by Ann Omasta
Hanging up the phone and interrupting Ellie’s bout of self-doubt, Millie gave her a welcoming smile. “Miss Thorne, it’s so lovely to see you again.”
The statement should have felt false, especially since they had just seen each other––and Ellie hadn’t been kind––but it oozed with sincere-sounding warmth. Feeling cynical, Ellie decided that the woman was obviously very good at her job.
Expecting to be told that she could make an appointment if she wanted to see Trey, Ellie was surprised when the other woman ushered her directly into his office. “Mr. Donovan is in a meeting, but I’ll let him know you’re here,” Millie smiled at Ellie. “What would you like to drink while you wait?”
“Oh, umm. Water?” Her answer came out like a question, and she chastised herself about it, while Millie went to retrieve her beverage.
In an impossibly short amount of time, Millie returned to the office with a chilled, fancy-looking bottle of water and a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies. “They’re probably not nearly as good as what you bake,” Millie told her kindly as she set down the silver tray.
Ellie shook her head as she looked at the gooey chocolate and marveled at the fact that the other woman had somehow had time to heat up the cookies. She really must be some kind of magical miracle worker.
“Mr. Donovan will be with you momentarily,” Millie informed her before efficiently swishing towards the door.
“Oh, don’t interrupt him,” Ellie called out to her back. “I can wait,” she offered lamely.
“He’s already on his way,” Millie smiled at her before closing the door behind her.
“She called her boss too?” Ellie mumbled in disbelief to the empty office. As she paced back and forth in the massive space, Ellie’s nerves kicked into high gear. She had felt so self-righteous on her drive here. How dare he buy her a car and send his assistant to purchase her bakery? Did he think his money could buy him anything?
Now that she was here, though, the reality of confronting a powerful business mogul on his own turf was setting in. She was fairly certain that the sweet, light-hearted Trey she knew would become a heartless, cutthroat businessman version of Trey in this environment.
Summoning her courage, she paced and fumed. “Who does HE think he is? Does he think he can buy me? How dare he try to buy my business? That bakery is my baby. Did he think he could wave some dollar bills in front of me, and I would sell it??”
Turning on her heel after this indignant question, she realized that Trey had opened the door and was standing in the entryway to his office. Had he heard her?
“Hi!” he greeted her enthusiastically, seeming like the small-town version of Trey that she knew and loved. Wait. Not loved. Liked immensely. She silently corrected her own thought.
Refusing to be distracted by his charming smile or his disarming innate sexiness, she used the momentum from her angry pacing to fuel her self-righteous rant. Without preamble, she started in. “Just because you’re used to getting your way doesn’t mean you can come in and throw your money around to buy my bakery.” She actually shook her finger at him. The upturned curve of his lips as she blustered only served to make her angrier. “It might be small potatoes to you, but I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into that place, and I’m not about to sell it to anyone…especially not you.”
The shift in his gaze was subtle, but she saw it. For one brief moment before he covered it, she glimpsed the shrewd and ruthless businessman that she knew he could be.
Narrowing his dark gaze at her, he shocked her by responding with a challenging, “Oh, you’re going to sell it to me.”
12
“Never!” she practically screeched at him.
Deciding that this conversation was going nowhere, she scrabbled for her purse and turned, intending to flounce out of this impossible bastard’s office and never return. He grabbed her arm as she brushed past him.
“Let me go,” she seethed between gritted teeth.
“Just hear me out?” The imploring gaze in his milk-chocolate eyes helped set her somewhat at ease. Deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to listen to what he had to say, but still angry, she yanked her arm from his grip. Refusing to sit across from him at his massive, overbearing desk, she opted instead to sit stiffly on the edge of the thick, leather sofa.
He joined her there, but left some space between them, evidently sensing her simmering anger. “I fell in love with your town while I was there,” he admitted quietly before adding, “and I have decided to infuse some money into the local economy for some much-needed improvements.”
That last bit spiraled her already on-edge nerves over the edge. “You think my bakery requires some much-needed improvements?!?” She felt hurt and outraged that he had walked into the place that she had poured her heart and soul into for years and found it to be lacking.
“No, let me back up.” He could tell that she was livid about his insinuation. “I didn’t mean your business, although it could use a little influx of cash.” When her bright blue eyes bulged out at his statement, he clarified, “Just for some updated, bigger appliances and display cases. You’ve done a marvelous job with your business with minimal means.”
Her frantic breath began to return to a somewhat normal pace after his compliment, until he added, “It could just use some tweaking.”
“That’s it.” She stood up abruptly. “I don’t need to sit here and listen to you insult me, my bakery, or my town. I happen to think that all three are magnificent just the way we are, and, to be honest, it really doesn’t matter what you think.”
Standing up to him felt good, but the way his eyes were sparkling up at her was unnerving. She wished he wasn’t so damn handsome. His blatant sexiness made it difficult to stay focused on the topic at hand––what an ass he was.
