Playboy Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 3)

by Jill Downey

  “We’ll hit you up after this scene,” Griffin said.

  “Places everyone, action!”

  Bryan grabbed Sydney’s hand and pulled her along. “Faster!” he said. She lost her balance and tripped, nearly falling. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her to his side as he pushed them forward. Glancing over his shoulder he spied two men coming towards them, guns drawn.

  “There’s two more, they’re close. The next boat on our left is mine. We don’t have time to fuck around Syd. Jump on.”

  He helped her onboard then untied the boat, throwing the rope inside the craft. He revved the boat and backed out before gunning the motor full-throttle, heading to open water. He couldn’t afford to look behind them.

  “Sydney, can you see what’s happening?”

  “Oh my God! They just threw someone off their own boat and they’re coming after us.”

  His face grim, he said, “Hang on. I’ll lose them.”

  He turned sharply and changed directions breaking all the rules as he went full speed in the no wake zone. He swerved around other craft, barely missing them as he and Sydney ran for their lives. The speed was dizzying, and Sydney had to hang on for dear life to keep from being thrown from the boat as it zig-zagged dangerously. Bryan’s hands gripped the wheel tightly and the wind whipped around him, almost taking his breath away.

  As shots rang out, he yelled, “Get down now!”

  Sydney hit the floor of the boat, crying and screaming at the same time, “We’ll never make it. My husband is too powerful. We may as well give ourselves up and be done with it.”

  Yelling over the noise of the craft and the wind, he said, “Easy for you to say. You’ll return to your gilded cage, but at least you’ll still be alive. I’ll be wearing cement shoes at the bottom of the ocean. Fuck that. Too late to turn back now.”

  “If you slow down enough for me to jump out, I’ll do that. They’ll pick me up and you can keep on going. Please Bryan. I can’t bear to see you killed. I love you,” she said, sobbing as more shots rang out.

  “We’re in this together. I love you too, only you.”

  The stunt man and woman who were doubles for Griffin and Penelope pulled up to take over for the rest of the scene and subsequent crash. The next scene would have some dazzling acrobatics with the boat jumping across land and landing safely back in water with a crash scene at the end. Way beyond what the studio would allow Griffin to tackle.

  Griffin’s stunt advisor Jeremy had coached him for the chase scene they had just shot, and he was beaming at Griffin. “You were just like a pro. Damn dude!”

  Griffin idled the motor to talk with them before the shooting continued. Penelope went to stand behind Griffin placing her hands on his shoulders. They hung out for a few minutes talking and laughing while the boat with the camera operators prepared for the next scene. The helicopter hovered over them waiting for the cue.

  The camera crew signaled they were ready for action. “Break a leg,” Griffin said as Jeremy sped away. Penelope sat in the seat next to him and propped her feet up on the dash lifting her face to the sun.

  “Heaven,” she said.

  Griffin said, “I’ll take it slow on the way back.”

  “You were incredible. It felt like we were shooting a Bond film.”

  “It could be addictive.”

  He looked so relaxed, with his designer shades and graceful movements. She’d never witnessed him off balance or awkward, all of his biomechanics were smooth and confident. Penelope couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was fit and tanned, strong and capable, and he was her lover. She was in deep…almost over her head if she were being honest with herself. Today was even more poignant because it was their last scene together.

  She sighed. It was time to have that talk with him. It wasn’t fair to keep him shut out. She had neatly compartmentalized her life, but she was no longer comfortable keeping secrets from Griffin. She didn’t know when it had happened, but they had somehow passed an invisible line…into what she wasn’t sure, but it was no longer in the casual zone.

  Taking a deep breath, she dove in, “Um Griffin, I have something important that I need to talk with you about. How about dinner tonight?”

  “What’s up?”

  “I really don’t want to discuss it now. I’d rather be alone, drinking some wine, just the two of us. Okay?”

  “Sounds rather mysterious, is everything okay?”

  “There’s something I’ve been putting off talking about. That’s all I’m going to say right now.”

  “My place then?”

  “That would be perfect,” she said. “Can I bring Archie?”

  “Of course. I need a little bonding time with my man.”

  “He’s definitely feeling neglected. After they drop us off at The Butler, I have to pick up a couple of things from my dressing room, then I’ll have my driver take me home to pick up Archie. Is there anything else you want me to bring?”

  “Your beautiful self, that’s all I need. I’ve got the rest covered.”

  He docked the boat smoothly and they jumped off; the crew took over from there. He slipped his arm casually around her waist and she liked the feeling of intimacy. They went to look for Stew and found him in deep discussion with Noah who was about to shoot a scene.

  Looking up Stew spotted them and called out, “Reports are you got it on the first take. Good job. You’re done for the day.”

  Penelope bobbed her head towards Griffin, “This guy’s a natural.”

  “I’m glad my instincts paid off,” Stewart said. Noah nodded his head in greeting and made a point of staring at Griffin’s arm around Penelope’s waist.

  “You’re both too kind,” Griffin said.

  “Your sister and Jesse are somewhere around here. Ty is about to shoot his inside bar scene.”

