Sebastian (The Billionaire Boyfriend #1) - Christina Benjamin Page 0,3
see how I'm doing now. There are times when I still expect to see her come strolling through the door to request a lavender cupcake, her favorite and the store specialty.
Sighing deeply, I hang up the phone on the persistent banker. My nostrils flare as I suck in a breath to calm myself, focusing on the task at hand. I still have to finish the ganache for a customer’s fiftieth birthday cake, then I have to take inventory and make sure that the van is ready for my deliveries in the morning. Most days it feels like my to-do list is never ending, especially during this time of year. Everyone’s getting married or celebrating something, and while I'm grateful and happy to be working myself to the bone, it means that I don’t have a second to relax. If I wasn’t such a workaholic, I'd be miserable.
“Holly!” my assistant says, pointing a flour-covered hand at the phone that’s ringing off the hook again. “The phone!”
She grins and shakes her head while I grab it, tucking it against my ear and returning to my fondant. She would’ve answered had I not been insistent that I should always be the one to do so. There was something special to me about always being the one to greet a potential customer.
“Holly Cakes, this is Holly. How may I help you today?”
The voice on the other end is cool and silky smooth, like dark chocolate. “Hi, I'm calling to put in an order.” There’s a faint rumble to the deep tenor that makes my heart pick up its pace. He clears his throat impatiently when I dare take a breath before answering.
“Fantastic, what are you looking to order, sir? Right now, we’re looking at a month-long waiting list—”
“Oh, you don’t understand. I need this to be ready tonight. I'll be there at six sharp. I need six dozen cupcakes. What flavors do you offer?”
I blink once, then twice, steadying the phone against my ear. My infatuation with the man’s deep voice has completely evaporated into thin air. Six sharp? Sure thing, let me just grow an extra pair of hands and get right on that!
Though I’d rather speak my mind, I table my sarcasm and give a rehearsed response. “I'm sorry, I don’t do orders on such short notice. I have other customers who booked my services in advance waiting for their orders.”
He laughs and I have to resist the urge to slam the phone back on the hook. I've gotten quite a bit of practice with my customer service voice lately, but this guy is pushing it.
“I forgot to tell you who I am, Holly. This is Sebastian Titus, of Titus Tech, speaking. I can pay you anything you want for this order. Now, when can I expect to pick up the cupcakes?”
This time, it’s my turn to laugh. “If you’re that Titus computer guy, then I'm Beyoncé. When you’re ready to put in a real order—which will be ready no sooner than a month from now—then you can call back, pal.”
“Excuse me—” he starts with a gasp, but I've already hung up and dropped the phone lazily back onto the countertop.
When it rings again, I ignore it, knowing it’s just him calling back. I don’t know what’s with people who call claiming to be someone famous. It’s so damn obvious every time they do it. Besides, it wouldn’t matter if it was Elvis calling right now to put in an order, I just don’t have the time. Actually, I take that back. Elvis is the only one I'd be able to squeeze in an express order for. Who can resist a man who moves his hips like that?
Forgetting the annoying phone call and get back to work. Once the fondant is rolled out, I pass it on to my assistant so that she can add it to the waiting orangesicle buttercream cake and instruct her to put it in the huge walk-in fridge when she’s finished. Tomorrow is a very busy morning of orders that need to be delivered bright and early. And being the only one I trust with that duty, I need all the desserts to be together so I can just load them up quick and head out.
It’ll take most of the day, but it’ll be worth it to see so many happy faces when I give them the cake or dessert of their dreams. That’s what this is all about; making people smile with something that I’ve made