My Roommate, the Billionaire (The Billionaire Kings Book 3)

by Serenity Woods

  “I’m Poirot,” he says when we ask who he’s supposed to be.

  “He’s Belgian,” I tell him.

  Stefan purses his lips, and Remy tries not to laugh. “It is near enough,” she says, and kisses his cheek.

  And finally, wearing a fancy hat with a feather, and a costume he’s hired from a local fancy dress shop, and a sword, there’s Noah, our very own D’Artagnan.

  “I’ve just realized,” Noah says as we all make our way to the dining room, “there are thirteen of us. I didn’t mean to reenact the Last Supper. Summer and Zach were supposed to be here.”

  “We’ll just make sure we don’t all sit on one side of the table,” I say, making everyone laugh as we take our seats, Noah at the head of the table, the rest of us sitting where we want. The house perches on a high ridge, and the room has a beautiful view across the valley. During the day you can see for miles, fields and forests full of cows and sheep. Tonight, though, it’s dark outside, and the only things visible are the solar lamps that line the path down to the beach.

  When Noah had this house built, I wondered why he’d included such a beautiful dining room when quite clearly he wasn’t the least bit sociable. The long oak table must weigh the same as an elephant, and the place settings all match, so he’d obviously thought about entertaining at some point. He has been better lately, making an appearance on the night of the storm, and once or twice I’ve seen him at the Ark, looking over the building works with his two German Shepherds before he returns to his home. Maybe Summer’s close call has affected him too and made him feel he has to make the most of each moment. Life is a gift, after all; why waste it holed up in the house, never seeing anyone?

  Noah goes over to where he’s plugged his phone into a set of speakers and starts something playing. La Marseillaise—the French national anthem—begins playing, and then it turns into The Beatles’ All You Need is Love. Remy bursts out laughing, and Noah grins and takes his seat.

  “Are you cooking tonight?” I ask him. I’m sitting on his left, and Remy’s on mine. I know he does a lot of cooking; it’s one of his hobbies.

  But he shakes his head. “Not tonight. I’ve hired a French chef to prepare the meal.”

  “Oh.” Remy places her hand over her heart, and I know she’s touched by the gesture.

  “The menu’s amazing,” Noah says. “Here’s Jean to tell you about it.”

  A guy in a black suit with a bow tie approaches the table. “Bonsoir, Mesdames et Messieurs.”

  “Bonsoir,” we all say, and he smiles.

  “Tonight, the chef has prepared an excellent menu for you. For an appetizer you can choose between Cassolette D’escargots à la Bourguignon, which are snails sautéed with garlic and shallots and Burgundy red wine, or Josephine Soup—Napoleon’s wife’s fresh vegetable soup. For a main course we have Boeuf Bourguignon, which is beef slowly cooked for three hours in red wine with Burgundy spices, onions, carrots, and mushrooms, and served with roasted potatoes, or you can have a Vegetarian Dijon Choux Pastry, which has Parmesan, Brie cheese, spinach, roasted seasonal vegetables, and smoked paprika sauce. And for dessert we have Petits Choux—profiteroles with crème pâtissière or refined custard, topped with warm Belgium chocolate, or Crêpes Bretonnes with salted caramel, slivered roasted almonds, berry ice cream, and caramel toffee, or a selection of French cheese.”

  “Mon Dieu,” Remy says, “I want them all.”

  We all laugh and start making our choices as another waiter moves around the table pouring real French Champagne into crystal flutes. I glance at Noah, who’s sitting back, smiling.

  “You like making people happy, don’t you?” I say softly to him.

  He just shrugs. “Any news on Summer?”

  “She’s doing well,” I say. “I spoke to Dad this afternoon, and she’s showing a marked improvement in her lung function, and her temperature is only a little above normal.”

  “Good.” He looks as relieved as I’m sure we all feel.

