The Billionaire’s Birthday Love
Billionaire Birthday Club
Ginny Sterling
Contents
Introduction
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Afterword
Remember Home
Remember Laughter
The Disaster City Search and Rescue Series
About the Author
Praise for Ginny Sterling
What can I say except I absolutely loved this story, I laughed out loud and I shed emotional tears.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Home-Lawfully Gifted)
“This series has quickly become one my favorites. Love the storyline, love the characters, love the back stories and love the sweet romance between each couple.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Love)
“What an amazing start to a new series, Healing Hearts, a clean contemporary and extremely emotional tale. I loved the characters, the angst, and the honest discussions, along with the chemistry and interactions. The people are broken, but with encouragement, friendship, and the added benefit of animals, it is the beginnings for healing.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Hope)
To my husband… my heart
Ginny Sterling Newsletter
What do you give a billionaire who has everything?
Maximus Georgas, is the heir to his family’s shipping line off the coast of Greece. Steeped in tradition, surrounded by history, all he’s ever wanted was to have an adventure of his own making. When his uncle surprises him with an unexpected gift—Max joins the Billionaire Birthday Club gladly for the ultimate wish, before settling down into the sedate life expected of him.
Jolie Murray is surprised at the resume of the islands newest guest. The idea of adventure seems so cliché, but Max is anything but that! The soft-spoken man with the intense eyes reveals a soul that’s ready to unleash his reckless side and she’s just the person to help him. Setting off into the wild blue yonder, could a diving excursion that goes astray bring the greatest treasure of all?
The Billionaire Birthday Club is an exclusive retreat - for the billionaire who appears to everything but secretly wants more. After filling out a confidential survey, a curated celebration is waiting on the island to make all his birthday dreams come true!
BILLIONAIRE BIRTHDAY CLUB QUESTIONAIRE
1. What are your hobbies, or do you collect anything?
2. Are you a beach, mountain, city, or country person?
3. Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to go?
4. Are you an adventurous eater? What is your favorite food?
5. If you had one day to do anything, what would you choose to do?
6. What is something that you’ve never experienced that is still on your bucket list?
7. Who is your secret celebrity crush?
8. What is your ideal perfect day?
9. Where did you go as a child (summer camp, family trips, summer abroad)?
10. Do you enjoy large parties or intimate gatherings?
11. What colors do you gravitate towards and why?
12. What inspires you?
13. Do you have a pet? Why or why not?
14. How would you describe your dream vacation?
15. What’s your guilty pleasure?
16. What song lyric moves you the most?
17. Do you have a deserted-island book or favorite quote?
18. What’s your number one film?
19. How do you want to remember your experience?
20. What have you seen at other birthday events that you did or didn’t like?
Chapter 1
Piraeus, Greece
Maximus, or Max as he preferred, sat staring out at the water from his perch at the Saronic Gulf. The bright, clear blue waters practically ran in their veins as his family had been a part of this world, this culture, for as long as he could remember. Growing up as a boy, he’d always known that this was his destiny and his future. It was his father’s destiny, his grandfather’s, and his great-grandfather’s, and carried on for generations. They were merchants, tradespeople, and now he was the sole heir to the family’s shipping line.
He should be happy.
He should be grateful.
He should be thankful that his future was falling right into his lap as destined but he couldn’t help resenting the pressure that was being put on him lately. His father wanted him to marry. His mother was practically going nuts wondering if she would ever get to meet her grandchildren. Even Pappous, his grandfather, was riding his case as of late.
He felt like no one understood him and the yearning he felt for having something of his own. He wanted an adventure, a memory that was just his, and not something his ancestors had done in the past. It was ironic that all these monoliths of history surrounded him yet he wanted none of it. He embraced the idea of modern technology and they pushed it to the side every time he brought it up to his father. The ships were old, the navigation technology was old, and frankly it was time to enter this decade and century—not live in the past.
Sitting there alone on the stone seats bleached white from the sun, Max closed his eyes and inhaled deeply of the sea air. He loved to just lay in the sun, basking in the warmth, and taking the peace of the Mediterranean breeze in. His skin was deeply tanned because of hours in the sun just lying here or working on deck of one of the ships.
“Maxie? I knew I would find you hear again, you young dreamer!”
Cracking open an eye, he sighed.
“Theios,” Max said dryly, greeting his beloved uncle. “Did matera send you out here to hunt me down again? Tell me you don’t have some girl waiting in the car for me? The last blind date she arranged was a disaster and my idea of a woman differs greatly from my mothers.”
