Singapore Fling with the Millionaire

by Michelle Douglas

  She wondered if she’d ever met anyone with such perfect posture. This was a woman who could seriously rock a little black suit.

  Wow. Just...wow. This was the woman who had raised Jamie? She swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat. The woman was so cold.

  Jamie leaned forward and kissed his mother’s cheek. But there was no embrace. She couldn’t imagine Denise hugging anyone.

  ‘What are you doing in Singapore, Mother?’

  Exactly. Wasn’t Denise supposed to be retired?

  ‘The board is organising a coup, James. After your ridiculous interview aired earlier this week, Claude Richardson decided to challenge you for the position of CEO. If you don’t do something immediately, for the first time in the company’s history a Cooper-Ford will not be at the helm of Molto Arketa, and that’s not something I’m going to allow to happen.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘WOULD THAT BE such a bad thing?’ Christy asked, glancing from Denise to Jamie. Their twin expressions of horror had her backtracking swiftly. ‘Uh-huh, so that’s a yes, then. And, I mean, obviously it’d suck if you couldn’t make the changes you want to make to the company, Jamie.’

  Suck? Had she really just used the word suck in front of Denise Cooper-Ford?

  She forged on, hoping to cover her slip. ‘We both know they’re long overdue, but—’

  ‘It’s pushing for these changes that’s landed us in this pickle in the first place!’ Denise glared at her son. ‘How could you have been so reckless, James? I’m beyond furious.’

  Christy had to bite back a torrent of indignation on Jamie’s behalf. Denise should be...

  Darn it, she should be proud of Jamie!

  Denise paced, and Christy turned to Jamie. ‘All I meant is that you’re still the major shareholders, right? You’re not going to be thrown out on the street or become destitute or anything like that. And you can keep advocating for the changes you want.’

  Something in his eyes lightened and she could’ve sworn he was about to smile. ‘That’s very true. And—’

  ‘I refuse to listen to talk like that!’ Denise whirled to face them. ‘I will not allow you to walk away without a fight, James. You might’ve forgotten the promise you made your father, but I haven’t.’

  Before her eyes, Jamie retreated behind an impenetrable wall, becoming cold and remote. Her heart ached for him.

  ‘Nobody is talking about walking away,’ he said.

  Denise—his mother... She was horrible!

  Earlier today Jamie had been enthralled by Christy’s childhood stories about growing up with her mother—their days at the beach, their impromptu dance parties, their expeditions into the city to window-shop and then picnic in Hyde Park or the Botanic Gardens. There hadn’t been a whole lot of money when she’d been growing up, but there had been a lot of warmth. From what she could see, Jamie had grown up with a lot of wealth and no warmth whatsoever. She wouldn’t change places with him for the world. No wonder her simple stories had held him so fascinated.

  Her throat ached. She wished she’d told him more stories now—about Christmases and slumber parties and movie nights. She wished she could share every good thing she’d ever experienced with him.

  Jamie deserved warmth and love. He deserved to know he was cared for and—

  Her heart suddenly stuttered and her mouth dried. Jamie deserved love, sure, but...

  She swallowed. She hadn’t gone and done the ridiculous, had she? Attraction was one thing, but...love?

  Of course not. The idea was crazy.

  She swallowed the rock lodged in her throat. ‘I guess this means you’ll be heading back to New York.’ Her heart plummeted at the thought. But that didn’t mean she was in love with Jamie.

  Denise slammed to a halt. ‘Absolutely not. We’re not returning to New York until we have a game plan.’ Cold eyes skewered Christy to the spot. ‘And you, my dear, are going to be a part of that plan.’

  Ice slid down her spine. Her?

  Jamie’s head jerked up. ‘You’ll leave Christy and Beach Monday out of this. She won’t sell unless I can assure her that MA is serious about implementing more progressive strategies and programmes. What’s more, I don’t blame her and have no intention of trying to change her mind.’

  Wow. All he needed was a white charger.

  ‘Our negotiations will have to be put on hold until we see how all of this plays out.’

  The shock on Denise’s face had Christy wondering if he’d ever stood up to her so forcefully before.

  ‘What I want to know—’ he slammed his hands to his hips ‘—is what you’re doing embroiled in all of this mess anyway. I realise—’ his nostrils flared ‘—that it’s probably escaped your notice, but last time I checked you’d retired.’

  ‘James, I—’

  ‘Is one heart attack not enough for you? Are you seriously courting another?’

  Christy decided in the interests of tact that now might be a good time to beat a hasty retreat. ‘It’s obvious the two of you have a lot to discuss. I’ll say goodnight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jamie.’

  With that she turned and fled. She couldn’t have fallen in love with Jamie. She couldn’t!

  * * *

  A text pinged her phone the following morning. Christy pulled it out of her bag with so much haste she nearly dropped it. Jamie.

  Where are you?

  She texted back.

  Gardens by the Bay.

  Meet me in the grove of Supertrees in fifteen mins?

  She sent back a thumbs-up emoji.

  When she saw him thirteen minutes later the lines of strain around his mouth and the exhaustion fanning out from his eyes had her wanting to throw her arms around him and hug him.

