Taming Graeme (Taming the Billionaire) (56 page)

 
“No, I gave that place up, and I’m staying quite close to the Bank for the moment. I’m going to be moving soon, near to Hyde Park.”

 
“Oh the Marble Arch Area, eh? Lots of shared accommodation in that area.” Amanda nodded, “You’ll be closer to the action, Olivia.”

Olivia’s mobile pinged.

G: Where are you?

O: Greek Restaurant got shanghaied by Hailie and your cousin.

G: I want to leave at three thirty. Tell John.

O: As it pleases you, Sir.

G: It pleases me, so we’re doing it. How are you?

O: Bored with present company, back aches, wish you were here.

G: Do you need your credit card to pay for lunch?

O: No, somebody put a grand in my chequing account, remember? And he ordered me to use it, so maybe I’ll buy lunch. Besides, I can put it on that Visa card you gave me last week.

G: Do that, baby. Miss you. ;)

O: Miss you too. ;O

 
“Who are you texting with, Olivia?” asked Amanda.

 
“My boyfriend. About dinner tonight. He’s coming with me.”

 
“Well, I guess we should get the bill. How much do I owe?”

 
“It’s ok, Hailie, this lunch is on me.”

 
“You must be feeling rich.”

 
“Well, the Currency Desk pays much more than the Secretarial Pool, girls, so let me treat both of you.”

 
“Thanks, Olivia.”

 
“Yes, thanks, Olivia.”

 
Olivia put her Visa on the table, the Visa that read
Olivia Stone
. She wondered idly if Visa had a different set of rules for companion cards, since Graeme had used
his
last name on the black card.

 
They got back to wor
k
. Olivia quietly told John she would be leaving at half past three. She was up at the car, waiting when Graeme came hurrying out.

 
“Did you buy lunch for the girls?”

 
“I did. They did say thank you. A little of those two goes a long way. They turned up just as I was leaving, and I was trapped. Oh, Amanda saw Rose and Linda and I go into the bridal salon Saturday morning, so she jumped to the conclusion that Linda was shopping for a wedding dress…”

 
Graeme smiled. “I hope we can keep her in the dark until the wedding, darling, for your sake.”

 
Olivia stilled. He’d just called her
darling
.

 
Dinner was a magnificent affair, with waiters and butlers, and a dazzling array of silverware and crystal glasses. Olivia and Aunt Christine got on very well, and she just followed the older woman’s lead.

 
There was going to be a lot involved, being the Chairman’s wife, until he divorced her, that is.

 
In the meantime, she’d do her best to live up to Aunt Christine.

 
Graeme watched her watching Christine, and coping very well
.

 
Uncle David is right, she’ll do very well as the Chairman’s wife. But she needs to spend her days with Aunt Christine as soon as possible, to learn the ropes and have Aunt Christine introduce her into the appropriate circles. She needs a lot more jewellery. Every woman here has more on than kitten does. Mind you, she still outshines them all. I am so proud of her.

 
He loved her softly and gently that night, mindful of her aching back, and for once, she fell asleep before he did. He stroked her hair, and held her close, and felt happier than he had in years.

 
Maybe happier than he ever had with a woman…where did that thought come from?

THIRTY FIVE

  She woke before him and sipped the ginger al
e
and ate the soda crackers she’d left by the bed the night before. The doctor had given her a shot, and the morning sickness was not nearly as bad now. Once her stomach had settled, she turned and admired her sleeping Dom and woke him in the nicest possible way.

 
She was first in, at her desk before eight, and checked over Gordon’s work from the day before. So far, so good. He was still not making any mistakes. Mind you, if he missed a box or made a mathematical error, the computer would flash orange or red at him and not let him proceed until he found his error and corrected it...thank heaven for those programming courses she’d taken.

  Lady
Christine called her at eleven, and gave her a list of appointments they simply must do together over the next month. That evening, after dinner, she sat in the study, finishing the final lesson of the course. Graeme wandered in.

 
“I’m finished, Sir. Finished. Done. All I have to do is submit it and write the exam and I’ll be a licensed Trader.”

 
“Yes, and I guess you’ll only get to Trade until November 30
th
, baby and then I’m afraid the Christmas social season will take all your time. I had quite a chat with Uncle David this afternoon, and he told me all the obligations that the Chairman’s wife has.”

 
“I got that impression from Aunt Christine. She has about eight teas and cocktail parties I have to attend with her before then, to be introduced to various charities the Bank supports, and the wives of other C.E.O.’s and such like, and oh, yes, a couple of minor royals who I think are related to your family somehow by marriage…and after December first we have something almost every day until the 20
th
.”

 
“Have you given the schedule to John Taylor?”

 
“Not yet, I thought I’d go over it with you first.”

 
“Just give it to him. No, give it to me, I’ll give it to him and explain.”

 
“He’s got his wedding invitation, he’ll understand. He was surprised we aren’t married yet. He thought we were, from Belfast.”

 
“Yes, baby, he’ll understand. He’s pleased I’m making an honest woman out of you, or you’re making an honest man out of me, I don’t know which.”

 
Graeme glanced at the appointment calendar. First thing next morning, he called Cartier, and by Tuesday evening, the safe was full of diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies in stunning settings.

