My Surprise Secret Baby (Romance Box Set)

by Lexi Wilson

  “Let me help you get these to your car. Where’re you parked?”

  I wanted to tell him that I had it, that I didn’t need some man’s help. But instead, I gestured to my ride.

  “The blue Kia,” I said. “Right there.”

  “Sure. Let’s go.”

  Together we made our way to the car. I opened the trunk and he quickly put the bags into the back.

  “Believe it or not,” he said. “It doesn’t look like anything got ruined.”

  “I think you’re right.” I was tingling, hot between my legs at the sight of him.

  What the hell was wrong with me?

  “Here,” he said, taking out his wallet and removing something. “My card. If you lost any groceries, just text me and I can Venmo you the amount. And sorry again for the bother.” He smiled. “Have a better one.”

  With that he was off. I watched him walk away, go back to the store. More specifically, I watched his ass in those tight jeans.

  When he disappeared into the store I looked over the card.

  “Nick McQuaid – Project Manager, Horvath Construction.”

  Now, I wasn’t exactly keyed-in to the world of construction. But even I knew the name “Horvath Construction.” It was one of the biggest firms in the country – it’s HQ was located in LA, which meant I’d had the “pleasure” of more than a few execs from them come in to my humble place of work.

  And if this guy was a project manager there, that meant he was likely worth quite a bit of money.

  It didn’t matter. The groceries were fine, and I didn’t have any reason to talk to him again. I got in my Kia, turned over the engine, and started off.

  But damned if I couldn’t get him out of my head.

  Chapter 4

  NICK

  I should’ve been in a more celebratory mood. But partying was the last thing on my mind.

  The limo was filled to the brim, me and Damon and a bunch of our friends, mostly guys we knew from Horvath, all loud and rowdy and drinking, ready for the night ahead.

  I was the one exception, of course. I’d been thinking about Natalie all day, the conversation we’d had last night. Hell, it’d been the reason I’d smacked right into that gorgeous woman in the parking lot – my mind had been a million miles away.

  “Come on,” said Damon as he scooted down the seat of the limo, LA passing in the window behind him. “You’re not still upset about that thing with Natalie.”

  I glanced over his shoulders, making sure the rest of the guys weren’t listening in. They weren’t – all of them busy shooting shots and sticking their heads out of the window, making noise and carrying on.

  “How can I not be?” I asked. “She wants to move out.”

  “Well,” said Damon. “Is it that surprising? Hell, the really ‘surprising’ thing is that she stayed with you as long as she did.”

  “Now, what’s that supposed to mean.”

  He raised his palms. “Nothing person, bud. Just that she’s a grown adult. Hell, she’s not just a grown adult – she’s well into her twenties. I know she’s been at school and kinda dependent on you, but you’re forgetting she might have dreams of her own.”

  “I don’t understand why she can’t follow her dreams or whatever while still living with me.” Then I cocked my head to the side. “And why the hell are you so eager to back her up with this shit?”

  “Not for the reasons you think,” he said. “Damon, I wouldn’t make a move on your sister without your blessing.”

  “A blessing you’ll never be getting, just so you know.”

  “Yeah, yeah. But all that aside, I just think it’d be good for the both of you to branch out.”

  “’Branch out’?”

  “Yeah! You’ve been spending the last decade and a half busting your ass, moving up in the world all the way to fucking CEO, and all to make sure Nat’s taken care of. And you did a hell of a job. She’s an amazing girl –an amazing woman- and she’s ready to take on the world, master’s degree in hand.”

  “But I still want to be there for her.”

  “You still can be there for her – just in more of a support role than anything else. Let her move into her own place with her friends so they can do the post-college ‘finding themselves’ thing.”

  I sipped my drink and sat back, shaking my head.

  “It’s…it’s just hard.”

  “I know,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “But it’s necessary. She needs to learn how to find her way in the world, and you need to do the same. You can’t make your whole identity being watchful big brother, you know.”

  Before I could say anything else, he reached over to the bar and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

  “And how about this – for tonight, as a little birthday present from you to your buddy Damon, just have some fun. I guess you’re over the whole ‘random chick’ thing, but cut loose for just tonight. Get some drinks in you and celebrate. After all, not only is it my birthday, but as of last night you successfully took care of your little sister, from her being a scared kid who’d just lost her parents, all the way to her being a brilliant, successful young woman who’s ready to make her mark. You ask me, and that’s more than cause for celebration.”

  He poured a couple of shots, handing one to me.

  “To the future,” he said, raising his shot.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “To the future.”

  We tapped rims and threw back our shots. Damon clapped his hand on my shoulder again and gave it a squeeze.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said.

  “You got it, bud. And happy birthday.”

  He flashed me a smile that sent the message he was most appreciative of my comment. Then he turned around to the rest of the guys.

  “Alright!” he said. “You boys ready to fucking party?”

  Booming cheers from the guys filled the back of the limo.

  “Hell yeah!” said one of them.

  “Where’s the first stop?” asked another.”

  “You guys know Diamonds?” asked Damon. “Because that’s where we’re fucking headed!”

  More cheers. Damon sat back down next to me.

