Jackass.
“We are so pleased with the results of tonight’s fundraiser,” he said. “Together, I know that we are all going to make a difference!”
The room erupted in applause, but I couldn’t be sure if it was because of his comment or because they were glad that he was finally done talking.
Or at least I thought he was.
“We all know why we’re here tonight,” he said, when he stepped back to the microphone. “But there’s a little side-project we’ve been working on that we wanted to take the opportunity to present to you tonight. It’s something that is very near and dear to my—and John Maxwell’s—heart.” He paused a moment, and then my father stepped up onto the stage. “I’m going to pass the microphone to my dear friend and business partner, John Maxwell.”
Another round of applause, and soon Ken was standing beside me, and dear-old-dad was stepping up to the podium. No one told me of this change of plans, and as Levi, Cole, and Declan all looked up at me, I gave the barest of shrugs to let them know that I had no idea what was going on.
“You were supposed to let me know of all the speakers tonight, Ken,” I muttered as I casually turned my head toward him.
“It was a last minute thing, Sebby,” he said, his smile never falling. “And from what I’m told, it’s because of you that we’re having to do this, so don’t go getting all pissy with me.” He faced forward toward the crowd as if nothing had been said.
“In the world of big business,” my father began, “there are times when you lose sight of things. When you’re responsible for thousands of employees and working countless business deals, there are things that can fall through the cracks.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Ken Gentry and I have worked together for more than twenty years. We have many employees who have been with us since the beginning and some that are new to the company. We care for all of them—and their families—as if they were part of our own family.”
Seriously, I felt like I was going to retch from listening to the bullshit. I focused again on Ali. She wasn’t hard to find—my eyes had never been far from her. I’d been watching her every move since she arrived. I could see that she was listening intently to what my father was saying, but she was unable to actually look at him.
“Several years ago, was one of those times when something slipped through the cracks. It wasn’t intentional, but we’re here to right a grievous wrong.”
The man should consider politics, I thought.
“I would like to announce a new project from Maxwell Industries. With the way that the economy has been for the last several years, we are constantly hearing about the unemployment rate, and part of the problem is that so many are lacking in the area of education and technology. We at Maxwell’s believe in being part of the solution and not part of the problem. So starting Monday, we are opening a brand new branch office that will be dedicated to giving new jobs to all of the employees who we had to lay off for financial reasons before. A new career. A new hope.”
The room broke out in wild applause again, and I could see that Ali has gone pale. I wanted to jump off the stage and go to her, but I needed to stay put and let things finish unfolding here.
“These employees are going to first receive new training to get their skills up to date and then they are going to be a part of new movement to help others—like themselves—who have struggled to find work, get the training that they need to get back into the work force.”
More applause.
“And,” he said loudly to be heard over the volume in the room, “to each of those families that have struggled because of lost jobs, each household will receive a full college scholarship to the school of their choice to be used as they see fit for their family. We at Maxwell’s take great pride in taking care of the people who work so hard for us, and right now, those employees are being contacted and receiving their incentive packages to help them come back to work as early as Monday, if they want. Thank you!”
My father turned and shook Ken’s hand, and then they both turned and waved to the crowd. Cameras were flashing, and the press was running up to the stage to ask questions. Before my father stepped forward to take questions, he took two steps back and faced me. “I don’t agree with the way that you went about it, but I have to say, Sebastian, that I’m proud of you.”
I couldn’t help but give him a cocky smile. “Apparently, I learned from the master on how to get things done.”
“It pained me to have to do this, but seeing the response we’re getting, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing. You managed to screw me and make me look like a hero at the same time.” Before I could respond, he shook my hand and pulled me in close. It was the first time in recent memory that I could remember him ever initiating any physical contact. “I really am proud of you, son. Now go and take your business to a level that is worthy of our name.”
And then he was back in politician mode. That was fine with me because that meant I was free. Well and truly free. The guys were all grinning from ear to ear, as if they knew what had just happened. Maybe it was the grin on my face, or maybe it was the fact that my posture was more relaxed. Either way, without words, they knew that we were finally free to move forward.
Unfortunately, someone else was moving forward too. Or back, rather.
I spotted Ali running from the room. Heedless of the crowd on the stage or in front of it, I shoved my way through and jumped down. Luckily I didn’t knock anyone over—much—before I took off after her. There were so many damn people to get through that it was hard to keep a visual on her.
“What’s going on?” Levi asked, coming up beside me, his eyes wildly scanning the room.
“Not now.” I shouldered him out of the way.
“Wait, what’s up?” Cole asked, now making his way through the crowd with me. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Good,” I said and kept moving.
“What the hell?” Levi demanded. “Who are you going after?”
Just then, Declan joined us and managed to hold Cole and Levi back so that I could keep moving. Unhindered. “He’s got this,” he said.
