“Sebastian.” Bart smiles as he gestures to me. “Meet April Bennet, my new associate. She will be working closely with me from here on in. April, this is Sebastian Garcia: the man currently helping to run our country.”
Sebastian’s eyes stay fixed on mine, and he holds out his hand to shake mine. “Hello, April. Nice to meet you.” His voice holds no emotion.
Fuck, fuck, double fuck
This isn’t happening.
“Hello.” I grimace.
“Please, take a seat.” He gestures to the chairs at his desk.
Oh hell…. this is bad. Really bad.
I take a seat to stop myself from falling. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. My heart is beating fast. I wipe my brow, feeling faint.
Sebastian sits back in his chair, his eyes still locked on mine. He raises his chin in defiance.
He’s wearing a perfectly fitted navy suit. His dark hair has a wave to it, and his deep olive skin is in stark contrast to his crisp white shirt.
Arrogance personified.
“So, I’ve been researching our options.” Bart slips straight into business mode.
Sebastian’s eyes rise to him for the first time since we walked in.
But my gaze stays fixed on Sebastian’s face.
He’s older than when we met, a little weathered, but still so beautiful.
Sebastian Garcia is still the most handsome man I have had the misfortune to meet.
I feel my heart constrict in my chest as I listen to his deep voice as he speaks to Bart.
I get a vision of him looking up at me with his head between my legs, his lips glistening with my arousal, and I bite my bottom lip to get rid of the memory.
Stop it! He’s a complete asshole.
The bastard of all bastards.
I remember the way he used to kiss me, the way he would grab my face in his hands and his eyes would close, making me feel it all the way to my toes.
Fuck, cut it out.
I hate that he still affects me.
Bart and Sebastian keep talking business—something about an overpass on a motorway, and legislation about something else, but I can’t focus on a word they are saying, which I really need to because this is fucking important.
For half an hour, I sit, frozen on the spot. Sebastian hasn’t looked at me once.
Bart fishes into his pocket and digs out his phone that’s ringing. “Sorry, I have to take this. I’ll be back in a moment. You two acquaint yourselves.” He stands and rushes from the room, closing the door behind him.
We are left alone.
Sebastian’s eyes meet mine and we stare at each other, there are no words to say to this man.
He stays silent.
I need to say it. I need to get it off my chest. I take out my phone and scroll through my numbers. When I get to his name, I hope this is still his number. I type.
Is this room under surveillance?
A phone beep’s from inside his desk’s top drawer. He opens it and reads the message and holds up his phone. “Is this you?” he asks.
I nod.
He sits back in his chair and crosses his leg at the ankle. “No, the room is not monitored.”
I twist my fingers on my lap as I brace myself. “Sebastian, I’m sorry… for slapping you the other night in the cloakroom. I don’t know what came over me. That isn’t who I am, I regretted it the moment I did it.”
He glares at me, and animosity swims between us.
God, this is a nightmare.
“Can we just keep this professional between us?” I ask.
He gives me a sarcastic smirk. “Like you are now?”
“If we have to work together, can we at least be civil?” I whisper angrily as I begin to lose my patience.
He leans forward and places his palms on the desk. “Let me tell you something, April Bennet. You are in my office, and you will work under my rules from here on in. If you dare ever fucking hit me again, expect a return.”
I narrow my eyes as I imagine knocking the fucker clean out. “Mr. Garcia, I will not hit you again. Hell, I don’t even want to look at you.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that, April? Because you haven’t taken your eyes off me since you walked in.”
Fucking asshole.
I give him a sweet smile. “That was me wondering what I ever saw in you, and for the life of me, I just can’t work it out.”
His jaw ticks, and I know that stung. Well, too bad.
Our eyes are locked when the door opens behind me.
“Sorry about that,” Bart says as he interrupts our stand-off. “Where were we?”
Sebastian stands in a rush. “We have to leave it here for today, Bart. I’ve been called to an urgent cabinet meeting.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Bart replies. “I’ll work on that and get back to you.”
“Thank you.” He nods to Bart, and then at me. “Nice to meet you, April.”
I smile sweetly. “The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Garcia.”
He looks murderous, like he’s about to explode.
Bring it, asshole. You don’t scare me.
Seriously, nobody pisses me off more than this man.
“Goodbye.” Sebastian rushes from the room.
Bart frowns as he watches him leave. “Hmm, I wonder what’s up with him today.”
“No idea.” I pack our things from the desk.
I’m not taking his shit anymore.
Those days are done.
I’m lying in bed, watching The Late Show at 11:00 p.m.
About to slip into a carbohydrate coma, I’ve eaten an entire block of chocolate tonight.
I keep going over my meeting today with Sebastian. What a nightmare situation.
I’m going to lose my job over this, I can feel it.
My phone rings on my nightstand. Who would be calling me this late?
I pick it up and see that name lighting up the screen:
Sebastian
12
April
I sit up, startled.
Shit.
Oh fuck…. I exhale and answer in a rush. “Hello.”
“April,” his deep voice purrs down the line.
“I was expecting this call. I’ll talk to Bart and let him know.”
“Let him know what?”
“That you don’t want me working in your office. I understand.” I close my eyes in frustration. Trust him to make this personal. “Thanks for letting me know.”
He pauses. “That’s not why I called. I have no problem working with you.”
Huh?
“Why do you still have my number?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you delete my number?”
“Like you did mine, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Because I don’t need to delete numbers to stop myself from calling people, Sebastian. I have a little bit more self-control than that.”
He stays quiet, processing my words. After a while, he replies, “I see.”
We both stay silent on the phone, as if waiting for the other person to say something.
I have so much I want to say to him, and so much anger inside of me, but if I have to work with him, I need to get this off my chest.
“Sebastian.” I pause as I try to get my wording right. “I know that it doesn’t matter now, and I know it has no relevance to where we are… and I don’t even know why I feel like I really have to say this, but I’m sorry that…”