  I tell the waiter I’ll have the snails, the Boeuf Bourguignon, and the profiteroles, conscious of Noah watching me. When the waiter moves on, Noah says, “Thanks for the email.”

  I meet his steady gaze. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up before we spoke.”

  “I appreciate it. Maybe we can catch some time after dinner?”

  “That would be cool.”

  He nods and waits until the waiter has finished pouring the Champagne, then gets to his feet. Everyone gradually falls quiet.

  “I’m not normally one for long speeches,” he says. “But I have a few things to say, which is one reason why I asked you all here tonight.

  “Firstly, I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for everything you’ve done over the past few weeks after the storm. It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of every one of you that the Ark remained open after the devastation, and that we somehow managed to carry on with most of our daily business. You were all amazing, and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for believing in the Ark as much as I do.”

  We all raise our glasses and toast him and each other before having a sip of the sparkling Champagne.

  “Secondly,” Noah continues, “as we all know, Summer and Zach aren’t able to be here tonight, but Summer insisted we go ahead with the dinner anyway, and you know what she’s like; there’s no arguing with her.” Everyone chuckles. “It’s been a tense week,” he says, “and we nearly lost not only a beloved sister, but a founding member of the Ark. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that she was stubborn enough to fight off the infection. Things like this are scary, but sometimes they’re important to ensure we don’t take each other for granted. To Summer.”

  We raise our glasses again and make the toast, and I know I’m not the only one who has a lump in his throat as I sip my Champagne.

  “Lastly,” Noah says, “the main reason for our get-together.” He smiles at the gorgeous girl sitting by my side. “Remy, you’ve not been with us long, but you’ve worked hard, and you fitted into our close-knit family immediately. You have a joie de vivre I know we all envy, and you bring an elegance to the Ark that’s sorely needed.” We all laugh.

  “And lastly,” Noah says, “you’ve won our Albie’s heart. And now it’s time for me to make a special announcement.”

  My eyebrows rise, and when I glance around, I see everyone looking as puzzled as myself.

  “Remy came to see me a few days ago,” Noah says. “She wanted to put forward a proposal for a new department at the Ark.”

  I look at Remy, who sips her Champagne, her eyes dancing over the rim of the glass.

  “We had a long chat about Albie,” Noah says, his gaze moving to meet mine. “And she told me how, unbeknown to the rest of us, he spends most of his weekends working for the We Three Kings Foundation, visiting hospitals and helping out sick kids.”

  Everyone turns to look at me, and I see Hal and Leon’s eyebrows rise in surprise.

  “Remy explained that although Albie likes his work here, he would love to be able to work more with youngsters. So I’ve had a chat with Brock and Charlie, and also with Poppy.”

  I glance at my sister. She gives me a small smile. She’s in on this, too?

  “If you’re up for it, Albie,” Noah says, “we would like to open a special office of the We Three Kings Foundation here at the Ark, and ask you to run it.”

  I stare at him. “Really?”

  “You could still maintain a role in the IT department if you want, overseeing the work there, but I’d be happy for you to train a second-in-command to take over so you could spend the majority of your time running the new office. The idea is that as well as working with the Northland branch of We Three Kings with regard to granting wishes for sick kids if they involve meeting and being with animals, with Poppy’s help and contacts its main role would be to liaise with local schools, particularly with their Learning Enrichment Centers. I’d love to see us playing a part in the local community, bringing kids wit
h learning disabilities here, because we all know the important role that animals can play in helping people with physical and mental disabilities, with the sick and the elderly. In fact another idea is working with the local hospice and retirement homes to take animals in to them. I’d leave it up to you to organize it however you want, but Remy and I thought it might be something you’d be interested in doing.”

  I’m overcome with emotion, touched beyond words that Remy thought to go to Noah about me, and stunned that he’s given such thought to her ideas. I glance around the table, seeing Hal smiling, Leon grinning, Nix with her hand over her mouth blinking away tears, and the others all similarly affected by Noah’s generous offer.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I murmur huskily.

