The Billionaire’s Big Bold Wonder: An Age Gap BBW Romance (The Billionaires’ Club)
The Billionaire’s Big Bold Wonder: An Age Gap BBW Romance: Chapter 3

‘I’ve got to go, sweet Piper.’

He’s leaving? Just like that?

My stomach churns, bile crawling up my throat as Cortez takes his room keys and his credit card from me. Not now, I silently pray, pleading for the strength to keep from vomiting up my breakfast all over my black kitten heels.

‘I have something to take care of, pretty baby,’ he murmurs, his dark eyes settling on me. Just like they did two months ago, they seem to strip me bare, leaving me raw and aching. I’ve tried to forget him. God help me, I’ve tried. But every night, I dream about him anyway. Every day, my body aches for him anyway. My soul yearns for him, even when it shouldn’t.

‘You’re leaving?’ The question slips out before I can stop it.

When I left his hotel that morning, I wanted to be angry. Part of me was. But the rest of me was devastated. I felt foolish and stupid and so damn miserable without him. I had one perfect night with him…and two months of obsessively reliving every single moment. I’ve been a zombie just going through the motions, desperate to forget and equally afraid I would forget.

My heart can’t forget him though, as much as I sometimes wish it would. He claimed it that night, and there’s been no convincing it that he didn’t mean a word he spoke. It’s in a constant state of rebellion, refusing to believe what my head says must be true.

Did he mean it when he said he came back for me? That he didn’t just check out and leave me there? Confusion swirls through me all over again. I desperately want to believe him, but I was there. He did check out. He did leave me there. Whatever he wants, whatever game this is, I’m not playing it. Not this time. I have too much to lose.

Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I won’t fall right back into his arms.

‘Fuck no,’ he growls, heat in his expression. And then he grimaces, shoving his room key and wallet into his pocket. ‘Temporarily.’

All the air gets sucked out of the room. Of course he’s leaving again. I should be relieved…but I’m not. I feel like a balloon three weeks after a birthday party.

‘Shit,’ he growls, reaching across the desk for me when I sway on my feet.

‘I’m fine,’ I say, throwing a hand up to forestall him. My gaze darts toward Gretchen, my manager, but she’s still standing by the elevators. I know she’s keeping an eye on me though. She isn’t entirely convinced that I don’t have the plague.

‘You’re pale as a ghost,’ Cortez disagrees.

‘I said I’m fine.’ I jerk backward before he can touch me, scared I’ll burst into tears if he does. My emotions are all over the place. They have been for weeks. My stomach churns again as if to remind me why. I fight the urge to lay my hand on my belly, instead shoving them into my pockets to avoid temptation. This secret is mine, at least for now. At least until I know…something. What he wants. Why he’s here.

I haven’t been feeling well for the last two weeks. I thought it was a virus. When I nearly fainted three days ago, Gretchen refused to let me come back to work until I went to the doctor. Turns out, Cortez left me with more than memories of our night together.

I’m carrying his baby.

For a moment when he first said he was staying, I panicked, thinking that’s why he was here…that he came for the baby. But how could he? No one knows I’m pregnant yet. I haven’t told a soul. As far as everyone else knows, I just had a stomach bug. I think Gretchen is onto me, but she wouldn’t share my news with anyone. The woman is a fortress.

When Cortez said he wanted to breed me, I wanted it so badly. But I never thought it’d actually happen. I am so in love with our baby though. Prince Charming may have turned out to be questionable, but I want our baby. If Cortez thinks he’s going to take her from me, he’s wrong. I may not have the Blake name behind me, but I will fight for our baby until I can’t fight anymore. I will protect her, even if it means protecting her from Cortez. He may think he can waltz in and out of my life at the drop of a hat, but I’ll be damned if he waltzes in and out of our child’s life.

I plan to tell him about the baby eventually…but not yet. Not until I know why he’s really here and what he wants. If this is just some game to him, he can play it with someone else. He broke my heart once. I won’t let him break it again. I won’t let him break our child’s either. If he wants to be a father, I won’t stand in his way. Of course I won’t. But he can’t just disappear when it suits him, either. I might not deserve more in his eyes, but our child does.

‘Stay or go, I don’t care,’ I say, scowling at him. ‘Just make up your mind, Cortez. I’m not playing whatever game this is. I already told you that.’

