The Billionaire's Secretly Fake Bride (MANHATTAN BACHELORS Book 3)

by Susan Westwood

  He didn’t think he could get her naked fast enough and her hands on him were as eager to get rid of his clothing. This was how they’d been their night together. There lovemaking hadn’t been slow and easy. She’d demanded as much as he’d given. Maybe more. At the end of the night, he’d been more sated than he’d ever thought possible.

  He wanted her to call him, but she hadn’t. Until she’d shown up pregnant.

  They were naked now, her body pressed against his, sliding down him. She knelt in front of him and took his dick into her mouth. “Oh, Violet.”

  He put his fingers into her hair and she slid her tongue underneath his penis. He thought his body would explode, but he wanted to do that inside of her. As wonderful as her mouth felt, he wanted both of them to have the pleasure.

  He pulled her to her feet then put her on his bed. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes. Climbing on top of her, he nipped his way up her body settling in between her legs. His hand snaked down to find her sex and she arched her body into his. She was wet and ready, but he found her spot and made her come.

  “That’s number one.”

  Her chest heaved. He slid inside of her loving the feel of them with no barrier. He stopped when he was all the way in just to enjoy the sensation. He took her face in his hands, kissing her. Bracing himself above her, he set up a rhythm, changing it periodically. Her body arched up to meet his every thrust.

  And then he felt it. Her body clenching around him. She let out a keening noise and he couldn’t hold on anymore. He followed her over the edge, his body knowing what to do because his mind was already gone. He couldn’t have told you his name.

  This was the best sex he’d ever had. He leaned next to her, not wanting to put his weight on her. She put her hand on his chest, her breathing heavy. “Oh, God, Amedeo.”

  He chuckled into her ear. “Yeah, I know. I felt it too.”

  She snuggled closer to him. “That’s kind of scary. That we’re that good together.”

  “Just means that we’ll have to take advantage of our time together,” he said.

  “Why am I not surprised you said that?” she said.

  He was a guy. He was going to use every tactic he could to get her in bed. Again and again. That’s just how it was. And now that she knew how good it would be, he’d bet he wouldn’t need to convince her.

  Chapter4

  Violet had the unenviable task of going to confront a client. He owned a small landscape architecture company that had been hacked. She’d found the hacker who had been put in jail. She also gave the company much better security for their computers.

  He’d been ignoring her or giving her the runaround. She needed that money to pay some leftover bills. Maybe even pay off her credit card. She could be debt-free before the baby came.

  To get there, she had to confront the man that was in charge of Hill’s Landscaping. Joseph Hill was a bear of a man. Unlike most men that large, he wasn’t a teddy bear. Instead, he was a grizzly bear. She’d dealt with his temper more than once. She was looking forward to never seeing him again.

  His one-story building sat on three acres of land. He had examples of landscaping scattered about the property and the best looking shrubs Violet had ever seen. This was a little too country for her. Princeton was almost too country and that was a town. She was a city girl.

  She could avoid muggers and robbers. Here, she expected a bear to walk out of the bushes. She knew what to do if a mugger came at her. A bear was out of her comfort zone. She glanced around as she climbed out of the car. Amedeo had sent her with his driver.

  She didn’t own a car and she didn’t need a car. Her job was mainly on the computer and if she did meet a client, she usually rented a zip car. If Amedeo hadn’t insisted, she would have done that today.

  Then again, she wasn’t looking forward to this confrontation so it had been nice to have company on the ride out. Not that her driver had talked at all. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to talk to him, but she decided on the way back that she’d ride in the front. It was lonely in the back.

  Steeling herself for what lay ahead, Violet squared her shoulders, then strode to the front door of the building. She passed the shrubs and a several pots of flowers. The landscaping company also did hardscaping. She knew way more about this stuff than any city girl needed to.

  She cracked her knuckles then pulled the glass door open. The lobby had some plants in it, of course. A receptionist sat behind a small desk, a phone headset on. She smiled at Violet.

