“You girls are the best,” Rachel said emotionally. “I didn’t see this coming, but I truly appreciate this lovely surprise. Thank you, babes.”

“Hear, hear,” said Brittany, raising her glass with a big grin.

Brittany, the sassy brunette, was the brain behind this surprise party. Being an event planner, she had no problems setting up the little bash within two days with the help of her other friends.

It was Rachel’s 28th birthday and she was having the time of her life with her best friends. They’d organized a surprise birthday party for her at The Black Hat.

She hadn’t planned anything special for herself for the day. That’s why this unexpected get-together made her so happy.

“Fiona, that should be your last drink for tonight, ‘cause we don’t want a drunk woman driving all of us home,” said Rachel to her blond friend.

“Who says I’m driving? Everybody is doing Uber tonight. Don’t kill my vibe, girl.”

Everyone laughed. It felt good to just let loose like this and have fun, especially on a Friday night. What an exciting way to ring in the weekend.

The four friends sat at one of the VIP lounges in the club, enjoying their drinks and occasionally gyrating to the upbeat music booming from the loudspeakers. Each of the ladies was successful in her own right and they’d all been friends since high school.

Rachel Lane, the birthday girl, was a part-time dance instructor who teaches ballet to little children at her brother’s dance studio, and she was also a lifestyle YouTuber with over 200,000 subscribers.

Brittany James was married to an engineer and has an adorable toddler son named Jason. Leticia Silva owned a thriving restaurant and was in a long-term relationship with an older guy named Ben Williams. Fiona Atkins was an accomplished realtor who is mostly single but never shies away from a random hookup with an attractive guy.

Rachel was the only one in the group who was eternally single, after swearing off relationships when her last boyfriend broke her heart nearly two years ago when he cheated on her and married the other woman within three months.

They’d dated for three years and he’d featured in some of her highest-grossing YouTube videos, so she’d had to keep those videos up on her channel even though it broke her heart to watch them and see how happy they’d been.

Fiona had once suggested to her that she should take down the videos, but she’d said no. Yes, the videos always broke her heart, but they were still raking in good coins into her bank account. So… they’ll stay up. End of story!

“You know what, I think we should have gotten a cake,” said Brittany the redhead. “How is Rachel supposed to make her birthday wish now?”

“I don’t need a cake to make a wish,” Rachel scoffed playfully. “I can do it over a round of margaritas.”

“I like the sound of that,” Leticia giggled. “Let’s do it. Where are those waiters?”

Rachel looked around to see if she could find a waiter nearby to call, but the club was so crowded tonight and it seemed as if all of the waiters were stretched thin, attending to multiple tables.

“You know what, I’ll go to the bar and fetch our drinks,” said Rachel, getting up.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Fiona protested. “You’re the birthday girl, so you stay here and I’ll go get the drinks.”

“It’s ok, Fiona. I’ll go get them,” Rachel insisted. “I can’t risk you going over there and flirting with the barman, and keeping us waiting here. Thank you, but no, thanks.”

“You know me so well, my friend,” laughed Fiona. “All right then, if you insist. But don’t take too long.”

“Sure thing,” said Rachel.

She stepped out of the VIP lounge with a happy smile on her face. She’s having such a great time with her friends, she can’t imagine anything more exciting happening tonight. What a way to celebrate her twenty-eighth year on earth!

*******

Derek Fraser had experienced many successes in his career and one would expect that by now, he should be used to it, but he wasn’t.

The rush of adrenalin that coursed through his body after sealing a good deal was still there, and so was that buzzing of excitement in his gut when he landed another massive account for his burgeoning business empire.

This feeling of satisfaction was what drove him to keep pushing himself to do more, to keep pushing his limits. Money had never been his motivation, not when he’d always had an abundance of it, coming from a wealthy family.

His motivation had always been the thrill of success, and as long as he had that, his billion-dollar conglomerate would continue to expand.

He’d come to The Black Hat to celebrate his latest win with his best friend, Jonah Branson, but his pal had flaked on him at the last minute for some obscure reason.

Undeterred, Derek had decided to have a solo celebration, but he was now regretting that decision because the club was packed and even the VIP lounges were all taken. The club owner had offered to clear up a lounge for him, but he’d declined.

