Page 6 of Love your Billionaire Boss

Just then, she plopped a tray onto the table and started passing out drinks. Kenny watched as she focused on her work. She was different from Bridget. She didn’t seem to care who they were and treated every customer the same. He liked that. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, which made it easy to take them home, but not anything more than that.

“Hey, honey,” said Chad.

“Hmm?” she asked, as she continued passing out the drinks.

“What’s your name again? Our boy Kenny was asking.” Chad nodded toward Kenny, who felt himself sink into his seat. He was embarrassed Chad had put him on the spot like that.

She met his eye for a second and furrowed her brows slightly. She paused before answering. “It’s Cleo.”

Kenny nodded and looked down at the table.

She slid him his drinks and picked up her tray before turning. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she called behind her.

When Kenny felt it was safe to look, he watched as she walked away. She was like a magnet, and his eyes couldn’t help follow where she was. He needed a distraction from whatever intrigue he had for this stranger. He took his shot and gulped down his beer.

“Well, well, well. Look who showed up to the party!” said Nico, slapping him on the back. The rest of the table cheered and followed suit.

“Should I text those girls from last weekend?” asked Nico, pulling out his phone.

“Sure, but let’s hop bars tonight. Have them meet us at the next one,” said Kenny. As much as he wanted a distraction from the pretty bartender named Cleo, for some reason he didn’t want her to see.

Chapter 3

Cleo

Sunday morning, Cleo slid the covers off and sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She checked her phone for the time. It was just past 9 a.m. She yawned as she swung her feet to the floor and slid on her fuzzy slippers. As tired as she was, she needed to get up.

It had been a long night at the bar. Bridget took another night off to recover from her cold, which meant Cleo was in charge again. She was thankful it wasn’t a game night because she didn’t know if she could handle that type of crowd again. Although, she wouldn’t be too upset to see that one player. Kenny.

She couldn’t get him out of her head. She wasn’t sure if it was his quiet mannerisms, or his warm brown eyes, or because he seemed different from the rest of his team. Cloe kept thinking of the moments they locked eyes. It didn’t last long, but the power those few seconds held over her was unusual.

She made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. As she dried off with a towel, she heard her phone ding from her nightstand. She walked over and slid it unlocked. It was a text.

Elle: I’ll be over in fifteen minutes. I’m hungry ??

Cleo laughed to herself. Elle was her best friend and taste tester in the kitchen. At least once a week she came to “assist” Cleo in the kitchen, although she didn’t do much besides talk and sneak a few tastes. Cleo didn’t mind, though. She enjoyed the company. Despite working in a bar filled with people, it could really feel quite lonely.

Cleo slid on some comfy sweats and made her way downstairs to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. She needed the caffeine—she had a lot of baking ahead. She had been perfecting her recipes for the past few weeks in order to get her foot in the door at one of the city’s cafés. Up until now, she had just baked for friends and family, and a few small local events. Now she felt like was ready to take the leap into making it an actual business.

The coffee made, Cleo poured herself a steaming cup and pulled her recipe book from the shelf. She began flipping through the pages to choose which recipes she would bake today. She had just decided on cinnamon rolls, muffins, and streusels when the doorbell rang.

She walked to the door and opened it to find Elle standing there with a big smile. Cleo hugged her tightly and waved her inside.

Elle sniffed around and frowned slightly. “I don’t smell anything scrumptious.”

“That’s because I haven’t started yet.” Cleo laughed.

“But I’m starving,” said Elle dramatically.

“I’m sure I have some leftover blueberry muffins.”

“Phew.” Elle wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead.

“What would you do without me?”

“I have no idea.”

Cleo shook her head and smiled as she pulled out a container full of blueberry muffins she had baked a few days ago. She placed one on a plate and warmed it in the microwave. Elle took the plate from her graciously and took a large bite.

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