by Susanna Carr
She turned away from the window and he saw her smile. “She wanted to tell me all of the mean things you did to her while you were growing up. I have to say, none of it surprised me.”
“I had to be strict with her,” he said as he approached her. “I’m her big brother and our father had died.”
She nodded. “I understand, but you’re lucky you had your sisters.”
“It didn’t feel so lucky,” he muttered.
“Well, I was an only child. I would have loved a sister or two.”
He noticed Ashley had watched how his family interacted with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. “They were in full force today. You didn’t find them overwhelming?”
“It took some time to get used to it,” she admitted. “Your sisters got a little vocal at the dinner table.”
“That?” He rested his hand against the wall and he leaned into her. “That was nothing.”
She gave him a look of disbelief. “You were arguing about a vase that broke almost twenty years ago.”
“I was blamed for that because I was supposed to be looking after my sisters.” He hadn’t been surprised that Ashley didn’t side with him during the argument. Did she still see him as the opposition? The enemy? “Ana Sofia was the one who actually broke it.”
“Twenty years ago,” she reminded him. “You can certainly hold a grudge.”
“You have no idea.” He gritted his teeth and took a step back. Sebastian wasn’t going to reveal just how much a grudge motivated him. Dominated his thoughts. “I’m sure this happened in your house, too. Who were you able to blame when you broke something? The family dog?”
“It never happened, but I don’t think my parents would have noticed. Quite a few breakables were thrown against the wall during an argument in my house,” she said matter-of-factly. “And I can’t count how much damage occurred during one of my father’s famous house parties.”
Was this why Ashley didn’t drink or party? Why she didn’t enjoy dancing and preferred her solitude? He wouldn’t blame her. Ashley’s home life was more of a war zone than a wonderland. “How did you escape? Did you spend a lot of time at a friend’s house?”
“Not really. Once their parents found out that I was a mistress’s love child I wasn’t invited over. Something about being a bad influence.” She grimaced as if she had tasted something unpleasant. “Love child. It sounds like I was born out of love, but I wasn’t. I hate that label.”
And she hated the label of mistress. He didn’t know that it would hurt her so much. He didn’t know she had been an outcast because of the stigma. He had made a power play without considering Ashley’s past. But how could he fix it now?
Ashley raked her hand over her hair and rolled back her shoulders. Sebastian had seen that movement before. He knew this was a sign that she was finished with the conversation.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said as she walked away. “Did your father paint this watercolor?”
His gaze flew to the framed picture that hung on the wall. He’d forgotten about the picture of the sunset. “Yes.”
“It’s very good,” she said as she walked to the bedside table and gave the picture a closer look. “It reminds me a lot of the sunsets I see on Inez Key. It kind of makes me homesick.”
The longing in her quiet tone scored at him. He wasn’t going to fall for this guilt trip. He had to be strict with Ashley or she would soon discover that he was willing to give her almost anything she wanted.
“Is this another attempt to go back to the island?” he asked as he followed her.
She jerked her head in surprise and turned to face him. “No. I’m a mistress for a month and I have to be at your beck and call for a little over two weeks. I can wait.”
The pang of guilt intensified. He should honor his word and allow her to become the caretaker for Inez Key. But he didn’t want her on the island. She didn’t belong there. Ashley Jones belonged in his bed and at his side.
“What if we renegotiated?” he asked.
Ashley frowned and she studied his expression, as if trying to determine whether he was reneging. “What are you talking about?”
“The time frame remains the same but we drop the mistress part,” he suggested as he reached for her. “Forget the rules I set in place.”
She pressed her hand against his bare chest. Her fingers curled in the damp mat of his dark hair. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” he said as he moved closer.
“Is this renegotiation because you don’t want your mistress in your family home,” she asked, “or because you can’t tolerate the idea that your mistress might be having your baby?”
“You know, I should have walked away when you broke your promise,” he said. “You were supposed to be available to me at all times, but you went off with Salazar for a few days.”
Ashley gave an exasperated sigh. “You make that sound much more scandalous that it was. And may I remind you that you broke both of my rules?”
“Do you want to drop the mistress label or not?” he asked roughly as he gathered her tightly until her body was flush with his.
She swiped her tongue along her bottom lip. “What would I be known as instead?” she whispered.
“Mine.”
He saw the flare of heat in her dark eyes. She dipped her head and looked away. “I’m serious.”
“As Ashley.” My Ashley. My woman. Mi vida. Mine. And the next man who tried to take her away from him would deeply regret it.
Ashley frowned and lifted her head to meet his gaze. “Do you still expect total obedience?”
“If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s not going to,” he said as he pressed his mouth against the fluttering pulse point at the base of her throat. He liked how trusting and wild she was in his arms. That was all he needed.
“I can make my own decisions on which events to attend with you?” Ashley asked, her breath hitching as he shoved the delicate strap down her shoulder. “And what I’m going to wear?”
