Unlawful Escort (Unlawful Series book 1) (8 page)

“Thank you
.” he said as he settled into a chair around the breakfast bar, “Why did your dad leave the cooking world?” he asked conversationally as he bit into a slice of cherry pie.

“He died."

“I’m sorry”, his clear blue eyes clouded with sadness.

“So you’re a gourmet chef huh”, she said chirpily, shirking her melancholy feelings, “
well you better hurry up and eat and take a look at my barbeque sauce. I think something is off about it”.

He laughed throatily, “my pleasure”.

He finished his pie and coffee, all the while singing her praises, after which he donned and apron over his navy blue t-shirt and jeans and they begun the mission of perfecting her barbeque sauce. They talked and laughed as he gave her several suggestion and perks about the art of food creation.

Brandon was teaching her a few tricks to using a knife as they sliced tomatoes for a salad when Sebastian appeared
.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“DID YOU GUYS FORGET TO INVITE ME TO
the cookout?” Sebastian said coldly and her eyes flew to his chiseled features and the knife sliced into her index finger and blood oozed unto the counter.

“Dam
n!” Brandon swore, gripping her finger and propelling her towards the sink where he turned on the tap and held her hand below it, “rule number one, never lose focus when using equipments or utensils. Brad, get the first aid kit”.

“Don’t you think that will need stitching”, Sebastian murmured close to her
neck and she shivered as his warm breath fanned her nape.

“I’m fine; it’s just a small scratch. I just bleed a
lot, that’s all."

“I hope you don’t cut yourself very often or you’ll bleed to death
at this rate”, Sebastian murmured gruffly, “I’ll get that first aid kit”.

“I’m fine… really”, she forced a smile as Brandon led her to a chair and pressed a stack of paper towel unto the wound.

“Well it’s not deep, thank God, but it will still need to be cleaned and covered with a sticking plaster”, he said as soon as Sebastian returned; examining her finger closely and a hot blush stained her cheeks.

She felt like a manikin on display.

“Do you mind?” Sebastian said irritably when Brandon reached for the kit and Paige wanted to sink through the floor.

“Oh”, Brandon said, gently placing her hand on the counter
and shifting so that Sebastian could take his place opposite her, “I deal with these situations all the time at the restaurant…I’ll check on the steak”.

“Thank you”, she said, smiling and Sebastian clenched his teeth
as he busied himself with tending her injury.

She thought of offering to treat the gash herself but decided against it as she remembered that they were supposed to be together; after all this was what couples did, care for each other.

“This might hurt a little”, Sebastian warned and she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out as he dabbed her finger with the anesthetic and applied the sticking plaster. Warmth spread through her as she witnessed the gentleness with which he administered to her.

“Thank you”, she murmured as he rose and left the room with the kit, returning shortly with Matthew in tow.

“Hello Paige”, he greeted, “hmm something smells great”.

“Hi Matt. I hope you like barbeque steak”
, Brandon had rejoined them by this.

“Sure…” Matthew glanced around the kitchen oddly as if he wanted to say something but
seemed to restrain himself.

“I’m sorry about the cancellation of our trip”, Sebastian apologized, “I was hoping that my jet would be available but the repairs won’t be completed until tomorrow”.

“We’ve been planning this trip for months”, Matthew murmured regretfully, “and I was looking forward to watching the game from the stands”.

“I suppose we’ll have to settle for Brad’s huge
flat screen and room service”, Brandon concluded, “or in this case steak”.

“What are you guys talking about?” Paige glanced from one man to the next.

“We’re going to watch a football game in the den”, Sebastian informed her as he herded the men towards the door.

She perked up at the information, “wait, wait, whose playing?”

Sebastian frowned, “Chelsea and Liverpool…”

She sprung up from her chair, “Count me in. Chelsea for life”

“You watch football”, they exclaimed in unison; three pairs of eyes trained on her.

She quickly checked to ensure that all the equipments in the kitchen were turned off and was at the door in a jiffy; leaving the three men to gap after her.

“Hurry, hurry, I don’t want to miss any of the match”, that seemed to break the trance and they hurried down the hallway to the den.

She had only visited the room once when Sebastian had taken her through the house on her first day there. Thus she was shocked when he pressed a button on what appeared to be a television remote and what she had previously thought of as the wall slid sideways to reveal an impressive
seventy five inch flat screen television. They had no need to visit the stands with a television such as this, she thought much later as they were immersed in the game. The sight and sounds of the high definition screen gave the distinct impression that she was right there in the stadium.

She later discovered that she and Sebastian were supporting opposing teams as he was a Liverpool fan along with Matthew, while she and Brandon were diehard Chelsea fanatics.
Sebastian was wearing slacks and a t-shirt that clung to his upper torso like a second skin and she couldn’t prevent her eyes from straying to his magnificent form throughout the game.

“I’ll have to tell Josh
that he has found comrades in you two”, she informed Sebastian and Matthew, clarifying quickly when Sebastian’s eyes flashed furiously, “he’s my little brother…he used to force me to watch football games with him until eventually it grew on me..” she laughed nervously.

“
How old is he?” Brandon inquired.

“Ten…” she admitted grudgingly, questioning the logics of
sharing such crucial information about herself. So much for keeping her personal life on wraps, she thought wistfully.

“Great. We’ll just have to save a seat for him on our next trip. Right
Brad..?” Brandon prodded.

Sebastian grunted a reply,
then stated pointedly, “you’re disturbing the game”.

