The Billionaire's Birthday Surprise - Jenna Brandt
Chapter One
“Samuel Butler, aren’t you going to give a kiss to your oldest friend in all of Manhattan,” Melissa Vanderhilt, a pretty, Upper Eastside brunette socialite who ran an online gossip column cooed, as she sashayed over and wrapped her arm through his. “I can’t believe you’ve released your tenth cookbook, and it’s already hit the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists, all on the same day.”
Samuel shrugged half-heartedly, trying to appear nonchalant about the huge achievement. “What can I say; people want to know all the secrets that make my dishes so popular on my cooking show.”
“Are you still just calling it a cooking show?” Wade McAllister inquired with amusement as he sauntered up to the two of them with a pretty blonde on his arm. “We both know you’ve turned it into a talk show-cooking competition hybrid. Chef’s Compliments is a rather ingenious concept.”
“It’s nothing.” Samuel lifted his palm up loosely in a ‘who cares?’ gesture. “The producers knew to combine a few of my favorite things—talking, cooking, and competition.”
“For being nothing, it sure has shot to the top of the most-watched list on the streaming services. It’s knocked my own show into the second spot in the ratings.”
“You don’t hate me for it, do you, Wade?” Samuel jested with a smirk.
“No, I wouldn’t give you that satisfaction,” Wade teased back.
“This must be Tara Wilson.” Melissa inspected the other woman as if sizing her up to decide if she should continue giving her any attention. “I have to say, the photos in the newspaper don’t do you justice. No wonder you swept Wade off his feet when he was away on that mysterious birthday trip of his last year.”
Tara shifted her stance, then glanced away for a moment before returning the other woman’s stare. “What can I say, you never know when love is going to find you.”
“What did the two of you do on that trip?” Melissa probed with an inquisitive look plastered across her face. “Everyone’s speculated since you announced your engagement.”
“Oh, no, you don’t, Melissa.” Wade shook his head, causing his brown hair to swish back and forth. “You’re not prying into that special time. We’ve managed to keep it between us since we went public with our relationship; that’s not changing because you think you might get a juicy morsel for your gossip column.”
A pout formed on Melissa’s full lips as she pulled her arm free and placed it on her hip. “How do you know I would print something like that?”
“Isn’t that why you come to all of these parties—to glean information from unsuspecting guests who have their guard down?” Wade countered, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It won’t work with us.”
“Don’t be so hard on Melissa; she can’t help herself,” Samuel interjected, hoping to calm the situation between his friends. “Besides, this is supposed to be about me anyway, so let’s keep the focus where it belongs. I’ll answer any questions you have for me about my new book, Melissa.”
“Aren’t you just the best,” she gushed, placing her arm through Samuel’s a second time. “Your friend could learn a lesson from you on how to keep the media happy.”
Samuel spent the next fifteen minutes being interrogated by the brunette before he was able to disentangle himself from her. He checked in with his literary agent, business manager, and signed a few books before tracking down Wade across the room.
“I see you managed to escape Melissa’s claws,” Wade stated with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t see why you insist on inviting her to all of these events.”
“She gives great publicity,” Samuel explained before taking a sip of his champagne. “Even if it comes at the cost of being ogled and man-handled by her.”
“Don’t act like you mind that; you’ve never been one to shy away from a beautiful woman paying you attention,” Wade stated pointedly. Glancing over at his fiancée, he quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong, Tara, no one is as beautiful as you.”
Tara let out a small laugh as her face scrunched up with amusement. “It’s okay, Wade, I knew what you meant.”
“So, what’s your plan for your birthday next week? Do you need Tara to call in a favor at BBC?”
Samuel glanced around nervously, irritated that Wade would think it appropriate to bring up the Billionaire Birthday Club in a public setting. “You know the rules of the club; no one talks about it where anyone else can hear.”
Wade shook his