Chase Part 1: A New Adult and College Billionaire Romance (Chase Me Billionaire Romance Series) (6 page)

Meaghan adored the feel of riding as a passenger on the bike. It helped calm her. When Chase rode, and her arms wove tightly around his waist, she didn’t think of anything else. It was perfect. She held him, she leaned into him, and she wasn’t dealing with the memories of sleeping with him, or her worries about leaving Jennifer and David, or the pain regarding her father.

Going to San Diego was the right thing to do. They were riding on their own bike, with enough money to be able to pay a deposit for a place they could call her own. It was a dream come true. They pulled up at the first apartment for a viewing. They were twenty minutes early, so they stood beside the driveway to wait.

“Chase?”

“Yeah, Meg.”

“We made the right decision.”

“We did, didn’t we?”

“Leaving behind a place we only have bad memories of, is a sensible thing to do. We can start fresh.”

“I hope so.” He sounded more worried than he had before. “Leaving Dad…there’s this guilt that won’t go away. Walking away from him doesn’t feel great, but I know deep down it’s the right thing to do. Kids have to leave the nest eventually. I guess I’m upset because he didn’t really
get
that I was leaving. He was so drunk. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that.”

“There comes a time when you have to put yourself first. Living your life for other people is a mistake. That’s what I was doing at Dad’s. Maybe I am leaving him to deal with Wanda’s torture, but he chose her to be his wife. And even though your dad is sick, he’s choosing to drink. Think about it this way. Has the electricity at your house ever been shut off?”

“No,” Chase answered.

“Exactly. Why do you think that is?”

“Because he pays the bills.”

“Bingo! He pays the bills. How do you think that happens? It’s not magic. He sobers up enough to take care of what he needs. If he can sober up enough for that, he can sober up for you.”

“I know you’re right, but it’ll take some time to stop feeling the way I do.”

“I’m not saying you should shake the feeling this minute. I just think we need to put things into perspective. All the decisions we made in the past were made for other people. We never once put ourselves first, except when we made the choice we were going away for college.

“We can’t change the past, but honestly, we should have stayed in San Diego instead of spending money on flights to go home. Jennifer would have understood. She’s always been the one we’ve gone to when we couldn’t talk to each other.” She glanced at him, then back at the road. “No matter what the future holds, I think our decision is the best one we could have made.”

“It is. I just wished we had time to plan, you know? To not be so rushed to find a place and find jobs. And I wish we had more money saved up, so we wouldn’t have to worry if things don’t happen fast.”

“We’ll get through it.” Her smile turned into a grin. “Together, okay? Like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomes.”

“That’s not a great example.”

“Well, like that boy band.”

“Which boy band?”

“Forget it. You only listen to country and heavy metal. It’s not the point. Look, this is something we are more than capable of doing. We both know how to look after ourselves, especially after how we grew up. I took care of dinner when I lived with Dad, the laundry, the cleaning. Do you know the hardest thing about him bringing Wanda into the house? She
never
cleaned up.”

“I can contribute,” Chase said. “We can share the workload when we have a place. You’ll see. You know I don’t mind, as long as you promise not to ask me to do two things at once.”

“Yeah. Like ironing and cooking.” Meaghan laughed. “I do remember the mess you made of that pair of pants.”

If she hadn’t taken over, he would have gone to his college interview with his trousers looking like a dish rag. He couldn’t seem to get the hang of how the iron worked.

“I also remember the time you left that pot on the stove for too long, Chase.”

“That was only because I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

“How long was the saucepan on the burner?”

“An hour? I know I put it on to make some pasta, and then I got distracted by my game.”

“How much longer would it have been on there if I hadn’t come in?”

“I have no idea.”

“That’s why I’ll take on the cooking. Burning down our new apartment is not something I want you to do. And you, my friend, can do the cleaning.”

“I’m game for that. I love cleaning. I think what I need is someone to teach me how to cook. Then, I need someone to stop me from getting distracted. I want to learn. That way I can surprise you and make you romantic dinners with candlelight. That kind of stuff.”

