Page 28 of Trained In Sin

Saphy

The afternoon passes in a haze of anticipation and nerves.

Every time my phone buzzes, I expect another angry text from Damon, but thankfully, it stays quiet.

Maybe he's finally accepting that it's over.

Maybe he's realised that following me to cafés and making demands isn't going to change my mind.

I should know better than to hope for simple solutions.

At seven, I'm standing in front of my wardrobe trying to choose something appropriate for dinner with Sebastian. Something that shows his marks, he'd said, and the memory of his possessive tone sends heat pooling low in my belly.

I settle on a deep green dress with a scoop neckline that reveals just enough of the beard burn on my throat to satisfy his request. The fabric hugs my curves in a way that makes me feel powerful, sensual.

My phone chimes with a text. Outside. -S

I grab my purse and head down the hall, my pulse quickening with each step. Through the glass doors of my building, I can see the sleek black Range Rover waiting at the curb, Sebastian's silhouette visible in the driver's seat.

But as I push through the doors, something makes me glance to my left. There, parked half a block down, is Damon's silver Honda. He's sitting behind the wheel, watching me with an intensity that makes my skin crawl.

"Shit," I breathe, freezing on the pavement .

Sebastian must notice my hesitation because his door opens immediately, and he's striding toward me with that predatory grace that used to terrify me and now makes my heart race for entirely different reasons.

"What's wrong?" His voice is sharp, alert, his grey eyes scanning the street for threats.

"My ex," I manage, nodding toward Damon's car. "He's been following me. He was at the café earlier, and now…."

Sebastian's expression darkens as he spots the Honda. "Stay behind me."

Before I can protest, he's moving toward Damon's car with purposeful strides. I hurry to keep up, my heels clicking against the pavement.

Damon's window rolls down as we approach, and I can see his face clearly for the first time. He looks haggard, desperate, nothing like the composed man I dated for three years.

"Saphy," he calls out, ignoring Sebastian completely. "We need to talk. This whole thing is insane."

"No, we don't." I step closer to Sebastian, drawing comfort from his solid presence beside me. "I told you yesterday, it's over."

"It's not over," Damon snaps, his mask of reasonableness finally slipping. "Three years, Saphy. Three fucking years of my life. You don't get to just throw that away because you're having some crisis."

"It's not a crisis. It's a choice. My choice. "

Damon's eyes finally land on Sebastian, taking in his expensive suit, his confident posture, the way he's positioned himself protectively in front of me.

"And who the fuck are you?" Damon's voice is ugly now, all pretence of civility gone.

"Someone who respects her decisions," Sebastian replies smoothly, his tone carrying an undercurrent of warning that makes me shiver.

"Respects her decisions?" Damon laughs bitterly. "Is that what you call manipulating a vulnerable woman? Taking advantage of someone going through a rough patch?"

"Vulnerable?" Sebastian's voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "She seemed quite capable of making her own choices last night."

The implication hangs in the air between them, and I watch Damon's face cycle through confusion, understanding, and then rage.

"You slept with him." His voice is flat, emotionless. "You ended our relationship and immediately fucked someone else."

"Damon…."

"Don't." He holds up a hand, his eyes wild. "Don't try to explain this away. Three years, Saphy. Three years of love, of building something together, and you throw it all away for one night with some stranger? You’re a fucking whore!”

"He's not a stranger."

"Then who is he? How long has this been going on?" Damon's voice is rising, drawing curious glances from passersby. "How long have you been cheating on me? "

"She wasn't cheating," Sebastian interjects, his patience clearly wearing thin. "She ended your relationship before coming to me."

"Hours!" Damon shouts. "Hours before! That's not ending a relationship, that's trading up!"

The crude characterization makes me flinch, but Sebastian's reaction is more immediate. He takes a step toward the car, his entire body radiating menace.

"I suggest you lower your voice and show some respect."

"Respect?" Damon laughs wildly. "For the whore who…."

He doesn't get to finish the sentence. Sebastian's hand slams against the roof of the car with enough force to make the metal buckle slightly.

"Get out of the car." His voice is deadly calm.

I notice two men slowly approach us all. Sebs eyes flick toward them for a fraction of a second, but he says nothing. They must be his men.

