Tempted (The Dark Billionaire, #5) (3 page)

“Fancelli, the trader of Doyle Brothers.”

“What does he want?”

“He said he was sorry he couldn’t stay longer when we met and wants to invite me to apologize.”

“You’re having dinner with him?”

“Well, I think it’s going to be more than just dinner. He probably wants to bring me to a bar or a club.”

“You? Clubbing again?”

“Not clubbing, honey. Working.”

Jennifer pursed her lips and frowned. “Okay... I guess I have no choice anyway.”

“Come on, don’t be like that, Jen. It’s just for work, you know how it works. I need to spend time with him. He’s going to help me rebuild my business.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Bruce said as he took Jennifer in her arms.

“Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed but you have to do what you have to do. Should I go home or wait for you at the mansion?”

“I’ll try to come home early. You can wait for me at the mansion.”

The next morning though, Jennifer woke up alone. Bruce wasn’t next to her in the bed and couldn’t be found anywhere in the mansion. Worried, she called him, only to find out that he was still partying with Fancelli.

“Bruce, are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“I’m sorry, Jen. I’m coming home right now,” Bruce said with a sleepy voice.

“Are you going to drive? You don’t sound like you’re awake, you should take a taxi.”

“You’re right, baby. Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you. Please be careful.”

A few days later, Jennifer experienced the exact same scenario. Bruce promised to come home early and never showed up until the next morning. The same pattern kept repeating for several days and she tried to talk about it with Bruce. However, he kept coming up with the same crappy excuse: it was for business.

Obviously, it wasn’t just business and Bruce clearly enjoyed spending so much time out with Fancelli. She and Bruce had never had serious trust issues and she didn’t think he was fooling around; but who knew what was really going on when he was partying? It wasn’t right and Jennifer felt more and more neglected and disrespected.

At the end of the week, she decided it was time to stop that little game. Yes, Fancelli was supposed to help Bruce get his money back but he was slowly taking him away from her. Bruce and she had plans to get married, and it wasn’t the time to create more problems.

She could understand that Bruce had to spend time and create a bond with this trader in order to build trust, but there were boundaries to respect. It wasn’t the first time Bruce had business meetings, dinners and parties: Jennifer had been his assistant for five years and she knew how it worked. However, this situation was new and extreme. Traders were known to do extreme things but Jennifer didn’t want Bruce to be under such a bad influence. Couldn’t Fancelli do his Wall Street thing and get Bruce’s money back without going out every single night?

She decided to pay a visit to Doyle Brothers to have a word with the reckless trader but unfortunately, she was told that Mr. Fancelli was off for the day. She hesitated and considered her options. She could leave a message and ask for a meeting, but Fancelli would probably tell Bruce about it. Jennifer didn’t want to involve him: it was between her and the trader. She had no choice but to leave and try again later. She absolutely wanted to see Fancelli face to face to talk seriously.

On her way out, Jennifer quickly rounded a corner. She inadvertently bumped into a slender and fit woman, wearing a white blouse and a tight gray skirt. She felt her firm abs and her round breasts against her body as they ran into each other. Not an average physique, she thought. Indeed, the young lady was everything but average: it was Victoria De Lissieu.

“Oh my God, I’m really sorry,” Jennifer said to apologize. “I didn’t see you coming.”

“No, it was my fault,” Victoria said. “I shouldn’t have walked so fast.”

Jennifer readjusted her dress and wondered if Victoria had recognized her. She had spent about an hour in her office and she didn’t expect the trading floor manager to remember who she was, considering that Bruce had done most of the talking.

“Excuse-me,” she said. “I should probably go.”

“What brought you here, Ms. Stuart?” Victoria said.

Jennifer was stopped in her tracks and opened her eyes wide. Victoria knew who she was. She hadn’t anticipated meeting Fancelli’s manager and didn’t know what to answer. Clearly, Victoria had different objectives and motivations than her. It was in her best interest to keep Fancelli close to Bruce to win his trust and keep his account. One hundred million dollars...

However, Jennifer realized that she had no reason to be scared or intimidated by Victoria. She wasn’t working for her. Despite their very different social status, Jennifer had no reason to feel inferior in her presence. She was here for a personal matter and her concerns were perfectly justified.

