The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1 (9 page)

              After the disaster of the previous night, it was almost a relief to walk into Cepheus Scientific. Even the ghost heads of the renowned scientists in the lobby didn’t creep me out as much.

              “New girl,” the security guard greeted as I walked through the turnstile.

              “Muscles,” I greeted back.

              The first thing I noticed as I walked into the Product Development Department was the noise. Or rather, the lack of it. My first day everyone was in a rush to get to a meeting or make a phone call. Now, it was empty. “Hello,” I called out, backtracking into the reception area, having rushed through it before in fear Russell had beat me in.

To my surprise, Mellissa did not sit behind the desk at reception. A man did. A very attractive man with bright green eyes similar to my own, a Texas tan, and hair the color of sand. He was well built with arms that could sweep a woman off her feet and steal her away.

             
I have officially stepped into the twilight zone.

              “Can I help you?” I asked, not seeing a badge on the man.

              He seemed put off by my question. “Can I help you?” he countered.

An awkward standoff followed, until he cracked a wide grin that showcased his perfect white teeth. “I’m only messing around. I’m Conrad.” He picked up the name plate from the desk and read it. “You must be Mellissa, Aurora’s new receptionist.”

              Confused as to who he was, I corrected him. “I’m Madison, her new assistant.”

              “Sorry, darling. My mistake. I didn’t realize she had so many newbies. That’s the problem when a company continues to grow. People move up and away from the more remedial roles.”

              He may have clarity, but I still didn’t understand why the department was empty…or why this Conrad guy sat behind the desk, as drool worthy as he was.

              “So…Can I help you?” I asked again.

              Behind me, Ms. Goldstein laughed sweetly. “No one can help him, I’m afraid,” she said, joining us at the desk. “Madison, this is Conrad Goldstein, my ex-husband. He handles all the PR for the company. Don’t worry, he doesn’t come around to annoy us often.”

              She jested warmly. Clearly, their divorce had been amiable. It gave me hope. If two exs could still work together, then so could Rawn and I.

             
They would have had beautiful babies
, I mused.
Brad and Angelina would have had a run for their money.

              “Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking Conrad’s hand. Then, I turned to Ms. Goldstein. “Is Mellissa okay?”

              “I hope so. She called in sick today. Half of the building has now that word has gotten around that starting tomorrow we’re jumping straight into planning another product launch. But I think she might actually be ill. She sounded terrible, the poor thing.”

              “So Conrad is playing receptionist?” I asked.

              From his seat he laughed loudly—warm and hearty. “Sweet Jesus, no. I was just waiting for Aurora. I want to go over notes for the launch.”

The launch seemed like a big deal, which wasn’t good for me. I had no clue what they were talking about. I didn’t ask, afraid of looking inept.

“We have you to thank,” Ms. Goldstein said. “Mr. Jackman told me how well you handled the situation in Italy. The CEO it is absolutely thrilled we won the contract. She is even on board with the mass market agreement.”

The product launch was for the telescope? I tried not to let the news show on my face. I wanted them to believe I already knew.

“I just can’t believe how fast it’s moving,” I said, speaking truthfully. “Dr. Giordano only just signed the papers. The ink is still fresh.”

Ms. Goldstein agreed with me. “I have concerns too. When things move too fast, they get messy. But it turns out the Germans saw a partial blueprint of Dr. Giordano’s design during their negotiations. Not the whole thing, but enough that we are certain they will try to build their own telescope. It’s important that we’re the market leader, so we want to beat them to it. We’ve spoken with our manufacturing department. The telescope is going to be released in two months.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Conrad said, flicking a pencil across the desk. “Two months to get the press on board is not a lot of time. I have to come up with something big. It ain’t going to be no BBQ.”

“I’m glad your staff can write better than you speak,” Ms. Goldstein said.

Conrad leaned back in the chair. “That’s why I pay them the not so big bucks.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” I asked. It was my job title—to assist.

It was as if I’d just asked Ms. Goldstein to tie her shoe doing the chicken dance. Mellissa had warned me she was a bit of a scatter brain, but I was starting to wonder if she had any clue what her assistants did.

“Why don’t you take the day to gather potential contacts,” Conrad suggested, stepping in. “I want big names at this launch. People who are influential. Don’t be shy. Put whoever comes to mind on the list. When it’s complete, I’ll comb through it and make the necessary phone calls.”

Great. More contact lists.

“You mean like Stephen Hawking?”

It was a minor joke, but Conrad lit up. “That’s it, Goldilocks. People who will bring prestige and legitimacy to the product.” He gave me his e-mail address. “The contact list will go straight to me. I’d like to keep it under wraps. My company isn’t as large as Cepheus Scientific. My staff don’t get paid enough to stay loyal with something as big as this.”

“Got it,” I said. “I’ll have it to you by the end of the day.”

“Slow down, take your time,” he said. “I’m more tortoise than hare.”

“Does that make me a hare?” Ms. Goldstein asked, smiling.

“No, my dear. You’re a dove—a class all of your own.”

***

              It was nice having the office to myself. Avoiding the harsh glare of the computer screen and certain I’d be spending many days in front of it as soon as the company jumpstarted back into action tomorrow, I went to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out across the city, my notepad in hand.

              I’d made an impression because of Italy, which thrilled me to no end, but I had to share credit with Rawn. This was my first opportunity to stand out completely on my own. It may only be a contact list, but if I could think of someone really clever, it may secure my position at Cepheus Scientific.

