Billionaire Obsession

The lunch

Lily hopped into the passenger seat of the car and Michael started the car. They drove for about 30 minutes in uncomfortable silence before he finally came in front of a fancy, high end restaurant. He killed the engine and stepped out. Lily came out of the car too and they strode into the restaurant as she followed his lead. They took the elevator to the rooftop.

There was a waiter there already to take their orders and they were the only ones at the rooftop.

"You can place your order", Michael said gruffly

"Oh no, I'm okay", Lily said afraid that she wouldn't be able to pay the hefty bill that was sure to come after.

"Oh don't worry, the gallery already took care of the bill"* Michael said with a sneer while beckoning on the waiter to place his order.

He ordered seared scallops with citrus herb sauce and a glass of wine.

"Look, I'm not interested in this lunch. I just need to get my money paid to me while I hand over the art", Lily said

Michael's eyes glazed over in slight annoyance as he said , "You are not my type. Don't think that this lunch means I'm trying to woo you. It's simply formalities so please just place an order. I'm starving ".

Lily decided not to drag it for longer than it should be. She picked up the menu and quietly studied.

The meal options didn't sound so foreign to her as she had been on a few dates with well to do men.

She finally settled for Salmon and salad.

"Champagne?", the waiter asked.

"Oh no I'll just have water please", Lily responded

She needed to keep a light head for the handover.

The food came in about 10 minutes later and there was a brief period of silence as they both dug into the food. Lily quietly admitted to herself that the food was good, it tasted like they used very fresh ingredients.

After some time, the waiter came back to clear the plates.

"So how much do you want for your work?", Michael asked looking straight at Lily.

Lily felt her heart thudding rapidly again. This man was truly handsome. His dark eyes seemed to search out one's soul, his strong jaws and perfect facial symmetry all added to his allure.

"Well .. I would....", Lily found herself stuttering a bit, "$25,000", she finally said

Even as she named her price, she was doubtful in her heart. Who would want to pay that amount to an artist that wasn't well known? What was the bigger picture? She suddenly became suspicious as she asked herself.

"Okay, that's a done deal then", Michael said as he brought out some documents

"You're going to sign here and here", he said pointing at some blank places on the document.

Lily was so excited that she didn't stop to read the fine prints on the document. This was her biggest pay ever in the history of making a living from her art. She couldn't wait to go back home to tell Gina. She quickly signed the documents.

Michael took the documents and gave a satisfied grunt as he put them back in the briefcase where he brought them out.

Lily gave him her bank details and he quickly made the transaction of $25,000. Lily still couldn't believe it even as they walked out of the restaurant, even as he drove her back to the gallery where she told him she wanted to stop. Even as she made her way home that evening. $25,000 dollars just like that? Her mind was already thinking about the million things she would do with the money: Settle her bills, get new clothes, send some money home to her parents, spoil her best friend. She should have known that nothing free comes this easy.