Page 33 of Quarantined with the Billionaire

Chapter Ten

Maddox Steel fancied himself a bit of a chef—and he was pretty damned good at it. He had me watching a couple of steaks searing in a pan while he snipped the ends off some fresh green beans. I marveled at how he had no issues cooking but had Simon take care of the carnage afterward.

But I’d barely spent any time with the man. For all I knew, he’d take care of things over the weekend. I’d find out firsthand.

“Should I turn these again?”

“No, they look good.”

“Then what can I do? I’m not really doing anything.”

“Well, we need a salad. I can keep an eye on the steaks if you want to grab the lettuce.”

And so we made a meal together. Just like the first real time I’d spent with him, I seemed to relax when we had a task around food that we worked on together. The smell coming from the steaks and the roasted beans made my stomach growl.

After the decadent meal we’d had for lunch, how could I be hungry again?

“Are you okay with eating in here at the table? It’s a little less formal—and we might as well be more relaxed.”

I agreed. And soon we were seated at the table, eating our meal. “This is amazing,” I said, unable to stop myself from gushing. I wasn’t used to being spoiled this way, and I suspected if I ate too many meals with Maddox, I’d start putting on the pounds.

“It’s all in the cut and the spices. Oh, and it’s aged.”

“The steak?”

“Yes. The process makes the meat more tender, but it also concentrates the flavor.”

“I love it—but I don’t think I’ll have room for the whole thing.”

“Whatever’s left we’ll have for breakfast. Steak and eggs.”

“I eat too much with you.”

“No, you don’t. I don’t see you unbuttoning your pants or gasping for breath. And if you feel like you’re overdoing it, we can hit the gym later.”

Smiling, I stabbed some green beans and placed them in my mouth to enjoy another explosion of flavor. “You talked about college earlier. Where did you go to school, Maddox?”

“Here in Denver. Metro. I had a scholarship, but it wasn’t a full ride. I worked full-time all through school.”

“So what did you get a degree in?”

“I got an MBA.”

“Did that help you? You know…to get to where you are now?”

“It didn’t hurt. I worked for a couple of other firms before deciding to do things my way. And that degree really helped me when I started my own business.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” And, thus, why I was beginning to respect him more and more. “You said you worked full-time going to school. That’s what I had to do.”

“It definitely helped me appreciate what I was working for.”

“So…are you saying you didn’t have any of this when you were younger?”

He laughed, lifting the glass of red wine to his lips. “That’s right. I worked hard for everything I have.”

Oh, God. I wanted to ask him about family but felt like I’d already been prying way too much, I lowered my eyes, slicing off another piece of steak. “I don’t think I have what it takes to earn that much money, no matter how hard I work.”

“It’s not just the work, Bailey. Part of it’s timing. Luck. And seeing yourself as deserving that kind of money. I deserve this house. I deserve my Ferrari. I deserve to have a successful company. You have to believe that, and sometimes that means repeating things like that to yourself every day.”

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