The Billionaire's Fake Girlfriend - Part 1 (The Billionaire Saga)

by Sierra Rose

  “Harks?”

  I jumped and turned around. Macer was staring at me impatiently.

  “Something wrong with the office? It’s probably not as fancy as what you’re used to.”

  “No,” I recovered myself quickly. “The office is fine—it’s all fine. I’ll get started familiarizing myself with this and see you tomorrow at the staff meeting.”

  She chuckled and took me by the arm, leading me back out into the hall. “Ideally, that’s exactly what I’d like to have you do. Only now—we don’t have the time. This thing came down the pipe a full seven days early, and it’s all hands on deck. I’m afraid you’ll have to get up to speed later—we have a meeting right now.”

  “Oh, okay.” I stumbled along behind her, eyes scanning quickly around the office as I tried to get my bearings. “Who’s the meeting with?”

  A door opened in front of me and my stomach fell to the floor.

  It was Abe Larchwood. The CEO himself.

  An unnatural hush fell over the entire floor as he walked out into the hall. His white hair was impeccably styled over a stiff suit that I was sure cost more than my first and second apartments combined. A vintage Rolex poked out beneath his left sleeve, just below a pair of what I swear was Theodore Roosevelt’s personal cufflinks.

  “Hello, Patti,” he barked as he passed her.

  “Hello, Mr. Larchwood.” He disappeared down the hall, and she turned back to me. “That’s the meeting.” Her voice was still hoarse as hushed as conversations began to pick back up around us. “Now I know you’re kind of being thrown into the middle of this—but are you going to be okay?”

  I read through to her real question as easily as if she’d said it aloud. You’re not going to make me look stupid, are you? I smiled with that same mask of confidence and straightened to my full height. “I got this.”

  “Good,” she mumbled as she pushed her way inside, “because we’re in for a hell of a ride. But we know you’re the best. It’s why we sent for you.”

  I went to follow her when a sudden wave of nerves made me stop. It was the same feeling I had when I got out of the cab and stood on the curb, looking up at the building. Talk about high stakes, this was about as high as it got. What exactly had I gotten myself into?

  A hand on my lower back made me start in surprise.

  “You going in? Or are you just going to stand here looking?”

  Chapter 2

  It only took me a second to recognize him. Chestnut curls, deep chocolate eyes, a smile so wicked and tantalizing it had reportedly been banned in several states. It was the same face I’d seen staring back at me from a hundred correspondence dinners and magazines, but even more frequently from the tabloids. Only in person, he was a thousand times more delicious than any picture could suggest.

  This was Michael Larchwood. He was the younger son of the legendary Abe Larchwood; second heir to the keys of the castle.

  He was also a notorious playboy.

  My back stiffened involuntarily beneath his hand, and I pulled myself casually away. “I’m the new girl from California—Jenna Harks. Patti sent me up?”

  His eyes did a quick scan of my face, probably wondering about my lack of California tan before he flashed me another million dollar smile. “Perfect, you’re right on time.”

  He gestured inside, and I eased past him. But instead of following his hand to the right, I made my way across the room to a seat already flanked by two people—feeling his eyes on my back the entire time. Don’t get me wrong—the opportunity to sit down for a business meeting next to Michael Larchwood? Priceless. And I’d have to be as blind as Katie McGill not to feel some sort of animal magnetism drawing me to that body. The thing is, not only did the company have a zero tolerance policy toward inter-office fraternization, but Michael was well known for flouting those rules. I’d read of at least four women in the last two years getting fired after being seen leaving his apartment, and I was in no way interested in making that list.

  That being said…it wasn’t like he was the easiest person to ignore.

  He didn’t turn his eyes away even though I’d made my preference clear by sitting on the far side of the room. Instead, he rose to the challenge. The man was shameless. He kept me fixed in a gaze so attentive, that eventually, I had to politely return the seductive smile he was sending my way. I kept it professional and brief. No more than a passing glance as my eyes inadvertently swept his direction. But when a pair of dimples was ready and waiting, I had to actually angle myself around so he wasn’t even in my peripheral line of sight.

  Fortunately at that moment, an official looking executive came in, and even Prince Michael sat back and paid attention.

  “Good—you’re all here. I have a hell of a day today, and I don’t have time for any…oh, Michael.” The suit looked surprised to see him there. “I wasn’t aware you’d be sitting in today.”

  Michael crossed one leg over the other—a gesture that in most circles would be considered professional, but that he just made seem naughty. “I’ll be here every Thursday until the merger is complete.” He flashed me a wink. “Need to keep track of my people.”

  The executive stammered for a moment, before dropping his eyes to his papers. “Well, it’s always a pleasure to have you here.”

  “Even if it’s only twice a year,” an employee sitting next to me muttered under his breath.

  I cast him a sideways glance, and he rolled his eyes with a grin.

  “Guy only comes in for the Christmas and New Year’s parties. I’m surprised he even knew where the conference room was…”

  My eyes strayed again to Michael as I absorbed this. Judging by everything I’d read about him, that seemed to fit.

