________

BRYAN

 

 

I don’t know how I was able to do it, but I pushed everything that happened up in my room out of my head for the remainder of the evening and I found myself enjoying my time at the gala. I made so many new contacts and ended up having a wonderful time speaking with so many new people. Any time I saw Sebastian seemingly looking for me, I made a point to walk to the other side of the room so that he could not find me.  The ballroom was enormous so it was not difficult to avoid him that night, and the gala was last place we needed to have a discussion about us.

 

Doris Blocke and her family showed up halfway through the event and people instantly swarmed her so I knew I would probably not get a chance to meet her, especially since I was avoiding Sebastian.  Eva had been a literal social butterfly for most of the evening and we finally found each other after a couple of hours.

 

She kissed me on the cheek.  “Hey, gorgeous.  I hear you are the belle of the ball.”

 

I looked at her like she was crazy.” What do you mean?”

 

“You have made quite an impression on many people here with the way you have been fearless about approaching some of them. Most new employees don’t have the confidence that you have and I hear that it is really refreshing to have someone with such an innovative mind be fearless as well. You are going to go very far in this business, Bryan.”

 

“Hmm, I guess it didn’t even occur to me that I should be nervous approaching some of these people because I just see them as a way to absorb knowledge, and I have never been afraid to go after what I want.”

 

“Have you met Doris yet?” she asked.

 

“No, every time I look over at her she is surrounded by a huge group of people. I guess she is one person that I will have to continue to admire from afar until the opportunity presents itself for me to actually meet her face-to-face. I’m supposed to have some sort of videoconference with her at some point, right?”

 

“Yes, our quarterly meeting is next month and she will definitely be there, but let me see what I can do right now. I will be right back.”

 

“Okay, I’m going to get a bottle of water.”

 

“Alright, I will find you in a few minutes, don’t go too far.”  She smiled as she dashed off.

 

There was a short line at the bar and I glanced around the room while I waited, still in awe that I was even participating in such an amazing event in Paris, when I felt a hand lightly touch my waist. I turned around expecting to see Eva and my heart plummeted to my toes as I looked into Sebastian’s gorgeous blue eyes.

 

“You can’t avoid me forever,” he whispered.

 

I gave him a cool stare as I stepped out of his reach.  “Unless this conversation is going to be business related, we have nothing to talk about.”

 

I turned away from him and ordered my bottle of water, thankful that the bartender had it ready for me so quickly.  Sebastian gently turned me back to face him.

 

“Bryan, we will have to talk at some point.  We are scheduled to check out tomorrow at noon so I need to know what the plan is.”

 

I looked at him defiantly.  “I’m going home.”

 

The look of hurt in his eyes almost tugged at my heart but all I had to do was replay the scene of him holding Jason in his arms and I went ice cold.

 

He looked at me incredulously.  “Are you serious?”

 

I put my hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes at him.

 

“Dead serious.”  I glanced at the clock on the wall and then quickly scanned the room for Eva.  I saw her back in the spot where she had left me and knew she was waiting for me.  I looked back at Sebastian, feeling annoyed that he was staring at me with puppy dog eyes.  You screwed this up asshole, not me.  “Is there anything else?  Eva is waiting for me.”

 

“No, nothing more for now.  But I’m not giving up.”  His eyes were sad as I walked away and I swallowed the lump that was trying to creep up in my throat.  I was not going to feel bad for him after what he did to me.

 

I walked back over to Eva, irritated that I was shaken by my encounter with Sebastian but I did my best to hide it.  Apparently, I didn’t do that great of a job. Eva looked at me with concern written all over her face.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

I forced a smile and nodded my head.  ”Everything is great.”

 

“Good, because Doris wants to meet you and there are a few other people I’d like for you to meet as well.”

 

I was completely shocked and terrified.  “What?!”

 

“Yes, you heard me.  She wants to meet you.  Are you ready?”

 

My eyes were wide as saucers.  “You mean right now?”

 

She chuckled as she gently rubbed my shoulder. “Yes, right now. Come on, she doesn’t bite.”

