The Billionaire's Secretary (Billionaire's Series Book 1)

by Love, L. J.

  “Oh thanks, G!” Aurora chirped. Gerald winced at the sound, and that made her laugh. “I guess it’s a bit too early for you still. Haven’t had your coffee yet, have you?”

  The bulky thirty-something-year-old man shook his head regrettably. She checked her Breitling wristwatch, then looked back at him, smiling.

  “Then it’s a good thing that we’ve got the time. There’s an amazing coffee bar in the departure lounge. Come on!”

  An hour later, Aurora stood outside the terminal building waving goodbye to the good-natured driver. He had opted to drive from Alpharetta to Savannah, where Guyton 2 was being serviced instead of waiting around for the plane to get back in a day or two. With the work due to be completed late that night, he’d figured that if he met the pilot there, then they could just head straight for the Keys. Johnny, one of the company pilots, had been grateful for the suggestion.

  When he was out of sight, she turned around and walked back into the building. It was too cold inside, so she found herself huddled closely to the coffee bar counter ordering another one of their ‘bowls’ of cappuccino. While she stirred the hot liquid with a cinnamon stick, Aurora checked her hand-held. Keeping track of so many people at once wasn’t something she had to do every day and even though she was good at staying organized, it was still a challenge. It seemed everyone was on their way; Guyton Sr. had just left the house in Stone Mountain and he was scheduled to pick up Aaron in about ten minutes on his way to the airport. Adrian was still in Caracas at a final meeting, but his departure was still planned for 2 .p.m. local time. And then there was Alan. Oh, dear God, Alan. Fitz, Guyton 4’s pilot, had made an entry in his takeoff log ten minutes before. Aurora felt that it was a message especially for her. It seems he’d had to bodily carry Alan from the hotel room at Caesar’s Palace and put him on the airplane. She shook her head in dismay.

  “Time to call in some reinforcements,” she said.

  By the time they all boarded Guyton 1, Aurora was confident that all the proverbial ducks were in a row as it related to their Bermuda trip. The house was staffed and ready for their arrival, the cars had been cleaned and fueled and the formal dining room had been set up as a sort of conference room-cum-office for the retreaters, should they actually decide to get any work done. Reservations for golf in the mornings, light, refined entertainment in the evenings and dinner at some of the island’s best eateries at night were all confirmed. She smiled to herself as she handed her luggage to the stewardess and took her seat beside her boss.

  “Why so pleased with yourself, Precious? You look like the cat that caught the canary.”

  “I sort of did, but it would be unfair to say that I didn’t have ample help with the catching.”

  She shared the story of Fitz’s log entry and her telephone call to Rebecca, Aaron’s assistant and he laughed heartily.

  “It’s one of the qualities I spotted in you from the time we had our first conversation, Aurora. I knew you were the type of person who could get things done and done well. The kind who recognizes and utilizes all the resources available to her. I mean, take Rebecca for instance; she’s a hard working girl who suddenly found herself without much to do this morning with Aaron out of the office. It was a good call getting her involved.”

  “It just seemed like good common sense to me, Mr. G. No big deal, really.”

  “But that is exactly what I’m saying. Not too many of the people coming up these days have any common sense. Since you joined us, there’ve been a lot of times that you’ve worked with me when I felt that if you hadn’t done or said what you did, in that way you always do, a lot of bad decisions could have been made and even more great opportunities lost.”

  She blushed deeply.

  “Though I appreciate your confidence in me, I have to point out that you are the brains behind this operation, Mr. Guyton. Over the years, it was in fact your work that made the business what it is today. The rest of us,” she said as she waved her hand dismissively, “we’re just the task-force, the infantry. We’d be nowhere, literally marching in circles, without you at the helm.” Aurora choked up a little then continued. “In truth, sir, I don’t know what’s going to happen to us when you leave for Florida.”

