My Forbidden Billionaire

My Forbidden Billionaire Blue Sky Empire Book 2 C. E. Ross © 2023 by Charmaine Ross All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Line edits: Sugar Free Editing Proofreading: Jen Katemi and Sue Phillips Cover design: Charmaine Ross Contents Blurb 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Chapter Twenty-Six 27. Chapter Twenty-Seven 28. Chapter Twenty-Eight 29. Chapter Twenty-Nine Tristan Booker. Playboy. Reprobate. I’m society’s favorite bachelor. A different woman is on my arm every night. Women are more in love with my bank balance than what is inside me. Their eager, hungry faces blur. Good thing they don’t expect anything else of me. That’s until Lily refuses to take what every other woman wants. Astute, unreachable, tempting Lily. This time I’m the one left wanting. Yearning. She’s my kryptonite. My downfall. Mine. Lily Williams. Ice-queen. Untouchable. I won’t let my mother’s legacy fail. Backed into a corner, bankruptcy isn’t a term anyone wants to hear. I have no choice but to accept help from Tristan Booker. Of all people. But his help comes with conditions. Pretend to be his girlfriend and keep his society mother happy, and bankruptcy will be a thing of the past. I need to make sure the fake dating ends at the door. I can’t end up in his bed. Sex and business don’t mix. I can’t mess up. If everyone doesn’t believe we’re together, he’ll take away his funding. But when I find out he’s the reason for my financial situation, all bets are off. Chapter 1 LILY I catch my reflection in the bank’s large, glossy windows, smooth my flyaways, and check my hair is secure in its bun. I don’t have time to be here, but I have no choice. Nothing says “I’m serious” like a face-to-face meeting, and I plan to take advantage of my surprise visit. It may be my only advantage. I hold a steeling breath and push through the shining circular door that spits me into a lobby made of gleaming marble and old money. Not just old money. All money. Mine included. Or more accurately, the money I owe the bank, which I haven’t been able to pay back. Being in arrears on my loan wasn’t the plan. The plan was to take New York by the balls when I uprooted The Drawing Board from Lansdown to become one of its new shining stars. The plan was to take the modest architectural business my mother started and build it into a national success. The plan was to use my entire life savings to my advantage so I didn’t have to declare bankruptcy. Yet, in a matter of a few short months, my plans are nothing but ash. But one thing I do understand is hard work. It took long hours and years of constant work to get my business here, and with a little more time and long, hard hours, I’ll turn things around. I know I can. I just have to swing the bank manager around to see the same thing. I adjust my jacket so it pulls in a clean line over my shoulders and waist, clutch my folder of financial statements, and make my way to the bank teller. My heels click on the floor, a rapid-fire beat keeping time with my racing heart. I paste on my best armed smile. My red lipstick is named Pack a Punch, and I need it to do its work. “Good morning.” I greet the teller before she has a chance to ask what I need. Time is what I need, and she isn’t in a position to give it to me. “May I speak with Mike Tatum.” I say it as a statement. Not a question. Never present on the back foot. Her — Louise, going off her name badge — smile falters. “Do you have an appointment, Miss . . . ?” I expect this question. “He’ll want to talk to me. It’s about a loan repayment.” Her smile jumps back up, although not to its full-watt setting. “I can help with loans. Personal or business?” “Aren’t all loans personal?” I mutter, then, “No. I don’t think you can. I’m happy to wait until he’s available.” “Oh, I don’t know . . .” Louise glances to the next teller. “I’m sure Mr. Tatum will be happy with my proposal. It will mean a profitable revenue stream for the bank. He’ll thank you for meeting with me,” I say. If the bank thinks there’s more money for them, then I have a chance — however slim that is. If not, I plan to camp out on the floor. There’s a nice spot by the evergreen plant in the corner. Her attention swings back to me, less flat but still unsure. I smile, hoping it’s a soothing type of smile and not filled with the hot, desperate need coursing through me. “I’m happy to wait while you call him down.” My urgency isn’t hers. She’s doing her job. There’s little to no investment for her in helping me. In fact, I’m putting her out. I don’t expect her to care about my business, nor that I’ll lose