Her Secret Billionaire, page 2
In the meantime, he was starving. He thought about his penthouse and remembered there wasn’t a thing to eat at his place. He’d heard about an up-and-coming eatery in Glenwood South from his assistant, who’d raved about it recently. On a whim, Garrett decided to head there and check it out. The drive to Flame didn’t take long, but it didn’t stop him from thinking about how annoyed he was with his father’s heavy-handed approach. Hugh thought he could bully Garrett into doing his bidding, but he was sadly mistaken. Garrett was his own man, and he would do what he wanted, when he wanted.
He arrived after 8:00 p.m. and, as he suspected, the restaurant was packed, but peering over the couple in front of him, Garrett noticed an empty seat at the bar. After the hostess seated the couple, she returned to the host stand, and for a moment the brunette just stared at him.
Garrett was used to his effect on the opposite sex. Women often threw themselves at him, giving him their number on a business card or sliding into his DMs on social media. The bold ones propositioned him outright. If time permitted, he sometimes indulged in the odd fling, but usually he was too busy building the family business.
“Can I sit at the bar?” Garrett inquired.
“Bar?” she asked, bewildered. She must have caught herself staring, because she snapped out of it. “Yes, yes, of course.” She motioned him to an empty bar stool. “Here’s a menu.” She handed him a single piece of cardstock. He’d heard the menu changed weekly based on what was in season.
“Thank you.”
She gave him one final smile before leaving. He wasn’t alone long. The bartender, a dreadlocked young man, asked him, “What can I get you?”
Garrett’s stomach rumbled. “Everything.”
The bartender chuckled.
“I’ll have a scotch.”
“Coming right up.”
While the bartender went to fetch his drink. Garrett perused the menu. The chef was offering a variety of Southern dishes that spoke to his palate, but the special sounded like a winner. He pulled out his phone from his pants pocket and reviewed his emails.
The bartender slid two fingers of scotch toward him. “Have you decided on dinner?”
“I’ll have the catfish special.”
“Excellent choice,” the bartender responded. “Chef Egypt really knows how to throw down in the kitchen. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I’m sure I won’t be.”
“Speaking of, there she is now.”
Garrett spun around on the bar stool in time to catch sight of the woman in question. And what a sight she was to behold. She was tall, maybe five feet nine or ten. She wore a black chef’s coat over black slacks, but that couldn’t hide her aura. There was a brightness around her—so she simply radiated.
Her clear caramel-brown skin shone even from where he sat, and her lips looked sumptuous, but it was the high-kilowatt smile on her full lips and her delectable round ass that mesmerized him. Hunger shot through Garrett with an intensity he’d never felt. He’d been working so hard for so long that he’d had no time for the call of flesh and sin. And something told him being with Chef Egypt would be all about sin.
Her peal of laughter caught his ear and ripped through the air. Garrett couldn’t stop watching her. He wanted her to give him—and only him—that same effervescent smile. Garrett scrubbed his jaw. Was he really so overworked that he was lusting after a woman he knew nothing about? Hell yes! And he would meet her tonight.
* * *
As she chatted with another delighted patron, the hairs on the back of Egypt’s neck stood up. She felt as if she were being watched. Her eyes spanned the restaurant and connected with a pair of onyx ones laser focused on her. Egypt stared right back, because she was enjoying the view. The stranger was tall, chocolate and broad-shouldered with close cropped dark curls, just how she liked her men. She also loved the sexy beard and sensuous lips. He looked like he knew exactly how to use them to give a woman the ultimate pleasure.
There was a flash in his gaze that made Egypt’s skin tingle. She was suddenly aware of herself. Her breasts ached and felt heavier than usual, and that was saying a lot, since she had an ample bosom and wore a triple D cup. There was a shivery sensation between her legs, and Egypt felt her cheeks flush. Or perhaps she had spent too much time in the kitchen and was overheated?
She blinked, breaking the spell, and continued around the restaurant, checking in with guests to make sure they enjoyed their meal and were fully satisfied. Consciously or unconsciously, she stayed away from the bar. She didn’t trust herself if she got too close to the magnetic stranger with the deep-set eyes. Instead, she kept to the outskirts and, when it was time, quickly made her way to the kitchen. But she still felt his eyes on her back as she entered her safe haven.
“Service going well?” Quentin asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Everyone is enjoying their food. It’s a good night.”
“Excellent, Chef,” Quentin responded. “We have an order of your blackened catfish along with a request to meet you.”
“Is that right?” She didn’t need to ask who it was. She knew. It was the man at the bar. She could refuse the request and appear childish or she could be the bold boss babe she’d always been and face him head-on.
Egypt wasn’t going to make it easy on him, though. She sent out the dish but made him wait twenty minutes to meet her. Once she was sure her long hair was in a sophisticated topknot and added a glide of mauve lipstick, she walked to the bar.
As if he sensed her presence, he turned around. “Chef Egypt, I presume?”
Damn! Why did his low, rich voice sound as decadent as syrup drizzled over her amaretto brioche French toast? It made Egypt’s lungs draw tight in her chest and goose bumps scatter across her skin.
