The Gift: Book 1 (The Billionaire's Love Story)

by Zante, Lily

  “I’d rather not talk to the back of your head, Ms. Page.”

  He wanted her to turn around now?

  Butterflies danced in her stomach and anger gave way to excitement. And she had no idea why. She turned around slowly, just as he backed away. Her heart raced.

  “You don’t have to leave.”

  This was his version of an apology?

  Her lips twisted, and she was determined not to speak. After all, she wasn’t going to thank him for anything because she’d done nothing wrong. Yet despite her best efforts to appear calm and unfazed, her gaze fell to his lips, full and perfect, as his hooded eyes bore into hers.

  “I need to get back,” she replied, trying hard not to get caught up in the intense look he gave her.

  She crept out of his office, staring straight past Candace’s still surprised face.

  Chapter 9

  Briony was waiting for her outside her office and she beckoned her into room 222.

  “What happened back there?” She looked anxious.

  “I almost lost my job.”

  “What?” Briony’s eyes widened.

  “But it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “That’s a relief,” sighed Briony. “He’s not normally so wound up. He’s known for his mood swings, and I know there have been problems with a recent business deal.”

  “It’s not right. That was ridiculous, accusing me of taking that file.”

  Briony threw her arms into the air. “I didn’t say he wasn’t a jerk occasionally. The guy has more money than you and I could ever dream of. I guess that’s how those people live, in constant fear and paranoia that they’ll lose everything they have.”

  “It still doesn’t give him an excuse to behave like that. I don’t care how rich or successful he is.”

  Briony shook her head. “Sweetie, this is New York, not some farm out in Idaho. This is how people roll in the big city. You have to toughen up a little.”

  “I’m no softie,” Savannah assured her.

  “I can see that. The way you spoke to him, not just now but that first time, when you stood up for me when the boxes fell on you. Nobody says boo to him. Except for Candace.”

  “You stand up to him,” said Savannah. “You’re not a complete pussycat with him, either.”

  “Sometimes,” Briony agreed. “But you’re something else. Sometimes I’d like to take that man down a peg or two, but I don’t have your balls.”

  “I’m only a temp. Maybe that’s why I have more balls than most.”

  “I wanted to tell you, on a completely different note, that I got a ticket for you to the Christmas party next week.”

  “It’s a ticketed event?”

  “Because you’re a temp and the parties only extend to permanent employees. I had to get permission. So, I have a place for you. Can you make it? It’s a big fancy affair, a nice meal, plenty to drink. It’s not too bad as far as work parties go.”

  Savannah thought about it. She could do with a night out. Had it really been over a year since she’d left Jacob with her parents to watch a movie with her friends?

  “A Christmas party?” She’d have to think about it.

  “It’s a dressy event too and it’s at the Plaza Hotel.” This extra information had Savannah reconsidering. The food and drink and talking to Briony part of it appealed but she had no dressy clothes.

  “Is Mr. Stone coming?”

  “Not you too,” Briony groaned.

  “What?” She felt the heat pinch her cheeks.

  “It’s bad enough that the women around here get all excited wondering if they’ll run into him. I thought you were better than that.”

  “I’d rather not run into him again,” said Savannah, dismissing Briony’s assumption.

  “Then come,” Briony pleaded. “We can hang out together while everyone else tries to suck up to Tobias. Not that he will stay for long. He doesn’t stick around much and usually takes off on his jet to some exotic location.”

  “Mr. Stone has a private jet?”

  Briony frowned. “That man can buy anything he wants. And puh-lease stop calling him Mr. Stone. You’re on the 21st floor, which, if you hadn’t realized by now is where the board members have their offices.”

  “They do?”

  Briony rolled her eyes. “Behind the elevator bank, off the corridor near Tobias’s office. Luckily all the high-end administrative staff and managers are down this end.” She wiped her brow in mock exaggeration. “It means we don’t run into them much.”

  Now that they were talking so freely it gave Savannah the courage to ask what had been preying on her mind. “Do you know when I get paid?” She hadn’t been too sure if it would be before Christmas or after.

  Briony made a sad face and shook her head. “You don’t get paid until next month. Sorry.”

  “Next month? In January?” Savannah jolted upright.

  “Why, is it a problem?”

  Goddamnit, yes. It was a huge problem and it meant she would have to dip into her small reserve of savings. Otherwise there was no other way to make the kind of Christmas she’d been envisioning, come to life. “No,” Savannah lied, her hopes free-falling to the ground.

  The worry had already started. She’d been so excited, for Jacob, thinking of what she’d earned, that this latest news was like a bullet through her soul.

  “Try and come,” said Briony. “It might do you some good, getting out for a change.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Savannah promised. But she wasn’t so sure anymore.

  Chapter 10

  He wasn’t a bully and the fact that she’d called him one rankled Tobias for the entire day. Something about the new temp made him curious.

  The way she’d looked at him, full of disgust, bothered him. Obviously, with hindsight, he knew he’d been hasty to jump to the wrong conclusion. How was he to know that Matthias had the file? Candace had told him that she’d already checked.

