The Education of Sebastian & the Education of Caroline (38 page)

“You know, I just don’t see you two together. Was she always so … pneumatic?”

“Pneumatic?!”

He smirked then a shadow crossed over his face.

“Not always. I mean, she could be pretty full on—she liked being the center of attention, Homecoming Queen, all that kinda shit. It wasn’t really my scene—it was one of the things we used to argue about. But she could be really sweet and fun, too.”

It was my own fault for asking, but I really didn’t want to hear her described that way. My sympathy for her took an early bath.

“What happened?” It was none of my business but now I
really
wanted to know. “Why did she change?”

He shrugged and lay on his back, folding his hands under his head.

“Some of her friends were sleeping with their boyfriends and she thought we should, too. I just thought it was lame to do it just because her friends were.”

“And you were never tempted?”

“Yes and no. I thought about it a lot…” Then he smiled. “Not as much as I think about having sex with you, but yeah, I thought about it. We got close a couple of times. I’d pretty much made up mind I was going to…”

“Hence practicing with the condom?”

He reddened and didn’t reply.

“So what stopped you?”

“Ches told me he’d seen her making out with some other guy. He wouldn’t tell me who so I figured it was probably someone I knew … I thought maybe Jack … she denied it—at first, then blamed it on having too much to drink. But that just finished it for me. I thought … I thought I must be something special if she wanted to … with me, but … I guess not.”

I leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

“Well, I think you’re
very
special; and Brenda’s loss is my gain. Although, I’m surprised she thought you’d take her back after that.”

He smiled. “She said she didn’t believe I was seeing anyone—that I was just making it up to get back at her.”

“Well, hopefully she’ll go on thinking that.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because as long as she’s thinking that, then she’s not suspecting me. I mean, let’s face it, you couldn’t have been more damned obvious yesterday!”

He looked hurt. “I hardly even spoke to you!”

“Sebastian, you were staring at me the whole time. Even when she heaved her enormous tits up in her bikini top, you didn’t look at her. She must have thought you’d gone blind.”

“Enormous tits!” He laughed loudly. “Yeah, I guess they are kind of hard to miss. But I prefer yours.”

“I thought all men liked women with big breasts?”

He nuzzled my hair. “I’m more of an ass man,” and he ran his hands over my backside, squeezing gently, to emphasize his point.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it, because I definitely can’t compete with her on … chest volume.”

He chuckled quietly and continued stroking my back as I snuggled closer.

Then his hands stilled and he seemed deep in thought.

“I was wondering,” he said softly, “can I ask you something … about you and David.”

Uh oh.

“What were you wondering?”

“How you got together in the first place. You don’t seem to have much in common.”

Or, in fact, anything at all
.

“He was stationed at the Base near where I lived. I’d gone to the drugstore to pick up something for my mom and he drove up in this cute little sports car—a Corvette—electric blue. He was in uniform and he just came up and started talking. I couldn’t believe he was interested in me
—sophisticated older man.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I just saw what I wanted to see—and I was desperate to leave home.”

He nodded. “I totally get that.”

“I was in my senior year, so … when he proposed, I said yes.”

“Did … did you love him?”

“I convinced myself I did—at first. But I soon realized I’d made a mistake. I just didn’t have anywhere to go back to. Mom made it pretty clear I’d made my bed; and Papa—he just did as he was told. Besides, I got to travel—a bit.”

He was silent for a moment but I could tell he still had more questions. Eventually he cleared his throat and tried to sound casual.

“When did you and … him first … um…?”

“First have sex?”

“Well, yeah.”

He had a right to know
—he’d told me all about Brenda.

“It was a week before my eighteenth birthday. There’d been some event up at the Base—my first big formal. I’d loved all the dressing up—it seemed so glamorous to me.” I took a deep breath. “We did it on the passenger seat of his car. It was … unpleasant. It hurt.”

“Have you…?” He bit his lip, unable to finish the question.

“Have I what?”

“I know I have no right to ask, Caro, but since … since me and you … have you … slept … with him?”

I could tell this was a question he’d wanted to ask me for a while.

“No, tesoro. I haven’t let him touch me since our first night together.”

I didn’t think he needed to hear that I’d jerked David off instead.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, tesoro. It’s only since I’ve met you that I’ve known what it’s like to make love;
really
make love.”

And I kissed him, desperately, passionately, to show him that I meant every word. He held me to him, our mouths locked together, breathing each other in.

“Don’t go back to him tonight, Caro, please.”

“I have to, Sebastian. After I drop you off at the club, I’m going to check out those rooms. I’m sure one of them will do. I’ll put down a deposit and move my stuff in tomorrow. Then, when I’ve got somewhere to go, I’ll tell him that I want a divorce
—tomorrow evening. I’ll be able to go straight away.”

“I don’t like leaving you with that asshole! You don’t know what he’ll do! He could hurt you again!”

Sebastian’s body filled with tension and his hands were balled into fists at his sides.

“He won’t hurt me. Yesterday evening was an accident. Yes, he’s a bastard, but he’s not like
that
.”

It was clear that he didn’t believe me. Perhaps he needed David to be as big a bastard as his father.

“I can come over tomorrow morning and help you pack,” he offered, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.

“There won’t be much
—just my clothes and a few bits and pieces.”

“I want to help.”

“It’s probably best if I do it myself after he’s gone to work tomorrow. I’ll meet you after I’ve moved into the new place.”

