GRAEME UNCAGED: Part One (Taming the Billionaire Book 2) (4 page)

“In the meantime, I’ll call Louisa, and arrange for us to have dinner. You haven’t met Olivia yet, have you?”

“Olivia?”

“My wife, we just returned from our honeymoon Wednesday evening.”

“I didn’t know you’d remarried, Graeme.”

“Two weeks ago, just family there. We’re having a reception in a month or so. I believe the notice of our wedding is scheduled to go in the
Times
on Friday. Uncle David and Aunt Christine adore her. You will too. In fact, I’m rather pleased I’ve married her already, as she is blonde and beautiful, just your type.”

Rodriguez laughed. “Ah well, I’ll be on my best behaviour, Graeme.”

As soon as he hung up, Rodriguez de Velaquado, Prince of Espagnolia from his mother’s side, Duke of Seville, Prince of Iberia from his Spanish father, dialed his mother.

“Mama, I will go to London tomorrow morning, our old friend Graeme Browning is keen to buy the Bank Uncle Miguel left me, so I am afraid I cannot attend your dinner party on Thursday.”

“My darling boy, I’m glad you can unload that white elephant! Your Aunt Sophia used to complain about the drain on the family fortune. You’d better be fair to your friend and not overcharge him. Graeme is a very charming man. He always takes me to dinner when I am in London, and gives me one of his Bank’s suites at the Four Seasons for my stay.”

The Espagnolian nobleman laughed. “Good advice, Mama.”

“But I am sorry you will not be at my dinner. I have a charming Italian girl coming, the daughter of a Count.”

Rodriguez smiled to himself. He needed to stop his mother’s overt matchmaking efforts.

She’d heard the innuendoes Maria Isabella had spread, and although she didn’t believe the stories, she was anxious to show the world her ex-daughter in law was a liar.

Well, perhaps Graeme’s daughter would solve the problem. Both problems – stop the insulting innuendos and stop his mother’s matchmaking.

“Mama, not only am I going to sell Graeme the Bank, I am staying for the weekend. He has a very beautiful daughter who rides internationally, and I will be accompanying Louisa to her sister’s wedding on Saturday after I visit the English horse sales later this week.”

“You have a date in England with a beautiful, wealthy young woman? Wonderful news. Be sure to let the press know. In fact, I shall have my social secretary contact the British press, the equestrian publications and perhaps some of the better glossy magazines…”

“Yes, Mama. Louisa is divorcing her husband for adultery as we speak. She is six months pregnant, so we know she is fertile as well as beautiful and rich, and a talented rider. I’ve known her casually for some years, from the Show circuit. I find her charming and physically very attractive.”

He could imagine his mother sitting at the telephone, smiling.

“So...is she Catholic, my son? We would have to get a dispensation for you to marry. Sad there is no royal connection.”

“Hold on, Mama. I’m far enough down the line of succession it doesn’t matter about the divorce. But there is a royal connection. Graeme’s great grandmother was the cousin of Queen Mary, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, a princess herself who married an Irish nobleman. I remember Graeme telling me the story years ago.”

“Your father must be rolling in his grave, the lies that horrible Maria Isabella is telling! Marry soon and have a child so that world will see her for the nasty piece of work she is!” his mother implored.

“Mama, I am as embarrassed by the lies as you are. I am a proud man. It is most difficult to hold my head up in public with these terrible falsehoods circulating about me. Believe me, I will be marrying the first suitable woman who crosses my path.”

“I hope so, my son. This Louisa, you say she rides?”

“Brilliantly. And she is blonde and far more beautiful than Maria Isabella.”

“Rich?”

“You know her family is wealthy, Mama. Her father and great uncle own a very large and profitable financial empire. They are a little richer than our family actually.”

“If you like her...I will like her.”

“You will love her, Mama. She is very sweet, and popular on the equestrian circuit.”

