The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two

by Winters, Jeannette

  Trent sat pensively for a moment then answered her question. “Bradford Anderson, an old college buddy of ours, was killed in a car accident a little more than five years ago. He was only twenty-eight. We used to joke because he would take all these trips and disappear off the radar, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. When he returned he never spoke about where he had been or what he had done. I always thought he was hooking up with some woman he couldn’t tell us about. At his funeral, we found we were way off the mark. There was a side of Brad he kept very private, even from us, his best friends. It wasn’t a woman he saw. He visited all corners of the planet, helping so many children in need in Nicaragua, New Guinea, Indonesia, and hundreds of other places we never knew he had ever been. Never telling anyone but touching so many. His mother found a journal in his apartment labeled Takes One. Inside he had documented what he had seen, where he had been, and the people he’d met along the way. His mother gave the journal to us at the funeral.”

  Now I feel like a total ass. “He sounds like he was a very special person.”

  “That he was. That day, the four of us decided we would continue what he had started.”

  I certainly hadn’t expected this from Trent Davis. “That is a wonderful way to honor Brad’s memory. What I don’t understand is, what does this have to do with me?”

  “We want you to be the person who brings Takes One to the next level.”

  Okay, there is no way this is really happening. A month ago she thought she was going to have to close the doors to Another Chance due to funding issues. Now the future of Another Chance was secure, and there was an even greater opportunity for her. “You want me to join Takes One? I don’t have the ability to help financially, as you are well aware, so what exactly do you need me for?”

  “Obviously, it’s not your money we’re in need of. That’s something we’ll continue to cover. It’s your expertise in researching where our donations would be best used. My counterparts and I will have the final decision, but we need someone who understands the levels of need and is wise enough not to fall for any scams. Based on everything we’ve learned about you, you’re the perfect fit for this role. You don’t do it for publicity; you do it because it is who you are.”

  Did he actually give me a compliment? “And you believe I can do this while running Another Chance?”

  “No. I know you can’t. If what we wanted could be done part-time we would be doing it ourselves. This position will require you to leave Another Chance and relocate to New York. Would that be an issue?”

  Relocate to New York. Well, that sounded familiar since Lizette had been required to do that only a few weeks earlier. Of course, it worked out extremely well for her since she and Jonathan Vinchi recently became engaged. She was happy for Lizette, but there was no Prince Charming waiting for her in New York, or anywhere else for that matter. Leaving Another Chance was going to be hard, not only because she worked so closely with the founders of the agency, but because it was the closest she’d ever come to putting down roots somewhere.

  She’d grown to know and care about the people in the Rhode Island community, even though she never allowed herself to get too close, too personally involved. She admired them. It was a tight-knit community filled with generations of families who were born there and decided to stay. But at the end of the day she had no personal ties to the area. No personal ties anywhere. Relocating was what she did her entire life, moving from one foster home to another, from one state to next. She couldn’t even remember how she came to find herself in Rhode Island, but it was the longest she’d been in one place since her birth, thirty-four years ago. She was comfortable here. Comfortable, yes, and always welcomed, but she still felt like an outsider. Elaine knew so much about the people here—celebrated birthdays, weddings, cried at funerals—but she never shared anything substantial about herself. Not even her co-workers could say they really knew her.

  Relocate to New York? Her first instinct was to tell him no. Absolutely not. Weighing her options, she thought yes, why not? She had no real ties here except work. It seemed to be such an easy decision to make, a simple answer, yes. What about Another Chance? Who will run that? She’d better think this through thoroughly before jumping in. “Mr. Davis, when do you need my answer?”

  “I was hoping for today, but why don’t you take the weekend and call me Sunday night? Like I said, I have other business around here, so you can let me know your decision.” He pulled out his business card and handed it to her. “My personal cell is listed. Call me. As I mentioned, this is extremely confidential, and you are now the only person, other than my colleagues, aware of Takes One.”

  “I completely understand, Mr. Davis. Anything else I should know?”

  “Yes. Stop calling me Mr. Davis. My name is Trent.” He smiled.

  Their fingers touched only for a moment as she retrieved the business card. Just a brief touch woke every nerve in her body. It’s nothing. Just nerves, nothing more. Not trusting herself to meet his gaze, she took the card and slipped it into her purse. “Okay, Trent it is.”

  “With that out of the way, why don’t we order? I’m starving, and the food smells great.”

  She didn’t want to spend any more time with him than necessary, but she’d asked him to lunch. It would be odd to leave now without eating. Besides, it was her favorite restaurant, and she was hungry. Trent called the waitress over and ordered for them both.

  “We’ll start with the fried calamari sautéed with hot peppers as an appetizer, and the lamb chop for an entrée.”

