“It will be over soon, I promise.”
“What if it isn’t?”
“They can’t hang an innocent man Joshua; we just need to do damage control.”
Joshua held up his glass and clinked it against Kyle’s. They both took another sip, Joshua lost in his own dark thoughts.
“How would you suggest we clean up this mess? What damage control do you have in mind?”
Joshua could tell that Kyle was deep in thought, and he wondered if that was a good or a bad thing. He would do anything he could to save the reputation of his company, but he wondered at what extent he would have to go through to do so. Kyle was now glancing out the window, and Joshua knew he wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. Kyle took another sip of the brandy and Joshua followed suit. When Kyle turned to Joshua, he only said one word, “Africa.”
Confused, Joshua chuckled. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“Well, I’ve already done some research on what kind of damage control we would need at this point to salvage the reputation of not only the company but yourself included. We need major PR points to get through this mess as you well know. Right now, Africa is in desperate need of people to come in and build a school and a hospital. They need as many workers and supplies as possible. This is where you need to be right now Joshua, helping others and showing the world that you are the same man you were before this mess.”
“Going to Africa is going to do that? It’s going to fix the problem?”
“Most definitely. No one can argue all the work you have done over the years, and they can say it’s an act until they see you with hammer and nails out doing it yourself. You’re a billionaire, the last place they expect you to be is in Africa. We are going to send a ton of money to the job site, give them all the supplies they need, and then you will fly there and work your ass off. This will really send a message to the world as to what kind of company we are, not to mention to your strength of character in the midst of a disaster.”
Joshua mulled what Kyle said in his head, it made sense, of course. The last thing he had expected upon his return from vacation was to head off to Africa to work, but it was important that people not forget that he was a humanitarian at heart. He had no idea how the waste got dumped in his name, but he would never be part of such a thing. It sickened him that anyone would do such a thing. The amount of money that would have to be spent to salvage the ocean would far outweigh any profit made by the dump. Not to mention the corral and all the sea life. The thought of it all almost brought Joshua to his knees. Going to Africa was the least that he could do to make amends for what his company did, even if he was unaware of it all. Besides, getting his hands dirty would do his own soul some good. It had been awhile since he had done anything quite like that, and it would help relieve the stress of what was going on. It was probably best he stay away from the company for a short while; otherwise, he might strangle someone.
Joshua looked to Kyle and nodded. “Okay, I’m in. How do we go about doing this?”
“You leave Monday Joshua, leave the rest up to me.”
Chapter Two
Packing for the trip took longer than Joshua expected because he wasn’t sure what he needed to bring or how much time he would be away. He made humanitarian efforts all the time but had never gone to a site and built a school. He had no idea how long something like that would take. Joshua wasn’t sure how much he should pack, and he suddenly wished that he had left the job up to his assistant.
He wondered what Africa was going to be like in general. Hot for sure. The people who would be involved in the building would have no idea about the scandal, and that was a good thing. He hoped to forget about it himself; the last thing he wanted was to be questioned about the whole thing. It was embarrassing enough.
It would be his first time travelling to Africa, and he had to admit, he was a little excited about it. He had a vacation already, and this would be something different, something from the soul. It was about time; Joshua usually did fundraisers, but getting his hands dirty was well overdue. None of his recent fundraisers had anything to do with Africa, so it would be refreshing to have something new to focus on.
Joshua considered the heat that he would have to deal with there and decided to only pack light fabrics and nothing that would cling to him if he started to sweat. He smiled as he added a few more shirts to his suitcase; he was excited to work with his hands. Usually, people just wanted him to throw money at them, and although he was more than happy to do so, this little task would make him feel like a man. A masculine job that entailed putting a structure together; you didn’t get much handier than that. It amazed him that people spent their lives doing projects like that. Traveling around building hospitals for people in need. It was truly selfless. Yet, there were other people who were busy poisoning oceans. Joshua sighed deeply. He really needed to stop thinking about the scandal or he would surely go crazy. There was nothing he could do about it presently; he had to leave it up to Kyle and the rest of his team to clean things up at the office while he was in Africa. It would be good for him to be out with people, working together as a collective to get a job done. It wasn’t just about money for Joshua, he liked to do things that mattered. Although he had planned on getting back to work at the company after his vacation, this was what needed to be done to save the reputation of a company that was his life’s work.
The project would be labor intensive, but he wasn’t soft either. He knew what it meant to work hard for something, and he was up for the challenge, any challenge. It was a good time to get away from the politics of the company because something had seriously gone wrong. It would be best if he had a clear head when he returned. That way, he could be more effective in righting the wrongs that were done. At this point, all he wanted to do was roar all around the office until he got some answers, and that wasn’t going to do anyone any good. By going to Africa, he would be able to avoid the media as well, and the only thing they would be able to report about him was all the good he was doing in Africa. It would be really hard for them to say anything bad about him when he was trying to help people out. He could only hope that his community would be able to forgive him for what was done in the ocean. That would not happen however until he was able to clear his name; until then, they would always believe that he gave the order to dump the waste.
