Billionaire's Secret Baby - Claire Angel

Billionaire’s Secret Baby: A Billionaire Romance

BLURB:

LAUREN STYLES

‘When I started in the business, I was all starry eyed and ah shucks at the level of wealth and privilege of this strange new world, but I soon discovered that people were just people, no matter how much money they had.’

The world of high-end events was my stomping ground, and I was damn good at it.

I refused to be intimidated by anyone.

Then I met Billionaire, Chris Carter and broke all my rules.

His money was of little consequence to me. I wanted his gorgeous body, whether it was wise or not.

Life is never what you expect, and when it comes to love, nothing is what it seems.

CHRIS CARTER

‘For once, the legend of a woman’s beauty wasn’t exaggerated. Lauren was so hot, I had to watch my every word, just in case I gushed like a pimple-faced teenager.’

I thought it would be a one-night-stand with a gorgeous green eyed goddess, but I was wrong.

Lauren was nothing I expected. Drinking tequila like a pro, was just one of her many talents.

Driven, funny, smart, and addictive.

Then she was gone.

My tough, Texan roots assured me I would be able to handle anything she threw at me.

Boy, was I delusional?

***

Chapter 1

LAUREN

As I flopped into my plush seat on the transatlantic flight from New York to Paris, I let out a much-anticipated sigh. Diane had dropped me off at a crowded and deafening JFK in her familiar ‘last minute dot com’ flurry, and left in as equal a rush. The ride was crammed with her swerving and cursing all the way to the airport at the ‘stupid assholes’ hogging the road. My best friend from childhood had a heart of gold and a mouth like a sailor—I wouldn’t have it any other way. She was the Thelma to my Louise when the proverbial hit the fan, which happened often in my busy line of work.

I would have driven myself, but the engine light on the dashboard of my car kept winking at me, and not in a friendly way. There was no missing the flight to Europe’s most romantic city, or I’d be carless and jobless, all in one foul swoop. Sadie was a tyrant. Ever since she took over as general manager of Platinum Events, where I wielded my magic event organizer’s wand, the staff shook in their boots whenever she graced us with her presence.

The woman was positively Herculean in stature—an Amazon Woman with a temper to match. It wasn’t in my nature to back down from a fight, but when it came to Sadie, I picked my battles carefully. Fortunately for me, she had very little reason to blast me with her dragon breath, as I was very good at my job, unlike Sandy. The poor thing was reduced to a puddle of whimpering tears the day before, when she’d dropped the ball on a new client’s account. The girl was a goner for sure.

Ah, Paris! Once a year I packed my trendiest clothes, and my skimpiest swimsuits, for three weeks of work with just a pinch of cheeky R&R. It was a shame not to take advantage of my firm, five foot seven, twenty-seven-year old body, according to my friends that is, so I decided to rock it in my tightest designer garb. I learned to speak French when I was a young girl. My aunt lived in Lyon, so naturally I looked for any excuse to holiday with her during my summer breaks from school. There was something very special about France—honest, romantic, elegant. I planned to hop on a train from Paris to Lyon, armed only with a baguette and a good bottle of red wine once our event was done and dusted. My aunt was very excited to see me, and I couldn’t wait to catch up.

The speakers overhead came alive as the pilot welcomed us on board in a gregarious voice. It was time to settle into my seven-hour flight. Once we were safely in the air, I pulled a file from my hand luggage and flipped through the prospectus of our new client, for arguably the hundredth time. There was no such thing as over-prepared in my universe.

I preferred live corporate events rather than virtual ones—the thrill of seeing my handiwork up close and personal was the carrot that drove me onwards. I’d moved steadily up the ranks to head-coordinator for the annual Executive Retreat Event for Carter Global Inc. I did my homework like a pro, familiarizing myself with the who’s