Playboy Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 3)

by Jill Downey

  He pressed a talk button on the steering wheel and said, “Call Faye.”

  Faye’s voice came through the car speakers, “The Pelican.”

  “Hey sis. Are you busy?”

  “Just Jesse, Ty and me.”

  “Can you put a ‘be back in an hour’ sign on your door? I’m bringing Penelope.”

  “Sure. We’ve been slow since we opened anyway.”

  “Could you throw a pizza in the oven?” He glanced over at Penelope. “Pepperoni okay with you?” She nodded yes.

  “Pepperoni, please.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah we’re on our way, see ya in five.”

  “They don’t have to go to all that trouble,” Penelope said.

  “Are you kidding me? My sister is probably flipping out as we speak.”

  “I really liked her place.”

  “Yeah they’ve put a ton of work into it. When my sister bought it last year, it was an old dilapidated building. At one time, it was the favorite dive bar of the locals. Faye and Jesse, her fiancé, have brought it back to life.”

  The large brightly-colored Pelican on the roof of the bar was an inviting touch. He pulled right up to the entrance and hustled her inside, locking the door behind them. She remembered the tall willowy blond from the night she’d been in. Faye hugged Griffin then turned to greet her.

  “So glad to get to properly meet you,” Faye said.

  “Me too.”

  “I’m sorry if I’m a little star struck. I’ve loved all of your films. Not to sound too cliché, but I’m a huge fan.”

  A gorgeous guy with a mop of coppery brown hair and eyes the most unusual whisky color she’d ever seen, came out from the back room drying his hands on a bar towel.

  “This is Jesse, my fiancé,” Faye said shyly, reaching for his hand. “I’m still not used to calling him that.”

  “Hi, I’m Penelope,” she said.

  “I can’t wait to write in my diary tonight,” Jesse said, flashing a wide friendly smile.

  “I’m sorry Griffin sprung this on you both.”

  “Don’t be. We’re thrilled to have you. I feel a little embarrassed serving you a frozen pizza, but my chef doesn’t come in until five,” Faye said, flustered.

  Penelope laughed. “I don’t mind. I eat frozen pizza all the time.”

  “Yo!” They all turned as Faye and Griffin’s nephew Ty came in. He was lugging a keg of draft beer to switch out, bare-chested, his ripped body and tribal ink displayed in all its glory.

  “Hey Ty,” Griffin said. “I’ve got someone you might like to meet.”

  He loped over and stopped like he’d been hit with a stun gun. “No fucking way!”

  “Ty, meet Penelope Winters.”

  “Dude, this isn’t happening.”

  “This is our nephew Tyler.”

  Penelope took off her sunglasses and smiled into his eyes. “Wow, Ty. Have you thought about a career in film or modeling?”

  He straightened and puffed out his chest a little, “That’s what my girlfriend Addison is always telling me.”

  “If you’d be interested in a walk-on part with no lines, I know we need some extras. That goes for all three of you.”

  “That would be sick! What about my girl?”

  “Sure, it would just be a bar scene or a crowd, but it would give you a taste.”

  “Hell yeah…that is if my boss will let me off.” He raised his eyebrows at Faye.

  “Like I can ever say no to you.” She rolled her eyes and looked at Penelope. “He has me wrapped around his little finger.”

  “That’s what aunts are for, right Ty?” Penelope said, winking at him.

  He clutched his heart dramatically and took several steps back. “Is this really happening?”

  “You’re a clown, you know that?” Jesse playfully pushed Ty as he walked toward the kitchen. “I’m going to make sure the pizza isn’t burnt. Get that keg switched out, Ty.”

  “Can I get a selfie with you before you leave?” Tyler asked her.

  “Yes. Only if you share it with me. By the way I love your ink!”

  “Thanks,” he beamed.

  Faye said, “Where are my manners? What would you like to drink? Griffin you want to sit outside on the deck?”

  “Yes. Perfect.”

  “Go on out, I’ll get your drinks.”

  “I’ll have a Heineken,” his hand rested in the curve of Penelope’s back, just below her waist. “What would you like?”

  Her cheeks grew warm and her skin burned where he touched her. It felt so natural…warning…warning…little alarm bells started going off in her head. She cleared her throat and slipped her sunglasses back on.

  “I’ll have a vodka and tonic please…with a twist of lime.”

  “Go sit, you two, I’ll be right out with those.”

  Griffin led her to the deck adjacent to the marina and they sat at a table big enough for all of them. Penelope looked around, “This is really nice. I didn’t get to fully appreciate it the first time.”

  “Yeah, my favorite drinking hole.”

  “You’re so lucky to have family.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Nope. My mom passed two years ago, and my dad has never been in the picture. No siblings.”

  “I’m sorry.” He covered her hand that rested on top of the table and unconsciously stroked it with his thumb.

  She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “I am too. I miss her.”

  “We were raised by nannies and boarding schools, but my brother and sister were always there for me. My parents not so much. How’d your mom die…” Seeing her pained expression he quickly said, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s okay, it’s probably good for me to talk about it. I tend to bottle everything up. She died of breast cancer. She was only fifty-four.”

