Quarantined with the Billionaire

  Quarantined with the Billionaire

  Jade C. Jamison

  Copyright

  Copyright 2020 by Jade C. Jamison

  Cover image © VitalikRadko/ Depositphotos

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and events are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. Characters and names of real persons who appear in the book are used fictitiously.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles, reviews, or discussions.

  Chapter One

  I frowned as I rolled my desk chair into the conference room on the third floor, reminding myself that strange times called for strange measures. As long as I’d worked here, the customer service staff had never had an unplanned meeting like this. Before today, our meetings were as predictable as the sunrise or the seasons.

  Until now.

  Close behind me was my bestie Elise. She and I had been hired by Essential Solutions Finance, LLC (we customer service folks had been trained to add the LLC when speaking officially about the company). After Elise and I had gone through onboarding together, we’d learned quickly to cling to each other through some rough times.

  It turned out this was one of them.

  When we entered the conference room, we had to push our chairs back against the wall. Customer service wasn’t the only department in this meeting, so the room was full of more people than usual. Jeffrey, our director, a nice enough guy who wore suits without ties except when he had meetings with the CEO and had finally given up trying to disguise the fact that he was losing hair, stood at the head of the room in front of the widescreen monitor on the wall.

  He was wearing the royal blue tie that normally hung on the back of his office door.

  More folks continued pouring into the room. Normally, this type of close contact wouldn’t bother me. Elise leaned close to me, her voice low, her almond-shaped green eyes shining brighter than usual. “So have you heard anything?”

  The frown appeared too easily on my face, making me think I was going to develop a permanent scowl. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have even noticed my facial expressions, but my friend would be quick to point out how my face would age according to the emotions I displayed. You don’t want to look like an English bulldog when you’re sixty, do you, Bailey?

  And I didn’t want to talk about my external job search in front of everyone who worked on my floor, so I whispered when I answered her. “No, and I don’t think I will. I guess I picked a bad time for a job search.”

  Elise got ready to say something else, but Jeffrey’s deep voice interrupted her. “Thanks for assembling so quickly, everyone. In light of recent events, Mr. Steel has made the call that most of us will begin working remotely starting today.”

  There were several gasps in the room and Elise looked at me, an eyebrow raised. She mouthed the words Dramatic much? I stifled a smile, but I knew she’d be able to read the amusement in my eyes.

  “Wait a second,” said one of the men who worked in the investment department. “I get how my department can do that. All we really need is a computer and phone. But what about these guys?” Pointing toward me and my coworkers, he waved his hand with a flourish. Elise arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow as if to say See? Drama queen.

  “IT has been working on a special project since yesterday. No, we don’t have enough laptops for everyone, but Mr. Steel knows it’ll be easier for everyone to practice social distancing if there are fewer people in the building. Since customer service reps, for example, spend all day on the phone, it should be easy for them to work from home. HR, on the other hand, may have to stick around until we can figure it out. For now, we’re responding to a situation that calls for extreme measures.”

  Responding to a situation. Yeah, that was putting it mildly. Back in January when I’d first heard rumblings in the news about a deadly virus in China, I hadn’t worried too much about it. After all, MERS and Ebola hadn’t become widespread, had never threatened me personally, and the Coronavirus seemed to be the same. While I felt sympathy for the folks dealing with it on the other side of the planet, it didn’t capture my attention much.

  But in late February…all that changed. I found myself obsessing over the news, wondering and worrying about what the hell was going on.

  By March, it was here in the U.S., and it was spreading quickly. We as citizens weren’t having to restrict movements or anything yet, but the term social distancing had already become part of our vocabulary. At work, it was all but impossible, though. Even staying confined to our own cubicles, in customer service land, wasn’t helpful because the cube walls were low. If a coworker next to me coughed or sneezed, I would be close enough to breathe in their air particles. So, even though the idea of working at home seemed foreign, I appreciated our leader’s concern.

  “We did a trial run yesterday with the accounting department and it seemed to work well with few glitches. Over the next week, we’ll begin testing of other departments. For now, we want to do our part to keep people safe, and that means having fewer people in the building.”

  A woman on the other side of the room said, “And you thought the best way to tell us was to have us crammed like sardines in this conference room.” Oh, God. She stole my line.

  Jeffrey’s pale face looked sheepish for just a moment. “It’s not ideal. I know. If you’ll recall, on Monday, we asked everyone to stay home if they displayed any signs of sickness in order to mitigate any problems. But I have to assume none of you have been living in a bubble, and you know things have escalated in just a few short days. Now, on that note, please report to your departments where your managers will give you further instructions.” People in the room started standing up, heading toward the door. “And you’ll be around fewer people there. Win-win.”

  As Elise and I rolled our chairs down the hallway back to our department, she leaned in close. “Oh, my God. That means we’ll be able to talk to clients on the frigging phone in our pajamas, Bailey!”