Sebastian cupped her breast with his large hand. He felt her tight nipple against his palm. “Yes,” he said almost in a daze.
“And tonight I could get my own bedroom?”
He stilled as something close to fear forked through him. “No,” he said with a growl. He should have known that if he gave her an inch, she’d take a mile. The only hold he had left on Ashley was the sexual chemistry they shared. She couldn’t hide her emotions, her needs, when they were in bed. He wasn’t going to allow any distance between them.
“Why not?” she teased. “Is it really that important to you? I—”
“You are not kicking me out of your bed again. You don’t want sex tonight? Fine,” he snapped. “But we’re sharing the same bed. Always.”
“It’s a deal,” she said with a seductive smile. “And Sebastian?”
“What?” His tone was harsh as the relief poured through him.
“I want you tonight,” she said as she reached for the towel wrapped around his waist. “All night and every night.”
“I’ve noticed,” he drawled as his heart pounded in his ears. Sebastian lifted Ashley and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He had wondered when she was going to admit that she couldn’t keep her hands off him. He knew she wouldn’t have made the confession as a mistress.
This impetuous renegotiation was going to give him everything he wanted.
CHAPTER NINE
THE ELEGANT SOUTH BEACH restaurant offered a spectacular view and an award-winning menu, but Sebastian barely noticed. He didn’t care that he had a mountain of work waiting for him at the office or that some of the most powerful people in Miami were sitting nearby, hoping to catch his eye. Nothing mattered except the exquisite brunette at his side.
Sebastian leaned back in his
chair and smiled as he heard Ashley’s earthy laugh. It made him tingle as if a spray of fireworks lit under his skin. Ashley’s laugh was one of his most favorite sounds. It was right up there with her moan of pleasure and the way her breath hitched in her throat when he knew just how to touch her.
He watched Ashley as his friend Omar told her about one of their ill-conceived childhood antics. Omar embellished the story, making it sound as if he’d saved Sebastian from a gruesome death instead of the daily violence they had faced. His friend’s wife shook her head as she listened to the story with a mix of horror and amusement.
Sebastian wished he could freeze this moment. It was rare for him to feel content. Satisfied. Hopeful. He didn’t allow himself a lot of downtime. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent the evening with his friends. Sebastian didn’t feel the need to relax and have a drink. He was always pursuing the next challenge, creating the next strategy.
All that changed once he had Ashley at his side. His body tightened with lust as he studied her. She wore her hair piled high on her head. He was tempted to reach over, pull the pins and watch the heavy waves fall past her bare shoulders. He suspected she chose the style to tease him all evening.
Her dress was another matter. Short, strapless and scarlet, Ashley had worn it to please him. She knew how to showcase her curves and she was aware that his favorite color was red. The bold cleavage made him grit his teeth, but he was secretly touched that she dressed with him in mind.
He was glad she chose to be at his side tonight and every night. Not as his mistress, but as... As what? His lover? His girlfriend? Possibly the mother of his child? He was reluctant to give her that kind of power or accept her claim in his life. He wasn’t sure what Ashley was, but she was important to him.
But their month was almost up. If she wasn’t pregnant, he had to let her go. Unless he followed through and allowed her to become the caretaker of Inez Key. It wasn’t an ideal choice since he wasn’t going to live on the island. But he planned to visit frequently....
Ashley tilted her head back and laughed. “I can just picture it,” she said between gasps as she flattened her hands against her chest. “You two were trouble.”
“Wait a second!” Crystal’s eyes lit up as she pointed her finger at Ashley. “Now I know why you look familiar.”
Sebastian saw Ashley stiffen. He wanted to silence Omar’s wife. Protect Ashley. It was unfair for Ashley. She had lowered her guard only to be confronted with her family history.
“You are the daughter of that tennis legend,” Crystal exclaimed.
“Yes, I am,” Ashley confirmed quietly as she reached for her water glass. “How did you know?”
“Like I said, I am a news junkie,” Crystal said proudly. “There was something about the way the light hit your face. You look exactly like your mother.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said. Was it only Sebastian who noticed the pain that flashed in her eyes? Linda Valdez had been a beautiful woman, but Ashley didn’t like being compared to her mother.
“Who are you talking about?” Omar asked his wife.
“Ashley’s father was Donald Jones. The tennis star,” Crystal explained.
Sebastian admired Ashley’s calm. He knew what she was thinking. That his friends were going to see her differently because she was a love child and her mother was a mistress. Because her parents died in a murder-suicide.
She would soon learn that his friends—his true friends—didn’t judge. After surviving the ghetto and witnessing the darker side of humanity, nothing shocked them.
“Donald...Jones?” Omar repeated slowly and gave Sebastian a quick glance.
Damn. Sebastian’s gut twisted with alarm. He’d forgotten that Omar knew how his past was intertwined with Donald Jones. Sebastian gave the slightest shake of his head and Omar immediately went quiet. He hoped Ashley didn’t notice the silent exchange.
