“Earth to Carla,” Ramon says.
I press my hand against my chest in fright. “Where the hell did you come from?” I must have been so lost in my daydream about Sebastian that I hadn’t heard the apartment door open.
“Sebastian,” Ramon says rubbing at his temples. It was a bit unnerving that Ramon could read my mind so easily. “Look I know you feel as though you owe me for helping you out when you arrived in Lexington, but you don’t. Noah is your brother, which automatically means I help. In fact, I’d have helped you regardless.”
He crouches down beside me as I spin slightly on the chair to face him before he takes my hands into his. His eyes are solemn as he rubs my hand with his fingers. “I asked you for twelve months to help me out,” he shakes his head to stop me from interrupting, “but when I asked that of you, my brother wasn’t in the equation, you hadn’t even met. I know you said you wanted to carry on like we are for a few weeks, but are you sure you still want to? Because I’ll understand and even talk to Sebastian to smooth the way if that’s what you want. You’re a good person Carla and so is my brother.”
I want to jump up and down and say ‘yes please talk to Sebastian and tell him our relationship isn’t the kind he thinks it is,’ but something is holding me back. I think it’s fear, but I can’t be sure or even what the fear would be of. Fear of Sebastian rejecting me, which I don’t think will happen, but I can’t shake it, and fear of the unknown, which makes my stomach churn.
“I’m scared, Ramon. What if he doesn’t want me? Or what if he only wants one thing from me?”
“Then I’ll beat the shit out of him.”
Pulling my hands free of Ramon’s, I glare at him while he laughs, but when he realizes I’m serious, the laughter dies.
“Sorry Carla, but are you serious? Yes, my brother wants to get in your panties,” he cringes, “but he wants more than that from you. Sebastian has never gone, um, too long without before and from what he’s said he’s not been with anyone since he met you. That fact alone should tell you something. You won’t know unless you give yourself a chance with him, and I promise to beat the shit out of him if he doesn’t treat you like a princess.”
He makes me chuckle. “Princess, huh? I’m afraid I left my crown in Canada.”
“As you’re such a smart ass, I think I’m going to take you out tonight to Kenza. Ruben rang and asked us to head over there. Initially I told him we’d pass, but I think we both could do with a night out. A night filled with distraction. So what do you say?”
Jumping up from my chair, I nearly knock him on his ass, but he manages to get to his feet. Before he can even brace himself, I throw myself into his arms and kiss him on the cheek before running to the office door wanting to get a head start with my pampering for tonight. It’s been so long since I had a night out that I’m going to go all out tonight. “How long do I have?” I ask Ramon over my shoulder as I reach the doorway.
“Couple of hours,” he replies getting comfortable in the chair I’ve just vacated with his feet propped up on the desk.
Shaking my head, I leave him to it and dash to my room while my head is inside my closet trying to decide what to wear.
Should I let my hair down and wear something sexy or should I wear something that says hands-off, like a trouser suit.
I can’t help but wonder whether or not we might bump into Sebastian. My teeth worry at my lips as I look at the selection. If Sebastian is there, I want to be in something, um, sexy and sultry. Something that will get his hands on me again, and I know just the dress.
Smiling to myself, I pull my closet doors open and rooting to the left where I keep my evening clothes, I find the slinky black dress I bought a while ago and have never worn. It should have been five hundred dollars and was in a massive closing down sale so paying seventy-five dollars was a steal. Although there was always the chance they’d changed the ticket to read five hundred before putting the sale price on, but never the less I love this dress and I look amazing in it. Even Ramon did a double take when I tried it on for him, but since then I’ve not been able to work up the courage to wear it outside the apartment.
The only thing is, I really don’t want to fight off any unwanted attention because that could get awkward especially with Ruben being under the impression I’m with his brother. I certainly don’t want to be the cause of any fighting.
Oh, boy!
Taking a deep breath, I hang the dress on the closet door and retrieve my strappy four inch sandals from the back of the closet, which I toss onto the bed before walking into the bathroom for my primping session.
Chapter 12
Sebastian