The Billionaire’s Challenge
By Elizabeth Lennox
www.ElizabethLennox.com
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Copyright 2018
ISBN13: 9781944078881
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Excerpt to “The Billionaire’s Mysterious Temptress”
Chapter 1
A scowling hawk settled in among the fluttering butterflies.
Selena faltered as she pulled her gaze from the man who folded his massive frame into one of the chairs at the back of the training room. “So tell your clients not to drink this! External use only,” she stressed, waiting until the laughter settled down again. “This is a serum for the skin and, trust me, after a week, you will notice a difference. It’s amazing! Softer skin is only a few drops away!” The ladies who worked the retail counters for Rembrandt Cosmetics were frantically scribbling notes, eager to hurry back to their makeup counters at the various upscale department stores so they could sell the new products.
She moved on to the next product, explaining the value of it, application process, and any tips to help sell the product. On and on, she moved from skin care to color palettes to body products, painfully aware of the man. It would be hard to miss him since the ladies were all wearing the bright, lemon yellow smocks which were the uniforms for Rembrandt representatives. Even the training room was painted the signature color with green lettering, the chairs were lemon yellow, the desks green, the curtains green, the walls yellow.
So the man in the dark suit stood out like…well, like a scowling hawk. Ready to swoop down and grab one of the dainty ladies. None of the women noticed that the man was there. It helped that the man had stepped in silently and sat down, not saying a word.
“Okay, ladies! That’s it for the day! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m more than happy to clarify anything you might not understand.”
The room breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, the ladies gathered up their belongings, chatting amongst themselves. Selena would have smiled with the triumph of a job well done, but the man in the back of the room was watching her closely, which left her uneasy.
Selena gathered up her notes and packed them away, eyeing the man warily. She sensed that the man might be trying to appear laid back, but…no. He wasn’t relaxed. Selena doubted that he even knew how to relax. Looking at him, she doubted that the man even slept.
Mentally, she chided herself for her ridiculous ruminations. Of course the man slept. Everyone slept! This man might just sleep…less.
As the room emptied, he approached the podium. Not good, she thought, but stiffened her wobbly self-confidence, refusing to be “that” woman. She’d forcefully banished “that” woman from her life a long time ago.
“May I help you?” she asked, leaning her head back further than she expected. Wow, he was impressively tall.
The man extended his hand. “I’m Reid Jones. You’re an excellent trainer.”
Selena blinked at the name, surprised and more than slightly awed. “You’re Mr. Jones? CEO of Rembrandt Cosmetics?” she asked, a bit too breathlessly, and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. “I’m sorry, silly question.” Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” she stuck her hand into his enormous one.
She was startled by the shock that sizzled through her as his fingers closed over hers, but she tried to hide it. This wasn’t just a big kahuna in Rembrandt Cosmetics, the cosmetics company for which she worked. This was THE big kahuna! Wait, there were two of them, she thought quickly, trying to place this particular one.
“Call me Reid,” he smiled, distracting her from trying to place him correctly in the corporate hierarchy.
She might have relaxed or smiled at his offer, but his hand was still holding hers and Selena couldn’t seem to pull her eyes away from his hypnotic gaze. The look in his eyes…she sensed a strange expression, a look that caused her feminine instincts to stand up and take notice…but she couldn’t quite define what it was.
Was it attraction?
No! Impossible!
Selena wasn’t all that great in the relationships arena so she dismissed the idea, focusing on the fact that this was her boss’s boss’s boss’s boss. This was the man in charge, the creator, founder, and director of Rembrandt Cosmetics.
“Yes. Right.” Staring up into his eyes, she shivered slightly. They were the color of dark chocolate and held whispers of untold delights in their depths.
She blinked and stared at her shoes, fearing he might think she was flirting.
Not that she was! Even if she wanted to flirt, she didn’t know how. Her history…the whole learning-how-to-flirt period of her life…well, that hadn’t happened. She’d never learned and after…well…that one, horrible night, she’d never even bothered to try learning. So Selena accepted that flirting just wasn’t…well, she couldn’t do it. Not really. She looked like an idiot whenever she tried so she simply didn’t try.
Swallowing a sigh, she focused back on the man, all the while trying not to focus too hard on him. He was so tall, with broad shoulders and…well, wow!
She squared her shoulders and tried to focus. This was business. This was the owner and founder of the company! His eyes seemed to promise something but she didn’t want to try to interpret the message, sure that she’d mess up the translation.
“You are an excellent trainer, Ms. Bailey.”
“Please, call me Selena,” she replied automatically. “And thank you. I truly enjoy my job.”
He chuckled softly. “Exactly what any good employee would say when confronted by the boss.”
She smiled as well, feeling his soft laughter all the way down to her toes. Something curled inside of her. She should probably be flattered, but she’d learned the hard way not to wish looks from men meant something more than what they were.
