My White Billionaire Bundle (BWWM Billionaire Romance) by Claire Fenton

I stepped off the bus, awestruck by the massive Manhattan skyscrapers reaching up all around me. Warm summer wind was blowing through the streets, carrying damp air from the harbor. Lines of cabs darted to and fro, all honking and racing to ignore the people trying to flag them down.

    “Fuckin’ move it, lady!” a man said, barging past me.

    “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said.

    He looked back at me, shaking his head a little bit.  

    In front of me rose the glass and steel magnificence of the Regal Tower, Manhattan’s most luxurious hotel. Heads of state, rockstars, billionaires: when they came to the Big Apple, they lay their heads here.

    And today was my first day as an employee. My college friends all told me about their summer plans to visit Europe or go skiing. I was embarrassed to admit that I had to work this summer in order to afford the next semester. I’d told them I was going to Australia. To lay on the beach. My dark skin would hide any absence of a tan anyway.

    I noticed a large group of photographers out front, cameras pointed at the entrance. They were waiting for someone. The entrance to the building was all glass, so you could see through and into the lobby. Maybe some senator was having a lurid affair. Politicians were always doing something scandalous.

    —

    “Can I…” the stunning woman at the front desk said, “help you?” Her forced smile told me she was sure I didn’t belong here.

    “I hope so. My name is Tina Washington. I’m here for the summer position. I spoke to-“ I said.

    The woman abruptly put up a finger and looked past me. “Good morning, Mr. Brundy. Did you enjoy the opera last night?”

    “Yeah Denise, the opera was great. Thanks for making that happen. Was it really sold out?” the man behind me said. He was putting on his coat, getting ready to head out.

    “Don’t worry about that. It’s our pleasure to serve here at the Regal Tower. Have a great day!” Denise said, flashing a perfect smile.  

    Perfect teeth. Perfect ponytail. Perfect eyebrows. I was beginning to see a pattern.

    “You’re still here,” Denise said, like she was observing something sad and puzzling.

    I tried to brush off her coldness. “I’d spoken to Joseph on the phone. He told me I could start today.” She probably just had to put on a gruff exterior to keep out riff faff.

    “Joseph was fired yesterday,” Denise said, smiling and waving at another guest who walked through the lobby. “Stupid fucker couldn’t stay sober on the job. How hard is it to indulge in your vices after work?”

    My stomach dropped. I was dumbstruck. “Umm, he was fired?”

    “Tell me, in the flyover shit-hole you call home, do you need everything repeated to you?” she said while shuffling paperwork. She didn’t even bother to look at me.

    “Did I do something to offend you?” I asked.

    “Darling, you’re not capable of affecting me in any way. I’m managing a staff of almost two hundred employees. I’ve got ninety-three guests depending on me to have a wonderful stay,” she said, straightening out her shirt. “What were you doing at 2 AM?”

    “2AM? I guess I was sleeping.” I could feel the panic rising in me. I’d bought a bus ticket here. My plan was to earn enough at this job to buy my ticket home with a nice amount to spare. All my plans were coming apart.

    “At 2AM I was making sure our Emirate guests could have a teleconference with their partners back in Dubai,” she said. “Look, you weren’t the only girl Joseph hired.” She added finger quotes to the last word.

    “Here’s your latte, Ms. Caruthers,” a young woman said, rushing up to Denise with a coffee in her hand.

    “As you can see, Tina, the position has already been filled.”  

    The young woman beamed a vicious smile at me. Blue eyes and blonde hair, cut short and sculpted around her thin face.  

    Denise took a sip from her latte and immediately spat it back into the cup. “Maggie, are you an