The Billionaire's Largesse, Part One (The Billionare's Largesse Book 1) Read Free Page A

coming,” he said, and the hubbub of noise stilled in an instant. “We’ll have a few words from the CEO shortly, but for now I have the floor to introduce everyone and to run through a few items of housekeeping. No photography, no recording devices of any kind, and in the unlikely event of a fire, run like hell into the street, and try and keep up with me.” Spencer strode through the crowd without a pause, and everywhere the lambs drew back to let him pass. “Welcome to Between the Covers . Our host has agreed to fit us in at very short notice, so let’s give her a warm hand, please.”
    The applause was scattered and desultory at best, but Mary still felt a little contented blush on her cheeks as she made her way through the shop to sit behind the counter. A few of the suited men were smiling in her direction, and Spencer most of all.
    “What are we doing in a dusty fucking bookshop?” the dissenting voice rang out as a challenge. It was the jerk that had pissed Mary off earlier, and from the sound of his voice, he’d been to a bar rather than a coffee shop. “I thought these places died out with smallpox.”
    There were a few scattered laughs at this, but mostly an embarrassed silence. Mary’s face was flushed bright red with rage and shame, and she stared intently at the floor with her head in her hands, knowing she’d explode if she moved a single muscle.
    “Fuck you very much for asking,” said Spencer, and there was a rumble around the shop as the men all tried to decide whether he’d really said it. “Our digital world is nothing more than a development of the communications technology that has done us proud for centuries, and we should celebrate that heritage. And Miss Chilvers serves the finest orange squash this side of my primary school.”
    With that, he raised his plastic cup in a toast to his audience, who laughed easily, and relaxed.
    Then, inevitably, that ugly voice snarled out again. “Bollocks, it’s just cheap. I didn’t come here to listen to a salesman talk crap. We all came here for the Networthing genius, to meet a genuine billionaire.”
    Spencer turned cold eyes on the man, who was standing at the centre of a rapidly expanding gap in the crowd as the other men stepped away from the oafish drunk. “And so you shall. But this isn’t a meet and greet event, remember. We’re here today to launch an exciting new -”
    The jerk cut him off. “We all know how to download an app. Where’s he ? This reclusive genius?
    “Where is Spencer Matthews?”
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
    Spencer shook his head in momentary irritation, and a lot of things clicked into place in Mary’s head. The roll of bank notes still stuffed in her bra had probably been the biggest giveaway, if she’d cared enough to think about it.
    The jerk seemed to think he’d scored a point. “Where is he? He’s not here! We’re here on false pretences so you can sell us some crap, aren’t we?”
    The rest of the room were either looking towards Spencer or were staring at the floor. Spencer himself seemed to be thinking, scratching his chin with one very long finger.
    Mary was about to leap to his defence herself when Spencer finally looked up, his eyes cold.
    “Right,” he said, “I’ve had enough, and I must apologise to Miss Chilvers for this disruption. You,” he pointed to a particularly tall man standing right next to the drunk. “Marks and Spencer suit. I’ll pay you five hundred pounds right now to punch that man in the face. Seven hundred and fifty if you can knock him out. A grand if you can knock him out without getting any blood on the carpet of this delightful shop.”
    There was a stunned silence from the crowd. The jerk had turned pale. “Now, wait a minute! You can’t do -”
    He was cut off as the M&S suit-wearer slammed a fist into his jaw. The jerk’s eyes rolled up in their sockets and he crumpled to the ground with no further comments.
    “Good man,” said Spencer, striding over and