“No. No, Maxie…”
“Max,” he corrected.
“Maxie,” his uncle said playfully, sitting down beside him and ruffling his hair like he was a boy of eight years old instead of a grown man nearing thirty. It was getting harder and harder to dodge his parents’ attempts at setting him up for marriage and he was grateful they were considered ‘modern’ enough to let him choose for himself. It was not unusual for prestigious families to blend in marriage, after all, that was how his parents met and married.
Max shivered in fear and loathing.
He wanted an adventure.
He craved the idea of going through the process of meeting someone and falling in love. He’d kissed girls growing up, but it was like there was always someone there that he knew, someone he’d grown up with or went to school with, that conveniently tattled on him to his parents.
Everyone knew everything here.
He wanted privacy and something that was just his.
“Maxie, your mama sent me out to fetch you but I also wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Theios, please don’t,” Max said immediately, putting his head down in his hands in frustration. “I don’t want to meet another girl or talk about the shipping lines right now. I just need a few minutes alone to think.”
“Think about what, Maxie?”
Max let out a heavy sigh, trying to keep the simmering frustration out of his voice. His uncle was practically the only person in his world that would actually listen to him and hear what he was saying. He’d always turned to his uncle instead of his parents when their idea of tradition got to be too much for him. His mother crossed herself when he bought his own iPhone five years ago because ‘there was nothing wro
ng with using the house phone,’ she’d exclaimed irately.
His family hated change—and Max resented that quality.
“I know you despise our traditions and our heritage,” his uncle began softly. Max felt a wave of guilt swamp him as he looked at his uncle’s weathered face. He was staring out at the gulf, his ebony hair that reminded him of his father, whose own hair was peppered with gray.
This is what he would look like in twenty-five years, Max realized, and he might have the exact same conversation with his own son. Would he understand what his boy needed then? Had his uncle yearned for the same freedoms he had?
“I don’t hate our history, Theios,” Max argued softly, turning to stare at the water ahead. “I just want something that is mine, you know? Something that is my own stamp in our world that I can claim, something special to me because it belongs to no one else.”
“Your matera and pateras would say to ‘go get yourself something special and be happy’ because they believe if you want it, you get it… but…” his uncle hesitated, with a hint of a smile touching his lips, “but you aren’t looking for something to purchase, are you?”
“No.”
“The Georgas family could buy an island of their own and it wouldn’t make you happy, would it?”
“No, Theios,” Max admitted, feeling his shoulders slump. He felt like a louse right now. Greece was breathtaking and the sheer magnitude of history was awe-inspiring—and part of the reason his family did so well. People traveled from all over the world to see these ancient ruins, to hear stories of nymphs, gods, dryads, and heroes.
… And here he wanted to be a regular guy.
“What if…”
Max looked at him curiously, hearing the delight in his uncle’s voice as he suddenly stopped speaking, staring out at the water. He was up to something and Max knew it. He glanced around, almost fearfully, to see if there was another potential blind date hovering somewhere, waiting for the big reveal. He saw that the ancient stone theater was practically empty except for a few travelers taking photos off in the distance. He could tell they weren’t local by the enormous hats, sunglasses, and sunburnt skin he could see from this distance. Max was used to the sun and bright skies.
“What if I told you I have something you would never expect?”
“I’d be a little concerned,” Max admitted with a half-smile.
“I’m not your parents, Maxie,” his uncle said knowingly and nodding. “I, too, wished for adventure and never had a chance to make my way.”
Max swallowed hard as the unforgiving truth was out there.
He might be more like his uncle than he ever realized, and it terrified him to think his own future was sitting right beside him. This was what he had to look forward too. A destiny he couldn’t fight, a world he belonged in and would suck him back in like quicksand, and an outcome that was predetermined already.
His uncle handed him a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
“When I was a boy, I wanted to get away from it all,” his uncle began quietly, looking directly at Max now. His intense dark eyes stared into Max’s own pale ones. Most of the Georgas family had dark brown eyes, but somehow, some way, he and two of his cousins ended up with the pale blue-green eyes that mirrored the ocean.
“I wanted freedom and the ability to find my way—and just when I was leaving the area, running away, I had a flat tire. Your theia was standing there, and I was overcome. I married her two weeks later, and she became my adventure.”
“Are you telling me to get married?” Max said dryly, raising an eyebrow.
“No, I’m telling you to run away and see where your own adventure takes you, Maxie. I understand the unspoken need that burns in you. Your theia and I want to give you that freedom.”
“What are you saying?”
