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The following is a sequel of sorts to "John Billionaire". Familiarity with "Billionaire" and its characters will greatly enhance the reading experience of this story, although it is not a requirement.
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-- PROLOGUE --
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It was just an ordinary day when I first saw her.
I stopped off at my usual little smoothie shop on the way into the office. Once I actually got to work, my admin would be bringing me regular doses of coffee caffeine every few hours, stimulating the creative neurons in my brain so that I would have a prayer of doing enough work to fulfill the sky high expectations senior management had of me.
But before getting into the office, I usually cherished the saturated sweetness of strawberry-pineapple, the closest I'd gotten to that Hawaiian vacation I never took enough time to go on. Or maybe the extra sizzle of something with Raspberry in it. And in the past couple of weeks I'd been splurging on the AΓ§ai mixes in the misguided hope that the extra antioxidants might actually improve my health. At least they tasted pretty good.
I noticed her the moment I walked into the shop, the same way any straight man notices the slender body of an in-shape young woman. Her back was to me, but the jeans she wore were tight enough to prove she had a dynamite ass and long legs absent of any cellulite. Above her flared hips was bare skin for a few inches, reaching to a trim waist before the tight baby-T she wore began to outline her upper torso.
I caught the swells of rather full bosom, which jiggled as she laughed musically from the cashier trying to flirt with her.
She paid for her order and then turned about to step away and let me place my own order. But when I caught her face, I just went rigidly still.
She was perfect. She had an exquisitely chiseled face with a perfect nose and ideal bone structure. Her creamy white skin was perfectly clear and she had a youth about her that made me think she might still be a teenager. Her electric green eyes sparkled and her fine blonde hair was perfectly done to complement her outstanding facial features. Her body was svelte and yet she had big, round breasts sitting high on her chest. And as I looked upon her beauty, lightning bolts shot up my spine as my tongue twisted in knots.
The blonde simply looked at me with mixed curiosity and amusement. She was probably used to seeing men completely fall apart at the mere sight of her, and her vermillion eyes danced with an internal laughter.
"Hey man, you gonna order?" The guy behind me poked me in the back hard enough to bruise. Typical New Yorker.
I blinked several times and then, embarrassed, I stepped forward hurriedly and gave my order to the grinning cashier. And when I was done and stepped to the side myself, I couldn't help but keep glancing at her every five seconds or so. Just when I thought I had her perfectly memorized, I had to peek again.
She never looked at me once, but I'm sure I was in her peripheral vision and a little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth while she waited.
And then one of the smoothie makers dropped a standard 24-ounce styrofoam cup onto the counter and called, "Kaitlyn!"
Immediately, the blonde stepped forward and scooped up her smoothie and then turned around to leave.
But at the last moment, I swear she winked at me.
***
-- CHAPTER 1: Booty Call --
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*MONDAY*
"Taylor Brynn? As in the Taylor Brynn engaged to Jonathan Kwong?"
Melody nodded and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Taylor Brynn had been one of the top international models known for her gorgeous blue eyes and her anatomically impossible body that put Heidi Klum to shame. I'd been in the middle of High School when she burst onto the modeling scene at eighteen. From then through college, the walls of my bedroom had been adorned with posters of her as well as more than a few of my own personal sketches.
And now the goddess herself was on the phone.
Melody, my assistant, looked at me through the plate glass wall separating my office from her desk and arched a nicely sculpted eyebrow. Her cute voice came through the speakerphone, "Should I transfer the call?"
"Uh... uh, yeah," I managed to stutter, still in shell-shock.
Seconds later, my phone rang and I gingerly picked up the headset, hooking it over my ear. "Hello?"
Instantly I grimaced, hearing the squeak in my voice and realizing that hadn't been a very professional greeting. I'd spoken with corporate CEOs and low-level International Royalty without feeling nearly this nervous.
"Is this Jeffrey Lee?" Her voice was cool, confident, and so unbelievably sexy.
"Yes..." My answer was the one word and monotonous. Dammit! Say something cool!
"Jeffrey Lee, the architect who designed the Pieterzoon estate in East Hampton?"
"Yes..." Still not cool.
I could hear the purr in Taylor's voice. "My fiancΓ© has recently purchased some property in Montauk and we would like you to build our house."
"Uh, uh... I'd... I'd be delighted Miss Brynn."
"Please call me Taylor. I WON'T ask you again."
"Yes, of course, Taylor. I am at your convenience. When would you like to meet?"
"Would this afternoon be too soon?"
I frantically clicked through the programs on my laptop, trying to get to my calendar. Accidentally, I managed to close my calendar program entirely and silently cursed myself. "Uh... well..." I stalled. "How about three o'clock?"
"Perrrfect. I'll see you then." And with that, the line went dead.
I exhaled loudly, sagging into my seat. My eyes glanced around my office, taking in the various architectural sketches of my best designs as well as a couple of photographs. The Pieterzoon estate had been my crowning glory, both my largest project and the most expensive of my short career. And now, I just might be getting something even bigger.
I'd followed the tabloids as well as the respectable journalism surrounding Taylor's whirlwind romance with the world's richest man under 30, Jonathan Kwong. A part of me absolutely detested the man for grabbing her before I could make her fall in love with me. But a greater part of me felt happy that my angel had found her happiness. Really, what did I have to offer? I was three years younger and a few billion dollars poorer.
Still, I'd had my successes and Architectural Digest had me listed as a rising star in the design world. I'd accomplished enough to pay off my student loans and get myself into a Manhattan co-op, but my bank account was rather slim. But for all my successes, I was still just a junior Residential Architect at a firm full of legends.
The whole firm had known for months that the newly engaged Kwongs were scoping out real estate in the Hamptons. Just last week, the news broke on the property they'd purchased in Montauk; actually, it was three adjacent properties right on the Atlantic. Thirty minutes after that, every firm on the East Coast was trying to bang down Jonathan and Taylor's door to bid on the design.
And Taylor had come straight to me.
I finally got a grip on my senses and sat up straight, re-opening my desktop calendar. I had a meeting scheduled for three o'clock. I jabbed the phone. "Melody, cancel the meeting with Anders and clear my schedule for the rest of the day."
"Got it," she replied. A moment later though, her voice came back on the line. "Uh, Sheldon's coming."
I looked through the glass wall, past Melody's desk and sure enough, Theodore Sheldon was marching up the hallway. Melody tried to say something in greeting but the thin, balding senior partner just blew by her and pushed open my door.
My direct boss glared at me. "I understand that Taylor Brynn just called?" It was more statement than question.
I scrunched up my forehead. "How did you-?"
"Never mind that. What time is she coming?"
"Three o'clock."
"Today?"
I nodded.
Sheldon shot the cuffs of his blazer and flipped his wrist, checking the time on his expensive Rolex. "You'll have the Executive Conference Room. I'll meet you there at 2:30. Stacey will send the research to your admin and I'll figure out who else is competition."
He was talking so fast I could barely keep up. "Right," I replied.
"And Jeffrey, how the hell did you get her to call you?"
My blank look was all the answer he needed. Sheldon harrumphed under his breath and spun around, marching out my office.
It took me a minute to loosen my fingers from their tight grip on the armrests. My eyes were wide-open, my skin felt clammy, and my throat was dry. I felt like a tornado had just swept through my office in the last few minutes, leaving the furnishings untouched while picking me up, spinning me around a few dozen times, and then dropping me back into my chair.