**

It's quite apparent to everyone in the room that I'm thoroughly enjoying this.

I shouldn't be enjoying the fact that the mere sight of me is making Sebastian upset. But I am. Usually, I'm the one left speechless at the sight of Sebastian's godly physic and distracting good looks. But it feels quite good to have the roles reversed for a change, now does it?

"I'll be right back," I tell the entirety of the office before leaving to see about acquiring a few more chairs. Darcy is at my side when we begin the hunt.

"Who is that?" she asks me inquisitively, her voice small as if whoever she's asking about is listening behind us.

I assume she's talking about the new woman whose name I don't know, so I answer honestly by stating I have no idea who she is.

"No, sorry. Not the woman," Darcy replies. "The man. The one in the suit, with the beard?"

"Claude? The scary one? That's Sebastian cousin. Why?"

"Just asking," Darcy replies, and quickly she's gone to get more chairs. She doesn't say anything else until she comes back into my office with the extra chair.

"Thank you," she says up to Claude when he oh-so politely takes the heavy chair from her fragile grasp to set it down on the floor. Sebastian attempts to do the same with me, but quickly I decline.

"I'm fine," I tell him, staring him straight in the eyes (which, admittedly, is a bit hard to do).

Sebastian is still standing, as if I'll give in and let him help me; give him the satisfaction of being the one to help me. When will he understand that I'm capable of helping myself?

Maybe my inner 'femme fatale' is coming out a little too strong.

Sebastian rolls his eyes when I deny his help, heightening the tension in the room by another notch. When I set the chair down, I sit at my desk and take in everyone sitting in my office—Sebastian, Claude, Claire, Sarah, and a new face—a woman, with thick curly hair tied into a messy bun and mocha skin a little lighter than the blackness of her eyes. Her attitude isn't as serious as everyone else's, but her attire of a leather jacket, black jeans, and sneakers contrasts against her nonchalance. There's a soothing, familiar nature to her face—like she's a friend I knew a long time ago.

"Thank you, Darcy," I tell my timid assistant. She smiles anxiously at me before stepping out of my office. I notice Claude's eyes follow her slender figure out of the doorway, eyeing her head-to-toe like he's reading a script.

"She's cute," he comments when she's gone.

"No," Sebastian and I bark at the same time. The quite is painful after we catch ourselves. I clear my throat and try to think of something to say, but the new woman stands up and offers her hand out to me before I can speak.

"Sorry, I didn't have a chance to introduce myself. I'm Penny. I work with Claude; I'm kind of like his sidekick but obviously more talented than he is in the craft."

Claude frowns deeply.

"Penny," I shake her hand politely. Her grip is strong; not as strong as her eyes. "I'm Leslie."

"Oh, I know." She laughs, unashamed of the gap that dominates her smile. "You made quite the introduction yesterday, believe me—"

"Penny," Claude says with an irritated breath. That same irritation is all over Sebastian's face. Penny, however, doesn't hide the remaining fact that my outburst yesterday was—and still is—amusing to her.

"Sorry," Penny says (quite unapologetically) before sitting down in her seat. I try my best to avoid Sebastian's stare, but it's hard when eyes that intense are studying you as if they're trying to figure out where shit doesn't add up.

"So, what can I do for you all today?"

"We're here to talk about Claire and Sebastian," Sarah answers. "You ended our conversation so quickly yesterday—"

"Sorry. I couldn't talk on the phone while getting my nails done."

Sarah's jaw drops. Sebastian thinks my reply is quite hilarious, not because of what was said, but because of who said it. And despite his laughter, Claire agrees fervently with my defense.

"I hate when that happens!" she exclaims. "Whenever I get my nails done, I just have the manicurist's assistant hold the phone for me if I need to talk to someone."

"Ah," I nod, similarly to how you'd nod while listening to a child's story. "That's a great idea, Claire."

Claire smiles widely. "Thanks!"

It's taking every fiber in my being not to laugh, especially at how angry and embarrassed Sebastian is becoming.

"Claire, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

Sebastian grabs her hand, "Claire, don't answer that. She's just—"

"Twenty!" she answers animatedly. "I'll be twenty-one in...August. August 3rd."

Jesus. Twenty? I wagered twenty-two or twenty-three, even; this girl isn't even old enough to legally drink here in the United States.

My eyes immediately meet Sebastian's with the bitchiest smile on my face. "Twenty? My God, Sebastian, she's so young!"

"Here we go..." Claude mumbles tiredly. Penny, however, looks more than entertained at our exchange. All she's missing is a bowl of popcorn.

"Explain to me why any of this is relevant?" Sebastian asks me with a clenched jaw.

"I'm just doing my job, Sebastian. That's what you asked me to do, right? Or did I hear that incorrectly?"

"Is interrogating Claire part of your job?"

"Yes," I answer him plainly. "I'm a publicist—your publicist. If we want your... 'relationship' to work, I must acquire as much information as possible. I'm sorry this is such a sensitive topic for you."

God, the look on Sebastian's face can set fire to anything in its path.

"Alright," Sarah drawls out awkwardly. "Anyway, we need to discuss how we're going to stabilize the situation."

"I already know how to stabilize the situation."

"Oh, really?" Sarah's lack of faith in me is insulting. "And how will you do that?"

I explain to her the tactics I have put together to steer this newfound relationship into a good light: 'Innocent' PDA, perhaps a novice modeling opportunity for Claire (since she is very beautiful, I'll admit), finally getting Sebastian's Instagram and Twitter accounts functioning in order to post content relative to his new relationship when the time is right, and finally, a confessional in GQ when the shoot and editorial comes out about how Claire is making Sebastian a 'tamer' version of himself. This all makes me want to gag, believe me, but at some point, I must put my personal feelings aside.

