Meeting Mr. Mogul: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance (18 page)

When we reached my apartment, William parked his car right outside the door and I didn’t hesitate to get out of it. I had enough of small talk with that man for today. I gave him a brief thank you and goodbye before sprinting inside the building. Before I left, I swear I saw him smile in amusement.

Finally in the safety of my apartment, I crashed down on the bed. I didn’t bother to change into my pajamas and I skipped dinner entirely. I curled into a ball and covered myself with the sheets. I don’t get why I’m so embarrassed now. I mean, I insulted and bickered with the man not so long ago. Well, at least I didn’t say that he was arrogant and imposing or something. I just said he was a mogul, which was quite true. But I still felt so embarrassed about it.

Me and my stupid mouth.

Ever since Mr. Mogul returned from his trip, my errand of getting coffee for all of us resumed. The guy at the café, who I slowly got to know, noticed the sudden increase of my orders. He was cute, which made me want to get to know him. He had cute dimples and a slight tan, but nowhere near as dark as mine. His dark brown hair was ruffled in that sexy “I just got out of bed” kind of way.

“Your boss is back in town?” he asked as I handed him the payment.

“Yeah, Mase. My happiness was short-lived.”

He gave out a loud laugh as he handed my change. “If you want to have some fun after work, I’m out at five,” he offered with a flirty wink.

“I don’t know. You don’t seem like the kind of guy that has fun things in his mind,” I bantered.

“You wouldn’t know unless you try.”

When he flashed me a suggestive grin, I rolled my eyes and moved away for the next customer. I waved goodbye before standing by the other end of the counter to wait for my order. I couldn’t believe the guy hit on me within three weeks. It’s not like we’ve made much conversation in that short amount of time. We had our occasional hellos and a few pleasantries here and there, but he never hinted that he was interested before. Well, maybe I’m oblivious to that sort of thing.

When I received my order, I checked each of the drinks to see if they’ve gotten everything right, because I had some occasional mix ups from time to time. Then, I noticed that one of the cup holders had a number on it with Mase’s name. I laughed as I glanced back at him manning the counter. He was already looking at me and winked when our eyes met. I shook my head in amusement as I waved another goodbye and headed out the door.

I was smiling from ear to ear when I reached the office. Maggie looked up when I approached her, her eyebrows raised as she studied me.

“Why are you smiling like that? Did something happen?”

“Oh, nothing really,” I replied nonchalantly as I placed the coffee on her table.

As she held up the cup in front of her, her eyes caught something that made them light up with glee. “Who is Mase? And, do tell, why is his number’s on my coffee holder?”

In one swift move, I grabbed the coffee from her hands and exchanged her holder with mine. “He is no one,” I replied defensively as I returned her coffee. She still had a mocking expression.

“No one, huh?”

Right on cue, the elevator door opened, ending our conversation. I got back to my desk as Maggie sipped her coffee, trying not to giggle. When William walked up to us, he stopped by my table and glanced at Maggie and me.

“Is that my coffee?” he asked as he faced me.

“Ah yes,” I answered and frantically handed him one of the coffee cups.

He paused for a second as he eyed the cup in confusion. “Who is Mase?”

That did not just happen to me twice. I stood up from my seat and stole the coffee from his hands. “He is no one,” I replied hastily. I placed the coffee on my table, grabbed the other one, and handed it to him. “This is yours.”

He looked at me with his lips forming a grim line as he got the cup. He assessed it again with a playful glint in his eyes. I rolled my eyes at his teasing gesture and sat back down on my desk.

“I’ll be in my office. I might give that Mase person a ring,” William said with a muffled cackle as he went inside his office. My head snapped up so fast in his direction that I must’ve strained a muscle and cringed in discomfort. I glowered at his closed door as I soothed my neck.

“Did he just tease me?”

“I believe he did,” Maggie countered, looking at me with a huge grin. This woman was all smiles.

When lunch came around, I was about to head out to grab something to eat when William’s door opened. There was someone on the phone since he was talking rapidly and looking serious and businesslike.

