Artemis tensed with him each time he released. When he finally relaxed, so did she, slithering across his body until she was no longer wrapped around his throat. Sebastian took a deep breath and looked at Hellena. She wasn't looking at him, but trying to wipe her face off as quickly as she could.
"That came more quickly than I expected."
She shook her head, though he knew she was disgusted and a little perturbed.
"You didn't finish last night," she said. "I just wanted to help." When he reached for her, she jerked away, but looked up at him. "I'm not mad. If it was anyone else… But I'm okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
Sebastian felt bad, though there was little he could have done to stop. He knew the memories it brought back for her and he hated that he'd caused that.
"I'm just going to shower."
"I'll fix breakfast."
Hellena touched his cheek as she passed him. Sebastian sighed and sank into a slouch before he took Artemis back to her terrarium.
***
Hellena lifted her fork to her mouth and chewed. Sebastian hadn't ever realized how dainty of an eater she was. Mariss hardly ever made a mess when she was eating and Hellena was no different.
"What are you looking at?" She asked, and took a sip of her pop.
"You're a very polite eater. Are you about finished?"
She nodded. "I'm going to run to the restroom." She handed him her credit card. "I'm paying today."
She stood and walked away before he could argue. Sebastian tucked her card in his pocket and put his on the table, motioning to the waitress that he was ready for the check.
"It's a shame what she's doing. Dios mio. I don't understand that woman."
Sebastian turned at the sound of the familiar voice and spotted Eloisa at a table by the window with a woman he didn't recognize. He shouldn't have listened in on the conversation, but then, if he hadn't he wouldn't have heard the next part.
"She's been looking for the right funding for years and she finally found it."
The other woman, she had dark hair that fell past her shoulders and hid her face, said something he couldn't hear.
"She didn't have to ask him for anything. He came to her offering it up like a gift from heaven. She's not going to ask for that kind of money. ¿Eres estúpido?"
The waitress came to pick up his check. As she moved away, Eloisa looked up. Her eyes widened with shock and fear and Sebastian realized he was sneering. He wiped the expression from his face, filling his eyes with emptiness as Eloisa turned away quickly and called for her check.
The waitress brought his credit card back.
"Will you let the woman I was with know that I went to the car?"
"Sure, Mr. Boa."
He winked at her to be polite and left the restaurant quickly. It wasn't far from Mariss’ work building, so he was sure Eloisa was on her lunch break. He slipped around the corner in the direction he knew she would take to walk back to work and waited. A few moments later, Eloisa came hurrying by, her friend close by her side.
Sebastian grabbed her by the arm as she passed. Eloisa gave a cry of alarm and the friend stopped dead in her tracks, trembling.
"Mr. Boa," Eloisa gasped.
"Tell your friend to run along," he said. The friend didn't have to be told. She turned and ran the other way. "Who were you talking about at the restaurant?" he asked. His tone made it clear he was in no mood to be toyed with. The vein in his neck throbbed with his fury.
"I- I… Mr. Boa, you're hurting me."
Sebastian loosened his grip enough for Eloisa to pull away.
"Who were you talking about?" he demanded, getting more angry by the second.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Boa. I'm really sorry. Lo siento mucho." Eloisa backed away. Her eyes held a depth of sorrow that Sebastian didn't understand. She turned and hurried after her friend.
Sebastian watched her go until she disappeared. When he got to the car, Hellena was already waiting. He slid in beside her.
"Take me to the club," he told the driver. Taking out his
mobile he sent a text Juliet to meet him there.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Lost Investment
In the middle of the day The Tea Room was empty, so Sebastian felt it was as good a place as any for his meeting to decide the future of Mariss' company. He was lucky that Henry was in town and he had to tell a few white lies to get him there on such short notice.
"Come on, Henry. You won't catch anything," he prompted as the older man stepped hesitantly over the threshold of Sebastian's office. He gave Sebastian an annoyed glance, but closed the door behind him as he sat.
