The Setup (The Dark Billionaire, #1)

The Setup

The Dark Billionaire #1

L.N. Pearl

By the same author:

Broken – The Dark Billionaire Book #2

Darker – The Dark Billionaire Book #3

The Last Kiss 1 - Ashley's Wet Dreams (FREE)

The Last Kiss 2 - Ashley's Wet Dreams

The Last Kiss 3 - Ashley's Wet Dreams

My romantic suspense books (different pen name):

The Kiss of the Don 1 - Bad Boy Billionaire Series (FREE)

The Kiss of the Don 2 - Bad Boy Billionaire Series

The Kiss of the Don 3 - Bad Boy Billionaire Series

Copyright © 2013 by L.N. Pearl All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Blog:
http://authorlnpearl.blogspot.com/

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https://twitter.com/LNPearlAuthor

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Check Bruce Wilson’s lifestyle in pictures
:
http://pinterest.com/authorlnpearl/billionaire-bruce-wilsons-lifestyle/

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

J
ennifer felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. She was running into the darkness, lonely, hurt, broken, and desperate. She had made mistakes in her life but she had never screwed up that much. Never before had the stakes been so high. For the first time in her life, she could feel the weight of regrets crush her bones and destroy her from within. Her heart was sore and empty.

It was her fault.

She had started everything. Everything had been based on a lie. It was supposed to be a game, a setup. Not the end of her existence. She should have turned her back a long time ago but she had been swept away by him, unable to resist the flood of unknown and overwhelming emotions he had triggered. Now, a line had been crossed and she could never, ever go back. Things would never be the same again. She deserved it. She didn’t deserve him.

The beach was deserted and Jennifer found her way to the ocean in the dim light of the moon. There, just a few moments ago, her life had been changed forever. It was supposed to be her
happy ever after
. Bruce had fulfilled her sweetest dreams and her wildest fantasies. The climax of her entire life hadn’t lasted very long, though. It was over – back to reality; the harsh and cold reality of her own stupidity. Why had she decided to do it? The only person she had been able to fool... was herself.

She took one step into the cold water, then another, and walked aimlessly. She felt attracted by the horizon and the infinity of the ocean. The wind blew through her hair and she shivered, thinking about Bruce’s strong arms and his warm chest. She would give anything to feel the softness of his velvet skin again; if he ever decided to talk to her again and forgive her.

She had been too naive. It was a lesson and she was paying the price. She wished she could press the rewind button somewhere and start all over again. It wasn’t going to happen, though; the fairytale was over. The billionaire’s girlfriend – or whoever she really was – had to face her responsibilities...

“Jennifer,” he said, with his bossy voice. He wasn’t looking at her, his nose down and looking at the manila folder between his large hands.

“Yes, Mr. Wilson,” Jennifer said, ready to leave.

“You’re going home now?”

“Yes,” she said. “Do you need anything?”

He ignored her question and frowned, still looking at his papers. “Phuket, right?”

She nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at her. Jennifer needed a break. She had planned this trip for months and she couldn’t wait to wear her bikini and spread her toes under the burning sun of Thailand.

“Yes,” she said. “I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I told you yesterday already...”

“I know,” he mumbled.

She flicked her blue eyes to the side and her eyebrows went up. “What can I do for you then? We've been talking about this for two months at least.”

“Well, things have changed a bit in the last two months,” he said, exhaling loudly.

Oh no, come on. Don’t tell you’ve changed your mind... I hate those last minute conversations.

“I’ve done my best to make sure everything goes smoothly during my absence,” she said, feeling the blood pumping faster in her veins. New York billionaire Bruce Wilson was the kind of man to work twenty-five hours per day, eight days a week. As his assistant, Jennifer knew better than anyone. At thirty-five, he was a self-made man and the words
vacation
and
holidays
seemed to be missing in his vocabulary.

“I don’t know if it will be enough, though,” he said.

It’s never enough...

Jennifer cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. She tried to recall all the things she had done for him during the last few days alone. There was the charity event to help children in Africa. Then, the polo competition he had hosted. His birthday party, with the dozen world famous models he had requested. The interviews she had arranged with business and entrepreneurship magazines and websites. And recently, the endless exchanges with Mike from his insurance company.

As if he could read her mind, he asked, “Did you deal with the insurance? For the Lamborghini?”

“Yes, he called this morning. They won't cover it. They said the crash was your fault since you were drunk.”

Bruce Wilson raised a hand in the air, visibly upset and irritated. “Aw shit... I wasn't even drunk, I was pissed. Just had one glass of wine, come on. And it was raining that night. I just lost control,” he said, frowning and lost in his thoughts.

“I’m just repeating what Mike said,” Jennifer replied, cautious. She didn’t want to start an argument; not now. She had better things to do, like for example, checking the maps of all the islands she was going to explore.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I was talking to myself...” Bruce said with a cold but sexy voice. She glanced at him and unconsciously licked her lips. Bruce was very mysterious and secretive. There was this aura around him; that little something that made him special and kept her wondering what was inside.

