I had married my college sweetheart out of nowhere in order to secure a crazy deal to get the Peppertree and to give Chase an heir. That was insane. So who was I to judge other people for dating their coworkers? As far as I was concerned, love was the most beautiful and elusive thing on the planet, and if you were lucky enough to find it wherever it showed up, then you might as well grab it and hold it close for as long as possible, regardless of circumstances.
“Hey, what’s all this?” Beverly was asking. I looked over to see a couple of the kitchen staff members walking in carrying a few bottles of what looked like fancy champagne. Beverly glanced over at me with an eyebrow raised. “You sure you should be drinking bubbly in your current condition?” she asked pointedly.
I laughed and walked over to take one of the bottles and hold it up. “It’s sparkling apple cider, Beth. Calm down. I’m not going to chug a bottle of Prosecco, okay? Chase gets champagne, and I get Martinelli’s,” I giggled.
She blushed and smiled in relief. “Phew. I was a little worried there for a second.”
“Alright, Dr. Howser, you’re off-duty. I think Haley knows what to do and what not to do perfectly well on her own,” Kat teased. She nudged Beverly’s shoulder playfully and she stuck out her tongue in response. The two girls started helping the kitchen staff carry in the massive platters of food. My jaw dropped as I watched the procession. Chef Louis and Lauren brought up the rear of the little parade, and Lauren was glancing up at the Frenchman adoringly. She was still a little starry-eyed about getting to work with such a famous culinary master.
“Uh, guys? You do realize it’s just two people who are supposed to be eating all this, right? This is enough food for twelve, not two,” I remarked.
“No, not two. Two and a half,” Lauren corrected. She gave me a wink directed toward my belly. I shot Kat a scandalized look.
“Geez, Kat, did you tell absolutely everybody? It’s supposed to be a surprise. It won’t be much of a surprise if Chase gets here and someone blurts it out before I get a chance to,” I pointed out.
Kat blushed and shrugged. “Sorry. I’m just really excited. You know that’s going to be the most adorable baby the world has ever seen, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen your husband. Those cheekbones could cut glass,” Lauren remarked.
“And you’re stunning, of course,” Beverly added.
“Thanks, guys. But just… don’t let the cat out of the bag too soon, all right?” I sighed.
“Our lips are sealed,” Kat piped up, making a zipping gesture across her mouth.
Just then, my phone chimed to let me know I had received a text message. There was a collective gasp from everyone and I laughed as I checked my phone. My heart skipped a beat and I announced, “Okay! He’s in the taxi on his way up the mountain. He’ll be here any minute now! Everybody, scatter! Go back to what you were doing before. I don’t want anything to stand out until he gets all the way up here.”
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Kat gushed. “I don’t know if I can keep a straight face.”
“Come on,” Beverly said, linking arms with her. “I’ll go downstairs with you and help you maintain your composure when he walks in. Good luck,” she added to me with a wink.
“Thanks, everyone. Sincerely,” I told them all. Everybody nodded and hurried off back to their usual positions so Chase wouldn’t be tipped off about the surprise.
I fretted over some petty details on the table and took a minute to spiff up my hair and makeup in the bathroom. I was wearing the same white dress Chase had gifted me before our reception in Chicago, and as I looked in the mirror it hit me that this might be the last time for a while that I would be able to fit in it. The ribbon-tied waistline might not suit me for the next nine months, I thought. That image filled me with so much excitement and joy that I nearly burst into happy tears, but I forced myself to calm down.
About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the door and I rushed to answer.
“Hi, baby,” Chase greeted me. He was holding a bouquet of lilies, my favorite flower, and he instantly pulled me into a tight hug. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. “God, I have missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I murmured into his powerful chest. This was where I felt the safest and happiest, locked away in Chase’s strong arms. Nothing could hurt me here.
“Oh, hey. What’s all this?” he asked suddenly, peering around me to look at the dinner table laden with elaborate dishes. I grinned up at him.
“Happy anniversary!” I wished him, standing on tiptoe to kiss him.
“This is amazing, sweetheart. But that’s a lot of food.”
“I know, Chef Louis went a little bananas,” I laughed. “Do you want to sit down and start making a dent in it before it gets cold?”
“Yes, actually. I’m starving,” Chase agreed. We sat down to dinner and spent the next hour and a half eating and talking. He told me all about his success over in San Francisco, about how all he had to do was mention to the seller that he was the co-proprietor of the Peppertree Resort and the seller immediately agreed to the deal.
“Wow, I didn’t realize we had that level of clout,” I confessed.
