At that moment, Chloe raced down the stairs, literally jumping into his arms. “Did you have a fun evening?” he asked, holding her close.
“Yes!” she replied, and went into a litany of the games they’d played and how many times she’d beaten “Gramps”.
But Sebastian could see that she was fading fast. It was about twenty minutes past her bedtime. “Gramps promised to tuck me in, Daddy,” she told him, punctuating the statement with a yawn. “He promised. Has he already left?”
“No, honey. He’s waiting for you.” He kissed her forehead and carried her back into the living room where Mark and Deni were straightening up the games.
“You’re still here!” Chloe muttered sleepily, but her fatigue was evident in her lack of exuberance.
“I promised to tuck you in,” Mark said, as he followed Sebastian up to her bedroom.
Deni didn’t go upstairs immediately, but instead, waited for her father to come downstairs. “Everything good?” she asked.
Mark chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled on his jacket. “She’s such a cutie,” he replied. “But yes. Everything’s fine. She’s in bed and fast asleep already.”
“Thanks for coming over tonight, Dad. Chloe really enjoyed tonight.”
He sighed, glancing at the top of the stairs. “She needs more of these kinds of nights, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah,” Deni nodded. “Her mother…well, she doesn’t like wiggly children,” Deni finished.
“I’ll see you Sunday if you have time. If not, don’t worry, honey. I can manage.”
Deni kissed his cheek, then closed the door, locking it and making sure to activate the house’s alarm system. But for some reason, she was wary about going upstairs. What had Sebastian’s look meant?
Deni should have anticipated him coming down to find her. They’d spent their nights in each other’s arms, meeting in either his room or hers to make love well into the early hours of the night. He only left moments before the servants started moving about, so that there wasn’t unusual talk.
“Was she okay?” he asked, taking her hand in his.
“Chloe is always fun, Sebastian.”
“You say that, but she can be a bit exhausting.”
Deni didn’t deny that. “How was your dinner meeting?”
“Boring,” he said, then took her fingers kissing the tips of each one. “How was your dinner?”
Deni smiled, trying to hide the shivering those slight kisses caused. “Martha always makes a delicious meal. We ate in the kitchen. I hope you don’t mind. The dining room is a bit…formal for my taste when you’re not here.”
“This whole house is a bit too formal for you, isn’t it?” he asked, then put his hands on her waist, pulling her in closer.
Deni hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged slightly. “It was intimidating at first, but I’m getting used to it.” She forced a bright smile onto her face. “Besides, I won’t be living here forever.” Her heart ached as she spoke, but she had to remind herself of their deal. “Once you have full custody of Chloe, I’ll be out of your hair.”
His features tightened for a moment, just a flash of an emotion. Deni didn’t have time to decipher it before the emotion was hidden once again.
His hands slid off of her waist. “Quite right,” he muttered. “I think I’ll retire early tonight,” he said and stepped back. “Are you going up soon?”
Startled, Deni looked up at him and he had to toughen his resolve at the surprise in her pretty eyes. “No, I um…I was going to read.”
He nodded slightly. “Well, goodnight then.”
Deni was so startled by his retreat that she didn’t know what to say. For the past several nights, he’d made love to her as if he couldn’t get enough. As if he wanted to imprint himself on her in some way.
But not tonight. Instead, he walked up the ornate stairway without looking back.
Hurt, she headed back into the room where she’d spent the past several happy hours with Chloe and her father. But after reading the same paragraph in her book several times, she gave up. Turning off the lights, she moved through the horrible, ugly, museum-like house, walking up the stairs to her own bedroom. At the other end of the house from Sebastian.
What had she said to turn him off? He’d been so sweet only moments before she…before she’d said that her staying here would only be temporary. Was that what bothered him? Deni sat up in bed, looking around at the darkness. Was he mad because he didn’t want their relationship to end?
Her heart pounded as she contemplated that possibility. Was it true? Could he want more from her than just a steamy affair and a convenient person to demonstrate a steady home life for the courts?
