The Brave Billionaire (Clean Billionaire Beach Club Romance Book 11), Page 3

  Boss, boss, boss.

  He was so much more than that, and Maizee knew it.

  She stayed in the bathroom for much longer than she needed to, but it took a while for her to strengthen her resolve to keep things with everyone at work in the professional category.

  Especially Lawrence.

  The sun beat down on Maizee as she tried to make her body move into the position the beach yoga instructor seemed to do so effortlessly.

  Her shoulder strained, but Maizee enjoyed the pull, the heat, the smell of suntan lotion and sand and sweat.

  She’d been coming to the morning yoga classes before heading into the bank all week, and today, a Saturday, she wouldn’t have to pretend she didn’t see Lawrence when he arrived. Fake like she was busy so he didn’t know she watched and noted the moment he left.

  Sometimes he left at a normal quitting time. Sometimes he stayed after she’d left. Sometimes he left in the middle of the afternoon and didn’t come back, at least not before she went home.

  She wished she didn’t have such tight tabs on what he did. But hey, she wasn’t following him around…yet.

  “Feel the energy from Mother Earth,” Tawny said, and Maizee focused on her yoga. She didn’t need Lawrence to permeate every aspect of her life, though her work relationships were the source of her friendships.

  She’d met one neighbor this week, but the man in his late twenties hadn’t been terribly friendly. He’d stood on the sidewalk until a woman in a bright yellow convertible pulled up, and he’d gotten in the passenger seat before they’d driven away.

  The girl at Roasted, the coffee shop Maizee visited every morning, had invited her to go boating later that afternoon, and Maizee had said yes. She didn’t want to spend her weekends cooped up in her house, baking or thinking about baking. Or doing yard work, which was infinitely worse.

  Kara had seemed nice, and Maizee had a phone she could use if she felt uncomfortable that evening.

  “That’s it for this morning,” Tawny said, straightening. “Let’s cool down.”

  Maizee went along with the stretches, Tawny’s voice soothing and the fact that she glistened with sweat comforting. Maizee clapped along with everyone else when the class ended, and she reached for her towel.

  She wiped her face, enjoying the Hawaiian sun even though the beaches would be full of tourists within the next hour. She didn’t mind so much, but Lanai wasn’t nearly as popular as somewhere like Getaway Bay.

  Maizee caught sight of two businessmen walking along the wooden beachwalk. She stalled, though surely one of them couldn’t be Lawrence. What would she do even if one was? Follow him?

  No. She shook her head and continued wiping her neck. She would not become a stalker just because the man had great hair. He’d waved at her a couple of times this week, but it seemed like he’d decided to ignore her the same way she was him.

  But she couldn’t tear her eyes from the pair of men, and it didn’t take long for her to recognize the gait of one Lawrence Gladstone. Maizee took her time leaving the beach yoga area so she could watch him enter the Sweet Breeze Resort and Spa with the other man.

  The largest building in Getaway Bay, Sweet Breeze had hundreds and hundreds of rooms. Maizee would never find Lawrence.

  Though he can’t live there, she thought. He was probably having lunch or something. Brunch. Late breakfast.

  “Whatever,” she muttered under her breath. She’d spent entirely too much time on Lawrence this week already. The man clearly wasn’t interested in her. He’d helped her in a rain storm, and she’d given him tissues.

  The end.

  Her phone rang, and she swiped on the call from her youngest sister Juliet. “Hey, Jules.”

  “May-zee,” her sister singsonged, and Maizee braced herself for a squeal or a shriek. After that, jealousy would hit her, and she’d be glad she wasn’t in the same room as Juliet so she didn’t have to keep her true emotions from showing on her face.

  “What’s the news?” Maizee asked, her voice bright.

  “Johnny asked me to marry him!” The shriek came. As did the jealousy. And Maizee turned her face toward the sun, hoping for some of the golden light and hope to infuse into her so she could be happy for her sister.

