Decoding the Billionaire Read online

  Elly suppressed a wry smile, she wished she could flee from her sisters’ persistent glances. She had avoided her family when she had returned from Greece heartbroken. She had headed straight to her father’s townhouse in London where she’d lived during the university semester. The townhouse had been her saviour as it had meant, that thank goodness, she had been able to avoid her family in the days after she returned from Greece. It was funny though, there have only been two times when escaping her family feels like the right thing to do, and Alex featured in her thoughts both times.

  “So how do you know him?”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Who were his friends?”

  The questions from her nosy sisters piled on. It was obvious that they couldn’t fathom how on earth their boring older sister, who either worked or studied, could know someone like that in an exclusive nightclub like the Phoenix.

  “He’s just a friend. We lost contact a while back. I have no idea who his friends are. Yes, he’s probably rich. Yes, he’s also very intelligent.” Her sisters both rolled their eyes to her last comment. Elly laughed to herself. They didn’t care how smart someone was, just how rich and good looking.

  Her father nodded. “That’s lovely dear that you bumped into a friend. I’m glad that you had a good time too. Aren’t you glad that you didn’t just stay home and work and miss out on all the fun?

  Lisa snickered. “Bumped? She positively accosted the guy.”

  “Yeah, but he reciprocated. I saw him put his arm around you.” Amy added, as if it were important.

  Her father shook his head at his younger daughters, as he stood on ceremony to cut the roast meat, as he did every week.

  “Girls, I’m sure Elly didn’t need little sisters standing by gawking at her. Anyway, I thought you girls danced the night away.”

  The reminder of how they’d danced throughout the night distracted both sisters and much to Elly’s relief, their conversation steered away from Elly and back to their own antics.

  Wendy dished up each person’s serving and as she handed Elly her laden plate, she bent down. Elly was head to head with Wendy and noticed for the first time the deep lines around her face. She’d never thought of Wendy and her father as aged before. With an earnest look, Wendy whispered, “Elly dear, if you want to invite a friend sometime for Sunday lunch, please feel welcome to.”

  Elly’s cheeks burned red. She didn’t want to sound rude, but She was done being the topic of conversation.

  “Thanks Wendy. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Chapter 3

  Elly always walked fast. Providing you had the right footwear on, there was no point in dawdling. She often zigzagged her way through the slow pedestrians from the tube station to her office. She’d done nothing but replay in her head Alex’s phone call from yesterday. Had she come across as rude? Or even insecure? She hoped not. She sighed with relief as she opened the nondescript door for their office. The minimalist bright and airy foyer always reminded her how far she had come, and how far DN had come. It was nothing like it had been when they first bought the neglected dilapidated building. And their business was quite different to when they ran their business from her father’s townhouse.

  Nina had been the driving force for change and had ensured that their new office represented their brand. Nina had insisted they spend money that enhanced the natural ambience, and she was right. Many customers commented on the bright, professional and minimalist atmosphere in their foyer. The window to their business was how Nina referred to it. What was the point of an exceptional business by exceptional women if there was no exceptional window for the client to see? Elly had left the entire design down to Nina, and her best friend had really excelled herself. At DN, Nina had been their marketing executive, interior designer, recruiter and co-director. Personally, Nina remained Elly’s fashion adviser, and the person who ensured that she took a break from work and partook in recreational activities and often scheduled time away from work for them both for cocktails and shopping sprees.

