Engage (Billionaire Series) (6 page)

The ride to the
airstrip was just as silent as the ride to her apartment causing Jennifer’s
anxiety to grow. Philip had barely lifted his head from his phone, even when
they were walking towards the luxury private jet that waited for them. It
wasn’t until she made a nervous squeak when the plane started down the runway
that Philip finally looked up.

“Nervous flyer?” He
put his phone into his pocket.

“Don’t know,”
Jennifer’s grip on the arm of her chair tightened, her knuckles whitening.
“I’ve never flown before.”

“Really?” Philip
turned towards her. “You’ve never been out of the country?”

Jennifer shook her
head. “Never even been out of the state.”

“You’re joking,
right?” Philip appeared to be genuinely amused at her tension. “Are you from
the city?”

“No,” Jennifer
forced herself to take a deep breath and slowly release it. If she didn’t calm
herself down, Philip was going to have second thoughts about hiring her and,
now with the promise of something so much better, she didn’t think she could go
back to working the front desk. “I’m from a very small town called Belfast.”
Philip gave her a puzzled look and she knew what he was going to ask. Everyone
did. “It’s in the western part of the state.”

“How’d you end up
in the city?”

Jennifer wasn’t
sure if Philip was trying to take her mind off of her anxiety or was truly
interested, but she was grateful either way. “Well, after college, when I moved
back home, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for the kind of work I wanted
to do, so when I finally left, I knew the best place to go was New York City.”

“But you had a hard
time getting hired,” Philip made it a statement rather than a question.

She nodded. “In the
end, it was luck, or fate if you believe in that.” Her body began to relax as
she told the story. “I was doing what pretty much everyone does when they’re waiting
for the job they really want – waitressing. Then, one day, this customer struck
up a conversation with me and I ended up telling her about my degree and how I
wanted to work in a hotel. Ruth was her name. She turned out to be a front desk
manager at a mid-level hotel, mostly vacationing families. She told me that she
was impressed by how I handled myself and offered me a job. I was there for a
couple of years and then got a call to come in for an interview at The
Preminenza. Ruth still denies it, but I’m pretty sure she set it up and gave me
a great recommendation.”

“And that’s how you
ended up playing the lobby piano at almost midnight,” Philip grinned.

“Yes,” Jennifer
couldn’t help but smile back. “What about you? How did you get into the hotel
industry?”

Philip’s charming
grin flattened immediately as he leaned back in his seat. “That’s not really an
interesting story.” He glanced at his watch. “You didn’t get much sleep last
night. Why don’t you try to catch a few hours? I’ll wake you before we land.”

Jennifer gave
Philip a puzzled look, but he kept staring straight ahead. She was too
exhausted to push the conversation any further, both physically and mentally.
Even though she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep on a plane, she found
herself starting to drift off. Her last thoughts were about Philip, wondering
if he’d tell her more about himself, if he would be happy with her work, if
they would ever finish what they’d started that morning.

“Our first meeting
will be with Takuya Saitou,” Philip spoke for the first time since waking
Jennifer less than an hour ago. “He’s managing the construction and design of
the new hotel being built here.”

As she followed
Philip off of the plane, Jennifer forced herself to focus on being
professional. She wanted to prove herself to Philip. More importantly, she
wanted to prove to herself that she was good enough for this job. She smiled at
the well-dressed Japanese man who greeted them at the gate, impressed with the
natural flow of Japanese that flowed off of Philip’s tongue. Mr. Saitou’s
English was slightly accented but nearly flawless and the conversation stayed
in her native language, for which she was grateful.

“My staff will take
your luggage,” Mr. Saitou gestured to the uniformed men standing nearby. They
all bowed before coming forward to take the bags Jennifer and Philip had
carried from the plane. Jennifer still wasn’t entirely sure what was in hers.
“The limo is this way.”

As they climbed
into the back with Mr. Saitou, their host faced them both. “We shall be at the
office in about fifteen minutes. Please, relax. Let us talk of other things.”

