“I heard you’re going to be retiring, Sebastian. I couldn’t believe it. You’re going to give up your private practice?”
“Yes, I want to spend more time with Nico, and I can’t do that and give my full attention to patients without taking away from him, and you know he’s my first priority.”
“Baby, I’ll be right back. I’m going to check along that wall,” Andréa said, pointing across the room, “to see if there’s something I think will fit.” She leaned up and kissed him before she walked away.
“So, what’s going on with the two of you?” Clarke questioned. “What happened between you and Ramona?”
Sebastian turned to glare at the man. “You know damn well that there never has been nor ever will be anything between Ramona and me. Hell, you’ve wanted her from the time we all met at college.”
“I know, but she’s always had eyes for you,” Clarke retorted.
“Well, she can take her eyes off of me because she’s wasting her time. Ramona is nothing but a spoiled rotten brat running around in a woman’s body. She wants nothing but to marry a man that will take care of her like her father does, and I don’t need that shit. But if you want to be her champion and take care of her, go for it.”
Andréa turned and caught the tense look on Sebastian’s face. She needed to get back to him before he made a scene; he looked close to punching the guy out.
“Clarke, I need to steal Sebastian away,” she said. Placing a hand on the man’s arm, she slid her body between his and Sebastian’s. “Baby, I’ve found the perfect piece for Nico’s room and I think he’ll love it.” She slipped her arm around his waist and started away. “Clarke, again, nice meeting you,” she called over her shoulder.
Sebastian sighed and leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you for coming to my rescue,” he whispered.
“You’re very welcome. Now come on, I think Nico will love this in his room.”
With their purchases made, Andréa’s stomach let out a loud rumble.
“Oh, somebody’s hungry,” Sebastian commented, laughing. “There’s a nice bistro up the street.” He pointed in that direction.
“Well, I think it’s your job to feed me,” Andréa said.
“What in the hell do you mean he’s calling some black bitch his girlfriend?” Ramona demanded into the phone.
“I didn’t call her a black bitch, I just said that he called the black woman with him, his girlfriend. I’m sure he’ll bring her to the party his mother is throwing. You can go as my date and you’ll get a chance to see them together,” Clarke suggested.
“Well, you dumb ass, I wasn’t invited to the party,” Ramona snapped.
“I happen to have an invitation, but I guess you don’t want to accompany a dumb ass to one of the hottest social events of the season,” Clarke snapped, wondering why in the hell he wanted her so bad. He’d suggested she accompany him because he wanted her to see Sebastian with his girlfriend, and yes, he hoped that once she got a good look at the two of them together she would know she didn’t have a chance of getting with Sebastian.
“Do you want to go or not?” he asked again.
“Yes, I’ll go with you. Pick me up at six. That way we can get there early.”
He flinched at the sound of the phone being slammed down in his ear.
“Do you have something to wear to Mom’s party?” Sebastian asked as they sat in the bistro having lunch.
“No. Teresa and I are going shopping tomorrow since she’s going with Mack, so it’ll be a fun-filled day of shopping.”
He laughed as she rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a typical female—and that had nothing to do with her being a genius—but she didn’t go for the same things as a lot of females he’d come in contact with over his lifetime. Most of them lived to go shopping, but not Andréa. She hated it, and he could tell it by the shudder that raced through her.
“It won’t be so bad, baby,” he offered.
“No, you don’t know how Teresa can be about shopping. That’s the one thing that she and I can’t agree upon. She loves to shop, and once she gets started it’s real hard to keep her contained to one store, and I’m sure we will be there all day.”
“Well, how about I take you home and make love to you and give you the strength to deal with Teresa tomorrow?” He signaled for their check, paid, and they headed to his place.