  “That’s where we’re headed now,” Griffin said.

  “Take good care of Ty, Stew. Break a leg Noah,” Penelope said.

  “Thanks,” Noah replied, his tone clipped.

  When they were a safe distance away, Griffin said, “Are you sure there’s nothing still going on between you and Noah?”

  “Are you serious? Why would you ask something like that?”

  “He certainly seems proprietary where you’re concerned.”

  “We were together a long time. I know he has feelings for me…and I’ll always care about him, but I’m not in love with him…if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “That’s what I’m asking.”

  “You don’t have a thing to worry about there. How about you? You’re used to variety, no strings, are you seeing anyone else?”

  He turned to her and pulled her towards him framing her face with both hands. He gazed intently into her eyes, “Penelope, there hasn’t been anyone else since the moment you scorched me with your fiery gaze and blew me off.”

  She smiled up at him, “I’m glad to hear that.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled his head down to meet her lips, “Kiss me.”

  “Tyler lit up the set. Not only is he drop dead gorgeous, but even with his few lines, he managed to pull me in,” Penelope said.

  Griffin shook his head, smiling, “I hope this doesn’t change his mind about college. He was higher than a kite.”

  They held hands as they made their way to the getaway van, managing to make it under the fans’ radar. The driver dropped Penelope off at the studio and took Griffin home.

  36

  Griffin opened the door to Penelope’s light knock and stepped back to let her enter. When she’d mentioned the talk, he’d felt a ripple of uneasiness. Seeing her worried expression now did nothing to dispel his anxiety.

  “Come on in. You look juicy.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He eyed her appreciatively. He liked the way the white tube dress hugged her curves in just the right places. Her toes were painted a bright pink to match her flip flops and her hair was falling loose around her shoulders. He wanted to touch her
soft skin, feel it against him. The sun had lightly tanned her skin; it was almost the color of pale honey.

  “Ready for that glass of wine?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I think I’ll join you. Why do I get the feeling I’m going to need it?”

  “I don’t mean to be so mysterious. I feel like I’m being cruel, it’s just a hard conversation for me.”

  “I understand, at least I think I do. Make yourself at home, have a seat here at the kitchen island. I’ve got most of our dinner pulled together, just have a few finishing touches.”

  The glass clinked as he set her wine on the granite in front of her. Leaning over he rested his hands on the counter.

  “What’s going on Penelope?”

  She took a big gulp of wine then coughed as it went down the wrong way.

  “I’m sorry,” she managed to choke out.

  There was something in her eyes tonight that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She was off balance, but it was more than that…fear? Embarrassment? Sadness?

  “Why don’t we eat first then have this hard conversation after dinner. Sound good to you?” Her cheeks turned pink and she nodded. He jammed his hands in his front pockets to keep from touching her.

  Returning to the salad he was throwing together, he added croutons and tossed it with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. As he carried it to the dining room table, he questioned why he’d even bothered with candles and soft jazz music. It felt off…didn’t fit the scene. Oh well.

  “Come on over and have a seat at the table. I’ll grab the bottle of wine then we can eat.”

  He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she sat. His desire for her hadn’t dissipated with time—in fact, it grew stronger every time he was with her. He not only wanted her, he felt fucking freaked out that he might actually need her.

  She played with the food on her plate, and as far as Griffin could tell, she’d only managed to consume a few bites. But at least she’d finished her salad.

  “We’ll just leave everything here, I’ll clear the table later,” Griffin said. “Let’s move outside to the deck.”

  “Okay.”

  The ocean breeze stirred her hair and she brushed it back. She looked so vulnerable and scared that all Griffin wanted to do was pull her into his arms. She rubbed her temples then took a deep breath, began talking, and the bottled-up words spilled out.

  Griffin sat back and listened to her pour her heart out. The more he heard, the more his body tensed. He was all over the place. Protectiveness, shame for being a man, sadness, helplessness, but the overriding feeling was incompetency.

  He was in way over his head. He wasn’t a psychologist. He didn’t have a clue how to comfort her…what to say. He was momentarily blindsided. He couldn’t care less about her history, but how was it that she was so afraid to trust him? How was it that all this had been going on and he hadn’t even had a clue? Was he really that self-absorbed?

  She got through it all without crying and maintained an impressively dignified countenance. When she was all talked out, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him, her eyes flickering with doubt.

  “Say something,” she said, quietly.

  “I don’t know what to say. It really sucks. You’ve been through so much. I’m really sorry all of that happened to you.”

  Her eyes narrowed, sensing something was off. “I didn’t tell you to burden you, I just felt like you deserved an explanation. It’s all such a mess.”

  He blew out a breath. “That’s an understatement.”

  “Thanks,” she said, grimacing. She began nervously toying with her hair, her gaze now lowered. “Griffin, I can tell that you’ve pulled back. Are you upset with me?”

  “No, why would I be? None of this is your fault.”

  “I’m sure you think I’m some kind of moral degenerate or something.”

  “You were young and innocent. It wasn’t your fault. Look, I have no place to stand on the moral high ground.”

  “And yet, it’s hard not to judge, isn’t it? When you haven’t walked it yourself.”

