BILLIONAIRE BOSS

episode 4

She felt a flicker of panic. He was completely unreceptive. She was

wasting her time. ‘The business is important to me. It’s everything.’

Immediately she regretted that impulsive confession. Why would he be

interested in the emotional stake that she had in the business?

He was wondering the same thing because his bold brows drew

together in a discouraging frown. ‘I’m interested in facts and figures.

And you now have eight minutes remaining.’

She flushed and forced herself to plow on. Don’t get emotional, Sara.

Don’t get emotional. ‘As you know, I started a chain of coffee shops with

your investment, but they’re not just coffee shops.’ She dropped her hands into her lap so that he couldn’t see them shaking. ‘We don’t just

sell a cup of coffee, we sell a whole African experience.’

‘And just what constitutes an “African experience”, Miss Sara?’ He

lingered over the words and she bit her lip, refusing to allow him to

intimidate her.

This was her baby, she reminded herself. She had all the answers she

was going to need. ‘People who come into our cafés are given far more

then a shot of caffeine. For as long as it takes them to drink their coffee

or eat their lunch, they’re transported to Africa. With your initial

investment we opened twenty coffee shops across London. We’re ready

to open more, but not if you withdraw your support …’ She broke off

and rose to her feet, needing to pace. She couldn’t sit across the table

looking at that handsome face. She couldn’t concentrate. ‘Do you mind if I

walk around? I’m not great at sitting at tables and if I only have a short

the time the has to be comfortable or I won’t be able to make the most of it.’

His sardonic gaze slid to her feet. ‘Frankly, I’m a, mazed you can stand,

let alone walk around. I see you gave careful thought to the footwear

that would be most appropriate for a visit to the rainforest.’

Trying to keep her thoughts together, she refused to allow his sarcasm

to unsettle her. ‘This is a business meeting, Mr. Willson,’ she said

defensively, ‘so I chose my clothing accordingly. I didn’t think you’d take

me seriously if I was wearing a pair of combat trousers.’ Pride prevented

her from confessing that both the shoes and the suit had been purchased

specifically for this meeting.

Suddenly she felt like an i***t for thinking that what she wore would

make a difference to a man like him. Y, she s, should have saved her money.

He was watching her closely. ‘You mean you thought that a pair of

sexy heels might make me change my mind about pulling out of the

investment.’ His voice was soft and deadly. ‘You may have

misunderstood my reputation, Miss Sara

I keep my women and my

business separate.’ His gaze shifted to hers and she stared at him, unable

to speak or move, caught in the dangerous heat of his gaze. Her body felt

as though it had turned to liquid and a strange and unfamiliar warmth

spread across her pelvis.

His women.

A clear vision filled her head and she saw R

William Willson lying naked

and bronzed on white silk sheets, his body damp after an excess of

physical activity, an exhausted and deliriously grateful girl lying limp

and sated by his side.

The vision shocked and unsettled her and she looked away for a

moment, concentrating on the lush green of the jungle instead of the

a diamond-hard glint of his eyes.

‘Miss Sara?’ His sharp prompt made her start and she turned her

head and gave him a desperate look, hating herself for wondering how

those long, bronzed fingers would feel on her flesh. What was the matter

with her? She wasn’t the sort of woman who mentally undressed men

the moment she met them.

Especially not men like him.

He wasn’t going to yield or compromise, she could see that. There was

no softening, no gentleness, and not a trace of warmth or humanity. For a

the terrifying moment she felt her confidence begin to crumble. The familiar waves of panic began to engulf her and she dug her nails hard

into her palms and looked away from him, staring at the for thee the the the the

the moment the while she struggled for composure.

You can do this, Sara, she told herself desperately. You don’t need him

to make it easy for you.

Since when had anyone ever made it easy for her?

Her entire life had been a struggle to prove herself and she wasn’t

expecting this encounter to be any different.

She used a precious thirty seconds of her time in calming herself and

then she spoke. ‘I wore the heels because they seemed right with the

the suit,’ she said calmly, fighting against the sudden tension in the

atmosphere. ‘And you owe me his chair, his eyes narrowed. ‘I do?’

‘Yes, because that’s how much time you just wasted talking about

women’s clothing.’

There was a long, pulsing silence and then he inclined his head. ‘You

still have eight minutes remaining.’

Sara started to breathe again. ‘Good. The only thing I want from you

is an opportunity to present the facts. I came here because I want to

change your mind.’

She wished, desperately, that he wouldn’t look at her but his gaze was

unrelenting and she found it almost impossible to concentrate. The

the connect her the lion between them was electrically charged.

Did he feel it too? Did he feel the heat and the rising tension?

‘I’ve already told you that I don’t change my mind.‘You also told me that you wanted facts and you haven’t had them

yet.’ Her heart was thudding so hard she was certain that he must be

able to hear it. ‘You promised me ten minutes, Mr... Willson. My ten

minutes isn’t up.’ And she was blowing the whole thing, she knew she

was. It was all very well pretending to be confident but her knees were

shaking, her hands were shaking, she was saying all the wrong things,

letting one superior glance from those dark eyes turn her into a

stuttering wreck. And he gnizedffect he was having

on her because he gave a silky smile.

‘Nervous, Miss Sara?’

‘Of course, I’ m n, nervous …’ She spread her hands in a gesture that

pleaded for understanding—some concession on his part. ‘In the

circumstances, that’s understandable, don’t you think?’

At that precise moment, he was in the driving seat and she was

standing in the road waiting to be run over.

‘Absolutely.’ His voice was as hard as his gaze was unsympathetic. ‘In

your position I’d be quaking in my boots and I’d be using every trick in

the book to try and save men to the high heels, the

innocent smile and share. Go for it, I say.’

‘I don’t understand what you’re implying.’ Did he realize uncomfortable she was in the shoes and the heels? Did he know that

she’d been trying to impress him?

‘I’m saying that your business is in serious trouble, Miss Sara and

I’m the only one who can save it so I don’t blame you for using every

the trick at your disposal to try and turn the tide. But I ought to warn you

that it won’t make any difference. I won’t extend my investment and as far as I’m concerned you deserve everything that’s coming to you.’

His callous lack of sentiment was like a vicious punch in the stomach.

‘How can you say that? How can you be so uncaring?’ She forgot her

resolution not to get emotional. ‘This isn’t just about me. If Café Africa

goes under then lots of people are going to lose their jobs.’

‘And you’re terrible about other people’s welfare, are you

not?’

There was something in his tone that increased her feeling of unease.

Why did she have the sense that two conversations were going on

here? One above the surface and one below. ‘Yachting acting thing a big responsibility. You can’t just hire and fire people.

I’ve been very careful about not recruiting more staff until we were sure

that the business could support them.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Very laudable, I’m sure. So what went wrong,

Miss Sara? If you’re so careful, then why are you here? Why isn’t

your little business raking in the cash as we speak?’

‘Our operating costs were higher than we’d estimated,’ she said

honestly, frowning slightly as she caught the cynical gleam in his eyes.

‘Among other things, refurbishing ten of the coffee shops cost more than

we planned. But we’ve addressed that and I have lots of ideas for the

future.’

He watched her for a moment and the atmosphere thickened between

them. ‘You’re very determined,’ he said softly. ‘Just how desperate are

you?’

Sara stared at him, her mouth dry. What did he mean by that?