Chapter Eight - The Billionaire

“Thank you, Julio,” Luna said as she took her seat in the chair the restaurant owner pulled out for her.

He tucked the chair back towards the table, Luna looked up at him, and gave him a smile. The pudgy mid-thirties Italian chef smiled back at her, his ruddy face flushed with pleasure.

“You’re welcome, ma bella,” he said, his tone heavily accented with his hometown intonation. “You know you’re my favorite customer.”

Luna chuckled. “I know. And I’m a sucker for your praises and fawning over me. I’m pretty sure I come here as much as for your food as I do for your compliments.”

“A beautiful woman like you should be fawned over as frequently as possible, bellasima, you’re a direct art from God.”

Luna laughed at Julio’s extravagancy. “Okay, stop, or my head might not fit through the door when I leave here.”

“I’ll try,” Julio said, smiling too. “So what’ll you have? My specials, as usual?”

“You know I trust you always.”

Julio’s face flushed with pleasure again. “Then you’re in for