Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sebastian
I wish I could say I was shocked that Darcy had transferred us into a smaller room, but I wasn’t. In fact, when I arrived at the hotel to ensure that everything was to my liking and found she had downgraded the room, I laughed.
The woman was relentless in her pursuit to put me in my place at every turn, and I almost allowed the downgrade; however, I did want her to be comfortable and have a little fun on this trip. I knew it would be exhausting for us to roleplay this fake relationship role in front of our peers, but it was necessary.
“Dinner reservations were for fifteen minutes ago, and I’m quite confident that Spencer and especially Natalia do not like to be kept waiting,” I said, calling for Darcy while she finished up in the bedroom.
“Not my fault you took all the time in the shower,” she said in her defense. “Where are we going anyway?”
“Mita Mary,” I answered after texting Spencer to let him know we were behind schedule.
“Mita Mary?” Darcy repeated in question, walking out of her room and looking so stunning that my mind went blank. I had to blink a couple of times to compose myself. “Get your jaw off the floor, champ,” she teased as she caught me gawking at her beauty. “I dressed like this because I assumed we’d be five-star dining while we’re here.”
The red dress reminded me of a professional salsa dancer, the flowing fabric moving elegantly with every step she took. The top was fitted to accentuate her curves, while the plunging neckline made me wish I’d purchased a ruby necklace to complement the dazzling way she stole every sense of decency from my mind. Her stiletto heels matched the ruby color of her dress, her blonde hair polished and glowing against the brilliance of the dress.
“Had I known you were going to dress so nice, I would’ve opted for a suit and a different restaurant,” I admitted as she did a cute twirl. “You look radiant.”
“Thanks,” she answered, “but I think I’m overdressed for the occasion.”
I smiled. “You’re dressed perfectly as my fiancée,” I stated. “However, we’re not going to a five-star restaurant tonight.”
“Well, I’d like to say that I’m shocked to find out I could’ve gotten away with a simple sundress and flip-flops for dinner, but I’m not. You’re going out of your way to bring your usual taste of the high life down a notch, right? First the commercial flight, then this room, and now a casual dinner.”
“This is true. Of course, just when I believed this room was beneath me, you proved me wrong,” I winked. “We really need to get going. Natasha and Spencer have been waiting for nearly twenty minutes now.”
“Okay,” she sighed but had a confused look. “It seems glaringly obvious to me now that I should’ve asked this question before getting ready, but what is the atmosphere of the place where we are eating?”
“It’s a place on the beach. You were craving fish tacos with your margarita earlier, and Ricardo recommended the perfect casual dining atmosphere for that.”
“A place on the beach?” she questioned in confusion.
“Yes, Mita Mary boat bar and?—”
“I’m changing,” she said, quickly cutting me off. “I’ll meet you there.”
Before I could respond, she disappeared into the room.
“Darcy, we need to go. I’m a punctual person, and this is very unlike me.”
“Well, you’re engaged now, honey,” she said, “and it’s time you get used to a woman making you late again.”
I smiled. I was happy that the mention of my late wife in this instance didn’t upset me, even though not having that reaction was odd because I was so used to it.
“Melissa was never late to anything,” I teased, knowing the comparison wouldn’t hurt Darcy’s feelings since we weren’t really in a relationship. “So, I am unaccustomed to this new way of being in a relationship with a woman.”
“Well, many women tend to run late, and it’s almost always because of wardrobe issues.”
“You looked beautiful, and there was no issue with how you were dressed,” I said, talking to her through the closed door of her room.
“No, that is not the thing. The thing is that I was overdressed, and we would’ve looked like idiots once your social media fan group started recording us at dinner.”
There’s no way she could’ve pieced together that I’d intentionally chosen this place on the beach so I could remain in the limelight.
“It’ll be dark. No one can see us,” I said, trying to get her mind off my ulterior motives. “So, let’s go.”
“This is a five-star Mexican resort. There will be lights and music and people everywhere. You will be recorded with me , and I’m not going down in history as the idiot fiancée who is overdressed and trying to fit in with you and the Monroes.”
I rolled my eyes. “My God, you worry about the silliest things,” I said as she opened the door, leaving me standing there with my mouth agape as soon as I saw her again.
“Eyes on mine,” she said with a knowing smirk. “The twins are not for your enjoyment.”
“Twins?” I said, confused.
