Her Unexpected Admirer Page 0,2
sense on some level. But as soon as he finished with this one, he was calling her up and telling her in no uncertain terms that he was finished with interviews. She could figure out some other way to get the paparazzi to leave him alone as well as get good PR for DA International. He was finished with the dog and pony shows. He had better things to do with his time.
“You’ve grown your daily achievements into a multi-billion dollar corporation that spans across the globe. Surely there is something more to your success than simply having a to-do list.”
He smiled slightly, hiding his irritation. “Find something someone needs, and fill that need. It isn’t a difficult formula, Ms. Willis.”
She started to say something else but his phone buzzed. “Excuse me,” he said and stood up, taking the call. He was completely unconcerned with being rude. He was disgusted with her lack of creativity in her questions and ready to move on. He had a busy day and she was flirting, which irritated him even further.
“Davis, Jeff here,” the caller said. “Sorry to disturb you but I need a few minutes of your time.”
“What’s up?” he demanded. Jeff was his personal lawyer and a good man. If he was calling about something, Davis knew that it was important.
“It could be nothing. Where can I meet you?”
Davis glanced at his watch. “I’m in Boston right now. I can be back in town…”
“I’m at your hotel.”
Davis stopped, his mind instantly going into overdrive. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He ended the call without saying goodbye. Turning to the reporter, he nodded succinctly. “Something has come up. I’m sorry to cut this short,” he lied, “but contact my PR director and she’ll give you any other information you need for your article.”
The woman stood up as well, her mouth hanging open in shock. “But I thought we could get a drink afterwards,” she explained weakly, but pasted a smile on her face, sending him the silent message that she’d give him more than a drink if he simply asked.
Davis quickly shook his head. “Another time, perhaps.” A moment later, he walked out, the reporter completely dismissed.
Stepping into the long, black vehicle, he snapped instructions to his driver. “Back to the hotel, Jimmy.”
The car pulled smoothly away from the curb, powering down the highway. Fifteen minutes after the phone call, Davis walked into the lobby of the hotel. With a quick glance around, he spotted Jeff standing by a wall.
“This way,” he commanded, knowing that his lawyer would follow.
They found a table in the corner, a bit darker than the rest of the area but more private. “Okay, what’s going on?” Davis asked, sitting across from the older man.
Jeff took out several papers and laid them on the table. He was just about to speak when the waitress arrived. “Nothing for me,” Jeff said.
“He’ll have a scotch and I’ll have bourbon,” he told the waitress, ignoring his lawyer’s statement. Jeff needed to relax. He was wound up pretty tight at the moment.
The waitress left to get their order, instinctively knowing that they wanted privacy more than the drinks.
“Okay, keep in mind that I’m not an accountant. I don’t know numbers very well so this might be nothing.”
Davis nodded abruptly. “Understood. Just lay it out for me.”
Jeff was still nervous, but he shuffled the papers. “Here,” he said, pointing to a column of numbers. “You told me that this shipment here was supposed to be twenty point two million dollars. I prepared the contracts for that amount. But when I looked them up on the papers you sent me, the number is nineteen point six.”
Davis scanned through the information, his mind quickly calculating the complex column of data. It was worse than Davis realized. Several of the other numbers were off. “This shipment was six months ago,” he stated, his fury rising as he studied the other numbers.
“Exactly,” Jeff said, feeling better now that he knew that he wasn’t completely off the mark. He had several clients but Davis Alfieri was the biggest by a huge margin. He was also the most terrifying. Davis Alfieri was rumored to be harsh under the best of circumstances, demanding and uncompromising. Which was probably why he had achieved so much at such a young age.
“Thanks for bringing this to me,” he said to Jeff. They chatted about other issues, but Jeff knew that, behind the calm façade, Davis Alfieri’s mind was working, thinking, plotting. The man