Page 88 of Mr. Aster
“I’m not, but you need to get over here so I can talk to you before lunch.”
“Sure, I’m in the boutique around the corner from your villa. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Is everything okay?”
“No,” I answered truthfully.
“Oh, fuck,” she said, most likely knowing the issue at hand. “I’m on my way, honey buns. See you in a sec.”
I used the short time between the call and Nat’s arrival to throw on a sundress. Today would be humid, given we had some type of tropical storm coming in, and as I waited for Nat, I saw the large clouds billowing on the horizon, the waves becoming angrier with each roll as they pushed against the shoreline.
It was beautiful, but it reminded me of what was on the horizon for Sebastian and me.
“Hey, sunshine,” Nat said with a smile. Her huge, white-rimmed sunglasses blocked her blue eyes, and her hair was pulled into a sleek, fashionable bun to match her million-dollar silk shirt and pant jumpsuit.
I smiled, watching her walk toward the back gate of our villa like she owned the entire resort. “Every time I see you, you look like a Dolce & Gabbana model,” I said, opening the gate and welcoming her friendly embrace.
“Oh, honey, no, no, no. Of course, I know I have the body and the looks for the job, but I’m way too busy fucking my man and selling amazing homes to people who have more money than they know how to spend.” She looked at me and pulled down her sunglasses, “By the looks of it, my next client will be Sebastian Aster, shopping a multi-million-dollar place just for you.”
I exhaled, leading her into the air-conditioned villa. “I knew you would pick up on it without me saying a word.”
“Sweet Jesus. It looks like you could use one or ten shots of tequila. Just sit down and tell me everything,” she teased, but I could tell she was concerned about what I was about to reveal.
We sat on the sofa Sebastian had been sleeping on until last night.
“Okay,” I said, pulling my leg up and bending it in a way to become more comfortable as I leaned into the sofa. “So, you’re right. We had sex.”
“I knew you would,” she said with the supreme confidence that only Nat had. “You both had fuck me eyes on each other all night last night.”
“Right,” I exhaled. “That’s the thing. When you all showed up, you stopped us from doing that.”
“I know,” she said. “Why else do you think I planned everything the way I did? I was trying to prevent your cute little day out from turning into what it obviously did from the look on your face. Even though it was a lovely evening, and everyone is totally buying into your little white lie, some things can’t be helped.” She smiled, “It’s not a bad thing, you know?”
“What isn’t?”
“Fucking a gorgeous man like Sebastian, especially when you’re contributing to ending his dry spell. Ithadto be amazing,” she said.
“I can tell you’re trying to make me feel good about this,” I said with a smile.
She arched an eyebrow at me. “No, that’s not what I’m doing,” she answered with her usual sass. “You will never catch me making anyone feel good about anything. I’m always direct, especially when it comes to fucking.”
I chuckled. “Well, good because wedidfuck, and I’m afraid I fucked myself even more.” I ran a palm over my forehead, “It was amazing. Jesus Christ, all night long. The man wouldn’t quit, and I didn’t want him to. He was perfect, and it was perfect.”
“Then why are you upset, sweetie?”
“Because of everything you warned me about with him andthat.”
“Okay,” she said, relaxing as if I’d given her all the information she needed to find me the house of my dreams. She was a natural, which was easily seen from how she composedherself in conversation. “Now that I can see why you’re panicked let’s get to the basic details and the facts.”
“Okay?” I said as if I were suddenly sitting with a therapist.
“First of all, I didn’t mean to frighten you by warning you against having sex with the man,” she smiled reassuringly at me.
“Well, it wasn’tyouwho scared me about that. I’m not stupid; I know I have no business being intimate with him. I knew it before you confirmed it.”
“Right,” she confirmed. “So, let’s ease your mind because you look like you’re about to have a stroke, and I think I know why. I need to emphasize, here, that it’sokayto fuck a man whether you like him or not.”
“I knowyoumight see it that way,” I answered, frustrated because this wasn’t as easy as Nat insinuated. “But my emotions always get involved, and I’m afraid that’s happening. Unfortunately, I know how it all ends: neither of us can allow this to become a real relationship.”
“You’re letting your mind take over and fuck with you,” she said. “Okay, so fine. You’re more of an emotional woman, and you see fucking as more than just the physical act.”
