by Rye Hart
“Well I'm always up early,” he said. He reached out and pushed back a strand of hair away from my face.
I hated feeling like I was sitting there waiting for the other shoe to drop. But that's what I was doing. I was wondering when, or if, we'd talk about what happened the night before and what it all meant. After all, there we were, still naked in bed together.
But Sebastian didn't need to talk, he leaned down and kissed me, nearly taking my breath away. Last night could be chalked up to a drunken mistake, but to kiss me today, sober and by the light of day, well, that meant something, right? A girl could hope.
“Since we're both up, would you like to have some breakfast with me?” he asked.
“Sounds great.” Though truthfully, another round of sex sounded even better to me, but I didn't want to push my luck. “Where should we go?”
“Oh, we're not going anywhere. I'm going to order room service,” he said. “What would you like? You can have anything your little heart desires.”
Oh yeah, sometimes hanging around with rich people came with benefits. Like room service.
Sebastian placed the order, and then slid out of bed and proceeded to get dressed. I couldn't help but stare at his nice, tight ass as he was pulling on his pants, and I felt myself flush as I remembered how my legs had been wrapped tightly around his body. I stayed in bed, naked, but covered up with a sheet as I watched him.
“So about last night – ” Sebastian started to say, turning toward me.
My heart sank as I waited for that damned shoe. He sat down on the bed, and my heart shattered. I could see there was a look of fear in his eyes, almost like maybe he knew he'd made a mistake by sleeping with me.
“Yes?” I managed to choke out. “What about it?”
“I don't want to hurt you, Violet,” he said. “I care about you, deeply. I always have.”
There we had it; the talk about how I'm like family to him. I closed my eyes, feeling tears welling in my eyes, already fearing the worst.
But while my eyes were closed, Sebastian had laid back down beside me and kissed my lips, causing me to open them mid-kiss, surprised.
“I don't want to hurt you,” he said again, stroking my face. “But I also can't deny that I feel something for you.”
“The feeling is mutual, Sebastian,” I said softly. “You don't have to worry about hurting me, I'm a big girl. I know what I'm getting into and I can handle whatever happens.”
“I know you can,” he said. “I just don't know what will happen now.”
“Can we at least take it day-by-day and see?” I asked, hopeful.
“Yeah, I think that's a great idea,” he said, kissing me again.
I was on cloud nine. There I was, living the dream in Bali with the only man in the world to ever capture my heart. I didn't think that things really couldn't get any better.
***
“This is amazing,” I said out loud, staring out at the water with a belly full of fancy tropical fruits and pancakes. “A girl could get used to this.”
Sebastian was sitting beside me and though we hadn't said much about what had happened between us, he was still being fairly affectionate with me. I had to admit, it made everything that much nicer.
“I guess I'll have to bring you on work trips more often,” he said with a wink. “Speaking of which, we have to meet Paula and Steve in an hour to start the property tours. So, as much as I don't want to, we should probably shower and get ready.”
“Of course,” I said sheepishly. “I mean, we are here for work and all.”
“Plus a little fun,” he said, his tone flirtatious.
“And a little fun,” I laughed. “Care to join me in the shower?”
As soon as I asked, I was fearful he would say no. Even though we'd had sex just the night before, and he was still holding my hand and kissing me, part of wasn't so sure he was comfortable with the sexual nature of our relationship yet. He looked into my eyes, as if contemplating the pros and cons of my request before smiling and responding.
“Sure. I'd love to,” he said. “But we can't have too much fun, we only have an hour.”
My heart nearly jumped right out of my chest, h was saying yes to showering with me. One more dream come true and something else I could check off my bucket list.
“I'll try to be good,” I said with a mischievous grin, standing up and walking toward the patio door. “But I can't make any promises.”
Sebastian playfully smacked my ass, causing me to squeal as I darted for the bathroom. We both laughed as we entered the bungalow, holding each other close, kissing and stripping each other down. Sebastian was shirtless and his pants were down around his ankles when there was a knock on the door. Eyes wide like we were kids caught doing something wrong, we stopped for a moment, wondering who it could be.
“Probably just housekeeping, making the rounds,” he said. He walked over to the door and called out. “Can you come back later, please?”
Whoever it was obviously hadn't heard him since they continued knocking. Only this time, it was louder and more insistent. Sebastian tried again, this time his tone a little less polite. “Come back later. We're in the middle of something.”
More knocking. Finally, I could see that Sebastian had had enough, and he swung open the door just enough to peer out, and that's when we both saw her. My heart just about stopped in my chest and judging by the expression on Sebastian's face, his had too.
Jessica. Standing in the doorway with a cruel little smirk on her face.
“Ooooh, golly, am I interrupting something?” she asked, peering in.
I hurried up and stepped into the bathroom, but it was too late. She saw me wearing nothing but my bra and panties and of course, Sebastian topless.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Sebastian growled.
“Well, I thought I might surprise you,” she said, peeking back past Sebastian. “Thought we might have a little fun, you know. But I guess your assistant beat me to it.”