But as soon as she thought that, Deni pushed it away. No, Sebastian had been quite clear. He didn’t want a wife. He’d married her for the sole purpose of gaining custody of Chloe. Reminding herself of that stiff, horrible man she’d met so many weeks ago, the man who had blackmailed her into marriage…!
The man who had not only paid off her father’s debts, but his entire mortgage as well.
The man who adored his daughter and lived to hear her laugh.
The man who had taken his daughter camping, danced with her in the dirt and rocks, oblivious to passersby, simply because Chloe was happy. As long as Chloe was happy, Sebastian didn’t care about anything else.
Falling back onto her pillow, she stared up at the dark ceiling. That last thought was the most important. Deni was here, living in this house, because Sebastian loved Chloe more than anything else. That was his goal. His purpose for everything.
Rolling over, she punched her pillow and forced Sebastian out of her mind.
Chapter 20
Deni sighed and snuggled closer to the warmth, ignoring the alarm that kept going off. She didn’t want to wake up, she was so comfortable, she wanted to just…sleep and revel in the blissful morning.
Unfortunately, her “pillow” shifted, grabbing her cell phone to shut off the alarm.
“Go back to sleep,” Sebastian muttered, but slipped out from under her head.
His deep, sleepy voice startled Deni and she lifted her head. “Sebastian?” she whispered, her voice hoarse from sleep. “I thought…”
“Yeah, I know, but…” he sighed and pulled on a pair of silk pajama bottoms. “I have to get into the office,” he told her and, without even bothering to kiss her, he turned and walked out, leaving Deni confused, but still admiring the rippling muscles on his back.
With a huff, she flopped back down. “He wasn’t here last night,” she said into the morning air. “So…?”
But Deni acknowledged that she’d slept like the dead last night. After tossing and turning, trying to figure out the man, she’d finally fallen into a fitful sleep. But at some point, he’d come to her and her fitfulness had disappeared.
“Well, I’m not going to be able to sleep now!” she muttered and climbed out of bed. Padding barefoot into the shower, she turned on the water and stepped into the instantly hot water. For a long moment, she simply stood underneath the water, trying to revive herself enough that she could make sense of her morning.
But in the end, she just…Sebastian was too much of a mystery. A part of her suspected that she should be irritated that he’d come to her bed last night. But the majority of her brain told that small part to shut up because she’d slept well and was now able to start her day with a bit more energy.
Pulling on a black sheath dress, red cardigan, and her favorite pair of red suede pumps, she pulled her hair back into a neat twist, applied a bit more makeup than normal and added gold earrings. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt better. If her body hummed with a bit of unsatisfied longing, well, that was the price one must pay for a good night’s sleep.
But…she wasn’t going to allow him to get away with slipping into her bed at night. He had some ‘splaining to do! Deni refused to be used and discarded by the man, no matter how wealthy and mysterious he was.
/> Chapter 21
“Hello Martha,” Meredith’s smooth voice called.
Martha cringed, recognizing the voice at once. Meredith Hughes was about the vilest, most horrible, and repugnant woman that Martha had ever known. The woman had manipulated Mr. Hughes, used Chloe as a weapon and demoralized the child to suit her own status in the world.
As far as Martha knew, the beautiful actress hadn’t even attempted to see Chloe over the past several weeks. Which, in the broad scheme of things, was a godsend. Meredith had a chilling effect on people. Unless she was on screen, the woman was vicious! There wasn’t a charitable bone in the woman’s perfect figure.
So it was with reluctance that Martha turned to face the woman. “How do you do, Ms. Hughes?” she asked politely, but really didn’t give a damn about the woman.
“Fabulous, of course,” the actress replied. “It’s fortuitous that I found you here,” she said, looking around at the exclusive shops. “I didn’t think that you shopped in this district.”
“You’re right,” Martha replied flatly. “Just shopping for Chloe.”
