The Blind Date Billionaire

Chapter One

Chapter One

"Seriously Elena, if you were me, you wouldn't last two minutes in this lifestyle!"

"If I were you, I'd jump off Tower Bridge," Elena mumbled from the walk in closet. She was in there retrieving another expensive garment for her boss, Chantal Duval, to discard without proper consideration.

"What are you doing in there?" Chantal whined through the closet doors. Elena rolled her eyes and brought out the couture gown for Chantal to try on.

She found Chantal parading herself in front of the floor to ceiling mirror in the presidential suite she had acquired at the Chatsfield London. She was in London at her father's request, since the mighty Pierre Duval decided it was time his daughter made a name for herself in his social circles.

Locked away in Swiss boarding schools until a year ago, Chantal was now expected to take her place at her father's side as a society hostess and eventually the trophy wife of an extremely wealthy man of her father's choosing. At twenty, Chantal had lived a sheltered and exceptionally pampered life resulting in a naïve view of the world. For this reason, Pierre had decided that Chantal needed someone to handle her affairs, and help her in the transition from irresponsible schoolgirl to irresponsible but presentable affluent wife.

Elena Thompson was that someone.

She had been hired by Pierre to assist Chantal, but that criteria had changed in the year they had been working together and now encompassed her running trivial errands. Admittedly, she was paid well to be Chantal's PA, but what she assisted was the problem. Hair appointments and spa visits were not at the top of her list of important things when she could be assisting some respected CEO and gaining valuable skills.

Skills were not important to Chantal however, who was currently in the middle of finding an outfit for a date that her father had orchestrated. She had tried on dozens of dresses and nothing seemed to please her. She threw the latest cast-off onto the floor, and flopped herself onto the bed behind her. Lying in black lace underwear that barely covered a model perfect frame with six inch black patent heels on her feet, Chantal looked every inch the fantasy. Long platinum blonde tresses lay in a heap around her head as she let out a heavy sigh,

"Why do I have to go on this stupid date, I don't even know who he is!"

"It's a blind date...you're not supposed to know who he is." Elena added, just in case Chantal needed further explanation. Chantal opened her bright blue eyes as a sudden realisation came to her.

"What if he's ugly, what if he's old?"

"I'm sure your father wouldn't make you date someone who was any of those things," Elena reassured her even if she didn't quite believe it. Pierre Duval was anything if not determined and if he had to palm his daughter off to a geriatric Texan tycoon to secure her place on the social ladder, there was no question that he would.

"Papa does what he likes and you know it. It's the only reason why you are even here!"

Chantal vaulted off the bed again and stormed into the closet while Elena stood there as always saying nothing. She had plenty to say but did not think it wise to tell her employer that she was a self-centred, spoiled and selfish individual who should be happy that she had the opportunity to meet anyone.

Elena nervously smoothed the sides of her tight ponytail then ran her hands down the front of her black pencil skirt before going to pick up Chantal's discarded clothes. She constantly derided herself for wearing such formal outfits when working for such an informal person but reasoned that she needed to feel as though she were at work. Wearing a combination of pencil skirts and well-fitted shirts gave Elena a sense of purpose that working for Chantal otherwise did not.