Chapter 19

19 INDECENT PROPOSAL

ABBY

I’m determined and feel confident with what I’m about to do tonight. I park my car in the parking lot of the luxury apartment building. I take a deep breath. Then I suddenly remember he doesn’t know I’m coming over. I should have thought about it first. I sigh in dismay with the fact that I’m already here. My hour and a half preparation just to look good tonight are just about to go to the bin. No frigging way.

My pulse starts to race as I fish out my phone in my purse.

Relax. It’s just a text, Abby. Jeez.

Abby: Hey, it’s me, Abby. Can we talk?

I press send.

Relax. One text won’t kill you. I do a breathing exercise.

Five seconds later, my phone rings. Oh, my god. Seb is calling. Now I don’t know what to say. What if he’s with another woman? What if he’s in a business meeting with a client? What if he just wants to talk over the phone and won’t invite me in.

I press the answer key.

“Abby, what took you so long to answer?” Jeez, bossy much.

“I uh. I um.” I hang up the phone. Bullcrap.

Did I just hang upon him? That’s a jerk move. He won’t talk to me again. Then my phone rings again. It’s him.

My brain tells me to pick up, but my hand is shaking.

I clear my throat. “Abby, what is going on? Did you just hang up on me?” He sounds irritated.

Way to start a friendship, dumbass.

“Um. I uh, kind of?”

“Baby, relax. It’s just me. Talk to me. Breathe.” Yeah, relax my ass if you know what’s on my mind, you won’t relax be able to either. I roll my eyes.

“Yeah. Um. I uh I want to talk to you.” This is so weird and embarrassing. Don’t give up on me just yet, Seb.

“We’re talking, baby. So what do you wanna talk about?” God, he’s so patient.

“I mean. Um, I wanna talk to you in person. Is that okay? If it’s not, it’s fine. I’ll just leave. I probably should just leave. I should’ve let you know first before coming over, and I shouldn’t expect you to just welcome me, and you know, be friends, talk, and spend time getting to know each other. After what I did to you, I’m expecting you don’t wanna be friends with me. You don’t like me, after all, so why would you even bother, and what am I even doing here in the first place? And why am I here trying to make friends anyway? I’m leaving tomorrow, and I realize that now that this is a bad idea. I should go. Bye, Seb.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Abby, don’t you dare hang up on me again. What do you mean coming over and leaving? Where are you, Abby? Are you here down at my apartment building?”

I can’t reply. My jaw clenches and my teeth start to chatter. Am I going to have a panic attack here? No, no, no, please?

“Abby? Baby, you in there? Baby, talk to me, please? Abbygail? Shit.”

I hear a ding sound, and the phone line is disconnected. Crap. I tighten my hand on the steering wheel. Can’t I just act like a normal person? Can’t I ever have a normal life again, go out on a date, have friends, enjoy shopping, go to parties, to the theater, and paint friends toenails?

I start to cry. This will ruin my makeup. Before I can sob, someone taps the window that startles me. I jolt right up in my seat and wipe my tears. I’m surprised to see a man outside my car, my husband himself. He tries pulling the door open, but it’s locked. I press the button, and he pulls the door open for me.

He just stares at me as if he can’t believe that I’m here. He looks at me from head to toe, and I haven’t said a word. I stay in my seat, look away, and play with my fingers.

He leans down and touches my hand. “Baby, come here, please? I won’t hurt you.” His touch suddenly sends shivers down my spine. This isn’t good. I can feel his gaze on me, and I dress in a red mini dress that ends just mid-thigh. I wear the highest red high heels ever created, and that makes my legs look longer, and this is just a gift wrap, and he can unwrap it later.

I’m such an idiot. I almost have a panic attack, but I’m still thinking about my mission.

“Abby. Baby, come here. Get out of your car, please?”

I look at him, and his eyes are flooded with worries and concern.

He’s only wearing a gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers, but he looks good enough to be my dinner tonight.

He helps me out of my car, and I stumble into him. I’m still a bit shaky, but crap, he smells so good, and my eyes flutter close. The moment our bodies touch, the sensation overwhelms me, and I want him closer than we are right now.

I want to feel every inch of his body, but we’re still here in the parking lot. My heart flutters, and my breathing catches. He releases his hand and hugs me tight. I wrap my arms around him, and it feels just right and feels good. He buries his face in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply, then he releases me, but he doesn’t let me go. He cups my face with his huge hands.

When I open my eyes, he’s intensely staring at me that making me squirm in delight. He kisses my forehead. Seb smiles at me while my tongue is still stuck in my mouth. How can I even talk when his smile alone takes my breath away.

I suck in a sharp breath when his dimples show, and I will die happy here right now, but I don’t want to die. I still want to do my mission—to taste him and feel him inside me. I want to jump into him, kiss him on his lips, but something bothers me. Seb seems so relaxed, and be being here in his apartment doesn’t seem to bother him. The fact that I know his rules, why hasn’t he stopped me?

