Ruthless_A Billionaire Secret Baby Romance Read online

  “I hope that helps!” Doug called out after him as Chase turned on his heel and strode out of the office.

  Chase put his phone to his ear and dialed Penny once more. As soon as he got her voicemail, he left a message saying that he was aware of the baby and needed to talk to her as soon as possible.

  “Come on, Penny, where the hell are you?” he muttered as he jammed his phone back in his pocket. Chase ran to his car and slipped inside, hitting the steering wheel out of frustration.

  There was a huge world out there, and she was so young, so naïve.

  He had to find her before something bad happened to her.

  Chapter 21

  Penny sighed. She listened to the voicemail, then shook her head. She felt bad for vanishing on Chase like she had, but she hadn’t known what to tell him. In a panic, she moved out of her old apartment, wanting to get away from the world. It wasn’t as if she could afford her apartment for much longer, anyway.

  But moving into her parents’ spare bedroom wasn’t her idea of moving forward with her life, not now that she was pregnant and trying to work on herself. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She needed to clear her head and rework her plan.

  At the same time, she knew she owed it to Chase to talk to him. She couldn’t just disappear on him like that without an explanation, not after the night they had together. No matter what happened, she didn’t want there to be any more problems between them—whether or not they were together. After thinking about it, she decided to send him a text with the location of her favorite bench, telling him to meet her in the park the next day.

  Almost immediately, he texted her back.

  I’ll be there.

  Penny took a deep breath. She had arrived early to get rid of her jitters, but Chase was already at the bench, waiting for her. He was sitting bent forward, his hands clasped in front of him and his head resting on them. She immediately felt bad once more, not wanting to put him through so much, but not seeing what other choice she had.

  Nervously, Penny walked up to him. Chase, seeing her feet in front of him, looked up expectantly. He immediately rose to his feet, looking her over with concern in his eyes. It was clear he wanted to make sure she was okay, and she gave him a weak smile.

  “Is it mine?” he asked, looking down at her still-flat stomach. She gave him an offended look.

  “Whose else would it be?” she snapped. She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she still found the question offensive. After the two weeks they spent together? Of course it was his.

  “I don’t mean it that way. It’s just that I talked to Doug, and you know how he is. He made it sound like something it wasn’t, I’m sure, but at the same time, I just…I just had to be sure,” Chase said, looking down briefly before trailing his eyes back up to hers.

  Penny sighed once more. She noticed the way he was drinking her in. It seemed that her very presence did something to him, and she liked it. She was clearly important in his life, and he wasn’t going to let her feel alone in any of this.

  After glancing around the park, she sighed and gave a slight nod. “Yes, the child is yours.”

  “What the hell, Penny,” he muttered, rubbing his face with stress. “When were you going to tell me this?”

  She gave him another look, and he quickly apologized.

  “I don’t mean to be a dick about it, but you should have said something about this before now. This isn’t the sort of thing you keep a secret from someone, you know? Especially if I’m just as responsible for it,” he said in a gentler tone. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, crossing her arms.

  “Just like you kept a secret from me that I was nothing more than a bet between you and your friends?” she shot back. She wasn’t over it yet, and she felt bad when he gave her a pained look.

  “You know that’s not what it was, and we already talked about it. Not to mention, that’s a little different than a child, don’t you think?”

  She opened her mouth to reply, but he put his hand up, stopping her before she was able to argue with him once more.

  “Wait, before you say anything, don’t answer that. I don’t want to argue with you anymore, Penny.” Chase sighed. “Look, I don’t know how you feel about me, but I love you. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to tell you that, since I’m pretty sure I’ve felt this way about you from the first day we met. I don’t want to fight about this, and I’m not going to intrude on your life any more than you want me to be there, but I can promise you that you are not going to be alone in raising this child. I am going to be there to help you take care of it as much as you want me to be—as much as you will allow me to be. I will love this child as much as I love you.” He took both her hands and looked into her eyes as he spoke, and Penny felt a lump form in the back of her throat.

  Her entire life, she had been on her own. Though her parents had offered what support they could for her throughout her childhood, she had often gone without, and she knew even now they weren’t able to give her the help she was going to need with this infant. They were hardly able to keep up with their own bills; there was no way she was going to be able to ask them to take on the cost of her as well as her child.

  It was something that was very much stressing her out, but she now sensed that she wasn’t going to have to. Now, at the very least, she knew that her baby above all was going to be taken care of. Not even just financially, but emotionally as well. This baby would have two parents that loved it so very much. It was more than she would ever be able to ask for, but it was enough to make her feel wanted once more.

  “Thank you,” she whispered at last. She didn’t know what else to say, but Chase didn’t need her to say anything else. With a single, sweeping gesture, he pressed his lips to hers, holding her head in his hands and brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

  For the first time in as long as she could remember, Penny felt that she was secure. She felt that someone was there to take care of her, and above all, to care for her and love her.

