Tamed by the Billionaire (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series)

TAMED BY THE BILLIONAIRE

JUDY ANGELO

The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series

Volume 1

Copyright © 2012 Judy Angelo

  Lyons Publishing Limited

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise (mechanical, photocopying, recording or stored in a retrieval system) without the prior written consent of the Publisher.  Such action is an infringement of the copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction.  The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Author contact:  [email protected]

                  CHAPTER ONE                         

Roman Steele stared across the boardroom table at his long-time business associate.  “So basically you’re telling me she’s a spoiled brat.” 

The older man frowned.  “Since you put it so bluntly…yes, I guess that’s what I’m saying.”  Richard Van Buren laced his fingers across his stomach and leaned back in the chair.  “She’s getting me worried, Roman.  She’s all grown up now.  She can’t keep behaving like this.”

“Don’t you think you’re being melodramatic?” Roman asked, slightly amused.  “You said she’s grown now.  I would think the realities of life would calm her.”

“That’s the problem.  I haven’t exposed her to any of those realities.” Richard shook his head then sighed.  “Ever since her mother died when she was six I’ve been spoiling Serena, letting her have her own way.  Trying to make up for the loss of her mother, I guess.”  His eyes took on a distant look and his voice trailed away.

“But you went overboard?” Roman prompted.

Richard grimaced.  “I let her run wild for years. I thought with the supervision of the housekeeper she would be alright.  After all, girls are supposed to be easier to raise than boys, right?  Guess I was wrong.”  Richard smiled ruefully.  He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a brown leather wallet from which he took a small photograph.  He slid it across the table.  “This is my Serena when she was nineteen.”  He shrugged.  "It's a couple of years old." 

Roman picked it up and found himself staring at the smiling face of a girl sitting on the back of a shiny black stallion.  She was breathtakingly beautiful with long chestnut hair floating around her heart-shaped face and a pretty pout that drew attention to the pink petals of her lips.  Her eyes were the exquisite blue of the Pacific Ocean and in them was a bold defiance that spoke of the girl's confidence and spirit.

Roman raised his eyebrows.  “So this is Serena,” he said, almost to himself.  “She’s a beauty.”

“That’s the problem,” Richard said grimly.  “She’s beautiful and she knows it.  And she's also the daughter of a wealthy man who spoils her."  His face turned sad.  "This is not how I want things to be.  I want my daughter to be prepared for the world.  When I pass on she’s the one who’s going to take charge of the company and right now she’s not prepared for any of that.”

Roman tore his gaze away from the photograph and looked back at Richard.  “You talk as if you plan to leave soon,” he said with a chuckle.  “You’re as healthy as a horse.”

“Yes, but you never know...”  Richard tapped his silver pen on the table, his weathered face thoughtful.  “Serena is finishing up college in a week.  She’ll be twenty-one with a Bachelor's degree in art history.  She didn’t even do her degree in business like I told her.  How prepared can she be to take over the business?"  He shook his head then smiled wryly.  "I can’t even rely on her to find a suitable husband.  She’s shown no interest in the guys who've come knocking.  She'll probably keep rejecting them for years to come.” 

“So what are you going to do about this?”

Richard shrugged.  “Short of forcing her into marriage with a man with some business sense, I have no idea.”  Then he grinned at the preposterous idea.  "If only we were back in the nineteenth century."

Roman sat back and looked keenly at Richard.  He could see that despite his attempt at humor the older man was distressed.  They'd just finished up a business meeting where they'd discussed a possible collaboration between both their companies.  They were considering a partnership in the development of a new line of skin care products.  Out of the blue Richard started talking about his daughter.  The situation was obviously weighing heavily on his mind.

“So let me get this straight," Roman said, folding his arms across his chest.  "You have a daughter who likes to have her own way.  She doesn't listen to you yet you give her whatever she wants.  You’ve been doing this for the past twenty-one years and now you want her to settle down and get involved in the business?”

Richard gave a solemn nod.  "I know I've been a terrible parent.  And I know it’s late.  I should have been firm with her all those years."  He gave a deep sigh.  “She's not prepared, Roman.  My daughter needs a crash course in real life.”

