A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks to all who voted and commented like crazy on the previous chapters. The story has definitely picked up momentum with a lot of you and people are really running off with all kinds of ideas and possibilities on the next chapters. It's fun. LOL!

As always, please vote and comment if you like it.. I really, really appreciate it. Thanks! =)

***Dedicating this chapter to another fave WP author of mine: greenwriter. I love her work The Transient Wife which features a tough female lead also named Cassandra.***

***

“I thought I’d get you to sign this before we release the company newsletter on Monday.”

I stared at the folder Tamara handed me, feeling uneasy at what I knew it contained.

“It’s been revised to six months,” she added, answering my unspoken question.

I looked at her for a minute, unsure how to best approach the situation.

She emailed me a meeting request with no stated agenda. Since Sebastian’s revelations yesterday, I haven’t decided yet how I was going to deal with Tamara.

She didn’t look annoyed or exasperated—as always she looked pleasant and professional.

“Can I ask you something, Tamara?”

I wondered where the courage came from but now that I’d asked it out loud, there was no going back.

“Of course. What is it?”

I took a deep breath. “Do you think I deserve this job? And I’d appreciate an honest answer, without fear of repercussions—just your own personal opinion.”

She raised a brow, rolling a fountain pen between her fingers. “Didn’t I do a pretty speech of it on your first day here?”

“Yes, but that was before... you know...”

She just raised her brow again, prompting me wordlessly.

“That was before Sebastian told me what he’d done. Now, I can’t help but question everything.”

I lowered my eyes to the folder again, wondering if a time will come when I would stop second-guessing everything that had happened in my life because someone had a hand in it other than me.

“I have tremendous respect for Sebastian,” Tamara started slowly. “He has a vision and he has a drive most people can only envy. He doesn’t kid around and he certainly doesn’t suffer fools. If someone’s not good enough to work for this company, they wouldn’t be working here if he had anything to do with it. I’ve never known him to have biases—he doesn’t give an inch even to people who’d worked for him for years. You perform well, you get rewarded generously. You slack off, you get the boot. He’s always been black and white about that.”

I grimaced, unable to help myself. 

She won’t be the only one to think it unfair that I’ve gained advantage because of my personal association to the boss.

“When he came to me about you, I was appalled,” she continued, smiling wryly. “I thought to myself, if he was going to pull strings, he can do it in some other department. I didn’t want to be told who to hire. He didn’t explain to me his motives. He just told me that he knows someone who would be an asset to the team. He didn’t tell me I didn’t have a choice about it although I’m pretty sure that was all between the lines. He just handed me your CV to look through. The next day I told him I’d take you on.”

“So you decided to hire me because of my actual credentials?” I asked in surprise. “That you weren’t pressured to into the decision?”

She chuckled. “No, I think Sebastian figured out that there was no need for him to press it on me. He knew your qualifications would be enough. If I’d said no, then maybe he would’ve had to make an executive decision but all that he really did was hand me your information. It’s no different than HR handing it to me for recommendation. We may have offered you a little more to seal the deal but it’s nothing I wouldn’t do myself if I really believed in someone’s potential.”

I couldn’t suppress a sigh of relief.

“I can see that this is troubling you,” Tamara went on, studying me with a more serious expression. “I personally don’t know what the real deal is here. I saw the whole thing at the board meeting and I’ve heard the stories that have been going around. Personally, I don’t give a fig. You’re in my team because you get me results. In two weeks, you’ve done more than others have in a few months. You’re doing more than I’ve asked you and I think, somehow, it’s because you feel you need to prove yourself more because of the circumstances that brought you here. I won’t complain and ask you to do less but I want you to understand that you’re here because you deserved the chance. I want you to do your best because you believe in what we do here and not because you have to prove yourself every time. You’d burn out before you can take a breath.”

I was very happy with Tamara’s reassurances. 

I didn’t think she was just telling me what I wanted to hear. To be perfectly honest, in the last two weeks of working with Tamara, she never struck me as a pushover. If she didn’t want to do what Sebastian asked, she wouldn’t have done it. She wasn’t the type to put up with crap from people—even if it’s from the very intimidating owner of the company.

I signed my paperwork and left Tamara’s office with lighter shoulders.

I cared about the general opinion about me—I’d be a hypocrite to say none of that mattered. But there were only a few whose opinion meant more to me than others and as long as those weren’t compromised, I was at ease.

