GRAEME UNCAGED: Part One (Taming the Billionaire Book 2) (2 page)

“Yes, Louisa married him just about two years ago, and she’s nearly six months pregnant now. What a mess.”

Gideon left a few minutes later. Graeme called down to the Head of Legal.

“Roger, I think my daughter may need a divorce. Who do you recommend?”

“Who’s at fault, Graeme? Sorry to ask, but it will make a difference who I recommend.”

“The husband.”

“In that case, how about I set up an appointment with Geraldine Grey?  She’s very effective, and given Louisa’s wealth...”

“Hmm...that pre-nup you drew up is airtight, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I think William’s father is not without good legal counsel himself, and he’s a greedy son of a bitch. You don’t need to prolong this. Geraldine’s good at speedy resolutions.” 

“I’m having lunch with Louisa. I’ll let you know at our meeting this afternoon how we are going to proceed, and you can set the appointment up then.”

Olivia left Currency Trading at ten to twelve, heading up to the top floor executive suite. Haillie was at Rose’s desk.

“Olivia, you look wonderful,” she smiled. “Married life agrees with you. Mind you, married life with Graeme Browning would agree with any woman.”

Rose and Olivia looked at each other and grinned. Married life with Graeme Browning would only suit certain women. What Haillie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

“Thank you, Haillie. As usual, you look marvellous yourself,” smiled the new Mrs. Browning. “Is Graeme free, Rose?”

Rose glanced at her telephone.

“He’s still on a call to Belfast, Olivia.”

“Well, that gives us a few minutes to gossip, doesn’t it?” smiled Olivia.

“So who is going to be Glen Palmer’s P.A. when he takes over Graeme’s job, since you don’t want to be, Haillie?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think that the new girl, Karen, will suit him. She’s about fifty and quite hardnosed. Now that Amanda’s gone back to Uni, we have yet another new face in the Secretarial Pool. Her name is Nadia. From somewhere in Poland, I think. She might suit Glen -- she’s very attractive even if she is over forty.”

“Oh.”

“And Rose here has left her husband, Olivia.”

“Somehow, Haillie, I don’t think Olivia is surprised at that news,” said Rose.

“You mean she already knew?  Amanda and I didn’t know.”

“Amanda and you don’t know everything, Haillie.”

“You deserve better than a sniveling momma’s boy like Brian, Rose. And you certainly deserve better than that interfering mother-in-law of yours,” Olivia grinned.

“I know, Olivia. I deserve a strong man who knows how to treat a woman.”

“Don’t we all?” Haillie snorted.

“Rose does especially, she’s a terrific friend,” Olivia smiled.

“Have you started divorce proceedings yet, Rose?” asked Haillie.

“I have, Legal suggested a lady solicitor who specializes in divorce.

“Brian’s moved back to Liverpool to live with
Mummy
. He was on the afternoon train the Monday after Olivia’s wedding when I threw him out, so we are now formally separated, and I’m going to give him grounds, so we can hurry it along and not have to wait three years or so since he won’t be reasonable and do it the civilized way.”

Haillie raised her eyebrows. “
You’re
giving him grounds? You look as if butter won’t melt in your mouth! When did you meet your lover?”

Rose hesitated. “A while ago,” she said finally.

“Is he good looking, rich, what does he do?” demanded Haillie, relishing that for once she had a jump up on Amanda for the office gossip.

“I think he’s very good looking,” smiled Rose dreamily.

“Is he rich? What does he do?” repeated Haillie.

“He owns his own business, so he’s financially secure but I don’t think I’d call him rich, Haillie. He has a lovely loft conversion though, with a river view.”

“How did you meet him?” Haillie was relentless in her quest for gossip.

“We introduced them, Haillie. Graeme and I introduced her to her new partner.”

Olivia was certain that Haillie would not pursue Rose quite so intensely if she knew that. Haillie would not want to upset Graeme or Olivia for that matter...