He glares at me across the desk, his dark eyes heated and seething with intensity. ‘This isn’t a game, Piper. You aren’t a game. I have something to take care of for work,’ he says quietly, burning frustration in his voice. ‘If it weren’t important, I’d cancel and stay right here to prove how much I mean that. But I will be back. And I won’t be leaving again until you’re mine.’

I snort in response.

‘You’re going to let me in again,’ he says.

‘Why?’ I lift my gaze to his and sniff. ‘So you can break my heart again? No thanks.’

‘Fuck,’ he growls, loud enough for half the lobby to hear him. I expect him to say something else, but he doesn’t. He just stares at me for a long moment, his gaze searing me with intensity, and then he turns on his heel and storms away.

I stand frozen in place until he’s through the doors, and then I dart into the employee bathroom in the office. By the time I’m finished throwing up, I have nothing left in my stomach and I just want to go home and hide beneath my covers.

I can’t do that though.

I’ve only been working here for a little over a month.

‘What am I going to do?’ I groan, referring more to Cortez than anything else.

‘Piper?’ Gretchen says, poking her gray head into the bathroom. She sees me crouched over the toilet and clucks her tongue before hurrying in after me, her lined face softening. ‘It’s not a virus.’

I shake my head miserably, not denying it. ‘I’m pregnant,’ I whisper, flushing the toilet. ‘Please don’t fire me.’

‘Of course I’m not going to fire you, dear,’ Gretchen says, wetting paper towels and placing them over my neck. ‘What kind of boss do you take me for?’

‘Sorry.’ I wince. I guess that was insulting, though that wasn’t my intention. ‘I didn’t mean it that way. I just mean…I can do this job.’

‘Of course you can,’ she agrees, patting me on the shoulder. ‘I never doubted it. Come on. You can’t hang onto the porcelain throne all day.’ She holds out a hand, helping me to my feet. Gretchen is in her mid-sixties and about five feet tall. She’s a tiny battle-ax of a woman who could run this entire city singlehandedly. ‘You need crackers and Ginger Ale. It’ll help settle your stomach.’

‘Nothing helps with that,’ I grumble, making her chuckle. Crackers do help some, but I feel like being dramatic right now.

‘You’ll see,’ she promises, leading me to the sink to wash up.

My face is pale and wan, my eyes shadowed beneath. Ugh. No wonder everyone thinks I have the plague. I look horrible. It’s all Cortez’s fault. He’s haunting my dreams, making it impossible to sleep. And then I spend most of the day throwing up. I’m exhausted and grouchy and sad and lonely and so damn confused.

‘The man who just checked in,’ I say, washing my mouth out with water. ‘He’s, um…he’s the father.’

‘I gathered,’ Gretchen says, her tone dry.

‘You did?’ I blink in shock.

‘I know a man in love when I see one, dear.’

‘He’s not in love with me.’

‘No?’ She smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Someone might want to tell him that then. Go on back to the desk when you’re ready. I’ll bring you crackers and Ginger Ale.’

I gape after her as she strides out of the bathroom without looking back. Cortez isn’t in love with me. He can’t be…can he?

‘Someone at the desk is asking for you,’ Gwen London says, popping her head into the break room where I’m trying to study.

I glance up from my books, frowning. ‘Who?’

‘Hot guy, suit,’ she says. ‘Crazy blue eyes.’

Great. I guess Cortez is back. I haven’t seen him since he checked in this morning. I kind of hoped that meant he wouldn’t be back before my shift ended, but I guess I’m not that lucky. Then again, when am I ever?

‘Any chance he looks like he’ll believe I already left?’ I ask hopefully.

Gwen snorts. ‘He looks like he’s willing to stand at the desk until the cows come home.’

‘Great,’ I sigh, quickly shoving my books back into my bag. The last thing I need is for him to stand out there making a nuisance of himself. That’ll go over really well with the new owner of the hotel, Jax Archer. I can’t afford to be fired right now. This job has benefits I need. ‘I’ll go deal with him.’

‘Who is he?’ Gwen asks, eyeing me curiously.

‘A pain in my ass,’ I mutter, rising to my feet.

Gwen laughs softly. ‘Girl, every man I’ve ever met who looks like him is a pain in the butt,’ she says, biting into an apple. Her hazel eyes shine with mirth. ‘It’s always the fine ones, isn’t it?’

‘Always,’ I agree. I like Gwen. She’s sassy and doesn’t take any crap. If anyone understands what it’s like to deal with a complicated relationship, she does. She fell in love with her best friend’s brother, Cyrus, a long time ago, but they only recently got together. I helped her catch an Uber last week when he made her cry. They’ve resolved their issues now and she’s never been happier. She floats around this place with her head in the clouds. She’ll be moving to Nashville soon to start her music career. I’m going to miss her. She’s been really nice to me since I started working here.