  “My word, Aurora, you just illustrated my point. Without you around, I’d surely forget that I am a bona fide genius, now wouldn’t I?” He laughed at his own joke as he often did then turned to her and said, “I don’t want you to worry about that, Precious. I’m sure Hardee already spoke to you about your role in the new Guyton Engineering. I’d never give an employee that kind of carte blanche; you’d literally have to burn the place down before they could fire you. But I know that if anyone can handle the responsibility and understand the weight of that, it’s you, Aurora. I also know that whatever I reveal this weekend about my succession and the future of the company will cause some discontent, but I’m sure the only person who will accept it wholeheartedly and ensure that everything is done just as I want it to is you. That’s why I brought you along.”

  She nodded her understanding, but said nothing in response.

  “My sons are not easy people to deal with on their own, but when you get the three of them in one room, it’s can be like sitting in a nuclear war zone. You haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Adrian as yet, but you did meet Alan once and I know you’ve heard a lot of stories. That and the conference calls we’ve had should have given you a fair enough picture of who they are by now. The only thing I will remind you is to watch yourself around Alan. I know you’re aware of his womanizing and playboy tendencies, but trust me when I tell you this, Aurora, he’s ruined many an Atlanta debutante in his past years and it’s mainly the reason why he’s stationed all the way in Hong Kong.”

  “Yes, Mr. Guyton,” she replied, a wicked smile playing on her lips. She remembered the one time she had met Alan. The way he’d held her hand as he shook it, those piercing blue-gray eyes. A shiver ran through her. Secretly, she couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Just then Stewart, their pilot, came over the intercom to advise them of an imminent take off and request the flight attendants to ensure that the passengers and cabin were prepared for departure. There was a little bit of activity in the luxurious compartment before everything was ready and the jet took to the sky. About two hours later, they were cruising over Hamilton and the long weekend had begun.

  Chapter Three

  Aurora pulled the silk camisole impatiently over her head and threw it to the ground before she stepped eagerly into the shower and plunged under the generous stream of hot water. It was as if she had been waiting a year for the relief of the hot water running over her body and all the misery of her long day had already started to melt away. She carefully shampooed her curly brown hair, taking in the luxurious scent of white tea and vanilla as the cares of the day washed away and circled the drain.

  I wish it were all that simple, she thought as she heard the phone ringing in the bedroom. She frowned. The possibilities of what that call could be about were endless.

  In response, she pushed the shower enclosure door open slightly and toggled the remote on the wall to turn the volume up on the stereo. Instantly, Lindsay Sterling’s violin was playing loud enough to drown out the annoying sound.

  While the limo had whisked Andrew away, she’d stayed behind at the hangar to sort through the luggage and send off everything that needed to follow Mr. Guyton to his estate in one of the panel vans. The old man had thought nothing of it. She was known to be a very thorough girl and he appreciated the fact that she wouldn’t be comfortable leaving the airport until Guyton 3 had arrived from Caracas with Adrian that evening. He was in good hands anyway.

  After sending off a still drunk and sleeping – but incredibly gorgeous – Alan Guyton, Aurora had thought that a shower and a meal were in order. She jumped into the red Audi R8 Spyder she had chosen from the Hamilton fleet and drove over to the airport hotel.

  ***

  The feel of the soft, plush towel on
her body was comforting as she wrapped it around her and stepped from the shower. She turned the music back down and stood in front of the mirror, brushing out her brown curls. The only thing she wanted to do now was lie down on the bed and watch the afternoon news. She glanced at the time displayed on the stereo. It was five minutes past five, so she pinned her damp hair up and went into the bedroom to turn the television on. Aurora was immediately floored. She stood motionless, staring at the picture on the screen as the anchor spoke.