  “Oh, joy. Just what I always wanted from my job.”

  “Aw, come on. If you have to stay here, isn’t it better this way, at least?”

  Shrugging, I turned the corner side by side with my friend and entered our area—a sea of brown cubicles about four-feet high.

  The place that had been my personal hell for about five years.

  Well, maybe not five. I’d actually appreciated the job when I’d first started. It was a damn sight better than waiting tables.

  We made our way to our cubicles, rolling our chairs back into their rightful places, and I wondered how our manager was going to handle things from here. We usually met in the conference room we’d just vacated, so I was curious how our department was going to meet. Dominque entered the room just then in her navy blue power suit, her curly dark mane pulled back in a loose style, the only thing about our manager that was allowed a little leverage. The rest of the woman was battened down as if anything fun was criminal.

  In all fairness, we enjoyed ourselves on occasion—but it was either planned (like the Christmas party a few months ago) or when Dominique was out of the office. Maybe Elise had the right idea. We might enjoy our jobs more when our manager wasn’t breathing down our necks, asking why we’d only taken care of X customers in an hour when so-and-so had taken care of twice that amount.

  Dominique had apparently decided this was as g
ood as any place to meet. Fortunately, the woman had a powerful voice that would carry throughout the huge room.

  “Okay, people, you heard Jeffrey. We’re going to do this in shifts. I see you over there, Steve. No packing up yet. IT is going to be assigning you all equipment but they’re going to teach you how to use it first. They should be here in the next ten minutes. I don’t know how long it will take, but they’ll be equipping team A first.”

  Lovely. Elise and I were team C, which meant we’d be last.

  “If you need a break, take it. After we receive instructions, teams B and C will begin taking calls again while team A receives equipment and heads out.”

  Dominique continued droning on but, by this point, Elise had moved closer to me. She held her hand up to her mouth, making it look like she was pondering information. But I knew this was Elise’s clandestine mode. “Do you suppose we’ll see Mr. Steel today?”

  I let out a sigh and tried not to roll my eyes. I didn’t need my manager thinking I was being insubordinate. But Elise’s obsession with the CEO and owner of Essential Solutions had grown tiresome. Sure, he was good looking. Well, that was an understatement. The man was like I’d imagined Hercules would have been in the flesh. You couldn’t see his musculature with a jacket, but when he took it off, you could see his sinewy torso through the shirt. And he had a strong jaw, dark brown hair, eyes the color of the late evening sky.

  Tall. Formidable.

  Really gorgeous, too, but he’d always come across to me as a bit of an asshole. Elise and I had debated the possibility during many a lunch break. She insisted it was because he was the CEO of a powerful company. How would you act if you had thousands of people’s fates in your hand, if you controlled billions of dollars? I’d reply to my friend that I still wouldn’t be a jerk until she’d shut me up by telling me I had a decent job, so I should be grateful.

  Except Elise hadn’t been in the elevator that one day.

  Maddox Steel’s office was on the top floor, along with his legal and administrative staff in his five-story building in the middle of downtown Denver, Colorado. While we received information from him on a weekly basis, most of the time it was passed down through directors to managers before it came to us. We usually had an annual meeting in January when he’d grace us with his presence and he’d give us a pep talk about the coming years. Most of the time, though, he seemed like a recluse, confined to the top floor. He arrived early, usually before anyone else, save the security staff, and he usually left later than most.

  I’d give Elise one thing—he was driven.

  But the elevator. I’d been working for Essential Solutions for close to a year, and I’d just gotten back from lunch that day. Elise must have been out sick or something, because I was by myself. I stepped on the elevator to head back up to the third floor and, just as the doors started to slide closed, a big hand stopped them. Maddox Steel entered…and he took my breath away. The man really was a sight, but up close, it was almost unbearable being near him. I felt my muscles tighten as my hands started to shake. I gave the man a shy hi. He nodded, jaw clamped closed, and then he began touching the screen of his phone, putting it up to his ear.

  Rude.

  And I’d hated him ever since. A pompous, uncaring, unconcerned asshole. I worked my fingers to the bone for his company, and he couldn’t even be bothered to say hello. That had probably been the first time I decided I wouldn’t want to spend my life at his company.

  It was not the last.

  “God, I hope not.”

  Elise flashed a frown at me, but she knew how I felt.

  “What was that, Bailey?” Shit. I was on Dominique’s radar.

  “Nothing. Sorry.”

  Fortunately, a lot was going on today, so she didn’t make an example of me for a change. “That’s what I thought.”

  While she added a few closing remarks, I lowered my head so she couldn’t see me but Elise could hear. “I don’t think we’re worth a thousand dollars of Mr. Steel’s time, do you?”

  Elise didn’t answer, probably because Dominique was still looking our way. “Okay, break time, people. Be back here by eleven sharp.”

  I looked at Elise, eyebrows raised, communicating to her that I didn’t appreciate her almost getting me in trouble, and she flashed me a smile, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. “Let’s go get some coffee.”