  Next, he arranged a personal shopper for Olivia at Harrods, and supplied the woman with a list of the appointments, Olivia’s sizes and the credit card number. By Wednesday, Olivia’s side of the huge wardrobe was half full of appropriate, expensive outfits to wear.

 
He looked over the clothes and realized she had nothing for her honeymoon. He called Harrods again, and by Thursday evening, the other side of her wardrobe held resort wear.

 
Olivia was both grateful and bemused.
I can see that as long as we are together, he’s going to be dressing me, as if I’m his doll. Good thing he has such good taste. He’s obviously given the personal shopper some very explicit instructions
.

 
She went to a tea on Saturday afternoon with Lady Christine Browning and was photographed with her by one of the London tabloids. The caption read,
“The Present and Future First Ladies of the Browning Banking Empire.”
No names were mentioned. Olivia’s face was turned toward Lady Christine, and unless you knew it was her, you might not recognize her.

 
Rose put the tabloid on Graeme’s desk Monday morning with a strong cup of coffee.

 
“Oh no,” he groaned. “I’d hoped we could keep it quiet until after the wedding…”

 
Amanda sat with Hailie at tea.

 
“Too bad her face is turned from the camera, Hailie. It’s hard to see what she really looks like, isn’t it? I guess the tabloids are trying to stir up a story. Probably just somebody there who was chatting with Aunt Christine. We’d know if Graeme really was engaged, wouldn’t we? And as I’ve told you, my cousin prefers dark hair. This one is blonde...I wonder how much time she spends at the hairdresser? Even in this newspaper photo you can tell her hair is bleached.”

 
Hailie nodded. “That’s a beautiful dress she’s wearing. She must be rich, eh?”

 
Wednesday, Lady Christina took Olivia and Louisa to a fund raising cocktail party after work. The paparazzi were on the lookout for them.

 
Thursday morning, Rose laid another tabloid and cup of very strong coffee on Graeme’s desk. He groaned. It had a photograph of the two women and the caption,
Two Generations of Browning Beauties
. Olivia’s face was partially obscured, but recognizable, if you knew her.

 
Rose and Mrs. Hall looked at him sympathetically.

 
Sir David walked into his office with another tabloid, which had an article under the picture of Lady Christine, Olivia, Louisa and the Chairwoman of that night’s charity. All three were clearly identifiable. The text read,

“Banking’s Richest Bachelor to wed this Beauty? The beauty with Lady Christine Browning and her grand niece Louisa Browning Spenser at the
Young Riders of Great Britain
Annual Fundraising Cocktail Party, of which The Browning Banking Group is a major sponsor, is Olivia Stone, a Currency Trader with Browning’s Mercantile Bank. Ms. Stone has accompanied Lady Christine to the last three official functions Her Ladyship has attended and was a guest with Mr. Graeme Browning at a recent private dinner honouring the Finance Minister. Rumour is Graeme Browning will shortly waltz her down the aisle. Vienna Winsome is said to be the designer of choice for Ms. Stone’s wedding dress. Ms. Winsome declined to supply details of the gown to this reporter, but prices for her designs start at about Fifteen Thousand Pounds. The happy couple have just purchased a 20,000 square foot Georgian Mansion in Belgravia, at a price of well over One Hundred Million Pounds according to a family source. They are said to be contemplating a Twenty Million Pound design facelift to be supervised by London’s leading society designer, Llewellyn himself. Mr. Browning becomes Chairman of the Browning Banking Group on January 1
st
. Incidentally, Ms. Stone drank sparkling water. Is that a clue that there might be a new addition to the family?”

  Graeme picked up his telephone and called Security. “Gideon, put two strong men on the door outside Currency Trading. Nobody but the immediate staff allowed in or out. That particularly means Amanda and Hailie. Olivia and Lady Christine are in two of this morning’s tabloids.  I will not have Olivia bothered. Put two more guards on the lobby door and keep the press out. We need to get her out of there NOW!

 
“Yes, Graeme, right away.”

 
The Security detail was in place in four minutes flat.

 
Graeme’s next call was to switchboard, to monitor and screen all outside calls to Olivia. His telephone rang,

 
“Hello?”

 
“Could I speak to Graeme Browning, please?”

 
“Who are you?”

 
“Morris Coltrane from the
Financial Express Newspaper
.”

 
Graeme knew Morris well. He also knew the voice on the other end of the telephone was not Morris. “I’m sorry, Mr. Browning is in Australia. He won’t be back until next Tuesday week.”

 
“Could you transfer me to your Currency Trading Desk, please?”

 
Graeme hung up.

 
Olivia was unaware of the newspaper article
s
. She heard Amanda outside the Trading Room door. “What do you mean, I can’t go in there? I want to see Olivia!”

 
“I’m sorry, Amanda. Nobody is allowed into Currency Trading except the staff who work there.”

 
“I’ll report you to Graeme.”

 
“Those are Mr. Graeme Browning’s orders, Amanda. Sorry.”

 
She heard Graeme roar, “Amanda! Get into my office immediately! If I find out you are the family source, you are dead!”

 
Gideon walked into the office. “Graeme wants me to get you safely out of here, Olivia. If we’re quick, we might escape the press.”

 
“Press?”

 
“They took your picture last night with Lady Christine and Louisa. You’re in two tabloids this morning. So Mr. Browning and Sir David think you should go home, and we’ll have a security detail there, protecting your privacy.”