The Miami Millionaire (4 page)

“So what’s your favourite drink Mr Cumberland?”  Victoria asked as they sat on opposite sides of a small wooden picnic table.

“It’s Jake remember.  Don’t call me Mr Cumberland unless you’re expecting me to call you Miss Pembrose, and I don’t think I want to do that.”  He said as he finally loosened his tie and took off his jacket. 

“Okay, Jake.”  Victoria said as she tried not to make it so obvious that she was looking at the contour of Jake’s pecks and biceps through his shirt.

“Dark rum and coke, I’m a simple man.” 

Victoria raised an eyebrow, she wasn’t sure she would call a chairman of a multimillion dollar company “simple” – it took a lot of hard work and determination, and probably complex behind the scene deals to achieve that.  She didn’t think there was anything “simple” about Jake Cumberland at all.

“And you?  That’s your favourite?”  Jake said tapping the edge of her glass only narrowly missing her hand as she held it.

“Yes pretty much, I’m not a big drinker.  I quite like a rum and coke too, but I’m a Bacardi girl rather than the dark stuff.  A couple of glasses are enough for me, after that I’m useless.”  She laughed.

“I can’t imagine you ever being useless.  In fact I think you’ve done a great job here.”

“Thank you.”  Victoria blushed and pushed her wayward hair behind her ear.  “So how long are you in London for?”

“Just a couple of days, then I fly back to Miami.”

“Miami?  I was expecting you to say New York or somewhere like that.”

“No, I live in Miami.  My family is originally from Miami but they moved to New York when I was little.  I prefer the weather and the lifestyle in Miami so I moved back down there.” 

Victoria thought that explained his lightly suntanned skin, he looked like a man who lived the good life, she could just imagine him partying on yachts full of amazingly beautiful bikini clad women.

Jake looked at his watch, aware the beer tent was emptying of people.  It was nearly six o’clock and it would take a good two or three hours to drive back to London.

“Thank you for this afternoon Victoria, this wasn’t what I had expected at all today, but now I really must go.”

“No problem.  Thank you for your contribution.  I guess I’ll look forward to seeing you on the news tonight.”  She smiled.

“And you too.”  He said referring to the fact that Victoria had been by his side for the whole day and almost certainly would be in all the news shots and photographs as well.

She blushed and wrinkled up her nose at the thought of that, she wasn’t used to being in the photographs - she was the one behind the scenes ordering the shots from the office, not in them.

“It was really nice to meet you Victoria.”  Jake said thinking it was a shame she wasn’t coming back with him in his car to London, he had enjoyed her company and if he had his way he would like to sit and chat to her all night.  Heck there were much better things he could think of doing all night long with Victoria rather than just chatting - he had been trying to keep his mind off her beautifully curvy body and those ideas for the last couple of hours, but just watching her lips move and her hands push back her shiny dark red hair and wave around her as she chatted to him, it had made him wonder just what she would be like somewhere more private.  Preferably in his bedroom alone with him!  Oh how Jake wondered what she would be like in his bed!

Victoria stood up, “It was nice to meet you too Jake.”  She watched him slip his suit jacket on and admired the straining of his shirt across his taut chest as his arms slipped through his jacket sleeves.

Jake took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.  Victoria took it and read his name and mobile number.

“If you change your mind about dinner I fly back to Miami on Thursday morning.”

“That’s very kind of you but I can’t.  I’m sorry.”  She said wiggling her hand with her engagement ring again.

“Of course.  Whoever he is Victoria, he’s a very lucky man.”  Jake said, and he surprised himself realising that he actually meant it.  He had a feeling that whoever got this intelligent beautiful woman was a very lucky man indeed, and he hadn’t thought that many times before.  He stopped for a moment and thought.  Nope, he had never thought that before – this was a first! 

Victoria held out her hand to shake Jake’s goodbye and he took it giving it that now very familiar squeeze, and she wondered if that was his trade mark thing - did he squeeze all the women’s hands like that?  She wouldn’t be surprised, seeing that twinkle in his blue eyes again and she had to laugh, god he was incorrigible!  Gorgeous, charming, and incorrigible – such a dangerous mixture! 

