AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Mom and Dad said I needed to earn my keep this year, if I am going to take a break from my studies. Your father said he had the perfect job for me.”
Bryce could just imagine Janice and Edward coming up with a plan to make sure her son worked every day that he kept himself out of grad school. Patrick’s career path would likely see him work his way up through one of the House of Royal companies, so it made sense that he got first-hand experience in dealing with billionaires and their travel habits. A million other young people would give their all to get a chance to experience working for someone like Edward Royal. To be privy to some of the House of Royal’s business dealings.
I bet his mom stood over him as he signed the NDA.
“A strong coffee would be great, Patrick. Espresso, dash of milk. Please.”
“Yes, Mister Royal.”
Bryce winced.Mister Royal?This was the same Patrick with whom he’d shared a fireside whisky on Christmas morning at the Royal family retreat in Turks and Caicos last year. It was odd to have a friend address him in such a formal manner.
“Did Janice insist that you must call me that?”
Patrick nodded. “Yes, she did, Mister Royal. She was most insistent.”
They exchanged a knowing grin, then Patrick took Bryce’s jacket and carefully hung it up. “As soon as we level out, I shall prepare your beverage, Mister Royal. Your father has said he appreciates my inflight coffee making skills.”
Chuckling, Bryce checked his watch. It was a few minutes before ten thirty. He had a long flight ahead of him, but the jet was configured in such a way that he would be able to set his laptop up with a large screen and get some serious work done. This unexpected trip home to the US didn’t stop him from having to meet his responsibilities for the European Royal Resorts operations. It just added to his workload.
Settling into his seat and clipping his seatbelt closed, he muted his grin as Patrick ran through the safety demonstration for him. As expected, it was word perfect and smoothly presented. Other jet owners might ignore those sorts of details and demand that the plane leave, but the House of Royal had strict policies when it came to members of the family adhering to all safety protocols. Everyone knew the adage about there being old billionaires, and reckless billionaires. It was rare to find an old, reckless one.
“Thank you, Patrick. Could you please inform the pilot I am happy for wheels up when he is ready to depart?”
Bryce retrieved his phone from his briefcase and sat it on the table in front of him. He couldn’t avoid Jordan’s calls forever. But he couldn’t talk to him right now. The shit would eventually hit the fan, but before it did, he would simply have to stall for time.
If Jordan had the slightest inkling as to what was going on, at least Bryce would be on the other side of the country when his younger sibling stormed into their father’s office and started demanding answers.
Most of the time Bryce was honored to be a big brother, but there were other times, like this, when it was a complete pain in the ass.
CHAPTERSEVEN
LAX
Later that afternoon
Vivian hummed ‘the wheels on the bus go round and round’ as she stood beside the baggage carousel. It was the only way to keep her temper under control. Forty five minutes after landing in LA and she still hadn’t caught a glimpse of her black and white checkered suitcase.
She fired off a quick message to her mom.
Safely arrived in LA, waiting on bags. love u.
If she had the choice, she would love to be able to travel with a bright green and pink trimmed suitcase. Unusual luggage tended to stand out amongst the never ending sea of plain black bags. But while distinctive suitcases might work well at the airport, they looked out of place in the lobbies of expensive hotels and resorts.
The job of a resort reviewer was to be seen but not remembered. If word got out that one of the reviewers carried a unique suitcase, hotels would soon take note. Which would mean that whenever she checked into a resort, staff would be sent to fawn all over her and Vivian would never be able to write a balanced review again.
Her thoughts of bold luggage evaporated as a cheer went up among the gathering. She leaned forward catching sight of the pile of new cases which had just dropped off the delivery belt and onto the carousel. Vivian took a step back as the masses descended to claim their luggage. When the milling crowd eventually disbursed, she was left with the disappointing discovery that her suitcase was not among the remaining bags.
Damn. I want to get to the resort and grab a shower.
The plane had been clean, but all that time spent sharing the same air as several hundred other people always left her skin with a greasy feel to it. As soon as she checked in to a resort or hotel post flight, she always hit the shower and scrubbed herself clean.
I hope the spa at the Royal Resorts Laguna Beach is top notch. I could do with a mini facial. My poor skin has suffered enough lately. I hope they have some opening specials.
One of the major perks of travel writing was that as a reviewer she often got to test the extra service offerings at the various hotels at which she stayed. Spa treatments were the ultimate bonus.
For companies such as Royal Resorts, the day spa was a major value add which went straight to the bottom line. Facials, pedicures, and massages were the cash cows of the hotel industry. And if there was one place on earth where Vivian felt truly at home, it was lying face down on a massage table, while a professional masseuse used their magic fingers to work out the knots and kinks in her back.
When her finances were in their usual more healthy state, Vivian would top up her travel per diem and really indulge. For this trip she would have to see just how far Lionel’s extra two hundred dollars could be stretched. She had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t be all that much.