“Yes. I’ll be there in a second… I promise I will,” he said, ending the call with a sigh. He looked around for a second before his eyes landed on me. “Oh, there you are! I thought you’ve already gone down,” he exclaimed in relief.

I was a little baffled so I asked, “Is there something you want, Mr. Maxwell?”

“Yes. Can you come with me for lunch? Someone needs to talk to you.”

“Someone?” I looked at him uncertainly. I didn’t know anyone that he may know that would want to see me. Well, I knew one, but she was halfway around the world at that moment. “Is Ms. Maxwell back in town?”

“No, she is still in Italy. But her fiancé is here,” he replied in finality, grabbing my arm as he led me to an opened elevator.

“What?” I asked aloud in bewilderment. It was a good thing that the elevator doors were already closed, because if Maggie—or someone else for that matter—heard us, it would only lead to a series of questions.

“My sister has something for you. I told him I could give it to you, but he insisted on seeing you again. I couldn’t really refuse much or he’ll tell Alex,” he explained, sighing dejectedly.

“Why in God’s name does he want to see me?” I mumbled in confusion, but still loud enough for him to hear in the confined space.

“I have no idea.”

It was awkward as we both walked through the lobby then to his car. I mostly kept my head down, but I still felt people stare at us. I saw Danny, with her eyes wide open, from the corner of my eye as we passed by her. I didn’t have the guts to wave at the moment. It was noon and almost everybody working in the company was heading out to grab some lunch. This has got to be one of the most misinterpreted situations of my entire life, and my actions would only fuel their assumptions.

By the time we were inside his car, I thought I ran out of blood in my body since they’re all up in my cheeks.

“Are you okay?” William asked as he glanced at me for a second before starting the car. I was a bit confounded that he was driving, but didn’t press on the matter.

I nodded in reply and turned my head away from his line of vision. “If you are embarrassed about what people think, I could make a public statement if you like,” he proposed. There was a teasing edge to his words.

I turned to scowl at him and said in annoyance, “No, thank you. I can handle this fine. It’s not really my fault that you slept with most of your sister’s secretaries.”

“So that’s what you’ve been talking about behind my back,” he said softly. He sounded somewhat hurt. “Well, I’m sorry for making this difficult for you.”

I turned away from him, angry with myself for repeatedly spitting out whatever passed through my brain. Why do I have to be rude to this guy all the time? “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“No. You don’t have to apologize. You were right on the mark,” he replied, sounding cold and rigid.

I think I just pissed him off again. Well, there goes our supposed friendship. That’s why I never really have friends in the first place.
Damn mouth, why don’t you behave for once
.

I kept quiet from then on until we reached the restaurant where we were going to meet Alexandra’s fiancé. I didn’t recognize which restaurant we were dining in until we went inside. I could never forget the familiar wooden furnishings and the elegant chandelier above us.

“Mr. Maxwell. Good afternoon!” The familiar, high-pitched voice broke my stupor. I turned and looked at Reyna, the girl who tends to the podium in front of the restaurant, blankly. I may not have anything against her, but I didn’t particularly like her either.

William walked past her and ignored her greeting as he headed straight to his usual table, which wasn’t empty. I silently followed behind him, my head down as I thought that the embarrassment was over.

As William took his seat on the booth across from Alexandra’s fiancé, I stopped dead in my tracks in astonishment. Where the hell was I going to sit? The booth was comprised of two upholstered benches facing each other. Both weren’t that wide, so there was hardly any gap in between if I sat next to either William or my boss’ fiancé.

William noticed my hesitance and looked at me questioningly. “Why are you standing there?” he asked as he gestured for me to sit next to him. I would have preferred not to be beside him, especially after what happened a while ago. But who am I kidding.

Reyna finally noticed me standing behind her. Her eyes went wide as she recognized who I was. I had the pleasure of seeing her reaction, which made me feel a little smug.

“Andy! It’s nice seeing you again!” Alexandra’s fiancé greeted, getting up from his seat and pulled me into a quick hug before I sat down.

