Chapter 26
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“So I may have slept with my boss,” Victoria said, loudly. She was on the couch, legs crossed, typing on her laptop.
Nicolette stuck her head out her open bedroom door. “You’re serious?” She narrowed her eyes. “Was it good?”
“Uh... yes.”
“Huh.”
“I may have paid him for it. Twice.” She paused and rested her arms on her lap, looking up ruefully at her friend.
Nicolette crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame, frowning. She was wearing a light pink slip dress and her hair was up in curlers. “He’s either the cheapest bazillionaire in L.A., or one kinky bastard. Which is it?”
Victoria shrugged. “He bought me a coat that costs more than what he pays me in a month. I don’t think he’s cheap.”
“Hmmm. He is your boss. Maybe it’s his way of giving you some control over the relationship.”
“What relationship?” Victoria mumbled, leaning back on the couch. If she had a relationship, she wouldn’t be at home on a Friday night, typing on her laptop. “I think he’s suffering from some kind of sex addiction, Nic. It’s almost like every time I see him, he’s either making out with another girl, or ...”
Her roommate raised an eyebrow. “Trying to get you to bed?”
Victoria blushed. “Technically, I initiated it the first time.”
“Fooling around with Erika Daniels’s hot billionaire boyfriend,” Nicolette mused. “I’m very impressed.” She grinned. “Hey, after you’re done with Chase, maybe you could steal Miranda Kerr’s boyfriend too.”
“Very funny.” Victoria leaned forward and got back to her writing, but her friend’s words hit her like a punch in her gut. Erika may not be Sebastian’s girlfriend, as he claimed, but it didn’t mean they weren’t seeing each other. Or making out in restaurants.
They’ve seen me take a great number of different women into my bedroom before.
Just how many, exactly? Maybe he was just bragging, the way guys do? But he definitely knew his way around a bed — and a desk — so yeah, he was experienced. That much she knew. She bit her lower lip, remembering what it felt like having his tongue down there between her thighs. A delicious shiver crawled up her spine.
“Hey, Victoria!”
She looked up to see Nicolette standing in front of her. “Sorry! You were saying?” She’d completely zoned out.
Her friend was holding a pair of shoes in each hand. “Which one? Slutty?” she said, holding up the white slingbacks. “Or sluttier?” She held up the black strappy stilettos.
Victoria pointed to the black stilettos. “Sluttier, definitely.”
“It’s that good, huh?”
“What is?”
“Sex with your boss. You had a stupid, horny look on your face when I mentioned it.” Nicolette gave her a knowing look and turned to go back to her room.
“I did not!” Victoria yelled after her. “I’m thinking about the plot of my story!”
“Liar.”
***
“There you are!” Ed Taylor gave Victoria a wide smile as she approached the counter of the Foxhole. She’d just arrived for her shift.
It was odd. Her boss was never this cheerful, especially on a Saturday morning. A tall, well-built man in his forties wearing a black suit standing sideways in front of the counter turned to face her.
“Connor?” she said, recognizing Sebastian’s chauffeur. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Chase is requesting your services today,” Connor said. “Unfortunately, he’s been called to a meeting and can’t be at Benson’s violin recital this morning. He’d like for you to be there in his place.”
“Oh.” She looked at Ed. There was no way he was going to let her take the day off on such short notice.
“Go on ahead, Victoria,” the elderly man said. “You can come in tomorrow.”
“Really?” Now Ed was really acting strange.
“This way, please, Ms. Slade,” Connor said, gesturing toward the door.
“Thank you, Ed!” she called out to her employer as Connor hurried her to the door. “What did you say to him?” she whispered as they walked out the coffee shop.
“I explained the situation, and he was very understanding,” Connor said.
“You didn’t threaten him did you?” she asked half-jokingly. A former Navy Seal, Connor was first of all Sebastian’s personal body guard. Chauffeuring — a job he was vastly overqualified for — was only part of his duties.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Ms. Slade.” He opened the car door for her. “The program will be only till noon, but Mr. Chase will compensate you for the whole day.”
“Oh, that’s not really necessary, Connor.” She slid into the back seat. “I’m happy to do this.”
“You’ll have to take that up with Mr. Chase, I’m afraid.”
It was a nice quiet drive to Benson’s school. Riding at the back of the silver Mercedes was a different experience from her daily bus rides, that was for sure. The luxury car practically glided over concrete; she could barely feel a single bump on the road. And the soft leather seat was more comfortable than any bed she’d ever owned. She smoothed the skirt of her dark blue dress, thankful she decided to wear it that day instead of jeans. With short cropped sleeves and crisp lines, it was casual but elegant enough for a school affair. At least she hoped it was.
“We’re not late, are we, Connor?” she said as they pulled up in front of the auditorium.
“No, Miss. It starts in...” He looked at his watch. “Twenty minutes. Benson’s already backstage. I’ll pick you both up here after the show.”