“Ah!” A few tears welled up in the woman’s perfectly made up eyes. But the tears didn’t dare spill over and mess up that perfect make up job! Oh no, the tears wouldn’t dare. They were a nice touch though! “How is my darling girl? I haven’t been out to see her lately. Just finishing up with a movie and it’s been terribly hectic!”
Martha tilted her head slightly. “Chloe is doing extremely well.”
“And Sebastian? Is he good? Not lonely, I hope. That house is just too big for the two of them, I suspect.”
Oh, how Martha hated this woman! “He’s fine. Perfectly fine. Happily married now to a lovely woman.”
Meredith’s eyes fired up and Martha felt a spike of pure evil split the air.
“Right. Deni something or other,” Meredith mused. “I can’t believe that the slut moved into my place. I suppose she’s out there spending my husband’s money and manipulating Sebastian horribly, isn’t she?”
Martha didn’t reply, just stared at the actress with a bland expression.
Meredith laughed. “Well, you can’t blame me for being jealous! I mean, that woman married Sebastian so soon after my divorce was finalized. She’s a money grubbing slut, in my opinion.” She sighed, shaking her head, all traces of the crocodile tears were gone. “Did she redecorate Sebastian’s bedroom? I so loved that red wallpaper I found! It was beautiful! It would be a shame if anything changed in that perfect room!”
Martha moved away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m in a hurry.”
Meredith didn’t take the hint. “Of course! Well, I’ll just go with you. If you’re shopping for my sweet Chloe, then you’ll need my help.”
Martha couldn’t tell the woman that her opinion wasn’t needed or wanted in any way. Martha walked into the store where Jenny normally purchased Chloe’s clothes. Martha looked around, frantically trying to find a dress quickly so she could leave the horrible woman behind.
“This one is perfect for Chloe!” Meredith exclaimed, picking up a formal dress with layers and layers of silk so that the skirt puffed out. There were perfectly embroidered roses at the edge of the neckline and a matching hat.
It was so completely not right for Chloe! The girl loved to run around and dance now that she’d gotten away from her mother’s desperately strict household.
Martha and Jenny were intensely protective of Chloe these days, not wanting her to go back to that place. Ever! Chloe smiled and laughed and was one of the most amazing students! The child absorbed information like a sponge! Chloe truly was an amazing child! No thanks to this vile woman!
“Here,” Meredith urged. “Get this one!” She walked over to another dress, just as frilly and inappropriate. “This one too!” she said, exclaiming over the velvet and satin dress. “Oh, Chloe would look perfect in this dress!”
Thirty minutes later, seven more frilly dresses were piled up on the counter. Martha had snuck a dress under the others, not wanting Meredith to see the pretty, but less frilly cotton dress that Martha knew Chloe would love. Plus, it was short enough for the girl to run around in and it would be easier to clean. Deni had taught Chloe how to slide along the hardwood floors, and now they had competitions to see who could slide the furthest. Even Jenny took part in the competitions occasionally. But those silly competitions meant that a longer dress would be dangerous because Chloe couldn’t see her feet.
The cashier rang up the sale and Martha handed over the credit card that she used for household expenses. The eight dresses added up to several thousand dollars. The total made Martha gasp with horror at the amount, but Meredith didn’t even blink.
“Now we should accessorize, don’t you think?” she announced.
Martha shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hughes, but I need to get back to work. My task was simply to purchase the dress and…”
“Fine!” Meredith snapped. “Just give me the credit card and I’ll finish off the outfits.” The woman extended her hand, but Martha carefully tucked the credit card back into her purse.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t allow that.”
And Martha turned, hauling the boxes with the carefully packed dresses away. It was irritating, since she’d be back here tomorrow to return the ridiculous seven dresses. But Martha had learned over the years not to argue with Meredith. Life was just easier that way.
“You’re kidding, right?” Meredith laughed, but the sound was harsh, not humorous. “Martha, I demand that you give me my husband’s credit card so that I can have my daughter appropriately dressed!”
