A Billionaire's Love Affair Read online

  Evan folded the waistband over once. “Belt,” he said with a snap of his fingers.

  Bruno quickly produced one of my favorite skinny belts. “We need heels,” Bruno said. “The hem is too long.”

  Donna grabbed my one pair of black heels and handed them to me. I sat down and put them on. I wasn’t a big fan of heels, but I did like to wear them on occasion. I liked dressing up. It just didn’t fit with my lifestyle.

  “The pink shirt,” Bruno declared.

  He handed it to me. I put it on and stood with my arms held out as Evan tucked it into my pants. He tucked and pulled until he was satisfied.

  “Well?” I said, holding my arms out.

  They were all smiling.

  “That’s one,” Donna declared. “Now, we just need four more. We can do a little mixing and matching. You’ll keep up the mix and match thing until you get your first paycheck and then we’ll go shopping.”

  “I’m not going to blow my first check on clothes.”

  “Your first check is going to be more than enough to buy some clothes and pay bills,” Bruno said. “Have you done the math?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Trust me, you are going to be just fine. You can even go shopping at the mall. You don’t have to buy your wardrobe at the thrift store.”

  “But I will because every penny I save is another penny I can send to charity.”

  “You really are selfless,” Donna said.

  “I don’t want to get too dependent on this job. I have to make every penny count. I’d like to be able to send my parents some money as well. I didn’t get to see them for Christmas this year. I want to send them a fat gift card to the grocery store and maybe get a few nice things for my mom.”

  “And you will,” Evan said. “Let’s just get you through this week. It’s going to be rough, but once you learn the ropes, you are going to do just fine.”

  “Thank you. You guys are awesome friends. When I get that first check, I’m taking you all out for a real dinner. The kind of place that they serve us. No buffets.”

  “Woohoo!” Evan hooted. “We are going to eat like kings.”

  “All right, let’s not lose focus,” Donna said and clapped her hands. “We need to make sure she is dressed to kill.”

  Chapter 12

  Colt

  I walked into my office an hour before anyone else was going to be there. I turned on lights, watching the place transform. There were desks situated around the space with a seating area in front of the windows. I took off my suit jacket and hung it on the coatrack before going back into the main area.

  In less than an hour, there would be a full office staff sitting at their desks. They were all handpicked by me. I took pride in doing every interview and personally vetting every person I hired. I was building an A-team. No one was the same. Some were here on work visas. Some were old, some were young. They all had one thing in common—they were dedicated to helping others.

  “Excuse me,” I heard someone say.

  I spun around to find a delivery man with his head popped in the door. “Are you with the flower service?”

  “I am. Is this the,” he looked down at a notepad, “Bancroft Foundation?”

  I pointed at the glass wall with the name etched into it. “Yes.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’ve got twelve small bouquets and one large one.”

  “Bring them in.”

  He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A moment later, a man carrying a box of flower arrangements appeared. I accepted the delivery and put a bouquet on each desk. The largest arrangement went on the reception desk. It was my way of brightening up the office and welcoming my new staff.

  It wasn’t long before the first eager beaver showed up. I showed everyone to their desk, personally thanking them for agreeing to come on board. When Maisie showed up, my day got a little brighter.

  I showed her to her desk, which was just outside my office. My plan was to have a new office constructed just for her. She was going to be making a lot of phone calls and deserved the quiet and the privacy to make those calls.

  “You look nice,” I told her. “I like the bohemian look.”

  She blushed, looking down at her outfit. “Thanks.”

  I immediately scolded myself for complimenting her. This was a professional office, and I could not open myself up to a sexual harassment lawsuit. It was hard not to notice her in the pants that showed off her shapely hips and curvy ass. They flared out at the legs, looking very seventies. The big, dangly earrings also had a very boho chic look. I liked it, but I wasn’t going to say another word.

  “Everyone, before we officially open our doors, I’d like to say a little something. I am excited to see what this group of people can do. I’ve been dreaming of this day for years. I have traveled the world searching out the right people to make this venture a success. I know some of you don’t know me personally and are not familiar with me and the foundation. What you may not know is I’ve actually been doing this for years.”

  “What has the foundation done?” Maisie asked.

  I turned to smile at her. “Not as much as I would like, but I’m hoping to change that. Our foundation helped out in New Orleans a couple of years back. We hired a construction team to help those that were still waiting to have their homes rebuilt after Katrina. The foundation has been around for some time, but much to my disappointment, we haven’t done enough.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  She was every bit the spitfire I thought she would be. This was what I needed. I wanted someone to hold my feet to the fire. “Lack of leadership. I take full responsibility. I wanted to do everything and save everyone all at once. I ended up spinning my wheels. I’m ready to do something meaningful now. I’m ready to make a real change. I’ve hired Lenny Mack to be the foundation’s accountant. Lenny, have you had a chance to review the information I sent?”

