Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
“They even come in different sizes.”
“Wait till you see the sausage stuffers in your own shop,” I said drily “Sausage stuffers!” She was rolling on the floor.
I shook my head.
Emmett had a point when he called his sister immature.
I started packing up around six.
Just as I was unplugging the steamer, I noticed a black car idling outside the studio window.
The number plate looked familiar.
A second later, Sebastian stepped out.
I opened the door and leaned out.
“Passing by?”
“No,” he said.
“I came to get you.” His eyes swept the room.
“Looks good.”
“It is.” I eyed the space like a proud mother eyeing her firstborn.
“Ready to go? I made a reservation.”
“I was just about to lock up.” I turned to Yvaine.
“You coming?”
“And be the third wheel? No thanks. I’ve got a date of my own.” Yvalne smiled ingratiatingly at Sebastian, then sidled up to me and whispered, “Your husband’s kind of scary.” ingra hewa “Only if you’ve done something wrong.” I thought of Gary Maxwell and wondered how he was coping in prison.
“He gives me the same vibes as Emmett. Also, my old headmaster.
I turned to look at Sebastian.
He was holding open the car door for me.
“He looks like a perfect gentleman,” I said.
Yvaine rolled her eyes.
“You’re so smitten.”***
The restaurant he chose was quiet, white-walled, with pale wooden chairs and linen napkins folded like envelopes.
Piano music floated overhead, slow and loose, like whoever was playing didn’t care about tempo.
Sebastian asked for a table by the window, slightly tucked away from the rest.
As soon as we sat, I caught a few people glancing over.
One woman at the bar tilted her head and stared for a beat too long I got up to use the ladies”.
When I came back, I caught the end of it.
Agirl-couldn’t have been more than nineteen-stood by our table, clutching her phone with both hands.
She was shaking so slightly I wouldn’t have noticed if the reflection in the window hadn’t given her away.
“Hey, um… can I get your number?” she asked, smiling like her mouth wasn’t sure what to do with itself.
Sebastian looked up just once. His mouth stayed shut.
The girl hesitated, held her phone out anyway.
“Just, you know… to get to know each other.”Sebastian raised his left hand and tilted it slightly.
The ring caught the overhead light.
She saw it.
Her eyes widened. Then she mumbled something and turned so fast her shoe slipped on the tile.
I stopped just around the corner, waited until she disappeared past the hostess stand, then circled back and slid into my seat.
The stern look on Sebastian’s face vanished, replaced by an expectant one.
It looked almost as if he wanted me to ask about the girl.
Suppressing a grin, I reached for my water.
“You’re not swamped at the office today?”
“Quiet enough.” His face fell, just slightly.
“How’s the studio coming along?”
“Fine so far.”
“Do you need more money?”
“No, no. God, no.” I almost choked.
“The money I’m using now came from you anyway. Technically, it’s your investment.”I must have said something wrong, because that stern look was back.
“That money was yours the moment I gave it to you,” Sebastian said. But if it makes you feel uneasy, you could give me part of the studio in return. Forty-nine per cent?”I considered it.
“Alright.”His voice dropped.
“If we’re talking share transfers, we’ll need a contract. I’ll get someone on it.”
“We’re going full corporate, huh? Fine. Use your legal team.”
“Will do.”Silence settled in.
I watched a droplet of condensation roll down the side of my glass and disappear into the tablecloth.
He didn’t check his phone. Just kept looking out the window, posture still, expression unreadable.
I cleared my throat.
“So… any update on Maxwell?”
“Dismissed. Arrested. Under internal review for further sanctions. Legal’s working on it.”
“Was anyone else involved?”
“Not that we know of.” He paused, then added, “If there are, we’ll find them.”I nodded, fiddled with the stem of my glass.
“Right. Makes sense.”He didn’t say anything back.
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to imply anything. It’s just-never mind.”He glanced over.
“You weren’t.”Another pause.
“Studio’s coming along,” I offered.
“Savannah cried when I quit. One single tear. She dabbed it dramatically with a tissue. I almost stayed out of guilt.”His mouth twitched. Not quite a smile.
“I’m still stuck on the name, though. I’ve gone through fifty options and none of them feel right.”He gave me a few suggestions, all of which were solid. 1
I promised I’d think it over.
He nodded, then went quiet again. Not tense. Just… still.
Yvaine had called him scary.
I hadn’t agreed. Not really.
But I understood what she meant.
He wasn’t cold. Just… closed.
Hard to read, harder to get close to.
With Daniel, back in my hopeless fangirl days, I never hesitated.
I’d straight-up asked him what kind of coffee he liked, what trainers he wore, what toothpaste brand he preferred.
But with Sebastian, asking what he liked to eat felt… frivolous, like I was wasting his time.
Still, I tried.
“Do you like seafood?” I asked.
“Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“It’s fine. Depends on the prep.”
“Okay. And coffee or tea?”A beat.
“Black coffee. No sugar.”
“So not a fan of the little oat milk lattes with foam hearts?”His brow twitched.
“Not particularly.”I gave a small laugh.
“Figures.”He tilted his head.