  “That really sucks.”

  Faye set their drinks and plates down and plopped in a chair next to Penelope. “How do you like our little seaside town?”

  “I honestly haven’t explored much. It becomes a bit of a management problem at times.”

  “That would be so hard. The loss of freedom.”

  “It is. Nobody can prepare you for it.”

  “Did you always want to be an actor?”

  “Yeah. I just didn’t know there would be such a big price to pay. I’m really not complaining though. It has certainly given me many opportunities most people don’t get.”

  “Am I really sitting here having a normal conversation with Penelope Winters?” Faye said laughing.

  Jesse appeared with their pizza and sat down next to his fiancée, planting a sweet kiss on her lips.

  Penelope felt a yearning that she quickly tamped down. It wasn’t her destiny. The natural gifts that had been bestowed upon her were also the very things that kept her from finding her one true love. It was a trade-off, but it had to be enough. She’d thought she’d found it twice and both times she’d been gutted.

  She had vowed to herself after Noah that she’d focus on herself and her career and be thankful for what she had. If she had an occasional twinge of longing, that was only to be expected. She’d learned the hard way that most men weren’t to be trusted or counted upon.

  She concentrated on managing the cheese that was scalding her tongue and let the warm glow of conversation and alcohol numb her to the niggling voice reminding her of how lonely her life was.

  They rode home with the windows down and the song “Capital Letters” by Hailee Steinfeld and Blood Pop blasting through the speakers. Penelope danced in her seat, singing along. “But then there was you…coming out of the crowd.”

  “I love this song,” she yelled over the music. “The sound system is amazing,” Penelope said. When he smiled at her like that, she melted a little more each time.

  “It’d better be,” he said, laughing.

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, “Thank you.”

  “The pizz
a wasn’t that good.”

  “It wasn’t that bad either. This was exactly what I needed after my run-in today. To be around normal people having normal conversations.”

  “If you can call any of us normal. Ty just about lost his shit over the selfie. Thanks for being so generous.”

  She leaned her head back against the car seat and studied Griffin’s profile, feeling the beat of the bass pulsating through her body like another heartbeat. His dark hair was a wild mess and she loved the afternoon stubble on his face. It made him even sexier if that was possible. His lashes were unbelievably long and when he smiled his eyes crinkled. Damn him.

  “Yes,” she yelled, trying to control her windblown hair whipping across her face.

  He turned to look at her, one eyebrow arched. “Yes what?”

  “Yes, I’ll go out with you this weekend.”

  “Hot damn. I knew Faye was my ace in the hole!”

  “As friends. I could use a friend.”

  “That’s as good a start as any.” He pulled into her drive and turned off the engine. He sat for a moment without moving, waiting until the song ended, then opened his car door and came around to her side. He bowed and held out his hand. “My lady,” he said comically.

  “And Stew said you couldn’t act.”

  “I’m crushed my lady. Remove thy beak from my heart.”

  “A Poe fan, no less.”

  “Not really, too depressing. Well this is it,” he said depositing her at the front door.

  “Bye, Griff, see you tomorrow. What time?”

  “I’ll pick you up at eight. Pack an overnight bag, just in case. Small planes are vulnerable to weather. You never know. I’ve been caught before.”

  She frowned, “We won’t get stranded, will we?”

  “I’ll check the weather forecast again before I file the flight plan, we should be fine.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “What should I pack?”

  “Pack a swimsuit, a change of clothes…wear a sundress, something casual.”

  “I can do that.”

  He reached out and ran his thumb across her bottom lip and her body responded like a thoroughbred at the starting gate. Pulse fluttering, lady parts throbbing, she turned and left him before she did something she’d later regret.

  18

  Griffin had completed his preliminary safety inspections and checklists and was waiting to be cleared for takeoff. Penelope was strapped in next to him, tantalizingly close and cozy in the small cockpit of his four-seater Cessna 172. He glanced over and their gazes locked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. They both had on their headsets with mics, which allowed him to communicate with both air traffic control and with her.

  “Have you ever flown in a single-engine?” Griffin asked.

  “No. I’m so excited.” Her voice sounding slightly tinny through his headset.

  “You’ll feel more turbulence, so don’t freak out.”

  “I won’t.”

  “I’ll do my best to make the trip as smooth as I can.”

  The headsets crackled as messages were relayed. He smiled when he was finally cleared for take-off. “Just sit back and enjoy the view. Nothing beats it.”

  “I’ve never been to Savannah before,” she held up her index finger, “however I want you to know that I did read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. That has to count for something.”

  He smiled, “We’ll be there in about forty-five minutes tops.”

  His hands skimmed confidently over the controls, his movements fluid and sure. The smaller planes were much louder than commercial jets, but the headsets buffered much of the noise. Once they were cruising, Penelope gazed out the window like an excited child. She laughed out loud when he banked the plane so she could get an even better view of the coastline.

  He was happy that they had such great weather; the views from this altitude were stunning. Penelope’s eyes were glued to the window and she pointed out something of interest every other minute. The inlets and white sandy beaches, the water sparkling like diamonds, the waterways, were all amazing to see from the air. It was magical.

