The billionaire's wife

Chapter 5

After the collapse of her father, all his business associates and friends abandoned him, but Himena apparently managed to preserve some of her friendships. On the list of her acquaintances was the daughter of a senator and two extremely powerful lawyers. I still do not know how she found out about your case, but I am still waiting for some calls. "Rick flipped through the papers and found a photo of the Levy family from happy times. They were standing on the deck of an expensive yacht. Martha, thin as a branch, stood in front, her two smiling daughters, in one-piece bathing suits, to her right. Despite the fact that Himena's hair was raised in a ponytail, at the moment when the photo was taken, her wild curls fell over her eye. Jordan is obviously much younger than Himena and is just as skinny as her mother. Their father Harris, at least twenty pounds overweight, stood next to his wife with his arm slung over her shoulder. Photos can be deceiving, Rick thought, remembering a similar picture from his family album. His father stood next to his wife with his hand on her shoulder, while she sat in the armchair, tense and nervous but still smiling. Rick remembered exactly the day that photo was taken. He quarreled with his father because he told him that he wanted to volunteer over the summer. Edmund did not even want to hear that his son was working for someone, especially not without financial compensation. He believed that education was necessary only for Rick to have something to brag about in front of his friends. However, that hateful three-letter word, work, was something that was not allowed to be uttered, at least as long as he was leading the main word in the family. "And I thought my family was weird," Rick whispered. "Miss Levy has obviously outdone you in this." There was nothing good about the two of them competing. "Where does she live now?" "In a rented house in Tarzana." "Does she have a roommate?" "I did not find out." "And is there a boyfriend?" Mitch looked at him in surprise. "I did not even ask for that information, but if you are so interested, I will try to find it." At that moment, Mitch's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the number printed on the screen. "They are telling me something about her sister," he explained before calling. As Mitch talked on the phone, Rick studied the list of names on the paper he held in his hand. Himena obviously had a lot of friends. He wondered if some of them had helped her financially after her father's collapse. He was startled by a loud whistle that Mitch dropped into the phone. "Okay, thanks," he said and hung up. "What is it?" "Miss Levy is really burning under her feet. That is why she desperately needs a job with you. ”

“ Is it? Why? ”

