Taming Graeme (Taming the Billionaire) (46 page)

TWENTY EIGHT

 
The next morning Graeme was up earl
y
and found Olivia’s birth certificate in one of her boxes. He slipped it into his briefcase along with his own and their passports. That would cover the I.D. requirements for their marriage license. Then he went back upstairs and fed Olivia dry toast and weak tea, so that she would not be as sick.

 
John Taylor was pleased to see her back. Gordon Reece came up from the Bond Department to see if he’d lived up to her standards, which made everyone in the room laugh.

 
“Actually, Gordon, you pleasantly surprised me,” she told him. “There were no errors at all. You followed the guidelines and everything is in Compliance, for the first time in your career, I think.”

 
“Eh, Mr. Taylor said I had to ask
you
if I can have your job after you move to the trading desk next week.”

 
“Me?”

 
John Taylor nodded. “If you think he can handle it, now that you’ve redesigned the format, I said he could come back, under your supervision. I get the feeling that he’s about burned his bridges in Bonds.”

 
Olivia smiled. Gordon couldn’t help being stupid, and the way she’d set it up, as he’d said himself, a monkey could do the job now.

 
“Certainly, Gordon. I can tweak that program a little, so if you do make a mistake and the numbers don’t make sense, your error will show up in a red box.  Welcome back to Currency Trading.”

 
He raced from the room to tell his father the good news.

 
She manned the desk from twelve till one, and then met Graeme in the lobby, as he’d told her to. She was still worrying about Francine, although she was careful not to show it.

 
“Where are we going?” she asked as he walked her briskly down the street.

 
“Here first, to get our marriage license, and then to Cartier to pick up your engagement ring. I had them assemble a tray of suitable rings for you to choose from.”

 
“Oh. We’re getting married?”

 
Graeme smiled at her surprise.

 
“Of course we are. We’re having a baby aren’t we? So we’re getting married. Two weeks Friday. I thought we’d have the ceremony at our home.”

 
Olivia gulped. She said the only thing she could think of, “Yes, Sir.”

 
Fifteen minutes later they had the license and were on the way to Cartier.

They were ushered into a private office and seated in comfortable leather chairs across a desk from a manager who had dealt with Graeme Browning since before he was married the first time. On the desk was a velvet ring tray holding six magnificent engagement rings.

“I picked these, Mr. Browning, as you instructed me this morning. They are all ten carats in total or more, all yellow diamonds to compliment Miss Stone’s hair and complexion, all with a large centre stone and either one or two stones flanking each side, all finest quality stones with no inclusions.”

 
Olivia was speechless. She had never seen such beautiful rings in her life. When Graeme had said they’d be getting married, she’d realized it was simply so that his child would be legitimate, and it hadn’t occurred to her that he would buy her an engagement ring.

 
“Which one do you like, ‘Livi?” he asked her, enjoying her astonishment.

 
“I’m overwhelmed by their beauty, Graeme.  I don’t know...”

 
“I like these two myself,” he said, indicated the two rings in the centre of the row.

 
“Yes, they are lovely, aren’t they,” she smiled. “Which one do you prefer, Sir?”

 
“I quite like this one. It matches your hair, I think.” It was of course the largest stone.

 
“If it pleases you...”

 
“Yes, it pleases me, so we’ll have it.”

 
Within half an hour, they were seated in the Greek restaurant and had ordered. On Olivia’s finger was a twelve carat yellow diamond flanked by two fiery white baguette cut stones. The ring was exquisite. She kept staring at it.

 
“I’m so glad you chose that one, ‘Livi. That diamond is the same color as your hair. That’s why I wanted you to choose it. You are happy with it, aren’t you?             

 
“I am. It’s an amazing ring.”

 
“It’s almost as lovely as you are, Olivia. I didn’t think you’d want something too ostentatious, or I’d have had them prepare a tray of larger stones. I told them to prepare a selection between ten and twelve carats for the centre stone.”

 
“To me, Graeme, this ring is ostentatious!”

 
Graeme smiled. It was so easy to make this pet of his happy. He liked making her happy.
He liked making her happy.

 
They ate their late lunch quickly as Graeme had a meeting.

 
“I’d better take it off,” she said. “I don’t want the girls asking questions at tea.”

 
Graeme nodded. “You can wear it after we make the announcements, which I thought we’d do in the
Times
after we return from Bermuda.”

 
“Bermuda? Have you bought another Bank?”

 
“Not yet, but good idea, pet. We should open a branch there. Tax benefits. No, we’re going to Bermuda for a week’s honeymoon. I want to teach you to golf. Oh, after work we’re going by Ragnar’s. He’s the jeweller who did the collars, and your lapis nipple clamps that give us both so much pleasure. He’s going to design our wedding rings. Said I’d have to get your engagement ring first, so he can make the design compatible.”

 
Olivia rushed into the Currency Trading Room, flushed. Graeme had produced a long platinum chain and he helped her hang the engagement ring around her neck. It nestled between her breasts, out of sight. John Taylor just smiled at her. He insisted she take her regular tea break at three.

 
Hailie and Amanda were sitting at a table, sipping their te
a
. Olivia joined them. She had on one of her new dresses, with a string of pearls that Graeme had given her that morning.

 
“You look good, Olivia. Ireland obviously agreed with you,” said Amanda.

 
“Thanks, Amanda,” she replied. “How is everything going?”

