Chapter 28

My head is pounding, so I squeeze my eyes shut and try to go back to sleep. Crying all night does tend to leave you feeling hungover.

Wait, that's not my head, it's my door. Someone is banging on my door. I get up quickly and look for a weapon. Fuck, I don't have anything. If I'm quick, maybe I can grab a knife from the kitchen.

I creep down the hallway, my hands trembling. Maybe my neighbor finally enlisted help and decided to take some action. Just my fucking luck at the moment.

"Flora!" Sebastian's familiar deep voice calls. "I can smell, you. I know you're there. Please open the door."

I'm relieved at first, but it's followed quickly by the sharp sting of betrayal. I stomp to the door, pausing with my hand on the handle.

"Please answer," he is quieter now. "Let me explain, Flora. Please."

Reluctantly, I open the door, but I leave the latch on.

"Keep it down," I hiss. "My neighbors already want me dead."

"I know, I know." He raises his hands, placatingly. "But I was worried. You weren't answering your phone. I called you from another number too and then you didn't answer that either."

"I'm surprised you care." I sniffle, unable to stop the tears that are flowing freely again.

"Oh, Flora." His eyes soften further. I look at him properly, and he looks a mess, his clothes and hair ruffled. He's red around the eyes too. "Please let me in, I'll explain everything. Please, let me look after you."

I shut the door in his face. Moving the latch open, I open it properly and step aside to let him through. Once he's inside, I shut it and quickly put the latch back in place.

Sebastian turns to face me, and I burst into a fresh torrent of tears. I pound on his chest with my fists.

"It was supposed to be ours!" I cry.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to his chest. He leans forward and breathes in my hair. Picking me up, he moves into the living room, sitting on the couch with me in his lap. I cry into his chest, feeling an injustice in being upset by him but also needing him as my comfort. He shushes me, stroking my hair and rocking me back and forth.

Once my tears begin to fade, he starts to speak.

"I didn't release the song, Flora. I had nothing to do with it."

I hiccup, my tears drying up. I grab a tissue from the coffee table and wipe my nose.

"What happened then?" I ask, still clinging to him.

"It was Karl. He's not a good male, Flora. I'll explain everything, and give you the back story on Karl. But I can't stand how upset you are. Can I please look after you first?"

I've cried so much that I feel numb. So I just nod and let him care for me.

Sebastian potters around my kitchen before bringing me a cup of tea and a glass of water. I down the glass of water as he leaves again. This time, he comes back with the blanket from my bed. He tucks it around me, before snuggling up beside me. I rest my head on his shoulder and sip on my tea. I have to admit that this is all making me feel better.

He strokes my hair as he continues, telling me the full story.

"A long time ago, when I was first trying to make a name for myself in the industry, I met Karl. I was in the same stage of my career as you were when you met Frank. Karl was older than me, and he sold me the dream. I got drunk with him one night and he convinced me to sign a contract with him. Except I was young, stupid, and drunk enough to sign before reading.

"I didn't realize my mistake until the next day. You see, Dragons horde treasure by nature, and so we're usually one of the more wealthy Monsters in society. My parents had done particularly well, and I never had to worry about anything. All it did was give me a false sense of my own worth. I thought I was invincible. A young, rich, strong and talented Dragon."

I take a sip of my tea, resting my hand on Sebastian's thigh under the blanket.

"That's why I signed the contract. I didn't think there were any consequences for someone like me. Of course, there were. Karl practically owned me. He was taking an 80% cut of my earnings, and had full decision making rights over me as a person."

I grip his leg in shock. "Couldn't you buy yourself out of the contract? You said your parents were wealthy."

"They were," he sighs. "But not wealthy enough. The buyout on the contact was set at $10 billion."

"Holy shit," I whisper. "That's crazy! You'd never make that as an artist, no matter how well you did."

"I know," he hangs his head. "I've been stuck doing whatever the fuck Karl wants since then. Don't get me wrong, he's signed me to Fortune Records, and he's helped my career become what it is. But it's all self-serving, because his cut is so big. He also makes my life incredibly difficult.

"He's the reason I did the Noma shoot, and why I did our PR dating. So I guess some good did come out of it."

He kisses my forehead gently, a fond smile on his face as he looks at me.

"Once he realized that we were actually seeing each other, he was definitely pissed. I think it's why he called me out of the studio on Monday. He doesn't want me to be happy, Flora…

"He released the song behind my back and he kept me busy on set, hiding my phone from me. He released the song, barely giving you a feature, and I can't even do anything about it." Sebastian tugs on his hair, frustrated.

I instantly feel guilty, "I'm so sorry I jumped to conclusions. I was just so angry, and I—"

"Shh…" he strokes my hair. "Your reaction was completely valid. You didn't jump to a conclusion, you were trying to give me a chance at first."

I'm so sad for him, how he has spent his career being manipulated by Karl and forced to do everything.

"But, how did he even get the song?"

"I have no idea," Sebastian tells me.

There was only one copy, and it was on the flash drive in my purse. Setting my tea on the table, I slip off the blanket and check my purse.

"It's gone." I drop my purse on the floor. "He must have gotten it somehow."

I think back to when I was in the break room. I had left my purse on the couch unattended while I spoke to Addison and Tabitha. Anyone could have gone in it and taken the drive.

"I'm going to help you get out of this," I resolve. "I don't know how yet, but we're getting you out of this, Sebastian."

He looks at me with hope in his eyes. I will do it, I'm going to figure out a plan to get him out of this contract. I move back to the couch. Instead of slipping back under the blanket and snuggling him, I sit on his lap and straddle him.

My hands feel tiny around his face as they cup him.

"I'm going to help you," I kiss his forehead.

"But first," his nose next.

"I'm going to fuck you." I kiss his lips as I reach between us and unbutton his pants. I stroke his cock between us as I kiss him deeply, I try to put all my feelings for him into that kiss. When he's nice and hard for me, I sink down onto him.

We groan together as he fills me. I fuck him slowly, intimately, showing him my feelings through my kisses and how I move on him. My heart feels full as we look at each other, and I hold back the tears that are threatening to spill over.

After a while, Sebastian lifts me slightly and thrusts up into me. He keeps a slow pace, but he sets a hard thrust. I orgasm around him as he slips his knot inside me.

Curling against his chest, we wait out his knot in silence. Sebastian strokes my hair until I fall asleep in his lap.