Playboy Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 3)

by Jill Downey

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t want to discuss this over the phone, but we must talk.”

  “When?” she asked.

  “I’m sitting in front of your house right now. I took a detour and came straight from DC.”

  This time she gasped, “How did you know where to find me?”

  “Penelope don’t be so naive, I’m a United States Senator. My assistant thought your message might be important; it was unusual to say the least, so he forwarded it to me.”

  “You of all people would know about my naiveté wouldn’t you Graham?” she said.

  “Let’s not discuss this over the phone. Can you come out to my car right now?”

  “I’ll have to make arrangements with my director first. Then I’ll throw on some clothes and be right out.” She hung up and called Stewart back. He was confused but agreed to work around her. She scrambled into her jeans and a tee shirt and grabbed the envelope with the photographs from her desk on her way out.

  She called to Dolly, “Guess who is waiting out front in their car for me…this very second?”

  “Griff?”

  “No, Graham Warren!”

  Her eyes widened in shock. “What? He must know something about the photos then.”

  “Yes, there’s something going on. Watch Archie for me, okay?” She asked, swooping him into her arms and kissing the top of his head. “Stay with Aunt Dolly and be good.”

  “What about work?” Dolly asked.

  “I called Stew. He was confused but understanding.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be safe with Graham?”

  “I don’t have much of a choice, but yes, I’m sure. But I’m glad I told you everything…at least someone will know who I’m with…just in case. But don’t worry.”

  “Yeah right.”

  She ran out the door and into the waiting SUV with the dark tinted glass.

  He looked as handsome as ever, just older, the gray hair only adding an element of authority, which certainly didn’t hurt his political image.

  “You still take my breath away,” Graham said, his dark eyes burning as he stared at Penelope. He looked hungry, there was no other way to describe it. “You’re even more beautiful now than you were back then. There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by in the last thirteen years that I haven’t wondered…what if.”

  She raised a skeptical brow. “You have no right to even talk about our past Graham. You broke my heart into a million pieces.”

  He reached out to touch her and she recoiled. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m going to drive for a while to make sure we’re not being followed. Then we can stop to talk.”

  Penelope had a sudden chill go up her spine and shivered, “Followed? What’s going on here Graham?” She rubbed her hands briskly up and down her arms.

  “I’m only being extra cautious. I’m not taking any chances. Are you okay?”

  “What do you think? No, I’m not okay!”

  “Stupid question.” They rode in silence, until curiosity got the better of Penelope.

  “Congratulations by the way. Wow, running for President, go big or go home, I guess. I always knew you were ambitious, but I didn’t realize how much. Was it all worth it then?”

  “That’s debatable. Speaking of big…what about you? Superstar. You’ve certainly done well for yourself. Of course, I’ve followed your career closely over the years. Is it everything you’d thought it’d be Penny? You had such big dreams.”

  “All I can say is that it’s a good thing we can’t see into the future or we’d never leave the house.”

  He laughed wryly. “I can vouch for that.”

  After driving for about a half hour, he pulled into a small rest area off the highway.

  “There’s a picnic table back by the tree line. We’ll talk there.”

  Penelope felt as if she was acting out a bad script as she followed Graham, who kept looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to pop out of nowhere.

  “As long as they didn’t slip a bug into our shoes or aren’t hiding in the trees, I think we’re safe,” she said, her tone snarky.

  “You sound cynical. Not like the girl I once knew.”

  “Guilty as charged. You may have had a little something to do with that.”

  “Penelope, I’m sorry. You asked if it was worth it—truthfully, if I had to do it all over again, I would make a different decision this time…many of them. I was already in too deep with three kids. I didn’t expect to fall in love. I never loved my wife. Ever.”

  “I feel sorry for her. She was the real victim here…not me and definitely not you.”

  “It was a marriage of convenience and opportunity. A modern day arranged marriage. She’s no victim. Don’t waste your pity. She wanted to please her daddy and she wanted a powerful husband. Her father had big plans for his future son-in-law. He needed me in power to push his own agenda. She might have fancied herself in love at one time, but by the time I met you, there was no love lost between us.”

  Penelope played with her watch, thinking about what he’d just revealed. In some strange way, it assuaged her guilt an infinitesimal amount.

  “I guess it’s never black or white, is it? In the end, we were all victims. You know Graham, I may not sound like it, but I have forgiven you, really I have.”

  “I’ve never forgiven myself. You were my one true love, Penelope.”

  Seeing the sadness dance across his face made her chest ache. She allowed herself a fleeting memory of their time together…before she’d found out the truth.

  “Well, let’s get down to business,” she said, handing her envelope to Graham. “I found these on set, in my dressing room. Someone had slipped them under the door.”

  His expression was disturbingly serious as he traded his pictures for hers. She flipped through them, confused. These were completely different shots than the ones she’d received. The content of hers had filled her with shame…these were like a knife in the heart.

