The Promise of Love Read online

  I wondered what Africa was going to be like in general. Hot for sure. The people who would be involved in the building would have no idea about the scandal, and that was a good thing. I hoped to forget about it myself—the last thing I wanted was to be questioned about the whole thing. It was embarrassing enough.

  It would be my first time traveling to Africa, and I had to admit I was a little excited about it. Though I had just taken a vacation, this would be something different, something from the soul. It was about time; I usually did fundraisers, but it was well past time that I got my hands dirty. None of my recent fundraisers had had anything to do with Africa, so it would be refreshing to have something new to focus on.

  I considered the heat I would have to deal with there and decided only to pack light fabrics and nothing that would cling to me if I started to sweat. I smiled as I added a few more shirts to my suitcase. I was excited to work with my hands. Usually, people just wanted me to throw money at them, and although I was more than happy to do so, this little task would make me feel like a man. A masculine job that entailed putting a structure together—it didn’t get much handier than that.

  It amazed me that people spent their lives doing projects like that—traveling around, building hospitals for people in need. It was truly selfless. Yet, there were other people who were busy poisoning oceans. I sighed deeply. I really needed to stop thinking about the scandal, or I would surely go crazy. There was nothing I could do about it presently—I had to leave it up to Kyle and the rest of my team to clean things up at the office while I was in Africa. It would be good for me to be out with people, working together as a collective to get a job done. It wasn’t just about money for me; I liked to do things that mattered. Although I had planned on getting back to work at the company after my vacation, this was what needed to be done to save the reputation of a company that was my life’s work.

  The project would be labor intensive, but I wasn’t soft. I knew what it meant to work hard for something, and I was up for the challenge, any challenge. It was a good time to get away from the politics of the company, because something had seriously gone wrong. It would be best if I had a clear head when I returned. That way I could be more effective in righting the wrongs that were done. At this point, all I wanted to do was roar all around the office until I got some answers, and that wasn’t going to do anyone any good. By going to Africa, I would be able to avoid the media as well, and the only thing they would be able to report about me was all the good I was doing on the trip. It would be really hard for them to say anything bad about me when I was trying to help people out. I could only hope that my community would be able to forgive me for the horrible error my company had made. However, that would not happen until I was able to clear my name.

  * * *

  I stretched out my legs aboard my private jet. There would be some people who would disagree with the fact that I was flying on a private jet to an impoverished country while drinking champagne, but I usually never worried about what people thought—criminal accusations aside, of course. While I was embarking on this trip as a form of damage control and public redemption, I was also giving up a lot of my luxuries to go on this latest adventure, so I was going to enjoy them while I could. Plus, I had worked damn hard to get to where I was in life—I certainly wasn’t going to apologize for it now.

  Although I was going to an impoverished country, I didn’t want to head over there without some of my favorite things. Some of my most favorite luxuries had been sent over so that I could indulge and also give something out to the people I met. There were cigars, chocolate, and my favorite whiskey; I couldn’t imagine being gone for long periods of time without these things. I couldn’t bear the thought. Some would call me spoiled, but what was the point in being a billionaire if you couldn’t make life easier on yourself? I was actually looking forward to sharing my loot with everyone else there. I wasn’t sure how long the other workers had been there, but they could probably use some treats at that point—something to keep them going strong.

  I hoped to be there only for a few weeks. I would be getting antsy by then to get back to the company and see what was going on and whether I could be of further help there. The last thing I wanted was to be back on the sidelines, having no idea what was happening with my own company. I had made that mistake once before, and I didn’t intend to make it again. I just hoped Kyle had a handle on things while I was gone. If anything else went wrong in my absence, heads were going to roll. I could promise that much.

  Sitting in my seat, I sipped on the champagne and thought about the life I led and how far I had come in life. I was blessed enough to be able to come and go as I pleased, to pick up at any time and go wherever I wanted on any sort of whim. There were no attachments in my life—no wife or children, nothing to tie me down. I often reflected on these things and wondered if I was really better off without those things. I was about to turn thirty-seven, and I was still living the bachelor’s life. Was that a good thing? I couldn’t quite be sure.

  For a very long time, I had always been happy to just focus on work. Sure, there were women in my life, but none that I fancied enough to stick around forever—they were merely a means of entertainment for me. I often liked to take women on vacation with me as the companionship was enjoyable, but again there was no real desire to see the women again once the vacation was over. It was just for fun, and for a long time that had been okay with me. In fact, rarely had I given much thought to it until recently. Things had been eating away at me for the past few months, and I wasn’t sure why. My last vacation was superb, but I always got this inkling that something was missing. But was that a wife and kids? I really didn’t know.

  I chuckled to myself. Hell, I didn’t even have a girlfriend and I was wondering if a wife would complement my life. My life was certainly in a sad state of affairs these days, and I only had myself to blame. I should never have allowed anyone else at the company to have the kind of power to issue a dumping order. I couldn’t think about it without feeling sick to my stomach. Now I was thinking about whether or not I should have a wife. Maybe this was the midlife crisis I kept hearing about. Men went through it more than women did, and I was certainly creeping in on that age. Maybe it wasn’t just about having a wife. Maybe I just hadn’t met the right woman yet. When she came into my life, maybe things would become clear again for me.