  Initially, it had just been the two of them. Elly developed technical solutions and tracking software for businesses and Nina took care of the administrative and marketing sides. Work had accumulated fast, and within two years of setting up, while they still worked from her father’s inner London flat, they had so much work that they had needed to recruit three software developers and an administrative assistant. Those days had been hectic but a lot of fun in her Dad’s flat. Elly grinned as she remembered the chaos and many late-night pizza deliveries. The following year, Nina had spotted in a local real estate magazine this dilapidated terraced building, and convinced Elly that they needed more space. Though to be honest, Elly couldn’t see the potential in the building that Nina had seen. It had been nothing more than rubble and the smell of damp. But then Nina had dealt with the bank, and somehow in an era of post-financial crisis, had secured them a mortgage, engaged builders, and designed this amazing front room with marble floors. It truly was spectacular. Elly fell in love with this space every time she walked into it. It took her breath away.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Bradley’s high-pitched male voice, which was almost always in song, called out from a side door. Elly waved in response. Bradley was a wonderful receptionist and always made her smile. He also juggled their reception with his aspirations as an actor, so he tended to structure his work timetable around his rehearsals.

  “Morning, Bradley,” she replied. “Anything new today?”

  “Nothing, apart from the most gorgeous hunk of a new client waiting in the Daffodil Room.”

  Bradley tended for the theatrics that he was so good at, and so it did not even occur to Elly to sneak a glimpse into the Daffodil Room as she walked past to go upstairs. Elly jogged up the narrow iron spiral staircase to their second floor. The second floor was an open office space and already a hive of activity with work well underway. She deposited her bag onto a spare desk space, kicked off her shoes and turned on her laptop. Her toes wriggled in relief as they escaped the confines of her shoes. It was one thing to wear fashionable shoes in to work, or to meetings, but it was just not necessary when she was up here working at her desk. No sooner had she sat down, when Nina flounced into the room.

  “Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “You, Ivan and I have a new client waiting downstairs. Can you guys go and do the whole meet and greet thing? I seriously need to dash to the Ladies’ first.”

  Elly glanced over to Ivan, a top-class techie who, like her, was an inherent introvert. Ivan would much rather just work on his computer and not deal with people. The meeting was news to him. Ivan shuffled the same pieces of paper while Nina spoke. Elly felt sorry for him. He looked how she had often felt inside at the prospect of meeting new people. Luckily, Nina often took control in these meetings, and anyway, most of their direct contacts for new jobs were techies anyway. Work often came their way from fellow IT workers in other companies where there just was not the capacity to do the work themselves. New clients who just dropped by the office were unusual.

  “C’mon Ivan, let’s get it over and done with. If the new client is not technical, what’s the chances that they’re here only because they fancy Nina or Bradly, and the meeting lasts no more than two minutes?” They’d had a few of these kind of potential clients over the years. Men who had no need for their technical services whatsoever but wanted an excuse to chat up Nina or Bradley. It didn’t happen too often, thank goodness. There had been three occurrences with men interested in Nancy and one for Bradley.

  Ivan visibly cheered up at the prospect of a quick meeting.

  “Can we book in some time in together? I’ve got a bug in the code I’m working on that I want to run through with you.” Igor asked her as the two of them headed together down the wooden staircase back to the ground floor.

  As they worked out a time in their calendars that would suit them both, their steps slowed down. Elly stepped in front and opened the door to the Daffodil Room as she turned
to Ivan. “Yeah, that’s not a problem. I’m interested in why that code would have a bug.”

  She let Ivan into the room first and breathed in deeply to help bolster her own confidence to deal with the new client until Nina arrived. She let out a sharp breath in surprise as she saw Alex as he lazed back idly on one of the chairs.

  So, this was Bradley’s gorgeous hunk. She had to agree with Bradley, Alex epitomised the word ‘gorgeous’. She fiddled with the stuff in her hands and couldn’t help herself. It was all she could do to not stare at his face.

  On Saturday, she had not appreciated that in twelve years, Alex had, if possible, gotten more handsome, and sexier. Definitely sexier, she mused. His whole presence exuded walking, talking, sex appeal.

  “Well, good morning. This is a surprise.” Elly raised her eyebrows in what she hoped gave her a look of sophistication and intrigue, and not just utter shock. She kept her voice in a bright and high tone to hide her nervousness and gave the sparsest of introductions.

  “Ivan, this is Alex. Alex, Ivan.”

