Page 23 of Her Billionaire Boss
“Stay exactly like…” he positioned the phone between my legs and tapped the screen.“That.”
“Your camera roll is going to be full of photos of my cunt,” I giggled.
“I’m making up for lost time.”He grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk and set to work cleaning himself off.“All the times I wanted to capture you forever and couldn’t when we were on the island.”
My heart did a little flip in my chest.Capture me forever?It sounded so much more possessive than simply taking a picture.And my brain fixated on the forever part.
Because I could see it, now, and it wasn’t scary.This could be my life.Forever.With this absolute pervert.
I couldn’t think of a better future.
CHAPTER SEVEN
(Matthew)
It wasn’t that I’d never been inside a grocery store before.I just hadn’t been inside a grocery store in a long time.I stood on the threshold of the automatic doors, assaulted by the lights and the sounds and the smell of fresh produce.
“Come on,” Charlotte said, tugging on my hand.“Nobody’s going to eat you.”
“A popular political phrase contradicts that claim.”
“Ha ha.”She rolled her eyes and dragged me inside.“You know, if you want to be rich, you could open up some grocery stores north of Central Park.It looked like a fucking food desert up there.Where do people get their groceries?”
“Bodegas,” I said, and when she abruptly looked to me with surprise, added, “I’m rich.Not totally unaware of the world around me.”
“Okay, well.Still, something to think about.Even nationally.You have enough money to put high-quality, low-priced food stores into a lot of communities.”She started walking, but my feet froze to the ground.Of course, I’d heard about food deserts and the lack of available, affordable produce there, the high concentration of cheap, unhealthy fast food in areas deemed food swamps, but it had never occurred to me to do anything about it.I’d recognized a need but hadn’t thought of a way to satisfy it.
Because I was always looking for a way to satisfy my own bank account.Which had way too much money in it for one person to spend.
“Are you coming?”she asked, looking back.
“Yeah.Tell me about this thing you want us to make,” I said, sliding my hands into the pockets of my jeans.The realization that Charlotte had hit me with her second profitable idea of the week had shaken me, in the best possible way.
“Okay, it’s these wraps that are so good.”She elongated the “so” with decadent enthusiasm.“My mom makes them with tortillas, but I’m telling you, spinach wrap is where it’s at.”
“Okay.What do we need?”I looked around helplessly.
“Since it’s your first time, you can follow me,” she teased.“I know, I know.It’s not your first time.You weathered all the hardships of the Ivy League experience.”
“Hey,” I complained, but didn’t follow it up.She was right; this was her world, and I was a guest in it.
It was fascinating to watch her breeze through the store, picking up items from memory.The spinach wraps, the lettuce, plain yogurt, guacamole, limes…
“How do you remember all this?”I asked.
“I mean, there are definitely recipes I need a list for, but these are a childhood favorite.I’m never gonna forget how to make these.”She sniffed a lime, considered, then put it back and tried another.At my raised eyebrow, she said, “I want a pungent one, because we need to use the zest.”
“Sure.”I nodded like I understood.
“What should we get to go with it?Mom always makes rice.Or couscous, if she forgets to start the rice on time.I’m good with either.”Charlotte’s eyes lit up.“Ooh, or some lime tortilla chips and fresh salsa.”
“Let’s go with the last one,’ I suggested, feeling deeply useless during this adventure.
At the checkout, I watched her eye the rising total with increasing agitation.Surely, she was aware that we could afford a few groceries.I handed over my credit card and the cashier looked at the black plastic, then at me.
“Is something wrong?”I asked.
“Just don’t see these every day.”She handed it back and gestured to a card reader on a stand.“Run it through there.”