Jake smiled and then he was gone.  Now all that was left was for Victoria to round up the last few fete-goers and then help pack up.  The money counting was down to Alice and she would tell Victoria the final figure over the telephone tomorrow, but for now Victoria put Jake’s business card into her jean’s back pocket and started to politely usher people towards the exit closing the field gate firmly behind them.  Today had been quite some day!

CHAPTER TWO

It was nearly ten o’clock at night when Victoria finally reached the London Docklands townhouse she shared with her fiancé Mark.  She was tired but still on a high from today’s success – surely when her boss saw the news coverage and she told him about her part in today he would finally recognise her capabilities and give her more responsibility and bigger campaigns to work on.  Marketing was a tough business and there weren’t many opportunities to move up the career ladder until someone else jumped off or was pushed, which she had seen too many times before.  But surely after her boss saw the news tonight he would put her on one of the bigger marketing campaigns instead of the smaller brands which didn’t even begin to stretch her to her full potential.  And if by some chance her boss didn’t see the news tonight then Victoria was going to make sure she showed him the press coverage tomorrow morning first thing.

“Mark, are you home?”  Victoria called as she walked into the house seeing the lights were on.

“Up here, just taking a shower.”  Mark’s deep voice called back.

“A shower?  Is everything alright?”  Victoria called as she put her bag down and made her way upstairs to the bathroom - it wasn’t like Mark to be taking a shower now, he usually had it first thing in the morning, not just before he went to bed.

“Yeah fine, I just had a long day in the office and I need to relax.”  He called back through the bathroom door.  “Look I haven’t had time to cook any dinner, I haven’t long been back myself.  Can you order some take-away or a delivery, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“You mean you have been in the office all day?”  Victoria knew Mark worked hard but this was getting ridiculous, he was working absurdly long hours! 

“Yeah but it’s okay, I didn’t go in until lunchtime and I worked through the afternoon and early evening.  I got what I needed done so let’s just forget about it and phone for some dinner will you?”

Victoria kicked off her shoes, she was so tired all she wanted to do was fall into bed and go to sleep.  It certainly had been a long day, but she knew how grumpy Mark could be when he was hungry so she wandered back downstairs to the little brown leather folder full of take-away menus she kept by the telephone and picked it up.

“Mexican okay?”  She called again and picked up the telephone to call for their usual dishes, she knew what he liked.

Fifteen minutes later and Mark walked downstairs.  Victoria felt him cosy up behind her in the kitchen as she poured them both a drink.  He moved her hair aside and kissed her neck. 

“The fete went really well.”  Victoria said as she enjoyed the comfortable warmth he gave her.  She pulled her long dark red hair around to her other shoulder away from Mark knowing he didn’t like her hair getting in his way, he preferred it when she had it all tied up like she usually wore it for work.

“That’s good.  What’s for dinner?”

“Mexican, I’ve ordered your usual.”  She turned around in his arms ready to tell him more about today but Mark was already reaching across the kitchen work surface for the weekend newspaper, more interested in the news than Victoria’s fete. 

Mark took his drink from next to Victoria and stepped back already reading the front page of the newspaper.

Victoria looked at him slightly annoyed, she had only just gotten in and already his head was in the news rather than listening to what she had to say.  She continued anyway, “I met Jake Cumberland today, he was nothing like I imagined.”

“Jake who?  Should I know him.”  Mark muttered not looking up from his newspaper.

“Jake Cumberland, Chairman of Creative Technology Holdings.  He’s much younger than I imagined.  Did you know he is only in his thirties, late thirties at the most, and he is a really nice guy.”

