What do you give a man who has everything?… A woman he can’t have.
PLAIN JANE & THE BILLIONAIRE
Interview with Julius Morgan
After weeks of begging for an interview, Julius Morgan opened his Montauk beachside home to me for an exclusive interview. Not distracted by the scenic view of the ocean from the deck or the balmy conditions, I’m calm, cool and collected, prepared to ruthlessly grill the billionaire businessman. Then he walks into the room. 6’4” and muscular with wavy blond hair and intense coppery eyes, I swallow the drool forming and nearly fanned myself. I have to stay focused. I’m not here to drool over the man. I have questions and my readers want answered.
His hand swallows mine when he shakes it. “Ms. Stephens. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, have a seat.”
I sit on the cushioned wrought iron chair and place the recorder on the table in front of me. He’d agreed to the interview so he shouldn’t have an issue with the device.
“Would you like something, Ms. Stephens?” he asks, taking the seat opposite me.
Yes, a rum and coke would be lovely, but I need all my wits. “Water, please.” He surprises me by filling my glass with ice water from the pitcher in the center of the table.
“I have a meeting soon, so let’s get started,” he states.
Thanks for the prodding. I clear my throat, square my shoulders, and pressed the record button. “Hi, this is Tmonique Stephens, I’m here interviewing Julius Morgan, CEO of JMI Funds International, and one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City who has finally agreed to sit down and talk to me. Sir, I’d like to start with the incident at the club owned by your good friend and Irish mob boss, Harden Gage.”
Julius Morgan: “Of course you would.” He smiles indulgently.
Tmonique Stephens: “Defensive? Mr. Morgan?”
JM: “What happened at the club is public record.”
TMS: “A record which the police haven’t released. It’s still under lock and key. Is that because of you or because of Mr. Gage?”
JM: “I have nothing to hide.”
TMS: “So says every billionaire on the planet.” I wasn’t surprised at the lie, just disappointed. “Can you tell me about your injuries?”
JM: A muscle flexes n his jaw. “Lost a kidney and part of a lung. Recovery was brutal, but I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking.”
TMS: I grimaced at my rudeness. “Forgive me. That was my next question.”
JM: “Of course it was.”
TMS: Embarrassed, I clear my throat and continue. Any second he could show me the door. “You can’t talk about the incident at the club, fine. What about the incident on your yacht?
JM: “What happened on my yacht is public record, in Germany.”
TMS: Like I have a chance at getting those records. Everything is so hush hush with him. “There’s speculation of something involving your brother, Joshua Morgan.”
JM: “I don’t comment on speculation.” He quips and sips his drink.
TMS: “You and your brother have recently reconnected after a long estrangement?”
JM: “Our estrangement is public record.”
TMS: “Okay, next question. You have very interesting friends. Harden Gage, the mobster. Emmet Streeter, a reported hitman. Lawson Goode, playboy millionaire, Davien al Murad, cousin to the king of Qair, and Crown Prince Nasir al Murad Amin. Tell me more about them.”
JM: He crosses his legs and relaxes in his chair. “What do you want to know?”
TMS: “You’ve been friends for years, since boarding school. Five very powerful men.”
JM: Shrugs as if to say, ‘so what.’
TMS: “Coincidence or were you five placed for a purpose?”
JM: “We first met in middle school. Someone must’ve had a crystal ball.”
TMS: Fine. This is getting me nowhere. Maybe he’d loosen up about his personal life. “Are you dating anyone, Mr. Morgan?
JM: His face shutters. “According to the paper, I’m single.”
TMS: “Is that true?”
JM: “You tell me?”
TMS: “You were seen kissing your bodyguard, Ms. Calista Coleman.”
JM: “Is there a question?” he snaps.
TMS: I stifle my smile. I’d gotten under his skin. Great, but that meant my time was limited. “Does Ms. Coleman still work for you?”
JM: “I don’t discuss my employees, and I’m single.”
TMS: I didn’t buy that but have nothing to counteract the lie. “Now that you’re single again the ladies will hang me if I don’t ask you some questions, so here goes. Blonde, brunette or red head?”
JM: “Brunette.”
TMS: “Athletic or curvaceous?”
JM: He sighs “This is ridiculous.”
TMS: “I must placate my female reader, please.”
JM: He leans closer. “You want to know what type of woman I’m attracted to? I’ll tell you without the silly questions. I want a woman with a mind of her own. One who knows what she wants and won’t stop until she gets it. One who isn’t afraid of life and living. A woman who will love me as much as I love her.”
Whoa! I can’t take my eyes off him. His intensity is intoxicating. A drug I would gladly get addicted too. I grab my water and slowly drain the glass. After a deep breath I’m ready to continue.
TMS: “Have you already met the future Mrs. Julius Morgan?”
JM: A wry smile flashed across his face, but his eyes were forlorn. “I have time for a final question, Ms. Stephens.”
TMS: “What is your biggest regret, Mr. Morgan?”
JM: “This interview.”
TMS: “Come on. Give me one.”
JM: “… I have many regrets. None I care to share with your rapacious readers.”
TMS: “Why did you agree if not to share?”
JM: “Lack of good judgment.” He stands and buttons the Jack key of his suit. “Your time is up Ms. Stephens.”
TMS: “One last question,” I hastily add. “If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?”
JM: He pauses. For a brief moment his gaze becomes distant, almost wistful. Then his features became guarded “I’d change nothing. I would live my life as I have, on my own terms with no regrets.” He leaves me with an escort to guide me out of his domain.
I collect my thoughts and I reflect on what I have learned about the enigmatic Julius Morgan. Some questions were answered, but much more was left a mystery.
My interview with Emmet Streeter is next. Maybe he would provide some answers. Get real, Tmonique. I’ll be lucky to survive the interview with hitman.
I gather my recorder and leave the mansion on the beach.
Plain Jane & the Billionaire available March 30,2020 on Amazon.