Oh my God. This man!
I smile widely and pull him back in for a soft peck.
“Excuse me, Amelia! What is this?” Sebastián exclaims.
“Oh my apologies, I didn’t realize you had company, love,” Evan croons.
“Love?!” Sebastián snarls while staring at me.
“Yes, love. Boyfriend, love of her life, orgasm dispenser, you name it, that’s me.” Evan grins widely.
I hear an audible gasp from Christine and can’t help smiling like a fool. Evan reaches his hand out to Sebastián. “Hi I’m—”
“Evan Cooper! What a surprise to see you here,” says a tall Latino man making his way into our circle.
“Hello, have we met?” Evan says as he looks at me for backup. I would have been able to respond quicker if my brain wasn’t total mush at the moment.
The tall gentleman laughs. “No, I have not had the pleasure. My name is Marcos Mirabal, and the company I have been working with has been hounding yours for a meeting for the last six months.
Holy crap, Marcos Mirabal!
Evan and Marcos shake hands, then look at the rest of us.
Completely ignoring the shit show that is Christine and Sebastián, I reach my hand out to Marcos. “Hello, my name is Amelia Nuñez. I’m a senior account manager here and I’ve been looking forward to seeing you tonight and talking about the new Miami account you’re leading.”
“Wow, all business and to the point. I like it.” Marcos smiles.
Evan pulls me closer to him. “That’s my girlfriend, nothing keeps her down.” He throws a telling look over to Sebastián, whose head looks like it’s about to explode.
“Girlfriend you say?” Marcos wiggles his eyebrows. “That’s quite impressive, Amelia. I’m going to have to hear the story of how you snagged the CEO and Founder of PassportMed.”
“That’s where I know you from! I’ve seen your photos online!” Christine yells, only to realize that she probably should have kept those thoughts to herself.
Marcos completely ignores her and focuses back on us.
“Well actually Marcos, I’ve been pining for this woman for almost a decade. I’m just the lucky bastard who finally wore her down.” He winks down at me. “And she’s also the boss of me, so if you ever need to get to me or my company, I suggest you keep her close by.” He raises a knowing brow.
Marcos laughs in agreement and shakes our hands again. “Lovely to meet you both. Amelia, my office and I will be in contact with you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, it’s been a pleasure.” With one final wave, Marcos disappears into the crowd.
“Wait a minute. Evan Cooper? You’re Antonio’s friend,” Sebastián says as relief seems to wash over him. “I see what this is.” He points back and forth between Evan and me.
“And what exactly is it that you see?” Evan drops a kiss on top of my head.
“I get it. You’re doing your friend a favor by being Amelia’s date. You see me and up the production value. Kudos. A little overkill and unnecessary if you ask me. I know Amelia would never move on so fast from a serious relationship. That’s not her style.” He takes a sip of his drink, clearly pleased with himself.
I roll my eyes and finally get ready to let Sebastián have it, when Evan beats me to it. “Well, it seems as though you don’t know Amelia very well.” Evan gives me a mischievous smile. “I happen to know her very intimately. So intimately, I get to enjoy that small heart shaped birthmark on her left breast every night.”
OH FUCK ME.
Sebastián turns beet red. There’s no way for Evan to know about that birthmark if he hasn’t seen me naked, and Sebastián gets the message loud and clear.
“Amelia! A word. Now,” Sebastián hisses.
Evan hugs me from behind. His right arm possessively wrapped over my stomach and the left up around my shoulders. He leans into my left ear. “Your call, boss.”
I love that even in this pissing match, Evan is able to put his ego aside and give me the space to check in and allow me to figure out how I want to approach this situation. His stance allows me to face Sebastián head on, while also leaning me onto him, letting me know that he literally has my back.
Feeling his heartbeat vibrate through me helps regulate my breath, and brings in a sense of peace I’ve been missing since I last saw him Sunday.
