Billionaires of Manhattan Series by Annika Martin

He’s a powerful billionaire CEO who built the family business into an empire. The money doesn’t matter to him, but the company is his life. And then his eccentric mother wills it all to her tiny dog. I’m Vicky, the dog whisperer. (Not really, but that’s what my elderly neighbor always says.) When she dies, she surprises everybody by leaving a corporation worth billions to her dog, Smuckers. With me as his spokesperson... moreHe’s a powerful billionaire CEO who built the family business into an empire. The money doesn’t matter to him, but the company is his life. And then his eccentric mother wills it all to her tiny dog. I’m Vicky, the dog whisperer. (Not really, but that’s what my elderly neighbor always says.) When she dies, she surprises everybody by leaving a corporation worth billions to her dog, Smuckers. With me as his spokesperson. Suddenly I go from running my Etsy store to sitting in an elegant Wall Street boardroom with Smuckers in my lap. And my neighbor’s son, Henry Locke, aka New York’s most eligible bachelor, glaring across the table at me. Rumor has it Henry’s a business genius who’s as talented in the bedroom as he is in the boardroom. Sure, he’s gorgeous. Sex-in-a-seven-thousand dollar suit. But… He’s arrogant and infuriating. He refuses to listen to me when I insist I didn’t con his mother. He thinks he can bully me, buy me off, control me, even seduce me. Henry may have the women of Manhattan eating out of the palm of his hand, but I'm so over entitled rich guys who think they own the world. No way will his wicked smile be charming ME out of my panties. His wicked...devastating...impossible-to-resist smile. Oh well, who needs panties anyway? *** A sexy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy standalone!*** Previously published as: 'Most Eligible Bastard' less

When my manager assigns me the task of finding a new wake up call service for our CEO, I think, how hard can this be? Answer: practically impossible. It turns out that no wake-up call company in the world will take him on as a client. They’ve all had enough of his surly personality. So in an effort not to lose my job, I secretly start making the calls myself, every day at 4:30 am sharp. OMG yes you read that right—four freaking thirty in the morning... moreWhen my manager assigns me the task of finding a new wake up call service for our CEO, I think, how hard can this be? Answer: practically impossible. It turns out that no wake-up call company in the world will take him on as a client. They’ve all had enough of his surly personality. So in an effort not to lose my job, I secretly start making the calls myself, every day at 4:30 am sharp. OMG yes you read that right—four freaking thirty in the morning. Confession: I’m not the nicest wake-up-call girl at that hour. Hello! Who wakes up before the roosters are even crowing? Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind my get-your-ass-out-of-bed attitude. Day by day we’re becoming closer, and the calls start turning hot, like pay-by-the-minute hot and oh-so-wild. Snuggled under the covers with the moonlight streaming in the windows, we divulge our secrets to each other, but the one thing that he can never find out is that the sexy vixen who wakes him up every morning is just the lowly assistant who wears frumpy dresses. I can only imagine his disappointment. Now he wants to take me out on a date and he’s scouring Manhattan to find me. He’s an overachieving billionaire bent on a mission. How much longer can I keep up this charade? less

Max Hilton is my high school nemesis turned billionaire. And tomorrow I deliver his lunch order. In a cat costume. You know he’s going to love it. He’ll smile that smirky smile, sitting there all superior in his gleaming tower, the wealthiest and most notorious playboy in all of New York, the king of everything. Turns out it wasn’t curiosity that killed the cat—it was mortification... moreMax Hilton is my high school nemesis turned billionaire. And tomorrow I deliver his lunch order. In a cat costume. You know he’s going to love it. He’ll smile that smirky smile, sitting there all superior in his gleaming tower, the wealthiest and most notorious playboy in all of New York, the king of everything. Turns out it wasn’t curiosity that killed the cat—it was mortification. I’m almost ready to quit my lunch delivery job, but then my roommate tosses me a copy of The Max Hilton Playbook: Ten Golden Rules for Picking up the Hottest Girl in the Room. It’s the book that catapulted him to stardom. And it’s my new bible. I’m going to use his own techniques against him. I’ll wrap him around my little finger, bring him to his knees, and crush his steely heart. Call it payback for all the single girls who had to endure legions of losers wielding his legendary tactics. But seeing Max every day, I’m discovering a side of him I didn’t even know existed--he’s not the jerky guy I thought he was. He has this smile he shows only to me, and it melts my heart. His touch sends shivers down my spine. And those forbidden kisses are driving me wild. Falling for him was not in my plan. Am I breaking his rules or will his rules break me first? less

