The Baby Contract (The Billionaire Bachelor Series) Read online

  The Baby Contract

  by

  Olivia Starke

  The Baby Contract

  Copyright © 2014, Olivia Starke

  ISBN: 9781940744339

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: July, 2014

  Editor: Kelly Anderson

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Having a baby is Abby’s dream. Will Liam’s enemies stop her happily ever after?

  Liam Whitmore III is floored by the surprise stipulation in his father’s will—provide an heir within one year or he’ll lose the controlling portion of Whitmore Incorporated to his cousin Spencer. The corporation is Liam’s life. He’ll do anything to keep his cousin’s hands off of it, including finding a woman who’ll bear his child. Though finding the right woman seems an impossible task since he doesn’t have room in his life for anything except running the company. He doesn’t want a wife, just an heir.

  Abby Haden’s family is about to lose their ranch, the only life her ailing father and brother have ever known. She feels helpless and is desperate to help. When the most coveted bachelor in Austin, Liam Whitmore III, also known as the Takeover Tyrant, offers to pay her to have his child it seems too incredible to be true. She’s all but given up hope of ever having a baby. Not only will her dream of being a mother come true, but she can also save the family ranch.

  It was just supposed to be a business deal, but Abby and Liam find it hard to keep their hearts out of what it takes to make a baby. Even as they sort out their feelings, others have their eye on Whitmore Incorporated. Liam and Abby will soon discover how far they’ll go to make sure Abby never produces that heir.

  Content Warning: contains graphic sex, explicit language, mild violence, and a heroine with a history of domestic abuse

  Dedication

  As always, this is dedicated to my readers.

  Acknowledgements

  I want to say a great big thank you to Beachwalk Press for being such a fantastic publisher. Plus, big hugs to my editor Kelly for helping me get my very first full length out to the world, and my critique partner, author Stephanie Beck, for being the second set of eyes that I needed.

  Chapter 1

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Liam Whitmore III’s booming voice bounced off the cherry paneled walls of the small office. Shock, horror, and utter disbelief warred inside his gut, and he glared at the man seated across from him.

  The attorney cleared his throat and adjusted his reading glasses. He eyed Liam warily. “I apologize, Mr. Whitmore, but your father updated his will about six months ago. It now stipulates you must provide a blood related heir, son or daughter, to the Whitmore name within one year, or the controlling portion of Whitmore Incorporated goes to Spencer Davidson.”

  Liam’s gaze settled on his cousin seated in the chair next to him. Spencer glanced to Liam, giving him a brief shrug, before he returned his attention to the attorney. His face was unreadable.

  “I can’t believe he would do this to me.” Liam raked his fingers through his hair and rose. He paced the room like a caged animal. An heir? How the hell am I supposed to provide an heir within a year? There had always been a rift between him and his father, but he never imagined the bastard would so blatantly double-cross him.

  “Mr. Whitmore, please have a seat. There are a few more things we need to go over,” Mr. Bowman, the estate attorney, said, nervously adjusting his reading glasses again.

  Liam shot the man a challenging look. The attorney nodded to Liam’s vacated chair, though he’d paled considerably. Liam relented and took a seat.

  Mr. Bowman’s words were lost to him as he worked out his father’s addendum in the will.

  Spencer had a hand in this, that’s for God damn sure. He looked to his cousin who sat serenely, sipping coffee from an oversized mug. Liam wanted to gag over the stale, bitter smell of the attorney’s cheap coffee. Spencer was Chief Financial Officer for Whitmore Incorporated, and had tried several times within the past year to convince Liam to sell the company for a tidy fortune. He glared at Spencer, willing him to look his way, but his cousin refused to take the bait.

  One thing was for certain, it’d be a cold day in hell before he sold his father’s company, despite his contempt for his old man. It was the family’s legacy, and his identity. Whitmore Incorporated had been built by his father’s hard work, business savvy, and determination to rise above his own parents’ poverty.

  Liam had trained for the CEO position in the company since birth, though in the beginning he’d resisted the education. But he’d come to understand the importance of Whitmore Incorporated outside of a profit margin. It hadn’t been for his father’s sake, it was for the pride he felt for Whitmore. His name stood for something—the American dream of hard work and prosperity, of rising above the worst circumstances and finding success.

  He clenched his hands into tight fists. Provide an heir within a year. One thing Liam valued more than his company was his freedom. He had no desire to settle down, and he certainly didn’t want to be strapped with a kid. He had no love or lust interests and no serious involvements, despite his roving reputation in the tabloids. Hell, his last date had been months before. He simply didn’t have the space in his schedule.

  “So, gentlemen, if you have any questions feel free to contact my office.”

  Mr. Bowman rose, and Liam and Spencer followed suit. They briefly exchanged handshakes. The two men left the attorney’s office and made their way toward the parking garage where their vehicles had been left. Liam’s long strides outpaced his cousin’s, and he kept several steps ahead. Once inside the solitude of the garage, Liam whirled on his cousin, grabbed him by the knot of his tie, and shoved him back against the concrete wall.