Mid-morning, a chat window popped up on my screen from Sebastian.

The company used an instant messenger tool for quicker and informal communication but I doubted anyone had access to invite Sebastian without his approval. I clicked Accept to add him to my contacts list.

Sleep okay last night? 

I hesitated, looking around to see if anyone was watching me.

Yeah. I had a long day. You?

Don’t sleep much, remember?

I blushed, remembering that detail about him and the fact that since we started sharing a bed that summer, he started sleeping in.

I remember.

I hope you like the contract better. 

I do. Thank you. It’s been all signed off.

Good. I have a lunch meeting. Coffee break with me later?

I worried my lower lip, resisting the casual invitation I knew wasn’t casual at all.

Rules, remember? Plus, I have work to do.

Fine. 

I waited to see if he was going to say more but more than ten minutes passed and still nothing from him.

I sighed, clearing the message history before closing the chat window.

Sebastian accepted the rules but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make it hard for me to enforce them.

I continued with work, pushing all thoughts of Sebastian out of my mind.

An hour later, I walked to the copy room to with my report to make a few copies of it.

I was patiently waiting for the sheets to finish scanning when Dana arrived, her expression smug, as if she knew a dirty secret. 

“I’d think you’d be playing secretary somewhere else,” she said casually, her eyes looking me up and down.

I suppressed a sigh. “Hello, Dana.”

“So tell me, did you sleep with him to get the position?” she pressed on. “I think it had to be more than a blowjob for him to do you this big a favor.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Sheath your claws, Dana, before you hurt yourself.”

She raised her brow mockingly. “Oh, so you think you’ve got some kind of power now? Don’t be ridiculous, Cassie. Men like Sebastian play with their toys until they get bored and find something else. But I can’t blame you. I would bask in it too, if only for a very short time.”

“Well, you’re free to it anytime,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t really care what you think, Dana. If you think you’re important enough for me to worry about, you’re wrong.”

I moved aside to walk past her but she quickly stepped in my way, her expression now as menacing as any bully. “If you think I don’t know about your secret promotion, you’re mistaken. I was supposed to get that position and there’s no way I’m just going to let you waltz in and snatch it up because you give good fuck.”

I resisted the very strong urge to smack her in the head. “If you have a problem with it, take up with Tamara.”

She threw her head back and laughed harshly. “Oh, I already did. I knew it the moment I came to talk to her the week before you came that she was going to give it to someone else.”

“She’s a real wise leader then.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” Dana snapped, her eyes narrowing. “If you hadn’t come along, Tamara wouldn’t have had any choice but to give it to me. And she still can—if you tell her you don’t really think you’re up for this job. I’ll make sure she keeps you on as a junior analyst.”

My anger was starting to simmer but I reminded myself that I needed to be the bigger person in this—or at least the less desperate one. “It’s not my problem that you’re living in a nightmare of your own making, Dana. If you ever harass me about this again, I will have no choice but to report you. Don’t push me.”

Dana straightened her shoulders, her nose flaring in barely controlled fury. “You’ll be sorry. Don’t doubt that.”

Then she strode out of the room.

The breath that whooshed out of me left my shoulders slumped and I took a minute to regain my composure.

I hated bullies but I had always managed to steer clear of them.

When cornered, I fought back, each time. 

Dana was no different.

This isn’t anything you didn’t expect when you got gifted a dream job in your ex-boyfriend’s company. Now that you’ve made your bed, lie in it.

I took a deep breath and picked up the sheath of papers before walking out of the room, determined to put the incident out of my mind.

I knew the potential consequences but they never weighed in heavily on the decision to accept a job here at TVG. Now I wonder if all along, I knew the real reason why I was here, and I just ignored it knowing it was a truth I still couldn’t get myself to admit.

***

“I should’ve taken a cart.”

I glanced at Gabe in amusement, glancing at the loaded drink trays heaped over our arms which were brimming full of Starbucks’ coffee cups.

“This is why I try to avoid going around asking everyone if they’d like anything,” Gabe answered with an amused sigh as we waited for the elevator to arrive at the main lobby. 

After my run-in with Dana this morning, I hadn’t been in the best of moods despite a merry lunch with others in the team. My annoyance was still eating at me that I finally decided to take a short walk to clear my head. I decided to do a quick trip to the coffee house which took up a corner at the ground level of TVG. 