"I'm not so sure about that. It still smells of sex in here."
"Hm." Sebastian nodded. "That's just my natural pheromones."
"That so?" Henry asked.
"Yes. I believe Mariss calls is 'hot testosterone on a cracker'."
Henry blinked, surprised, then let his deep laughter fill the small room. "Is that what she said? I'm not surprised."
"No, I don't guess you would be. She told me the story of how the two of you met. I'd be interested to know the bits she left out."
"Yes, well, you'd have to ask her about that, wouldn't you? Speaking of Mrs. Red. Where is the lovely woman? Surely, you didn't use her as a ruse to get me here on my own?"
Sebastian snorted. "That's absolutely what I did, Henry. Now, shall we get on with the festivities?" He opened his desk and pulled out a folder. "When I bought into Mariss' company, I didn't realize that you gave me a portion of your share. I was looking over the paperwork. You were half owner before I came along."
"That's right," Henry agreed. "I sold you most of my share. Mariss and I had been in discussions about slowly weeding me out as owner for some time."
"Why is that?" Sebastian asked. As he talked, he slipped some newspaper articles and photos into a manila envelope along with a letter he'd written.
"Eventually, my involvement was going to become known and we wanted to cut ties before anything nefarious was concocted." Henry's eyes narrowed, but if he was suspicious he kept it to himself.
"I see. Yes, you did say something like that the other day." Sebastian took out a plain envelope this time and started penning a letter to go with it.
"What are you doing there?" Henry asked.
"Catching up on some neglected work. Here's what I want to do, Henry. I want to buy your portion of Red Wife Media Group."
"Without Mariss present? What are you up to, Boa?"
"Nothing that concerns you. I know you aren't willing to sell under these circumstances, so I'm willing to offer half of my club to you in exchange."
Henry's eyebrow went up. "Really? What would I want with a place like this?"
But they both knew what he'd want with a place like this.
"Convince the other benefactors to sell to me and I will give you half of the club in London as well."
"You won't get the majority of the shares, Sebastian. Even if the others and I agree to sell all our shares, you still will only have half at the most."
"Yes, I've done my homework," Sebastian said. "Mariss will always hold half or majority."
"What are you trying to do?" Henry's suspicious tone put Sebastian on edge.
"I'm not trying to do anything." Sebastian tried to chuckle, but it came out as a sneer. "You want to sell, I want to buy." He finished off the letter and put it in the envelope. That envelope he put inside another manila envelope and sealed them both.
"Your feelings are hurt," Henry said like he was having an epiphany. "My god. The two of you really were involved! I find that hard to believe, but your actions are so obvious."
"My actions?" Sebastian grunted. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I simply want to-"
"You listen to me, Sebastian Boa." Henry leaned forward and pointed a finger in Sebastian's face. The stern look Henry gave was like a father chastising his son. "If you do anything to try and hurt Mariss, I will make sure you-"
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Sebastian thundered. He almost came out of his seat with the anger that boiled through him.
"Don't get self-righteous with me, Boa." Henry settled back in his seat and glared at him with a look of satisfaction. "You fell for her."
Sebastian frowned, trying in vain to keep the sudden swell of angry emotion tamped down to a manageable level. He knew when he was fighting a losing battle. Staring over the desktop at Henry, he gave in and said, "Why didn't you tell me she was such a…"
"A what?" Henry's eyebrow went up with the question. "My experience with her clearly doesn't go to the extents with which yours does. What I know, is that she doesn't get entangled with people as easily as she did with you."
"Spare me the talk of how honorable she is. She used me, Henry. For my money."
Henry's frown was ferocious. It etched deep lines in his face that showed the age he kept so carefully hidden. "Mariss? What would she need to do that for? And why? You don't make any sense, Boa. Don't let your feelings get in the way."
"Feelings?"
