JAIL WAS NOT FOR ME. The minute we got to the station, I was taken into a separate room from Kyle and told he was being transported to child services.
I cried when they took my fingerprints, and when it was time to take my mug shot, I almost threw up. What would my parents say if they could see me now? What would Gran think?
I sat in a cell with another girl who was there for prostitution. It was kind of comical since I was starting to believe that selling my body was the only way to fix everything. Maybe when I got out, I’d go to Sebastian and accept his offer. Sleeping with him didn’t sound totally unappealing. It was really the part about getting paid that made it creepy.
An hour later, and a cop came to the cell calling my name.
“Your bail’s been posted. You’re free to go.”
My confusion on how the hell my bail was posted overshadowed any relief I might have had in being free. I didn’t have anyone to post bail other than Trish, and I hadn’t had the chance to call her yet.
And then, there was the fact I was being set free, while my brother was being held God-knows-where. There was nothing for me to collect when I left. It was a sign of how my life was turning out. I needed to get used to having nothing.
I was shocked when I came out and found Vick looking back at me.
“I left my white horse outside,” she said sarcastically. “Let’s go.”
I followed behind her and as soon as I walked through the station doors, my eyes found Sebastian’s. In that moment, I knew who bailed me out.
How did he even know I’d been arrested? Should I be freaked out?
I climbed into Vick’s black car and she pulled out with squealing tires, directly outside the police station. Like I wasn’t already deathly afraid of going back.
“Sebastian bailed me out?” I asked when the silence in the car became too thick.
“Yep,” she responded. “No offense, but I have better things to spend my money on.”
I didn’t bother responding.
“My brother, they took him into child services. Is there anyway…” I started.
“I’m taking you to Sebastian. Ask him.”
I turned and stared out the window, as we drove entirely too fast toward Clive’s. I had so much spinning in my head. First and foremost, I was seriously considering his deal.
I needed the money, and it wasn’t like I wasn’t attracted to him physically, despite his outrageous proposition. My body seemed to respond to him in ways I had never experienced with another man. It came alive whenever he was near.
LEAVING SEBASTIAN’S OFFICE, I MOVED through the darkness of the club, knowing that once I stepped through those doors, I’d be on the streets for the night. My car had been impounded and I had no money to get it out.
Vick took off after dropping me at the club, and I wasn’t about to call and bother Trish because I knew she was using her Monday as a day to relax.
The door was cold against my palm when I reached out for it. The moment I began to push it open, the lights behind me came on. Turning around, I found Sebastian standing on the bottom step of the stairs.
“Do you have anywhere to go?”
I stared at him, debating how pathetic I wanted to appear. Finally, I moved past my pride. I felt the girl inside me crumble as the words left my mouth. “No.”
His dark eyes moved from my head to my toes, and then he huffed in annoyance. “There’s an extra room upstairs with a bed in it. You’re welcome to crash here tonight.” He turned and went back up the stairs without waiting for my response.
I followed behind him. I had no other option.
The room he gave me was huge—a large bed centered the room. I stepped through the door, closing it behind me and took in the space. To the right was a fully equipped bathroom. I wasted no time peeling my clothes off and getting into the shower.
I washed away the criminal grime and wrapped myself in a plush robe that was hanging on the back of the door. Steam poured out when I stepped from the bathroom and made my way to bed.
I wasn’t going to sleep, not without knowing where my brother was, but at least I could lie somewhere comfortable without worrying about someone breaking into my car and killing me. I didn’t have anything to worry about here. At least I hoped I didn’t.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my brother and how I’d let him down. I’d never been away from him overnight. I didn’t know if he was safe. I didn’t know if he was warm, or if he was comfortable. These were just some of the things moving through my head.
I stared at the ceiling until the night sky turned pink. And then I finally fell asleep and slipped into one horrible nightmare after another.
I WOKE AT NOON WITH sounds coming from outside my door. Wrapping the robe tighter around my waist, I tip-toed down the hallway. A heavenly smell filled me and I followed it with my nose, like I was in one of those cheesy cartoons.
I hadn’t eaten anything decent in forever and as soon as I stepped foot into the high-tech kitchen, my stomach growled loudly. It was then a half-naked Sebastian Black turned around from the stove and met my stare.
From the waist down he wore hip-hugging jeans that rode low, but from the waist up he was all muscle and dark skin. Muscles I didn’t even know were possible rippled across his chest when he turned with a spatula in hand.
I felt my mouth hanging open and without realizing it, I gawked at every piece of his flesh my eyes could touch. His face split into a knowing grin.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a cocky smirk.
His hair was a sexy slept-on mess. I wanted to get my fingers stuck in its tangles. I averted my gaze and walked into the kitchen. Choosing a seat at a tiny table that was pushed up against a window, I looked out over the street in front of the club.
