by Tiana Cole
She guessed his height to be around 6’4”, and he radiated a confidence that attracted her like a magnet. As he drew closer, his baby blue eyes took her breath away and not a single strand of his long, black hair was out of place. Over his shoulder, she could see a stretch limousine in the parking lot and it didn’t take much deduction to figure out who it belonged to. This exemplary man definitely looked out of place in a fast food joint, and he seemed as though he’d be much more comfortable in a posh five-star restaurant. His content grin, however, suggested he felt right at home in this second-rate establishment.
As he stood before her at the counter, his perfect smile widening and kindness in his eyes, she realized with embarrassment that she’d be staring at him since the moment he’d stepped foot in the restaurant. She quickly tossed aside the rag she’d been using to wipe down the counter and regained her composure.
“Welcome to Family Burger, where you’re part of our family! What can we make you?” she asked, returning his smile.
“Ah, let me see…” he trailed off while staring up at the menu. After a few seconds, he added, “Sorry, I haven’t been here in a while.”
“You don’t look like you’ve ever been here,” she chuckled as she ran her eyes down his expensive suit. Her comment clearly caught him off guard, and after a momentary pause, his eyes widened as he patted his jacket.
“Ah, yes,” he laughed as he also looked down at his outfit. “Believe it or not, I used to come here quite often when I was a kid.”
“You a lawyer or something?” she prodded, trying her best to hide her urban patois from this well-spoken and obviously successful man.
“No. Even worse. Marketing,” he joked.
“Well, you must be damn good at it,” she shot back while once again admiring his attire.
“Eh, I have my moments. My staff really deserves the credit,” he replied as his eyes returned to the menu.
“You run your own company?” Jenna asked, fidgeting with the corners of the register. She couldn’t help but be intrigued by this man who exuded wealth and power, and he was undeniably easy on the eyes.
“I do. Enterprise Marketing. This place is actually one of our clients. Oh, and I’ll have a number four with a Diet Coke… to go.”
“You mean you make commercials for Family Burger?” she questioned, raising her brow as she punched in his order.
“Some, yes. I actually created the whole ‘Welcome to the Family’ campaign many years ago,” he replied as he pulled his black leather wallet from his back pocket.
“I love that slogan! I thought you said you weren’t good?”
“As I said, that was many years ago. Is Family Burger a national chain yet?” he laughed.
“Good point,” Jenna giggled in return. Family Burger had opened their tenth restaurant six years earlier and hadn’t expanded since.
“Oh, hell, can you add on an order of medium fries for my driver out there?” he asked as he pointed over his shoulder.
“Sure thing.” She smiled as she keyed in the addition, and for a fraction of a second, she thought he might actually be checking her out. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she scolded herself. The guy probably has some model wife at home. She stole a quick glance at his hand but saw no ring on his finger. Or model girlfriend at home, she corrected herself. With her hair pulled back and a silly Family Burger hat resting snuggly on her head, she couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious around this successful entrepreneur. Her shirt, also sporting Family Burger’s logo, had seen better days.
“That’ll be $6.78,” she said politely as she snapped back to reality. Of course he hadn’t been checking her out, she chided herself. The lack of sleep due to school and work was clearly affecting her judgment.
“Thank you,” he replied as he opened his wallet. In a modest move that didn’t go unnoticed by her, he kept it facing himself as not to flaunt his wealth. Despite this humble effort, she could see him flipping through a number of bills that she could only assume were large denominations. He finally landed on a twenty and handed it to her with a warm smile.
“And what do you do?” he asked with a look of genuine interest. “I mean, aside from working here. What do you do?”
She was a bit surprised by the question and the sincerity in which he asked it. After a brief pause, she answered, “I’m going to school, actually. U of A. Getting a degree in graphic design.”
“Oh?” he responded, his eyes widened in fascination. “I have a group of graphic artists working for me at my firm. Are you any good?”
“I’ve been told I am, but I’m really critical of my work, so it’s hard for me to judge,” she replied with a shrug.
“Trust me, nobody understands that better than me,” he chuckled under his breath.
“This is my fourth and final year, and then I’m hoping to get out of this place,” she said as she looked around the restaurant.
“Ah, bachelor’s degree, I take it?” her suited mystery man asked, once again showing an earnest curiosity in her.
“You got it,” she returned without hesitation. “Been a lot of work, but totally worth it.”
“You’re an interesting young lady…” he trailed off as he leaned in closer to read her name tag, “…Jenna. Pretty name.”
