Quaratined With a Billionaire Read online

  Quarantined With A Billionaire

  By

  Sher Dillard

  Copyright 2020 Sher Dillard

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof in any form. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Purple Herb Publishing

  Email – [email protected]

  https://www.facebook.com/Sher.Dillard/

  Other Books by Sher Dillard

  Dragon Fire

  Dragon Heat

  Dragon Blaze

  Dragon Skin (Short Story)

  Rescued

  My Red Riding Hood

  My Brother's Best Friend

  Roll Play

  Snowed Inn

  Dear Worst Enemy

  First Time

  Dedicated to

  Gary

  Quarantined with a Billionaire

  Chapter One

  Time is an enemy never defeated, merely delayed. Jane Parkman glanced at her phone and sighed with relief. Traffic had been surprisingly light, the cab ride from the airport had been faster than she had anticipated, she had time. The thought of being late was unthinkable. This meeting was too important.

  A successful sale meant promotion and the fast track. Failure… well, it was best not to think about that.

  In three hours, she would be back at the airport on her way home with a signed contract in her hand. Either that or in some dive bar drowning her sorrows as she watched her career wash away.

  Taking a deep breath, she studied herself in the glass doors to the Walters’ building. Trim and fit. Her best suit, no wrinkles, blond hair in place. Make-up tasteful, definitely not garish. A Gucci purse on her shoulder and a Cinzo briefcase in her hand. A confidant young woman on the road to success.

  Thank God no one knew the truth. They’d see a terrified woman who second-guessed every decision. Alone, one paycheck from begging for help.

  No, she thought with determination. She would make this sale.

  Setting her shoulders and lifting her chin, she entered the Walters’ building. A buzzing hum greeted her. People rushing, buried in their phones. Determined, with a sense of purpose. Men and women with frowns and worry lines.

  A sense of concern ate at her stomach, they all seemed so serious. So focused. Granted, there was much to trouble a company such as this, the virus spreading faster than anyone anticipated, the economy threatening to tumble. But surely, a company as large and strong as Walters couldn’t be impacted. Not enough to halt her sale.

  Finding the elevator, she pushed the button then stepped back. As she did the female inside of her felt a presence enter her frame of reference. A man. It was the differences that drew her attention. The blue jeans, red and black flannel shirt and the scuffed boots. Most definitely not a businessman.

  A cool tingle ran down her spine as her body responded to pure male standing next to her looking intently at his phone. The full black hair and beard only added to the mountain man appearance. Not the typical businessman look, to say the least. Especially when added to the wide shoulders and six foot three of solid muscle.

  Jane swallowed hard and glanced at him from under her brow. A trick every woman learned at an early age. A look that was supposed to get his attention, shy, demur, but interested.

  Nothing. The man was oblivious. Obviously lost in his own world.

  A quick disappointment flashed through her. She worked hard to be attractive. She enjoyed the attention of men. Liked how it made her feel inside. And while she rarely acted on it. That sense of feminine power was one of life’s sweet joys.

  Now, here, with this man. To have it disappear was a blow to her self-confidence when she least needed it.

  The ding of the elevator door opening brought her back to reality. She glanced up at the tall man once again and got a good look. Handsome without being pretty. A small scar that cut through his right eyebrow. That rough, tough handsome look that pulled at her stomach. Of course, he was. Men with shoulders that wide were almost always handsome. They always seemed to go together had been her experience.

  He stepped aside for her without looking up from his phone. A sense of frustration filled her as she entered the elevator and pushed the button. He followed, glanced at the buttons, then returned to reading on his phone.

  A hint of pine, woodsmoke, and something else filled the elevator and seeped deep into her soul.

  No quick smile, no nod of the head. Not so much as a grunt in greeting. It was rude, she thought as she pushed down her rising anger. Arrogant. So typical, she thought. A man who wasn’t aware that the rest of the world existed.

  Well, to hell with him she thought as she silently focused on the climbing numbers above the door. Besides, she was flying home to an empty apartment in three hours. Why should it bother her if a handsome man ignored her?

  The sale, she reminded herself as she pulled her mind back to what was important. Granted, she wondered if days from now she would think of the silent man standing next to her. What was his story? The way he was dressed could mean anything. Was he lost? A customer with a complaint? Here to pick up his wife?

  A thousand possibilities to be considered. And she would never know the answer, she realized with a hint of sadness.

  Before she could ponder the mysteries of the stranger next to her, the elevator lurched as it reached its destination. The door opened to a bustling open floor-plan with low cubicles and enclosed offices in the far corner.

  Jane glanced back one last time only to be disappointed again. The rude idiot was still too oblivious to see what was right in front of him. Nothing. No vibe of that male to female recognition. Had she lost it? At twenty -six was she on the downward slope? Was this that wall she heard older women talk about?

  The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine as a long lonely life was laid out before her.

