“Sebastian Matvei,” he sweetly says, as he holds out his hand. Once Mother takes his hand, he adds, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Rolling my eyes, I wonder if he knows flattery will get him nowhere with her. “Matvei, you say? Any relation to Viktor Matvei?”
“Don’t answer that,” I cut in, knowing where she’s going with this. She knows Viktor, because I never once bothered to keep my job, as an exotic dancer, a secret.
The second she found out the name of the club, she took it upon herself to find out who owned it. I’m not sure why she did any of this, but what I do know is, if Sebastian answers, it’ll open up a big can of worms that I’m not ready to hear. My mother can be downright hateful for no reason, and I don’t want Sebastian anywhere near her hatred.
Her eyes snap to mine, as she states, “It’s rude to interrupt, Beatrice. Didn’t I teach you anything?”
My heart races, as my face flames. Embarrassment and utter shame rush through me, even though she’s doing this on purpose. Every single time I’m around her, it never fails for her to put me down and make me feel, as if I don’t mean anything to her.
I feel worthless.
“If you’ll excuse us, Mrs. Harrington, I promised Trixie a dance.”
My gaze finds Sebastian, because he never promised me anything. As he leads me away from my mother, I realize that he just flat out lied to get me away from her, and I wish I had my phone out to capture the look on her face. She’s shocked, not only because Sebastian dismissed her, but because he called me Trixie. Mother hates that name, and she never fails to tell me so.
Letting a smile cross my face, I sigh in relief, as he swings me out and pulls me in close, once we reach the dance floor. “Burning” by Sam Smith begins to play, as Sebastian places a hand on my waist, and then takes my hand with his other one. We dance at a slow pace, swaying back and forth with the song.
After a few moments into the song, I start to sense my anger disappearing. I always try to ignore my mother, but sometimes, I fail. Glancing up at my savior, I gaze into his intense green eyes, as I say, “Thank you.”
He smirks, but I notice the happy glint in his gaze. “So, your mom is a real piece of work.”
Smiling, I shake my head, as I claim, “It’s alright. You can say it.”
“Say what?”
“She’s a complete and utter cunt.”
He lets out a chuckle, and I grin wider, loving the sound of it. “Well, I didn’t want to be rude.”
“No, it’s really okay. She’s always been like that. Well, at least towards me.”
He nods, as if he understands, and then says, “I take it you don’t have the best relationship with her.”
Even though he says it as a statement, I answer anyway. “No, we’ve never gotten along. At least, not that I can ever remember. I was always closer to my dad. He’s the one who I went to, if I needed anything, and he never once judged me for what I wanted to do.”
“My father wasn’t very supportive either,” he claims, as he gets a faraway look in his eyes. “Both of my parents weren’t happy, when Viktor and I decided to move to the states, but my father, he was furious.” His gaze meets mine once more, as he states, “They eventually got over it, but I do understand, having unsupportive parents.”
As I hold his intense gaze, something changes between us. It’s almost as if the entire room disappears around us, and it’s just him and I. We’re just two people that understand each other on a different level that many either overlook, or just plain don’t take the time to see.
But I see him.
I see the real man that he hides behind the mask.
Not to mention, it’s nice to know he gets it. It’s a relief to know I don’t have to try and explain the history between my mother and me. He just knows.
Sucking in a deep breath, a sudden need to tell him how I feel about him comes over me. It’s like an urge, as if my body and mind are demanding I tell him. “Sebastian, I—”
“Mind if I cut in?” Jerking my gaze to the right, I grin, seeing my dad, standing beside us.
Stepping out of Sebastian’s grasp, even if I really don’t want to, I say, “Dad, this is Sebastian.” Turning towards him, I add, “This is my dad, Richard Harrington.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Sebastian says politely. I need to remember to ask him where he learned his manners from. He’s so proper sometimes, and it’s a definite change from when we’re in the bedroom.
Once Dad shakes his hand, Sebastian gives me a heated glance, before walking off the dance floor. Swallowing hard, I turn towards Dad, taking his hand, as a new song begins to play softly.
“So, who’s the charming young man you brought with you?”
“Dad, please,” I say with a shake of my head.
“I just want to know who my little girl is hanging around with.”
This is what I love about him the most. There is only concern for me and no judgment whatsoever. He’s always been the one to care about me, and the things I wanted. “Don’t worry, Dad. Sebastian is one of the good ones. Although, I’m sure Mother wouldn’t agree.”
Dad scoffs at that, and I know he agrees. “Your mother is a hard one to please, but I’m sure she’s just looking out for you, too. In her own way, she does love you, Trixie.”
I want to argue with him, but I don’t. We’ve had this conversation so many times, and it’s starting to become like a broken record. The only reason why my parents are still together is because my mother flat out
