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

  The Billionaire’s Masquerade

  Betting on You Series

  Book Two

  By Jeannette Winters

  Author Contact:

  website: www.JeannetteWinters.com

  email: [email protected]

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/Jeannette.Winters.3

  Twitter:@JWintersauthor

  Copyright

  The Billionaire’s Masquerade copyright 2015 by Jeannette Winters

  An original work by Jeannette Winters

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art provided by Trevino Creative

  http://www.trevinocreative.com

  Dedication

  I am grateful for everyone who was part of this wonderful process.

  My beta readers Karen Lawson, Renita Lofton McKinney, Cynthia Pak, and Tina Brimlow.

  Also a special thank you to Julie O'Leary Hennessey and Wendy Falciano Sferrazza for all those lunch dates and late night brainstormings. Hope neither of you called your husband Trent by mistake!

  My editors: Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock and Marion from Making Manuscripts.

  To my sister, Author Ruth Cardello, and Melanie Hanna for their patience and endless support and Nicole Sanders at Trevino Creative for my beautiful covers.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  “Ms. Manning, Mr. Davis is—”

  “Jill, it’s the same message as the last two times Mr. Davis called.” Elaine Manning didn’t even give her admin time to finish her sentence. It was his third call in three days. When will he get the hint? “Please inform him I’m unavailable to take his call and offer to take a message. I don’t care how many times he calls; this is to be your standard response. Whatever he has to say can be relayed through you.”

  She thought she’d made her lack of interest to get to know him very clear when he had invited himself to her business lunch with Mr. Vinchi three weeks ago. As she tried to keep the topic on business, Trent Davis seemed focused on one thing at that time: to get know her on a personal level. His questions became even more intimate once Mr. Vinchi excused himself early and left the two of them alone. His constant focus hadn’t escaped her notice.

  With some men she may have considered allowing that lunch to end with the sweetest of desserts. However, Trent’s reputation was well-known, and she was not going to be a notch on his belt, no matter how physically attracted she was to him. As long as she wasn’t alone with him again, there was no risk of her losing the battle and letting desire take control. Just because he’s been voted the “Sexiest Man Alive” two years in a row doesn’t mean I’m going to fall into his trap. Charming smile and hot ass be damned, I’m not going to give him the time of day.

  Not taking his calls was the best defense in this situation. When she did not hear any confirmation from Jill, she added, “And if he leaves a message, don’t even waste my time. You can just file it in the trash can with the rest of them. Are we clear on my instructions?” she asked.

  Instead of the “Yes, Ms. Manning,” she expected, Elaine heard a deep husky voice in the background. “Inform Ms. Manning I have cleared my scheduled for her today and would hope she could do the same for me. I will be sitting here waiting patiently until she is free.”

  Though they’d only had one prior encounter, she could tell there was nothing about his tone that said patient. Agitated? Yes. Frustrated? Yes. But patient? No way. Any decent gentleman would have heard her comments over the intercom and left quietly. But Trent was not what one would call a gentleman. Her options were limited, and no matter how great Jill was at her job, she was no match for someone like Trent.

  With a deep breath and a long exhale, she said, “Jill, clear my calendar for the afternoon, and inform Mr. Davis I will be with him shortly.”

  It wasn’t really a lie. It may appear as though her calendar was already clear, but she had a full afternoon planned. Not only was she still covering for her accounting manager, Lizette Burke, and had been for the past two weeks, but her years of experience in human services had shown her anything that can go wrong always goes wrong on a Friday afternoon. Thankfully, Lizette, in her usual way, had everything up-to-date before her abrupt and surprising departure. She was such a reliable and hardworking girl but desperately in need of the break. Elaine only needed to cover the day-to-day basic journal entries. Everything else could wait until Lizette returned to work. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be returning to Rhode Island. There had been a lot of changes this past month, and they seemed to start when Mr. Jon Vinchi agreed to be their new corporate sponsor. Though still grateful for his financial support, there was the one major stipulation with the sponsorship that troubled her. Lizette would continue to handle her accounting duties for Another Chance, but now from his office building in New York. Until then, Elaine had thought Trent and his friend Jon were as different as night and day. However, she realized they shared a few similar traits after all: both were controlling and manipulative.

  With her recent experiences she knew one thing—she couldn’t predict anything regarding Trent’s unexpected visit today. Not only did she not have time, but she didn’t want to be in his arrogant presence any longer than need be.

