Buying the Billonaire (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club Book 2) Page 5

  Jacob began laughing and turned to walk out of the kitchen. As he walked away you could hear him talking. “Yeah right. You can stick to that story, but I know better.” He winked at Taryn as he left and added, “See you around, Taryn.”

  “Bye,” Taryn said, not sure what else to say. Yes, it was good that Sylvain was on the professional page too, but it sure didn’t seem all that satisfying to her.

  Chapter 8

  Taryn found herself in the kitchen with Sylvain and not quite sure where to look. She was sitting down and eating, but he was standing up and the flap to his boxers was parted ever so slightly, showing that they supported a rather abundant package underneath. It was awkward and she tried not to stare, but it sure made her imagination soar—something not good for her hungry loins.

  “What’s on your mind? I hope you slept well,” Sylvain commented.

  Taryn shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I slept fine. I was just trying to organize my thoughts for the day, that’s all. I usually have my entire day planned out for me by this time.”

  “Hopefully it helps that I’ve planned it out for you,” Sylvain said. He got up and grabbed a manila folder on the kitchen island and handed it to Taryn. “This is the itinerary.”

  “You did this already this morning?”

  “Not me, my secretary. Gemma is quite accustomed to getting me what I want when I want it. The time of day I request it is truly irrelevant,” Sylvain commented.

  I wonder what that means exactly. Is she some sort of booty call too? Taryn thought. Thinking about it made her ache with jealousy. She had gotten herself so wound up that she would gladly be a booty call for Sylvain if it meant relieving her pent up sexual energy.

  “How convenient,” Taryn replied. Sylvain smiled brightly and then started laughing at her, making her blush. Were her thoughts that obvious?

  Taryn looked at the itinerary and discovered that she’d be leaving in one and a half hours for Chicago for a two day trip. She was excited because she’d loved Chicago. In fact, it held a special place in her heart because it was the first place she’d received an award for a custom blend of wine that she’d created. It had been her first crowning glory in her work for her family’s vineyard and really catapulted her credibility in the industry, and even within the family.

  “Does everything look satisfactory?” Sylvain asked.

  “Yes, but I have a feeling that if it didn’t that wouldn’t matter,” Taryn said. She was smiling lightheartedly. “Oh, I better get ready now so I’m set to go. It takes a bit to get checked in at the airport too.”

  “We won’t have to worry about those hassles. We’ll be flying on my jet from my private hangar. Clearance is already done and you’ll find that traveling that way tends to save a great many hours in the work day.”

  Taryn nodded. Holy crap. She’d only been on a private jet one time before. It was one that Darren had rented for a fly to Catalina Island and hopes of a romantic weekend. Unfortunately, he’d gotten food poisoning and the only romance that Taryn had witnessed was that of other couples holding hands and walking along the sidewalks of the island. That was the way it had always been with Darren though…he just didn’t have the ability to follow through with anything that involved promises of immense sexual gratification.

  “Sounds nice. What time should I be ready?”

  “Jacob will get your suitcase in an hour and hopefully you can be ready by then too.”

  “How long should I pack for?”

  “A week or so. We’ll get you some more clothes as we go. You’ll need more for an entire month’s stay,” Sylvain said.

  “A month?” Taryn asked. She was on a budget somewhat. After all, she hadn’t even gotten a paycheck yet. Now that she thought of it, she hadn’t even signed official employment documents either. She’d need to bring that up at some point, maybe on the flight.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I assure you,” Sylvain said. The way he said it made her melt like butter sitting on a grill. She nodded and took off to get ready as quickly as possible.

  By the time the jet took off, Sylvain was wrapped up in something on his tablet and hardly had a chance to pay attention to her. Not knowing what to do and having no official work yet, Taryn read her book patiently, eager for the three hours to pass so she could also feel productive. It seemed rude to interrupt Sylvain, but she did keep glancing up at him.

  One time when Taryn looked up at Sylvain briefly she was fairly certain she’d caught him looking at her, but he immediately put his eyes back down to what he was doing. Was he feeling the same confusion she was? She couldn’t help wondering. How could such a feeling just be one way? He’d certainly shown interest in the wine cellar until Jacob had interrupted. Damn that Jacob, Taryn thought.

  Taryn must have drifted off and Sylvain had reached over and tapped her shoulder. “We’re getting set to land.”

  At first Taryn was confused and then she instantly put her hand up to her mouth to make sure she hadn’t drooled or something like that. Whew…she was safe. “I can’t believe I dozed off.”

  “Now you’ll have lots of energy. Our first stop is my club, Avalon, a techno music club with outrageous cover charges and the best wine bar in all of Chicago.”

  “It’s already considered the best?”

  “Yes, but I know it can be better. That’s why you’re here.”

