by Ashley Blake
“Elena, could you stay behind please?” Sebastian’s rich voice stopped me in my tracks and I was worried that I had crossed the line by offering unsolicited suggestions.
I stood against the wall, my nose buried in my notes, trying to look as if I was busy and not feeling a nervous wreck. After everyone cleared out, the only people left were me, Sebastian, Spencer and Shane. I just knew that I was in trouble and I felt sick to my stomach.
“Elena, we are going out to dinner and we would like for you to join us.” The way Sebastian told me was not a question so I knew that I would have to go. The thought of being in a social setting with the three Blu men was terrifying but I would just have to suck it up.
We went to a seafood restaurant, and I couldn’t believe it was just me with those three gorgeous men. We must have been an interesting sight to see because we turned heads from the second we walked out of the office building until the second we were seated at our table. There were a lot of whispers and many envious stares, aimed at me, from women in the restaurant but I just ignored them.
We made small talk for a while and then after we ordered we dug deeper. Spencer seemed obsessed with knowing more about me, and I was pretty sure that he suspected something had been going on with Sebastian and me because he was flirting with me outrageously while periodically glancing at Sebastian to watch his reaction.
“So Elena, a beautiful woman like you must either be married or have a boyfriend.” Spencer definitely had the sexy, bad boy thing going on, he was super cocky and full of himself and I could see how it would be very easy to fall for it. But my heart already belonged to someone else, someone who was trying very hard not to let the longing show in his eyes when he looked at me.
“No, I am not married,” I looked over at Sebastian and held his gaze, “and I do not have a boyfriend.”
To say that Sebastian looked crushed when I said those words would be a complete understatement. But with his complicated life and failure to tell me the truth about Sophia and his son, I couldn’t help but remind him that I was a free woman.
A huge smile spread across Spencer’s face and he shifted in his chair, leaning closer to me, as if he thought he had a chance with me. Not in a million years buddy.
“I will be here until Saturday and I would love to take you out. Let me show you Miami the way it is meant to be seen.”
It took everything in me not to laugh in his face and, thankfully, Sebastian stepped in, anger flashing across his eyes. “Enough Spencer, I’m sure Elena has better things to do than waste her time with you.”
Spencer shot him a cool look and raised his eyebrow. “Oh, have I stepped on toes big brother?”
Sebastian’s jaw was set and I could see that he was clenching his teeth. Sebastian’s face was mottled in rage as he shot Spencer a death glare and Shane, once again, stepped in.
“Guys, I’m sure that Elena doesn’t need to feel caught in the middle so let’s just have a good evening, okay? It’s been how long since we’ve all been together?”
Sebastian instantly calmed down when he heard Shane’s voice and gave him a distracted smile.
“It’s been too long Shane and you’re right, we should be enjoying each other’s company instead of bickering. How are things with Kylie?” Sebastian looked at me. “Kylie is Shane’s girlfriend from Chicago.”
“Not anymore, she broke up with me a few weeks ago.” He had a big smile on his face.
“I was going to tell you how sorry I was to hear that Shane, but you look pretty happy about it.” I gave him a small smile.
“It was probably one of the happiest days of my life so far. That girl was nothing but drama and it was exhausting.”
I nodded my head at him. “I get it.”
“Don’t worry, Shane won’t be single for long, the women are constantly chasing him.” Thankfully, Spencer had lightened up as he joked with Shane.
Shane shook his head. “No time for women right now, my first priority is the hotel.”
"I know Sebastian runs Blu Sierra Miami, and Spencer you run Blu Sierra Los Angeles, but Shane are you running Blu Sierra Chicago or are you still training?”
“The hotel is all mine now, my brothers have taught me everything that I need to know.”
“Yes, Shane is definitely ready to take over the Chicago hotel and run with it. We know that he will do an incredible job there.” Sebastian’s voice was full of pride.
“Yes, our little Shane is going to be a superstar in this industry.” Spencer and Shane seemed to have a good relationship and the only tension was between Spencer and Sebastian.
“That’s more than we can say for you Spencer, now isn’t it?” Sebastian’s words were laced with irritation and his question seemed to have completely caught Spencer off guard.
They really didn't seem to care that they were airing all of their dirty laundry in front of me. I sat there feeling uncomfortable with the level of tension that was palpable in the air.
Spencer shot him a steely glare. “Blu Sierra Los Angeles is doing just fine. Let’s change the subject, shall we?” He glanced at me and then held Sebastian’s gaze as a smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. “How are Sophia and Jaden doing?”
