by Jenna Brandt
“I’m fine with taking the monorail,” Tara said, glancing around to see if there was a nearby entrance for it. “You don’t have to go out of your way for me.”
“Oh no, Miss Wilson, we want to do everything we can to make you comfortable here on the island. We were extremely pleased when you agreed to take the open position as the resort’s head concierge. You’ve built up a solid reputation in the industry, and your customer service skills are legendary. Every one of your references sang your praises. Considering how it was a long list of A-list celebrities, we knew you’d be a perfect fit for the club.”
Tara could feel the blush creep across her cheeks. It wasn’t often that she received such a flurry of compliments. Though the unexpected flattery made her uncomfortable, it did confirm she’d made the right decision by taking the position at the elite club. Since she’d given up her other job at the top Honolulu resort, she was glad to hear that her new boss was impressed by her resume. She’d worked hard to get where she was professionally, and this was the final step before she could open her own high-end hotel. She just needed to establish a few more connections, and then she could finally realize her dream.
Both women climbed into the back of the limo and the driver shut the door behind them. As they sped off down the paved road, Marilyn explained what they were going to do next. “Once we arrive at the resort, I will give you a tour of the place. You don’t have to go through the orientation like the other employees; your resume makes it clear you know what you’re doing. I will, however, send our employee handbook home with you, along with the guidelines of the club, and the expectations and duties of your job. You can go over all of that tonight, and tomorrow you will start your first day. Just to let you know, you’re going to be thrown into the deep end. We just got word that we have a last-minute booking for a behemoth of a guest who will be arriving at the end of the week. The guest is so important, we decided, that given your reputation, you should handle everything for his arrival.”
“Who’s coming?” Tara asked with curiosity.
“Wade McAllister,” Marilyn said, the admiration clear in her voice. “He isn’t the type to spend his time on frivolous activities, which makes it even more important that we impress him. Our club is built by word of mouth between the different billionaires in the world, so it’s paramount that Mr. McAllister’s experience at the club makes him want to tell all his friends.”
“I understand,” Tara said with a nod. “I will make sure that Mr. McAllister has the best, most memorable time of his life while at the resort.”
“You’ll receive his dossier and his questionnaire tomorrow.”
“Can I get it today so I can study it this evening?” Tara requested. “I want to get started on planning his experience right away.”
“Look at you, Miss Wilson, already the overachiever. It seems you indeed live up to your reputation. Our boss will be glad to hear that.”
“I want to prove to all of you that you have made the right decision in hiring me.”
“I don’t mind saying, you’re off to a fantastic start,” Marilyn gushed. “I can’t wait to find out what you plan for Mr. McAllister.”
Tara’s stomach tightened as she waited for the arrival of Mr. McAllister. She’d already overseen the successful completion of seven other experiences by her staff, including the one she handled personally for a set of Russian twins. As avid animal lovers, the female billionaires wanted to have the most epic encounter with various species. Tara had flown in a mountain of exotic animals. The twins got to play with baby monkeys, snuggle with sloths, take selfies with zebras, give baby kangaroos belly rubs, frolic with elephants, and cuddle with koalas, all in the privacy of the tree-top bungalows at the northwestern end of the island. By the time they were done, the twins couldn’t praise the club enough They swore they were going to tell all their billionaire friends about their special trip.
Exhausted from the twins’ birthday experience, Tara had sucked down a double shot of an expresso earlier in the morning to make sure she was ready to go. She’d gone over every detail of Mr. McAllister’s itinerary three times, knowing that each aspect had to be perfect. Even though her first week had gone well, she could still mess up during her trial period if she didn’t deliver a solid experience for the iconic celebrity chef.
Her cell phone rang, causing her to pull it out of the pocket of her slacks. She glanced down at the name: Claire. What did her sister want? Holding back the sigh that threatened to escape, she swiped across the screen and accepted the call.
“Good afternoon, Claire. What can I do for you?”
“Wow, aren’t you acting all fancy now? Is this how you’re going to be because of that new secret job you landed?”
“It’s not a secret, Claire; it’s called a non-disclosure agreement. I can’t talk about my new job. It was part of the mandatory requirements of employment.”
“Right, you made that really clear. You wouldn’t go into any details, but the whole family could tell from how you were acting, it was as if you were working for the Royals themselves. You aren’t working for them, are you? Because that actually would be impressive.”
“No, Claire, I’m not working for the Royals. I’m not even in Europe,” Tara stated, trying to hide her irritation. Oh, how she wished she could tell her sister there was always the possibility that the Royals would want to come to the club, and then she actually would be working for them. She kept quiet, however, and said instead, “And before you ask, I can’t tell you where I’m at. It’s part of the agreement.”
“I figured as much. I noticed you turned off your GPS on your phone, too. Man, your new boss must be really paranoid.”