Joshua stretched out his legs aboard his private jet. There would be some people who would disagree with the fact that he was flying on a private jet to an impoverished country while drinking champagne, but he never worried about what people thought. He was giving up a lot of his luxuries to go on this latest adventure, so he was going to enjoy them while he could. Plus, he had worked damn hard to get to where he was in life and certainly wasn’t going to apologize for it now.
Sitting in his seat, he sipped on the champagne and thought about the existence that he led and how far he had come in life. He was blessed enough to be able to come and go as he pleased, to pick up at any time and go wherever he wanted on any sort of whim. There were no attachments in his life; no wife or children, nothing to tie him down. He often reflected on these things and wondered if he was really better off without those things. Joshua was about to turn 34, and he was still living the bachelor’s life. Was that a good thing? He couldn’t quite be sure. For a very long time, he had always been happy to just focus on work. Sure there were women in his life, but none that he fancied enough to stick around forever; they were merely means of entertainment for him. He often liked to take women on vacation with him as the companionship was enjoyable, but again, there was no real desire to see the women again once the vacation was over. It was just for fun, and for a long time that had been okay with him. In fact, he rarely thought about it. Except for lately of course. Things had been eating away at him for the past few months, and he wasn’t sure why. His last vacation was superb, but he always got this inkling that something was missing. But was that a wife and kids? He really didn’
t know.
Joshua chuckled to himself; hell, he didn’t even have a girlfriend and he was wondering if a wife would complement his life. His life was certainly in a sad state of affairs these days, and he only had himself to blame. He should never have allowed anyone else at the company to have the kind of power to issue a dumping order. It sickened him. Now he was thinking about whether or not he should have a wife. Maybe this was the mid-life crisis he kept hearing about. Men went through it more than women did, and he was certainly creeping in on that age. Maybe it wasn’t just about having a wife. Maybe he just hadn’t met the right woman yet. When she came into his life, maybe things would become clear again for him.
Joshua took women out all the time, often to galas and benefits or a night on the town. He even had the occasion of cooking them breakfast in the morning, but he rarely saw the same woman twice. They just didn’t interest him that much. It was probably his fault; he had been unattached for so long that he wasn’t sure he would know what it was like to spend long periods of time with a woman. Some women would consider him to be a player, but he didn’t see it that way at all. He wasn’t deliberately out to hurt anyone, and he certainly wasn’t opposed to seeing a girl more than once, but she had to spike his interest, keep him intrigued, or at least, be more passionate about something other than a new pair of shoes. The kind of lady he would marry one day, if he did, would have to be able to keep him on his toes. He needed mental and physical stimulation, and he would offer the same to the girl of his choosing. He wasn’t a selfish man. Joshua didn’t want a trophy wife—he wanted a woman that could stand on her own while still standing by his side when he needed her. But did such a woman exist? He wasn’t sure if she did. He certainly had yet to find her.
Money was not an issue for him; he had enough to last many generations. His company was his empire, and it offered him a very lavish lifestyle, one that would take care of him for his entire life. He would never need to work again a day in his life if he didn’t want to; of course, he would never just hand over the reins of his company, especially not after the shit show that happened that week. If anything, it appeared as if he needed a tighter grip on the reins. His presence at the company was more about having something to keep him busy, plus he rather enjoyed being in front of the media. That was, of course, until the past week, he could have lived without that spotlight appearance. There was a time when he was the epitome of philanthropy and public service, that was, of course, before the media got wind that his company had dumped waste into the ocean.
Joshua rubbed his temples in frustration, unable to even understand why things had gone so wrong. Maybe he should be drinking something stronger than champagne. All he could think about was strangling the idiot that made that monumental decision. If you were going to do something so stupid and thankless, why use vessels with ID numbers attached to them? How stupid could these people be? Of course, it would lead back to the company, and now they were amongst a national scandal, one he wasn’t sure they would survive. Kyle seemed to think they would be alright, but the damage to the ocean was extensive, and there was no guarantee that they hadn’t left some permanent mark.
Whoever it was no doubt was shaking in their boots somewhere, hoping that Joshua would never find out. That was impossible, of course; you couldn’t pull off something of that magnitude without needing some help and leaving behind a trail. Someone would come forward if they weren’t discovered first. Who knew what was going through this fool’s mind? For all Joshua knew, the person may have thought that he would be okay with it. Maybe even applaud him for his genius. There were fake humanitarians all over the world, but Joshua wasn’t one of them. He would never be okay with disposing of waste in such a manner. It was absurd, of course, but so was dumping industrial waste in the ocean.
“Mr. Donovan, would you like more champagne? Your dinner will be out shortly.”
Joshua looked up, snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes, thank you. Can I have something a little stiffer, though?”
The girl gave a smile that said a lot more than her happiness to get him another drink. The look she was giving him said she wanted something a little stiffer too. He appraised her, noticing her natural beauty and responding to it. He certainly could use a release and wished he could take her to the back cabin and take her right there. But he had a strict rule against sleeping with staff; it was generally a terrible idea and always had a way of biting you in the ass and not in a good way. Joshua didn’t need any more scandals in his life so his staff was always off limits. The last thing he needed was an angry employee out to seek revenge on him. No, that was something he did not need. The press he was getting now alone was killing him. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t worth it to sleep with an employee. It’s not like Joshua had trouble finding female companionship, so employees were easy to stay away from.