  Lenny, a retired CPA, nodded. “I sure did. The accounts are very healthy. The management of this foundation has created a very large account set aside solely for donations.”

  I smiled, proud of what we had. “He’s right. I’ve been soliciting donations for years, but I never found the right place to put the money. I hired all of you to help me find the right place. Maisie is our charity manager. When you get calls and official requests for funds, she is the one they need to be forwarded to. You all have a special skillset, which is why you were chosen for the job. I am looking forward to all of us working together to select the right places to invest our funds in. We aren’t interested in funding other charities that take the money and then distribute it. That eats up the money. We are going to directly fund the organizations that need it most. Again, I point to Maisie’s hands-on knowledge to help us choose the right places.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “Now, I have some lofty goals. Some might think I have my head in the clouds, but I think we can do this together. If you aren’t on board or you don’t think you can live up to my expectations, I will not think any less of you for giving notice. If I feel anyone is not giving a hundred percent, I will not hesitate to find a replacement. I know that sounds harsh, but I am very serious about making some real change with this foundation. Does anyone have any questions?”

  Several hands went up. I called on my human resources manager. “Do you plan on writing checks? What is your goal?”

  “Depending on the type of charity we are working with, I might write a check. My goal isn’t to throw money at other organizations. Sadly, the money gets eaten up with other costs and the bulk of it doesn’t get into the hands of the people that need it the most. If a charity is asking for ten grand to buy groceries for needy families, we’ll buy the groceries. We cut out the middleman. I use my connections to get groceries at a steal and buy more than what the charity asks for. If someone needs a house built or a youth center, I hire the construction team.”

  “You don’t want the money going to the other charities?” M
aisie asked.

  “Every donation will be on a case-by-case basis. I want real change. If the Bancroft Foundation is going to be involved, it has to be something that truly makes a difference. I don’t want to buy ten grand in groceries and have it sit in a warehouse or a foodbank with no way for the people who need it the most to get it. We are going to have boots on the ground. We will hire teams to do deliveries if that’s what it takes. Everyone here is going to be expected to participate. This isn’t strictly an office job.”

  I looked over at Maisie and saw her smiling. She looked relieved. That made sense. She didn’t strike me as a nine-to-five kind of girl. She wanted to be out there. I wanted her out there. I wanted her talking to people and making sure they all knew our foundation was different than the rest.

  “Good,” I heard her say under her breath.

  I smiled at her. “Any other questions?”

  “I’m sure I’ll have a hundred more, but not right now.”

  “Great. Anyone else? You’ll be able to talk with me anytime if you do have questions. With all that out of the way, I’d like to invite you all to a mixer. I want all of us to be well acquainted. We are a team. Think of this as a teambuilding exercise. I don’t want to say it’s mandatory, but I really, really want everyone there. I know some of you have children and I would love to pay for the sitters. I’ll make sure everyone has a ride as well. This is an opportunity for us to get to know each other. You guys are going to be working alongside each other and it will be better if you all felt comfortable speaking your minds.”

  “A mixer?” Maisie asked.

  I nodded. “I sent invitations with date, time, and location to your company emails. I would really like to see everyone there. Please feel free to come and talk to me if it is really an issue for you. Everyone has their job assignments, and you will find your login information. My door is open if you have questions.” I felt stoked. I clapped my hands together. “Let’s change some lives!”

  I walked to my office, leaving my door open and taking a seat. I felt like I was about to jump out of a plane. I was excited. There was a hum burning through my veins as I looked out the door. My staff looked a little lost, but I had no doubt things would fall into place. The mixer was going to be a great way for all of us to feel at ease with each other. If things went the way I hoped, we would be spending a lot of time together.

  I took a deep breath and turned on my own computer. I was looking forward to the phone ringing. I wanted to hear the sounds of a busy office. The hum of computers filled the air. While I welcomed the sound, I realized it would get a little monotonous. I needed to get some music going. Soft, just something to break up the quiet.

  When I opened my email, I felt a wave of relief come over me. There were over a hundred emails to me, the president of the foundation. “Yes!” I said a little too loudly.

  “Is everything okay?” Maisie asked.

  “Yes, just thrilled to see we have many requests for funding. I’ll be forwarding some of these to you to investigate further.”

  She nodded and turned her attention back to the screen. I realized in that moment I didn’t like the walls of my office. It was going to make it difficult to really communicate with her and the rest of the team. Before I started tearing down the walls that were relatively fresh, I would give it some time. There were going to be times I needed privacy to conduct business. As much as I wanted to be out there with them, I needed to make sure I maintained my role as the boss. If someone underperformed, I would have to fire them. It would be difficult to fire friends.

  My office phone rang. I stared at it like it was a foreign object I had never seen before. I leaned to the side to see the receptionist. She had her headset on and was organizing the stuff on her desk. I wasn’t sure if she forwarded the call or if it was a direct line.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Hey, big man,” I heard Grayson say.