 

I don’t know how I did it but somehow I managed to put one foot in front of the other and follow Eva across the room to meet my idol.  As we approached her, there was a group of people standing with her and my palms began to sweat, my heart thumped against my chest, and my mouth went completely dry. If it wasn’t for the bottle of water in my hand, I don’t think I would have been able to utter one word.  I quickly took a sip before Eva introduced me and plastered a smile on my face.  Everyone who was around her walked away and it was just the three of us.

 

“Aunt Doris, I would like for you to meet Bryan Steele. Bryan, Doris Blocke.”

 

I shook her hand, praying that my clammy hand did not offend her, and I could not stop smiling.  She was beyond stunning. Her platinum hair was styled in a chic bob, she had beautifully high cheekbones, full red painted lips and her crystal blue eyes were smiling at me.

 

“Mrs. Blocke, it is such an honor to meet you.”

 

“Thank you dear, it is nice to finally meet you as well. I have heard so many wonderful things about you and your work.  How have you enjoyed your time in Paris?”

 

“Paris was a dream come true, truly. This is an experience I will never forget and one I will forever be grateful for. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity.”

 

“We have my son, Sebastian, to thank for that. Because of his keen eye in my absence, he was able to find a true gem in you. I look forward to working with you on many projects going forward.”

 

You could have literally picked me up off the floor when she said that. Doris Blocke was looking forward to working with me? I wanted to pinch myself because it felt like a dream. The only thing that would have made the moment perfect was if I was on better terms with Sebastian, but I was going to have to forget about that part of my life. My focus was going to be work and that was it. My trust had been broken and I was not sure how long it was going to take to trust again.

 

“The feeling is mutual.  I look forward to learning from you,” I gushed.

 

“Bryan, dear, please do not hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions. I am here to help you and to mentor you and I want you to feel that you can always come to me. I am very sincere about this.  Eva, darling, please let him know that I mean what I am saying.”

 

Eva looked over me and smiled.  “Oh yes, she means that, Aunt Doris does not offer her help to very many people, but when she sees someone with potential she will be there for you 100 percent.”

 

“Bryan, I only had Eva reiterate what I said because there have been quite a few people in the past who were too intimidated to approach me with questions even after I told them they could contact me, and I just don’t want that to happen with you. You are so talented and I really want to help you in anyway that I can.”

 

“Mrs. Blocke, thank you so much for saying that, I am beyond honored that you want to help me. I will definitely be in contact with you because I want to learn from the best in the business.”

 

“Since we are going to be working so closely together, Dear, please call me Doris.”

 

Okay, totally time to knock me over with a feather. Was this really my life? I smiled at her and nodded my head.

 

“Okay, Doris, I will definitely be in touch.”

 

Just as we were saying our goodbyes, Jason glided over to us and gave me a smug smile.  I glanced at Doris’s face and could see the instant disdain that she did not try to hide.  Eva was also clearly annoyed and I have to say I got a little bit of pleasure from that.

 

Jason had a huge smile on his face and his energy was desperate. 

 

“Doris, I was wondering if I could take a few minutes of your time to discuss something."

 

Doris Blocke, ever the graceful woman, smiled at Jason and then looked at me, gently touching my arm. 

 

“It was so lovely to finally meet you, Bryan, and remember what I said. Feel free to contact me anytime.”

 

She kissed Eva on the cheek and briefly glanced at Jason. “Nice to see you.”  That was all she said to him before she walked away.

 

Jason stood there in disbelief looking back and forth between Eva and me, and then he narrowed his eyes at me.

 

“What is it about you? How have you magically infiltrated this family and why is Sebastian so upset?  He could not have possibly thought that someone like you would be the right person for him because that person is me. He’s just confused right now and it’s just a matter of time before he comes back to me. It’s actually good that you’re giving him the cold shoulder, you’re helping me out, so you continue to do that.” He plastered a saccharine-filled smile on his face as he looked at us.  “You both have a lovely evening,” he said as he walked away.

 

Eva stood there staring at me, her mouth wide open.

 

“I knew it! Don’t you remember that I warned you about my cousin the day I met you?”

 

“Eva, there is nothing to tell anymore. Anything that might have started is over, so it’s a non-issue.”

 

“I don’t want to get into your personal business, okay, but how far did it go with you guys? Did he plan any sort of trip with you after this stint in Paris?”