"Yes. She's obviously hurt your feelings. Was it because she wouldn't leave her husband for you? I'm well aware of the current situation. As I understand it, she warned you. More than once."
"That's enough, Henry." Henry's smile was triumphant. "Do we have a sale or what?"
"I'll sell to you and I'll speak to the other men, but I can't make promises that they'll sell."
"Oh, they'll sell," Sebastian promised.
"If you do anything to harm Mariss, Sebastian, I'll ruin you."
Sebastian didn't say anything, though he didn't doubt Henry had the means to make good on his threat. He drew the meeting to a close and walked Henry out the front as one of his employees was coming in to start getting ready for the day. Her thin blonde hair demanded that she wear extensions on a regular basis. She was one of the favorites, though.
"Hello, sweetheart." Sebastian gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Do me a favor, will you? Run these to my friend Bart at the tabloid. Keep it low-key, yes?"
"Yes, Mr. Boa." The slight girl walked away down the street to do Sebastian's bidding. In the end, they always did, didn't they? Just like Henry.
***
Juliet barged into Sebastian's office with a look on her face that made him stop what he was doing.
"Juliet?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shouted.
"I beg your pardon? There's no need-"
"Like hell! What are you trying to do? I just came from Mariss' office. After each one of her benefactors pulled out one by one, she broke down in a sobbing heap. We had to call her husband and he had to get on a plane to fly home." Juliet slapped her hand down on his desk, leaning in so he could see just how furious she was. "We had to take her to the hospital and they had to sedate her because she flew into a furious rage."
Sebastian swallowed, remembering all too well what that could mean. "What happened? Was someone hurt?" He refused to feel guilty.
"She tried to hurt herself, Sebastian."
Understanding dawned.
"Yeah. Now you understand. Why are you doing this?" she begged, her eyes pleading and showing just how much she cared for Mariss. "What did she do to you, besides exactly what she said she would do?"
"What?" Sebastian blinked and closed his eyes against the confusion spinning around in his head.
"Mariss told you she wouldn't leave her husband for you. You didn't believe her did you?"
He glared into Juliet's furious face. "She used me," he defended weakly.
"For what?" Juliet was incredulous. "You are a selfish, self-centered, cruel bastard, Sebastian. I can't work for you anymore. Leave Mariss alone. She has done nothing to you, but keep her word. You are a weak, pathetic piece of shit."
With that, she stormed from the office. The front door slammed a moment later, leaving Sebastian staring after her to pick up the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that was his confused brain.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The Ginge Fringe
The library was cool and quiet save for the low chatter from the corner where Mariss and her employees were setting up their equipment. There were three other models present; the military man, the kid with the tattoos and piercings, and of course, the ginger named Paul.
Paul and Mariss seemed to be enjoying themselves. As Sebastian approached, their conversation was quiet enough that he couldn't hear, but then Paul said something and Mariss barked a loud laugh before she covered her mouth with her hand. Paul laughed at her, though he kept it quiet, but his eyes. The look in the man's eyes made Sebastian want to strangle them both.
"Careful," he said as he approached them. "She'll take you for a ride, then dump you on your arse. Isn't that right, Red?"
Mariss blinked at him. She tilted her head to the side with a questioning look, but didn't say anything.
Sebastian chuckled and moved past them. Juliet sat in a bright red beanbag chair against some bookshelves. She had a children's book in her hands. As she flipped through the pages she bounced her foot up and down.
"Juliet," Sebastian said in greeting. She didn't even look up to acknowledge his presence. He couldn't believe she was really that angry with him, but no matter.
He continued to a row of chairs settled beneath a window. From here, he could see Mariss and the others working. Paul was flirting hard. If Sebastian didn't know Mariss as well as he did, he'd have thought she was flirting back, but the more he watched the more he realized she was only reacting, not flirting.
"Mr. Boa, hair and makeup is in the next room."
Sebastian nodded at Brit. All of Mariss' office women were icy toward him and he couldn't really blame them.