“ Her sister is in the moonlight. It is a luxury institution for handicapped patients, which means that Himena has to pay them a hefty sum every year. If my source is to be believed, that amount is six digits. ”Rick frowned spontaneously. "And no one is helping Miss Levy with that payment?" Mitch shook his head. "I did not find any information about that. Her friends may be hiring her, but there is no evidence that she gets money from any source other than her own business. ”A job that Rick has already studied in detail and knows all about. "Interesting." "So, what is Himena like?" This was Mitch's first personal question. Rick imagined her alabaster skin and determined expression. Her seductive, velvety voice rang in his ears. Hell, it was enough just to remember him and want to hear him again. "She is all focused on work," Rick told his assistant. "You would like it.Keeping things under control was Himena's basic motto. As soon as Rick Slotter invited her and suggested that they meet for dinner during which he would discuss the candidates she had sent him, Himena immediately began to work out all possible scenarios. It is possible that he recognized one of the women she proposed to him, or he may have managed to find out their last names. She deliberately left them out so that her clients would evaluate the candidates according to their education and qualities, and not according to the families they come from. She herself felt on her own skin what it is like when others evaluate you according to your parents' actions. After the collapse of her family, she even thought about changing her last name and hair color. She did not do that, but that is why she moved to the West Coast and stayed away from the media for a long time. Fortunately, the tabloid's attention to her fate was short-lived; as soon as a new scandal surfaced, the breakdown of her family was forgotten. By settling next to Hollywood, someone else has always been the focus of interest. The last time the paparazzi photographed her was at her mother's funeral, and since then they have stopped being interested in her. If she was an enchanting beauty prone to scandals and wild parties, journalists would probably continue to follow her. However, she hid and started dressing like an old settler, which completely repelled them. So what did Rick Slotter want to talk about? He may have already consulted with his lawyer, so he needed some more information about the candidates, which she did not provide. Ever since she started doing this job, she has taken care of every, even the smallest detail. She paid her taxes regularly - Thank you, Dad! - she did not owe a single cent to anyone and always kept her contacts in strict secrecy. Everything she did was transparent. All the checks she conducted, either alone or with the help of private detectives, were completely legal. By the way, she always turned to only females for information. Far from thinking that women were operated on from illegal activities, she simply did not trust men. Many have let her down. In fact, she could not remember anyone who had not stabbed her in the back. The sun was still shining brightly as she drove to a luxury restaurant. She left the engine running and got out of her sedan so he could park it. She thanked him and watched him take the wheel and move the car just a few steps away. Her old GMC protruded in the parking lot where the gleaming bodies of Mercedes, Cadillacs, and Lexus shone. Himena stepped into the cool interior of the restaurant and inhaled the pleasant smell of garlic and herbs. Two years ago, she last date at a five-star restaurant, when her two newly married clients treated her to dinner. By the way, she stopped going to luxury places a long time ago, but she still missed some of them. In fact, she missed that sometimes she ate something more delicious than a dish preheated in a microwave oven or Chinese food bought along the way. Before she could address the hostess of the restaurant, a man approached her. "Miss Levy?" Strangely, he did not wear a uniform like the rest of the staff. Maybe he was the director. "Yes?" "Mr. Slotter is expecting you." He must be the manager, Himena thought and followed the elegantly dressed man who led her to a completely separate booth overlooking the ocean. Seeing her, Rick Slotter got up and went to meet her. Like the first time, Rick was immaculately dressed. An expensive, dark suit and a snow-white shirt fit his sculpted, tanned body perfectly. That man simply dominated his appearance. As he measured her, a barely visible smile flickered on his lips. Himena chose a simple but elegant dress, not too ordinary, but not one in which she could appear at the Oscars. Judging by the expression on his face, he obviously liked it. She did not wear it to flatter him, but not to stray from this luxurious place. When their eyes crossed, a pleasant heat flowed down her spine. "You are late," he told her in a provocative tone, alluding to what she had first told him during their previous meeting. She started to answer him, but immediately closed her mouth. "Shower." He smiled at her. "I was free to order wine. I hope you do not mind. ”He let her pass him and waited for her to settle in the booths, and only then did he reach for the ice bucket behind his back. Himena watched him as he poured her golden-yellow liquid into an elegant crystal glass, concentrating on staring at him. "Are we celebrating something?" "Maybe," he said and poured the wine into his glass. She wanted to immediately ask him which candidate he had chosen but still refrained. Of course, he had not decided, since he had not met any of them yet. Rick raised his glass and waited for her to do the same. "Toast to our successful business relationship." As she reached for her glass, Himena felt a slight shiver shake her. There was something strange about the way Rick pronounced the word relationship. After they knocked, Himena took a sip of wine and then placed her hands on her lap so that her palms would not be seen trembling, on the basis of which he could sense her feelings. "I hope you enjoyed the ride so far. . ”OK, so she will not start the job conversation she had hoped for. Instead of insisting, Himena continued in a relaxed style. "It is always hard to break through Ocean Boulevard at dinner time." "Thank you for agreeing to come here." "I admit I was surprised by the choice of restaurant. I always thought a less formal place was more appropriate for a business meeting.", she wanted to add. Rick settled more comfortably. His outrageously irresistible look deconcentrated her to such an extent that she almost forgot why she came at all. When you have such a man in front of you, it is not difficult to succumb to his charm and enchanting smile. "I am not in the habit of inviting pretty women to cheap bars." Uh, it is time to chase the water to his mill. Himena knew very well that she was not beautiful. Okay, it could be said that she is attractive, but she certainly did not belong to the category of women whose beauty could attract the attention of men like Rick. "You are very polite, Mr. Slotter, but you are wasting your charm on me in vain. Him, I hope you were able to look at the candidate files sent to you by my assistant. ”His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Himena swallowed the dumpling and folded her arms on her lap. But instead of looking away, she deliberately looked him in the eyes, her lips pursed. The unpleasant tension was interrupted by a young waiter who approached their table at that moment. While listing the house's specialties, Himena opened the menu. Although this restaurant was too expensive for her pocket, business etiquette dictated that she pay the bill for her client. She chose a grilled swordfish and a salad, trying not to worry about prices. She will pay by credit card and pray to God that the bank does not deduct that amount from her before she charges for her services from Mr. Slotter. After the waiter took the order and walked away from the table, Rick asked her, "Tell me, Himena, why do you think I am wasting my charm on you in vain?" He said her name softly and warmly as if she were his mistress, not a businesswoman. associate. There was an admixture of a British accent in his speech, which certainly matched his title of duke. "Because we are here to talk business. Let me remind you, you should choose one of the three candidates from my agency's offer, "she said. "I do not see how charming me could contribute to your choice." "Does everything have to be seen through a business prism?" "I have to." In her world, that was perfectly normal. "Even when it comes to your private life?" He leaned toward her and only then did Himena notice that she was not wearing a tie. As his top two buttons were unbuttoned, her gaze was drawn to his bronze skin visible through the slit of his shirt. "We are not here to talk about my private life." The fact that you demonstrated great knowledge of my private life this morning made me inquire a little deeper about yours. ”Himena was afraid of his condemnation. She never tried to hide her past, but there was always a chance that she would lose her client at the expense of her father's sins. "It is not difficult to inquire about me at all, Mr. Slotter. It does not require a deeper analysis. "

" I thought we agreed that you would address me as Rick. "Stop persevering and talk about relationships. This is not going well, Himena thought, and took a few sips of wine, wishing she had a stronger drink in her glass instead of wine. "My father did something terrible, after which my mother acted cowardly. But the two of them do not paint me or my job, Rick. ”

“ I did not mean that. ”She did not like the way she sounded like she was defending herself, nor did she like his compassionate expression. “You deliberately left out the surnames of those women. I want to know why. ”Oh, great, we are going back to work. "I am not the only one whose parents tarnished her last name. I concluded that origins can significantly disrupt relationships between people, even when it comes to business relationships. I only provided you with the names of these women so that something like this would not happen. " "What does that mean? That all three have too rich parents or are they the daughters of convicted criminals? ”

“ None of that. All three come from normal families and do not depend on them, at least not financially, and that is exactly why they are looking for a safe haven, not love. ”Rick turned the glass between his fingers. Himena watched him and only wondered for a second how she would feel if those hands crossed her arms and thighs.