The Billionaire and His Boss

by Patricia Kay

  Anyway, it wouldn’t be long before he could level with P.J. Then there would be no more need to hide anything from her. In fact, I’ll call Cornelia tomorrow. Tell her all about P.J. And if she approves, there will be no more reason to wait at all.

  “Alex, I would love to see you!” Cornelia said. “Come for dinner.”

  Alex smiled. “What time?”

  “How about six-thirty? We’ll have cocktails first. I’ll call Georgie. Maybe she’ll come, too.”

  After they hung up, Alex walked back through the grounds to the outside entrance of the cafeteria. Spying Rick sitting with a couple of the other guys, he headed for his table. He also saw P.J. sitting and eating with her buddy Anna, but all he did was nod as he walked by. They were being very careful not to let anyone from work know they were seeing each other, and so far he didn’t think anyone even suspected. If anyone knew, it would be Anna, and that would only be if P.J. had confided in her.

  “I looked for you,” Rick said when Alex reached their table, “but you’d already taken off. Where’d you go?”

  “I had to make a phone call,” Alex said, grabbing a chair and joining the group, which consisted of Rick, Wayne and Jim.

  “Uh-oh,” Jim said. “Gotta be some chick.” He poked Wayne in the arm. “Remember those days, Crowder?”

  “Barely,” Wayne said. “I’ve been married too long.”

  “I had to call my aunt,” Alex said.

  “Aunt. Sure you did,” Jim said.

  They laughed and kept kidding him good-naturedly. Alex just let them talk. If they thought he had a girlfriend, great. Then they wouldn’t be watching him and P.J.

  After lunch was over, Rick and Alex walked back to their quad together.

  “Hey, Alex, were you really calling your aunt?” Rick asked.

  “Actually, yes. Although she’s not really my aunt. She’s an old family friend of my father’s, but we’ve always called her our aunt.”

  “You sure?”

  Alex frowned. “What’s the problem, Rick?”

  Rick hesitated, then blurted out, “I know you’ve been seein’ P.J. and I guess I just wanted to make sure you aren’t stringing her along or anything.”

  Alex barely managed to keep his mouth from dropping open. “How’d you know about me and P.J.?”

  “I got ways. No, seriously, I’ve seen your truck parked outside her condo a coupla times. And I saw you together at the carnival Saturday.”

  “Really? I didn’t see you.”

  “I know you didn’t. I steered Maria and the kids in the other direction.”

  “I wouldn’t have cared if you’d said hello. In fact, I’d have liked to meet Maria and the girls.”

  “I know, but I figured maybe P.J. would care. I mean, seein’ as how she’s your boss and all.”

  “Is that really a problem?”

  “Not for me, it isn’t. But I know how P.J. is. She wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. And some of ’em would, Alex. Some might think she was playing favorites, like if you should happen to get a good raise and they should get wind of it.”

  Alex knew he wouldn’t be playing this game of masquerade for much longer. Certainly not long enough to be eligible for a raise.

  “Anyway,” Rick continued, “I think a lot of P.J. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

  “I would never hurt P.J.”

  By now they’d reached the quad and Rick took a stack of orders out of the Fill box by P.J.’s desk.

  “Glad to hear it,” Rick said, “’cause she’s pretty special, you know.”

  “I do know.”

  “So is it serious?”

  With anyone else, Alex would have been irritated at the questioning, but just as Rick thought a lot of P.J., Alex thought a lot of Rick, and he knew Rick’s questions weren’t prompted by nosiness but by real concern for P.J.

  So Alex answered truthfully. “It is on my part.”

  Rick nodded thoughtfully.

  “I know you said she’s not interested in marriage,” Alex added. “I hope to change her mind.”

  A long moment went by before Rick answered. “If anyone can, it’ll be you.”

  P.J. was exhausted and hoped Alex didn’t suggest coming over that evening. All she really wanted to do was go home, take a long soak in the tub, maybe give herself a pedicure, have a glass of wine or two, and hunker down in front of the T.V.