  She didn’t. Yesterday she’d been prepared to do so much more than hug him, but in the cool light of dawn—after a mostly sleepless night, and despite the protestations of her heart and the outcry from her body—she knew it would’ve been a mistake.

  Lewis had slept with her, made promises to her, and then shamelessly taken advantage of her before discarding her without a backward glance. Jamie was a hundred times the man Lewis was, and her every instinct proclaimed it. It didn’t change the fact it’d be the height of foolishness to allow her own judgement to become coloured by her growing feelings for the man. Jamie and MA weren’t one and the same. And while she might view Jamie through rose-coloured glasses, she couldn’t afford to do that with MA. If it were just her...

  But it wasn’t. She had women in remote communities relying on her. The partnerships she’d forged were too important to jeopardise. She would not allow all of her hard work to be destroyed.

  She gripped her hands together to stop from reaching for him. ‘How are you? I can only imagine the night you’ve had.’

  He waved that away as if it were of no consequence. ‘I wanted to make sure you were okay. After yesterday...at the beach. I mean...’ He shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘If my mother hadn’t been at the apartment when we’d got back...’

  She nodded. ‘We’d have woken up this morning in the same bed,’ she agreed. She moistened suddenly dry lips and tried to ignore the clamour of her blood. ‘Jamie, I—’

  ‘You’re going to say we were saved from making a mistake.’

  He glanced away as he said the words and her heart started to race. ‘I wish I could make myself feel it’d be a mistake.’ She sighed, finding a shady spot on the lawn and sitting on the grass. Above them the Supertrees rose up in all of their strange New Age majesty, making her feel disoriented like Alice in Wonderland or as if she were in a science-fiction fairy tale.

  After a moment’s hesitation, he sat too and she realised he wasn’t wearing his suit. She was glad. ‘But?’ he prompted, forcing her mind back on track.

  ‘I just think our timing is really bad.’ She p
ressed her hands together and then turned to him. ‘I like you, Jamie.’ It was as much as she was prepared to verbally admit. ‘But the business decisions I have to make need to be separate from that.’

  ‘And you don’t want to get the two confused—the personal with the professional.’

  ‘And I don’t want either of us feeling hurt at whatever decisions we do eventually come to.’

  For no reason at all she recalled the speed with which he’d kiboshed his mother’s attempts to co-opt Christy to the cause yesterday. Jamie had protected her—championed her. He’d refused to take advantage of her.

  ‘If our negotiations were at an end...’ She trailed off with a shrug, feeling heat mount her cheeks.

  Finally he shot her a wry smile. ‘If I’m not careful I’m going to be in danger of getting my priorities wrong. I’ve started hoping you’d sign the contract and take up the offered design position in New York, just so I can see you again—find a way to date you.’

  Her heart leapt into her throat. ‘Dating the boss?’ Her voice came out ridiculously husky.

  ‘Not ideal,’ he agreed with a heavy sigh.

  And yet she found herself tempted to at least try and make such a situation work, despite the potential perils and pitfalls.

  But that would be getting ahead of herself. Which was something she couldn’t afford to do. It was time to change the subject. ‘Where’s your mother?’ What strings was Denise pulling this morning?

  ‘I left her at the medical clinic.’

  She stiffened. ‘Has she—?’

  ‘No.’ His lips lifted the tiniest fraction. ‘I refused to discuss any matters concerning MA with her until she had a doctor give her a clean bill of health and an assurance that intense business discussions wouldn’t harm her health further.’

  That made her laugh. ‘Good for you.’

  ‘She was forced to step back because of her health and she’s had a hard time reconciling herself to that fact. But I’m in charge now.’

  And he looked in charge too—confident, assured...powerful.

  Hot.

  Stop it!

  ‘At least—’ he rolled his eyes ‘—I’m still in charge at the moment.’

  She grimaced. ‘What’s the situation?’ She straightened. ‘Not that you have to tell me, of course. It’s probably confidential—’

  ‘I trust you, Christy. I know you wouldn’t betray my confidences. You have integrity, and I admire you for it.’

  His praise left her momentarily speechless.

  ‘At the moment it appears the board is split fifty-fifty in favour of me and Claude. The thing is I know the direction in which I’m trying to take the company is the right one. It’s the only possible way forward into the future.’

  His hands balled to fists and she sympathised with his frustration. His was the right way. He had the potential to make a significant impact on the world—one that would have a ripple effect on the rest of the industry. Jamie wanted to bring a social conscience to his company. He shouldn’t be hampered in such an endeavour. She wished she could slap some sense into his board of directors. She cleared her throat. Not literally, of course.

  ‘How does your mother think I can help you keep power at MA?’

  ‘Simply that if I sign you, it’ll be a feather in my cap—a plus sign on the tally sheet. Everyone knows Beach Monday is on the brink of serious success. Signing your company would be a coup, a triumph. Or as my mother puts it—a genius masterstroke they can’t possibly counter.’

  ‘Checkmate,’ she murmured to herself.

  ‘No!’ His voice was sharp. ‘There’s absolutely no guarantee that I can win the board’s vote of confidence, and I can’t pretend there is. If Claude does win the vote then nothing will change—all of my projected sustainability practices and social equity policies will be tossed out like so much garbage. And I won’t ask you to sacrifice Beach Monday on anything less than a sure thing.’