  I smiled into the phone. “Why are you calling me? I’m not giving you money to buy a boat.”

  His soft laughter made me smile bigger. Grayson was not the laughing type. At least he didn’t used to be. He used to be serious and a real stick in the mud. He changed when he met Hannah. He smiled more, he laughed more, and he didn’t have that pinched expression all the time.

  “I just wanted to wish you luck on your first day. Did everyone show up?”

  “Of course, they did. I told you I handpicked every single one of them.”

  “Give away any money yet?”

  “Grayson, we just sat down. You’re tying up my line.”

  “Weird, I don’t hear anything in the background. Are you really at the office?”

  He was teasing. That was what big brothers did. “Yes, I’m at the office. I have to go. I have real work to do.”

  “All right, good luck and just know that I might give you a lot of shit, but you’re doing a good thing. Make us all proud.”

  I ended the call, feeling much more confident about the day. Everything was going to work out. I could feel it in my gut.

  Chapter 13

  Maisie

  I was stressed and I knew I probably looked like hell. It was close to the end of my third day and I felt like I’d been working for three years. I was working myself into the ground. I left the office and went home and worked, using the company-issued laptop. There was so much to catch up on. So much to familiarize myself with.

  I had a new understanding of what these big foundations went through. It wasn’t easy to filter through the real needs and those that just wanted a handout with no real direction about where it would go. Before I could even pinpoint where to send the money, I needed to know where the money came from. The companies that donated were looking for their money to go to specific places. It was a juggling act to keep everyone happy.

  The funds available boggled my mind. I had to talk to the accountant several times to make sure I understood just how much money I had to work with. When I told Donna last night, she nearly fainted. We stayed up way too late talking about all the things we could do if we were in charge of that kind of cash. Then she reminded me I was essentially in charge of it.

  But now I knew. I knew what I was going to do. I knew where the first donation was going.

  Colt said he didn’t do anything he couldn’t measure success for. He wanted a clear path with measurable goals and successes. There were many, many choices but I knew what I was going to propose to Colt. I wanted to do a good job presenting it. I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew, but I did want to do something that had a strong impact. I wanted to start this thing off with a bang.

  I took a drink from my water bottle and did my best to calm my nerves. I cleared my throat and got up from my desk. I peeked into Colt’s office. He was on the phone, leaning back in his chair. His shirt sleeves were rolled up with his tie loose. I had learned he was not usually a suit and tie guy. That made me like him a little more.

  He looked at me, those hazel eyes holding mine. “I’ll come back,” I whispered.

  He held up two fingers and mouthed, two minutes. I smiled and nodded. “No worries,” I said and closed his door.

  His door was always open. I got the impression he wanted to be a part of the action and didn’t really like being tucked away from the rest of us. That was something else that impressed me. He wasn’t all lip service. He did want to be a part of something big. He wanted to very literally roll up his sleeves and get down in the dirt with the rest of us. Although none of us had done much of anything. We were still in the phase of learning the ropes. We’d been thrown into what was an established foundation but yet unestablished.

  “Maisie,” Colt said, startling me.

  “You’re done?”

  “I am. Did you need to talk to me about something?”

  “Um, it can wait.”

  “What is it?”

  I took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I have a proposal.”

  “A proposal?”

  “For
our first project.”

  His eyes lit up and he smiled. “You have a project?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s fast.”

  “Should I take more time?” I asked, suddenly unsure of myself. I rushed things. I should have taken more time.

  “No. If you have something, I’d love to hear it. Don’t hold back.”

  “Okay. Give me a minute to get it together. Please.”

  “I’ll be in the office.”

  He walked away and I was suddenly able to breathe again. When he was looking at me like that, it was like he sucked up all the air in the room. I felt so much pressure to do a good job. I wanted to do a good job for him and for the many charities begging for money. One wrong choice and I could ruin the reputation for the foundation.

  I hit print on the screen and grabbed the papers. It wasn’t anything too elaborate, more of a series of thoughts and ideas. This proposal was exactly why I worried about taking the job. I didn’t know shit about putting together a proposal. I didn’t even know how to use a spreadsheet. I took my friends’ advice and just put down what I thought was the best course of action.

  I straightened the skirt I had worn to my interview and walked into his office. “Ready?” I asked him.

  “I am absolutely ready. What do you have?”

  “Can I sit?”

  “Please.”

  I sat down, doing my best to look calm. I was not calm. My hands were sweaty, and my heart was racing. “I want to build a meal program for families living in poverty.”

  He looked at me without any expression. “Tell me what that entails. What does that look like?”

  It wasn’t a tough question, but it felt like I was being interrogated and he asked me where I buried the body. I was seriously sweating like a pig in the middle of January in New York. “Well, I have an idea, a plan if you will, but I’m not all that familiar with the way the spreadsheets work and all that. I’m more of a bullet points kind of person.”