“Oh yes. I get calls about the Peppertree constantly. My clients keep asking me to give their properties ‘The Peppertree Treatment’ and asking to see photos and blueprints of the designs. I can’t wait until you can start going to these meetings with me, Haley, since you’re the mastermind behind it all,” he complimented.
“Well, thank you, but you know none of it would have been possible if not for your help. You’re the one who made it happen,” I told him honestly.
Chase grinned, taking a sip of his champagne. “Well, we are a fantastic team. In more ways than one,” he added flirtatiously. Then he gestured at my glass. “What are you drinking? It certainly doesn’t look like champagne.”
“Oh, this? It’s just apple cider,” I answered simply.
He frowned slightly. “Why? I thought you loved champagne. Aren’t we celebrating?”
I bit my lip. It was time to break the news. My heart was pounding as I slowly got up and retrieved a little wrapped present from the coffee table and brought it over to Chase.
“What’s this? I thought we agreed we weren’t going to give gifts,” he noted.
“Just open it,” I urged him, taking the seat beside him.
He looked mildly suspicious, but he began to unwrap it anyway. When he stripped away the paper and opened the box, his jaw dropped. He looked up at me with that familiar spark burning in his beautiful green eyes. “Haley, is this…?” he murmured softly.
I nodded. “Yes. It’s a pregnancy test. And yes, I sanitized the hell out of it,” I giggled.
He picked it up gingerly, examining the little window. There was a clear blue cross there.
“You’re… we’re… you’re serious?” he asked, almost breathless.
I nodded again. “We are. I’m pregnant, Chase.”
He threw his arms around me and kissed me passionately, cupping my face like I was the most precious item in the whole universe. “Sweetheart, this is amazing. I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it!” I told him, leaning forward to kiss him again.
“Well, it definitely won’t hold a candle to your gift, but I have to admit that I got you something, too,” he told me, taking a small box out of his coat pocket.
“So much for not giving gifts. We never do follow the rules, do we?” I laughed. I took the box from him and opened it to reveal a gorgeous, sparkling diamond ring. It was much smaller and more delicate than the massive rock he had given me last year, and tears sprang to my eyes.
“It’s exactly what I wanted,” I whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I know,” Chase replied sweetly. “I love you, Haley. Now and forever.” I slid the ring onto my finger and it fit perfectly. Chase stood up and scooped me up into his arms. So blissfully happy I could hardly think straight, I wrapped my arms
around him and kissed him as he carried me into the bedroom.
Thank you so much for reading My Playboy Fiance! Hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it. I have some special treats for you tucked inside this book.
My amazing friend and writer Nicole Elliot has a few stories to share with you, including Virgin’s Dirty Boss, which is ONLY available inside this copy! Can you believe it?
Keep reading for some spicy hot and super naughty reads. Don’t forget to click on the link at the end of the book to download your free copy of My 2 Cops.
Love ya!
Katerina
Virgin’s Dirty Boss
Virgin’s Dirty Boss
A Bad Boy Office Romance
By Nicole Elliot
Copyright
Virgin’s Dirty Boss
Copyright © 2017 Nicole Elliot
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places or events are entirely the work of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in piracy of copyrighted materials.
Warning
Warning: This book is SUPER dirty. I mean you saw the title, right?
It’s totally romantic and features a ton of sex scenes.
I hope you love it!
Nicole
1
Oliver
“We have to win the bid for this building, you got this?” I said in annoyance to the underling on the other side of the phone line.
I was going down the stairs of the said building in a hurry, talking over the phone with the real estate division of my company. I’d come here today to see it again, and now I was even more convinced in its high potential.
I was one of three partners in my development firm LQT, and I dealt with the purchasing of old buildings to renovate. The building I was currently interested in was another run-down building. It was historic and held a great value.
In its old glory days, this was a hotel—the luxurious Art Deco styled rooms attracted many customers—but the owner went bankrupt and his hotel went out of business. He moved away, leaving the building as it was and neglecting it completely over the next years. It was sad really, not for him, but for the building itself.
For many years, various companies had been trying to get this building as its district became wealthier and attracted more contractors. Thankfully, its owner had finally decided to put it for sale. Obviously, the news of this auction spread like a wildfire, and it reached media too. That was why I wasn’t the only one who was interested in this building. Currently, there were several other bidders interested and I knew I had to grab it before someone else got it.
I was on my phone for several minutes already, making sure we secured the bid. I just had to make sure nothing went wrong, but I was fucking nervous and desperate to get this building. I wanted to restore it to a boutique hotel for high-end clients, and I was sure this would bring our firm huge profits. The guys would love it and maybe it would be my turn to take a vacation.
“Yes, Mr. Talon. We are working on it,” the real estate agent assured me. “We will definitely offer the best bid.”