  She wanted to correct him for being so bold as to choose her meal without asking her opinion, but he chose exactly what she would have ordered if she’d planned to splurge on dinner. However this was lunch not dinner. Her normal routine was to eat a salad at her desk if she didn’t want to eat a protein bar. After a meal like he ordered, the only thing she would want to do later would be sleep at her desk. Elaine opened her mouth to change her order, but her taste buds were already anticipating his choice. Nothing she ordered would satisfy her now. She would save the battle over control for something else, something she didn’t mind losing.

  They spent the rest of their lunch talking about things Takes One had done in the past like funding local food banks and providing medical care for a child with cancer. Even though she attended many charity events, she’d never heard a whisper of what Takes One had achieved. They were very good at hiding their tracks. As he spoke, her mind was already spinning with new ideas based on research she had done over the past few years. It was her dream to have the finances to really make a difference. But she knew it took more than money to make a long-lasting effect in these areas. Maybe in time she could be the link between Takes One’s current patronage and Brad’s broader vision.

  After an extra-long two and a half hour lunch, Trent drove her back to the office. Sitting at her desk, she found it impossible to concentrate on the task at hand. Her thoughts returned again and again to Trent and his unexpected offer. It was going to be a long weekend, but she already knew what her decision would be. There were a few department heads who could cover her duties until a permanent replacement was found. Now she had to decide how to advise the staff she was leaving.

  ***

  Trent couldn’t erase the picture of her finally giving in and walking out of her office to meet with him. Though he had been reading the latest article about himself, he couldn’t help but notice her green eyes darken with frustration. Elaine was even more stunning when upset. She was not only beautiful, but also highly intelligent and motivated. If it were another woman, he would have asked her to dinner, spent the night, and left before morning. Elaine was different. Her words and body language said not interested, but he made his living reading what others couldn’t, and there was something in her beautiful green eyes telling him otherwise. She challenged him in many ways, and that hadn’t happened in a long time. It was at that moment he made the decision; the position could no longer be done remotely. Sh
e was coming to New York with him. He wouldn’t accept anything less. He would bed her, of that he was certain, but he wouldn’t let it go further than that. He wouldn’t make that mistake. No woman was worth that risk.

  Chapter Two

  Nothing had gone as expected since Trent stopped by her office on Friday. Elaine spent her entire Saturday preparing everything needed at the office so the staff could function well in her absence. She had every intention of sleeping late on Sunday before going to the gym for a spinning class. Instead her phone woke her early with a call from Matt Phillips, Jon Vinchi’s personal assistant, extending an invitation to her and other Another Chance employees to attend a surprise engagement party for Jon and Lizette. Her first call was to Jill who thankfully offered to call more than half the staff. She was really going to miss Jill. When she hired her, it had been a part-time job because Jill had been down on her luck. After a few years, she became a strong member of the team and, at times, her right hand in getting things done in a hurry. There had been a lot of turnover in staffing, but two she could always count on through it all had been Jill and Lizette. She was going to miss them and wished she could take them with her. I can’t even tell them the truth about where I’m going, never mind take them with me. They would all be together for the first time in a few weeks. But tonight was not the time to announce her departure. That would have to wait till they were back in the office. Tonight was all about Lizette and Jon. It was clear Lizette’s short getaway worked out even better than she’d planned.

  When Elaine entered the Main Coach Lodge, she scanned the room to see if others from work had arrived. She was happy to see most of them were there to celebrate this joyous occasion. There were many people she recognized from the community, as expected, and several people who appeared to be new, which she assumed were Jon’s coworkers and friends. There was one friend she could not help but notice. Though she didn’t want to, she found herself watching Trent from across the room. He was standing with two others she recognized: Drew Navarro and Ross Whitman. She turned away and scanned the crowd but her eyes kept returning to Trent. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t deny he was drop-dead gorgeous. He was perfection, from his short brown hair, which curled at the edges, to his high cheekbones, and back to his intelligent dark eyes. She was willing to bet he was even sexier without those designer suits covering what would certainly be rock-hard abs. His tall muscular body was a girl’s dream—she imagined rubbing her hands over . . . No. Don’t go there, Elaine. Closing her eyes wasn’t a good thing to do. Elaine was certain her secret fantasy needed to remain that—a secret.

  As though he felt her staring at him, he turned and met her gaze. Normally she would have met a man square in the eyes, never showing any weakness, until they turned away first. She wasn’t sure if it was him or her earlier thoughts, but she turned away first, blushing. What is wrong with me?

  A waiter came by, and she gladly accepted the glass of champagne offered. She found herself sipping it more for a distraction than enjoyment. Elaine was not used to having such a strong physical attraction. Even worse, it was for someone she was going to be working for. From everything she’d ever read in the tabloids, Trent Davis was the typical “player.” He was known for attending events with a different bombshell hanging all over him each time. She could understand why women melted at every word he said, but she prided herself for being too intelligent to fall for his charm. She choked slightly on her champagne as she heard his deep husky voice near her ear. A chill traveled down her spine at his closeness.

  “You look lovely tonight.”

