The Billion Dollar Baby_A Billionaire Romance Read online

  The

  Billion Dollar

  Baby

  By

  Stella Andrews

  Copyrighted Material

  Copyright © Stella Andrews 2018

  Stella Andrews has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the Author of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction and except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  This book is for Adults only. If you are easily shocked and not a fan of sexual content then move away now.

  18+

  Contents

  Free Preview Book

  Book by Stella Andrews

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  Note from author

  Coming Soon

  More Books

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  Preview of Rocked

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  Books by Stella Andrews

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  (Jax & Emily)

  Daddy’s Girls

  (Ryder & Ashton)

  Twisted

  (Sam & Kitty)

  Prologue

  I’m a dead man walking, and it never felt so good. I wait in line to my car rental and look at the name on my license.

  Tyler Donahue.

  I’ve hidden behind that name for some time but now it feels different. Tyler Mortimer, the man I was has ceased to exist, for now anyway. A Billionaire’s son who hates his father with a passion driving the need for revenge. This is my revenge. Mine and my sister Ashton’s. All our lives we’ve lived under the shadow of torment and abuse. He drove us to desperate measures and my heart constricts as I remember what I did to free her from a lifetime of abuse and hatred. I sold my own sister—twice. Once to set her free and then again to protect her. Now I must set us both free, to live the life we deserved which was so cruelly held at arm’s length all these years.

  I feel the anger gnawing at me inside. Chuck Mortimer. Texas oil baron and the most disgusting human being on the planet. He has spent my entire life beating me into a mirror image of himself. He gave my sister to his vile ‘friend’ as a virgin sacrifice to seal a lucrative future. Well, that’s what they thought. We had other plans.

  So, here we are. Ashton is safely protected until I can return with her keys to freedom. I’ll be declared dead in the morning with irrefutable proof provided by a capable accomplice. Now it’s time to set in place the revenge that will bring the two evil men who I’ve hated all my life to their knees.

  I am going to get me a billion-dollar baby and I know just the place to start looking.

  1

  Sydney

  Carrie nudges me and grins. “He’s here again.”

  I feel my heart beating erratically and feel irritated. I refuse to look over at the handsome stranger who walked in here two days ago and sits as if he’s waiting for something.

  She raises her eyes. “Man, I would love me a piece of that. He’s mighty fine.”

  I shrug and try to appear uninterested. “If you like that sort of thing.”

  She nudges me again. “You can drop the act, Sydney. You like him as much as the rest of us. God knows it’s not often such eye candy walks through those doors.”

  I smile softly and sigh inside. Cassie’s right. Little Ridge isn’t the sort of town that attracts men of his kind. Usually, it’s your typical rednecks and bikers. The men in suits keep to the towns and the rest run amok in the smaller towns.

  I steal another look and my heart flutters. He’s impressive, I’ll give him that. When he walked into the Coffee Club two days ago, it was like a breath of fresh air in an arid desert. Talk, dark and impossibly handsome he stuck out like a sore thumb. I can tell he has money, it surrounds him like the expensive aftershave he wears. His clothes are immaculate and his designer stubble just looks hot rather than scruffy. He has an air of a man who gets what he wants and the success pours off him like sweat from the heat outside.

  He makes me shiver as I imagine what it must feel like to be with a man like that. He is perfection which has no place in my life. Whoever he is he’ll be gone soon. He won’t stick around here for long. Whatever he’s waiting for must be worth hanging around in this town because people don’t wait here for long.

  I am interrupted by a customer slamming their keys on the counter and saying loudly, “Give me an espresso, darlin’ and make it a strong one.”

  I smile and turn away from my perfect stranger. I have a job to do and enough on my plate to worry about than the likes of him. I’m in big trouble and I don’t know what the heck to do about it.

  The coffee shop is always busy. It’s the only place worth hanging out in town and my shift here is always a demanding one. I’ve lived in Little Ridge for most of my life and know nothing else. I hold down two jobs to pay my way in a house I share with my friend Lucy. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She took me in and gave me a place to set up a future when I had none. I have no family and no money and the only thing that keeps me going is my passion—dance.

  Ever since I can remember I loved to dance. It made me forget and took me to a special place in my thoughts where I could be free and fit in. Dancing was my release from a hard life. Shunted between foster homes and institutions until I was of an age to take charge of my life. I answered an ad for a roomie in the window of the local store and found Lucy. The best thing that has ever happened to me and the only person who has ever seen beyond the orphan misfit who never belonged.

  That was two years ago. Now I’m in deep and the only way out is to use my talent for something I have no stomach for. The tears threaten to spill as I picture my fate. Surely there’s another way, there has to be.