  This was something she wasn’t going to fight.

  Chapter 22

  “I hope they like me,” Chase said. He was only half-joking. After he had talked with Penny in the park, she had convinced him to go back home with her to meet her parents—something he wasn’t sure he was ready to do, but knew he was going to have to do for Penny’s sake.

  He knew that he was going to have to meet them at some point, and she pointed out that it would be better to do it sooner rather than later. “Of course, they are going to like you. You are the man whom their daughter has fallen in love with.”

  “Yeah, but I’m also the man who broke their daughter’s heart,” he said with a weak smile.

  “You didn’t break my heart, you just made me question what men are really like,” she teased. He gave her a sad look and she quickly added, “I’m joking, you didn’t break my heart, really, you didn’t. Plus, I honestly didn’t tell my parents about you yet, so they don’t even know about everything that’s happened. All they need to know is that we love each other and we are both going to be there for the baby.”

  Chase slipped his hand in hers. “I want to take you to dinner as soon as we are done with your parents. You deserve a treat after all you’ve been through.”

  “I haven’t been through that much,” Penny said modestly. “I mean, it doesn’t seem like I’ve been through that much with you always around. You’ve never left me feeling alone, Chase, and there’s something to be said for that.” She smiled up at him, and he squeezed her hand.

  He was still a bit nervous about meeting her parents, since he wasn’t the type to meet any girl’s parents. If this was the way this was going to happen, though, then he would do it a thousand times over. Chase didn’t know what this woman did to him, but whatever it was, she made him want to give her the whole world. He wasn’t happy unless he was taking care of her, and he couldn’t smile if he didn’t know she was happy.

  He’d
meet her parents, but he would worry that they wouldn’t like him. More than anything, he wanted to be with her, and he knew that her family was important.

  “Just be yourself, that’s what I fell in love with,” Penny said with a smile as they rounded the corner to her parent’s apartment. He looked down at her, a bit of an uneasy smile on his face.

  “Alright, but I can’t be held responsible if they don’t like that,” he teased. She shook her head and squeezed his arm.

  “Don’t worry, they’ll like you.”

  “All that worrying for nothing,” Penny said with a laugh when they were finally seated at dinner at an Italian restaurant across town.

  “I was worried because I am in love with their daughter, and I want to be on their good side,” Chase said, grinning. “Plus, it doesn’t help that I knocked up their only daughter.”

  “Spoken like a true gentleman,” Penny said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes softened, though, when she gazed at him. “You were wonderful. What makes you think that they wouldn’t like you?” He reached over and put his hand over hers.

  “Penny, I want you to know, whether you were pregnant or not, you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you more than anything, and I want nothing more than to make you happy. It might not be the easiest to be with me, but I can promise you that I will make it my life goal to make you happy every day for the rest of your life.” He looked into her eyes as he spoke, and she smiled, putting her other hand over his, sandwiching his palms between hers.

  “I know you will, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too. I know it’s not going to be easy, not with a baby on the way, but we are going to make this work. Hell, if we’ve been through all that we’ve been through already and are still together, then nothing is going to be able to tear us apart.” She smiled and closed her eyes as Chase leaned in.

  He pressed his lips to hers, an idea flooding through his mind as he did so.

  Once dinner was over, he took her back into the cab but he made her close her eyes before they got back to his place.

  “Keep your eyes closed, there’s something I want to show you,” he said with a grin. She closed her eyes, but there was a broad smile on her face the entire time.

  “Chase? What is it?” she asked. He hushed her and told the cab driver to stay there.

  “I’ll be right back. Keep them closed!” He ran inside, a broad smile on his face. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. As soon as he knew he was falling in love with Penny, he had known what he was going to get her; he just had to find the right time to do it.

  He hurried back outside, slipping into the cab and taking a deep breath.

  “Can I open them now?” Penny asked, and he opened the small box with the massive ring inside.

  “Okay, now you can!” he said triumphantly. Penny gasped when she saw the size of the diamond, and Chase laughed.

  “Penny Connor, I feel like I should make this a little more official than talking to you about it over dinner. We’ve started a family, your family likes me, and I love you with all my heart. Will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”

  Epilogue

  “Hang on, the baby won’t be here for another month, but I do need to take it easy,” Penny said to her mother with a laugh.

  “I just don’t want you to slip on these slick floors,” her mother said as she looked down worriedly. Penny was about to reply when her father walked up, Chase by his side.

  “And what does my new business owner of a daughter think about her new store?” he asked, and all four of them laughed.

  “Well, Chase is the one who bought the building,” Penny said modestly. “His club is on the second floor.”

  “But all of this here is your business. Besides, I’m pretty sure I gave this to you as a wedding gift,” Chase cut in. He looked around the building, and Penny stepped forward, wrapping her hands around his arm. She always felt more secure when she was standing right next to him, so she often did.

