Secrets & Lies

Back At The Office| 24

A week went by. I turned my phone back on and I'm back at work. I was in the copy room making copies of Sebastian's meeting agenda. Speaking of him, he had yet to tell me why he got arrested or what happened between him and Javier. I knew what the media said but the theories were so crazy I knew they weren't true.

Once the copies were finished I carried them to the conference room and passed them around the table. I gave three papers to each person and gave them a complimentary pen as well. "Thank you, Nyla."

I only nodded in response to Sebastian's gratitude and stood to the side to observe the meeting. "The event will take place next month." A bearded man name Jikiko said. He was a celebrity event planner but his ideas were a little less than high end.

"What women have agreed to take part in this?" Sebastian asked. "A bunch of models. Security has already been taken care of and each woman will be granted access to a guard for whatever it is that they chose to do."

Sebastian partnered up with a local businessman named Lucien Foucan for a charity event next month. Lucien thought it'd be a good idea to raise money for charities by having an auction. They found some women who liked the idea and agreed to auction off the women for dates with the highest bidder. It seemed like a good idea but I had to bring the safety of the women to their attention which is what they were currently discussing.

"We just need one more person," Sebastian said thoughtfully. Lucien hummed and his eyes trailed to me. "How about you?" He asked.

My eyes widened and I immediately stood up straight. "Me?"

"Her?"

Sebastian and I exchanged glances before looking back at Lucien. "Yes, you're a beautiful woman. We need one more person, so why not?"

"Oh no," Sebastian chuckled bitterly. "I'm not letting my assistant be auctioned off." For a moment I could've sworn I heard a bit of jealousy in his voice.

"Well if it's that concerning just be sure you get the highest bid."

"What? No-"

"I'll do it." I shrugged. "No, you won't."

"Well, it's settled then. Do we need to find the perfect dress for you or will that be taken care of?" Lucien asked. "I can handle that."

He and I talked about the details while Sebastian protested against it. We just pretended like he wasn't even there.

*

After the meeting, I said goodbye to everyone and quickly went down to my office to avoid having to be alone with Sebastian when it wasn't necessary. I have been sitting in my office for 10 minutes now trying to figure out what I would wear for the Auction. I heard a knock at the door before Sebastian walked in. He sat next to me on the couch and held his hands out with his palms facing upward.

Whenever he did this he wanted me to play this game where I try to hit his hands before he pulled them back. I sat up with a sigh and cautiously let my hands hover over his with my palms facing downward. My stance with Sebastian had been rocky, to say the least. He apologized for accusing and threatening me. I was still wary of him.

"I don't think you should do the auction." He said pointedly. "Well too bad. Maybe somebody will donate a hefty amount for a good charity. This is all for those in need." I reminded him.

He looked at me with an unreadable expression before focusing on our hands. Since I had him here, I decided to attempt to find out what had transpired between him and Javier last week.

"What happened with Javier?" I asked. "I should be asking you that."

"I asked first."

He squinted his eyes a bit before they returned to their normal size. "Touché."

"So, what happened?"

"I punched him in the face." He shrugged like it was normal. "You what?!"

"I punched him in the face. I saw the video from outside the cafe. He manhandled you and I didn't like it. So I went to manhandle him." He shrugged.  "You cannot just go around hitting people."

"I can and I will." He grinned innocently. "You know if I could quit I would. I can't be associated with criminals." I said half-joking.

"I'm not a criminal...anymore."

"That gives me no peace of mind. Like at all."

"Your turn. What did Javier tell you?" He asked. "He told me about 647 or Giovanni or whatever you prefer. Told me what happened. He said he didn't do it."

"Yeah well, he's a lying little shit." Sebastian shrugged. "Cool it." I defended instinctively. "You shouldn't be defending him. He hurt you."

"I never thought you'd care this much," I replied. "Why wouldn't I?

"Why would you?"

"You still into that shady shit?" I asked after a moment of silence. "What Javier, 647, and I used to do...we dropped it. Only 647 continued while Javier and I went on our own paths." He said calmly. "Javier and I wanted to start fresh and build authentic businesses. I may associate with some people who have done some bad things but I try to keep my distance."

"Am I going to be in danger around you?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Never around me. I'll always make sure you're safe." He said. I sighed and put my hands on my lap after successfully hitting his. "I saw what happened in those videos..."

"Did he ever hurt you?"

I glanced up at him with a surprised expression. "No. Whatever they're saying in those articles isn't true. He and I were talking and I didn't want to go to his house to finish the conversation. Just dramatic couple things." I shrugged.

"You'd tell me if he was hurting you right?" He asked. I eyed him suspiciously and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess."

I lied. I wouldn't trust Sebastian not to flip out. He had a bad habit of reacting without thinking and letting his anger get the best of him. "What's been bothering you?" He asked. "What do you mean?" 

"You've been moping around all week. I understand why you've been cautious around me but I don't get why you seem so...disconsolate."

I looked at him warily, unsure if I should tell him. "You can talk to me." He assured.

"Javier and I aren't in the best place. I'm just trying to figure out what to do from here."

"You love him?" He asked. "Yeah."

"Enough to stay by his side?"

"Yeah."

"Then why don't you give him another chance?" He asked. His question took me back a little. I would've never expected that to come out of his mouth. "Well?"

"You can't have a relationship without any trust. I love him, a lot. But things can't just go back to the way they were."

"Well, it seems like your mind is made up."