“You’re very kind,” she realized that he was still holding her hand and pulled away. “What brings you to Virginia?” she asked, grasping for a topic. She stepped back, putting the podium and table between them. The air around him seemed to sizzle. She stared like a deer caught in headlights until he broke her trance with a smile that seemed incredibly sexy somehow.
She jumped, looking down at the papers and cosmetics scattered across the table. With shaking fingers, she clumsily started stuffing everything into her bag. Anything to distract her from the oddly intense pull drawing her towards the man.
What are you thinking, she mentally chided herself. Keep your eyes off him. Ignore those wickedly broad shoulders and that taut, tapered waist. Even though it was nice. Very nice! The whole man’s body was incredibly fit and nice and…well…amazing!
“I saw your marketing ideas,” he announced.
That grabbed her attention, and she dropped the
lipstick she’d just picked up. Her marketing ideas? The ones she’s submitted just last week? Woah!
Shock stole her voice for a long moment before she gathered her wits and straightened her shoulders. “You did?”
He smiled slightly, not a full-out smile. Nor could the flash of his expression be considered even a grin. But there was a curling of his lips and his white teeth showed for a brief moment.
“Not only did I read through your plan, but a brilliant financial analyst has already done a work up of the cost to implement your ideas. They’re good, Selena. Really good!”
The blush was fast and furious, but thankfully, dissipated before she looked too foolish. “Thank you,” she replied, hoping she sounded professional instead of silly and flustered.
“I flew out here to discuss it with you. Do you have plans for dinner?”
He wanted to discuss her ideas?! How crazy was that? “Dinner?”
He chuckled, making those thrilling shivers race through her body again. “Yes. Tonight, if you don’t have other plans.”
Darn it, that blush hit her again. Looking down, she thought about the spin class that she’d planned to take tonight. She tried to remember the gym’s schedule…but the thought of spending time with this man distracted her.
One thing was certain; when the chief executive officer of one’s company asked to discuss your idea over dinner, one went to dinner with said CEO!
She nodded in what she hoped was a professional manner and not a reflection of the silly, schoolgirl excitement that saturated her body. “Yes. Dinner would be perfect.”
“You had plans?”
Boy, he was perceptive! Or maybe she just wasn’t good at hiding her thoughts. She waved her hand dismissively. “Nothing urgent.”
“Excellent.” He pushed away from the desk he’d been leaning against and she realized all over again how tall he was. “Are you ready now?”
Now? As in…this moment? She looked down at her uniform and shook her head. “Yes! Of course.” She unbuttoned the lemon yellow smock with fumbling fingers while searching for her bag at the same time.
“Looking for this?”
She spun around and, sure enough, her pretty, leather tote was dangling from his fingers. Somehow, the bag actually looked delicately sexy there. He was all tough, strong, and raw while her bag was about as feminine as it could be without being pink and flowered.
“Yes,” she replied, clearing her throat slightly. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He gestured towards the doorway and she smiled nervously. With any other man, she would simply follow. But in this case, she was painfully aware of him behind her. She’d worn a simple, black sheath dress today with her favorite yellow heels, the ones that matched the Rembrandt Cosmetic’s uniform perfectly. Thankfully, they gave her another three inches, additional height that she definitely needed. But her shoes suddenly seemed a bit frivolous, even though they perfectly matched the amazing necklace she’d found last week. Caressing the delicate, linked blossoms, she wondered if she looked too frivolous.
If Reid had imagined the person who had submitted the brilliant marketing suggestion, he might have pictured a woman in her fifties wearing a sleek bun at the back of her neck and dark, severe suits with bright red lipstick and a sharp look in her eye that announced she was all business. So being faced with this stunning woman, soft, silky curls cascading over slender shoulders, delicate, almost elven features, and gorgeous blue eyes, he was enchanted. Surprised, amazed, and enchanted.
“You look beautiful,” he assured her when he noticed her nervously fingering the delicate yellow necklace. The movement brought his attention to her throat and Reid wondered if she was sensitive there. Or maybe along her ear? He’d already noted that she wasn’t wearing a ring. Neither a wedding ring nor an engagement ring.
A good thing, because he was more than interested. Hell, he even liked the sexy heels she wore even though she’d probably break an, admittedly sexy, ankle if she had to sprint anywhere.
Startled, she glanced over her shoulder at him.
He put a hand to her elbow. “You were touching your necklace, and you seemed self-conscious. I like it. The necklace suits you.”
Another blush. Damn, he liked that. He suddenly realized that the women he normally dated were tall and athletic. They wore heels, but they were more severe. This woman’s shoes were…pretty. It also occurred to him that the women in his past rarely wore jewelry except for perhaps sedate, gold earrings.