  Elaine didn’t turn to face him. His effect on her would be obvious, and she did not want to encourage his blatant flirting. “Thank you, Mr. Davis.” At least I didn’t spit champagne all over my dress. She wiped the droplets of champagne that had dripped to her chin.

  “My name is Trent. Have you forgotten so soon?” he inquired.

  Oh, she hadn’t forgotten. Not one thing about him. Not his name, his handsome looks, his sexy smile, or his beautiful, dark, nearly black eyes. No, she knew more than she’d wanted to. Turning slowly, she smiled and said, “I wasn’t expecting to see you quite so soon, Trent.”

  “And here I was thinking you wore this dress just for me.”

  “Think what you wish, but I had no idea you would be here.” I had hoped you would be, and maybe thought of you while I chose my dress, but you will never know.

  “I expected to hear from you earlier. Does that mean you haven’t made your decision?”

  Elaine knew a man like him was not sitting by any phone waiting for her or anyone to call. “You said Sunday evening. I had planned on calling you later.”

  “Then this is convenient. I get your decision in person.” He smiled smugly at her.

  “It appears so.”

  “And what is your decision, Elaine?”

  Why did her name sound so different when he uttered it? Did he use a sensual tone on purpose to throw her off her game? Her cheeks flushed again. She looked around and felt as though everyone could read her mind and was watching them. Looking back to Trent, she said, “I thought you would like to discuss this privately.”

  Arching his eyebrows he asked, “Is that an offer?”

  Is he for real? “I believe you misunderstood my offer. You expressed the need for confidentiality. We really can’t be much more public than in a room filled with people who know us both.”

  “You’re right, Elaine. So may I suggest we continue this conversation after the party?”

  There was no way she wanted to be alone with him late at night. It was going to be challenging enough to resist him during daylight hours. Damn, why do I have to be attracted to him? She was just about to answer him when the room began to clap and cheer at the arrival of the guests of honor, Lizette and Jon. She turned from Trent and joined the others. Lizette looked so happy. In just a short time, Lizette appeared more confident in public as the center of attention, and definitely by the interaction between her and Jon, they were totally in love. Though she and Lizette were different in many ways, they were both people who kept their distance in personal relationships. Now there is only one—me. Who wouldn’t be envious of their newly found love as she watched Lizette and Jon enter hand in hand?

  They walked hand in hand to the dance floor. The music started, and Jon took Lizette in his arms. They glided along, holding each other so tenderly it almost brought tears to Elaine’s eyes. She was both happy and jealous of what they shared.

  She was so busy watching Lizette and Jon she hadn’t noticed the other couples who joined them until Trent asked, “May I have this dance?”

  When she turned back, Trent stood with his hand extended. She did not want to be in his arms, her body pressed against his, but her body threatened to betray her. “I don’t dance,” she said firmly and hoped he would accept her polite way of saying no.

  Trent completely ignored her subtle hint, took her right hand in his, and proceeded to lead her to the dance floor. Within seconds she found herself exactly where she didn’t want to be. Her right hand still rested in his, but his other hand found the keyhole on the back of her dress, and his fingers softly caressed her as they danced. Trent’s warm hand burned against her cool flesh and caused a tingle that started in the pit of her stomach and made its way lower, till the hunger became a warm glow all over her body. He held her close, and she forced herself not to make eye contact with him and lose what restraint remained within her.

  When the music stopped he slowly loosened his hold on her but did not release her. As she tried to step away from him, she risked meeting his gaze. Her initial fears came true. She could see the reflection of her own desire in his eyes. Trent gently stroked her arm, urging her to him again. The battle was almost lost when they were joined by Jon and Lizette.

  “Hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Jon said.

  Elaine blushed and stepped farther from Trent. “No. Not at all.” She then extended her hand to Jon. “Con
gratulations on your engagement. I’m so happy for you both.” She turned to Lizette and gave her a tight hug and kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad I could be here to celebrate with you.”

  “Thank you for coming, Elaine, and you as well, Mr. Davis.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed your party for anything.”

  Lizette smiled at Elaine and Trent then said, “I didn’t realize you knew each other. It appears tonight is full of surprises.” Elaine didn’t have a chance to rebut before Lizette continued. “I hope you both enjoy the evening.” Lizette and Jon continued on their way, greeting other guests and leaving Elaine alone with Trent once again.

  “Something bothering you Elaine?” Trent asked suggestively.

  He knew exactly what the issue was. and she wasn’t going to give him the benefit of hearing her say it. Elaine was just about to excuse herself when his friends appeared by their side.

  “You must be the infamous Elaine Manning,” Drew said with a nod in Trent’s direction.

  Infamous? Her? Okay . . . “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Navarro.”

  “Call me Drew.” He turned to Trent and asked, “Answer yet?”

  “A discussion we will be having tonight,” Trent responded, placing his hand at the base of her back.

  Damn him. Why did everything he said imply there was something between them? Nothing could be further from the truth. When they were alone later she would set things straight. Until then, she found his touch so sweetly distracting she hadn’t even noticed Drew had asked her another question.