Trusting Stone

by Alexa Sinclaire

  “You hum it sometimes. I don’t even think you’re aware of it when you’re doing it,” Sebastian said, knowing she was trying to figure out how he knew.

  Eden squeezed his hand as she peered over the railing from their box seats. She felt like it was Christmas in July as the stage filled and the rehearsal started. The music moved over her and she closed her eyes, wishing she could explain to Sebastian what this meant to her. Although the story was tragic, listening to it somehow filled her with hope that everything would be okay. She had listened to it on repeat in her Edinburgh apartment, driving her roommates crazy.

  She looked at Sebastian and he was smiling at her. “Thank you,” she mouthed at him, bringing his hand to her mouth and kissing the back of it. She would thank him properly later. He wasn’t the only one who could plan surprises.

  “I’ll be right back,” he whispered as he suddenly stood up and left the box.

  Eden glanced at her watch. 12 p.m.—the phone call he was expecting. As much as she wanted to stay and lose herself in the music, she also wanted to know what was so urgent. Sebastian rarely dealt with business when he was with her.

  He had walked a few yards down the hall and was talking on the phone. She could barely make out what he was saying, but she caught enough.

  “How much exactly? And the Benedicts? What was their interest?” He tensed when he heard whatever the response was. “No, just get the paperwork ready for the rest and bring it over on Monday. That’s all for now. I’ll call you when I arrive.” She debated slipping back into their seats without him knowing what she had heard, but decided she wanted him to know. The look on his face when he turned and saw her made her wish she hadn’t. “Eden. Haven’t you ever been told that eavesdropping is rude?”

  She ignored his comment. “What’s going with the Benedicts?”

  “Nothing.” That was it. He wasn’t even going to try and give her an excuse. She pushed anyway.

  “Seriously, Seb. That didn’t sound like business.”

  “You’re wrong, actually. As I told you before, I sometimes have work with Benedict, Turner, and Smith.”

  “You said the Benedicts.”

  “You misheard me.” Sebastian had walked to join her and took her hand. “We’re missing it, Eden, come.” He led her back into the box by her elbow.

  She tried to focus on the rest of the opera, but she couldn’t get over the fact that Sebastian had lied to her. She had heard him say “the Benedicts,” and knew he had not been referring to the law firm. The rehearsal finally ended and they both silently rose from their seats. Back in the town car, their distance grew. Sebastian finally spoke when, to Eden’s surprise, they pulled up in front of her apartment building. She had assumed she would be spending the night again at his apartment, and he would drop her off at her office on Monday morning, as he had done the past few weekends.

  “I have a last minute trip I have to take. I only found out during that phone call.”

  “Where are you going?” Eden didn’t particularly care, but she was sick of the secrets. He knew her every move, her schedule, even when she was seeing Mara, and she knew nothing.

  “Boston, then Florida. I’ll be back on Tuesday.” That was the same day she was supposed to meet Joachim for lunch. “I’ll pick you up after work.”

  Eden stared at her hands. He hadn’t brought up the lunch or made any effort to close the distance that had developed between them since the opera.

  “Eden, I can’t stop you from seeing someone, even if I beg you not to. All I ask is that you reschedule your lunch with Joachim until after I get back.”

  She looked up at him, biting her bottom lip in frustration. “But you’re not going to tell me why, right?” She didn’t expect any response.

  “No, I’m not. But I’m asking you to do this for me, to trust that I would only ask if it was in your best interest.”

  “Fine,” she agreed reluctantly.

  “Come here.” Sebastian finally broached the wide divide and pulled her to him by her wrist. “Don’t pull away, Eden. Trust me.” He held her against him tightly and Eden felt herself letting go of the anger. She didn’t want to make it worse, especially if she wasn’t going to see him for three days.

  “I do, Seb. I promise.” She kissed his neck, wishing the day had gone better. “And as for the delayed gratification, Mr. Stone, you are going to have to make it up to me.” She wanted to leave on a playful note. She wiggled her behind on his lap, feeling him growing hard under her. “Just to give you something to think about while you’re away.”

  Sebastian growled into her neck, running his hands inside her wrap dress to find her breast. “I have to go. Goddamn it.” He rubbed her nipples through her lace bra, and she sighed into his neck, moving her mouth up to nibble his earlobe, gently sucking it as he softly twisted her nipple.

  Eden launched herself off him, adjusting her dress and grabbing her purse. “Text me.” She winked as she opened the car door and leapt out. She half hoped he would come out of the car and follow her, but the town car pulled away and she entered her apartment building.

  In the elevator, she took out her phone and texted Mara. There was no way she was going to sit around the next few days. She had to keep busy or she would go crazy missing Sebastian and wondering what he was up to. Dinner, my place, bring Enzo—would love to get to know him more. xxx

  She knew that Mara’s fiancé was a workaholic and probably wouldn’t be free, but she wanted him to feel welcome. She knew what it felt like to be living in a foreign country, although from what she had seen at the club, Enzo wasn’t short of friends or family.