 

What the hell was the deal with Sebastian planning a trip? Jason asked me the same question! Was that his thing with every omega? It all made me feel really sleazy and I did not like feeling that way. Clearly, Sebastian was not the man that I thought he was and, thankfully, I had gotten out before I had gotten in too deep.

 

“Yes, we were going to travel a bit after this assignment, but that has all been canceled. I’m going home tomorrow with the rest of the team so, no big deal.”

 

I did everything I could to avoid Eva’s eyes as she stood there, her arms crossed, trying to assess me.

 

“Oh, no.” Her tone made me look up at her.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“You fell in love with him.”

 

“What? You’re crazy. No I didn’t. It was just a fling that meant nothing and it’s over, so can we please drop it?”

 

“Drop it? Bryan, sweetie, your feelings are written all over your face and I can see that you are hurting. Tell me what happened.” The softness and sincerity in her voice caused me to well up and the last thing I wanted to do was start crying in the middle of the ballroom. She could see that I was upset so she took my arm and led me to a private room just outside the ballroom, closing the door behind us. She pulled over a chair for me gently patting the seat.

 

“Okay, I’m all ears.”

 

My sad eyes searched hers as I sat down.  “You won’t tell anyone?”

 

She gave me a gentle smile.  “My lips are sealed.”

 

There was not one thing about Eva that made me feel that I could not trust her and I had felt close to her since the first moment I met her.  Since my best friend was thousands of miles away, and I really needed to talk about what had happened, I decided to tell her everything leaving out the intimate details, of course.  When I was done, she sat there looking at me, her eyes filled with compassion.

 

“Well one thing is for sure, from what you just told me, he has never acted this way toward any other omega. You seem to have affected him in a way that I have never seen. I knew that something was up with him tonight, but I couldn’t tell what it was.  I suspected you had something to do with it but Sebastian wouldn’t tell me anything.  He has been happier than I have ever seen him for the past month and then all of a sudden tonight his mood changed.  It was a complete 180° turn.  Now I know why.”

 

“Well, it doesn’t matter.  Eva, I know what I saw.  He had his arms around Jason and their mouths were less than an inch apart.  I’m not going to fall for his shit again.”

 

Eva took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

 

“Let me tell you about Jason Grayson.  Yes he was engaged to Sebastian, but Sebastian broke it off when he found Jason in bed with the gardener.”

 

“The gardener?  Are you serious?”  It was too cliché and ridiculous to be real.

 

“Yes, Sebastian doesn’t like to talk about it because it was humiliating for him.  Once he found out, he wanted nothing more to do with Jason.  He cut him off completely but Jason didn’t want to accept that it was over.  He has been a thorn in my cousin’s side for a while and him showing up during this trip to Paris really put Sebastian over the edge.  He has tried to be civil about the break up, and he didn’t ask for the ring back.  He just wanted Jason to go away.  He’s not getting the picture so I think Sebastian is going to have a talk with Jason’s father.  That is the last thing Jason wants.  He craves his father’s approval and his father was so impressed when Jason got engaged to a Blocke.  He hasn’t even told his parents that they are no longer together.”

 

“How do you know all of this?” I asked.

 

“Jason and I used to be close before he went all psycho after the breakup.”

 

“You know, he said something strange to me and maybe you can tell me what he meant.”

 

“Sure, what did he say?”  She asked, eager to help.

 

“When I walked in on him and Sebastian hugging…”

 

“Wait, Bryan, are you sure that is what you saw?  Was Sebastian trying to get away from him or did it really look like he was into it?”

 

“Now that I really think about it, I suppose I’m not sure.  It all happened so fast, but I guess it looked like they were together.”

 

“Bryan, he has been borderline stalking Sebastian so you can’t believe everything you hear and even see when it comes to Jason.  I interrupted you, sorry about that.  What were you going to say?”

 

“Jason told me he used to be me and then he guessed that we had a trip planned.  Come to think of it, you said the same thing about a trip.  What did he mean by that and what is the deal with the trip?” I asked, trying to stifle my annoyance.  