  “I’m looking forward to getting started. Before I forget, is there some paper work I need to fill out for you?”

  “Yes, I have it, but we’ll go over it tonight. I was going to do it on the flight, but when I saw that you’d fallen asleep you looked so….well, peaceful and beautiful. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  Taryn blushed, truly flattered by the compliment. She looked down at her shirt and apparently her breasts were also flattered by it because her nipples were hard, showing through the sheer angora sweater she was wearing. It was quite lovely, made of an emerald color, which was also in little strips of silk fabric that were upon the skirt. It was a fancier outfit than what Taryn had ever had to wear to work before, but she felt good. Actually, she felt great—sexy, desirable, and smart too.

  * * *

  The staff at Avalon was friendly and welcoming to Taryn, immediately liking her and not hesitating to tell her exactly why they hadn’t liked the previous wine buyer. Taryn was wise enough to stay out of that banter and not fall into it, but she was still glad to hear it. Let’s face it. A happy and accepting staff would make her job considerably easier and her suggestions would be better received as a result.

  Sylvain said that he had other meetings to attend to and left Taryn to do what she must. She had copies of all the current menus, proposed menus, and access to the records of which wines had sold, their purchase records, and the cellar to inspect any she was suspicious about. It seemed like it would be an overwhelming task at first, but Taryn’s efficient organizational skills kicked into swing and she had an efficient plan all laid out; one that would make her move quickly and thoroughly.

  The lead chef for Avalon had a rather interesting menu and Taryn found that she had to politely pull him away from supervising his kitchen crew for the dinner menu to ask a few questions. She felt guilty doing it, knowing how important his time was and how temperamental a great chef could be.

  “I’m sorry to tear you away, Jean Paul. I promise to be brief.”

  “What do you need, Madam Taryn?” he asked in his thick French accent.

  “I just don’t know what all your ingredients are to help me ensure we pick the perfect wine pairing for them. What I need to know is if they have strong or subtle flavors mostly and what they contribute to the dish.”

  “This is appreciated. Never before have I been asked,” Jean Paul replied, smiling brightly. He was an interesting guy, middle aged. You could tell that he’d been very handsome at one time and probably pretty muscular, but years of crazy hours and living in a kitchen full of great food had taken their toll on his shape. Sh
e briefly wondered how he mingled with the guests or if they didn’t care. His presence at the moment seemed very contrary to Sylvain’s strict policies regarding his staff’s presentation.

  Ten minutes later, Taryn had the information she needed to make Jean Paul’s skills really be accentuated by exceptional wines and moved on to the wines that could be put on the Do Not Reorder list.

  “It’s time to call it a day, Taryn,” Sylvain said. She jumped up. She’d been so wrapped up in information in the small conference room she was using that she had not heard Sylvain walk in or even know what time it was for that matter.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s 7 p.m. Time to stop work for the day and enjoy a fine meal.”

  “Just a few more hours and I’ll be done. Maybe I should finish,” Taryn said.

  “This will be here tomorrow because we are still in Chicago for another day. You don’t want to burn yourself out on the first day. I am already impressed. Not only does the staff already respect you, but from what it looks like on your sheet right here you have found me some higher quality wines at a better price. This is good.”

  Taryn smiled, feeling like the student who received praise from the teacher. “Well, if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. Let’s go have some dinner and you can tell me all about your first day. Sound good?”

  “Sounds great. Now that you say that, I’ve realized I am hungry.”

  “Please tell me you ate lunch,” Sylvain commented. Then he looked to the corner of the table and saw the sandwich still sitting there with only a bite out of it.

  “I ate a bite,” Taryn said.

  “Well, that’s what I get for not being more specific. I’ll have to remember that.”

  Taryn stood up and Sylvain pressed his hand on the small of her back, instantly warming it from his touch. His fingers lingered just above her ass and she wouldn’t have been bothered if they’d accidentally traveled down just a bit too far.

  Sylvain’s thoughts were not so different from Taryn’s, wondering what her beautiful heart shaped ass would feel like on his bare hands. He already knew she wore silk panties and the images of her in them that day in his wine cellar were maddening. It was hard to believe that was only two days ago.

  Only pausing to lock the conference room door, Sylvain and Taryn made their way to a small private dining room.

  “Is this just for you?”

  “Yes and guests I may choose to dine with.”

  “I bet there are lots of them, huh?” Taryn asked.

  “Surprisingly, no. Not much of my staff cares to spend time with me unless I demand it.”

  “I wonder why,” Taryn replied. He’d been nothing but nice and friendly since she’d met him and had already believed that the rumors of his personality must be just that—rumors.

  “Rumor has it that I’m a hothead, eccentric, and demanding.”

  “Rumors are often wrong.”

  “Well in this case they are right. I am all those things, but that is simply because I want the best for my business endeavors and I am particular by nature. It doesn’t bother me. Really, it never has.”