Eight people tacked on to my coffee run and if it weren’t for Gabe who happened to be there, I would’ve had some challenges bringing the coffee up to the office.

“I’ll remember that for next time. Or maybe I’ll just sneak out,” I said with a laugh just as the elevator sounded a soft ping before sliding its doors open.

Gabe grinned at me and froze about the same time as I did when we saw who was standing in the elevator, a dark scowl on his face.

Jennison was standing next to him, his hand on the door to keep it from closing, his expression betraying no surprise as he glanced at me.

I couldn’t help it. “Jennison, how good to see you! How are you doing?”

The guard, who didn’t look a day older than he did four years ago, only smiled faintly and nodded at me. “I’m doing well, Cassandra. It’s good to see you.”

“Yes, good to see you’re having such a good time on your coffee break,” Sebastian cut in, his tone unmistakably caustic. He eyed Gabe evenly before stepping out of the elevator. 

He stood in front of me, a little too close to be appropriate, his eyes scanning my face intently. 

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his expression losing some of its hardness. “You look... troubled.”

Great.

The last man I wanted to see into my soul was reading me like a book. 

“I’m fine, just busy,” I answered, looking away and stepping back a little, aware that Gabe was silently watching the whole scene unfold. 

Sebastian understood my distance and instantly slid his usual mask back into place.

“After a morning of meetings and conference calls, I have a meeting with the mayor,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “And then an interview with Cobalt Bay Daily. I know how busy feels. Make sure you spend your evening with a nice dinner and lots of rest.”

In a roundabout kind of way, I think Sebastian just asked me out to dinner but I couldn’t be sure.

Besides, we weren’t supposed to go out together.

“I’ll do my best,” I said noncommittally. “Have a good day, Sebastian.”

His gaze lingered on me for another moment before glancing at Gabe. “Lucas. Good to see you.”

Gabe nodded. “You too, Mr. Vice.”

And without saying anything else, Sebastian walked away, Jennison following behind him.

Gabe and I stepped into the elevator but it took a moment before either of us said anything.

“Well, that was awkward,” Gabe broke into the silence with a weak laugh. 

I grimaced. “I’m sorry. That was as strange to me as it was to you.”

Gabe’s expression was kind as he nudged me gently with his arm. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve never seen him speak so personally to someone before but he sounded like he cares a lot about you.”

“He did, didn’t he?” I agreed with a slow sigh. “That’s the problem. It’s hard to resent good intentions.”

“You made me think of my mother and that’s hardly the case here,” Gabe said with a laugh.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Hmm... Now that you mentioned it, he does seem like a nagging mother.”

“Stop, now, Cassandra, before we get fired.” His expression could be described as worried if it weren’t for the exaggeration. “Or maybe it will just be me.”

We were still laughing as we entered the office and deposited the coffee trays on one of the round tables used sometimes for quick and informal meetings.

Some people were coming over to fetch their cups, spewing their thanks and chatting briefly with us.

“Sugar daddy on one hand, boy toy on another.”

I glanced over my shoulder and found Dana standing there with a smirk on her face, eyeing me and Gabe. 

“Don’t be petty, Dana,” Gabe warned in an edgy voice I barely ever heard from him.

He was frowning at her but she still looked like she was enjoying herself. 

I sighed and turned away, determined to ignore her.

“Let’s go find Bradley before Chad can steal his chai latte,” I told Gabe as I picked up a cup and gently grasped his elbow. 

Gabe let me loop my arm through his and just as we walked past Dana, she snickered.

“Enjoy it while it lasts.”

I didn’t say anything as Gabe and I walked towards Bradley’s cubicle.

“Is she constantly harassing you like that?” he asked after a stretch of silence.

My instinct was to say hell yes but despite myself, I sympathized with Dana in some weird way. Whether I wanted it or not, part of the reason I was here was because of Sebastian. 

I shook my head. “She has her days. I just ignore her.”

“She can’t continue to act that way,” Gabe said in a serious tone. “If she’s always stirring trouble, she has to be managed. Come to me or Tamara.”

I looked up and smiled at him. “Thank you, Gabe.”

He grinned, reminding me of just how much he looked like the perfect all-American kind of guy. “Hey, no one else makes trouble here but me.”