“Look, I don’t have time for this right now, Claire. I have a very important guest coming, and I need to focus on that right now. Can I call you back later?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Claire said with audible frustration. “I have to go, anyway. I have to be back at the office in an hour. I’ve got a real job with real hours and commitments. I don’t have the luxury of being able to fritz around the world and call it a job. Someone’s got to save up money so they can take care of Mom and Dad now that they’re getting older.” Before Tara could think of a retort, her sister ended the call by saying, “Talk to you later, Sis.”
Her sister had a distinct way of making Tara feel inferior. No matter what she did, or how hard she worked, it was never enough to make Claire proud. She didn’t take Tara’s career seriously, and loved making that clear at every opportunity.
“We just got confirmation that Mr. McAllister is an hour out from arrival,” Simone, one of her junior concierges said, rushing up to stand by her. “You think he’s going to like everything you have planned?”
Tara nodded. “I know he will. I studied up on him. He’s the type that prides himself on keeping his personal life private. I think he’s coming here not expecting us to give him anything more than a big celebration. He won’t expect that I was able to figure out what he really wanted by the answers he gave on the questionnaire.”
“You’ve been seven for seven so far this week,” Simone praised, as she brushed her red locks behind her ear. “My bet’s on you to make it eight for eight.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Tara said with a smile. “I need to head over to the tarmac so I’m there for Mr. McAllister’s arrival.”
“Sure, I’ll make sure to keep up with the other guests who are still here,” Simone offered.
Tara left the resort and walked over to the waiting limo. She climbed into the back and made sure everything was perfect inside, from the drinks he preferred, to the snacks he liked. Once she was certain everything was right, she got back out and took the passenger seat next to the driver to go over everything for Mr. McAllister’s arrival.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the private airport. She had the driver position the limo at the spot just to the side of where the Gulfstream jet would arrive. She took her position at the end of t
he red carpet, ready to greet her newest guest.
In the distance, Tara could see the jet coming into view. As the dot became bigger and bigger, Tara could hear the purr of the engines as it got closer.
She pushed her shoulders back and forced herself to keep her hands at her side as she waited for the jet to taxi on the tarmac, knowing that there was a strong possibility that Mr. McAllister was watching from one of the windows.
Once the jet stopped moving and the engines were turned off, the side door opened and lowered to reveal the stairs. She moved to the bottom of them and waited for the celebrity to appear.
Even though she knew exactly what Wade McAllister looked like from the pictures in his dossier, it didn’t prepare her for how handsome he was in person. As he descended the stairs, she could tell he took care of himself, with a chiseled frame and square jaw that had a shadow of a sexy dark brown beard and mustache that matched his hair. As he got closer, she noticed that though his eyes appeared brown in the pictures she had seen, they actually had little flecks of green in them in person.
Tara reminded herself, he wasn’t anything special. She was used to being around handsome celebrities on a regular basis; this wasn’t anything new. “Good afternoon, Mr. McAllister. My name is Tara Wilson, I’m the head concierge here at the Billionaire Birthday Club. I will be personally overseeing your experience while you’re here at the resort.”
Wade nodded, then glanced down at his phone as he mumbled, “Thank you.”
So, he was one of those—glued to his phone. He wouldn’t be the first guest she had to break of the habit. If he was truly going to enjoy what she had planned for him, she was going to have to deal with that. She’d let it slide for tonight, however, since his actual experience didn’t start until tomorrow. “If you will follow me, Mr. McAllister.”
He glanced up and nodded, muttering in a distracted tone, “Sure thing.”
The driver came around and opened the door, allowing Wade to climb inside. Tara followed behind, wanting to go over everything with him during the drive. She took a seat across from the chef, hoping that he would take his eyes off his phone and focus on her while she talked. As she went over the details of the island, she realized she wasn’t going to have any such luck. He was going to be a hard one to break of the phone habit.
“Did you have dinner while on board the jet?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never been one to eat on planes. I prefer to eat my meals on the ground.”
“We have an excellent chef at the resort, though I’m sure he holds no candle to you, Mr. McAllister. If you like, I can call ahead and have a table waiting for you?”
“Not necessary. I’d prefer to have my meal delivered to my room.”
Tara pressed her lips together, wanting to object, knowing that if he simply self-isolated in his room, it would mitigate his experience at the club. Trying to remind herself that he was probably tired from his nine-hour flight, she kept her opinions about his dinner choices to herself. Instead, she said, “I’ll make all the arrangements.”
“Don’t you want to know what I’d like to order?”
“I already do, based off your preference sheet.” She tilted her head to the side, then recited, “T-bone steak—rare, goat cheese risotto, and sautéed asparagus tips with a hollandaise sauce. To drink, a glass of our best Petit Verdot.”
For the first time, Mr. McAllister’s eyes snapped up from his phone and met hers. “I didn’t put the specific type of red wine I prefer.”
“I know, I watched your show this week to prepare. You mentioned the wine during one of the wine pairing episodes.”
“You had to do some digging to find that out; that was three seasons ago,” the chef said with surprise. “I didn’t expect that.”