  “Earlier this evening we aired a breaking story. A warrant was issued in Hong Kong last night for Alan Guyton, Junior Vice President of the illustrious Guyton Engineering and son of billionaire Andrew Guyton. The Hong Kong police have announced they learned this morning that Mr. Guyton has fled the country, most likely bound for the United States. Mr. Guyton has been charged with industrial espionage and stands accused of selling misinformation to Xaoping Exports, a company poised to take over Tsang Wei Electronics, one of Guyton Engineering’s biggest competitors. It is alleged that Alan Guyton was trying to derail the negotiations in order to prevent Xaoping from attaining a position within the region where they would have the resources to absorb smaller holdings such as Guyton. High ranking police officials in Hong Kong have announced their intentions to pursue Mr. Guyton’s extradition to face the charges placed against him. They also stated that they intend to work with local law enforcement and the State Attorney to build an air tight case before taking any decisive action in the matter. Let’s go live now to Cindy Jameson at the Alpharetta courthouse.”

  “Oh, my God!” was all she could say before picking up the phone to call her boss. There was no way she could wait for Adrian’s arrival now; Mr. G. would need her at the estate immediately.

  ***

  Aurora inched the nose of the Audi slowly through the crowd of photographers and news crews that had gathered outside the gates of the affluent Guyton Estate. Of course the house was so far set back that there was nothing the media could possibly see, but still she noticed a few photographers perched in the trees along the perimeter with cameras and what looked like telephoto lenses. When she got to the gate, she pressed the call button on the intercom and a voice replied almost immediately.

  “Wait for the security personnel to arrive at the gate, Miss Aldridge. They will open up and secure it behind you.”

  In a few seconds, two heavily armed Robocop-looking men, dressed all in black, appeared in front of her. One readied his firearm while the other punched in a code and the gate started to slide open. Aurora drove through it cautiously, glancing in her rear view mirror to see the two guards flanking the gate until it came to a complete close behind her. She sped up down the driveway and pulled up outside the house. Thomas, the Guytons’ butler, was waiting and he opened the car door for her.

  “They’ve been eagerly expecting you, Miss Aldridge.”

  “Thank you, Thomas,” Aurora replied. “It's always good to know where we stand in matters like these.”

  He nodded and stepped aside so she could pass him and make her way up the stairs to the front door.

  “Do you have any luggage with you?”

  “No, Thomas. I didn’t presume that I would be staying at Guyton Estate, considering the present uproar. I had already checked in at The Morrison to wait for Master Adrian’s arrival this evening, so I left my things there for the moment. I feel it might be a stronger position if their support team remains on the outside for now. You know how the media can be.”

  “Very well, ma’am.”

  Liz was waiting at the front door for her and she could tell from the expression on the woman’s face that the atmosphere in the household was laden.

  “Welcome, Miss Aldridge.”

  “Thank you, Liz.”

  “Follow me, then.”

  Liz led the way into the mansion’s formidable foyer. It was just as Aurora had remembered. The high domed ceiling with its gilded chandelier and opulent, round, Queen Anne center table. Even the overbearing floral arrangement in the Ming dynasty vase on it seemed frozen in time from her only visit to the island six years prior. She smiled and turned to Liz.

  “Some things never change, do they?”

  As she stood there, being vaulted back in time, she heard a gasp and turned toward the drawing room door. There he stood, Alan Guyton, looking just as he did so many years ago and Aurora could do nothing but hold her breath. They stood studying each other for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Instinctively she held out her hand to him and he walked toward her and took it in his, studying her face as if she were a vision that might melt away.

  “I wasn’t sure that you want to get involved with this.”

  “Why would you think that, Alan? I’m here to help; it’s what I do.”

  “Yes, it is. It’s quite a pickle I’ve gotten myself into and if I was another man, I would be sitting in a Hong Kong jail wondering where it all went wrong.”

  “Well, you’re not. You’re a Guyton, so you are where you should be and you’re innocent. We’ll prove it.”

  He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. When he loosened his hold on her, she raised her head to look at him and he pressed his lips to hers. Shocked, Aurora pushed him gently away.

  “Ahem!”