“Baby, are you okay? I’m worried that you didn’t answer me. I have to hurry down when I figured you’re here.” He caresses my face with his thumb, and I’m already lost in his touch. What more it can do to me when I’m already in his bed. I might not find myself, my sanity ever again.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you before driving all the way here.” My voice comes out a whisper.

“Don’t be. You’re welcome here anytime you want. This is your home too, Abby.”

“Thank you.” I return the smile as well, but right now, I’m still a bit delirious.

“Are you good to go? Or should I carry you?” He’s still smiling, and if he keeps it that way, he might have to carry me because my legs start to feel like jelly.

“I’ll take your purse and your keys.”

God, I forget everything. I’m such a mess. I manage to stand without falling. As soon as he gathers my things, he locks my car.

He interlaces his fingers with mine, and I follow him without a word. I can feel him caressing my knuckles with his thumb in a circular motion, sending tingles through my body right into the center of my thighs. We reach his elevator in silence. I get inside as soon it opens, and he follows me, presses some key before he faces me.

“You have no idea how beautiful you are tonight, aren’t you, baby? Every time I look at you, I have to control all my urge to keep myself from taking you right here, right now.” Well, that’s the idea, husband.

He looks at me in the eye down to my face and takes his time on his lips. I have to lick my lips that dried from breathing so hard every time he looks at me like this.

You don’t have any idea how long it took for me to get these looks, do you?

“You look beautiful too.” I run my finger on his face, and he closes his eyes. I can feel the elevator soars up. In a few seconds, my mission will start.

“You’re far more beautiful than me, especially in that dress. I want to rip it to shred and see what’s underneath it.”

He has no idea that’s my very plan. He presses his body into mine, and I can feel every inch of his body, hard yet soft, the huge bulge of his erection in his jeans, his breaths warming my face as he leans his forehead on me, and we’re an inch from kissing, and I can feel the vibration of his self-control as he’s about to lose it.

Let go, Seb.

Every time I try to move my face closer, he pulls back a little to avoid touching our lips, and it’s torture and irritating. We’re like playing tug of war.

He groans. I made up my mind to make a move tonight, and right now, I cup the back of his neck, and he pushes and presses me against the wall.

I’m so aroused that I can’t think straight as I feel his erection on my lower abdomen. My heart beats erratically, and I want to grind myself against him to get the relief my body has been seeking.

“What have you done to me, Abby. It’s killing me that I can touch you and feel you the way I like. I’m trying to control here, and please, stop pushing my button.” His jaw clenches and his nose flares.

I have to torture him back. It’s not fun to be in this position when it is clear that both of us want to attack each other, and yet he’s holding back.

“Why do you have to control yourself? It hurts to feel being denied, you know.”

“Do you think I’m rejecting you?” His face falls.

“Then why don’t you let me kiss you?”

He groans, and before he can answer, the elevator door slides open.

“Fuck. Don’t push me too hard, Abbygail. You don’t have any idea what you’re getting yourself into. Why do you think I’m trying to stay away from you? You made everything pretty clear. You want nothing from me. You’re leaving me here in less than 24 hours.” He swallows hard.

Yeah, I’m leaving, but that’s the reason why I am here too because I want you to stop me from going. Haven’t you gotten the clue yet?

He presses some key and unlocks the door. His penthouse is huge, modern with cozy furniture, stairways in the middle to the second floor. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that offer the perfect view of the skyscrapers around the city.

“This view is magnificent. It feels like you’re on the top of the world.” I take a deep breath despite my unforeseen disappointment.

“I chose this penthouse because of this view. There were lots to choose from, but this is the best one.” He comes closer behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He inhales my hair and kisses my head.

“Do you always get what you want, Seb?”

“Don’t call me, Seb. I like you calling me Sebastian or even the annoying name you gave me a bad boy, but not Seb.”

I lean back into him, and he kisses my exposed shoulder. I bite my lower lip when a moan slips from my throat, and God in heaven, it was just one kiss.

I calm my breath, squeezing my eyes shut. “But everyone calls you Seb, and I can’t see you have a problem with that.”

“Because they are not you, and I don’t give a damn.”

“Whatever, Sebastian.”

“Can I get you something to drink? We can order something to eat if you’re hungry.”

“I’m not hungry.” I have this hunger that I know you’re the only one who can help it. “Do you have wine?”

“I have. Are you sure you want to drink? I can drive you home, though.”

I don’t reply, and he must have gotten the clue.

“A wine then,” he adds, then walks away, and I start wandering around his place. A few minutes later, he comes back with two wine glasses.

“Here. The finest red wine I can offer. I have a floor wine cellar in my penthouse. I’ll show you later.”

I take the glass of wine and smell it before I take a sip, and it’s divine.

“So, are you really leaving me tomorrow, Abby?”