The Billionaire's Masquerade: Betting On You Series: Book Two

by Winters, Jeannette

  “We’ve got some wedding things coming up that will require us all to get together,” Jon added.

  Trent laughed. “That sure doesn’t sound like the wild times of our past. But let me know when, and I’ll be there.”

  “Count me in for the bachelor party. I’ll even plan it,” Drew said.

  “Maybe you should let me take care of that, Drew. There are places we still can’t show our faces, thanks to you,” Trent joked.

  “Exactly, Trent. The word is we, not only me,” Drew defended.

  “Okay, guys, no rush to plan that. There is plenty of time for you to argue about it later,” Jon stated. “I have to jump on another call. Trent, let us know if you need anything from us.”

  He always knew he could count on them, but he had everything under control.

  Chapter Six

  Elaine couldn’t believe how quickly the two weeks went by. Things had transitioned much easier than expected for everyone who would be covering her role at Another Chance. That was a perk of being part of such a strong team. They could always rely on each other at a moment’s notice. She was going to miss that closeness. She was not so sure about Jon, Ross, and Drew, but she was sure Trent worked differently.

  It hadn’t taken long for her to relocate and set up her new apartment in New York. Her condo in Rhode Island had come furnished and so did her new apartment. Since she wasn’t someone who collected much of anything, it made moving around simple. Pack her personal items and off she went. It was how she’d needed to live growing up in foster homes, moving from one place to another. Some of the homes were better than others, and she’d been fortunate to have met some wonderful families along the way. But like many youths, she was too young to appreciate them at the time. The kindness she’d received over those years was one of the reasons she decided to work for Another Chance, and she had been lucky enough to help several families facing serious financial difficulties stay together. Especially if there were children involved. She didn’t want other kids to experience the loneliness she’d felt over the years.

  Elaine made her way around her new apartment. The rooms were much smaller than her condo but perfect for a person living alone. It was a one-bedroom with a living room and a very small kitchen. She opened the oven and laughed. It reminded her more of a toaster oven. Good thing I don’t cook. She turned on her iPod, and after selecting her favorite playlist, spent the next two hours unpacking her clothes and settling in.

  Trent had called her several times to ask how everything was and to confirm she was still on target for the move. His calls had been short and strictly business. It appeared he was capable of holding his promise to keep their relationship strictly professional, at least from a distance. The test was going to be when they saw each other in person. On his last call, Trent asked if she would join him for dinner Sunday night. Now as the time approached, Elaine questioned agreeing to his offer. As she hung the dress she’d wore to Lizette’s party, the memories of the night they shared at her condo flooded back. It wasn’t the first time, as she couldn’t seem to close her eyes without picturing him above her. Though the memories were sweet, they were a constant reminder of what she could not let happen again.

  She heard the doorbell ring. Behave tonight, Elaine. Behave. She felt a flutter of both nerves and excitement as she walked to the door. She wasn’t expecting to see him holding a bottle of wine in one hand and what appeared to be Chinese take-out in the other.

  “Are you going to invite me in?”

  Stepping aside, she answered, “Sorry, did I misunderstand? I thought we were going out.”

  “You must be tired after moving these last two days. I thought we could relax by eating in.”

  Relax? Alone with him and a bottle of wine did not equate to relaxed. A better way to describe it would be risky. Step one: stay off the couch. “Thanks, I’m tired. A quiet dinner is just what I need. Let’s eat in the kitchen.”

  “I hope Chinese and wine are okay with you. I wasn’t sure if you would rather have beer since we didn’t get to drink it last time.”

  There was no way she was even going talk about their last meeting, as it would, no doubt, reignite the passion. Perhaps on her side anyway. “Chinese sounds great,” she said, not meeting his gaze.

  They sat, and while they ate, Trent asked, “Are you moved in?”

  “Nothing beats a furnished apartment. I finished unpacking a few hours ago. I’m looking forward to starting at Takes One, I mean Davis Enterprises, tomorrow. What exactly did you say my cover story was again?” Keep it safe, talk about work.

  “I told them you would be working directly with me in customer relations. If anyone asks what you do, just tell them you are the liaison between me and upcoming acquisitions. Your role is to ease the transition for the employees.”

  “I think that’s believable, and with your track record, probably necessary,” she added with a snarky smirk.

  “I’m very good at what I do.”

  She couldn’t dispute that. The numbers didn’t lie—he was beyond good. He was excellent at what he did. Her only problem was how he went about achieving his success. “Will I have a desk in your building or be working off-site?”

  “Your office is a few doors down from mine.”

  At least he didn’t put her right next to him. She would’ve preferred to be on an entirely different floor, but she was planning on being so busy it wouldn’t matter. Even sitting with him at the kitchen table was a distraction. Her thoughts continued to return to how unbelievably good it felt when he touched her. She wasn’t sure working on different floors would be enough distance. Maybe another state would be in order. Although, I can’t exactly fix that now. “I don’t need much space; most of my research can be done on my laptop from anywhere.”

  “For appearances it would be good if you worked at least a few days a week in the office. But if you get lonely in that big office all by yourself, you can always make your way down the hall and come and visit me in mine,” Trent said with a wink.