  “If you want time to think about it, that’s fine,” Noah says, “just let me know and—”

  “Yes,” I tell him. “Of course, the answer’s yes.”

  Everyone erupts into cheers, and I laugh, choked up, and accept Noah’s handshake before Remy throws her arms around my neck. “I can’t believe you went to see him,” I whisper, holding her tightly.

  “I could not leave without trying to do something,” she says, moving back a little to look at my face. “Do you like the idea?”

  “I love it. It’s… perfect.”

  “I am so pleased!” She kisses me, and it turns into a long, delicious smooch that soon has everyone whistling and clapping, and we break apart with a laugh.

  The meal turns out to be amazing, because the food is incredible, and I’m with all my favorite people in the whole world—apart from Summer and Zach and the boys. There’s just one more thing to clear up, and after we finish dinner and move into the living room for drinks, Noah gestures with his head, and I take Remy’s hand and the two of us follow him through the house and out into the conservatory.

  We greet Spike and Willow, the two German Shepherds, and get our ankles knocked by Spike’s wheelchair, then sit in the comfortable wicker chairs with their lush cushions.

  “Thank you so much for tonight,” I tell Noah. “For putting on the dinner, for a start.”

  “The food was amazing,” Remy says. “I’m so touched you went to all that trouble.”

  He smiles. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “And thank you for the offer of the new job,” I say. “I haven’t quite processed it yet, but I’m thrilled and excited to get started. And I can’t wait to tell Summer! She’ll love it.”

  He grins. “I think you’re right.” He’s holding a whisky glass, and he swirls the amber liquid over the ice in the bottom and eyes the two of us with a smile. “So. I suppose there’s only one more thing to discuss.”

  “Yes.” I look at Remy, and hold out my hand, and she slides hers into it. “So this is my idea.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Remy

  I climb the steps onto the tiny plane that’s going to Auckland and greet the flight attendant standing at the top. She directs me down the gangway to a seat on the left, and I make my way there, putting my case into the overhead locker and sliding into the seat by the window.

  It’s funny to think that in just over a day, I’ll be in France again. I’m semi-excited by the thought. It’s been a year since I’ve been home, and although New Zealand is amazing, I have missed it—the people, the language, the fashions, the food. It will be lovely to spend a few days in Paris, and then finally make my way to Brittany to see my mother.

  I’m not particularly looking forward to that moment as I know it’s going to be a difficult conversation. But I have calmed down a lot over the past few weeks. Everything that’s happened with Summer has shown me that life’s too short to bear grudges, and to be angry all the time. Jamie told me Mom did what she thought was best to protect herself and me, and even though I might not agree with her decision, I know he’s right.

  I put on my seatbelt, take the inflight magazine out of the pocket, and flick through it. It’s only a few minutes before the person sitting next to me arrives.

  “Sorry about that.” Albie lifts his travel case up into the overhead locker, giving me a glimpse of his stomach as his T-shirt rides up. I roll my eyes. We only made love this morning, and he’s already turning me on again.

  “Did you find them?” I reply, referring to his sunglasses. We were just about to get on the plane when he realized he must have left them in the café.

  “Yeah.” He taps the pocket of his jacket, then slides into the seat beside me. He buckles himself in and takes my hand. His eyes are alight with excitement at the thought of our adventure together. “Are you ready?”

  I nod enthusiastically. “I was just thinking how I feel so different from how I thought I was going to feel leaving New Zealand. I thought I would be bawling my eyes out as we took off, but now I am looking forward to it.”

  “It’s different because you know you’re coming back,” he says. “Thank God.” And he smiles.

  After the dinner party, when Albie and I joined Noah in the conservatory, Albie told him what we’d been talking about since we left Summer in Auckland. Both of us had known by that stage that we wanted to be together; all we had to do was decide how to make it work.