“Well, I came here to speak with Mr. Fancelli,” Jennifer said, trying to keep her composure. Despite all her efforts to remain calm, she heard her own voice shaking and bit her lips for looking so destabilized. However, she was ready to confront the bossy and confident woman, no matter how weak she looked.

“Aw, I’m sorry, Mr. Fancelli is off today. Is there anything I can do to help you, Ms. Stuart?”

Okay... Not the reaction I expected. She’s rather friendly and treats me with respect. Well, what did I expect actually? Of course, she wasn’t going to yell at me. Why do I feel so insecure, for Christ’s sake!

Jennifer straightened up and cleared her throat, finally regaining self-confidence.

“Well, since you’re here, yes, I’d like to have a word with you,” she said.

“Of course,” Victoria said. “Please, let’s talk in my office.”

Jennifer followed Victoria and couldn’t help but notice her perfect proportions. She had athletic shoulders and slim arms, with a narrow waist and curvy hips. Her legs were long and carefully sculpted; she had just the right amount of muscles to look fit and feminine.

Victoria invited Jennifer to have a seat and told her assistant, Ellen, to bring them water.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Stuart?” Victoria said, leaning against the back of her leather chair.

Jennifer took a deep breath and crossed her legs, ready to confront the powerful manager.

“Well, I have to say... that I have a problem with your company’s policy.”

Victoria cocked her head to the side and slightly frowned. “Really? What did we do to upset you?”

“I understand that it’s your job to find and keep wealthy clients like Bruce, but I think there should be a clear separation between work and private life.”

Victoria shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m not following you. What’s the matter with Mr. Wilson?”

“Bruce spends way too much time partying with Mr. Fancelli, in my opinion. And I don’t care if I look overprotective or unprofessional. Clearly, Bruce doesn’t need to go out with your traders all night long to make some healthy returns. I don’t think that partying will influence the markets and Mr. Fancelli’s performances have nothing to do with Bruce’s presence in nightclubs. I came here to respectfully ask Mr. Fancelli to keep his distance with Bruce and act like a professional.”

Victoria closed her eyes and smiled. Jennifer felt her cheeks and her ears getting hot. Her heart was pumping blood at a higher rate and her palms started to get wet. Victoria was laughing at her and was about to counter-attack. She wouldn’t miss an opportunity to ridicule and humiliate her. Jennifer crossed her arms, a defensive mechanism to brace herself.

Come on, I’m ready...

“I totally understand, Ms. Stuart. Mr. Fancelli shouldn’t involve his clients in his ridiculous and lavish lifestyle. We’ve talked to him about it in the past but he’s very stubborn,” Victoria said with the most genuine and sincere tone.

It wasn’t the reaction Jennifer had expected and she felt skeptical. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Mr. Fancelli is an excellent trader, and in case you didn’t know, people like him have a huge ego. They have a very high image of themselves and the whole world needs to know how great they are,” Victoria said.

“Can’t you do something about it?”

“What would you suggest?”

“Maybe you could reduce his bonuses? I’ve read in the media that the money traders make is ridiculous.”

“You have to understand that the amount of Mr. Fancelli’s bonuses is proportional to the profits he brings to the bank. It might seem too much for outsiders, but keep in mind that it’s only a tiny fraction of what he makes for Doyle Brothers. Without people like him, we wouldn’t exist and people like Mr. Wilson would struggle for decades to recover from their losses.”

“So basically, you’re telling me that what he gets is just a fair reward?”

“It is,” Victoria said, nodding. She seemed way more convinced than Jennifer.

“So there’s nothing you can do to stop Mr. Fancelli? He won’t listen to you, his manager?”

“I’m not his manager outside of these walls, Ms. Stuart. What Mr. Fancelli decides to do when the markets are closed is out of my control.”

“Do you think it’s normal that Bruce spends so much time partying with him? Is it really helping your bank making more money?”

“To be honest with you, it’s not. But that’s part of the
protocol
, I would say. It’s a tradition to take clients out.”

Jennifer sighed and joined her hands on Victoria’s desk.

“I’ll be frank with you, Ms. De Lissieu.”