I laughed, instantly feeling much lighter.

This ordeal wasn’t going to be over anytime soon but it felt good to know I had allies.

***

I was just walking down the hallway from a quick visit to marketing when I stopped dead in my tracks.

Sebastian was striding towards me, his body language tense and rigid, his face a dark scowl.

What did I do this time?

I glanced around to search for a smooth escape but I had a feeling Sebastian was going to hunt me down no matter where I went so I stood my ground and waited for him.

People noticed when he stopped in front of me, saying nothing and just staring down at me as if he wanted to lop my head off.

“Come with me,” he hissed under his breath, grabbing my wrist and dragging me behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I muttered behind him as I struggled to keep up. I tried twisting my arm free but his hold was painfully tight. “I thought you had a very busy afternoon.”

“I did,” he bit out. “I just swung by before my interview and found a pretty nasty surprise.”

I didn’t have a single clue as to why he was freaking out but it didn’t help my situation to be seen being dragged down the hall by him.

“Sebastian, let go.” I tried to slap his hand off my wrist but it didn’t budge. “You’re hurting me.”

And with that, Sebastian halted in an instant, turning around to face me and lifting my wrist up for his inspection. It was starting to look very red. He loosened his grip and rubbed his thumb along the injured skin. “I’m sorry.”

Then he released my arm and instead put a hand on the small of my back, leading me forward while semi-trapping me with his body on the side.

We reached the elevator just as it opened and before other people could pile in after us, Sebastian held up a hand to stop them, nodding gravely in a silent command.

“I thought we had rules,” I snapped at him, moving away to a corner as soon as the elevator doors closed. 

“That was before I realized how dirty you’d play,” he shot back, shoving his hands into his pockets in an effort to rein in his temper. “I agreed to your stupid rules, Cassandra, but I will not be taunted.”

“What are you talking about?” I demanded, completely bewildered. 

His green eyes glittered in silent fury. “Are you having an affair with Gabe Lucas?”

I blinked. “Gabe? You think I’m—what the hell do you mean, Sebastian? Explain yourself.”

His mouth curled up harshly. “If someone needs to explain something, it’s you, Cassandra.”

Then he grabbed me by the elbow as the elevator doors swung open and led me down the glass-walled hallway of his office.

“Hi Dean, Vanessa,” I greeted awkwardly as the secretary and his assistant looked up with startled expressions, watching their boss drag me straight into his office, the door shutting heavily behind us.

“Answer my question, Cassandra,” Sebastian said curtly as he nearly shoved me down the armchair across from his desk. “Are you sleeping with Lucas?”

“How many times do I have to tell you that my personal relationships are not your goddamned business!” I practically yelled in anger and humiliation. 

Sebastian was too much.

He was the one who went off and slept with other women after we broke up yet he’s hounding after every interaction I have with every man as if I hopped into bed with each one of them.

“And how many times do I have to tell you that you’re my business!” he shot back, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me roughly. “Just because you’ve decided to experiment doesn’t mean I’ve given you up for other men to sample. I didn’t protect you for four years just to let you go off and spread yourself around with men in my company.”

The sharp, resounding crack of my palm against his cheek filled the room.

My hand stung, my heart pounded madly and tears threatened to spill down my cheeks.

“Damn you, Cassandra,” Sebastian muttered thickly, his jaw working with the pain and shock of my slap. 

His green eyes flashed fleetingly with deep hurt. “Damn you.”

Then his mouth was on me, ravaging my own with a powerful possession. 

Instinctively, my arms slipped up over his shoulders, my fingers threading through his thick hair. Despite my anger, I was powerless when Sebastian laid claim with his touch. Such was the reason I was desperate for distance.

Remembering the rules, I tore my mouth away and shoved him back.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I demanded, wiping my lips with the back of my hand. 

“What is wrong with me?” Sebastian echoed with a humorless laugh. “You’re what’s wrong with me. You truly know how to stab a man’s heart and twist the dagger for fun, my love.”

I softened at the endearment—one I haven’t heard in years and one, despite all the lies and the women, I knew with perfect certainty he only ever used with me. 

“I don’t have any kind of relationship with Gabe except a professional one,” I admitted quietly. “The most we’ve done is eat lunch together. I just ran into him downstairs earlier when I was getting coffee and he helped me carry them up.”