“Good. I don’t want to screw this up.”
I exhaled, which was something I did a lot when I was frustrated. I moved my hand through my short hair as my annoyance increased.
Shit. Why were there so many people who saw what I saw in this old building? Why couldn’t they move their asses to something else?
I exhaled again, still going down in a rush as my quick footsteps echoed through the empty building. This time the competition was high, and we had to take a risk so we could secure the bid. The amount of money was extremely high, much higher than the real value of this place, but in my opinion, it was totally worth it.
Many people couldn’t understand this, but there was just some pure beauty in transforming something old into new. Rebuilding was my passion, and searching for those kinds of buildings was like a treasure hunt for me.
Each one of these buildings had a much higher potential that many might realize, and this was their actual value—they had so much more to offer than it was expected. They were like hidden gems, providing money to only those who were smart enough to seize the opportunity when it came up.
Since I was a man of distinctive tastes and had a great talent, I was attracted to this line of business since the beginning of LQT. My other partners, Grant Lawson and Colten Quinn, never quite understood what was so special about these old, rusty places, but that didn’t matter. They believed in my instincts and decisions, because they had brought us millions so far.
Grant, Colten, and I met in the Army and became family. We were stationed overseas together and had a lot of time to talk. We soon realized we had the passion for the same line of business, but most importantly, we had the initial capital to start our own company. LQT grew a lot lately, and we were getting busier year by year.
Each time I started a new project I would get excited, but at the same time so easily irritated. There were lots of sharks in this line of business, just waiting to attack when it was least expected, and I always had to be alert. But with my military background, I could handle anything. Let those fuckers come.
“We will keep you updated, sir,” he said.
“Great. I’ll be waiting. Call me when you hear something new.” I ended the call.
This building wasn’t that spacious, but it had a lot of floors. Just as I put the phone into my pocket I finally reached the first floor, cursing the elevator that was obviously out of order.
I looked around the old lobby, already imagining the space after it was renovated and furnished luxuriously, hell yes this was going to be good. We had to buy this building, and I just wanted that bidding to be done and over with.
We would need to invest a lot of money into its restoration and hire the best interior designer to redecorate this place. We would have a lot of work to do, but it would be pointless to think about it now if we wouldn’t secure the bid.
No. We would secure that bid. I shouldn’t stress about it. I’d never lost a building before. I had a sense for purchasing, but I also got anxious easily, thinking about all kinds of negative scenarios.
I strode across the lobby, reminding myself about all the tasks I had to finish today, and I wasn’t actually paying attention to my surroundings anymore. As I rushed to the front doors, deep in thought, I ran into someone, our bodies colliding harshly. The impact did nothing to my strong body, and I remained in my place, but I couldn’t say the same for the beautiful woman in front of me.
“Uff,” she grunted as she struggled to stabilize herself, and my hand rushed to grab her around her upper arm and keep her on her feet. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
For a few moments I wasn’t even able to move, just observing this gorgeous brunette in front of me. Her green eyes immediately caught my attention. They reminded me of emerald, glimmering intensely and sucking me in, and I couldn’t look away from them for a moment. Shit.
Her heart-shaped face was framed with a bob that fitted her beautifully.
She was tall and thin, but she had slightly bigger breasts and curvy hips, and man, I just loved curvy hips. There was nothing more feminine than seeing those sexy curves on a woman you wanted to fuck.
Did I want to fuck her? As my eyes continued downward, sliding over her tight skirt and long legs, I realized that the answer was yes—I did want to take her to my bed. Her black suit was too serious for my taste, but it did nothing to hide her sexy body, and I wanted to rip it off her and reveal what was beneath it.
S
he shifted on her legs and snatched her arm away from my grasp. I hadn’t even been aware I was still holding her.
I finally noticed she was carrying a briefcase in her hand, and my senses switched into high alert. She had her business briefcase and attire, and she just came here. There was only one possible conclusion as to who she was.
She was definitely my competition for the bidding. Fuck.
Yes. She came here to inspect the building just like I did, so she was my rival.
Damn it. It was too bad, but she was unavailable. No matter how smoking hot she was, she was one of those damn bidders who wanted to take my building, and I wouldn’t let her do that. I’d actually wanted to say something charming to her and sweep her off her feet, but I couldn’t do that now that I knew that she was a bidder.
I brought my gaze back to her eyes, raising my eyebrows when I noticed she’d been checking me out too. Now that I looked at her face more carefully, I saw that her lips were drawn into a thin, disapproving line and her jaw was clenched tight. She looked serious and unapproachable, and I frowned in response.
My Playboy Fiance: A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance Page 19
