Page 38 of The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4)

PIERCE SUTTON

The shower helped.

And as much as I hated to admit it, talking to Simon had helped too.

I’d been carrying this old memory with me for too long, and the burden of it was slowly destroying me. Over the years, I’d become too guarded around my friends, and I’d nearly lost the chance to spend some amazing time with Simon.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found the bedroom empty.

I quickly checked my phone, but there were no messages waiting for me.

Simon had to be somewhere in the house. I dressed and hurried down the stairs to find him in the kitchen, chatting up Hilda and Mrs. Cantrip with a platter of assorted cheeses and crackers between them.

He’d located his clothes and was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a soft sweater that made him look so damn adorable.

His messy hair called to me. I ached to run my fingers through it.

My first instinct was to walk in and press a kiss to his temple, but I didn’t want to break up this cozy atmosphere. He appeared so comfortable and happy in my home after too many rough days and nights.

Plus, I needed to put a little more space between us until I got my head screwed on straight. It wasn’t fair to pull Simon close only to push him away again. It had to be one or the other, and it was time for me to make a decision about it.

And to do that, I needed to talk to my friends.

I left Edward behind and drove into the city so that he could be at the house if Simon needed to go somewhere. The trip took less than half an hour, but it was more than enough time to change my mind about speaking to Sebastian at least a dozen times.

My stomach had turned itself into knots, and my hands had grown so cold that my knuckles were aching.

After a couple of deep breaths, I pulled myself together enough to walk into the gleaming Courtland Enterprises building.

As I approached the security desk, one guard smiled and automatically nodded.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Sutton. I’ll message Kaylan that you’re on your way up.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. There was no chance of surprising Sebastian. The security at Courtland Enterprises was top notch. Years ago, Sebastian had told his security teams to allow Rome and me up whenever we stopped by. It saved time and hassle for everyone.

As I rode the elevator up, it paused a few floors below Sebastian’s and the doors slid silently open to reveal Declan. The blond flashed me the tiniest smirk and wordlessly joined me in the elevator prior to continuing to ride it up with me.

“Did you run to meet the elevator after Sebastian messaged you?” I inquired, my tone sharp.

Declan sniffed and ran a hand down his tie as if smoothing it into place. “I don’t run in the office.”

“I bet you’d run for Joy,” I teased, the tiniest grin playing on my lips.

Declan lifted his chin a smidge. “In a heartbeat.”

A rough bark of laughter escaped me. “You’re so fucking smitten.” And maybe I was jealous. Of all people to fall head over heels in love, Declan was the very last person I’d thought it would happen to.

After the elevator reached the top floor, Declan motioned for me to go first. The only offices up here were for the CEO and chairman.

Exquisite shining marble and brushed nickel stretched in front of me.

Floor-to-ceiling windows appeared at regular intervals, giving a breathtaking view of the Cincinnati skyline.

Every year, Courtland Enterprises held a Labor Day weekend party for its employees so they could have a catered meal and have an excellent view of the fireworks that were shot off on the Ohio River.

Sebastian’s executive assistant, Kaylan, was waiting a short distance away with a polite smile on his face. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Mr. Sutton, Mr. Foster.”

My lips twisted into a wry grin, but I kept my comments to myself and simply nodded.

Not long ago, Kaylan and his boyfriend had attended the symphony with us, where he’d called me by my given name.

But I understood; this was work, and when Byron had been Sebastian’s assistant, he’d demanded that everyone be addressed properly regardless of their familiarity during personal hours.

“Can I get you anything to drink while you meet with Mr. Courtland?”

“We’re good, Kaylan. Please hold all of Mr. Courtland’s calls for the afternoon,” Declan instructed, to my surprise. It felt as though maybe Simon had sent Sebastian and Declan a heads-up.

I worked on unbuttoning my coat as we walked. “Are we still waiting for Rome or did he beat me here?”

“Rome is working at the library today,” Declan murmured. “He can’t get away, and Liam is now doomed to deal with his foul mood.”

As we turned the corner to walk down the short corridor leading to Sebastian’s office, the man himself pulled open both doors, a worried expression filling his face as he stared at me.

“Sorry to have dis?—”

I didn’t get the chance to say the rest. Sebastian marched three steps to me and pulled me into a fierce bear hug that cracked my spine and crushed my lungs.

I threw a questioning glance at Declan, who appeared not in the least surprised by his best friend’s actions.

But that was Sebastian. He was a hugger. God help Byron .

Wincing slightly, I patted Sebastian twice on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Sebastian. I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay.” Sebastian released me from the hug and took a step back, but his face had only grown fiercer. “Simon texted that you’re having a shit day and that you might stop by to talk about Sawyer.”

“That’s it?”

“He didn’t say more,” Declan confirmed, which shocked me. I’d half expected him to lay all the dirty details out for them.

Sebastian led the way into his office, and Kaylan closed the doors behind us, shutting out the rest of the world.

“Do you want a drink?” Sebastian asked, motioning to the wet bar off to the side that held a nice selection of alcohol. It was then that I realized how much worry was weighing on Sebastian. He feared what I might have to say.

“It’s ten in the morning, Sebastian. Too early.”

“Oh, right. Coffee? Tea?”

“We’re fine. Thanks.” I strolled to the leather love seat and chairs positioned off to one side of his office. “Simon said that he told you that we were sort of seeing each other.”