“Please, say what’s on your heart. And you can call me Vicky.”

“All right, Vicky. As you know, Bruce has made a big mistake by deciding to become partner with Mr. Sakamura. I don’t like to tout my own horn, but I knew that Sakamura wasn’t an honest man. Bruce refused to listen to me and there we are now, asking for your help.”

“You think that Doyle Brothers isn’t worth your time and your trust?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. However, I do think that Mr. Fancelli is slowly taking Bruce away from me. I’d like him to simply do his job and leave my husband alone.”

Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Your husband? I didn’t know you were married, my apologies.”

Jennifer became red and wished she could monitor her own words before they came out of her mouth.

“Well... hum... He’s not my husband. Yet. But we’re planning to get married and...”

Jennifer felt her voice becoming shaky and tears filling her eyes.

“Well, let’s just say that I’m afraid something bad happens. I don’t want anyone to steal him from me. You have no idea how much I’ve been fighting to win his love. I don’t want him to make a silly mistake by partying so much, and ruin everything.”

Victoria seemed to relax and her whole attitude changed. Suddenly, her strict and professional expression disappeared. A more human and warm smile illuminated her face and she looked at Jennifer with compassion.

“Oh dear, I had no idea. Now I understand. You really have guts to come here and tell me what to do, but I can see how much you care for Mr. Wilson.”

“I didn’t mean to tell you what to do. I just want to protect my couple and our happiness.”

“You’re very brave and courageous, Jennifer. Aw, can I call you Jennifer?”

“Sure.”

“I like your attitude, to be honest. You fight for what you want in life and I admire that.”

“Really?” Jennifer couldn’t believe her ears. Victoria admired her...

“Yes, really. You fight for your man and that’s very noble.”

“Thank you.”

Victoria looked at her watch and winced. “Jennifer, I don’t want to be rude but I have work to do.”

Jennifer nodded and fluttered her eyelids. “Of course, I’m sorry to bother you with my problems.”

“Aw no, don’t worry about it. I wished we could continue this conversation actually. Why don’t we meet for dinner?”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Victoria said. She thumbed through her agenda. “What about Friday night? Are you available?”

Jennifer had no plans and any day of the week was fine. She pretended to think for a while and nodded. “Yes, that’s fine. Where?”

“I know a place not too far from here. Maybe we can meet at the reception desk downstairs?”

“Sure. What time?”

“I’ll probably finish a bit late. Is 9:00 p.m. okay?”

“That’s fine.”

Victoria stood up and extended her hand. “It was a pleasure, Jennifer. I’ll see what I can do with Mr. Fancelli but like I said, he’s stubborn. He’s a superstar in the industry and sometimes, he likes to act like a
diva
, if you know what I mean.”

Jennifer smiled at the analogy. “I’ll try to talk with Bruce again. Thank you for your help, Vicky.”

“See you on Friday. Take care.”

J
ennifer was waiting for Vicky at the reception desk of Doyle Brothers. It was 8:30 p.m. and she was clearly early since Victoria had told her to come for 9:00 p.m. However, she didn’t want to risk being late and had decided to hang around a little bit to make sure she was on time.

Vicky had been very understanding and Jennifer would have never imagined such a reaction from her. At first, Jennifer had been ready to argue and fight for her opinions but surprisingly, it hadn’t been necessary at all.

She was now waiting to have dinner with a woman that she had feared and was still trying to realize how things had ended up that way. She was curious to know more about the mysterious trading floor manager and eager to learn as much as possible from her. Jennifer had no ambition to become a manager in a bank but Vicky definitely knew what she was doing to be in such a position at her age. Victoria couldn’t be much older than thirty, yet more than a hundred traders were under her supervision.

Moreover, she had to manage people like Fancelli, meaning big kids with lots of money and enormous egos, which was remarkable. Jennifer wondered how she could maintain her authority in such an environment without feeling overwhelmed or crushed by pressure.

At 8:45 p.m., Jennifer received a text message from Victoria. She apologized and said that she was stuck in a meeting. It wasn’t supposed to be too long, but she wouldn’t be able to make it on time. Jennifer replied back, asking if she wanted to cancel but instead, Victoria offered her to wait in a private lounge.