He winked at Meaghan and she blushed.

“Otherwise it’ll be microwave dinners. I’m good at that.”

“Microwaved dinners are expensive, and they’re full of salt,” Meaghan said. “I think it would be good for us to watch what we eat. We can’t eat crap all the time anymore.”

“Are you banning me from mac and cheese? Because this man will die without it.”

Thinking about those sorts of things was comforting. It felt like they were planning their lives together. Without the pressure of the labels.

“Of course not. I like it too, just not every night.”

She felt his hand wrap around her waist. He leaned down and kissed her lips. He felt so good.

“I believe in you, Meg,” he said when he pulled away. “If anyone is going to be able to make this work for us, it’s you.”

Maybe this intimacy was a good thing. Chase was such a good kisser, and even better in bed.

“You’re sweet. Thank you for saying that. It really does make me feel better about doing all this, and dragging you with me.”

“You aren’t dragging me. I’m coming willingly.”

“Willing…and a little worried.”

“Being worried about this doesn’t make me any less willing. I saw dad have more month than money. Especially around the holidays. I just want us to have enough. I don’t want you needing for anything.”

“We won’t. Just wait and see. We’ll find a lovely apartment. We’re going to find jobs. This is all going to work out perfectly.”

That seemed to have become their mantra, and they kept repeating it, as though it was going to help. Meaghan hoped it would play out with no hitches. She wanted their lives to work out. At the same time, she knew Chase’s concerns were valid.
What if they ended up in financial trouble? What then? Jennifer couldn’t help them out forever
.

***

Chase wished he could push aside his worries, but the longer they waited for the realtor, the more antsy he became. He couldn’t stop thinking that things would go wrong. There were times when he thought she might be right. Maybe when he thought things were going to go badly, he was increasing the chances of it happening.

He decided to believe what Meaghan believed. Hopefully, she was right about the whole positive thinking thing, and all the good she was sending out into the universe was mitigating his bad. “Everything is going to go perfectly,” he said.

He heard his phone buzz. It was the realtor. He needed to reschedule the viewing.

“This first appointment is a no-show, Meaghan. The realtor needs to meet us another time.

“Okay. We’re close to the next place and we’re about an hour early.” She looked at him. “What do you want to do with that hour?”

She saw a mischievous look on his face, and knew what he was thinking. But he got serious again.

“Maybe we can ride down to the center of town and see if any of the shops have job openings. We could both try working in retail. We can do that together.”

She knew Chase would rather work in automotive, or even construction, but they couldn’t afford to be picky.

“Okay.”

She smiled warmly as he climbed on the bike and held his arm out to help her on. Maybe it was his kiss that made her brave. She held him around the waist and leaned up to his ear before they put their helmets on.

“Can I confess something?”

“Of course.”

“Promise not to laugh.”

“I won’t.”

“I can tell you anything, right Chase?”

“Definitely. Just spit it out.”

“Riding on this bike, it’s—well it’s…”

“Just tell me.”

She blurted it out. “It turns me on. It makes my pussy throb. It makes me want you so bad, Chase. If we keep this up, we’ll need to go back to the motel room instead.”

Chase’s eyes widened with excitement. He turned and kissed her cheek. The he did something that shocked her—he took her hand and lowered it from his waist, to cup it over his cock. “Feel that? I’m already hard. Let’s find some job openings, and then I want to take care of that throbbing pussy.”

She blushed as they put their helmets on and left.

***

Chase did his best to focus on thinking optimistically. He wanted to believe things were going to work out for them.

“You okay?” she asked, swinging her leg over the bike to get off.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He had a feeling the two of them were going to be asking each other that question a lot. “You’re right, Meg. This is going to work.”

She reached out and took his hand. “Our lives are going to be wonderful.”

Seeing how happy she was, made him feel even more confident. They walked together, hand in hand. He relished in the sensation of her palm against his. But his excitement slowly dissipated when they discovered none of the shops nearby were hiring. They already had summer staff.