  “What the fuck was that about, Spencer?”

  Spencer chuckled, not in the least intimidated by Liam’s fury. He disengaged Liam’s hand from his necktie. “Your father and I had a discussion several months ago, after your medical scare. He was concerned where the company would end up if you died and never provided an heir for the controlling portion. Since we are relation, and I already have the two boys, Uncle Liam wanted to know he didn’t need to worry. I’m his fallback.” He straightened his signature red silk tie and rolled his shoulders, then walked toward his parked Mercedes Benz.

  Liam caught up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around. “He thought you have the company’s best interests at heart? As soon as you get your hands on Whitmore you’ll sell it to that damn KayBona Enterprises, our biggest competitor.”

  A woman paused outside her car several spaces away, eyeing the two men. Spencer smiled broadly and gave her a reassuring nod before turning back to Liam.

  “I do have Whitmore’s best interests at heart, cousin,” Spencer said, his voice calm and level. “Be reasonable. I can make us wealthy beyond our dreams with the deal I made with KayBona. I believe the other investors will see reason too, so we can hand over the place without a hitch.”

  While Liam’s temper had always been quick, his moods rolled off his older cousin like water off a duck’s back. Liam snorted, his grip tightening on Spencer’s shoulder. Spencer shrugged away and walked to the driver’
s door of his car.

  “It’s all a moot point, Liam. Just find some gal to knock up. With that reputation you have, I can’t imagine it’ll be too hard for you to find a woman willing to bed you and have your kid.” He gave a cocky little salute before climbing into his car.

  Liam stormed to his own SUV parked across from Spencer’s. His blood rushed in his ears. His physician had already warned him about his high blood pressure, but Liam refused to take medication for it. The side-effects worried him, and he figured changing his diet would work just as well. Several weeks before, Liam Whitmore II had at last succumbed to his own ill health at seventy-nine years of age. He’d had a massive heart attack.

  Liam knew he was headed down the same path at a much quicker pace than his father. He’d already had chest pains earlier in the year, but it’d turned out to be stress related, nothing serious.

  He watched Spencer’s Mercedes disappear. He slapped his hand against the steering wheel as he ran through the list of women he knew. The only one he’d remained close to was his personal assistant Charity. She really didn’t seem to be an option. He ground his teeth until his jaw hurt, refusing to give in to defeat.

  Then a face popped into his mind, a sweet and pretty freckled face with big eyes blue as the vast Texas sky. A woman he knew little about, but had heard was single. Liam tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, pulling a mental image of the woman fully to mind. Attractive, kind, and seemingly devoted—at least to her job. She was someone who may take to a business proposition.

  He grinned—he may have just found his salvation. He let out a huge breath.

  He still had work to do at the office, but he turned off Congress Avenue and headed toward Marty’s Gym. A dingy little place that had turned out several successful Texas boxing champions. Liam needed to work his frustrations out on a punching bag to keep his blood pressure under control the rest of the day. He’d started keeping a gym bag with a change of clothes in his SUV for that reason.

  A big yellow cat darted into the road, and he hit the brake. The cat made it to the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street and disappeared behind a business. He continued on, thinking of how smug his cousin must feel. Liam had always known Spencer would do him dirty someday, but he would’ve never guessed his father would go along with one of his schemes.

  Bitterness weighed heavily over him as he pulled into a parking spot outside of Marty’s. He grabbed his gym bag from the backseat and headed inside.

  “Liam,” Marty greeted from the front desk. “How you doin’?”

  Liam cast him a tight grin. “Fine. I’m looking for a few rounds.”

  Marty nodded and returned to his newspaper. The older man’s slightly misshapen features carried the look of someone who’d spent too many years on the wrong end of a fist. Marty was one of the few people in the general public that didn’t treat Liam as anything but a man. Liam appreciated it.

  He changed, wrapped his knuckles, then found an open punching bag. His first strike landed with a dulled thunk, rattling the chain suspending the sand-filled bag from the ceiling. He threw another right-left-right then paused, bouncing up and down on his toes. He rolled his shoulders and focused another right-left-right combo on the same fixed spots. His muscles loosened, and sweat beaded on his top lip as he threw his weight into the punches. Within a matter of minutes he dripped in cleansing sweat.

  Liam wiped his forearm over his face and took a deep breath. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall beyond the boxing ring. Another ten minutes and he’d hit the shower and head back to the office.

  Two women threw swings behind the ropes of the ring set up in the center of the room. He watched as one jabbed. The other ducked, but grunted as she caught a glancing blow. They seemed trained and most likely took lessons from Marty—Liam recognized his combinations. Marty had shown him a few things the past year too.

  He turned his attention back to the bag, devoting the last ten minutes to a heavy workout.

  * * * *

  “Things went our way at the reading today, for the most part.” Spencer kicked back in his office chair and propped his socked feet on his desk. He wiggled his toes encased in argyle socks. “We’re right on track.”