  “You ready for some fun?” he asked. “I know you said you’re burnt-out on women or whatever, but you should see the girls at this place – the most beautiful in the city.”

  A strip club was the last thing on my mind. I’d been to more than my share when I was younger – plenty of them with Damon. And while they could be fun when you were a twenty-one-year-old making more money than you’d ever imagined, they quickly lost their luster when I realized they were total wastes of money – money I could’ve been setting aside for Natalie’s future.

  But it was Damon’s birthday, and I wanted to put on a happy face for the guy.

  “Let’s so it,” I said. “Let’s fucking party.”

  I put his hand on my upper back and pointed to me with the other. “You all hear that?” he said, yelling to the rest of the guys. “Nick’s ready to fucking party!”

  More cheers. The limo kept on through the city, eventually taking us to the bright lights of downtown LA, the illuminated skyscrapers towering over us. Diamonds appeared in the distance, the name written in cursive, purple handwriting, a neon diamond to the right of them. The parking lot was full of high-end cars, Diamonds being the sort of place where the rich liked to go to waste their money.

  And for that night, I was one of them.

  The limo pulled up to the front of Diamonds and the guys poured out. After security gave us the once-over, we were in.

  The place was crazy as always. EDM music thumped, purple and white neon lights flashed, and sure enough, on stage were a pair of some of the most gorgeous women I’d ever seen in my life.

  “Come on, dudes!” said one of the guys in our group. “We’re doing lapdances!”

  “You guys go ahead,” I said. “I think I’m going to have a drink and chill for a minute.”

  “I’ll come wit
h you, said Damon. “Let’s go.”

  He put his hand on my back, the guys crowding around the stage and sticking out dollar bills, Damon coming with me to the bar.

  “So?” he asked once we were seated. “What do you think?”

  Diamonds was packed. There had to be over a hundred guys there, all of them dressed to show off their money. Waitresses wearing barely anything zipped here and there, and the walls were lined with massive security guards, all seeming to be looking for an excuse to crack some skulls.

  “It’s Diamonds,” I said. “About what I remember.”

  He grinned. “What’re you drinking?”

  “Manhattan,” I said. “And you know drinks are on me.”

  “Let me get the first round,” he said. “Just a thanks for coming out tonight.”

  “Fine, fine.”

  Moments later a drink was in my hand. The girls on stage bowed as the DJ’s song finished, collecting their money as the crowd went wild.

  “Alright, gentlemen!” spoke the DJ, his smooth voice filling the space. “Our next little lady’s a real treat from beneath the waves. Give a big, rock-hard Diamonds welcome to Ariel!”

  More explosive applause erupted from the crowd, as if they all knew who she was and had been waiting for her to take the stage. Drink in hand, I leaned back against the bar and watched.

  A figure appeared behind the curtains, and even with only the silhouette I could tell her body was something else. She had wide hips, long legs, and perfect, round breasts. The electronic music picked up, lights flashing as the dancer, whoever she was, rocked her hips back and forth to the beat.

  My strip club days were long behind me, but something about this woman was enough to make my cock shift where I sat. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  “One more time,” shouted the DJ. “Let’s hear it for Ariel!”

  With that, the song picked up into the pulse-pounding chorus, the woman stepping out from behind the curtain.

  And I just about spilled my damn drink.

  Ariel –though there was no doubt that wasn’t her real name- was about the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. She was as shapely and curvaceous as her shadow suggested, but her face was really something else.

  She had a wide, white smile, a small nose, a perfect heart shape that framed her features. Her red hair came down in wavy curls, her eyes a sparkling, grass green.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  Ariel was dressed in a lacy white pair of thong panties, her bra matching. Over top was a sheer cloak, the lining a sparkling blue. She beamed a warm, sexy smile as she took the stage, radiating confidence and sexuality.

  I stared, leaning forward and not even looking down to sip my drink. She danced, swaying her hips to the beat, grabbing onto the pole and wrapping her legs around it. The woman put me in a damn spell, my mouth slacked open just a bit as I watched her every move.

  I wanted her like I’d never wanted any woman in my life – stripper or not.

  “There you go!” said Damon, slapping me on the back. “Told you you’d see something you liked.”

  But I didn’t say anything in response, keeping my eyes locked on Ariel, watching her sexy-as-hell body move and shake to the beat. She placed her hands on her shoulders, freezing in place with her hips cocked to the side, her hair hanging down over one eye and half her mouth, a smile still on her face.

  Then she slipped off the cloak, letting it drop down to the ground around her white high heels. The men in the crowd went wild, cheering and hollering at Ariel putting more of her body on display.

  A half-smirk formed on my face as I took another sip.

  There was something else to it. For reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on, Ariel looked…familiar. I had no idea where I would’ve met a stripper before, but I couldn’t shake the idea that I knew her somehow.

  Maybe it was just wishful thinking. I pushed the idea out of my head as Ariel wrapped her legs around the pole and let her back drop, the flashing lights showing off the toned muscles and ripe curves of her shape. Her fire-red hair hung down, that smile still on her face.