“I’ve been sitting at the computer as we talk, my son. I have found a picture of this Louisa. She is
very
attractive. And I see in one picture, her husband had almost a Mediterranean complex, so I am sure she will find you handsome. I hope you get on well this week.”

“Mama, I expect to get on very well with Louisa. After all, her father is a very good friend.” Rodriguez paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully, and then continued.

“In fact, Mama, I expect to marry her. That will stop all this vicious slander that my former wife is spreading about me.”

“Very sensible plan, my son. I hate that bitch. A beautiful, wealthy, younger new wife will choke her with jealously!”

Rodriguez Googled Louisa himself as soon as he hung up the telephone.

Yes, she was the sexy little minx he remembered. He’d fancied her the first time he saw her on top of that black gelding at York.

Wonderful ass...great tits, and a cheeky smile. But she’d just been married, and he was still living with Maria Isabella so he had done nothing about his attraction for her.

Now, however she was free, or would be shortly, and he was free. His cock twitched as he remembered that ass.

A marriage to save face would not be a hardship if it was marriage to Louisa Browning Spenser…

Now if only he could think of a way to claim paternity of her child…
because Rodriguez de Velaquado truly believed he was sterile
.

After all, he’d been very enthusiastic in the bedroom with his wife, for the first four years anyway, until he’d caught her with his cousin…

After that of course, he’d never touched her, and took his pleasures discreetly, very discreetly elsewhere.

It had taken two more years for them to get the marriage annulled.

It never occurred to the very Catholic Rodriguez de Velaquado that his equally Catholic wife, Maria Isabella, who had greatly resented her husband’s popularity, might secretly be on the Pill.

Mother had mentioned a picture of Louisa and her husband…Yes, here it was, and the husband did look Spanish or Italian with his dark hair and eyes, his complexion, although he was English…hmm…if the timing was right, there might be a way….

THREE

Graeme walked into the Boardroom for his Department Head’s Meeting at two. After reviewing the events of the past two weeks and finding nothing amiss, he turned to Michael Wilde, the head of Mergers and Acquisitions.

“Mike, we’ve been approached to acquire Banco Madriata Velázquez. An old friend of mine just inherited it, and it lies outside his fields of expertise. Here are the details he sent me by email today.

“I realize the Espagnolian economy is anything but healthy, surrounded as the country is by Spain and all its troubles, but it might be a good opportunity to expand into the Iberian Peninsula. It gives us twelve branches in Espagnolia and two in Spain.”

“Graeme, I’ll have a look at it, and put young Paul Easton onto it right away. Sometimes the middle of a recession is the best time to gain a foothold cheaply.”

“I agree, and I think Paul’s the right man to analyze the Bank quickly. Get him to do a background report and you and I will meet with him at ten in the morning to review his findings. Rodriguez de Velaquado will be here at three with his proposal. I’ll meet with him first, and then have you join us. I’m quite keen on this acquisition, so unless there is a major problem, and the price being attractive of course, we’ll proceed.”

“Right, Graeme, we’ll get straight on it. We should be able to buy at the right price, the Espagnolian economy being what it is.”

“Fine, then I think that’s all. Just want Roger and Gideon to hang back for a few minutes, so that is all for the rest of you.”

As soon as the Boardroom had emptied, Graeme turned to Roger. “Roger, Louisa is going to want to proceed with her divorce as soon as possible. We need a barracuda. Louisa wants to prevent William and his family from having access to the baby if possible.”

“Geraldine Grey would be the best bet then, Graeme. I anticipated Louisa’s desires after chatting with her an hour ago. Geraldine is going to see her at nine on Wednesday morning.”

“Can I interject, gentlemen?” asked Gideon.

“Certainly, Gideon,” said Graeme. “Have you more dirt on the philanderer?”

“I do. The secretary is pregnant as well. This affair has been going on for about eight months and she’s three months pregnant.  She told all the girls at the office this morning William is going to ask for a divorce so he can marry her.”