“My breasts,” she said, clasping on one of her earrings. “I know they look good in this halter top, but I don’t need to know that you know they look good.”
“Well, it’s hard not to notice,” I answered, exhaling, entirely taken by the woman’s beauty. Her black halter top had a deep V-line cut that gave perfect definition to her cleavage, and she wore white, wide-leg pants that framed her tight ass better than the jean skirts I’d seen her wearing at her parents’ house.
She grabbed her black purse and smiled at me, her vibrant blue eyes dancing in humor, “Well, are we going to hang around here all night, or do you want to stop being rude and go meet Spencer and Natalia?”
“You’re right. I’m so sorry to keep you waiting,” I said, shaking my head. “You look ravishing.”
“Now you’re lying to me,” she eyed me. “I swear to God, I have no problem going back in that room and changing again.”
“Since when did you, of all people, give a shit about my opinion?”
“Since I am being blasted on social media as your fiancée,” she stated. “Have you even read the comments?”
“Comments about what?”
“About us being engaged?” she said. “The comments on the videos that were uploaded?”
I tightened my lips, so I didn’t smile at how adorable Darcy looked when I realized she was insecure about what others thought of her in this situation. I suppose everyone had weak moments, and she was very valid in hers. It wasn’t every day that someone was made suddenly famous because of who they were dating. I understood where her trepidation came from, and I knew it was wrong and childish to find it humorous. Still, I couldn’t help adoring her reaction, mainly because I didn’t think she would be insecure about anything.
“I didn’t read them because I don’t allow keyboard warriors and people who don’t know me to take up space in my head or have that kind of control over?—”
“Save your psychological bullshit for someone who isn’t your fiancée on social media where the venomous snakes have hatched and come for her.”
“Are you concerned about other people’s opinions of you?” I questioned, wondering if I needed to shield her from the public eye. “I don’t want you hurt in any of this.”
“Too late for that,” she said, pulling her arm from mine. “Let’s just say that the world will once again rejoice when you go back on the market as an eligible bachelor. For now, they hate me because you’re not.”
“Well, mostly children are on those sites.”
“That’s what you think. Social media is the lifeline for everyone with a smartphone these days.”
“I understand,” I said sincerely, “and we don’t have to go to dinner tonight. I didn’t consider the possibility of people forming nasty comments about you.”
“It’s just annoying,” she said grumpily, “because if they knew the truth , specifically about you , they’d feel sorry for me.”
I looked at her with concern, ignoring what she implied about her true feelings about me. I was more concerned with what the people were saying about her.
“How many comments are there, and how many views of these uploaded videos?”
“Hundreds of thousands of likes and views, it’s the number one watched reel on social media. As for the comments, I have no idea because I forced myself to stop looking once I realized the vast majority of them are focused on hating me and feeling bad you lost your wife, only to be stuck with me. The one comment I remember most is the one that said, ‘This isn’t surprising. He’s been living in a cave for the last year, so when he comes out into the light, his eyes are still adjusting, and he can’t see how nasty this chick really is…’ Super sweet stuff.”
“What the fuck?”
“I get it. People get nasty when they’re jealous and mean when someone poses a threat to them, but what I don’t understand is how the fuck I’m a threat to them. Unless, of course, these are all the women in your crowd on the East Coast?”
I shook my head, feeling remorse, “I didn’t realize any of that would be taken and used to attack you. I am truly sorry, and I will have the videos taken down.”
“As if,” she sighed. “Hey, I know you have a shit load of money, but you can’t take videos off the internet like that, grandpa.” She laughed and then shrugged her shoulders. “Fuck it, eh? It’s fine. I just need to be on top of my game when we’re in the public eye, especially if you are going to plan our outings with the intention of being seen. It’s only fair.”
“I completely understand,” I answered. “Go change back into your pretty red dress. I’ll cancel our reservations on the beach and make one for dinner at The Carolina, and then I’ll inform Spencer and Natalia that there is a change of plans.”
“And risk looking like I’m too good to eat on the beach?” she started to laugh. “No. Let’s worry about keeping our friends happy. Just keep me ahead of the game when you plan our outings, and all will be fine. I just don’t want to give anyone fuel for the fires they’re lighting all over the place. I understand I will never make anyone happy when it comes to you, but I at least want to feel confident while I’m pissing all of them off.”
“Do you hate me for this?” I only asked because I knew the woman despised me already, but this was another level. She was being attacked on my behalf by people I didn’t even know, which was only adding insult to the injuries I’d inflicted since I met her.
