Taming Graeme (Taming the Billionaire) (48 page)

 
Graeme smiled. “I have such a house, baby, but it’s in Buckinghamshire and my old Aunt Betty lives there at the moment. Besides, it’s in Buckinghamshire, and I wanted us to stay in the City.”

 
“If we lived in the country, you’d have a very long commute. I think the City is better, Graeme.”

 
Graeme smiled. Trust Olivia to think of his convenience, she was such a sweet pet. 

 
“Back to the wedding, pet. Is there anyone else you want to ask?”

 
“Could we ask Rose and her husband?”

 
“Of course. I thought the guest list could stay small. Uncle David and his wife, Aunt Christine, I suppose I should add Aunt Betty. My daughters and their men. Michael will be my best man, and I would imagine you’re going to ask Linda to be your bridesmaid?”

 
Olivia nodded.

 
“Mrs. Hall and her husband, John Taylor and his wife, because he really is very fond of you, like a daughter, you know. First I thought we wouldn’t invite Amanda and her boyfriend, but then I thought we should, but not until the wedding. I can tell her I’m having a family dinner, so she’ll dress up and arrive to find out we’re being married. That way, the tabloids won’t have the story before we tie the knot.”

 
Olivia laughed. “I like that, Graeme.”

 
He parked outside the jewellery shop.

 
Ragnar turned out to be a charming Dane who was properly appreciative of the magnificent engagement ring. He carefully studied it and quickly showed them two different designs he sketched while they looked in his display cases.

 
Graeme preferred one, Olivia the other. Graeme grunted.

 
“If that one pleases you, Sir,” smiled Olivia.

 
“Well, it pleases me, so that’s the one we’re having,” Graeme said, just as Olivia had known he would, and she just smiled to herself. It was lovely as well.

 
She looked around a little more as Graeme and Ragnar concluded their business. She didn’t see Graeme slip a long leather case into his pocket.

 
“Graeme, I need to get Linda a gift for being my bridesmaid. What do you think of this necklace?”

 
“Don’t you think she’d get more use out of a bracelet, given the collar Ragnar has designed for her?”

 
“Oh, oh, of course…well, how about this?”
This
was a charm bracelet full of little bells. Linda collected bells. She’d even had part of her collection gracing her desk at the Bank.

 
“Lovely.  Linda is just the sort to wear a jangling bracelet. Ragnar, will you add a wedding charm to it, and we’ll get it for Linda’s gift.”

 
“Will do…”

 
On the way to The Club they talked again about the wedding guests.

 
“Oh, I’d better add Glen Palmer and his date, but tell him he can’t bring Francine,” said Graeme. “He is my cousin, and he is going to be my second in command.”

 
“Definitely he can’t bring Francine,” smiled Olivia. “So I take it Glen Palmer is a Dom?”

 
“He is, baby. Here we are at The Club. Let’s go in and tell our friends about the wedding.”

 
Linda and Michael were in the lounge, having a cup of tea before their class.

 
“Hello, you two,” said Michael. “Didn’t realize you were going to drop in. Are you going to watch the last class?”

 
“No, we have an appointment in less than an hour to see a new house. One with a nanny suite and playroom. The entire third floor is supposed to be a very nice nursery space. It’s not far from where we live now, so it will still be convenient for the Bank etcetera.”

 
“Sounds exciting. Is it vacant?” asked Linda.

 
“No, so we have to see when we could take possession, and all that.”

 
“Are you going to sell the townhouse? I might be interested,” said Michael. “Better for two people than the loft conversion I live in now.”

 
“Bring Linda round to have a look. I’ll write you a long term lease, I don’t want to sell.”

 
“I’d like to do that, eh, pet? But I’ll have a short term lease, Graeme. We’ll need room for children ourselves soon.”

 
“You’ll see it anyway two weeks Friday, Linda,” smiled Graeme, “when you come to our wedding. We thought that since it’s just a small wedding, we’d do it at home.”

 
“Wedding!” she shrieked. “You’re getting married?”

 
“We’re having a baby, of course we’re getting married,” grinned Graeme. “Show them your ring, ’Livi.”

 
“Oh. My. God.” Linda’s eyes were popping out of her head. “What a ring!”

 
“Everyone will certainly know she belongs to me, won’t they?” smirked the bridegroom.

 
Michael slapped his friend on the back. “Congratulations. I’m surprised she said she’d take you on, you bugger.”

 
Olivia looked at Michael and said demurely, “A good pet always does what her Master wishes, and my Master wishes to marry me. Of course I will obey.”

 
“See, Linda, some women know their places.”

 
“Yes, Master, I will try to follow Olivia’s example and obey my Master also.”

 
“Your Master is very much looking forward to tomorrow evening, Linda, when his pet makes the same commitment as Graeme’s pet has...”

 
Linda breathed deeply. “Then, Sir, a collar offered...”

 
“...will be joyfully accepted, little one.” And Michael took her into his arms.

 
“Sorry to interrupt your love fest, but we have to hurry. We wondered if Michael, you would be best man, and Linda, maid of honour?”

 
“Of course we will,” laughed Michael. “Just try and get anyone else!”

 
Naomi chose that moment to walk in, and saw the four of them standing there, near the door.

 
“Hello, Master Graeme...Master Michael...oh hello, Linda and I forget your name?”