  Maybe he was gay she thought with a quick hope. No, he would have been friendlier. Sure, she was stereotyping, but a girl had to grab at something. No, he wasn’t gay, she’d bet on it. No, he had just not found her worth acknowledging.

  The sale, she reminded herself again as she turned right. The big man stepped out of the elevator and turned left without looking up from his phone. Jane stopped for a moment to watch those wide shoulders and that tight butt walk away.

  There was always something about a strong man in blue jeans that pulled at her insides. A weakness that could not be denied.

  She sighed heavily as she pulled herself back to reality. Two ships passing in the night she told herself as she regripped her briefcase and focused on the job at hand as she made her way to Mr. Simpson’s office in the back.

  Thankfully, as Walters’ Industries Chief Technical Officer, the man had an assistant who had provided detailed instructions. She wondered how many people would be in the meeting? CTOs didn’t purchase high ticket software and the included support unless their technicians agreed. But Jane wasn’t worried, Techies loved the software. No, it was the bean counters and the political department heads that were always the hardest to convince.

  No one ever got fired for NOT buying the wrong thing.

  As she wove her way back, she noticed people peering intently at their computers. The normal office buzz had disappeared. God, these were intense people. Once again, a nervousness flashed through her.

  When she finally reached the far corner, an older woman frowned, glanced at her computer, then back at Jane.

  “Ms.
Parkman?” the woman asked?

  Jane gave her best smile, Timothy, her mentor and boss had taught her that keeping the assistants happy could make all the difference. “Yes. Mrs. Jackson?”

  The older woman’s frown deepened, sending a new flash of worry to Jane’s stomach.

  “I have been expecting you to call and cancel,” Mrs. Jackson said. “With the way this virus is spreading, I assumed …”

  Jane shrugged, “I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. I know how busy Mr. Simpson is and how hard it is to get on his schedule.”

  The older woman continued to frown. “He has been called away to a meeting. I don’t know how long he will be.”

  Jane’s stomach clenched into a tight ball. Was she being dismissed without a chance? For some reason, she thought of the tall man in the elevator. Had he been a harbinger?

  “I can wait,” Jane said as she glanced at a chair off to the side. Mrs. Jackson paused for a moment then shrugged and indicated she should have a seat.

  Sitting down on the edge of the chair, Jane set her shoulders, ready to pounce up when Mr. Simpson returned. She refused to lose this opportunity. It had taken six months to get this chance. Timothy would be furious if she returned without even meeting the man.

  As she waited, Jane ran through the sales pitch and the numbers. She had everything memorized but it didn’t hurt to go over things one last time. Once that was complete, she pulled out the file on the company just to refresh her memory. Walters industries. Privately owned, Multi-billion dollar company. Focused on producing products invented by its founder Jacob Walters with an emphasis on Medical instruments.

  Once she had finished reading the fact sheet, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to push down the nervousness threatening to make her stomach rebel. Mrs. Jackson, the administrative aid continued to frown at her computer. Didn’t anyone around her ever relax?

  She was tempted to ask about how long it would be. But the woman had already told her that she had no idea. Jane searched for something to break the silence when a distant disturbance pulled her attention back to the outer office.

  “Here comes Mr. Simpson,” Mrs. Jackson said.

  A portly man in an expensive suit was waving his hands and saying, “Can I have everyone’s attention.”

  Jane, however, couldn’t focus on the man. Instead, all she could see was the tall man in the red and black flannel standing next to him. It was the stranger from the elevator.

  What was going on? She wondered as a deep sense of unease filled her. The looks on the men’s faces held that universal appearance of trouble and concern.

  Standing, Jane turned to watch as the people stood up and began to gather around. Without thinking, she found herself following, stopping in the back of the crowd.

  The tall man gave everyone a quick, reassuring smile, then settled on her for a small moment. A spark of something powerful flashed through her as their eyes locked for the briefest moment. It was like being recognized by a lion. That total awareness of vulnerability washed over her to be replaced by a pure sexual need.

  He pulled his attention away to focus on everyone gathering around.

  Mr. Simpson looked out to make sure everyone was in place then turned to the tall stranger and said, “Mr. Walters.”

  Jane's stomach fell as she realized this was the owner of the company. No this was impossible. Billionaires did not look like sexy lumberjacks. It upset the balance of the universe.

  “Thank you …” he said with a deep velvety voice. Of course, it was velvety, she thought. Everything else about him seemed perfect. Why wouldn’t his voice match?

  “… I have just learned that in thirty minutes, the city will be put into quarantine …”

  Chapter Two

  Jane’s world slammed to a halt as a gasp erupted from the room with quick spurts of words whispered between people.

  “… This thing is spreading faster than anyone expected.” The tall man continued.

  “What does quarantine mean exactly,” someone from the crowd asked.