  They all captured her and Graham at various stages of their relationship. Almost a montage, chronicling their time together from the beginning until the last photo of her, six months pregnant, swollen belly and Graham’s arm around her waist. One she’d seen before, so many years ago. That would have been right before she’d lost her baby. Unconsciously she held a hand protectively over her abdomen.

  Their eyes met, and he looked as puzzled as she felt. “Were these sent from the same person?” she asked. “Could it be just by chance that we both received photos for completely different reasons?”

  “Highly doubtful. And the timing is suspect…immediately following my presidential run? I don’t believe in coincidence.”

  “But why involve me?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “I’m scared Graham.”

  “I wish I could say I’m not shaken by this. For me, I thought it seemed obvious that I was being threatened by a political rival, but now? Why did you think to call me?”

  “I don’t know. I wondered if you might know something about it and I wanted to warn you in case they got leaked.”

  “There is something…” She pulled out one of her photos, the one of them on Rodeo Drive. “I never told you how I found out you were married in the first place. It was your wife. Emily confronted me with evidence of our affair. She had pictures. I have no idea how she got them. She threatened to expose me if I let on to you that she knew about us. This is the exact same photo Emily showed me when she confronted me all those years ago.”

  His brows drew together, “Emily? What?”

  She reached for another photo from his pile, the one picturing them together with her pregnant swollen belly. “She showed me this one too. Then she made me promise that I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “I’m supposed to believe that she’s known about us all along. For all these years?”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “And you�
��re sure these are the same photographs?”

  “Positive, I could never forget something like that, Graham.”

  “Jesus!” He raked his hands through his hair, then stood up and began pacing. “My wife has been adamantly opposed to me accepting this nomination. She doesn’t want the additional scrutiny that my holding this office would bring to our family. She has come to resent what she calls, ‘sacrificing her life,’ for my career.”

  “Could she have sent them?”

  There was a long stretch of silence before he answered, “Anything is possible, but isn’t it strange that all your pictures target your,” he cleared his throat, “Your…um…”

  “Just say it, me with my clients. And yours are all of the two of us.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Rather than gaining clarity, I’m more confused than ever. When we talked on the phone, I wasn’t completely honest with you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have a nephew, Emily’s sister’s son, who coincidentally is working on your film. He’s been facetiming us and I’ve had to suffer through hearing about you and my wife has never let on anything. She’s listened to him sing your praises without a hint of emotion.”

  Her eye’s widened in shock, “Oh my God! Who is your nephew?”

  “Ben Donavan.”

  “Ben? Are you sure he doesn’t know about us?”

  “I was before. He was just a kid then.”

  “But he is Emily’s nephew and has access to my room. As a matter of fact, he’s gone out with my roommate several times. Could he be using her to get at us?”

  Graham blew out a long breath, “I’ll have to question Emily and get back with you. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “If these photos get out, it will destroy your career and at the very least my reputation.”

  “I’m aware of that,” he said grimly. “I’ll give you my private number and you must let me know if you hear any more. Don’t let on to Ben that you know about his connection to me until I have time to sort this out. I’ve known Ben his whole life. He’s a good kid. I’m sure this is all innocent and nothing but a bizarre coincidence. If I’m wrong, he and my wife are the ones who should be on the big screen. They’d be up for an Oscar.”

  Penelope nodded her head, “I’ll go along with that for now, but don’t take too long. I’m worried about my friend. I really think I need to say something to her, at least.”

  “Can she hold a confidence?”

  “Absolutely. I trust her with my life.”

  “Do what you think you need to. I guess we should head back. My people are on this. I’ll stay in touch. Are you alright?”

  “Yes,” she said quietly, keeping her eyes lowered.

  “Penelope, I’m sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you…most of all, I’m sorry that I never got the chance to tell you how badly I felt that you lost the baby. I’m sure you were devastated. I never had any intention of abandoning the baby financially. I just wanted you to know that.”

  She smiled sadly. “Hard to believe our little girl would have been thirteen years old this November.”

  “Yes, it is. In some ways it feels like yesterday.”

  On the drive home, both were lost in their own memories and the atmosphere held emotional undercurrents of all the things left unsaid. The second the car pulled into her drive, Penelope said a brief goodbye and hopped out. Without a backward glance, she ran into her house.

  34

  A cacophony of people yelling and cameras flashing greeted Penelope as she was hustled from the SUV into the Butler House. She kept her head down and even with her sunglasses on and hair tucked up in a large floppy hat, they were neither fooled nor deterred.

  “Penelope how does Noah Davis feel about your relationship with your co-star?”

  “Penelope, does this mean it’s really over for you and Noah?”

  “Is it true that you got the part for Griffin Bennett?”

  “How does Griffin Bennett feel about sharing you with your last lover?”

  The guards formed a wall between her and the small crowd and after she made it inside, they locked the door behind her.

  Dolly rushed over, “Quite the welcome committee.”

  Rolling her eyes, she said, “I’ve missed them so.”

  “It was great while it lasted.”

  “Have you seen Ben yet?”

  “No. Don’t worry, I can fake it,” Dolly said. “I know he has nothing to do with any of it.”

