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TWENTY-FOUR
REBECCA
My heart thunderedin my chest waiting for Sebastien’s limo to pick me up on Thursday night. When I refused to hand over my evidence, refused to give away control of the street operations for Domenico Holdings, I got a schedule in my email of all the events they planned to take me and shame me.
I only agreed because I planned to seduce them right back.
“You’re putting yourself at risk, Becca,” Vale said, pacing in front of my fireplace.
“Sebastien’s guard will be there. I’ll be fine.”
“With all due respect...”
Shaking my head, I whipped around to him. “What?”
He blinked when I snapped at him, then held his head high. Vale was a seasoned bodyguard, no doubt experienced in rebellious clients. He protected me since high school, following me around. Always deep in the shadows, never in my face, or in my way. Then I’d been run off the road a few months ago, and Gil joined his detail. Now, the two of them breathed down my neck.
“Never mind the situation you’re in with the FBI,” he responded, cool and confident. “You now run Domenico Holdings. That alone makes you an even bigger target to get hurt.”
“I understand.” Perhaps I was playing Russian Roulette with my life, but Sebastien wouldn’t let anything happen to me. His guard would be circling us, standing by. Sebastien would also have a gun on him. And I kept my Ruger with me at all times now.
“Vale, the men have me cornered. They have a game plan for me.”
And people would question why Vale wasn’t going completely postal on any man who took advantage of me. Then everyone would know we were playing a game. But who would break first?
The limo pulled up in front of my townhouse, and I waited for Sebastien to get out. When I realized he didn’t plan to, I turned back to Vale. “Compromise. If I get there and feel uncomfortable, I will call you. I promise.”
Gritting his teeth, he said, “If I don’t hear from you, Gil will be here when you get home.”
IfI got home. I might very well end up in Sebastien’s bed. Only, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go to bed with Bastien the Bastard. Okay, yeah, maybe I wanted that dangerous man thrusting in and out of me. But not if it were part of the game.
I strolled out my front door, Vale holding it for me.
The limo driver had been waiting at the rear door and tipped his hat to me. “Good evening, Miss.”
“Open the damn door.” I was pissed off and hated taking it out on a driver, but Sebastien’s lack of respect pushed me to the limit.
I climbed in and sat on the rear bench seat. The streetlamp in front of my townhouse blazed into the long window, catching Sebastien’s frozen expression on me.
“Hello,” I said to him, gathering my gown and settling my clutch purse in my lap. Patting it, I said, “I’m carrying, just so you know. I told Vale to stay home.”
“Silas won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, sounding eerie.
“Good to know.”
“You look beautiful,” his monotone voice struck me. “Is that new?”
“No.”
“I’ve not seen it before.”
“You haven’t been paying attention.”
“You’re so wrong,” he scoffed, then glanced out the window behind his head. He sat on the long bench, caddy-cornered, one leg bent, the other lazily draped in front of him.
“Maybe it’s me who’s not paid attention. Since when are you gay?”
“I’m not gay. If I were, I’d tell you. That would have made all this easier.”
“What easier?”
“Me leaving you.”
I shuddered, surprised at the direction this conversation took when all I had expected was silence. “Why did you leave me?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does!”
He swung his feet around and rubbed his hands together. “You really have no idea?”
“Answering questions with a question, counselor.” I squeezed my purse. “How original.”
“When your father got on that plane, he really didn’t tell you the deal he made with Anthony Sr.?”
“He’d made hundreds of deals with Anthony Sr. that your father wasn’t a part of. I’m surprised they brought you and the Byrnes in on Sunrise.”
“We’re formidable now. My father and I. Your father didn’t give us the recognition we deserved.” He swore and leaned back. “Your father didn’t respect me. But I guess it’s too late to change that.”
Whatever deal he was referring to didn’t interest me as much as what I saw happen the other day. “How long have you and your lover-boy Anthony been screwing around on the side? High school?”
He snorted. “You think what you saw were two lovers screwing?”
“It kind of looked like rape, but you have a few inches on Anthony, and I’m guessing fifty pounds of muscle. I’m confused.”
“We’re probably all going down anyway. Thanks to you.”
“No. Thanks to our fathers. Don’t forget, Domenico Holdings has resources to bail out of this deal. I’m the CFO, I know.” I slapped my chest. “My company will survive without that investment. Even if we lose the down payment.”
“It’s good to be the king,” Sebastien muttered.
“Queen.”
“I meant your father. He drained us all for years. Milked us. Sucked us dry.” His cheek twitched as if he remembered the way his cock felt in my mouth so long ago. “No one had cash reserves like your father.”
“Like me now.” I exhaled. “I’m also willing to renegotiate everything, Seb. I didn’t plan to be in charge like this so soon. I certainly didn’t expect this Sunrise complication. Our fathers worked harmoniously together for years.”
“That’s the real illusion. Talk to your GC, you’ll see how one-sided all the deals your father made were.”
“I will. And I’ll renegotiate them.”
“Anthony won’t let that happen.”
I shook my head. “It’s none of Anthony’s business. And you totally dodged my question. How long have you and he been lovers? Did you cheat on me with him in high school?”
“Not high school.”
My heart jolted. “College?”
“Sophomore year,” he admitted with ease. “He came to visit me on one of the many weekends you stayed in New Haven.”
My stomach flipped. “I had exams, Seb.”
“Bastien. Okay? My name is Bastien.”
“Bastien the Bastard.”
“You have no idea.”
I let out a breath. “Okay, so I neglected you to study. Then Anthony, who I’m sure never even attended one class at NYU, flies up to Cambridge on his father’s jet and you let him fuck you?”
“Pretty much.” He pinched his trousers. “It was just that one time back then, if that matters.”
I leaned forward, feeling sick. “If you wanted me to feel like a blind fool, mission accomplished.”
He stared at me and opened his mouth to respond, but the flashing lights streaming in from the Warwick’s marquis caught his attention. “We’re here. Don’t move. I’ll get out and open your door.”
“Oh,” I scoffed. “I wasn’t important enough for you to open the door at my damn house. But here you’ll do it? Fuck you.” I pushed the door open myself, hitting a valet in the groin.
My instincts wanted to apologize, but queens didn’t apologize. I marched up the entryway to the Warwick where tonight’s fundraiser for after-school mentor programs was being held. No doubt, Giancarlo would be here since he lived at the hotel. And I was sure he wanted to see how Bastien would behave with me. I was curious as hell too.
“Slow down,” Sebastien said, gripping my waist as I moved into the hotel.
“No one in our world will buy this. You’ve barely looked at me for five years. Have at it tonight, Bastien. Do what you want. No one will believe this is real.”
“Maybe you’re right. It’s all we got. You’re protecting your family. We’re protecting our families. Do you want...” Bastien stopped and stared at my shoulders. “You didn’t bring a shawl or a wrap.”
“Nice of you to notice.”
“None of this was my idea. We all have a game to play.”
“You betcha. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Bastien had given me the icy treatment for years. And we’d never brought up the past. I didn’t understand what was going on with him and Anthony, but as far as I knew, Anthony still whored himself all over town. Unless that was an act. To hide a love affair between him and Bastien?
Asking my questions, I’d hid how hot it made me feel watching them. How it turned me on and made my heart pound. I couldn’t get what I saw out of my mind.
I wondered what I had to do to see it again...