Chapter Ten
Andréa looked at her reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize herself. Her white sequenced dress shimmered with her every move. The halter-top hugged her breasts, just as it did the rest of her body. She’d fallen in love with the dress as soon as she’d laid eyes on it, the thigh-high split being the biggest selling point. She couldn’t wait for Sebastian to see her in it. Andréa shook out her hair, deciding to let it hang loose in thick ringlets that framed her face, but instead of allowing it to flow down her back, she tossed it over her right shoulder, exposing her back.
Andréa had been nervous about meeting Sebastian’s parents’ friends and associates, but Nola York had called her and invited her to attend the dinner party. Andréa couldn’t find it in her heart to turn her down. She’d asked Sebastian why his mother had called her instead of having him extend the invitation. He’d explained that his mother thought that since she wanted her to attend she had to issue the invitation. She had tried to force herself not to become attached to Nico and Sebastian, and now she found herself trying not to become attached to Sebastian’s parents. She’d never met such wonderful, warm, and caring people.
For the past few weeks, things had grown deeper between her and Sebastian, and his parents had seen it the last time they’d been to their house for dinner. At first, she’d been worried that she would make a mistake or that they would make her feel out of place, but they hadn’t. They had treated her as a vital and important part of their family.
The doorbell chimed. It had to be Sebastian, because had it been anyone else, the guard would have called to obtain permission to allow the person to come up. She opened the door, and her breath came out in a whoosh as soon as her gaze landed on him. His black, tailor-made suit fitted his well-muscled form. She imagined taking the suit off of him and… She blew out a breath, trying to stop her erotic thoughts, and gazed back into his face. Seeing his smirk, she figured he’d guessed what she’d been thinking.
“If my mom wouldn’t kill me, I’d let you do what you’re thinking, but I can promise to let you do it as soon as I get you home after the dinner party.”
His promise sent a delicious thrill through her body.
“I’m going to hold you to that, Sebastian,” she whispered and turned to grab her purse and wrap. Sebastian growled upon seeing the back of her dress. She sensed him staring. “Stop ogling my ass!” Andréa admonished without turning around.
Upon their arrival, the dinner party was in full swing. Nola and Nicolai made their way over to them, each giving Andréa and Sebastian a hug and a kiss.
“Nico is upstairs waiting for you to give him a goodnight kiss,” Nicolai informed her. Andréa gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and excused herself.
“Bro, could you please stop ogling the woman’s ass!” Basil whispered in Sebastian’s ear as he walked up behind him.
Sebastian turned to glare at his big brother. Or at least he tried to. “I just can’t seem to help myself.” He shrugged.
“Don’t mind him, bro, he’s just jealous that he doesn’t have a fine-ass woman like that to ogle,” Rafe commented. “You know that colleague of yours brought that stalker as his date?” Rafe nodded to where the two stood.
Basil put a restraining hand on his baby brother’s shoulder. “They aren’t worth messing up Mom’s dinner party for. Besides, knowing the little weasel like we do, he brought the bitch here hoping that once she got a chance to see you with Andréa, she’d forget about you and go for him. And he’s stupid as hell if he accepts her the way she treats him.”
“Hey, did you thank Andréa for making the wrist imag
er for BJ and Carl?” Basil asked. His boys had seen what Nico’s wrist unit could do and wanted one for themselves. Nico had mentioned it to Andréa, and she’d built them for the boys, ensuring no one else could make the things work because she’d designed it to each of them.
“Yes, I told her, and she’s very happy knowing the boys loved them. She and Nico have already started on the ones that are going in the game room and his bedroom of the new house.”
“We’re going to put one in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms,” Andréa informed him as she joined them, slipping her arm through Sebastian’s. “I’m so glad the boys love their wrist units, Basil, and if you want one built for their rooms at your place just let me know, and Nico and I will get to work on them.”
Basil leaned forward and kissed his brother’s beautiful girlfriend in thanks. “I appreciate it, little sis, and I know the boys will be ecstatic about it.”