Relief was quick and undisguised in Sebastian’s eyes but he still watched me warily. “Then why did you message him to spend the night with you?”

“I did what?”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he rounded to his desk and rapped on his laptop before he turned it around to show me.

It was a chat window from me to Sebastian this afternoon, containing one line.

Spend Friday night with me, Gabe. Come on. I’ll show you a good time.

My mouth dropped open with a horrified gasp.

“From your reaction, I’m assuming you don’t know anything about this?” Sebastian asked calmly. 

I glanced up at him. “I didn’t write this. Based on the time stamp, I wasn’t even at my desk then. I went down to marketing at quarter to four. This was just right after I left.”

“Did you lock your computer?” he asked. 

I furrowed my brows trying to remember. “I’m sure I did. I always do. Bradley called me over as I was getting up and—you know what? I’m not sure I did. But doesn’t it auto-lock after a few minutes?”

Sebastian nodded. “After fifteen minutes of inactivity it does. The time stamp suggests this was entered within that window.”

I groaned and shut my eyes briefly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sebastian sat on his desk and held me by the waist, turning me towards him gently until I was standing between his legs. “Cassandra, who would do something like this to you? Tell me.”

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, I know people have been gossiping about us but I doubt that anyone would dare to message you as me and say something like that. It has to be someone in that office otherwise they wouldn’t have seen me leave with my computer unlocked.”

“Is there anyone in your team who dislikes you?” Sebastian prompted. “Anyone vindictive enough to think there’s enough between you and Gabe and use it to turn me against you?” 

I shook my head. “Everyone knows Gabe and I are just friends. He flirts with everyone but no one’s said anything about the two of—oh, fuck.”

Dana.

That bitch.

Her earlier taunts came back to mind and my fists clenched instantly. 

Enjoy it while you can, she’d said.

I had no proof but I had no doubt.

“Darling, who is it?” 

“No one important,” I told him with a shrug. “I’ll deal with it.”

Sebastian’s grip on my waist tightened, his expression becoming irritated. “Cassandra, tell me.”

“I have no proof, okay?” I said with an exasperated sigh, rubbing the spot between my brows. “I don’t want you to overreact based on my suspicions.”

“I can find proof,” he assured me with a smug arch of his brow. “Who is it?”

I took a deep, ragged breath before giving in.

I recounted to Sebastian my encounters with Dana and I started to feel very uneasy as his expression darkened further with every bit of information.

“Sebastian, please, let me handle it,” I pleaded with him, placing my palms against his chest. “I’ll talk to Tamara.”

He shook his head, the hands on my waist slipping to overlap on the small of my back, pressing me closer to him.

In my distress, I didn’t mind.

Instead, I actively sought his comfort, lowering my head and resting it against his shoulder. 

“She will be handled,” was his cold, even pronouncement as his hand rubbed up and down my back. “Don’t worry yourself over her.”

“Only if you can prove it,” I insisted. “I will not have anyone unfairly punished because of my suspicions. Let Tamara deal with her. She can determine what’s due her if she indeed schemed this entire thing. Don’t let your anger rule you to be merciless.”

Sebastian smiled faintly. “Do you know that you one of the very few generous people I know?”

I snorted, rolling my eyes. “Only because you never get to know others long enough to make a determination of their generosity.”

“Oh, people are always willing to please me,” he said, reaching up and tucking a hair behind my ear. “Mostly only because they have something to gain. But when dealing with others, their generosity shrivels up and their compassion disappears.”

“I survived this life on the generosity and kindness of others, Sebastian,” I told him gently. “I’ll be the first to tell you both exist and I’m proof of that. I only give back what I’ve been given.”

His smile deepened as he leaned down to kiss me tenderly on the mouth.

And just as the liquid fire in my belly started, he gently pushed me away as he got up to his feet, groaning loudly. “Alright, go now before I break any more of your rules.”

I was vastly disappointed that he wasn’t going to force any more kisses on me but I sharply reminded myself of the very same rules Sebastian just muttered out loud about.

My self-control always evaporated whenever he was around.

“Please promise me you won’t do anything hasty, Sebastian,” I said as I stepped away and turned for the door. 

He nodded gravely. “I will follow procedure.”

I simply sighed as I let myself out of his office.

I smiled at Dean who who was now alone at his desk as he gave me a stiff nod and I was keenly aware that although he may have not heard the words, he’d heard mine and Sebastian’s shouting match earlier. 