  I took women out all the time, often to galas and benefits or a night on the town. I had even on occasion been lucky enough to cook them breakfast in the morning, but I rarely saw the same woman twice. They just didn’t interest me that much. It was probably my fault; I had been unattached for so long that I wasn’t sure I would know what it was like to spend long periods of time with a woman. Some women would consider me to be a player, but I didn’t see it that way at all. I wasn’t deliberately out to hurt anyone, and I certainly wasn’t opposed to seeing a girl more than once. But she had to spike my interest, keep me intrigued—or at least be passionate about something more important than a new pair of shoes.

  The kind of lady I would marry one day, if I ever did marry, would have to be able to keep me on my toes. I needed mental and physical stimulation, and I would offer the same to the woman of my choosing. I wasn’t a selfish man. I didn’t want a trophy wife; I wanted a woman that could stand on her own while still standing by my side when I needed her. But did such a woman exist? I wasn’t sure if she did. I certainly had yet to find her.

  Maybe I needed to spend less time on work and more on my personal life. Money was not an issue for me; I had enough to last many generations. My company was my empire, and it offered me a very lavish lifestyle, one that would take care of me for my entire life. I would never need to work a day in my life again if I didn’t want to—of course, I would never just hand over the reins of my company, especially not after the shit show that happened that week. If anything, it appeared as if I needed a tighter grip on the reins. My presence at the company was more about having something to ke
ep me busy—plus, I rather enjoyed being in front of the media. There was a time when I was the epitome of philanthropy and public service—that was, of course, before the media got wind that my company had been polluting the ocean.

  I rubbed my temples in frustration, unable to even understand how things had gone so wrong. Maybe I should be drinking something stronger than champagne. All I could think about was strangling the idiot that made that monumental decision. If you were going to do something so stupid and thankless, why use vessels with ID numbers attached to them? How stupid could these people be? Of course, it all led back to the company, and now we were in the midst of a national scandal, one that I wasn’t sure we would survive. Kyle seemed to think we would be all right, but the damage to the ocean was extensive, and there was no guarantee that we hadn’t left some permanent mark.

  Whoever was responsible was no doubt shaking in their boots somewhere, hoping that I would never find out. That was impossible, of course; you couldn’t pull off something of that magnitude without needing some help and leaving behind a trail. Someone would come forward—if they weren’t discovered first. Who knew what was going through this fool’s mind? For all I knew, the person might have thought that I would be okay with it. Maybe even applaud him for his genius. There were fake humanitarians all over the world, but I wasn’t one of them. I would never be okay with disposing of waste in such a manner.

  “Mr. Donovan, would you like more champagne? Your dinner will be out shortly.”

  I looked up, snapped out of my thoughts. “Yes, of course, thank you. Can I have something a little stiffer though?”

  The girl smiled a smile that revealed a lot more than just her happiness to get me another drink. The look she was giving me said she wanted something a little stiffer too. I appraised her, noticing her natural beauty and responding to it. I certainly could use a release and wished I could take her to the back cabin and take her right there. But I had a strict rule against sleeping with staff—it was a terrible idea and always had a way of biting you in the ass, and not in a good way. I didn’t need any more scandals in my life, so my staff was always off-limits. The last thing I needed was an angry employee out to seek revenge on me. No, that was something I did not need. The press I was getting now alone was killing me. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t worth it to sleep with an employee. It’s not like I had trouble finding female companionship, so employees were easy to stay away from.

  Plus, I could never be sure if I was being hit on because someone liked me or because they wanted to be Mrs. Billionaire. If you were gonna get married, then why not aim to marry a billionaire? It would be quite a prize for the right girl, and when it came to my staff, I often wondered if they just saw me as a means of moving up in the world. I hated thinking that way, but in my world, it happened all the time. Trophy wives were the thing to have, but no thank you. I had no interest in that at all.

  The stewardess returned with my drink looking mildly sulky. She had expected me to take her up on her advances, and when I didn’t, she took it personally. That was the dangerous part. She would have been trouble had we slept together and I wronged her. I smiled at her warmly, hoping to ease her wounded ego. The girl was an absolute fox; it was nothing personal, just business. She smiled back at me and hurried off. She wasn’t gone long before she returned with my dinner for the evening. The meal looked incredible: grilled salmon and asparagus with small potatoes. I downed the brandy in one gulp, letting it burn my throat on the way down, and then I focused my full attention on the meal before me. The stewardess returned one more time to refill my champagne glass, and then she flitted away.

  Most of my favorite meals usually included some form of seafood. I couldn’t seem to get enough of it. When it came to maintaining my lean physique, I believed in trying to eat as clean as possible with some treats thrown in here and there. It was just as important to my business and successful lifestyle that I kept my body running smoothly as well—that was how you prevented disease from sneaking in, and when you’re building a top company, you can’t afford to take sick days. The mind and body always had to be in harmony, and it was my job to take care of that to the best of my ability.

