Page 1 of Nightclub Surprise
Nightclub Surprise
A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance
Billionaire and nightclub entrepreneur,August Harlow, runs into a girl who was his neighbor from their small hometown. They’re both shocked to see one another, but he’s even more shocked to find she has a son. A son who’s 6 years old. And he knows he and she had a little secret sex just before he left to join the Marines a little less than 7 yearsago.
Could the kid behis?
He looks a hell of a lot like him. Has a crooked smile just like he does. Same shade of dark hair and green eyes too. Should he ask her if the kid is his or dodge the same bullet he may have dodged for 6years?
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ChapterOne
August
Smoke loomed over the distant hills. The fires had been burning in Big Bear for three days. My office in downtown Los Angeles would be safe, or that’s what the authorities preferred us to believe. My home in Hidden Hills, a suburb of L.A., was okay, too, for the time beinganyway.
Moving away from the window and trying to get the scene of wildfires out of my mind, I headed toward my desk when my cell rang. My sister’s name flashed across the screen of my iPhone. “And how can I help you today, big sister?” Leila had six children, a husband who worked out of town most of the time, and a career as a hairdresser to the stars that kept her more than busy. So, she turned to me more often than not for help with the herd of kids she and her husbandhad.
“Now what makes you think I need your help, August?” sarcasm laced her voice. “Maybe I’m just calling to say hello and ask how your day isgoing.”
“Sure, you are.” A light chuckle punctuated the sentence. “And my day has been relatively uneventful. Thankfully. Thanks so much for asking. And I assume your day is going about the way it usually does.Hectic.”
“Right you are. I don’t suppose you’d like to go to the California Science Center to pick up your nephew for me? Gino’s grounded from using the car you so generously gave him for his sixteenth birthday lastweek.”
“Already?” Plopping into my office chair, I brushed my hand through my hair. The kid had promised me he’d be cool with the brand-spanking-new Chevy Camaro. “What did hedo?”
“He took it out after curfew. Snuck out sometime in the wee hours of the morning and came back around seven in the morning, pretending to have gone out to get us all some donuts. Except the fool forgot to actually buy any donuts, letting me and his father know he’d been out and up to no good.” She sighed heavily. “He’s only the third oldest, August. I’ve got three more to get through the troublesome teens. My future is looking dimmer and dimmer with each passingday.”
“Come on, you’re Mother of the Year every year, and you know it.” Getting up, I headed to the door to leave. If I knew anything, it was that my sister had left this to the last minute, and the kid was most likely already waiting to be picked up. “I’ll head outnow.”
“Thank you, dear brother. I’ve got to do a dye job on Miss Perfect today and I’m not looking forward to it.” She sighed again, a thing she did far toomuch.
“You don’t even have to work, Leila. Your husband’s job would keep you guys more than comfortable. So why push yourself so hard? You’ve got six—count them—six kids to worry about.” The key fob in hand, I pushed the button to let myself into myBMW.
“August, I’ve told you this a million times, but here it goes, one million and one. I work to get away from the mother and wife role for a few hours each day. I know you don’t get it. But that’s because you’re single and kid-free.” She paused for a moment, the phone clearly leaving her ear. “I’ve got to go. Her entourage has arrived, and the queen bee will soon be following—after the spritzing of the air with lilac oils and the spreading of rose petals occurs, ofcourse.”
“Of course,” I echoed. “I’ll talk with Gino while I take him home. Give him the wise old unclelecture.”
“Good. Give that boy hell, little brother. Bye now. Andthanks.”
“Bye.” I ended the call and started up thecar.
Traffic was light at one in the afternoon as I made my way to the Science Center. When I got there and headed inside, I found Gino still working. “Hey, Uncle August! Cool, Mom sent you to getme.”
“Yeah, she did, you rebel without applause.” My fist connected with his scrawny bicep, making him wince. “That wasn’t even hard, wimpy. So, what has you working on a school day, and when do you getoff?”
“I’m on a four-day school week, did you forget that, Unc? No school on Fridays for me. And I get off in a half hour.” He shrugged. “Can you wait around forme?”
“I guess so.” Looking around, I saw all kinds of things that might interest me. “I’ll check the place out. I’ve never been here before. It lookscool.”
“Yeah, it is. Lots of tour groups come through the place. Lots of field trips come through here with kids of all ages.” He grabbed his broom and got back to work as I walkedaway.
The space shuttle Endeavor hung from the rafters nearby, capturing my attention. It seemed to be taking lots of people’s attention as several groups surrounded it, leaving minimal room to see it, even with its giantstature.
Standing behind a group of little kids, I spotted one little boy who seemed familiar. Not sure why, since I didn’t even know any little kids, but something about him drew my attention more than the giant airship aboveus.
He giggled along with a couple of other boys. Then he turned toward me, and I saw that his eyes were hazel, just like mine. And his hair was the same shade of brown,too.
