“Hello?” My voice sounded groggy.
“Did I wake you?” Sebastian’s rich, smooth voice purred in my ear.
I instantly perked up. “No, it’s fine, I just dozed off for a minute.” I didn’t want him to feel bad for waking me.
“I won’t keep you, I just wanted to find out what happened today.”
It occurred to me that he probably already knew since he was so confident that Brian wouldn’t be released.
“I have a funny feeling that you already know, don’t you?”
He hesitated for a minute and then answered me. "Yes, but I wanted to hear it from you, I wanted to give you the chance to say it because I know that has to feel good and it probably gives you a sense of peace.”
I smiled as I thought about his words, he knew me pretty well. "Well, you're right about that. He was found guilty and he will be sentenced in a few weeks. It’s kind of hard for me to believe that I won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“I’m happy to hear it.” His voice was kind of strained as he uttered the words and it worried me.
“Are you okay? You sound upset.”
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that with everything you have been through and I have been through it's a relief to get some good news.”
“How is Jaden? Is he happy to be in Miami?”
"I don't know if he understands what everything means, I think he might think this is just another trip to visit me. The reality will probably set in with him some time next week when he realizes that he is not going back to Paris for a while. We have an appointment with a therapist on Thursday afternoon so hopefully that will help him adjust.”
“It will take some time but he will be okay.”
“I hope so. Well, I don’t want to keep you, I know you must be exhausted after the day you’ve had. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Elena.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you too. It will be nice that it will just be us.”
"Yes, it will. I will be in the office tomorrow morning but then I have business in the afternoon outside of the office, so if I don't see you during the day I will pick you up at 7 o’clock. Does that sound good?”
“Yes, sounds good.”
“Okay, sleep tight baby.”
“I will, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
I don’t know that I have ever been looking so forward to something as I was to my date the following night with Sebastian.
Chapter Eighteen – The Perfect Date
I didn't stay late that day at work and I took my time getting ready for our date because I wanted to look extra special for Sebastian. By the time he buzzed me from the lobby, I was happy with the way I looked. My hair was flat-ironed super straight, and my dress fit perfectly. I missed him and I couldn’t wait to see him. As soon as I stepped off of my elevator he was standing in the lobby, leaning against the wall, his hand in his pocket and his phone in the other. He was looking down at his phone and didn’t see me at first and I was able to drink him in from head to toe. My belly flipped as it hit me that the gorgeous man standing in my lobby was waiting for me. Sebastian really was a beautiful and sexy man and my mind quickly shifted to the last time I felt his hands and tongue on my body. I couldn’t take a step for a second as the memory momentarily paralyzed me. I quickly shook my head to bring me back to the present knowing that if he looked at me at that moment my naughty thoughts would be written all over my face. I didn’t want him to see that I wanted him that very second, I mean he had to work for it a little bit, I couldn’t give in so easily, could I? As I pondered the question Sebastian glanced up at me and smiled.
“Are you going to stand there staring at me all night or did you still want to have dinner?”
My cheeks were flooded with warmth as I glanced at the ground, totally embarrassed and totally caught. I cleared my throat.
“I was just trying to see if it was raining outside, I wasn’t staring at you.”
He kissed me on the cheek as I walked over to him and the smell of soap and light musk was intoxicating as it flooded my nostrils. He looked at me and gave me a sexy smile. “Sure you weren’t. What I’d really like to know is what you were thinking about as you studied me.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I bet they were dirty thoughts.” He grinned as I fidgeted with my purse and he raised an eyebrow at me.
I don’t know how it was that such simple flirting could shake me to the core. Our driver was waiting for us and I felt like a teenager as he held the car door for me. I counted to ten to give myself a chance to collect my thoughts as he came around to get in beside me.
Sebastian reached out and gently pushed my hair behind my shoulder, his fingers lightly brushing against my neck, his eyes searching mine.
“You look beautiful, Elena. I’ve missed you.” His voice was gentle and sincere.
Suddenly the air in the car was very thick and I found it hard to breathe. He gently stroked the back of my hand and I looked down at it for a few seconds and then up at him.
“I’ve missed you too.”
I could see the relief sweep over his face and then he leaned in and touched his soft lips to mine. He gently pressed his hand against my cheek as he held my gaze.
“I’m so happy to be with you again.”
I scooted closer to him and he put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head as I lay my head on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through so much these last few weeks, and I’m sorry it took so long for me to come to my senses Sebastian. I was scared when I found out about Jaden and it’s not because you had a son, it was because I wasn’t sure where I would fit into your life. I should have trusted my heart instead of listening to my head.”
"And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about him sooner. I wasn't trying to hide the fact that I had a son, I was just waiting for the perfect time to tell you but what I found out is there is no perfect time. I should have just told you from the beginning.”
“I have a question for you about that. So much of your life is in the media, why didn’t I ever hear about Jaden?”
“Sophia and I were very careful about that because we didn’t want him exposed to the crazy paparazzi so when she became pregnant she never said who the father was. The media always speculated but she never responded, not once. That was probably the most selfless thing she did and I am forever grateful to her for that. She was a horrible companion but she was a wonderful mother.”