Plus, he could never be sure if he was being hit on because someone liked him or because they wanted to be Mrs. Billionaire. If you were gonna get married, then why not marry a billionaire? It would be quite a prize for the right girl, and when it came to his staff, he often wondered if they just saw him as a means of moving up in the world. He hated thinking that way, but in his world, it happened all the time. Trophy wives were the thing to have, but no thank you. Joshua had no interest in that at all.
Although he was going to an impoverished country, he didn’t want to head over there without some of his favorite things. Some of his most favorite luxuries had been sent over so that he could indulge in and also give out to the people he met. There were cigars, chocolate, and his favorite whiskey; he couldn’t imagine being gone for long periods without these things. He couldn’t bear the thought. Some would call him spoiled, but what was the point of being a billionaire if you couldn’t make life easier on yourself. He was actually looking forward to sharing his loot with everyone else there. He wasn’t sure how long they had been there, but they could probably use some treats at that point, something to keep them going strong.
He hoped to only be there for a few weeks; he would be getting antsy by then to get back to the company and see what was going on and whether he could be further help there. The last thing he wanted was to be back on the sidelines, having no idea what was happening with his own company. He had made that mistake once before, and he didn’t intend making it again. He just hoped Kyle had a handle on things while he was gone; if anything else went wrong in his absence, heads were going to roll—he could promise that much.
The stewardess returned with his drink looking mildly sulky. She had expected him to take her up on her advances, and when he didn’t, she took it personally. That was the dangerous part. She would have been trouble had they slept together and he wronged her. He smiled at her warmly, hoping to ease her wounded ego. The girl was an absolute fox; it was nothing personal, just business. She smiled back and him and hurried off. She wasn’t gone long before she returned with his dinner for the evening. The meal looked incredible; grilled salmon and asparagus with small potatoes. He downed the brandy in one gulp, letting it burn his throat on the way down, and then he focused his full attention on the meal before him. The stewardess returned one more time to refill his champagne glass, and she flitted away.
One of his most favorite meals usually included some form of seafood. He couldn’t seem to get enough of it. When it came to maintaining his physique, he believed in trying to eat as cleanly as possible with some treats thrown in here and there. It was just as important to his business and successful lifestyle that he keep his body running smoothly as well, that was how you prevented disease from sneaking in. The mind and body always had to be in harmony and to be taken care of to the best of its ability. After he devoured the food before him, he suddenly felt exhausted. The goings on at the company had been a significant mental strain to him and currently he was just mentally tapped out. He needed a little siesta, and he would be back in business. It was best to get a nap in while he was still on the jet because once they arrived in
Africa, he wasn’t sure that there would be time for one. He positioned his seat so that it leaned back all the way into a bed. As he laid back, the stewardess made her way back to him with a pillow and a blanket. It was bizarre watching someone essentially tucking you in for the night, but it was also quite nice. It was the closest he got to true companionship, things that would naturally happen if you had a girlfriend. The last thought he had before he closed his eyes was what it would feel like to have someone in your life that you could take care of and who you knew would also take care of you.
When the plane landed, Joshua stepped out, and the first thing that hit him was the heat. He knew it would be hot, but he hadn’t quite expected this level of heat. He was really in for it and was lucky he packed the items that he did. Africa was just as beautiful as it was hot. Everywhere you looked, it was as if you were on a whole different planet. It was all still naturally beautiful there, no skyscraper buildings to block your view of what nature had in store. Once they landed, Joshua was ushered through the tiny airport and shuttled to the site in which he would be working. The first thing they did, however, was to take him to the cabin in which he would be staying. He wanted to unpack and get settled before things really got crazy for him.
When he arrived at the cabin, he was truly in awe with everything. Joshua couldn’t have been happier that he had decided to go on the little adventure and hoped the whole experience would be worthy and beneficial for all. The cabin that had been selected for him had a porch that caused him to smile immediately. There was something about working hard all day and then returning to that cabin to an evening whiskey on the porch. He could already picture it. It would be marvelous. The cabin was nowhere near luxurious, but it had everything that he needed for his stay there. His first plan of attack was to get unpacked, then he could take a look around at the site and meet the people in charge. He would get a feel for things that day and then get started with the team the next day. Joshua was pleased to see that all his packages had arrived before he did. He wanted his belongings and luxury items on hand at all times. Joshua went through the packages and noticed that Kyle had also sent wine, probably just in case he wasn’t dining alone. Kyle always thought ahead, and he liked that about him. If he managed to dine alone, he could always give the bottles away. The thing that brought the biggest smile to his face was the bags and bags of individually wrapped candy that he could pass out to any children that he saw. He knew it would make their faces light up like nothing else would.
Breaking the Rules: A Billionaire Romance Page 26
