Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
Darcy
I shook my head at the gall of Sebastian’s mother as I approached Avery, Ashley, Nat, Breanne, and Mickie, who were standing and chatting with drinks.
“Everything good on the lover’s front?” Avery questioned, sipping her martini with a grin.
“Margot Aster is a piece of work,” I answered, taking the Cosmopolitan Nat handed me after plucking it off a passing waiter’s tray.
“You’re just now figuring that out?” Mickie smirked. “The fact that John and Sebastian’s parents are trying to stake their claim on the West Coast by going into business with Jim should be enough to tell everyone that they’re pieces of work.”
“Have you gotten past your differences with them?” I asked, curious about where a future with Sebastian could go if we became more serious. I was also interested as a friend because I knew that Margot and Sebastian III nearly cost Mickie and John their relationship, and Mickie seemed like a genuinely great person. The thought of these two grown-ass billionaires going around and wreaking havoc on unsuspecting young women seemed ludicrous.
“As best as anyone can where those two are concerned,” Mickie laughed. “We just live our lives quietly out here and aren’t exactly waiting by the mailbox for invites to Margot’s Christmas galas.”
“Poor Darcy. Girl, you are signing up for a completely different lifestyle by going after Margot’s golden son,” Avery added with a hint of pity. “But from what Jim and I discussed, Sebastian is holding the line to keep them off your back. That says a lot.”
“It does,” Mickie said. “With John and me, it was more difficult because it came from out of nowhere, and they manipulated him in the most disgusting ways to keep him away from me. I’m proud of Sebastian’s efforts to keep his personal decisions out of their hands, so to speak.”
“Well, it’s not stopping Margot from trying other methods,” I said. “It’s funny because Sebastian made every effort not to be part of this auction, but his mother created a loophole and is making it happen anyway.” I exhaled, seeing everyone waiting for the punchline, “She charged five hundred thousand a ticket to be a part of this event.”
“I was shocked when I saw that,” Breanne said. “When Jim and Alex were talking about how it’d sold out—mostly to East Coasters—we all assumed that was because Margot was hosting it at this venue.”
I shook my head and sipped my cocktail.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s your guy who drew them in?” Nat questioned.
I nodded, “She used the caveat that since Sebastian isn’t married , he’s still very single, so he’s the prized billionaire to be auctioned off for a date tonight.”
That prompted a laugh from everyone, and I chewed on my bottom lip, contemplating whether I should just tell everyone the truth about how this had all happened between Sebastian and me. They didn’t need to know we started fake dating, but it would certainly help with the humor of how Sebastian wound up on that stage tonight.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Avery asked, seeing I was half in and half out of this conversation.
“It’s just the irony of it all, I think,” I said, and then we were interrupted by the announcement for everyone to take their seats.
“If you’re not at our table,” Nat said with curiosity, “then where are you sitting? I see that your man is at a table with a bunch of men. They’re over there looking like cows in a corral.”
I glanced down at the program I’d been given when I arrived and saw that I was seated at one of the front tables. “Table four,” I said, seeing that it was in the front and center of the room, probably where all the bachelorettes who would be bidding were.
“Over there with Alice Biddle and Lizzy Phipps?” Avery whispered in annoyance.
“You know them?” I asked. I was shocked that I didn’t since all I did was research these people for my column.
“I don’t know them, know them, but I know of them,” she sighed and looked around the room. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you do this.”
“I can hold my own in a group of stuck-up chicks,” I said. “I’m not afraid of a few insults from women my age who like staring down their noses at me.”
“You go sit,” Ashley said. “We will figure something out. Margot Aster does not run this side of the country, so she’s not getting away with pulling stupid shit like this.”
“It’s bullshit, no matter how you slice it,” Avery said, then smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”
The ladies and I parted ways, and I walked up to table four, where Margot had placed me in a front-row seat to watch my boyfriend get auctioned off for a date with one of the women next to me. It would’ve been nice to see some ugly features on these beautiful women, like a big nose or something, but their plastic surgery game was strong, and I couldn’t even hate on it because they looked incredible.
“Aren’t we lucky,” a woman said with a sassy tone. “We get to sit with the journalist who’s fucking Sebastian.” She let out a fake laugh, pretending to be nice, but her undertone was so fucking pretentious. “I’m Julia Kilmore,” she said, looking at me as I took the seat to her left. “This is Alice Biddle, Lizzy Phipps,” she pointed to the two women across the table. Alice had sharp facial features accentuated by pitch-black hair that was pulled into a severe bun at the base of her head, and Lizzy had high cheekbones, oversized lips, and soft brown hair with voluminous curls that hung to her waist through the aid of extensions, no doubt.
I smiled at the two women who Avery seemed to know of and take issue with.
