Second Chance Billionaire (The Billionaire's Club Book 1) Read online

  Second Chance Billionaire

  Ann B Harrison

  Copyright © 2020 by Ann B Harrison

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Author Information

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Author Information

  Second Chance Billionaire

  Ann B Harrison is the internationally best-selling author of thirty-five plus romance novels including her fabulous Watson Brothers Romance stories published by Tule Publishing Group.

  For information on new releases, covers and to win exclusive members-only content, follow Ann on Facebook.

  To get alerts for new releases, follow Ann on Amazon and BookBub.

  Chapter 1

  Ruby checked the time again, wishing for a fleeting moment that she’d worn her dress watch instead of the trusty black heavy duty one because that matched her likewise, practical black tux. She needed to look the part but fancy and frills was never her thing.

  “Stop it.” Carly nudged her. “You’ll be fine. You’ve done this before and look how well we did. We got heaps of donations.”

  She picked at a piece of imaginary fluff on her jacket sleeve and glanced nervously at the door of the rented hall. “But this year we enticed bigger sponsors. Or at least people we wish were sponsors.” She’d been horrified when Carly had told her how many invites she’d sent out and to whom. She still couldn’t be convinced that any of these business people would want to invest in or donate to her rescue organization. Talk about punching above your weight. Not that they had any choice. When things were as close to the line as they were now, nothing was off limits.

  This ball was a make-or-break evening. Still, she was in panic mode.

  Carly smiled as she spoke. “I’m glad you let me organize the guest list this year. I’ve invited bigger companies to contribute. We can’t rely on Facebook and posters in shop windows forever. And if that company who keeps donating blankets and dog food closes up, we’re screwed. Anyone is fair game as far as I’m concerned. Lots of big corporations make healthy donations to local ventures. I’m sick of being on tenterhooks every time the lease becomes due.”

  That was Ruby’s goal, even if it was reaching for the stars. To own their own premises so she didn’t have the risk of being kicked out when the property owner figured out they could raise the rent to keep up with the market. Three times over the last seven years, the shelter had to move.

  She drew in another shuddering breath. “Right, let’s go do this.” Ruby slipped her hand through Carly’s arm and walked out into the hall to greet their guests.

  The mirror ball on the ceiling spun around, casting little sparkles over the people already there. Couples stood together with champagne in hand, talking and laughing. Some congregated around the large display Ruby had set up showing photos of their rescue babies awaiting adoption and another large display proudly showed off animals which had been adopted. The before and after photos were confronting but Ruby didn’t believe in sugar coating anything. It was amazing how much one person could change an animals life. It was what she lived for. Those feel good moments when things went right for her dogs.

  People were cruel and she was out to make a difference. If she could save every animal, she would but even Ruby knew she was losing the battle.

  She made her way over to the door and greeted more people as they walked in, doing her best to push down the nerves and make everyone comfortable.

  “Hello. How nice of you to come tonight.” She shook hands with others.

  “Thank you so much for coming.”

  A few asked questions about her adoption rules and showed an interest which made the night worthwhile. She handed them a card with the office number on it to encourage them to make an appointment during the week.

  The wishing well they’d set up beside the display already held plenty of bank notes. People were so generous and her eyes welled because of their kindness. Carly grinned as they met up.

  “Told you this was going to be great. Just wait until the auction starts and you see the prizes that’ve been donated. It’ll blow your tiny little mind, girl.”

  Ruby couldn’t hide the panic no matter how much she tried. Big events made her nervous. She hated the thought of stuffing up. Thank goodness Carly was a social butterfly and knew how to keep her calm. “I can’t wait. You’ve done an amazing job. I’m so grateful to call you my friend.”

  Carly blushed and hugged her. “Ditto, kid.”

  “Miss, excuse me.” An older man in a stunning suit tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re the one who runs this shelter?” His silver moustache twitched as he observed her.

  “Yes, I do.” She held out her hand, he looked vaguely familiar. “My name is Ruby. How can I help you?”

  He took her hand and shook it but didn’t let go. “I want to donate to your cause.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  He squeezed her fingers before letting go. “My wife has one of your dogs. I got it for her after a tragic incident a couple of years ago. She’s still not able to get out as much as she’d like. Rather home bound actually.” He paused for breath and when he spoke again, he had a check on his emotions. “I came in and adopted a little mixed breed for her. It gave her new life and she’s starting to improve.” He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to thank you personally. I doubt she would’ve survived after the death of our son without Bubbles by her side.”

  Ruby reached out and hugged him. This is what she worked so hard for. To share the healing power of animals and give her rescues the second chance they deserved.

