That damn woman just didn’t know when to give up. Stone and Emerson nearly fell for her charms, and worse, they’d slept with her. At first, they both thought that Olivia was honest, sophisticated, and suave. She dressed like a million bucks, she came from a family with money, but the bottom line was that she was after theirs. The status of millionaire to billionaire was her motivation in seducing them. Well, trying to. A little investigating from their friends, Zane and Cash, revealed plenty. Olivia was a gold digger.
“I was on a fucking date, Emerson. I was enjoying this little brunette’s company. You know how I love brunettes, and she was petite, maybe five feet four if that. Then we’re getting closer, I’m whispering into her ear, ya know, doing my thing, and bam! Out of nowhere comes Olivia, making a scene, pretending as if we’re a couple and she just caught me cheating on her.”
“So what happened?”
“My little brunette took off, pissed beyond belief, and then Olivia smiles, in that fucking way that makes me want to scream my head off at her. I think Paula was right when she said that this woman should have been bitch slapped years ago. Who the hell does she think she is?”
“I can’t believe she’d do something like that,” Emerson replied, as he thought about what their personal secretary had said about Olivia. Paula was right. The woman was trouble from the start.
“She’s fucking stalking me. I know it. You better watch your ass. She’s probably hiding behind a pole or car right now, watching you.”
Emerson found himself glancing around and scoping out the area. He was able to get his message across to Olivia about his disinterest in her pretty quickly. But, Stone was having a harder time. Which was kind of funny, considering that he was such a hard-ass and disciplinarian. The man didn’t take any shit. He had a temper, but that seemed to arouse Olivia’s interest and desire.
“Well, I don’t see her right now,” Emerson said. “Maybe we should talk to Cash and Zane. They did offer to assist if things ran amuck.”
“What? No way. We’re dealing with a crazy fucking broad who sees dollar signs. We’ll handle it. Hopefully she’ll quit it soon. I basically called her trash and said that she was loony in front of a crowd of people. She didn’t like that.”
Emerson laughed. “I’m sure she didn’t. Well, I’m grabbing a coffee. I’ll be back in the office soon.”
“No rush, man. It’s Wednesday, and things are pretty quiet. I did hear from Miguel. The franchise is doing phenomenal in the Pacific. Looks like another trip out to Fiji may be in the near future.”
“Love it there. Okay, I’ll see you later.”
Emerson disconnected the call then looked around the street, and got his bearings. Some of the employees at the meeting he was at raved about the best place in SoHo for coffee and homemade treats. It was called Bliss. Apparently it was around the corner because as he crossed the street, the smell of baked goods filled the air. His stomach rumbled. He hoped that they were right. He could really use something sweet right now. He was kind of dragging.
Emerson spotted the little café and bakery and had to do a double take. It stood out from all the other storefronts on the block. There were hanging flower baskets with greenery overflowing from them on either side of the doorway. People were coming in and out of the café. It was busy. The front window had the word Bliss done up in fancy pink writing. It appeared almost French in design. Hot pink was definitely a bit of a theme, he noticed as he reached for the door and a group of people walked out. All smiling.
As a man in business, and one who found great businesses to turn into franchises, this was a great sign. But he was here to grab a snack. He was always being observant of the quality of a business, the patrons that seemed to frequent it, and the working staff that ran it. Location, of course, was key, and this place had a great location.
“Hello, welcome to Bliss. Table for one, or would you like to sit at the coffee bar?” a pretty young woman with red hair asked him. He glanced around the place, and was in awe of the design. He had never seen anything like this before. It was unique, and welcoming.
“By the coffee bar please,” he told her, and she directed him toward the back of the restaurant. Part of it overlooked the side street and part overlooked the kitchen, where he could see a few people working, but not what they were working on. The wall went halfway up, and only revealed the bakers from chest up. It was pretty cool. A glance to the large glass display case, and his mouth watered. There were some amazing-looking things in there. But there were a lot of nontraditional coffee treats, and he knew he would have difficulty deciding.
He saw the different versions of traditional foods like croissants and donuts with fancy icing, apple, cherry, and blueberry turnovers, and some other things like fruit parfaits and fruit salads. Some things were already prepared in to-go containers and marked for immediate sale. A definite must for the busy patron with just enough time to grab a snack and coffee then make it to the bus, the subway, or to hail a cab. The owner had insight, and an understanding of the community the bake shop was located in. He was impressed.
“Hello, welcome to Bliss. What can I get you?”
The soft voice, combined with the scent of cinnamon and berries, surrounded him.
He glanced back at the bar and locked gazes with a stunning young woman. Wow. It was instant. His entire body reacted to her, as he absorbed her every feature in a quick perusal. From the initial sound of her sweet, soft voice, and the way his entire body tightened, he was shocked. She had brown hair, twisted up on top of her head and held with a clip. Her eyes were dark brown and huge, with long, black, thick eyelashes. He’d never seen such stunning eyes and thick, glamorous, real eyelashes on a woman before. They were definitely real. She wore absolutely no makeup, and didn’t need to. She was gorgeous. He actually lost his voice, and then she smiled.
“I know, it’s a tough decision. How about I leave you a menu, and for now I can get you a coffee, any way you like it.” She smiled. Bright white teeth, small features, and an absolutely perfect barista. He stared at the open V to her blouse she wore under the pink, frilly apron. He could see her collarbone, the softness of her skin, and a glow of slight sparkles against her creamy skin. She wore a small gold pendant, shaped like a heart. It was delicate and petite, like her. He had to swallow again and again, before he spoke. This was so unlike Emerson.
“Sure, I’ll take a café au lait
with one shot of espresso please.”
She nodded then turned to make the coffee. That gave him a good opportunity to look at her body. She was petite. God, what a knockout. She was voluptuous, too. No skin and bones on this woman, she had curves in all the right places. She was young, too. Early twenties maybe?
She returned a few moments later with his coffee, piping hot, just like her.
“Take a look at the menu, and in the display case, if you’re interested in something sweet to go with that coffee.”
How about a side of you? Totally what Stone would have said, but not me. God, I feel nervous. Why the hell would a man like me with such experience feel nervous. She’s too young for me. God, let her be over twenty-one.
“Thanks, honey, I’ll check it over.” He held her gaze. As her cheeks turned a shade of red, he gave her a wink and her eyes widened in shock, before she quickly looked away.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as he took the sip of hot coffee, and watched her over the rim of the thick, good-sized cobalt-blue mug. Even the mugs made a person feel at home. But the moment he tasted the fresh beverage, he was shocked at the exquisite taste, the perfect combination of milk and a shot of espresso. How many times had he ordered this in the morning at some of the finest hotels in the country, in the world, and they screwed it up? This was perfection.