  Alex’s presence dominated the room, and Elly felt drawn to him. It was with relief that Bradley entered the room. He held a tray of coffees for everyone. Ivan sat totally immobile, his face flushed to a bright red, which showed just how uncomfortable he was. He still hadn’t uttered a single word, although he was looking visibly more relieved since Elly made the first move and did the introductions.

  She took a deep breath as she hid her face in the steam. After a moment, Elly looked at Alex. She pulled herself together enough to ask him, “So Alex, what can we do for you?” Elly knew that her voice sounded a bit too prim and proper, which was at odds with the irregular flutter of her heart and sweaty fingers.

  Alex leaned back in his chair. His dark eyes had not moved from her face. His stare unnerved her. Elly gulped as her body reacted to his presence. It was if his eyes bore straight into her.

  “I’m told you’re the best in the business.” Although Alex said it as a statement, in a low quiet voice, his left eyebrow raised, which suggested that it was a question for her alone to answer.

  “Of course, what else would you expect?” retorted Elly, without giving any ground. She returned his stare. She hoped that her face remained expressionless. What did he expect her to answer? That no, she’s of mediocre quality? DN was the best. They had been top of their field for a while now. She had a feeling that he knew that too, but that he was intent to play with her.

  His long, strong fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

  “I’m in delicate discussions for a take-over, and it has come to my attention that someone on my staff is abusing their access to company documents and stuff. To the extent that their activities have the potential to influence the share prices of both my company and one that I am about to acquire. I need to know very promptly who it is, and the extent of their activities. My IT Executive tells me that apparently, we need a complete diagnostic and virtual surveillance of our systems. And he tells me that you’re the best.”

  “Sorry, Alex.” She shook her head and kept her voice clipped in a businesslike way. “We have a number of projects underway, and I don’t think we can add to our present workload for quite some time.”

  Alex’s face broke into a broad smile, like he knew something that she didn’t. It made the hairs on her nape prickle. “I’ve already confirmed with Nina, and my company is willing to pay above your normal rates for an immediate start.”

  “Sorry I’m late.” Nina sashayed through the doorway, electronic notebook in one hand, coffee in the other. She closed the door with an exaggerated movement from her curvaceous, bright red trousered hips. Nina mouthed, “Sorry,” to Elly and then gave Alex a brilliant smile. Nina’s bright lips matched the colour of her trousers.

  “Right, looks like you’ve started, great. Sorry Elly, was meaning to fill you in. So, Alex your company Hudson Pty needs some urgent work done, and I think we can fit it in. We have a couple of weeks we can dedicate to your project. If the project is too complex and we run out of time, we’ll have to put a placeholder on it temporarily and come back to it when we’ve finished up a few other projects.”

  Both Alex and Elly nodded. Elly didn’t know who Nina had announced that to – her or Alex. Or maybe both of them. Nina was great like that. She micromanaged everyone without anyone figuring out who it was that was being managed.

  “Ivan, despite the bugs, you’re ahead of schedule on your current piece, so you can put that aside for the meantime. Elly, you’ll hate this, but I’ll need you to delegate your current workload across the team so you can focus more exclusively on Alex’s company.”

  Luckily, Nina was well liked. Somehow, her approach never caused offence with their tech colleagues. It was how she worked and managed their busy office. Both Elly and Ivan were used to Nina’s bossiness, though Elly would rather do anything except work for Alex’s company. Go to bed with him? Perhaps. But work? No. She had worked hard to build up a professional image, an identity at her work, and she was good at what she did. His presence made her feel vulnerable and distracted, and she didn’t want to feel that way at work. Work had always been her haven.

  “Well, that’s settled then.” Alex gave Nina a big friendly smile.

  “Simon, our IT executive, will be in touch this afternoon.” He fixed his gaze back on her. Elly couldn’t focus and her hands went clammy. His eyes warmed as he looked at her, and his smile broadened. She was lost, unable to look away while he smiled like that to her. She kept her face guarded and her body erect in her chair. Her pulse raced and was the only giveaway at the agitation this man caused her.

