Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Unexpected Plans (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Liliana Rhodes

  She shifted her feet and pulled her backpack out from under the seat in front of her. She might as well make the most of this last hour and read about her first client. Once she started work, she would be taking additional depositions for it and she didn’t want to be surprised by anything.

  “No, nah-uh. Don’t even think about it,” Monica said as she leaned into Keira’s line of sight.

  “What?” Keira’s eyes darted away from her friend. Her friends always knew when she was lying by the look in her eyes.

  “You’re not going to work, are you?”

  Keira pushed her hand deeper into her bag and pulled out the hotel brochure. She’d have plenty of time to read about the case once the warm sun melted Monica’s brain enough to not bother her.

  “No, of course not,” she said. “I just wanted to look at the hotel again.”

  Monica leaned closer as Keira opened the colorful brochure. They would have loved to stay in one of those fancy huts on the water, but neither of them could afford anything like that. Instead they opted for a traditional hotel with an amazing view, figuring the only time they were going to be in the room was to sleep anyway.

  The resort’s name was emblazoned on the front of the brochure in a garish hot pink color. Inside, it had large photos of the beach with its white sand and thick palm trees. In the corner at the bottom was a tiny photo of a small room with a faded pastel comforter on the bed and a dingy tile floor. Keira placed her thumb firmly over that photo. Nothing was going to ruin paradise.

  An hour later, Monica and Keira got off the plane and were told their flight to Bora Bora was leaving fifteen minutes early. They raced through the Faa’a International Airport, swerving in and out of the crowd as they tried to get to their gate on time.

  This wasn’t part of the plan, Keira thought as she dragged her new luggage behind her.

  As they reached the gate, the woman was just about to close the door when Keira and Monica called out to her at the same time. She smiled and let them onto the small plane. They dropped into their seats and caught their breath as the plane took off.

  It was a short flight, but one neither of them would ever forget. The plane gave them the most amazing views of the beautiful, clear green-blue water of the Pacific and the lush green mountains of the area.

  As the plane descended, Monica pointed to a resort with grass-topped huts that looked like they were floating on the water. Keira recognized them as the ultra-expensive luxury resorts she had seen in all the ads. She tried to ignore them since she wanted to appreciate what she could afford, but the views were breathtaking.

  “The hotel is supposed to have a bus for us,” Keira said as they made their way off the plane.

  “Oh that’s good, I thought we’d have to pay for a taxi,” Monica said.

  “Luckily no, but don’t get your hopes up. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up riding in the back of a pickup truck.”

  Keira scanned the area for the hotel’s shuttle but didn’t see it. She sighed, annoyed that things weren’t going as planned, when Monica grabbed her arm.

  “My hopes just went up,” Monica said. “That’s a chauffeur holding your name.”

  Keira followed Monica’s gaze to the short, portly man wearing a chauffeur cap. In his hand was a small whiteboard with her name on it. In awe, she and Monica walked over to the driver, and Keira told him who she was.

  “Greetings, Miss Rivera. I am Tanaka,” he said with a slight bow. Tanaka tucked the whiteboard underneath his arm and reached for their luggage. “Mr. Titan sent me to bring you to the resort.”

  They followed him to a long limousine where he carefully placed their bags in the trunk while they got into the car.

  “Okay, unless we’re sleeping in this limo, I’m thinking the hotel you booked us at must have gotten renovated or something,” Monica said.

  As the limo drove, Keira pulled the brochure out of her bag and unfolded it.

  “What are you doing?” Monica asked. “You’ll be getting the real thing any minute now.”

  “I guess that’s the problem. I feel like something’s wrong.”

  Keira looked out the window in time to watch the limo speed past a sign pointing to their hotel.

  “Hey, wait a minute,” she said as she crouched in the limo and made her way up to the front.

  She knocked on the barrier between her and the driver, and he gave her a bored look as he lowered the divider.

  “Yes, miss?”