  Sighing, I turn back to the job at hand. I work here in Coffee Club six days a week and spend the afternoons running dance classes for the local kids. I rent a studio in one of the classier parts of town because that’s where I get my students. Privileged kids who have no worries and parents with more money than sense. They pay a fine price for their babies to learn to dance which suits me fine.

  When they leave I open my doors to the poorer kids in town. They have no money so I teach them for free. The trouble is, it’s getting harder by the day to keep open. The bills are stacking high and the landlord
is putting the rent up next month. As he wanders into my thoughts, I feel the cold fingers of fear grip my heart and tear it out in one cruel move.

  Michael Santobello, the local crime boss, and owner of most businesses around here. I should have known not to enter into a contract with him but the rates were good and I was keen to start my trade. Now he is piling on the pressure and I’m about to buckle under it. The rent can stay the same for a price I am unwilling to pay.

  Suddenly, I’m aware of someone standing in front of me and as I raise my eyes, I stare into the ones who intrigue me the most. Dark brown, velvety, eyes pull me in and promise me the world. They capture my attention and hold me prisoner. Those eyes, like the man they belong to, are captivating.

  He says huskily, “An Americano please, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  I feel my heart start panting with an insatiable hunger for the man standing before me. I feel the color rush to my cheeks as the fire burns inside me like a raging torrent out of control. He holds my gaze and draws me in. I watch his eyes sparkle and imagine all sorts of deprivation at his hands. His mouth twitches in amusement and I feel my hand shaking as I tear my eyes from his and grasp the nearest mug to hand. Thankful for the distraction, I take a few calming breaths of air and focus on the drink. What’s the matter with me? This man has sat here for two days and just waited.

  I shake myself and look at him from under my lashes and say shyly, “Um… you must be new around here. Are you just passing through or staying?”

  He stares at me long and hard and I feel my knees buckling as I look at him. His answer suddenly means more to me than air as I wait for him to put me out of my misery. He raises his eyes and smiles disarmingly. “Just passing through.”

  Fighting back the disappointment I smile quickly. “Oh, that figures.”

  He smirks. “Why?”

  I laugh self-consciously. “Well, put it this way, we don’t get many men like you around here. It stands to reason you’re just passing through. Why do come here though? Are you waiting for someone?”

  He looks at me so intently I forget to breathe. His eyes are the devil’s eyes because one look from them could scorch your soul. He leans forward and whispers, “I’m here for you, Sydney.”

  2

  Tyler

  As soon as the words left my lips, I saw the panic enter her eyes. She took a visible step back and gasped, “What do you mean?”

  I lean in and stare at her - hard.

  “Like I said before, you’re the reason I’m here.”

  Stepping back, I grab hold of the drink and smile confidently. “When you’re ready to hear me out you know where I’ll be.”

  Then I turn away and head back to my seat.

  As I contemplate the hot liquid before me I sigh inside. Way to go Tyler. Straight in there and lay it on the poor girl. Her face said it all. She was shocked and terrified and who can blame her. What sort of idiot does that?

  I sat here for two days working out how to get her attention. Working out how to draw her into my web of lies and deceit and use her to get my revenge. Now she knows and I feel my heart beating furiously inside me. I’m a stupid fucking idiot for blurting it out that way and scaring her. I saw the fear in her eyes. I saw the disbelief followed by sheer panic as she contemplated the words of a lunatic.

  The trouble is, it’s true. Sydney Lawrence is the reason I’m here. She doesn’t know just how powerful she is and it’s up to me to educate her. I’m not going to lie that when I first set eyes on my prize, I wasn’t pleasantly surprised. Even I never expected her to be so attractive. Actually, attractive doesn’t do her justice. She’s your typical all-American girl. Long blonde hair hanging straight down her back like a sheet of the sun. Cornflower blue eyes that sparkle with innocence and trust. Then there’s that body that I’ve been trying to ignore. Her curves beg for my attention as they mold her clothing, driving images to my mind of what lies beneath. That perfect white smile that flashes like a star on a dark night captivates me and holds my interest. She has the look of an angel with a body for sin, all wrapped up in the most intoxicating package.

  Yes, Sydney Lawrence has surprised me, Tyler Donahue, hard man with no feelings. I sell women for a living to the highest bidder to fund my escape from a tyrant. I have no emotion or feeling and do what I do to satisfy my own needs. The only woman I care for is my sister and I won’t let her down. I deal in beautiful women every day as I hand them over to men who have more money than morals. I never want what I sell. The women I deal in are a commodity, a piece of real estate to trade and exploit. They beg for my services because they know the score. I only deal with the richest and most powerful men and any introduction I make seals them in a gilded cage. These women trade their bodies for riches beyond their wildest dreams and I take a cut.