“Get out of here,” Sebastian said as he tried to shut the door, but Jessica stopped him.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” she said, her smirk turning to a look of pure hatred. “Because let me tell you something, if you don't listen to what I have to say, I'm going to ruin both of your pathetic little lives.”
“Like hell you will.”
“I have photos, Sebastian,” Jessica said. And the words sent chills down my spine. “Photos of the two of you kissing outside last night, and photos of you being all cuddly on the patio this morning. But better yet, you two didn't even bother to close the blinds last night, and I didn't have to try too hard to see what you were doing. Or get photographic proof of it either. And what would happen if these photos got into the wrong hands? What would happen if say, Violet's mother got hold of them?”
CHAPTER TWELVE - SEBASTIAN
Jessica wasn't lying. She had pictures, which she'd printed out just for us. She passed them through the door before leaving, shaking her ass as if to tease me as she walked away. As if I ever desired to see that ass again. Well, if she ever thought there was a chance of us getting back together, what she'd done had ruined those chances entirely. Jessica knew how to burn bridges on her way out the door.
“I'm sorry, Violet,” I said, looking down at one of the photos from last night, one that showed I was clearly between her legs, eating her out. “I'm so, so sorry.”
Violet remained quiet as she looked at the photos, but I could tell it worried her. It worried me too, to be honest. Not just because it could look bad from a business standpoint, but because Violet's mother was a close friend of mine, and I didn't want her to see me as some dirty old man who was screwing her daughter.
“What does Jessica want from us?” she finally asked. “What does she want to not release the photos?”
“She didn't say, but I'm sure she'll be in touch.”
Violet nodded, again, still not saying much. She just sat there with a shell-shocked look on
her face and my heart went out to her.
“We need to go soon,” I said, glancing at the clock.
Violet nodded again, dropping the photograph she was holding. “I still need to shower.”
“Me too,” I said. “But maybe it's better if I shower over in my own room.”
Violet looked up at me, her eyes filled with hurt. She didn't argue though, instead she just nodded as a look of sadness and resignation crossed her face.
“That's fine,” she murmured.
I kissed her forehead before leaving the room, making sure the door locked behind me. With a sigh, I walked along the bridge that led to my room, my mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. And when I looked up, I was not surprised in the least to see Jessica sitting outside of my bungalow with her feet dangling over the edge of the bridge, letting the ocean water swirl around her ankles.
A dark and abiding rage boiled inside of me when I saw her there. She sat there with her back to me, still managing to look like she owned the place; looking like she thought she deserved to be there. I knew this was her way of surprising me and in some dark, twisted part of her brain, she probably thought it was a romantic gesture. But I'd made it plain as day that I didn't want to be with her – or see her ever again. The girl had issues and this took things way too far.
“I've always wanted to see Bali,” she said, speaking without looking up at me. “I just never knew I'd be seeing it under such trying circumstances.”
“What did you expect, Jessica?” I sneered. “I told you we were through.”
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “Yes, but you also told me that little tramp was nothing more than your assistant. Well, guess what? I have photographic proof that you lied about that.”
“I didn't lie,” I said, clenching my jaw as I tried to control my rage. “We aren't dating. Last night was the first time anything happened. Not that I owe you an explanation. I told you that we were done. Several times.”
“No, of course you don't owe me an explanation,” she said softly. “I get now that we're over. I see it clearly now for the first time. You've moved on.”
“I moved on a long time ago, Jessica.”
She looked out at the ocean and wiped at her eyes, obviously not wanting me to see that she was crying. I felt bad for hurting her, but really, how much clearer could I have been? And the fact that she was snooping around, taking secret pictures of me and Violet, she had gone way too far.
“You know, all this time, I thought that maybe I could fix things. Maybe somehow get you to love me again,” she said softly. “But clearly, that's not going to happen. You've moved on to someone younger and prettier.”
“It's not like that,” I said.
I hated for anyone to think it was just about Violet's age or her looks. She was a lot more than that. She meant more to me than that, and to dismiss all of it and claim I was only after someone younger and prettier than she was, royally pissed me off. But I didn't want to cause a scene, and if possible, I wanted to defuse the situation entirely. Maybe make Jessica reconsider what she was doing with those pictures.
“We were no good together. Not for a long while,” I said. “Besides, it became pretty clear that you were using me for my money, Jessica. That was it.”
“No, Sebastian. Believe it or not, I loved you,” she said, her eyes filled with unshed ears. “I still love you.”
“You're only in love with my money,” I said. “We were never good together as two loving, caring people.”
“That's not what you used to say when I was the one you were fucking,” she said. “You used to tell me I was your world.”
“Because you were at one time,” I said. “But that changed once things between us got a little more real and we started to see each other for who we really were.”
The fact that I had to explain this to her again was killing me. We'd had these discussions before, countless times. I couldn't handle the clinginess, the neediness, the jealousy. Her pettiness and snobby attitude also turned me off more than I could say.