  Albie told me if I didn’t want to stay in New Zealand—if I wanted to live in France—he’d go with me, if that was what I wanted. I was so incredibly touched it made me cry. And at that moment I knew I didn’t want to go back, not permanently. I didn’t want to take Albie away from the Ark, and I love New Zealand so much I knew I’d be happy living here.

  We decided then and there I’d go back to France for a visit, and Albie would come with me. We’d stay in Paris and see the sights, and then I’d take him to meet my mother. We’d then spend a few weeks traveling around before finally coming back to New Zealand.

  Albie explained the one big issue to Noah—that I’d used up my year-long working holiday visa. Noah told us it was no problem at all. He and Leon had contacts at the Ministry, and they’d recently made the Ark an Immigration Accredited Employer, which meant I could apply for a work-to-residence visa if they offered me permanent employment, which he was happy to do because the grooming center was proving to be so successful. That would allow me to stay in New Zealand until Albie and I had been together for two years, following which I could apply for residency as his wife, because he’s determined to marry me.

  Noah said he couldn’t see any reason why Albie couldn’t take an extended holiday to go to France with me. He said he’d organize the start of the building for Albie’s new office next to the petting farm, and when we returned, Albie could begin deciding exactly what he wanted to do.

  He’s talked of little else since that night. He’s thrilled with the idea, and determined to make it a success. He’s talked on Skype to Brock, Charlie, and Matt several times, going over ideas with them, and he’s full of a zeal I realize had been latent up until now.

  “Je t’aime,” I tell him, as the flight attendant finishes her safety talk and tells us we’re preparing for takeoff.

  “Je t’aime aussi,” he says, and smiles. His French is coming on in leaps and bounds as, now I know he’s trying to learn, we try to speak in it as much as possible. “Je t’aimerai toujours.”

  I’m so happy. When we get back, we’re going to plan our wedding, and maybe even start thinking about having a family. But the first thing we’re going to do is adopt Belle, the Pointer he rescued on the night of the storm. I told Albie I thought we should do it, and he was more than happy to agree when he knew I’d be coming back with him.

  He leans across and kisses me, as the plane begins to turn and head down the runway, into the afternoon sun, which is as bright as our future together.

  *

  Join the Kiwi Birds!

  Want to find out how Summer met Zach? Join my Kiwi Birds community and you’ll be able to download my free starter library which includes their short story, Wishing on a Star!

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  The Billionaire Kings

 
; My Lonely Billionaire (Book 4 – Noah’s story) will be out in August. If you’d like to be informed when the book is available, why not join my Kiwi Birds mailing list and I’ll let you know?

  *

  Three Wise Men

  If you haven’t read them yet, maybe you’d like to catch up with Hal’s father and uncles, the Three Wise Men—Brock, Charlie, and Matt?

  The Perfect Gift (Three Wise Men Book 1)

  Consultant pediatrician Brock King lost his wife to cancer two years ago, and he’s convinced the love he felt for her only comes around once in a lifetime. Then, while visiting the children’s ward, he meets single mom Erin, and suddenly his future doesn’t seem so bleak. Brock offers to take Erin away for her birthday, no strings attached, to give her the perfect gift every single mom would kill for—a night in an exclusive hotel. Will she take him up on his offer, which might (if she’s very lucky) end up with hot sex with a billionaire? Or should she take the moral high ground and say no?

  The Perfect Gift (Book 1)

  Or buy the Three Wise Men Box Set!

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  If you’ve already read the Three Wise Men…

  Have you read the Like a Boss series?

  One company, four billionaires, four sinfully sexy stories to set you alight!

  Book 1: Taking Charge

  Sebastian

  My new temp doesn’t quite have the level of sophistication I’ve grown used to with secretaries from the recruitment agency. She’s only been here ten minutes, and she’s already gotten stuck in the elevator, blown up her computer, and caused the coffee machine to explode all over the floor. She says technology hates her, but I’m beginning to suspect her secretarial skills aren’t the reason she wants to work at my company.