“Got what?” Cole asked. “Seriously, what the hell is going on?”
Declan placed a hand on each of his buddies’ shoulders and turned them back in the direction they had originally come from. “He’s going to save the damsel in distress.”
“Wait…what?” Levi looked over his shoulder in confusion.
“Just trust me on this one. It’s something he has to deal with on his own.”
Meanwhile I had to keep fighting my way through the crowd and was pissed that the guys had caused even the smallest of distractions.
Ali bobbed and weaved through the crowd like a pro, and then suddenly she bent down. I thought that she was gone, but off to the far right, I caught sight of her again. No one stopped me as I made my way through the crowd—as if it was an everyday occurrence for people to be chasing one another through a formal ballroom.
I finally reached the perimeter of the room, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. My breathing was a little ragged, and I scanned around for where she could have gone. Hands on my hips, heart racing, and I felt briefly like I had lost everything.
Then a small movement caught my eye. There was a curtain behind one of the long tables that was swaying even though no one was near it. And that was when I remembered the anteroom. Ali had shown it to me weeks ago as being some sort of retreat for people at the event. They hadn’t promoted it for use at this particular gathering, but if someone wanted to hide, it was the perfect place.
Casually, I made my way toward it so that I didn’t draw attention to myself and then slipped behind the curtain and found the door. As soon as I opened it, I was met with those amazing dark eyes that had haunted my dreams for weeks.
“Sebastian?” she gasped. “How…how did you find me?” She was sitting in a chair, holding one shoe in her hand, and massaging her foot with the other.
I could tell by the look
on her face that she was uncomfortable, but I wasn’t sure if it was from my presence or her foot. I closed the door and discreetly locked it—in case she wanted to run again—and stepped closer. Her eyes went wide, and then she winced.
The foot.
Dropping on one knee in front of her, I gently pushed her hands away and began massaging her foot. “What happened?”
Her eyes closed briefly, and she let out a small moan before catching herself. “Stupid shoes,” she muttered and glared at the one she had dropped to the floor. “I don’t normally wear anything so high, but…” She shrugged.
“Shoes like that are made for walking, not running,” I managed to get a small smile out of her. Then my hands stilled. “Why were you running, Ali?” She tried to look away but my finger on her chin brought her eyes back to mine. “Why?”
“It was you, wasn’t it?” she asked quietly, her voice small and shaky. When I didn’t respond, she rephrased the question. “You’re the reason that they did that, aren’t you?”
I shrugged because it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to take credit for doing anything because it was a situation that shamed me—what my father and his company had done and how I had to stoop to their level to make it right. But one look at the tears brimming in Ali’s eyes, and I knew I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
She placed a hand over mine—the one that was now cupping her cheek. “Why? Why did you do it? After all the things that we said…that I said…why?”
Did she really need to ask? “Because I love you.”
Her eyes went wide again. “What?”
A small chuckle escaped before I could stop it. “Because I love you, Ali. Maybe even from the first moment I saw you.”
“You saw my butt hanging out a window first.” Her face was transforming with a joy that was almost palpable.
“Yeah, well, it’s a pretty spectacular butt.” I rose so that I could get closer. I leaned my forehead against hers and felt my entire world being righted. "This face,” I said as I caressed her cheek, “I fell in love with this face. Sometimes there’s nothing we can do to right wrongs or find justice. But sometimes there is. And, if I could do that for you, for both of us, then that’s what I needed to do.”
She shook her head and tried to pull away. “I never should have asked that of you. It was my battle…my personal…”
“It wasn’t just your battle. It was mine too. I know that I can’t take away all of the hurt and struggles of the last six years, but from this point on, I want us to look toward the future. No more looking back. Okay?”
A small smile played at her lips. “Okay.”
“Good.” I felt that it was important that we clear that up before I did what I’d really wanted to do. And that was to kiss her. I craved her more than I craved my next breath, and before either of us could speak again, my lips claimed hers.
It wasn’t meant to be sweet. It wasn’t meant to be seductive. It was meant to claim. She was mine. I never wanted her to doubt that again. She was everything to me, and I poured all that I was into the kiss. Luckily she was right there with me because, before I knew it, she had completely wrapped herself around me.
“There’s a lock on the door,” she whispered against my lips.
“Already locked.” I gently bit her neck and then her shoulder. “Did I mention how beautiful you look in this dress?” She shook her head. I continued to nip and lick and kiss my way from her shoulder to her collar bone and down to where the fabric was skimming the swell of her breasts. “You do. Absolutely stunning. You take my breath away.”
Ali made a sound like a purr. “You look pretty amazing in that tux, too.”
I raised my head and stared down into her beautiful face. “You think so?”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
“You know what I think?” I asked, and she shook her head. “I think that we’d both look—and feel—pretty damn good out of this fancy attire. What do you say?” I was more than ready to lift her in my arms and make good on every erotic thought running through my head.