  “Why don’t you and Dad go find some champagne? Angie is good at serving it,” Penny said with a smile. Chase had readily agreed to hire most of her old girlfriends back at the old nightclub, paying them much more than Doug ever did and making sure they were all taken care of. He never allowed anyone to be grabbed or harassed in any way by the clients, and if there were any who disobeyed the rules, they were immediately asked to leave.

  “I think that is a lovely idea. We are so proud of you, honey.” Her parents gave her a hug as her father congratulated her once more, then the two of them headed off toward the champagne table.

  “I’m looking forward to the day I can have another glass of champagne,” Penny said longingly with a sad smile. She put her hands on either side of her protruding belly, and Chase laughed.

  “It’s not going to be too much longer. Of course, we might not stop at one, you never know.” He winked at her and she punched him playfully in the arm.

  “You don’t know what it’s like to be pregnant! How do you know that we’re going to have more than just this one?” she asked with a teasing grin. He smiled down at her.

  “You don’t know what it’s like to be married to a gorgeous girl such as yourself. I can promise you, there are going to be more to come.” He winked at her, but before she had the chance to say anything else, Angie walked up with a grin.

  “I’m so happy for you! I knew the day was coming when you would have your own clothing line!” she said with a laugh. Penny hugged her friend and nodded.

  “I’d always hoped it would come, but I didn’t know if it would actually happen. It’s all so crazy,” she said with a shake of her head. “Chase gave me a little push. I’d always thought I needed to do this all on my own, but I’m just grateful for all the support I have.” Angie glanced over at Chase.

  “I knew from the moment the two of you met that you were meant to be together. Didn’t I say?” she asked eagerly, and Penny shook her head.

  “I don’t remember you saying that. I think it was more that you thought I had a crush on him or something,” she said with a laugh. Chase looked down at her.

  “Are you trying to tell me that you didn’t?” he asked, appalled. She smirked.

  “Maybe I did, but then again, maybe I didn’t. You will never know.” She laughed as he shook his head, then he lifted his glass.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?” he called out. The crowd turned to look at him, and he smiled.

  “I would like to propose a toast to the love of my life and the owner of his wonderful store!” he said, holding the glass out. Everyone in the room lifted their glasses, and shouted, “Hear, hear!”

  “And to Chase for his new club!” Penny added over the cheers.

  After draining his glass, Chase looked back down at his bride with another smile. “Now, if you are quite happy with how things are looking, I think that it’s high time you and I get out of here. We could use all the alone time we can get before the baby arrives, and as it’s looking, it’s not going to be too long before that happens.” He looked down at her belly, then kissed her forehead, and Penny agreed.

  She bid her parents and her friends goodnight before walking out of her own clothing store, this time on the arm of her husband. Penny smiled, but she couldn’t help but look across the street at the old nightclub where she used to work and think of all the times she had dreamed of the life she would now be living.

  It had gone out of business and the windows were now boarded up. She didn’t know what happened to Doug, but she couldn’t have imagined he had gotten very far in his life. Not after all of the allegations made against him.

  The fact of the matter was, though, she didn’t care.

  “Ugh, I can’t believe I used to work there,” Penny said with disgust as she shook her head at the old club. Chase laughed. The boarded-up windows looked eerie in the fading light, and it was far different from the club she used to know. He pressed his lips to the si
de of her head and wrapped his arms around her body.

  “I guess it’s hard to run a VIP club when all the VIPs stop coming,” he said with a laugh, and she smiled.

  They slid into the car and drove off into the fading light, eagerly awaiting what was to come. Together.

  About The Author

  Romance and Seduction are fascinating topics for the Athena. A good love story that inspires hope and brings joy is almost comparable with a glass of superb wine. Now the author of Romance books, Athena is synthesizing her knowledge and research in the art of timeless seduction and ultimate power in the stories she creates.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Trevor Strome gritted his teeth excitedly and placed his foot on the pedal of his vintage muscle car, reveling in the cool breeze that blew across his face. He felt the adrenaline rush through his body as he saw the speedometer needle rapidly move higher and his surroundings become a blur.

  There were those who considered him as someone who lived recklessly and unabashedly because of his amassed wealth, but he didn’t see himself that way. He was proud, yes, for how many men could achieve as much as he had at his age without building a self-esteem that was as huge as a mountain? In his mind, he earned the right to live the way he did and didn’t give a damn about those who condemned him.

  At thirty-one, he was a multi-millionaire and a successful businessman. Suffice to say that his popularity in the business world had skyrocketed when the Nation Exotic Lifestyle magazine had featured him in one of their issues as one of the most ruthless and successful businessmen the current age had seen. The magazine had exaggerated his success a little, but it had put him in the limelight, enough to make a difference. In the subsequent weeks, Trevor had been awestruck to find more magazines and TV shows reaching out to him with endless inquiries about his business, lifestyle, and fortune, which had no root whatsoever in old family wealth.