 

“Jason used to work at Blocke Designs as Sebastian’s assistant but he was fired because he really only wanted to meet Sebastian.  He wasn’t interested in interior design and it showed.  They started dating right away and then got engaged.  Sebastian loves to travel, and he loves to travel with the person he is dating, that’s all the trip stuff means.”

 

“Why did Jason cheat on him with the gardener?”

 

“Jason hated the fact that Sebastian travels so much and I think he thought by sleeping with the gardener he would make him jealous, but he didn’t.  Sebastian basically had one foot out the door before he caught Jason, so for him it was a no-brainer to break it off.”

 

“Eva, Jason sounds like a really shallow person.  Why would Sebastian even want to be with someone like that?”

 

She shrugged her shoulders.  “He was really nice at first and I guess Sebastian was just drawn in by that. I was too.  We were both fooled.  He didn’t show his true colors until after they were engaged, so once he did, he was done.”

 

I put my head in my hands, it was just all too much to handle.  Eva gently rubbed my back.

 

“I don’t know what to do, Eva.”

 

“You love him, right?”

 

I raised my weary eyes to hers.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And I can tell that he loves you, too.  My advice is that you should at least hear him out.  He is hurting and I have never seen him like this, Bryan.”

 

“We’re supposed to go to some chateau in the countryside tomorrow but I can’t go with him with things the way they are between us.  I think I should go home and we can talk when he gets back.”

 

“If that is what you’re most comfortable with then that is what you should do. But at least let him know that is the plan because I am sure he is going to want to talk to you tonight.”

 

“You’re right, I should go find him and let him know I will just talk to him when we get back home.”

 

It felt really good to be able to talk things out with Eva, and I felt much better about everything after speaking with her.

 

“Hey, let’s go back to the party because there are some people I want you to meet before the night is over.”

 

I gave Eva a big hug as we stood up.

 

“Thank you so much for listening, I don’t know what I would have done if you had not been here. Having you on this trip with me has made the experience that much better.”

 

“Ditto, sweetie, I have had a blast with you. We definitely have to go out when we get back home.”

 

“Yes, definitely,” I nodded.

 

We walked back into the party and it was still in full swing.  I followed Eva over to the group who had been standing with Doris when we first walked up to her earlier that evening.

 

“Everyone, I want you to meet someone very special,” Eva said to the group.

 

Was this Sebastian’s family?  My nerves couldn’t handle much more that evening.

 

“Bryan Steele I would like for you to meet my uncle Phillip, my cousin Tyler, my brother Kipton, my brother Nick and their father, Timothy.”

 

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet all of you.”  The alpha energy was strong and every single one of them was gorgeous. Nick seemed to be the lone omega.  I don’t know that I had ever seen such a beautiful family in my life.  Sebastian was the spitting image of his father and I could see where he got his charm.  His father was magnetic. 

 

I felt like my knees were going to give out on me when Sebastian’s father Phillip addressed me.

 

“Mr. Steele, I have heard many good things about you and your work.  My wife is very impressed with you.  Have you enjoyed your stay in Paris?”

 

“Oh, please call me Bryan.  Yes, I have, it has been life-changing for me and I have learned so much.”

 

His brother, Kipton’s father Timothy, chimed in.  “It’s a good thing you made a good impression with Doris because if she likes you, your future has endless possibilities.  We like to hear when our employees are happy because it creates a positive work environment.”

 

I smiled at him.  “Well, I am very happy.”

 

“Don’t feel obligated to say that just because we’re standing in front of you.”  Kipton had a bit of a negative vibe going on.

 

“Kipton!” His father snapped at him.  He then looked at me.  “I apologize for my son, he's constantly rejecting working in the family business.”

 

“That’s because I won’t be forced to do something I don’t want to do,” Kipton snarled under his breath.

 

Clearly I was getting a glimpse into some sort of family squabble and I wanted no part of it.  I was extremely uncomfortable as they stood there glaring at each other.

 

“Bryan,” Sebastian’s father’s voice was just as soothing as Sebastian’s, “please forgive my brother and my nephew.”  He threw both of them a disapproving stare.  “They seem to have forgotten their manners tonight.”

 

“Oh, it’s no problem.  Families can be,” I paused as I tried to think of the right word, “…complicated.”