I could see that Sebastian was about to explode and Shane quickly jumped in. "Okay, that's enough! We are being extremely rude to our guest and we are going to change the subject. Elena you’ll have to forgive both of my brothers for their rude behavior this evening. I hope you won’t let their behavior sway your opinion of me. I have really enjoyed getting to know you and I look forward to working with you as we build our newest hotel.”
“I have enjoyed getting to know all of you this evening and I understand that families have their stuff, so no worries.”
Out of the corner my eye I could see Sebastian giving me a grateful look and I glanced at Shane who was smiling at me. "You are one smart lady.”
“Smart and beautiful.” Spencer’s comment didn’t cross the line so I appreciated that.
“Thank you, Spencer.”
Sebastian looked almost bashful and I could see that he wanted to say something but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
Our food finally arrived and when we were done eating I decided to drill Spencer a little bit since he had given Sebastian a little dig.
“So Spencer, I take it you’re a bachelor, yes?”
He perked up a bit when he realized that the spotlight was on him. “Yes, I am Elena, but I would change that for you in a heartbeat.”
He winked at me and I was surprised to feel a tiny flutter of butterflies in my belly. As much as I hated to admit it, Spencer had that hot, sexy guy thing going on and I could see how it would be easy to fall for him. I could feel Sebastian watching us and I almost didn’t flirt back with Spencer, but then I decided that it would be good for Sebastian to see that other men were interested in me. I know it was kind of mean given his history with Spencer but I thought that he needed to be knocked down a couple of notches. Everything was not always going to be on Sebastian’s schedule and done the way Sebastian wanted it done.
“In a heartbeat, huh?” I glanced at Sebastian and then look at Spencer as I tossed my long dark locks over my shoulder. “So earlier you said you would show me Miami the way it was meant to be seen. Maybe before you leave this weekend you can tell me the places I should check out.”
“I can do better than that. Clear your calendar on Friday and I will show you the best time you’ve ever had.”
I knew that Sebastian was probably fuming and Shane was too preoccupied with his phone to notice what was going on with Spencer and me. Before I could turn him down Sebastian did it for me.
His voice was firm and his irritated expression unyielding. “Elena cannot clear her calendar on Friday Spencer, she has responsibilities at work which is something that you should have also. Just because you’re not in Los Angeles does not mean that there is no work for you to do. We are going to be swamped with planning the new Dubai hotel an
d that planning begins tomorrow.”
Something really interesting happened, Spencer did not talk back to Sebastian on this one and I could see that Sebastian had the final word about business. It made sense since he was the oldest and had the most experience with the business. Things were feeling really tense so I changed the subject.
“I am really looking forward to working on the Dubai hotel. Will those of us working closely on marketing for the hotel get a chance to see it in person?” I was dying to go to Dubai and I knew I had a look of quiet desperation on my face.
My question distracted Sebastian and he gave me a half-hearted smile. “We are going to have a grand opening and all senior management will be invited. We do that with all of our hotels.”
“Oh wow, something to look forward to.”
The waiter asked if we wanted dessert but we all passed. We had been there for a while and it was getting late. The next day was going to be really busy at work so I was ready to call it a night.
“I should get going pretty soon, I still have some work to do tonight when I get home.”
“Elena’s right, we are going to be swamped tomorrow.” Sebastian glanced at all of us.
“Elena, it was a pleasure to meet you. If you ever have any questions or want to bounce ideas of off someone, feel free to contact me.” Shane gave me a friendly smile and I returned it. I got a really good feeling from him, he was a genuinely kind person and I liked him. I could totally see what Sebastian meant when he said that Shane was an awesome person.
“Thanks Shane. I’m sure I will take you up on that.”
Spencer grabbed my hand, raising it to his lips. “It was very nice to meet you, Elena. I am sure we will be seeing a lot of each other.” He held my gaze and I could feel my cheeks getting hot.
“It was nice to meet you as well, Spencer.” I tore my gaze away his and had to remind myself that he was nothing but trouble. I looked around the table at all three of them. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner with you, I enjoyed getting to know all of you and I am looking forward to working with all of you. I am excited to have the opportunity to share my ideas with you about Blu Sierra Dubai. I will see you all tomorrow in the office?”
Shane smiled at me. “Yes, we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sebastian stood and held my chair for me. “I’ll walk you to the car. Guys, I’ll be right back.”
