Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Elisa
I climb out of the taxi, holding the gift-wrapped parcel under one arm, and smile as Seb approaches, looking handsome in slim-fit designer jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a black blazer. His signature loafers cover his feet.
“Let me take that,” he says, snatching the gift from under my arm.
“Thanks.”
“You look gorgeous,” he adds, his gaze raking appreciatively over my figure-hugging party dress before he leans in to kiss me.
“You look good too.” Looping my arm through his, I cling to his side as we walk toward the exclusive club where Joshua is hosting Gia’s twenty-third birthday party. I’m on edge, and not just because I’m dressed way more provocatively than normal.
I haven’t seen Caleb in five weeks, and I know he’s going to try to talk to me tonight.
Initially, in the week following my visit to his apartment, he bombarded me with texts and pleading messages. Then there was radio silence until a week ago when he appears to have upped the ante. Much to my boyfriend’s chagrin. Seb is not a fan of Caleb or his recent attempts to woo me. My apartment smells like a flower shop, and our living space is inundated with lilies, roses, orchids, and tons of other flowers, thanks to Caleb’s daily deliveries. Beatrice isn’t impressed, but I think it’s just jealousy talking.
The other reason I’m nervous is because tonight is the first time my parents, Romeo, Rowan, and Gia will be meeting my boyfriend, and I really want them to like him. Although he doesn’t set my world on fire, and he’s definitely not endgame, I’m enjoying dating Sebastien. We meet for lunch on campus a few days a week and enjoy dates a couple of nights a week. He texts me daily, making his intentions clear without smothering me. He’s a decent guy, and I feel cherished, so I’m going to go with the flow for as long as this thing plays out.
We make our way inside the busy club, giving our names to the man standing guard at the door to the VIP section, which Joshua has reserved for the night.
We climb the stairs and enter the plush private space that is already heaving with partygoers. Noisy conversation, raucous laughter, and loud music accost my eardrums from all directions. The clear glass wall on our left overlooks the main club downstairs. A small square dance floor abuts the wall, and it’s already filling up with gregarious guests. Beats thump through speakers from the DJ booth at the back of the room. A half-moon-shaped bar is tucked into one corner, and the rest of the place is a mix of velvet-backed circular booths and tall glossy tables and stools.
“Incoming,” I murmur, smiling as Rowan walks toward us.
“Woah, sexy. Look at you!” He grabs me into a hug, lifting me off my feet.
“Put me down before I flash my panties to the entire place.” I’m not even joking. My lilac bodycon dress is short though not indecent. It hits mid-thigh, and I’m flashing a lot of leg.
The second I spotted this in the store, I knew it was the perfect choice for tonight. The tight minidress is adorned with heart-shaped, iridescent, crystal-encrusted embellishments. Wide lilac-pink straps crisscross over my shoulders and in an X at my back. It dips dangerously low, just about covering my ass. My hair and makeup were professionally done, and I feel like a million dollars. The hairdresser went for a wavy beach style with a neat braided headband to keep hair out of my eyes.
“You must be Seb.” Rowan loses the flirty tone and grin as he eyeballs my date.
“This is my cousin Rowan,” I explain, warning Rowan with my eyes to back off.
“Nice to meet you.” Seb smiles while curling his arm around my back, keeping me tucked into his side.
“Elisa is practically my sister,” Rowan says, maintaining eye contact with Seb. “If you hurt her, you’ll have me to deal with.” He flexes his bulging biceps, ensuring the message is delivered.
“And me.” Romeo appears beside Rowan, skimming his gaze up and down Seb’s length with obvious wariness.
“Cut it out, you two. You’re being rude.” I glance up at Seb. “This is my brother Romeo. He’s definitely more bark than bite.”
“Elisa talks about you all the time.” Seb’s tone is warm, his expression casual. “You’re at Yale, right?”
“Yes, but I have access to a chopper, and I can be in New York within forty minutes.” He drills him with a pointed look, and there’s no need to articulate the meaning.
“Oh my god, Romeo!” I whisper hiss, feeling my cheeks heat. “You don’t need to threaten him.”
“Just making sure he understands the score.”
“Hurt her, and you hurt me,” Seb says, this time forcing a smile. “I got it.” He squeezes my waist. “For the record, I care about Elisa, and I have no intention of ever hurting her. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“And we’re the least of your worries,” Rowan adds, fighting a smirk as he looks at someone over my shoulder.
I don’t need to look to guess who it is. “Let’s go find Gia.” I grab Seb’s hand. “I’ll be having words with you two later,” I add, jabbing my finger between Rowan and Romeo before we walk away.