 

My comment instantly lightened the mood as everyone got a good laugh, which was a relief for me.  The tension in the air was gone.  Nick pointed at me as he looked at Eva.

 

“I like him!”

 

Nick looked like he was a year or two younger than me and after I chatted with everyone for a few more minutes, he grabbed me and asked me to go with him to get something to drink.  I looked at him and raised my eyebrow.

 

“Are you even 21?”

 

“Not yet, but I don’t mean I want alcohol, I’m just really thirsty and I want a soda.  My dad would kill me if I had alcohol!”

 

“So you, Eva and Kipton are siblings and Timothy is your dad and Kipton’s dad, is that right?”

 

“Yes.  I know it’s kind of confusing,” he said rolling his eyes.

 

“No, I think I have it figured out.  Do you guys all always come to events like this?”

 

“Yes, when it is something this important, my Aunt Doris insisted that we all show up.  So I do whatever my family says I have to do.  Until I’m 21, that is,” he said with a devilish grin.

 

“Oh yeah, and what are you going to do when you’re 21?”

 

“I want to work on a yacht.”

 

I looked at him, surprised by his answer.  I never would have guessed it.  He was from a very wealthy family and I guess I would have expected him to work for the family company in some capacity.  But work on a yacht?  Never would have guessed that.

 

“Really?  What exactly do you want to do on the yacht?”

 

“Eventually I want to be a captain, so I will start out as a deckhand.”

 

I raised my eyebrows at him.

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yes.  I want to see the world and do it while working on a yacht.”

 

“Okay, Nick, I know I just met you, and I don’t mean to pry, but can’t you see the world whenever you want?  You are a Blocke, right?”

 

“Yes, but I don’t want anything from my family.  Everyone assumes that everything is just handed to me and that is not true.  When I graduate from college my dad wants me to join his business but I want to do my own thing and make my own money.  I don’t want one penny from him.”

 

I could totally respect that and it actually made me like him more than I already did.

 

“Wow, well good for you.  I hope it all works out for you.”

 

“Me too because my dad has no idea yet.”

 

That didn’t surprise me.  “Oh, well then I wish you luck and I’m sure it will all work out the way it is supposed to.”

 

“Thanks, Bryan, I appreciate that.”

 

I smiled at him as we ordered sodas.  “No problem.”

 

“There you are.  I see my cousin Nick has been monopolizing your time and I have not had a chance to speak with you.”  I turned to see Sebastian’s gorgeous brother, Tyler, smiling at me and right beside him was Kipton.  Tyler was just as beautiful as Sebastian and I found myself trying to ignore the pang in my stomach when I looked at him because he reminded me so much of Sebastian.  Kipton had a different, more animal, sexy vibe and it was quite distracting.

 

There I was getting to know Sebastian’s whole family and things with us were ending.  I pushed that thought out of my head and put on a smile.  I still worked for the company so I had to maintain a positive attitude.  It just sucked that I was getting along with everyone so well and the one person I really wanted to be with was the one I was having issues with.

 

“Hey, Nick was just telling me about his career plans.  Do you both work for the family company?”  I asked.

 

“Yes, I do.  I am the CFO of the company.”  Tyler responded.

 

“Oh wow.  Sebastian hasn’t really talked about what the rest of his family does.”

 

The words were out of my mouth before I could take them back and they both gave me a curious look.

 

“First name basis with your boss?  My brother must be softening as he gets older,” Tyler mused.

 

My hand flew to my mouth.  “Oh sorry, I did not mean to call my boss by his first name.  I guess I got so used to hearing Eva and Pierre call him that while we worked on our store that it just slipped out.  I meant to say Mr. Blocke.”

 

Tyler chuckled and gently patted my arm.  “Relax, Bryan, I was just teasing you.  It’s not a big deal.”

 

“Yeah, Uncle Sebastian is pretty cool about stuff like that.”  It was so strange to hear Nick refer to him that way and it was even weirder that I was hanging out with his family.

 

“Don’t even sweat it, it’s all good.”  Kipton said.

 

“Okay, thanks.  So do you work for the company too, Kipton?”  I asked.

 

“No, he’s the rebel in the family,” Nick chimed in.

 

I raised my eyebrows.  “Rebel?  Do tell!”

