senior in college. Right now my entire life is books, lectures, exams, and papers. I need something to daydream about so that I can survive senior year.”

She was right. I apologized. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be a buzzkill. Dream away.”

“Right now, all I’m dreaming about is how much money we’re going to save at the outlet mall.”

“It’s no dream. It’s a really happy reality. Why didn’t we do this much sooner?”

“Because neither of us had any money,” Annie said blatantly. “I still don’t have any money, but I do have a new credit card. Thank god for America, the land where banks like to throw all the money they can at you when you’re young, so that you’ll be paying loans back for the rest of your life.”

“Amen to that, sister,” I said, thinking of how my credit cards had allowed me to purchase my books in college. Double the classes so that I could graduate early meant double the books. And double the bill. “Anyway, let’s not think of that right now. Today is meant to be a day of fun.”

“Oh yeah,” Annie said excitedly. “We may be bitches with a budget, but we’re going to rock it!”

The steady hum of the bus lulled us into silence. I looked out the window, watching as the trees passed by, appreciating just how beautiful the Northwest was. Take me to Italy any day. Just make sure you return me home.

Soon enough, we pulled into the parking lot of the outlet mall. It was actually more of a center than a mall. There were lots of different buildings. They were all round and almost fairytale like, almost as if they were gingerbread houses, but not as gaudy. I guess it made sense. To buy Calvin Klein at sixty percent off was a fairytale for anyone, man or woman.

“I say we get some food first,” I suggested. Neither of us had eaten breakfast. With an afternoon of shopping ahead, the last thing I wanted to do was end up in the hospital again.

“Do you think the food is discounted as well?” Annie said, hopping off the bus. “God, I hope so. It’ll make the day even better than it already is. Imagine if they have coffee here for a dollar. I’d drink the entire coffeehouse dry.”

“It probably is discounted,” I supposed, though I didn’t know for sure. “I mean, why else would they set up shop in a place like this? They know people are going to spend all their money on clothes. They have to compete with the retailers.”

Annie shook her head. “You were definitely meant for business. You may have the brain of a science nerd, like me, but you have the business sense of Kim Kardashian. That girl may be famous for no reason, but that’s just proof of how clever she is in the business world. In fact, it’s ultimate proof. If this whole physics thing goes belly up for me, I’m going to get butt implants. I might even make a sex tape.”

“Ew. Please don’t. Don’t get me wrong, you’d look hot. But…just…don’t.”

“We’ll see,” Annie said evasively as she grabbed my arm and led me to where the food was.

We ate at a Mexican restaurant. I wanted nachos, and Annie wanted something not made of meat, thinking she might try going vegan for a while. I doubted that would happen. Annie could not live without her salami pizza. It was her go-to food. When finals came around, which they would soon, no matter how much she picked at her bean burrito now, I knew she would be eating salami pizza every night before her exams, claiming it gave her brain energy. I knew Annie like she was my sister.

No one could replace Allison. We’d had an unbreakable bond, one I believed survived beyond her death. But Annie, being an only child with no cousins, was adopted into our family. My mom was her mom. My dad her dad. My brother her brother. We’d met our freshman year of college, sharing a lot of the same physics classes. We hadn’t known each other long when my sister passed away, but that didn’t stop Annie from helping to pull me through it.

“Where to next?” I asked, throwing a napkin at her so she could wipe the chipotle sauce off her face. “I swear, Annie. You are the messiest eater I know.”

“It’s part of my appeal,” she said, wiping her cheek clean. “It doesn’t matter to me where we start. I plan on hitting every single store here. Except Zumiez. The store itself is great, but all the teenage boys in there smell like…something green. And sweet. And herby.”

I bit my lip. “Actually, my brother’s birthday is coming up soon. I planned to go into Zumiez’s to find him a gift. How about you go to Converse and get those shoes you wanted while I buy my brother’s birthday present, and then we can meet for coffee in half.”

Annie raised an eyebrow. “It’ll take you half an hour to buy a present? He’s a teenage boy. Just pick anything off the shelf. He’ll love it.”

