by Jenn Roseton
The Tycoon's Reluctant Bride
(BBW Romance - Billionaire Brothers 2)
By
Jenn Roseton
Copyright © 2014 by Jenn Roseton
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
This is a sexy contemporary romance novella.
Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Laura King scanned the figures one more time, the lamp casting a circle of light onto the old wooden desk. The numbers on the laptop screen remained the same. For the fourth month in a row, the catering business was trading at a loss.
People weren’t paying their bills. Rich people, or at least people who gave the illusion of having money, businessmen who thought nothing of spending thousands of dollars on the right kind of clothes and accessories. When it came time to pay the account for the party they’d hired her company to cater, suddenly they were unavailable to take her calls. Most of the time, she couldn’t even get through to their secretary.
The phone calls were a last ditch attempt to get these people to pay. She’d already sent account overdue notices. Laura hoped the personal touch might guilt these people into paying. Unfortunately, it hadn’t.
She couldn’t exactly pinpoint when she began having problems. Her parents had started the catering company over twenty years ago, when she’d been a toddler. Some of her earliest memories included looking at cookbooks with her mother. As a child, she’d loved gazing at the color photographs of each recipe. And as she became older, Laura relished the challenge of making each dish herself.
During high school and college vacations she helped her parents, either in the kitchen or as wait staff.
And now, after she’d graduated college with a degree in culinary management, and worked full-time for her folks for the last five years, her parents had put their faith in her and handed over the reins while they’d gone on a well-deserved vacation. Once they came home, they planned to retire, and if she could prove she could manage the business on her own, they’d leave her in charge while they enjoyed their retirement, supplementing their income with some of the profits from the business.
When they’d left, the company had been doing well. And now …
“How am I going to make next month’s payroll?” Laura whispered, unable to take her eyes off the screen.
The dismal amount of cash flow remained the same.
“I need help.” She rested her head on her hands, tugging her hair. What was she going to do?
A knock sounded on the outside door. Startled, Laura raised her head and looked at her watch - 8.30 p.m. Surely it couldn’t be someone here on business at this hour?
She rose from the desk, walking silently to the door, past the faded cream walls, not wanting the person outside to hear her footsteps. Maybe she shouldn’t unlock the door. Although it was twilight outside, she was on her own.
Laura cleared her throat, trying to sound authoritative. “Who is it?”
“Alex Trask.” The rich, mellow voice flowed through the wooden door.
She blinked, the memory of catering his event last week flashing in her mind. His secretary had handled all the details, and Laura had only met him briefly in the middle of setting up for the party.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
Six feet of tall and lean met her eyes. His dark hair was cut in a short, flattering style, while his midnight eyes swept over her. Attired in a fancy pin-striped suit with a finely tailored navy shirt and pale blue silk tie, he looked every inch the billionaire.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks. After a long day catering a party, she’d changed into a pair of denim shorts and a lilac cotton shirt that clung to her ample hourglass figure. She was hardly dressed to come face-to-face with one of the city’s most prominent businessmen.
“My secretary forgot to post your check so I thought I’d come by myself,” he said smoothly, holding it out to her. “For the party last week,” he prompted, when she remained silent.
Pull yourself together. Ever since she’d met him several days ago, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. And now he was here, standing right in front of her.
She'd been in the middle of setting up for his event when she'd met him. Wearing her white chef jacket and gray trousers, she certainly hadn't expected to meet one of the city's most eligible bachelors. His secretary had handled all the details up to that point. She'd shyly stammered hello, aware of his fathomless eyes on her. Feeling hot and cold at the same time, she couldn't stop gazing at him, experiencing a tug of attraction to him that she'd never felt with any other man. But why had he focused all his attention on her? Hadn't he met a caterer before, even one with ample curves?
“Thank you.” She took the check from him, careful not to brush her fingers against his. Glancing at the amount, she noticed it was for the full sum. Relief swept through her. Now she’d be able to pay her employees. For the next month.
“Something wrong?” He studied the expression on her face.
Laura shook her head, summoning up a smile. “No. Everything’s fine.” She drew in a deep breath, raising her gaze to meet his. His straight nose, five o’clock shadow and the sharp planes of his face added up to one seriously good-looking man.
When his secretary had made the event booking, Laura had been aware of who Alex Trask was. Every business person in the city was familiar with his name. Just last week when she’d flicked through the newspaper, she’d read about one of his financial deals.
“Thank you,” she repeated, not sure what else to say. How many billionaires dropped off a check personally?
Just then her cell phone rang, snagging her attention. “I better get that,” she said, grateful for the interruption. “Excuse me.”