 

“I want to be a MMA fighter,” Kipton proclaimed.

 

What was going on here?  These rich people were blowing my mind!  I was completely shocked and would never have guessed something like that in a million years.

 

“Seriously?  The guys who get in the ring and beat the crap out of each other?  You want to do that?”  I asked, completely stunned.

 

“Sure do, and I’m getting there.”

 

“Yeah, he’s already won a bunch of fights and he’s really making a name for himself in that MMA world.”  Nick seemed proud of him.

 

“Wow, that’s impressive, Kipton.  Good for you for going after what you really want,” I said, and I meant it.  It was nice to see these people who could have anything, going for what they really wanted in life and breaking from the traditional mold of working for the family business.

 

He looked at me with such appreciation in his eyes and I could tell that he probably didn’t get that kind of response very often.

 

“Thanks, Bryan.  If only my family was as supportive as you.”

 

Nick playfully hit him in the arm.  “Hey!”

 

“Not you, dude.  You’re my biggest fan,” Kipton said as he winked at Nick.

 

“Oh please, we support you, Kipton.”  Tyler sounded annoyed.

 

“Yeah, sure.”  Kipton was also annoyed.

 

The tension in the air was growing and I didn’t want to get caught in the middle of any family drama.  I was beginning to feel extremely overwhelmed by everything and I needed to call it a night.

 

“Guys, don’t do this right now.  Bryan doesn’t know the history.”  Nick was definitely the voice of reason.

 

They looked at me and apologized.

 

“No problem at all, but I think I’m going to call it a night. It was so nice to meet you all tonight and the rest of your family, but I have had a very long month and I still need to pack before we leave tomorrow, so I am going to turn in.”

 

“We have to get going also.”  Nick gave me a hug, which was sweet.  “It was great to meet you too, Bryan.  Let’s have lunch or something when you get back to Eden Pines.  I’ll get your info from Eva.”

 

“Okay, that sounds great,” I said.

 

“Nice to meet you, Bryan.  Have a safe flight back home.”

 

“Thanks, Tyler.”

 

“Yeah, very cool to meet you,” Kipton said.

 

“Thanks, you too, Kipton.  Hey, when are you guys flying back?”

 

“Tomorrow.  We’re going back on my dad’s plane,” Nick said.

 

Their family had two private planes?  I guess I had no concept of just how wealthy they were.

 

“Oh, cool.  Well, I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

 

“You can probably count on that!” Tyler chuckled.

 

As I walked away from them I really thought I was going to faint from the interaction I had just had with Sebastian’s family.  It was much more stressful than I realized and I was more than ready to go to bed.  I had to find Sebastian because it was important that I caught him before he left because he needed to know I was serious about going home next day.

 

I saw him talking to a couple of the guests so I waited a few minutes before I went over to interrupt him.  I was going to get another bottle of water and when I turned to walk toward the bar I bumped right into Pierre again.  Ugh.  He was so annoying.

 

He put his arm around me and slurred in my ear.  “You look so gorgeous tonight and I can tell that you want me, we should just fuck and get it over with.” 

 

He clearly had been over served and he reeked of alcohol.  He was getting a little handsy with me and I didn’t want to make a scene, but I was about five seconds from slapping the crap out of him.  I moved away from him and did my best to remain polite.

 

“Pierre, I think you should probably call it a night.  You look like you’ve had a wonderful time tonight but maybe it’s time to turn in.” 

 

He flung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me toward him.

 

“Now we’re talking, chéri.  Let’s go up to your room.”

 

He tried to steer me toward the doors and I pushed back against him.

 

“No, I do not want to go with you.”

 

He tightened his grip on my arm and it actually hurt a little bit.

 

“Hey, dick, cut it out!”

 

I didn’t mean to say it so loud and within two seconds someone was pulling Pierre off of me.  I looked up to see Sebastian, his face mottled with rage, dragging Pierre out of the gala by the collar of his jacket.  He literally shoved him in the hall and Pierre fell to the floor.

 

“You are done!  Go home Pierre!”  Sebastian’s voice boomed throughout the ballroom.

 

He rushed back inside and by that time Eva was by my side.