We stumble upon the oldies on our quest to find the birthday girl. Mom and Dad are seated at a booth with Nat and Leo, Sierra and Ben, and Massimo and Catarina. Dad grills Seb, but he’s more polite than my brother and my cousin. The other men eye him warily, and from the way Seb is shifting on his feet, I can tell it’s getting to him.
“Wow,” he whispers when I finally manage to extricate us from the parents’ table. “I’m beginning to understand why you were reluctant to date in the past. Your family is intense.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He smiles as I spy Gia and Joshua slinking into the room from a side door. “They’re protective of you. It’s a good thing.”
“I know they’re a lot, and I appreciate you coming as my plus one.”
“It’s not a chore spending time with you, Elisa.” His eyes probe mine as I watch Gia and Joshua heading this way from the corner of my eye. “You’ve got to know I’m crazy about you.”
My chest swells at his words, but I can’t return them.
“You made it!” Gia says, yanking me into a hug, saving me from having to answer.
“It’s not like I was going to miss it.” I beam at my bestie as she attempts to smooth her hair back into place. “You look beautiful, Gigi.” She’s wearing a gorgeous red dress that drapes around her enviable curves, and the diamond pendant resting on her smaller chest is clearly new. I’m guessing it was Joshua’s birthday gift. I lightly touch her bare arm. “It’s healing well.” Three weeks ago, she had surgery to reduce her boobs and a skin graft to repair the damage that Irish asshole inflicted on her arm.
“Yes, thankfully.”
Seb’s brow furrows, and I quickly change the subject. “I love your dress and your jewelry though you are missing one earring.”
Her fingers immediately inspect both ears. “Shit.”
“Your fly is undone,” Seb says to Joshua with the hint of a grin curving the corners of his lips.
No need to guess what they were up to. Warmth crawls up my neck and onto my cheeks. I wonder if it bothers Seb I am still keeping him at arm’s length? We’ve had oral sex, and we make out a lot, but I don’t feel ready to go all the way with him yet. He says he’s fine to wait, but he’s a hot, virile guy. Don’t guys his age have sex on the brain all the time?
Joshua quickly fixes himself. “Thanks, man.” Gia’s boyfriend wears a familiar mask, shielding his true emotions. The man is a master at hiding in plain sight. “I’ll go grab your earring,” he says, leaning in to plant a hard, possessive kiss on Gia’s lips before walking off.
“You must be Sebastien.” Gia thrusts her hand out. “I’m Gia. Elisa’s best friend and chief asshole detector.”
I barely stifle a groan. “Please, not you too. Poor Seb has already endured interrogations by Rowan, Romeo, Dad, and all the uncles. Cut him some slack.”
Seb shakes her hand. “I’m beginning to understand why Elisa hasn’t dated before.”
“Don’t take it personally. She has a lot of people who love her and watch out for her.”
“Happy birthday, babe,” I say, grabbing the gift from under Seb’s arm and handing it to Gia.
It’s a shameless ploy to distract her, and it works.
Peeling off the wrapping paper, she gasps when she uncovers the black and gold Valentino purse. “I love it. Thank you.” She grabs me into a bear hug. “Don’t look now,” she whispers in my ear. “But Caleb is coming this way.”
I sigh. Of course, he is. He just can’t take no for an answer.
Slipping out of Gia’s embrace, I thread my fingers in Seb’s and squeeze his hand.
“Hey, Lili.”
Ignoring how fast my heart is beating, I plaster a sociable smile on my face and turn to face the guy I still love with my entire being. Seb bristles beside me, curving his hand around my shoulder and keeping me close as we face Caleb.
“Hi.” I peer deep into his eyes even though every instinct warns me not to look at him.
Fuck. He looks good enough to eat in a black suit jacket with a gold trim. His fitted black shirt is open at the top, revealing a hint of hard, smooth, tan skin. Matching pants and glossy black dress shoes complete his look. His facial hair is trimmed, and his hair is artfully messy.
He steals all the air from my lungs even though I’ve sworn to forget him. It’s hard when I still love him so much. I think I always will. Caleb has this inexplicable power over me, and I hate it. I need to find a way of setting my feelings aside and accepting there will never be an us. I have accepted the latter, but I still need to work on the former.
I cling to Seb’s side and draw strength from his body heat. Tension oozes from his every pore. Watching Caleb drag his gaze leisurely up and down my body more than explains it. “You are fucking stunning, Elisa. The most beautiful woman in the room by a mile, present company excluded,” he adds, tipping his head toward the birthday girl.
“She’s taken,” Seb snarls, hooking his arm around me tighter.
“We need to talk,” Caleb says, blatantly ignoring my boyfriend.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I have plenty.”