He nodded, his gaze never leaving her.
She crossed to the desk, picking up the phone. “Hello?” Laura clutched the edge of the desk when she heard the voice on the other end. “I told you before, Mr. Crawson, my catering company is not for sale.” She tried to inject some authority into her tone, but wasn’t sure if she succeeded. Ending the call, she turned around, surprised to find Alex standing close behind her.
“Oh!”
“What’s wrong?” He smiled self-deprecatingly. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”
This close to him, she was aware of the faint ocean breeze scent of his aftershave. Forcing a shaky smile to her lips, she shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong,” she lied. “Thank you once again, Mr. Trask. I just wish all our clients paid as promptly as you.”
“Alex,” he informed her.
She blinked. The smolder in his eyes made her murmur, “Alex.”
"Was that Charles Crawson?"
"Yes." She frowned. "Why?"
"Crawson doesn't have a good reputation in the business world, Laura."
He remembered her name. His secretary had introduced them at the party, but she certainly hadn’t expected him to remember who she was. After all, why would he? She was just a caterer.
“Really? He wants to buy my catering company.”
“Do you want to sell?”
“Of course not!” Reali
zing she’d spoken too loudly, she added in a softer tone, “Sorry. But he doesn’t seem to be able to take no for an answer.” Laura shrugged. “Besides, it’s not exactly my catering business. It belongs to my parents.” At Alex’s silent look of inquiry, she added, “Mom and Dad are backpacking around the world for a year before they retire. They’re coming home in six months.”
“So you’re in charge while they’re away.”
She smiled. “Yes. I just hope …”
“What?” he urged.
Laura hesitated, wondering how much she should tell this virtual stranger. But for some reason he seemed interested, and she fleetingly wondered if maybe he could offer her some business advice.
“I just hope there’ll be a business for them to come home to.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Unable to turn her gaze away from his, she let out a deep breath, wondering if this was what he was like in the boardroom. No wonder he was so successful.
“Everything’s going wrong,” she admitted.
“How so?” He raised a dark eyebrow in inquiry.
“Very few clients are paying their bills.”
“Why not?”
“I have no idea.” She rubbed her thumb on the scarred wood of the office desk. “We charge a deposit and don’t go ahead with the event until we receive it, but lately, most of our clients are ignoring the accounts we send out for the balance.”
Concern creased his face. “Are you delivering the same quality food and service you gave me?”
“Of course!” She bristled at his question. “King Royale Catering prides itself on the high quality of its cuisine and efficient wait staff and always has.”
“Calm down,” he advised. “I had to ask.”
Laura relaxed slightly, resting a hip against the desk. She’d been standing for most of the day, and although she now wore comfortable sandals, her feet were starting to ache.
“When did the problems start?” His tone was brisk, as if he were investigating one of his own businesses.
“About four months ago.”
“So two months after your parents left you in charge.” He looked thoughtful.
Laura nodded, aware that he’d listened when she’d mentioned her parents earlier. How many men did that? On her last date, which seemed a millennium ago but was in fact five months earlier, she could have sworn the guy had seemed more interested in reading the menu than conversing with her.
“How many employees do you have?”
“Three. Mom and Dad hired two new people just before they left. And when we work a large event, we have some casual employees who've worked for my parents for years.”
“And you’ve had them all checked out, including the new staff?”
“Of course.” Although the catering business wasn’t a huge concern, she, and her parents, were fully aware of the necessity of screening all potential employees.
“Thoroughly?”
“Yes.” She tried not to grit her teeth.
“You mentioned Crawson before." His mouth tightened. "You need to look at the possibility that one of those new employees is sabotaging you in some way.”
Laura crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Nancy and Joe are very nice. I can’t imagine them doing something like this.” Nancy and Joe were both in their early twenties and each had held a few different jobs in the food industry. But they were bright, hard working and punctual, and didn’t seem to have a problem with Laura being in charge.
“You said Crawson wanted to buy the company.”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps Nancy and Joe are working for him.” Tension radiated from him.
Laura frowned. “Why? None of the events we’ve catered have been sabotaged. The only problem I’m having is getting clients to pay the balance of their account after the party.”
“What’s going to happen if no one pays?”
Laura closed her eyes as the enormity of her situation hit her. If nobody else paid their bill, then at the end of next month she’d be in the same position she was in fifteen minutes ago, before Alex Trask arrived at the office, bringing her a check.
“Bankruptcy,” she whispered.
“Exactly.” He looked grim. “Tell me more about Crawson. When did he first make an offer to buy the company?”