“I say let’s make a gracious exit and go back to your hotel. I want you all to myself for the rest of the night. I’d hate for anyone to find us in here.”
“Sweetheart, we can go back to my hotel if that’s what you really want. but I’m telling you now, that I want you for myself for much longer than tonight.”
She smiled the sweetest smile I had ever seen in my life. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Thirteen
Ali
Sebastian had a very nice apartment.
Now that he was through with the Gentry job, he was living in his own place downtown again, instead of that hotel. I’d been coming over a lot in the last couple of months, since my place offered absolutely no privacy.
I hadn’t moved out yet, though. My family still needed me. Dad had gotten one of the jobs with the new Maxwell project, and he was doing pretty well in AA, but it was still early days, and I wanted to stick around to support him so he didn’t fall off the wagon. Tyler was doing a little better, since he didn’t want to get kicked out of the house entirely, but he wasn’t anywhere close to dependable. And it still took a lot of work to draw Rosie out of her shell. They all still needed me.
But things were finally on the right path. With my dad’s new job, we weren’t always hurting for money. And, whenever I was at home, it didn’t feel like the weight of the world was pushing me down.
It was still nice to spend the night at Sebastian’s, though. For one thing, he had a big, fancy, jetted tub that he never used.
He was working late—meeting with the guys about business plans—so I’d headed over to his place after I finished up an appointment with Cheryl.
I’d stopped to buy some stuff for dinner, and I had a grand time fixing salad, pasta, and grilled chicken in Sebastian’s high-end kitchen.
I was just pouring myself a glass of wine when my phone beeped with a text.
It was Sebastian. Running late. Won’t be home for dinner. Sorry.
I sighed as I looked at my dinner and was tempted to be annoyed. But I made myself be reasonable. He didn’t know I was fixing something nice for dinner. Getting their security firm off the ground was a lot of work, and he was usually good about making time for me.
One late night working wasn’t reason enough to get pissy about.
I was about to reply when my phone beeped again with another text.
Love you.
I laughed softly as I stared down at the words.
He might be big and strong and masculine and impressive and come from more money than I’d ever dreamed of.
But he was such a sweet man at heart.
Okay. You’ll miss out on the dinner I made you. It’s delicious.
Damn. Save some.
If I’m feeling generous.
I can be generous too, you know.
Don’t I know it.
Feeling resigned but generally happy, I ate some of the dinner and then put the rest in the refrigerator for Sebastian to warm up.
When I was done, I turned on music, poured another glass of wine, and went to soak in the jetted tub.
It was a very nice bath.
Feeling relaxed afterwards, I put on a pair of pajamas that Sebastian had bought me—as a spontaneous present last week—and got into his big bed to read until he got home.
I’m not sure how long I read. I don’t think it was very long. The next thing I was conscious of was someone taking my ereader off my stomach, where it had ended up when I fell asleep.
Sebastian was grinning down at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“You went to bed early,” he said. He still wore his clothes, and his eyes were very soft.
“I was just reading.”
“Didn’t seem to be much reading getting done.”
“That was an accident. What time is it?”
“Nine-thirty.”
“Oh. I did go to bed early. I guess I was tired.”
“I have not. You’re the one who worked until after nine.”
“You can hide it all you want. I know how hard you’ve been working.”
“How did the meeting go?” I asked.
“Good. We’ve got some really good plans for the future. I think things are really going to take off.”
“I’m glad. You guys have been working so hard at it. I’m sure it’s going to pay off.”
He didn’t answer. Just sat on the edge of the bed and gazed down at me.
“What?” I asked at last, strangely self-conscious at the look in his eyes.
“Nothing. Just wondering what I ever did to deserve you.”
“That’s a ridiculous question. And I could ask you the same thing, you know.”
“Well, I know what you did.” His mouth lifted with a teasing smirk.
“What did I do?”
He leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips. “You showed your luscious little ass more times than I could resist. All those times I caught you sneaking around, offering me such a view. How could I not fall in love?”
I giggled helplessly and pulled him down on top of me. We kissed for a minute, tender and leisurely. He held his weight off me with his forearms.
“You’ve been drinking beer,” I said, when he pulled up slightly. “I thought you were having a business meeting.”
“We were. Nothing wrong with combining beer and business.” He gave me a lopsided grin.
I shook with amusement but tried to give him a stern glare. “I’m not sure if those guys are a good influence on you.”
“They’re good guys. They’re my friends.”
My amusement faded. “I know they are. I’m glad. You can have a beer with them whenever you want, as long as I’m not second-place.
“You,” he said with a husky note in his voice, “could never be second-place.”
He rolled us over so I was sprawled on top of him. He added, “Not when you wear such very sexy pajamas.”
Honor Bound Page 14