My mood plummeted as I made my way to the elevator, reminded of Dana’s prank and the possible consequences she was going to have to deal with if she was proven guilty. 

Sebastian said he would follow procedure but procedure could be anything he wrote it to be.

Dana played with fire she’d been warned to stay away from and now she was going to get burned.

***

After the week I had, I was desperate for a quiet Saturday morning all to myself.

I got up the same time and made coffee and a hearty breakfast while still dressed in my cotton pajamas and camisole under a thin knit wrap.

I had just taken out a fresh batch of cheese biscuits from the oven when the buzzer rang.

Wondering if Emma forgot to mention she was coming over, I went to the security panel and spoke into the intercom. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

I sighed. 

Trust Sebastian to show up on a morning when I wanted to escape his sudden and overwhelming presence in my life. He kept his distance for four years and suddenly, he was showing up everywhere every damn day.

“You know you can’t just keep showing up like this, you know?” I said, slightly amused. 

“That’s why I’m buzzing instead of using my key,” he replied patiently. “You can turn me away if you don’t want to see me.”

I grinned. “Somehow I don’t believe you’d take a no easily.”

I buzzed the door open for him and went back to the kitchen to transfer the biscuits on a cooling rack.

Minutes later, Sebastian came through the door and poked his head into the kitchen.

“You’re wearing the necklace.”

I glanced down at the low neckline of my cami and realized he was referring to the emerald necklace he’d given me on my birthday four summers ago. I’d been tucking it under my shirt lately.

My cheeks warmed and as much as I like a casual answer, I looked away and admitted, “It’s special to me. I never take it off.”

He was silent for a moment that I finally glanced up at him.

He was smiling.

“Want some breakfast?” I asked as I turned off the burner and tossed several strips of bacon and sausages to a paper towel-lined plate. 

He was dressed casually this morning, wearing dark jeans and a gray v-neck sweater. His hair was still a bit damp and casually raked back. He was so damned seductive.

“I could eat,” he said as he came to stand across from me on the other side of the island, taking in the feast of a breakfast I’d laid out. “Were you expecting company? I don’t remember you eating this much.”

I couldn’t resist. “Yeah, he’s just coming out of the shower.”

The dark, bleak look on his face choked the confession out of me in with a giggle. “I’m just kidding, Sebastian! Jeez, relax! I must be psychic but I just started cooking without really thinking about how much I was making.”

His mouth curled into an annoyed pout that was seriously sexy. “It’s not funny.”

I stifled the rest of my amusement and placed a plate in front of him. “I’m sorry. You should stop expecting the worst of me then maybe you won’t worry so much whether I’m joking or not.”

He sat down and accepted the pair of fork and knife I handed him. “I don’t expect the worst of you. I expect it of every man who gets too close to you.”

“Yeah, because I’m such a stud magnet,” I joked, glancing down at my bedraggled appearance. “I haven’t even washed my face yet and here I am, entertaining the hottest of men in Cobalt Bay.”

He grinned. “You think me hot?”

My cheeks warmed and I clucked my tongue out at him in mock reprimand. “Fishing for compliments, Mr. Vice? As if you need further confirmation when you’re always besieged by women who worship at your feet.”

“There is only one woman I’d like near any part of my anatomy,” he answered with a mischievous quirk of his brows.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I have a mind to eat at the balcony outside. It’s a little cool but the sun is out and the skies are blue.”

“Let’s go for it,” he agreed, picking up our plates and utensils to set them down on the cozy wooden patio table for two out on the balcony. The planters of daisies and carnations that were in the apartment when I moved in still held some of their colorful blooms, lending the balcony the feel of a private garden when mixed in with the view of the lush courtyard below us. 

We made two trips to get everything moved outside before we sat down to enjoy the food.

“I love these cheese biscuits,” Sebastian mused, holding one up and smiling at it wistfully. “They bring back good memories.”

I smiled as I sipped my coffee. I made them one morning that summer when he walked in on me in the kitchen and joined me for breakfast. “You love anything with cheese on it.”

“I love everything you make, with or without cheese,” he said simply before biting into the biscuit. “This tastes exactly as I remember. You know, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a real, full breakfast.”

I frowned. “Why haven’t you been eating well? I’m sure you have staff who can whip up a gourmet breakfast.”

