P.A. to the Billionaire Read online

“If they come back and you’re anywhere near this house, they’re going to go mad,” she said. “You know that, don’t you? They don’t want you here, Russell, not after all the fights and disagreements. You hitting the gossip columns with all your crazy ways almost pushed them over the edge.”

  He held up his hand and nodded as if he was admitting defeat.

  “I know they don’t,” he said. “And trust me, I don’t want to be here either.”

  As she was listening to them argue, Amanda’s head was spinning. What kind of crazy, dysfunctional family had she found herself amongst. For all they had wealth and most things other people would dream of, they all seemed bitter and twisted and completely screwed up. And now on top of all that, it also appeared that they hated each other too.

  “I’m here for the plans,” Regina said. “And then I have to get back.”

  Russell nodded his head at the same time his cellphone rang and this time, he looked at Amanda as if he was warning her not to answer it for him. Amanda took a step back and Russell took the call, while her and Regina looked at each other uncomfortably.

  “Do you know where the plans are?” Regina asked her finally once it was clear that Russell wasn’t going to be ending his call anytime soon.

  “Yes,” Amanda said as she stepped back toward the door.

  Regina mouthed something to Russell and he flipped her the bird. Regina smirked and then she joined Amanda through the doorway and out into the rest of the cabin. Regina looked a lot more elegant than she had done the first time they had met. She was wearing a crisp and impeccable black skirt suit which Amanda was pretty sure was Chanel. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of long, skinny cigarettes, clamped one between her teeth and lit it.

  “My brother’s a mess,” she said as she exhaled a long line of smoke out into the air between them. “I’m sure you’ve figured that out already.”

  Amanda was stunned into silence and she wasn’t sure what to say in response.

  “It’s okay,” Regina said, her demeanor softening slightly. “If you were going to walk out on him, you would have done it by now. I see these assistants, they come and go in a matter of hours.”

  Amanda tried not to look uncomfortable, she didn’t want to let on that she had been about to do exactly that before Regina had burst through the door.

  “He just needs someone to help him keep his focus, you know?” Regina said as she slipped her arm through Amanda’s and led her toward the very far end of the office, well out of ear shot of Russell should he choose to end his call and listen in on them.

  “I just don’t know if this is for me,” Amanda admitted. “I mean, I’m trying my best but it’s so hard. He seems to want to torture me.”

  Regina smirked and looked at her knowingly.

  “It’s just something we all seem to do,” she said. “It’s a way to make the people who are close to us know we’re not to be fucked with.”

  “I’m exhausted,” Amanda said.

  “Russell likes you,” Regina said suddenly as she turned and took hold of her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I can tell because he told me you fucked up yesterday and he didn’t fire you.”

  Amanda felt her cheeks burn.

  “Are you sure?” she half laughed.

  “He has fired people for a lot less,” Regina shrugged. “The messages would be enough to push him over the edge, trust me.”

  “I want to make this work,” Amanda admitted. “It just seems to me like there is a lot going on here.”

  “There is a lot going on here,” Regina said in a hushed tone.

  She pulled Amanda down into a chair in the break area and she leaned back on one of her own, crossed her leg and smoked her cigarette as if she were Cruella Deville.

  “My parents and Russell have barely spoken in years,” she whispered. “Our father got sick of his philandering ways, the squandering of money, the incessant partying. He was making a mockery of all of us, and I’m sure you’ve seen in the press how much of a talking point Russell became at various points?”

  Amanda nodded her head.

  “I didn’t know, until I took this job,” she admitted.

  Regina smiled at her warmly.

  “Another reason we liked you,” she said as she leaned forward. “Your innocence, and the fact you clearly didn’t have any prior misconceptions.”

  Behind them, Amanda heard Russell let out a roar of laughter as he continued his conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line.

  “Him and dad will be on good terms again, especially if this warehouse project down by the river all goes to plan,” Regina said. “There’s a big deal in the offing with a leisure company that could potentially mean he’s already onto a winner, but we need to wait and see.”

  Amanda nodded.

  “All highly confidential, of course,” Regina eyeballed her.

  “Of course,” Amanda confirmed.

  “Find him somewhere to live in the next two days and help him get moved in and I’ll give you a bonus,” Regina said. “I need him sorted and settled before my parents arrive back in town on Friday… and I don’t need another headache with more family rows. Trust me, I’ve seen enough to last me a lifetime.”

  Amanda looked at the pleading in Regina’s eyes. She knew she owed neither of these people anything, but it was clear they were looking to her for help, and that Russell had clicked with Amanda more than he had done with any assistant before her. If he was truly getting his life back on track, working away on big projects that involved a lot of money, and he was trying to prove his father wrong, then it made sense that he was so highly strung.

  “Okay,” Amanda said, hoping that she wasn’t going to regret the words as they came flying out of her mouth. “I’ll do it.”