“Thank you,” she blushed, shyly averting her gaze by staring down at the register.
“I’m Zane. Zane Talbot,” he introduced himself with a smile as he extended a big hand towards her, his other still gripping his thick leather wallet. “Nice to meet you.”
She returned her eyes to his as she shook his hand, feeling his strong yet gentle touch and hearing herself say the words, “Nice to meet you, too.” Her heart fluttered in her chest as his hand engulfed hers, his pale skin contrasting with her dark complexion as their eyes remained locked for a second too long.
“So,” he cleared his throat as he shook the moment off, “do you have anything I can see?”
“Any artwork? Not on me, but I have some on my Facebook,” she replied as the cooks in the kitchen behind her scrambled to put the order together.
“I’m a bit too busy for Facebook, unfortunately,” Zane sighed. “Anywhere else I can go to check out your stuff?”
“Umm…” Jenna began hesitantly. “Well, I did do the artwork on those signs, but it’s not very good,” she answered timidly as she pointed at the storefront signage.
“You’re kidding me?!” Zane exclaimed in surprise. “I was checking those out before I came in here. They’re awesome!”
“Really?” she replied bashfully with a slight look of embarrassment. “Nah…”
“The burgers, fries, and drinks? Yeah, they’re great!” he reassured her as he turned to admire the work once again. Although the back of the signs were facing him, he could still see the art plain as day thanks to Tucson’s bright sun shining through the white paper stock.
“My manager did the lettering, I just drew the pictures,” she explained modestly, yet again fidgeting with the corners of the register.
“The pictures steal the show. That’s some real talent. Must have taken you hours to do all that, huh?”
The front door’s entrance chime sounded as an elderly man and a boy who appeared to be his grandson strolled into the restaurant.
“Actually took me about an hour,” Jenna answered as she shot a big smile and friendly wave to the new customers.
“Only one hour? Jesus…” Zane commented in stunned disbelief. “Listen,” he began as he politely gestured with a raised finger and kind smile for the old man and little boy who’d sidled up next to him to give him another second. “My firm’s been looking for a new logo for our company letterhead. My artists are great, but they think a lot alike and everything they’ve come up with kind of looks the same. I could really use a new pair of eyes. How about you see what you can come up with, and if I like it I’ll buy it off of you?”
“I don’t know…” she answered as Zane looked at her almost pleadingly with his captivating e
yes. “I don’t think I’m good enough for—”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted. He reopened his wallet and fished out a business card. “If you hand drew those signs, I have faith that you can do it all. Plus I’d really like to see some more of your work. My company’s always looking for talented artists.”
He handed her a business card that she briefly looked over before shoving it into her back pocket.
“When do you need it by?” she asked as the elderly man and his presumed grandchild stood waiting patiently.
“How’s one week sound? I also want to see some of your other stuff. The address and phone number are on the card. Just call my secretary and set up a meeting. Deal?”
“Fair enough,” Jenna replied as Zane stepped aside to let the aged man and young boy place their order.
“Order fifty-eight!” a voice sounded from the back. Michael appeared two seconds later with Zane’s bag of greasy food and handed it to him with the same friendly smile he’d been trained to deliver. Zane thanked him, then stood patiently while waiting for Jenna to finish up with her two customers.
“Just wanted to say how lovely it was to meet you, and I look forward to seeing you in one week,” he winked while flashing his perfect smile.
“I’ll be there, but no guarantees you’ll like what I come up with,” she sighed as she shook his hand goodbye, her heart once again thudding at his touch and her knees weakening as his blue eyes seemed to peer into her soul.
“Confidence,” he said over his shoulder as he made his way toward the door, “is the key to success. One week!”
To read full story, download here: Billionaire by Design
Also from Tiana Cole:
The Doctor's Fake Nanny
Billionaire by Design
Which Baby for the Billionaire?
A Gambling Heart
Love Games
Southern Charm
Also from BWWM UNITED
Irish Billionaire's Revenge
Sins from the Past
The CEO Makes a Play
The Mobster's Gamble
The Billionaire's Unexpected Bride
To Texas With Love
Billionaire's Perfect Baby
About The Author
Tiana's a young writer who only recently began having her stories published. At only 30-years-old, Tiana plans to continue her writing for many years to come and seems to have a never ending stream of unique story ideas.
Tiana was raised in New York City and currently resides in a small apartment house in Philadelphia with her two adorable cats. She's yet to meet Mr. Right, but in the meantime enjoys depicting him in her various interracial stories!