  Alone.

  This was definitely a first in their relationship.

  But they’d been together practically nonstop the last few weeks, and a girl needed some time to herself. She especially needed time to think. When P.J. was with Alex, too much of the time she wasn’t thinking at all.

  But when quitting time rolled around, she didn’t even see Alex. And by the time she walked out to the parking lot, his truck was long gone.

  Instead of feeling relieved to have her wish granted, she felt annoyed. More than annoyed. Hurt.

  Honestly. What was he doing to her? She was a mess of contradictions who didn’t know what she wanted.

  She did know one thing, though.

  She should never, ever, have started dating him. She’d known from the beginning it was a mistake, and her reaction just now proved it.

  If she was disappointed and hurt now, just because he’d left work without saying goodbye or kiss my foot, how was she going to feel when he moved on?

  Because he would. Of course he would.

  Alex Noble would eventually want to get married. And when he did, he would want someone young and fertile.

  And P.J. was neither.

  If she had any sense at all, she’d break it off now, while she still had her pride.

  “This is so nice,” Cornelia said, raising her glass to Alex. “It’s been too long since you visited me.” She was seated in one of the two rose brocade chairs placed on either side of the fireplace in her living room.

  Alex, seated in the other, smiled at her. “It has been too long.”

  Cornelia looked particularly lovely tonight, he thought, in a long black velvet skirt and cream satin blouse. A tall, slender woman, she carried her years lightly, looking a full ten years younger than she was. Her pale hair waved softly around her face, and diamond studs winked in her ears.

  Alex had always suspected his father was in love with Cornelia, and he wondered now if she felt the same way.

  “So tell me about this young woman you’ve met,” Cornelia said. She sipped at her dry martini.

  So Alex told her all about P.J. Everything except the fact she was Peter Prescott Kincaid’s daughter. “I think she’s perfect for me, and I hope you’ll agree, because if you do, so will Harry.”

  “I see.” Her shrewd blue eyes studied him. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you?”

  Alex blinked. “I—” He stopped. Was he in love with P.J.?

  Cornelia watched him affectionately.

  “Maybe I am,” he said slowly. “I don’t think I realized it until just this minute.”

  “Does she have any idea of who you really are?”

  “No.” Alex chuckled. “And she doesn’t know that I know who she is.”

  Cornelia drank a little more of her martini and gave him a curious look.

  “She’s the daughter of Peter Prescott Kincaid.”

  Now it was Cornelia’s turn to look stunned. “Whatever is she doing working at HuntCom’s Distribution Center?”

  “Good question. I’m not positive because I haven’t revealed what I know about her, but just from our conversations about college, I know she didn’t like the corporate world. I also know she shares my world view about excessive wealth and its evils.” He finished off his vodka and tonic.

  “I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a problem.”

  Alex frowned. “How could it be? I would think Harry would be delighted by her background, since she obviously isn’t a gold digger.” Once again, he heard the bitterness in his voice.

  Cornelia sighed. “Alex, dear, haven
’t you punished your mother long enough?”

  “No offense, but I don’t want to discuss my mother.”

  “No,” she murmured. “I’m sure you don’t. But surely you realize how your feelings toward her have affected everything in your life.”

  Alex reached for a cracker and spread it with brie. “Aunt Cornelia…”

  “I know, I know. But I can’t help trying to effect a reconciliation between you. Lucinda loves you, Alex. And you have no idea how tough it was for her once Harry put pressure on her. But I do.”

  Alex’s jaw hardened. He would never be rude to Cornelia, but he wished she’d drop the subject. There was nothing she could say that would make him feel any different.

  “Back to the subject of your P.J.,” Cornelia said. “When I said I hoped there wouldn’t be a problem, I meant she might be upset when she finds out who you are. Especially if, as you say, she isn’t seduced by the thought of money.” She raised her eyebrows. “More to the point, though, is the fact you’ve lied to her.”

  “For a good reason.”

  “She might not see it that way.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “It’s very possible. It sounds to me as if she has a great deal of integrity. And pride.”