Roman released his folded arms and leaned forward.  “I have an idea that could help.”

“Yes?”  Richard raised his eyebrows, obviously curious.

“What if your daughter worked for me for a while, say for the next six months?”

“You would take her under your wing, be a mentor to her?”

“Right.  I’ll give her responsibilities that will equip her to help you in the management of your company.  There’s just so much you can learn within a six month period but I can structure her role and experiences so that they’ll give her a foundation in business.  You can build on that once her internship is over.”

Richard looked doubtful.  “You know she could easily get that experience at my office.”

“True, but how seriously do you think she'd take her job knowing that she could leave work, go shopping and never get fired?”

Richard's lips tightened.  “I see your point."

“Now I can’t promise you that after six months your daughter will be an angel but what I do promise is that she’ll leave my company with experience in the various aspects of business.”

“Sounds good so far,” Richard said, still with a hint of doubt in his voice.  “I’m going to have to figure out the best way to break this to her.  I know she had her heart set on touring Europe right after graduation but now this?  She’s going to have a fit.”

“And you, dear Dad, are going to sit her down and let her know she starts work at Steele Industries the first week of July.”

“That’s just a week after she gets here.”

“What better time to start?  It will be before she gets used to being at home, all relaxed.  She needs to jump in head first.”

Richard nodded then he expelled his breath and on his face was a look of relief.  He rose and stretched out a hand to his partner in crime.  "Roman, as of the first week of July my daughter is in your hands.  Let's shake on that."  There was a twinkle in his gray eyes as he smiled.  "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into.” 

Roman grasped Richard's hand.  “Don't you worry about that.  By the time I'm done your Serena will be a new woman."  He smiled, full of confidence, as he released the man's hand.  "You can trust me on that.”

******

Serena listened distractedly as her friends chattered away.  Her mind was not with Tammy and Jan today.  Graduation was just two days away and she was looking forward to her father flying from Toronto to be with her in New York for the ceremony.  The day after graduation she would go back home with him where she guessed he would throw her a massive 'surprise' party.  She knew what was coming so she'd have to start practicing her 'Oh, my gosh.  I'm so surprised' look.  Serena chuckled to herself.  Her dad was so predictable. 

Her smile widened as she remembered something very important.  She'd had a great four years at the exclusive Alexander University and would be graduating magna cum laude.  Daddy would be sure to give her a wonderful gift for that.  She was dying of curiosity, wondering what it would be.  The sun-yellow Porsche she'd admired on her last trip home?  Diamond earrings?  What if it was that Ferrari she'd pointed out at the auto show?  Serena could hardly contain her excitement but she bit her lip and stayed silent.  No, she wouldn't blurt her ideas out to her friends.  She really didn't know what the gift would be.  The only thing she was sure of was that it was going to be expensive.  It always was.

“Serena,” Tammy said petulantly as she pulled on her friend’s arm, “you haven’t heard a word I said, have you? I was asking if you wanted to go into Saks.”

“That's fine,” Serena said, slightly annoyed at being pulled out of her reverie.

“It’s only two days before graduation,” Jan said, raising her eyebrows at Serena.  "Aren't you the least bit anxious since we haven't even bought our dresses yet?"

“We’ll be wearing graduation robes,” Serena said, rolling her eyes.  "Nobody will see our dresses."  Right then she wasn't interested in anything as mundane as a dress.

“We’re going to take our robes off sometime, aren't we?” Jan pressed.

Serena sighed then turned her attention to her friends.  She'd much rather head for the Gucci store to look at handbags or do her shopping at Prada but she felt a pang of guilt.  She'd been ignoring them all day.  Time to make them happy.  “You’re right,” she conceded.  "We need to get some new clothes.  Let's go."

The shopping trip was pleasant and by the time Serena and her friends were finished she had six new outfits.  She knew she only needed one for the graduation ceremony but the others had looked so beautiful she just couldn’t resist the temptation of taking them too.  And anyway, it was no big deal.  She had a platinum card and her Dad took care of the bills every month.  She didn’t even see the statements.  They were all sent straight to his office for payment.