“Fill out the questionnaire, anipsios, and send it in.”
“Questionnaire for what?”
“I bought you a pass for something crazy and wild. Your mother would utterly hate it,” his uncle laughed softly. “It’s called the Billionaire Birthday Club and they will set you up with your ultimate wish. Go, have fun, and then come back and settle into your life. You can’t fight being a Georgas, but you can discover just exactly who Maximus is on the inside.”
His uncle tapped him on the chest, directly over his heart.
“Are you serious?” Max whispered, feeling his throat close up with emotion as he swallowed several times. His uncle watched him; his eyes full of knowledge.
“I adore you, boy. You remind me so much of myself,” he said gruffly. “I want you to have something that is just yours, that no one can take from you. Make your own happiness in this world and if you need adventure, have it. Georgas Shipping will wait for your return when you are ready to settle down and take over.”
“What did my parents say?”
“I told them you were going out on a cruise with us to learn more about the shipping lines and some of the waterways.”
“You lied?”
“I may have stretched the truth just a bit,” his uncle shrugged nonchalantly.
Max laughed, feeling a lift to his soul already at the idea of having some sort of getaway that was just his own. No prying eyes, no tattling to his family or thousands of questions, and no responsibility.
“How long to I have before I get to leave?”
“Questionnaire first, boy—your adventure comes next.”
His uncle got to his feet and stretched.
Max hopped up and immediately hugged him, grateful for so much. It wasn’t just the promise of adventure—it was the fact that his uncle seemed to understand what he was scared to say aloud to anyone else.
“I love you, Theios,” Max whispered, his eyes meeting his uncle’s smiling expression as he nodded, cleared his throat, and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Put a shirt on, Maxie. I swear, you’ll look like your old man before you know it if you don’t take care of yourself.”
“God help us all.”
His uncle laughed and hugged him again.
“My brother, your father, isn’t so bad.”
“No, but he also isn’t me.”
“You might be surprised at how similar you two are. Now, get that filled in and send it in right away. Please don’t show anyone that we purchased you that, either.”
“I won’t.”
“Head’s up. There’s a ship heading out next week on the Ios-Pireas shipping lines and if you hurry, you can use it for a cover.”
“Thank you again, Theios.”
“Don’t thank me - just be happy and come home when you are done.”
“Will do.”
As his uncle descended the steps of the ancient theater that overlooked the gulf, Max glanced down at the paper in his hands. His ticket to freedom!
It was crisp, thick vellum with gilt edges that made him wonder at the contents. He broke the wax seal on it that was emblazoned with the initials BBC on there. Unfolding it, he saw the bold insignia at the top of the page. A glittering B was nearly blinding as it caught the sunlight directly overhead. There were crystals set in the heavy ink that glittered like fire. As he scrolled through the paper, he couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on his face and in his heart.
This was just what he needed!
Max raced out of the theater, yanking on his t-shirt and heading for his Porsche parked out front in the parking lot that seemed to be out-of-place by the monolith that was the Greek theater used a millennia ago. Ducking inside, he plopped down into the driver’s seat and dug out an ink pen from the center console. His mother insisted he always have one in case he needed to sign for freight, a contract, a check, or anything else. He couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him as he realized that even his own car held things that weren’t of his own making. A small tissue box was on the passenger seat next to him. She insisted he have a pen, tissues, and a Tide stain stick for emergencies.
This time she was right.
Chapter 2
What are your hobbies, or do you collect anything? I love to swim and explore.
Are you a beach, mountain, city, or country person? Beach—I grew up on the water and can’t imagine a world without it.
Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to go? I’d like to go back in time, to be a pirate or an explorer. I’d love to travel the world and discover unknown things.
Are you an adventurous eater? What is your favorite food? I’m not sure. I always eat what my family prepares and its generally Greek home cooking.
If you had one day to do anything, what would you choose to do? I don’t know—I’ve never really gotten to choose what I would want to do.
What is something that you’ve never experienced that is still on your bucket list? Life, love, and happiness.
Who is your secret celebrity crush? I really don’t have one. People can disappoint you to where it hurts—even loved ones.
What is your ideal perfect day? To feel light-hearted and alive without feeling like I’ve disappointed my family.
Where did you go as a child (summer camp, family trips, summer abroad)? I spent time on ship when I wasn’t at school, learning to navigate.
Do you enjoy large parties or intimate gatherings? I’d rather be alone, so I am not questioned or don’t have to worry about my family finding out.
What colors do you gravitate towards and why? Blue—the ocean, of course.
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