  “But she’s not exactly playing it straight, either,” Alex pointed out.

  “Perhaps she hasn’t revealed exactly who her father is, but she didn’t change her name.” Unspoken was like you did.

  “You know I had no choice.”

  “I know. It’s the one part of your father’s challenge that has bothered me from the beginning. I share his sentiment about young women who—” She broke off as Elizabeth, her long-time housekeeper, appeared in the doorway. “Yes, Elizabeth?”

  “Dinner is ready, Mrs. Fairchild.”

  Cornelia rose gracefully. “Thank you, Elizabeth.” She looked at Alex. “Shall we?”

  He stood, giving her his arm, and together they walked into the softly lighted dining room. Over succulent rack of lamb, baby peas and tiny new potatoes, they continued to discuss Harry’s challenge, then moved on to an update about each of Cornelia’s daughters.

  “I’m sorry Georgie couldn’t make it tonight,” Alex said. He grinned. “She doesn’t think much of Harry’s challenge.”

  “Oh, I know,” Cornelia said with a wry smile. “She gave me an earful about my role in the whole thing. She said she couldn’t believe I’d be a party to such shameful blackmail.”

  Alex laughed. “That’s our Georgie. She always says exactly what she thinks.”

  “And I tried so hard to instill old-fashioned manners in my girls. To no avail, I’m afraid.”

  “You wouldn’t change any of them if you could, and you know it,” Alex teased.

  Cornelia smiled. “You’re right. I wouldn’t. I just like to grouse a bit, that’s all. It’s a mother’s prerogative.”

  Alex almost said, I wouldn’t know, but thought better of it. The last thing he wanted was to get into another discussion about his own mother.

  After a generous slice of Elizabeth’s famed butter-scotch pie for dessert, Alex leaned back and patted his stomach. “If I ate like this every day, I’d weigh a ton.”

  “As would I,” Cornelia said. “But tonight was a special occasion.”

  Alex couldn’t help feeling guilty that he didn’t visit Cornelia more often. He knew she considered him and his brothers almost like her own sons.

  Cornelia poured cream into her coffee. “I want you to bring your P.J. to meet me just as soon as you finalize things with her.”

  “Of course I will.”

  After they finished their coffee, Alex reluctantly said he’d better be going. “I have a long drive back.”

  Cornelia walked with him to the front door. When he bent down to kiss her cheek, he thought how much he loved her, and how great it would have been if she’d been his mother instead of Lucinda.

  “Don’t wait too long to tell P.J. the truth, Alex,” was her final piece of advice as he walked out the door into the evening drizzle. “Lies have a way of magnifying the longer they’re perpetuated.”

  Yes, Alex thought, he needed and wanted to tell P.J. the truth. But how could he do that and still fulfill the terms of Harry’s conditions?

  Chapter Eleven

  A lex’s cell phone rang Tuesday morning as he was on his way to work. Picking it up, he glanced at the caller ID and saw the number for his office.

  “Marti?” he said, knowing it had to be his assistant.

  “Oh, Alex, I’m so glad I caught you. We’ve got a crisis looming. Is there any way you can come into the office today?”

  “What kind of crisis?”

  “It’s Richard Priest.”

  Alex swore. Richard Priest was an eccentric multi-millionaire who had founded an electronics empire. He was one of the few donors from whom the Hunt Foundation accepted money unquestioningly. This was due to the fact that nothing his companies manufactured or sold conflicted with the purpose or goals of the foundation. But his money came at a price. He’d demanded a seat on the board, and periodically he managed to insult another board member, a donor, and once in a while even a head of state.

  “What’s he done now?” Alex asked wearily.

  “He told Philippa Von Kohler it would be a cold day in hell before Keep Kids Well got another nickel from us.”

  For a moment, Alex was speechless. Keep Kids-Well was the brainchild of Mrs. Von Kohler—widow of the founder of a popular chain of doughnut shops—and she not only ran the charity with an iron hand, she funded fifty percent of its costs herself. KKW, as Alex thought of it, was one his favorite projects. “What the hell brought that on?”

