Sugar

35

Note: This chapter is *super* long but I felt like it was better to keep it together instead of splitting it up. Sorry in advance 😅

chapter thirty five
florence thompson
song: put your head on my shoulder - paul anka

The ride to the event was filled with an uncomfortable silence, which I believe is mostly due to the fact that Darby was sitting right up front, pretending as if he couldn't hear a word of what we were saying in the back of the car.

"Who was that?" Vincent asked, pulling my attention to him where he was sat next to me, his gaze already on me when I turned to him.

"Aria, one of my best friends," I explained, watching him closely for any type of reaction. "She's actually Brandon Smith's...."

"SB?" He asked after his eyes lit up with realization.

"SB?" I repeated, completely lost.

A chuckle resonated deep in his throat. "Sugar baby," he clarified.

"Oh, yes. She's his...SB," I said reluctantly, the abbreviation feeling just about as icky as the full word when it rolled off my tongue.

He nodded wordlessly. "She seems lovely."

I smiled in return, letting our conversation lull and the silence linger for a few moments. As I sat with my thoughts and the sound of the radio, my run-in with Sebastian came to mind, his passing comment of Julia assisting him with a charity event this week.

I gnawed the skin on my lip, thinking it over for a fleeting moment before opening my mouth.

"I ran into Sebastian Vanderbilt yesterday," I mumbled, glancing to him to gauge his reaction.

His mismatched eyes widened momentarily before his expression fell back into a passive state.

"Oh really? Did he have any news about your application?" He asked, watching me closely as I was him.

"He didn't mention it, but he did mention something about going to a charity event." I dropped the information, letting it simmer for a beat. "Is he going to be there tonight?"

The thought of my potential boss being at an event that I'm attending with my freaking sugar daddy seems a little unprofessional if you ask me. Granted, I understand that they know one another due to the fact of the subtle hints here and there and not to mention the referral Vincent put in for me.

"He may be, but I doubt we'll see him. A lot of people go to this event," he informed me, running a hand over the stubble that was cast across his angular jaw.

My eyes lingered on his sharp jaw for a beat too long before they drifted back up to his mesmerizing eyes.

For a second, deep in my chest, there was an ache at the realization that I would never have him. He wasn't looking for something with commitment, he was looking for women to shower with gifts in return for sex or something less.

For even less time I hated that that wasn't what I wanted, that I couldn't just abandon all that I wanted from a relationship and let him wrap me up into his world of uncertainty and lack of feelings. A world where I was allowed to be attracted to him, but never enough to have any real feelings that would just muddle everything together.

I wondered why I even wanted him when I knew he was busy with other women, something that most definitely shouldn't bother me but undoubtedly did.

I broke my gaze, turning away from him and down to the floor in front of me. I let my gaze rest on the shoes that I was wearing, trying my best to ease my racing thoughts that really did nothing beneficial for my bubbling nerves.