I'm no Prince Charming, and the last thing I want is a Cinderella.My instructions were simple: scour the city for a fake fiancée who's not my type at all. Have her on my jet Monday morning, dressed appropriately for a yacht vacation. I need a woman believable enough to convince a certain client that I've changed my playboy ways…yet nothing like the supermodels and socialites I usually have on my arm. Somebody too annoying to tempt me—no emotional entanglements, thank you very much... moreI'm no Prince Charming, and the last thing I want is a Cinderella.My instructions were simple: scour the city for a fake fiancée who's not my type at all. Have her on my jet Monday morning, dressed appropriately for a yacht vacation. I need a woman believable enough to convince a certain client that I've changed my playboy ways…yet nothing like the supermodels and socialites I usually have on my arm. Somebody too annoying to tempt me—no emotional entanglements, thank you very much. This is business only. If she's unfazed by my looks and wealth, all the better. Should be easy. Right?Apparently not, because my people go and hire Tabitha. My hairdresser. What were they thinking? Yes, I said annoying, but I didn't mean her, the most frustrating woman in the world. Tabitha is sunshiny. She has a pet hamster. She loves Hello Kitty, and she gets under my skin like nobody else. As if that's not bad enough, the minute we step on deck, she thinks that certain people on the yacht are up to something shady—based completely on her soap opera knowledge. She won't listen when I tell her she’s being ridiculous. But as the days go by, I find that we’re actually having fun. And our fake kisses are heating up. And suddenly her wild theories aren't sounding so strange after all… less

I may be a shy, lowly letter carrier, but when my beloved apartment building is threatened by a mysterious and reclusive billionaire, I’m willing to push the envelope. I’m going to march right up to Malcolm Blackberg’s fortress of fierceness and deliver a cease-and-desist notice he can’t refuse. Except as soon as I get inside his gilded doors, things go sideways—I’m mistaken for Malcolm’s court-ordered emotional IQ coach, as if I’m acting out a wacky postal carrier cosplay... moreI may be a shy, lowly letter carrier, but when my beloved apartment building is threatened by a mysterious and reclusive billionaire, I’m willing to push the envelope. I’m going to march right up to Malcolm Blackberg’s fortress of fierceness and deliver a cease-and-desist notice he can’t refuse. Except as soon as I get inside his gilded doors, things go sideways—I’m mistaken for Malcolm’s court-ordered emotional IQ coach, as if I’m acting out a wacky postal carrier cosplay. They drag me in, a sacrificial lamb for the big bad. Make that big, smolderingly sexy bad. So I make up a lesson involving a story about our building. He doesn’t seem happy. Can he tell that I have no idea what I'm doing? Before I know it I’m flying around the country, up close and personality testing the most devilishly exasperating man I’ve ever met. He’s scary for sure…but the way he sometimes looks at me turns my knees to jelly, and has me writing love letters to his gorgeous eyes, his mouthwatering smile, his impressive…package.Our coaching sessions are getting hot-hot-hot, but I can’t let my guard down. If he ever finds out I’m a first-class fake, I’ll lose everything I’ve ever loved in this world! less