He would just sit here at the bar and enjoy his Martini, then maybe call Carrie, his current flame, and ask if she’d like to spend the night with him.

“Hi, can I get four margaritas?”

Derek turned to the left where the voice came from, and he came face-to-face with a stunning auburn-haired lady with grey-green eyes.

She wasn’t his usual spec (he preferred skinny blonds with long legs like runway models), but there was something… fresh and exciting about this buxom chick with the perfectly rounded bum. There was some kind of bubbly energy about her that he found attractive.

“Kim Kardashian, is that you?” he asked her with a grin.

She turned to look at him and then grinned when she realized that he was speaking to her. “Nice try, Romeo. How many ladies have you scored with that line?”

“Zero.”

Rachel laughed. “I’m not surprised. I mean, Kim Kardashian? Really?”

“She’s pretty,” said Derek with a shrug. “And she’s got dark hair like you. Most times, that is.”

Rachel laughed again, seeing that this handsome guy with sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and sexy stubble was doing the most just to get her attention in this noisy dig.

She knew he had an arsenal of hot pickup lines, but he’d chosen a goofy one because he must have sensed that she bed with goofy stuff.

“But, if I’m being totally honest,” he continued. “You are way prettier than her, and that’s the truth.”

“Easy on the sugar, Romeo, or you’re going to give me diabetes,” laughed Rachel, thoroughly enjoying this playful banter with the gorgeous stranger.

Derek laughed heartily and it surprised him. He’d never met a woman who made him laugh before. All the women he knew and had been with were always so serious, so he’d assumed that it was one of the qualities of the female gender. What a refreshing discovery this lady was.

“It’s Derek. Derek Fraser,” he said, extending his hand to her for a shake.

“Rachel Lane,” she said, shaking his hand. “It’s been nice, sharing a laugh with you, Derek. I wish I could stay and chat some more, but my friends are waiting for me.”

“Oh, that’s sad. It would have been nice to just sit here and get to know one another,” said Derek, soulfully. “You could get a waiter to send their drinks to them.”

“Nah, that won’t be nice. It’s my birthday and they brought me here tonight to celebrate with me. I can’t just abandon them in the lounge, you know.”

“Wow. Happy birthday to you!”

“Thanks,” she beamed. “I’ve got to go,” she said when the barman pushed the tray of Margaritas towards her.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Rachel.”

“Ditto,” she said, amazed that she felt a little bit sad at the prospect of simply walking away from what could have been the start of a great friendship.

When she returned to the lounge to join her friends, Fiona was the first one to grill her about her bar escapade.

“Please, tell me you got his number,” she said after Rachel had finished telling them about her moment with Derek.

“He didn’t ask for mine,” said Rachel with a shrug.

“Then he’s available for the taking!” Fiona said and hopped on her feet.

“No, he’s not,” Rachel said quickly. “Sit down, Fiona. I’ll be right back.”

Rachel left her friends in the lounge and made her way back to the bar. Perhaps her dry spell was about to come to an end tonight.

Derek was scrolling through the contact list on his phone to find Cassie’s number when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned around to find out who it was and was delighted to see Rachel standing there with a bright smile on her pretty face.

“Hey,” he said. “You came back.”

“I sure did,” she replied with a laugh. “It occurred to me that I didn’t take your number and didn’t give you mine either, so I came to fix that.”

He blinked.

“Except, of course, you don’t exchange phone numbers with strangers, which would be understandable,” she babbled, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Why had she listened to that silly Fiona? Now, this guy was going to think she was some sort of ‘easy’ girl who was desperate for a hookup. Crap!

“No, no, that’s not it,” he said with a smile. “I’m just amazed at how lucky I am tonight. It’s not every day that a pretty lady walks up to me in a club to request my phone number. Today is turning out to be one of the best days of my life.”

Rachel laughed. “Take it easy, Derek. It’s not that deep, I’m just asking for your number, not your bank details.”

He doubled over in laughter. “Listen, I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to find out what this thing between us is. Why don’t we discover it together?”

Her internal brakes immediately screeched to a halt – was he asking what she thought he was asking? The light banters and laughs they’d shared so far were cool and all, but was she ready to take it further right away and leave the club with him? All she knew about him was his name and nothing else.