 

Sebastian gently rubbed my arm where Pierre grabbed me.

 

“Did he hurt you?”  His eyes were filled with concern.

 

“No, it’s not too bad.  I don’t think he realized he was squeezing my arm so hard.”

 

Eva looked at Sebastian and was clearly annoyed.

 

“Sebastian, why was he even here?  I thought he was fired.”

 

“Eva you know the family history.  I couldn’t fire him; I had to relocate him to a different project.  He was not supposed to be here tonight but in all of the chaos of getting ready for this event and making sure clients are taken care of, I must have overlooked removing his name from the list.”  He looked at me, his eyes apologetic. “I am so sorry he hurt you, Bryan.  You will never have to deal with him again.”

 

“I’m okay, really.”  I looked at both of them and smiled.  “Thanks for checking on me.  It’s late and it looks like almost everyone is gone so I am going to turn in.  I am exhausted.”  I was really grateful that Sebastian’s family had already left the gala and was not around when Pierre created that scene.

 

Eva gave me a double kiss.  “Sleep well, sweetie.”  She said goodnight to Sebastian and left us alone.

 

Sebastian looked at me with his gorgeous, bright blue eyes and gently rubbed my arms as his eyes searched mine.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“I’m fine, really. Just a little bit shaken because I wasn’t expecting him to behave that way. I thought he learned his lesson,” I said as I shrugged my shoulders to get away from his touch.

 

“I meant what I said, you won’t ever have to deal with him again,” he said softly.

 

I gave him a small smile. ”Okay, thanks. Well, I should really get upstairs. I am exhausted.”

 

He glanced over his shoulder at the group of clients who were waiting for him and then looked back at me.

 

“I have to go wrap a few things up with the group over there but I really want to talk with you, Bryan.  Can I stop by your room when I’m done for the evening?”

 

I looked at him and then looked away. ”I really don’t think that is a good idea, Sebastian. I don’t know that there is much more to say.”

 

“On the contrary, there is a lot more to say. Bryan, you have to let me explain my side of things. I know what you’re thinking of me and you’re wrong. Please give me a chance to explain.”

 

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I looked up at him.  “Okay, I suppose we can talk when we get back home.”

 

“Home? You’re not kidding, are you?”

 

“No, I’m not,” I said as I set my eyes on him.

 

“So you’re not going on our trip?”

 

“I just don’t think it’s the right thing for us to do. We should take a few days apart to figure things out.  Let’s talk when we’re back home.”

 

“I have to say I am extremely disappointed because I was really looking forward to spending time alone traveling with you.  I really wish you would reconsider.”

 

I could see that he was hurt but I was hurting too.  I was questioning everything about him and everything he had ever said to me and I didn’t like that feeling.  Time apart was what I needed and I was protecting my heart.

 

“Honestly, Sebastian, with everything that happened, and what I now know about your relationship with Jason, the Paris trip is kind of tainted.”

 

He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean, ‘what you now know’ about my relationship with Jason?”

 

“I talked to Eva and she told me more about him and the history you two have.  I’m not really interested in taking what sounds like an identical trip you took with Jason.”

 

“It’s not the same trip, Bryan, I wouldn’t do that to you, and that was a long time ago.  Eva needs to get her facts straight.”  I could see that he was irritated.

 

“Don’t get upset with Eva.  I may have misunderstood that part because I was so confused by everything that had happened in the room earlier tonight.”

 

“Nothing happened, Bryan.”  His voice was firm.

 

I held up my hand to stop him from saying anything else.

 

“I am exhausted and I don’t want to get into it now.  I am going home tomorrow and you and I can talk another time.”

 

“Don’t you want to know if I am going home with you?”

 

I did want to know but I was afraid to ask.  My heart was so hurt and I just didn’t have the energy to process whatever his answer would be.

 

“Even if you are, we will still wait until we get home to talk.  I really do think I need time to process everything that happened.”

 

He let out a deep sigh and put his hands in his pockets, looking totally frustrated and defeated.

 

“Okay.”  He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek and I inhaled his delicious scent as his scruff grazed my cheek.  “Sleep well and I will see you soon.”

 

By the time I collapsed in the bed, I was so wiped out from the evening I think I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.