He scowled, unhappy with my plan.

“Sebastian, I have to do this by myself. It’s my mess—I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“If he lays one finger on you, I’ll fucking crucify him!”

“He won’t. I promise. I’ll be fine.” I glanced at my watch. “Look, we should go now. You have to be at work in half an hour.”

“I mean it, Caro, I’ll rip his fucking arms off!”

I didn’t think there was any point replying so I picked up my empty bottle and Sebastian’s can and shoved them in my purse, and waited for him to get off the picnic blanket so I could fold it.

He stood up and pulled his t-shirt on but his expression was still angry.

“Hey, come here!”

I dropped my bag on the floor and wrapped my arms around him, willing his tension and anger away.

“We’ve just got one more day to get through and then I’ll be free of him. One more day, tesoro. Just one more day. We can do it.”

After that we walked back to the car in silence but I could tell his mind was still mulling over everything I’d told him. I hoped it would be busy at the club to help distract him.

As I drove, my right foot started to feel very sore. I glanced down and noticed that the dressing was wet. Damn. The blister must have burst. I really needed to re-do it before I started traipsing around the city or it would be a lot worse. I decided to ask at the club’s reception to see if they’d let me use their First Aid Kit, once I’d dropped Sebastian at the parking lot. I really didn’t want to give him another reason to imagine doing violence to David.

“Can I see you tonight?” he said, his eyes already knowing my answer.

“No, I need to pack and sort out a few things. I’ll text you tomorrow when … I’ve moved.”

He sighed and got out of the car, then stood, waiting for me to leave.

“I … have to go and check up on something in reception,” I said. “I’ll text you later.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

He walked away, his hands jammed in his pockets. I could tell he felt miserable from the set of his shoulders—and because I felt exactly the same way.

I waited for him to disappear out of sight, then headed to reception where I explained my predicament.

“Of course, ma’am,” said the helpful receptionist. “I’ll just send for one of our first aiders.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary, I can do it myself.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” she said, not sounding at all sorry. “I have to call it in.”

She made a call and a few moments later Ches came striding over, a look of surprise on his face when he saw me.

“Hi, Caroline. How are you?”

“Good thanks, Ches. You?”

“I got a call that someone needed first aid?”

“Yes, this lady here needs some help,” said the receptionist, obviously having one ear tuned to our conversation.

“It’s nothing, really,” I said hastily.

“I’ll take Mrs. Wilson to the med room, Nancy,” said Ches, to the receptionist.

She nodded and returned to her computer screen, having already lost interest.

Reluctantly, I followed him. If I’d known what a fuss was going to be made, I’d have waited until I could have gotten to a pharmacy in town.

It felt awkward being alone in the small room with Ches. He looked uncomfortable, too, shifting around from foot to foot. Maybe he thought I was going to leap on him.

“I just need to change a dressing on my foot,” I said quietly. “Do you have some gauze and tape?”

“Sure. You want me to do that?”

“No, that’s fine, thank you, Ches. I’ll be fine.”

I sat down on the low hospital bed and rolled up my pants leg to my ankle, then tugged gently on the gauze. It was stuck fast. I was going to have to yank it off
—and it was going to hurt.

I took a deep breath and pulled hard
—a huge flap of skin came away with the gauze. My foot looked like raw meat.

“Wow! That looks bad,” said Ches, his eyes anxious. “I think maybe a doctor should see that.”

Then he blushed, remembering that I was married to a doctor.

We heard voices outside and Sebastian burst in, a worried looking Nancy hot on his heels.

“Caro! Are you okay?”

Damn it! Hadn’t he listened when I’d told him to be more discreet?

“I’m fine, thank you,” I said as calmly as possible. “Ches is looking after me.”

Perhaps noting my chilly reception, or Ches’s panicked look, Sebastian took the hint and closed the door in the face of the nosey Nancy.

“Dude, that looks pretty bad to me,” Ches said quietly to Sebastian, pointing at my foot.

“I’m fine,” I repeated, not at all happy to be the subject of their combined attention. It was like being a particularly ugly zoo exhibit.

“What happened?” said Ches.

“Just a silly accident.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” snarled Sebastian. “Her bastard husband did that to her. Show him the rest of your burns!”

He yanked up my pants leg and Ches’s eyes scrunched up in horror.

“It was an accident,” I whispered again, pushing his hands away.

I couldn’t take the pity I saw on Ches’s face and the anger on Sebastian’s.

To the accompaniment of their silent stares, I cleaned the wound with some saline, applied a thick layer of antibiotic cream and covered it up again. Sebastian’s eyes watched every move I made. Ches was desperately ill at ease; I decided to help him out—and reduce the excess of tension in the room.

“Ches, could you give us a moment, please?”

“Sure, sure. Seb, I’ll see you later, man.”

Sebastian nodded but didn’t look at Ches as he ducked out of the room.

“I want to kill him!” he said between gritted teeth.

“Sebastian, please don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he snarled.

“Make things harder for me.”

He blinked, his expression changing from fury to hurt.

“How am I making things harder? I just want to help. I love you!”

“I know that, but right now what I need is for you to be calm and in control. If you keep charging in on your white horse to save me, people will start to notice.”
If they haven’t already.
“And the last thing, the
last
thing I need right now is for
anyone
to see you treating me as anything other than just another member here. Do you understand?”