Greed (Seven Vices Series Book 1) Page 2

  I could still hear that asshole in the background, seeming to grow increasingly loud the longer I went on with my speech. In fact, I bet if I stopped talking, everyone would swivel their heads toward him, like a cartoon. What did it matter, what I was saying, in the face of what he was saying? That’s what his attitude told me.

  It incensed me, but I tried to keep my cool.

  “But wildfires aren’t the only natural disaster that humans face, of course. Here in New York, there’s the threat of hurricanes. Elsewhere, there are earthquakes, tsunamis, freak storms, long-dormant volcanos, everything under the sun—and the sun itself, when you count drought!” There was a smattering of laughter, and I smiled.

  “I don’t mean to sound like the world is ending. I didn’t come here as a harbinger of the apocalypse.” More laughter. “But what I want each and every one of you to do right now is to take a moment and just realize how lucky you are, to be standing here in those beautiful outfits, listening to me prattle on about natural disasters. When this is over tonight, you’ll go home and you’ll kiss your significant other, hug the kids, pat the dog on the head. You’ll think, hey, what a beautiful world we live in.”

  I paused to let them reflect, but it soon became clear that we weren’t going to get a moment of silent introspection, thanks to the guy in the back. I hurriedly continued before he could derail my whole speech.

  “Some people aren’t as lucky as you,” I reminded them. “And that’s where your donations come in. We’re helping people put their lives back together again: building them those homes that they can go home to, giving them those jobs that they so desperately need, reuniting them with those loved ones that they thought they had lost forever.

  “And so, again, I thank you all for being here tonight, and even though I hope you never have to walk a mile in the shoes of a natural disaster survivor, I hope you realize the great impact that we can all have on their lives, when we work together, without boundaries.”

  There was loud applause, and I beamed at the audience, glad that they had appreciated the speech. I could even see a few women dotting away tears, which I took as a very good sign. Tearful women were very likely to get their husbands to donate just a little more . . .

  But, behind the applause, I could still hear that one guy. I could just barely see him through the crowd. He had a large cluster of girls around him, and clearly that was what had been so important that he couldn’t be bothered to listen to my speech.

  I rolled my eyes, wondering how people could be so uncivilized. In fact, I had half a mind to march right over there and tell him what I really thought . . .

  As I was on my way across the room, Jeri suddenly linked her arm in mine, pulling me off of my trajectory. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she muttered.

  “Jeri! What are you doing?” I hissed. “You must have heard that guy. Everyone heard him. He was going on and on and on during my speech, making it impossible for me to even hear myself think! And what, all because he was trying to get laid?”

  “Maybe,” Jeri said. “But that guy is Oliver Lewin, and that guy just pledged fifty thousand dollars to Le Monde Ensemble, no strings attached.”

  I blinked at her. “But he doesn’t even know what we do,” I protested. “He didn’t listen at all during the speech.”

  Jeri raised an eyebrow at me. “And you don’t think he did his research before buying tickets to come tonight? We did a lot of schmoozing to get other people to come to this event, but Oliver came all on his own.”

  I frowned consideringly over toward the man. If I was honest with myself, my first thought was of how attractive he was. He had dark hair that was carelessly swept back and hazel eyes that twinkled as he conversed. He was wearing an expensive dark blue suit that fit him like a glove. It moved seamlessly with him as he talked animatedly to the group of guests that had congregated around him. They were utterly absorbed in the conversation like there was something drawing them to him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it seemed like he filled the room all on its own.

  “Well, whoever his assistant is who decided he should come here, when he clearly doesn’t care about this at all, I guess I have to thank them,” I muttered. “Fifty thousand dollars is a good contribution.”

  “It’s an amazing contribution,” Jeri corrected. “Now, do you want me to go over there and thank him?”

  “I should do that,” I said faintly, even though that was really the last thing that I wanted to do. No matter how much I appreciated the man’s generosity, I couldn’t help thinking that he was an absolute pig. He clearly had too much money—and it had probably all been handed to him. I bet he’d never had to work a difficult day in his life.

  I sneered at him, watching as he used his arms to act out some sort of drunken fall or another, from the looks of it. The guests around him were laughing wildly. As he started to “fall,” he threw his arms back, knocking into a nearby pedestal.

  The ornate vase on top of the pedestal wobbled for just a moment, and I could see the exact second that Oliver realized what he had done. He tried to turn, but he was off-balance from his play-acting, and he couldn’t get his feet back under him in time to turn and catch it. Instead, the vase fell to the floor.

  If my speech hadn’t been enough to silence the guy, the vase crashing to the ground and shattering into a dozen pieces finally was. In fact, the entire room went silent, with people turning to stare at Oliver, who at least had the grace to look chagrined.

  I started forward, unable to help it anymore, shaking off Jeri’s arm as she tried to stop me.

  Oliver’s eyes scanned the crowd and then settled on me. “Do you work for this thing?” he asked.

  I froze, momentarily taken aback. Then, I drew myself up to my full height. “Do I work for this thing?” I asked, my voice shrill even to my own ears. I paused, taking a deep breath to collect myself. “I just so happen to be the founder and president of Le Monde Ensemble,” I told him. “Which you might know if you had bothered to listen when I was up on the stage before.”

