The One Awakened: Book 1 in The One Trilogy (53 page)

My nostrils flare in anger. This woman was such a bitch!
Why would he tell her that information?
 

But then it hits me. He wouldn’t. Sebastian was the ultimate professional. He’d never gossip about personal things like this with his PA. The only reason she would be aware of my morning-after-pill debacle was if she’d seen it for herself.
She
had been the blonde in the black fur coat behind me that day. The one who’d left in a hurry and the one who’d took great pleasure in informing Sebastian. Total bitch! The term backstreet made it sound dirty and a mistake!

“No he didn’t but thank you for your concern.”

I move to stand and place my hand out to shake her own but she chooses to ignore it, looking me up and down with feigned boredom, instead focusing her attention on Colin’s return.
“Sebastian and I go way back you know?” Her gold hoop earrings swing as she shakes her head, glossy hair swishing down her back.
Don’t rise to it girl. Like you have already realized, it is not worth it!
 

“Oh?” Colin places a loose arm at my back and dives right in - both he and I already know that Seb’s only known her a few months.
“Yes. We met a few years back, when he was working on a new-build for my brother and we’ve been together since,” she supplies smugly.
All of six months. God this woman was obsessed.

Colin looks sheepishly in my direction. “At work you mean?”

Trust Col to jump right in there.

She screws her face up as if she has a bad smell under her nose. “Well yes but Sebastian and I are a good fit and are
so
much more than just colleagues.”

Colin rolls his eyes, indiscreetly at me and pats Toni’s arm. “I think you’ll have to get in line Love – think Sebastian may have realised that
the one
is staring him right in
the face
.”
 

He cricks his neck and hitchhikes his thumb in my direction. I could kill him for his indiscretion but at the same time appreciate his show of support. We are not even a couple. Fuck buddies, yes but not an item and I didn’t want to appear too desperate in front of this cow!
She puckers up her face, so full of air I fear she’ll pop and blow across the room.
 

“Well
my
Sebastian does like to play, and he just
loves
the chase but he always goes back to his roots,” her voice drips with spite.
“Speaking about roots,” Colin mutters under his breath, discreetly air patting a fake hairdo and I giggle rudely.
God, get me out of here – it’s unheard of for me to be so bitchy!
“Nice to see you again Toni – I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon.”
 

That’s as nice as I can muster. It’s not often I dislike a woman so abundantly but this one is a frigging nightmare. This is my friend’s business, not hers!
“Hmmm. Well let’s hope that this little job is done and dusted soon and we can get back to working on the high-fee paying projects - I keep telling Sebastian that he’s out grown your little business!”
I can see what she just tried to do and I’m annoyed at my own instinctive pathetic reaction to it. I hate the thought of the two of them discussing me, hate that he has anything to do with this silly blonde. My teeth are so tightly ground, I wince as my jaw crunches. I want to scream at her that this
little job
was the beginning of 40+ further
little jobs
on a similar level, at The Ashton and that meant great business and great profit, but I don’t give her the satisfaction. She is not important enough to know company information and just not worth it.
Rise above - it’ll annoy her much more than if you’d retaliated and you know it - kill her with kindness.
 

“I’ll be sure to tell Sebastian you’ve been, when I see him at home tonight – you should pop round - he’s been away all week and we’ve lots to catch up on but I’m sure he’d love to see you - maybe surprise him!” She plays her trump card well and smiling, disappears back towards the office at the rear, her petite figure wiggling, with an exaggeration that would make Marilyn Monroe proud.
 

“That girl is a bloody psy…chohhh!” Colin twirls his finger next to his head in a spiral movement, spelling the last word out in slow, dragged-out syllables. I have to agree he’s not far off the mark on this occasion. Serious single-white-female tendencies here; Sebastian will need to watch out with this one.
“She’s obviously got it into her head that she is going to be THE Mrs. Silver and they will run their construction empire in unison.” I laugh at his dramatic analogy.

“Poor girl – I think she’s just another of Sebastian’s conquests and believe me I can see why she is so hooked. That man makes all men look like students in the bedroom,” I begrudgingly allow her.
 

“What’s all that about
talking to him back at home tonight
? Are they living together?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but who am I to know. Seb and I don’t keep tabs on one another. I am starting to wonder if he and Toni ever had
a thing
or if it’s all in her extremely deluded head?”
 

