Working for Sebastien wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was worse!
On the first day, I was having a great conversation with Daniel when he appeared out of nowhere and embarrassed me! I couldn’t bear to face Daniel after what Sebastien did, and I’ve been ducking him ever since.
And what made things totally unbearable was that he gave me an office right next to his, no doubt to barge in and micromanage every single thing I did because that’s what he had been doing for the past five days! He was driving me crazy! I contemplated quitting at least a hundred times a day.
At first, I thought he had obsession compulsive disorder, but after having to redo those damn décor themes a thousand times, I knew his behavior had nothing to do with OCD. Sebastien was just a control freak! And based on how his employees acted around him, nobody probably had told this man no a day in his adult life.
Every suggestion I made, he overrode, forcing me to go back to the drawing board again and again. After a while, I stopped fighting it. Whatever he said, I went right along with it. I’d be out of here in three weeks and forty thousand dollars richer. After this event was over, I decided I'd cut ties with Sebastien. As much as I needed the money, there was no way in hell I’d sacrifice my sanity and continue working for a man like him.
By closing time on Friday afternoon, I was mentally exhausted and looking forward to the two days I didn’t have to see or hear Sebastien. All I wanted to do was curl up in front of a good book and eat some rocky road ice cream straight out of the tub.
Are you sure you could go two days without seeing the man who makes your heart flutter every time he walks into the room?
Like, what was that about? It’s not like I’d never seen a good-looking man before, but every time Sebastien got close to me, my mouth went dry and I had to think twice as hard so I wouldn’t fumble over my words and sound like a bumbling idiot.
Sighing heavily, I grabbed a few files for the weekend and slung my handbag over my shoulder. As I opened my office door, there he stood, the devil himself, looking like a freaking demigod, his tattoos snaking along his arms until they hid under the short sleeves of his shirt. Who on earth looked this good after an exhausting day at the office?
“Ms. Malone, there are a few things we still need to work on before you leave today,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone as he stepped past me and entered the office.
I stood there with the doorknob in my hand, stunned. Did this man just barge into my office asking me to work after hours on a Friday?
Oh hell no!
Spinning on my heel, I turned to face Sebastien, who was leaning casually on my desk. I couldn’t hide the storm that was brewing in my eyes, nor did I want to.
“Mr. Quantum. It is five p.m. That’s when I leave for the day,” I reminded him.
“Ms. Malone, if I’m not mistaken, I hired you to do a job for me, one which must be perfect. And one week has already gone by, and you seem to be behind schedule.”
Yeah, because you keep breathing down my neck.
My voice came out flat as I spoke. “Mr. Quantum, this is not my first rodeo, I know what I’m doing. After all, you did hire me, the event planner, right? If you had the skills to do it yourself, you would’ve.”
For Christ's sake, let me do my damn job.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “Be that as it may, there are still a few things I’d like to discuss.”
“And they can’t wait till Monday?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“No. If they can be done today, we should do them.”
Knowing that there was no way I was getting out of this, I stalked to my desk and dropped my things. My voice was controlled, barely. “Fine. What are these things that can’t wait till Monday?”
Did this man ever think about anyone else besides himself?
I’m sure there’s at least one person on that list: Lucy.
After he mentioned her name in his office that day, I couldn’t help but google Sebastien online. Of course, once you googled one Quantum brother, they all appeared. The Quantum men were as handsome as they came, and the women on their arms in the tabloids had long legs, slim waists and flawless skin. I scanned the names of the women to see if I ran across anyone named Lucy, but nothing popped up.
“We need to discuss the timeline of events…”
I realized Sebastien was talking and I had missed a chunk of what he said. Shit.
“....to ensure that the most important things occur when the exclusive guests are there…”
Sebastien went on to talk about seating arrangements, the menu, the wines to be served and the type of entertainment he expected. As the evening wore on, I realized Sebastien was as to oil as I was water.
We. Did. Not. Mix.
Pissed that I had to stay back and give up my rocky road Ice cream, I had to refrain from telling him to go to hell more times than I dared to admit. After four excruciating hours, we had compiled notes and agreed to finalize them on Monday morning.
Happy to finally get rid of Sebastien for the weekend, I grabbed my handbag and slung it over my shoulder, leaving the files that I wanted to take home earlier. After working an extra four hours tonight, I had zero desire to see another file until Monday morning.
“Have a good weekend, Mr. Quantum,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I’ll drop you off. You can’t drive by this time of the night.”
Was that a suggestion or a command?
“If I had left at five p.m., as planned, I wouldn’t have to drive at this time, would I?” I snapped.
I was so sick and tired of this man.
Sebastien glared at me impatiently, ignoring what I just said. “I’ll drop you home so I’ll know you got home safe.”
“Mr. Quantum. I’m an adult. I can get myself home. And when I do get home, I can send you a text to let you know I arrived safely.”
Annoyed by his demands, I exited the office, praying he wouldn’t follow me down the steps to try to convince me to let him take me home. He didn't, and a part of me felt disappointed as I made my way to my car.
Fumbling through my handbag, searching for my key, I watched as Sebastien stepped out of the building. He spoke with Tony before he headed for his black Porsche. I was hoping that he’d drive away first, but he didn’t.
When I found my key, I hopped into the car, ready to get my weekend started. I strapped on my seatbelt and pushed the key in the ignition. Nothing.
“Come on baby, start.”
I kept trying, but the car refused to start. I placed my head on the steering wheel. First Sebastien, now this. Could things get any worse?
A tap on the window startled me.
Yes, it definitely could.
Sebastien was standing outside my car motioning for me to roll down my windows, which I reluctantly did.
He propped one hand on the top of her car and leaned over to speak to me.
“Is something wrong with your car?”
No shit, Sherlock.
I bit my lower lip just in time to keep the words from falling out of my mouth, then looked up at him.
“I’ll be fine.”
That was a lie from the deepest pits of hell. I had no money at my disposal to fix my car. I was not fine.
His voice was gentle and his eyes flashed concern as he continued to speak, not like the self-absorbed man that I had spent the last four hours butting heads with. “Ms. Malone, if your car is having problems, I can have my mechanic come check it out for you in the morning.”
He’s asking nicely. Give the man a break.
No.
“For him to change every single thing that’s wrong with my car so by the time I get the bill I would’ve been able to afford a brand-new car? No, thank you.”
I watched as Sebastien closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes, any gentleness I had seen earlier had vanished, and bossy Sebastien was back.
“Your car will be safe here. Call your mechanic tomorrow. Get your things. I’m dropping you home.”
Girl, you and I both know that you don’t have cab fare, let this man drop you home.
“Fine.”
I grabbed my handbag and unbuckled my seatbelt. Sebastien opened the door for me and I stepped out.
After securing my car, Sebastien placed his hand on my lower back, and I tried not to trip over my own two feet as my legs suddenly felt like goo. We made our way to his car, and he opened the passenger door for me, dropping his hand from my back as I slid in.
As I buckled my seatbelt, I still felt the warmth from where his hand had been. It wasn’t long before I wondered how his hand would feel on other parts of my body and a blush spread across my cheeks. The closing of his car door brought me back to reality.
A man like Sebastien will never date a woman like you.
He started the engine, and we drove out of the parking lot. I looked out the window. Just hold out for one more hour and you won’t have to see him till Monday.