Now that did catch Mark’s attention.  He put the newspaper down and looked at Victoria.  Of course he recognised that name, he just hadn’t been paying attention, but he was now - as a Fund Manager he had invested numerous private investor’s money in CT Holdings, as it was referred to in the industry, and he was interested in any information he could get which could give him an advantage.  Besides he had been pushing for a meeting with CT Holdings’ Chairman for ages, but just like everyone else he had never managed to get a meeting with anyone other than the Finance Director, and here was Victoria telling him she had met the Chairman Jake Cumberland today!  How the hell had Victoria met him?  She had only gone off to some little country bumpkin fete.  He almost wished he had gone now.  Almost.

“How did you meet him?” 

“I told you I organised some publicity stuff for today.  You knew he was coming.”

Mark looked at Victoria annoyed, he couldn’t believe he had missed out on that one, but he really hadn’t been listening to her rattle on about the little fete she was helping out with – it hadn’t been remotely interesting to him.  How was he supposed to know that some little fete was going to turn into one of the hottest media events of the year?

Seeing he was annoyed Victoria sighed, she had suspected he hadn’t been listening to her over the last few weeks when she had been telling him all about her plans, but then again she knew Mark was a London boy through and through and anything to do with quaint country afternoon teas and picnics in the park didn’t interest him in the slightest, which was a shame because she loved all that kind of stuff.  No, if wherever they were going to wasn’t in an extortionately priced fancy restaurant or the latest club then Mark wasn’t interested.  But she wasn’t about to let his grumpiness bring her down, she was flying on cloud number nine – today had been a brilliant success and tomorrow was going to be fantastic at work once she had time to get some press cuttings together to show her boss.

“I did invite you to come but you didn’t want to.”  She said as she kissed Mark goodnight and headed upstairs.  Her dinner could go into the fridge until tomorrow, their bed was calling her and she was leaving Mark to sulk.

“Yeah, don’t remind me.”  He said over his shoulder as he went back to reading the newspaper and waiting for his Mexican dinner delivery.

The next morning Victoria had barely walked in the office door when her boss called her through to his office.

“Well aren’t you a dark horse.”  Ben Churchill said as he motioned for Victoria to take a chair across from his big paper cluttered desk.

“Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.”  Victoria said sitting down pulling her smart pencil skirt down making sure it reached her knees. Ben Churchill had a tendency to check out the women’s legs and anything else he could see from across his desk, and everyone knew it.  But he was the boss, and as long as that was the extent of his sleaziness no one dared complain, not if they wanted to keep their job.

“You and the news last night.  Cosying up with Jake Cumberland from Creative Technology Holdings.  Ringing any bells?”

“It wasn’t quite like that, but I was just about to bring you some news cuttings and web shots to show you what I pulled off yesterday.”

“Humour me.”  He looked pan-faced at her.  Victoria thought if Ben Churchill was interested then he definitely hid it very well.

Victoria took a deep breath, she didn’t really like her boss but he was well respected within the marketing industry – the late fifties media mogul wasn’t known for his good manners, but he was known for his excellent and award winning marketing and advertising campaigns.

“I organised the donations and marketing for a country fete…”

“Cut the small bit and get to the Cumberland bit, that’s what I’m interested in.”  He interrupted.

“Okay, erm.  I arranged with Creative Technology Holdings for their Chairman to come by and I allowed them a one-hour slot for a photo shoot and a stall to showcase their newest releases to the press.  But Jake Cumberland decided to extend it a bit and he ended parachuting in, nearly landing on me I might add.  So that’s how I met him and then I ended up escorting him around the fete and making sure his PR team’s treasure hunt didn’t get out of hand.”

Ben Churchill roared out in laughter and his big belly moved up and down in front of him as he laughed.   Victoria looked away concerned one of his buttons was going to pop if he laughed any harder. 

“So how do you explain this?”  he said handing across a print out of a picture of Jake with his arm around Victoria.