              However, the more I paced in front of the window, the city below a blur as I fell deep into thought, I realized the standard product launch just wasn’t enough, no matter who was there. Because Cepheus Scientific sold mostly to institutions, not the public, their launches were formal—an afternoon lunch with a lecture highlighting why the product was innovative or superior. It was all business, as stiff as an election campaign.

              To grab the attention of the general public, the launch needed to be taken to a whole new level—given the red carpet treatment, something Hollywood and Harvard could appreciate.

A party of stars, in more ways than one.

Motivated by my certainty that I was onto something, I sat on the floor near the window and spent the rest of the day outlining a proposal to end all proposals. When I had my notes in order, I typed them out on the laptop—the one that belonged to Rawn’s assistant. Mine was so clunky compared to the sleek ones around the office, I was too embarrassed to bring it in.

“I hope you’re on honeymoon for a while,” I said out loud as I typed on a keypad so light, it was as if my fingers floated on air.

When the proposal was finished, I didn’t hesitate to send it to Conrad. I had to, knowing my courage would falter as soon as my adrenaline died down. It was possible I was overstepping my bounds, but I knew it was a good idea.

Less than an hour later, I received a reply. There was no praise. I had not expected any, but I had thought there would be more than the short, abrupt message I received.

Not the contact list I was looking for.

Moments later, Ms. Goldstein popped her head into the office. “Madison, hi. Will you follow me into the meeting room? We need to talk.”

***

              “Here, let me get you a glass of water,” Annie said, seeing how badly my hand was shaking.

              “Thanks,” I said, my throat dry. I had been talking nonstop since I got home.

              Returning from the kitchen, she sat back on the couch. “So what happened next?”

“Once I had the idea, I drew out the proposal, and then I emailed it to Conrad.”

              Frowning, Annie took a sip of the water, forgetting she had poured it for me. “That can be dangerous, Madison. This Conrad guy runs his own company. He’s the pro. He may not have appreciated you working outside your job description. People get very territorial about these things. Office politics—it’s a drag.”

“I know,” I said, “but it was such a good idea; I had to share it. If you want the apple, you have to shake the tree.”

“Sounds sexy,” Annie said, smiling with encouragement, trying to calm my nerves. “So how did he respond?”

“The reply he sent was very short. I didn’t have time to process it because Ms. Goldstein found me and said we needed to talk.”

“That’s the problem when exs work together; if they don’t hate each other, they gang up on others.”

“They didn’t gang up on me,” I said, taking the glass from Annie. My throat was so dry, it hurt. “I mean, they did, but it wasn’t bad. Conrad was waiting in the meeting room. He loved the idea. He was really impressed, so much so that Ms. Goldstein wants me to help organize the launch. I’ll be voting on important decisions. I’m still her assistant, but I’ll be part of the product launch team.”

It was a good thing I set the water glass down, because in an instant Annie tackled me on my side of the couch. “Madison, that’s great news!” she said, hugging me.

“Thanks,” I said, finding it hard to smile.

Annie notice. “Why so glum?”

“I’m not glum. Not at all. I’m just nervous. This is a huge deal. I’m not sure I’m ready. If I mess it up, I’ll never get another chance to prove my worth to the company. And I’m a little worried that it’ll cause a strain between Russell and me. He’s not even allowed to advance in the company for another three years. This is my first week on the job, and already I’m on the team for the next launch.”

“Russell. You told me about him. The CEO’s nephew, right?”

“Yep.”

“Forget him. His situation has nothing to do with you. He knows the rules. Just because he’s stuck in his desk doesn’t mean you have to be stuck in yours.”

“True,” I said, feeling better. At least about Russell. My nerves regarding the launch were not likely going to go away anytime soon.

Annie tackled me again. “I’m not letting go until you promise to let me into the launch. I want to go meet all the celebrities you plan to invite.”

Celebrities had been a part of the proposal. Pop scientists to appeal to the astronomy hobbyists. And pop stars to appeal to the kids. All would walk down a blue carpet—one lined with media if all went to plan. It would be a party centered around stargazing, a double innuendo.

“Can you imagine if Justin Bieber showed up?” Annie dreamed, her eyes sparkling. “Then every girl around the world would want a 3D telescope.”

“That’s not such a bad thing,” I mused. “It’ll support the numerous campaigns to encourage more females into the sciences.”

“It was my idea! Now you have to let me into the party.”

“I’m sure I can find a way,” I said, putting her out of her misery. “Maybe you can be a coat girl. You can even keep the tips.”

“I’ll be the best damn coat girl there ever was. But don’t hold it against me if, at the end of the night, you find me cuddled into Rihanna’s jacket.”

I snickered. “I think Rihanna is above the launch.”

The doorbell to the apartment rang.

“That’s strange,” I said. “Who do you think it is?” Our friends always texted before they came over.

“Probably Luke wondering why the hell you bailed on him,” Annie said.

I was horrified. “I don’t think so, do you? I already sent him a text apologizing.”

“Relax,” she said, standing. “I was only joking. Luke is too shy to call up here when he’s sober. But just in case he’s hit the vodka early, I’ll answer so I can send him away.”

Mortified, I curled into the side of the couch and threw a blanket over my head, hoping Luke would mistake me for a pile of pillows.

“Well, hello,” I heard Annie answer. “Whatever you are selling, I’m buying.”

Underneath the blanket, I rolled my eyes.

“Is Madison here?” our guest asked

Immediately my heart raced.
I take it back. Let it be Luke
, I prayed, recognizing the voice, knowing very well it wasn’t Luke.