Andréa smiled at Basil, then looked at the three brothers together, each of them handsome in their own right, but Sebastian made her heart race. Each one of them took their looks from their father, and she could tell just by looking at Nicolai that they would keep their good looks well in to their advanced ages.
She spotted Clarke along with a big buxom blonde heading towards them. The woman had somehow squeezed into one of the skimpiest dresses Andréa had ever seen. “She’s going to catch her death of cold,” she muttered under her breath.
All three York men burst out laughing. Andréa blushed, realizing she’d spoken louder than she’d intended.
Clarke refused to look at Sebastian. Instead, he focused on Andréa. “Hi, Andréa, it’s good to see you again,” he said, extending his hand.
Sebastian stiffened, and Andréa stepped closer to him, slipping her right arm around his waist. She accepted Clarke’s handshake with the other. The woman stared at Andréa.
“After you guys left, I found out that you designed the Galleria and I wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your talent. Is it just commercial buildings that you create designs for?”
“No, I handle both commercial and residential. I’ve even done playhouses for a few of my clients,” she said.
“That’s how the two of you met, isn’t it? I remember the two of you searching for something for Nico’s room. Funny how that works. He went from your client to your boyfriend.”
It seemed no one missed the sarcasm in his comment, and it took all of Andréa’s strength to keep Sebastian at her side.
“Sebastian and I met some years ago, actually. He came to my rescue and saved my life, so I’d have to say that fate brought us back together. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I believe Nola and Nicolai are signaling us to join them.” Andréa gave her most disarming smile, leaving Clarke stunned and the woman red-cheeked.
Andréa guided Sebastian around them and walked away.
Ramona’s mouth gaped. Sebastian had acted as if she wasn’t even there, and she hated the way he’d kept his arm around the black bitch, holding onto her as he would a prize possession.
“I cannot believe he didn’t even acknowledge me.”
“Well, Ramona, I told you he only had eyes for her,” Clarke informed her.
“I’m not leaving until I get a chance to speak with him, so I need you to distract that woman and get her away from Sebastian,” Ramona demanded before walking away and, like her little lapdog, Clarke followed along.
A few moments after Clarke and Ramona left the group, Sebastian and Andréa rejoined the brothers. Nola and Nicolai wandered over.
“Basil, who is that scantily dressed woman that you guys were just speaking with?” Nola asked her eldest son.
“That’s the girl that always offers to prepare dinner for Sebastian every Sunday after church,” he said.
“Who invited her? I know I didn’t, since she can’t include my grandbaby in her invitations.”
“Clarke brought her with him,” Sebastian said. “You know he and I went to college together? It seems he had a plan for Ramona to see Andréa and I together and she would give up on me and give him a chance.”
Nola gasped. “How dare he use my dinner party for his own personal gain! Well, I can tell you that he will never be invited to any of our functions ever again. Now, son, I need to borrow Andréa. I have a couple of people I want her to meet, so Andréa, give him a kiss and we will see you guys in a few.”
Laughing, Andréa gave Sebastian a quick peck before going off with his mother.
“You know your mother is planning on asking Andréa to design the new safe haven home for abused women and children, don’t you?” Nicolai informed his sons. “Your mother is excited about the house, and after seeing the designs Andréa did for yours, she just had to ask Andréa to take the job.”
“Andréa is going to love that, and I know if Mom offers money she’s going to turn it down and do the job for free. She’ll get Mack to offer his crew for free also.”
“Me doing something for free?” Mack asked, having heard Sebastian’s comment as he joined them. Rafe filled him in on their mother’s project. “Well now, if your mom asks me to do it, it will be done, and I guess I’ll be doing it for free.”
They all laughed, knowing Mack loved their mother just as much as they did and would never charge her a dime.
“Where’s Teresa? I thought she would be your date,” Sebastian asked.
“She’s over talking to a couple of people she knows,” Mack said with a shrug.
“I thought the two of you would have settled down together,” Rafe stated, staring to where Teresa stood with a group of people.