  “Allllright,” said the DJ. “Another round of the applause for the lovely Ariel! If you’d like the chance to get to know her up close and personal, let your waitress know. Ariel loves to meet up guests one-on-one.”

  That meant a lap dance. I’d never been into those, really. Why would I pay hundreds of dollars for a woman to rub her body against mine when I’d never had a problem getting that for free?

  But Ariel was different. A lap dance from her sounded like heaven. Not for the dance itself, but for the chance to talk to her, to…I didn’t even know what I wanted.

  Well, other than to have her naked in bed with me, of course.

  “You alright over there, bud?” asked Damon, grinning as he brought his drink to his lips.

  “Fine,” I said. “I think.”

  “You’re really sweet on little miss Ariel, huh?” he asked. Then he nodded toward the stage. “In that case, you might want to get in there before the rest of the guys pounce like wild dogs on a slab of meat.”

  Before I could say or do anything else, a pair of pretty girls in nothing but their underwear came over to me and Damon.

  “You boys interested in some company?” one of them asked.

  “Hell yeah,” said Damon. “What about you, bud?”

  But my eyes were still on Ariel.

  “What’s her name?” I asked, gesturing to Ariel, who was at that moment in the middle of trying to make her way through a crowd of men, all shoving bills in her direction.

  The other girl’s face fell, as if she was sick of the subject. “Didn’t you hear the DJ? That’s Ariel.”

  “Aren’t you more interested in the girls right here with you?” the other girl asked, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

  I wasn’t.

  “Come on, dude,” said Damon. “Let’s go find a booth.”

  “How about this,” I said, my gaze still fixed on Ariel. “You two give him a birthday dance he won’t forget – and it’s on me.”

  This suggestion went over well with all three of them. I took a few hundreds out of my wallet and placed them in the hand of the nearest girl.

  “Have fun!” I said, tossing back the rest of my drink and getting up.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” said Damon, putting one arm around each girl and leading them both over to the nearest booth.

  I hurried to the stage, Ariel still making her way through the crowd. The men in attendance were getting rowdy, each of them clamoring for Ariel’s attention.

  And they were getting wilder by the second.

  Ariel humored them at first, playfully wagging her finger in an “come on now, boys” kind of way. But the men didn’t ease up, forming a tight circle around her that she couldn’t slip through. I glanced over the guards, seeing that they were getting ready to move.

  “Alright!” I said, getting close. “Let the lady pass!”

  I don’t think a single person heard me.

  “Come on!” said Ariel. “Let me through, dumbasses!”

  The sight filled me with anger, made me want to grab the nearest one of those assholes and yank him aside by the scruff of his neck like a stray pup.

  I didn’t get the chance. One of the men, some drunk shithead, reached forward and grabbed Ariel’s ass, giving it a squeeze.

  What happened next happened fast.

  She turned, pure rage flashing in her eyes. Then she brought her hand back and connected it with the man’s face, the crack so hard and loud it rang out over the low din of music.

  “What the fuck!” shouted the man, his hand on his face.

  He raised his fist, but that was as far as he got. I rushed in and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back hard enough that he fell right down on his ass. Ariel snapped her eyes onto me, and the look on her face let me know she’d seen what had just happened.

  But I didn’t get a chance to do anyth
ing else. A pair of big hands came down on my shoulders, turning me around on my feet.

  The last thing I saw before getting knocked on my ass was the biggest fist I’d ever seen in my life, flying right toward me.

  Chapter 5

  ARIEL

  Relief washed over me as soon as I was back in the dressing room. Mike and Jack, the pair of guards who’d escorted me from the main floor, both gave me a look up and down once we were inside.

  “You good?” Mike asked.

  “Fine,” I said. “But that fucker who grabbed my ass.”

  “We’ve already got him out back,” said Jack. “He, uh, he’s getting a little lesson in treating ladies with respect right about now.”

  I’d been at Diamonds for long enough to know what “out back” meant – it was where the boys took troublemakers who’d overstayed their welcome.

  “Make sure he gets a kick to the ass with my name on it,” I said, running my hand through my hair.

  “Oh, no doubt,” said Jack.

  “But thanks guys,” I said. “I think I just need a minute or two to chill out.”

  They nodded before stepping out.

  Maddie was the only other girl in the dressing room, and she came over to me with wide eyes.

  “What happened out there?” she asked.

  “Something a pretty little thing like you’s going to have to get used to. You get enough horny guys together and they start acting like cavemen.”

  “Those guys were crazy,” she said. “I was watching it up from Lucien’s office.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Lucien’s office? What were you doing up there?”

  Maddie’s face turned a deep shade of red and she looked down, as if ashamed, caught in the act.

  “I was…I was talking to Lucien and a friend of his. They wanted to…” she trailed off, but Maddie didn’t need to finish. I knew exactly what she was referring to.

  “Listen,” I said, putting my hand on her chin and turning her eyes up to me. “Did you do anything yet?”

  She shook her head. “But they offered me all this money…”

  “It’s not enough,” I said. “No money’s enough for that. You need to make a decision, kid, because it’s only going to get worse. You can leave now, put all of this behind you. Or you can give yourself over to this place. And trust me, once you do that, there’s no doing back.”