Samuel sipped on his drink as he listened to the alto crooning of the pretty blonde that was standing in the middle of the stage on the far-left side of the lounge. She was singing a classic Frank Sinatra song and doing an exceptionally good job at it.
“Is this seat taken?” a husky, feminine voice asked from beside him.
Samuel’s head jerked to the side, his eyes focusing on a young, pretty brown-haired woman waiting for his answer.
“No, not at all. Please, join me.”
“I have to admit, I know who you are, Mr. Butler. Binge-watching your show is a guilty pleasure of mine.”
Great, a fan; Samuel didn’t feel much like making small talk. He also knew that he had to keep up his image. Even when he was jet-lagged, he had to play the part of the friendly, flirty celebrity chef. “That’s very flattering, Miss…”
“Heather, Heather Lewis,” she said with a seductive smile. “I’m here to celebrate my birthday. Everyone else went to bed, but I wasn’t tired, so I decided to come down to the lounge for a cocktail.”
“Great minds think alike,” he said raising his own glass. “I wasn’t tired either. Let’s get you a drink.” Samuel gestured for the bartender to come over.
Heather placed her order and the bartender scurried off to make the elaborate cocktail.
“You know, you’re even more handsome in person than you are on TV. I thought it had to be all the makeup they put on you, but I was wrong,” she praised, placing her hand on his arm. “And all those muscles under that shirt. You never see those on the show.”
“Believe me, a lot of it is the makeup. Can’t you tell I’m wearing some now?” he teased with a wink.
“You can’t be,” Heather exclaimed, moving closer to inspect his face. For the first time since her arrival, he could smell the stench of alcohol on her breath. Warning bells went off. Samuel wasn’t one to turn a beautiful woman away, but he drew the line at hooking up with someone while they were inebriated. Heather placed her hands on either side of his face, squeezing his cheeks. “When I saw you walk through the lobby earlier, I knew I had to find a way to meet you. I asked around and found out you were in here.”
Something about how strong she was coming on to him seemed off. He had a good mind to make an excuse and leave, but before he could escape, a burly dark-haired man with a thick beard and beady eyes came charging up to them.
“Heather, get away from him, right now. I know you just came down here to make me jealous.”
“Is it working?” she asked as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You shouldn’t have treated me the way you did earlier. This is your fault.”
“I came here to make you happy, Heather. Why are you acting like this? You’re getting everything you want, exactly how you want it, and it’s still not enough.”
“You’re right,” she shouted, jumping up from her leather barstool. “It’s never enough, and you should know that. When my daddy finds out how you treated me this week, you’re going to lose your job at the firm,” she threatened.
“Don’t do that, sweetie; we can work this out,” he said, coming up beside her. “Don’t be mad at me.”
Another brown-haired woman, who looked similar to Heather, came up to the two of them, a worried look on her face. Samuel wasn’t sure why, but there was something familiar about the new woman.
“Why don’t you come to bed, Heather? We had a long day, and we’re all tired,” the new woman coaxed.
“Don’t talk to me like that, Nessa. I don’t need you to handle me. William was awful to me earlier. I have a right to be upset.”
“I told you, I wasn’t looking at that server at the beach today. I was just placing my food order,” William whined.
Samuel wished he could get away from the ridiculously awkward situation, but if he tried to exit now, he’d have to go right through the trio. Instead, he was forced to stay and watch the train wreck of a fight continue.
“See, Heather, you were wrong about what happened. William would never do that to you. Why don’t we just go back to our rooms?” Vanessa pleaded.
“Fine,” Heather stated with a huff. “I guess we can go back. William, will you give me a back rub when we get to the suite?”
“Anything for you, sweetie,” he groveled, taking her by the arm. He leaned over and said to the other woman. “Vanessa, why don’t you give us a little while. I think we need some time alone.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened as she slowly nodded her head. “Sure thing, William. Whatever the two of you need.”
Heather and William made their way out of the bar, leaving Vanessa on her own. Samuel finally found his chance to escape. Before he could move, Vanessa made her way over to the bar, taking the seat the other woman had just vacated.
Even though both women were beautiful, Vanessa had the edge with her perfectly heart-shaped face, sparkling green eyes, and silky chestnut hair. She also carried herself in a way that made her seem regal, while her counterpart was anything but. Perhaps it was because Heather was already intoxicated when she came into the lounge. Either way, Samuel was grateful that Vanessa was now sitting beside him; so much so, he decided not to leave just yet.
Chapter Two
The bartender returned with a drink, an uncomfortable look on his face as he glanced around as if unsure what to do. “Should I send Miss Lewis’ drink up to her room?”
Vanessa shook her head. “I’ll take it; I think I earned it after the day my sister put me through.”
“She’s your sister?” the man next to her blurted out in shock.
“She sure is,” Vanessa confirmed, placing her purse down on the bar. “I’m just glad she came to the lounge tonight, instead of heading somewhere harder to find her. Last time she got like this, she ended up swimming naked in the ocean at night.”
“Sounds like she keeps you on your toes,” the man remarked before taking another sip of his drink.
“That’s the nice way of putting it,” Vanessa stated with irritation. She took a long swig of the frothy, pink drink and nearly choked on the sugary sweetness. She pushed the drink away, deciding that nothing was better than whatever that was.
For the first time since arriving in the lounge, Vanessa Lewis’ attention focused on the man who had been a pawn in her sister’s attempts to upset William. Instantly, she recognized him and froze—Samuel Butler. The man she had shared a sizzling New Year’s Eve kiss with two years ago. She thought she had a real connection with him after spending the evening together dancing and getting to know one another. After the kiss, however, he’d promptly gotten so drunk, he had forgotten all about her.
What were the chances that he would be here at the Billionaire Birthday Club the same week as her sister? If Vanessa had any luck at all, it would be bad luck. He was the last person she wanted to see, but if she jumped up and rushed off, he might try to figure out why. She didn’t want him to know that she knew who he was. What he did to her was already humiliating enough. There was no way she was ever going to explain to him how he hurt her.
Deciding to take control of the situation, she reached out her hand to him. “After what just happened, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Vanessa Lewis.”