It was probably true, but this was the first time I could buy him something decent for his birthday, so I at least wanted to try to find something worthy of my hard-earned money. “Then twenty. It’ll take us that long to stand in line, anyway.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Shoes. Prezzies. And then mochas.”

***

              Walking outside, swinging my bag with the present for my brother inside, I enjoyed the fresh air. The Cepheus Scientific building was a beautiful place to work, but it was hard being in an office all day. When I was a student, I was frequently outside, be it walking across campus or studying in the park. I missed breathing in air that wasn’t recycled through a vent.

              The coffeehouse was around the corner, but I had a few minutes to spare, so I stood outside the window of the one of the brand stores, looking at a collection of satchel purses. Until working at Cepheus Scientific, I never carried a purse, not unless it was for a night out. Instead, I used the pocket of my hoodie or my backpack to carry everything around. But now that I was a professional woman, I started to see the necessity of a good handbag.

              Behind me, on the road that weaved around the outlet, a car honked. Grabbing my attention, and the attention of most the shoppers, we applauded as a white car slowly rolled by. It was a wedding car, and in the back were two elderly newlyweds. A sign that said, “Just Married” was taped to the bumper. The couple looked older than my grandparents.

              When I turned back to the satchels in the window, there was a man standing next to me. “Hey, I know you,” he claimed. “You work for that company in Portland that just launched the 3D telescope. You’re Aurora Goldstein’s new receptionist.”

              “I’m her new assistant,” I corrected, stepping back from the intensity of his presence.

The man gave me the creeps. He was a few years older than me. Outwardly, he looked quite respectable. He wore a designer sports coat, and he had clean skin and a nice smile. But something about him really felt off. As did the fact that he somehow knew who I was. There was no reason anyone out here should know who I worked for.

              “Yeah, whatever you call yourselves these days. Receptionist. Assistant. But you do work for Aurora, and newly so, don’t you?”

              “Maybe you should call the company and ask,” I asserted. Looking past the man, hoping for help, I saw Annie turn the corner. She was only two stores away. She would save me from this—whoever he was.

              “No need to be so jumpy,” he said and laughed. It sounded forced. “I’m only asking because I just bought one of those telescopes, and I can’t get it to work. Can you show me how to focus the lens?”

              I looked blankly at his empty hands. “How am I supposed to help you if you don’t have it with you?”

              “It’s in my car.”

              Warning bells went off in my head, rapid and loud, but the world moved in slow motion. I waved at Annie, trying to draw her attention. It set the guy off. He grabbed my arm, just as a black van pulled up to the curb.

              “Hey,” I said, trying to pull away. “Let go of me!”

              “Sorry, Mellissa, it’s nothing personal.”

              Before I could correct him, he put his hand over my mouth, and I was pushed into the van. The door slammed shut behind me, and the van sped off, screeching out of the parking lot. It was dark in back. I couldn’t see anything. All I could feel was a sweaty palm over my mouth. I could taste the salt from his skin. It made me sick.

              But not as sick as the realization that I was being abducted.

Mellissa

Today was the type of day that carried an uncomfortable grayness to it, the type that made me want to crawl back into bed, to forget I had anywhere to be.

Especially with everything that had been happening lately.

“Mellissa! Sweetheart!” my grandmother called from the front room. “Can you please get me a cup of tea before you go?”

Standing on my tiptoes in front of the bathroom mirror, I set my lip gloss down. “This is Portland, Memaw!” I hollered back. “Not the Deep South! We drink coffee here! Not tea!”

Smiling, I continued putting on my lip gloss, in no hurry to get to work, even though work was in a hurry for me.

“Is that a yes or a no, chickpea?”

“Of course I’ll get it for you! Just give me a second!”

“Great. Love you!”

“Love you too!”

I went to my closet. A gray day called for a gray dress. But a fitted one, on top of which I wore a white cardigan. Not that I would need it. The radiators in the halls of Cepheus Scientific were on permanent tropical mode. But it complemented the outfit nicely. A nice outfit for a gray day.