“What’s his name?”

“I think Rose should keep that confidential until her divorce proceedings are finished,” said Olivia firmly. “We don’t need anyone gossiping this around and Brian catching wind of it before Rose wants him to.”

Haillie looked at Olivia.

Better lay off Rose or Olivia’s going to be upset with me. Last thing I need is the new Chairman’s Wife upset with me. Bad career move
.

Haillie changed the subject to something that interested her far more, her own future.

“Er, at your wedding Graeme said you were going to open a new Department here, Olivia. He said I could talk to you about it.”

“Yes, we talked about it in Bermuda, between golfing and swimming, and sightseeing. We talked about it a lot.

“I’m going to have an office here at the Bank to handle all the charities and foundations we support, and take over the organization of the social events that the Bank hosts, the big reception they give every year on the Bank’s anniversary and a Ball in February to support the Heart Foundation. That’s Uncle David’s favourite charity.”

“Oh,” smiled Haillie, “That doesn’t sound too onerous.”

“There are four or five other regular receptions, and of course the Bank hosts a cocktail party whenever there is a Financial Conference in London, which is several times a year.

“There’s rather a lot more involved to being the Chairman’s wife than my husband imagined, and since I’ve got other commitments looming, we thought I should have an assistant to look after the administration of the funds we disperse, and attend some of the social functions when I’m otherwise occupied. As well as hosting a number of functions, I’m required to attend a lot of cocktail parties, receptions, fundraisers, that sort of thing. This Christmas season is going to be particularly busy, I think.

“Aunt Christine told me this morning she and I have about twelve receptions to attend between now and Christmas, and we have Nick and Julia’s wedding in two weeks.

“Rose has knocked herself out arranging their wedding for us, just as she did for my own two weeks ago…Graeme and I do appreciate your efforts, Rose.”

“Thanks, Olivia. It was a pleasure. I must admit, having Graeme gone for ten days did give me a good window to make most of Julia’s arrangements, and Mrs. Hall comes in three days this week and all of next to free me up to make this wedding as perfect as yours was.”

“You are going to need a very capable assistant, Olivia, someone who can take charge, make decisions on her own. The job sounds wonderful, all that socializing.” Haillie didn’t want to talk about Rose’s accomplishments, or Julia’s wedding. She wasn’t invited to the wedding in any case.

Olivia nodded. “It doesn’t stop, Haillie, but I have to be careful that the person I work with understands all the ramifications of the position, not just the social benefits….Let’s have lunch soon and talk about it.”

“I’ll do a good job for you, Olivia. I know we’ll work well together.”

“We’ll talk about it next week, Haillie,” said Olivia.

Haillie interpreted that to mean she had the inside track, and flounced off to text Amanda.

Rose and Olivia smiled sadly at each other.

“She’s as bad as Amanda,” said Rose.

“No, she’s worse than Amanda. Amanda’s immature and insecure, a girl who gossips because she thinks people like to hear tidbits. Haillie on the other hand…”

Rose nodded.

“Thanks for not telling her my lover is Ragnar.”

“My policy with Amanda and Haillie is to mislead them. I’m sure Haillie would be a good P.A. for this new Department, but I’d rather have someone else, anyone else. I can just see Haillie telling me what to do do instead of doing as I ask.”

“You’re too nice these days, Olivia. You need to get a bit of the old hard edge back, be a little less polite to her if you are going to have her as your assistant. But if you don’t want her, find somebody you wouldn’t mind working with.”

“Graeme mentioned it to her at our wedding, when she declined the job as Glen’s P.A., so now she thinks she’s got it in the bag, Rose.”

“Maybe she’ll find a rich husband at one of those society events, Olivia, and be out of your hair. We both know that’s what Haillie’s after.”

“We can dream, can’t we?” sighed Olivia.

