Free Ella's Easter Eggs (BBW & Billionaire) by Alexis Ayres

one of my best friends, but sometimes you have to live a little, risk something. Why wouldn't you just ask him about it?"
    "What, admit that I was snooping in his phone?"
    "No," she lectured me. "You could have asked him in an adult way, 'Hey I know we just met so maybe you're dating a ton of people, but maybe you're not? Are you?' That's the only way you would've found out, Ella. Instead of doing that, you just ditched him, so he's understandably aggro about the whole thing."
    "Understandably aggro, huh?"
    "Yup," she said. "God, those french fries smell good. Do you want some?"
    "Yes. Definitely. The fries here are insane."  
    She had a point. Daniela could be annoying, but her observations were not without merit. Maybe I had jumped the gun. After all, Dash wasn't beholden to me. We barely knew each other. Why was I freaking out so much?
    After munching on the fries, which were topped with a sinfully exquisite truffle oil, Daniela and I paid our tab and left.
    "Anyway, I'm really proud of you!" she said, giving me a hug outside the bar. "You managed to get this amazing gig, and Blaine's gonna eat his words when he sees your new ads come out!"
    It was true, and Daniela was such a good friend to remind me of it. If nothing else, I'd managed to transform my financial situation -- and my dignity -- over a weekend. I would no longer have to worry about money, at least for a year or so. Surely that had to count for something.
    "Oh, and let me give you my keys!" I grinned, fishing the extra set out of my purse.
    Daniela would be cat-sitting for Ruby while I was away.
    "Maybe you can convince them to fly you in a private jet next time, so you can take her with you!" Daniela joked. "Not that I don't love watching her!"
    "They're flying me first class!" I replied. "That's already a huge upgrade for me."
    The next few hours passed like a whirlwind -- I was packing like crazy. After all, people would expect a lot from a new brand ambassador. I packed lots of hair products and makeup, things I didn't even normally bring on a trip. There was no way I was going to mess up this job.
      In the morning, the car service picked me up and whisked me away to LAX, where I was hanging out in the fancy airline lounge before my flight.
    "Coffee?" the flirty gay male bartender asked me. "Or a Bloody Mary?" he winked.
    "You, sir, are a man after my own heart," I smiled. "Bloody Mary it is!"
    "You're that new model, aren't you?" he asked, as he mixed up my drink.
    "Uh...what?"
    "The new Dash De Maio girl! I saw something about you online. You're so gorgeous."
    I was thunderstruck. I know that's probably not really a word, either, but this was how I felt upon my first meeting with a fan. Sure, I'd expected the job to bring me money, but not necessarily recognition. But clearly this wasn't the case. Not even forty-eight hours after my first event, and I had already been spotted.
    "That's incredibly kind of you," I smiled. "Thanks."
    After years of pounding the pavement in L.A., things were finally starting to turn around for me. And I'd been a total bitch to the man who had been responsible for my rise. I needed to call Dash. But then I realized that I didn't have his phone number. Of course. He'd been in such a rush after the Monday morning hook-up, and his office had coordinated everything for my trip. I had no way of getting in touch with him until we saw each other in New York.
    And then my phone beeped...and my heart leapt. What if it was him?
    I was somewhat surprised when I saw that the message was from a certain Carlo Catelli.
    *Luscious! Just got in from a wild night out...missing you. Wishing you were here to wrap those long legs around me...when are you coming out here again?
    His timing, as always, was impeccable. Carlo always had a very strong street sense -- I supposed he had to, in his line of work. It was as if he psychically knew I was coming.
    Carlo Catelli would be the best way to make me forget my idiocy with Dash. I wrote back