“Tough.” Seb grips my hand tight. “We were just leaving for the dance floor.” He pulls me away from Caleb. “You’ll have to excuse us.”
Caleb fixes him with a smug grin, easily stepping back. “Be my guest.” He sweeps his arm out in dramatic fashion. “Enjoy it.” He loses the grin and sharpens his gaze on Sebastien. “She might be yours for now, but she’s always been mine. That will never change.” He puts his face all up in Seb’s. “Your time is running out, preppy boy.”
I glare at Caleb as I drag Seb away, pushing through the busy dance floor until we are hidden in the center of the dancing crowd. A slow number starts, and I wind my hands around Seb’s neck feeling the tension cording his muscles. “Do you regret coming?”
“Of course not,” he says through clenched teeth. “I just can’t stand that guy.” His hands press firmly on my lower back, drawing my body into his.
“Ignore him,” I say, feeling eyeballs drilling a hole in the back of my head.
“It’s hard when he’s fucking everywhere.” His hard expression pins me in place. “You need to tell him to fuck off, Elisa. He can’t keep sending you flowers and cupcakes and making it clear he wants you. It’s disrespectful to me. He needs to back off.”
“I blocked his number, remember?” Seb was furious when Caleb kept texting, calling, and leaving messages, so I blocked him to smooth things over. It’s just as well he doesn’t know Caleb has also been sending me love letters, and yesterday a box full of art supplies was delivered.
Caleb is making it hard to hold on to my resolve. A part of me is reveling in being wooed like this. My teenager self is jumping cartwheels and repeatedly writing his name in love hearts all over my journal.
“You need to get rid of the flowers,” Seb adds, moving us back farther. “It makes me sick every time I’m at your place. Imagine it in reverse. How would you feel if my ex was sending me gifts all the time?”
“He isn’t my ex.” I feel the need to clarify even though Seb already knows this. I might have downplayed my feelings for Caleb, but that was purely self-preservation. What guy wants to date a girl who foolishly spent years pining after a guy who didn’t want her? It screams pathetic with a capital P, so I gave Seb the censored version—Caleb and I were friends, but I’d been hoping for more, and now I’ve moved on.
“He acts like he is.” A muscle pops in his jaw as he glowers over my head, and I turn rigid in his arms.
“I’ll remove the flowers,” I rush to reassure him, willing the murderous glint in his eye to disappear. Perhaps it was a mistake to invite him tonight. All it has done is piss him off and served to highlight all the ways he doesn’t fit into my world. “I can’t bear to throw them out though. The flowers are innocent. I’ll donate them to the hospital,” I decide as the idea comes to me.
Caleb appears on our right, dancing with his mother, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to irritate my boyfriend.
“Hi again,” Nat smiles at me and Seb as his grip tightens on my back. His fingers are digging into my bare skin, and it’s starting to hurt a little.
“Mind if I cut in?” Caleb fakes a smile as he challenges Seb with a caustic stare.
“Actually, I do.” Seb squeezes me flush against his body, pressing even harder on my back in a way that is now definitely painful.
“You’re hurting her.” Caleb’s nostrils flare, and he stares at Seb’s hands like he wishes he could incinerate them with his eyes.
“You gonna pull a gun on me again?” Seb asks, loosening his tight grip on my back a little.
A shocked gasp escapes my lips. I can’t believe he just said that! Has he no sense of self-preservation?
“Need I remind you it’s Gia’s birthday?” Natalia says, her warning gaze skating between both men. “Whatever this is, you need to end it now.”
“It’s fine, Mom. Sebastien won’t prevent me from dancing with Lili.” Caleb drills him with a deadly look. “It wouldn’t make a good first impression.” Caleb squares up to him. “Now, would it?”
“Stop this,” I hiss, aware we are starting to garner looks. I spy Leo making his way toward us wearing a frown.
“Five minutes, Lili. That’s all I’m asking for. Just five minutes and I’ll leave you alone. I promise.”
I look up at Seb’s seething face, and I should walk off with him, but I know Caleb. He’s stubborn when he wants something, and he’ll make this night hell for both of us if I don’t let him have his say. I stretch up and press my mouth to Seb’s ear. “I’ll talk to him and set him straight once and for all.”
Seb’s anger transforms as he moves his lips to my ear. “You have three minutes and not a second longer. Make it clear, Elisa. He needs to quit this shit.”
Three minutes will not be enough, but I’m not splitting hairs. I nod, moving to ease out of his arms when a look of wicked intent passes over his face. Grabbing my ass and pulling me into him, he dips me down low and slams his lips over mine before I can voice my protest.