“By the sound of your stomach, I’m assuming you’re starving. I’ve heard many noises from women’s bodies in my time, but nothing quite like that.”
I felt my face heat up as a blush took over.
Soon, a plate was set in front of me, full of bacon, eggs, and a side of fresh strawberries. My stomach growled again and he chuckled softly above me.
“Thank you,” I whispered in humiliation.
He leaned down from behind, lips skimming the side of my neck, and the soft prickle of his stubble brushed against my skin. “For you, anything.”
A shiver worked its way up my back and ran into my hair line. I was positive my hair grew an extra inch in that moment.
I dug into my eggs like the starved woman I was, not even realizing when he sat in front of me with a plate of his own.
He didn’t waste any time and got straight to the questions. “Where’s your brother?”
My fork full of eggs paused, suspended in the air. A fireball of guilt ignited in my stomach. I was in such a luxurious place, eating bacon and eggs, while he was stuck in some children’s home. Swallowing hard, I answered. “They took him.”
Throat clenching, tears rushed to my eyes.
“Who?” he asked.
I choked down my feelings. “Child protective services.” I looked up just in time to see his tan face pale.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” His chair scraped across the floor as he stood and went to his phone. Picking it up, he dialed a number and left the room.
I sat there confused, until finally he came back into the kitchen.
“Vick’s on her way to pick up your brother.” He sat back in his seat and began to eat again, acting as if he hadn’t just turned my world right side up again, leaving me dizzy in the process.
I gawked at him. My eyes landed on his lips and I was taken aback by how full they looked. “What?” I asked breathlessly. No way did he fix everything for me with a single phone call.
He looked up from his food. “Your brother. Vick is getting him.”
The muscles in his arms flexed as he bent over his plate. It was then a tattoo was revealed. It wrapped around his arm and moved up, out of sight. While I was never one to find such things attractive, it changed his look. He went from Sebastian, suit-wearing club owner, to Sebastian, tattooed Sex God, with muscles I wanted to touch.
Without a second thought, I stood and walked over to him. Completely against myself, I bent and wrapped my arms around his neck. He stiffened in my arms, and turned to look at me.
We were face to face. Nose to nose. Lips to lips. I could feel his breath against my mouth and the strange desire to kiss him took over.
Pulling away, I cleared my throat and looked away. “Thank you,” I said.
“Don’t thank me. Thank Vick,” he said, before he dove back into his food with a pinched, angry brow.
I smiled to myself and sat back at the table.
He stood then and I looked up at him, but he wasn’t paying me any attention.
Going to the sink he rinsed his plate and then turned to leave the room. I felt confused and disappointed all at once.
“I’ll be in my office. When you’re ready, find me there.”
And then, he was gone.
I felt annoyed with him, and more with myself when I realized this was all a part of his plan. This was a game to him and he was currently winning.
When I was done, I rinsed my plate and went back to the room I’d stayed in the night before. I would not be looking for him like he expected. I couldn’t be in the same room with him without wanting to slap him for being so smug and self-assured. Yet at the same time, I wanted kiss him because every time he looked at me I felt like I was seconds away from going up in flames.
I dressed in the only clothes I had and decided to get out of his apartment before I did something totally against who I was. Something like, drop my panties for him and beg for his touch. It could happen.
I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders now that I knew Kyle was going to be okay, but at the same time, I knew I had to figure out my situation. And I had to figure it out fast.
I made it to the door of the club, and then stopped. It was insane, sure, but what if I took Sebastian’s offer? I had already decided that having sex with him sounded… intriguing. And getting paid to do it? Well, hell. That was kind of a bonus in my current situation.
Sure, he was a little extreme and, for some odd reason, he refused to learn my name--insisting on calling me Jessica. And despite the fact he wanted me to think Vick was the one who was always fixing everything, I knew he was a good guy.
Lots of people didn’t want to be in a relationship. Trish was one of them. I spent an entire night listening to the pros and cons of being single, and honestly it didn’t sound terrible.
There was also the tiny fact I couldn’t stop thinking about him. At first he’d seemed intense and somewhat odd, but now I’d been around him for a while, I was starting to feel different. I was a woman, and as Trish had once said, women have needs.
I never understood that statement, until Sebastian whispered in my ear. And also when I stepped into his kitchen this morning and saw him half-naked. The fact was, I wanted him. I could kill two birds with one stone. I could get money to set me and Kyle up, and I could spend some time with Sebastian. I’d be stupid to turn that down.
I turned on my heels and went back the way I came. I knew what I wanted—what I needed, and all of that was up those stairs in a pair of sexy jeans.