“You can do more than dream, Olivia. You can make sure she goes to the heavily male attended functions. She’ll do the rest on her own. She’s very attractive, isn’t she?”

“She is, Rose.”

Olivia hesitated, then asked, “Did you know she made a play for Graeme while I was in Belfast?”

“I knew she came out of his office very flustered one afternoon.”

“Well, he told her off.”

“Good.” Rose smiled. “She’s clueless isn’t she?  Someone like her would never suit Graeme or Ragnar...or Glen Palmer for that matter.”

“We’ll keep her clueless if we can, Rose.”

“We will, Olivia. No
if we can
about it.”

Graeme’s appearance at the door to his office cut short the conversation. He was beside Olivia in two strides, and gave her a lingering kiss.

Rose smiled. It was lovely, seeing the two of them, so in love. Graeme seemed so much happier. Olivia was glowing.

Graeme’s daughter arrived a moment later.

Louisa was blonde, beautiful, wonderfully groomed, pale, with red eyes.  Without a word, Olivia hugged her, and that was all it took for the tears to start again.

“Hey, princess, no crying now. I’m taking the two of you to the Savoy Grill. You love that restaurant, don’t you, Louisa?  Whatever is making you unhappy can be dealt with over lunch.”

“Yes, Daddy,” sniffed Louisa.

Louisa waited until they had ordered to start her tale of woe.

“Oh, Daddy, William has a girlfriend.”

“No?” said her father, carefully. “Why do you think that, princess?”

“I went to a
Young Riders of Great Britain
Committee Meeting on Friday at the Four Seasons, and was just coming across the Lobby when I saw him with his secretary.

“They were holding hands and giggling and while they were waiting for the lift, she was kissing him.”

“Oh, Louisa,” said Olivia softly. “How awful for you.”

“How can he do this to me, ‘Livi?  I’m nearly six months pregnant! He’s such a bastard.

“I bet
all
his Friday squash games are squashing her into the mattress! Probably his Tuesday games as well!”

“How did you get through the weekend, Louisa?” asked Graeme.

“I stayed with Julia and Nick,” she replied. “I texted William and told him I was staying the weekend with Julia, to help her with the wedding arrangements. 

“He texted me straight back to enjoy myself and he would go fishing with his mates.” Louisa paused for breath.

“The lying bastard, Nick played detective for me, and William and that slut Maxine were at the Four Seasons until this morning. Room 2914, Daddy.” Louise was calmer now.

“What do you want to do about it, precious?” asked her father.

“I want to divorce him as soon as possible, Daddy. Make him move out of the house and just get rid of him. Erase him from my life. Start again as if I never met William James Peter Spenser, never married the bastard.”

“That can be arranged,” said Graeme drily.

“Then I want you to help me find a suitable husband, Daddy. Somebody who isn’t such a moron, who understands me, who loves riding as much as I do. Somebody who’ll be a good father to my baby.”

“I’ll get Legal to arrange a good solicitor for you, Louisa, but surely you don’t want to rush into another marriage?”

“Daddy, I want my baby to have a father who is a good example for him. It’s going to be a boy, I decided to find out...and I don’t want William near my son.”

“Sweetheart, it’s his baby as well, and you know his family will be determined to be involved.”

“Well, I want them involved as little as possible. And I want to be remarried before he is, to a rich, handsome man who will stick in William’s craw.”

“I doubt William will rush to the altar again, Louisa,” said Olivia gently.

“He’s so stupid he’ll probably marry the little slut,” said Louisa. “I couldn’t bear it if he married her before I had somebody else. Somebody super who is besotted with me. Somebody who likes doing the things I do.

“The only thing William and I have in common is sex, and he isn’t very good at that anymore, he drinks too much.”

Graeme smiled thinly.  He was not impressed with his daughter’s attitude. Louise was so shallow. He’d never seen her like this.

But perhaps that was his own fault, he’d spoiled her from the minute he met her, always fixed her problems, always given her what she wanted.