The Billionaire Trap Read online

  Kirra snorted. “Like that stops me.”

  “Kirra,” Willa began, but stopped when the speaker box of the drive thru crackled to life.

  “Welcome to McDonald’s, can I take your order?”

  “Two bacon and egg McMuffins and a large flat white,” Willa said.

  “Two,” Kirra mouthed at her.

  “Make that two large flat whites,” Willa amended.

  Willa pulled the car around and paid for their breakfast. They pulled to the side to wait and Willa turned to Kirra.

  “You know I don’t like you drinking,” she said.

  Kirra rolled her eyes. “Yes mum.”

  Willa ignored the jibe. “When you turn eighteen you can do what you like, but until then just say no, okay?”

  “I’m nearly eighteen,” Kirra said with a pout, crossing her arms. “And I’m in year twelve, if it’s not the time to party now then it never will be.”

  “There will be plenty of time to party once you graduate. That’s what university is for.”

  Kirra rolled her eyes, but Willa could see the small smile threatening to tilt her lips.

  The two of them were close despite the eight year gap between them. Kirra had taken on the responsibilities of raising Kirra when Devi retreated into her grief. Their mother had wrapped her sadness around her like a cloak and most days she barely spoke. It was like living with a ghost, which was why Willa moved out as soon as she was able to. She felt bad for leaving Kirra behind, but someone needed to keep an eye on their mother and Willa felt she had done enough. It didn’t mean that Willa stopped dropping in and checking on them both, and her apartment door was always open to Kirra if she ever needed to get away from their mother. But Willa had to forge her own path and create her own future. She did not want to end up like her mother and the only way to ensure that didn’t happen was to stick to the plan. There were no shortcuts and Willa was prepared to play the long game, which was why she had spent so much time researching Jonathon Ashby. Her plan had a two-pronged approach. Part one was get a good job and work her arse off and part two was marry a billionaire. Jonathon Ashby was her billionaire of choice. Today was the fulfilment of her long-term planning. Now she just had to meet him and find a way to insinuate herself into his life so that he couldn’t live without her. Easy.

  Jonathon walked into the office near his lab and tossed his coat and briefcase on his desk. Movement near the window caught his attention.

  “Natalie,” he said, and she turned to face him. “What are you doing here?”

  “You need me,” she said, reasonably. “It’s been a month, Jonathon, and you are struggling. You need an assistant and that’s why I’m here.”

  “So who is sitting at your desk while you’re here with me?”

  “I employed a temp.”

  “Look, Natalie,” he said, running a hand through his hair and taking a breath. “I need you back at your desk. You are the only one who can keep this whole undercover thing from being exposed. People will become suspicious if you’re suddenly in R & D with the new guy.”

  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. It was a look he was familiar with and not just from her. The women in his life all tended to give him that look at one time or another. It was the look of disappointment; disappointment that he had let them down again.

  “You still need an assistant,” she said, her tone deceptively even. “I can’t keep doing the work of two people…and neither can you.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” he said. “Not until I find out whoever it is that is impersonating me. You, on the other hand, I can do something about. Send the temp down here. They can be my assistant and you can go back to doing what you do best.”

  “And just what is that, Jonathon?”

  He smiled. It was the smile he always used to get what he wanted. The one that no woman could resist. The one that got him laid nine times out of ten. “You’re my gatekeeper, Nat,” he said, walking toward her. “You know how much I rely on you. That’s why you are the only person I trust with the truth about what is going on.”

  She tried to resist, but she really had no chance against the full onslaught of Jonathon’s charm. It was a little disappointing, even though he needed her to cave. Of all the women he interacted with, Natalie should be immune to his bullshit. She had been working for him for the last four years and knew all his secrets. He wondered if there would ever be a woman who could look past the package he was wrapped up in to see the man beneath.

  “Fine,” she said with a huff, her arms falling to her sides as she capitulated. “But you owe me. Something shiny.”

  He grinned. “Of course,” he replied. He was an expert at the ‘You Owe Me Gift’ and the ‘I’m Sorry Gift.’ The shinier the better. How did that saying go? It was easier to say sorry than to ask permission? And pretty, sparkly gifts seemed to make apologies carry more weight, or at least they did in his experience.

  She took a deep breath and he turned back toward his desk. “I suppose I have to schlep back across the city and meet the temp,” she said with a sigh.

  “Uh huh,” he replied, not really listening. He was reading the results from the last round of taste testing on one of their new flavours. Chocolate was his life, which was probably why he had to buy so many You Owe Me and Sorry gifts. He often got caught up in his work and ran late for dates. Women didn’t seem to like to be the ones left waiting, although he’d done his own fair share of waiting on them. Sitting by the window watching the cars drive past and wondering when—if—she was going to show…

  “Are you listening to me?” Natalie asked, and the sharpness of her tone cut through the memory.

  “Uh, what?”

  She rolled her eyes at him and recrossed her arms. Uh-oh. Crossed arms twice in one meeting. He had better make sure the gift had extra bling.

  “I’m taking your car—”

  “Wait, what? No, no, no. You are not driving the pussy wagon.”

