Page 107 of Sebastian's Baby

I laugh and say, “Yes, it really is. Not sure how I can prove it to you, but if you Google my name, I’m sure you’ll understand pretty quickly why I’m in desperate need of an apartment in Seattle. I’m also certain that you’ll use discretion with this information.”

“Of course, sir. I just wanted to be sure before I cleared my afternoon appointments to take you to see apartments.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

We organize to go look at apartments at one this afternoon, and that’s only three hours away, so I quickly call Lita.

“Hey, baby daddy. What does the hottest guitarist I know have to tell me right now?” she asks in an overly cheery voice.

I’m amused by the way she’s answered my call and wonder what prompted it. “That’s quite the greeting, princess.”

“Oh, I was just getting hassled with gossip in the break room, so I figured I might as well stoke those flames a little. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry, right?”

I feel guilty that she’s become the source of gossip in her office, but it’s funny that she’s playing into it like this, so I tell her with a laugh, “You’re trouble, Lolita Ciccone. I knew that from the moment I met you, now you’re confirming it for me.”

“So, seriously, you have some news?”

“Yeah, I’ve hired you a bodyguard, his name is Benjamin Thomas. He’ll come with Daryl and me to get you after work, and he’ll drive your car home for you.”

Lita blows out a breath of air and says, “Oh, that’s a relief. My boss, Simon, went and got me something to eat just now, and he said there are twice as many people out the front now.”

“Damn. Well, Ben comes really highly recommended, and he’s free to come to Chicago whenever you want to come to visit me as well. He seems really nice; hopefully, you’ll like him. I’m also going to see about five apartments this afternoon. I’ll buy one of them and ask for an immediate settlement, so we have somewhere safe to go.”

“Whoa, Seb, don’t just pick the first place you come across; that would be crazy,” she gasps.

I shake my head and tell her, “I’m not stupid; I know I’m not going to find the perfect place today. It just has to be good enough for now. I’ll keep looking and get another one when I find the right place, then I’ll sell the first one.”

“Sebastian Fox, you cannotjust buy a random fucking apartment with no intention of keeping it,” she scolds me as though I’m a child doing something naughty.

I laugh and say, “You’re too sexy to act like my mother, princess. I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. I probably won’t lose much money in the changeover, and I don’t give a shit if I do, anyway. I thought we agreed that you and our baby being safe was the top priority, always?”

“Yes, but”—she gives a big sigh—“It’s all just happening so fast. You only proposed this to me last night, now you’re talking about buying an apartment today. I haven’t even agreed to move, and then, shit, I’d have to pack everything and move. Anyway, I still have six months left on my lease. It’s all just too much, Seb.”

Her voice cracks at the end, and I can hear that she’s crying again. I feel terrible for everything, and I wish I were there with her to help her feel better.

“I know, Lita. I do. I tried to warn you about what would happen when people found out about you, but it’s hard to explain to someone who’s never experienced it. You think you know, but you don’t. It’s not until you’ve lived with people dissecting your entire life through a microscope that you can ever really understand.”

I need her to understand how important it is that we’re one step ahead of the paparazzi on this. They’ve already found her workplace. It won’t be long until they find her apartment.

“I get that this is all happening really fast now. I should’ve prepared you more, thought about this, planned it better. I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t have waited until they found you to start sorting this shit out. I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe now.”

“Thanks, Seb. I guess we’ll talk more tonight. It just feels like nothing is in my control anymore. You’ve hired me a bodyguard, and you’re picking an apartment. Even the paparazzi get to decide when they’ll bother me. I’m at the mercy of everyone else all of a sudden,” Lita says through her tears.

“Oh, princess.”

I sigh because I don’t know how to make this better for her. I guess I could get a rental instead of buying something straight away. There’s more chance we’ll be able to get into a place sooner if I do that, I suppose.

“I don’t want to pressure you or be making choices for you. Look, I’ll talk to the agent that’s helping me. Maybe we can find a rental that will do for now, and you can help me look for an apartment. If you’re going to live in it, it’s only fair you have a say in what I buy.”

“Thanks, Seb. You’re the best. I’m sorry I’m a crying mess. Hormones and this kind of craziness clearly don’t mix well.”

“We’ll get through it, princess. Remember, this is all just stuff.” I smile as I say it. “Our baby is what’s important. No matter what gossip you hear in the break room, you know the truth of what’s between you and me. Nobody else is relevant. Just you, me, and our baby. Tonight, I’ll kiss away your tears and give you so many orgasms you forget about all of this bullshit,” I promise her.

Lita laughs. “I’m going to hold you to that promise, Sebastian Fox. Okay, I’m starving now, and my bagel is calling to me. Let me know how it goes with the apartments; I’ll get back to my work, and I’ll see you when I’m finished.”

She hangs up, and I call Vincent back to ask him if he has any suitable apartments available to rent, preferably furnished and available immediately. We go shopping at an upmarket boutique in downtown Seattle where I get enough clothes for the rest of the week as well as a suitcase to take them back to Chicago with me.

Then we meet Vincent. He had two apartments that I could theoretically move into today, so we go to see those. They’re both nice enough, but the first one was bigger and seemed nicer to me.

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