  “I find it admirable,” Taryn said. “And, I don’t blame you one bit. When I ran my family’s winery I only wanted the best. The best pick, the best crop, the best blend, you name it. Sometimes that involved being a bit brutal, but it was for the sake of the business.”

  “I can see you doing that,” Sylvain said. He was smiling at Taryn and when she looked at him she definitely saw respect in his eyes. “It’s not always easy, is it?”

  “No, like the time when I had to tell my brother’s best friend who grows grapes that his batch wasn’t good enough for what I needed for a particular blend. It started a minor family tiff, but I held my ground and eventually they understood.”

  “Impressive. It’s not always easy to tackle your family is it and have backbone for your hunches when you know they are correct. Speaking of which, did you tell them about your new employment?”

  “I did.”

  “How did that go, Taryn? If you don’t mind my asking.”

  “I don’t mind, but we should probably be sitting down before I get into that.”

  Sylvain laughed. “Another time when my reputation may precede me.”

  Someone was waiting in the room for Sylvain and Taryn and handed each of them a menu after they were seated. Taryn saw that the room was decorated similarly to the club, but had a few more personal touches in it, including a picture hanging up on the wall that was of a bunch of amazing looking guys, all looking like they held the world in the palm of their hands. Sylvain was in the center and his height made him stand out more than the others. It was kind of odd because not a single one of them was ugly.

  It took Sylvain one second to look at the menu and choose what he wanted. He asked for a glass of wine that he felt would be great with it and Taryn followed suit, ordering a different meal. Instead of having the recommended wine that goes with it though, she chose a different one.

  “Interesting,” Sylvain said.

  “I’ve tried this year before and I think it may be a great fit for this. I’ll find out.”

  “I have a feeling that you wouldn’t have done that if you weren’t confident,” Sylvain began. “You’re already caught on to what you’ll be doing with me, haven’t you?”

  “That’s why you have me in your company, correct?”

  “It is and I’m looking forward to having some nice company for dinner. I think it’ll prove to be most excellent.”

  “I aim to please,” Taryn said. She knew that there was a flirtatious tone to her voice, but she couldn’t help it. In part, you had to talk that way in these circles in order to make everyone feel like the most special person in the world. Yet, there was the other part of her that just didn’t want to hide the fact that she was wildly attracted to Sylvain—from head to toe.

  When the wine was delivered, along with a small dinner salad, Sylvain picked up his glass and raised it in the air. Taryn’s joined his and he said, “To a successful partnership. May we toast many successes for Richard Enterprises.”

  Taryn nodded and took a sip of the wine, savoring its deep and robust flavor. It was excellent and even if it ended up not being the right wine for the meal when it came time to test it, it was the right glass of wine for her to celebrate the end of a hard day’s work.

  Before Taryn and Sylvain knew it, they were done eating and had found that they could talk about other subjects besides wine easily. They discussed friends, family, sports, and various memories from their youth. Taryn was a bit shocked that Sylvain was a Yankee fan because she was definitely a Giants fan, but she could overlook that…or so she said with a laugh.

  Finally it was time to go to the hotel and like everything Sylvain did, he picked one of the best hotels in Chicago, the The Elysian, and Taryn was in awe with its beauty as they walked in and right up to a concierge who was holding two key cards in her hand.

  “Mr. Richard,” she said. She was smiling at Sylvain, practically salivating at him and then turned to Taryn with a polite professional smile.

  “Thank you. Please have the bags delivered,” Sylvain said.

  As Taryn and Sylvain made their way up the elevator Sylvain said that they needed to stop by his room first because there was something that he wanted to show Taryn.

  The words he said and the way he said them made Taryn’s stomach do a flip flop. What did he mean? Was he going to? Endless questions started to go through her mind and there was only one answer to all of them. He was maybe going to suggest something a bit more intimate. She had no idea how she’d respond. One minute it was a no, but for the next five minutes it was usually a yes—for the past two days anyways.

  Once they were in Sylvain’s room, Taryn looked around, amazed at how luxurious the suite was. Sylvain said it was his favorite place to stay and the personal service he received was the best he’d ever had in Chicago. The staff knew his tastes and made su
re they were catered to.

  Then Sylvain turned back to Taryn and put his hand on her shoulder. “I was thinking that you should just stay in my suite since I have two bedrooms anyway.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Taryn said, not knowing what else to say. Actually she was wondering why he’d gotten two suites if there were two bedrooms in one. That didn’t make sense to her.

  Sylvain didn’t answer Taryn and she didn’t have a chance to say another word because he was off to answer the knock at the door.

  “The luggage, sir,” a bell hop said.

  “Excellent, thank you very much,” Sylvain said. He tipped him generously and he turned around and left.