Boxed Set: The Billionaire’s Desire Complete Collection (Books 1-3 and Bonus Books 1 and 2) (Submitting to the Billionaire) (9 page)

            I pushed aside my feelings of disappointment of not being asked to attend the charity event with him.  Maybe it was a group thing and everyone goes together in a caravan. 
Who knows?
  It was time to focus on work.         

            I felt a little over my head but I knew if I did well with this task, it would be an incredible start for me to get recognition here in the Dubai office.  I contacted Conrad and told him I would have to reschedule dinner because I was swamped and he was very understanding.

           
CHAPTER FIVE  

            The next two weeks were brutal.  Everyone was working long hours and there was no time for socializing.  Conrad kept trying to schedule dinner and I just didn’t have the time.  I was working until midnight every night.

            One afternoon, the following week, I was buried deep in my analysis of Jameson numbers when I was snapped out of my trance-like concentration by a light tap on my door.  I looked up to see Jake’s smiling face.  I gave him a huge smile.

            “What a nice surprise!”

            “I wanted to see if you want to take a coffee break.  It’s so nuts around here.”

            “I would love to.”  I grabbed my purse and we walked to the elevator.

            “There is a little café next door, if you don’t mind being in the heat for a couple of minutes as we walk outside.”

            “Not at all.  It will be nice to see new faces.”

            We went to the café which was really cute and quaint.  It was nearly 2:00 so it wasn’t packed, which was nice.  We got our coffees and grabbed seats near the window.  We were right under a fan which was blowing cool air on us.

            “So, are you feeling overwhelmed yet?”  He adjusted his suit jacket as he got comfortable. 

            “Surprisingly, no.  I am trying to soak up as much information as I can.  This is my dream job so I love what I am doing.”

            He raised his eyebrows and gave me a little smile.

            “Dream job, huh? That’s fantastic.  I can understand why you say that.  I think you have to love the finance industry to be in it long term.  And from what I have heard about you, you have long term goals.”

            “Oh?  What have you heard about me?”  I felt like we’d known each other forever.  Jake was so easy to talk to. 

            “My brother raves about you.” 

           
Raves about me?  I need to hear this!

            “He says that he had never had such a bright, promising intern in the program before.  I, personally, have never seen him happier.  Normally, he dreads the long trips.  This time he didn’t.  I think you might be the reason.”  His eyes twinkled a bit when he said that.  The expression on his face reminded me of the expression Samira had on her face when she told me there was a buzz about me around the office.

            I didn’t know how to respond so I just sat there, cheeks flushed, as I drank the hot, rich liquid.

            “You seem to bring out the human side of him, Sarah.  Joshua has always been extremely focused on work.  Even as kids he didn’t like to play a lot.  He’s always had a very stoic demeanor.” 
That explains why he is so cold sometimes.
  “But around you, he is different.  Everyone sees it but no one would dare say anything to him.  It’s refreshing to see him so happy.”  I wanted to shout with happiness. 
Could it be that Joshua had true feelings for me?

            “After our father died, he took on a lot of responsibility keeping the company going.  Mother was so distraught she didn’t know what to do.  Joshua stepped in and took care of everything.  I was still in college so I wasn’t much help at the time.  Sometimes I think he feels he missed out on a lot of life because he had so much responsibility at a young age.  But his experiences also made him the strong person he is today.  Mother still relies on him for many things.  He has never married and part of the reason is because mother has never approved of any of his girlfriends.  Not one.  Natalia, who you met last week, was desperate to marry my brother and I thought it would happen.  He wasn’t
completely
happy with her, but he was content.”

           
Content?
  I felt so sad for Joshua that he almost settled on being content for the rest of his life rather than in love! 

            “I don’t know that he felt he deserved more.  But it didn’t matter because mother could not stand her.  We never knew why.  Shortly after he brought her home to meet mother, he broke things off.  She was probably a bit snarky with you when she met you because he’s never brought anyone with him on these long trips, and she knows that it means something that you are here with him.  So you, my dear, are somewhat of an anomaly.  You seem to have captured my brother’s heart.”

