When Elaine entered her apartment an hour later she kicked off her shoes, stripped out of her business suit, put on a sweatshirt and pants, and headed for the kitchen. She was glad she decided to pick up a spinach and feta calzone on the way home. Cutting a piece and pouring a glass of diet soda, she headed to the couch to make herself comfortable.
Legs stretched out and feet resting on the coffee table, she grabbed her laptop and leaned back. Now this is the way to work.
She opened a folder labeled Someday. Scanning through files she’d collected over many years, she chose ten that jumped out to her. Each had an issue whether it was financial or medical, but the one thing they all had in common was desperation for assistance. This was more difficult than one would think. Her desire to help others had been strong for many years. Now she had the ability to actually do something about it. Who do you help first?
The next few hours were spent sorting each file and putting them in two categories, short-term immediate need versus long-term multi-level need. This was only her second presentation to them, so she decided to choose one from the immediate need pile. There was a five-year-old girl in Columbia living in an orphanage. She had a rare form of cancer. A physician had agreed to do the surgery, however they were in need of the funds for her transportation, hospital stay, and rehabilitation here in the States. The estimated cost was three hundred fifty thousand dollars. A tear rolled down her cheek as she viewed a picture of the child. Like herself, she was all alone with no one to fight for her. This is the one.
Unsurprisingly, it had been such an emotional toll researching the little girl. Her eyes and heart weary, she leaned back on the couch and shut her eyes. The monthly meeting presentation could wait till tomorrow. For now, she needed sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
The meeting Trent and Drew traveled to ended earlier than expected. Trent had tried to warn Drew this endeavor was one he would advise against. Drew had insisted they go and at least hear the guy out. If it weren’t for Drew being one of his best friends, he would have never gone with him. At the end of the day, he was glad he did. What was Drew thinking? He wanted to purchase a shop that specialized in customized motorcycles. They did have a great time looking at some unique designs and were probably going to end up purchasing one for fun, but at least he didn’t purchase the entire business.
On their way back to the airport, they decided to stop at a local sports bar. It wasn’t long before Drew hit a topic Trent was trying to avoid.
“So what’s the deal with you and Elaine?”
“Just business.”
“You’ve got a beautiful intelligent woman you work with every day, and you’re telling me nothing is going on?”
“That’s what I said.”
“And here I was ready to bet that you and Elaine attended a masquerade last Friday.”
Trent didn’t answer. Drew seemed to always find out everything somehow. That is why he’d lost so much money to him over the years.
“So, want to tell me again it’s just business? I saw the pictures. I’d never hold anyone I work with like that.”
“There are reasons why no one can know about us.”
“Is she married?”
“No,” Trent said firmly. He wasn’t sure why that question had angered him so much. He didn’t care what anyone thought, not even his friends. Elaine, however, cared very much about her reputation, and he was not going to be the one to tarnish it.
“Don’t need to rip off my head, Trent. This is a first for you. You have been out in the public with more women than I can count. So what’s the reason to hide your relationship with Elaine?”
“She cares about her reputation.”
“And she’s dating you?” Drew laughed.
“Don’t push your luck.” Trent was tired of his comments.
“Wow. Serious, I take it. So what’s really holding you back?”
“Her cover story is she works for Davis Enterprises; she doesn’t want anyone to think she’s sleeping with the boss.”
“That’s simple to solve. Fire her. Not an issue.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure that is the best way to win this woman over. Hey, I like you, you’re fired, wanna date? Do you see any flaws in your thinking?” Trent asked sarcastically.
“There may be a few. If she loves you, she will get over it. In case no one has ever told you, working for you sucks. She probably would jump for joy if you let her go. Maybe you can have her work for me. I’m not so demanding.”
“As what, your financial advisor?”
“Knock it all you want, but I believe we are in the same tax bracket. Only difference is I don’t have to wear a suit every day.”
“Or cut your hair,” Trent said, laughing at Drew’s wild blond curls. “When was the last time you saw a barber?”
“You could use a bit of loosening up yourself. When was the last time you didn’t shave for a day, never mind first thing in the morning?” Trent didn’t reply. “I think you should take Elaine to my little secluded island and relax. No Internet, no cell phone, and more importantly, no suits.”
“That is not me, and you know it.”
“Maybe it is time it becomes you. Call it therapy. Seriously, you can borrow my seaplane anytime you want to go to the island. It’s always stocked with the basic essentials. And you have total privacy.”
That was the part that made him want to take Drew up on the offer. A beach where he could make love to Elaine anytime he wanted definitely appealed to him. For a short getaway maybe, but a secluded island for any longer than a few hours was not him. He enjoyed the city.
Trent thought back to what his father had said to him, “All you do is chase the next big deal. Granted, you’re successful at it, but where are you going to be when it all comes to an end?”