This delicate butterfly was about as far as possible from the women he was normally drawn to, but he couldn’t deny the instant, clawing need to…get to know her better. In many ways, he thought, as he held the door open.
The painfully hot sunshine combined with humidity that generally hovered in the seventy percent range hit both of them like a wet blanket as they stepped out of the air-conditioned office building. Virginia in the summertime was miserable. But Northern Virginia, where most of the federal government workers lived, was especially bad because, on top of the heat and humidity, one had to deal with the traffic. In a recent report, the Washington, D.C. traffic was listed as the worst in the country, even worse than Los Angeles and New York City. Not a list one wanted to top, but the residents of this area earned it.
From June through September, the sweltering, miserable heat was more pronounced because one had to sit in almost unmoving traffic just about any time of the day or night. During the winters, God help the area if even a snowflake appeared. The drivers in this metropolitan area didn’t get enough snow to learn how to drive in it. So even the smallest of snowfalls caused traffic to snarl and numerous accidents turned highways into parking lots.
Right now, the heat was in the nineties with no end in sight. Add in the seventy-plus percentage of humidity and the air felt like it was in the triple digits. Clothes stuck to one’s back, naturally curly hair curled into tight spirals and naturally straight hair lost any sort of bounce, laying limp against one’s neck. It was miserable!
“I don’t know how you deal with summers here,” he growled, taking off his jacket after only a few steps along the sidewalk.
Selena laughed and he turned his head, wanting to see those blue eyes sparkle.
“No one gets used to this kind of heat,” she assured him. He put a hand to the small of her back, not because she needed assistance, but because he wanted to touch her again.
“So why don’t you move? Find some place where the summers aren’t a miserable marathon of humidity and dread?”
Another laugh. Reid realized he could really get used to hearing her laughter. “Well, the summers are horrible here in Virginia, but remember, Washington, D.C. was built on a swamp. So it’s not surprising that the weather during July and August and…yeah, sometimes June and September…is so bad.” He opened the door to a black Land Rover, gesturing for her to get in.
Before stepping into the soft leather of the SUV, she tilted her face to smile up at him and her beauty took his breath away. His gut tightened as anticipation hit him hard. It took all of his concentration and self-discipline to hear her next words.
“Wait until autumn arrives! This area might be bad in the summer months, but in the spring and fall, the DC area is the most glorious place to live!”
And she slipped gracefully into the seat. He stood there, watching with rapt attention as she pulled her legs in. Strong legs, he noticed. He couldn’t see her thighs, because her dress came down to just below her knees, but her calves were strong and lean, well muscled. Sexy as hell! Damn, she was gorgeous!
Yeah, he had a thing for legs. And her legs were…extraordinary!
But still, his reaction to her was so out of character! This sudden and intense attraction wasn’t normal. Perhaps he was jaded, but while women were pretty and enjoyable, none had ever made him feel this…he wasn’t sure how to describe what he was feeling. But the sudden urge to pound his chest like a caveman was ridiculous!
He looked up, realized that she wa
s waiting for him to close the car door and smiled slightly. And yes, he glanced down at her legs one more time before he closed the door.
“What would you like to eat tonight?” he asked as he pressed the button to start the engine. He turned, sliding his arm behind her seat to look at her, noting the dilated irises and the pulse pounding at the base of her throat. Perfect! She felt it too.
“Umm…anything is fine with me.”
“Thai? Mexican? Something less ethnic?” He admired her arms, bare from the shoulders, noticing even her arms were muscular. Yeah, that turned him on too.
“I love Thai!” she exclaimed, her shoulders straightening with excitement.
“Thai it is. I know of a great Thai place over in Fairfax. Well, more of a hole in the wall really. I think there are about six tables total, but it’s worth it. Promise!”
Decision made, he backed the SUV out of the parking spot. If he leaned into her a bit, getting a whiff of her perfume, that wasn’t a crime. It took a moment for him to recognize the scent as their signature perfume, “Rembrandt”, which smelled more erotic on her than he ever would have expected! Yes, he knew that the oils and other ingredients mixed with a woman’s individual body chemistry. But the spicy, feminine scent hit him hard and fast. The scent wasn’t cloying, or overly sweet, like some perfumes. It was made to be light, almost airy, but with a floral scent mixed in with a bit of cinnamon and vanilla. He’d heard from other customers that they enjoyed the scent because of the different layers, but on Selena, those layers became a siren call.
Selena folded her hands in her lap, not really sure what to do. The man smelled…amazing! He smelled like fresh air, pine, and male. How was that possible? Rembrandt Cosmetics didn’t sell a male product line, but sitting in the close confines of the SUV, she thought that this particular scent should definitely be bottled.
Turning slightly, Selena tried to suppress the scorching desire, reminding herself that she was a professional. “So, if you don’t like Virginia in the summer time, why are you here? Is there some secret product release that we’re getting soon?”
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