What a bumm
er, I thought.
I’d give anything to be with Madison and Annie right now. They’ll be lining up for the coach soon. Maybe I can still call in sick.

It was a teasing thought. I had used up all my sick days with my chest infection. It was embarrassing missing so much work after only recently being hired into the company, but that was the way the cookie rolled. At least they hadn’t fired me. I was appreciative for that fact. Though, if I was being honest, I doubted anyone even realized I was gone.

Except Russell. But he was not what I wanted to think about right now. It would make it almost impossible to go to work if I did.

I knew today wasn’t going to be a good day. I could feel the bad voodoo vibes since waking up. When the zipper on my favorite boots broke, I surrendered any attempt to look good. I went to the kitchen and put the kettle on for my grandmother’s tea.

As the water boiled, I prepared a light breakfast for myself. The way I was stalling, there was no time to hit the twenty-four hour diner before work. The bacon and pancakes I was addicted to would have to wait for a day with much more promise. Today was a croissant and a scrambled egg day.

“Do you want any breakfast, Memaw?” I bellowed.

“Are the croissants fresh?”

“I bought them yesterday!”

“Is there strawberry jam?”

I went to the cupboard and checked. “No! Only marmalade!”

“I hate marmalade!”

“Then why did you buy it?”

“It was on sale! I thought you liked it!”

“No. I hate it too! So do you want a croissant or not!”

“Yes! Of course, chickpea!”

When the water finished boiling, I let the tea brew and set it on a tray with a croissant. It would keep my grandmother going until the nurse came in to make her lunch. Her arthritis was getting bad. It worried me. I almost thought it might be best if she moved back to the South with the others. The South was much warmer. She wouldn’t suffer so much there.

But I knew she wouldn’t leave me behind.

              And as much as I loved my grandmother, I could never go back.

              I brought the tray into the front room and then I grabbed my keys. “I’m off,” I told her, kissing her cheek. “Try not to sit on the remote again. I love you, Memaw, but I simply can’t get any more calls from you at work saying the TV is possessed because it keeps switching channels. Check under your butt.”

              “I love you too, chickpea. Have a nice day.”

              There was no hope of that, but I didn’t say so.

***

              I hated it when I was right. At least, when I was right about something bad. I swore my French ancestors, those who eventually migrated to the South, had been witch doctors or something. Priestesses? Oracles? I didn’t know what female magic existed in France, but I was certain it was in my bloodline.

              Everyone was in a bad mood. It was the fallout of the recent launch of the telescope. The company had been on a huge buzz, and now they had come crashing down. It was a company-wide hangover, one that left everyone in fowl humor, especially on a day so gray.

              The one plus side was that the jerk Russell wasn’t speaking. With a grimace on his face, worse than the usual one he carried into the office, he had hurried past me, blanking me out completely, even as I offered a hello. I liked it the days Russell didn’t talk. It meant he wasn’t ranting.

              So maybe there was a bit of sunshine to the day after all.

              With the thought in mind, I slipped off my shoes behind the reception desk and took out a magazine from the bottom drawer. By the last page, I realized how strangely quiet it was. I hadn’t received a phone call all day. Was the office secretly closed, and I didn’t know it? Russell being here was no indication. He would come into work even if Armageddon was raining down.

              However, when Mr. Jackman came into the reception area, it put my fears to rest. Cepheus Scientific lived on. If it didn’t, Mr. Jackman, with his dazzling amber eyes and hair like dark chocolate, would not be here. He would be with his secret lover down at the Woodburn Premium Outlets. Not that he was the type of man I could ever imagine at an outlet mall. But wherever Madison went, so did he.

              “Hey, everything okay down here?” he asked me.

              “As far as I know. Should it not be?” I asked, suddenly worried something was going on that I wasn’t aware of. Something important.

              He looked disturbed. “No. I don’t think so. I don’t know. I have a bad feeling…”

              “Me too!” I exclaimed. “You’ve got the voodoo too?”

