"Are you crazy, Cindy White? How dare you kiss our client and embarrass him like that? I never saw that brazen attitude in you when I offered you employment," the manager sneered, anger surging through his veins as he glared at Cindy, itching to slap her again. But Nicolas caught his hand.
"Let her go," he said, his voice firm and commanding.
Turning to face Nicolas Sullivan's deadly stare, the manager bowed his head and apologized deeply. "Please, forgive me, Mr. Sullivan. It's my fault that I didn't train my staff properly. She won't try this again."
"Just let her go," Nicolas said, his voice laced with annoyance as he looked away from Cindy and strode off to the men's bathroom to wash up and relieve the tension she had stirred in him with a quick hand job to release the precum.
Aaron sat there, clearly shocked as he watched his best friend walk off. He was utterly amused by Cindy's boldness and took an immediate liking to her, but he didn't care for cheap women, so he didn't bother to rescue her.
"You're fired, Cindy. Get out of my restaurant before I involve the police. I'm sure you don't want to incur Mr. Sullivan's wrath? Would you pretend you didn't know he's our top-tier client?" The manager growled, his voice thick with fury.
Cindy still trembled from the force of the slap she had just received and the shock of kissing a billionaire. He topped the Forbes magazine list as the richest CEO in Brooklyn City.
Unable to find words to reply, she stuttered and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir."
"Get out. You're fired. Take her away," the manager ordered the men in black, who bundled Cindy up and grabbed her roughly.
Cindy lost the strength to wrestle for her freedom. She had read in novels that some handsome rich men could save a damsel in distress and become her Prince Charming. How had she been so foolish as to leap without looking? She had kissed a billionaire who could lock her up for the rest of her life.
Thinking about the gossip surrounding Billionaire CEO Nicolas Sullivan, Cindy recalled that he was rumored to be gay and single. He was the only son, as his parents had died in a plane crash when he was two years old.
Cindy didn't protest; she silently prayed in her heart that Nicolas wouldn't come to arrest her. She still wanted to graduate in fine arts and take over her mother's company, which her father intended for her stepsister, Tasha, to inherit.
Sobbing silently, Cindy watched the men in black hurl her into their van, and she spotted Rachel running over to reach her.
"Cindy, Cindy! Hey! Stop the car!" Rachel chased after the vehicle as she dialed the emergency police number, but it kept ringing.
With a trembling voice, she cried over the call, "Hello, Officer. Help! My best friend has just been kidnapped at Royal Hart Restaurant."
"We'll be there. Do you have any information to assist us in searching for her?" asked the policeman over the phone.
"Yeah. The car zoomed off, but I already snapped the plate number," Rachel said, her voice trembling with emotion as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Good. We'll be there soon," replied the policeman before the call ended.
Rachel could only pray that Cindy was safe; she had been shocked when she saw Cindy kiss Mr. Sullivan.
"I hope Cindy's safe before the police rescue her," Rachel cried, waiting for the police to arrive.
****
In the restaurant, Nicolas returned to his seat, his expression frosty as his lips still tingled with the taste of the young woman who had unexpectedly kissed him.
Her plea for help lingered in his mind too, troubling him for the first time in his life about someone else's plight.
He blamed himself for not helping her, but he hadn't expected to be kissed. What if she was a gold digger trying to defraud him?
Many women lunged for his attention to become his wife, but he avoided them with reckless abandon.
"Nico, Nico, how did you enjoy being kissed?" Aaron asked, his voice bubbling with excitement as he watched his best friend settle back in his chair.
Some other patrons glanced at them, but they swiftly looked away, not wanting to land on the billionaire's blacklist.
Nicolas's fist clenched. "I don't want to discuss her. I've already lost my appetite. I have to go home because my old man is calling me for an important conversation."
"What conversation could be more important than your marriage? Grandpa Daniel wants you to get married. I heard he's arranging a wife for you. Are you going to accept his choice of bride?" Aaron asked, curiosity etched on his face.
"I have no choice. Grandpa raised me alone, and it's best that I agree to marry his pick if it'll make him happy," Nicolas said as he grabbed a drink, uncorked it, and took a swig to calm his annoyed heart.
That young lady left him restless; her soft body still haunted his thoughts. His suit reeked of her orange scent, and he craved an immediate bath.
"Alright. I support you. You should marry to dispel the rumors and stop all these cheap women from lusting after you," Aaron said, his tone steady and confident.
"Mmm," Nicolas agreed, finishing his meal as his appetite returned. He caught a lady's gaze on him as she paced worriedly around the restaurant.
Unconcerned about who she was, and as he saw the policemen arrive, Nicolas stepped out of the restaurant with Aaron, their bodyguards trailing closely behind.
"So we'll get to see her tomorrow. Should I accompany you to meet your bride?" Aaron asked, but Nicolas's brows furrowed.
"No need. I'll go see her alone. I don't like Grandpa's idea of picking a bride, but I know he's doing it for me. He can't want a woman now that he's so old—unless he wants to die in bed," Nicolas chuckled alongside Aaron.
"Right. Then I'll look forward to you introducing her to me. Take care, buddy," Aaron said, giving Nicolas a reassuring pat on the shoulder as Nicolas strode up to his parked black Maybach.
Aaron hopped into his sleek red SUV and drove off with his bodyguards.
"Robin," Nicolas called to his assistant, his voice firm but laced with irritation.
"Yes, boss," Robin appeared; he was Nicolas's assistant and had been waiting with the bodyguards and driver.
"Did you see the lady who dared to kiss me in there?"
"Yes, boss. I did. I wasn't expecting her action," Robin said.
"Find out who she is and what's wrong with her," Nicolas said once he settled into the car.
"Boss, I can get her information from the restaurant's manager."
"Go ahead and get it. I'm troubled about her, and I feel she might be in danger," he said, his voice cold but concerned.
"I'll do that now," Robin replied, while Nicolas waited in the car with the driver.
A few minutes later, Robin returned with Cindy's details from her boss.