Daddy CEO: A BILLIONAIRE SECOND CHANCE BABY ROMANCE Read online

  “And you!” he thundered, turning to me again. “You can keep your apologies and your free meal. They’re no good to me. I’m sure you’ll take care of the bill, Cliff. God knows you can afford it!”

  With that, the man stalked away. Manny chased after him, trying his best to control the damage.

  I was too shocked and offended even to move, let alone say anything. I still couldn’t get over the fact that it was Cliff sitting in front of me.

  Chapter 4

  Cliff

  My first reaction to seeing Piper walk up to us was that of shock. Then, I felt like I was blown away which was always the feeling I got when I saw her.

  Piper Cohen, my blue-eyed, blond-haired angelic obsession. Only now, she had cut her hair shorter. Her hair fell like a thin, sleek golden curtain around her face, reaching her shoulders.

  She was standing in front of me now in a Chef’s white uniform, and even though her clothes were nothing spectacular she still had the same unsettling effect on me. It was a sudden reminder that no other woman would ever come close to being good enough.

  I had no idea she was in Boston, let alone working at this restaurant.

  I knew I should have shut up Michael the moment he started talking down to her, but I was in shock. I only managed to speak up when my initial shock of seeing her had passed.

  Now Michael was gone, and we were by ourselves at the table. She hadn’t said a word to me. She could barely look me in the eyes.

  “Piper…” I said her name and jumped out of my chair.

  She took a step back from me like she had seen a ghost.

  “I need to get back to work,” she said before I could even ask her to stay.

  “I’m sorry for his bad behavior. You didn’t deserve to hear any of that!” I exclaimed. She was taking a few more steps away. I could sense that she couldn’t wait to leave.

  “It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “How are you?” I asked, trying to get her to stay, engaging her in conversation. I wasn’t prepared to meet her like this. I hadn’t imagined it in my wildest dreams. So, I had no idea what was appropriate to say.

  “I’m good, I really should be getting back to work,” she answered.

  Piper had her hands clasped together tightly. I could tell from her demeanor that she was nervous. She was in shock seeing me too.

  “Can you take a break for a few minutes? We should talk,” I suggested, but she was already shaking her head.

  “I’m on shift. It’s my job. I can’t just take breaks whenever I want,” she snapped. She was behaving like I’d told her to jump into a well.

  “I would like to catch up,” I insisted.

  “Not now,” she snapped again, and before I could say anything more, she whipped around and stormed away from me.

  I watched her go. Within moments, she’d disappeared into the mysterious kitchen behind swing doors at the end of the restaurant. I had no choice but to sit back down on my chair. I couldn’t leave now, not after I had just seen her.

  The waiter arrived at my side.

  “Would you like to return your dish as well, Sir? I’m sure it’s gone cold,” he said. I shook my head.

  “Not at all. Please send my compliments to the chef. My dish is excellent. In fact, could you please get me the menu. I would like to order something else,” I told him.

  He didn’t hide the look of surprise very well from his face. When he brought me the menu, I ordered the sea-bass, just picking the first thing on the specials’ list.

  I sat there waiting at the table and eating slowly. I was still reeling from the surprise of seeing Piper again. How was it, that even after ten years, she still had the same effect on me?

  When I last saw her, we were mere kids. We were no more than nineteen. Her hair was longer then, reaching all the way down to her hips. She smiled a lot more back then. Now she looked like she rarely laughed. Or was it just me?

  Was my presence at her restaurant that upsetting to her that she couldn’t even stand to smile?

  I couldn’t blame her for any of it. I deserved every harsh word she had for me.

  After I finished eating the two main courses, I asked for the dessert menu. I ordered two of those as well. I was far from hungry. I was, in fact, bursting with a full belly, but still, I forced myself to eat. The slower I ate, the longer I could keep sitting at the table.

  More than two hours passed since Piper had disappeared into the kitchen. The restaurant was now growing emptier with every passing minute. I could sense that waiters around me were getting tense. It was apparently against their policy to directly ask a guest to vacate their table, even though they were nearing closing time.

  Now that I was the only person left at the restaurant, I was sure that Piper would have time to attend to me. There was nobody left to cook for.

  When the waiter came up to my table again, to ask if everything was alright, I nodded and smiled at him.

  “Yes, everything is just peachy. I would, however, like to speak with Piper Cohen.”

  He was surprised again and crossed his brows in confusion.

  “Was the food not to your liking?” he asked. I shook my head.

  “The food was excellent, thanks. I would like to speak with her about something else. Could you please get her for me?”

  He nodded curtly and walked away.

  I had given her the space she needed. I didn’t want to intrude on her work, but I had waited long enough. I believed it was now time for her to speak to me. She would have no excuse to make.

  I waited at the table, eagerly waiting for her to emerge from the kitchen. I was waiting for her to blow me away again.

  Chapter 5

  Piper

  Chef passed me threatening looks when Manny came into the kitchen, saying that a customer requested to speak with me.

