Page 87 of Hate To Be Mine

“That was amazing,” Elizabeth said, appearing with a towel. “Bernadette, you’re stunning.”

“I just stood there.”

“You did more than that. You inhabited the concept. You were Venus.” She hugged me. “Thank you for doing this.”

I changed back into my regular clothes, but I left my hair down. Kept the makeup on because that was going to require some minor sandblasting to remove. I held on to the feeling of being someone else for just a little longer.

I couldn’t wait to find Sebastian. I wanted to celebrate and share the moment with him. I was riding the high of feeling pretty. It had only been a week since we’d met, but it felt like so much more than that.

A whirlwind romance. That’s what this was. Fast and intense and probably doomed, but real, nonetheless.

I couldn’t deny I cared about him. Couldn’t imagine celebrating with anyone else. I wanted him to act on all those looks he’d been giving me. I wanted his hands actually on my body.

I was just slipping on my very sensible shoes when I heard a commotion.

“The Blackwells are here!”

My stomach dropped. Sebastian’s family. His brothers and mother. Already?

I stepped out of the tent to see everyone rushing around. The energy had immediately shifted. Not because the Blackwells were scary or bad people, but because they were the bosses. Everyone put on their professional faces.

I saw Elizabeth practically run to Adrian, throwing her arms around him with the kind of joy that made my chest ache. She had someone who loved her like that. And she obviously loved him.

Sebastian was talking with his other brothers and an elegant older woman, who had to be his mother. They looked like a magazine spread, all of them tall and attractive and expensive.

I walked over to greet them.

Sebastian saw me approaching. “Everyone, you all remember the insurance company rep. Bernadette Simmons.”

The words hit me like cold water. Rationally, I understood it was the right way to introduce me. Professional. Appropriate. These were his business partners. He couldn’t exactly say, “This is Little Bee, the woman I’ve been sleeping with.”

But it still stung. After everything we shared, reducing me to “the insurance company rep” felt like a slap.

“Nice to meet you,” his mother said graciously.

“We’ve heard good things,” Adrian added, though his tone suggested he’d heard mixed things at best.

I forced a smile. “Thank you. The production has been very smooth.”

“Glad to hear it,” Briggs said. “I knew you two could work together.”

There was an awkward pause. I waited for Sebastian to say something more. Maybe mention I just finished an amazing shoot.

But he didn’t. He just stood there, looking uncomfortable, like he couldn’t wait for this interaction to end.

Elizabeth was watching me. I could see it in my peripheral vision. She was a woman that saw too much and I was certain she noticed my reaction, judging by the concern in her expression.

But there was nothing to say. Nothing that wouldn’t make everything worse.

“I should go,” I said. “I need to… finish up some reports.”

I turned and walked away before anyone could respond. I refused to let Sebastian see the hurt on my face.

Annika materialized beside me. “Come on, darling. Let’s get out of here.”

We ended up at the resort bar, where Annika ordered us both something strong and tropical.

“Are you okay?” she asked.