  “Trent . . .”

  “Don’t panic, I was only joking.”

  She didn’t believe that for a moment. There was something in the way he looked at her when he said it. He probably was thinking, We could do it on my desk.

  “Of course, I know you were joking. I was only going to ask if you wanted a cup of coffee,” she lied.

  He raised his wine glass and said, “How about a refill?”

  She lifted the empty bottle. “Sorry, we are all out. So your choices are coffee or tea.”

  “I’m more in the mood for something to nibble on. Any suggestions?”

  Elaine took the dirty dishes and turned to place them in the sink. There was no way she could bring herself to look at him. “Sorry, I haven’t been shopping yet.”

  Her body jumped as she felt his hands on her shoulders. He gently caressed her arms and then returned to her shoulders. One hand brushed her long dark hair from her neck and replaced it with the warm touch of his lips. She gripped the edge of the sink when her legs began weakening. His kisses trailed higher to bite her ever so softly on her earlobe. His hot breath sent chills through her body. She should turn around, tell him to stop, make him stop, but she was powerless to do so. The need for him was overwhelming. His hands reached in front of her and cupped her breasts, and she leaned her back against his chest.

  “I want you so much.” His words erased the last shred of resistance she had. “Tell me you want this.”

  Breathlessly she replied, “Yes.”

  His hands slid up her dress and pulled her panties down to her feet. Then his hands slipped back under her dress and cupped her bare butt. She ground herself against him. He pulled away for a moment. Before she could turn around she heard the sounds of his zipper, followed by the opening of a condom. His sheathed hot shaft was against her backside. She leaned back, and his hands came around to her front and cupped her breasts. She needed him inside her. As though he read her mind, he used his foot to spread
her legs apart.

  She didn’t resist. Then she felt him teasingly stroke her from behind. His heat rubbing her wet softness was driving her wild. She was at the brink when he slid deeply inside her. She moaned in pleasure as he moved slowly. When she thought it couldn’t get better, he eased her forward and put a hand on her back to steady her. They joined together again and again in an increasing rhythm. Each thrust sent a flood of heat through her. As she bent over slightly, gripping the edge of the sink, his thrusts sent her over the edge, into a sobbing state of mind-blowing waves as she climaxed.

  He paused briefly then slowly began to move again, deeper and more powerful than before. She’d barely recovered from her first orgasm when he reached around her and claimed her clit, rubbing with an ever-increasing speed as he took her from behind. She gasped for air, crying out, “Trent,” as they came together with one final, shuddering thrust. Still recovering from her multiple orgasms, she hardly noticed him pulling out of her. They were still panting when Trent picked her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

  As he laid her on the bed, her senses began to return. She was doing exactly what she had told herself she wouldn’t do. The blame couldn’t be put on Trent. He had asked her if she wanted it; why didn’t she stop him then? The answer was complex and yet very simple at the same time. It was because she didn’t want him to stop. He’d haunted her dreams the past two weeks. No matter how many times she’d tried to convince herself otherwise, she wanted him that first night as well. If only she wasn’t so damn attracted to him, everything would be so much easier. “Trent. We need to stop, we can’t do this.”

  He pulled away slightly and said, “It’s a little late to have second thoughts now.”

  “I mean, we can’t keep doing this. We agreed never to let this happen again.”

  “No, we agreed not to let anyone know we were sleeping together.” He brushed the hair away from her face. “You can’t tell me you didn’t want that as much as I did.”

  Probably more. “What we have is only a sexual attraction and one we need to control.”

  “We will work on that tomorrow.”

  Before she could argue he claimed her lips again. Moaning, she pulled him onto her. Yes, tomorrow.

  Chapter Seven

  Elaine woke to find she was alone in bed once again. She should be happy as it avoided the awkward morning-after discussion or worse, a repeat of the night before. She slowly dragged herself from the bed and made her way to the kitchen. She started the coffee pot. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the sink as it brewed. Normally the scent was enough to wake her. Today was going to be a two-cup morning. When she opened her eyes she noticed a note on the kitchen table saying, “Car will pick you up at 8:00. See you in the office. Trent.” The one positive? Trent appeared to be respecting her wishes for discretion . . . for now. She only hoped it would continue to be so in the office, otherwise this job was going to be short-lived.

  Elaine quickly showered, dressed, and downed her coffee just in time for her ride to arrive. The car arrived promptly as Trent had said, and took her to the Davis Enterprises building downtown. Traffic was worse than she had anticipated at that time of day, and she was grateful Trent had made the arrangements for her first day. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and entered the building. A tall security officer at the desk met her. Elaine didn’t doubt for a moment Trent needed security in his line of business. He was not known for “playing nice” with other corporations. “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m Elaine Manning. Today is my first day, and I’m not sure where exactly I should report.”

  His unsmiling, stern countenance unnerved her. He appeared to key her information into his computer, then replied, “Welcome, Ms. Manning. Your office is on the fourth floor. Take the first elevator. I will let Mr. Davis’s assistant, Wendy, know you are on your way up. She will direct you from there.”

