Sebastian clears his throat and sits up, swinging his long legs down off the bed. His feet are smooth and bare, and my eyes linger on his perfectly formed toes gripping the floorboards. It’s difficult to banish a vivid image of me sucking on each of them, ten sexy lollipops, while he moans. But I take a shaky breath and manage it.Good girl.
‘Sorry I didn’t wait for you at the office,’ he says, gazing at me. ‘It would’ve looked a bit odd. And I wasn’t sure how long you were going to be in the men’s...’
This last sentence is delivered with a bite of sarcasm, which my heart latches on to desperately because it reeks of him being jealous.No, heart, you must not!
Perching on the edge of the desk and keeping a safe distance from his hotness, I say evenly, ‘It’s not what it looked like. I ran into my dad at a press conference at the Savoy, and to cut a long story short, Ash scored some coke from him. I was trying to save the office from becoming drug addicts.’ I pull the baggie out of my jeans and throw it on the desk.
Sebastian glances at it briefly and lifts an eyebrow.
‘So him licking your hand was part of your intervention method?’
Shit, he saw that.
I fold my arms, starting to feel a bit annoyed. Why is he giving me the third degree? ‘As I said, it’s not what it lookedlike ... Anyway, what did you want to discuss? You said it was important,’ I say abruptly.
Sebastian rubs his jaw distractedly, and I notice his forehead is sweating. In fact, he’s got damp patches all over on the front of his T-shirt like he’s been running ... or having a horizontal workout. Has he been having sex with someone? My fingers grip the solid wooden edge of the desk, my knees buckling at the thought.
But he says instead, ‘I had a meeting with my boss. It didn’t go well.’ He frowns at the floor.
My fingers unfurl slightly as I grasp his meaning. ‘Oh. Were you ... in hell?’ I whisper. That would explain the sweating and the strong smell of sulphur I can now detect emanating from him. The thought of him being down there surrounded by darkness and flames is slightly terrifying. But at least he wasn’t fucking someone else.
‘Are you OK?’
Sebastian nods but doesn’t expound on the experience, which worries me that he’s been traumatised in some way.
‘He didn’t ... torture you or anything?’
‘No, just ranted and raved about what a pathetic devil I am. That I’m not doing my job properly. It was kind of funny actually.’
‘Sounds like a typical boss. They’re all hot air. I guess yours has more of that than most.’ I know I’m gabbling, but it’s out of relief that he’s fine.
Sebastian tries to smile, but it comes out a bit lopsided. There’s a pause; then he says, ‘Um, Jade, listen ... about you and me...’
My gut swoops, and my fingers are back to gripping the desk. ‘What about it?’
Sebastian’s jaw works. ‘I’m wondering if there’s any kind of future for us?’
I stare at him, struggling to ascertain the meaning of that statement. It sounds vaguely like he’s rejecting me. My heart sinks. I can’t do it—I can’t say I’ve been dreaming about us curled up on my couch, eating pizza. It’s too humiliating.
‘Last night was fun,’ I say carefully, feeling like I’m stepping through a minefield. ‘But as you said, it’s not like I’m going to have your devil baby. I know what you are. What you do. I’m not stupid.’
Sebastian’s lips tighten. ‘I never said you were. I’m simply trying to be realistic...’
I nod. ‘So am I.’
My left eyelid twitches once, then again. I rub it, feeling tired and wanting to get this over with. ‘Look, I get what you’re saying, OK? I’m a big girl. Don’t worry, I’m not going to lose sleep over it.’
I avert my eyes, and Sebastian doesn’t say anything. He seems stunned into silence. Reaching into my bag, I take out the Care Bear and prop it on the desk.
‘Thanks for this, by the way. And the note. But you didn’t have to.’
‘Jade—’
My eyes prick with tears at the gentle edge to Sebastian’s voice, but I blink furiously to keep them at bay.
‘I should be fine from here on in,’ I say, lifting my chin. ‘The week is nearly up. I just have to get through my dad’s concert tomorrow night. Thanks for the taster experience. It’s been ... interesting.’
Sebastian seems to wake up at this point and realise what I’m doing: that I’m cutting him out.