“He’s a very friendly guy.”  Was all she could say with a slight shrug of her shoulders because she really couldn’t explain it herself.  Victoria had asked herself that very same question this morning when she had gone into work early and looked at all the media shots and news footage.  She had to admit that she and Jake did look pretty cosy, and she planned to head over to Mark’s office at lunchtime just to make sure he wasn’t too upset about it.  But she knew she didn’t have to worry, Mark knew her better than that – knowing him he would probably just ask her if he could get an introduction to Jake Cumberland!  Mark was probably one of the least jealous men she had ever met.

“Look Mr Churchill, I have made it clear from day one that I would like the opportunity to work on some of the larger campaigns, and if you look at what I achieved yesterday in my own time and without any assistance of this company, just imagine what I can achieve when working on a bigger campaign for you.”

Ben Churchill looked at her seriously for a moment.

“Will you give me the opportunity to show you what I am capable of and put me on the Wainright campaign, or one of the mobile phone company’s?” Victoria sat waiting for a moment.  It felt like an eternity.

“I’ll tell you what.  Get me Creative Technology Holdings’ advertising account for the UK and I’ll consider it.”

“What?”  Victoria nearly fell off her chair.  He had got to be joking!  How on earth did he think she was going to manage that?  She was sure that every major advertising and marketing company would be after his account!  What on earth made him think that she could get it?

“You heard me.  I have been trying to get CT Holdings’ account for the last six months since I heard they were breaking into the UK market.  We haven’t even got a meeting with them so far!  You get me their account and I’ll put you on a big campaign.”

“How am I supposed to do that?  I only met the guy yesterday.”

“By any means possible and I mean any!  I want that account and I want you to do anything to get it.  I’ll make sure you have whatever you need, you can have a company credit card and an unlimited expense account.  Just make sure you get that account!  Your job is depending on it.”

Victoria looked at her boss.  She had no doubt he meant every word, and if she didn’t get Jake Cumberland’s account then she could not only forget about working on a bigger campaign but she wouldn’t be working there at all.

“Okay, I’ll give it my best shot, but it will take a little time.”

“Good girl Victoria.  Just remember, marketing and advertising is a tough business and if your best isn’t good enough then you are in the wrong business.”

Victoria groaned quietly to herself.  This wasn’t what she had expected when she came into work this morning, not at all!  She got Ben Churchill’s message loud and clear.  Victoria stood up as he signalled that their meeting was over and she heard him pick up the phone instructing his personal assistant to have a company American Express card ready for Victoria to collect at lunchtime. 

Victoria walked back to her little office cubicle and sat down at her desk.  What the hell was she doing to do now - how on earth was she going to get Jake Cumberland’s account?  She sat and twiddled a pen in her hands for a moment thinking, then she decided there was only one way for it - the direct approach.  So she reached down into her handbag and pulled out Jake’s business card.  Tapping Jake’s mobile number into her phone she sat at her desk trying to ignore the thumping of her heart and the sickening feeling of nervous butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.  Finally the phone stopped ringing and a voicemail kicked in.  Victoria wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed she hadn’t managed to get hold of him or relieved that she didn’t have to talk to him just yet.  She left a message on his voicemail.

“Good morning Mr Cumberland, Jake.  This is Victoria Pembrose, we met at the fete yesterday and you gave me your business card.  I would very much like to talk to you and if you would call me back I would appreciate it.  Many thanks.  Goodbye.” 

Even to her own ears Victoria thought she sounded much calmer than she felt.   Now all she had to do was hope that Jake Cumberland would call her back, but she wasn’t sure what her chances of that happening were, he must have a ridiculous number of people wanting to talk to him.  But just in case he did call her back she was going to be prepared, she was about to try and secure her very first major account and what an account that was!

The clock clicked onto one o’clock and Victoria’s stomach was rumbling, but that didn’t matter right now, she had more important things to think about, so she planned to pick up a sandwich after she visited Mark at his office, it was only two short stops, just five minutes on the London underground.  Equipped with her new company credit card she was also going to stop and make her first business expense purchase, and she knew just what she needed to buy.  As Victoria picked up her bag and headed out the office she heard her mobile phone ring.  She paused for a moment and checked the number and then a thumping sensation hit her stomach.