Chapter 23
Waiting
Elton Lowry lifted his wine glass. “To China,” he said.
“Cheers!” Everyone raised their glass in the toast.
The contracts had been signed. Mattheson Banking Corporation was now partners with one of the biggest banks in China. It was a coup, and Sebastian had taken his top people out to dinner to celebrate. There were about twenty of them around a long table, enjoying the fine Italian food and champagne.
“Congratulations, Callie,” he said, leaning over to refill her wine glass. He was sitting at the head of the table, Callie on his right. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Damn straight,” she said. She raised her glass to him before taking a long sip. “Of course Elton decides he gets to take most of the spotlight.”
“I think he was not very pleased you’re sitting next to me.”
“No, he’s not. Maybe we could send him over to Beijing for a while.”
“Hmmmm.” Sebastian mulled over the thought. “That’s not a bad idea.”
“Hey, what are you two whispering about?” Elton said. He sat across the table, a fake smile on his face.
Callie smirked. “Just talking about you, Elton,” she said. “Great work.”
Elton nodded, but he looked at them suspiciously. “Thanks. Will you excuse me,” he said, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
“He won’t be happy, will he?” Sebastian whispered.
“He’s been banging some eighteen-year-old UCLA freshman on the side for a couple of months now,” Callie said. “He won’t be happy.”
“I hear your father will be flying over next week for the party,” David Lee said. He sat beside Callie, enjoying the prosciutto cups.
“Has he come around to the Beijing deal, then?” Henry McCade said. He was sitting on Sebastian’s left.
Sebastian nodded. He was not at all excited at the prospect of seeing his father again, but his face did not betray his feelings. “The board of directors will be there, of course.”
“Will she be there?” Callie said.
He looked at her, uncomprehending. She nodded to his left.
Erika Daniels was walking toward their table. She was wearing a short, tight black dress and a smile on her face.
“Darling, so sorry I’m late,” she said. She put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it sensually, and bent over, her lips lingering on his mouth.
He let her kiss him. It was not unpleasant. She smelled like honey and roses, and her lips were soft and warm and eager. He felt her tongue briefly touch his lower lip.
When she straightened up, Sebastian turned to see everyone at the table gaping at them.
“Ms. Daniels, please take my seat,” Henry said, standing up and pulling up his chair for her. “I’m such a big fan.”
“Why thank you. What’s your name, sweetie?” She sat down, smiling up at him.
“Henry McCade,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Thank you, Henry.” She beamed at everyone at the table, they nodded back excitedly.
“Don’t say it,” Sebastian muttered under his breath.
“I didn’t say anything,” Callie whispered. She saw him clench his jaw. “You didn’t invite her, did you?” she added. “Should I call security?”
“No, I’ll take care of it.”
“Sebastian, sweetie,” Erika purred. She slipped her hand under the table to rub his thigh. “I’m so glad things went well in Beijing. Did you miss me?”
He looked at her amusedly for a few moments. “As much as can be expected,” he said. He picked up a bottle of Pinot Grigio. “Would you like some wine, darling?” He held her eyes in a smoldering gaze.
“Uh, yes,” she said, flustered. She picked up Henry’s glass and held it next to the bottle Sebastian held up over the edge of the table. “Oh wait, oh!” she cried out, standing up and pushing her chair backwards.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, handing her a white cloth napkin. “Will you be all right?”
She took the napkin. “I’m soaked,” she said, trying to mop off the wine that had spilled on her dress. Everyone at the table had looked up to see what was going on.
A waiter had rushed over to her side. “The bathroom is over there, Ms. Daniels,” a waiter said. “Would you like a towel?”
“Yes,” Erika said, throwing the napkin on the table in frustration. She grabbed her purse and turned to Sebastian, her red lips pressed in a thin line. “I’ll be right back.”
After she left, Sebastian called for the manager.
“How did she know you’d be here?” Callie said. “Are you on Instagram?”
“What?”
“Never mind. Maybe she has a friend who works here.”
“Maybe.” Erika knew about the China trip as well. This was not good.
Soon the restaurant manager came over, and she and Sebastian exchanged a few words.
“Isn’t Ms. Daniels coming back?” Henry asked half an hour later, looking around. Everyone was tucking into their steaks and pastas.
“No, Henry,” Callie said. She took a bite of her grilled octopus with relish. “I don’t think she is.”
***
“Nicolette just got home,” Victoria said, looking up from her cellphone. “She says she’s sorry she couldn’t join us for dinner, but she’s got the bluray all set up. And popcorn.”
Ardan shook his head. “I don’t know why I let you guys talk me into watching Oldboy again,” he said. “It’s really depressing.”
They were driving from the Japanese restaurant to Victoria’s apartment. Dinner was perfect. After a grueling 10-hour shift at the coffee shop, dinner at a nice elegant place with seafood and no smell of coffee engulfing her every minute was a refreshing change. Not to mention Ardan had been a perfect dinner companion. He was funny and interesting, and he never brought up the subject of dating once.
A message notification appeared on her screen. It was a text from Sebastian.
Are you home?
