Free Sleepless: (Billionaire Bound: Part 2) A Dark New Adult Romance by Ella Slade Page B

retreated from the counter and was snatching her purse from off one of the tables.
    “She’s all yours, Mr. Cavanaugh, I was just leaving anyway,” she muttered. He shifted easily out of her way as she made the bell chime almost violently on her way out, stomping down the street in her heels.
    Beth shifted nervously, watching the blonde leave that way. “Uhm… Sorry, again.”
    “No need to apologize, Bethany. From what I saw at my event, and what I heard just now, it seems to me that Miss Sutton earned a bit of a tongue-lashing for her behavior. It is one thing, I imagine, to encourage you to attend that party at your best, and quite another to then abandon you amidst strangers.” Even if Kylie abandoning her amidst strangers had rather worked in his favor, Beth thought.
    But she smiled at him and tucked back a few of her loose black curls. At least she wasn’t covered in flour this time. “Regardless, you wanted to talk to me about something? I, uhm… I really enjoyed working with you for your party. Doing a huge order like that was actually a lot of fun.” Did that sound like a really bad innuendo for the part of the night that had nothing to do with her baking? Probably.
    “I am glad for that much, Miss Monroe, although what I’ve come to ask you about today has little to do with your skills as a baker—which are excellent, by the by. I’ve talked up your bakery to a number of my associates, so I would expect your business to pick up rather well. If you would?” He gestured to one of her tables, and Bethany moved around her counter to sit down. Ciaran pulled out her chair for her, and she blushed faintly before he sat down himself.
    “Thank you,” she told him quietly.
    “You’re welcome. Now, you see, those associates of mine are in fact a few friends I have made in the real estate world, and I have been asking around about your bakery, Bethany. From what I understand, since you established this bakery a few months ago, you’ve been struggling financially, correct?”
    Startled, she nodded a little bit. “Uhm… yeah, I have. I mean, I don’t really have the money to get into the advertising aspect of running a business, so I’ve just been doing what I can to promote without it. I think the event I worked for you will help, but it’s been difficult to get off the ground, even though this is always what I’ve wanted to do,” Beth explained, still not certain she’d heard his interest correctly.
    He nodded. “I understand. Certainly, self-employment and running your own business is difficult. I would like to help out with that.”
    Her brown eyes widened. “How?” Her heart fluttered, remembering that night only too well. It had been haunting her.
    For a long moment, Ciaran was quiet. “I am the owner of a cabin in the woods near a private lake, and I would like to invite you to spend a week there with me. In exchange, I will provide the funds necessary for you to be able to advertise your bakery, as well as six months of your rent on the building itself. Regardless of the outcome of that week, you will not be obliged to repay me unless your business flourishes enough that such a repayment won’t hinder further development.”
    Beth couldn’t help staring at him as he explained this. As he offered this. Her heart was hammering so loudly that she thought her eardrums would burst. “A week, in a cabin? With you? That’s it?”
    His eyes flashed at her. “Well, perhaps a little more than just that, but for the most part… yes, that would be all.”
    She swallowed hard and then nodded slightly. “Yes.”
    “Perfect.” Ciaran smiled.

Chapter 2
    Nervously, Beth stared at her underwear drawer, glancing between it and her half-packed suitcase. Was it presumptuous to even be considering the things she was considering? If Kylie had been involved in this in any way, she would have insisted Beth bring all her most provocative underwear, and probably taken her out shopping for some new things.