Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
He made a sound that could have meant yes or no.
“Too tired to have sex with your wife?” I teased.
“You want it?” He rolled over suddenly, bracing himself above me, eyes fixed on mine.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“But you said you needed a break.”
“When did I say that?” I feigned amnesia.
“This morning. At 9.15. When you kicked me out of bed.”
“You remember the exact time? What, have you been keeping notes?”
“Hmm.” He wasn’t easily sidetracked.
“So, yes or no?”
“If I say no, would you really just go to sleep and not touch me?”
“I respect your wishes,” his mouth said. His eyes and hands said something else entirely.
“That doesn’t sound like you,” I teased, looping my arms round his neck and pulling him closer.
“Let’s try something different tonight.”The nightstand buzzed.
Sebastian swore under his breath, pulled back, grabbed his phone and answered.
“This had better be urgent.”It must have been, because he swung out of bed at once.
“I’ll be there right away,” he said, hanging up.
I watched him get dressed.
“Who was it?”
“A business associate.” He leaned down to kiss me.
“I might be late. Don’t wait up.”Business associate?
I stared at the door as it clicked shut behind him.
Why didn’t he give me a name?
And was it my imagination, or had I heard a woman’s voice on the phone?
I meant to wait up, but sleep won.
Half in a dream, I felt warmth wrap around me. Cracking one eye open, I caught Sebastian’s stubbled face.
“Go to sleep,” he murmured.
I’d wanted to ask about this urgent midnight business, but sleep dragged me under.
The alarm woke me.
Eyes shut, I groped for my phone on the nightstand.
Sebastian reached over and silenced it.
“Whattimeizit?” I mumbled.
“Still early. Sleep.”And I did.
When I woke again, his side of the bed was cold.
I grabbed my phone. Past nine thirty.
Damn, that was beyond late.
If I weren’t my own boss, I’d have fired myself.
I rushed through teeth, face, clothes, then dashed downstairs.
Sebastian sat at the breakfast table.
“Morning.”
“You should’ve woken me,” I complained.
“I’ve got to get to the studio early today.”
“You can take the day off. You’re the boss.” He pulled out a chair for me.
“Sit. Eat first.”He watched while I ate.
The longer he watched, the more my irritation simmered.
Ten hours since that call. He’d left in the middle of the night, right when we were about to get down to business, and now he still hadn’t offered a single explanation.
I didn’t want to be the kind of wife who checked her husband’s whereabouts by the minute. But when your husband walked out on you at midnight, didn’t give a name, and skipped the explanation altogether, surely you were entitled to a little curiosity.
If it had been Dominic, or any assistant, he would have said so without hesitation.
So who was it?
Maybe he wasn’t hiding anything. Maybe he’d forgotten. Maybe he just didn’t think it important enough to explain.
I knew if I asked, he’d answer.
But what if I asked, and he still refused?
I stabbed at my eggs with my fork, thoughts tangling worse with every bite.
Morning, pre-coffee, was not the time for this kind of heavy thinking.
I forced down another mouthful, waiting for Sebastian to say something first.
He didn’t.
When the painfully long breakfast was over, I shoved my chair back and stood.
“I’ll drive you,” he said, standing too.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got my car. The studio’s nowhere near your office anyway.”
“I can drop you first. It’s not much of a detour.”
“No. I wouldn’t want you to waste time, not when your company’s so busy you’re taking calls in the middle of the night.” I thought the hint was obvious.
He let it slide.
I left, got into my car and drove. I felt oddly deflated, though I couldn’t quite say why.
I drove aimlessly until a new mall came into view, one that had opened last month.
In this mood, I wasn’t going to get much work done anyway, so I circled back. The mall had to have a jewellery shop or two, and I needed the distraction.
I walked into Verris & Co.
“Can I see this one?” I asked the woman behind the counter, pointing to a bracelet with an unusual clasp.
“Of course.” She opened the case, took it out, and was about to hand it over when someone snatched it first.
I’ll take this.”
I turned.
The woman with the grabby hands had pink hair and enough jewellery on her to stock her own shop.
I’d never seen her before.
But the woman who walked in after her told me exactly what was going on.
“Sorry, this is the only one left. Some of our designs only come in a handful of pieces, they’re limited edition. This bracelet happens to be the very last one. If you really want it, I can have another shipped from a different branch,” the sales assistant explained.
“I want this one,” Pink Hair said with a touch of arrogance.
I flicked a glance at Genevieve, who shot me a look full of mockery. She’d clearly put her friend up to this.
My bad mood, which had started at breakfast, sank even lower.
I hadn’t even wanted to buy the bracelet, only to take a look at it. But now, there was no way I was leaving without it, if only to wipe the smug look off a certain someone’s face.
“Excuse me, I saw this first. There’s such a thing as first come, first served, isn’t there?” I reached out, meaning to take it back.
Pink Hair clenched the bracelet tight in her fist, refusing to let go.
“Hmph. There’s never been anything I wanted that I couldn’t get.”
“And there’s never been anything I set my eyes on that I’d hand over to someone else. I’m having it,” I said coolly, then turned to the sales assistant.
“Please wrap it up for me.”
“Of course.” The assistant nodded, then gave Pink Hair an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, miss, but this piece has already been sold. If you’d like, I can call another branch and have one sent over. It’ll only take a few hours. Or if you leave your address, we can deliver it straight to your door.”
“I said I want this one. I’m not letting it go,” Pink Hair shot back, clutching the bracelet tighter.
The assistant glanced at me as if about to mediate, but I cut in before she could speak.
“Not happening. Once I’ve chosen something, it’s mine. No one takes it from me.”At that point, Genevieve finally wandered over.