Page 45 of Sebastian

I wipe away a bead of sweat from my forehead, feeling the heat from the spicy Thai dish. With a grateful sigh, I push my plate away, knowing I’ll suffer the consequences later. If having the shits to see this side of her and to spend time with her is how it has to be, then so be it.

“And what do you mean I’m a goner?”

Paolo chuckles softly, looking amused.

“It means you’re in deep, my friend. Chloe has you wrapped around her finger, whether you admit it or not.”

He swipes a dumpling through some sticky sauce before popping it in his mouth. His stupid fast metabolism and ability to eat anything he wants, spicy or not, is enviable.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“I am not,” I insist, raising my voice when Taylor walks back in with her phone and water.

“You’re not what, Sebastian?” she asks when slipping into her seat. Paolo smiles at her and continues eating, leaving me in the hot seat.

“I, uh . . . I’m not going back to Milan for Christmas.” I come up with something on the fly since Paolo left me hanging. “I’m going to stay here, in town.”

“Is that so?” Taylor gives me a curious look before sipping her water. “Any particular reason why?”

I try to come up with a believable answer that doesn’t reveal too much.

“Just work. You know how it is.”

The temperature in the room seems to have gotten hotter, or the Thai food is working double time, churning up my insides. Either way, I’m miserable and want Chloe to come back so I can say my goodbyes and die a slow death on the toilet at my house. I hate shitting in public. It’s loud, bubbly, and smelly—all I prefer to do in private.

Paolo, the instigator of this situation, grins mischievously.

“Work? You say? Since when do you go into the off?—”

I kick him under the table to get him to shut up. He groans, slumping forward to rub it. My patience is wearing thin with him while I try to cool off by fanning myself with the napkin.

“You okay there, Seb?” Taylor asks in concern before downing a huge pile of beef covered in fiery pepper flakes.

“I’m having a party for my staff too.”

I ignore her question, trying to steer the conversation away from the misery brewing in my belly. Deflect everything until I can get out of here.

Paolo raises an eyebrow, the surprise evident in his tone.

“Really? A party for the people that work for you?”

I nod, trying to maintain the façade as sweat rolls down my temple.

“Yeah, it’s been a great year, and I thought it would be a nice way to show my appreciation.”

Thank goodness, I spot Chloe walking back towards the conference room with a worried look. I time it perfectly as she enters, saying, “It was Chloe’s idea.”

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion, and she clings to the back of her chair, refusing to sit. Something’s up.

“What was my idea?”

I use this as my excuse to stand, angling closer to the door where the cool air from the rest of the floor rushes into the overly heated conference room.

“The party for my staff. The one that is this Wednesday after work. I hope you’ll be able to come.”

I’m making this all up on the fly. I have no idea how I will get the vendors back out there to work the event for my staff. I don’t know if two days’ notice is enough time for everyone to come. Hosting it on a Wednesday instead of the weekend might make it easier for them, but it’s all a gamble now.Her eyes light up, and her hands release the chair, revealing imprints from her nails, evidence of how hard she gripped it.

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