  Using women has become second nature to me and I’ve developed a hard skin. No woman has ever come close to scraping the surface of the barrier around my heart and she’ll be no different.

  Like the others, she will beg me and I will do what I do best - use her for my own gain. Then why does a little piece of me feel a prickle of emotion as I remember the look in those gorgeous eyes? This girl isn’t like the others. I knew that immediately as I felt an alien feeling deep inside. The spark of interest that has no business being there.

  I take a sip of the coffee and wait. The trouble is, when I look around, she’s gone.

  Sydney

  As soon as he turned away, I made my escape plan. When he looked at me with the look of a man who won’t take no for an answer, I knew I had to get out of there. I made up some excuse to Alf, the owner of the Coffee Club and took flight.

  I almost run to catch the bus to the studio. Despite the heat outside, I move quickly. ‘I’m here for you Sydney.’ He knew my name but then again, he could have heard it mentioned during the two days he’s sat there.

  A thousand possibilities crowd my mind as I wonder what he’s come for. It must be Michael. He’s getting tired of waiting and has sent in the heavy mob. It would be just like him - send others to do his dirty work.

  I knew that man had money. He was too polished, too immaculate and too damn sexy my heart hurt. I shrink into the corner seat in the bus as it takes me to my sanctuary, my studio and the only place I truly feel like myself. What if he follows me there? He must know about it, after all, it will be the first place Michael tells him to look. Then again, he may not want trouble on his own doorstep. His own kids attend my class and are accompanied by their long-suffering mother and wife to the man I despise.

  Thinking of Clara Santobello, I shudder. Although beautiful she has a hard edge. She is poised, elegant and expressionless. The appearance of perfection with the perfect life and family. However, I see the despair in her eyes. The resignation and acceptance of a difficult life. It can’t be easy being married to the man who runs this town. He has many enemies, and it’s obvious his wife is among them. I wonder why she married him. Then again, knowing him she didn’t have a choice. It’s what he does. Sets his sights on something and doesn’t stop until it’s his. I am one in a long line of people with a target on their back.

  It’s been three months since he served me with notice of the rent increase. He knew it was too much to pay and I’ll never forget the gleam in his eye as I stood nervously before him in his office, ready to plead my case.

  He looked at me like a man looks at a trophy. Something he desires and will pursue until he wins. He told me that the only way he would consider a reduction was if I danced in one of his clubs in the evening. The bottom fell out of my world as I saw the determination in his eyes.

  The Scarlet Room is a place I never want to set foot in. Women dance for men and peel their clothes off on the laps of the town’s richest ones. They swap clothing for dollars and word is there’s more where that came from in the private rooms out the back. Many a desperate woman finds her heels clicking a path there and her problems are solved when she leaves her soul and morality at the do
or. Can I really sink so low to save my future?

  He was angry when I turned him down and I still remember the way his eyes narrowed as he hissed, “You’ll change your mind, honey. We both know it, so you may as well save yourself the pain of holding out. If you want a future in this town, this is the best offer you’ll ever get. If you want something badly enough you will do anything, and I mean, anything to get it. So, check your pride and don’t suffer a fall because of it. You don’t have anything underneath that tight shirt you’re wearing that hasn’t been seen a thousand times over by the men who will make your dreams come true. We both know you’ll see sense and I’m not a patient man. If you take too long the rent increases by the day. You have notice that in three months’ time it will rise to a price you will never afford and you can say goodbye to your precious dance studio.”

  He held my gaze and sneered. “Then again, you could always audition for me now and start today. How about you strip for me now and shake that booty on my lap? I’ll show you how rewarding it can be.”

  I stared into those lust-filled eyes and saw the spark of desire. I saw a man who won’t rest until he claims his prize and a future of depravity. I saw my dreams turn to dust before my eyes and a fate worse than death. So, like now, I ran. I turned on my heels and took flight, the harsh sound of his laughter following me. I ran back to my sanctuary and locked the door and hid beneath the pillows to block away the harsh reality of my future. I knew it was futile. There aren’t many opportunities for a girl with nothing and this is the inevitable path laid out before me.

  Now his patience has worn out and that irresistible man in the coffee club must have been sent to persuade me to take the offer by any means. I know it must be that. He has the hard look of a man who doesn’t take no for an answer. He gets what he wants and to hell with the consequences. My time is up and I have nowhere to go.