  They both turned to see Andrew Guyton standing in the drawing room doorway glowering at them. Aurora smoothed the skirt of her Anne Klein suit and lowered her gaze to the floor. Andrew stepped forward and took her by the elbow leading her into the room. He threw a look of warning over his shoulder at his son as he went.

  “Reunited and it feels so good,” he said sarcastically.

  “Yes,” Alan said softly, following them into the room.

  “So Aurora, as you know, my son here has made himself into a fine target for the Chinese. I’m sure it’s his stellar behavior that has made him into such a favorite of theirs.” He turned to Alan and asked, “Didn’t they have any other candidates, son?”

  “Father, stop it,” Alan admonished. “We already discussed this.”

  “No, son,” he continued, unabashed. “Let’s hear what you have to say for yourself.”

  Aurora smiled to herself. She had grown to expect this line of questioning from Mr. Guyton and she had many years of practiced response as well. She knew he would demand a straight answer from his son. Much like her, Andrew did not like it when anyone had a silver bullet against him.

  “No, they had many in fact. But I simply took it upon myself to point out to Xaoping with no uncertainty that I’d take them down before I allowed them to buy out Tsang Wei and start building a monopoly in Hong Kong. It doesn’t seem to have been taken very well.”

  Andrew Guyton’s eyebrows arched high with surprise. Defensively, he scoffed. He returned his attention to Aurora.

  “Well, let’s get this charade over with. For some reason, my son thinks it fit to snub my team of experienced lawyers in a ditch effort to hire you. What do you have to say about that?”

  “Well,” Aurora answered slowly, “I’ll just have to remind Master Alan that I’m not licensed to practice law so he will have to choose one from the firm. I will, however, lend all my support to that person so they don’t have to leave Alpharetta in order to be effective. Alan isn’t well known for taking instructions or advice. He’s going to do as he sees fit, Mr. Guyton; that, at least, I’m sure of.”

  Andrew Guyton nodded in agreement.

  “You see, son? This is why I hardly let this young lady out of my confidence.” He stood from his chair, indicating that the conversation was drawing to a close. “Aurora, let’s all meet in the dining room before we leave for dinner to hear what you have planned.”

  “Yes, sir. So I shouldn’t cancel the reservations and have something brought in instead?”

  “Heavens, no! I won’t let a few nosy reporters and ill-mannered paparazzi spoil my weekend away. Just get the limos; they’re tinted dark enough to keep us away from prying eyes. Keep going with your gut on this, Aurora. You�
��ve got free range to get this over and done with.”

  “As you wish, Mr. G.”

  Alan took advantage of his father’s exit to lead Aurora out of the drawing room.

  “Aaron’s waiting in the study,” he said quickly. “Let’s go straight in.”

  Aaron Guyton was, in Aurora’s opinion, only one notch less pompous than his brother. He sat in a wing chair by the huge desk sipping a glass of Johnny Walker black and tapping his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair. When the door opened, he turned toward them and stood.

  “Aurora, you’ve arrived. Thank goodness!”

  “I appreciate the welcome, Aaron. Seems like the whole world has changed since we went our separate ways at the airport this afternoon.”

  “Oh, that seems like decades ago, doesn’t it?”

  His tone was a condescending one; an effort at making her feel small and incapable under the circumstances. Aurora only smiled at him; she wouldn’t allow him to make her feel as if the time she’d spent integrating into the firm was somehow redundant now. She took the seat beside his and Alan sat behind the desk, never taking his eyes off her.

  “Would you like a drink?” Aaron asked.

  “Sweet tea, thank you,” Aurora replied. “I think it’s too early in the day for much else.”

  “Touché.”

  Aurora turned to his brother and said, “Tell me everything, Alan. I missed the details of the initial reports, though I did hear about the charges when they were filed. I have Rebecca gathering everything that’s in the D.A.’s office on the case so far and you know that if they have any evidence, they have to turn it over voluntarily. Tell me how this all happened.”

  “I don’t know how it happened, Aurora. I was just as shocked as everyone else when they called me a spy.”