  But Johnny? What kind of name was that? She’d met the man, and she thought he could’ve at least started going by John once he hit puberty.

  “That’s great,” Maizee said, forcing a smile to her face so it would come through in her voice. “I’m so happy for you. Tell me about it.”

  She’d gotten so good at those last four words. Then Juliet would talk for a while, and all Maizee had to do was agree every so often, or ask another question that would set her sister off again.

  The door closed behind the tall, broad-shouldered form of Lawrence, and Maizee turned toward the bay while Juliet launched into how Johnny had proposed. The story lasted until Maizee returned home, when Juliet finally said she had to go.

  Maizee went inside her house, the silence as annoying as it was comforting. Roger trotted out to meet her, and she bent down to scrub him behind the ears. “Hey, boy. Want to go for a walk today?”

  Her ankle had improved each day, and she’d been exercising it at the same time she gave Roger the fresh air he needed.

  So she got out his leash and clipped it to his collar, her mind telling her that she liked this simple life. Wanted it. And that a man like Lawrence Gladstone would only complicate everything.

  Four

  Lawrence sat on a lounger beside Fisher DuPont’s private pool, his soda glass already empty. He could get up and refill it any time he wanted, but Lawrence wasn’t feeling particularly up for doing much more than lying around today.

  In fact, sitting beside the pool for a couple of hours this morning would give him more sun than he’d had all week.

  So his goals to get out and explore the island of Getaway Bay had sort of stalled. Big deal. No one knew of his personal goals, and he could change them any time he wanted.

  His company was fine. Better than fine. Doing great, with a eight percent gain over last quarter so far this summer. September was shaping up to be one of the best months, which would hopefully earn them their highest profits in the history of Gladstone Financial.

  Normally, he loved sitting beside Ira and talking business, but today, Ira had his hand securely in Gabi’s already, and they had their heads bent together as they spoke in low voices. Lawrence hated whispering, but he adjusted his sunglasses and leaned back in his lounger.

  He didn’t have to talk just because he’d come to the Nine-0 meeting. Kaelin sometimes just sat there, brooding. Tyler could miss several meetings and then show up as if he hadn’t been gone at all.

  Nina and Jewel walked onto the pool deck, both wearing swishy, flowing cover-ups and huge sunglasses. Both blondes, Lawrence wished his pulse would increase at the sight of them. They never wore anything he’d ever seen before, because they designed their own clothes for their huge online boutique.

  It was amazing to him what became popular, but they’d made over a billion dollars in revenue in the first twelve months of launching wearit.com, with profits doubling that in the two years since.

  Their latest venture was beachwear, thus their appearance on the island this past eight months or so. Fisher had welcomed them to the Nine-0 Club within a week of them landing in Getaway Bay, which was fine with Lawrence.

  Nina and Jewel typically stuck together, but today they sat beside Gabi and drew her out of her conversation with Ira.

  Lawrence was bored, but he didn’t have anything else to do or anywhere else to be. He let Maizee drift through his mind, and a measure of relaxation moved through him.

  He could get her number. Find out where she lived now, and where she’d come from. Surely all of that information was in her file at work, and if not, he could certainly discover it in other ways. He liked to think he could learn anything he wanted about anyone, but he didn’t want to search through Maizee’s file and
then call her.

  What would he even say? Hey, I got your number from the employee directory….

  Yeah, that would go over well with the beautiful, well-dressed, competent loan officer. He sighed, unsure as to why he couldn’t simply ask her to dinner. Maybe he would be the exception to the rule. Maybe his workplace romance would work out. Just because he’d never seen one that did didn’t mean they all ended in complete failure.

  “What’s eating you?” Ira asked, and Lawrence bent his head toward his friend.

  “Nothing.”

  Ira laughed, a dry sort of chuckle. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

  Lawrence could talk business with Ira for hours and hours, but he didn’t want to discuss a woman who’d been plaguing him since the day he’d seen her lying in the mud on the Umauma Waterfall trail.