Fear and hopelessness crept up in Chase again. He had to find a job. They
both
had to find jobs. Renting a two bedroom place wasn’t going to be cheap, especially not a furnished one.

“Where else can we try?” he said aloud and wondered, looking up and down the busy street.

“Restaurants, bars, those sorts of place, because they have a high turnover no matter what time of year it is. Although, there’s a reason for the high turnover. Dealing with irate customers is never easy.”

“No, it’s not.” Chase had worked in a department store for a short time, before he decided it was something he couldn’t do. Customers were always very difficult to deal with, no matter how polite he was. “We need jobs, Meg, and if we don’t have jobs—”

She covered his mouth with her hand. “Stop it. Stop worrying so much. We’re doing this one step at a time. The hour is almost up. We’re going to have a look at those last few apartments, and then we can think about jobs again, preferably without you panicking. Panicking
isn’t
helping.”

When he nodded, she took her hand away.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just stop doing it, okay?” She smiled. Checking the time, she said, “Let’s go. We have to be at this place in ten minutes, and I know how you feel about being late for appointments.”

Chase and Meaghan arrived on time, and the realtor was waiting for them. Meaghan’s tightened her grip on his hand. She was shy at times, and this was a person she didn’t know; a person who would probably judge them. She’d often been uncomfortable meeting new people. When she was working, it was different. At work, she was
professional Meaghan
, who could deal with anything. But even Chase knew all too well she couldn’t hold that front up every single day. It was too much for her.

“Good afternoon.” The realtor smiled at them as she adjusted her suit jacket, and shook each of their hands. “I’m Maria. I take it you’re Ms. Connors and Mr. West.”

Chase nodded, knowing he’d make things much easier if he took control. “That’s us.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Meaghan stood a little in front of him. He watched as her auburn hair was tousled by the warm breeze. He couldn’t help getting captivated, but did his best to focus on the information Maria was sharing.

“The property I have to show you is wonderful, but I have to warn you the paint and carpets are a little old.” She gestured for them to follow, and they headed into the building. They walked up two flights of stairs to the apartment. “Unfortunately, the elevator has been a bit of a problem recently, but that’s something we can deal with, if it becomes a major issue.”

Once they arrived, and she opened the door, the scent met them full-force. It was clear the apartment hadn’t been lived in for a while, and no one had bothered to air it out for quite some time. Chase watched as Meaghan crossed the room to open one of the windows, but it wasn’t budging.

She turned to look at Maria. “How long has this property been vacant?”

“A couple of months. Give me a moment with the window. I believe that’s the one that sticks if it’s left shut for two long. All you need is a little WD-40.” She pulled a bottle from a closet, and applied it cautiously. After a careful tug, it swung open. “People don’t like the property because it’s far too close to one of the main roads, and the windows aren’t double-glazed yet.”

“Hmm,” Meaghan said.

“You do get used to the noise, though.”

Chase knew this wasn’t the place for them.

***

The next few apartments were just as disappointing. There was something wrong with each of them, and neither Chase nor Meaghan felt they were being too picky.

“Want to call it a day?” She said, trying to be encouraging.

“Yeah. It’s already after six. We can check the rental papers we collected today, and make some more appointments.”

“And maybe we can start on the other side of the campus. Today hasn’t been an exhaustive search. After we see thirty places, then we can worry. Deal?”

“Deal, he said, and smiled playfully. “And, I do remember the cutest redhead mentioning something about wanting to jump my bones back at the motel.”

“And she hasn’t forgotten either,” Meaghan joked. “Let’s get on that vibrating sex machine of yours and hurry home.”

“I love that plan,” he said, taking her hand to walk back to the bike. He was so relieved they could lighten up and enjoy each other this way.

As they got outside the main doors of that last apartment building, Chase heard someone call his name from nearby. He looked around. It was his college buddy Jose. They had lived in the same dorm, and were both in the same fraternity.