“Percy makes excellent breakfast but I always only have a cup of coffee before I leave in the morning.” 

The mention of his butler/housekeeper/chef in his Rockford penthouse reminded me of the time the man chased me down the hallway in hope of preventing me from finding Sebastian with Natalie. I quickly nudged away the flash of hurt.

“Eating just seems to be nothing more but a necessity. Like sleeping. I don’t need very much of it so there’s no point in taking my time with it when I can be off doing more important things,” he added with a sigh.

I furrowed my brows. “I remember you particularly enjoying long meals. We spent many mornings enjoying your elaborate breakfasts.”

His mouth curved up on one corner with an ironic smile. “And that’s the difference, Cassandra. I find that a lot of things are a chore if you’re not there doing them with me.”

Emotion unfurled in my stomach and I was tempted to remind him of these lines we weren’t supposed to be crossing but the moment felt too good, too happy to ruin so I kept my mouth shut.

“By the way, I’ve got news about our dear Dana,” Sebastian said, reaching for his smart phone and tapping into it for a moment. “I had the security team go through the video files and we caught her red-handed sneaking into your cubicle at the exact time stamp on the message.”

I took the phone he handed me and played the video file. It was an angle from a corner behind my cubicle and it showed me getting up and being called away from my desk without locking my computer. All my applications, although not decipherable from the distance, all showed to be up and running. Five minutes later, Dana walked past and stood by my cubicle glancing around and pretending to peruse something on the folders she had on her arm before dropping a couple of folders on the floor. She bent to pick them up but on her way up, she leaned over my desk, studied whatever was on my screen before clicking on a chat window and typing very quickly. She then picked up the papers and straightened herself before going her merry way.

“Well,” I said with sigh, handing Sebastian his phone. “There’s really no way to dispute that. I had no idea the whole building is monitored.”

“The building is equipped with security cameras. We do own a security technologies company, you know?,” Sebastian explained. “The one in your bay just happened to be, ah, angled towards you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Please don’t tell me you watch video surveillance of me.”

He grinned. “No, I don’t. I won’t be able to get anything done if I did. If I need anything, I can have it pulled from the archives. I’ve asked to be not given updates on you since you’d asked me not to keep watch on you.”

I still couldn’t say I was pleased with the idea but for Sebastian, it was quite a compromise.

“So what are you going to do?” I asked, spearing a piece of strawberry from my plate. 

“Hand out punishment,” he answered simply. “She acted with malicious intent, used company property to accomplish it and alienated other co-workers, you and Gabe, even me. If that’s not enough, I can pull the security tapes for your confrontation in the copier room to prove that she’d bullied and threatened a co-worker while in work premises. It’ll give her motive for doing what she did.”

I grimaced. “What kind of punishment do you have in mind?”

“I’m annoyed enough to fire her and make sure she’s never employed anywhere else,” Sebastian answered darkly. “But knowing you, you’d probably think that heartless.”

“Dana’s upset about losing the job to me and I understand that,” I said calmly. “She’s gone too far with that chat message but if she’s been a good worker, I don’t see why we can’t give her an official warning and make sure she doesn’t do it again. If she realizes she could lose her job over stunts like this, she may sober up.”

Sebastian arched a brow. “What if I just don’t want her around you anymore?”

I gave him an exasperated look. “Sebastian, please, don’t make this about me. You’re already showing me too much favor and as you can see, it’s getting in the way of things. I wouldn’t let this issue go unaddressed but I think you’re best to let Tamara handle it. She’s a good and fair leader and it’s better for it to come from her than the top guy. If it comes from you directly, it’s too personal.”

“It is personal,” he said with a look of grave seriousness that tugged at my heart. “But you’re right. I’ll talk to Tamara about it. I’ll let her decide what she wants done.”

I beamed at him. “Thank you.”

He just smiled and went back to his meal.

An hour later, were loading up the dishwasher and hand-washing the pans. 

“Want to go for a walk?” he asked as I handed him a towel to wipe his hands with.

I glanced down at my outfit. “If you can give me twenty minutes to shower and change, I’d love to.”

“Go,” he said, smiling. “I’ll wait.”

I grinned and rushed to the shower, chucking off my clothes and grabbing new ones from the closet as I went. I hopped in and washed myself down, enjoying the steam and the soft, apple-scented lather of the soap.