  We just finished the last order, and Chef had already given me an earful. Not only had I managed to piss off a customer with my sub-standard lamb, but he actually walked out of the restaurant. Chef was fuming. I was sure he was going to fire me on the spot.

  And now there was someone else who wanted to speak to me? What was happening tonight?

  Taking off my hair-net, I followed Manny out of the kitchen.

  “What is going on?” I asked him.

  “It’s the other guy from the table. He’s been ordering non-stop from the menu. Think he feels guilty about his friend’s behavior or something,” Manny told me.

  It was Cliff. Hadn’t he left yet? What was he still doing here? Was he the one who’d ordered the multiple desserts and sent Chef in another tizzy?

  I saw him at the table now, looking at the menu again. He looked up when Manny led me towards him. I still hadn’t got past the initial shock of seeing him again. Now he wanted to speak to me? When was this night going to end?

  There was nothing about Cliff that had changed, other than that he looked older now. He had the same long dark hair as he did when he was nineteen, only now he took better care of it. It reached his shoulders in a neat cut. He had it brushed back over his forehead. His eyes were as green and brilliant as before, and as I walked towards him, he smiled. Two deep dimples indented his cheeks, making me weak in the knees. I needed control.

  I needed to make sure I didn’t make a fool of myself.

  Cliff stood up as I approached him.

  “Thanks, Manny,” I said as he smiled and walked away.

  “You wanted to speak with me?” I asked, coming to a stop in front of him.

  Cliff pulled out a chair for me.

  “Yes, I’ve been waiting all night to speak to you. Please, sit down.”

  Cliff was firm. As always, he was going to make sure he got what he wanted. Right now, he wanted to talk to me, and he was going to get his way.

  I looked over my shoulder towards the kitchen door and saw that Chef was glaring out of the window of the door. I looked back at Cliff nervously, who was still smiling.

&nb
sp; “After all the food I ordered here, it’s the least I can expect, don’t you think?” he said.

  I gulped back the words. There was a lot that I could have said to him. For instance, I didn’t force him to order all of that food.

  I sat down nonetheless. I had no idea how Cliff would react if I walked away from him right now. I didn’t want to give Chef another reason to fire me if I pissed Cliff off.

  He sat down too, fixing his cufflinks. He was supremely well dressed, like a man of success. There was no doubt in my mind that Cliff was very well-off now. I’d read about him on the internet a few times. I knew he’d started an investment company some years ago, but I tried to avoid news about him as much as I could. I didn’t need any more reminders of him. My memories were good enough.

  “What do you want from me, Cliff?” I asked him.

  He was peering into my eyes. I didn’t want him judging me, judging my tired eyes and the paleness of my cheeks and my overworked hands.

  “I just wanted to catch up, Piper. You’re making it seem like a crime,” he replied.

  He was being firm and polite, but there was a softness in his eyes. Could it be possible that he was actually pleased to see me? My instinct was that he was just curious. He wanted to know how I’d been. He wanted to know if I had made something of myself.

  “This isn’t the time or the place for a catch-up,” I told him. “I’m at work.”

  “Which is why I waited for you to finish. I didn’t want to intrude,” he said as he swirled the remaining wine in his glass. I just glared at him. I had no response.

  If he thought he could just waltz back into my world and pick up where we had left off, he was entirely mistaken. There was no place for him in my life anymore.

  “Alright, where and when would it be the right time to catch up, Piper?” he asked, leaning towards me over the table.

  This proximity to Cliff was having its destabilizing effect on me. As much as I tried to keep myself stable and not sway under his influence, I could feel myself weakening.

  “I don’t know if it’s required. We’ve seen each other. I can see you’re doing well. You can see I’m alive and well too. We should just leave it at that,” I replied and stood up.

  I'd had enough. After everything that happened, this was as far as I was going to go to entertain his whims.

  Cliff stood up as well.

  “Piper, please, we should really talk,” he tried.

  I pushed the chair back in its place and snapped my face up to meet his eyes.

  “I’m going to be honest with you, Cliff. It’s going to be impossible for me to pretend like we can be friends again. If you think I’ve just forgotten what happened, then you’re delusional. You broke my heart, and I can’t forgive you for that.”

  I didn’t wait for him to reply. I turned and walked away from him. I wanted to get as far away from him as I could. I hoped I would never have to see his face again.

  This was turning out to be one of the worst nights of my life.

  Chapter 6

  Cliff

  I couldn’t get Piper out of my head. Seeing her again, speaking to her, noticing the look of disappointment in her eyes. I knew I deserved it, but I wished I could make it better. I hoped that I could make her see that despite what happened, I was always in love with her.

  I met my friends Sawyer, Isaac, and Vince at our usual drinking hole. It was a weekly tradition which we held on to all our lives. The four of us had gone to school together and gratefully, now we all lived in Boston too.

  I arrived last, running late after the multiple meetings I had to attend. Sawyer, Isaac, and Vince were there already, and we greeted each other with hugs and slaps on our backs.

  Things were changing for our group. Sawyer was married now, and he and Isaac had both become fathers. Not something anyone would have expected from our group. Even just a few years ago, we were four free souls, unshackled by any attachments or women.