“Hey man. How’s it going?” Chase stopped and gave him their special fraternity handshake.

“Good. We’re just looking for a place. You remember Meaghan?”

“Yeah, yeah. Hey Meaghan.”

“Hi Jose.”

He turned back to Chase. “So what happened to plans back home? I thought Josh had dropped you two to the airport last week?”

“Yeah. Plans fell through, man. Long story. We’re back and we need a place, like yesterday. And we’re looking for summer jobs too.”

“Ouch. Things are tight. Did you find a place in here?”

“Nah. The unit we looked at was crap. Chipped paint and broken furniture. And I think I saw a mouse in the kitchen. It’s way too sketchy for us.”

“Oh so you’re looking for a place together?”

Chase turned to her, wondering whether he could say they were together. He just went with it.

“Yeah, man. We’re gonna share a place. Anything decent that’s not too far off-campus.”

“Well, I’m just visiting my uncle here. I actually found a place with a few of the other guys on the other side of campus. You know Church Street? It’s halfway down that block. It’s nice, man. Not too expensive either. And I think the landlord said he has another unit.”

Chase saw Meaghan’s eyes light up with the news. Heck, he was excited too. “Well give us a hookup, man.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ve got the landlord’s business card in my car over there in the parking lot. Let me grab it for you.”

   Meaghan tugged at Chase’s arm. “See? Good things happen sometimes.”

“Yeah. Good things happen to those who pound the pavement! This may be just the lead we need.”

“This could be good, Chase.”

Jose brought the number back. “Here it is. You should call him like right now, man. The man can
eat
. He’s always around at dinnertime.”

“Thanks. We will. So what about jobs, Jose? I could use something in a mechanic shop. Doesn’t your dad have a place in town?”

“Yeah he’s always hiring. But I might have something better. It pays real good too. I’ll have to ask the owner first before I take you down there, though.”

Chase sensed a weird energy from Jose. “You’re not into anything sketchy, are you?”

“Nah, man, this shit is cool. It’s a nice, high-end place. All legit. Want me to talk to the owner?”

He thought about it for a bit. “Yeah, why not. It can’t hurt.”

“Cool. I got to go see my uncle now. The man’s a pain, but my dad makes me come once a week to check up on him. You got my number, right?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

“Good. Well let’s talk tomorrow. I’ll find out about the job. But call the landlord now, man. Those places get rented so fast, so you gotta act now. See ya, man. Oh and see you later, Meaghan.”

“Later.”

Chase led Meaghan to the bike in a hurry. “Let’s call now. Maybe we can go see it before we head home.”

“Yes for sure!”

He grabbed his phone and dialed. It rang twice and a man picked up. He confirmed it. There was one furnished unit still vacant, and he could show it right away. Chase hung up with the broadest smile on his face.

“This is progress! Let’s go. The landlord is waiting for us now.”

***

“I’m Yaroslav Moscov,” Jose’s landlord said when they arrived. He had a mild Russian accent, and a big smile under his thick moustache. “You can call me Yar. Okay, I have one last place that’s available. Someone was just here to see it. They didn’t leave a deposit, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s available. It’s got a view of the park, and it’s nice. Some might call it small.”

He led them to the unit. “You need to think about what you want most out of life, you know? Do you want a nice view? Do you want more space? There’s almost always a compromise to be made.”

“Of course there is,” Meaghan said. She’d come out of her shell a bit, which meant Chase didn’t have to do all the talking. His feet were beginning to ache as they walked. “A kitchen is important to me,” she said. “That’s the only thing I’m not willing to compromise on.”

“I have to admit, the kitchens can be very cramped.” He looked down at his clipboard. “This one has a bigger kitchen, but that means you have a smaller bathroom. There is only a shower in there, not a shower and tub.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Meaghan replied. 

“The smaller second bedroom might be an issue, though. It’s an older building. Lots of these two bedroom places were built back then, and they assumed it would be two parents and a child, instead of two adults.”

“Yeah, I had noticed that.” She sighed heavily, full of anticipation. “I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out.”