“Oh, I’m sure I have mascara streaming down my face,” Ashley murmured as she pressed her fingertips underneath her eyes. She grabbed for her purse and stood up. “I’ll have to fix my makeup.”
Sebastian quietly rose from the table. He knew Ashley wanted to hide. Just for a moment so she could firmly fix the cool mask she displayed to the public. The one that made people think she lived a quiet and uneventful life on a private island.
“I’ll come with you,” Crystal offered as she scrambled out of her seat.
Ashley didn’t say anything, but Sebastian noticed the tension in her polite smile. He wanted to intervene and protect her from the intrusive questions Crystal would undoubtedly ask. He couldn’t. His guarded response would create more questions.
He reached for her and pressed his lips against her temple. He felt Ashley lean against him briefly before she stepped away. He wanted to block Crystal, but Ashley was experienced in facing this kind of attention with grace.
He sat down once the women left the table and immediately faced Omar’s disapproving glare. “Donald Jones?” his friend asked angrily. “It can’t be a coincidence.”
He wasn’t going to insult his friend with a lie. “It’s not.”
Omar rubbed his forehead and exhaled sharply. “What have you done, Sebastian?”
He jutted out his chin. “I settled an old score. Karma was taking too long.”
“I thought you put all this behind you,” Omar said. He looked around to make sure no one could hear the conversation. “You’ve become richer and more powerful than Jones.”
That didn’t mean he’d won. “It doesn’t erase what he did.”
Omar shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why now? Why, after all this time?”
There had been a time when Sebastian had been consumed by the injustice. It ate away at him, making him feel weak and empty. He had been an angry boy. He had been a kid who’d lost his innocence too soon and his childhood the moment he had been thrown into a cruel world. He wanted to get what was stolen from him and pushed himself every day to the brink of exhaustion to become rich and powerful.
He had suffered setbacks and bad luck, but by the time he had made his first million, Sebastian wasn’t thinking about Donald Jones. His goal had been to protect his family from losing everything. They would never be at the mercy of the Donald Joneses of the world.
But then his mother had heart surgery, and everything changed. He realized he was still the angry little boy who couldn’t allow the injustice to go untouched.
“When we thought my mother was dying, she had only one request.” Sebastian remembered his mother lying on the hospital bed, pale and fragile. She had struggled to speak and he knew this favor meant everything to her, even after all these years. “How could I deny her?”
“I know your mother,” Omar said with a frown. “She didn’t ask for revenge.”
“What I’m doing is righting some wrongs,” Sebastian argued. “Finding justice.”
“Then I have to ask you this.” Omar rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. “What threats did you make to Ashley? What did you take from her? And what will she have left when all this is done?”
“You don’t have to worry about Ashley. Spoiled heiresses always land on their feet.” Sebastian winced. He shouldn’t have called her that. Ashley had once lived in a world of excess and privilege, but if she were really a pampered princess, she wouldn’t have survived on her own for this long.
“She’s no spoiled heiress,” Omar insisted. “Believe me, I’m married to one. Ashley is innocent. She’s going to be collateral damage. Just like you were.”
Sebastian glared at his friend. Ashley wasn’t getting the same treatment that he had received. She lived in luxury and under his protection. “Omar, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I hope not,” Omar’s eyes were dull with disappointment. “Because I never thought I’d see the day wh
en you became just like Donald Jones.”
“I am nothing like that man,” he hissed.
“Time will tell,” Omar murmured. “Sooner than you think.”
* * *
It was hours later when Ashley returned to the penthouse apartment with Sebastian. Despite Crystal’s inquisitive nature and the painful memories that were dredged up with her pointed questions, Ashley had been determined to end the night on a lighthearted note. She didn’t want anyone to know how much her family’s action still hurt after all these years.
Sebastian excused himself and went to his office to return a few phone calls. She knew he would be there for a while and she was grateful to have a moment alone. Kicking off her heels, Ashley headed to the swimming pool.
She was too tired to swim. The cold water wasn’t going to take away the chill that had seeped into her bones. Ashley paced around the pool as she tried to purge her memories.
“Ashley?” Sebastian’s voice cut through her troubled thoughts. “What are you doing here?”
She shrugged. “Just thinking. Don’t you have some calls to return?”
“That was hours ago,” he said as he strolled toward her.
“Oh.” She stopped and stared at the Miami skyline. She had no idea that much time and passed.
“What did Crystal say when you two were alone? Did she upset you?”
Ashley shook her head. “Crystal kept asking the same questions everyone else does. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Her questions stirred up something?”
“I still can’t forgive what my parents did to each other,” she muttered. “Most of all, I can’t forgive myself.”
Sebastian frowned. “Why do you need forgiveness?”
Ashley crossed her arms tightly against her. She wanted to remain quiet, but the confession pressed upon her chest. “When I was eighteen I’d had enough of my father’s infidelities. I couldn’t stand the fact that my mother was unable to see what was going on right under her nose.”