  “What do you mean ‘for the most part’?” Richard Bona asked through the speaker phone.

  “It’s nothing to be concerned about.” Spencer rolled his shoulders then loosened the knot of his tie. “A year from now you’ll be speaking with the new controlling owner of Whitmore Incorporated.”

  “A year? What’s the holdup? I thought you had old man Whitmore convinced to hand you the controlling portion.” Richard’s voice rang with impatience.

  “My uncle added an addendum. Liam has to come up with a blood relation in a year. Which I can tell you, isn’t going to happen. There’s not a woman within our circle that would go for being knocked up without an elaborate wedding first that would take a year to plan.”

  Silence stretched for several seconds. “That’s good to hear. Good to hear.”

  Spencer grinned, feeling quite satisfied with himself. Despite the surprise addendum, things had swung Spencer’s way. He hadn’t expected his uncle to simply hand over Whitmore to him. A minor inconvenience at the moment, and one that would play itself out.

  “My uncle was concerned about the Whitmore empire, and he had an open ear to my opinions. His own son was brought into this world as an heir. If my cousin can’t fulfill a similar obligation then Uncle Liam had to find another option. Which is me. Things will work out.”

  Richard chuckled. “The old man had but one family and that’s his corporation. Good job, Davidson.”

  “I assume you’ll let Mr. Kay in on the good news?”

  “Yes, Martin will be pleased to hear it. We’ve been on pins and needles. Remember, we are counting on this acquisition, Davidson. We’ve already put a small fortune toward it. If you fail us, things might turn out in a bad way on your end. Very bad.”

  Spencer bit his tongue; he’d heard the threats already. “We have nothing to worry about.”

  “What do you have for me this week?” Richard said.

  “Sales figures for Whitmore. We’ll be acquiring a small place called Gingerbay. Minor manufacturing and not really KayBona’s cup of tea. My uncle had a soft spot for mom-and-pop places, which my cousin inherited it seems. I’ll upload those figures and what Liam is offering for Gingerbay in case you’re interested. We’ll also be looking into Harbor Inc., which I do think you might want to check out. I’ll let you know what Liam puts together for it when it comes available.”

  Richard chuckled. “Has Liam shown any suspicions about how we keep grabbing companies out from under him?”

  “Not a one. He’s got business savvy but isn’t nearly as clever as Uncle Liam.”

  Spencer used his cellphone and a personal email account to send the files to Richard. He wasn’t stupid enough to use company email—God forbid he got caught passing private company information to a competitor.

  The two men wrapped up the call. Afterward, Spencer pulled out a bottle of scotch from his desk drawer and poured a healthy dose into his glass. A holiday gift from his cousin last year, Spencer mused.

  He held up his glass for a solo toast. “To a brighter future. For me, at least. Best of luck to you, cousin, and sorry for your loss. Both the corporation and your old man.”

  He sipped the strong liquor. Unfortunately, Spencer had racked up a fair amount of gambling debt, enough that if his wife found out she’d divorce him. Paying hefty alimony and child support payments on top of his bookies didn’t appeal to him in the least. It’d be cheaper to keep her and the kids in house, or he risked losing everything he’d worked hard for.

  Once he sold off Whitmore Incorporated, he’d have the damn bookies off his back. He’d buy a place on the East Coast and start over. He hadn’t talked it over with his wife, but he doubted she’d object since she was a native New Englander.

  He stared at the amber liquid in his g
lass, considering the options Liam faced. His temper tantrum after meeting with the attorney hadn’t surprised him. Liam had always been quick fire with his anger. An overbearing and overindulged kid who’d grown into an overbearing and overindulged man.

  They’d never gotten along. The reason Spencer had become CFO for Whitmore was purely Whitmore senior’s idea. He’d wanted to keep the corporation as close to the family as possible. Liam III’s mother and his mother were sisters, and while Liam III had initially resisted involvement in the corporation, Spencer had worked hard to be included.

  Spencer snorted. His cousin was a selfish man, and the last person who should have children. He was too much like his old man to put another before himself. Then again, he’d be desperate to keep his company. The shadow of doubt hung over Spencer’s plans, but he refused to consider the negative. He’d grasped his last straw, and come hell or high water he’d make sure he got his hands on Whitmore.

  His cellphone buzzed and he checked his text messages.

  You need to call me. I have something important to tell you.

  Spencer frowned and hit delete. The last thing he needed was some woman clinging to his coattails. A very brief affair had turned into a royal pain in the ass. He finished off his drink and stood, stretching his tight muscles. He had his son’s soccer game tonight, and if he was late again, his wife would string him up. Another pain in the ass, but this one he had to deal with.

  Chapter 2

  “The chest pains were brought on by stress.”

  Abigail Haden toyed with the charm on her necklace, listening to her brother’s monotone voice. He sounded exhausted.

  “So he’s okay?” she asked, needing a double dose of reassurance.

  “For now. Things have been rough the past few days. I have to go, sis, the doctor needs to talk with me. Call after you get off work.”