My stomach coils again with waves of nausea, a habitual process, recently developed.

“Well he’s back home tonight apparently, so get every scrap of that lovely body of yours ready and be sure to have make-up and mints at hand.”
 

“I suppose I could go around as Finn isn’t back from Wales until tomorrow.”

And I really want to see him.

I smile at his exceedingly expert advice. Bless him he really was very sweet and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I already knew he was home - had received my welcome home fuck last night in fact, and again this morning in Room 22. I can feel myself blush at the memory and it crosses my mind that that could be the reason for the chosen name of Scarlet House - how very appropriate.

With that thought we head out to the car park and I half-listen to Colin waffle about how he and James are trying out sex toys, tonight for the first time together and shake my head in mock-surprise. With Colin there were no boundaries – it was full throttle, full disclosure or nothing at all; there was no middle ground with him. I just hoped that he wasn’t running before he could walk, where James was concerned. The little bunny was certainly more rampant than usual.
I use the drive home to tame the mounting nervous bubbles threatening to pop in my stomach – it’s been less than 8hours since I saw Sebastian. I cannot begin to describe the sheer craving I have to catch the slightest glimpse of him. To think that only two weeks ago, I hadn’t seen him for months and I’d missed him but not this way, now it was a deep-rooted
need
that ripped through me 24hours a day. Now I was in way over my head.
I am bordering on desperate, I think disgusted with myself. I really need to get a grip.
 

He fills my every waking moment - so much for treating this like a mutually beneficial fuck buddy arrangement. I had to start being honest with myself. After only a brief affair, I wanted more. More than friends? We weren’t even that right now - something we’d always managed. Tonight I’d resolve that. Tonight we’d finally talk about a possible future. If he couldn’t offer me any, I’d walk away now, before he smashed my heart into silver pieces.

Like it would be that easy.

My phones vibrates noisily on my laptop, and glancing across at its position on the passenger seat I cringe. Niall. The last person I want to speak to - but it could be about Finn. I hit accept and his voice streams through the handsfree.

“Lucia. Are you free tonight for a drink?”

Of all the things, I never thought it would be that.

“Not tonight I’m afraid. Why what’s wrong - do you want to discuss Finn?”
Where the F was Karen?

“No everything’s fine. I know he’s away at the moment with your parents so I figured you’d be lonely - thought we might go have a carvery at The Ring O Bells, for old times sake.”

WTF? Oh fuck it - I’m fed up of this guy. We have history and Finn but this isn’t about Finn and I’m tired of him making me feel beholden to him. Besides I do have a life!

“Sorry Niall I’m at Sebastian’s tonight.”
 

The Silence lasts so long, I figure he’s hung up and glance back at the screen - nope still there.

“So you and him…?”

“What Niall?”

“… are you… fucking now?”

“Don’t be so crude. We are friends - as
you
well know. I am dating though - not that’s its any of your business. Look - I’m going to hang up now Niall. Let’s keep it civil for Finn’s sake but not get personal.”

“Well I’m sure Karen will join me. She’s one, who likes to please me.”

I bite my tongue, can practically see his cheesy wink down the phone. Oh yeah she’s bloody perfect.
 

“Yes whilst we are on the subject of Karen
 
- would you ask her not to talk about me to my son. Calling me a stupid bitch, around him, isn’t something I want him to hear happening and if it continues, he will not be staying over with you, when Karen is around.”

I’m proud of the finality and calmness of my voice.

“Sorry Lu - I didn’t know.” I can hear the sarcastic tone lacing through his voice and breathe deeply through my nose to refrain from losing it. “…I’ll have a word with her. She shouldn’t be saying things like that I agree, after all, one thing you’ve never been is stupid, after all you chose me. The other word…well?”

Dick!

I end the call before I get any more wound up. This was my huge concern about falling any deeper under the spell of Sebastian Silver. If things didn’t work out I’d lose everything; his friendship, his sexual prowess our connection and we just end up like Niall and I - two people who weren’t meant to be.

Quickly checking my appearance in the rear view mirror I remove a smudge of stray red lipstick, flick my tongue over my teeth and take a deep calming breath. Both knees are literally knocking together due to such frayed nerves. Shaking myself to get a grip I smooth down the chosen fitted Cream peplum dress and head towards the door of
Silver Birches
, deluxe home to the most delicious and devilish man – Sebastian Silver himself.