  He trusted no one, least of all a temp who’d only started a few weeks ago. How was he to know that she wasn’t a spy for his competitors who hated that someone as young as him had turned his company into such a stellar success?

  A man in his shoes, in his position of power and extreme wealth, could trust no one. As far as he was concerned, he’d done nothing wrong and had merely acted in the best interests of the company.

  “You’re quiet today,” replied Naomi, slipping her bra back on. Tobias stared at her as he slipped on his pants. He shrugged.

  “You were rough today,” she purred, seemingly unperturbed by his silence.

  “Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

  “Don’t be sorry.” She slipped him a smile. “The harder the better. You know how I like it.”

  He knew how she liked it and what she did for him.

  “What’s wrong?” Now she was asking too many questions and he preferred not to answer. “Are you still sore about that business deal?” She walked up to him and stroked his cheek, pressing her body up against him.

  “It didn’t work out,” he said, moving away.

  “Ooooh,” she said. “That explains it. I could…stay a while…if you want?”

  “No,” he replied quickly. Before she started getting any ideas that this was anything other than a strict transaction. When he wanted sex, he called Naomi. It was as simple as that.

  “Thanks,” she said, picking up the white envelope that he always left by the dresser. “I’ll be waiting for your call.” He nodded and knew that she would see herself out of his apartment.

  It was late; almost midnight. He’d had problems sleeping again. It always happened when he felt extremely tense. He’d needed this deal, not because he needed the money but because in his world a deal was a deal. It showed strength and power, which he liked, but he also liked the chase; of going after something that everyone else wanted, and winning it.

  But with the highs came the lows and when he’d been tossing and turning, even after a two hour session in the boxi
ng ring with his trainer, and a run through the streets at eleven, he’d had to resort to calling Naomi. He paid her well and she cost more because he didn’t share her with anyone else. She was a high class call-girl just for him. It would cost him far less to have a regular girlfriend, but then he’d need to be there emotionally, make conversation, be nice, smile, pretend to listen. And Tobias Stone did not like to do any of those things. He didn’t do relationships. Period.

  The love that he’d experienced, the depth of emotion he’d felt and the connection they had shared had died with Ivy. His friends and family told him he was still in shock and that time would heal everything, even wounds this deep. But four years had passed and Tobias still didn’t feel a thing.

  He had no interest, wanted no commitment, no soulmate, no partner.

  Sex? Yes.

  A meaningful relationship? Never.

  As his thoughts meandered, he came to the realization that he had acted badly in regards to Savannah Page. At the very least he needed to apologize to her. For some reason, it mattered to him that she’d called him a bully and he wanted to put her straight.

  It wasn’t his style to own up to his weaknesses or his wrong-doings, but in this instance he felt compelled to admit that he’d been wrong.

  The Christmas party next week would be an occasion where he could do just that.

  Chapter 11

  Tobias Stone gazed out of his window as he was driven home. He would shower and change and be at the Plaza Hotel around eight o’clock.

  He normally didn’t like these events but it was the annual Christmas party and he had to make an appearance. He threw an extravagant party for over a thousand of his employees that were based at Stone Enterprises, the head office. It was an event that was often mentioned in the press due to the huge expense, but to him the cost was irrelevant.

  For most of his employees it was the highlight of December, probably for the year. Most would never have ventured into The Plaza in Manhattan, otherwise.

  Tonight, it was his intention to show his face for an hour, mingling with the managers and making small talk. It was common for him to show his face and then slip away in his private jet somewhere hot. Someplace away from Christmas festivities and crowds.

  This year Christmas was going to be a quiet affair in New York. Naomi was pissed. She’d loved going to North Island last year and now he regretted mentioning a few months ago that they might slip away to Mustique this year. It was a given that she would accompany him. Naomi was sex on tap and he needed her to help him unwind. He shifted in his seat. The idea of Christmas in New York was not easy for him to bear especially since it would be the first Christmas here since Ivy had gone. But with the deal having fallen through, his mood had soured and he’d decided to stay in New York this Christmas.

  As he sat in the car in heavy rush hour traffic, he felt irritated. Not only was he not going away but the uneasiness he felt about having to apologize to Savannah Page niggled him further. Tobias didn’t like things that niggled him. He liked everything to be in order. He liked his world to be calm and orderly. It had taken years for him to reach that stage and whiskey was still his best friend when things got really bad.

  He would go to his apartment, shower and change and then head out to the party later that evening. He’d talk to this Savannah woman, make his peace and be done with it.

  But as the car stopped at the traffic light Tobias did a double take as he stared out of the tinted windows. It couldn’t be.

  It was.

  He squinted, trying to get a closer look. There, standing in a long line of people, was Savannah Page. The car slowly started to move off. “Wait!” Tobias shouted to his driver.

  “I can’t, Sir. The traffic’s moving.”

  “Pull over.”

  The driver parked the car a few yards down and he sat in the car hidden behind the dark tinted windows, waiting for her to pass by. What was she doing here? Shouldn’t she have been making her way to the party? Tobias looked ahead and saw a mass of people further along the street but he couldn’t see what they were lining up for.

