I'm sleeping with the Deputy Prime Minister of the country, and he deserves my discretion.
There’s also the small fact that I will be fired from my job if anyone finds out.
"Oh!" Penelope gasps. "What happened with Garcia?"
"Shh." I look around. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Anna frowns. "I thought there was all this sexual tension."
"No, he's having a thing with one of his secretaries, I found out," I lie. "They're dating, apparently."
"God." Penelope sits back in disgust. "What a letdown. I was looking forward to that hot gossip, loser."
I giggle against my wineglass.
"Don’t worry," Anna says. "He'll probably turn up at Ashley Madison soon."
I raise my glass in the air. "I don’t doubt it."
Two hours later, and we’re sitting at the bar. We’ve eaten dinner, had a few drinks, and now two men have come to join us. Penelope and Anna seem to be having the time of their lives, chatting and laughing with them, but I'm just not into it. I'm thinking of back-dooring it soon and going home.
I might call an Uber. I take my phone out of my bag and see a missed call.
Sebastian
Excitement fills me, and I hit call, putting my hand over my ear to block out the noise.
"Hi," he answers.
I bite my lip to hide my reaction to the sound of his voice. "Hi."
"Where are you? It sounds loud."
"In a bar." Silence. "What are you doing?"
"I was calling to see what you were doing, but never mind. You're out."
"I'm just about to leave, actually." My stomach flutters with excitement, and I get up and walk toward the door of the bar and out onto the pavement. "Why don’t you come over?"
He inhales. "I can't… we can't—"
"Be seen together," I cut him off, disappointment filling me.
"Why don’t you come here, to my place?" he asks. “I'll have to send my car for you.”
"Isn't that risky? If your driver knows…"
"Kevin has been with me for years. You're safe with him. You will have to stay in the car until you are in the garage and the doors are down, though."
"Okay." I smile softly, excited by the prospect.
I get to see him.
"Where are you?" he asks.
"Owen's in Kensington."
"Okay, I'll text you when he's out front."
"Okay."
I run my toe over a join in the concrete as a goofy smile crosses my face.
"See you soon." He hangs up.
I get to see him.
I walk back to the bar and sit back down next to the girls. "Was that Duke?" Anna asks.
"Um…" Shit, although he is the perfect alibi. "Yeah, I might catch up with him."
Anna puts her hand over mine. "Good idea. Screw that asshole Garcia. You're too good for him, anyway."
I fake a smile as I pick up my drink to take a sip. Guilt fills me. Now I'm lying to my friends.
This whole situation is one big fuck-up.
Half an hour later, my phone beeps with a text,
He's out the front. Black Audi.
Your name is Tara.
I have an alias now. How gangster.
"I'm going to head off," I announce to the girls, draining my drink.
They and their new friends are deep in conversation.
"See you!" they all call, distracted. They only give me a wave before they go back to talking.
I walk out onto the busy street and see the black Audi parked on the other side of the road. The windows are blacked out. I wait for the traffic to ease before I cross the road, open up the back door, and I lean in.
"Hello, Kevin?"
"Tara?"
"Yes."
"Hop in." He nods and faces forward again.
Oh, bit rude. It's like he doesn’t want to look at me.
We pull out into the traffic, and my mind begins to wander. How many times does Kevin pick up women for Mr. Garcia? Is this the usual process? Is he told not to look at them?
Stop it.
Twenty minutes later, we pull into Sebastian's fancy street. I remember it well. I walked up it alone and in tears six years ago. My stomach twists at the memory.
For God's sake, just stop being a drama queen, April.
Kevin pushes the button on a remote, and the garage door slowly rises. There’s a black sports car parked in one of the spaces.
Kevin drives in and pushes the remote again. The garage door closes behind us.
He gets out and opens my car door, offering me a kind nod.
"Thank you." I smile awkwardly. I can't help but wonder what he's seen in the past.
He walks over and opens the entry door to the house, nodding again.
There's a drill, and he knows it well.
I walk through as my nerves begin to thump. Kevin closes the door behind me.
"Hi, there," I hear his deep voice say.
I turn to see Sebastian walking up the hallway toward me. His hair has more of a curl to it without being styled. He's wearing a black T-shirt and grey track pants. I've never seen him in casual clothes before.