Billionaire’s Pursuit(2)

 “Hmm, okay,” I replied. A final remnant of burnt-cheese smell mocked me, filling my nostrils as I listened to Katy.

 “Maddie, what’s wrong?”

 “It’s nothing. Look, I guess I’m just nervous because this is my first client. Don’t worry about it.”

 “Okay, I won’t worry about it if you swear to me you aren’t twirling your hair around your finger this instant.”

 Without even having to look, I stopped mid-twist.

 “I hate you, Katy. You know that?”

 A half-sinister, half-compassionate chuckle blared from the phone’s tiny speakers. “I know,” Katy said.

 I released my hair and it bounced back in place as Katy continued, “Maddie, if I didn’t think you could handle him, I wouldn’t put you in this situation. You just need to get your confidence back, that’s all. This is the perfect opportunity to do that so long as…”

 “I know,” I interrupted. “So long as I don’t screw it up.”

 Katy exhaled a bit. Her tone softened. “I don’t mean to be too hard on you, sweetie. I just want to see you succeed. That’s all. Being in business for yourself is tough, so I want to help you as much as I can.”

 “Katy, I really want you to know how much I appreciate this.”

 “That’s okay, Maddie. You just need to put what’s happened behind you. Trevor’s moved on. This is your chance to do the same.”

 I thinned my lips at the mention of his name. “I know. It’s just… there’s a lot more to this than I thought.”

 “Well, that’s the way it is when you’re running your own business. You don’t see me sitting around do you? It’s all about the hustle, Maddie.”

 Nodding, I sat up straight as I tried to inject myself with a jolt of self-confidence. With any luck, I could borrow some of my friend’s strength by osmosis, if nothing else. When it came to business, she had it by the truckload.

 “Oh, and Maddie, speaking of hustle, there’s one more thing you need to know.”

 “What?”

 “He arrives at five o’clock tonight.”

 A wave a nausea washed over my entire body. “Wait, what do you mean he arrives at five o’clock tonight? How am I supposed to make all the arrangements from the proposal by tonight? Katy, what the hell? Did you know about this?”

 Katy exhaled and replied, “No, I didn’t but like I said, it’s all about the hustle, Maddie. I’ll email you his travel itinerary but you have to make the rest of it happen somehow.”

 My mouth got drier with each word she spoke. The list of things I had to pull off, with no time and zero dollars, quickly piled up in my head.

 “Uh, okay, I guess,” I uttered with all the conviction I could muster. “I’ll make some calls right away. But Katy, I don’t have money to pay for any of this.”

 “Don’t worry about that. You’ll have the deposit you asked for in your proposal wired to your account by noon. You can do it, Maddie. I believe in you. Now get busy. Text me and let me know how things are going.”

 Seconds later we said our goodbyes and I placed my tablet back on the living room table. I took one last look at Greyson Sinclair’s image. In the five years I’d spent in LA, I’d been around my share of men like him. Okay, so maybe not as crazy rich as he was or even as good looking, but I knew the type.

 I could handle him.

 I had to.

 Like it or not, I was officially in business.



 GREY

 “Okay, thanks Randolph. You’ll send that complete background check to me by email then?”

 “Yes, Mr. Sinclair, sir. Right away. You can expect it any moment.”

 “Very good, Randolph.” I said to the head of my security team, as I looked up from my desk to see Mary Ann in the doorway. My current assistant stood there with her hand on her hip in a pose I’d seen one too many times. I acknowledged her with what I hoped would be a gesture that communicated what I would say in words if not in the middle of a goddamn phone call.

 “Is there anything else, Mr. Sinclair?” Randolph asked, as I glared at Mary Ann before turning my attention back to the matter at hand. “No Randolph, not right now. You got me the photo I wanted of Miss Olsen?”

 “Yes sir, just as you requested.”

 “Excellent, Randolph. Great work as always.”

 “My pleasure, Mr. Sinclair.”

 As I lowered the phone from my ear, Mary Ann click-clacked her way across the floor of my office and stood in front of my desk before the receiver was back in its cradle. Once she stopped, a hint of her perfume drifted in my direction. It was a scent that drew me to her in my chase but now seemed more like a repellent.