  “I’m not judging you. It’s just…I’m not sure how to help you. I’ve spent a lifetime steering clear of my emotions…avoiding complications…skimming the surface, and now, this is a lot. I’m concerned for your safety, worried about the threats…I must confess that I had my brother hire a P.I. to check out Jack and the film crew…for peace of mind. I found out about Ben and his connection to the Senator, but it didn’t mean anything at the time.”

  She bit her lip. “You did that for me?”

  “Yeah, I thought you’d be mad.”

  “I might have been before, but not now. Listen, it’s important that we act the same with Ben as we did before we found out all of this. Don’t let on that we know anything about him. Graham needs to follow up with his wife first.”

  Griffin flinched at the mention of her ex-lover. “It’s a lot to take in Pen. I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not good at this part.”

  She tilted her head, frowning. “And what part is that exactly?”

  He squirmed under her penetrating stare. “The complicated part…the feelings part.”

  A flush crept up her face. “You mean the messy part?”

  He ground his jaw. “No, it’s not like that Pen. I don’t know what I mean or how to say it. You’ve been withholding a huge part of your life…like you’ve compartmentalized chunks of yourself and I’m tucked in some neat little corner. I don’t like the feeling. I can’t explain it to you right now.”

  “You don’t have to. For the record, I can fill in the blanks. Too much baggage. I get it and I don’t blame you. I tried to warn you in Savannah.” She stood up. “You know all I wanted was for you to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright. Instead all I’m hearing is that it’s too much for you…I’m too much. I get it. I’m truly sorry for that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I won’t burden you any further.”

  He reached for her, “Penelope…you’ve got it wrong…I…”

  She raised her chin, then held up her hand, “No! Don’t say another word. Listen Griffin, I understand. Who in their right mind would want to have their private lives dragged through the mud? I don’t blame you for pulling back.”

  “Pen, please don’t leave. We can get through this. You have to take a leap of faith at some point and trust me.”

  Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “I just did and look where that got me.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean? I’m trying to be honest with you and you’re twisting my words into something else. Why are you being so stubborn right now? It’s frustrating as hell. What else can I say?”

  “Griffin, there is nothing more to be said and you don’t owe me anything.”

  “I get that you’re hurt and scared, but don’t slam the door shut on us.”

  “I need some time. Let’s just leave it for now.”

  He knew it was pointless to try to get through to her. He needed a minute and she needed some space to process it all. Right now, she was a fortress and she had barricaded herself inside…apparently something she was a pro at. Griffin followed her to the door. What the fuck was happening here? It’s a runaway train.

  “I’ll let myself out. Goodbye Griffin. See you on set.”

  Penelope made it to the car before bursting into tears. She pounded the steering wheel with her fists, mentally berating herself for getting involved with him. It cut deep. She could feel his judgement of her from a mile away. An affair with a married man, escorting strange men, blackmail, all her secrets exposed at once. No wonder he had pulled back. She couldn’t blame him, but her heart ached with disappointment.

  Later as she tossed and turned in bed, she had a moment of self-doubt. Was she projecting her own shame onto him? Was it fair to keep ignoring Griffin’s calls? She knew she should respond, but she felt like she couldn’t handle anything more. It was all too much. The thought of her past being exposed for the
entire world to see was horrifying. To see her reputation being smeared was bad enough, but it was hardly fair to drag Griffin through it. Their relationship was too new and too vulnerable to withstand that kind of assault. She felt horrible for Graham as well. His entire career was about to implode, and she was partially to blame.

  Adding to her despair was Griffin’s first response, which had been to withdraw. His gut reaction had been flight…not fight. In her opinion, one’s first reactions were the most honest. That was all she needed to know. It was true that she couldn’t blame him, however she was not willing to be with anyone that didn’t love her, imperfections and all. She also cared enough about him to let him go. Nobody deserved to be dragged through her mess.

  37

  Penelope’s heart raced when she saw the caller ID number on her phone. Graham. “Hello?”

  “Penelope, are you alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Graham. How are you?”

  “Just finished up filming. Nothing more to report from this end. What did your wife say?”

  “I’ve discussed everything with Emily, a very painful but revelatory conversation. It wasn’t her. She doesn’t know anything about the photographs. I believe her. Ben is completely off the hook. As a matter of fact, he had flown home on the weekend in question. He’s completely in the clear. He doesn’t even know about our past.”

  “If Emily can keep the fact that she’s always known about us a secret from you, what makes you think she isn’t lying about this?”

  “I just know. She worked too hard to bury it. She’s a bitter and unhappy woman, but not for the reasons you may think. All she’s ever cared about was keeping the family intact. Emotionally, she didn’t even care about the affair, she just didn’t want to be publicly humiliated.”

  “What about her objections to you running for president?”

  “I told you before, for her it’s always been about things, lifestyle, status, prestige…that means everything to her. Though she says she doesn’t want to live in the fishbowl as First lady, part of her relishes the idea. It will give her another thing to blame me for, but the status will be intoxicating to her. Her false accusations that she’s squandered her life for me, my career, ring false.”