The Billionaire's Birthday Surprise

by Jenna Brandt

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” a pretty blonde woman said coming up beside them with Wade McAllister, another celebrity chef-turned-artist, by her side. The woman looked familiar, but Vanessa couldn’t place where she knew her from.

  Samuel looked up with a surprised look on his face. He stood from his chair, then gestured towards Vanessa. “This is Vanessa Lewis, my date for the celebration.”

  Wade glanced from Samuel to Vanessa and back again. “Does this mean you took my advice from the other day to heart?”

  “What conversation?” the pretty blonde asked with a confused look on her face. “You know I hate when the two of you keep me out of the loop.”

  “I’ll tell you about it later, Tara,” Wade explained in a hushed voice. Turning his attention back to his friend, he added, “And you still haven’t answered my question, Samuel.”

  “Vanessa and I met a couple of years ago at a party, and we re-connected on the island. We’re spending time together to see where it can go.”

  “I like what I’m hearing,” Wade said with a smile. “I told you that the club could be more than just a materialistic experience. I know it changed my life for the better in more ways than one; the best is being engaged to this gorgeous creature right beside me. If she hadn’t been my concierge at the club last year, I wouldn’t have gone after my dreams, or ended up getting ready to marry the woman I love.”

  That’s where Vanessa knew the other woman from. She’d been at another birthday celebration on the island for a different friend a year ago. Tara had been the concierge for that event. She had no idea that she ended up engaged to one of her clients.

  “You know, I was upset at first when things didn’t work out with my sister, Claire, and you. I know it hadn’t gotten serious yet, and you were both just having fun. Now, I’m glad to see you might be turning over a new leaf and looking to settle down,” Tara said with an approving smile. She turned her attention to her fiancé, pressing his arm to signal it was time to go. “I think we should let them get back to their meal. We’ll be arriving at our next destination soon.”

  Vanessa waited until the couple moved along before she broached the subject of Claire. “What happened with Tara’s sister?”

  Samuel shrugged, averting his eyes. “It was casual, like most of my relationships were before and after. She wanted more and I couldn’t give it to her, so she moved on and found someone who could.”

  “Most?” Vanessa probed. “That means at some point, one wasn’t casual. Did that woman ruin you for all others? Was that why you couldn’t commit to Claire?”

  Samuel shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable, but Vanessa didn’t give him an out by saying anything. She could tell whatever was bothering him needed to come out if they were ever going to progress in their relationship.

  “Her name was Fiona. We met right after I became famous. I thought she loved me, but it turned out, she only loved my money and fame.”

  Vanessa sucked in a deep breath, realizing it explained so much about Samuel and why he was the way he was. He was afraid of getting hurt again, so he never let a woman get close enough to let it happen.

  “That’s awful that she treated you that way, but it doesn’t mean all women are like that.”

  “That’s for sure; some of them are even worse,” she heard Harry cackle from beside them. “Case in point,” he said gesturing towards her. “Looks like you got the birthday boy eating out of the palm of your hand. I think we need to do something about that.”

  “What are you thinking, Samuel? Isn’t ‘no strings’ your life motto?” Scott questioned with a look of disapproval.

  “What’s going to happen to all the Rockettes without Samuel running through their ranks?” Harry mocked.

  “Or the Knicks’ cheerleaders?” Scott added.

  “Or the runway models?”

  Vanessa hoped that Samuel was capable of real change. He seemed to be confiding in her, and she wanted to believe that if he was serious about her, he could leave his old lifestyle in the past. If she let him get close, however, and he couldn’t change, it would mean heartbreak for her. She didn’t want to end up another casualty to his inability to open his heart to someone again.

  “That’s enough,” Samuel snapped out in anger. “I’ve had just about enough teasing from the both of you. If your only reason for being here is to give me and Vanessa a hard time, then you should take a flight back from our next destination.”

  Both men scurried off without saying another word. Even though Samuel had stood up for her, it didn’t change the fact that he could end up letting her down. It was better to be careful and not get her hopes up where Samuel was concerned. She didn’t want to give him the power to hurt her a second time.

  Chapter Seven

  When the group arrived in Cork, everyone was excited to see what the club had in store for them next. They disembarked from the train and found four black limousines waiting for them on the street behind the depot.

  Simone and Luke had everyone divide up between the vehicles. Samuel made sure that Vanessa went in his limo, along with a handful of other guests that Samuel was certain would be less obnoxious than some of his other friends Vanessa had already encountered.

  Tara looked out the window with a curious expression. “Where do you think they’ve arranged for us to go?”

  “Are you saying you don’t know? I’m surprised Simone didn’t give you any hints,” Samuel stated with disbelief.

  “I might be a former concierge for the club, but that doesn’t mean they would give me clues, even if asked, which I didn’t. I’m just a guest now, like all of you.”

  “I hope it’s somewhere romantic.” Celeste sighed as she rested her head on Roger’s shoulder. “This is the first time we’ve gotten away in months. When Tiffany offered to watch Marcus, we jumped at a chance to spend a little time alone.”

  Marcus was Roger’s son from a previous relationship, and Celeste was his former nanny, now turned stepmother. Tiffany was Roger’s sister and the other CEO of the family-run Boswell Energy.

  “Thanks for inviting us along,” Roger said with a grin. “I’m going to owe you one for making my wife so happy.”

  “I’m sure the club won’t disappoint,” Samuel said with a chuckle. “I’ve had my fair share of remarkable experiences because of them.”

  “Do you remember the time in Singapore? You nearly got arrested for that one,” Trip Cassidy pointed out as he sat next to his girlfriend, Willa Malone. “My birthday celebration almost got ruined because of you.”

  Vanessa quirked an eyebrow and poked Samuel in the ribs. “Oh, it did, did it? Remind me to ask you to explain that later.”

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” Samuel quickly defended, running his hand through his dark hair. “You can get arrested for having chewing gum in that city.”

  “But I’m betting it wasn’t because of chewing gum,” Wade countered with a chuckle.

  “I’d definitely suggest keeping that story to yourself,” Trip pointed out. “Some club experiences are best left in the past where they belong. Otherwise, you might get us all in trouble.”

  “It sounds like we’re sitting with a bunch of troublemakers,” Celeste teased with a wink. “Good thing the four of you managed to land yourself some good women to keep you in check.”

  Samuel glanced over at Vanessa, wondering what she thought about the remark that lumped them together as the newest couple of the group. She seemed unaffected by the comment, which Samuel wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing. Deciding to do damage control, he leaned towards her and whispered, “I didn’t put that idea in Celeste’s head, I promise.”

  Vanessa nodded as she turned her attention to him. “It’s not surprising she thinks that’s the case. We’ve been spending a lot of time together during this trip.”

  “I hope that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.” He knew the words were revealing, but he didn’t care. It was the truth. Even
though he could have his pick of the single women that came along on the trip, or even some of the locals, he only wanted to spend time with Vanessa. He didn’t know how it happened, but in two short days, she’d managed to completely captivate him.

  “Blarney Castle! I can’t believe we’re going here,” Willa gushed as she lunged across her boyfriend’s lap and looked out the window.

  Samuel had been to Ireland on many occasions for business, even doing a taste of Ireland special on his show, but he’d never managed to make it to the famous castle. “I wonder what we’re going to do here,” he mumbled to himself.

  Willa must have overheard him because she blurted out, “I hope we get to kiss the Blarney Stone. I could use the gift of gab.”

  “I remember when I was doing research for my special on Ireland, I saw a quote by Irish politician, John O’Connor Power. He defined the gift as ‘flattery sweetened by humor and flavored by wit.’ The quote stuck out to me because it sounded like the recipe for the perfect dish.” Samuel wondered if they were there to visit the stone. Tantalizing images of Vanessa kissing the stone danced through Samuel’s mind, making him hope that everyone’s guess was correct.

  “From what I remember from world history, the legend says that when someone kisses the stone, they can coax anyone into anything,” Tara explained.

  “Some of the men around here already can do that,” Celeste jested as she gestured with her head towards her husband. “Roger doesn’t need any help in that department.”

  The group laughed as the limo pulled into a private driveway behind the castle. Everyone piled out of the vehicles, huddling together as Simone moved to the front. “As many of you may know, we’re here at the historically famous, Blarney Castle. I’ve arranged for us to have private, full use of the castle and gardens for the entire day. Michelin-star chef, Aiden Kelly, will be providing a five-course tasting menu with wine-pairing later this evening. In the meantime, we are going to have a docent give us a tour of the castle, including a viewing of the Blarney Stone.”

  As they weaved through the halls of the castle, their tour guide did an excellent job of explaining the history and folklore that surrounded the area. By the time they reached the tower that was home to the famous stone, Samuel was certain they knew everything there was to know about the place.

  “Who wants to be the first to kiss the Blarney Stone?” the docent asked as they came to a stop in front of the carboniferous limestone, built into the battlement of the castle.

  “I think it should be the birthday boy,” one of the women shouted from the back. “I can help him if he needs it.”

  Samuel wasn’t sure who it was, but from the flirty tone, he was fairly certain it was one of the single women he invited along before Vanessa came into his life.

  “How about it, do you want to go first?” the friendly brunette tour guide asked, gesturing towards the stone.

  He glanced around, wondering what he should do. He saw Vanessa out of the corner of his eye and realized this was the perfect opportunity to get close to her again. “I think I’ll give that honor to Vanessa Lewis.”

  Vanessa’s eyes grew round with surprise as she looked from the stone to Samuel and back again. “Are you sure? I don’t want to steal your thunder.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. Here, I can help you,” Samuel offered as he reached out and guided her over to the spot where she needed to lay down.

  Reluctantly, Vanessa took a seat on the parapet’s edge, then arranged her floral dress around her legs. As she leaned backwards while holding onto the iron railing, Samuel placed his hands on either side of her torso, making sure to keep a firm but gentle grip on her.

  There was a gap between the ground and the stone, giving full view of the eight-story plunge to the ground. Even though the gap was covered by steel bars, it did little to make Vanessa’s position less precarious.

  “You’ve got me, right?” she stammered out, the sudden appearance of fear audible in her voice.

  Samuel could feel her body shaking. He was tempted to pull her back up so he could alleviate her fright; however, he didn’t want to rob her of this special moment. Instead, he reassured her, “Of course; you don’t have anything to worry about. I won’t let you go,” Samuel promised.

  Slowly, Vanessa tilted her head back, elongating her neck. Samuel watched her lush lips pucker and graze the surface of the stone, causing a rush of desire to course through him. Never had he wished so hard to be an inanimate object as he did in that moment.

  “Okay, I’m done,” Vanessa’s wavering voice rushed out, causing Samuel to realize that he had been standing there like an awestruck idiot for all to see. “You can pull me back up.”

  Samuel did as she requested but stumbled in the process. Vanessa tripped and jerked forward, causing her to land firmly against his frame. The proximity of her soft body and heady honeysuckle scent did little to assuage his racing pulse. As he stared into her gorgeous green eyes, all he wanted to do was close the microscopic distance between them and claim her mouth with his own.

  “Who wants to kiss the stone next?” the docent asked, as she ushered them out of the area of the stone, breaking his contact with Vanessa.

  “How was it?” Samuel asked with curiosity. “Did you feel the magic spark when you kissed it?’

  Vanessa let out a laugh as she shook her head. “I think it was mostly fear that consumed me.”

  “You were brave to do it,” Samuel encouraged with a smile as he moved towards her, closing the unwanted distance between them. “I could feel you pushing through your fear. If anyone deserves a special gift because they did it, it’s you.”

  She lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, licking her lips as she stared into his eyes. “Who knows, maybe there was a little magic to it. I’m feeling a spark right now.”

  “You don’t say; I didn’t even kiss the stone, and I’m feeling the same spark. Maybe your magic is rubbing off on me.”

  “Maybe,” she whispered back just as her lips settled on his cheek. It was more of a peck than a kiss, but even from the quickest of gestures, Samuel could feel the spark ignite into an inferno. Vanessa pulled back and spun away, saying over her shoulder, “Aren’t we supposed to be eating soon? I’m famished.”

  After the rest of the group finished with the stone, they made their way into the great hall of the castle. Though it was little more than ruins, the place still held an air of grandeur. One long table was set up with crisp, red linens, gold utensils, crystal goblets, and gleaming white china with gold trim. Twinkling lights were strung across the top of the open roof, adding to the already sparkling stars in the early night sky.

  Samuel was assigned to sit at the head of the table, with Vanessa at his right side. They took their seats, ready to enjoy the meal that was sure to be divine.

  The servers came around and filled each of their wine glasses with a vintage sauvignon blanc. Next, they brought out a seafood chowder. Samuel’s first spoonful was like an explosion of flavor in his mouth. He could taste both the fresh and smoked fish, as well as the pancetta. Each additional taste revealed new complex layers of flavor with hints of clam juice, bay leaves, and thyme.

  “This is delicious. It might be the best bisque I’ve ever had,” Wade proclaimed from two seats down the table. “I hate to admit this, but Chef Aiden could give us both a run for our money. I might have to have him on my show as a guest judge.”

  “Not before I book him on my show first,” Samuel retorted, his competitive nature surfacing. “I want to introduce him to America.”

  “What are you saying? My show can’t do a good job of that?” Wade probed, a look of irritation on his face. “Just remember, my show was around before yours.”

  “But my show filled a gap in the market. Just because—“

  “Gentleman, I’m sure the chef will be more than happy to be on both your shows,” Tara interrupted, reaching out and patting her fiancé’s hand. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the meal for now.”<
br />
  “She’s right, we can share Chef Aiden,” Samuel conceded, embarrassed he let himself get carried away with competing with his friend. “There isn’t anyone I’d rather share a guest with than you, Wade.”

  “I feel the same.”

  Several more courses passed by with a delicious salad, a fish dish, rack of lamb, and finally the perfect sweet ending, an Irish crème chocolate trifle.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better meal,” Vanessa said as she placed her napkin on the table as they stood to leave.

  “That’s because you haven’t had my cooking yet,” Samuel teased. “Once we’re back in the city, I’ll make you a meal that blows your socks off.” Then realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, “Not that you wear socks, or that I was thinking about what you wear or causing any of it to come off.”

  Vanessa laughed, shaking her head and causing her chestnut curls to bounce around her face. “You do that often, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  “Put your foot in your mouth.”

  “Only around you, it seems,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “Why don’t we go for a walk in the garden?”

  “I think that would be lovely.”

  Samuel and Vanessa meandered down the paths of the lush botanical masterpiece. When they reached the end of the first area, the band from the train was present, playing a slow song.

  “Did you plan this?” Vanessa inquired, glancing between him and the band.

  He shook his head. “I wish I could take credit, but it seems Simone thought of everything.”

  As he gathered Vanessa into his arms, he was grateful for an excuse to hold her again. The longer she let him, the more he couldn’t help but stare down into her exquisite face and wonder what it would be like to kiss her perfect lips.

  “You’re the best part of my birthday surprise,” Samuel confessed. “I didn’t expect to feel this way on this trip, but it’s true. I can’t help but want to spend every moment I can with you.”