THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET

Chapter 2

Charlie

I was fifteen minutes early for work which earned me a raised eyebrow from the lady at the front desk. Everybody had gotten used to me racing five minutes late. I knew if I wasn’t so good at my job, I would have been fired a long time ago. I rode the elevator with two interns who looked like teenagers but kept on ogling me. I rolled my eyes . My one principle was that I never slept around in the office. I loved my job so much and I had worked tooth and nail to get where I was.

“He’s here” mark announced and strode into my office. I checked my wristwatch. Prompt. Good. I hated waiting extra minutes or even hours for clients and getting all nervous. Mark was looking at me intently “you look beautiful, Charlie."

I nearly groaned. I wasn’t ready for Mark’s infatuation right now.

“Thank you, Mark. I’ve got to go” I raced out. Saved by work.

I and Mark had slept together once, the day before I started internship at the firm and realized he worked here too. He tried to make a move any chance he got, and I had to lay him off gently each time. If I’d asked him at the bar six years ago where he worked, we could have been saved a lot of trouble. Saved having a shadow. Saved his puppy dog’s pleading eyes. Saved awkward conversations with him. Summary, I avoided him like the plague. Once, I'd stalled in the bathroom for over half an hour to prevent spending my lunch break with him.

There was nothing wrong with Mark. He was pretty. Tawny hair with chocolate brown eyes, six feet one and well dressed. Bonus; he had money. The firm didn’t have a no fraternization policy. Something Mark had pointed out again and again. It was my own policy I was sticking to. Nobody else’s. And I wasn’t looking for a relationship. At least not with Mark. I felt nada for him. As I reached the conference room, I saw Cathleen marching out red faced. She turned to me and frowned “he’s an asshole. A hot asshole” then she stormed off.

I swallowed. I was used to dealing with the rich, cocky, assholes. I was assigned all those ones because I looked like a ball buster according to my boss. Of course, I knew my boss just wanted me to lose my temper, so he’d have a reason to get rid of me. I knew Harold felt like his position was threatened because of me.

He was right to feel threatened.

Clearing my throat and smoothing my hands down my pants, I walked into the conference room.

“You are ten minutes and seventeen seconds late. Your first fault is incompetence. I hope you aren’t as stupid as you are late." the six feet three man that stood at the glass window said.

“I guess you'll have to find out."

He whirled around surprised, the full force of his blue eyes hitting me. I took an involuntary step back. I’d worked for pretty men, I’d slept with hot men, Aaron and king were smokin’ but this man was as far from computer whiz as possible. Mr. Castarr was a demigod beautiful. He had a full head of copper colored hair that made me think about digging my fingers into his hair and running them through that soft looking mass. His shoulders were broad and clearly defined by his expensive tailored suit. And his mouth, dear God his mouth was a p**n star’s inspiration. Full and pink.

I tamped down the instant attraction to my client and walked up to shake his hand.

“I'm Wether”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a man?” He raised a brow at me.

“I am. I just decided to change my sexuality at the doorstep." I quipped back.

His mouth tipped up in a smile. “Humor. Ah. You probably aren’t stupid."

“Told you as much." I said.” Shall we seat Mr. Castarr? I've prepared a plan of the first four floors and the lobby. I took a look at the rest of your office buildings and noticed how industrial your designer has made them, which makes the buildings look forbidding and unapproachable. To prevent this, I’ve softened the general outlook of your headquarters."

He nodded. “Show me."

Mr. Castarr was too knowledgeable about designs and architecture for someone who had made his fortune with computers and processors. He asked so many questions that I was super excited to answer. He challenged my every decision, making me both angry and feeling invigorated. At the end of the meeting, an adrenaline rush had filled my body. A rush I hadn’t felt in a while.

“You are far from stupid Miss Wether. And I like your shoes. Manolos?”

I looked down at them. A man that knew shoes? A computer geek that new shoes? Not that Mr. Castarr looked like a computer geek. He could easily become a front-page model if he stopped being interested in his company.

“Yes. Manolos." My stomach suddenly growled, and my face went hot in embarrassment.

Mr. Castarr didn't laugh at my look of embarrassment, instead, he looked contrite. “It’s nearly two pm. I’m sorry I kept you past your lunch break."

I hadn’t even been aware we had spent close to three hours together.

“It’s no problem, Mr. Castarr.”

He nodded “I will contact you if I have any questions” and then he was gone.

I made copies of my plan in the copying room for the refinements I’d eventually make on the plan. When I got back to my office, there was a bag of take out that could feed a whole family. There was no note, but I knew it was from the computer whiz.

I grinned.

Hours later, I trudged down the hallway of my apartment building and into the elevator with a groan. Everything in me hurt.

Christ.

The elevator carried me straight to the fifteenth floor. I was glad nobody else got in. I couldn’t wait to eat the remainder of the lunch Mr. Castarr had bought for me. Thank God for small miracles. Damn Gregory for assigning me all his work because he was a lazy twit who spent all his time chasing the office girls. It was nearly eight pm.

Dinner, a much-needed soak in scalding water for my aching muscles and bed were what I needed. I wondered how I’d previously gone to bars after work. I needed some cheat skills from myself from two days ago.