“Roughly four months ago,” she replied, nervously smoothing down the ends of her cotton shirt. “We catered a party for him. He told me at the end of the night that he was happy with our services and …"
“And?” He prompted when her voice trailed off, studying the expression on her face.
She felt the beginnings of a blush, but wasn’t sure if it was because she was in such close proximity to him, or what she was about to confess. “He asked me out,” she murmured.
“Did you accept?” His eyes narrowed.
She shook her head. “No.” Although Charles Crawson had been perfectly civil to her and on one level it had been flattering to be considered dating material by a well known businessman, especially since she wasn’t exactly beating men off with a stick, something had stopped her from accepting. She still didn’t know what had made her say no, but not long after, he’d made an offer to buy the company.
“Did he pay his bill?” A muscle twitched in Alex’s cheek.
“Yes. But soon after that, we started having a problem with clients not paying.”
Alex rubbed his jaw, his gaze zeroing in on the laptop sitting on the desk. “Show me the books.”
Surprised, she stepped back from the desk. Should she? Why was he so interested in her predicament? Her clothes hugged her ample curves, but she certainly wouldn’t wear this outfit on a date. And her dark brown hair, while clean and shoulder length, was in a simple, loose style. She, and her business problems, could hardly be tempting to a billionaire.
Maybe he’s bored. Even if that were true, how often would this kind of opportunity drop in her lap? Maybe this seasoned businessman could spot something she’d missed.
“Go ahead.” She waved a hand in the direction of the laptop. He sat down, his large hands hovering over the keyboard. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Would you like a drink? I’ve got some juice in the fridge.”
“Sure.” He glanced up at her for a second before returning his attention to the screen, a smile forming on his lips. “That would be good.”
Walking over to the scrupulously clean commercial kitchen that took up most of the office space, Laura took out a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice left over from today’s event. She poured two glasses, then carried them back to the desk.
“Thanks,” he said, taking a large swallow. He studied the screen in front of him once more. “You’re right. Your cash flow problems started four months ago.”
She raised her eyebrows, but decided not to comment. He was doing her a favor by looking at the books.
“Do you own this place?” His eyes never left the screen.
“Yes. My parents paid off the mortgage a few years ago.” Her parents had bought the premises a decade ago, and right now, it was something she was very thankful for. At least she didn’t have rent to worry about.
“There’s something else,” she added hesitantly. Laura had no idea if it was relevant or not, but she might as well tell him everything.
“What is it?” He switched his gaze to her face.
“Around the same time we started having cash flow problems, another company began to undercut our quotes.”
“Isn’t that normal?”
“Yes, but not to this extent.” Laura frowned. “We know, or know of, our competitors. My parents have been in this business a long time. I’m sure all the catering companies in the city are undercut by one of their competitors from time to time. But…”
“But?” The black depths of his eyes focused on her face.
“But lately, at least half our quotes have been undercut - by a lot. There’s no way I could match those quotes and make a profit, however slim.”
�
��Hmm.” Alex turned back to look at the computer screen. “Tell me more about your dealings with Crawson.”
Laura shrugged. “There’s not much else to tell. After he asked me for a date--"
“And you refused.” His eyes left the screen and watched her expression carefully.
“Yes.” Alex seemed very interested in that part of the story. She mentally shook her head and continued, “He started calling me every couple of weeks, offering to buy the company. When I said it wasn’t for sale, I started having problems with a rival company undercutting me.”
“Do you know which company it is?”
“No.” Laura tugged down the end of her shirt again. It was a little unnerving to be the sole focus of Alex Trask.
“Have you tried to find out?”
“Of course.” Her eyebrows drew together. “I realize this isn’t technically my company, but I have worked here full-time for the last five years, and before that, during school vacations. I do have some idea of what I’m doing.” Honestly. She mightn’t be a billionaire but did he really think she hadn’t tried to find out what was going on?
“Okay,” he said mildly. “I’m sure you have. But I have access to a few resources that you don’t. I’ll be able to find out who your main competitor is.”
“Really?” Laura knew she sounded hopeful, but if Alex could find out who her business rival was, it would be a relief. “Thank you.” Her lips curved into a smile, faltering slightly when the expression on his face changed from business-like to something else. It looked remarkably like desire.
Don’t be silly.
Alex stood, his tall, lean frame radiating power. For a brief second, Laura thought she sensed sexual tension simmering in the air before dismissing the notion.
“You do know that finding out who’s undercutting you won’t solve the problem of your clients not paying you on time.”
Her throat suddenly felt parched. Only a few inches separated them. Taking a step back, she nodded. “I know,” she managed to squeeze past her arid throat.