Brandon merely laughed and they diverted their attention to the game; exclaiming with pleasure or growling with defeat as their respective teams fought for supremacy.
They ate cherry pie and drank coke over a heated discussion about the match during the halftime break and when the match was finally over, she and Brandon were celebrating.

Brandon and Matthew left shortly
afterwards but not before heartily partaking of the steak she had prepared earlier that afternoon.

“You’re friends are the bomb”, she said, laughing, “I haven’t had so much fun in a long time”.

The smile froze on her lips as she glimpsed Sebastian’s stony expression.

“I know you can’t help it but please don’t practice your skills on any member of my peerage”, his tone was tainted with disgust and she recoiled in shock
and rage at his underlying meaning.

Her
face flushed with anger and embarrassment and she opened her mouth to respond accordingly but he merely strode from the room and moments later she heard the clicking of the door signaling his exit.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

PAIGE LAY FLAT ON HER BACK ON THE
quilt she had placed on the wooden floor of the living room; her head elevated on a cushion she had taken from the nearby sofa. She inhaled sharply; relishing her quiet environs and hoping that the tranquility would soothe her throbbing temples.

She had barely seen Sebastian
since his scathing remark two weeks ago and as her ire had cooled somewhat, she had rationalized that it was for the best; all things considered. He had business commitments outside of town; therefore he left early in the mornings and returned late at nights. During a brief phone call the morning following their debacle he had informed her of his expected absence; emphasizing his expectation that she should follow through on their schedule as planned.

She had been
unnerved at the thought of attending such an elaborate event without Sebastian by her side. However, she soon discovered that she had had nothing to fear as Helen was in attendance and everyone seemed to be smitten with the woman, whom they believed, copped Sebastian Bradley’s ‘affections’. She had been pleasantly surprised when Sebastian had arrived almost at the end the gala; his ire of the day before apparently forgotten. And so it was for the two weeks that followed, except for the few occasions when he didn’t make an appearance at all.

Her days of moping about the penthouse came to an abrupt hal
t when the wealthy trio; Jessica, Abigail and Jacqueline paid her a social call almost a week ago. They had coerced her into accompanying them for a cup of coffee which drifted into a shopping spree, that lasted the entire afternoon. She had been hard-pressed to rid herself of their company afterwards, thus she’d resigned herself to their excursions; marveling at their excessive spending as it seemed they were always purchasing some trinket or the other.

Paige sighed heavily as she drew her mind to the present. She hoped Sebastian wouldn’t be overly upset as they were
slated to attend a musical tonight
but she simply couldn’t muster the courage to get dressed. Her heart hammered in her chest as she heard his distinctive footstep on the hardwood floors as he neared the living room and halted. She hadn’t expected him back for another couple of hours and she dreaded facing him in her present state.

“Don’t turn on the light”, she warned, covering her eyes against the glare n
onetheless.

“Why are you lying in the dark?” he asked, striding towards her and she felt his eyes peering down at her through the
silhouetting glow from the moonlight.

“I have terrible migraine but I’ll be fine soon."

She heard the rustle of fabric as he removed his jacket and sat. “Did you try painkillers?”

“I’m not really in the mood for chit-chat Sebastian
. Could you please just go?” she couldn’t handle his temper tantrums on today of all days.

He was silent for a moment before he turned and walked out of the room, not once pausing or looking back. Guilt pricked at her conscience at her casual dismissal as she opened her eyes and watched him go.

Could her life get any worse?  She wondered. Her mother was nowhere to be found, her brother was dying in
a hospital and she had sold herself to a snotty playboy. Her musing was interrupted as Sebastian reentered the room; a glass of water in hand.

“Sit up and take these
”, he instructed, offering her the glass and two tablets.

She frowned.
“I said…”

“Don’t argue with me on this”, he said through clenched teeth and she accepted the proffered items in resignation.

Perhaps he would go away once she did as he asked. She wondered at his sudden concern as she curled her socks clad feet below her nightshirt and took the pills. He was a mystery she couldn’t begin to fathom. He plucked the glass from her fingers, pausing as his eyes caught sight of the picture on the floor where she had placed it on his arrival.

“I’ll be damned.
I have to admit I didn’t think you were that type”, he laughed harshly as he placed the glass on the side table and inspected the picture closely, “Mourning a boyfriend huh? Isn’t he a bit too old for you though?”

She laughed despite herself, “that’s my dad, silly”.

He glanced at the picture and then at her as if in disbelief, “and why exactly would you be grieving for your father?”

The mirth drained from her fa
ce. “He died exactly seven years ago, today”, her voice cracked on the statement.

“Oh”, he seemed uncomfortable at the sudden turn of events and she quickly
scooped the quilt and cushion from the floor, placed them on the couch and turned towards the door.

He gripped her arm as she made to leave, “tell me about him…” she glanced at his face and the shock she felt at his unexpected request was mirrored in his expression along with something akin to sadness.

Her arm tingled where he held her as she sank involuntarily into the soft couch; resting her head on the armrest and when he released her she felt bereaved.

“My dad was a gourmet chef and everything he did revolved around that
”, she began, her eyes pooling with tears at the fond memories, “he started teaching me how to cook before I could talk properly…I’ve always wanted to be a pastry chef and one afternoon when I was eight I talked him into helping me to create a business portfolio for my bakery and café… We even named it ‘Sweets and Treats’", her throat clogged up on the last words and she swiped the tears from her cheeks with her fingertips.