  Finally, she texted Joachim. She felt guilty cancelling on him after their phone call, but she also wanted to get things back on an even keel with Sebastian. Sorry, have to reschedule, how about next week?

  While she knew Sebastian had told her to reschedule for after he returned from his trip, she wanted to have a few days without the Joachim/engagement issue coming up. Joachim’s response was simple—I’ll text you x. She had no idea if that meant he was mad at her, but she didn’t really care. She was still upset about him talking to her parents about Sebastian and would deal with it later. For now, she wanted to get ready for dinner with Mara, sort out her clothes for Monday, and try not to think about how much she already missed Sebastian.

  Eden managed to make Monday fly by, throwing herself into her archival work. Her manager was impressed when she offered to stay late and work on a batch of prints that were on loan from Tate Modern and needed to be returned by the end of the week. Sebastian had only texted her twice and, even then, they were short and curt, not teasing or yearning the way he usually was. He finally called her on her cell when she was just getting home at 9 p.m.

  “Why aren’t you home yet?” he asked as soon as she picked up.

  “What? Hello to you too!” Eden resisted hanging up on him. “What the hell, Sebastian? How did you even know I wasn’t home?”

  “I tried the land line.”

  “I haven’t even given you that number. Are you checking up on me?” she demanded.

  “Yes, I am.” She was stunned into silence. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Eden, it’s other people I don’t trust. The past few days have been trying on both of us and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I was working late, Sebastian. Trying to keep my mind busy, if you must know. But this is borderline creepy, Seb. You can’t keep tabs on me.”

  “Says who?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m asking you who says I’m not allowed to check up on you? Are you telling me that?”

  She was so confused about the tone of the conversation. What was he getting at? “I don’t…um…no, I’m not saying that.”

  “What was it I told you in the elevator before the first time we fucked?”

  Eden would never get over how blunt he was sometimes. But she knew exactly what he was talking about. She would never forget those words. “You said I
was yours, that there was no turning back.”

  “Right. So we both seem to be aware of what I think of you and yet you still seem to be confused by the fact that I check up on you.”

  “I’m not a doll, Seb. I…” Eden was too rattled to express herself. She hated that they were fighting again.

  Sebastian abruptly changed the subject. “I assume you’ve already cancelled with Joachim, as we discussed.” He was now using the voice she’d only ever heard him use with his employees.

  “Yes, Mr. Stone. Don’t worry, your every wish is my command.” She made no effort to hide the sarcasm in her voice. There was silence on his end and Eden wondered if she had perhaps pushed him too far this time. For once, she didn’t care. He deserved it.

  “Finally, you understand, that’s exactly how it is. I miss you. I’ll see you tomorrow. Be safe.” His words were warm suddenly and she shook her head in dismay as he hung up. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Yes, she’d figured out that Sebastian was slightly controlling about her safety, but she had always assumed it was because of what had happened to his mother. He, more than anyone she knew, had an understanding about the random acts of violence that occurred in a city. But his tone, his irritation, it was a whole other level.

  Eden woke up feeling miserable. She had hardly slept at all, still feeling unsettled from her conversation with Sebastian. He’d made it clear enough to her that he needed to be in control, and part of her liked it, especially in bed, or on the couch in his office, or wherever he wanted her. That part she loved even. And she knew she was falling in love with Sebastian. But the rest of it, how she knew virtually nothing about his business besides the few articles she’d managed to drag up from Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. She still didn’t have a complete picture of what had happened to him after he graduated high school, whether his father was still around. And the women—he knew everything about her sexual history and she’d pieced together that he used to date, obviously, but wasn’t a complete lothario. However, she suspected that was simply wishful thinking on her part and Sebastian had no reason to change her mind. But for all she knew, he could have an ex-wife hanging around. The way he knew how to touch her in bed gave her little doubt that he’d had plenty of experience before her.

  Her thoughts moved to his most recent trip and the strange phone call about the Benedicts. Why Florida? Boston made a bit more sense, but Florida seemed random. She knew he didn’t have offices there. Why couldn’t he give her a straightforward answer about anything she wanted to know? Was he hiding something or was this simply how he treated the women in his life—providing them with information on a need-to-know basis only.

  She dressed slowly, wishing the coffee she had made herself was stronger, and reluctantly slunk into the elevator. She would be early for work again, but it was better than moping around the apartment for another half an hour. She was glad she had cancelled today’s lunch with Joachim. There was no way she could face him over what had happened with her parents with the dark cloud of Sebastian’s control issues hanging over her.

  Joachim obviously had other ideas and she stopped in her tracks to see him standing in her lobby, waiting for her. What was he doing here?

  “Eden! I caught you! I wasn’t sure what time you left for work.”

  “What are you doing here, Joachim?” She kept her voice calm but stern. She didn’t like him invading her routine like this and he clearly understood that.

  “I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t wait until next week. Your mom and our weird phone call on Saturday—I wanted to clear the air with you sooner rather than later.”

  She looked at him, realizing she had been a bit rude. After all, he wasn’t exactly going to come on to her over coffee and Danish. “Okay, fine, breakfast then, but you have to get me to work on time.”