We walked in silence to the door and a black town car was waiting for me outside. When we stepped outside Sebastian turned and looked at me, the wind gently brushing his hair.
“Thank you for joining us for dinner. I’m glad you had a chance to meet my brothers away from the office. You can probably see that there is a big difference between Spencer and Shane.”
What I can see is that all of you are gorgeous. “Yes, I noticed a difference, but being different is what makes the world go around, right? Shane seems extremely mature for his age, Sebastian. He is going to make some girl very happy one day, he’s very sweet.”
“Oh, interested in my younger brother?” He tried to sound like he was joking but I could see the hint of jealousy flash across his eyes.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. He’s just very nice, I can see why you are closer to him than Spencer. Spencer seems a little more self-centered and I can definitely see that he’s a handful.”
He gave a small chuckle. “That’s an understatement.” He reached out and smoothed my windblown hair away from my face, his eyes searching mine, and the butterflies went crazy. He was so beautiful and regret was tugging at my heart as I looked at him, but I was so hurt by him and I didn’t want to give in.
“Elena, can I take you out Saturday night?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sebastian.”
“Please.” I could see the hurt and the longing in his eyes and I had to look away because I could feel myself getting weak.
“It’s just not the right time. Thank you again for dinner, I will see you in the office tomorrow.” I turned and ducked into the car quickly before he could say anything, and as we drove off I turned to see him standing there, watching me drive away.
I turned back around and a loud sigh escaped my lips as I slumped down in my seat, ran my fingers through my hair in frustration and gazed out of the window. The wall that I built around my heart was slowly beginning to crumble each time I saw him and I started to question why I was staying away from him.
Chapter Sixteen – Court Calls
The next few weeks passed quickly and on a Tuesday morning my attorney called me to tell me that Brian’s court date was scheduled for the following month. A glimmer of fear coursed through my veins when I thought there might be a chance that he would be released. My attorney assured me that wouldn’t happen but I wouldn’t feel 100 percent comfortable until I knew for sure that he would remain locked up. I must have had a worried look on my face because as Sebastian passed by he knocked on my door.
“Everything okay?” We had not really talked since I went out to dinner with him and his brothers, even though he still sent me flowers and a note every week. As far as I knew, everything was still unresolved with him, Sophia and the whole custody thing so I was keeping my distance.
I looked up at him standing in my doorway and I had to admit that I was happy to see him. I needed to talk about my fears about Brian and since Sebastian was one of the few people who knew what had happened with him, even though we weren’t speaking the way we used to, I needed to get it out.
“Do you have a few minutes?”
His face was filled with concern. “Of course.” He came into my office, shut the door behind him, and sat down across from me. “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath and raised nervous eyes to meet his.
“I just talked to my lawyer and he told me that Brian’s court date is set for Monday the 21st, next month. Sebastian, what if they let him go?”
“Elena, that is not to going to happen.”
He sounded extremely sure of himself so I wondered if he knew something I didn’t.
“How can you be so sure? Do you know something?”
“I had someone do some digging and I found out that he committed a lot of crimes on his way to see you. His obsession with you is really strong and he basically dug himself deep into a hole that he won’t be able to get out of. He won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. You honestly have nothing to worry about.”
I felt a little bit of relief when he told me that, but I knew that I wouldn't feel hundred percent relaxed about everything until I heard what the judge had to say. I was really thankful that Sebastian took the time to look into things for me and it was only fair that I told him that.
My eyes searched his. “Sebastian, thank you for doing that, it shows me how much you care.”
He looked very surprised. “You don’t know how much I care?”
I looked down at my desk and my voice was very small. “Yes, I do.”
“Good, I’m glad. I have news to share with you also.”
I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Our final custody hearing is two weeks from today. We will finally know what the custody arrangement will be and I won’t have to deal with Sophia’s games and bullshit anymore. She has been using Jaden to get to me since she first told me she was pregnant and I can’t wait until everything is finalized and I won’t have to deal with her anymore.”
I looked at him. "Sebastian, you do know that she will be in your life in some capacity forever because you share a child together. You do understand that, don’t you? Sophia is never going to go away.” As I said the words it confirmed the reservations I’d had about getting involved with him and the thought of having to deal with a woman like that for the rest of my life was not something I was sure I wanted to even consider.
I must have had an unhappy look on my face because the next thing I knew Sebastian was reaching across my desk and grabbing my hand.