  “No, really, it’s nothing.” He scooted to the edge of the lounger. “I just have to go. I’m doing a private tour this afternoon.”

  Ira shook his head. “I don’t know why you do that. You don’t need the money.”

  No, he didn’t. “I like getting out on my sailboat,” he said. “And taking other people out gives me a reason to do it.” Otherwise, he might not go. He wasn’t sure why, other than sometimes he wanted to go sailing, but the thought of getting everything ready and actually going wore him out before he’d even started.

  So he did charters on the weekends sometimes. Today, he’d booked a small group of friends for a few hours, nothing major.

  He signaled to Fisher that he was going, and then he pressed the button to call the elevator. Fisher met him there before the car arrived, and asked, “You okay?”

  “Just fine.” Lawrence looked at Fisher, the man who’d changed Getaway Bay with his hotel and his secret club. “I’ve got a charter this afternoon, and I want to check the weather and the whale watching boards.”

  “Sounds great,” Fisher said with a smile. “Stacey wants to learn how to sail.”

  “You guys should come out on the boat,” he said. “Anytime.”

  “Yeah.” Fisher glanced back toward the pool and the other Nine-0 members. “Maybe after the baby is born.”

  The elevator arrived with a ding! but Lawrence didn’t get in. In fact, Owen and his wife Gina got off, both dressed for a long afternoon at the pool.

  “You’re going to have a baby?” Lawrence asked.

  Fisher laughed and turned back to the pool. “Now that everyone’s here, I have an announcement to make.”

  Lawrence let the elevator close behind him, deciding he could stay for a few more minutes, that his check on the weather could wait.

  “Stacey and I are expecting another baby,” Fisher called to everyone at the pool, Stacey herself walking over to him and tucking herself against his side.

  A cheer went up, and Lawrence participated too, clapping and whooping along with everyone else. After all, Fisher was one of his best friends, and Lawrence enjoyed sharing their successes and happiness.

  Esther and Marshall approached them first, so Lawrence waited to say congratulations. They already had a son who would be turning three by Christmas, and Lawrence watched him splashing in the pool with Esther’s daughter, Ella.

  He shook hands with Fisher and hugged Stacey and said, “Congrats, you two.”

  “I didn’t mean to keep you,” Fisher said. “Go, go. Check on your whales.”

  Lawrence chuckled, but he did head for the elevator and then his penthouse. His mind circled around the happiness of his friends. So many of them had found someone to share their lives with. They’d started families and made commitments. They had more in their lives than a corner office and a company they ran.

  Why couldn’t he?

  He could. He just hadn’t known he wanted that life—until he’d met Maizee.

  So he’d ask her for her number on Monday. Simple as that.

  Lawrence put chilled bottled water in all the cup holders on the front seating area of the boat. He had more in the fridge down below, as well as all the snacks the girls would need. He’d checked the weather, and while the tropical storm had originally been predicted to get close to the islands, it had turned and gone in another direction days ago.

  Not only that, but a pod of three pilot whales had been spotted earlier that day in the area he was planning to sail. The wind was scheduled to stay around long enough for him to use it, and he checked the lines one final time before a woman said, “Hello?”

  He dashed over to the other side of the boat and grinned down at the brunette he’d met a few weeks ago when he’d given her a tour of his boat and booked her excursion. “Hey, Nan. Come on up.”

  “Let me text everyone,” she said. “They should be here soon.” She climbed the ladder and swung herself onto the boat.

  Lawrence shook her hand, still smiling. “Still the six of you?”

  “I think there’s seven now,” she said. “Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all.” He turned and took a few steps. “Let me just grab another bottle of water.” Her excursion could accommodate up to eight people, so one more didn’t influence her price or what Lawrence would do.

  He went down below and came back up to find more women had arrived and were climbing aboard.

