by C. M. Steele
Buying Love
Forever Safe Romance Series
C.M. Steele
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Copyrighted © 2019
All Rights Reserved
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Cover design: PopKitty Designs
Cover Image: Deposit Photos
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Jake & Jenna
Marry and have kids…that’s all Jake has heard from his family, but he’s too dedicated to work to find someone compatible. Yes, just compatible. He’s not into believing in love at first sight and doesn’t have time to test the waters, so he’s under the forever single status and doesn’t mind a bit. Then a business conference in Las Vegas changes everything.
Jenna just needs to stay afloat, but whatever she does has the stain of her mother’s mistakes etched on her existence. She’s taken by surprise by a pair of eyes staring into her soul.
When he tosses the offer of marriage and a baby for money, can she accept the terms?
Can their marriage work when it starts with a contract?
Chapter One
Jake
“Melissa, I’m leaving for the weekend. Is everything prepared for the inspection on Tuesday?” I ask as I pack up my things. I have a trip to Vegas for a tech expo that I’m not looking forward to attending.
“Yes, Sir. It is. You’re a perfectionist,” she reminds me with an air of annoyance. She’s been here for six months. The first five have been fantastic, but this past month she’s changed. I’m tempted to fire her, but I need her until this final build is complete at the very least. I’m starting to think she has a problem with working for a man that’s a decade younger than her. I’m only twenty-three, and many people around me feel intimidated by that.
“To get to where I am in life, you have to be. The possibility of starving can really drive a person,” I remark, smiling with my lips tucked in. Locking up my office, I wave her off. My flight leaves soon, so I need to move my ass.
“Sir, don’t forget your brother will be meeting you at the airport.”
“I won’t.” He’s the other half of the company and a big pain in my ass. I love my brother Jack, but he’s a big goofball. He’s two years younger, so Vegas seems more fun to him than it does me. I’m practically a fucking monk in my habits, and he’s picked up my father’s habits. Hopefully, he grows out of that shit before he gets stuck with a kid and an unwanted family like our father did.
I grumble all the way to my waiting car, hating how much I let my father influence my life. He’s dead now, and I should put the demons to bed with him. “Mr. Harrison, it’s not going to be that bad,” my personal driver says. He knows me well even though he’s only been working for me for a year.
“Thanks, Danny, but you know me. I’m all business.”
“Yes, so was I. Now I’m almost fifty and completely alone. It’s not a good thing.”
“Well, how come you haven’t called my mother already? We all know you want to talk to her again.”
“You all know that?” he exclaims as he pulls out onto the road.
“I may have my nose to the grindstone, but it’s kind of hard to miss.” I add, “Besides, both of you could use a little happiness.” My luggage is already in the trunk because Danny’s almost as fastidious as I am.
“Maybe, I’ll call her tonight.”
“Good. I’m sure she’s going to spend the weekend worrying about us. Well, at least she’ll be worried about Jack.”
“Yes, you are the steady one. You’d never do anything impulsive or crazy.”
“You’ve got that,” I chuckle, pulling out my tickets to double check the information. I’m so damn practical that I can’t even make it through a date. I’ve been on six in the past four years only to end the meal early because my work comes first. Sometimes I do get lonely, but then I remember that love is hard to find. It’s not like I can just run into it.
The rest of the drive is silent, and I’m betting it’s because Danny’s itching to give my mom a call. He was probably waiting for a way to bring it up. I cherish my mother, so I’d love to see her finally happy with someone who was worth her. Danny may be my personal driver for specific times, but he also owns the car service.
I get to the airport to see Jack waiting with his suitcase at the entrance. He knows I hate flying. “Thanks for meeting me here.”
“No problem. Unlike you, I like working from home.”
“Well, let’s go before it leaves without us.”
“Um…it’s our company private jet.”
“Whatever. Let’s get on it, so we can get to Vegas already.”
“I’m good with that.” He laughs as we board our private plane.
It’s luxurious, but it still doesn’t make me feel comfortable. I take a seat, ignoring the eagerly attentive stewardess and pull out my laptop. “So do I have to meet with the inspectors on Tuesday with you?” Jack asks. Tugging on his jeans after plopping down on the chair across from me.
“You don’t have to be there, but it does look better for both of us to be present. The building project should be fine, but you know how the city is.”
“I get you. I’ll be there in my finest suit.” I roll my eyes because I never saw him in a suit. He’s a tee shirt and jeans kind of guy even when he’s at the office.
“Yeah, that’ll be the day.” The stewardess comes back and hands him a beer. She asks me if I want anything. “A water.” She nods tartly, focusing her flirting for my brother.