“I appreciate the
offer, Mr. Saitou,” Philip rested his hands on his knees, “but as I am sure
you’re aware, this is only supposed to be a short trip for finalizing the costs
of construction. My assistant and I will not be staying long. Of course, should
there be any problems, I would return.”

“Problems, Mr.
Haas?” Mr. Saitou’s tone remained friendly, but he had taken the cue from
Philip and was now all business.

Jennifer was
impressed. With a brisk, but personable, manner, Philip laid out his
expectations. They were clear, but gave Mr. Saitou enough leeway to accomplish
what was needed. So often, she’d seen managers try to be too specific trying to
micromanage their employees and the situation never ended well. As the
conversation turned to problems with a current contractor, Philip surprised her
again by asking for Mr. Saitou’s opinion rather than just telling him what to
do. Apparently Philip’s penchant for giving orders was something just
restricted to the bedroom. She admired a man who was willing to listen to
others’ opinions and ideas. Mr. Saitou was taken aback as well, but offered his
solution, tentative as it was. With a skill that Jennifer had never seen
before, Philip asked pointed questions, guiding Mr. Saitou to refine his idea
into the best possible solution for the situation. By the time they reached the
office building, both men were satisfied with their talk.

“Phil – Mr. Haas,”
Jennifer realized mid-word that she should address Philip formally when in a
professional setting. He didn’t acknowledge the slip as they exited the limo.
“Where did you learn how to do that? How to get him exactly where you wanted
him?”

“I didn’t get him
where I wanted him, Miss Brooks,” Philip’s tone was sharp. “What I do isn’t
about getting people where I want them. We came to a mutually beneficial
understanding. When you hire good people, you know that they will have good
ideas that you may not have thought of. It’s important to hear these ideas with
an open mind. Mr. Saitou’s ideas were in a direction I agreed with and we
worked towards a solution that we both were happy with.” He increased his pace,
leaving her several steps behind.

Jennifer could feel
her face coloring as she nodded dumbly. He was right. Managing wasn’t about
getting people to do what you want, but to come to a good middle ground that
works well.

But what about me?
Jennifer though to herself. Was this job a mutually beneficial outcome?

I was
15 years old the summer I met Mathis. It was the first time that I had gone to
stay at Uncle Andy’s mansion for a whole summer, and I was anticipating it
gleefully. It was well away from the city, an enormous ranch surrounded by
acres and acres of land, thick with woods and perfect for a young girl to
explore and run wild after being cooped up too long in the city.

I was
practically bouncing up and down in my seat as the trees gave way to a view of
the stone mansion, its elegant exterior promising a change of scene and a
summer full of exploration and freedom. Excitement was building up inside me as
we pulled up the long gravel driveway in front of the house. It had been over a
year since I had been here, and I was dying to get out of the car and greet my
favorite uncle.

As soon
as the car had rolled to a stop in front of the spiraling stone steps leading
to the heavy oak front door I was racing across the gravel towards the house.
It didn’t take me long to navigate the long, stone-flagged corridor and find
the door of my uncle’s office. I purposely slowed my pace as I approached the
door, my face flushed from my boisterous activity. I tried to calm down my
heavy breathing, tiptoeing to the door and opening it quietly, hoping to
surprise my uncle.

Instead,
it was I who was surprised as I saw a young man sitting at my uncle’s desk, his
back to me, concentrating hard on whatever was on the computer screen in front
of him. I came to a complete stop, taking in this stranger’s back. His
shoulders were broad, his arms bare and his light brown hair was tousled, as if
he had been running his hands through it.

I didn’t
know why, but the image of this young man sitting at the desk stirred a strange
feeling in me. I felt suddenly very shy, aware of my own body, the messiness of
my hair, the size of my hands and my feet, the way I walked. I wondered what
his face looked like. Would it be gentle and kind, or tan and open? Although I
could only see his back, I imagined his eyes as an intense electric blue, full
of laughter and energy. His mouth would curve upwards, and his teeth would be
just the tiniest bit crooked. I made an internal bet with myself that he was
handsome, and I just had to see for myself.

Incredibly
hesitantly, I took a few silent steps forward and tapped the stranger on the
shoulder, like a mischievous child playing peek-a-boo. He turned around
suddenly, startled by the unexpected contact, and I jumped back too, alarmed at
having surprised him.