Victoria couldn’t help smiling as she walked through the lobby of the auditorium. When Benson had asked her the other day if she could be at the recital, she had to decline. It was difficult for her to get Saturdays off from the coffee shop. And after finding out that Sebastian was still seeing Erika, she wasn’t ready to face him again, at least until her next tutoring session. She had no idea how Connor got Ed to give her the day off, but she was glad she would be able to see Benton’s performance. And without having to see Sebastian, too. Thank goodness her boss was so busy.
She wondered why he wanted her to be there. Did Benson not have any aunts or other relatives who could attend in his uncle’s place? Did the boy put Sebastian up to it?
“This way please, Miss,” said the usher, a teenage girl in a dark maroon suit. She escorted Victoria to a seat in the second row.
She took her phone out to set it to vibrate. She looked up and saw she was seated next to an elegant woman in her forties who was deep in conversation with a man on her right who was probably her her husband. The seat on Victoria’s left was empty.
“Oh hello,” the woman said, smiling at her. “My husband and I were just talking about how well the music program has improved since last year. Bringing in Nikolaus Scherer as head of the department was quite inspired.”
“I’m ... sure it was,” Victoria said, putting her phone back in her purse. She had no idea who Nikolaus was. “I suppose he’s really good with the kids?”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Ghastly manners, my dear. He shouts at them during rehearsals, and expects the other instructors to do the same. I suppose there are very few such talented musicians who aren’t so temperamental. Especially when they’re German.”
“I suppose so.” Victoria paused. “Although I don’t think shouting at children would make them any better at music.”
“Is that right?” The woman smiled at her. “Do you have a child in the program? I’m not sure you look old enough, my dear.”
“Oh no,” Victoria said. “Not mine. He’s—”
“Ms. Slade is here to accompany me, Betty.”
The woman looked over Victoria’s shoulder, her eyes looking like they were ready to pop out of their sockets.
Victoria turned to see Sebastian beside her, unbuttoning his grey suit jacket as he settled in his seat. His eyes met hers, his expression neutral.
So much for avoiding her boss.
What was he even doing here? She stared at him, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, my,” the woman exclaimed. “She and I have just been chatting about the new music department head, Sebastian. I had no idea she was your ... friend.”
Victoria turned to look at her. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the way Betty said the word “friend”.
The older woman looked at her a little more closely, and held out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Betty Van Drunen, and this is my husband Noah. Our Jensen is in the junior lacrosse team with Benson.”
“Victoria Slade,” Victoria said, shaking her hand. “Very nice to meet you.”
“Delighted, I’m sure.” She smiled and nodded to Sebastian before turning away to speak to her husband in low tones.
Victoria finally found her voice. “I thought you had a meeting,” she said.
“Canceled.”
“Oh, then I guess I should —”
“Stay, please.” The imploring way he looked at her made her knees weak. “I told Benson you’d be here.”
She was quiet for a moment, then nodded her head. She leaned back in her seat and prayed for the program to begin.
“Thank you for coming,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Please don’t ask me about what happened at-
“You ran out on me yesterday.”
Crap.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes glued to the stage curtains.
“If you didn’t like crepes, I could have made you something else.”
“It’s not that.” She gripped the arm rest between them. “I had to get to work—”
“Shhh,” he whispered, his hand closing over hers. “We’ll talk later.”
Victoria was vaguely aware that the lights had dimmed, and the curtain was beginning to rise. All she could think about was Sebastian holding her hand. His four fingers were curled under her palm, and his thumb caressed the top of her fingers in an occasional slow, gentle stroke as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
She felt her body temperature rise, the awareness of his touch coursing through every nerve in her body. The fluttering in her stomach melted into a hot pit of need in her core.
She pulled her hand away from his grasp. “I forgot to put my phone on silent mode,” she whispered as she fumbled with her purse. She took her phone out and went through the motions of muting it.
After putting her phone away, Victoria rested her hands on her lap. She clutched her purse, hoping it would dissuade him from trying to take her hand again.
Sebastian kept his elbow on the arm rest but didn’t say anything for a long time.
After a while, she relaxed and started to enjoy the program. Most of the young performers were quite talented, especially the older ones. They performed on the piano, the cello, the violin and the trumpet. The strings were the last to play, and during the cello and violin performances, she had sat up straight in her seat in eager anticipation of Benson’s turn on the stage.
“To perform the minuet from George Frideric Handel’s Berenice on the violin: Benedict Mattheson.”
The young boy was in a dark blue suit and silver tie. Violin in hand, he took center stage and bowed. He tucked the instrument under his chin and began to play.
Victoria caught her breath.
The song was beautiful, and one she didn’t remember ever hearing before. Benson’s fingers glided confidently over the fingerboard, as his bow teased the haunting, sweeping melody from the strings.
She felt her heart soar in pride. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth that had dropped open in awe. Impulsively, she turned to look at Sebastian.
He was staring at her. They held each other’s gaze for a tense, heated moment, before he turned his eyes back to the stage.