That announcement was met with silence. I lifted my gaze to see Sebastian practically bursting at the seams to say something. Declan’s stern glare forced him to at least try to hold it in. I motioned to him with one hand, and he exploded.

“That is fucking amazing! I would never have guessed that you’d be a fit because you were always so cold toward him, but?—”

“It’s none of our business who you’re dating,” Declan cut in.

Sebastian pulled himself together and nodded. “Yes. The only things that matter are your happiness and Simon’s happiness.” His jubilant demeanor plummeted in the blink of an eye. “And you don’t seem very happy right now. What can we do to help?”

“I wanted to talk about…Sawyer.” I closed my eyes and tried not to clench my teeth. “And what happened that day. I feel like I owe you an explanation.”

“Let me call Rome. He should know too,” Sebastian said. I opened my eyes to see him pull his phone out of his pocket.

“I thought he was working,” I murmured.

“He is, but he doesn’t have a story-time reading at the library until one.”

A ghost of a smile crossed my lips. It was still strange to think that bubbly, outgoing, foul-mouthed Rome was a librarian, let alone one who regularly read books to kids. But the man who hadn’t known what he wanted to do with his life had really found his niche in the library.

Seconds later, Rome’s voice was coming through the speaker on Sebastian’s phone.

“All right, whose ass do I need to kick?” Rome demanded as Sebastian set the phone on the coffee table in front of us.

“Mine. And maybe Sawyer’s.” I took one final steadying breath and launched into the same tale I’d told Simon a couple of hours earlier.

It was a little easier considering I’d had some practice already from telling Simon, but I was even less sure of how they would react.

They adored Sawyer as much as I did. Would they even believe me?

When I ran out of words, I wondered if I should have taken Sebastian up on his offer of a drink. A glass of whiskey sounded so very good at that moment.

Silence dominated the room for far too long.

My skin had begun to crawl, and my heart hammered until it was practically the only thing I could hear in my ears.

Cold crept into my fingers and dug into my joints, sapping away what courage I had cobbled together since leaving the house.

I wished Simon were there to hold my hand, to whisper that it was all going to be okay.

Battling his demons and protecting him made me strong.

Facing my own left me scared and wanting to cling to him.

“I’m gonna fucking kick his ass,” Rome muttered.

“Who? Me or Sawyer?”

“Both.” Rome paused, and I swore I could see him nodding in my mind. “Yes, both. Sawyer for accusing you of such a thing and you for not telling us what the asshole said.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Rome,” Declan stated, looking put out that he agreed with Rome.

“Ha! I knew we were more alike than you claimed.” Rome cackled, breaking the last of the tension in the room.

Sebastian reached across the coffee table that separated us and placed his hand on my wrist, squeezing lightly. I lifted my gaze to meet his sad eyes. “Sawyer was wrong to say what he did, and I truly think he would have apologized if he’d had the chance.”

I flashed him a weak smile that fell away almost as soon as it formed. The fear had subsided, but there were old worries and dark thoughts that still plagued me. “Simon said the same thing.”

“Well, Simon is Sawyer’s brother. He would probably know best,” Rome chimed in.

“But what about now? I promised Sawyer that I would always keep Simon safe. There’s no way he’d be okay with me dating his brother.”

“You don’t know that!” Rome snapped. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Sorry.” That was said in a whisper, and we snickered at him. Rome must have forgotten that he was at the library, and he’d disturbed some people with his outburst.

“He’s right. Sawyer had trouble with the idea of a twenty-one-year-old you with his thirteen-year-old brother. That makes sense. Simon is…what? Twenty-five? Twenty-six now?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“And you’re thirty-five,” Sebastian continued. “You’re both more than old enough to figure out your relationship stuff on your own. You don’t need a dead guy meddling in your life.”

“That’s our job,” Declan cut in.

There was a long second of silence as Sebastian and I stared at Declan after his unexpected statement. Rome burst out laughing like a hyena only to murmur more apologies.

“He’s right. We want you to be happy. Worrying about what Sawyer would want or think so many years later doesn’t make any sense,” Sebastian said.

“I know. I know. It’s just…it’s hard to shake off. It was literally the last conversation we had before he died. To date Simon now feels like I’m betraying him.”

“There’s one way to settle this,” Declan mumbled as he pushed to his feet. He strode across the office and jerked open one of the doors. “Kaylan!” he called out, to our surprise.

“What’s going on? I can’t see or hear anything? How is Declan going to settle things?”

Sebastian didn’t have a chance to answer him. Kaylan seemed to appear magically at the doorway. “What can I do for you, Mr. Foster?”

“Clear Sebastian’s schedule for the rest of today and tomorrow. Also, contact Sebastian’s pilot and mechanic. We’re taking his plane to Charlotte, North Carolina. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

“What?” I gasped. He wanted to go to North Carolina? Now?

After Kaylan hurried away to make his long series of phone calls, Declan closed the door and walked over to where we were seated.

“Rome, find someone to cover for you at work and meet us at Lunken as soon as possible. We’re going to see Sawyer.

” Declan looked at me, and his gaze was surprisingly gentle.

“You need the chance to say your piece and close the door on this part of your past. It’s keeping you from being happy.

That’s not what Sawyer would have wanted for you or his brother. ”

As much as I dreaded it, I knew he was right. It was time to tell Sawyer how I felt.