  The thought of what the likes of this Claude Richardson would do to her village co-ops made her shudder, but...

  ‘But what if I were to sign something agreeing to sell Beach Monday to MA on the proviso that you’re the CEO for the next...’ she shrugged ‘... I don’t know—five years?’

  His jaw slackened. He clenched it again a moment later. ‘I can’t allow you to do that.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s my company. I can do what I like with it.’

  ‘Christy, I—’

  ‘MA’s reach is so much bigger than mine could ever be. You have ten times more impact than I could ever hope to have. You can do good things, Jamie. And I have every faith in you that you will.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  Sandalwood and temptation danced around her. She blinked, trying to clear her head. ‘I’d want guarantees written into the contract protecting my current suppliers—promises to maintain links with the village co-ops. And I’d want a written guarantee that you’ll continue the work of the Beach Monday Foundation.’

  He suddenly grinned. ‘Considering that as far as I’m concerned they’re one of Beach Monday’s biggest selling points, then that won’t be a problem.’

  She found herself suddenly torn between cheering and bursting into tears. Had she really just agreed to sell Beach Monday?

  Oh, but think of all the good Jamie could do!

  ‘And I’d have to ask you not to make our deal public until I’ve had a chance to talk to my mother. I don’t want this coming as a bolt from the blue for her. Besides the fact she’s been unwell, she’s given me so much support through the years and I don’t want her to feel left out or not appreciated or to think that I’m treating her differently because she’s been ill.’

  He placed a hand over his heart. ‘You have my word.’

  She pulled in a breath and held out her hand. ‘Then it sounds like we have a deal.’

  * * *

  Christy took one look at Jamie’s face when she opened the door to him the following morning, sensed the fatigue he tried to hide, and wanted to tear Denise to pieces.

  She and Jamie had spent the rest of yesterday, after their short interlude in the grove of Supertrees, in his penthouse apartment thrashing out the fine print of their agreement before sending it off to their respective lawyers. Denise had shadowed their every move—questioning, interjecting, arguing and disputing at every opportunity. Until Christy’s head had started to throb. The woman had more stamina and persistence than a shark-sized wasp.

  Spending yesterday afternoon with her had told Christy all she needed to know about the other woman. Denise was obsessed with MA and it turned her into a relentless bully. Christy, thankfully, had been raised to stand up to bullies, and she refused to bow to the pressure Denise attempted to place on her. But it had been a ridiculously tiring exercise and being in Denise’s presence had forced her to call on her every reserve.

  And when he was in Denise’s presence, Jamie became a different man—cold, analytical, robotic. It was the side of him that made him such an effective businessman, but she hated it. He could be analytical and objective and still maintain his warmth and humanity.

  But staring at him now, she suspected that cold remoteness was the armour he needed to don when dealing with his mother. He looked exhausted. It brought home to her how lucky she’d been in her own mother.

  He needed a break—just a few hours would help him unwind and give him a chance to regroup.

  ‘Hey.’ She opened the door wider and ushered him in. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that my lawyer is drawing up the new contract as we speak and will send it off to yours this afternoon.’

  ‘Okay, well, mine has assured me she’ll fast-track it as soon as it hits her inbox. If everything is in order, we should be ready to sign it tomorrow.’

  She waited for a sense of relief to
hit her—relief that she’d finally come to a decision about the future—and kept right on waiting. Maybe that was due to her own exhaustion.

  She shrugged off the misgivings that had started to plague her. ‘What are your plans for the day?’

  ‘My mother wants to visit the Orchard Road store.’

  Poor Lien.

  ‘I was thinking of taking the ferry across to Batam for lunch. Want to join me?’

  ‘Batam? Why?’

  ‘So I can say I’ve been to Indonesia. It’s only an hour’s ferry ride.’ She sent him a grin. ‘And it seemed like a suitably whimsical thing to do. Whimsy is good for creativity.’

  He grinned as if her reasoning delighted him, but then it faded. ‘My mother expects me to escort her to the store.’

  If she thought for one moment that was what he wanted to do... ‘Oh, okay.’ She turned away with a shrug. ‘If that’s more important than quietening the sudden attack of nerves of the person you’re in negotiations with...’

  She could barely keep her face straight as she said the words, and the gleam in Jamie’s eye told her he knew it. ‘Give me half an hour.’

  * * *

  ‘You’re incorrigible, you know that?’ Jamie pulled his hat off his head and raked his fingers through his hair as their gleaming ferry set off for Batam.

  She grinned before turning to peer out of the window. Her whole body quivered with interest as she took in the view. They sat opposite one another—‘So we can both have window seats,’ Christy had said.

  The sparkling water and blues skies had a pent-up breath easing out of him. When he was with Christy, he found himself more aware of everything—more in tune with his environment—and in some crazy way it made him feel less solitary.

  ‘After yesterday, I figured we deserved a day off.’ She opened her mouth as if to say more, but closed it again.

  He had a fairly good idea what she’d wanted to say. ‘My mother is intense.’