“Man,” Mack said, “that’s just like me settling down with Andréa, and we know that isn’t going to happen. Both of them are like my baby sisters, and I’ll kick ass to protect them.”
“Andréa, I’d like you to meet the other board members of Safe Haven: Angela Thomas, Marie West, and Elaine Jakes. Ladies, I’d like for you to meet Andréa Morgan. Andréa, the reason that I wanted to introduce you to the board is because we’d like for you to design the new Safe Haven home. We have a check for you here, and if it isn’t enough, just let us know,” Nola said.
Andréa stared at the check, not believing her eyes at the amount. “Ladies, you do me a great honor by asking me to design Safe Haven, but I can’t accept the check. In fact, I’d like to donate it towards anything else that the home needs because I’ll be doing the designing for free.”
“You don’t have to do this for free, Andréa. We have more than enough money set aside to do everything that needs to be done,” Nola informed her.
“I want to donate my services because this is such a wonderful cause. Any and everything I can do to help I will, and I know Mack and his guys will volunteer their services also.”
After Nola’s instruction to do so, Andréa pulled out a notepad from the roll top desk and started sketching, going from the women’s input on what they wanted the house to look like.
Sebastian checked his watch and frowned. Andréa and his mother had been gone for more than thirty minutes. He started towards his father’s study, but Ramona stopped him.
“I don’t appreciate the way you’ve been ignoring me,” she said, standing before him.
“Ramona, I don’t care what you do or don’t appreciate. The reason I’m ignoring you is because you want something that is never going to be; but for whatever reason you just won’t take the hint. I’m going to say this to you as straight as I can: you and I will never be a couple, not now, not ever. Now, I suggest you go and find your lapdog Clarke and be happy with him.”
Sebastian walked away, going in search of his mother and Andréa. He could think of several things he’d rather be doing with Andréa than schmoozing with people he didn’t even know.
He found his mother and Andréa along with several of his mother’s friends in his father’s study. He beamed with pride as Andréa worked her magic on the portable imager she carried with her. She looked up at him and smiled. He made his way ov
er to where she sat, leaned down, and gave her a quick kiss. Moments later, his father and brothers, along with Mack and Teresa, joined them.
“Mom, I hear that we have a special project that we’re working on,” Mack said after giving Nola her customary kiss.
Nola beamed up at him and made introductions, naming him as her other son. Judging by the questioning look on Andréa’s face, Sebastian would have to explain to her that his mother had embraced Mack into their family in every way.
Mack looked over the image Andréa had created and nodded. “We have about another month on Sebastian’s house, so as soon as we’re done with it, we can get started on Safe Haven,” Mack promised.
“I’ll get these images loaded into my system at home and I’ll email them to you tonight.” Andréa shut down her imager.
“Andréa, I have a wonderful son that I’d love for you to meet,” Elaine Jakes started, but a chorus of She’s already taken! interrupted her. She smiled.
Chapter Eleven
Andréa sat up in bed reading her book while waiting for Sebastian’s call. He’d been gone for a full day, and she missed him something terrible. They’d been seeing each other now for close to four months, and each and every day she fell deeper and deeper in love with him. Nico missed Sebastian just as she did—she’d been very happy he’d asked to stay with her tonight instead of with his grandparents while his father attended a medical conference in Chicago. She’d been worried that Nola and Nicolai would be offended, but they had assured her that they understood and didn’t mind at all. Glancing over, she smiled at the little dark-haired angel sleeping beside her.
Her smile turned into a frown. The grandfather clock chimed twelve times, and Sebastian hadn’t called.
Sebastian checked his watch and sighed, trying to get comfortable in the plastic seat that the airport thought fit all sizes. He didn’t want to be stuck waiting for an opening so that he could get home tonight. What if he had to stay over in Chicago away from his woman and son? He took out his cell and called his parents to let them know that he’d be by to pick up Nico first thing in the morning.
Found Love Page 6