Planning to make a grand exit, Ellie whirled around to leave, but she paused at Trey’s desperate call. “Wait!”
She turned slowly, but tapped her foot in impatience when he scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is coming out all wrong.” His admission was a surprising sign of vulnerability. Her natural tendency was to soften, but she knew it might be a shrewd business maneuver, so she kept her guard up.
“I love your town,” he revealed. “I love everything about it.” He went on to list many of the same things she loved about the quaint locale, “the vintage book store, the cozy coffee shop, the old fashioned grocery store with the creaky wooden floors, the tiny hardware store with the jingling bells on the door, the crazy artist’s studio, and especially the delectable bakery on the corner.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his fond and accurate descriptions of the place she chose to call home. “Then why do you want to come in and change it?” she asked him, honestly perplexed.
“Oh, I only want to make it better,” he reassured her, making her wonder if their ideas of ‘better’ would align. “I was thinking that the dilapidated former gas station would make a great ice cream shop, and I’d like to turn the closed bank building into a library.”
She nodded, imagining his vision of the proposed changes and loving his ideas. “What about the bakery? If you like it, why do you want to change it?” she asked him, nervous about his answer, but needing to know. She couldn’t imagine him adding a Starbucks to his project list for town improvements, but why did he want to buy it?
“I was buying it for you,” he admitted.
Confused, she said, “I already own it.”
“The bank owns it,” he corrected her. “All of your profits go towards paying the bills each month. I’m amazed you have enough left over to live on.”
Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment that he had figured out her financial predicament. “It might seem impossible to you,” she waved her hands around, indicating their surroundings, “but it can be very hard to make money.”
“I know that, and you’re doing an amazing job with it.” He sounded so understanding and sincere that she had to fight to keep the tears at bay. “All I wanted to
do was inject a little cash into the business to make things easier for you. I’ll remain a silent business partner, if that is what you want.”
“No,” she shook her head adamantly. “The bakery is mine, and I’m not selling it––not any of it––to anyone.”
“Okay,” he nodded, seeming to finally accept her answer. Changing tactics, he asked, “Would you consider hiring me? It seems that I am in need of a job.”
13
“Hiring you?” she spluttered. “One thing you definitely don’t need is a barely-above-minimum-wage job.”
“Actually, that is exactly what the doctor ordered. That is who I was with when you got here.”
Turning her head to the side, she asked, “Your doctor comes to you?”
He nodded as if that were the most normal thing in the world. “I went into her office for some tests, but yes, she came here to talk to me about the results.”
“Wow, I think we really are from two completely different worlds,” Ellie mumbled, shaking her head at the idea. Trey would be appalled by the two-hour wait for a three-minute visit whenever she went to see her doctor.
Turning the conversation back to the point he had been trying to make, Trey said, “She told me that you hitting me with your car was probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.” He paused and grinned up at her facial expression, which was utter disbelief. “I couldn’t argue with her about that because it did allow me to meet you, but she didn’t know that part yet.”
Ellie felt squirmy at his use of the word ‘yet.’ Had he talked to his doctor about her?
“Anyway,” he went on, “she said my body is under too much stress. I have the heart of a man twice my age, and if I don’t make some immediate changes, I won’t live another ten years.”
Ellie’s mouth fell open at his sobering statement. She plopped back down on the couch beside him in shocked disbelief. “Well, what are you going to do?” she finally asked him. “It’s not like you can just quit. There are hundreds––probably thousands––of people that work for you and are counting on you.”
“True,” he confirmed. “My little brother has been nipping at my heels for years wanting to take on more responsibility. I think he might get it sooner than he expected. He’s the next in line to take over if something happens to me anyway. He might as well be prepared,” he added practically, shrugging his shoulders.
“You are going to give all of this up just like that?” she asked, snapping her fingers, and not quite believing it could be possible.
“It’s either that or die trying to hold on to it all.” The grim reality seemed to have already sunk in with him.
His easy release of it all seemed too good to be true. “You’ll maintain control of the company, and just let your brother handle the day-to-day decisions, right?” she guessed.
He only pondered the question for a moment before answering. “I think I’ll give it a year and see how it goes. I found this great little town with the most divine bakery that I’d like to stay in for a while, if it’s okay with you?”
He looked deep in her eyes to gauge her reaction to his question. “That would be fine.” She looked down, grinning to herself at her calm answer, despite her fluttering heart.
“Fine?!?” He pretended to be outraged, even as he took her hands within his own. “I think you mean splendid or magnificent or…”
He seemed to be searching for another word, so she filled it in for him. “Perfect.”
She was surprised to see the look of relief on his face, but it was quickly replaced with one of concern. “You won’t be disappointed that I don’t have all of this power?”
He waited with bated breath for her response. When she did answer, it blew him away. “I like you better without all of this.” She used her arms to indicate their surroundings.