Not completely, though.

I think Sarah's shocked that I retaliated with an idea that is well thought out and impactful. Sebastian is too prideful to admit that I'm good at what I do; right now, Sebastian is too busy staring at me like he doesn't recognize me. His eyes flicker to my chest, quite exposed from how low-cut the blouse on my dress is. I'm a sadistic bitch; I don't bother to cover them at all, now. It's fun watching him suffer; watching his fists clench and his Adam's apple bob up and down every time he looks where he isn't supposed to. I would be a liar if I said it wasn't turning me on, seeing how sexually frustrated Sebastian is. It's fact for both of us that he's seen me completely naked before when we slept together, but now there's much left to his imagination that he can't satiate anymore. That's what's most satisfying about this.

By the time Sarah collects her thoughts, I beat her to it.

"It's obvious you don't have much faith in me. But if there's anything I'm good at, it's my job."

"I agree," Claire adds with a sure nod. I'm sure she's only agreeing because she heard me talk about the possibility of giving her a modeling opportunity.

"I never doubted your abilities. But I think we should come to a consensus together on how to handle this."

Then Sarah looks to Sebastian for backup. Sebastian is too caught up in his feelings to forge an opinion. But with Claude and Penny here, I'm positive I haven't heard the last of him.

"There's no need for a consensus. I've given you the blueprint and all you need to do is agree with it so we're on the same page. I appreciate your concern, Sarah, but I'm confident that this is going to work."

Sarah has nothing to say. She opens her mouth, stutters, then closes it again. Usually, she's wittier.

"Moving on," I look to Claude. "Why are you here?"

"Damn, princess. Rude, much?" he says followed by a laugh that I mimic slightly.

Sebastian gives one look to Sarah, and immediately she guides herself and Claire out of the room. They close the door; it wasn't closed before.

Alejandro. I know this is about him—by how Penny's face becomes grave, and Sebastian's interest becomes peaked once more.

Claude stands, resting his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. "You've made it quite clear that you plan on seeing Salvador Quintanilla's nephew."

"He has a name."

"I know his name," Claude replies, gravely so that I regret giving a snarky reply.

"Leslie," Penny adds in. Perhaps she thinks she can approach me better with being a woman. "We just want you to know that Alejandro isn't an ideal man to associate yourself with."

My eyes deviate from Penny to Sebastian, who's still quiet.

"Was this your idea?" I ask him interrogatingly. "Bringing yourselves here to tell me not to convene with him?"

"Yes." Sebastian's response catches me off guard, how blunt it is. "Alejandro is dangerous."

"Why?"

"Because he's...he's just not a good guy. Not at all."

"And you are?"

"That isn't the point," he says with a raised voice. "The point is, you shouldn't be seeing him. I'm serious."

"The last time I checked, I'm a grown woman who can make her own decisions."

"We aren't saying you aren't," Claude tells me, inching closer to my desk. "We're just telling you to stay away from him for your own wellbeing. Hanging 'round him won't be good for you."

"When have either of you cared about what's good for me?" I lock eyes with Sebastian specifically. "Especially you?"

"Don't do this, Leslie," Sebastian says. His eyes are narrowed at me, like I'm evil or I'm difficult. Like I'm attacking them.

I exhale away the outburst I want to give and reply calmly, "Here's the thing. How our professional relationship works is this way: we work together. That's it. Whatever I do in my personal life is none of your business. Yes, I am meeting with the nephew of your business partner, but that shouldn't be a concern to you because it's during my own time."

Sebastian is apparently frustrated with me, like a parent is with a child who won't listen to what their saying, or like a scholar speaking to someone who they think is too 'beneath them' to understand what they're conveying. The condescending look in his eyes is insulting. I hate it.

"You aren't listening to what we're saying," Sebastian grits out.

"Sebastian—"

"Claude, don't! Leslie, you're over-zealous. Too confident. If you meet with this man, you'll slowly be redirected away from your priorities—"

"Priorities to who?" I retort, in honesty, feeling quite angry with Sebastian's shitty attitude. They know it's serious, now that I'm up out of my chair. "To you? You!? Sebastian, when are you going to understand that I do not belong to you? I am a twenty-seven-year-old woman who has survived this long without your fucking guidance. So, don't you dare disrespect me because you're unhappy that someone isn't bowing down to 'The Prince' because I have seen you in moments when you were much less than royalty."

He knows what I'm talking about—when he cried in my arms in the bathroom, the lowest and most vulnerable he has been around anyone he knows. That vacant, almost hurt look in his eyes when those words come out of my mouth almost makes me feel bad for saying them.

Almost.

When I sit back down, I open my laptop as if Sebastian Harrison isn't standing in front of me, "I have plenty of clients who would love to take your place, Sebastian. You are more disposable than you think."

The door opens. Darcy is in the doorway with an unfamiliar fellow small in height but big in character from the smile on his face. Dressed in all black, this must be one of Alejandro's men.

"Buenas tardes, Señorita King," he says to me. The face he makes when he sees Sebastian in my office is absolutely hilarious. "Ehh...my name is Julio. I was sent by Señor Quintanilla—"

"You're early." I grab my purse, the files I need for Alejandro and I's meeting, and my laptop. "Thank God."

Julio chuckles until Sebastian's menacing look wipes the grin clean off his innocent face. Whatever words Sebastian possibly has to refute anything I have said are mere phrases in the wind, how quickly I'm out of my office.

"I'm sure you can see yourselves out," I tell them. "If not, Darcy will be more than happy to assist you."

**