 
“The other new girl is finally starting in Secretarial on Monday. Her name is Karen.”

 
“Quite a change of personnel, eh?”

 
“Yes,” agreed Amanda. “Karen has banking experience, so it will be good. Nice dress. Expensive. You must be spending your raise!”

 
“It looks like a Diane Von Furstenberg I saw at Harrods,” said Hailie. “Over four hundred pounds, I bet.”

 
“It is a Diane Von Furstenberg,” admitted Olivia. “But I got it in Belfast last weekend.” She ignored the comment on the price.

 
Hailie persisted. “You must be earning a lot more now than you did in the Secretarial Pool, Olivia, to be able to afford designer labels.”

 
Amanda jumped into the conversation. “Well, I think she’s had two raises so far, and of course once she’s trading she’ll earn a lot more, a lot more. You needed new clothes, Olivia. Your old ones were quite dreadful. Didn’t do you any justice, but this dress, it really makes you look good...”

 
Rose had spied Olivia and sat down with them. “Hello, Olivia. Glad to be back from Belfast?”

 
“It was a little hectic over there,” smiled Olivia.

 
“Eh, so Mr. Browning said.” Rose smiled at her. “He said you did a fantastic job for them.”

 
“I’m glad he was pleased,” Olivia murmured.

 
“Oh, I’m doing a little survey, girls,” said Rose. “What’s everybody’s favourite flower?”

 
“Red roses, of course,” said Hailie.

 
“Personally, I love orchids,” said Amanda.  “I have some on my desk. I think they’re so elegant.”

 
“Olivia?”

 
“Peonies are my favourite, peonies and pink long stem roses...”

 
“Why?”

 
“I love peonies in a garden, don’t you? Deep pink peonies. But of course, you can’t cut them and have them inside, because they’re covered in tiny little ants. Symbiotic relationship, my grandfather said. My grandmother used to have them in the garden.

 
“And pink roses? My boyfriend sent me pink roses here, remember, and while I was in Ireland. It was so romantic, to come into the bedroom, and find the pink roses waiting for me, even though he wasn’t there. His card was lovely, it said
Think of me
.”

 
Rose smiled. “So pink roses make you happy?”

 
“They do. And what’s your favourite, Rose?”

 
“Well, my husband always gives me violets on Valentines, because he thinks it would be too predictable to give me roses, so I do have a soft spot for violets.”

 
“That sound very nice,” smiled Olivia. “It shows he wants to impress you.”

 
“So, if there were a special occasion coming up, Hailie would want red roses, Amanda would want orchids, I would want violets, and Olivia would want pink roses and deep pink peonies...”

 
Olivia glanced at her and Rose was smiling.

 
She knows, he’s told her and she’s trying to find out what flowers to order for the wedding.

 
Or, she’s trying to let me know she knows about the wedding! Oh...I have to find out if that’s the case. Because if it is, if it is, I could show her my wonderful ring. I’m dying to show it off!

 
“I imagine your job must be very interesting now, Rose, with lots of variety?”

 
“I’m amazed, Olivia at the things Mr. Browning finds for me to do.”

 
“He must have you organizing all sorts of things.”

 
“Oh, yes. It’s quite interesting, really. Surprising, some of them. Even Mrs. Hall is surprised by some of them.”

 
“Do you do travel arrangements and things like that?”

 
“Sometimes. He has asked me to gather information for him for his upcoming trip to Bermuda, Olivia. I’ve made
their
plane reservations, and now I’ve got to suggest some accommodation for them.” Rose smiled at her.

 
Olivia smiled. “If you have time, Rose, come down to my desk. I’ve something to show you.”

 
“What?” Amanda demanded, thinking something had just been conveyed between Rose and Olivia that she had missed.

 
“Oh, eh, just a form I designed to send up a report to Mr. Browning once a week. I thought Rose might have a comment about its usefulness to him.”

 
“Let’s go now. I need to take my tea back to my desk, I’m swamped today,” said Rose.

 
“Me too,” agreed Olivia. “I was late back from lunch.”

 
“I know,” said Rose, smiling.

 
As soon as they were down the hall, Rose grinned. “Congratulations, Olivia. I never even guessed the two of you were seeing each other. Mr. Browning told me when he came back from lunch you’d just been to get your ring and your marriage license and that I am to help with the wedding arrangements. He said everything must be to your taste, and he said I could ask to see your ring. He said he chose it because it matches your hair.”

 
“It’s a beautiful ring, Rose, and I’m so delighted to show it off to you. It’s a yellow diamond and it is nearly the color of my hair... let’s just slip into this empty office, and I’ll show you. I put it on this chain around my neck while I’m at work.”

 
“Oh, Olivia. It’s beautiful. And so big! It must be well over five carats.”

 
“The centre stone is twelve carats and the baguettes either side two carats each. So, the ring is sixteen carats! It’s so posh, Rose, I’m overwhelmed. I can hardly wait for Linda to see it tomorrow night.”

 
“Oh, she’ll be amazed. Does she know about you and Mr. Browning?”

 
“Well, she goes out with Michael, Graeme’s best friend, so she knows he’s been seeing me, but she doesn’t know about the engagement yet. They came to Ireland with us the other weekend…”

 
“I’m sure she’ll be happy for you, Olivia.”

 
“She’ll be over the moon for me, Rose.”

 
“Mr. Browning wants me to have a meeting with you tomorrow and go over your preferences for the wedding. Could we go to lunch and do it then?”