The Billionaire Hot Shot: The Billionaires Club

Chapter Three

Charlie was the team owner of the Chicago Otters. The guy who was currently dealing with his cousins trying to steal the team he inherited while juggling a hockey team lineup that would need some changes.

It was a mess, but not as much of a mess as a chocolate cake that was probably really beautiful before he smashed it.

Charlie sucked and he knew it.

Maggie was trying to be polite about the cake thing, but he could tell by the way she was staring daggers at him in the elevator that he had really screwed up. That”s probably why he didn”t feel comfortable introducing himself until it was even more awkward in the suite with all eyes on him.

He needed to get used to this. The stares and people watching him. After all, he had been getting a lot of attention for the past three months as the team owner of the Otters.

Charlie wondered what his Uncle Tony would be doing right now. Worrying about another team trading for the defenseman he wanted? Dealing with a potential hostile takeover?

He probably wouldn”t be cleaning out the ice drain to calm his nerves or sitting in a suite testing lemon bars.

But Charlie wanted to help the team even if it meant pulling on a high-vis vest that felt more comfortable to him than the fancy suits he had to buy to wear to games with the billion dollars he inherited.

It also meant humoring one of the players who was a co-owner of a bakery insisting that the desserts in the suites sucked and Charlie needed to try a new vendor.

”OK, next we have...” Charlie watched Maggie”s eyes look forlornly at the cake. ”This is a black cherry chocolate cake that had a bit of mishap on its way here.”

Joann, the head of the arena”s catering, scowled at the box. She was probably wondering why the baker invited here couldn”t avoid professional problems with delivering one cake.

”It was me. I was the mishap,” he admitting, hoping to would ease Maggie”s pain.

It seemed to do the trick as Joann”s face softened as she turned to look at him. He knew what would come next. She would probably say something nice to him in a superficial way that would remind him that everyone was nice to him just because he was the team owner.

”It can happen,” she said super sweetly. ”Maybe we could at least taste it to see how it turned out?”

Maggie had a look of dread on her face as she brought the box over and set it down in front of everyone.

”Imagine this cake with a much better looking outside but the same amazing taste inside.”

Charlie had to give her credit for sounding so cheerful and professional even though he had probably broken her heart.

He watched as Maggie opened the top of the box and undid the sides of it. One side slapped the table, heavy with chocolate frosting that had come off the cake. A bit of cake collapsed exposing the moist chocolate center.

Then a cherry came rolling off and hit Charlie”s hand.

Charlie looked up sheepishly to see everyone staring at him, but no one was staring as harshly as Maggie and her fiery green eyes. There were the daggers again that he first saw in the elevator. He deserved it.

Joann peered at the pile of cake and Charlie hoped she could imagine what it probably looked like before he got his hands on it.

”Did the chocolate shavings shift from the sides or did you purposely put them on top?”

Maggie turned and Charlie could see the excitement return on her face. Finally. ”We actually put the shavings on top of the cake. It”s not traditional, but it gives you a little bit of crunch in each bite instead of waiting until you get to the outside of the cake. It”s similar to what we do with the classic sprinkled vanilla cake we”re know for.”

Joann looked down at it skeptically.

”It”s also easier to manufacture big batches of the cake this way so it saves us time and saves you money.”

Charlie could see a smile teasing the corner of Joann”s lips and he hoped that meant Maggie was winning her over. And since this was his fault, he also felt like he needed to help out.

”I”m sure it”s going to taste delicious.”

He smiled and pushed his plate forward, watching Maggie delicately try to put some of the cake on his plate.

Riley stuck his plate out next. ”Can you give me that piece with a cherry smashed into it?”

Maggie flinched and put her cake server under something that looked like a slice. ”Well, I don”t know if it”s really an actual piece anymore.”

Yep, there was that guilt stirring in Charlie”s gut again.

”I know it”s going to taste amazing so who cares how it looks now that Butter Fingers had his way with it.” Riley gave Charlie a shit-eating grin. ”No offense, boss.”

”None taken.”

Yep, it felt weird when people were overly nice to him just because he was the owner. It also felt weird when the players referred to him as their boss. He wasn”t sure when he was going to get used to any of this.

It didn”t help that he was responsible for smashing a cake that belonged to a potential vendor.

But he tried to be encouraging and was determined to sell this cake to the best of his ability. Although as he put his fork into it, he realized it probably wasn”t going to take much selling.

The fork went straight through the delicate spongy cake. He was just the former construction guy and team owner, not a dessert connoisseur, but he knew that was a good sign.

Then he brought it to his lips and took his first bite. It was divine. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander and he wondered if that was how Maggie”s lips would taste if he kissed her.

What the...

Charlie”s eyes snapped open. What the hell was he thinking? This was their dessert supplier. Would-be dessert supplier. Potential dessert supplier. She was only here as a favor. So why the hell was he having thoughts about this woman and what she tasted like after he smashed her cake?

Charlie looked around, hoping no one noticed him and his dirty thoughts. It looked like he got away with it as everyone else seemed to be just as enraptured by the cake as he was.

”This is so amazing,” Riley”s sister said with her mouth half full.

Riley took a huge chunk out of the cake with his fork and shoved another bite in his mouth. His girlfriend Cora gave him a pitiful look and reached over to wipe the icing away from his mouth.

Charlie felt a pang of jealousy watching them. He was thirty-three years old and used to have a great life. He had women who would treat him like that, wipe away the icing from his mouth. He would have his way with them later that night.

But now, everyone knew who he was and knew how much he was worth. The papers had plastered that information all over once the terms of his uncle”s will had become public.

It made Charlie suddenly distrust a lot of people, wondering if they were being nice to him because they liked him or liked his money or just wanted free hockey tickets. He hadn”t been with a woman in months because they didn”t seem sincere anymore. He always thought they wanted his money regardless of whether that was true or not.

He looked back at his cake and took another huge bite from it himself. Maybe he could eat his feelings, and he definitely could if his feelings tasted like this amazing dark chocolate explosion in his mouth. Maggie was right about the shavings on top too. Each bite had a bit of crunch so at least he didn”t totally ruin that.

”So what do you think of this?” Georgia asked him.

Charlie was caught off guard and simply answered ”Good” with a mouth full of cake.

He saw a smile tease Maggie”s lips and had to give himself credit for at least getting one thing right today.

But then her face went back to that steely professional look and he wasn”t sure if it was because she was trying to be all business or she was still pissed at him for ruining her presentation.

”Let me finish this presentation off with some liquor in the morning if that”s alright,” she said with a smile. ”Would any of you like to try some Irish cream in an edible chocolate shot glass?

Everyone”s hand went up, even Charlie”s. Maggie grabbed a small tray from her cart and opened it to reveal chocolate shot glasses that she started to pass out along with little bottles of liquor.

She seemed to still be frosty when she got to him and it kind of broke his heart again to know he deserved it. He couldn”t blame her, but he kind of hoped he could win her over somehow. After all, if her cake was any indication, he was almost positive that she was going to be the new dessert caterer for the arena.