  Her lip twisted in disgust. “Gross,” she said and tossed her hair. “I have no desire to drive your damn yellow penis enhancer. I was going to say that I am going to take your car service. I need to meet with the temp and then bring her back here to meet you.”

  “Fine,” he said, waving a hand at her distractedly as his eyes returned to the report on his desk. Now that the threat to his yellow Lamborghini passed, he lost interest in the rest of the conversation.

  “For fuck’s sake, Jonathon,” Natalie said. “Can’t you pay attention for five minutes?”

  “I heard you, Nat,” he said, slipping into his chair and dragging the report onto his lap as he leaned back. “You’re taking the car service to pick up the temp and bring her back here.” He looked up and made eye contact with her. “Did I get that right?”

  She nodded and pursed her lips before turning around and stalking toward the door. “Don’t go into the lab until I get back,” she said. “I am not going to put on one of those ridiculous jumpsuits and hair nets. Jonathon,” she said when he didn’t acknowledge her.

  “Hmm?” He lifted one eye to her the other one remaining on the document in his lap.

  “Don’t go into the lab. Do you hear me?”

  He waved her away. “Don’t go into the lab. Right. Gotcha,” he said, not looking at her.

  He heard the door close and he sighed, closing his eyes and tipping his head back. Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone? He just wanted to bury himself in his work and forget about the shit going on his life, but he couldn’t. He needed to get to the bottom of whoever it was walking around town pretending to be him.

  Willa had been directed to the seat outside the door of an office with the words ‘Jonathon Ashby’ written on it. Would she really be working for him directly? She didn’t think it was possible to get that lucky. She thought she’d have to work with the company for at least a few months before she even got a look at Mr. Ashby. Her research into the company told her that he’d had the same personal assistant for four years and there were no rumours she resigned, but…her desk was surprisingly empty, as if she had cleaned it out and there was no one currently sitting there, so…

  “Willa Camilleri?” a voice called, making Willa jump.

  “That’s me,” she said, standing to her feet and turning to greet the woman who approached her.

  She had a stern look on her face, her eyes narrowed as she gave Willa a once over. The other woman had pale, creamy skin and red hair pulled up in a severe French roll. Her makeup was expertly applied and she was immaculately dressed in a skirt and silky blouse. She was a thin wisp of a woman who made Willa feel like an elephant beside her. Not that Willa had issues with her curves, she liked her body and the way she filled out a D-cup, but next to this woman it was hard not to feel enormous.

  Willa resisted the urge to smooth her skirt and stood still with a pleasant smile on her face, determined not to wilt in front of the unfriendly welcome. Willa had been doing temp work for long enough that she knew she would always be greeted with suspicion before people got to know her. She was damned good at her job and she chose temping because it gave her an opportunity to gain experience in a whole range of business environments - it also stopped her from getting bored.

  “I’m Natalie, Mr. Ashby’s PA.”

  Willa’s heart sank. That answered her question. She wouldn’t be working directly for Mr. Ashby. Oh well, it was a slim hope anyway.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand for Natalie to shake.

  The other woman looked at Willa’s hand briefly before enclosing it in her own. The handshake was lacklustre at best and a little on the cold fish side, but Willa shrugged it off. She would not let this woman get under her skin.

  “Grab your stuff,” Natalie said. “We need to
drive across town.”

  Willa nodded and leaned down to pick up her briefcase and handbag. Why she was asked to come here when they actually wanted her across town, she didn’t know. Maybe it was a hazing ritual. It wouldn’t be the first time Willa had been subjected to such a thing. She was used to being the perpetual new person in every office she worked. She was never really one of them, no matter how long she worked in a place. While the other staff might slowly warm to her, they all knew she was only temporary. Not that it bothered her. Willa was a task-oriented person and didn’t really care much about water-cooler gossip. She came in, did her job and went home. She had enough drama in her personal life that she didn’t want anything to do with the inevitable soap opera at work as well.

  “You will be working with our new R & D specialist,” Natalie said as the car moved through the peak hour traffic. “He’s only been with the company for a month, but the work he is doing is important. I’m sure I don’t have to stress to you how vital it is for a company like ours to always be on the cutting edge.”

  Willa nodded but kept her opinions to herself. It was chocolate and while Willa was a fan, she didn’t understand what more could be done to improve on it. The recent fad of putting Vegemite in chocolate should be proof enough to leave well enough alone. Willa enjoyed Vegemite on toast as much as the next born and bred Aussie but putting it in chocolate seemed like an abomination. It was like crossing the streams — it was dangerous and confusing and should be avoided at all costs.

  “Jake is one of the best, aside from Mr. Ashby himself of course. Unfortunately, he gets a little too caught up in the practical aspects of his job and his paperwork is falling behind. That’s where we need you.”

  “Right,” Willa said, nodding. That was what she was best at. There was a satisfaction in taking an untidy, neglected office and setting it to rights. Willa had a slight obsession with organisation and may or may not have a collection of coveted Ikea and Howard’s Storage World catalogues that she liked to flip through like fashion magazines. There also might be the odd Tupperware catalogue among the collection with the pantry pages slightly dog-eared from being handled so much. Sometimes Willa would just stand in front of her perfectly organised pantry and admire how good it looked with all its matching and colour coordinated containers lined up like little soldiers.