  But now, one by one, we were all falling prey to the pleasures of family life.

  I was happy for Sawyer and Isaac. They looked genuinely happy too. I didn’t understand the appeal of family life, but now that I saw Piper again I couldn’t get the thought of what if, out of my head.

  What if it would have all worked out?

  What if I could be with her now?

  Was my relationship with women so strained and casual, because I could never get over her? Was it Piper’s fault that I was a confirmed bachelor?

  We talked and laughed over drinks, but my laughter was empty. I still had Piper on my mind.

  I wanted to see her again, but I was sure that would be a mistake. She made it very clear to me that she never wanted to see me again. It was apparent that I meant nothing to her. She would never forgive me for what I had done.

  I had zoned out for a little while when the others were talking. But Vince interrupted my thoughts by thumping my back painfully hard.

  “Earth to Cliff!” he exclaimed with a laugh.

  I tried to laugh, but my face no doubt looked drained.

  “What’s up, man? You have that grim-reaper look about you tonight,” Vince joked. “What bad news have you brought me? Am I going to die?” he continued.

  Sawyer and Isaac were discussing their kids and the joys of fatherhood. Which no doubt made Vince feel left out, so he’d turned to me. I was staring into space blankly, unable to concentrate on anything.

  “I saw Piper last night,” I blurted.

  I had decided not to tell my friends about it, but now I changed my mind. I thought I didn’t want them knowing that I still thought about her or that she still had an effect on me. But now I realized that I would probably explode if I didn’t tell someone.

  “Piper Cohen?” Vince asked. He was surprised too.

  We hadn’t spoken about her in nearly a decade.

  “Yeah. She works at that fancy new restaurant now, Privy,” I replied.

  Vince clenched his jaws. He was thinking, trying to assess the situation.

  “You were there?”

  “Yeah, last night.”

  He sighed and nodded his head.

  “Sounds like you’ll need a few more drinks than usual,” he said, then got up to go to the bar.

  He returned with four glasses of whiskey for both of us. Isaac and Sawyer were still deep in talk. Once those two started talking about their kids, they were unstoppable.

  Vince sat down beside me and ran a hand through his hair.

  “How is she?” he asked me.

  “She seems good, looked a little overworked, but that’s about it. She wasn’t happy to see me, I’ll tell you that.”

  Vince scratched the side of his head. We were best friends, but he wasn’t exactly an expert at giving emotional advice about women. In fact, none of us were. Before Sawyer and Isaac got involved with their women, none of us were in serious committed relationships, except me, ten years ago.

  I met Piper, right before I got into Harvard. We lived in the same town all our lives. In fact, the same city as my other friends, but we’d gone to different schools and didn’t really know each other.

  We met at a house party, and the connection was instant. I remembered feeling a ringing sensation in my ears when I first saw her, swaying to the tune of some nineties pop song with a glass of punch in her hand. There was something about her that just drew me to her. She lit up the room, and all I could see was her.

  I had to talk to her, and I did. She was bubbling with excitement, and full of new ideas. She was determined to go to cooking school, even though her parents didn’t want her to. Piper said her dream was to buy a rundown restaurant that she had seen on her way to Boston when her folks drove down to visit their aunt every other weekend.

  Piper had grown up falling in love with that restaurant, but she wanted to refurbish it and give it a makeover.

  In the following months, while I waited for my applications to colleges to be accepted, Piper and I fell in love. I didn’t tell her ab
out my intention to go to Harvard Business School. I didn’t tell anyone. I was sure I wasn’t going to get in, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

  The fact that I didn’t have any concrete plans for the future didn’t seem to bother Piper. She was happy and satisfied with her own hopes and dreams. All she wanted from me, was that I would be by her side and I promised her I would.

  I was in love with her, and I knew no other girl would ever make me feel the way she did.

  But then everything changed over Christmas.

  “You never exactly told us what happened with her,” Vince said, cutting through my thoughts. I stared blankly at him for a few moments. Had I really kept it a secret this long?

  “It’s not important. What’s important is that it happened,” I replied.

  “You mean you broke up with her,” he stated, and I nodded.

  “I had to, there was no other choice.”

  Vince’s brows were crossed in confusion.

  “What is it that you can’t tell us, man? I mean, one minute you were in love with that girl. Like seriously crazy about her, and then you dumped her and went off to college,” Vince continued.

  I nearly winced when I heard the word ‘dumped'. Yes, essentially, that was what happened. I did dump her, to put it bluntly, but it pained me far more than it would have hurt her to do it.

  “Was it because you got into the Boston School of Business?” he asked me. I shook my head.

  “No, it was over before I even received my acceptance letter,” I said.

  “Then what was it? We all thought you two were going to get married. You looked like a happily-ever-after story to us!”

  I sighed, recalling the time I introduced Piper to my friends. All of them had instantly accepted her to the group. They were curious to get to know this girl who was taking up all my time. When they finally met her, they understood why. Piper was beautiful, and smart and funny. She was the perfect combination of all the good qualities that a woman could possibly possess.