When he was a freshman in high school he went on a field trip to New York City. He remembered standing in front of Trump Towers and thinking, Someday I will have my name on a building like this. Twenty years later, all his hard work had paid off. Davis Enterprises was a multi-billion-dollar company, his company. It hadn’t happened by luck, it was through hard work and sacrifice of personal time. If he cut himself off from the business for a few weeks, he wasn’t sure what he would come back to. As Drew would have said, the odds weren’t in his favor, so he wasn’t going to bet on it.
“So what do you think? Are you going to slip away with Elaine for a week?”
“I’ll let you know if I ever need it.” His phone beeped a message. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve got to get back to New York tonight.”
“Missing Elaine?”
Is that what this ache is? I miss her? I only saw her yesterday . . . is it too soon for those sorts of feelings? Surely Drew had it wrong. “Missing a business opportunity.” From his snort, Drew wasn’t fooled by his answer. Shit.
Chapter Eighteen
It had been a short workweek in the office; she needed to arrive on Thursday in Charleston, West Virginia, as Victor had requested. What a vast difference from New York. She couldn’t believe this was where Trent was from. He lived a fast and flashy lifestyle in a place that never slept. Even though she was in the downtown district of Charleston, she had a strange feeling everything still closed at nine each night.
The scenery was spectacular, but she needed to attend to the task at hand before it got dark, or she would never find her way to the hotel. There were many spots where her cell phone only showed “searching for signal.” Without the use of GPS on her phone, she had to stop and ask for directions over and over again. But she was grateful that every place she stopped the people were friendly and genuinely happy to assist her.
She first stopped at the country venue, which was a half hour outside the city limits, to ascertain its suitability for the event. Elaine was in awe of the view—lush green mountains on one side and a slow, lazy river on the other. There were even canoes lying on the banks. She could picture traveling down the river, Trent at the helm, so she could sit
back and enjoy the view. It would be romantic at sunset. Unfortunately she wasn’t here for pleasure. There was a huge hand-carved gazebo surrounded by flowering rose bushes. It would be a wonderful place for pictures. Satisfied everything was in order, she made her way inside to check on the hall. The walls were a soft white, perfect for the pastel decorations Victor had chosen. Thankfully the dance floor was large and open, as she had been forewarned that Victor and Mary had recently taken up ballroom dancing, and he had a special surprise dance planned for his wife. Though she had only met him briefly, the notes and details on the list he had provided spoke volumes about the love they shared. Elaine wanted to make sure everything went exactly as Victor had wanted, and by what she just viewed, it would. This place was a hidden gem. Thank you, Jill. She’d been lucky to have found this place on such short notice. Once she confirmed everything was in order, she sat in her car and called the DJ, the florist, and the photographer. As expected, everything was all set. This was something she knew could have easily been done from the office. But it would have been just her luck that something would have gone wrong if she’d not been on site where she could fix it.
All she needed to do now was find her way back to the hotel and check in. She wished Trent could have traveled with her, but once again he was out of the country and due back tomorrow afternoon. She wanted to know where he kept going. It seemed to be a mystery to everyone at work, too. Since she didn’t actually work for Davis Enterprises, she didn’t want to pry. All Trent told her was it was business. What that meant exactly she wasn’t sure. Business or not, he could have at least called, texted, or something. Would he eventually confide in her what he was working on, or would this part of his life always be kept private? These were questions only time could answer.
Once settled in her room the realization hit her: this was going to be a long, boring night. Turning on the television she hoped there would be a good movie to watch.
There was a knock on the door. Maybe Trent had decided to surprise her. Opening the door, her smiled faded slightly at a woman in her early twenties. “Can I help you?”
“Are you Elaine Manning?”
“Yes, I am.”
The woman stepped into the room and gave Elaine a quick hug before saying, “I’m so excited to meet you; you’re even prettier than Dad said.”
Who? What? “Thank you. I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.” Elaine wasn’t comfortable with people she did know grabbing and hugging her, never mind someone she’d never met. This young lady had the same enthusiastic joy of life as Jill, and it had taken time for her to cherish Jill for who she was.
“What was I thinking?” She extended her hand. “I’m Rose, Trent’s youngest sister. I must have totally freaked you out just barging in like that. Guess I was a bit overexcited to meet you.”
Guess so. It was obvious she was excited. The question was, why was she excited? She was only here to assist at a party. It was not like she was someone famous. “Very nice to meet you, Rose. I’m glad I could be of help with the party.”
“Yeah, we are all looking forward to tomorrow, too. Mom is going to freak out when she sees everything Dad planned. You didn’t eat yet, did you?”
Oh yes, just like Jill. “No, I haven’t.”
“Good, ’cause we’re taking you out to dinner.”
“We?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. My sister, Lynn, and two brothers, Bruce and Steve, are downstairs waiting for us. They were all going to come up but didn’t want to overwhelm you all at once. So I told them I would go get you myself.”
“I don’t want to intrude on your family dinner.”
“Intrude? Are you kidding? We are all getting together tonight specifically to be out with you. You really don’t want to sit in this room all by yourself, do you?”
