Page 12 of Dr. Billionaire
Suddenly, the three moving dots indicating a message was being written appeared just below his last text to her, and he froze, waiting. It went on for about four seconds before stopping, and then started up again after a brief pause. This happened three more times, and Mark was about to throw his phone against the wall in frustrated anticipation when a message finally came through.
What are you up to today?
Without really thinking it through, Mark shot up out of his chair. Scott stopped mid-sentence and the conference room fell silent as everyone stared at him. “I’m sorry, there’s something urgent I need to attend to. We’ll finish this up tomorrow, or, uh, Friday… I’ll send an email,” he said hurriedly before grabbing his briefcase and leaving the office.
Sliding into his car, he started it up, and Siri’s automated voice rang out from the speakers. “Message from Hot Girl Next Door. ‘Can we meet for coffee?’”
Fuck. He’d definitely need to change her name in his phone.
He’d gotten used to using descriptions instead of names in his phone so he could keep track of the various women he’d contacted from that site. He was well aware that made him a playboy, but he was terrible with names. It was one of Scott’s many jobs to whisper clients’ names into his ear right before he walked up to them at functions.
“Respond to Hot Girl Next Door,” he said, feeling ridiculous. “I’d love that. Meet me atCaffeinated Mindsin the University District in an hour.”
“Message to Hot Girl Next Door sent,” Siri confirmed.
“Excellent,” he mumbled to himself.
Pulling into the bustling university district, the wide windows ofCaffeinated Mindsbecame visible, offering a view into a hub of activity. The shop, sandwiched between a bookstore and a stationery store, had always caught his eye with its vintage-style sign in a Victorian-looking font.
He found a spot to park and approached the entrance, noting the eclectic array of patrons inside: students with laptops open amid textbooks, professors immersed in newspapers, and local artists sketching in their pads. The heavy wooden door adorned with stickers from local bands and breweries opened with a creak, and he was immediately enveloped in the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and the subtle sweetness of pastries baking in the oven.
Looking around at the assorted seating—some plush armchairs, some communal tables, and even a few quiet booths for more privacy—he spotted Jenna standing in line to order at the counter.
He’d forgotten how beautiful she was. Wearing tight, dark jeans and a simple white T-shirt with a plunging neckline that outlined her cleavage perfectly, she fit in perfectly with the college vibe going on around her. She was even giving him a nervous but slightly coy look, as though she were a naughty student catching a glimpse of her professor after skipping his class earlier that day.
Mark’s phone pinged as he approached her, and he glanced down to see an incoming text from Scott.
What the fuck, man? I practiced that presentation for hours.
He smirked as he envisioned his best pal pouting at being interrupted, but he knew Scott would understand as soon as he met Jenna.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said as he reached her in line.
“Just for future reference, giving a girl an hour’s notice to get ready and meet you somewhere shouldn’t become a habit. I didn’t even have time to dry my hair.”
He smiled as he noticed the damp curls hanging around her shoulders. He liked her this way, freshly showered and caught off guard.
“Well I wasn’t about to give you a chance to change your mind. It took you a week to get back to me the last time.” He leveled her with a look that he hoped said, ‘Not that I was counting, I’m way too cool for that, but seriously, don’t do that again, it hurt my delicate feelings.’
It must have worked because Jenna looked guilty right away. “Yeah… I’m sorry about that.”
They reached the counter and Mark waited as she ordered a chai latte before ordering himself a mocha. “And two of whatever pastries are in that oven right now that smell so amazing,” he told the cashier with a wink. The girl giggled before taking his credit card and ringing them up.
Jenna found it oddly fascinating to observe such shameless flirting from so many of her own gender in such a short span of time. As soon as Mark had made his way inside the coffee shop, it was like a panty-dropping spell had been cast on the college girls inside. Their tittering conversations had paused and all eyes were on him, as if he were walking in slow motion with a wind machine on him and they were in some sort of cheesy rom-com.
Jenna couldn’t even blame them. Sure, she felt an unwanted pang of jealousy, but he was quite the specimen to behold with his rich, chestnut brown hair, strong jawline, and piercing blue eyes, not to mention his thoughtful expression that suggested depth beneath his gorgeous exterior.
He was just plain dreamy. Why had she waited so long to see him again?
Because he spanked you and put a thermometer in your butt.
Ah, right. Yes, she would need to talk to him about that.
Mark picked up their order and they made their way over to one of the private booths. Jenna received a few mean-girl glares as she walked past the other tables, but she did her best to ignore them as she slid into the seat and placed her cold hands around the steaming mug of chai.
Mark slid into the seat across from her, looking at her and smiling warmly before taking a sip from his coffee.
“So… how have you been?” Jenna finally asked, having no idea how this conversation was supposed to go.
