Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 45

By the time Carter chased him out to the deck, Sebastian was leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette.

The ocean breeze was strong, whipping at the hem of his coat, tearing the ash from his cigarette and scattering it into the deep sea.

Carter pulled out his own pack, clamped a cigarette between his teeth, and leaned in to borrow a light. He took a deep drag, the exhaled smoke instantly obliterated by the wind.

"Man," he said, leaning casually against the railing and shooting him a sidelong glance. "Since when did you get so damn stubborn? Ms. Monroe in there clearly doesn't have eyes for you. What makes this any different from three years ago?"

Sebastian didn't say a word, just took another drag, his eyes locked on the distant horizon.

The boundary between sky and sea was nothing but a blurred gray line.

After finishing his cigarette, he stubbed it out in the ashtray.

"Aren't you just as stubborn?" he asked.

Carter blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sebastian turned to look at him. "You cycle through girlfriends one after another, yet you still haven't found anyone you actually like, have you?"

"That's complete bullshit," Carter choked out, his neck stiffening defensively. "I'm just enjoying life and having fun. You wouldn't understand."

Sebastian let out a soft scoff, not even bothering to call him out.

Carter fell silent for a moment. The sea breeze tossed his messy hair, giving him the quintessential look of a wealthy playboy.

"Seriously, though," he said, turning to look Sebastian in the eye. "Falling out with your childhood buddy over a woman. Do you really think it's worth it? Especially when you don't even know if it'll go anywhere."

Sebastian stared out at the ocean. Broken sunlight danced on the water, swaying gently with the tide.

The glare was almost blinding.

He turned back to Carter, his eyes devoid of warmth. "So you agree with how Zachary operates?"

"Hell no!" Carter immediately fired back, his voice rising an octave. "I might play around, but I never two-time anyone."

"Exactly."

Carter had his own code. If he liked someone, he stayed with them; if he didn't, he broke it off.

He never juggled two or more women at the same time.

Furthermore, not even Audrina knew this agreement existed.

"I'd have to ask my dad about that," Carter said.

"Look into the terms of the agreement for me. Keep it quiet."

Sebastian turned and walked away.

Carter stood there for two full seconds before his brain caught up.

He yelled at Sebastian's retreating back, "You think this is like checking the tracking on an Amazon package? Just 'look into it'? You think a document like that is something I can just casually grab—"

"That's your problem."

"...Fuck."

Wasn't this just setting him up to fail? In his dad's eyes, he was nothing but a useless trust fund baby.

Grumbling curses under his breath, Carter turned around and headed back inside. As soon as he rounded the corner, he collided face-first into something soft.