Chapter 3 #2
But he pays me damn good money for it, I remind myself. My job is to make Sebastian’s life easier. It’s not to get him involved in fighting my fights. I handle assholes all day long. It’s basically in the job description. Though what I do goes beyond what’s typical.
He lets out a breath. “And no one should be rude to you,” he continues.
I raise an eyebrow, thinking of Allegra.
“I can handle anyone,” I insist with finality.
“I also wanted to let you know that I’m taking another side job.
Brett Danners has asked me to assist him in organizing his schedule and office next month while his normal assistant is on vacation.
It won’t impact my work for you.” I don’t technically have to notify him of the side jobs I do since I squeeze them into what little time off I have.
But Sebastian usually knows the actors I moonlight with.
I started taking on extra projects when his best friends, Chase, Ronan, and Ryder, were between assistants and needed help over the years. And it took on a life of its own.
I’m grateful he hasn’t had any problems with these jobs.
Sebastian’s very generous salary, combined with the extra income I’ve earned with these side gigs, has gotten my sister, Sadie, through college without mounting debt.
If she had chosen a normal university, it wouldn’t have been such a stretch.
But Sadie went to Brandford, one of the best and most expensive colleges in the country.
And I helped out my dad with medical bills a few years ago, which decimated my emergency fund.
Now that Sadie has almost graduated, I’m working toward paying my final bills and building back up my savings. So I still need the extra work.
Sebastian lets out an aggrieved sigh. “When do you sleep?”
I take another gulp of my sugar-laden coffee. “Sleep is overrated.”
“When do you relax, then? Netflix and chill?”
I almost spit out my drink at his unexpected words. Which would be a sad waste of caffeine.
I look up in surprise. His eyes are on me, a teasing smile on his handsome face. Even in this casual atmosphere, the man exudes magnetism, reminding me he was recently voted Sexiest Man Alive.
The last thing I need is to think about my boss in that way—not when I spend almost every hour of every day with the infuriating man. It’s bad enough that he has an incredible body and the classic, masculine bone structure of an old-time movie star.
Ugh. It sucks when your annoying boss is stupid-hot.
“Are you worried about my hook ups?” I ask. “Sweet of you. But there’s no need. I’m exceptional at multitasking. I can take on extra jobs and get laid.”
It’s all a lie. But it annoys me that Sebastian thinks he knows me so well. It would be nice not to always be so predictable. It would be nice to surprise him sometimes.
It would be nice to surprise myself.
I date very occasionally, but I haven’t been serious with anyone since I left my hometown on the heels of a shitty breakup. That relationship decimated my heart. Or at least my ego. And I haven’t wanted to repeat that experience.
He runs his hand through his hair and says grumpily, “I know I pay you more than enough. So why would you take on extra projects for a douche like Brett Danners?”
“Are you sure you just don’t like him because the tabloids think that he and Allegra are having an affair?”
I feel guilty the second the words are out of my mouth. I never share tabloid gossip because I know how much of it is bullshit. But the photos of the two of them getting cozy at a party were pretty damning.
He stares me down, not taking the bait. “No. Allegra and I aren’t exclusive. Those rumors have nothing to do with it. Brett Danners gives me bad vibes. I don’t like the way he talks about women. He’s a manwhore.”
I snort. “You are complaining that Brett is a manwhore?”
“Seriously, Em. This is getting out of hand. You can’t keep working two jobs without burning out. And I don’t like you close to actors like Brett.”
I shrug. “LA is expensive.”
I’ve never told Sebastian that it’s been left to me to pay for Sadie’s school.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t want him to feel sorry for me.
Or perhaps I didn’t want to embarrass my dad since Sebastian respects him so much.
Normally, it would be the parent’s job to help with university bills.
But though my dad has overcome a lot to become a brilliant minister and counselor, there was no way he had the funds to help put Sadie or me through school.
Addiction counseling is an important job, especially working for an NGO in the most disadvantaged populations. It just doesn’t pay well.
“I’ll give you a raise,” Sebastian says casually, as if he’s volunteering to pay for my coffee. “As long as you promise you won’t work for Brett.”
I hate how tempted I am to jump at the offer. “Do you have any direct knowledge that Brett is a creep?” I ask.
He presses his lips together and shakes his head. “Nothing definitive.”
“Then you can’t tell me who I can or can’t work for on my time. I was just informing you as a courtesy. Not for permission.”
“I could. Plenty of jobs have a noncompete clause.”
I laugh. “That’s not in my contract.”
He rolls his eyes. “God, you’re stubborn.”
“Takes one to know one,” I retort, stacking up papers.
“Want to come over Saturday night? There’s a car race on,” he says, switching gears and subjects with a swiftness that makes my head spin.
This is the way it is between us. One minute, we’re arguing. The next, I want to kill him, and then, we’re hanging out.
We started watching races together after I moved into the mansion for a few months. I lived with Sebastian only briefly—it was when Chase and Ryder first moved out, and I worried that, without roommates, he might spiral back into drugs.
In the end, he managed the transition from living with his best friends to living on his own without getting mixed up with his old scene.
But it still took me a while to move back to my place.
I told myself that living in a mansion and not having to make a shitty commute was the reason.
I didn’t want to acknowledge that there might have been other benefits, like watching car races with my boss.
“I can’t. I have a date.” I say, smiling. Maybe I can surprise Sebastian, after all.
“You have a date?” He freezes, sounding shocked. As if I’ve just said something fantastical. As if I claimed I couldn’t watch television with him because I was taking a trip to Never Never Land. But first, I wanted to make a pit stop in Narnia.
My stomach twists at the thought that he might find the idea of someone asking me out so preposterous. Which is why I go on the defensive. “Yes. I’m no Allegra, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”
“No, I… That’s not what I—” he sputters, unusually flustered.
I wave my hand, impatient that I’ve revealed my vulnerable area. I focus on the practical. “So I’m not available on Saturday unless there is an extreme emergency. Like death.”
He tilts his head. “If I die, can I call you?”
I ignore him and reiterate, “Emergency only.” This job typically involves being on call twenty-four seven, but I negotiated Saturday nights completely off a few years back. Except I rarely enforce the rule because of my lack of an actual life.
He leans back. “Who’s the lucky fellow?”
“No one you know.”
His brow lifts. “Emma, don’t tell me you joined a dating app.”
“No,” I scoff. “Not that there would be anything wrong with it if I did. I met him at the organic market down the street. Dr. John Winters. He’s a pediatrician,” I say with pride.
While the man isn’t wildly attractive, he’s nice-looking in an average way.
With a good job. I would normally be skeptical, but I did light social media stalking, and he looks legit.
Sebastian snorts and scribbles a note on the schedule I gave him at the beginning of our meeting.
“What are you writing?” I ask with suspicion.
“Just a reminder of something I need to do.” He looks up, his eyes innocent.
It makes me nervous because the man has never had an innocent moment in his life.