  “Anyway, as I was saying, we have a lot to do.” The suit looked back up from his stack of documents and his eyes hardened once more. “Pia—where are we at with the mock-ups?”

  A regal looking woman leaned forward in her seat. “Jamie sent over the first plans five days ago, but I’ve yet to hear anything from our sister office. I’ve tried to get a hold of Zhang since Monday, but our translator is still out sick—”

  “She’s fired,” the executive said shortly.

  I blinked in mild shock and leaned forward a bit so I could see the name cc’d on his papers. Mr. Trask. Third note to self, don’t ever tell Mr. Trask if you get bronchitis…

  “Can I do that?”

  He turned to a man and a woman seated on his left. They seemed to move in tandem. One cocked their head; the other mirrored the motion the other way. At first I thought they had to be some sort of ‘twins separated at birth’ situation, but the only physical traits they had in common was the lethal fire blazing in their eyes…

  “We can do that.” The man spoke softly, but his voice carried an authority around the room. I sat up with a shiver as the woman took over.

  “Have Jamie send me her files—I’m sure I can find something to justify the termination.”

  “I don’t envy this Jamie,” I whispered to the man who’d spoken to me before. “Those two look like they could dislodge their jaws and swallow you whole…”

  He chuckled quietly. “That’s Kiev and Mariska. They’re supposed to look like that; they’re head of the legal division—Larchwood’s chief counsel.” He shifted sideways in his seat and offered me a discreet hand. “And I’m Jamie.”

  My cheeks flushed as I shook with an apologetic smile. “Jenna. Just transferred in from California.”

  His brow creased with a little frown. “What happened to Katie?”

  All the blood drained out of my face, but just as I was about to reply, Trask took over the meeting once more.

  “Good. What’s next?”

  Patti Macer stood up. Although she was the only one to do so, none of the others seemed to think this was at all odd—they rather seemed to expect it from her. “I’ve received the addition I requested from the west coast and my team is in place. We’ll begin work on the formal draft and get somethin
g to you by Wednesday.”

  “Make it Tuesday,” Trask instructed, scanning down one of his endless lists. “We’re all going to have to pull together on this one.” His colorless eyes flashed up and scanned around the room—reminding me of some sort of blind fish, probing the dark. “You say we have a new member? Where is she?”

  Jamie nudged me with his elbow. “You’re on, Katie.”

  I paled even more, but pushed to my feet and tried for a confident smile. “Jenna Harks, sir. Ms. Macer got me up to speed in the elevator, and I’m ready to start when you are.”

  Trask’s fish eyes scanned me again, and I could see Michael doing the same thing from his corner. “Good. That’s the kind of attitude we’re going to need around here—especially now.” He picked up the remaining papers and shoved them into his briefcase. “Well, that’s all I have for today. I’m considering putting in a request to PR to send over a specialist, but I’m not sure we’re there just yet—we’ll visit it again next week.”

  He gave some sort of wobbly-headed nod that might have been an indicator of early onset Parkinson’s or a just severe caffeine withdrawal, and just like that, the meeting was over. I got to my feet with the rest of them, casting covert looks around as I tried to remember where my office was. But first thing’s first. I saw Jamie’s dark hair bobbing his way out into the hall, and I made a bee-line for him, unintentionally/intentionally side-stepping Michael as he crossed toward me through the crowd.

  “Jamie?” I called tentatively.

  He stopped outside a closed office door and waited patiently as I hurried over in my unforgiving shoes. When I finally got there, breathless and shook with nerves, he offered me a gracious smile. “It’s Katie, right?”

  “About that…”

  He pushed open the door, and I followed him inside, closing it carefully behind me. His office was nearly identical to mine, save for the dozens of pictures all around the room of him smiling with his arm around an equally smiling woman. They were a cute couple, I thought. Both attractive, in an approachable sort of way, both glowing with obvious love.

  I gestured with an ice-breaking grin. “She’s pretty.”

  His face softened automatically as he followed my gaze. “Stacy. She’s a middle school teacher—we’ve been together six years.” The smile lingered as he pushed up his glasses and settled behind his chair. “Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  I sank into a chair across from him, stiff with guilt. Where did I begin? Was that to be my first and last meeting at Larchwood? Had I blown it already? Maybe I should have taken Michael up on that wink.

  “Katie’s not coming,” I began quietly. Despite his kind demeanor, I was having trouble meeting his eyes.

  “Uh-huh, yeah, I guessed that.” He was trying not to laugh. “Want to tell me why?”

  Just relax, Jen. You deserve this. No matter how you did it, you deserve to be here.

  I lifted my chin and tried for that blast of confidence that had gotten me in the door. “She couldn’t take the pressure. Said she hated finance. Her fiancé left her and she was headed back to California.” I paused, editing, and wondering how much to admit. Jamie seemed like a good guy, but he was established here while I…was an imposter by every definition of the word. “I met her in the bathroom on her way out. I was on my way in.”

  He studied me over the tops of his glasses and my heart froze in my chest. He may have a fresh, youthful air about him, but he was a shark just like the rest. You had to be if you worked in a place like this.

