Taming Graeme (Taming the Billionaire) (49 page)

Instant Ping!

  Now how can I refuse that most generous offer, baby? See you at 3.....xoxoxoxoxo

PS I’m getting hard at the thought of
O

 
Rose was waiting for her in the tea room at te
n
. They sat at the table in the corner. “I think we only have a few minutes before the others join us, Olivia. Here are the arrangements I’ve organized. I thought that you might have a chance to glance through them before we meet for lunch. You just have to approve them and I’ll have everything done very quickly.  Mr. Browning has looked over everything, and says he’s good with it all, but you have the final say. After all, he says the bride is the one who has to be happy with everything.”

 
Olivia grinned. “You know, Rose, I never for a minute thought he meant to marry me, so I’m just so happy it’s happening. I go for lunch at one, and so far, Graeme hasn’t indicated he needs me then for anything, so if you want to do the Chinese place as we discussed, we can get this handled?”

 
“Shall I just keep this file with me then?”

 
And at that moment, Amanda and Hailie sat down with their tea.

 
“Did you find out about the new Vice-Chair position, Olivia?” Hailie demanded the minute she was seated.

 
“Eh, ask Rose. Isn’t there a Press Conference in an hour to announce the appointment, Rose?” said Olivia.

 
“Yes, there is, and if you look at the tea counter, Hailie, you’ll see the new Vice-Chairman standing there with Mr. Browning and Sir David. His name is Glen Palmer, and he’s a second cousin, the same as Amanda.”

 
Hailie smiled. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? He has a brooding masculinity, don’t you think?”

 
Rose and Olivia laughed.

 
Amanda, perfectly serious, said, “Nobody’s ever described him to me like that before. He’s very strict, the same as Graeme. Single, too, Hailie.”

 
Rose and Olivia looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Amanda was at it again.

 
Graeme and his cousin came toward the girls’ table.

 
“Can we pull up a couple of chairs and join you?” asked Graeme as they did just that.

 
“Glen, this is Rose, my P.A. As I told you, she’ll be going with me to the Chairman’s Office, but I was thinking Hailie here might suit you very well.” He glanced at Olivia and smirked. Then he continued the introductions.

 
“You know Amanda, of course, from various family functions, and this is Olivia, from our Currency Trading Desk.”

 
Glen smiled at Hailie, but his eyes went straight to Olivia. “Oh, so Olivia is not a P.A.?”

 
Graeme did not look pleased. “No, Glen. Olivia is a Currency Trader.”

 
“Ah...well...then...I’m sure Hailie will suit me quite nicely to start off with.” Glen gave Hailie a smile.

 
He turned straight back to Olivia. “And I’m sure Olivia will familiarize me with the Currency Trading Department, won’t you?” His eyes were warm, his voice suggestive.

 
Graeme gave his cousin a frosty glare. “John Taylor, the Department Head, will see to that, Glen.”

 
Olivia and Rose exchanged smiles.

 
“I haven’t seen you since you’ve been in Geneva, Glen,” said Amanda. “Do you ever see Graeme’s old girlfriend, Francine?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure yet, Mandy, but I understand I may meet her this evening? I think she’s coming over for a function I’m attending. Will you be there to introduce us, Graeme?”

  “Oh, yes, we’ll be there.”

 
“We? Oh, your new lady and you...”

 
“What function?” asked Amanda. “Can I come? I’m dying to meet your new girlfriend, Graeme.”

 
Graeme sighed. “No, you can’t come tonight, Amanda. I’m getting a bit sick of this, your rabid curiosity about my girlfriend.  She and I are having a few friends of ours for dinner two weeks tomorrow. Why don’t you and your boyfriend come to dinner, and then you can see her and satisfy your need to know. My townhouse, seven o’clock, two weeks tomorrow, and I don’t want to hear another word about my love life until then! Oh, and it’s a formal dinner, so dress up, eh?”

 
Amanda grinned. “I guess I can wait two weeks, Graeme. Dinner! So is she cooking?”

 
“Of course not. I’m bringing Mrs. Green over from my Belfast estate. She and James are going to be here in London at our new house, to look after us there.”

 
“New house? Are you buying a new house? You just bought the townhouse when you came back from Geneva.”

 
“Yes, I know, Amanda, but it’s really smaller than I wanted, and we went at looked at two houses last evening and both of us like the second, so I bought it this morning.”

 
“Where is it?”

 
“Just round the corner from Belgrave Square.”

 
“Not that Grade 1 listed Georgian behind the wrought iron fence, with the fountain in front and the circular driveway?”

 
“Eh, yes. Why do you know the house?”

 
“You remember that my brother Frank is an interior designer? He looked over the place for a client last month, to estimate how much to redecorate. But the client couldn’t make the deal, it was too much money to buy the freehold, I think, over a hundred million in the end, so Frank is very disappointed he didn’t get to do up the house. He says it’s gorgeous inside. He had some wonderful ideas, to make it ultra modern. It’s all I heard about from him for weeks.”

 
Graeme shuddered. “Yes, I forgot about Frank being an interior decorator. I’m afraid I’ve already engaged Llewellyn Lawrence Jones to work with us.”

 
“Oh, Graeme, can’t you unengaged him and engage Frank instead?”

 
“’Fraid not, Mandy. My girlfriend is a great fan of Llewellyn’s work, so he’s got the job. But if we need anything else, or Michael wants to redo the townhouse, I’ll give Frank some thought.”

