Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sebastian
The club was filled with wall-to-wall people. When I paid off two patrons at the bar for their seats, they kindly moved so Eli and I could sit down.
“Two bourbons. Make them doubles,” I yelled to the bartender.
Looking around, I didn’t see Chloe and that guy anywhere. But who the hell could find anyone in this place.
“Keep an eye out for them,” I spoke to Eli.
It had been a little over an hour, and still no sign of them. Suddenly, Eli grabbed my arm and told me that we needed to leave. Glaring at him, I couldn’t help but notice his eyes staring at the dance floor. When I looked to where he was looking, I saw Chloe and that asshole dancing together. Her arms were in the air as she moved her hips back and forth. He was behind her, grinding up against her like some pig. The two of them moved around, back and forth, with his hands planted on her hips. The rage that was already inside me intensified as I walked up behind them, grabbed the guy’s arm, and threw a punch at him, sending him into the crowd of people that surrounded them and to the ground.
“Sebastian!” Chloe screamed.
I wasn’t finished because I wanted to make sure this guy never laid his hands on her again. Grabbing his shirt, I punched him again until Eli grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
Chloe
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As I screamed Sebastian’s name, he looked at me with rage in his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“He had no right touching you like that!” he shouted.
Suddenly, Sienna and Sam appeared, and Sam got down on the ground to help Corey while Sienna stepped in front of me.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Sebastian?”
“Get out of the way, Sienna.”
“Or what? Are you going to punch me too?”
“Stop it! Both of you!” I screamed as I stepped away from Sienna.
I shook my head at Sebastian and then bent down to look at Corey. His eye was already swollen, and there was blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
“You want him, Chloe? Did you fuck him?” Sebastian screamed as Eli held him back.
Standing up, I stood in front of him. My blood boiling with hatred as I could feel the vein in my temple pulsating with rage.
Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed him as hard as I could. He stumbled.
“He’s my ex from California, asshole. He flew in to celebrate my birthday.”
His eyes locked with mine, and suddenly, they filled with sadness.
“I’m—”
“Save it, Sebastian. You just can’t go around punching people. I never want to see you again.” I turned and pushed my way through the crowd of people who were standing there watching the scene.
I needed air. Taking off my shoes and stepping out the door onto the street of New York City, I could barely catch my breath. My body was shaking, and I felt disoriented. I fell to my knees on a patch of grass near the club and began crying. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Chloe, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
Jerking away, I looked up at Sebastian with mascara-stained eyes.
“Don’t you touch me!” I shouted as I got up and stumbled back. “Don’t touch me,” I whispered, pointing my finger at him. “What part of ‘I never want to see you again’ did you not understand?”
“I apologized to Corey. He’s going to be fine. I just?—”
“You’re a monster, and you are to stay the hell away from me!” I walked away and back inside the club.
“There you are!” Sienna pulled me into a hug. “Are you okay?”
“Not really. Where’s Corey?”
“Over here.” Sienna led me to a small table where Corey and Sam were seated.
“I’m so sorry this happened.” I cried as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Don’t cry, Chloe. He apologized.”
“I don’t care. He never should have hit you.”
“Listen, I’m fine. It’s not the first time I’ve had a bruised eye and a fat lip.” He smiled. “Come on; let’s get out of here and go back to your place for cake. We still have more celebrating to do.”
“Are you sure you feel okay?” I pouted as I gently traced my finger around the bruise on Corey’s eye.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. Thanks for letting me crash at your place.” He smiled.
“You’re welcome to crash at my place any time you come to visit.”
“Take care, Chloe, and I’ll call you when I land.”
“You better.” I winked.
“Love you.” He kissed my forehead.
“Love you back.”
As the cab pulled up to my building, my heart started to race when I saw Sebastian’s limo parked at the curb. I swore to God that if he even attempted to talk to me, I would march right down to the police station and file a restraining order against him. After paying the cab driver, I saw Eli step out of the limo. I sat there for a moment while he walked over and opened the door for me.
“Good afternoon, Chloe.”
“Eli.” I nodded as I climbed out. “He better not be in there.” I pointed to the limo.
“He’s not. It’s just me. In fact, if he knew I was here talking to you, he’d probably fire me.”
“What can I do for you, Eli?” I asked as we walked to the door.
“I was hoping to speak with you for a moment about Sebastian.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
Sliding the key into the lock, I opened the door and invited him in.
“I know, and I don’t blame you, but I need you to hear what I say.”
“I’m about to make some tea. Would you like some?”
“Only if it’s green.” He smiled.
“Yeah! My kind of man. Green tea it is.”
Eli took a seat at the table while I prepared the tea. Nothing he could say would make me change my mind about Sebastian. But I owed him the courtesy of hearing him out.
“Look, I’m not defending him at all, and what he did last night was totally crossing the line, but I know he deeply cares for you.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.” I poured the water into the cups.
“I’m going to tell you something about him. He’s had it rough since the day he was born. He had to fight for everything in his life. He was determined to climb out of the trenches and make something of himself.”
“That’s no excuse for violence,” I spoke as I set his cup of tea down in front of him.
“I agree. Sebastian is a good man, and he has a good heart.”
“Heart of stone.” I interrupted.
“True, but only where women are concerned.”
“Why? Did he have an ex-lover who cheated on him or something?”
“No. If only it were that simple. He’s never allowed himself to get close to anyone. He’s allowed the scars of his past to keep him closed off from everything except his business.”
“What happened to him?”
“It’s not my place to tell you, but I’ve known him since we were young boys.”
I sighed. “Eli, why are you here? To tell me that he couldn’t help punching Corey because of his past?”
“No, Chloe. I’m here to tell you that he really cares for you, and you need to reach out to him. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone before.”
“You mean punching people out?”
“No.” He smirked. “You’ve affected him in ways I never thought possible. He’s happy when you’re around. And that’s something I haven’t seen very much in his life.”
I got up from the table and stood behind the kitchen counter. “Well, he’s the one who shut me out and then had the nerve to punch my ex-boyfriend—who’s gay, by the way—because we were dancing.”
Eli walked over to me and placed his hand on mine.
“Just give it some thought, Chloe. He’s a broken man, and I do believe you are the only person in this world who can put him back together. I wouldn't be here if I didn’t feel so strongly about that. Thanks for the tea.” He turned, and as he started to walk away, he looked back at me. “Please don’t ever tell him we had this conversation.”
“I won’t. I promise.”