Dear Mister Summers

nine

Sebastian stared at the door for a few minutes once he heard the click signaling that it had been tightly shut. If he was being honest, Andin's resignation had shocked him. Through and through. He had never thought that she would quit her job.

"Damn," he hissed under his breath so that the one person who just had shaken his world on the other side of the room would not hear a thing. He had tried his best to remain cool and calm in conveying his response earlier because the last thing he wanted was for Andin to realize how important her role actually was. If she knew how scared he was to lose her, she would be inclined to overvalue herself.

He blinked as a thought came to her. Perhaps she wanted to quit because the money was not enough. Maybe the reason why she had handed in her resignation was that she wanted to ask him for a promotion. This thought only lasted for a few minutes before he realized that this was wrong. Andin had the highest salary any secretary could have. Sebastian had just made a quick phone call to his eldest brother, Thornton, and Andin's salary was almost twice of his brother's secretary's. Money definitely was not the reason. She would not be able to find another company that would pay higher than how much Sebastian had been paying her.

Then it must be something else. For the next hour, albeit he had the contract in one hand and his pen in his other hand, he could not think of anything but the reason behind Andin Williams's resignation. He must know. He simply must. If he were about to lose his precious secretary, he had to know.

His telephone rang and he picked up the receiver.

"London Star is calling for you on line one, Sir," said the source of his headache.

"Thank you, Miss Williams." He pressed the button to take the call. "London," he greeted.

"If you must know, dear Sebastian, I am currently not wearing anything on my person," London said in a seductive tone. "So tell me, how far away are you from Suite Lacoste on the thirtieth floor?"

"Quite far considering I'm still in my office," he answered matter of factly then added, "but not for long."

* * * * * * *

As Sebastian was sitting at the restaurant on the ground floor of the five stars hotel — one of the famous hotels in Washington D.C. albeit not the one owned by his brother Declan, he failed to find the reason as to why on Earth he had decided to meet London here and not in the Lacoste Suite that he had already booked beforehand. He lifted the cup from its saucer and took a sip. The bitterness of the coffee awoke his senses yet it still could not help him settle his matter.

The invitation was there and all he had to do was go upstairs and finally satiate his hunger, yet he simply lost the will to do that. This was getting ridiculous, he told himself, shaking his head. London Star was one of the most beautiful women in the entire Washington D.C. and perhaps even in the United States and yet his attraction towards her had been dulled by his intolerable obsession with his little secretary, Miss Andin Williams. Perhaps he had lost his mind. Perhaps that was the only reason that could explain his illogical state of being.

Whichever it was, he still needed to face the angry woman who was currently walking towards the table he was occupying. "Seriously?" said London once she sat her arse down on the seat across the table in front of him. "What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself. You've been that way since last week." When he did not say anything, she sighed loudly. "You need to tell me, Sebastian."

The waiter came and took the wrong time to ask if London needed anything. She was about to yell when she realized where they were and how it would damage her public image. "Could you please be a dear and bring me a glass of red wine?"