"Sebastian, don't…." I start, but he cuts me off with a look.

"Get. Out. Of. The. Car."

Something in Sebastian's tone must penetrate Damon's rage because he finally seems to realise the danger he's in. But instead of backing down, he opens the car door and steps out, drawing himself up to his full height.

Which still leaves him several inches shorter than Sebastian .

"You think you can intimidate me?" Damon tries for bravado, but his voice shakes slightly. "I know who you are now. Sebastian Blackwood. I've done my research."

"Have you?" Sebastian's smile is sharp as a blade. "Then you know what I'm capable of."

"I know you're a criminal. I know you prey on women like Saphy, confuse them, manipulate them until they don't know what they want anymore. I know you kept harassing her at work.”

"Is that what you think happened?" Sebastian glances at me, and there's something almost amused in his expression. "Princess, would you like to tell him how confused you seemed last night?"

The endearment makes me flush, and the possessiveness in his tone sends an unwelcome thrill through me. But Damon's reaction is immediate and violent.

"Don't call her that!" He lunges forward, but Sebastian catches his wrist before he can make contact, twisting just enough to make Damon cry out.

"Touch her, threaten her, or disrespect her again," Sebastian says conversationally, "and I'll break every bone in your hand."

"Let go of me!"

"When you've learned some manners." Sebastian maintains his grip for another moment before releasing Damon with enough force to send him stumbling back against his car.

"This isn't over," Damon pants, cradling his wrist. "Saphy, you'll see. You'll realize what you've given up for this thug. "

"What I've given up?" The words burst out of me before I can stop them. "What I've given up is three years of settling for lukewarm love. What I've given up is pretending to be satisfied with a man who clearly, I never actually knew!"

"That’s not true……"

"Then why are you following me? Why are you demanding I come back to you? Why won't you accept that I don't want what we had?"

Damon stares at me like I'm a stranger. "Because you're making a mistake. Because you're destroying your life for some fantasy that won't last."

"Maybe I am." I move closer to Sebastian, feeling his warmth at my back. "But it's my mistake to make."

"No." Damon's voice is flat, final. "I won't let you destroy yourself like this."

The possessiveness in his words, so different from Sebastian's confident claim on me, makes my skin crawl. "You don't get a say in what I do with my life anymore."

"We'll see about that."

Before either Sebastian or I can react, Damon is back in his car, engine starting with a roar. He peels away from the curb, tires squealing against the road.

I stand there shaking, the confrontation having stripped away any illusions I had about Damon accepting our breakup gracefully.

"Are you all right?" Sebastian's voice is gentle now, all traces of menace gone .

"I think so." But I'm not sure. The man who just drove away was a stranger wearing Damon's face. "I've never seen him like that."

"How long was he following you today?"

"I don't know. He was at the café when I met Beth this morning, and now..." I gesture helplessly at the empty space where his car had been.

Sebastian's jaw tightens. "He's been watching you all day."

"It seems like it." I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the mild evening. "God, Sebastian, I was with him for three years. How did I never see this side of him?"

"Because you never tried to leave before." His hand finds the small of my back, steadying me. "Some people only show their true nature when they're losing control."

"What am I going to do? He's not going to give up. You heard him, he thinks he can convince me I'm making a mistake."

"He's wrong." Sebastian's voice carries absolute certainty. "And if he continues to harass you, I'll make sure he understands the consequences."

There's something in his tone that makes me look up at him sharply. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're mine now, princess. And I protect what's mine."

The possessiveness should bother me, it's not that different from what Damon was expressing. But when Sebastian says it, it doesn't feel like a chain around my neck. It feels like a shield .

"Come on," he says, guiding me toward his car. "Let's get out of here before he decides to come back."

As we drive away, I can't shake the feeling that this confrontation was just the beginning. Damon's parting words echo in my head: "We'll see about that."

It sounded less like acceptance and more like a promise.

And I'm starting to realize that choosing Sebastian may have made me a target of something far more dangerous than desire.

But as I glance at the man beside me, controlled, lethal, completely focused on my safety, I also realize I'm no longer facing this alone.

Whatever Damon is planning, whatever he thinks he can do to "save" me from my choices, he's going to have to go through Sebastian Blackwood first.

And somehow, I don't think that's a fight Damon is prepared for.