She offered a bright smile. “That’s me. I hope you enjoyed your meal.” She glanced at the now-empty plate sitting on the bar. Up close, the man looked even more attractive than he’d been from afar. He was powerfully built, and she could see the outline of his biceps in the button-down shirt he wore that easily cost more than anything in her closet. He breathed sophistication.
“Yes, I did, and I wanted to thank the chef who prepared it. I’m Garrett, by the way.” He grinned and held out his hand.
For a moment, she stared at down at his outstretched hand and even thought about refusing him, but then she took his hand, sliding her palm across his much larger one. “Pleasure to meet you, Garrett. As for the food, it was a group effort.”
“Beautiful and humble. A rare combination,” Garrett replied with a smile. Egypt’s stomach flipped when he revealed pearly white teeth. Did he get them brightened? They were perfect!
Not to mention his eyes. They were trained on her, and Egypt found herself standing a little straighter in her Crocs. She couldn’t seem to stop herself from looking away from him, either. He wasn’t the usual guy she came across. She doubted a worldly gentleman like him ever ate in a place like this. She supposed that’s what made him seem so out of place, but that didn’t stop her heart from ratcheting up to a dizzying pace.
“I’m glad you enjoyed your entrée. May I propose dessert or coffee?”
“Only if you can share it with me,” he responded boldly and looked her straight in the eye, as if daring her to turn him down.
Egypt was taken aback. Since the restaurant opened, she’d never had a patron be quite so bold. Though there had been the odd one here or there who tried to cup her behind and she promptly showed them the door, this man was different, because she was attracted to him—and she suspected he knew it.
“I’m afraid not,” Egypt responded. “As the chef and proprietor of this establishment, I have a lot to do before the night is over.”
“Which is precisely why you can get someone to do it for you.”
Her eyes narrowed, and Egypt had to give it to him, she liked a man who knew what he wanted, but she wasn’t on the menu. “Are you always this persistent?”
“I have found it serves me well in life.”
“Well, it won’t tonight, but thanks for the offer. I’ll have dessert sent over. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”
Egypt spun on her heel and escaped to the confines of her kitchen, but all the way there, she felt Garrett’s laser-beam focus on her. A shiver raced across her skin and heat flared low in her belly at the appreciative way he’d looked at her. A man like him screamed Danger!
Once there, Egypt leaned against the double doors and began fanning herself as she took a deep breath. The problem was, when she closed her eyes, she thought about him and what he would look like without any clothes on. He was all dark, sinful temptation wrapped in refined elegance, and she craved a taste.
What was wrong with her? She’d never had such a visceral reaction to a man before, not even her ex-boyfriend Antwan Dixon, who she’d thought was the love of her life. Antwan had liked being in charge and telling her what to do. He was a narcissist, which Egypt had figured out too late. She’d thought she would marry him, because in the beginning, he was everything she could wish for, but he’d been hiding behind a mask. Soon, he was criticizing Egypt about her weight and her cooking.
To make matters worse, he was a control freak. Egypt never had a voice, because he had to be the center of attention. When that hadn’t been enough, he’d taken the money she’d saved for her own restaurant and left her holding the bag on a ton of debt. Egypt had never felt so used in her life. For the last seven years, she’d kept men at a distance, only bothering with them when she needed physical affection.
But that man out there made her feel. Something she’d sworn never to do again. Egypt didn’t like it. It was a good thing he was probably passing through town and she’d never see him again. Otherwise, she would be in big trouble.
* * *
Nothing could have prepared Garrett for the spellbinding allure of Chef Egypt—and he didn’t even know her last name. There was just something about her that...transfixed him. The way she drew his eye without having to try. Lots of women postured around him, wanting to be seen, but not Egypt. She acted as if she wasn’t interested, but there was something in her gaze when he stared at her that told Garrett she was far from unaffected by him.
Much to his chagrin, she’d turned down his offer for dessert. Did she know he’d been hoping for more and making her his after-dinner treat? Garrett wasn’t interested in anything serious. He didn’t do long-term commitments. Short, expedient hookups were his MO. His relationships with women lasted as long as was mutually beneficial for both parties. Recently, he’d taken on more and more at Forrester Holdings Corporation, and any woman he dated had understood she would always come second to his work. Most did, and those that didn’t received their walking papers.
It’s not that Garrett didn’t want to get married one day—he did—but he had too much he wanted to achieve. Although he was CEO, his father still had his hand in running the company. Garrett felt as if he was constantly proving he had the cojones to lead the billion-dollar company. It seemed like the goal line was constantly pushed farther and farther away, but there had never been anything Garrett couldn’t achieve. Whether it was graduating from Harvard or being top of his class at Wharton, he was no stranger to hard work. He thrived on success.
He glanced at the double doors of the kitchen Egypt was hiding behind. She would learn that he didn’t give up easily. This woman was a challenge, and he was man enough to rise to it.