  “I’m so happy for you. Really pleased that it turned out well.” She wiped a tear from under her lashes. Hearing feel good stories about her babies always made her emotional.

  “My name is Graham Charters.” He pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. “I won’t be here for the auction. I don’t like leaving my wife alone too much at night but I wanted to personally deliver this cheque to you and to let you know that anytime you find yourself in need of help, be it financial or otherwise, you can call me.” He handed her the envelope. “My business card is inside.”

  A lump of gratitude stuck in her throat and Ruby couldn’t get the words out. She smiled and put a hand on his arm, mouthing the words. Thank you.

  “I’ve also donated some of my company’s services for the auction. I hope you raise a lot of money, Ruby.” He gave her another smile and walked away.

  Carly reached for her. “Wow. Had you met him before?”

  “I think so. He came an adopted one of our babies back when I’d taken over the management side of things.”

  “He did?”

  Ruby nodded and watched him walk out the door “But I see so many people so I can’t be sure it was me who signed off on it or not.”

  “Mr. Charters. He is a huge property developer here in San Francisco.
Lives in a gorgeous old house in Sausalito overlooking the harbor. I believe his son lost his battle with cancer a couple of years ago. They say his wife almost died from grief.”

  She waved the envelope. “He gave me this in gratitude.”

  Carly squealed. “Open it.”

  “Not now. That would be crass.” Ruby tucked it into the inside pocket of her black jacket. “Tonight after this is all over.”

  Carly sighed. “Sure. We’ll get together and go over the initial figures and see if we made money or lost it. Come on, let’s make this place jump.” She bopped off across the floor, stopping along the way to interact with people, doing what she did best. Carly was a people person, unlike Ruby who preferred animals.

  “Ruby.”

  * * *

  Her shoulders stiffened and the color drained from her face as she turned toward him. Pain flickered through her eyes but was dashed away with a blink.

  “Simon. I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Her chin lifted as she defended herself against him. He should’ve known she would take this badly. He’d cajoled an invite from Carly with the warning that went with it. Be nice or there would be no second chance.

  “It seemed like a good excuse to do some good. My company likes to work with charitable causes in the community. Carly invited us.”

  She gave him a tight smile. “Right.” Ruby looked everywhere but at him.

  She hadn’t changed much since he’d seen her last. Still gorgeous, still angry. But he could hardly blame her. He’d been a fool. An idiot.

  “Still working hard, I see.” He gazed around the room, ignoring the people who stared openly at them. The geeky and single CEO of a heartless tech organization and the woman who gave her heart to everything she did.

  “Yep.” She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and gripped the stem so hard her fingers turned white. He wanted to take the glass from her, take her hand and walk her outside away from the buzzing crowd. Talk to her quietly like he used to do while her heart stopped pounding from being around so many people at once but that wouldn’t go down well. He’d lost that right five years ago and he only had himself to blame.

  “So, how’s business?” He knew her financial position but what else could he say?

  She stared at him then, her warm brown eyes changing at the mention of her mission in life. The anger and wariness fading as if she knew fighting him in public was futile. “Same as always. Never enough hours in the day, or enough money to make it through or enough people to adopt my babies. And they keep coming through the door faster than I can find homes for them.” She took a deep breath. “But I’m doing what I can. Tonight will raise our profile and hopefully raise enough funds to keep us solvent for another year.”

  “I can help, you know.” As soon as the words were out, he wanted to kick himself. If there was a worse thing to say to her, he didn’t know what it was.

  She pressed her lips together. “Buy something at the auction since you’re here. That will help.” Ruby turned and walked away with her head held high.

  She was beautiful when she was angry. Every time he’d approached her since that fateful day, she’d refused to talk to him. Tonight she seemed more accepting, more chilled. Maybe it was a time thing. Or maybe she really was that desperate for money, she’d put her anger aside.

  “She’s freaking out.” Carly’s voice came over his shoulder. “We’re terrified the landlord will raise the rent again. It might mean yet another move that none of us have the heart for. We have nowhere else to go. We’re all out of options, Simon. So maybe it’s time to put your money where your mouth is and help the one you love instead of sitting on the sidelines pretending you don’t care.”

  “She doesn’t want my money. You of all people know that, Carly.”

  Carly sighed and elbowed him in the ribs. “You are such a nerd, Simon. Put your thinking cap on. Find a way to give her money that she can’t turn down. You’re supposed to be clever, remember?”

  If he’d been that clever, he never would’ve let her go in the first place.

