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Lauren smiled and took advantage of his offer. “Okay. Here’s a new topic. Sebastian, now that we’ve determined that I was Sutton’s mystery woman, what are you going to do about finding yours?”
That was a good question. Sutton was curious to hear the answer himself. His brother wasn’t really the kind to have a fling at a party. The mere fact that he had meant that the lady had a magnetic hold on Sebastian. Sutton never thought he would see the day that his super analytical twin would be entranced by a female to the point of abandoning his usual good sense.
But would he do anything about it? Sutton was more prone to be the hunter than his brother. Sebastian was always too busy for things like that.
His twin set down his coffee mug and gazed thoughtfully into the living room. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I guess I never expected to hear from her again. When you showed up at
the house, I was excited by the idea of having a second chance with her, but now that I’m back at square one, I’m not sure where to start.”
“I’ve got a list of party guests that Beth gave me,” Sutton offered. “I asked her for it when I was hunting for my masked beauty.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss against Lauren’s neck. He liked that her hair was always up in a bun. It gave him free access to the long, bare line of her throat and he could plant kisses beneath her ear whenever he felt like it. “Since I’ve found her, you can have it.”
He enjoyed watching the blush rise to her cheeks. Her every thought and feeling was etched on her face, which made having sex with her even by dim lamplight particularly exciting. Their first time together had been in total darkness, never mind the masks. Now he could see every thrill, every pulsating ripple of pleasure dance across her face.
“I may take you up on that. But for now, I’m heading out for a while.”
“Where to?” It was awfully early for his equally unemployed brother to be up, dressed and ready to go out the door.
“To the club. I’m going to meet a few people there.” Sebastian finished off his coffee and put the mug in the sink. “I’ll be back this afternoon.”
Sutton gently stroked Lauren’s back through his T-shirt as he watched his brother go. “He’s really into her, whomever she is.”
Lauren turned to him with a wrinkled nose. “How can you tell?”
“Because he’s considering looking for her. That’s huge for him. The family and the business have always come before his social life.”
“Well, maybe since his calendar is cleared, he has time to look for his missing lover.”
“Maybe so. Honestly, I feel like I’m going mad with all this time on my hands.” He leaned in to nibble on her neck again. “I wish you didn’t work so much so you could help me occupy the time.”
Lauren giggled and squirmed away. “Well, not everyone was the CFO of a Fortune 500 company. Some of us are the CEO, CFO, payroll manager, line cook and head bottle washer of a Fortune 100,000 company. I’ve got to bust my ass every day to keep my head above water and build my business.”
Sutton lowered himself down onto the stool beside her. “You know, I could help you out.”
“What? Can you cook?”
“No, not like that,” he laughed. “I managed the finances of our whole company. The marketing department reported to me, as well. I have a great head for management. Let me use it to help you out.”
Lauren’s face said it all—she didn’t know how to politely tell him no. That meant she wouldn’t. “I don’t know, Sutton. The restaurant business isn’t like your company.”
“Obviously, there are differences. But I know how to get good word of mouth going. I’m great with promotion. I can help you brainstorm ideas. Really. Like, tell me your ultimate goal for the business.”
“What?”
Sutton turned Lauren to face him on the stool and gripped her shoulders gently. She was being stubborn. He wasn’t sure if she was just used to being a one woman show, or if she didn’t trust his ideas. His own confidence waivered slightly at her resistance. He wouldn’t blame her for rejecting his help. Who wanted advice from someone who’d been ousted by the board of directors, after all? He tamped down his own doubts. “Just do me a favor and close your eyes.”
She eventually complied, but not without the line of concern returning between her brows. “Okay. Now what?”
“Picture yourself ten years from now. You’re at the pinnacle of your career. You have everything you’ve ever wanted to achieve and more. Visualize it in your mind, make it real with all your senses. Then tell me what you see.”
Lauren took a deep breath before she answered. “I have my own successful restaurant here in Royal. One without wheels.”
“That’s great.” He wouldn’t say it aloud, but a chef of Lauren’s caliber didn’t need to be cooking in a truck. She needed a real, brick-and-mortar restaurant where she could take her culinary creations to the next level. “What else do you see?”
“White walls, colorful paintings. There are people at every table, happy...eating...talking. It’s beautiful. And it smells amazing.”
“Have you sold the food trucks?” he asked.
She thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe I have staff to run them for me while I focus on the restaurant.”