  “Fabulous,” Regina said as she exhaled smoke and ground out the cigarette into an ashtray on the table. “I have every faith in you.”

  Amanda’s head was spinning. She had gone into work that morning feeling completely worked up and embarrassed about Regina, and now it appeared as if the two could even end up being friends. Regina swept the plans up into her hands and started to flick through them as, behind them, Russell continued his rant on the phone to whoever it was he was speaking with. Regina occasionally rolled her eyes as she looked up from the plans, and then she went back to them, flicking through and musing over whatever it was Russell was putting together and had in the offing for the space down at the docks.

  “If he pulls this off,” Regina said with a wry smile on her lips. “He’s going to make so much fucking money my dad’s head is going to spin.”

  Amanda felt her heart beat nervously for Russell and she looked into Regina’s eyes.

  “He needs to prove the old bastard wrong,” Regina whispered. “He’s been controlling us all for years, and now Russell is the only one who has the vision to pull us out of it and do something of our own.”

  Amanda certainly knew how that felt.

  “I better go,” Regina said as she rose to her feet and put the plans back down on the table in front of her. “Tell him I’ve looked through everything briefly and I like what I see. But don’t tell him we had this conversation.”

  Amanda nodded and watched as Regina swept toward the doors, her short, black hair swishing with her as she went.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said as she reached the exit and turned back to look at Amanda. “But, I promise you, being with us is worth it.”

  The door closed behind Regina and Amanda didn’t know where to look or what to think. She was so confused and all she knew was that it was clear Russell was the black sheep of the Newports and that Regina wasn’t far behind.

  He was out of his breakdown and he was kicking ass in business. And if he succeeded, then it looked as if his father was going to be put well in his place.

  “Amanda!” Russell’s voice cut through the silence as he summoned her to the office. She took a deep breath and started to make h
er way toward him. If she was in, she was in… and she was going to have to commit to them now.

  “I have an idea of where we can find you somewhere to live,” she said as she walked into the room, not giving him the opportunity to say anything else.

  He looked up at her with wide eyes and he slapped his hands together.

  “Come on then, new girl,” he grinned. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

  7.

  Her first week working for Russell Newport had been one full of ups and downs, but as the weekend arrived, Amanda knew she had done the right thing by sticking by Russell’s side.

  She had spent the latter part of the week rising to the challenge that Regina had set for her, and she had landed Russell an awesome apartment in the city, looking out across the river and the warehouses where he would be spending so much of his time. She had seen the place when she had been going toward her interview on that very first day when the Newport’s burst into her life and started to turn it upside down. The building was new and had a doorman, but it was in an up and coming hip part of town, something she knew would appeal to Russell’s wayward spirit. The fact that it had an awesome view over the river and toward the land he owned and would be developing only added to the big list of ticks that the apartment was getting.

  Now it was Saturday, and Amanda knew she was going to have to say goodbye to Madison and Grace as they went to spend the night with their father, and Amanda was feeling wound up like a coiled spring. As she waited for him to show, she paced the living area nervously and kept checking her watch to make sure he wasn’t late.

  The girls knew he was coming. So if he didn’t show this time, it was going to cause them a huge amount of heartache.

  When she heard the car heading down the street, she breathed a sigh of relief, even though she knew this meant she was going to have to face him. Maddy and Grace were bouncing around on the couch, helping each other put on their backpacks before they ran over to Amanda and cuddled into her legs.

  “Are you coming too, Mommy?” Grace asked with wide innocent eyes, and Amanda had to hold back the tears as she shook her head and told her no.

  “This is a special day for you two and your daddy,” she smiled. “I’ll be here tomorrow when he brings you home, and then we can spend the afternoon together doing whatever you want. How does that sound?”

  Grace hugged her legs a little tighter and Amanda could tell that as the youngest was struggling the most with being separated from her mother. It broke Amanda’s heart to have to spend time away from her children, but how else was she to make the break they so desperately needed. She couldn’t stay with Rob and be miserable, it would only lead to a toxic home life that wouldn’t be good for the girls.

  “Hi, Rob,” Amanda said as she opened the door and he stared back at her. He looked sullen and bitter, as if he were holding back his acid tongue.

  “Daddy!” Madison said cheerfully as she ran to him and he picked her up and hugged her tight.

  Grace stayed hidden behind her mother’s legs and Amanda shrugged nervously. She didn’t want her ex to think she was the cause of Grace’s apprehension.

  “Hey, Gracey,” Rob said as he bent down on his knee and tried to coax her to go toward him. “How you doing? Are you ready for a fun day?”

  Grace nodded her head slowly and seemed to lose a bit of her worry. She looked up at Amanda and Amanda smiled down at her warmly, before she started to walk toward Rob and he swept her up into a hug too.

