Ruthless_A Billionaire Secret Baby Romance Read online

  “I’ve met a lot of well-connected people at the nightclub, people who would be able to help me someday. I keep getting turned down for now, but I want to make it, so I’m going to!” Penny spoke with determination in her voice, and Chase heartily agreed.

  It felt good talking to him, and she suddenly realized just how much she missed him.

  “Can I come over?” he asked suddenly. He caught her off guard, and at first, she didn’t know what to say. But before she had the time to really think about it, she agreed.

  “The place is sort of a mess, but if you don’t mind that, then sure,” she said uneasily.

  “Great, I’ll be over before you know it,” he replied. She hung up the phone and sat back on the couch, wondering if it was a good idea. But when the doorbell rang not even fifteen minutes later, she flew to her feet and hurried over, ignoring the wave of nausea that washed over her once more.

  “You came,” she said, lacking anything good to say.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he took her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers, pushing her back into the apartment. She kissed him back, their kiss growing more urgent with passion as she fell backward onto the couch. As always, he supported her in his arms as he fell on top of her, kissing her with a growing passion.

  They tore each other’s clothes off, letting them fall to the floor. Chase unclasped her bra, releasing her huge breasts that bounced as he pulled her toward him. He grabbed her tits, squeezing her nipples and causing her to moan. Penny loved it when he did that, and she sat back on the couch, leaning her head back as he put his mouth to her nipples. She put her hands around his head, running her fingers through his hair.

  He pulled his lips free, then began kissing down her body, taking her pants off before crawling back up to meet her lips. She lifted her hips, begging him to enter her. Though it hadn’t even been a week since they had last been together, she wanted to have him inside her with such a desperation it almost hurt. Without a word, he lowered himself on top of her, thrusting into her with a stifled groan. It was clear to her how much he’d missed her, and with each thrust, she moaned and gasped, writhing under him.

  “Chase,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut as he pumped into her.

  “That’s it, baby, say my name,” he grunted, his eyes drinking in the sight of her breasts bouncing with each thrust and her hair fanning her pink-cheeked face.

  He continued to thrust inside of her, moving with a greater speed. She felt the heat building deep inside her body, and she grabbed onto him, sinking her teeth into his shoulder as she came, harder than she had come in a while. As the waves of ecstasy washed over her, she clung to his body harder than before, feeling him intensely as he thrust into her with a renewed vigor.

  He pumped himself into her a couple more times, then Penny felt the jump of his cock as he filled her up, dumping his load inside her. She sighed, holding him in her arms and kissing his neck as he slowly grew soft within her.

  Chase decided to stay the night, but Penny spent most of the night staring at the ceiling. There were so many thoughts running through her mind, she didn’t even know where to start. She was happy to be back with Chase, and she wanted to trust him fully, though it was difficult for her. She didn’t know if this was just because they missed each other’s touch or if he had truly come back to her.

  And she wasn’t sure how to ask him. She sighed as she rolled over, laying her head on his muscular chest. Then, all at once, a new thought washed over her, and she knew without a doubt everything was going to be okay. Perhaps she wouldn’t have Chase in her life or she maybe she would find that he was her soulmate and the two of them would live happily ever after.

  Whatever was going to happen, she was going to keep the baby, and she was going to make things work. She was going to pursue her dream of being a clothing designer, and she was going to be the badass mother while she did it. For the first time in her life, she had met someone who hadn’t shut down her idea as soon as she presented it, and she felt that she had a real chance of making it happen.

  She put her hand on her stomach with a sigh, thinking about what her first move was going to be. Then, as if it was inside her all along, she knew.

  She had a game plan now, and she was going to follow it. Everything would be okay.

  Chapter 19

  “I’m pregnant, but I’d like to still work here for as long as possible, really,” Penny said with a nervous smile. She didn’t think it was going to go well for her since she had called in the day before, and she didn’t think her boss was going to be too happy with the news of the baby.

  To her surprise, he seemed to be very supportive.

  “I’d love for you to work here as long as you can in good health. I don’t want you to feel like you have to push yourself or anything, however. I want what’s best for you and the baby both.” He smiled, and she looked at him in shock. It was the nicest he had ever been to her, and she didn’t know what to say. It was the completely opposite reaction she thought she was going to get, and she wasn’t sure if he was being genuine.

  “Are you sure?” she asked uncertainly.

  “Of course. You’re going to need the money, and I can sure use the help around here,” he said with a smile. She thanked him, but she didn’t know what else to say. It was so out of character for him, she didn’t know how to handle it.

  “Are you able to work tonight? Can you take over now?” Doug asked. She looked around.

  “Oh, I suppose I could. I wasn’t sure if you were going to want me in here on such short notice, but I can. You’re right about me needing the money. I didn’t want to take yesterday off, but I was just feeling like shit,” Penny said with a weak smile.

  “Of course, of course, take it easy as best you can. In fact, why don’t you take the corner on the far end of the place? You know that one never gets very loud.” He smiled, and Penny looked at him with wide eyes once more. This was so out of character, she didn’t know if she should thank him or ask him what was really going on. But, feeling as she was, she was smart enough not to question her good fortune and his gracious mood.

  She didn’t want to say anything that would piss him off and cause him to change his mind. The easier her night could be, the more she was going to embrace it.

  “I’ll get right to work,” she said with a bright smile, grabbing one of the aprons. “Who knows how long this is going to fit me anyway?”

  She tied it on, slipping out of her office and for the first time wondering if there really was something of a friendship between them. It wouldn’t be entirely impossible, but there had been so many times when she thought that he hated her, she would be more surprised by it than she could say.

  She headed out into the main area of the club and stopped, glancing around to see if there was anything else she could be doing while she waited for someone to come take her table. She decided to help Angie out with the bar glasses, and the two of them were soon chatting away.

  “How are things going with Chase?” Angie asked, wiggling her eyebrows with a giggle.

  “What? How do you know about that?” Penny asked.

  “Everyone knows,” Angie said with a laugh. “So, tell me! How are things going?”

  “I suppose you can say they are going well,” Penny said uncertainly. She didn’t want to go into too many details about it, not wanting the other waitresses to get in on the gossip. She knew that it didn’t take much for the others to come flocking around, and she didn’t want the fact she was pregnant to be spread around the nightclub yet.

  “I’m happy, he’s happy, and I guess right now that’s all that matters,” Penny said, trying to change the subject to something else. She didn’t know what else to say, but the way Angie looked at her made her feel rather uncomfortable. Suddenly, a group of men came in and took a seat at her table, and Penny excused herself.

  She recognized them as friends of Doug, but she didn’t point that out to any of them. She didn’t want to get on too familia
r of terms with him, and she worried the more she did, the harder it would be for her to get out of there when it was time for her to leave. She was going to go on maternity leave, and she knew Doug hated it when people quit, no matter what the reason. No matter how nice he was being today, that could all change tomorrow.

  The night started out smoothly enough, but it wasn’t long before things started to go downhill. The men were far too grabby, touching her when she tried to get their orders, making her uncomfortable every time she came around. When one finally slipped a twenty-dollar bill down her shirt, she gave them all a look, then she went to complain to Doug.

  “I saw what happened, and I’m far from happy about it,” Doug said coldly.

  “Do you want me to tell them to leave?” Penny asked.

  “No, I think the problem is you,” Doug replied in a clipped tone.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” she shot back in shock, her hands flying to her hips. “You saw what they just did to me!”

  “I saw you flirting with them! They are men, Penny, what the fuck do you think they are going to do when you are behaving like that in front of them? You are practically begging them to grab you every chance they get,” Doug snapped.

  Penny laughed in disbelief as she shook her head. She couldn’t believe he was going to do this now, and she was slowly beginning to suspect that he might have set this up on purpose.

  What better way to fire her than to get rid of her for behaving inappropriately with the clients?

  “You have nothing on me, because I’ve never done anything like that with anyone!” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “I want you to report those men or I’m going to do it myself!”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” he replied sharply. “If you are going to report this nightclub, then I will be more than happy to present the proof that you are the one who is engaging with the customers, and you aren’t going to turn that around on me.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? That’s never happened here with me, and you know it!” Penny snapped. She knew Doug could be difficult, but this was getting out of hand. She wanted proof, and she was convinced that he didn’t have any.

  “Alright, you want proof, well here’s your proof!” he snapped back at her. He turned on the security camera and punched in a few letters on his keyboard. She crossed her arms, waiting for something to come up for her to argue with. She didn’t know what he possibly thought he could have on her, but it was evidently something.

  Suddenly, her face changed as she saw her and Chase kissing outside the doors of the bathroom, right before he pulled her inside and out of view.

  “Do you want to tell me what was going on in there?” Doug asked, his face smug. Penny’s face told him everything, and he laughed.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so. But, as you can see, that is more than enough proof for what I’m saying to stand. If you want to take this to court, we can go ahead with that, but you are going to get laughed right out of the room.” Doug crossed his arms and gave her a smirk, and she shook her head.

  “This is bullshit,” she snapped as she turned around and headed for the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Doug asked, stopping her. She turned around.

  “I’m going to go finish this fucking shift so I can get home,” she snapped back.

  Doug laughed and shook his head, causing her to turn back around and cross her arms, waiting for him to explain himself once more. She hated it when he dragged things out like this, but she knew that he enjoyed doing it, and he was going to milk this up as much as he could.

  He liked having all the power and information, and until he finished, she was going to be stuck there waiting for him.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked impatiently. She wasn’t going to stand there and be laughed at, and if he wasn’t going to tell her, then she was just going to go home.

  “You’re crazy if you think you’re going back out there after what you just tried to pull with me!” he snapped. She had been smirking, waiting for him to antagonize her, but the smile faded with his words.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, this time her tone meeker than it was before.

