The Billionaire's Sweet Trouble

17

"Yeah, you're nailing your own coffin if you keep on relying on herbal stuff. They don't have any therapeutic claim. Don't you want to see our great grandchildren?" Grandpa Kristov said.

I chuckled at their joke. It has been going on since I turned 26 this year.

"Of course, I do," Grandpa Garett replied, then turned to me, "sorry, son. What did you ask again?"

Grandpa Garett forgetfulness was getting worse. I guess it was the effect of his previous amnesia, "how to... kiss a girl?"

"Nope. How to impress a girl, grandpa."

"You know, Seb," Grandpa Kristov said, after hitting an excellent shot, "I just did the little things that made Pia happy. You know... have a meaningful conversation, drive her to the grocery store, carry her bag, tie her shoelace, give her a massage, go for long walks, and do errands with her. Girls appreciate simple things like that."

"I agree," Grandpa Garett butted in, "and look at her like no one else does, whispering sweet nothings, and make her feel special."

"And the most important thing is, don't rush," Grandpa Kristov advised, "don't try too hard, because girls get annoyed at overbearing men. Just relax and enjoy the process or else, you'll be friend zoned or worse, bro-zoned."

"Is Sweet Treble the girl you're trying to impress?" Grandpa Garett suddenly got very curious, "so, you're getting serious on her, huh?"

"Come on, Grandpa, I was only asking how to impress a girl, that's all," I took a good shot of my ball, and shifted the topic to golf.

***

"Any message from Sweet?" I asked James, who entered my office the following afternoon holding a basket of goodies from a pastry supplier.

"Not yet. I'm sure she'll message me tomorrow, sir. Saturday is still two days away."

I sighed, feeling disappointed.

Sweet and I agreed to take turns in planning for our date. It's her turn next so all I have to do is wait for her to contact James to tell me the details. But damn, she took too long keeping me on edge.

I was restless; I did not like the suspense. I kept on drumming my fingers on my desk wondering what she planned for our date. Maybe she'd show me her hometown - their family's potato farm, where she hangs out with her friends, the beach, her favorite restaurant or her previous school. Whatever, I'm down to anything.

Evening came... I became more impatient. I wanted to text her, ask how she's doing? Maybe I should call her. I miss hearing her lovely voice and talking to her. I've never talked to anyone the way we did. I could feel this chemistry between us — a connection like we've known each other for years.

I took my phone and opened my contacts, staring at Sweet's phone number. Yeah, I have her number, but I would not dare calling her. I would sound so eager and that is not good, considering our dating agreement. We should keep everything in business. All communication should be addressed through my executive secretary. Because once this is over in three months, our connection would be cut.

Terminated.

***

On Friday morning, Sweet emailed James.

Hello James,

How are you?

Please advise Mr. Stavrakos of our lunch date this Saturday at 12 till one. I'll meet him at Al's Diner in Dansville.

What the fuck is that? A one hour date?

It upset me. Tremendously. When I made the date, we did it the whole day, and even until evening. And now that she did the planning... fuck. Just fuck. She gave me the impression that she did not want to spend time with me.

Disappointed, I paced inside my office, trying to calm myself. I felt like all blood drained from my head.

I dropped on the couch and let out a frustrating sigh.

Come on, Seb. What do I expect? She's forced into this dating deal. Obviously, she doesn't want to spend time with you.

My pride was hurt. I decided not to make demands of her time. She planned the date for an hour, so be it. When the clock strikes at one, it will be over.

***

Al's Diner was a retro restaurant with an 80s design. There was a big lawn at the back where other diners could eat outside. A mechanical bull in the center and at the far end, swing, slides, seesaws and outdoor toys for kids. There were many selections of food, from burgers, hotdogs, pizza, pasta, fries, salads to ice cream, shakes, coffee and iced tea. They had everything in their ten pages menu and came at a very cheap price.

Sweet arrived wearing a white floral summer dress, her long brown hair cascading in soft waves on her back. Damn, the moment I set eyes on her, my heart pounded so fast. I felt relieved, overjoyed and energized. The same feeling when you reach the peak of a mountain, but this one is way more gratifying.

She's like fresh air, sunshine and rainbow combined, walking towards me with a soft smile on her lips.

Damn it, Sebastian! I cursed myself. It's only the second date and you're acting like a second grader who experienced his first crush.

"Hi. You look fantastic," I greeted her.

"Thanks, so are you," she replied and sat on a padded chair across from me, "did you order anything?"

"Yeah, I did," I would have added, I have to, to save time, since you give us an hour only to catch up, instead I said, "I also ordered your favorites - calamari and chicken Waldorf salad."

"Oh thanks, that's good enough for me," she smiled and ordered a diet coke from the waiter.

"So, how's your week?" I asked the moment the waiter left, and finally we were alone.

"It didn't start well. There were some nasty posts and comments on social media, but thank God, someone had them taken down."

"That's good to know." It would be better if she would not know that I was that someone. These trolls just want to hurt people and it's very dangerous to the victim's peace of mind. I did not want Sweet to be bothered by them way too much, "how's the farm? Are you able to plant more now?"

"Yeah, we did. Dad is happy to use the new machineries he bought," she leaned forward, her elbows rested on the table, "what about you? How's your week?"

"Better. I closed a deal that we've been negotiating for months already," I told her about a robotic company in Taiwan that we acquired and she listened attentively. Our food arrived, and we continued talking about random stuff while eating.

"Sweet?" A man, most probably the same age as I am, suddenly came to our table.

Sweet jolted, her eyes grew big the moment she saw the man standing beside her, "Jace! Oh my God, you're back!"

She stood up and there I saw two people who looked star struck at each other as they hugged so tightly. My forehead furrowed when I saw his lips planted on her temple.

Who is this guy? He seems to have a strong connection with Sweet.

I felt so out of place, as they started talking, their eyes holding each other. From what I heard, he just arrived from China.

Dammit. Sweet simply forgot about me.

I heaved a sigh and continued eating. Ten minutes to one, and our date would be over. This man had taken five minutes of our time already. This is not fair, this date needs overtime.

Sweet finally remembered me and introduced us.

"Jace, let me introduce you to Sebastian. Sebastian, this is Jace."

That's it. Just names. She's playing safe, not divulging who I am and who Jace is in her life.

I shook hands with the guy. His smile did not reach his eyes. He gave me the impression that he was not happy to see me with Sweet.

"Is he an ex-boyfriend?" I asked her the moment we were alone again.

"Um..." she pressed her lips together, then answered, "something like that."