Page 6 of Billionaire’s Game

“What? Impose? Dad would love to have you.”

I knew he was right. Oliver, his father, was an eccentric, quirky man and for those reasons, anyone who met him adored him. He was a clever guy with a knack for matchmaking and getting in trouble by butting into affairs that didn’t directly concern him. I adored Oliver too, but living with a billionaire wasn’t my idea of a good time, no matter how much I liked him. I would be too afraid of using the wrong china or being seen as a slob. Not that Oliver would ever judge me. He wasn’t that kind of person, but I definitely judged myself. Harshly.

I decided not to argue with Jude about my living arrangements because he seemed to be super cheerful today. He was practically floating.

“Does your great mood have something to do with today’s announcement?”

He smiled. “You bet, but until then I’m going to leave you with Maya. She’s our project coordinator and our off and on office manager, depending on her mood. She’ll show you how to use our project management system and our state of the art email accounts.”

I nodded excitedly as Jude led me to a small office. There were two desks set up. One was practically empty and just had a keyboard and a computer. I guessed that desk was for me. The other desk was covered in photographs of a woman in various exotic places. And around her desk hung various hilarious memes I’d seen all over the internet. Something told me that this was Maya’s desk.

“Hmmm…” Jude said as he looked around. “Why is that woman always gone when I need her? It’s like she has this uncanny, almost mutant ability to disappear when she actually has to do work.”

“Oh, please. I get more done in eight hours than you will in a lifetime,” said a voice behind us.

I quickly moved away from the doorframe to make way for the woman whose face graced all the photographs. She was what some people would describe as a big, beautiful, woman. She had generous hips which were showcased in a snug fitting dress. She had jet black wild curly hair and also wore glasses. While my glasses were simple and functional, Maya’s glasses were large and red. They were clearly a statement piece and not just eyewear. And as I looked at her, even behind her glasses you could tell that she was the mischievous type.

She sat down, ignoring us and seriously focusing on whatever was on the screen in front of her.

“Yo, Maya. We’re standing here. Got a minute?”

She held up one finger. “Give me a sec.” A second passed and then she stopped what she was doing with a sigh. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, “Are you the reinforcements?” she asked me jokingly.

I shrugged. “I’ll do my best.”

“Maya, this is Lesli. And Lesli, this is Maya.”

I walked over to her and shook her hand.

“It’s great to have you here,” she said warmly. “I can use all the help we can get. Should we get started?”

I nodded, and Jude excused himself. “Don’t overwork her, Maya. Remember that it’s her first day.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re not the boss of me.”

“Actually, I am. Don’t scare my cousin-in-law off.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Maya…”

“Joking…” she said with an impish smile and then as he disappeared, she mumbled, “Maybe,” before looking back at me. “Ignore Jude. He likes to tease me because I’m so fantastic at my job and he can barely stand it. Anyway, I am so glad you’re here. We went international and barely know what we’re doing. I have so many foundations and charities trying to pair up with us, but I don’t know anything about them. So I need your help... mainly research for now. I hope that doesn’t bore you?”

I shook my head. “Actually, research is kind of my thing...”

“Then you’ll love this project.” She stood up and said, “Let me get you a more comfortable chair. I’ll explain where you can find the files and then I’ll let you get started.”

She pulled a rolling chair alongside hers. She gestured for me to sit down. I did, and she busily looked around for a pen and a notepad. When she finally found one she came back and sat next to me and put the pen and paper in my hands.

“Alright, it’s time for you to start taking some notes.”

She gave me a quick tour of the system and I scribbled notes as fast as I could. I had plenty of experience taking notes, but man did Maya talk fast.

“So that’s about it,” she said, taking off her glasses again. “Think you can handle it?”

I nodded. “It’s exactly up my alley.”

“Great,” she said, standing up. “I’m going to head to the snack room. You want to come?”