I stiffened in his hold and let out a sigh of relief when he backed away a little. He still had his hand on me, though, holding me at arm’s length. I remember Alexandra’s fiancé, Michael Hamilton. He was an interesting character: very enthusiastic and slightly arrogant when he had the chance. Well, all men are arrogant bastards if they get the chance.

“Mr. Hamilton. Good to see you, too,” I reply with a weak smile and took a small step away from him.

“Please sit,” he instructed, gesturing towards William’s side. “I’m sorry about my brother-in-law’s rudeness, Andy. The boy doesn’t know much about being a gentleman,” he stated as he sat down across me at the same time I sat beside William.

“Don’t talk like I’m not here, Mike,” William hissed in annoyance as he pretended to be occupied with the menu in front of him. It was like he hadn’t memorized that damn thing already. Michael just smiled like he wasn’t affected by William’s mood.

“I’m glad to see you too, Willy.”

When nobody spoke, Reyna took this opportunity to get back to her job. She silently introduced herself and told us to wait for a server to take our order. It was standard stuff. She left with a quick bow and retreated to the podium. I caught her eyeing me for a second before she left. I didn’t dare look at her directly as I pretended to study the menu. I was just as damned as William.

After a few seconds, I noticed a person coming towards us in the standard uniform: black slacks, white polo shirt, and dark brown apron.

“Good afternoon. I’m Terry, your server for today. Are you ready to order?” he asked, his familiar voice making my stomach turn. I didn’t look up and slid lower in my seat after he talked. This was getting more and more embarrassing than I have hoped.

“I’m already full. You can take the young lady’s order, Terry,” Michael said, gesturing at my covered face.

“You’ve already eaten? Why didn’t you wait for us?” William asked in a miffed tone. I think he always sounded that way whenever he talked to Michael.

“You made me wait for almost an hour, Will. And I got hungry, so I ate.”

From my peripheral vision, I could see William shake his head in disapproval and close his menu. Then, he turned towards Terry with a stern expression. “I’d like roasted chicken with corn and mash potatoes on the side. And a Riesling wine.”

“All right, sir,” Terry said with a hint of smile, pausing for a moment. “And for you, ma’am?”

I could feel his gaze on me and I stiffened again. I didn’t really have much choice and the chances of escaping were thin. So, I sucked it up, lowered the menu, and said with a barely audible voice, “I’ll have a meatball spaghetti and cranberry juice, please.”

There was as short pause after that, which made me curious. I finally looked up at Terry, whose eyes were zoned in on me. He blinked in surprise and managed to choke out the first syllable of my name before William cut him off.

“That would be all, Terry.”

Terry snapped out of his trance and gave him a curt nod. He glanced at me for a second before walking away to punch in our order. As I looked at his retreating back, I felt bad that I ignored him. I reacted terribly that moment. If it were up to me, I would have pleaded him for help with my eyes. But I didn’t have my wits about since I didn’t know what to make of the situation.

“Do you know him, Andy?” Michael asked.

“Ah, yes. He is my friend,” I replied remorsefully.

“Oh. Why didn’t you say hi?”

I stared him for a second then glanced at William, who was preoccupied with his phone. I looked back at Michael decisively and gave him a small smile.

“I’m sorry, but can you excuse me for a minute?” I asked, sliding out of the booth.

“Sure,” Michael said with a beaming smile.

With a nod, I turned away from the table and marched towards the computer on the far end, where Terry typed in our order. Some of the waiters that I worked with turned to look at me in shock. I ignored them and half skipped to Terry’s side. When I reached him, I wrapped my arm around his waist, surprising him.

“What?” he asked in consternation and turned around.

“Hello,” I said softly, still feeling guilty about what happened a few minutes ago.

“And now you’re talking to me.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry about earlier. I was being shy and stupid,” I admitted, releasing my hold on him but kept one of my arms on his waist.

“You? Shy? Really?” he asked, feigning shock as humor and amusement danced in his eyes. Then, I knew that he wasn’t completely mad at me.

“Yes. I think being around Mr. Mogul is making me soft,” I stated in annoyance, playing along.