Strange
electricity seemed to surround us as he took in my face and my stance. I was
enraptured by the way his light blue eyes softened after his initial surprise,
taking in every aspect of my face, from my wide green eyes and unruly hair to
my petal pink lips, open in a little ‘o’ of wonder. Time seemed to slow as we
both took each other in, taking our time to explore each other’s faces. He was
handsome – incredibly so, even more so than I had imagined. His face was
delicately tanned and smooth – he couldn’t be more than a few years older than
me. His mouth was currently set in a look of concentration, but the slight
quirk of his lip showed that he could be self-deprecating, humorous, even
comical. His nose was a perfectly straight line, and his eyes… his eyes drew me
in.

Slowly,
as we looked at each other, he reached a hand towards my face, using his
fingers to gently tuck a wayward strand of dark brown hair behind my ear. It
was a small gesture, perhaps meaningless, but it sent a jolt of electricity
through me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. From any
other stranger it would have been intimidating, invasive. From him, it felt…
natural.

“I see
you two have met,” a dry, pleasant voice interrupted us, making us both start
horribly. We pulled away from each other, and the strange boy rose from his
chair.

“Hi
Andy – I was just –” he began in a pleasantly deep, warming voice.

“I hope
you gave my niece a proper introduction, Mathis,” Andy said, a note of warning
in his voice.

“Y-yeah.”
Mathis shook his head a little as if trying to clear water and then turned to
me with a charming smile which made my heart flip over. “My name is Mathis
Côté. I’m your uncle’s
apprentice. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand. I was reminded
of the time Uncle Andy also taught me how to give a proper greeting.

I took
his hand, my heart thudding to the rhythm of a runaway train as his warm hand
enveloped mine. “H-hi. I’m A-Amanda Taylor,” I stuttered.

“Amanda.”
Mathis savored the word in his mouth. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

***

It was
two weeks before I saw Mathis again for more than a few minutes at a time without
my uncle’s presence. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he described himself as
Uncle Andy’s apprentice; all of his time was devoted to his work with Uncle
Andy, whether it was studying books, helping Uncle Andy with his investments or
poring over pages and pages of information on the computer. I spent most of my
time reading outside on the grounds or lying in the grass, thinking about what
they were doing shut away in the office, what Uncle Andy was saying to Mathis
and vice versa. What was he like? I knew that he was polite, hard-working and
extremely studious, but aside from that, I was deeply curious. Did he like to
run? Did he laugh at the same jokes as me? Did he have hopes and dreams and
interests like mine?

“What
are you thinking about? You look so serious!”

My eyes
flashed open and I scrambled up from the very unladylike position I was in,
sprawled over the railing in front of the house, my legs waving in the air, my
chin in my hands.

“Mathis!
I thought you were inside with my uncle.”

“I was.
He’s decided to give me a break for today – he has to make some phone calls and
I’m ahead with my studies, so…” he trailed off, shrugging his broad shoulders.
“So, what were you thinking about?”

“It was
nothing,” I said quickly. “I’m pretty bored, actually. Uncle Andy’s been busier
than I thought he was going to be.”

“Do you
want to hang out, then? I’ve been staying here for weeks and I’ve barely been
able to step outside the office,” Mathis said.

I
nodded eagerly my heart beating faster. “How about a walk in the woods?” I
suggested. “It’s cooler in the trees, and it’s more fun going in there with
someone else.”

“Why’s
that? Are you scared?” Mathis teased.

“No!” I
retorted. “I’ve been in there loads of times.”

“Even
right to the middle? I hear the woods around here are enchanted. If you stray
off the path, you’ll never find your way out again,” Mathis said. His tone was
serious, but his eyes were dancing with mischief.

“I have
magical powers, though,” I replied with a mischievous grin of my own. “I can
call on the wood fairies to guide me away from harm.”

“Oh, can you now?” Mathis asked, his face showing every sign of being greatly
impressed, in the same way you would be if a five year old showed you her first
real tooth.