  Alex stood up, clearly ready to leave. He first leaned over to shake Ivan’s hand with a firm grip. Ivan’s eyes widened in appreciation, and Elly saw the respect that Ivan had for Alex. How did he do that? Ivan was a techie who hated the people side of work.

  Alex paused in front of Elly. “It was great bumping into you on Saturday night. We must do it again.”

  Despite her legs all quivery, Elly stood up tall. She shook her head firmly.

  “Sorry Alex, I don’t mix personal with business, and this is business.” She felt bold as she repeated some of the exact same words that had broken her heart twelve years ago, when he had rejected her.

  Alex ignored her comment as he grabbed his phone from the table. His lack of reaction infuriated her. Drat this man.

  “It looks like Nina has sorted everyone’s schedules, so tell Simon that we’ll wait for his call.” Elly tried to reclaim back control of the conversation. She scooped up her notebook and took the opportunity to escape. As she turned to leave the room, she bumped right into his strong solid frame. His hand was warm and gentle on her back as he steadied her. It sent her body into overdrive. Her neck prickled as he whispered in a low tone for her benefit only.

  “Until next time.” Without another glance back, he sauntered out of the office. Elly’s eyes were drawn to the formidable view that he made, his toned torso cloaked in an expensive tailored charcoal coloured suit, which fitted with perfection to every contour of his lean, muscled body.

  ###

  Alex shook his head in wonderment as he left the building. DN was not at all what he had expected. Their office had been designed with exquisite perfection. The interior was quiet and epitomised professionalism. Elly and Nina had done an amazing job.

  He was glad for Simon’s inside industry knowledge, as he knew that both girls were founders and equal owners, and that they had started their business when they were still at university. An unlikely match, but their success was obvious. Simon had spoken with awe in his voice when he told him about DN. He’d described them as prestigious, discreet, and never short of work, and had said that they commanded high paying contracts. Simon had also reckoned that most of his department would jump to work with DN, even if only for a short contract. Elly had a reputation for being the best in business and Nina only recruited the best and ran a tight ship.

  He buzzed for his drive
r and shook his head again. Who was this person? His Elizabeth twelve years ago had been ravishing to look at with long legs. And she was for sure the most intelligent girl that he’d ever met. But she had not been the polished sophisticated businesswoman that she is now. Where had his reserved and shy Elizabeth gone? The young woman who wore skimpy plain cotton shorts and had been so unaware of how she had showed off her legs. He pondered over the emergence of Elly from Elizabeth. What kind of transformation had she gone through to become such a different person? Mentally he kicked himself. Elly wasn’t his, not now, nor had she ever been. They’d had a holiday fling, and yes, it had been complete with explosive sex. Boy had she been responsive. Maybe not the most experienced lover he’d ever had, but their chemistry together had been incredible. Just the thought of her sent a jolt down his body. Alex shook his head again. He had never sought emotional entanglement, which was one of the reasons that he had broken things off with her in the first place. Business came first. He’d been in Greece on a business mission. Though, he could’ve done things differently. Even his subsequent liaison with the old Greek’s granddaughter Tori had been based on financial and business gain.

  There was something about Elly that still pulled him. He hoped it hadn’t been evident to anyone else this morning, but she still affected him. All he’d wanted to do in the office was to grab her and kiss her senseless. He’d wanted to remove that business façade and see her respond to him in the same primal way that his body reacted to her. He didn’t care if Elly didn’t mix business with her personal life. Simon was welcome to the business relationship. He’d have the personal one.

  In the corporate world he operated in, he was respected by both his colleagues and his opposition for being driven and ambitious. He was known for his quick mind, strategic thinking, and capacity to take measured risks. But the plan that he needed to formulate to get Elly to go out with him was not like any other plan he had crafted before.