‘Need me to go out there with you?’ she asks as I swing my backpack over my back and head for the door that leads out into the hallway and then into the lobby.

‘Thanks, but I can handle him.’ I think.

‘You can totally handle him,’ she says, grinning at me.

I give her a smile and duck through the door.

As expected, Cortez is standing by the front desk, looking just as gorgeous as he did this morning. His hair is a mess, his tie hanging loose around his neck. I draw to a stop, staring at him as my stomach flutters, heat surging through me. Somehow, he looks even more imposing rumpled than he did all cool and composed this morning.

Maybe because I remember exactly what he’s like when he’s out of that suit. How commanding and bossy he is. How dirty he can be. My nipples harden, memories of our night together assailing me. Yes, I remember all too well how dirty he can be.

Fuck me back, Piper. Work those sexy hips and take this cock like a good little girl.

His mouth only got dirtier as the night wore on.

Ah, goddamn, pretty baby. As soon as I get you pregnant, I’m claiming this little hole too. You’ll be stuffed full of my cock and begging for more.

His blue eyes meet mine and I startle, a blush suffusing my cheeks. Crap. He caught me staring at him. I narrow my eyes, scowling when an amused grin lifts the corners of his lips. Of course he’s laughing at me. He probably thinks it’s hilarious, the insufferable jerk.

‘Is there something wrong with your room, Mr. Blake?’ I ask, skirting around the desk and dropping my bag on the floor.

‘Yeah,’ he says, placing his elbows on the countertop and leaning toward me. ‘You aren’t in it.’

‘Sucks for you.’

‘Yeah, it does.’ He sighs quietly, his eyes tracking every move I make. ‘What time do you get off, pretty baby?’

‘I’m not coming to your room, Cortez.’

‘I wasn’t asking. I was hoping you’d go to dinner with me.’

‘Oh.’ Guilt flickers through me for thinking the worst…and then I remember waking up alone in his hotel room two months ago and feel less guilty. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Please, Piper. You have to eat.’

‘Already ate.’

‘Not enough,’ he mutters. ‘You’ve lost weight.’

‘My weight isn’t your business,’ I snap.

‘Everything about you is my business.’

I glare at him.

‘Come to dinner with me. Please.’

‘Why? So you can convince me to sleep with you again?’ I quickly shake my head. ‘Been there, done that. Not interested in repeating history.’

‘I’m not trying to get in your pants,’ he growls. ‘I miss the fuck out of you. Jesus, pretty baby. What do I have to say or do to convince you that I didn’t just check out and leave you there?’

‘Reverse time and not just check out and leave me there?’ I suggest sweetly.

He growls in frustration. And somehow, that drains the fight right out of me. I don’t want to fight with him. I don’t want to argue with him. I just want him to go to his room and let me finish my shift in peace. I want to make it through the rest of the day without crying. Is that too much to ask?

‘I can’t go to dinner with you, Cortez,’ I sigh, massaging my temples. ‘I have plans tonight.’ Studying probably doesn’t count as plans to him, but he doesn’t have to like my plans for them to classify as plans. I am studying tonight. I have a test next week. That trumps dinner.

‘With who?’ he growls, glowering at me.

‘With none of your business, that’s who.’

‘Piper.’

‘Cortez,’ I say, mimicking his pissed-off tone.

‘If there’s another man in the picture, end it or I will.’

‘Another man?’ I gape at him, pretty sure he’s lost his mind. ‘I’m not seeing any…’ A look of intense relief crosses his face, halting my confession in its track. ‘You know what? Even if I were seeing someone else, it wouldn’t be any of your business!’

‘I already told you, everything about you is my business, sweet little Piper,’ he says. ‘You may be mad as hell at me right now, and I get that. But I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t just use you and then leave you there. I’m not asking you to believe me, pretty baby. I’m just asking for a chance to prove that I’m not the man you think I am.’

I bite back an automatic denial, knowing I can’t issue it. I’m carrying his baby. I owe him a chance to prove he’s not the guy who left me there. If not for my sake, then for the sake of our baby. No matter what happens between us, I won’t stand in his way when it comes to our child. If he wants to be in this baby’s life, then I have to give him that chance. Which means I have to get to know him…and replace a way to tell him that I’m carrying his kid.