“And over here is Charlotte Braunstone,” Julia said with a soft laugh, pointing to a petit, pixie-looking woman with a short bob of platinum hair which was pinned stylishly behind one ear. “Sebastian’s daughter is named after her. She and Melissa are best friends, you see.”
I cringed when Julia referred to Sebastian’s late wife as if she were still alive. I expected this to be awkward, but that wasn’t on my bingo card.
“And that is Olivia Crossley,” Julia said, pointing over at a blonde whose blue-eyed stare was so severe, you’d think I’d run over her dog and stolen her Birkin bag on the same day.
“Very nice to meet all of you,” I said, knowing this group of vipers were handpicked by Margot to torment me.
“I’d like to know something,” Charlotte spoke. “Why do you believe you and Sebastian can have a relationship?”
“Pardon me?” I answered, wholly appalled that a stranger had the nerve to ask such a question.
“You heard what she said,” Lizzy said.
“Yes, I heard her, but the question is so ridiculous that I don’t know how to answer it?”
“I guess everyone is right when they say you California girls aren’t very deep thinkers,” Olivia insulted me.
“One thing is clear to me,” I said with irritation, “and that is that you women are only out here with us light thinkers because you’re so desperate to find a man that you’ll spend an ungodly amount of money at a silly event like this to get one.”
“Oh, honey,” Julia said. “Are you feeling insecure? We don’t mean to make you feel unimportant.”
“You couldn’t possibly,” I responded. “I’m more curious why I’m seated at a table with people willing to spend crazy money to have a few hours with a man.”
“So, the problem is that you don’t have the money to win your date?” Charlotte said.
I was astonished that people behaved this way in real life. How rude could someone possibly be to say all these inflammatory things like a bunch of mean girls in high school?
“No, I don’t,” I stated. “But even if I did, I’d never use it to buy a date. I’m only here to watch everyone blow their cash on my boyfriend?—”
“Boyfriend, is it?” Julia said. “I thought you were engaged .”
“You shouldn’t believe everything you see on social media,” I smiled at her.
“Then why do you wear that cheap ring on your finger?” Alice asked.
I glanced down at the ring that Sebastian had put thought into when he went out and bought the thing when we arrived in Mexico.
“Ah, this,” I said, smiling at the memory of the beginning of our fake relationship. “It’s all sort of a joke, really?—”
“Just like your relationship with Sebastian,” Charlotte snapped with utter annoyance. “Why don’t you cut the shit and all your snotty, defensive remarks? Sebastian is not yours or anyone else’s, and he will only be auctioned off to one of us. We will save him from the indignity of believing he could have a relationship with anyone that Melissa would disapprove of. He is not ready to be in a relationship because he has not fully grieved her loss. None of us have. He is ours, sweetheart , not yours. You have no idea who he is.”
“What the fuck?” I said my thoughts of disbelief out loud. “Sebastian is his own person, and I think he can decide for himself what he wants.”
“Ladies,” I heard Jake Mitchell say from behind me. “Forgive the interruption,” he said as I turned and saw his enormous grin. He was as gorgeous as the day was long, that was for fucking sure, and I was relieved to see him. “But if I want to get laid tonight, you and I need to switch seats, love.”
“Switch seats?” I asked.
“Get your ass up, girl,” he said, pulling out my chair. “My apologies,” he looked around the table, “but Sebastian has convinced my wife to tell me that if I don’t rescue you from this table, you and he will be on the next flight to Mexico, never to be found again.”
“And you’re going to sit here?” I asked, laughing and shaking my head.
“Those are my orders,” he said, winking. He knew exactly which buttons to push if he wanted to annoy someone, so these ladies were in for it.
“This is preposterous,” Olivia snapped. “Margot will not have it.”
“Margot has no say in this,” Jake said while lending me a hand to get up from the chair. “Everyone is at table twenty-two,” he pointed me toward my friends. “Go join Ashley and enjoy the rest of my scotch. I plan on outbidding all these fools.” He glanced around at the women, “I’ve always wanted a piece of Sebastian Aster, and girl, I’m going to make him work for the money I’m about to pay for him tonight.”
“You’re bidding on Sebastian?” I said with a laugh. “Clever.”
“Hey, the invite didn’t say women only, and I’ve always wanted to?—”
“Sebastian is not gay,” Lizzy stated seriously.
“Well, he’s never gone on a date with me, either,” Jake sat in my chair, motioned for a waiter, and then clasped his hands onto the table. “After tonight and after me, girl, he’s going to wish I was full-time gay.”
I walked away from the table, relieved that Jake was filling in to rescue me. Instead of being furious about the situation I’d been placed in with those horrible women, I was delighted knowing Jake was about to torment them all night.