“Well, if this property isn’t right for you, maybe something will come up later in the summer.”

“Thank you.”

They stopped in front of a building which was far closer to the park than Chase expected it to be. “It’s on the third floor, there is a working elevator, and a peephole.”

“Great.” That was something Meaghan wanted. As they went into the building, Chase realized this was the first one he really liked. When he glanced at Meaghan, he knew she felt the same way. “This is a good start.”

“Lots of people like this lobby,” Yar said. “I do not know why.”

The elevator moved up smoothly. By the time they reached the third floor, Chase was beginning to hope they’d found the right place. They stepped out into the corridor. He smiled, appreciating the soft coloring and the royal blue carpets.

Soon enough, they were standing in front of the door that might be theirs. The landlord opened the front door. The nicely sized living room had a light blue accent wall, surrounded by eggshell white. There was a sofa and a chair, a nice television, a nest of tables, and a clean, sky blue carpet.

Chase checked the cupboards in the TV stand. “I like it.”

Yar crossed to the first of the two hallways. “In this room, you have your kitchen.”

He went in, and Meaghan followed behind him. Chase stayed in the living room, much more interested in deciding how to put the TV stand to use. He was certain this apartment was for them. A moment later, the Meaghan and Yar re-entered the living room.

“So, it’s okay for you?”

“Yeah.” She nodded emphatically. “There’s a lot of storage, a nice fridge and freezer, enough space to move around. It might be narrow, and there’s no dining table. It’s well laid-out, though. I like it.”

“We get that a lot. Take a look at the bedrooms too. There’s one in this unit seems to put people off, unfortunately.”

Chase crossed the room to join them. “Why is that?”

“I’m not really sure. You’ll have to look at them yourselves and see if they work for you. That’s what matters. Personally, I like them.”

Yar led them down the second hallway, which had three doors in it.

“At the very end, you have the bathroom. This room here is the master bedroom.”

He opened the first of the three doors and Chase looked inside, surprised to see how well the space within it was used. “One of the things I would like to point out is the bed.” Yar walked over to it. “It’s a double bed. Not a queen. But what’s nice is you have storage underneath it for things like bedding and towels. The bed in the other room is the same.”

“Great,” Meaghan said. “Which one of us would have the master bedroom?” she asked Chase.

He winked at her. Gently, he pushed her into the room. “I’ll have a look at the second bedroom while you see what the view is like out of that window.”

He opened the second door, wondering if he would dislike it. He discovered it was just fine. “I have no idea why people would have a problem with this.”

The bed had plenty of room for storage, and the wardrobe would be large enough for the clothes he needed to hang up. “I really like it.”

“I’m really glad to hear that. Last is the bathroom.” The landlord pushed open the third door. “It’s functional. No frills.”

“That’s really all you need.” Meaghan was at his side again, and Chase turned to look at her. “What do you think?”

She nodded excitedly. “Looks great.” She turned back to Yar. “I know this is a weird question, but can I ask why the rent is so reasonable?”

“We only rent to students in this building. Firstly because it’s so close to campus, but also because the owner—my brother—has five kids who all went to this college years ago. All boys; big and strong like bulls. He had a tough time finding them housing. By the time the third kid enrolled, he was sick of how much moving they had to do every year, in and out of those tiny dorms. It was ridiculous, no?”

His accent got stronger by the minute as he related the story.

“But he was even sicker of the off-campus rents. He found this building for sale, bought it, then bought the one beside it, then two more, all here on this street. It’s been a student-only building complex ever since. And he still makes a shitload of profit. That’s the American dream no?”

“Wow. That’s good for us,” Chase said. “Is there parking?”

“Yes. You would have a dedicated spot in the underground.”

“And is there a laundry nearby?” Meaghan asked

“Down on the main floor. They’re coin-operated, but they can hold oversized loads.”

“And when can we move in?”

“It’s vacant, so anytime you want.”

They looked at each other and nodded, and Chase said, “I think we’ll take it!”