Page 5 of Billionaire Retreat

Kenny had already left to teach his early morning cycling classes when Richard had called me. I knew Kenny wouldn’t have his phone on him, so I’d called Cyril to tell him I was leaving. Cyril had been ecstatic. I hadn’t shared with him how much they were going to pay me because I felt he might get suspicious, as I had been. I didn’t need him convincing me of someone’s nefarious plan to sell me into white slavery or something. To say the least, Cyril could be quite dramatic.

I reached into my purse and pulled out a lip balm. My lips were dry and I knew that was because I was not only parched but nervous. I then reached into my bag for a bottle of water and the other women started moving towards the windows of the exquisite yacht transporting us to the island. I’d never been on a yacht before. My dad loved to go fishing and I’d accompanied him on several fishing trips, but we always rented a small boat. The yacht we were on was easily several million dollars. I figured it belonged to Richard or probably was the property of his company. I wondered if the guests were transported over in a similar fashion. I looked out across the gorgeous blue water as we neared the island. I could see the white sandy beaches from the boat and the lush green landscape went on for miles. A tropical paradise awaited us.

The other girls were giggling and I couldn’t help but share in their excitement. As far as the eye could see, everything was beautiful.

Huge blue umbrellas dotted the coastline and as we approached, I could see the water went from a dark blue to an almost transparent emerald with hints of aquamarine. Even the water looked expensive. Beyond the beaches I could see rows of rich forest, all so green and lush. Within the greenery, barely perceptible, were tree houses the likes of which I’d only ever seen on TV. It was as if someone had built mansions not only among the trees but within the trees themselves.

I started to rethink my “I hate nature” attitude.

We pulled up to the port and made our way down the platform. We were told to leave our luggage on board so that the porter could attend to them. I hadn’t felt comfortable with the idea because I hated to be separated from my belongings, but I didn’t want to be difficult.

As we all left the ship, someone was approaching us, coming down a path from the forest. The person waved and I realized it was Richard. Happily, I waved back.

“Nina! Of course, you’re leading the pack,” he said, giving a big grin. He was wearing a loose linen suit and he looked very handsome. I told him so and he gave me a grateful smile. “It’s hard to look professional and relaxed at the same time.”

The rest of the ladies had caught up with me and so Richard excused himself and greeted all of them personally as well. I was impressed that he knew us all by name.

“So, continue up this path to the resort. The on-site manager will be there to meet you all. Have fun ladies!” he called, heading towards the yacht.

We did as he said. There was a lot of excited squeaking and exclamations of “Oh my God, look at that!” as we made our way to the resort. Various man-made waterfalls lined the path, making the island seem like an absolute utopia.

And then we saw the resort. It was a like a giant tree house, but modern and sleek with walls of windows.

“Wow, just wow,” I whispered to myself.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” said one of the girls, finally talking to me. “My friend stayed here last week and she said it’s even more impressive inside.”

“Your friend works here too?”

“Well, no one really works here. They use different girls depending on what the client requests.”

“Yeah, I knew that,” I lied. Now I was even more curious about what the entertainment specialist position really entailed.

“No, you didn’t,” she shot back and I immediately stiffened up. She noticed my body language and was immediately apologetic. “Sorry.”

“Anyway,” I said wishing she would go away, but figuring she wouldn’t now. “Since your friend was here… what do you know about this place? What exactly can we expect? They just keep telling me that we’re expected to entertain the guests.”

“Yep, that’s pretty much it. Except that each entertainment specialist is assigned to one guest.”

I glanced at the other girls and said, “Isn’t it a bit weird that we’re all relatively attractive women?”

“Nope. The clients are mostly rich guys coming here for bachelor parties and stuff.”

I groaned. “So I signed up to be a glorified babysitter for a client who will probably think I’m a stripper.”

She laughed. “No. These guys are high class. You don’t have to worry about that. My friend had the best time. She said all the girls she worked with had the same feedback. The guys go out of their way to please you, so it’s almost as if they work for us, not the other way around.”

We entered the resort and a short red-head wearing a linen dress and a big sunhat waved at us happily.

“Hi, ladies! I’m Gertrude! Welcome to Solomon’s Paradise!” she said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Come on. Let me show you to your rooms.”

We followed behind her. She led us down a hall and then up a staircase made from gorgeous wood. I stroked it lovingly as I walked by.

“Top of the line. We spared no expense,” she assured me with a smile. “Ladies, this wing of the resort is for you only.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out fancy, little envelopes. She started calling our names one at a time and each girl happily grabbed an envelope, found their key and assigned room inside. They were gorgeous rooms. I peeked in every time someone else opened their door.

Finally, I received mine. I was so thrilled, probably even more so than the others. They were probably used to extravagance. I certainly wasn’t.