Tempting Sebastian (Moore & Holbrook Duet #1)

Chapter 1

Jackson

Oakville, Massachusetts

My eyes popped open the same way they did every morning, out of instinct, to watch my back.

The room was mostly dark, only lightly lit by the bathroom and hallway lights shining on the other guys, still asleep in their beds.

It was just enough light for me to sleep but still be able to see if someone was up to something.

I glanced around to make sure no one had stolen anything from me.

Everything seemed fine, so I yawned quietly and stretched.

The sun hadn’t come up yet, but I liked waking up early enough to get ready in silence before leaving for work.

A moment of peace was needed after a rough sleep, every night.

I had almost saved up enough money to leave the shelter, for good.

Reaching under my bed, I grabbed my toiletry kit and walked the ten steps it took to get to the bathroom mirror and sink to wash up and brush my teeth.

The mirror was filthy with a scattered layer of tarnish over it.

Your guess was as good as mine as to what was on it, but I couldn’t clean it off no matter how hard I scrubbed.

Another perk of the shelter. I could see myself just enough to know I looked presentable, and it beat the street by a few miles.

Giving up on the mirror, I decided I would fix any remaining stray hairs by using my camera phone once I got on the city bus.

Back at the bed, I reached under the mattress for the garment bag that held my suit.

Laying it between the mattress and the springs kept it flat and mostly wrinkle-free.

It was the best I could do without an iron or closet space.

The warmth of my body would be enough to release the rest of the wrinkles, anyway.

After I put my suit on, I rolled up the garment bag and shoved it inside my backpack, along with the clothes I had changed out of, and my toiletry bag.

No one ever asked or wondered why I brought a backpack to work because almost everyone either had a purse, backpack, or some sort of sling bag they carried their things in.

They would just store it under their cubicle desk for the day, same as me, thankfully.

I took a final look back at my bed, knowing it would probably go to someone else by the time I came back from work.

First come, first serve is the shelter policy.

I’d probably be able to find another bed there, but it wouldn’t be that one.

Nowhere ever really felt like home. I let out a sigh and headed downstairs to walk the block it took to get to the city bus stop.

I’ve been working at Moore I was much more interested in Mr. Serious.

As Ian walked away, my head turned toward the front door to watch Sebastian walk in. I sat up straight and smiled at him. “Good morning, Mr. Moore. It’s great to see you.”

Like every other day, Sebastian nodded and turned toward his office. The man was such a mystery. All I wanted to do was crack the ice around his heart and be someone that could make him smile. Someone had to. Why couldn’t it be me?