“I’ll be wearing the same one I have to wear for this event,” he informs me, nodding with a grin.
I close my laptop in shock and chuckle, “I’ve got to see this.”
“Fuck off.” He takes a swig of the beer and then adds, “Besides, it’s yours. I stole it from your closet.”
There went my smile. I knew the bastard stole something from my place. He came to drop off the forms I had him fill out, but I was at the gym. Fucker. “At least I know it’s a great suit. Although, you better not fuck it up or it’s your ass.”
“Chill. If I mess it up, I’ll buy you two.” He shrugs it off like it’s no big deal, and it really isn’t because I have over two dozen suits.
“I’m holding your
ass to that,” I press my point, taking a drink of my water. It’s refreshing. It’s almost summer, and it feels like it. I sit up and take off my suit jacket.
“It’s not like we can’t afford it.” Yes, that’s one hell of a good thing. Finally, our lives have gotten easier. We’re so far in the black that we’re millionaires, and our stock is still rising. It’s been a long time since we had to eat Ramen on a daily basis.
“Damn right. Now that’s something to celebrate,” I cheer.
“You celebrate. Does that mean visiting one of those Vegas shows with a soda instead of water?” He likes to tease me about my stuffed shirt attitude, but my father messed with my head so bad that I don’t party at all—unlike Jack.
I’d been more affected by my father’s death because I saw him die naked in bed with another woman. While my mother was working to put food on the table, he was bringing women into our home and their bed. I’ve never forgotten his betrayal to my mom and the shock when she came home to another woman talking to the police.
The fact that we couldn’t make ends meet after all his debt and had to live in shelters and broken-down apartments influenced me to be the man I am.
It’s probably why I’m still a virgin.
“Don’t be a dick,” I mutter, ignoring that his words hit their target.
“Can’t help myself. So sue me.” He sticks his tongue out at me like he’s five instead of twenty-one, so I flip him off. “Now, excuse me because I have to get some work done.”
“What are you working on?” he asks, leaning toward me. With his beer in one hand and his other on his knee.
“I need to find a new assistant.” As my partner, he should be the first to know anyway.
He takes another gulp then says, “I thought you liked Melissa.”
“She’s been acting too weird for my tastes,” I confess, typing up the ad, I’ll be placing with the recruiting company I use. Although after three assistants in two years, they might not find someone who wants to work with me. I can be a dick.
He chuckles and sits back, polishing off his bottle. “Ah, so you’ve finally caught on. I was wondering if you’d notice she was a total cunt.”
“Don’t say I told you so,” I warn him. I’m not above beating his ass. It’s been a long time especially since he’s a cocky son of a bitch.
“Well, I did. Fine. Can I finally dig into her background deeper?”
It’s my turn to be surprised. “I supposed you already did that.”
“Nah, bro. You asked me to quit my shit, so I did. It’s shocking, I know, but you’re so involved in your work, you can miss everything around you.”
“Well, you don’t miss out on anything.” The guy who regularly comes into work wearing the same shit he wore the day before.
“Ha, I miss out on a lot, but I’m not the fuck up you think I am. I just don’t wear a suit, and I work for as long as I need to. I’ve had days where I don’t sleep.”
“Yeah because you’re out partying.”
“Bro, whatever. Get to work, you stuffed shirt.” He leans back and presses the button for another drink. I ignore him and get to work. There’s a lot to do in the next few hours before my weekend is swallowed up by
Just as I finish drafting some documents, I look up to find Jack sleeping with his feet up on the reclining seats. The plane is really luxurious. I do the same because I could learn to lighten up. I hit the button for the stewardess and ask for a whiskey neat.
I’ve finished my drink just as they inform us we’re landing. It took me the whole flight, but I have to admit it was good.
I kick my brother’s foot, waking his lazy ass up. “We’re landing.” He grabs his beer and finishes it, handing it to the stewardess who takes my glass as well.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Harrison,” she smiles proudly like she won me over before leaving us alone. Maybe I’m just such a grumpy asshole.
“Did you finish all of your work?” Jack mutters as he sits upright in his chair.
“Yes. I have to contact our lawyer, and then I should have everything squared away for the weekend.”
“Great. You need to lighten up—even just a little.”
“I’ll try,” I mutter as we jump into the limo scheduled for our arrival.
The ride to the hotel is uneventful until we stop at a light. I have this strange need to look at the bus alongside me, and when I do, I’m stunned by pure beauty. My heart’s thumping like it’s never done before. Not even when we were kids, living in a shelter, and I was frightened. I lower my window to get a better look. She has tiger-shaped eyes, but I can’t make out the color through the dirty bus windows. The limo drives away before I can get my thoughts in order to stop it.