‘Fine,’ I say, giving in to the inevitable.

‘What time does your shift end?’ he asks.

‘No way.’ I shake my head, holding firm on this one point. ‘If you want to prove you aren’t that guy, then fine. I’ll give you a chance. But it won’t be tonight, Cortez. I have things to do tonight.’

‘Yeah?’ He makes a slow perusal down my body, his eyes heating. ‘Now you’ve got me wishing I was those things, pretty baby.’

I smile despite myself. ‘You never give up, do you?’

‘On you?’ He lifts his gaze to mine again, his expression glittering with sincerity. ‘Never, Piper. Not fucking ever.’

‘I’m looking for Piper.’

I glance up from the computer to see a young man standing at the desk with a giant bouquet of flowers in his arms. There’s no way he’s a florist though. He’s dressed in a suit, and it doesn’t look like he’s handled flowers a day in his life. The glass vase is about two seconds from slipping from his hands and shattering at his feet. He can’t be older than eighteen or nineteen.

‘I’m Piper Daniels,’ I say. ‘Can I help you?’

‘Oh, hey.’ He grins at me in obvious relief. ‘I’m supposed to give these to you.’ He shoves the vase onto the front desk, sloshing water over the side in the process. It splashes against a legal pad, the blue ink bleeding along the bottom.

I pull it away before my class notes at the top are destroyed.

‘Um, which room are they for?’ I ask, eyeing the vase. Red and pink roses mix with pink oriental lilies and red carnations and greenery in a gorgeous display. There are dozens of stems. The intoxicating smell swirls around me, and I lean in closer, sniffing them.

‘They’re for you,’ the guy says.

‘For me?’

‘Oh! The card.’ The guy pats his pockets, searching for it. He replaces it in his pants and pulls it out, presenting it to me with a flourish.

I eye the wrinkled card for a moment before reluctantly taking it from him.

Sweet Piper,

When I realized you were gone, I knew how Dante felt without his Beatrice. And like Dante searching hell for her, I scoured Nashville in search of you. I won’t rest again until you’re back in my arms where you belong. Please, have dinner with me tomorrow.

Yours always,

Cortez

I read the note twice, my hands shaking. He only left the desk an hour ago. Already, it feels like a lifetime. I can’t focus on anything. I just keep replaying every moment of our conversation over and over again, obsessively trying to see what Gretchen saw this morning. Obsessively trying to figure out what he meant when he said he’d never give up on me.

Did he really look for me?

‘I’m supposed to wait for your answer,’ the guy says.

‘Do you work for him?’

‘I work for his sister. I’m the driver.’

‘His sister?’

‘Jillian Blake.’ His brows furrow. ‘Though I guess I really still work for Mr. Blake since he still owns the company and all.’

‘Mr. Blake?’ I ask.

‘Oh, not your Mr. Blake. I mean the original Mr. Blake,’ he says. ‘Dorian. You know, Cortez’s uncle.’

‘Oh,’ I say weakly. Cortez really is a Blake, but he’s not Dorian’s son. Is that why he didn’t tell me who he was? I don’t know. There’s so much I feel like I don’t know about him. In the heat of the moment, none of those things mattered. But that was two months ago. Now, they seem to matter a great deal. Cortez isn’t just a handsome stranger I met at a bar. He’s the father of my child.

For the rest of my life, he’ll be part of my life. I need to know who he is, for the sake of our child…and for mine too. Because try as I might, I can’t forget him. I can’t get him out of my head or my heart. I’m pretty sure that means something. I’m just afraid to replace out what it means.

I’m freaking terrified he’ll break my heart again. But fear isn’t an excuse not to take a chance.

‘Tell him I’ll have dinner with him,’ I say before I can change my mind.

‘He’ll be here!’ his driver says.

‘No.’ I quickly shake my head. ‘Not here.’ There’s no way I’m having dinner with him here. Come Monday, everyone I work with will know all about it, and that’s the last thing I need right now. I grab a pen and jot down my address on a notepad before tearing the sheet off and handing it over. ‘Tell him to meet me here at seven tomorrow.’

His driver glances at the address and then shoves it in his pocket. ‘I’ll have him there,’ he promises, grinning at me again. ‘Enjoy the flowers.’

‘Thanks,’ I whisper, reading Cortez’s note again.

I’m in so far over my head with him…and I already feel myself slipping deeper.

Please, I pray silently. Please, don’t let him break my heart again.