“No, I don’t hate you for this,” she answered. “I hate myself for looking at the comments and caring about what anonymous people think about me. I don’t know how celebrities and public figures do it. I would never want to leave my home.”
“Well, they’re trained to appreciate the bad press,” I shrugged. “However, negativity is negativity, and whether you make money off the bad press or not, foul comments are painful, even if they aren’t true.”
“And you would know a thing or two about that?” she arched an eyebrow at me.
“Not at all,” I smirked. “I’m only upset that you allowed those miserable individuals into your headspace. You look much too beautiful tonight to have anyone dull your sparkle.”
“Well, thank you for that,” her cheeks blushed as she cleared her throat and stood tall and confidently with her shoulders back. “Now, let’s go to the beach.”
“And here’s the couple of the year,” Spencer said, standing to greet us as we arrived at the Boat Bar. “How are you doing, Seb?” he questioned, then looked to Darcy, reaching for her hand to politely greet her. “And you’re still as gorgeous as the last time I saw you on Jake’s yacht, Darcy.”
“Not much has changed in a couple of weeks, thankfully,” Darcy laughed.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Spencer eyed me again. “A lot has changed, I reckon, especially since I thought you’d be a miserable, lonely bastard for the rest of your life. That much has certainly changed.”
I chuckled, greeting Natalia as she rose, hugged Darcy, and then placed her hand in mine for a delicate handshake.
“Well, we flipped the script on everyone, didn’t we?” I said with a grin.
“Sorry we’re late,” Darcy said as we sat in the chairs across from them. “After my ass got handed to me in the comment section of this man’s social media video debut, I got a little insecure when I found out we’d be eating in full view of everyone’s phone cameras.”
“Don’t tell me you give a damn what those assholes say,” Natalia said frankly, which was the only way she ever spoke. “I certainly don’t give a shit what people have to say, and they’re almost always stating facts about me.” She laughed and looked at Spencer, who gazed at her like she was his pride and joy.
“Yes, darling, everyone knows what a gold-digger you are,” he chuckled.
Fortunately, I knew Spence and Nat will enough to know that Spencer’s statement wasn’t true; however, in their circles, it was known that Nat had married Spencer for his money. After all, he came from old money like my family, and she was just a real estate agent from California. It didn’t matter that she dealt in luxury properties for the rich and famous and that she was a self-made multi-millionaire because of it. To them, she was the help.
Spencer had notoriously turned down many invitations to important galas and events—ones that some people waited a lifetime to receive and ones that no one dared to refuse—strictly because the committee members didn’t pay his wife the respect she deserved. It was tantamount to social suicide for the average upstart, but when you had old money like Spencer Monroe, people turned a blind eye to keep the status quo.
Spencer and Natalia made a statement by being the black sheep of upper-class society, and I admired them for it.
“You know that’s the only reason I married you,” she answered him, then looked at Darcy. “Seriously, honey, don’t pay any attention to it. In fact, given your line of work, I would think you knew better?”
“Yeah, you’d think,” Darcy said while I ordered a round of margaritas for the table. “It just caught me off guard. I just worry naturally because even when I publish my articles, I try to be kind about the people I’m writing about.”
“Let me give you some advice,” Natalia said, taking a sip of the margarita she’d been drinking when we arrived. “You will be eaten like a guppy fish if you want to play kind in this evil and opinionated world, especially if you’re dating this one,” she said, pointing at me. “So, do not think that because you do nice things for people, they will do nice things in return. Karma loves to take a bite out of everyone’s ass, but sometimes that process is too slow. Sometimes, you must stay ahead of what karma takes too long to set straight.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Darcy smiled.
It was nice to see Darcy loosen up, but everyone around Natalia Monroe was always loose. The woman had a charisma that instantly drew people in, and I was glad she was here.
I felt extremely protective of Darcy, and I was beginning to realize that protectiveness had started even before the social media videos. It started with me planning this trip to keep Darcy away from my parents. I thought it would end there and this would just be a fun getaway, but it only seemed to build. I didn’t want to see her get hurt at all, and the more I thought about the comments she’d mentioned, the angrier I became that they were made.
She was a good person; her family was kind and warm…and I had to wonder what was getting into me these days because this was the first time I’d genuinely felt this way. All I knew was that I liked this version of myself and didn’t want to lose these feelings.