Someone Unexpected(20)

"With me, huh? Well, you are very welcome." He looked at me with his  gorgeous dark eyes and held my gaze. "The feeling is mutual."



"This is a gorgeous room, Sebastian." I had to think of something to say to break the sexual tension in the room.



"It's not bad."



"Not bad? This place is a palace compared to my apartment and the house I grew up in."         

     



 



He set down his glass of wine and leaned back against the couch, his arm  resting along the back. "Tell me about that. What was it like growing  up in Pensacola?"



"It was pretty awesome for the most part. It was me, my mom and dad. My  mom calls me her miracle baby because she had such a hard time staying  pregnant. She had four miscarriages before me so they were really happy  when I arrived. She wasn't able to have any more kids so it was just  us."



"Elena, you said it was awesome for the most part, what did you mean by that?"



I felt comfortable telling him about Brian because I trusted him.



"Well, I am not proud of this, but when I was a senior in high school I  was dating a boy named Brian and it got serious really fast. I'm sure  you know what teenage love is like, they become your whole world. Brian  became really possessive soon after we started dating and I just thought  that he liked me so much that he didn't want anyone to have me. He knew  how to make me feel really special. Anyway, he hit me the first time  after about three months."



Sebastian interrupted me and fire flew across his eyes as his voice bellowed throughout the room. "He did what?!"



I was shocked by his reaction but I repeated what I said. "He hit me. I  was completely shocked and distraught because I thought he loved me, so  when he started crying and apologizing and telling me that it would  never happen again, I believed him. But a couple of weeks later it  happened again and he cried and told me how much he loved me and said it  would never happen again so, like an idiot, I believed him. He sent me  flowers every day and everything was fine for a couple of months. But  one day he saw me talking to a guy by my locker and he went ballistic  once we were alone in his car. When he hit me the third time, I snapped  and told him it was over."



Sebastian's eyes were brimming with rage. "How did he take it?"



"Well, he's in prison right now for ten more years, because he climbed  into my bedroom window one night and attacked me. I was I the hospital  for a couple of days."



"Oh, Elena, I am so sorry that happened to you. Has he contacted you at all?"



"Unfortunately yes, he somehow finds me wherever I move and sends a letter every six months."



Sebastian set his jaw and I could see that he was clenching his teeth. "Have you received a letter recently?"



"Yes, I just got a letter from him right before I came here. I was in  therapy for a while after the incident and it really helped me to not  fear him, now I just get angry when I get a letter."



Sebastian's face was super serious. "Elena, I want you to promise me something and this is very important."



My eyes searched his and I could see the concern there.



"Okay."



"I want you to tell me when he contacts you again."



"I really don't want to get anyone else involved, Sebastian. This is my  problem that I have been dealing with for years and I don't want to  burden anyone else."



He reached over and grabbed my hand in his, gently rubbing the back of  my hand, his eyes gentle and kind. "I want you to be safe so please just  let me know when he contacts you again."



"Okay."



There was a knock on the door and our food finally arrived and it was a  welcome distraction from talking about Brian. I didn't want to talk  about him anymore so I changed the subject. We talked more about our day  in São Paulo while we ate dinner and we relaxed on the couch with a  glass of wine when we were done eating.



"I've been talking about me too much, tell me something about you. I  already know about your family's business background, so tell me  personal stuff. Where do you live?"



He smiled at me. "Okay, I live on Star Island in a home that is way too  big but I like it. Let's see, you already know I am the oldest of three  brothers, Spencer is two years younger than me and Shane is five years  younger than me."



"What about your mom? Do you see her often?"



His face totally lit up when I asked him that.



"My mother is a jewel and I see mom almost every week. She lives in the  house next to mine, even though saying ‘next to' is kind of funny  because you have to drive to get there. After my parents got divorced my  mother nearly fell apart because she was so devastated. I'm sure you've  read about my dad's cheating which led to the divorce."         

     



 



I looked at him, my eyes sympathetic.



"Yes."



"Well, like I said she was devastated and it took a bit of time for her  to be okay, but she stayed strong for us. I have so much more respect  for my mom with the way she handled the publicity of the divorce. She  showed so much grace and dignity through it all. My father was a  complete jerk and the way he disrespected my mother made me so angry. My  father and I have what I would call a strained relationship, we speak  about business but I tend to cut him off when he tries to get personal.  With the way he humiliated my mother, I don't know that our relationship  will ever be repaired."



"I'm sorry, Sebastian. That must be difficult for you to have to work  with your father when you have such a strained relationship. Have you  thought about going to counseling with him?"



"It's funny you ask that because he has been trying to get me to go for  years but with the way he treated his second wife, by doing the same  thing he did to my mom, and the way he jets all around looking like a  man desperate to recapture his youth, I just don't believe him that  wants to make things better. He is a very selfish man who only thinks  about himself."



I could see that his relationship with his dad really bothered him and I  wished there was something that I could say to make him feel better.



"I'm sorry Elena, I never should have mentioned him. Let's change the subject, what else can I tell you?"



"Tell me about Sophia. I can't really figure her out. When we are  working everything is in perfect harmony, but the second the work day  ends she becomes an ice queen."



His mouth turned up in a half smile. "That's a pretty good description  for her. Sophia is having a difficult time accepting that there will  never be anything between us again romantically and I think she suspects  that I have feelings for you so there is probably a bit of jealousy  there."



"She doesn't seem like a very nice person in general Sebastian, how did you guys even start dating?"



"There's a good heart in there, she's had a difficult life so what may  come off as nasty is usually just a scared little girl trying to protect  herself. Her father was abusive to her mother and she witnessed things  that a child should never see in their lifetime on almost a daily basis,  so she has deep trust issues."



"Oh, well that explains it I guess. Hopefully she'll warm up to me eventually. So how long did you date her?"



"We dated for almost a year."



"And what happened?"



He hesitated before answering me, his eyes glossing over with anger. "She was unfaithful."



Something clicked and I put two and two together. "Is Sophia the woman you were engaged to? The one your brother slept with?"



He clenched his jaw and I could see that it still upset him.



"Yes."



"Wow. Well, you speak kindly about someone who betrayed you, that's admirable."



"I have to."



I looked at him not understanding what he meant by saying that and he  averted his eyes and tried to change the subject. Clearly he did not  mean to let those words slip out. What is he not telling me?



Just as I was about to ask him, Sebastian changed the subject.



"I know we have one more day here, but are you ready to go back to the States?"



We were leaving that Tuesday and, to be honest, I was really enjoying my  time in São Paulo and I knew that being with Sebastian had a lot to do  with that.



"Not really, even though we are working really hard I am having a wonderful time here and I'm not ready for it to end."



He smiled at me. "I felt the exact same way the very first time I came  to São Paulo, it is a beautiful city but this time around I am lucky."  He held my gaze as he lightly stroked my hand. "This time I am here with  a beautiful woman."



I gave him a wry smile. "I am sure that you have been here with many beautiful women Sebastian."



The look on his face was serious as his eyes searched mine. "I have only  been to São Paulo for business and I assure you, I have never been here  with another woman."