What if he was a serial killer or a kidnapper or some sort of psychopath? What if he was a drug lord or connected to one? He did look rich and from the smell of his perfume, she could tell that the guy was pretty comfortable, but what does he do for a living?

“It’s ok, Rachel. I promise you, I’m not a creep,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “We can get to know each other better some other time if that’s what you prefer.”

“Well… I’m not gonna lie, I’m freaked out by the thought of hanging out with a strange guy somewhere beyond the watchful eyes of my friends,” she admitted.

“Do you want me to go over there and introduce myself to them? I’ll give them my card too and remind them to call 911 if they don’t hear back from you in twenty-four hours.”

Rachel laughed, some of the tension in her gut easing away. “That sounds a bit extreme but I like it. Come on, let’s go before you change your mind.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Fine,” he said and got on his feet.

“Good lord, Derek. How tall are you?”

“Six-four,” he grinned, noting how her five-foot-five-inch self was dwarfed by his height. This was one of the reasons why he preferred tall women because they complemented his build better.

“I feel like I’m walking beside a skyscraper,” commented Rachel as they squeezed through the sea of gyrating bodies on their way to the VIP lounge.

“Stop it,” he laughed. “I’m not that tall.”

“Yeah, right.”

As Rachel had expected, her friends were all smiles and fluttery eyelashes when she showed up with Derek. She introduced her friends to him one by one and then it was his turn to introduce himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” he began with a charming smile. “I’m Derek Fraser, I am a – “

“Billionaire businessman and the 36th richest man in the U.S. according to the latest issue of Forbes Magazine,” Leticia finished for him, her eyes as huge as saucers. “Oh, my goodness! I am in the presence of a business icon!”

“Wait, what?” Asked Rachel, trying to digest this new information.

“Handsome and a billionaire. I love it!” Fiona said, winking at Rachel.

“Well, then, I think we can all rest easy now,” said Brittany, the mother hen of the group. “You’re in safe hands, Rachel.”

“So, do I have your blessings to take her out of here for a cozy hangout with me?” Derek asked hopefully.

“Abso-freaking-lutely, Derek!” Fiona giggled. “She’s all yours.”

“She’s not all his,” Leticia hissed and snatched the almost empty glass of Margarita from Fiona’s hand.

To Rachel, she said, “Don’t worry about us, darling. Go on and have fun with your new friend. We’ll catch an Uber home real soon.”

Rachel hesitated. “I don’t want to abandon you guys here…”

“It’s ok, Raych. It’s your birthday and you don’t need our permission to go and have fun,” Brittany assured her. “Give us a call when you can, ok?”

“I guess that’s settled then,” she grinned up at Derek.

“Awesome,” said Derek. “Bye, ladies. I hope I’ll get to meet you all again.”

“We hope so too, honey,” Fiona drawled drunkenly.

“Ok, ladies. See y’all soon!” Said, Rachel. She followed Derek out of the club and a few seconds later, she was sitting beside him in his black Range Rover SV-Autobiography with sleek leather seats that cushioned her body like a soft embrace.

The interior of the SUV smelled like newly minted money, and everything inside the vehicle screamed wealth and class.

“So, we’re about to take this birthday celebration to another level,” said Derek. “Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“Can we go to Paris?”

“Tonight? Not impossible but you’ll need to get your passport and – “

“I’m just kidding,” Rachel laughed. “But for real, is it true that you are a billionaire?”

He grinned. “I don’t refer to myself as one, but yeah, I’m comfortable.”

“Comfortable or rich?”

“Is there a difference?”

She laughed again. “A modest billionaire. I like it.”

“So, where would you like to go tonight?”

“You know what, I’m curious about you now, especially since you’re not being generous with information about yourself. I want to see where you live if that’s ok with you.”

He smiled. “If you think my modesty extends to where I live, then you’d be surprised. I have a penchant for real estate and I love to stay in classy places, so my home is anything but humble.”

“Now, I really want to see it!” Said Rachel, excitedly.

“Great,” he said and started the car.

“How come you don’t have a driver and a bodyguard?”