Two
“You should have seen him, Wynter,” Egypt said into the phone from her office in the rear of Flame. The dinner crowd had waned and Quentin had the kitchen under control, so she had time to dish with her best friend over FaceTime. “He was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. If I could have, I would have eaten him up with a spoon.”
Wynter laughed on her end of the screen. “Of course you would have, but there’s more than the physical, Egypt.”
“Not this again.” Egypt rolled her eyes and glanced around her sparsely decorated office. It had the essentials from IKEA—a desk, her executive chair, a couple of file cabinets, a round table surrounded by chairs, and a comfy sofa and throw blanket for when she needed a nap.
“Don’t knock it, Egypt. Just because you had one bad experience with Antwan doesn’t mean all men are bad.”
Ever since Wynter and Riley, their best friend Shay’s brother, had gotten together last year, Wynter had been spouting about how wonderful being in love was and how she wished each of the Six Gems would find their special someone.
“That’s easy for you to say—you met the guy of your dreams when you were a teenager,” Egypt responded. “The rest of us have to weed through all the rotten apples to find a good one. And quite frankly, that’s too much work when I can take what I want and keep it moving.”
“C’mon, don’t you want a husband and children one day?”
Egypt shrugged. “If it happens, it happens, but I don’t have the time to go searching for it. Flame has only been open a couple of months. You know how many restaurants go belly up the first year or after? I have to keep my foot on the gas and never take my eyes off the road.”
“I get it, but surely there’s room in your life for more?” Wynter inquired.
“You want us all to be as happy as you and Riley are,” Egypt replied. “And I appreciate that, but it may not be in the cards. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be cheering you and Riley on at your wedding.”
Wynter smiled, and her heart-shaped face beamed on the screen. “I never knew I could be this happy, considering how we started.” Last year, Wynter and Riley had reconnected at her aunt Helaine’s funeral. Unbeknownst to any of the Six Gems, Wynter and Riley had a one-night stand. A couple of months later, they ran into each other again and rekindled their affair, which eventually led to them both realizing they were in love.
“I’m so ready to marry him,” Wynter continued with a dreamy sigh. “And to my surprise, my family is being supportive.”
“Are they?” Egypt queried. “The relationship between you and your folks is better?”
Her bestie nodded. “My mother has made a concentrated effort to repair the damage that was done after they contested the will. They are also footing the bill for the wedding. Honestly, Riley could care less. He said he would marry me even if I was wearing a potato sack, but I told him I’d be in couture.”
Egypt laughed. “I’m so happy for you.” And she genuinely was. Last year, she’d worried about the effect fighting the Barringtons might have on her best friend, but Wynter had been adamant her aunt’s choices be honored. And because of it, Egypt had been able to open Flame. “I’ll even put on a hideous bridesmaid dress for you.”
Wynter scoffed. “Do you really hate the dress?”
“Of course not!” She chuckled wryly. “I’m just busting your chops. The dress is absolutely lovely, and I can’t wait to stand up for you on your big day.”
They ended the call with talk of seeing each other soon for Wynter’s prewedding festivities. Shay and Lyric were arranging her bridal shower, while Egypt and Teagan were handling the bachelorette party. Wynter may have been the one who normally planned their annual girls’ getaways, but Egypt had a few tricks up her sleeve, and they were going to have epic adventure in Vegas.
After she disconnected the call, she returned to the front of the house. She’d been under the illusion that Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome would have gone.
She was wrong.
Only one person remained. Garrett.
* * *
“Well, well, well, you finally emerge from your cocoon,” Garrett said as Egypt sashayed across the floor. He didn’t even try to stop staring. Because he wanted her and was willing to wait. Earlier, he’d felt the electricity between them when she shook his hand. It felt as if he’d touched a live wire. Her handshake had been firm, but that hadn’t stopped his attention from dropping to her mouth. To those deliciously full lips of hers he wanted to crush beneath his.
So here he was.
Waiting for her.
Egypt cocked her head to one side and regarded him. “I declined your invitation to dessert.”
“Yes, I know. But now that the evening is over, I was hoping to entice you with a different one.” When her brows rose, he clarified, “A date.” Though he did want something else—her in his bed. “What do you say, Egypt?”
She pondered his request too long for Garrett’s liking, but then she surprised him and said, “Sure, why not?”
“Don’t sound so excited.”
She chuckled. “I hope you’re not one of those guys that think big girls are easy and lack self-confidence, because I’m not one of them. I’m discerning about who I sleep with.”
“That’s good to know,” Garrett responded. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He liked that Egypt wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. The women he dated tended to cater to his every whim rather than having their own thoughts or opinions.
“Good, because I’m picking the restaurant,” Egypt stated.
He quirked brow. “Is that right?”
She folded her arms across her ample bosom. “It is indeed. Some of the restaurants out there are all fluff and no substance. If I choose, I promise your taste buds will be as tantalized as they were at Flame’s.”
“Promises, promises.” He grinned.
“Are you always such a flirt?”
Garrett thought about her question, and the answer was no. He was usually reserved and some might stay uptight, but for some reason he felt at ease with Egypt. “Actually, I’m not. I would probably be considered boring to some.”