 
“Olivia,” said Graeme, “My fiancée, Olivia.”

 
“Fiancée?”

 
“Yes.”

 
Naomi’s eyes scanned Olivia’s left hand. “Wow, I didn’t notice your ring last evening...”

 
Olivia just smiled at her. “Oh, didn’t you?”

 
The other three grinned. Olivia was growing more confident by the minute.

 
“Come on, darling, the estate agent is waiting in Belgrave Square to show us that house....” and Graeme ushered Olivia out the door.

THIRTY

  The house was everything Graeme wante
d
, and the estate agent felt it could be available quickly. The Saudi prince who was selling was anxious to get rid of it. It seems he had a bit of a cash flow problem due to some disastrous investments in Florida swampland. Graeme agree to the asking price of Forty Million without blinking. Olivia turned quite pale.

“Are you all right, kitten?”

“Fine, Graeme, fine.”

“You do like it, don’t you? I know that it needs a lot of work, but the Prince wants to close quickly, and it is one of the few freeholds available. Most of the properties are on hundred and twenty five year leases for a similar price, but the Prince does need the money almost instantly,” the estate agent murmured, thinking Olivia’s pallor might mean she didn’t like the property.

 
“No, no, if Graeme likes it, then I’m very happy to live here,” Olivia said.

 
“How quickly can we close?” asked Graeme. “I want to get the architects in here immediately. The nursery floor is not up to our standards, nor are the bathrooms or kitchen, and we’ll have to see how long planning permissions will take since it’s Grade 1 Listed. I want to be in here within a year. We can manage where we are for the first few months after our baby is born, but once the little monkey is mobile, I want the playroom...”

 
By now, the estate agent had realized Graeme was
that
Mr. Browning, the one who was about to be the Chairman of Browning’s Banking Group. The one who was a multi multi billionaire.

 
“Actually, Mr. Browning, I do have another listing, just around the corner that may meet your standards without any further alterations. It is a higher price, but it has a garden and a lift already installed, and newly renovated baths and kitchen, but it is larger, about three thousand square foot larger. It’s the same as this home, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, plus the nursery floor, but it has eight reception rooms, not six, and it has a small fitness facility with a lap pool and it is rather more than you indicated you wanted to spend. I do have the key, it is vacant and you could close and own it within a month. Would you like to go round and see it now?”

 
“Is it freehold?”

  
“Eh, no.”

  
“I think I made myself clear. I am only interested in freehold.”

  
“I’m sure that arrangements would be easily made. I had another client enquire, and the present owner was open to negotiation.”

  
“Why didn’t your other client buy it then?”

  
“Money.”

  
Graeme smiled. He loved negotiating...especially in a buyer’s market when the last potential buyer had refused to meet the seller’s price.

 
“Shall we have a look, ‘Livi? It is just around the corner.”

 
“If you would like to, Graeme.”

 
“I would, so we’re doing it.”

 
Ten minutes later, they were in the foyer of the second house.

 
“Wouldn’t be any parking problems for our guests with that circular driveway, ‘Livi.”

  “I do like that fountain in the middle of the lawn, Graeme, and the high wrought iron fencing,” smiled Olivia.

 
Forty minutes later, they stood in the kitchen. The estate agent had discreetly withdrawn to give them some privacy.

 
“This would do, ‘Livi. Do you like it?”

 
“It’s magnificent. We could turn one of the dressing rooms off the Master Bedroom into a training room, couldn’t we?”

 
“You never let me down, Olivia, do you? I hadn’t thought of that. Of course we could share a dressing room and turn the other one into our training room. You’re so small, a queen bed would work in there, and a slightly smaller spanking bench, and of course the St. Andrew’s Cross...we don’t really need any other equipment in there, do we? The chest of drawers would fit. We don’t use anything but my hand and a flogger, and perhaps a riding crop...we don’t need wall space for racks of crops and whips and canes, so yes, it would work nicely if we rip out the fitted wardrobes. That’s about the only alteration we need to make. So, if we can purchase the freehold, I think we should make this our home, don’t you?”

 
“You really like it, don’t you, Graeme?”

 
“I do, ‘Livi, I do. I can see us turning it into a real home, like our house in Belfast, can’t you?”

 
“Yes, yes, I can. It’s too bad we can’t have James and Mrs. Green and Riley here isn’t it?”

 
“Of course we can, they can just come back and forth with us. Let’s see if this estate agent can earn his commission and get us freehold tomorrow.”

 
They gave the estate agent their instructions and went home. He was on the telephone to Graeme an hour later, and negotiations began.

 
The next morning at half past nin
e
, Olivia’s mobile pinged. She had a text.

 
Freehold do-able, expensive but affordable. So make me lots of money on that trading desk, baby. I know you’ll want to redecorate and there are a lot of rooms to furnish. I’m hiring Llewellyn Lawrence Jones since you said the other night you like his work when we saw him interviewed on that television program. Sending him to Belfast to see our house there so he can duplicate same ambiance we both feel at home in.  ;)

Olivia texted back,

 
Guess I know what I’ll be doing once I leave here. Antique hunting, etc.  Can we really have Mrs. Green and James here in London? I’m sure Michael would take on Mrs. Pyle at the townhouse so she wouldn’t lose her job. Thrilled about LLJ. 
;O
(Wide open lips to thank you for that in the library at 3 if you like.)