  Oliver appraised me for a moment and then looked past me. “I should probably talk to someone who works for the venue instead, then. I assume a broken vase is a little below your lofty status.”

  Chapter Three

  I stared flabbergasted at him for a long moment, wondering if he was serious. It seemed like he was. “You’re not going to apologize?” I asked.

  Oliver looked mildly at me. “For the vase? It was an accident, and of course I’ll pay for it, whatever it’s worth.” He looked over at the thing, shrugging, and then whispered in a mock-conspiratorial tone, “To be honest, I think I did them a favor by breaking it.” He shook his head. “Anyway, we’ve already concluded that you’re not the person I need to talk to about the vase.”

  I continued to stare at him, a frown forming on my face. “If someone walked into your business, Mr. Lewin, and mistook you for a secretary, how would you feel?”

  I could see the faintest trace of a smile at the corners of his lips, and I suddenly realized he was playing with me.

  There was something about that playful side of him that intrigued me, that made me suddenly understand why there were so many people flocked around him. Well, that playful side and . . . everything else, my mind pointed out snidely. Now that I was up close, I couldn’t help but study his features. His physique looked trim, yet muscular, and those dimples when he smiled . . . they were a complete game-changer. They appeared every time he showed that sexy, mischievous grin—which was basically all the time.

  The last thing I needed right then was to be thinking about how sexy he was.

  Oliver gave me a mocking bow, and some of the other women started to back away. “Ms. Sophia Boutelle. You’re twenty-seven years old, born in America but your mother was French. You lost your parents at a very young age, but you inherited their wealth and were able to put yourself through school at the University of California, Berkeley, before moving across the country to New York. S
ome say that you moved because you found better philanthropic opportunities in the Big Apple, and indeed, your success all seems to have come since you started Le Monde Ensemble here, with the help of some old family friends. However, others speculate that you moved here because it was as far away as you could get from the horror of losing your entire life, without moving out of the country entirely.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Will that suffice, or should I continue?”

  I was blushing; I could feel the heat spreading from my neck all the way up to my forehead. “I see you’ve done your research,” I said, feeling pathetic and silly in front of all these people. I couldn’t believe that he had just walked in here and ruined this whole event for me. This was my one night of the year to really impress people, and instead . . .

  No one was paying attention to us anymore, I realized as I glanced around. The fallen vase seemed to have been forgotten, and people were talking again.

  I looked over at Jeri. “Can you find someone to . . . deal with this?” I asked, gesturing toward the vase.

  Jeri looked annoyed, and I remembered her saying earlier that she wanted to put the moves on Oliver. I had undoubtedly just cramped her style by making her look like a servant of sorts. However, she was my assistant, and I still had a thing or two that I wanted to say to Oliver.

  As Jeri moved away, she gave Oliver a long, lingering look, as though promising to return. Oliver, for his part, stared after her, and I was tempted to just blurt out that she had a boyfriend. But it was none of my business, and there were more important things to say.

  I took a deep breath. “Mr. Lewin, while I very much appreciate your attendance here tonight, as well as the generous donation that you’ve made to Le Monde Ensemble, I have to say that I’m a little miffed,” I said.

  But Oliver wasn’t paying any attention to me; his gaze still absently following Jeri as she chatted with someone at the edge of the hall, pointing back towards the vase. I felt a momentary stab of jealousy—for some reason, I wanted the intensity of that lusty gaze on me. But I wasn’t that kind of woman, or else I’d be in the ass-hugging kind of dress that Jeri favored.

  I pursed my lips. “Mr. Lewin, I do have to ask if this is all in the name of getting a little good press,” I said. “As much as I appreciate the donation, I’d rather not have my charity organization involved with . . . unsavory types.”

  Oliver still wasn’t listening. I snapped my fingers to get his attention. Oliver turned a charming smile on me, as though there should be no reason for me to feel upset with him. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I haven’t killed anyone or been part of some huge scandal.”

  “So you do listen,” I muttered, folding my arms over my chest. “Please do tell, then, why you’re here.”

  Oliver shrugged. “Well, I have to do something with my money, don’t I?” he asked.

  “Yes, but why my organization?” I asked.

  “I threw a dart at a list of organizations, and yours was the one that I happened to hit,” Oliver joked—at least, I hoped he was joking. “Tell me, do you grill everyone who’s made donations to your charity? Because it seems like that would have a negative impact in the long-term.”

  I blushed, feeling flustered again. “Of course I don’t,” I snapped. “But we don’t usually get donations as generous as yours.”

  “If that’s your way of saying thanks, sweetheart, it could use a little work,” Oliver said, his eyes twinkling as he adopted a similar pose to mine, folding his arms across his chest. “How about you thank me by agreeing to go on a date with me tomorrow night?”

  “What?” I asked, blinking at him. I quickly shook my head. “Mr. Lewin, I’m sure your social calendar is already very full, and I’m afraid that I myself am too busy with my work.”