  “I saw the sign back there. You passed the hotel,” she said.

  “No, I didn’t. Please sit back and relax, miss. Trust that I know where I am going.”

  Monica tugged on Keira’s sleeve.

  “What are you doing?” Monica said. “You’ve never even been here before and you’re telling the driver he missed the turn?”

  “He did,” Keira said. “I saw the sign.”

  Monica shrugged. “Sometimes signs are wrong. Just sit back and relax. You don’t have to control everything, you know.”

  Keira joined her friend in the back of the limo and nodded in defeat. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right.

  The limo turned off onto a small road lined with lush green banana trees. It slowed as it reached a gate, which slowly opened after Tanaka entered a code on a hidden keypad.

  As the car snaked its way along the sun-dappled path, Keira shook her head as she looked out the window. Glancing back at the brochure still in her hand, she knew they were nowhere near the Tropical Dream Resort.

  “Excuse me, Tanaka,” Keira said as she shoved the brochure back in her bag.

  “Yes, miss?”

  “This isn’t Tropical Dream.”

  “No,” he said with a laugh. “It most certainly is not. This is a Titan resort.”

  “Well, I’d like to go to Tropical Dream.”

  “Whatever for, miss? I have strict instructions from Drew Titan to bring you directly to his property so you may relax in your villa before supper,” he said. “If you would like to visit Tropical Dream another day, I’m sure that can be arranged. Although I honestly do not know why you would want to.”

  “Because—”

  Monica squeezed Keira’s arm and opened her eyes wide. She mouthed the words ‘shut up’ and Keira looked at her in disbelief.

  “Why are you being difficult?” Monica whispered. “They think we’re staying here, let’s stay here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Never in a million years could we afford this place. Plus I read this is one of those places with those awesome overwater suites. Oh my lord, if we end up in one of those, I’ll just die.”

  “It’s not right. They must think I’m someone else. Another Keira Rivera, one who can afford an insanely expensive luxury resort vacation.”

  Monica looked at her like she was insane.

  “What are the chances of there being another Keira Rivera? Besides, Tanaka said he had strict instructions from Drew Titan to bring you here. Do you have any idea who that is? He’s that gorgeous billionaire who owns a bunch of fancy resorts. I just read an article about him and his family the other day. Maybe this is another surprise from Walter Goodrich,” Monica said. “You know all those billionaires know each other.”

  Keira shook her head but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure how far she’d let this go. If they found out they had the wrong person, she’d probably have to work the rest of her life just to pay for the trip. But as she glanced out the window, the beach came into view and all her worries fell away.

  The green-blue water was even more breathtaking from the road than it was in the air. Keira couldn’t believe how gorgeous this place was and while she kept thinking they should turn around and head to the Tropical Dream Resort, she didn’t want to.

  As Tanaka pulled the limo up to the main resort area, a man with the eyes that matched the sea spoke to Tanaka quietly before approaching them. The scent of the ocean air mixed with the sweet tropical flowers surrounded them. Monica grabbed her arm
and whispered excitedly in her ear. “Oh my lord oh my lord, it’s him! It’s Drew Titan.”

  He flashed a smile as his hand reached out towards Keira. “I’m Drew Titan, and you must be Keira Rivera. Walt has told me a lot about you.”

  Monica elbowed her. “See, I told you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Titan,” Keira said.

  “Please, call me Drew.”

  “Alright, Drew. But I really think there must be a mistake. I made a reservation for Monica and I at—”

  Drew put a hand up to stop Keira from speaking.

  “Please let me explain,” he said. “Walt wanted this to be a surprise for you. He arranged it so that everything is covered for the week you are here. Walt said you wouldn’t accept this trip from him if he told you about it, so he arranged this with me. I hope you’re not upset.”

  “Upset?” Keira’s eyes widened as the reality of her and Monica staying in the resort hit her. “I can’t believe this. I mean I want to be mad at Mr. Goodrich for tricking me, but this place is amazing.”