  “Apparently she gave an interview to Will Crosby and she badmouthed Richard. Said he was an idiot. This is because he disapproves of giving condoms to kids, which she advocates as part of her safe-sex educational program. Anyway, he’s called a board meeting for ten o’clock this morning. When I told him I didn’t know if I could reach you or not, he said, quote, we don’t need Alex as long as we have a majority, unquote.”

  Alex sighed.

  “I think you’d better be here, Alex. You know how he can intimidate some of the board members. I’m afraid he’ll get the vote he wants and block that big payment that’s supposed to go to Keep Kids Well on the first of the month.”

  If Alex had had Richard Priest there, he would have throttled the man. “All right, I’ll come. It’s going to be tight, though. You know what morning traffic is like going into town. Just don’t let the meeting start without me.”

  After disconnecting the call, Alex called P.J. Dammit, anyway. He had to go back to the apartment to call P.J. because he still hadn’t done anything about buying a new cell phone. Mentally berating himself, plus crossing his fingers against getting a speeding ticket, he raced back to his complex.

  He was relieved when she didn’t answer her phone and it went to voice mail. Easier to lie to voice mail than to talk to her in person.

  “P.J.,” he said, “I’m sorry, but something urgent has come up and I need to take a day of personal leave. If I’m not eligible for leave, just dock my pay. Thanks. I’ll call you tonight.”

  He’d figure out what that “urgent” matter was later. Right now he didn’t have time.

  It was almost ten o’clock before he reached down town Seattle—the traffic had been horrendous and the trip that would normally take him ninety minutes had taken two and a half hours. Alex had hoped to make a stop at his apartment there so he could change into a suit, but he didn’t have enough time, so his jeans, sweater, and work boots were going to have to suffice.

  When he walked into the paneled conference room of the foundation’s offices, he had to bite back a smile at the expressions on the faces of the eight board members sitting around the huge cherrywood table. Greeting them, he saw that Alicia Herman and Jonathan St. Clair were missing. Too bad. They were both realistic members with progressive views on health care and wou
ld have been unlikely to be swayed by anything Richard would have to say to the contrary.

  Marti smiled at him. “Nice outfit,” she murmured as he took his seat at the head of the table. “Want some coffee?”

  Alex nodded gratefully. “Thanks.”

  When she left the room to get his coffee, Richard said, “I didn’t know you were going to be here, Alex.”

  “Wouldn’t have missed it,” Alex said dryly.

  “You’re looking well,” Lydia Cross, who was a partner in a prestigious Seattle law firm, said. “Have you been traveling?”

  Alex kept his answer vague and pretended he hadn’t seen the avid curiosity in her eyes.

  Once Marti returned and was ready to take the minutes, Alex called the meeting to order. The only agenda item was Richard’s request to cut off funding for Keep Kids Well. Alex listened courteously while Richard presented his case and made his recommendation.

  Without stopping for questions, Richard said, “I move that—”

  “Let’s have some discussion before you make a formal motion,” Alex said, interrupting before Richard could finish.

  “According to Robert’s Rules of Order, discussion comes after a motion is made,” Richard said angrily.

  “It can be done either way,” Alex contradicted. “And this is the way I’d like to do it.”

  Richard’s jaw clenched, and he glared at Alex.

  Alex didn’t care. In fact, right now he didn’t care if Richard took his money and his weirdness and left the Hunt Foundation for good. Sometimes the price you had to pay to keep things moving smoothly was more than you were willing to pay. And this was one of those times.

  “Now,” Alex continued, “I agree that Philippa stepped over the line when she called you an idiot in public, Richard, but the fact is, you provoked her. I personally heard you telling Winston over there…” Alex inclined his head toward Winston Legrand, a retired bank president “…that Philippa didn’t exhibit good sense and was running Keep Kids Well into the ground. And if you said that to him, I’m sure you’ve said it to others.”