The Proposal (A Billionaire Romance) Read online

  The Proposal

  A Billionaire Romance

  Nikki Wild

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Want More?

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  BONUS NOVEL: Saved by the Bad Boy

  NIKKI WILD

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  NIKKI WILD

  Want More?

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  Bonus #1: ARROGANT BRIT!

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  NIKKI WILD

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  Bonus #2: Rock Hard

  NIKKI WILD

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  NIKKI WILD

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  BONUS #3: Illicit Behavior

  1. ILLICIT BEHAVIOR

  2. Angel

  3. Trent

  4. Angel

  5. Trent

  6. Angel

  7. Trent

  8. Angel

  9. Trent

  10. Angel

  11. Trent

  12. Angel

  13. Trent

  14. Angel

  15. Trent

  16. Angel

  17. Trent

  18. Angel

  19. Trent

  20. Angel

  21. Trent

  22. Angel

  23. Trent

  24. Angel

  25. Trent

  26. Angel

  27. Trent

  28. Angel

  29. Trent

  30. Angel

  31. Trent

  32. Angel

  33. Trent

  34. Angel

  35. Trent

  36. Angel

  37. One Year Later

  NIKKI WILD

  Want More?

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  Taking Beauty

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Want More?

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  Join the WILD LIST!

  Bonus #4: Saving Landon!

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  NIKKI WILD

  Other Novels by Nikki Wild

  Prologue

  TEN YEARS EARLIER

  North Shore (Oahu, Hawaii)

  They ran playfully out of the surf, laughing as they tumbled onto the blanket together. Danielle hoped the outcropping of rock hid their wet naked bodies from view on the seemingly empty beach. Even though the full moon was undeniably romantic, its bright light shone on them like a spotlight from above making her feel self-conscious. She had never been this sexually daring before, but he had an irresistibly untamed way about him that she couldn’t refuse. He stirred her to new heights of passion that surprised and even frightened her a little. Her body trembled, not from the warm tropical breezes, but from the sheer command of his kiss.

  The hardness of his muscled male flesh pressed insistently against her, driving her wild with sexual desire for him. His mouth consumed her own while his hands sent shockwaves of excitement coursing through every part of her highly aroused body. At that moment she wanted h
im in her so badly, all previous concerns of privacy were quickly swept away as she opened herself to him. A warm ocean wave glided ashore and splashed over their sandy feet, just as he entered her soft easy folds. She knew she had found the man of her dreams.

  One

  “Damn tourists,” Danielle Kane muttered to herself as she crept slowly along Highway 30 in her red Prius. Year-round vacationers in their rental cars clogged the coastal roads of Maui, making it nearly impossible for her to drive to work within a reasonable amount of time. Bicycling was her usual mode of transportation, but not on days when she needed to wear a power suit and heels. She was desperately trying to avoid being late for that morning’s important corporate meeting, but as usual the other drivers were leisurely sightseeing at a snail’s pace.

  She had no choice but to be patient. There was no escape. No alternative routes. The main highway through the Kaanapali Beach area was locked by the West Maui Mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. With traffic now at a complete standstill all she could do was wait. She lowered her window so she could breathe in the sweet fragrances of plumeria and gardenia that grew wild on the island. Instead she got a black cloud of exhaust fumes belched in her face from the gigantic dump truck that blocked the view in front of her. She coughed and immediately closed her window back up. Why the hell aren’t we moving? What is going on up there?There’s gotta be an accident….

  Finally, the source of the delay came into view. Oh god no….. don’t tell me. The Sugar Cane Train! Oh for Pete’s sake, not the stupid train.

  The train blew its loud steam whistle and chugged slowly past Danielle and the rest of the poor souls trapped on the roadway. In her mind it was certainly no justification for traffic being at a dead stop. The train tracks and trestle didn’t even cross the highway. On the contrary, they ran parallel to it. But it was still one of Maui’s most popular tourist attractions and apparently still quite a distraction to many of her fellow drivers.

  Her phone chirped in her purse on the seat next to her. Someday I’m going to set up the Bluetooth in my car…. She’d been threatening to do so for months but she just never seemed to get around to it. She dug around in her bag until she found the noisy device, and finally answered it knowing full well it was her friend and work colleague Paolo Santiago.