  “I mean, Ms. Connor, that you’re not going back out into that lobby. You’re fired. Effective immediately.”

  Chapter 20

  “Come on, pick up the phone!” Chase muttered as he tried to call her once again.

  It had been four days since he had last spoken to Penny, and he didn’t understand why she had just disappeared again. It didn’t make any sense.

  He had gone over to her house the few days before, but after sleeping together and spending the night with her, he had thought that things were going to get better between them once again. Chase thought that he had her back. But she vanished on him shortly after that.

  She had told him that she was going to get things sorted out with her job, and she’d even told him that she was going to contact him after she had. But, with all the time that was passing, he was beginning to worry she had just said all that to get him off her back.

  Finally, he decided he was going to stop by her apartment and see how things were going. At the very least, she could tell him what was going on.

  But when he drove by, he couldn’t see her car out front. In fact, it looked as though the entire place was dark on the inside. He knew he had to be careful. He didn’t want to look like he was trying to break into the place, but he did want to see her. With his frustration mounting, he called her landlord.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, hi, Mr. Eastor, I’m looking for someone—my name is Chase Ellis, and someone that I love was living here, but it seems that she’s missing,” Chase said. He didn’t know how to say it, and he didn’t want to sound too panicked, but he was worried about her.

  “Who are you looking for?” Mr. Eastor asked.

  “Penny Connor,” Chase replied.

  There was the sound of papers being shuffled around on the other end of the line, then he got back on. “I’m sorry, but Ms. Connor moved out two days ago. She didn’t leave a forwarding address with us.”

  “Thank you for your time,” Chase said after a moment of hesitation. He wanted to grill the man further and find out whatever he knew, but he also knew that he wasn’t going to get anywhere doing that. There was no way they would be able to legally tell him where she had gone even if they knew where she was headed, and he didn’t want to get in trouble trying to get that information out of him.

  With a sigh, he decided he was going to go to the one person who kept even stronger tabs on her than he did. Her boss, Doug.

  “Chase Ellis! What can I do for you?” Doug asked jovially as he stepped into his office. Chase had been admitted right away, but he didn’t spend any time with formality with the man. He didn’t like Doug, and he never had, and he wasn’t going to pretend to be his friend just because he wanted to know what happened to Penny.

  “I’m looking for someone,” he said shortly.

  “Well, you’ve come to the right man. I can tell you the whereabouts of most people in this town. That is, most people of importance. If there is someone you need found, I can get you in touch with the right people to find them.” Doug leaned back in his chair with a grin, and Chase felt disgusted. He got the impression this man knew exactly who he was looking for, but he was going to play around.

  It was just like something he would do, and though it aggravated Chase, he was going to stay cordial. He had long since learned with his dealings with the man that it was far easier to do that than to try to drag any sort of information out of him through force. Chase had learned that the more he tried to act like he wanted information, the more the man was going to hold it back.

  “Can you tell me where Penny Connor is? I know she was working for you, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of her recently, and I’m worried that something has happened to her,” Chase said. He was careful with what he said to Doug. Doug was on
e of the many people Chase didn’t trust, and he wasn’t going to say anything that could put Penny in any kind of danger.

  Doug took in a deep breath then let it out again slowly. “You know, Penny was working here, but as it turns out, she was being a little too friendly with the clients who were coming through, and I just couldn’t keep her on any longer.”

  “What do you mean she was being too friendly? From all the times I was in here, it seemed to me that the clients were the ones who were being too friendly with her, and she didn’t want any part of it,” Chase replied coolly. He could sense there was something going on, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

  “Well, for one, she’s pregnant. Now, I’m not the kind of man to get involved in people’s personal lives, but I know all the women who work here really well, and I know she wasn’t seeing anyone privately. My point being that there is evidence in the security footage that she was getting a little too close to some men, and you know, I can’t have that sort of thing here.” Doug clasped his hands and leaned forward on the desk.

  Chase blinked. Pregnant? Penny was pregnant? That couldn’t be possible…she had to have been on birth control. Why didn’t she tell him? Unless…was it not his? No, he couldn’t go down that path. He just needed to find out what Doug was talking about and where she was. Chase rose to his feet.

  “Show me that footage!” he snapped.

  “I’m sorry, I’m not at liberty to do so. You aren’t a cop, and it is confidential information,” Doug replied with the same cool tone. Chase shook his head.

  “So, you fired her?” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You fired a pregnant woman?”

  “I fired a woman who was getting too close to the clients. If she wants to work at a place like that, she can go elsewhere. We are professional here, and I expect all my women to behave in a respectful manner.” He crossed his arms, sitting back in his chair and giving Chase a pointed look.

  Chase shook his head. He knew the truth about what was going on in the nightclub, but he wasn’t going to get into it with this man. He had more important things to do. He had to find Penny.