After his hair and makeup was done and he slipped into his wardrobe, Sebastian was sent back out to join the other models. He sent a quick text message before silencing his mobile and tossing it on a chair.
The photo shoot was just like any other. Sebastian posed and smiled and frowned and read, as did the other models. Mariss took a certain liking to anyone that wasn't him. Seeing her touch, tease, and joke with the other models hurt more than Sebastian wanted to admit, but he reminded himself that she'd felt nothing for him. Mariss was simply using his body and his money, and he didn't feel so bad about what happened halfway through the shoot.
Four women marched through the door of the library a few moments after Sebastian and the other men finished their lunch break. They were scantily clad, but all of them beautiful in their own way. Sebastian perked up just seeing them come through the door.
"Ah," he said as the camera continued to click. "My birthday present."
Two of the women skipped right into his arms. The other two pet his arms, shoulders, and back like they couldn't get enough of him. He caught Mariss' expression out of his periphery.
"Your mother sent them for you?" she snapped.
Sebastian grinned, perversely loving that he was getting under her skin. "Yes. She thought I needed some class in my life."
Mariss eyes widened and her jaw dropped as an expression of shocked amusement took over her sour expression. She nodded. Sebastian saw her take the jab as a challenge as she turned away, then turned back.
"Shirts off," she said. "Just the men."
"Is this shirtless in the library?" Brit asked.
"Yes. No, Sebastian." Mariss held out a hand and he stopped in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt. "I said just the men."
Sebastian quirked an eyebrow, but Mariss maintained a straight face as everyone else laughed.
"Well, go ahead. Let's have your shirt off then."
Mariss smiled and shook her head. "Not me. I'm the picture of class so I keep my clothes on. The women can pose, but they aren't getting paid. That's your job anyway, isn't it?"
Sebastian shook his head. He couldn't help but be entertained by the exchange. He finished taking his shirt off and pulled his undershirt over his head in one smooth motion. When he looked up, Maris
s was watching him, but she quickly looked away, down at the phone in her hands. He handed his discarded clothing to one of his birthday gifts as his mobile phone vibrated in the chair where he'd left it.
There was a text from Mariss that said, :The hell do you think you're doing? They aren't models, I don't want them, and I'm not paying for them.:
Sebastian chuckled. :They're here at my request. I'll worry about "compensation" for them. ;):
He put his mobile down and looked up. Mariss shot him a glare that only made him grin. He made sure it was the one that made her swoon, but she turned away, the icy look never fading from her eyes.
"Alright!" Mariss called. "I want you with the Marine," she said to a blonde. "If you're going to be in the shot, you're going to be where I want you. You can be with Ginge. No, not you." She waved the redhead out of the way. "I don't want you hanging off someone you could be related to."
"Just because we're both gingers we have to look related?" Paul asked.
Mariss grinned at him, her whole face lighting up. "Yep. I want you with one of the brunettes. Tattoos, you get the other two women, um."
Sebastian watched her pause to think, tapping her bottom lip with her finger. He grinned. She was playing his game and she was good at it.
"I want them on either side, holding a book in front of your chest like they're holding it for you to read. One leg cocked up like they're going to wrap it around you. Yeah, just like that. Asshole?" Mariss turned to him and snapped her fingers like she was calling a dog. "You can lay on the floor in front of them. On your side and make sure your muscles are nice and big. Do you need to do some pushups or something?"
Sebastian got the feeling she was being serious about that last bit, but he gave her a dirty little smirk anyway and got into position on the floor in front of the other men, his head rested on one hand and one knee bent. Someone put a book in his hands and he held it up, flexing his biceps, pecs, and abs.
"Is this enough muscle?" he asked, his voice low.
Mariss' eyes raked over him. She coughed, cleared her throat, and said, "That'll do." She turned and took a seat next to Juliet. They eyed him as they spoke to each other quietly. Sebastian's ears itched to know what they were saying.
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