Jennifer sighed and approached his desk. She knew he often felt overwhelmed and lonely at times; she could see it. He worked too much and didn’t have much of a private life. Leaving him was painful but at the same time, she needed to be away to recharge her batteries. “Are you going to be okay, Mr. Wilson?”

“I hope so,” he said, now looking at her. Their eyes locked for a moment and Jennifer’s palms started to get wet. He was giving her his look, knowing how to seduce without ever compromising himself with words. He continued, “Listen, I know you're working hard. You need a break, I understand but I’m not going to lie; it’s going to be a pain in the butt without you. Can’t you delay just a little bit?”

Jennifer bit her lower lip, hesitant. She didn’t want to have a fight. Of course, she couldn’t delay anything; Bruce had given his approval a long time ago. “I’m not irreplaceable,” she said. “You have many people you can count on.”

Bruce waved his hand in the air, as if her comment annoyed him. “Reliable people are very rare these days. I can only count on a few people and you’re one of them. I hate to see you go; especially now with this Japanese deal going on.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said with her reassuring voice. “With or without me.”

Bruce was an extremely smart and confident man, who seemed to be successful no matter what business he went into. He was now in the software business, but had started as an Internet publisher and quickly built an impressive empire. His company had been sold for several hundred million dollars, which he had reinvested in real estate and stocks. His investments had quickly soared and he became a billionaire by the age of thirty-three. Therefore, Jennifer knew for a fact that he could handle her absence.

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Sometimes, I feel like I'm lost when you’re not around...”

Jennifer blushed and looked down, confused by his statement. Did he really mean it? Or was he just tired? Or was it a desperate attempt to make her stay and cancel her vacation? In any case, the words sounded unreal coming from his mouth.

The previous year, a famous gossip magazine had featured him on their cover, as the winner of their contest “Hottest Bachelor of the Year”. Since then, Bruce had been seen with many gorgeous women, and Jennifer couldn’t help thinking the same man was telling her “I feel like I'm lost when you’re not around...”

Really?   

She said nothing and the silence became somewhat uncomfortable. Bruce raised his head, suddenly aware of the situation. “Professionally of course,” he said with a mysterious smile.

“Off... of course, Mr. Wilson,” Jennifer said, slightly relieved, kind of disappointed and totally confused.

In five years, it was the first time Bruce had given such a compliment about her. He had always been very nice to her, and very polite – a real gentleman; but his high rolling and demanding lifestyle represented an incredible amount of work for Jennifer, who often had to be available late at night and during weekends. A little gratitude from her employer meant a lot to her.

Jennifer had no life outside of her job, and at twenty-eight, she was still single, living in a small apartment. At $50K a year, she couldn't complain and was able to save, but most of the money was spent taking care of her grandmother. Plus, money wasn't everything and all she wanted now was less stress and more time to take care of herself.

She was very independent, had a strong personality and had never been afraid of challenging work. However, the line between work and her private life had been crossed many times over the years, and she was now desperate to take a break from her employer's professional and personal demands.

Ironically, her lifestyle was like a perfect shadow of Bruce’s. Whenever he needed something, Jennifer was never too far, acting like a silent facilitator. She’d always thought that her salary had to be justified, so she was willing to accept a lot of unusual demands and requests. As a consequence, her personal life had suffered many times in the past.

She had been single for eighteen months, and had seen her last boyfriend less than ten times in six months. She knew because she had to make appointments with him. And, each time they’d met, she had been interrupted by Bruce calling her, making it almost impossible to enjoy her dates. Needless to say, her sexual life was extremely limited but she was too busy to even think about it.  

“I have to meet Mr. Sakamura next week to negotiate the terms of our joint venture,” he said. “He's ready to open the Japanese market for me. You know they’re huge in terms of technology. We're talking about half a billion dollars in gross revenue per year. He's a big guy and must be received accordingly...”

Jennifer knew about this deal and how important it was. “Don't worry, Mr. Wilson, I have arranged everything. I gave my personal number and email to Benny in case of an emergency. And I made sure I can receive international calls when I'm over there.”

“Who?”

“Benjamin Travis, or Benny. He's the new trainee. He's been here for four months only, but he's very sharp and I trust him.”

“You trust him?” Bruce asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice. “Is it the guy who's always shaking when he comes to my office and spilled some coffee on me the other day?”

Jennifer wanted to laugh but just smiled. Benny was a twenty-four-year-old young man with excellent grades at school, who used to live in the countryside. Landing an internship with international company Wilson Corp. and working directly with its founder and CEO, self-made billionaire Bruce Wilson was the opportunity of a lifetime; one many people would definitely die for.

“It's him,” she said. “But I think you exaggerate a little. He’s far from being dumb, and the coffee that day was my fault. Anyway, he's just very nervous around you. I think he's impressed and kind of intimidated. You represent the ultimate success that any young man can only dream about.”

Bruce looked at her, skeptical. “Yeah?”

“Yes. Honestly, he's very competent and catches on very fast. He’s very responsible and thoughtful, in my opinion. You can count on him.” 

“Well, if you say so,” Bruce said, sweeping the air with his hand. “Okay, I know you want to leave. That’ll be all. Enjoy your trip Jennifer, and be safe. Good night.”