CHAPTER FOUR - SEBASTIAN
Why did she have to look so unbelievably gorgeous? Yes, I thought my best friend's daughter was hot, sue me – my deceased best friend's daughter, at that. I scolded myself mentally, while also apologizing to Chuck, for thinking such things about Violet. It was wrong and inappropriate.
But damn, when had she gotten so attractive?
As she leaned forward, I couldn't help but glance at her very ample cleavage. But I kicked myself and quickly returned my gaze to her eyes, where I told myself they should stay. Then I realized how beautiful her eyes were; a deep shade of emerald green, just like her mother's. And her mother had always been a beautiful woman as well. I'd even mentioned that to Chuck a time or two. Told him how lucky he was to have found her. And when Violet spoke, it was hard to not notice her soft, voluptuous lips with the perfect cupid's bow...
Stop it, Sebastian. Just stop it, I chided myself. I knew I was going to get myself into some serious trouble if I didn't stop admiring her. You have to work together now, so keep your mind out of the gutter. This is Chuck's daughter and your employee. You're old enough to remember when she wore bows in her hair and played on the playground while you and her father discussed business at the park.
The early days of my business, of course.
“Sebastian?” she asked, tilting her head to the side like an adorable little puppy.
She smiled at me, showcasing her dimples and causing me to remember how sweet and innocent she'd always looked as a little girl. That managed to shush the thoughts in my brain right away.
“Yes?” I asked and cleared my throat.
“Is everything okay? You're awfully quiet?”
“Yes, sorry, I didn't sleep too well last night.”
“I can see that,” she said. “Everything okay with you and Jessica?”
She sat back in the chair, as if taking her place as an armchair psychologist, and closed her notebook, looking at me with genuine concern in her eyes.
“We broke up awhile back,” I said. “So, there is no ‘me and Jessica’. Not anymore. I'm just trying to sweep out the last remnants now.”
I swore she knew that already but then again, there had been so much going on in her life, how could I expect her to remember my relationship status? It's not like it was the most important thing on her plate – not with her dad's long, terrible battle with cancer before dying and all.
“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,” she said.
Though she didn't really look all that sorry. Not that I was surprised. Very few people liked Jessica, and that had included Chuck and Angela, Violet's parents. They'd all thought she was wrong for me and would be nothing but trouble. Boy, had they been right on the money about that one.
“No, it's for the best,” I said. “She wasn't a good fit for me.”
Violet bit her lip, as if she was holding herself back from speaking her mind.
“Go on, spill it,” I said. “I can tell you're dying to say something. We have no secrets in this office, okay?”
Well, aside from my secret thoughts about your amazing ass, but that's beside the point, I thought to myself.
Violet looked down at her hands, then back up at me. “I really don't think it's my place to say anything.”
“Speak your mind, Violet,” I said with a laugh. “You didn't like Jessica, I get that. Not many people did.”
Violet laughed along with me, but she was obviously uncomfortable and was trying to find something nice and positive to say. That was the thing with Violet, she always had something nice to say about anyone. She probably could have found something nice to say about Hitler if you gave her enough time.
“Well, I just never understood what you saw in her, that's all,” she said. “I mean, you're rich, successful and attractive, you could be with anyone. And yet, you chose a clingy, blonde gold digger.”
“Wow.” Okay, so maybe she didn't have a nice word to say about everyone. “That was blunt.”
“Oh, I'm sorry, Sebastian,” she said, covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide as she stared back at me. “I should have kept my mouth shut. That was really out of bounds.”
“No, not at all,” I said and gave her a rueful grin. “Everything you said is true, Violet. I mean, except for the attractive part. I'm not that vain.”
“Oh come on, Sebastian,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You know you're hot.”
Now it was my turn to look surprised. I stared back at her, mouth agape, as I tried to find the right words to thank her for the compliment without sounding like a creepy old man who took it as something more.
“Thank you? I guess,” I said, a nervous chuckle escaping my mouth before I could stop it.
There was an awkward silence that seemed to linger forever, as Violet stared down at her hands, wringing them in her lap and I stared at her, trying to think of something to say to break that silence and put us back on more comfortable footing. Trying, but failing.
“I just keep putting my foot in my mouth every time I open it, don't I?” she asked with a sheepish smile.
“No, not at all Violet,” I said. “It's okay. We're close enough that we can joke around like that and know it means nothing.”
Means nothing. Yeah, right. I couldn't stop my ego from growing larger, knowing that Violet Maddox thought I was hot. Me. A man old enough to be her father. Sure, Jessica was younger than me by a few years and that boosted the old self esteem a bit. But Violet was a fresh out of college young woman with the world wide open to her – and boys her own age undoubtedly beating down her door, begging for a date. And she thought I was hot.
So yeah, it meant something to me. Even if it was just a passing comment that didn't mean a lot to her.
Violet was making copies when I walked by her desk. She was facing away from me and probably didn't even see or hear me come over to her cubicle. She was distracted, bent over and fighting with the machine in front of her. I chuckled as I listened to her cursing under her breath as she tried to get the machine to cooperate with her. I stood there for a moment without saying anything. All I could focus on was the nice curve of her ass in that tight, pencil skirt. I caught myself staring a little bit too long, and when she turned around, the color rose in both of our cheeks.
“Oh God,” she said, putting a hand over her heart, “I didn't hear you behind me or I wouldn't have said those kinds of things.”
“It's okay, the copy machine can be a pain in the ass sometimes,” I said with a laugh.
“Still, I need to be more careful.”
“The hell you do, Violet,” I said, “It's me. You know that shit doesn't bother me. So relax. It's okay.”
I was purposefully throwing around swear words to lighten the mood for her, and to make her laugh. Because when she laughed, she laughed all the way to her eyes and it was a beautiful sight.
“Well if you say it's okay,” she said, biting her lip and looking up at me through her thick, black lashes, “You're the boss after all.”
“And don't you forget it,” I said with a wink.
As I said it, I couldn't help but hear the flirtatious undertones, but that's not what I meant. Not at all.
Or was it?
Because the fact of the matter was, if this hadn't been Violet Maddox, the daughter of my best friend, I'd have been all over her in a heartbeat already. Her age didn't bother me, not for a fling or just some fun. Hell, I might even consider dating someone her age if she was the right girl for me. No, the only reason this one was off-limits was because my loyalty to her family meant more to me than nailing a fine piece of ass.
And because Violet was more than just a fine piece of ass. So much more. She was also smart, caring, sweet, innocent – she was the whole package. Some guy needed to treat her right, treat her like a queen, and I knew that guy wasn't me.
“Let's go to lunch,” I said. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Anything,” she said. “I'm not picky.”
I predicted that she was going to say that. Being her first day and all, she wasn't going to impose her own tastes on me. Plus, she was a typical, indecisive female, which was why I had a few places in mind already.
“How about sushi? Think it's too early for a little sake?”
“It's never too early when you're the boss.”
“Or, when you're the boss's assistant,” I added. “Come on, I think we could use a break. We're working too hard.”
“We've hardly done anything today,” she said with a laugh.
I shrugged. “One of the benefits of being the boss, I guess.”