  Elaine took her time finishing the last few entries, hit save, and closed her laptop. She would have loved to stretch out her duties longer and make his so-called charming self wait for hours, but he was not a man you wanted to play games with. He was a man used to getting everything he wanted, and from what she’d read, anything he couldn’t obtain, he crushed. Yes, putting him in an irritable mood was unwise. She might as well get it over with. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was almost noon, which meant she really had no choice but to ask him to join her for lunch.

  I could invite him to that awful restaurant on Third Avenue, but that means I’d have to eat there too. Maybe that Italian place, Antonio’s, would be a better choice.

  Picking up her purse, she headed out of her office to meet the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

>   He was exactly as she’d pictured him, every hair on his head in place and dressed in a Brooks Brothers designer suit. Oh yes, exactly the way she remembered him. Absolutely gorgeous. Problem was, he knew it. He was sitting, leaning back in the waiting area, engrossed in some article in the National Enquirer. Maybe it was the one on page five—the one she knew was all about him. He didn’t look up so she said, “Mr. Davis, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

  Very slowly he closed the magazine then responded, “Glad to see you were able to clear your very busy schedule and make time for me today.” He smiled.

  She didn’t miss the sarcasm, but Elaine found it best not to feed his challenge. Oh please let this visit be short. Forcing a smile in return, she offered, “I was just about to have lunch. Would you like to join me?” Turning to Jill she said, “Call my cell phone if anything urgent comes up.”

  Trent stood and said as though quoting Shakespeare, “Whither thou goest, I goest, dear maiden.”

  Jill chuckled at his comment. The tabloids were right—he definitely had a way with the ladies. How Elaine wished she could tell him where to “goest” and take that charm and smile with him. If she was correct about the intention of his surprise visit today, then he was in for the shock of his life, because she wasn’t easily impressed. Shaking her head to rid herself of his comment, she headed through of the waiting area and out the building. She expected to see a limo parked in front, but to her surprise she saw a black Lamborghini with New York license plates. This had to be his personal car; she’d never seen a rental like this.

  “We’ll take my car. I had other business in the area so I thought this would be a perfect time for me to stop in.” He opened the door for her, and she reluctantly slipped into the passenger’s seat. When he seated himself in the driver’s seat he asked, “Where to?”

  Other business here? How stupid does he think I am? There is nothing anywhere close that would bring him here on business. No, she knew exactly why he was here, and it had nothing to do with business. She would humor him for now, but she had absolutely no intention of giving him what he wanted. After lunch she hoped he would get the hint: she was not interested. “It’s only a few blocks from here. I can give you directions as we go.”

  The car was just like its owner: showy, egotistic, and sexy as hell. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from enjoying riding in an Aventador Lamborghini. People were always surprised when she spent a Saturday night at a classic car show. It was one thing that didn’t change; no matter where she traveled in the country she could always find a car show. Of course this was no classic, however she couldn’t help but be impressed with the car. Her own car was a manual stick shift, but this had six gears. The manufacturer normally only produced this model in automatic. His choice of a manual shift said volumes. He gets things the way he wants. Any other time she would have loved to ask questions about the car, but she didn’t want to feed his exaggerated ego more than necessary. She would, however, go home and Google the specs on this luxury vehicle.

  Within minutes they had arrived at Antonio’s. Fridays were normally busy, but it was still early, and they’d have no problems getting a table. When they entered, the hostess took them to a table not far from the door. Trent shook his head and pointed to another table on the far side of the room. There were many tables to choose from, but he chose one dimly lit and definitely set for a more romantic luncheon. And so it begins. Rolling her eyes, she followed silently behind the hostess.

  Once seated, Trent said, “I’m glad you could pull yourself from your work long enough to meet with me today. I was beginning to believe you were avoiding me.” Her only response was a smile. “Were you avoiding me?” His tone suggested he already knew the answer.

  “Mr. Davis, why would I avoid you? We do not have a personal or professional relationship. The question really should be: what is so important you felt the need to interrupt my busy workday?” If he thought he could intimidate her or make her uncomfortable, he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

  “First, call me Trent. Second, I have a proposition for you, one that couldn’t wait.”

  “Mr. Davis, we can cut this lunch meeting very short. You’ve wasted your time. I’m not interested in hearing any proposition you might have,” she stated firmly.

  Trent laughed and said with a suggestive smile, “I highly doubt that, but that discussion is for another day. Today I’m here with a business proposition.”

  “If you recall when we met a few weeks ago, Another Chance already has a corporate sponsor. Your friend Jon is sponsoring us through Vinchi Medical Engineering.”

  “I’m not here about your work at Another Chance. I want you to work for me.”

