An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret

Sebastio watched Edie walk into the foyer of his apartment building—he owned the entire building—and saw the effect of her smile on the concierge. He scowled at the man and led Edie into the lift, and up to his floor. The top floor.

Her words came back to him. ‘You really couldn’t care less, could you?’ But the problem was that he did care. He’d just made an art out of pretending not to.

But seeing Victor’s picture in that paper earlier... His friend’s happiness had impacted Sebastio deeply—the man had lost everything and yet he obviously still had the capacity to love and seek joy.

Sebastio saw Edie out on the terrace that wrapped around the front of his apartment and welcomed the distraction from his brooding thoughts. He shrugged off his jacket and went to join her, pushing aside everything in his head except for her and indulging in this crazy chemistry.

It was part of the reason he’d asked her to come—because with a sense of something bordering on desperation he fully expected her appeal to wane, sooner rather than later... But not yet. He pressed close behind her, sliding his arms around her slim waist.

Edie put her hands on Sebastio’s over her belly. She felt the strangest sensation for a moment, light-headed, and gripped his arms tight as if she might fall.

He tensed. ‘Are you okay?’

It passed as quickly as it had come and Edie nodded. ‘Just hungry, probably. I should have eaten more on the plane.’

‘We’ll go out for some food, but first...’

Sebastio turned her around so her back was to the terrace wall and she was looking up at him. As stunning as Buenos Aires was, she knew which view she’d choose.

He pressed close. ‘How hungry are you?’

She felt his erection pressing into her soft flesh. Her body and mind melted. ‘Ravenous.’

She reached up and drew him down, touching her mouth to his, savouring the moment and the man, storing up every precious second like a miser.

* * *

‘Where are you now?’

‘In the cemetery, looking for Eva Peron’s grave.’

Sebastio smiled, imagining Edie with a frown on her face as she looked at the map.

‘Just follow the rest of the tourists—that’s probably the easiest way to find it.’

Last night, after they’d gone out for something to eat—very late—Edie had given him something in a bag and said shyly, ‘It’s just something silly. I never got you a Christmas present.’

Sebastio could still remember the tight feeling in his chest when he’d opened the bag and taken out a small furry toy dog. Edie had customised it with an eye-patch.

She’d said, ‘I know it probably doesn’t look anything like your grandmother’s dog, but maybe he’ll do until you get a dog of your own one day.’

Sebastio had been gobsmacked. First of all, no woman had ever given him a gift. And secondly, the chances of him ever getting a dog had always been somewhere between nil and zero. But suddenly, for a shimmering second before he’d been able to shut it down, the possibility had existed. Somewhere in the future.

The gesture had been incredibly sweet, and instead of making Sebastio feel claustrophobic, or like running a mile, it had only made him want her more.

He heard the low buzz of voices behind him and turned back to see a long table full of his diligent employees. His chief of staff was near the head of the table, and he looked at his watch and then at Sebastio expressively.

He was one of the few people Sebastio had kept on from his father’s days to help keep the transition smooth and Sebastio decided he’d now served his purpose. No one told him what to do.

He said to Edie, ‘Stay where you are. I’ll come and meet you.’

‘But how will you find me?’

‘Trust me. I’ll find you.’ She stood out like a beacon in Buenos Aires, with her pale skin and bright auburn hair.

Sebastio adjourned the meeting, telling his employees to take the rest of the day off and that he didn’t expect to see them until after the New Year. Then he took his chief of staff aside and informed him that he would be giving the man his notice and a very healthy severance package in the New Year.

When he walked out of the bank and got into the back of his car he felt truly light for the first time in a long time.