  “You will need to sign a non-disclosure agreement,” Natalie went on. “There may be times when you are exposed to top secret information and you need to understand that breeching the confidence of Ashby Chocolates will result in not only immediate termination but also possible charges.”

  “Of course,” Willa replied, and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Every company thought the work they were doing was equivalent to life and death. She understood that industrial espionage was a thing but again this was chocolate, not the newest cancer treatment.

  “Jake can be a little…odd,” Natalie said, turning to her. “He is intensely private and may be a little temperamental about his work.”

  Willa resisted the urge to sigh. Not only was she going to be working across town from Mr. Ashby but now she would be working with someone who probably chewed up and spat out assistants with alarming regularity. Again, this was not an irregular occurrence for Willa. Temping often meant being giving the shittiest jobs. She just had to keep her eye on the prize.

  “And I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that we have a non-fraternisation policy at Ashby Chocolates.”

  Great. Willa was not only going to be working for an arsehole but she was going to be working for a hot arsehole. Her kryptonite. Wasn’t that just perfect?

  2

  It wasn’t professional and was in really poor taste, but the first thing Jonathan noticed about her was her arse. It was glorious. The sight of it actually made him come to a complete stop and forget everything else on his mind. It really was that spectacular. Her dark pinstripe skirt was cinched in at the waist and hugged her delicious heart-shaped gluteous maximus lovingly before narrowing down to below her knees.

  When she turned, his eyes rose slowly and got stuck at her impressive rack. Yeah. Not professional and not classy at all, but he was a guy and a very visual guy at that. Besides, this woman had all his favourite bits in spades. It may be crass, but Jonathon knew himself and he was a tits and arse man.

  Finally, he managed to get his eyes to move upward to take in her face. Her skin was bronze — dark and rich and his fingers itched to touch. Her lips were full and slicked with a shiny lip gloss he wanted to taste. Her eyes were big and dark brown and they were currently narrowed at him in a look he was not familiar with. He was used to disappointment and lust and scheming but the look she gave him? He hadn’t seen that on a woman’s face before. It was almost like she didn’t like him…

  “Jon—ah—Jake,” Natalie said, stumbling over his fake name. “This is Willa Camilleri. She is your new assistant. Willa, this is Jake Campbell.”

  “Willa,” he said, testing her name on his lips.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Campbell,” she said, her voice slightly husky, but not because she was happy to see him. Unless he was mistaken, she was very much not happy to meet him.

  “Call me Jake,” he said, thankful that he didn’t stumble over his new name the way Natalie had.

  “Right,” Natalie said, after an uncomfortable moment of silence where Jonathon couldn’t take his eyes off Willa. “Let me give you the tour.”

  “That’s okay, Nat,” he said. “I can show Willa around.”

  Natalie’s eyebrows popped up in surprise. “Are you sure? I don’t mind—”

  “I’m sure,” he said, letting his lips ease into a smile, his eyes still not leaving Willa’s. “I’m sure you have more pressing things to deal with. Willa and I will be fine.”

  Natalie seemed at a loss until she finally sighed and straightened her shoulders. “Okay then. I’ll leave you two to it.”

  Jonathon and Willa stared at each other as Natalie made her exit. He couldn’t read her and it was both intriguing and a consternation. Jonathon knew the effect he had on women. He also knew he was an arrogant arsehole but it didn’t change the facts. Women threw themselves at him constantly. He was good looking and he was rich. These two facts alone made sure that he was never without someone to keep him warm at night when the urge struck. But Willa was different. She was frosty toward him and even his best smile hadn’t managed to melt her ice queen routine. It was a challenge and he liked a challenge.

  “Why don’t you put your bags down here,” he said after Natalie left.

  She broke his gaze to look at the second desk in his office. He didn’t spend much time in here, but he still needed a desk for the work he did do. She nodded and crossed to sit behind the desk, opening the bottom drawer and stowing her hand bag. She laid her briefcase on the top of the desk and then looked back up at him.

  “Will I be getting a computer?” she asked.

  For the first time he noticed that her desk was completely bare. There was no phone and no computer. An oversight on Natalie’s part, but then she had expected to be the one sitting at the desk and had probably made arrangements for herself.

  “Of course,” he said, trying his smile again but she didn’t even blink. Damn. She was good. “In the meantime, why don’t I show you the lab.”

  Willa stood with a nod and smoothed her skirt. Her long dark hair was streaked with lighter browns and tumbled around her shoulders in big curls. His palms itched to feel the silky strands running through his fingers and he turned away to get himself under control. Thankfully they wouldn’t have to spend much time in the office together or he might slowly go mad with distraction.

  “This way,” he said, leading her from the room and down a short corridor to another closed and locked door. He pressed his palm against the biometric scanner and then typed in his passcode. The door unlocked and he pushed it open, stepping into the anteroom of the lab. They were separated from the lab proper by a glass wall and a clean room. Hanging along the wall were a row of white coveralls and a box held little booties to go over their shoes. Another box held a collection of hair covers that looked like shower caps.