              “Something like that,” he muttered. “Let me know if you need anything. I think Aurora is in a meeting all day.”

              “Will do,” I said. “And the same to you. These phones may be broken. There hasn’t been a single call.”

              “After the success of last week, I think all our clients know most of the department is at home asleep in their beds. It’ll pick up again soon. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts.”

              “I’m more of a festival girl. The quiet never suited me well.”

             
Unless it comes from Russell
, I thought.

              Mr. Jackman gave a half-smile. “Me too,” he said. “I’ll be upstairs.”

              He returned to his office, and I returned to my magazine, but I couldn’t get Madison out of my mind. I would miss her when she was transferred upstairs. Our M and M moments were the highlight of my day. I hoped she planned to keep her promise to visit me often. If not, I’d have to take my flask of margarita upstairs to her.

              Of course, the moment my personal phone buzzed, saving me from the misery of my boredom, Russell also walked up to my desk. Normally, I would give my phone priority and pretend it was work related, but I didn’t feel like putting up with his wrath today.

              “Yes?” I asked when he didn’t say anything.

              “Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”

              I blinked, trying to be patient. “Would you prefer I take a phone call over whatever it is you need me for?”

              In response, he shoved a stack of files on the desk. “Have a look through these. Tell me what you think.”

              I flipped open the first file. Attached to a sheet of paper was a photo of a woman in her late twenties. Her makeup was modest and she smiled, but there was something scary about the determination in her eyes, like she would bulldoze a puppy farm if it meant getting ahead.

              “What’s this?” I asked, closing the file. “It looks confidential.”

              “It is, but you’re allowed access to it. I’m trying to select candidates to replace Madison. Einstein wants me to choose four by the end of the day and call them to arrange an interview with her.”

              I was surprised. Not that Russell was doing the back work regarding hiring a new assistant for Einstein, but because he was asking me for my opinion. “And you want my input as to who you call?”

              “Yeah, well, you’ll be working with the new assistant as well. We might as well try to be one small happy family.”

              I squinted, slightly suspicious. “You’re not just trying to pass your work off on me, are you?”

              He sighed and reached for the files. “Never mind,” he grumbled.

              I set my hand on top of the pile. “No, no. I’ll do it. Definitely not the first woman. She looks a bit crazy. But I’ll have a peek at the others.”

              “Cool. Um…thanks,” he said, running a hand up the back of his head. “Oh yeah, Conrad was asking about you.”

              Conrad.

              My eyes dropped down to the desk.

              Thankfully, my phone buzzed again. “I think I better get that,” I said.

              Looking relieved, Russell darted away.

              “Jolly O,” I answered, recognizing Annie’s number. “How’s the shopping? Is it everything you girls dreamed?”

I stopped. It sounded like Annie was crying so hard, she couldn’t catch a breath.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, my stomach clenching.

             
Today is too gray. That’s what’s wrong. It’s too gray.

              “Do you have Rawn’s phone number?” Annie finally managed. “I need to talk to him. Now.”

              “I can give it to you.”

              “Actually, no. Just put him on the phone.”

              Immediately, I headed towards the stairs, thinking them faster than the elevator. “Annie, try to calm down. Tell me what’s happening.”

              “It’s Madison,” she sobbed. “Some guy just pushed her into a black van.”

              It didn’t make sense.

              “What do you mean?”

              “Oh god,” Annie stuttered, not answering. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.”

              I ran up the stairs. I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I knew it was urgent. Annie continued to cry on the line. “Just don’t hang up on me,” I instructed. “I’m almost to Mr. Jackman’s office.”

              When I reached the top floor, I sprinted down the hall, not caring how many suits I knocked over in the process, and, ignoring his secretary, I burst into his office.

              Thankfully, he was sitting at his desk. “Mellissa, what’s wrong?” he asked, looking up.

              I shoved the phone at him and closed my eyes, not believing what I was about to say. “It’s Annie. She’s really upset. I think Madison has been kidnapped.”

~~~