Page 1 of Baby for My Billionaire Rival

Chapter 1

Caroline

Ihave never been so mortified in my entire life. The perfect outfit for my first day of grad school has been ruined by a malfunctioning toilet that, mid-flush, decided to explode all over me.

There’s an enormous wet spot down the front of my light blue dress that makes me look like I peed myself. And, it’s impossible to hide with this fabric.

I turn around to the mirror and look at my reflection.Fuck, I so wanted to make a good first impression on my classmates. I even got a blowout yesterday to make sure not a hair was out of place.

I reach into my purse and check my phone. I only have three minutes before my very first class of my first year of business school is supposed to start.

This is a nightmare.

I go to the hand dryer, hold the skirt of my dress under it, and desperately press the button.

No hot air comes out.

“What the hell… this is just my luck,” I mumble to myself. This is a disaster. I press the button a few more times but the damn thing refuses to turn on.

I grab a bunch of paper towels and start dabbing the wet splotches on my dress, trying to absorb as much moisture as possible.

Someone pulls on the door to the single occupancy bathroom, the door thunking in place from the lock.

“Just a – just a minute!” I cry out.

“Sorry,” I deep voice mutters. “Take your time.”

God, I feel like crying. The only reason I won’t is because of my mascara. The only thing worse than showing up to my first class of my MBA late would be showing up with mascara running down my face.

How did this happen? Everything seemed off to a perfect start when I walked onto campus. Sure, I was already feeling the crunch of time and I barely walked a hundred feet before my Louboutins were giving me blisters on top of blisters, but nothing could break my spirit.

I hadn’t yet visited Coastal Crest University before today. It’s only a few hours from Savannah, where I’m from, but with work and all the drama my brother caused this past summer, I couldn’t make it up here.

I held my head high, relished the passing glances and looks, and ignored the sweat forming on my lower back from the eighty-five-degree balm in the air. As I walked through the quad, freshmen gathered in groups, trying to make friends. I remembered the days of undergrad fondly, although in New England, the trees were already starting to lose their leaves and cable knit sweaters were the uniform of choice rather than summer dresses and crop tops.

It seemed like nothing could go wrong. As long as I made it to class on time. So, when I made it to Trilby Business School with time to hit the bathroom, I was thrilled.

Who knew it would lead to such a catastrophe?

I manage to blot out as much of the hideous pee-laden water stain as I can. I wash my hands with more soap than probably necessary, then haul up my purse in front of the stain. I sigh heavily. “That will have to do.”

Someone knocks again.Shit, I’ve been in here a while. I grab the door handle and throw open the door, finding myself face to face with a tall, bearded guy in a flannel. Totally out of place for the hallowed halls of Trilby Business School. His blue eyes are a shock to my system, but I don’t have time to think about it. I’ve got to get to class.

My eyes immediately flick to his belt where there’s a leather holster, not for a gun, but for a multitool and his car keys. He must be maintenance. “Perfect timing!” I say with a broad smile.

The man’s forehead creases. “Beg your pardon?” he asks in a smooth, country-boy accent. Sends a little bit of a shiver down my spine.Not now, Caroline.

I slide past him, gesturing into the bathroom. “Something’s wrong with the toilet. It just sprayed all over me. See?” I pull my bag away and show off the stain I was so desperate to hide only seconds ago.

The man’s eyes widen as he looks directly at my crotch. I shove the bag back in front of the stain and laugh uneasily. “Yeah. Better get on that so that other people don’t have to suffer my same fate.”

He glances into the bathroom, then at me, brow still furrowed.

Weirdo. “You showed up at the perfect time. To fix it, that is…” I say with a smile, nervously feeling the clock tick down for class to start.

The man lifts his chin, recognition finally passing over his face. “Yeah. Perfect timing.”

There’s something about a man who works a trade that is justsointoxicating. Knowing he’s going to be able to go in there and fix the toilet with his bare hands is… okay, well the toilet part isn’t sexy, but the thought of him rolling up his sleeves and getting to work is. I wish I could stick around, but I’ve got places to be and people to meet. “Anyway, thanks so much,” I say before scurrying off down the hall toward Lecture Hall Four.

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