  “I agree. I don’t think he’s behind any of this either, but on the slim chance that he is, we have to be careful.”

  “I know, I get it. Aren’t you shooting the boat chase scene today?”

  “Yes. We’re going over the scene in the conference room then we’ll caravan there. Security is tight and they have everything blocked off on the set.”

  “I’ve got my kit all packed up.”

  “I’ll see you after the meeting.”

  She hadn’t seen Griffin since he’d dropped her off yesterday and a flutter of anticipation had her belly doing flip-flops. He was the first person her eyes landed on and her breath caught in her throat. He was so damn sexy. His eyes were a deep blue today, bright and animated, he looked so happy. She smiled and he grinned back, nonchalantly stretching his arms over head as he tipped his chair back on two legs. She was unsure where to sit. Now that they’d been outed, it complicated everything. She chose a chair across from him, opting for discretion.

  She hated holding secrets from him. She had wanted to keep her past buried, but that was impossible now. Her history had finally caught up with her. She had to fill him in on what was going on. Would he understand? She hoped so. She felt eyes boring into her and glanced at Noah. He was glaring…as if he had every right to. Unbelievable.

  Stew said, “I’ll say one thing about the tabloid fiasco then we’ll move on. No one is to speak to the press about anything that goes on behind the scenes. No comment…burn that line into your brain. We want to contain this from becoming a circus. Everybody understand? If I find out there are leaks, you’ll be summarily dismissed. I had a small meeting with the rest of the crew this morning and everyone has been warned.”

  “It sucks that we have to deal with the fallout,” Noah said, arms crossed, glaring at Griffin.

  “Hopefully there will be little fallout.”

  “Yeah right, dream on. It’s embarrassing for me…makes me look like the loser,” Noah said.

  Penelope spoke up before she had time to think, even as the words left her mouth, she knew she shouldn’t have taken the bait. “Embarrassing? You’re embarrassed? What a joke! Getting a small taste of your own medicine. How do you think I felt when everyone but me knew you were sleeping around on set…behind my back? Embarrassed doesn’t even come close to describing it.”

  “Is that what this is then? Revenge? Penelope, you don’t have to do this.”

  “Oh my God! Could you be any more self-centered? Unbelievable.”

  “Enough you two!” Stewart said. Griffin’s jaw was clenched, and Penelope feared he was going to punch Noah.

  “Back to business. I met with the stunt men an hour ago on site and the extras in the next scene are already there. Griffin, your nephew Tyler is there going over his scene. I think he’s been bitten by the acting bug. He’s catching on quick. They’re going through the blocking right now.”

  “He’s psyched to say the least. Or as he’d say, he’s lit.”

  “Heads up, there’s quite a crowd gathered on the other side of the tape. The Yacht Club has been more than cooperative with security, but there’s only so much they can do.”

  “Good to know,” Penelope said.

  “A shout out to Griffin, our so called ‘novice’ actor. He’s a real badass. His rehearsal of this scene was spot on. We won’t need any body doubles for the boat chase until right before the crash scene. I’m proud of you. I wish I had your balls,” Stewart said, making everyone laugh. “Anybody h
ave any questions before we head over?”

  “Should we make time after the shoot to sign a few autographs?” Noah asked.

  “Up to you. The way it’s set up you should be able to do that safely from the Yacht Club parking lot. It’s all cordoned off, but you can mingle along the perimeter if you want to.”

  “Have to keep the fans happy,” Noah said.

  Under her breath Penelope said, yeah and your ego.

  “Okay, the vehicles are parked around back. We’ll meet and caravan as a group in ten minutes.”

  35

  Penelope loved action scenes. It was a pure adrenaline rush. She was glad that she and Griffin got to share this moment together. They were almost done filming. She couldn’t believe that they only had a few more scenes to shoot and that the wrap party was next week.

  Griffin’s eyes shone, he looked so confident…a man in his element. They had just filmed a shootout scene on the pier and now they were getting ready to film their getaway.

  Tyler rushed to greet them, his eyes blazing with excitement. “Griff, dude, are you going to be able to stick around to watch me do my scene?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Stew gave Faye and Jess permission to watch. They’ll be here any minute.”

  Griffin smiled affectionately at his nephew, “Stewart says you’re a natural.”

  Ty’s eyes widened, “He did? What else did he say?”

  “Said you were catching on quick.”

  “That’s dope!”

  “I’m proud of you Ty,” Griffin said.

  “You’ve been hanging out with Aunt Faye too much,” he said. His lips tugged up at the corners, a shy smile flitting across his face. A tell that he was uncomfortable with his uncle’s praise. “Griff thanks. I really appreciate you putting a good word in for me.”

  “I can say I knew you when. Just make sure you don’t forget about us when you’re a Hollywood bigshot.”

  “Man, you’re straight off the cob dude.”

  Penelope laughed out loud, “Ty, I love you.”

  He flushed and shrugged his shoulders, “Awkward.”

  She hugged him and said, “You’re just going to have to live with my displays of affection. You should be used to it by now.”