I realized I was still grinning as I wrapped a towel around my wet hair. 

I slept well despite the week I’ve had and although Sebastian was the last person I expected to see this morning, our long, laid-back breakfast improved my mood. It was strange to realize that after all these years, the one guy I was comfortable enough with to share a meal while wearing my pajamas was the one who broke my heart and continued to live worlds apart from me. 

I slapped on some lotion and pulled on a pair of dark stretchy jeans, a tank top and a slouchy, gray knit sweater which I paired with black runners. I blow-dried my hair as best as I could, gathering it into a high ponytail to let the still-damp ends hang to air-dry.

I grabbed my small, cross-body bag and stuffed it with essentials before rushing back to living room where I found Sebastian leafing through a business magazine I’d left on the coffee table.

He looked up and smiled, his green eyes sparkling.

“You almost look like you did at eighteen,” he said as he got up on his feet and walked towards me, his hand reaching up to tug gently at the end of my ponytail. “I haven’t seen you in anything but your work outfits lately that this is pretty special.”

I rolled my eyes. “I look like I’m about to go shopping at a flea market.”

He laughed and led me to the door, his hand gently pressed against the small of my back.

We exited the building and headed down the end of the block.

The sun was out and the skies were a clear blue—and walking with Sebastian next to me, his arm brushing mine every now and then, felt right. It felt like this was something we should’ve done a long time ago.

We stopped by different shops, just looking around, and walked around Lytton park which showcased immaculate gardens and a large pond in the center where ducks were floating about serenely. Then he accompanied me to bookstore where we both picked up a few books, a couple novels for me and some history ones for him. Our last stop was the local grocery store where I stocked up on some milk, bread and fresh produce. 

“How about dinner later?” he suggested as we turned the street to head to the top of the block where my apartment was. 

I opened my mouth to automatically say yes but I quickly caught myself. “I can’t. I have plans.”

He waited, his face giving nothing away. 

I told myself I didn’t owe him an explanation but that didn’t stop me from blurting it out anyway. “Marcus and I are going out to dinner.”

After a heartbeat, he nodded stiffly. “So you’re still seeing each other.”

“It’s not exactly a date,” I said, annoyed at this insistent need to explain myself to him. “We’re friends.”

I knew he didn’t have a say in my affairs but I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting him with his own assumptions, which was stupid, really, because his assumptions should be correct. We were supposed to see other people. If I couldn’t bring myself to date other guys, I have no idea how I was going to go about accomplishing my mission to see what else was out there for me other than Sebastian Vice. It was damned hard to care about anyone else when I was endlessly trying to protect him.

“Right, because the only women Aldridge doesn’t sleep with are members of his family,” Sebastian muttered under his breath. 

My eyes  narrowed. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself about this, Sebastian.”

“Neither do I,” he snapped, his jaw clenched. “I would rather not have to beg you yet again to spare us this unnecessary exercise when what we both want is so obvious.”

We stood at the lobby, waiting for the elevator. “It’s hard to know what I want when all I ever really knew was what we had, Sebastian.”

My voice held no anger or resentment.

It was the truth and I needed him to understand it—almost as much as I needed to believe its cause when surrender was so much easier and happier.

We stepped into the empty elevator, silent for a moment until we reached my floor.

“Just like you, all I ever knew was us, Cassandra,” he finally said with a long, weary sigh as we stopped in front of my door. 

He placed the bags on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. 

He didn’t seem angry but he was reverberating with emotion. 

A ripple of heat and tenderness went through me when he reached up and touched the back of his fingers against my cheek. “The difference is that, despite all the ugliness we went through, I know that this is still the most beautiful thing in my life.”

I turned my face into his palm as he cupped my cheek, pressing my lips against his skin, tears lining behind my closed lids. 

“Thank you for breakfast and the walk but I think I have to go,” he said gently, pulling his hand away.

I opened my eyes to find him walking away from me yet again, his tall, lean figure distorted by the tears stinging my eyes. 

I picked up the bags and let myself into the apartment, dropping them carelessly on the floor as I sagged against the door, my breath rushing out of me. 

I sometimes wonder what it was that I was fighting for and if the pain I was trying to avoid was worth the suffering I was putting both of us through.

After all, there was no point in guaranteeing future happiness if your heart will be long dead before then. 

***

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XOXO! -Ninya