“You know, we could maybe convince her to watch something else,” Victoria said absently, staring at the text. “She just got a copy of Snowpiercer last month.” After some hesitation, she texted back.
Almost. What’s up?
What did he want? She wasn’t having her next session with Benson till tomorrow. And she really didn’t want to think about Sebastian tonight. It was hard enough getting through the day distracted, thinking about what he had said last night.
“I don’t do relationships.”
That she had misread his intentions was an understatement. Sebastian did want her, but only just as any red-blooded man would want any reasonably attractive woman. He didn’t have romantic feelings for her - or anybody for that matter, if she were to make a guess. He had offered her sex as a dare, and she called him on it. Nothing more.
“Is that a Korean film too?” Ardan asked.
“Kind of. I think it’s a British-Korean production. Park Chan Wook produced it.” Victoria put her phone back in her purse. She’d check for a reply when she got home. Sebastian had occupied too much of her thoughts since she left his bed last night. Over and over, she recalled the way he said her name as she was wrapped around his body. The way he kissed her. The way he touched her, exploring all her intimate places with his fingers, his tongue, his ...
“It’s depressing, isn’t it?”
“Huh?” she said, staring at Ardan blankly. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”
“Never mind.” He grinned. “You’ve been a little distracted all night.”
“I was?” Jesus, what was wrong with her. Get a grip, Slade. “I’m sorry. It’s work stuff.”
“The writing’s not going well?”
“Uh, yeah.” She hoped she wasn’t blushing from the white lie she just told. She hated lying.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Ardan’s voice softened. “Even just a little?”
“I had a lot of fun. Thank you.” She did. Well, she managed to enjoy herself until halfway through dinner when she began imagining Sebastian kissing her again.
He parked on their block. “Good,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Now let’s see what new emotional damage Korea has in store for me.”
She laughed as they got out of the car.
They walked to the apartment, and Victoria slowed down to trail behind him. “Hey Ardan,” she said.
He turned around. “Something wrong?”
She walked toward him slowly. “Nothing. I just ... Thank you for tonight. I’m sorry I couldn’t be better company.”
“I understand. You did say you had things on your mind. I’m just glad you let me take you out tonight.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go?”
***
Connor didn’t say anything the entire half hour they were parked.
Sebastian sat in the backseat of the Lincoln, restlessly fingering his cellphone. He had left Culina intending to go straight home, but some madness made him tell Connor to bring him here instead. He wasn’t sure why. What exactly would he say to her? Let’s see other people, but please feel free to come up to my room whenever you feel like getting naked.
He thought she knew the conditions under which they had gotten intimate. That offer of sex for pay was his ridiculous plan to get her in his bed without him feeling guilty, a loophole to get around his policy of not sleeping with his employees.
He’d been tempted before, many times. But there had been no temptation quite like Victoria. He couldn’t understand it. She was by no means any more beautiful than all the other women in his life. She was quite average, objectively speaking. Except for the way she smiled that always managed to knock the wind out of him. And the way her body curved in places that forced his eyes to pay attention no matter what he was doing. And the way her voice called out his name in the dark, as her body moved under him ...
“Would you like me to turn up the air conditioning, sir?”
Sebastian took out his handkerchief to mop up the sweat on his forehead. “Thank you, Connor,” he said.
Damn it, why was he waiting outside Victoria’s apartment like a lovesick idiot? He didn’t even know if she was home.
Biting the bullet, he sent her a message: Are you home?
It took a full minute for her to reply.
Almost. What’s up?
He stared at her text for a long time. He wanted to reply
I am. Would you like to take care of it?
Jesus, what was he, fourteen? He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, thankful there was no one else in the car with him. He looked out the front. They were parked across the street from her building. If she was on her way home, he would see her.
This was probably the lowest he’d ever sunk to: stalking his son’s tutor.
Maybe if he told her he was here, it would seem less creepy. However, just as soon as he’d composed a text, he looked out the window and saw her.
Victoria and a familiar-looking man got out of silver Audi parked in front of her building. They were laughing and talking as they walked toward’s her front door. They went inside her apartment building holding hands.
They were too far away for him to be certain, but Sebastian knew it was the man she was with at Sophie’s party. The knot in his stomach twisted as he recalled the way they had been kissing in the hallway.
Why would he think that Victoria would happily dump her boyfriend after one night in Sebastian’s bed? He’d not made her any promises. She was perfectly free to see other men. Free to take them to her home and do whatever she wanted with them. She could screw her boyfriend all night long for all he cared.
“Let’s go home, Connor.” He was surprised by the raw anger in his voice. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Sleeping with Victoria was supposed to fix whatever obsession he had with her. While he sometimes went out with a woman more than once, he’d never really needed a woman for more than a night. Now that he’d satisfied his lust for her, they should be able to get back to their professional relationship.
He had met with Liskta today to apologize, with no intention of making plans. Maybe it was good that they did. She was coming over to his place tomorrow night, and if her eagerness today were any indication, the sensual buxom blonde would be sure to vigorously dispel whatever lingering ... interest he had in Victoria.