“Yep,”
I said proudly, “Ever since I was a child the wood fairies have protected me
from all the bad spirits and dangerous creatures in the wood.”

“What
about me? Do you think I’ll be alright?” Mathis asked, looking concerned.

“Well,”
I said, pretending to toy with the idea, “you should ask for permission first.
Just in case.”

“Permission?”
Mathis looked uncertain.

“You
know. From the Queen of the wood fairies.”

“Oh,
right. Good idea,” said Mathis hastily.

“There’s
a clearing, just a hundred feet or so into the wood – that’d be a good place,”
I suggested, leaning forward to get ready for my next move. “Come on!” I broke
into a run, looking over my shoulder to check that Mathis was running after me.
I didn’t let up my pace until we reached the clearing. I was panting slightly,
but Mathis, despite spending most of his time indoors, didn’t seem out of
breath.

“Here?”
he asked me.

“Here,”
I confirmed.

“Ok –
here goes,” he took a deep breath. “O fairy Queen of the wood, I humbly beg
that you grant me permission to walk freely within your realm, protecting me
from…” he looked over at me.

“The
bad spirits,” I reminded him. “And werewolves.”

“I beg
that you grant me protection from the black creatures of this wood,” Mathis
finished. He looked at me, grinning an irrepressibly wicked grin. “How do I
know if it worked?”

“You’ll
just have to walk with me and see if you get attacked,” I shrugged.

Mathis laughed
a deep, pleasant laugh which made me feel warm to my toes. “I’ll risk it.”

“We’ll avoid
the middle of the forest today,” I said. “That’s where all the wicked things
gather. Let’s go to the fairy circle – it’s only a mile or so along this track.
That’s where the fairies hold their feasts.”

“I
thought that if you ate fairy food you’d never be able to return to the human
world,” Mathis teased.

“Silly!
We won’t see any fairies today. They only come out on Midsummer’s eve, and
maybe Thanksgiving.”

“Of
course,” Mathis said, shaking his head. “Silly me.”

I
laughed, and for a moment we were standing there, both laughing at ourselves.
We had only been talking a few minutes, but already I was completely at ease,
excited to show Mathis the wonders of the woods.

“Come
on,” I said, “Let’s go.”

***

Our
walks in the wood became a regular activity whenever Mathis had some free time.
The childish fantasy we had created was at the center of our walks, and each
day we added some new embellishment to our own little world. We named the trees
and each climbed as high as we could on our favorites. We ventured farther and
farther into the dark, thick center of the wood, away from the paths,
discovering something new with each new adventure.

On this
particular day it was raining heavily, and we had penetrated farther than ever
into the thick canopy in order to escape the worst of the rain. As we sheltered
under a large branch, Mathis inquisitively peered in the direction of what
looked like a small cliff.

“Hey –
is that a cave?” he asked, pointing past the trees and towards the cliff.

“I don’t
know – I’ve never been to this part of the woods before,” I admitted. I was
actually too afraid to venture too far away from Uncle Andy’s home.

“Do you
want to go and explore?” he asked.

“OK –
we’d better be careful, though. Who knows what might be lurking in a cave in
this part of the forest,” I said seriously.

“I’ll
go first, then, to make sure there aren’t any evil creatures or dark spirits
waiting to send you into an eternal sleep,” Mathis teased as he ran off.

“Wait –
don’t leave me here by myself!” I exclaimed, rushing after him.

Mathis
laughed as he let me catch up. “I’ll do my best to protect you from the rain,
at least,” he said, putting his arm around me as we ducked through the trees in
the direction of the small cliff.

There
was indeed a cave, a small nook in the side of the stony wall which provided
just enough space for two people to shelter. Mathis made a show of scoping out
every corner of the small cave before holding out his hand and pulling me over
the threshold.

“Do you
feel any evil presence?” he asked me.

“Mmm,
not sure yet,” I said nervously. I didn’t want to admit I was a little scared,
but I felt better that Mathis was with me.

“Well,
let me know if you start feeling sleepy and I’ll do all I can to keep you awake
so you don’t fall under the spell,” Mathis teased, unfazed by our new
surroundings.