Martha nodded her thanks to the cashier, then turned and walked out of the store, Meredith huffing angrily beside her.
“You’re going to be fired for this!” Meredith snapped angrily, and brushed past Martha in a fury.
Martha watched as the horrible woman stalked down the street in the opposite direction. “Oh, thank goodness!” And she turned, heading back to the cashier. “I apologize for that nastiness. And I’m going to have to return seven of these dresses. They aren’t appropriate.”
The cashier looked confused. “You don’t want them?” she asked, looking towards the large windows at the front of the store. “But…wasn’t that the mother?”
Martha sighed. “Yes. It’s complicated!” she explained. “But the little girl will never wear those frilly dresses. I bought them simply to appease her.”
The cashier reversed the purchases, backing out the charges for all but the cotton dress, which was only a couple hundred dollars.
“Thank you so much,” Martha said when the cashier handed back the credit card.
“What will I say if Ms. Hughes comes back?”
Martha chuckled. “Tell her to buy the dresses herself if she ever gets custody of her daughter back. But she won’t!” Martha laughed with hopeful delight and turned to walk out of the store. “They might not sleep in the same bed, but they had the same mission,” she muttered to no one as she carried the one dress out of the store.
Chapter 22
Sebastian sipped his scotch, then tossed several more poker chips onto the pile.
“Call,” Jabril announced to the men sitting around the table.
Jayce and Oz chuckled, shaking their heads. “Remember that one night when Kazar lost something like four million dollars on a single hand?” Jayce commented, releasing a puff of cigar smoke into the air.
Tarin chuckled as he sipped his bourbon. “You mean the night that he lost four point six million on a pair of nothing?” he clarified.
Oz grinned, leaning back in his chair as he looked at the others. “Yeah, that would be the night.”
Tarin, Jabril, Oz, Jayce, and Kazar all laughed. The only man missing from their group was Ryker, who was home with his wife, Oz and Jayce’s baby sister, who was due to give birth any day now. Which was also the reason why Jayce and Oz were here. Their baby sister, Carly, was the managing director of their company and she was a force w
hen she wasn’t pregnant. Add in that she was now complaining about swollen ankles, swollen feet, heartburn, backaches, and a slew of other complaints as her pregnancy came to the last few days…or week…and they felt that they were better off far, far away from their beloved, but cranky sister.
“I liked that night,” Jabril commented, downing the rest of his scotch. “It’s always profitable when one of you gets emotional. Your lack of attention is a great boon to my bank account!”
The others laughed, but all of them had been there at one time or another. Except for Jayce, who was smarter than the average bear and had avoided their poker games when he’d been trying to figure out how to keep his lovely lady, Jessa, from kicking him out of their bed and explaining to her that he wanted to be a full time father, not just the sperm donor to her child.
Thankfully, all of their sometimes frantic and always irritating romances had ended happily. Now there were lots of babies and happiness seemed to bloom everywhere.
As Jabril revealed his cards, including three kings, the rest of the men groaned. All of them, that is, except for Sebastian. He tossed his cards down onto the pile, not even bothering to turn them over. He had an ace, a two, and a five. In other words, he had nothing!
“Oh no, my friend!” Tarin chuckled, picking up the cards. “We’ve all been in your shoes. And we’ve all lost fortunes on a bad hand. Now it is your turn,” and he turned the five cards over to the astonishment of the other men.
“Damn, Sebastian! I thought you out of all of us would be immune after your first marriage.”
Disgusted, Sebastian walked over to the bar and poured himself another scotch, needing a bit of fresh air. In fact, not even their wives knew about the poker games. The men all assured their wives that their meetings were strategy sessions.
Which wasn’t exactly a lie. A great deal of business was conducted in this room. During the months when there was no romantic crisis happening among one of the men, they discussed business issues, political crises, economic problems, and brainstormed solutions. A great many problems had been resolved over the years that they’d been friends.
Wanted: Wife for Hire (The Diamond Club Book 8) Page 17