  “What is this place?” he asked.

  “I believe it’s a food bank.”

  “A food bank?” What was Savannah Page doing at a food bank? He waited and watched, curious to see, knowing that any moment now she would pass by as the line shuffled along. Being able to see her without her knowing that he was watching her gave him a secret thrill.

  As the line slowly moved forward, she was almost level with his line of sight and he took a good look at her face. She looked anxious and tired, but most of all she looked worried.

  But why was she here?

  Tobias swallowed. He remembered the desperation in her eyes a few days ago when she’d told him what she thought of him and he’d suggested she could leave.

  “I would if I didn’t need this job so badly.”

  He’d thrown something at her that had hurt deep, that would have worried her, and now he understood.

  “You can drive on now, Morris.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Chapter 12

  After much convincing from Rosalee, Savannah had decided to go to the Christmas party. “You’re young, you’re beautiful and you must go. You cannot sit inside your entire life. I will look after Jacob at my house. He can play with my grandson.” The woman had been so insistent that Savannah felt she’d had no choice but to go.

  The women in the office had been giggling like schoolgirls all afternoon and from the sounds of it Savannah didn’t think anyone got any work done after lunch. The buzz of the party filled the air, adrenaline surged, hopes and wishes floated around the office like fairy dust as the other women wondered who would be there.

  Only she and Briony managed to keep their heads down and work. Everyone had hung up their dresses on the coat rack in the corner, and one look at the short and showy red and black dresses convinced Savanah that the plain black dress she’d worn to a funeral once was better off neatly folded in her bag. She would rather risk wearing it creased up than hang it up for everyone to see.

  But when Rosalee called her later, rather apologetically, to tell her that her grandson had run a fever and her son was taking her back to Brooklyn tonight, instead of on Christmas Eve, Savannah was almost relieved to have an excuse not to attend.

  “Just come for an hour. Have something to eat and a few drinks and then leave.” Briony had done her best to convince her to go, but Savannah had pushed that idea to the back of her mind. Briony wouldn’t understand. She had no children, and it sounded as if she and her partner Max had a carefree lifestyle, no kids, no worries, no debt. Apart from working for an a-hole like Tobias Stone, Savannah considered Briony to have the perfect life. But Savannah considered herself to be extremely lucky, despite the hardships she’d endured. She could never imagine a life without Jacob. She loved her son with all of her being and knew her life was all the richer for having this little guy be part of it.

  “I can’t,” she told her disappointed friend and in the end she left the office and the excitement of the party behind her.

  Since she had left the office a little earlier, she passed by the food bank before she caught the Subway home. Her worries about not getting paid this month had put her into panic mode. She was looking for ways to make her money last longer and at the last moment had visited the food bank where she’d picked up sugared donuts, packaged biscuits and canned goods in an effort to make the food last over the holidays.

  She picked up Jacob from Rosalee’s place and was grateful that Rosalee had fed him. Having Rosalee close by, treating them almost like family, meant that she didn’t feel completely alone in this big and at times unforgiving city.

  Back home she only needed to make a sandwich for herself and stop wondering what Briony and the others would be doing at the Christmas party. She tried not to get too disheartened about missing out on an evening at the fancy hotel she’d often seen in films. It would have been something to have seen what it
looked like from inside. Of course Tobias Stone would be there and she told herself it was better that she was at home, away from the danger of running into him.

  “Can I play for a while? Please, Mommy.”

  “Half an hour and then bedtime. Tomorrow you’re going to have to come to work with me.”

  Jacob’s face glowed with excitement. “To work? With you? Really, Mom?”

  “Yes, really.”

  He ran off, super excited. With Rosalee’s grandson falling ill and her going to stay at her son’s two days earlier than planned it now meant that she had two days without childcare. She had no option but to take Jacob to work.

  But she was worried too, especially knowing that Briony and the other women were away now until the New Year. She hoped she wouldn’t run into Tobias Stone—not now, with him being so mad at her. She needed all the work she could get and while it hurt her, the delay in receiving payment, she knew next month would be sweeter for it. She’d dipped into her savings and bought the Christmas gift that Jacob had coveted, as well as a few other little things she knew he would like and she couldn’t wait to see his face when she gave them to him. She wanted to make this Christmas special and hoped that it would herald a new beginning for them both.

  Tomorrow, she had the pressure of getting Jacob into the building. She had decided to leave early in the morning, before the masses turned up for work, and she would find some way of keeping him hidden in the office. Thankfully it would be empty. She only had two days left at work and then she’d need a Christmas miracle to save her from more debt worries.

  Chapter 13

  Tobias Stone walked around the foyer outside the grand ballroom of the hotel and had already lost the enthusiasm to attend his own Christmas party.

  He’d been on a mission to speak to Savannah Page—to make himself feel better—to have her see that he wasn’t always a total hard-nosed bastard. Her name had been on the list of attendees from the 21st floor. He’d purposely asked for that list from Candace for this very reason. But she obviously wasn’t coming. He looked around for Briony, hoping that she might give him a clue as to why.