An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret

‘Edie, I’d like to introduce you to someone.’

Edie’s feet were glued to the floor. She could not believe this was happening.

And through the shock all she could think was, Would he recognise her? Her rational brain told her, Of course not. They’d barely spoken that night. She’d looked far different from how she looked now. And yet she couldn’t deny the tripping of her pulse, the breathless sense of anticipation.

Her boss said, ‘Edie, this is Mr Sebastio Rivas—Mr Rivas, this is Edie Munroe, one of our display artists.’

She stepped forward. The space, which was small anyway, now felt Lilliputian. Edie forced herself to look at him and her heart thudded to a stop. He was exactly how she remembered. Albeit slightly more groomed. His hair was still too long, but not as messy. The top button of his shirt was closed and his tie was pristine. She felt the strangest impulse to loosen it for him, as if she could sense that he felt constricted.

Crazy. He was a stranger. He had been then, and he still was. He was looking at her intently, but with no apparent spark of recognition. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

He held out his hand. It was big and masculine. She had a memory flash of that hand on her bare upper arm, steadying her. When she’d walked over to him in the club someone had bumped into her from behind, pitching her forward. His hand had circled her whole arm.

She realised that he was looking at her a little quizzically and that her boss was clearing her throat discreetly. Mortified to have been caught in her moment, Edie quickly put her hand in his. It disappeared. That same jolt of electricity she’d felt four years ago sizzled in her blood and she pulled her hand back, doing her best to hide her reaction. And her shock.

‘It’s nice to meet you.’

She forced herself to look at him again. She noticed how grey his eyes were. Almost like steel. He had long dark lashes that only enhanced his physicality. Much like that ridiculously sensual mouth.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Munroe.’

Her toes curled at his deep and accented voice.

Her boss spoke. ‘Mr Rivas has a proposition for you, Edie. Will you come with us to discuss it?’

She knew this wasn’t a request. ‘Of course. Jimmy will be back soon—he can get on with the rest of the decorating.’

Her boss made a small approving noise and went back out into the main shop. Sebastio Rivas indicated for Edie to go before him. She slipped out through the door, acutely conscious of him behind her, and she spotted more than one woman do a double-take as they walked past.

It brought back a flood of memories from that night. The way her heart had been pounding so hard after she’d walked over to him. Pounding with desire and nerves. It had been at that moment when someone had jostled her from behind and she’d pitched forward helplessly.

He’d put his hand around her arm to steady her and looked at her. ‘Who are you?’ His voice had been sharp. Almost accusatory.

Edie had stuttered out, ‘N-no one. I just... I wanted to come and speak to you. I saw you...from across the room. You were looking at me too...and I thought... I thought you might want to speak to me...’

His gaze had swept her up and down with an almost clinical disregard. The connection that had borne her aloft to do such an audacious thing had suddenly felt very tenuous. Suddenly she’d been very aware of her hot itchy head and the skimpy dress that felt far too skimpy.

She’d also become acutely conscious of the thick VIP rope, separating him and his friends from everyone else. And her. She’d become aware of the stunning women orbiting around him—women Edie couldn’t hope to compete with. Women with abundant curves and thick luxurious hair. Confident.

One of those women had come up to the man and slid an arm through his, pressing close. He’d glanced down at her, and then back to Edie, letting her arm go while saying, ‘There’s nothing for you here. You should run along.’

Edie had stood there, her arm tingling from his touch and her insides seizing with humiliation that she’d got it so wrong. He’d pulled the woman into his body and bent his head to kiss her, so explicitly that the men in his party had started cat-calling and wolf-whistling.

It had taken witnessing that final humiliation before Edie had turned blindly away and pushed her way back through the crowd...

‘Sorry, I’ll just be a moment.’

Edie blinked. She hadn’t even noticed the journey to her boss’s office, or the fact that Helen had obviously been called away by another staff member. But suddenly she became aware, as the door closed behind her, that she was now in a tiny room with Sebastio Rivas.

She’d only known who he was after she’d realised that he and all his friends were the Argentinian rugby team. After she’d got home that night she’d looked them up on the internet to find out that he was the captain. Their most prized asset. And the world’s most successful rugby fly half.

Sebastio Rivas was looking at her.

Edie pushed aside the onslaught of memories and cleared her throat. ‘Er... Helen said you had a...proposition?’

Instead of answering her question he asked, ‘Your accent—where is it from?’

Edie’s face grew warm. ‘It’s Scottish. I’m from a town just outside Edinburgh.’