  The tall man’s brow furrowed. “It means full lockdown. Curfew. All rail and busses halted in three hours. The airport closing …”

  Jane’s heart lurched. The airport couldn’t close. How would she get home?

  “Everyone needs to go home,” he continued with a commanding voice. “Don’t screw around finishing up projects. No closing out reports. Just turn your computers off and go home. In thirty minutes when they announce it, the roads are going to be crazy, just go now. We’ll call you and let you know when to come back.”

  “Will we …”

  “Everyone will continue to be paid. Everything will be fine,” the big man said. “I promise you. Just focus on keeping yourselves and your families well. When this thing lifts we will need you back healthy and willing to get after it.”

  Jane’s mind scrambled to try and make sense of what was going on. Go home? Her home was on the other side of the country. Hours away from here by plane. A plane that was no longer flying. What about the plane she had arrived on? Had she already been exposed?

  “I’ve got to go tell everyone else,” he said as he turned and left without another word.

  Around her, people didn’t panic. Of course not. Mr. Walters had said things would be fine, how could anyone not believe him. Jane stood there in a stupor as people gathered their purses or briefcases, pulled on coats, shut down computers and turned and left as if it were the end of a typical day.

  A numbness settled over her as she tried to understand what was happening to her world. No. this couldn’t be happening. Her sales meeting. Everything was disappearing into vapor right before her eyes.

  “Mr. Simpson,” she called out.

  The portly Technical Officer frowned.

  “This is Ms. Parkman,” The administrative aid said as she pulled her purse out from the bottom drawer of her desk. “you’re two o’clock.”

  Recognition crossed his face, then the man gave her a quick shrug. “We will have to reschedule. I do apologize.”

  Jane’s insides filled with sadness as she realized there wasn’t an argument in the world that would change this man’s mind.

  “Really, Ms. Parkman, you need to go home,” he added with a sad smile.

  “Home?” she gasped. “How? The airports are closing.”

  He shrugged again, then turned and left her standing there bewildered and alone. She turned to ask Mrs. Jackson for suggestions only to find the woman already leaving.

  Jane continued to turn as she scanned the room. The place had emptied out like a rusty bucket with too many holes. A sense of abandonment filled her. Of course, these people didn’t care about her. It wasn’t because they were callous. She just wasn’t on their radar. Not a member of their tribe and they had their own set of problems.

  What now? How long would this last? A day or two? Weeks? Her mind jumped to her bank account and a new set of worries filled her.

  Should she call the airlines? Her boss? Or try and find a hotel? A dozen different issues jumped to number one priority causing her to get lost in trying to figure out what to do next. It was only after she registered the eerie silence around her that she realized she was all alone.

  A panic began to build inside of her until she took a deep breath and pushed it down. A hotel, that was the answer. She needed a place to stay until she could come up with a new plan. Maybe if this ended quickly she could still get the sale.

  Pulling her phone from her purse, she started to search for the nearest hotel. When she got through to reservations she sighed with relief. A relief that was destroyed moments later when she found out there were no rooms available.

  Her stomach grew tighter and tighter with each new hotel she reached. People weren’t checking out. And new arrivals were waiting to check-in.

  Things were chaos. Jane didn’t care about their problems. A sense of terror was beginning to build inside of her. She was stuck in a strange city with no hotels available, a looming
curfew.

  RENTAL CARS, she thought with a flash as she quickly started calling. It’d take days to get home. But, really what choice did she have.

  No.

  She’d spent too much time trying to find a hotel. How could she have been so dumb? She should have realized it was useless and focused on getting out. Now it was too late.

  “Damn,” she cursed as she plopped down on the chair and buried her head in her hands. This was bad. Real bad. Before she had been worried, frustrated, upset. But this, this was new, a true terror was beginning to creep inside of her. A fear she had never really known before.

  Her mind raced as she tried to find an escape. There was no one to call. No one to beg for help. She was alone.

  A new fear filled her. What if security threw her out onto the street? What then? Where would she go?

  Sniffling back tears she took a deep breath and started to look again for a hotel, even a motel, anything.

  “Excuse me,” A deep velvety voice said from behind her, making her jump with a brand-new fear. She would know that voice anywhere.

  Slowly, she turned to find Jacob Walters staring at her with a raised eyebrow as if he were looking at a cat in a fish pond. Obviously confused as to who she was and why she was sitting in the middle of his office. Especially after he had told everyone to go home.

  Of course, now of all times, he became aware of her. She must look like a drowned raccoon. Jane swallowed hard as she jumped up and held out her hand.

  He immediately stepped back, reminding her that there was an evil virus racing through town and he didn’t know her from a hole in the ground.

  “Um …” she began as she lowered her hand and tried to regroup. “I’m Jane Parkman. I was supposed to meet Mr. Simpson for a sales call.”

  His brow raised even higher. He really is sexy when he does that, she thought before pushing that thought away. She was in dire straights and the last thing she should be doing was getting all hot over some stranger.