Sadie bursts out laughing. “Oh, Em. You didn’t think I knew? Of course I did.”
“I was careful. No one knew.”
She grins. “I’m your sister. I can see behind the Little Miss Perfect professional thing you’ve got going on.”
“It’s not a thing. It’s my life.”
“It’s your mask. And your coping mechanism. I’d actually like you to let down your guard. Relax a little. Make some mistakes. Havefun.” She leans forward. “You could make some mistakes with Sebastian Blake.Thatwould be fun.”
“Sadie,” I say warningly. “My crush was absolutely not fun. I ordered flowers and jewelry for actresses, singers, business moguls. For women who madeChic Magazine’s It List. It hurt. It was either I kill the crush or let it kill me. Plus, he was my boss. He never once acted like he thought of me in that way. So I focused on how much of an ass he could be. That helped.”
“But don’t you see?” Sadie asks excitedly. “That isn’t a problem anymore. You’ve quit, and you only have a little longer working for him. You can do whatever you want. And, babe, if I were you, I’d be hella unprofessional. I mean, let’s be real, I bet Sebastian Blake would be the best lay you’d ever have. Are you seriously not going to find out?”
I laugh. “Sadie. He’s a person. Not a piece of meat.”
“If I didn’t think you would cut me, I’d make a play for him. If, like you say, you probably won’t keep up as besties, what would it hurt to hook up? You’ve had almost no sex life over the last seven years because you’ve been too busy working. If you look at it that way, he owes you seven years’ worth of orgasms,” Sadie says with a grin.
I shake my head. I’m surrounded by people who aren’t afraid to say what they think, who aren’t afraid to take risks. Like my sister—and Sebastian. Maybe because I don’t take enough risks or say what I want often enough.
“So, when’s your last day?” she asks, changing the subject.
“I have a week and a half left.” My chest squeezes at the thought. “Maybe I shouldn’t have quit so soon. This would allbe easier if I’d saved up more money and done this in a more strategic way.”
She looks at me, her enormous eyes uncharacteristically serious. “Don’t let Sebastian or doubts change your mind. You could have planned it perfectly, and it would still be scary. But I can tell how excited you are. And so am I.”
My heart turns over at her words. Even writing our business plan in the middle of the night brings me joy. I can’t explain it, but regardless of my confusion about leaving Sebastian, this career change is right. Something deep in my soul knows it.
CHAPTER 13
Sebastian
“I don’t seeyou for a little over a week and Emma quits?” Chase asks, sounding shocked. “And you stopped seeing Allegra?”
We’re seated around a large wooden table on the patio of his new house. Lemon trees and frangipani shade it on all sides. Italian tile is cool under our feet. A pergola frames the darkening night. It’s covered in twinkle lights, for fuck’s sake.
Chase James, my costar, competition for the biggest heartthrob of the decade, and closest friend, lived for years in my garden cottage, and I don’t think in all that time he bought one item of decor. Not a lamp or a pillow. There were no knickknacks. He didn’t even own a plant.
When his fiancée, Olivia, first typed her way into his world, she brought lace curtains, twinkle lights, and a lot of happiness.
Yes, they met by typewriter.
“Breaking up with Allegra isn’t what’s important.” I wave my hand. “Emma quit,” I confirm. “I tried to bribe her to stay. When that didn’t work, I thought if I gave her a few days, she’d cooldown and change her mind. That didn’t work either.” My heart clenches at the thought. I firm my jaw. “But I won’t accept it.”
“You can’t just not accept someone’s resignation,” Chase says with a laugh. “Especially not Emma’s.”
“She wants to stay. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Chase snorts.
“You don’t think I can convince her? I can beveryconvincing.”
“This isn’t the same as you getting a girl to sleep with you. Which, by the way, you don’t even have to work at. You just smirk, and they fall into bed. So you have zero wooing skills.”
“Regardless, I’d be good at it if I tried. And I’m going to woo Emma.”
“To sleep with you?” Chase asks slyly, even though he knows what I mean.
The memory of Emma on Friday night pops into my mind. It’s been playing on repeat all weekend. When she dragged her dress and wet bra off in annoyance. It happened so fast I couldn’t stop her. I tried my best not to look because ogling a drunk woman is not okay. I shampooed her soft hair, my eyes resolutely fixed on her face, but it wasn’t possible to get her showered and toweled off while avoiding her completely. And now I can’t forget—her breasts, surprisingly full; her nipples, tight buds; her wet skin gleaming.