  “Pity, because it really seems like you could stand to get laid,” Oliver teased. He took a step closer to me and reached his hand out to whisk away the hair that was covering my ear. He leaned in so close that I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. “I can only imagine how tight you must be. I bet you slip into French as you get close to your orgasm too, don’t you?”

  If I had thought I was blushing before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. Everyone in the room must be able to feel the heat coming off my face. My whole body tingled with it . . . and with something else which I furiously pushed away. I was not attracted to Oliver Lewin. Merde.

  Fortunately, Jeri came back just then, holding a brush and a trash bag. She started cleaning up the vase. I normally would have offered to help, but I couldn’t wait to get away from there. Besides, Jeri had made no secret of the fact that she wanted to be left alone with Oliver—let him help her.

  “Thank you for taking care of that,” I blurted to Jeri. She looked surprised and curious when she saw my expression, but I darted away before she could ask. I made a beeline for the refreshments table, cracked open a bottle of water and drank half of it before I dared to look back over.

  When I did, Oliver was on his hands and knees, helping Jeri. They were both laughing, and it was as though nothing had ever happened between Oliver and I.

  Not that it had, I quickly reminded myself. Oliver had probably invited half the women here to dinner tomorrow night. Then again, everyone else would have jumped at that invitation; I was the only one who would turn him down.

  I shook my head. “I turned him down for a good reason,” I reminded myself in an undertone.

  I forced a smile and began to make the rounds again, leaving Jeri and Oliver to it—Jeri cheating on her boyfriend, and Oliver working his way through every woman in the city. As far as I was concerned, they were perfect for one another.

  Chapter Four

  The real work began the day after the banquet, but in deference to the fact that everyone had been out late the previous night, I let them have a lie-in. I got to the office bright and early, though, and was unsurprised to find the place empty.

  My normal morning routine was to have a light breakfast and coffee while I read the news, checking for any new situations that Le Monde Ensemble could turn its resources to aid. And at the moment . . .

  I smiled as I took a sip of my coffee. We had plenty of resources at our disposal after last night’s fundraiser. Of course, a lot of that money would get eaten up in bureaucratic nonsense, but we still were going to be able to do so much. I was already dreaming of home-building projects in the Caribbean, maybe a fresh water and well-digging project in Africa, some literary programs in central Asia . . .

  We had knocked last year’s donations total out of the water, and I expected it was going to be a busy year for me. Again, I didn’t just leave all the dirty work to everyone else; I would be there, on the ground, helping out with a lot of our new initiatives. Starting with the one in Nepal, which was now all set to wrap up right at the start of the summer.

  I idly checked some flights, even though there was a lot more planning to do before I booked anything.

  After I’d read through the news, I took a closer look at the numbers from the previous night, beyond the totals. What I saw almost made me spit out my coffee.

  “What is it?” Jeri asked, choosing that moment to arrive in my office.

  I shook my head, frowning. “I think there’s a mistake with last night’s donation totals,” I told her. “You told me that Oliver Lewin had donated fifty thousand dollars, but on here, he’s listed at one hundred thousand. And there are a couple of other big donors as well who we had down at less.”

  Jeri came around my desk and looked over my shoulder. “No, those are the final numbers,” she said. “I put that spreadsheet together last night because I knew you’d want it first thing in the morning.”

  “But how did all these numbers . . . double?” I asked.

  Jeri shrugged. “Apparently your speech inspired a lot of people to dig a little deeper,” she said. “Aided, of course, by my wonderful visuals.”

  “Right,” I said slowly. “But Oliver’s donation?”


  Jeri grinned. “Well, I guess I must have just charmed him,” she said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. “He and I talked for a while, and toward the end of the conversation, as he was getting ready to leave for the night, he said he wanted to double his contribution and that he’d have all the paperwork sent over today.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Except that he was probably drunk and has forgotten all about it by now,” I sighed, crossing off the total on the list and writing in fifty thousand dollars instead.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Jeri said, sounding confident. She paused. “Why do you seem so upset at his contribution anyway?” she asked.

  “Because he didn’t give the money for the cause,” I blurted out. Jeri raised an eyebrow at me, and I tried to find the words to elaborate. “He wants to look good for the tabloids or whatever. And I’m sure he just doubled it because he’s trying to impress you or something.”

  “But he still donated the money, either way,” Jeri pointed out. “I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

  “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it,” I said, beginning to feel frustrated with the whole conversation. Of course Jeri wouldn’t understand. I still had to wonder, sometimes, why she had taken this job. I knew that the banquets appealed to her, and that she was good at the secretarial work—every once in a while, she helped with one of our initiatives (usually one of the education ones, so she could make sure that she didn’t get her hands dirty).

  It probably just made her feel good to be able to say that she worked for a charity organization, the same way that Oliver’s donation made him look good in the tabloids.

  “We can’t all be save-the-world crusaders like you,” Jeri pointed out patronizingly. “Anyway, I’m going to go slog through the donations paperwork and get everything in order while you figure out what new initiatives you want to launch with the hundred thousand dollars that Oliver gave us.”