 
“Are you selling your townhouse to your friend then?”

 
“No, leasing it to him. He and Linda are moving in.”

 
“Michael and Linda? That hunky man with the wonderful blonde hair and Linda who used to work here with us?”

 
“Yes, them. You saw them together a few weeks ago when you were lurking in the lobby and he picked her up, I believe.”

 
“Gosh, he’s gorgeous, Graeme. If they break up, let me know, and I’ll get you to introduce me.”

 
Glen laughed. “Mandy, Michael is not for you, trust me. He’s too old and far too sophisticated for a university student.”             

 
“You know him as well, do you, Glen?” asked Amanda.

 
“I do, and trust me, you wouldn’t suit each other. He’s way too...worldly for you, Mandy.”

 
“Linda’s not that much older than me. She’s only twenty three.”

 
“No, but she’s far more
worldly
,” said Graeme. “Wouldn’t you agree, ‘Livi?”

 
Olivia nodded. “Far more experienced than you, Amanda.”

 
Oh dear, Graeme was getting careless. He’d called her ‘Livi. It was almost as if subconsciously he wanted people to know…perhaps he was reacting to Glen’s obvious interest.
What’s Graeme’s is Graeme’s....

             
Graeme pushed back his chair and turned to Glen. “Come on, Glen, now we’ve got your P.A. sorted out. He starts officially January 1
st
, Hailie. We just moved it up a month, so you’ll start in his office two weeks before that, getting it set up to Graeme’s preferences. He will be in touch with you frequently in that two week period so that everything is to his liking when he arrives. My cousin is a man of singular tastes, Hailie, and I do want him to be happy. I need a strong, happy Vice-Chairman. We have a lot of expansion plans for the Bank over the next year. Eh, Mr. Smith in Personnel will go over your new compensation package closer to the time.”

 
Glen smiled at Olivia. “Perhaps we could have lunch when I start here, Olivia? You can show me round...”

 
Graeme hurried his cousin away.

 
Hailie had noticed Graeme’s use of
‘Livi.

 
“Is that your nickname, Olivia? I heard Mr. Browning call you ‘Livi.”

 
“Eh, the traders in Belfast were calling me that, and Graeme…Mr. Browning heard them when he came over last Friday, so I guess he thought it was.”

 
Oh dear, she’d better change the subject in a hurry.

 
“So you’ve got your promotion already, Hailie.”

 
Hailie smirked. “Yes, that was easier than I thought it would be. Now, Amanda, tell me what you know about your cousin Grant.”

 
Rose and Olivia exchanged looks. Rose got up and left. Olivia lingered a minute. She was interested. She suspected Glen might be quite a handful.

 
“Oh, he’s quite the man about town, Hailie. Rich of course, but not as rich as Graeme, but few people are as rich as Graeme. Glen’s been married once a long time ago, has a son and a daughter, and dates lots of beautiful women. He’s about the same age as Graeme, maybe a year or two older. He’s been in Geneva for a few months sorting out some situation or other in our European headquarters. Graeme says he’s very astute. Other than that, I don’t know too much about him. He’s Graeme’s cousin from the other side of the family...”

 
Olivia got up and went back to the Currency Trading Department.

 
She met Rose at on
e
and they quickly went through everything.

 
“Rose, you are a miracle worker. Now all you have to do is suggest where Linda and I should go for our dresses. She’s going to be my bridesmaid.”

 
“Budget is?”

 
Olivia smiled. She had a black American Express Card that she’d been ordered to use, and a new Visa that said
Olivia Stone
. “No budget, Rose. Graeme told me to spend my little heart out. And I’m going to buy Linda’s dress, so...”

 
“When I got married, I definitely had a budget, but if I hadn’t had one, I’d have gone to Vienna Winsome...she’s got to be the best in London. Just off New Bond Street, near to all the designer boutiques.”

 
“Oh, I know where. I walked past there once a long time ago.”

 
“The wedding is only two weeks away, Olivia. You need to get there as soon as possible.”

 
“Would you like to go with us after work tomorrow, be our third set of eyes?”

 
“I’d love to. Brian is going to visit his mother for the weekend.”

 
“Just a minute, let me check something with Graeme.” Olivia pulled out her mobile and texted Graeme:

            
 
Do you mind if I go bridal gown shopping straight from work tomorrow evening? I thought I could set it up with Linda. Rose coming to tone down Linda’s taste...and I would like to bring them back for a quick supper? If it pleases you, Sir.  ;O

Quick reply:

            
 
I think you forgot we are having dinner with my daughters. Why don’t you arrange your shopping trip with the girls for Saturday morning and I will buy the three of you lunch at the Four Seasons?

She texted:

            
 
Please forgive my lapse of memory, Sir. Will do as you sugges
t
.

  “Graeme reminded me we are going out for dinner tomorrow evening. I’d forgotten. I guess subconsciously I’m dreading meeting his daughters. What if they don’t like me? How about Saturday morning, if Brian is going away for the weekend and then Graeme says he’ll take us to the Four Seasons for lunch.”

 
“He’s the boss,” smiled Rose.

 
Olivia was about to slip up to the Library at three when her mobile pinged.

Sorry, baby. In meeting. I’ll have that
O
later, in the bathtub. See you at the car at 5:20. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  She went to tea instead, and listened to Amanda and Hailie discuss the various places they’d been on holidays.

 
“Ever been to Bermuda, either of you?” she asked idly.