            I slowly shook my head in protest.  “Jake, Joshua just sees me as a business colleague.  He has taught me so much, and I am very grateful, but I don’t think it’s any more than that for him.”

            “What about for you, Sarah?”

            I was tongue-tied and wanted to shift the conversation away from me, so I turned the table on him.

            “I could ask you the same thing.  What does the future hold for you and Vivienne?”

            He, thankfully, let me off the hook.

            “Vivienne is a wonderful person.”

            I raised an eyebrow and did not mean for him to see that.

            “Oh, you didn’t like her.”

            “No, no, it’s not that.  She just was not extremely friendly when I met at her dinner the other night.”

            “She really is a kind person.  She gets a bit possessive and jealous when there are other beautiful women in the room.”

            I blushed at his compliment, it was sweet.

            “We have been together for two years and we have a nice time together.  We are very comfortable with each other.”

            “Hmmm, what are you not telling me Jake?”  I cocked my head to the side, with a slight smirk dancing at my lips, giving him a playful inquisitive look.  I knew he was leaving something out because he was not gushing about the woman he had been with for two years!  There should have been more emotion there if she was special.

            He smiled.  “You seem to be able to read me pretty well.”  He sighed and took a deep breath.  “I don’t really talk about this much, but for some strange reason I feel I can trust you.  I don’t know what it is about you Sarah, but I feel so comfortable with you, like you’re my big sister, even though you’re only a few months older than me.”

            That made me feel good.  “I know, it’s weird, isn’t it?  I feel the same way.  I think we connected instantly.”  I reached out and grabbed his hand.  “I can see that what you’re about to say is difficult.  Of course, you can trust me.  My lips are sealed.”  I gave him a quick wink.

            “Thank you.  Okay, well when I was in college, I met the love of my life, Lauren.  It was an all- consuming love.  The kind you only read about in romance novels.  We came from two completely different backgrounds.” 
I could definitely relate to that.
  “We met freshman year and by the time we graduated I was ready to ask her to marry me.  She ended up getting into law school in Chicago and New York but chose to go to school in Chicago.  She said it was the better of the two schools.  I was being groomed to run the company with Joshua so I had to stay in New York.  I was devastated when she chose the Chicago school.  I wanted to leave the company and be with her but she knew that the best thing for me to do was go to New York.  She didn’t want me to throw my future away.  She was extremely driven, like you, and she said she had to concentrate fully on law school which meant we had to break up.  Sarah, I couldn’t eat for days.  I was so heartbroken.”

            “Did you ever try to reach out to her?”

            “She wouldn’t return my calls.”

            “Have you thought about trying to contact her now?”

            “She’s probably married with kids by now.  I wouldn’t want to ruin anything for her.”

            My heart broke for him.  He looked so sad. 

            “I didn’t date anyone for a couple of years.  There were a few casual dates here and there but nothing special.  Then I met Vivienne a couple of years ago.  On paper we make sense.  Her family probably has as much money as we do.  We both went to Ivy League schools and we have a lot in common.”

            “But?”

            “You know there’s a ‘but’ coming huh?”  He chuckled at my perceptiveness.  “Like I said, Vivienne is a lovely woman, very sweet.  But that spark…that
feeling
, is missing.  I keep hoping it will come and it never does.”  

            “I’m not telling you what to do, but just be sure to be honest with Vivienne about how you’re feeling.”

            “Oh, she already knows.  I’ve been very upfront with her.  She doesn’t care.  She believes you can learn to love someone.”

            “Do you?”

            He hung his head as he looked in his empty coffee cup.  “I just don’t know.”

            We sat there in silence for a minute and then decided we should get back to the office before they sent out a search party for us.  Just as we were about to step off of the elevator onto our floor, Jake lightly touched my arm.

            “Thanks for listening to me Sarah.”

            I gave him a quick wink and a small smile.  “Anytime.”