  “This is great! The rivers are amazing, all that lush vegetation surrounding them…so green,” she said. Her enthusiasm was contagious and reminded him of how jaded he’d been feeling lately.

  “Our company has a private jet and I’ll choose this every time if the distance allows it. This has a four-hour fuel capacity. It’s like a road trip only in the air.”

  He was acutely aware of Penelope’s every movement. The cockpit was a tight fit and their thighs kept brushing against one another. Her smooth bare legs had him itching to reach over and feel just how soft they were.

  The thin strap of her sundress had slipped down one shoulder. The back of his hand brushed up her arm and he hooked a finger underneath and pulled it up. When she moved, he caught tantalizing glimpses of her cleavage.

  He liked this view even better than the one out the window. She had pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and as far as he could tell she had worn minimal makeup…if any. She didn’t need it. She took his breath away. He couldn’t wait to show her Savannah and was grateful that he had her all to himself for a whole day.

  The landing was textbook perfect and in no time at all they were parked in the small aviation airport hangar and loading their totes into the rental car waiting for them.

  Penelope seemed different somehow…lighter…free…Happy. He hadn’t really noticed until now, but she usually seemed subdued on set. The contrast was breathtaking. Her face animated, her smile frequent and dazzling, her laughter sexy as hell. His heart felt like it was lodged in his throat, touched by her childlike delight. He wanted to show her how to play, how to have fun, make her laugh.

  “I don’t know about you but I’m starving,” Griffin said.

  “Me too.”

  “I have a great little place lined up for brunch. A chef friend of mine owns it. It’s a Michelin-star restaurant. You won’t find better food in the world than you will here in Savannah.”

  “I believe you. What are we waiting for?” She flashed him a wide grin. He put the convertible Porsche Boxster in gear and sped off.

  Griffin regaled her with some of Savannah’s rich history and pointed out historical points of interest as they wound through the old city.

  “It’s really beautiful. I love the Spanish moss and all the old statues. It’s so mysterious. Makes me believe in ghosts.”

  “Is that even a question?” he said laughing. “They even offer ghost tours here.” He loved the way her nose crinkled when she smiled at him. “After breakfast we can do the walking tour if that sounds good to you. Then we’ll head on over to Tybee Island for some beach time. You know that’s where they filmed The Last song?”

  “I remember hearing that.”

  “You know what happened during the filming?” He winked at her. Her cheeks turned pink. She obviously knew he was referring to the love affair between the co-stars. He found an empty spot and parallel parked in front of a beautiful old red brick building. “Here we are.”

  The landscaping around the restaurant beautifully incorporated statues and a fountain with Koi fish swimming lazily at the bottom of the pool. The zinnias lent a riot of color and the purple coneflowers had bees and butterflies sipping the nectar.

  He slipped his arm around her waist, resting his hand on the swell of her hip.

  “This way.”

  They walked up the cobblestone pathway and around to the back. A beautiful, covered courtyard with outdoor seating and not a soul in sight awaited them. Griffin pulled out a chair for her and said, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to tell Pierre we’re here.”

  “Okay.”

  Penelope took a long look around, marveling at how different the vibe was in the south compared to anywhere else she’d ever been. Her encounters since she’d arrived for filming had shown her that the southern hospitality, they were
so famous for was the real deal. As much as she could tell anyway.

  Her fame kept her apart and altered her experiences compared to what most people had. When she was in public, she often felt like she was looking through a glass window, with everyone else on the outside looking in at her. She could rarely let her guard down. Another reason why her Montana ranch was so important to her.

  She watched as Griffin approached with a man in a white double-breasted chef’s jacket. Griffin looked good enough to eat for breakfast, his faded jeans slung low on his hips with his white polo shirt tucked in. He hadn’t shaved…just the way she liked him.

  She bit her bottom lip when he threw his head back to laugh at something the chef had said. What was she doing here? This was a mistake that would cost her. He was way too desirable. Those annoying warning bells were going off in her head again like a fire alarm.

  “Penelope, this is Pierre. He and my mom knew each other back in the day, before they both moved to the States,” Griffin said.

  “Mademoiselle Winters, my pleasure,” he said, in a heavy French accent. He leaned over her hand, planting a kiss on the back of it.

  “So nice to meet you Pierre.”

  “When Griffin called to request a private dining experience, it was my profound pleasure to prepare a meal for such an honored guest.”

  Eyes wide, she put a hand to her throat. “Private?”

  “Oui, Mademoiselle, I must return to the kitchen to put the finishing touches to your brunch.” He bowed then backed away, leaving she and Griffin alone again.

  “Griffin, this is way too much. You really shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”

  He sat back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head, giving her a great view of his muscular arms. As if she needed to be reminded. A sudden flash of their on-set lovemaking flitted through her mind and she felt her face heat up.

  “Well, have I impressed you yet?”

  “Griffin, I don’t want to lead you on…friends remember?”

  “I remember, but I don’t believe you. I think you want me as much as I want you…which by the way, is a hell of a lot.”

  “Even if I were ready to start something, which I’m not, you’re too big a risk. You’re a player, Griffin.”