  “I’m here to see Mr. Hill.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No, but I think he’ll see me.”

  She wasn’t sure. The man owed her money. She was going to make a stink or sit here until he agreed to see her and agreed to pay her. She needed that money for her kid. Well, okay, she didn’t, but she had expenses. She had bills and she’d finished the job before the deadline.

  The receptionist pressed some buttons then spoke into her microphone. The frown on her face said a lot. She hung up. “Mr. Hill is in a meeting.”

  “Well, then I’ll wait for him.”

  She’d brought work to do. She could sit here all day. The driver didn’t have anywhere to be. Amedeo had told her she could have the car for as long as she wanted. She might be here at midnight.

  She settled into a seat across from the reception desk, opening her laptop. The receptionist looked at her as if she had three heads. Violet didn’t care. She was getting this money from this man. Hopefully today.

  The receptionist spoke in a whisper, but Violet could tell she was the topic of conversation.

  A few minutes later, Joseph Hill appeared in the lobby. “Miss Taylor?”

  Violet closed her laptop, then stood. The man offered his hand, but she wasn’t shaking it. “You owe me money.”

  He pointed to the door he’d just come through. “How about we talk in my office.”

  “Fine.”

  She followed him back to a messy room that she knew was his office. They’d met here months ago when she’d started the job.

  “Have a seat.”

  “I’d rather stand. Just cut me a check and I’ll be on my way.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Oh? Seems pretty simple to me. We had a contract.”

  “Yeah, about that. I don’t have the money.”

  “You have the money, Mr. Hill. I’ve seen your bank account. I know what goes on in this company. Give me what you owe me.”

  “Or what?”

  “I still have access to your system. There’s a back door and I can get into it. And cause a lot of damage.”

  “I’ll know who it is.”

  “It won’t be traced back to me, Mr. Hill. Now give me my money.”

  “You aren’t getting it today and I suggest you get out of my building.”

  “Or what?”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Or I’ll call the cops.”

  She wasn’t afraid of the cops. “Call them. I’m not leaving until I get my money.”

  He picked up the phone and she didn’t blink. Instead, she crossed her arms.

  “I’m calling the cops.”

  She listened as he spoke on the phone. She didn’t care. She was in the right and she could prove it. He hung up. “You have about ten minutes to get out of here before they get here.”

  “I’m not leaving. You’re a bastard who owes me money.” She chose to sit. It wouldn’t be easier to try to roust her out of the office if she sat. “Cut the damned check and I’ll be on my way.”

  “No, Miss Taylor. I refuse to pay you. You’ll have to take me to court to get your money. That could take months and cost you more money in the end. Meanwhile, I’m earning interest on that money.”

  He grinned and for a moment he looked like the Grinch. She didn’t care. She wasn’t afraid of him or going to jail. So she sat and waited for the cops.

  ***

  Amedeo’s driver pulled in front of the
police station and stopped. “I’ll park around back.”

  “Thanks.”

  The call had come in a half an hour ago. Violet sounded fairly calm, but he did detect a little worry in her voice. She’d been arrested. She was light on the details, but he’d get them out of her. He’d been her one phone call.

  He’d called his lawyer who had gotten her out on bail. Amedeo was here to pay it and get her home. What had she done? He hadn’t talked to his lawyer yet.

  Chet Andrews, in a more expensive suit than his, waited in the lobby for Amedeo.

  “Chet, thanks for dropping everything.”

  The men shook hands.

  “No problem. They’ll be releasing her momentarily. She has a hearing next week that I can attend.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m guessing she’s important to you?” he said.

  Amedeo nodded. “Yes, she is.” His lawyer didn’t need to know more. Not until a custody agreement was drawn up and now wasn’t the time for that.

  His lawyer left. Amedeo located the desk clerk who told him to wait on one of the benches. Violet came out a few minutes later. She didn’t look worse for wear, but he had no idea about her mental state.