Francine is stunned when she discovers she’s been married - for the last ten years! - to Benny, the surly and nerdy frenemy she worked with one summer in Vegas. How in the world did they end up married? They could hardly stand each other! Though there was that drunken night….She tracks down Benny, sure he’ll be as shocked about the marriage as she is, sure he’ll be happy to dissolve their union ASAP so she can get the documents she desperately needs... moreFrancine is stunned when she discovers she’s been married - for the last ten years! - to Benny, the surly and nerdy frenemy she worked with one summer in Vegas. How in the world did they end up married? They could hardly stand each other! Though there was that drunken night….She tracks down Benny, sure he’ll be as shocked about the marriage as she is, sure he’ll be happy to dissolve their union ASAP so she can get the documents she desperately needs. But Benny is now a cold and wolfish billionaire. And yes, he’ll sign the paperwork…for a price: she has to spend the next three weeks playing his doting wife. less

My imitation of our billionaire boss had everyone ROFL. Well…almost everyone. Worst. Butt-dial. Ever!It was just some silly fun. A goofy imitation of the faceless mega-billionaire who owns our faceless international mega-corporation. And yes, there was laughter. Possibly a few hoots and screams. How was I to know that Dave from accounting had sat on the speakerphone, butt-dialing said mega-billionaire? Or that he’d listen to me make fun of him for ten straight minutes... moreMy imitation of our billionaire boss had everyone ROFL. Well…almost everyone. Worst. Butt-dial. Ever!It was just some silly fun. A goofy imitation of the faceless mega-billionaire who owns our faceless international mega-corporation. And yes, there was laughter. Possibly a few hoots and screams. How was I to know that Dave from accounting had sat on the speakerphone, butt-dialing said mega-billionaire? Or that he’d listen to me make fun of him for ten straight minutes. Ummm…he could’ve announced himself! They say he’s a notorious rake. A paparazzi-punching scoundrel. An international jet-set bad boy.And now I hear he’s determined to track down the jokester. Me. Eep! But we’re tight like family in this office—no way will my co-workers rat me out, in spite of the pressure from the top. Plus, who brings the cookies? Moi! Things die down after a few months, and I’m pretty sure I’m safe. Thank goodness, because I have my hands full with our lazy, arrogant new office gopher. He has the worst work ethic I’ve ever seen—how did he even get hired? He doesn’t know how to work a vending machine, and he’s baffled when we send around a card to be signed for somebody’s birthday. It’s as if he’s never set foot in a place of business in his life. But little by little, we're drawing closer. He's funny. Sexy. Wicked. Still, he’s all wrong for me. I like respectable men with a work ethic. Also, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something… less

I’m the most feared man on Wall Street…unfortunately, my best friend's little sister hasn’t gotten the memo.I brandish equations like lightning bolts and shatter fortunes with mere scribbles on a whiteboard. People up and down Wall Street steer clear of me—or come to regret it.My walls are impenetrable as Alcatraz, and my self-control? Rock solid, my friend.Except when it comes to her.The woman I've secretly longed for. The only woman I can never have.My best friend’s little sister, Stella... moreI’m the most feared man on Wall Street…unfortunately, my best friend's little sister hasn’t gotten the memo.I brandish equations like lightning bolts and shatter fortunes with mere scribbles on a whiteboard. People up and down Wall Street steer clear of me—or come to regret it.My walls are impenetrable as Alcatraz, and my self-control? Rock solid, my friend.Except when it comes to her.The woman I've secretly longed for. The only woman I can never have.My best friend’s little sister, Stella.Growing up, she saw me as a heartless robot. It couldn't be further from the truth, but a promise I made to her brother binds me, and my code of honor is as rigid as my isosceles triangle.I hadn't laid eyes on her for years, but now she's in the heart of Manhattan, and I've unintentionally sent her career into a nosedive. My solution? Offer her a job at my hedge fund.Suddenly I’m the boss of her, faced daily with her sparkling eyes and gummy worm obsession–and her infuriating refusal to stay away from me.Well, I buried my feelings for her once before. I’ll do it again—to the nth degree. less