  “Thank you. It’s my newest resort.”

  He waved his hand towards the walkway and led the way down a lush pathway framed by orange hibiscus. As they reached the end of the pathway, it opened up to the ocean.

  All of the resort’s buildings had sun-bleached grass roofs. By the edge of the ocean, just before the white sand beach, was a large, open-air restaurant. To one side of the restaurant was the kitchen that was attached to the main building. A woman with jet-black hair was placing vases with tea light candles and floating orchids on each table.

  In front of them was a long cement pier that led to the overwater villas. The pier branched out from the beach and on each stem was a small white structure. From where Keira and Monica stood, the villas looked like small houses with long windows. Some of them had private terraces while others had docks for boats. They stood above the water, on stilts, so that the water passed underneath them, surrounding the villas with the gorgeous ocean.

  Monica grabbed Keira’s hand and squeezed it as she shrieked excitedly.

  “Please say we’re getting one of those,” Monica begged.

  Drew laughed. “As a matter of fact, you are.” He walked onto the cement pier over the crystal blue water and they followed him. “Walt told me there would be two of you and while I know about the accommodations at Tropical Dream, I hope you’ll be pleased with the villa I’ve given you. You will each have your own bedrooms and bathrooms, plus this villa also has its own pool.”

  “Get out!” Monica exclaimed.

  Keira elbowed her, hoping she would get the hint to shut up. She was just as stunned as Monica, but she wasn’t one to act out her emotions.

  As they neared the end of the pier, Tanaka appeared by a villa. He bowed to the women as they entered.

  “I hope you enjoy your stay,” Drew said.

  “Thank you,” Keira said. “Seriously, this is really incredible. I’ll call Walt when we get home, but if you talk to him, please tell him how much I appreciate all of this.”

  “I’m sure he already knows.”

  Keira closed the door after Drew and Tanaka left and looked around the villa in amazement. It was easily twice the size of the apartment she shared with Monica. The living room had an L-shaped couch in the center facing a wall-mounted LCD television. The long windows faced the ocean, giving the impression there were no other villas but theirs.

  The highlight of the living room was the large sliding glass wall, which opened onto a private terrace. Keira stepped through the doors and gasped. The terrace jutted out from the villa like they were on their own private island.

  Not only was the villa surrounded by water, but Keira and Monica also had their own swimming pool. It wasn’t just an ordinary swimming pool either, but an infinity pool, a pool that looked like it didn’t have an edge holding the water in. Keira stood in awe as she tried to burn the vision of the pool blending in with the ocean into her head. The effect made it look like she had her very own piece of the ocean.

  As she breathed in the salty sea air, Keira’s stomach began rumbling. She looked at the time and sighed. They were already off schedule.

  “Let’s get dinner,” Keira called out as she entered the villa again. When Monica didn’t answer, she went into her bedroom and found her relaxing in a large oval bubble bath. “What are you doing? Remember all the planning I did? We’re behind schedule. We need to get dinner.”

  “I couldn’t resist. We can have dinner later or call room service.”

  “Room service? We’re at this exclusive resort and you want room service?”

  “Fine, you have a point, but only because I want to look around and I am pretty hungry. Just let me dry off and get dressed. I think we passed a restaurant on our walk here.”

  “We did. I’ll go get changed and wait for you outside. It’s almost sunset.”

  Keira knew if she didn’t wait outside, Monica would take her time getting ready. Her stomach growled annoyingly at her again as she rested her arms on the railing at the end of the pier.

  With the Pacific surrounding her, Keira imagined she was out on the open sea. As the breeze picked up, she spread her arms out wide as a big smile spread across her face.

  I’m the queen of the world! she thought with a giggle.

  The wind whipped her skirt around her, but the warmth of the sun on her skin kept her warm. There wasn’t another word to describe where she was other than paradise.