“When we say the Billionaire Birthday Club is a curated celebration, that’s exactly what you will be getting. Everything you could ever want or desire is here for you,” she said, gesturing around the limo. “From the finest liquors, to foods, to cigars—”
He interrupted her. “Despite how prevalent it is in my industry, I’m not a smoker. It ruins the taste buds—not to mention I hate the taste and smell.”
“I knew that,” Tara said, her cheeks flaming red with embarrassment at the slip up. “I was simply giving examples of what we do offer. Everything will be tailored specifically to your tastes.”
He nodded, glancing around the limo. He picked up a bottle of Macallan scotch. “I can see that.”
“Would you like a glass?”
“No, I have a business call I have to take later,” the billionaire said, setting down the liquor.
When she had heard that Wade McAllister had a singular focus—his work, she had wondered if it was an exaggeration. Apparently, it wasn’t. She couldn’t believe he came all this way to a private, Polynesian island and couldn’t stop working for a few days. Even though she was equally dedicated to her work, she, at least, knew how to take a vacation.
They arrived at the lavish hotel, and Tara gave him a tour of the five-star resort. Finally, she escorted him to his presidential suite. “This is where you will be staying. We have everything on your preference list inside. Your luggage is already inside and the staff unpacked for you.”
“Thank you,” he said with another nod.
“And your meal should be up in a half hour,” she added. “Everything is ready for tomorrow for your birthday experience. I just need you to meet me down in the lobby at 10 AM.”
“Will do,” Wade said, giving her the first smile of the evening. “Thank you for your help today.”
She nodded. “If you need anything else, Mr. McAllister, don’t hesitate to call. Here is my direct number,” she said, handing him her business card. “You can reach me any time.”
As she watched the billionaire chef slip into his suite, she wondered how he was going to react to the surprise she had in store for him. The one thing she was certain of, after spending just a couple of hours with Wade McAllister, it was going to be an interesting week.
Chapter Three
After finishing the gourmet meal that was every bit as good as Miss Wilson said it would be, he decided to focus on work. He needed something to keep his mind from drifting back to the pretty concierge who had picked him up from the airport and shown him around the resort. She had been drop dead gorgeous with long blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a pretty heart-shaped face. She was wearing a navy-blue suit with a cream blouse, which he could tell from the high-quality material and perfect-tailoring that it was designer. That meant she had good taste, too. Additionally, she was smart—smart enough to do her research and make sure she knew enough about him to already impress him.
Wade tried to shake away the thoughts of her, knowing that he wasn’t there to make a move on the local help. Though Samuel would approve of such an endeavor, Wade wasn’t the type to do something like that. No matter how attractive Miss Wilson was, there was no way he was going to act on it.
In an attempt to keep his mind busy, Wade fielded multiple calls and answered questions in his email about the next episode of the show. With nothing left to do, he flipped on the TV and scrolled through the offerings. Nothing stood out to him, and he clicked the off button.
He glanced around the room, wondering what else he could do. He was wired from the travel. If he went to sleep now, he would be no good tomorrow because of jet-lag. He needed to find something else to do.
Figuring he would enjoy a nightcap with some dessert, he headed downstairs to the restaurant. The hostess greeted him with a friendly smile and then seated him at a table towards the back. He ordered a snifter of cognac with a chocolate layer mousse cake.
As he waited for his selections to arrive, he couldn’t help but wonder what Miss Wilson was up to. Was she already in bed, or was she still working away on his birthday surprise for tomorrow? If she were in bed, did she relax in sweats and a t-shirt like him, or perhaps something a little silkier that showed a little more skin?
His
phone rang, jerking him out of his thoughts. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at the name. Frederick, his assistant. He just talked to him three hours ago. What could he possibly want now?
“Hello, Frederick, what’s going on?”
“Mr. McAllister, we might have a problem. A reporter noticed that you aren’t on the set of the show this week, and asked where you were. We gave the standard explanation you provided, but the reporter must have started poking around, because I’ve been fielding calls from the media about your absence all day. Everyone wants to know where you are and what you’re up to.”
“You know that this is a private matter,” Wade said through gritted teeth, irritated that he couldn’t even get one minute to himself.
“I do, Mr. McAllister, and I’m really sorry. I just want you to know, I’m doing everything on my end to make sure no one figures out your secret.”
Wade wanted to argue that it wasn’t a secret, but then thought better of it. It was best if Frederick thought it was because he would guard his whereabouts more carefully. Besides, Wade did sign a non-disclosure agreement that he wouldn’t talk about the club with anyone unless it was to another billionaire and only then to give a referral.
“Good, make sure it stays that way.” Wade noticed a few dirty looks from the other guests sitting at various tables near him. He chose to ignore them, knowing he would be off the phone in just a moment. “Let me know if anything else develops regarding the situation.”
“Will do, Mr. McAllister,” Frederick said before ending the call.
Wade was about to put his phone away when another call came through. This time, it was Samuel. He was probably checking in on him to see how the trip was going so far. Even though it was late in New York, Samuel would just be getting home from the nightclubs. If Wade didn’t answer, he would just keep calling back until he did. He swiped the button to accept the call.