  After I devoured the food before me, I suddenly felt exhausted. The goings-on at the company had been of significant mental strain to me, and I was mentally tapped out. I needed a little siesta, and then I would be back in business. I figured it was best to get a nap in while I was still on the jet. Once I arrived in Malawi, I wasn’t sure that there would be time for one. I positioned my seat so that it leaned back all the way into a bed.

  As I lay back, the stewardess made her way back to me with a pillow and a blanket. It was bizarre watching someone essentially tuck me in for the night, but it was also quite nice. It was the closest I had gotten to true companionship in some time, something that would naturally happen if I’d had a girlfriend. The last thought I had before I closed my eyes was to wonder what it would feel like to have someone in my life that I could take care of and who I knew would also take care of me.

  * * *

  When the plane landed, the first thing that hit me when I stepped out was the heat. I knew it would be hot, but I hadn’t quite expected this level of heat. I was really in for it, and I was lucky I had done a thorough job of packing.

  Malawi was just as beautiful as it was hot. Everywhere I looked it was as if I were on a whole different planet. There was a natural beauty to the place I just didn’t see back home—no skyscraper buildings to block the view of what nature had in store for me.

  Once we landed, I was ushered through the tiny airport and shuttled to the site at which I would be working. The first thing they did was bring me to the cabin where I would be staying. I wanted to unpack and get settled before things really got crazy for me.

  When I arrived at the cabin, I was truly in awe of everything. I couldn’t have been happier that I had decided to go on this little adventure and hoped the whole experience would be worthwhile and beneficial for all. The cabin assigned to me had a porch that made me smile immediately. There was something about the thought of working hard all day and then returning to that cabin to an evening whiskey on the porch that filled me with contentment. I could already picture it. It would be marvelous. The cabin was nowhere near luxurious, but it had everything I needed for my stay there.

  My first plan of attack was to get unpacked, and then I could take a look around at the site and meet the people in charge. I would get a feel for things that day and then get started with the team the next day. I was pleased to see that all my packages had already arrived. I wanted my belongings and luxury items on hand at all times. I went through the packages and noticed that Kyle had also sent wine, probably just in case I wasn’t dining alone. Kyle always thought ahead, and I liked that about him. If I managed to dine alone, I could always give the bottles away. The thing that brought the biggest smile to my face was the bags and bags of individually wrapped candy that I could pass out to any children that I saw. I knew it would make their faces light up as nothing else would.

  Once my unpacking was completed, I ventured out onto the porch and took a look around. The heat was therapeutic and made one feel like there was nothing wrong in the world. It wasn’t quite the same as lying out on the beach or riding around on my yacht, but the feeling of being in the heat was still very enjoyable. There was a wooden lawn chair on the porch, and I sat down in it. I yawned as I stretched my hands above my head. Yes, there was a lot of good that could be done in a place like this, and I intended on doing what I could while I was there.

  The forest surrounding my cabin was lush, a green so bright that it almost hurt to look at the trees. I couldn’t believe that such places existed in the world. I just didn’t see places like that where I was from. New York really was a concrete jungle compared to this place. I felt blessed to be there and to be in the position where I could help others. I would be able to do a lot of good for the village, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
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br />   There was a hammock attached to one of the trees, and the sight of it pleased me greatly. I could imagine retiring in it at the end of a grueling day of hammering nails in the heat. I smiled as I thought about the last time I was in a hammock. It must have been when I was a young boy, probably behind my grandparents’ place—there was a hammock by the pond. I used to go back there and lay for hours in it, letting the breeze float around me. My own parents had died when I was around ten years old, and I had been raised by an aunt for the most part, often spending time at my grandparents’ place. The circumstances of my childhood probably had a lot to do with the fact that I didn’t have a lot of attachments to other people.

  Well, it was time that I got moving and introduced myself to the people running the site. I doubted I would be working that day, but I wasn’t too worried about it either way. If they needed me right away, I would do what I could. Excitement boiled up in me as I thought about making my way to the site and seeing how far along the school and hospital were. I got up from the seat and grabbed a bottle of water before I made my way down the stairs. I followed a path through the lush forest toward what I hoped was the building site. I hadn’t seen anyone since I had been dropped off at the cabin, but they had left on the path, so I knew I would find someone eventually.

  I was anxious to talk to the head honcho about what the expectations were for me. All the supplies for the site had been paid for by my company and shipped ahead of time, so I wanted to check to make sure they’d gotten everything they needed. It took a lot of supplies to build those two structures, and money meant very little to me—I had plenty to go around and wouldn’t miss it.

  Thankful for the hat I brought, I could already feel myself building up a sweat as I walked along the path. The sun was beating down even through the trees, and there was not much escape from it. It felt good though; it wasn’t overbearing in the least. There was none of the humidity that I was used to during the summer months. The heat was dry, so it never felt as hot as it actually was. In fact it was downright soothing.