  He’d never bailed anyone out of jail before. He could put it on his credit card. Well, this was the twenty-first century. Standing when he saw her, she stopped in front of him. “Thanks for coming.”

  He brushed a hair out of her face. “I couldn’t leave you in jail.”

  She nodded, her lips pressed together. “Well, you could have.”

  He held out his hand. “When we get in the car, tell me what happened.”

  Violet stared at the window as the driver took them home. Amedeo could have been dropped at his office, but he chose to go home with her. She might need him. She let out a breath then began talking.

  “I was visiting a client. To get payment. He owes me several thousand dollars,” she said.

  He wondered what recourse she had. As a small business owner she didn’t have a lot of resources and he’d bet that she didn’t even have a lawyer on retainer. She couldn’t afford that. He remembered the early days of his first business. Things had been tight.

  “You’ve given him notices via certified mail?”

  “Yes. He knows what he owes me, he just refuses to pay. If I take him to small claims court, it’ll cost me time and money that I don’t have.”

  “How many clients do you have right now?”

  She glanced his way. “Two. I’ve been so involved in back payments that I haven’t had time to drum up new business. Besides, my brain is a little wonky with hormones. I’m finding it hard to concentrate.”

  He squeezed her hand. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone in all of this. “You don’t have a lot of expenses right now, so don’t fret so much.”

  “I have a credit card bill that I need to pay off before this baby comes.”

  He still held her hand. She hadn’t pulled it away. She was a fiercely independent woman and he hoped she could just take his help in the spirit it was meant. Then again, she probably couldn’t, so he’d have to help her without her knowing it. He’d have his lawyer talk to the guy. Threaten him with legal action. Amedeo bet the guy would cave.

  High-priced lawyers came in handy.

  “Can you pay more than the minimum?”

  “Yes, but not much more.”

  “Realize that your food and anything like that is paid for. I’ve got it covered,” he said. “You should be able to put all of your income toward the credit card. You don’t have a car.”

  “I still have insurance since I have a license,” she said.

  “Then insurance and your credit card bill should be all you have to worry about.”

  If it came down to it, he’d pay that off also. What the Hell was he doing with the money anyway? He had a house, but he’d put a huge down payment on it so he wouldn’t have a large payment. He didn’t have any children yet and most of the time he worked far too much to spend the money he made.

  He might as well make Violet’s life that much easier. He wanted her pregnancy to go smoothly. This was his child she was carrying, so he wanted the best for him or her. That meant making things good for the mother, Violet. Which wasn’t a hardship because he kind of liked her and enjoyed her in bed. Making things better for her wasn’t a stretch. He was enjoying that he could use his money that way.

  “Yeah, I guess. Still, I could use that money to put away because I’m sure there will be recovery time after the baby.”

  “Have you decided if you’re keeping the baby or not?”

  “No, I haven’t. I’ll make that decision when I’m closer. I’m not sure it’s real yet in my brain. I think when I’m showing or feeling the baby move it will be more real.”

  He could understand that. He wasn’t sure it was completely real for him either. He’d need to see the baby. Maybe seeing the ultrasound would help.

  He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “It’ll all be okay, Violet. I promise.”

  “I guess I’m never sure that it is.”

  “Well, it is now. I’m here. I’m helping. We’ll get through this together.” He held her hand tighter. “Even if you give the baby up to me, Violet, I want the child to know you. I want you to be a part of his or her life. It’s important to me.”

  She looked at him like he had horns growing out of his head. “You are being so sweet, Amedeo.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just my nature.”

  ***

  Violet wasn’t sure what to think when the check arrived in her post office box. Joseph Hill had paid her in full. He even included some interest. How had that happened? He’d even dropped the charges against her.

  This all seemed too good to be true.