I know that I have to find this woman. Something about her draws me in without a single word. I have plans for us that I need to get in order. I don’t care how long it takes, I’ll find her. If there’s such a thing as love at first sight, I’ve been one of its victims.
Chapter Two
Jenna
“Jenna,” my landlord calls out. I close my eyes and come to a complete stop. This can’t be good. I owe rent in two days, and I’m not sure I’ll make it. I get my paycheck tonight, but I’ll have to cash it because it’s Saturday, and the bank will be closed tomorrow. I don’t have direct deposit because I over drafted one time too many.
Spinning on my heels, I face him and squeak out, “Yes, Mr. Novak?” His jaw tightens because he hates when I don’t call him Dennis. I don’t want to be familiar with him in any way, so I always keep it professional. He’s as disgusting as the slum I live in. I can’t afford a better place with a decent owner, so this piece of shit will have to do for now.
He moves toward me, so I slink around him to avoid his body grazing mine, leaving him between me and the exit. Somehow, I’ve managed to trap myself. “Rent is due in two days, Jenna.” He says my name with a creepiness that has me rocking on my foot—ready to run. The man is in his late forties and chases any female tenant under thirty. It’s disgusting, but no one can report it because we won’t have any other place to stay.
“And you’ll have it,” I tell him, trying to leave.
I shimmy past him only for him to reach out with a firm hold on my wrist, making his threat. “Or you will be out. Unless...”
I yank my wrist away from his grubby hand, and bite out, “Excuse me, Mr. Novak. I can’t be late for work.”
I rush out to catch the bus to work. Once I’m at the bus stop, I see it coming. Thankfully I’m not missing the damn thing. It’s about an hour to the strip, but there’s not much else I can do for work. I can’t dance, so being a showgirl is out of the question. I’m about one more late payment away from going down the dark road of becoming a stripper…or even an escort.
How had my dreams fallen apart so quickly?
I get on the bus, giving Hank a weak smile. He’s my usual driver for the route and a lovely man. “Jenna, don’t look so down. You’re gonna catch a break soon.”
“I’m lucky I manage to catch the bus, but thanks anyway, Hank.” I clap his shoulder and take my seat in the middle of the bus with my book in my hand. It’s a medical textbook that I picked up in a secondhand store. I’m not a medical student or anything, but I like to learn.
I can’t afford much, so the thrift store is where I go for entertainment. My collection of books is downright obscene. I have more in my apartment than I have room for, and all different genres as well. I’d love to have a vast library like the ones only seen in old mansions.
It’s all a dream. For now, the only books I can buy are ones at the thrift stores. I’m nineteen and broke, but that’s what happens when your mom takes your social security number and destroys your credit history which stupid employers look at. I’ve been denied financial aid for college, and I can’t seem to make ends meet. I’m lucky I have a job and a cheap apartment. If I could move out of Vegas, I would.
The ride seems to last forever
. I can’t be late, or I’ll lose my job. I check my time, and I still have plenty, so I go back to my book.
We’re at a light when I see a limo pull up next to us. It’s nothing new here. Thousands of limos ride along the strip, bringing people to the casinos, clubs, and chapels, but there’s something different about this one. I don’t know who’s in it, but I feel a shift in me. Energy rushes through me as I stare at the vehicle.
Suddenly the window lowers slightly, and I see the most beautiful chocolate eyes staring through me. My heart thumps in my chest, aching in a whole new way, then the light changes and the magic is gone and so is he. The vehicle moves ahead as we make a stop. There are four limos together, and I have no idea which is his. Not that it matters. We were just two people passing in the wind.
Three stops later, I’m at work. I do my best to rid my mind of those sensuous eyes and change into my uniform. His sexy eyes are all I can think about. I will myself to get my act under control because I can’t afford to get fired.
“Jenna, what’s up with you?” Angie says, handing me a pitcher of ice water to put on the cart. I take it from her a little startled and then set it next to the others we’re filling.
“What do you mean?” I take another from her and set it on the counter.
“I mean you’ve been working on auto-pilot. You’re here but clearly not. Does this have to do with your shitty landlord?” She knows all about him. She’s the closest friend I have even though we don’t get together often.
“I didn’t realize I was acting differently. I’m just swamped,” I explain or at least try to act like it.
She presses her hand to mine, giving it a squeeze. “Sure. It sounds like something’s wrong. If you need to get out of there, you can move in with me. I’ve got a sofa, but it’s better than being on the streets.”
“Thanks. You’re super awesome, but I can’t take advantage of you.” As much as I’d appreciate her help, but I have to stand on my own.