  “Dani, where are you?” he asked nervously. “You’re cutting it kind of close aren’t you kiddo? What’s the hold up? The meeting is starting in fifteen minutes.”

  “The island traffic is ridiculous today Paolo. I wish the tourists would stay off the main roads until the rest of us got to work. I can’t believe these people still find the damn Sugar Cane Train so fascinating they have to stop and gawk at it. Anyway, things are moving again. I’ll be turning into the parking lot any minute now. See ya in a few.”

  Danielle pulled into the employee lot of the Kaanapali Kai Resort, head on into the same space she’d been parking in for the past three years; the one reserved for the hotel’s marketing director. Before heading inside, she checked her make-up and hair in the rear view mirror: Ugh! How do I always manage to get lipstick on my teeth? She wiped it off with her index finger and took a couple of deep breaths to help her compose herself.

  She hated corporate meetings and this one had her particularly on edge. For weeks there had been rumors circulating about “the “Kai” possibly being purchased by a global hotel chain. Her job security, as well as that of her colleagues, monopolized her thoughts. As she grabbed her travel mug of coffee from her car console and her briefcase from behind the seat, she made up her mind to think only positive thoughts. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to turn out fine Dani. It always does.

  Upon entering the conference room, Danielle spied an empty seat next to Paolo and slipped quietly into it. It was nearest the door and the obvious choice in her attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible. She leaned into him and whispered, “Has Angela said anything yet?”

  “No, you know what a tough nut she is; just the usual icy greetings. I think she’s almost ready though. I don’t mind telling you I’m very nervous.”

  “Paolo you’re an awesome hotel manager. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.” She tried to sound as reassuring as possible, while reminding herself - Only positive thoughts, only positive thoughts.

  The managerial staff was mostly engaged in nervous small talk around the conference table while Artemis Hotels big wig, Angela Goldman, set up her PowerPoint webinar presentation. Everyone was well aware of her chilly persona, and in fact usually referred to her as “the cold front blowing in from the east” whenever she flew in from the New York corporate headquarters. Her fiftyish face was perpetually stern and her unyielding bun was never with a hair out of place. She cleared her throat, gave the staff a tight-lipped smile and brought the meeting to order.

  Skipping all pleasantries, Angela began clicking her webinar slide show which confirmed the recent purchase of the Kaanapali Kai Resort by global giant Tanner International. She opened the link to the Tanner web page which displayed the company logo along with a photo of billionaire hotel magnate Grant Tanner, and his strikingly handsome son Shane Tanner.

  From that point on Danielle didn’t hear another word that Angela said. She sat frozen in a state of disbelief as she stared at the younger Tanner’s face displayed up on the screen. Her confused mind raced backward in time to about ten years earlier, to when she was a student at the University of Hawaii; back to that magical summer when she had fallen head-over-heels in love with Scott Turner, the man of her dreams. The man who romantically and sexually turned her boring little world upside down…….. and then left without a single word.

  Getting over him had been one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do and now she was looking up at what appeared to be his face; larger than life and flashing the same hard-to-resist smile that captured her attention on Oahu so long ago. She wondered how it could possibly be? How could Shane Tanner be Scott Turner? And vice versa? But the proof was plain as day. He even had the same tiny scar above his left eyebrow. A wave of nausea rose from the pit of her stomach and up into her throat.

  Two

  Over two thousand miles away in California, a vastly different type of meeting was about to take place.

  “Carol, when Moon Lee gets here just send her on in please.” Shane Tanner rubbed the spasming muscle in his neck and winced as he passed his secretary’s desk on the way into his office. Before he entered he quickly added, “And I want you hold all calls; no disturbances; absolutely nothing until after she leaves.”

  “Will do sir,” she replied without looking up or missing a keystroke.

  Few people would be plagued by stress and muscle tension from an impending trip to Hawaii; but then few people lived the high-flying billionaire life of Shane Tanner.

  He stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, and stared blankly out at the sweeping view of Newport Beach and the sapphire blue Pacific that was his daily scenery from fifteen stories up. The lunch he had just had with his father left a bad taste in his mouth; only figuratively of course; the food had been superb. The elder Tanner’s patronizing way of speaking to his son had a way of getting under his skin every single time without fail. In fact, his father’s words were still playing in his head like an annoying commercial jingle: