Newport Billionaires Box Set

by Amy DeLuca

  Bonnie squeezed Jack’s bicep. “What do you mean? How does she act?”

  Hunter snorted, familiar with Margot’s infamous escapades. “Ever see The Graduate? She makes Mrs. Robinson look like Mr. Rogers.”

  Jack grinned at Bonnie’s horrified expression and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “It doesn’t matter how often or how blatantly she throws herself at me. The only ‘Mrs.’ I’m interested in is my own gorgeous wife, from now until death do us part.”

  “Good answer.” Bonnie grinned, kissing him back.

  Hunter groaned, feigning nausea. “Okay, you two. I’d say get a room, but you’ve got a perfectly good mansion full of them right there behind you. I’ll see you later.”

  After visiting the cemetery, he went home and got back to work. But as the evening wore on, Hunter found himself glancing at the clock again and again. The gala would be in full swing at this point.

  In fact, the windows were open, and he could hear faint jazz music on the breeze, no doubt from the quartet playing at the party just a few houses down the avenue at Marble House.

  He did have a tux upstairs in his closet. He could throw it on, stroll down the street… see who was there.

  Kristal might not even be there. If she is, she’ll be with him.

  He’d heard Kristal was dating one of their high school classmates, Harry McAllen. It figured. Not only was Harry an associate at her father’s prestigious law firm and Richard Bianco’s protégé, he’d grown up in Newport high society. Just like Kristal.

  Unlike Kristal, he’d been a complete jerk to Hunter back then. Harry and all of his trust-fund buddies had lorded it over the school, ditching class to go sailing or skiing and cheating their way through exams, confident in the knowledge their wealthy parents would buy them a “side-door” acceptance into a prestigious university no matter how much they screwed off.

  Kristal had been different from the rest of her crowd. They’d had several shared classes, and she’d always been friendly and kind. Not just to Hunter, to everyone.

  But she had looked him directly in the eye when they’d spoken—she had these remarkable green eyes—and she’d known his name. It was a pretty big high school, so not everyone did. Certainly not the rest of her Bellevue Avenue neighbors.

  He’d never asked her out, of course. Sure, he’d looked—she was the prettiest girl in their class by far. How could he not look? But she’d probably had a ton of guys asking her out, guys who could take her to expensive restaurants or exclusive clubs.

  Hunter hadn’t even had a car to pick her up in until halfway through senior year when he’d saved up enough money from his afterschool and weekend jobs to buy a used beater.

  Just in case he’d ever dared to get his hopes up, his friends were quick to remind him of the vast chasm standing between him and Kristal. “You can dream, man,” they’d joked. Or “Don’t tear a muscle with all that level-jumping.”

  Feeling vaguely irritated and unable to keep his mind on his work, Hunter got up and walked to the back doors, opening them and stepping out onto the terrace.

  It was a beautiful night. The ocean breeze was just right—not too cool—and stars shone brightly in the clear night sky.

  The music was more distinct outside. He could even recognize the tune of an old jazz standard he’d always liked.

  He let his eyes drift over in the direction of Marble House. The properties on this street were so large, it was impossible to see the mansion’s back lawn from here, but he could picture it—he’d been to several charity events there.

  Men in tuxedoes, women in sparkly cocktail dresses or full-length gowns strolling to the edge of the property to look at the ocean or perhaps exploring the famous Chinese Tea House Alva Vanderbilt had built on the estate’s seaside cliffs where she’d hosted rallies for women’s right to vote.

  Kristal dressed up and looking like a princess.

  Hunter’s heart gave a single hard thump, and his mid-section twisted with an acute longing he hadn’t felt in years. When was he going to get past it?

  Here he was, an adult, standing on the ocean-view terrace of his own Bellevue mansion—well, this one was rented and shared with six of his friends and co-workers, but he could afford to buy his own if he wanted to now. He wasn’t that skinny, lovesick boy from twelve years ago.

  Hunter’s pulse picked up speed. Things were different now, weren’t they?

  They weren’t in high school anymore. He was no longer the poor kid from the wrong side of town who’d had to give up sports and extra-curricular activities to work so he could buy his own clothes, his own car… sometimes the groceries.

  He’d hustled his tail off to achieve his dreams, and he’d gotten them—most of them. Heck, he could probably buy and sell a lot of those guys from “prestigious” families at this point as their inheritances had dwindled, and his net worth had skyrocketed. He was as good as any of them—had worked day and night to prove that.

  Was he good enough for her now?

  Only one way to find out. Hunter literally ran up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time, and went to the master suite, showering quickly and dressing in the designer tux he’d bought last year.

  Combing his thick, black hair, he went downstairs with it still wet. He’d hoped to make it out the door without being spotted by his housemates, but unfortunately, all six of them were in the central living area, lounging in various spots around the great room, still hard at work and all at the same time—for once. What were the odds?

  Hap looked up from his laptop, and a huge grin split his face. “Whoa ho ho… and where are we off to tonight… Mr. Bond?” He said the last two words with an overdone exotic accent, clearly amused with himself.

  “Yeah, what’s with the penguin suit?” Reid frowned in obvious disapproval.

  “What penguin suit? He’s wearing a tux,” said Josh. He wore the clueless expression Hunter had seen on his face a million times. Though he was a literal genius, he could be a real airhead sometimes.

  If they were the Seven Dwarves, as Jack had nicknamed them, Josh would definitely be Dopey. Reid, obviously, would be Grumpy. He was also brilliant and a hard worker, but he was tough to get close to and had been in a permanent bad mood since being ditched by his high school sweetheart.

  Tucker’s mouth stretched in a wide, loud yawn as he leaned back in his chair and raised his arms overhead in a shuddering stretch. “You’re going out now? Isn’t this kind of late for you, Early Bird?”

  And Tuck would be Sleepy. He suffered from chronic insomnia, regularly working through the night when the rest of them had called it a day and crashed.

  Hunter was normally up before the rest of the household, getting in an early run then coming back to make everyone breakfast so they wouldn’t start work on a belly-full of coffee and sugar. They really did need to hire a chef.

  He huffed an irritated breath. “There’s a fundraiser at Marble House. Jack and Bonnie wanted me to stop by. I won’t be long. I’ll be back to help out soon.”

  Hap swished his hand through the air. “Don’t worry about it. Go. Have fun. You deserve it.”

  “You’re going to just walk into the party by yourself?” Aidan asked.

  “Unless you want to throw on a penguin suit and join me.”

  His bashful friend held his hands up in front of him like he was fending off an attack. “No way. I’d be lost in that swarm of aristocrats. I’d have no idea what to say. I’ll stay right here and get some more work done. I give you credit, though.”

  “What penguin suit?” Josh demanded, looking around at them all like they were crazy. “I don’t get it.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “The tuxedo, imbecile.” Paul sneezed over in his corner spot. “How have you never heard of that? Tuxedo? Penguin suit? They’re both black and white—get it?” He sniffled then sneezed again before blowing his nose.

  “Okay, well, I’ve got to get over there before I miss the whole thing. See you later.”


  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Hap called out as Hunter left the house.

  “There is nothing you wouldn’t do,” he shouted back over his shoulder and shut the door behind him.

  It was only a short stroll down Bellevue Avenue’s wide, tree-shadowed sidewalks to the party venue. The closer Hunter got, the more his nerves vibrated.

  What if she really was there? They hadn’t seen each other in twelve years. Would she even remember him? Maybe it would be better if she didn’t. A completely fresh start could be a good thing.

  Stopping in front of the house, he looked up at its French-inspired façade, the temple-front portico, the enormous white marble columns, bays, and pilasters inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Rocking back and forth in his shiny shoes with his hands stuffed in his pants pockets, Hunter battled a vicious swarm of guerilla butterflies.

  If she doesn’t remember me, I’ll die.

  He drew in a deep breath. Let it out. Rolled his shoulders and shook out his hands. Whatever. It doesn’t matter.

  He’d go in, make an appearance, say hi to Jack and Bonnie, drop off a donation to the cause. If he saw her, he saw her. If she remembered him, great. If she didn’t… well, he was an idiot.

  But I already knew that.

  At the mansion’s front door, Hunter nodded to the greeters, one of whom wore a tin man costume while the other was dressed like a lion. Apparently, this year’s gala had a Wizard of Oz theme.

  Moving into the grand foyer, he followed a floor runner designed to look like a yellow brick road to the check-in table where he picked up an envelope containing his bidding card for the live auction, his table assignment, and two drink tickets.

  Dinner was probably over by now, but he could certainly use a drink. He was standing in front of the outdoor bar, waiting as the bartender mixed his drink, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “You showed up after all.”

  “Oh, hey Jack. Hey Bonnie. You look nice.”

  Hunter’s new sister-in-law smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “So do you. I’m so happy you came. I’ve been telling Jack I was getting worried the hermit thing might run in the family.”

  Hunter grinned at her. “Nah. I doubt it’s genetic. I wouldn’t worry about producing little recluse-babies… unless you let them become workaholics like Jack and me.”

  She patted her husband’s arm. “I’m proud of Jack’s work ethic. And I admire yours. It’s truly amazing what you two have managed to accomplish—and in totally different career fields.”

  “He got the words, and I got the numbers,” Hunter joked. “So…” He let his gaze drift around the wide terrace and down to the torch-lit grounds of the mansion. “… how’s the party so far?”

  Jack smirked. “If you’re asking if she’s here… the answer is yes.”

  Hunter took a sip from the glass the bartender handed him. The ice rattled as his fingers suffered a sudden-onset tremor. “Who?”

  His brother laughed. “Oh, okay. If that’s the way you’re gonna play it. We were just getting ready to check out the silent auction tables one more time. Bonnie’s got her eye on a trip to Rome, and we want to make sure no one’s outbid us. Care to join?”

  Hunter shook his head. “Thanks. I think I’ll stay out here a while, enjoy the view.”

  “But… isn’t it the same view from your—”

  Jack cut his wife’s question short. “Great. Have fun. See you later.”

  He clapped Hunter on the back then steered Bonnie into the mansion, leaning down to speak close to her ear as they walked. She glanced back over her shoulder to give Hunter a knowing grin and a wave.

  He moved through the well-dressed crowd, smiling and nodding at people who greeted him. Though technically he and Kristal traveled in the same circles now, Hunter had never run into her at one of these events—not that he attended a lot of them. Her stepmother Margot was a big socialite, but he guessed society parties weren’t Kristal’s scene, either.

  Still, she was there tonight—Jack had said he’d seen her.

  Hunter climbed the steps to the upper terrace, rising to his toes to survey the crowd. Had she left already, gotten bored of all the superficial cocktail chatter and self-aggrandizing by her fellow old-money socialites?

  Speaking of which, Hunter spotted his neighbors, the Van Zandts, heading his way. Looking around and realizing there was no way he could escape without appearing rude, he pasted on a social smile and stuck out his hand.

  “Mr. Van Zandt. Good to see you, sir. Mrs. Van Zandt, you look lovely tonight.”

  “Oh thank you, dear. What was your name again?” she asked.

  “It’s Hunter. Hunter Bestia. I live a couple houses down from you.”

  She nodded, her dangling diamond earrings swinging from elongated lobes. “Oh that’s right. You leased the Easton’s estate. They turned it into condominiums. Did you know that, dear?” she asked her elderly husband.

  “Of course, I knew it. I told you about it. Darn shame, if you ask me,” he grumbled. “To cut up a beautiful old home like that.”

  Hunter worked hard to keep his smile from morphing into a grimace. He’s old. The chip is gone. Every thought he has comes right out of his mouth, unedited. It isn’t personal.

  “It’s still beautiful, sir. You and Mrs. Van Zandt are welcome to drop in anytime and see the renovations if you’d like.”

  He swatted the air, dismissing the suggestion. “I’m not a fan of ‘renovations.’ Our house hasn’t changed in forty years, and we like it just fine. Who needs an elevator in their house anyway?”

  Especially when you have servants to run up and down the stairs and carry everything for you? “Well, it’s nice to see you both looking so well. Enjoy the evening.”

  Hunter stepped to the side and walked away as quickly as possible before his internal thoughts overrode his own chip and made it out of his mouth. He didn’t want a beef with his neighbors. Too many of them were already suspicious of the idea of seven friends living and working together in the same house.

  Most of them were, like the Van Zandts, too old to understand the concept of a start-up tech company and the necessity for round-the-clock work. Now that they’d gotten the company off the ground and going strong, each of them could afford a huge house of his own, but there was time left on the lease, and so far, none of them had seen the need to move out.

  They were all single, and each of the mansion’s separate “apartments” was at least twenty-five-hundred square feet. Hunter’s was the largest, at thirty-two-hundred, more than adequate for one person.

  A common great room served as their communal workspace, and for now, it worked fine. Soon he supposed he’d rent or buy a building to serve as the company headquarters.

  Hunter was still contemplating the idea and trying to decide whether Providence or here in Newport would be a better location when he spotted her.

  Unlike so many of the women who’d chosen slimming black tonight, Kristal stood out in a spectacular red cocktail dress. It had a halter-style top, a tight waist, and one of those skirts that sort of poofed out below the waist.

  It fell just to her knees, baring a pair of knockout legs he’d spent way too much time considering during AP Calculus.

  According to Josh’s advice back then, a guy should always examine a woman’s ankles if he wanted a preview of what her legs would look like when she got older. Hunter didn’t know about that, but Kristal had only gotten more beautiful as she’d aged and seemed twice as untouchable now as she’d been back then.

  Suddenly, he was that underfed and overly self-conscious math geek who’d been too afraid to say more than a few words to Kristal. Did he really think he was going to just waltz right up to her now and dazzle her with his success and new money?

  What would he even say? So… if you haven’t heard, I’m a billionaire now…

  Hunter snorted. Like she’d care. She’d had money her whole life. And she probably had literally forgotten his exis
tence entirely.

  Then she turned and looked his way, meeting his eyes directly. For a moment he was frozen like the proverbial deer in headlights. This was it. It was either turn tail and run, hurdling the manicured hedges to get to his own backyard where he could hide… and possibly expire of shame.

  Or he could go talk to her.

  Hunter drew in a deep breath, set his glass down on a nearby table, and set off in her direction.

  Here goes nothing…

  Thank you for reading The Billionaire’s Black Book. I hope you loved it. The Newport Billionaires series continues with The Billionaire’s White Lie. It’s another fairytale re-telling and features Jack’s brother Hunter in a secret admirer, friends-to-lovers, forbidden love romance guaranteed to make you swoon, sigh, and smile. Keep reading to find out what happens next…

  Copyright © 2019 by Amy DeLuca

  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.

  About

  Winter landscape photographer Kristal Bianco has just been kicked out of her family home… by her jealous step-mother. Though Kristal’s father always encouraged her to pursue her art, his untimely death forced her to face the fact that it doesn’t pay the bills. Neither does running the charitable foundation created by her late mom.

  So, she’s traded her camera for a waitress’s order pad and gone from life in a mansion on Newport’s famed Bellevue Avenue to couch-surfing at her best friend’s tiny two-bedroom apartment. Cinda’s been a lifesaver, but Kristal can only impose for so long. She needs a new place to live—the sooner and cheaper the better.

  Thanks to a knack for coding, a whole lot of hard work, and his six best friends/business partners, billionaire software designer Hunter Bestia has almost everything he ever wanted when growing up poor among the rich kids of Newport, Rhode Island. Almost.