  In some ways, we were lucky to be on the third floor. The breakroom was close by, and so we often got to see different people from other parts of the building that we wouldn’t usually see. I nodded at my friend, thinking maybe a little caffeine would help me focus on what was sure to be a harrowing day. But, in the back of my mind, I felt a little happy. Not about a sickness sweeping across continents, but a break from my dull, unchallenging job. I’d long since grown tired of it and I’d become equally exhausted with trying to move up the ladder at this place.

  As we made our way there, Elise asked, “So what was that about us not being worth a thousand dollars?”

  “Don’t you remember that anecdote—that a CEO earns more money during the time he takes a piss than one of his employees makes in a week?”

  “Yeah, I remember something like that.”

  God, how could she not? It was one of the things I ranted about the most, and the longer I worked here, the more I mentioned it. It seemed unfair that, by and large, the workers doing the hard work got the worst pay while the CEO sat on his fat ass raking in the dough.

  It was, of course, a generalization, and Mr. Steel didn’t seem to be the type to have his feet propped up on his desk just basking in the glow—and he most certainly did not have a fat ass. I’d give credit where credit was due. He appeared to work just as hard, if not harder, than the rest of us did.

  Blowing me off, Elise grinned, slipping a paper cup in the deluxe coffee machine, a “perk” that employees had been raving about over the past year since Mr. Steel had purchased it. One thing I’d say about the place was there was nothing trashy about the building or any of the amenities we offered clients. I just didn’t belong here anymore.

  “I’m making mine with chocolate. You should, too.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Removing her cup, she put it to her lips and blew. “I’m gonna go get something out of the vending machine. Want anything?”

  I shook my head, rifling through the packets of coffee before settling on a plain medium roast. As it brewed, sending a stream of brown liquid into the cup, I sensed someone behind me. Not surprising, as this was a popular place. But I didn’t want anyone getting impatient with me, so as soon as it was done, I picked up the cup and turned quickly, ready to join Elise at the vending machines.

  And whom did I nearly run into as I turned?

  Our elusive but magnetic CEO, Maddox Steel.

  Chapter Two

  My heart might have stopped beating for a moment. Worse, I almost spilled my cup of piping hot coffee on Mr. Steel.

  And then, it was as if time stood still. I had no need to breathe nor to blink, and I hoped my jaw wasn’t slack, drool spilling out of the corner of my mouth—because the CEO was far more handsome, far more astonishing than I’d remembered. Taller than my memory recalled, probably six and a half feet, although most men seemed tall to my barely five-foot-four stature. His eyes seemed a deeper blue, almost piercing, and he was actually looking at me, unlike that day in the elevator. I’d only ever noticed his cleft in the picture that went out with press releases, but it was almost adorable.

  Why was I lusting over Maddox Steel?

  “Um, excuse me, sir.”

  And why in hell was I deferring to him?

  “Of course. Bailey Bernard, right?”

  Holy crap. How did he know my name? My badge wasn’t conspicuous, so it couldn’t have been from that. I blinked, my mouth suddenly dry. “Yes.”

  Elise came around the corner. “Hey, Bailey, I found those—” She stopped short, likely feeling as stunned as I did. “Uh, hello, Mr. Steel.”
<
br />   Nodding, he flashed another arresting smile. “Elise, right?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Oh, God. I was surprised my best friend wasn’t melting in a puddle on the laminate floor. I already knew I’d have to hear about this moment for the rest of our lives.

  “Please, call me Maddox. Thank you both for your dedication to Essential Solutions Finance. I couldn’t do it without you, especially in times like these.” He stepped toward the coffee machine. “Now, don’t you two have a meeting to attend?”

  My eyes grew wide and I felt Elise take my arm. Practically scurrying back to our department, we barely managed to keep the coffee in our cups.

  “Holy shit, Bailey. I can’t believe it.”

  A grimace threatened to mar my entire face, but I didn’t care. “Don’t you think that’s kind of creepy?”

  “You’re giving yourself frown lines. And what’s creepy?”

  “How he just appeared out of nowhere. And then how he knew exactly what was going on with us.”

  “It’s his company. I’m not surprised. I’d be more surprised if he was clueless.”

  “He knew our names.”

  Elise squealed. “I know. Oh, my God. And I forgot how gorgeous he is in person.”

  I wasn’t going to agree with her out loud, although that thought had already flown through my mind.

  And stuck.

  I couldn’t even risk a nod—because then my friend would never shut up about it.

  The next several hours flew by as we received training and did our normal jobs, finally sent home later in the day. In spite of everything we’d been told about social distancing, I gave Elise a huge hug on the first floor before she took the elevator down to the parking garage and I made my way out of the building to the sidewalk. Before parting ways, we promised to meet for lunch sometime the next week.

  That was before we knew just how bad things were going to get.

  * * *