  “Have a lovely time, you guys,” Amanda said with a wide smile on her face, even though, inside, she felt as if she was dying. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

  The girls blew kisses and Rob walked with them toward his car. She watched as they were buckled into the back seats, and Rob flashed her an angry glance as he climbed into the driver’s side. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done, because it felt different this time. Now his stuff was well and truly gone from the house, this was how things were going to be going forward, and she just hoped that they could stay amicable for the children, but she had the feeling that it wasn’t going to happen.

  As the car disappeared at the end of the street, she breathed a huge sigh and pulled herself together. The girls were just spending the night with their dad, and she was going to get herself to work and help the disaster that was Russell Newport move into his new penthouse apartment on the other side of the river.

  She grabbed her purse and the cellphone and she locked up her front door. It was showtime. And it was going to be a very busy day indeed.

  At the apartment, Russell was already there, standing outside and smoking furiously as he paced around the parking lot with his phone clamped to his ear. Amanda waved to him and gave him a weak smile as she arrived, and she went straight over to the removal men and looked at the inventory they had listed on their notes.

  “Has he given you any instruction?” she asked them.

  The men shook their heads and breathed out with irritation.

  “Okay,” Amanda said as she started to take over. “Here’s a set of keys, the apartment is the entire top floor. You can access it with this key and via the elevator.”

  She gave them the keys and then she turned back to face Russell. The more time she was spending with him, the more she was seeing that he was determined to just live life on his own terms and he didn’t give a shit about anyone else.

  She felt a surge of anger bubble up within her and she scowled at him from across the parking lot. He inhaled on his cigarette and looked back at her with his head cocked to the side and he smirked. Amanda could tell he knew he had annoyed her.

  When he hung up the phone, he threw the cigarette onto the ground and came striding over to her.

  “What have I done now?” he asked her with mock disdain.

  “Nothing,” Amanda said, biting her tongue. “But the removal men were just standing around, they could have been getting things in for you.”

  “I was on a call,” he said coldly, and then he turned and looked at the two huge vans that were being unloaded next to them.

  “Did you have a chance to check out the place?” Amanda asked him.

  Russell nodded his head slowly and then he turned back to face her. “I did,” he smiled. “And I have to say, I’m impressed, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “I’m full of surprises,” she mused as she tucked a pen behind her ear and looked through her own notes that she had correlated on a clipboard.

  “Would you like me to head up and make sure everything is going in the right place, or would you prefer me to keep an eye on things down here?” she asked, looking up into his eyes and forgetting for a moment, all over again, that this man was her boss.

  He was so good looking, it still took her by surprise sometimes when she really looked at him. It was as if, for the majority of time they had already spent together, she had been in total denial and had done anything but acknowledge his looks.

  “I’m keeping you close,” Russell said sternly. “I want us both upstairs.”

  The words sent a tingle down her spine and she tried not to smile. She didn’t know if he had said them innocently or if there had been something suggestive behind them, but she liked it all the same. He had softened over the past few days and his behavior had begun to calm down. After Amanda had started her quest to find him somewhere to live and had come good almost immediately, it was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

  “I appreciate this,” he said as they stood in the elevator and it rose to the top of the building. “I didn’t think you’d come through for me on this one, but you’ve done a fucking good job.”

  Amanda smiled and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring down at his cellphone and it looked as if he were replying to an email. He was constantly on the go, nothing ever seemed to calm with him, and although it was exhausting to watch, Amanda was kind of becoming addicted to it too. Now, sitting alone and silent didn’t hold
the same appeal as it once had. In fact, she hadn’t even needed to be there for the moving in, Russell had told her he could handle it on his own and she had insisted that she be there. With the girls gone for the night, what else was she going to do with herself?

  Inside the apartment, the sun streamed through the back windows and an amazing view greeted them the moment they stepped out of the elevator.

  “Imagine, as the warehouses and other side of the river begins to take shape, how incredible it’s going to be to live here.”

  Russell smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked out at the land and buildings opposite. It was his empire. He was building something and creating something from the beginning.

  Every time Amanda looked at him, she could tell he had a brilliant mind, it seemed such a shame that it had been so troubled. Russell clicked his fingers and whistled as he pointed to the table that had been set up in the kitchen area.

  “Take a seat,” he said with authority, and Amanda did as she was told.

  He moved around a pile of stacked up boxes and opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of spring water. He threw one in her direction and Amanda caught it just in time.

  “Nice work,” he said with a smirk, and then he sat down at the table opposite her and twisted the cap from his bottle and took a deep swig.

  “Thank you,” she said as she did the same.

  “So, what’s the story?” he asked her as he narrowed his eyes.

  Around them, the removal men were working away silently and were busy bringing in boxes and large pieces of furniture, which occasionally, Russell or Amanda would help them find a place for by turning and pointing to various rooms off the main living area.

  “What do you mean?” she asked him.

  He was looking at her intently and she could feel that something had changed between them. As he had calmed down over the past few days, something had seemed to shift in his brain and he was no longer as difficult as he had been. His strength appeared to be coming back, he was no longer as erratic, and he was turning into a different person before her very eyes.