“I’ve never known anyone like you,” he revealed. “Most people are enthralled by the money and power, not turned off by it. It’s refreshing and charming that you truly don’t care about it.” He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, which made it flush a gorgeous shade of hot pink.
“So, I didn’t break you with my car?” She asked one of the questions that had been burning deep in her belly since the accident.
“I was already broken,” he answered near her ear before adding, “You saved me.”
Relief flooded her system at hearing him say the words. She turned and pressed her lips to his cheek. Unable to ignore the other question that had been near the top of her mind since she had seen the extravagant flower arrangement in his hospital room, she decided to just ask him directly, “Who is Selena?”
“No one that you need to worry about,” he assured her, before adding, “You are the only one for me.”
“I want you.” Her whispered words were filled with the promise of delightful things to come. The noise he made deep in his throat should have frightened her, but instead, it made her feel bold. Trailing light kisses along his jaw line, she made her way as close to his mouth as she could without making direct contact.
Both of them were breathing heavily, their lips fractions of an inch apart. “Are you ready to practice NOT being in charge?” Her voice sounded husky as she hovered very near him.
“Oh, yes!” he answered enthusiastically, and her mouth closed over his.
Continue reading for a bonus chapter from The Billionaire’s Brother.
Bonus Chapter ~ The Billionaire’s Brother
www.example.com“Ugh! My brother is an infuriating, arrogant ass!” Trevor Donovan yelled as he slammed down the telephone on his desk.
Michael Bandy, one of Trevor’s only friends at work, peeked his head into the office to see what the ruckus was about. “You okay, dude?”
Trevor disliked being called ‘dude,’ but he didn’t want to insult Bandy. After all, he referred to the other man as ‘Bandy,’ so he didn’t really have any right to be indignant about his nickname. “No…I mean, yes…Oh, hell, I don’t know.” Trevor ran his hand through his thick, jet-black hair as he stared out the window.
Bandy walked in and shut the door behind him. “Spill,” he instructed.
“Trey is putting me in charge,” Trevor revealed.
“Of the Midwest Division? That’s fantastic!” Bandy sounded enthusiastic, but Trevor couldn’t help wondering if his friend was really happy for him, or if there might be some heavily concealed envy in there somewhere. Bandy had been with Donovan Enterprises longer, and he had a better track record than Trevor. Nepotism was a real thing, and he knew most of his brother’s many employees wouldn’t be at all thrilled to hear the news he had just been given.
“No, man,” Trevor shook his head, still not quite believing it himself. “All of it.”
“All of it?” Bandy’s head actually jerked back. “ALL of it?” He was having trouble comprehending what this meant. Trevor understood the confusion because he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it either.
“The whole empire,” he finally clarified, mostly in the hopes of erasing the perplexed look from Bandy’s face.
“But he built this company from the ground up,” Bandy started, “And he loves it. I’ve never seen a man more dedicated to his work.” Trevor nodded, unable to argue with the accuracy of any of those statements. “What is he going to do?”
“I think he’s going to bake cupcakes for a year.” Trevor flinched, even as he said the words. The entire conversation had been so out of character for his brother that he almost wondered if he was being pranked.
“Cupcakes?” The one-word question was overflowing with disbelief. Bandy shook his head, obviously as confused as Trevor.
“I guess,” Trevor shrugged his shoulders, unsure what else to say. He didn’t understand it either. His ruthless, workaholic brother was not the type to just hand over the reins of his billion-dollar company so he could go put on an apron and bake. It simply didn’t make any sense.
After a lengthy silence, Bandy finally said, “Wow.”
Trevor turn
ed back to look at his friend then. He nodded his agreement with the assessment. Neither one of the men could quite comprehend it. “We’re announcing it tomorrow, so keep it on the down-low.”
“Sure, dude. No problem,” Bandy promised jovially, already backing out of the office. “Well, good luck and don’t forget about us little people,” Bandy added before walking out and reclosing the door behind him.
Trevor already regretted telling the other man the news. He might as well have announced it over the office intercom system or sent a company-wide email. Bandy was such a gossip-queen that he had probably already told everyone he passed in the hallway on the way back to his own office.
Trey would be pissed if word leaked out before he had a chance to make an official statement. Taking a deep breath and dreading his brother’s reaction, Trevor suddenly realized that Trey’s reaction really didn’t matter any more. He was in charge now. Just the idea of it made his chest puff up a little bit.
He was so used to obediently following his older brother’s wishes that it had never occurred to him that he might someday be the one in the position of power. It was something that Trevor had always longed for, but never quite believed would actually happen.
It was real, though. He was the boss, not Trey. The realization was shocking and liberating and frightening all rolled into one big ball of delicious anxiety.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?
Read the rest of The Billionaire’s Brother to find out if Trevor is able to fill his brother’s shoes. Get it HERE.