The Billionaires(#1)

03 || Champagne Fountains

MJ and Liam drove to a new restaurant that had just opened Bon Appétit, and then MJ ordered him to join her for dinner.

"Me?" He asked, not believing that MJ Billings invited him to have dinner with her at a fancy restaurant. He consciously smoothened his suit, fixed his white shirt and tie, and then he bent towards the car mirror to fix his hair.

"Auburn!" He jumped at his boss' cold voice and bumped his head in the process. He quickly straightened up and hurried to where she stood. "I hate waiting." She said with a blank face and walked into the restaurant. Liam took in a shaky breath and followed her inside.

Once inside, they were greeted by a young coloured waitress. "Hello and welcome to Bon Appétit." She said warmly, and MJ took a liking in her immediately. "Please follow me this way." She said and led them to their table. "Here are our menus, please call me when you are ready to order." She said once they were seated.

"Thank you." Liam said and picked up his menu. The waitress responded with a smile and left. Liam stared at the menu, feeling uncomfortable and confused; he did not understand what was written on the menu because it was in French and Afrikaans. As if that was not enough, he did not feel free around MJ. It was one thing to drive his boss to a restaurant, and another having dinner with her. "Uhm, excuse me?" He called to a waiter that was passing by.

"Is there a problem, Sir?" The waiter asked.

"No. Uhm...I just wanted to ask where the bathrooms are." Liam said awkwardly.

"This way, I'll take you." The waiter said. Liam let out the breath he was holding and stood up, and then followed the waiter.

"Are you ready to order?" The waitress asked.

MJ finally put down the menu and looked up. "What's your name?" MJ asked, and the girl blushed furiously.

"Shannon." The girl said. "Shannon Botha."

MJ nodded and looked down at the menu before pushing it away. "Well, Shannon..." MJ said as she placed her hand on the table. "What on the menu, would you say is the best homecoming dish?" She asked.

Shannon's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she took Liam's seat and scanned through the menu while MJ watched her with interest.

"Well, we do have some local dishes here, and I have the best idea of what exactly you will like." Shannon said excitedly and closed the menu.

"Surprise me, and while at it, get me some water and something strong for the gentleman." MJ said, and Shannon left faster than anyone could say her name.

Five minutes later, Liam came back from his little adventure and found that MJ had ordered drinks. He sat down and remained silent, his eyes wandering all over the place. "Liam?" MJ called, and he raised his eyebrow at her.

"Yes, Miss Billings?" He answered and took a sip of his drink.

"Did you find a place to stay?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Uhm... no, Miss Billings; the places I found were either too expensive or already full." He said, his cheeks turning slightly red.

MJ opened her handbag and retrieved a pair of keys. "Here." She handed them to him. "These are the keys to Jorge's beach house. It is a long drive, so be sure to arrive early tomorrow morning." She stated and leaned back against the chair, ignoring him for the rest of their wait.

"Here's your homecoming meal." Shannon announced cheerfully as she placed the tray of food on their table.

They stared at the food reluctantly, especially Liam who did not even know what he was being served.