“I do, but now and then, I like to live like a normal person. That doesn’t stop my security team from planting their guys in the crowd and having them follow me just in case. I don’t mind that at all, as long as they don’t interfere with my freedom of movement.”

They continued to chat amiably as he drove through the city. It was as if they’d known each other for a long time. He told her about his family and how his grandfather made his fortune by producing watches and clocks for society’s elites in the 50s.

His business eventually grew into jewelry manufacturing with stores all across the U.S. and beyond. His father had continued the family business after the family patriarch passed away, extending the business into the fashion and perfume industries.

When Derek joined the company ten years ago, he’d spread its tentacles into household goods and pharmaceuticals, then he began his own businesses that focus on real estate acquisition, IT solutions, and brand management.

“I can’t believe that I have never heard of you or your family until today,” said Rachel, amazed.

“I guess not all rich people love the limelight,” said Derek with a shrug. “I keep a low profile myself, but those Forbes people kept hounding me until I gave in and let them do a feature about me in their magazine. Now, only people who don’t read Forbes don’t recognize me in public.”

Rachel chuckled. “Poor you.”

“We are here,” he said and drove towards a tall glass building.

“This is where you live?” Rachel asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, in the penthouse.”

“Wow…” She marveled as the security man at the gate waved him into the grounds and Derek drove into what Rachel thought was an underground garage, but it turned out to be an elevator.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she laughed, as they rode the elevator to the top of the building while still sitting inside the car. “This is wild!”

Derek found her excitement infectious and he couldn’t help but laugh. The ladies he usually brought home always did their best to act unimpressed whenever they came around, but he could literally see the effort it was taking them to maintain their composure.

He liked how original Rachel was and how she was comfortable with showing her true emotions because that made him feel at ease. He didn’t even have to try to impress her and to him, that was the real definition of peace of mind.

The elevator stopped in front of his penthouse apartment and they got out of the car with an equal measure of excitement. He couldn’t wait to show her around his place, while she couldn’t wait to feast her eyes on all of the beauty waiting inside.

When they entered the huge four-bedroom apartment, Rachel was not disappointed. She oohed and aahed as she followed Derek around as he took her on a tour of his home.

“This place is phenomenal,” she remarked after they finished their tour. “I’ve never been inside a penthouse before.”

“I’m glad you’re impressed,” he said with a feeling of satisfaction.

“I can imagine doing a log in here. It would totally go viral and blow up my YouTube channel,” she gushed dreamily.

“You post on YouTube?”

“Yeah. Lifestyle content mostly, you know, I just talk about all the fun stuff I’m into, share a few dance videos, makeup tutorials, and stuff like that.”

“Sounds interesting. How long have you been doing that?”

“Five years.”

“That’s quite a career.”

“Yeah. I enjoy it and the money I make from the channel pays my bills, so yeah. If I had to rely on the stipends I get from the parents of the children I teach ballet to, I’d be homeless by now.”

“You teach ballet too?” He was surprised.

“Yes. I once thought I was going to become a famous ballerina one day, but I couldn’t keep up with the weight requirements, so I stopped.”

She’d meant the last part as a joke, but she couldn’t deny that her heart still broke when she thought about her past struggles with her weight and the body image issues that had taken years of therapy for her to overcome.

Sensing a drop in her mood, Derek came to stand beside her in front of the window with a breathtaking view of the city below.

“I don’t know much about you, Rachel, but from the little I know now, I can tell that you are a remarkable woman. Never forget that. Now, let’s continue with your birthday celebration.”

She smiled at him, appreciating his effort to lift her spirits. “What do you have in mind?”

“How about a rooftop dinner featuring a six-course meal and a bottle of champagne to top it off?”

Rachel laughed. “That sounds ridiculously expensive, but since I’m not the one paying, why not?”

“Do you always say what you think?” Derek asked with a laugh.

She shrugged.

“I’ll call my chef to have our dinner sent up here, but in the meantime, what would you like to drink while we wait?”

“Boy, I could get used to this kind of life,” she smiled. “I’d like a bourbon on the rocks if it’s available.”

“Coming right up,” he said and strolled to his bar to fix her drink.

Rachel knew instinctively that she was about to have the most memorable night of her life.