  He switched gears and headed over to the ladder so he could offer a hand if they needed it. They each exclaimed over the extravagance of the boat as they arrived. They greeted each other with hugs and smiles, and Lawrence wished one of them would excite him even half as much as Maizee did. Then maybe he wouldn’t have to make a fool of himself at work on Monday.

  “Thank you,” a woman said, drawing his attention away from the group gathering in the bow.

  He turned at the familiar voice to see the beautiful blonde he’d been thinking about. “Maizee?”

  “Lawrence?”

  His hand around hers tightened, and he didn’t want to let go. He also had no idea what to say.

  “What are you doing?” She leaned in as she spoke, her voice lowering just a little. “You give sailboat tours on the weekends?”

  Foolishness raced through him, and his face heated. “Just for fun,” he said, as if that made it better.

  “You own the biggest financial company in the world,” she said next, and Lawrence brought his free hand to his lips.

  “Sh,” he said in a near whisper. “They don’t know that.” In fact, very few people knew that.

  “They don’t?”

  “I like sailing,” he said. “But….” He didn’t want to say he didn’t like going out by himself. That it was much more fun if he had people with him, even if they were strangers. They enjoyed it so much, and he liked that he could provide something for them they couldn’t achieve themselves.

  “You made it.” Another woman stepped beside Lawrence, and Maizee smiled at her.

  “I did.” She slipped her hand out of Lawrence’s—he didn’t even realize he was still holding it—and moved away. He watched her go, completely drunk on the sight, the smell, the feel of her on his boat.

  She wore a white sundress that showed her bronze shoulders, and Lawrence felt like he might faint. He cleared his throat, reminding himself that he was the man in charge of the largest financial company in the world.

  So he liked to sail too. Big deal.

  He could still captain this boat—and maybe, if he could be brave enough, he could end this night with Maizee’s number in his phone.

  “All right, ladies,” he said, stepping over to the bow. “Let’s go over a few rules, and then we’ll get out on the ocean.”

  He met Maizee’s eye and held her gaze. “I’m so happy to have you each on the Tabitha.” Her eyebrows went up, and Lawrence was glad he’d at least have something to talk about with her once they went out.

  Five

  Maizee could listen to Lawrence talk about the sea, and lines, and boat etiquette for hours. He had a smooth, round, deep voice that vibrated in all the right places inside her body. She gripped her water bottle whi
le he finished up, and then turned back to Kara.

  “I didn’t know it was a private tour,” she said. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Oh, this guy is cheap,” Kara said with a toss of her dark hair and a nonchalant wave of her hand. “Nan arranged it all, but I think it was only a couple of hundred dollars.”

  Maizee nodded like that made total sense to be on this luxury sailboat with a billionaire banker as the captain. But Kara nor Nan nor anyone else knew who he was, obviously. And he wanted to keep it that way.

  She liked that they had a little secret together, and her hand still buzzed from where his had held it.

  She moved over to Nan and asked her about the price. “Oh, it was only a hundred and fifty,” she said. “So divide that by seven, and it’s what? Twenty bucks? Don’t worry about it.”

  Nan obviously came from money too—at least a little—because she wore designer clothes to go sailing. Maizee felt underdressed in a simple sundress, and she wished she’d brought an oversized hat like a couple of the other women.

  She felt Lawrence’s eyes on her, and she turned toward him. Sure enough, he watched her as he worked one of the lines, and everything in her got set to boil. There were too many pieces of him, and Maizee didn’t know how to put them all together into a complete puzzle.

  He hiked in the rain. Saved women. Stayed with them until they were safe. Wore power suits to work. Went into the ritziest hotel with men like him. And sailed his boat for pennies.

  Nothing about him made sense, and Maizee really wanted to dig deeper into him and find out more about him. Learn what made him tick.

  She wanted complicated if it came with Lawrence Gladstone.

  But she didn’t go over to him. She chatted with the other women and let the ocean breeze blow her hair off her face and shoulders. She enjoyed the pear and gorgonzola tarts Lawrence served, and went back to the soda bar over and over again for one of his delicious flavored concoctions.