  Chapter 2

  Ruby’s face ached from smiling but she wasn’t about to finish the night without talking to everyone she could and letting them know how much she valued their support. She had to make sure they all felt appreciated in the hopes they’d come back if they ever decided to do another grand event like this. And if she could encourage them to adopt a fur baby from her, as well as spend at the auction, things would be even better.

  The waiters worked the floor, plying their guests with finger food in lieu of a sit down meal. Much cheaper to serve and kinder to their already dwindling budget. Besides, Carly’s sister, an award winning chef who wanted to go out on her own with a high end catering business she’d started up, had donated her time and produce for the event in exchange for her face and company name on display. So far, it had been a great success and lots of people wanted to know more about her business. The small pile of business cards and glossy resumes had diminished since the food had started circulating.

  A crackle filled the air. Their MC for the night, television personality and all round funny man, Wes Weston tapped the microphone. Hosting top class parties and awards nights made him the perfect person to approach when Ruby was looking for someone to draw the crowd in. After all, he’d adopted some of her babies and was a well-known and passionate animal advocate in San Francisco. “My time to shine, lovely people.” He bowed to the good natured applause and laughter. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll pause while you repeat that accolade. Make me feel loved all the more. Thank you.”

  Once the noise quietened down, he held out his hand, beckoning Ruby to the stage. “Ruby, our hostess for the evening, come up and say a few words.”

  Panic filled her throat and she gestured at him, running her finger across her throat, ready to cause bodily harm. She’d already told him that she wasn’t prepared to do a speech. He laughed her off. “Folks, Ruby is the shy retiring type unless she’s talking to one of her fur babies but let’s not sway her from coming up and saying a few words. Words that might make some of you blush, because I can see she’s so angry with me I’m going to get a dressing down. Come on Ruby. Just a couple of wise snippets from you and then I’ll get on with the highlight of the night - the auction.” The applause was thundering and she had no choice but to go up on stage. The spot light was on her as she climbed the stairs.

  When she reached the mic, she glared at him. “I would kill you if I didn’t like you so much.”

  He bowed and handed the mic over.

  She brushed a hand over her hair, stalling until the words cemented in her mind. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’m not very good at this as you can probably guess. I’m a lot happier out at the shelter helping the animals that depend on me and my team to take them in and find them good homes, and good people like you to love them. But it would be remiss of me if I didn’t get over my aversion to public speaking long enough to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here tonight to help raise much needed funds for Hope for Animals of San Francisco.” She paused as the applause rang out. When it died down, Ruby looked out over the crowd and spotted Simon and his best friend Tyler at the back of the room. Simon raised his glass to her. Her heart nose-dived to her feet and her throat closed over.

  He’d changed over the last few years. His face had thinned, jaw line squared off. That youthful babyface had grown more handsome. Where once he looked casual in cheap knock off clothing, now he wore a well cut suit that hugged broad shoulders. His haircut professionally done, swept up instead of hanging over that high-brow she used to run her fingers over to smooth out the worry lines when his coding didn’t work or the program he worked on wouldn’t go as fast as he needed it to.

  The sultry smile on his lips almost floored her. He was so handsome, so self-assured now that she was mesmerized by the vibes he put out. So unlike the geeky young man she’d walked away from.

  But it was too late to second guess he
rself now. Especially not in the public spotlight.

  She blocked him out of her mind as she tried to finish her speech. The last thing she’d expected was Carly to invite the man who’d broken her heart to their big night. Concentrate, Ruby. “The shelter is undergoing its biggest challenge yet. The lease is due to expire in sixty days and the price will no doubt be going up to match other rents in the area. I don’t blame our landlord for doing what he’s entitled to do. But sadly, that impacts the shelter more than we can handle. We can’t afford big city prices. We run on donations alone as you know.” She paused to swallow. “If we don’t raise the money, we lose the property. We will have nowhere else to go and we’ve already moved so many times. It’s not only stressful to the staff but it’s incredibly stressful to the animals. So I’m begging you all tonight to help as much as you can. Open your hearts as well as your wallets. We, the carers and the animals, need you to support us so we can continue our good work. The county needs our facility but without you we can’t continue. And if any of you would like to make an appointment to adopt, grab me and we’ll sort it out. Thank you and have a good night.”

  The applause was deafening. She handed the mic back to Wes with a punch on the arm. “Sneak.”

  He put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. “You know I love you and I’ll do what I can to get you as much money as possible so call me all the names you like. And a warning - remember what I said when you asked me to do this? Nothing is off limits.” He pushed her off stage and whipped the crowd up, playing to them as he always did.