  “You were on your way in to do what?”

  I gulped. “To interview for an assistant’s position with Patti Macer. She asked if I was her help from California and I…”

  “…you just did what any of the rest of us would do.”

  My head snapped up, and I saw his eyes were sparkling. “Jenna, right?” I nodded. “Jenna, I’m the inter-office liaison—you know what that means?”

  I nodded again. It meant that he had risen impossibly fast to a position of great importance considering his age. It also meant he had the power to fire me.

  “Where did you go to school?”

  The question surprised me, and my resume—which I’d been chanting to myself for the last four weeks—rose to the surface of my brain.

  “Princeton, then Harvard Business School. Followed by an eighteen-month internship with Goldman Sachs.”

  “You left Goldman Sachs,” he looked surprised, “why?”

  I looked him evenly in the eyes. “Because I want to work here.”

  Even though it was clear my feminine charms wouldn’t work on a guy so happily taken; I could tell my soft-spoken honesty moved him. He studied me another moment before suddenly asking,

  “How did China open in the market today?”

  “Hong Kong or Shanghai?”

  His mouth twitched. “Both.”

  “Up eight and up seven, respectively.”

  “What was Larchwood’s total net gain last quarter?”

  “Four point seven. Best in nine years.”

  “And the Central American dropout?”

  “Due mostly to experimental weather patterns and some bad Shakira concerts, nothing worth noting.”

  His eyes sparkled again. “And why do you want to work here?”

  “Because this is as big as it gets.” It was impossible to keep the hunger from my voice. “I want this, I’m qualified, and I know I can handle it.”

  There was a brief pause at the end of this statement. He regarded me quietly for a moment before logging into his computer. I leaned forward slightly in my chair even though the screen was pointed away from me. Was he alerting security? Throwing me from the building?

  “Katie McGill no longer exists in our records. As far as myself, and the rest of the company is concerned, you are exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

  My jaw literally dropped open as I watched him typing at the speed of light. Sharks doing sharks favors? This had to be some kind of anomaly.

  “You allergic to anything?”

  I blinked. “What?”

  He shrugged and continued typing. “They don’t really care.”

  The next second, the printer was whirling away and my brand new employment forms came shooting out at me. He handed them over the desk, pointing at various sections as he spoke.

  “Badge, benefits, base salary, stock options. If you’re stupid enough to own a car in this city, I’m sure we have a parking program, but I wouldn’t know how to help you.”

  I looked at the papers in shock. It was all here. The makings of my new life. I’d only gotten them two years early. “Jamie…” How did I even begin? “I don’t know what to—”

  “Don’t mention it. But if I find the real Katie McGill tied up in a closet somewhere, you get a four-second head start, then I call the cops. Understood?”

  “Understood.” I couldn’t keep a breathless sort of laughter from my voice as I stood up to go. “And thank you, really. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t thank me just yet.” He leaned back in his chair with a wink. “Wait until you see what you’ve gotten yourself in for.”

  As it turned out, Jamie was absolutely right. It took me thirty minutes just to read through a one-page document enough times that I was sure I completely understood it. And that was only the first in a three-inch stack. By the time the lunch hour rolled around, I pushed back my chair with an exhausted sigh. My eyes were throbbing, and I felt like I’d absorbed enough information to start my own company from the ground up if I so desired. Mentally fatigued and emotionally raw, I joined the swarm of people heading for the elevators down to the lobby. The only comfort I had was that I wasn’t the only who had that vague, zombie look about them. Broken blood vessels and deep purple bruises beneath the eyes littered the elevator, always accompanied by that hyped up, jittery, caffeine-talk that was always a little too fast and too high. I wondered if I was doing it as well.

  I was co
nsidering this with a frown as I poured into the lobby with the rest of them. In fact, I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize someone was talking to me until I felt a tap on the shoulder. Surprised, I looked up again into the grinning face of Michael Larchwood.

  “It’s Jenna, right?”

  I lost myself a moment in those chocolate eyes before nodding quickly. “Jenna Harks.”

  He extended a hand for an unnecessary introduction. “Michael Larchwood.”

  “I know who you are.” I politely returned his smile but kept the handshake brief. The last thing I needed on my first day was to be labeled as the new office flirt.

  Michael, however, had other plans. His thumb stroked innocently across my knuckles before he finally released me. “So how’s your first day treating you?”

  I tried to keep up my guard, but it was incredibly difficult to do considering both my level of mental strain and the undeniable charm oozing from the guy standing across from me.

  “It’s…challenging. I’ve come at a busy time,” I replied, before quickly adding, “but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  His laugh echoed off the glass walls, earning us a dozen half-hidden stares from across the lobby. “I bet. Well, why don’t you let me take you out to lunch, and you can tell me all about it.” He smiled winningly. “First day treat.”

  I briefly considered. Would it be a bad call to decline lunch from the boss’ son? To shut the door on dining with a Larchwood in a company where people were fighting tooth and nail to advance? But I felt a hundred eyes on me from all over the lobby and took a deliberate step back.