  Elaine couldn’t stop the soft laugh that escaped her. No way in hell would I work for you. The two companies were vastly different. Another Chance was all about helping those most in need. Davis Enterprises preyed upon those in need. Not at the individual level, but the lasting effects of what he did to corporations he acquired had a ripple effect that could even be felt in her community. She wanted no part of it. “Your company is not the type of business I would be interested in working with or for, Mr. Davis. What Davis Enterprises does is one of the reasons agencies like Another Chance are so badly needed. We pick up the pieces you leave behind,” she said bluntly.

  “Ouch. Why don’t you say what you really feel about what I do?”

  Elaine wasn’t known for being shy. As head of Another Chance she had to fight for other’s rights. Never with one as powerful as Trent, but that wasn’t about to stop her. She would gladly run down the list of things about him and his company that made her sick.

  As she opened her mouth to speak, he raised his hand to stop her and said, “I’m not here about my personal business dealings.”

  Elaine sat and looked at him for a moment, trying to read him. It was impossible. Trent’s reputation as a corporate shark who attacked when least expected was one of the things that made him so damn successful. She had no intention of falling victim to it, but there was no way she would know what he was thinking unless he wanted her to know. Not that she really wanted to know, yet she asked anyway. “Then tell me what business you are talking about, if not your own?”

  “How would you feel about taking what you do at Another Chance globally?”

  She was not sure she’d heard him correctly. Take Another Chance globally? That was impossible. Another Chance was only a small not-for-profit agency. Since starting almost ten years ago, the company had grown substantially, but it was mostly due to the increased need in the community. Now with the new sponsor backing, they were all set to continue their work at the local level, but there was no way the agency could go global. What he was suggesting would take a substantial amount of backing. Perhaps he thinks this will be my Achilles heel, and I will fall for the rich guy who is really a warm-hearted philanthropist. Money didn’t impress her, and any man who thought so made her angry. It was her pleasure to set him straight. “I think you need to do your homework, Mr. Davis. Another Chance is not set up or capable of going global. What we do here is at the community level only.”

  “I’m not talking about Another Chance. I’m talking about the type of work you do here, but you’d do it for a different agency on a global level.”

  Different agency? “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “You will find I don’t joke about business. That is the one thing I take extremely seriously.”

  She didn’t doubt that. Working for him still didn’t appeal to her, but helping others was her passion. For now she would listen to what he had to offer, then decline. “You’ve piqued my interest. Tell me more about this so-called agency of yours.”

  Trent reached into the breast pocket of his designer suit jacket, pulled out some folded papers, and put them on the table. “Before we discuss this any further, I will need you to sign a confidentially statement.”

  Hoping he would give more of an explanatio
n as to what was really going on, she didn’t reach for the papers on the table. She’d dealt with many professionals yet had never been required to sign such a document for a casual conversation, especially one over lunch. When his expression hadn’t changed she said, more a statement than a question, “You are serious.”

  His only response was a short nod. Then she picked up the papers and read through them very carefully. He was not the only one at the table who took business seriously. Once convinced this was exactly what he stated it to be, she signed it and slid it across the table to him. “Mr. Davis, this just might be the most interesting lunch I have had in a long time. Now tell me more about this mysterious agency.”

  Trent put the signed papers back in his pocket. “Have you ever heard of Takes One?” Elaine shook her head. “Well, that is what we like to hear and how we strive to keep it. Takes One is made up of only four individuals: Jon Vinchi, Ross Whitman, Drew Navarro, and me. We meet monthly to determine which person, agency, or area is in the greatest need and make a one-time anonymous cash donation. We have been doing this for just over five years now, but as you are well aware, the need is growing, and we are looking for one person who can handle the challenge of taking this globally.”

  Elaine sat, silently shocked about what he was telling her. Everything she read about him never hinted he was involved in anything like this. It wasn’t uncommon for people of wealth to donate or sponsor nonprofit agencies, but he was not known for either. There must be more to this than he is letting on. “Takes One makes a donation to save the world. Then you leave self-satisfied, thinking you’ve helped them, but then what? Don’t you follow up? I didn’t think you were so naïve. That is like putting on a Band-Aid and ripping it off again before the wound heals, gets infected, or leaves a scar.” Judging by his raised eyebrows, she had his attention, though she realized her tone and words had been more of an accusation. Not exactly what she’d been going for, but she’d made her point. What do you expect, Mr. Davis? I’m passionate about helping those in need. Elaine cleared her throat and continued in a softer voice. “Trent, the money is not an issue for the four of you. What’s really behind Takes One?”