When we first met, she'd seemed like a different girl. She'd been kind, compassionate, confident. But as time wore on, I saw that it was all just a facade she had constructed. A mask she'd worn. She was nothing like that girl I'd met. And I started to feel like yeah, maybe she'd pretended to be someone she wasn't just to get me into bed and become part of my life.
The longer our relationship dragged on, the more I felt used by her. She always wanted to go on the expensive vacations, always needed the shopping trips, and the fancy dinners out. Everything about our relationship became what I could do for her or buy for her, not what we could bring to each other's lives.
That was exactly why I loved spending time with Violet. None of that material stuff mattered to her. Each time I did something nice for her, it was a surprise and something she appreciated. It wasn't something she expected or demanded.
With Jessica, things had to keep getting bigger or more lavish. She demanded the finest things from the most expensive places, otherwise she grew bored and pouted. I eventually grew tired of it, and it basically ruined everything between us. I finally saw her for who she really was – a gold digger.
She looked at me and though there were tears still shining in her eyes, there was a defiance and an anger in them as well.
“Well, I guess the rest of the world is finally going to be able to see who you really are too, Sebastian,” she said. “As you know, I have contacts in the media and I'm sure they'd love to hear my story. The story of how you, the greedy CEO tossed me aside for someone younger and prettier. Yeah, feminism is all the rage these days, and don't be surprised if women stop coming to your resorts or staging protests and boycotts once they hear about how you truly feel about us. We're nothing more than disposable toys to you.”
Gritting my teeth, I tried so hard to keep my cool. By “contacts in the media,” what she really meant to say was that she had friends who worked for those trashy supermarket checkout line tabloids. If she went running to them with this, they would do a hatchet job on me that would be brutal. I really doubted it would have any lasting impact on my company in the long term, but in the short term, it would create a lot of embarrassment and headaches. Not to mention, it would wreak havoc on Violet and our budding romance.
“None of that is true and you know it,” I said. “Again, what happened with Violet had nothing to do with her age. And it had nothing to do with you. We're two consenting adults.”
Jessica shrugged, pulling her feet from the water and put her shoes back on. “If you say so, Sebastian,” she said. “But that's not the way I see it. And I'm not so sure Violet can handle the backlash that's going to come from this, especially not so soon after her poor daddy's death.”
“Leave her out of this,” I hissed. “I'm warning you, Jessica.”
“I'll leave both of you out of this and turn over all copies of the pictures to you on one condition,” she said.
I sighed, knowing where this was likely going. “What condition, Jessica?”
“You cut things off with the little tramp, Sebastian,” she said, her voice firm. “Immediately.”
“She's not – ”
“Whore, trollop, whatever,” Jessica said flippantly. “Whatever she is, you cut things off with her and neither these pictures nor my story will never see the light of day.”
“I'm never coming back to you, Jessica,” I said. “Not even if I cut things off with Violet.”
“Oh, I know that now,” she said with a smile. “But if I have to hurt, I want you to hurt too. And if it means hurting your poor, sweet little Violet, then so be it. I'll do whatever it takes to ruin both of your lives and make you as fucking miserable as I am right now.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, sweetie,” she said, in that condescending tone of voice of hers that I hated so much. “It's not a threat. It's a promise. Now enjoy the rest of your trip. I've booked the bungalow down at the end so we're n
eighbors. Maybe we'll run into each other. We can have drinks and catch up.”
She sauntered down the dock and entered a bungalow not too far from us. I felt the need to punch something, anything, but without the risk of breaking something on my property that I'd have to explain. I also had to get ready. Paula and Steve were expecting us, and I had work to do. I'd have to handle Jessica, and Violet after that.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - VIOLET
Paula and Steve were already waiting for us in the lobby, but they made no mention of us running late. Perks of being the boss when it came to being on time to work-related functions, I supposed. Paula looked a little stressed as she outlined our itinerary, listing off everywhere we were going for the day.
I could tell Sebastian wasn't at the top of his game. Not that I blamed him, but what happened with Jessica really had really thrown him off. When he'd come back to pick me up before we left for the meeting, he hadn't even come into my room, choosing to stay outside the front door and wait for me.
And as we walked toward the resort, he stared straight ahead and kept the conversation purely to business-related matters. Even though I'd tried to bring Jessica up, he'd refused to talk about her, instead saying he'd deal with it.
He apparently wasn't the only one off kilter, though. Paula looked over at me, a concerned look upon her face.
“Violet?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“I asked if you'd made the arrangements with the driver to pick us up?”
I tried to clear my head, tried to banish all other thoughts about Sebastian, Jessica, and the photos, but I couldn't remember. Had I made the arrangements? I could have sworn I'd booked all travel arrangements for the meetings, but for some reason, this one wasn't coming to me. As I was sifting through all of my paperwork in my file, trying to find it, I caught sight of a blonde woman sitting in the lobby with a glass of champagne, watching us closely, flashing a predatory grin our way.
“What is – ” But then I stopped myself.
I couldn't talk about Jessica with Paula and Steve here, so instead, I cleared my throat, tore my gaze away from her, and continued flipping through my papers until I found the reservation with the limo company.