  She had enough trouble accepting his charity when it came to the baby, but when it was her business, that she couldn’t abide by. She’d built s business as she stood on her own two feet. She wasn’t going to let any man take that away from her.

  She leaned against the outside wall of the mailbox place. She shifted through the rest of her mail. No more bills. The credit card one wouldn’t come for a few days. She could pay it off now. She rested her head on the bricks. When had her life begun to spin out of control?

  Was it when she met Amedeo and went to a hotel with him? Or when she saw that blue line on the pregnancy stick? Or had it been off the rails before that and the pregnancy was merely a symptom? She didn’t know.

  Her life had always been chaotic. Her whole life. Her mother hadn’t provided any stability with the parade of men in and out of the apartment. The front door might as well have been revolving. She’d moved out of there when she was eighteen.

  Her life on her own hadn’t boasted any more stability. Then her mother died and she was alone in the world. She’d kept everyone but Kalia at a distance. Violet thought about the one man who had captured her heart.

  Then let it go. Or she’d stolen it back from him. She’d had cold feet. If he’d been a little more understanding, she might be married to him. He’d been done with her baggage. He couldn’t help her carry it anymore. She couldn’t be mad at him.

  She’d done it to herself.

  Now here was Amedeo, helping her with very little promised in return. She couldn’t handle it. She wanted to run away from him, afraid she’d be consumed by him. That she’d find out when the baby came that she was no longer there.

  Then what would she have? She would be alone and not be there. She’d never have anything to give her child. Nothing to give her clients. How would she make money?

  She let out a noisy breath. The driver was waiting for her in a parking spot. He leaned on the hood of the car, staring down at his phone.

  She wondered at how simple his life was. Or complicated. It seemed that lack of money and too much money were equally problematic. She sighed, pushing off the wall and walking toward the car.

  She needed to see Amedeo. He had to stop. Well, she had to confr
ont him about this. There needed to be a line.

  She climbed into the back seat, dialing Kalia’s number. She had no idea what time it was or if Kalia would be free. Her friend answered.

  “Hey, Vi. What’s up?”

  “Talk me off the ledge.”

  “What?”

  “I think Amedeo talked to one of my clients and now that person has paid me.”

  “That’s a bad thing?”

  “I don’t mind if he takes care of me and the baby, but the business is off limits.”

  “Why? It’s all part of you. If he helps with your business, it’s part of helping you. That’s all he wants to do. He wants to keep you happy to keep the baby happy.”

  “So it isn’t really personal?”

  “No, sorry,” Kalia said. “It’s the baby.”

  That put her in her place. None of this was about her. It was all about the baby. Part of her was disappointed. Even if she should be relieved. He wasn’t truly focusing on her. He was focusing on the life inside of her.

  “So I shouldn’t be upset with him. He’s protecting his child. Like a father should.”

  Like her father hadn’t because he wasn’t there for her. He’d left her to fend for herself with her mentally ill mother. What a man.

  Amedeo was not that type of man. He was responsible and she was lucky that he was the father of her baby. Her baby was lucky to have Amedeo as his or her father. His. For some reason that gender kept coming up. Was she having a boy?

  She’d bet Amedeo would love a boy. One he could raise like himself. Another man in the world like Amedeo wasn’t a bad thing.

  Still, she wanted to tell him to back off.

  “Exactly, Violet. He’s being a father. More of a father than we’d ever had.”

  Kalia’s father had been absent also. He’d been in jail.

  At least she knew who her father was. Well, sperm donor. He hadn’t ever stepped up to actually be a father.

  “And here I am ready to yell at him.”

  “You shouldn’t, Violet. He’s doing what he’s supposed to.”

  “Thanks, Kalia. I wasn’t sure about how I was feeling.”

  “Anytime. Gotta go.”

  Violet tucked her phone into her pocket. She had to see Amedeo. Thank him, maybe for what he’d done. No one had ever treated her like this. “Could we go to Mr. Killiano’s office?”