  The gentle thud of a door made Keira turn around, expecting to see Monica finally on her way to meet her. But her eyes never made it as far as their villa, they stopped on the man entering the last villa on the pier.

  She didn’t need a good look at him to know he had eyes as blue as the daytime sky and hair as black as night. His chiseled jaw was covered with a little scruff that bordered on being a beard, but was less than that. The longer top of his hair fluttered in the breeze. She recognized Griffin Goodrich immediately and like always, she was affected by him.

  Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she gasped for air. She placed her hand on the rail to steady herself. She was klutzy enough, the last thing she needed was to fall into the ocean.

  Of all the places to run into him, why here? Why now? Suddenly, Keira remembered one of her plans for the trip, and her lips curved up. Griffin oozed sex. She couldn’t imagine anyone better than him to fit the bill. Griffin Goodrich was as close to perfection as Keira could imagine.

  Chapter Four

  Griffin Goodrich sped up his parents’ driveway. He’d had enough with handling the ridiculous lawsuit against him. Everyone knew it was just a cash grab. Why he needed to defend himself from a fraud suit when he never even met the person before, he couldn’t understand.

  Nilsson, the family butler, rushed down the steps of the Georgian mansion as Griffin steered the bright yellow Ferrari F12tdf around the curve. Nilsson’s chubby cheeks bounced as he ran onto the cement and threw his hands out in front of him.

  Griffin saw Nilsson in his slate grey suit as a target. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the man, he simply enjoyed annoying him more.

  He chuckled as he aimed the car towards the tired man, popped the clutch, and let the engine roar. He enjoyed the loudness of the new toy, and playing chicken with the anxious butler was just what he needed.

  As he neared the man, he slammed on the brakes. The car came to a stop inches in front of Nilsson. Nilsson fluttered his hands wildly, annoying Griffin even more. He got out of the car, ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, and tossed the key fob into the air.

  “Trust me, Nilsson, a few choice cuss words would feel a lot better than flapping your hands like a hummingbird,” Griffin said.

  “Yes, sir,” Nilsson said as he caught the fob.

  “See, even that. Act angry, be a man, do something.”

  Nilsson stared at Griffin with a confused expression. Griffin shook his head, smoothed the lapels on his black suit, then pointed to the
car.

  “That car has more balls than you do,” he said. “Go ahead, sit in it. You know you want to.”

  Nilsson looked at the driver’s seat and then back at Griffin. Beads of sweat covered Nilsson’s forehead, but instead of wiping them away, he looked at the key fob in his hand.

  Griffin put his arm around Nilsson’s shoulders and waved his hand towards the purring yellow beast in front of them.

  “Zero to sixty in under three seconds,” Griffin said. “Less than eight hundred of these babies were made. Come on, whenever will you get the chance to drive a half-million dollar car?”

  Nilsson swallowed loudly, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the car in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak but squeaked instead. With his hand on the knot of his tie, he loosened it a bit, then cleared his throat.

  “Is this one of those things where I say yes, I’ll drive, and you’re going to scoff and say no?” Nilsson asked.

  “I never scoff. Besides, I left the motor on for a reason. She wants to be taken out. She’s standing there waiting for you to take control and show her who’s the boss.”

  Nilsson gingerly stepped towards the car. He placed his hand on the glossy paint, and the corners of his lips tugged up.

  Griffin laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile before, Nilsson.”

  “Sir, as a young man in Sweden, my family would go on holiday to Maranello, Italy, where they have the Ferrari factory. Papa and I would watch their Formula One cars race on the track next door. It was always a dream of mine to drive a Ferrari.”

  “Ahh, so you’re a fan?”

  “A fan? Ferrari has no fans, only people who know quality when they see it.” Nilsson grinned. “Papa and I went to the Tour de France one year…” His voice trailed off as he lowered himself into the driver’s seat. “Oh mama,” he whispered.

  “So why am I telling you about this car? You know this was made to pay homage to the Tour de France. You probably know more about this car than I do.”