“Well...” Graeme paused. “Roger, pass that along to Ms. Grey, will you?”

“John Spenser is going to be upset, to say the least,” said Roger.

“Perhaps we can upset him further,” answered Graeme. “I do not like the man at all. I know him well enough to realize he will try to get as much money out of Louisa for his son as he can. Money that he can use as his own…he’s an opportunistic bastard. He’s leaned on me several times for financing since our children married.”

Graeme drummed his fingers on the conference table, thinking. Finally he spoke again.

“Gideon, run a dossier on John Spenser. Find out what his real financial situation is. I heard rumours in Bermuda that he’s taken a bath in the Markets lately. Find out how highly leveraged he is...John spends too much time on the golf course to take the financial risks he does.”

“You want anything we can use to pressure him, don’t you, Graeme?” asked Roger.

“Anything at all, Roger. I know John too well. He’ll try to use this situation to his own advantage and if he’s in as big a mess as I heard, he’ll blackmail me for a lot of money in return for allowing his son to agree to a speedy dissolution of the marriage.”

Gideon was at Graeme’s desk by half past five. Silently he passed a file across to his boss. Graeme opened it and his eyes narrowed.

“So the gossip I heard in Bermuda is correct, Gideon.”

“It appears so, Graeme. He lost over Sixty Million in the Futures Market. He’s heavily mortgaged every property he owns. Sold off his Italian holiday villa, story is he’s looking for a buyer for some diamonds he gave his wife for their thirtieth wedding anniversary last year.”

“I remember those diamonds. He spent five million on them...much more than he could afford.”

“He’ll be luck to recoup two thirds of that, but even if he does, he’s blown the best part of his family fortune.”

“Find out who holds all the paper on the man, Gideon.”

“I’ve got that information. It’s page three.”

“As usual, Gideon, you anticipate what I will ask for…I wonder if Michael Wilde is still at his desk?” Graeme reached for the telephone.

Michael Wilde was there within five minutes.

“Paul’s still working on the Espagnolian bank, Graeme. We won’t have a good picture of the health of the bank until tomorrow morning.”

“Not about that, Mike
.
  Here is a list of paper I want you to acquire within the next couple of days. You’d better take the whole file, highly confidential.”

Michael opened the file and scanned the contents.

“I say, Graeme, this idiot has got himself into a spot of bother, eh? Couldn’t happen to a nicer man,” he added sardonically.

“I want to own the man, Michael.  He’s Louisa’s soon to be ex-father-in-law. Buy all that paper. In this economy you can probably turn the screws a little on the top three lenders on that list, I think.”

“I’m certain we’ll be able to cut a very advantageous deal, Graeme, especially if the lenders have heard the same gossip you did in Bermuda. And if they haven’t heard it, they will have by ten in the morning…”

“John Spenser’s mother actually controls the land he’s put up for the Twelve Million Pound loan, and she hasn’t signed the document, so that could be dicey if Spenser defaults and the lender tries to collect. Could result in fraud charges if push came to shove, so point that out to the lender,” said Gideon.

Michael smiled. “We should be able to work that to our advantage, Graeme. Thanks for that tidbit, Gideon”

“I know we could end up taking a loss, but do your best. Obviously, gentlemen, I have a burning desire to own John Spenser. I have confidence you’ll work your usual magic,” said Graeme.

“Mmmm, I’ll do my best, Graeme. Good work, Gideon, giving me all this ammunition to work with.” Michael nodded to the Bank’s Chief of Security.

“I can get right on this,” he smiled as he left the room.

“Are you doing what I think you are, Graeme? Leverage to make sure that William signs away all rights to Louisa’s son? This isn’t just about a speedy divorce, is it?”

“You know me well, Gideon. Yes, that’s the aim.”

“John Spenser cares more for his reputation and standing than some unborn grandson, especially when there are two unborn babies in the offing,” said Gideon.