The Billionaire's Price (L.A. Players #1) - PREVIEW ONLY

Chapter 4 : Chance

Victoria was in a good mood.

She was sleepy as hell, however. She'd finished four thousand words on the manuscript of her novel last night, and ended up going to bed at five a.m. It barely gave her a few hours of sleep, and enough time to do her laundry that had been piling up since the week before.

Four thousand words! She was rarely that productive. She'd been writing that novel for a year now, but things have been going at such a slow pace. There was always something more urgent to attend to. But something had inspired her yesterday. Maybe the fact that the interview had been an utter disappointment, and, afterwards, spending some quality best friend time with Nicolette and forcing her to come to terms with the lack of excitement in her life. Whatever it was, she hoped it was the start of a new writing streak. Before last night, she hadn't touched her manuscript in two weeks.

That should be enough doughnuts for today, she thought, putting the last one in the cake display case. It wasn't her job to cook, but making the doughnuts was a special task she liked doing. She had spent the past two hours frying them and dipping them in sugar, it now was time for her to work the tables. "I'm heading out front, Mack. You can handle things here, right?"

Ellis McClay was frying something on the stove with his back to her. He waved to say it was ok. The short-order cook didn't like to talk much. Victoria smiled to herself and headed to the back to change her apron before going out front.

It startled her considerably, seeing Sebastian Chase. It wasn't that he looked out of place — the Foxhole was a popular spot for corporate types who worked within a five-block radius — but seeing him there felt like something out of a dream.

In a perfectly-tailored grey suit, he looked entirely like the busy businessman that he was, but not exactly. He looked out of place, but perhaps it was because she could only remember him among the gleaming steel and concrete of a place entirely different from the warm confines of the Foxhole. Seeing him sitting at one of the shop's tables like it was something he did every day was somewhat jarring.

"Do you have any more doughnuts, lady?" asked one of the teenagers at a table near where she stood, and she realized she'd been practically gawking at Chase.

"Of course, yes, sorry. How many?"

"Two," said the teenager.

"Anything else?" Her mind was racing. What should she do? Come over and say hi? She was at work, and it wasn't as though he was a friend.

"Nah. Just the doughnuts."

"Be right back."

Chase wasn't in her assigned section. That meant she wouldn't have to serve him. He'd still see her, though. Should she smile? Nod?

Victoria sighed. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't be overthinking all this.

She went to fetch the doughnuts. She picked up a coffee pot and refilled customers' cups. She took two more orders. All the time she kept surreptitiously glancing over at Chase trying to ascertain if he'd seen her.

If he had, he didn't give any indication so far that he recognized her. He sat there and drank his coffee and looked at his doughnut like it was some kind of alien artifact.

"You know, if you stared at him any harder, your eyes might pop out of their sockets," said a voice behind her. Victoria nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Oh. Hi, Rach," said Victoria, trying not to blush. Rach was a fellow waitress working that afternoon shift. She didn't speak much, and in fact looked sullen most of the time.

"I didn't mean to stare, really," Victoria said. "I kinda ... know him."

"Well, he doesn't seem to know you," Rach said, and left.