A Deal with Benefits by Susanna Carr

question. A trio of beautiful women were standing in front of Sebastian. She didn’t know which one asked the question. They all looked similar with their smooth hair, flawless makeup and colorful dresses that wrapped around them like skimpy bath towels.
    “She’s recuperating well,” Sebastian replied before he smoothly changed the subject. Within moments he had the group of women giggling and fawning all over him.
    Ashley wondered if she was the only one who noticed the way his features softened at the mention of his mother. Or the flash of worry in his eyes before he banked it. She wished she hadn’t seen it. She didn’t want to know anything about him. The less she knew about his private life, the better.
    What they shared was a business agreement and she needed to keep an emotional distance. She was having a short-term sexual relationship with Sebastian and she wasn’t required to love, respect or even like the man.
    So what if he had been the most fascinating and exciting man when they first met? Sebastian had been playing a role. Or had he? She thought she had seen glimpses of the real Sebastian during the quieter moments on Inez Key. It was as if the island life had pulled away the harsh mask and revealed his romantic nature.
    That was not his true character, she reminded herself fiercely as disappointment rested heavily in her chest. She wasn’t going to be like her mother, who clung to her benefactor’s rare thoughtful gestures and created a fairy-tale love story out of it. There was nothing Sebastian could do to make her think he was anything other than a cold-hearted and ruthless womanizer.
    “Sebastian!”
    Ashley lifted her head when she heard a booming male voice over the music. She saw a large, muscular man approach Sebastian with his arms outstretched. The stranger was about the same age as Sebastian but was built like a giant. The curvy blonde woman at his side looked tiny in comparison.
    “Omar,” Sebastian greeted. Ashley was startled by Sebastian’s wide smile and the way his face lit up before he embraced his friend.
    She was more surprised that Sebastian had friends. Sebastian could be charming and a scintillating conversationalist, but for some reason, she assumed he was a loner. An outsider.
    “And who is this?” Omar asked, gesturing at Ashley while Sebastian gave the other woman a kiss on the cheek.
    Ashley felt a twinge of fear. Omar was obviously a good friend. Would Sebastian lie to spare her embarrassment? Why would he do that? Yes, he’d made her a promise, but his friend was going to be more important than a temporary mistress.
    She didn’t trust Sebastian. She had to get in front of this before he showed just how little power she had in this arrangement. Ashley thrust out her hand to Omar. “I’m Ashley.”
    Sebastian wrapped a proprietary arm around her waist as his friend shook her hand. “Omar and I grew up in the same neighborhood before he became a football star.”
    Ashley nodded as she tried to fit this new information in with what she knew about Sebastian. She didn’t expect him to value friendships from his old world. She had seen a few self-made men who had discarded old friends while in pursuit of making strategic alliances. Sebastian wasn’t as ruthless or driven as she thought.
    “And this is my wife, Crystal,” Omar introduced the blonde.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Ashley said as she greeted Omar’s wife. The woman was beautiful, but Ashley recognized the subtle signs of multiple cosmetic surgeries. Most of the women she knew while growing up had the same unlined forehead, puffy lips and enhanced breasts.
    “I like your dress,” Crystal said as the two men started speaking to each other in Spanish.
    “Thank you,” Ashley said as she pulled at the short hem. She was still uncomfortable in it, but it wasn’t as revealing as Crystal’s. Most of the women in the club wore dresses that were staying on their bodies with little more than