Rose was right on that, but she wasn’t sure about spending too much time alone with Trent’s family either. Backing out didn’t seem like it was an option. “Let me grab my purse, and we can be on our way.”
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Sorry, they were convinced I couldn’t get you to come out. Can’t wait to see their faces when they find out they were wrong.”
Oh, this was going to be an interesting night. Smiling, she followed Rose as they headed to the lobby. Before they reached them, she could tell the two gentlemen were Trent’s older brothers because they resembled their father. The sisters also looked alike but must look more like their mother. Trent appeared to take features from both sides.
Rose did the introductions. To Elaine’s relief, no one else grabbed and hugged her. “Hope you like Italian food. We made a reservation for six, so we should get going,” Bruce said.
“My favorite.”
Once at the restaurant, Elaine said, “Thank you for thinking of me. I had thought it was going to be room service and movie night for me.”
“Are you kidding me? Once Dad told us about you, we planned this get together in five minutes,” Lynn said.
“That is very sweet. Your father did all the work. I only helped at the last minute. My role in this is very little,” Elaine stated.
“What you pulled off for Mom’s party was amazing. We couldn’t have done it without you,” Lynn said.
“I know. I can’t wait for Mom to meet you,” Rose said.
“I’m glad you could join us tonight. We wanted to spend some time with you but were afraid tomorrow night things might be busy, and we wouldn’t get to know you,” Bruce said. “How did you and our brother meet?”
“We met through mutual friends, Mr. Vinchi and Ms. Burke.”
“Yeah, I heard Jon got engaged. Good for him. Nice guy, just works too much. Surprised he stopped long enough to notice a woman.” Steve laughed.
“Well, if Jon could find someone, we knew there was hope for Trent,” Bruce added.
“I knew he would find someone, but never pictured someone like you,” Lynn said.
“Like me?” They thought she was involved with Trent. She was involved with Trent, but they were not supposed to know that. No one was supposed to know. “I’m sorry, but I think you misunderstand my relationship with your brother. I work for him. That is all.”
“Don’t worry. Dad made us promise not to say a word to anyone. Your secret is safe with us,” Rose responded.
“May I ask what exactly Victor, I mean . . . your father, said to you?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer, but she knew she needed to know it.
“After Dad asked you to help with the party he stayed and talked to Trent for a while,” Lynn said.
Elaine recalled hearing that conversation as she walked down the hall. That was when Trent said she was nothing to him. She didn’t want to hear it replayed by his family again.
“Trent first denied anything, but Dad called his bluff. I’m sure it must have been a sight to see: those two stubborn men not budging. I guess Trent broke down first because he explained to Dad about you not wanting people to know because you work for him.”
She’d left the office and hadn’t heard the entire conversation, but why wouldn’t Trent have filled her in or corrected her when she confronted him that night? Why let her believe no one knew? Because I wouldn’t be here now if I knew.
“We get it, and we won’t say anything. But Mom is going to figure it out. I mean, he has never brought a woman home before.”
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. What have I gotten myself into? She felt panicked. She was attending a party for his mother and not working a party for his mother. This was not what she expected or what she was prepared for. I was set up. She was the first woman he brought home to his parents? She might not know her parents or have a family, but she knew what a statement like that said. Wait till I see him. He is going to be lucky if he’s not attending the party tomorrow in a wheelchair.
She spent the rest of the evening hearing funny childhood stories about Trent. It appeared he was the rebellious one, never caring what anyone thought or said about him. They were total oppo
sites in that area, but she knew that before she met him. It was almost ten when they dropped her back at the hotel. When she entered her room she threw her purse on the bed and went to fill the bathtub. Tonight she needed a long hot soak to ease the tense muscles she’d acquired since Rose knocked on her door. And tomorrow looked like it was going to be full of even more surprises than today. And for Trent’s sake, the surprises better not include her, or he might just need his mother and sisters to use their nursing skills on him.
Chapter Nineteen
Trent couldn’t believe how late he was. He’d left his phone on the jet, and out in the boonies he had no way of reaching her to let her know he was going to be late. The storm that delayed their landing was now making the drive much longer as well. By his estimate he was arriving close to thirty minutes late. He hoped Elaine was having such a good time she didn’t even notice he was late. The chance of that was pretty slim. It was inevitable. He was going to get his ass chewed out. Question was, who was going to be more forgiving, Elaine or his family?
When he entered the hall he could see he must have missed his parents’ arrival by seconds, as everyone was still clapping and his sister, Lynn, was pinning some flowers on his mother’s dress. All eyes were on his mother, except his that were searching the room for one person in particular. When she turned, their eyes met, and he knew he was in trouble even from across the room. Any other woman or time and he wouldn’t have cared; he would’ve found a way to avoid her and the entire situation. She had a right to be angry with him. Elaine was here at his request, and he showed up late. Whatever he had coming, he deserved it.
The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two Page 12