  “Scouts honor.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door, signaling a taxi with the ease of a true New Yorker.

  “Okay, I’ll start.” Joachim didn’t spare a second. As soon as they were settled in the booth in the indie coffee shop two blocks from her office, he launched in. “I’m sorry I told your parents about Sebastian. I know that it wasn’t my place, but they asked why I hadn’t been seeing much of you and I had to tell the truth. Since Sebastian’s been in your life, it’s like you hardly exist anymore. No one from college has even heard from you. Saskia Miller said that you haven’t RSVP’d to her wedding invitation. I mean, it’s like you want nothing to do with anyone from your old life.”

  Eden remembered the invite that came in the mail a few weeks ago. Annoyed that her mother was obviously giving her new address out to her old friends, she had promptly thrown it in the trash, not even bothering to reply. Saskia was one of the many girls who Eden had considered a casual friend, but had kept her distance from in the aftermath of the attack. “I don’t want a lot to do with them, you’re right,” she finally answered.

  “Does that include not seeing me?”

  “No, but things are complicated at the moment. It’s just that…” Eden didn’t know how to explain, or even what she was trying to explain.

  “Let me guess. It’s just that Sebastian doesn’t want you seeing me. Am I right?”

  Eden didn’t want to talk about Sebastian. “This isn’t about Sebastian. Leave him out of this.” Her voice was cold again. She might be annoyed at Sebastian, but there was no way she was going to let Joachim launch into him.

  “You know, I remember him from school, before they left. He got so weird. I mean, he completely freaked out about his parents’ divorce.” Joachim didn’t seem to take the hint.

  Changing the subject, Eden clenched her fists under the table. “So how long have you known that our parents want us to get married?”

  Joachim glanced up at her and from the sheepish smile that he was trying to suppress, she knew the answer already.

  “I know they’ve got their fingers crossed that we’ll pick up where we left off.”

  “That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. My parents were pretty clear about it. Especially the part about how I’m part of some lovely romantic business deal between our fathers.”

  “That’s a really crude way of putting it, Eden.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought, too. Doesn’t really change the facts, though, does it? And I take it from your answer that you knew about that part of it?” Part of her was deeply disappointed that Joachim had known.

  “Wait a minute, you’re making it sound like some insane arranged marriage.”

  “That’s what it’s called, Joachim, when your parents promise you to someone else, regardless of how you feel.” Eden started gathering her purse together, trying not to cry. She had expected more from her oldest friend.

  “Stop, please let me explain. You owe me that much, Eden.” Joachim reached across the table and took her hand.

  She withdrew it quickly. “Fine, you have five minutes.”

  Joachim looked at her hands that she had now clasped together on the table. He was clearly hurt about how quickly she had flinched under his touch. “I remember our moms joking about us getting together when we were just kids, how it would be a match made in heaven. We were so close and, to be honest, by the time I started being interested in girls, I always just had this idea in my head that we would end up together. When we finally did get together, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it and I assumed that you felt the same way. You were my best friend, Eden. Sure, we would break up sometimes and there would be the usual drama, but it never lasted long, even when I went to college. When you started at St. Leonard’s, I started my internship with my dad and that’s when I learned about how much trouble your father’s business was in.

  “Obviously, it was all confidential information and you’d never shown much interest in your dad’s work anyway, so I kept it to myself. We were getting pretty serious by then and I’d even spoken to my parents about you and what the next move would be. I was going to work for my d
ad’s branch in New York after I graduated and I didn’t know what you had planned. That’s when my mom gave me this.” Joachim pulled out a small ring box from his suit jacket. Eden knew exactly what was in it. He placed it between them. “Open it, Eden.” She shook her head. Joachim reached over and lifted the lid. Inside, as she’d assumed, was a diamond engagement ring the size of an olive. “It was my grandmother’s. I was going to give it to you during spring break, but then everything happened and you had to leave college and it just didn’t seem right so I decided to wait.”

  Eden stared at the ring, not daring to look at Joachim.

  “But I had already approached your father for his blessing. Your parents were thrilled. I thought your mother was going to have an embolism she was so excited about it. It was only after that when my father approached your dad about a merger...You can imagine how much your dad hated the idea of splitting his company or relinquishing control. But after he knew we were going to get married, or I mean, that I was going to ask you, the idea was much more appealing. Your dad knew that eventually I would take over my father’s firm and all its ventures. If we were married, it meant there would be a way for the merger to happen, but for his company to ultimately end up back in the hands of his family, with you as my wife.”

  Eden shuddered at those last words. “You were really going to ask me during spring break?” It was a truly beautiful ring, but staring at it now, she felt nothing except fear.

  “Yes. I had it all planned out. But then you dropped out of school. I thought about doing it when you decided to come back, but when I found out about the Edinburgh trip, I couldn’t do it. You clearly weren’t ready.”

  Eden looked at her phone. She only had five minutes to get to work. So much of the anger she’d been carrying around since Saturday seemed to be fading away. She had assumed so much from her father’s words and now she felt embarrassed about how dramatic she had made the whole thing seem. “I have to go. I’m going to be late otherwise.”