            CHAPTER SIX

            It was the day of the meeting with Jameson Industries and we were wrapping things up.  The client was very happy with our analysis and suggestions on how to grow their company in the future.  They felt very confident with our presentation and that meant Joshua and Jake were happy.  The mood was jovial and light-hearted in the office.  We were enjoying a late lunch that had been catered when Conrad came over to me.

            “You know, I’m a bit disappointed that we were never able to connect for dinner.”

            “I know.  I’m sorry Conrad.  I was completely swamped with work.”

            “Well, there is the charity event tomorrow night.  Do you have an escort?”

            I hesitated because I was sure that Joshua would be upset if I went with Conrad.  But then I thought about it and got irritated at him.  If he wanted to go with me, he should have asked me!

            “No actually, I don’t.”

            Conrad beamed and didn’t hesitate to ask me to be his companion.  Just as I was about to say yes, Joshua was standing beside us.

            “What kind of mischief is brewing over here?”  He tried to sound light-hearted, but I could see the annoyance written all over his face.  

           
Boy, he was possessive!
  I didn’t want to admit it but it made me feel good to know that he got jealous if I talked to another man.

            “I just asked Sarah to be my companion for the charity event tomorrow night.”  Conrad was oblivious to Joshua’s jealousy.  It looked like the vein in Joshua’s neck was going to explode.

            “Conrad,” he spoke through clenched teeth, “I have already made arrangements to take Sarah to the event tomorrow evening.”  I looked at him. 
Really?
 
Because this is the first I have heard of this!

            “But Sarah is your new associate.  Why don’t you take Natalia and I can escort Sarah.”

            Joshua grinned through gritted teeth and patted Conrad on the arm.  “Thank you for the offer ol’ chap, but everything is already set.  Feel free to ask Natalia.  I am sure she will be ecstatic that you asked her.”  Joshua stood his ground like an animal claiming his territory.  His body language was very clear that he was going to get his way.  He also didn’t leave my side and that thwarted any chance Conrad had to speak with me privately.  Conrad finally got the message and sauntered off to talk with Natalia. 

            I turned to Joshua, “I had no idea you were escorting me to the charity event.”

            “No?  Would you like to go with Conrad instead?”  He playfully challenged me, daring me to say yes.

            “No.”  My voice was small as I realized that this would be our first formal date.  A small panic set in at the realization of what the following night could hold.  My palms began to sweat and suddenly I was very uncomfortable standing next to Joshua in public. 
Can everyone see how I feel about you?

            He must have been able to see that I was uncomfortable because he placated me with words that only I could hear.

            “We will have a wonderful time tomorrow evening.  Don’t worry about anything.  I’m looking forward to seeing you in your gown.”  He inconspicuously leaned in to whisper one last thing.  “Wear something special underneath just for me.”  He gave me a quick wink that only I could see, and walked over to get another cup of punch.

            I stood there speechless.  He seemed to have this effect on me from the first day I met him.  The thought of our date consumed me now that the big meeting was over and the work was done.  The luncheon was finally dispersing and I went back to my office to pack up my things.  A few minutes later, Samira was at the door.

            “Sarah, it has been so wonderful having you here and getting to know you.  I take it you will be attending the event tomorrow evening?”

            “I will.  The dress is formal, is that right?”

            “Yes, a black tie event, evening gowns and tuxedos.”

            “Are you going to be there Samira?”

            “Yes, my husband is looking forward to wearing his tuxedo.  He hasn’t worn it in years.  I hope it still fits!”  She broke out into tiny giggles and her laugh was infectious.  We giggled like a couple of school girls.  It was so nice to be around someone with such a refreshing spirit. 

            “I am so happy you will be there.  A friendly face is always nice to see.”

            “Yes it is.  Do you need any help with anything?”

            “No I am all set, thanks.  I am going to call my car, go back to the hotel and get some much needed sleep. ”

            “I understand.  I am sure you are exhausted.  Well, I must go.  I will see you tomorrow evening.”

            “Have a good night.”