  “Thank you.” His only response was a short nod, and he gestured to the elevators on the right. Yep, totally intimidating. Elaine made her way to the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Day one of any job was always stressful. But the first day of a job that wasn’t really her job, for a company that wasn’t really her employer—and after spending the night with the boss of both her jobs? That was beyond stressful. Too late to turn back now. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out.

  “You must be Elaine Manning. Welcome to Davis Enterprises. My name is Wendy Taylor, Mr. Davis’s personal assistant. Let me show you to your office.”

  Elaine knew Trent’s assistant wouldn’t look at all like Jill. But Wendy was not what she expected either. She stood a little over five feet with a few gray highlights and appeared to be in her mid-fifties. Somehow she’d pictured his assistant to be tall, young, blonde, and very shapely. She followed Wendy down the hall past numerous offices immaculately fitted with glass walls and doors. In a word—efficient. It wasn’t like anything she’d seen before. Must be a new way of having your own private office without ever truly having privacy. Interesting. At the end of the hall there appeared to be one office without glass walls. That had to be Trent’s. Wendy stopped two doors from his. The name on the door confirmed it—this was her office. “Thank you, Ms. Taylor.”

  “Please, call me Wendy. Why don’t you take a few minutes to settle in, and then I can show you around? My desk is just down the hall by Mr. Davis’s office.”

  Once alone, Elaine looked around the office. There was nothing missing. An iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro were proudly displayed on her desk. Who needs both an iPad and a laptop? Shaking her head she knew who. Trent. There was a paper listing her sign-in and passwords alongside them. An envelope contained a business credit card and a list of names and phone numbers. Trent was on the top, of course, then Wendy, followed by the driver who picked her up earlier, and finally the remaining members of Takes One: Jon, Ross, and Drew with their cell numbers. There was also a note.

  The car is at your disposal. Wendy can point you in the right direction for any supplies or questions regarding Davis Enterprises. You may call me anytime you want. The remaining numbers are for your use only, more information to come.

  Placing her purse in the bottom drawer, she decided it would be best to find Wendy for the tour. Then she would be ready to start her day.

  “Did you find everything you need? If there was anything missing, please let me know,” Wendy said as soon as she arrived at her desk, located just outside Trent’s office.

  “Everything seems to be fine. Is this a good time for the tour?”

  “Yes, it is the perfect time. You know how to find me, and the office behind me is Mr. Davis’s office. The rest is the important stuff, like the ladies’ room and where to get coffee. I don’t know about you, but I really could use one, so why don’t we start there?”

  Wendy was her type of woman, she got down to business but only after coffee. “That sounds wonderful.”

  After their coffee Elaine spent about an hour being introduced to several Davis Enterprises’ employees before finding her way back to her office. Closing the door behind her, she sat down and opened her Mac. She found a few meetings scheduled, the first one on Friday—a monthly conference call at six a.m. You’ve got to be kidding me. Who schedules a meeting at six in the morning? At least it was a call; she could do that in her pajamas if she had to.

  That gave her four days to come up with an agency for Takes One’s monthly donation. That wasn’t a lot of time. On the positive side, she wouldn’t have any other interruptions so she could make the most of the time she had.

  Elaine spent the rest of the morning reading the welcome packet Human Resources had left on her desk, which they asked to kindly have signed and returned by the end of the day. Trent thought of everything. She almost believed she worked there.

  Her stomach said she must have missed lunch, but she decided there was no time like the present to start her research. She keyed in a few agencies she knew were struggling mo
re than Another Chance had been. She needed to determine which one was making the largest impact and utilizing their funding the wisest way. She did her research, so different from what she had done in her prior role. Instead of the need coming to you, you are searching for the need. It was going to take some time to get used to, but she could already see how Takes One could and would make a difference in many lives. If Elaine questioned her decision before, all doubt was now gone.

  Before long there was a knock on her door. It was Wendy. She waved her in.

  “Ms. Manning, I hope you’re not planning on spending the night here on your first day.”

  She’d enjoyed herself so much that time had slipped by quickly. “Please, call me Elaine. I guess I was caught up in some paperwork. Are you leaving for the evening?”

  “Yes, everyone else left shortly after five. Only you and Mr. Davis are burning the midnight oil. Don’t be catching his bad habits.”

  The last thing she wanted to do was to become like Trent. Elaine smiled at Wendy. “Don’t worry, I’m heading out in a few minutes myself. Thank you again for showing me around today.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a good night, and I’ll see you in the morning,” Wendy said and shut the door behind her.

  It was time to shut down and go home. As she was closing the laptop there was another knock on the door. Looking up, she thought Wendy was back, reminding her to leave. Instead she found Trent standing there watching her. She’d been able to avoid him all day.

  “You’re working late. I like your dedication.”

  “Thank you. I was about to leave.”

  “So was I. Let me give you a ride home.”

  “No, thank you. I can find my own way home,” Elaine said firmly.

  “Never thought you couldn’t. We are both leaving, and your apartment is on the way; it only makes sense to let me give you a ride.”