Edie wanted to squirm under Sebastio’s intense regard. No man had ever looked at her so closely. She was still trying to get her bearings as the very sleek and beautiful guests around her chatted and sipped expensive wine.
When she’d arrived in the doorway she’d almost turned and run, totally intimidated by the monied crowd. Even though they weren’t as formally dressed as the other night, they were still intimidating.
She’d seen Sebastio straight away, standing head and shoulders above everyone else. Not in a tuxedo this time, but no less breathtaking in a three-piece suit.
He’d met her eye, and before she could lose her nerve he’d been cutting a swathe through the crowd to get to her. The sheer force of his charisma had held her motionless, and the next thing he’d been leading her into the crowd, and she’d been trying not to look as self-conscious as she felt.
But she did feel self-conscious. Desperately. As if everyone here could see under the fancy dress and know that she was still inexperienced and awkward.
Why had he asked her here? Because he knew that, in spite of her brave words the other night, she still wanted him with a hunger bordering on desperation? Because he knew she would be easy to seduce?
Just the faintest touch of his hand on the bare skin of her back as he’d propelled her through the crowd had been enough to send her pulse into triple time. She didn’t want to look down because she could feel her nipples, tight and hard against the sheer lace of her bra. Were they visible under the thin silk?
Embarrassment rose up in a hot wave. She never should have succumbed to the temptation to put on this dress and attend the party.
She was about to open her mouth and make an excuse when Sebastio said in a low voice, just for her ears, ‘I want you, Edie.’
She looked at him. She didn’t doubt what he said. It resonated in her body, setting off a chain reaction of sensations. Prickling heat under her skin. Awareness down low in her belly. Damp heat between her legs.
Past and present meshed for a moment, and the humiliation Edie had felt four years ago jarred painfully with Sebastio’s declaration now. He sounded so nonchalant, as if he told women all the time that he wanted them. And of course he did! He was a consummate lover. Hadn’t she seen him in action four years ago? Surrounded by beauties before kissing one of them and making sure that Edie saw it.
Edie felt more than exposed now. She felt as if he’d reached inside her head, taken out her deepest yearnings and fantasies, and was now teasing her with them. Because he could.
She reacted from that place of hurt and humiliation and said, without thinking, ‘Just because you rejected me four years ago, please don’t feel like you owe me anything...’
The words were out and hanging between them, and Edie saw Sebastio frowning just as the full realisation hit her of what she’d said. Before she could utter another word, he spoke.
‘Rejection? What are you talking about? I didn’t even know you four years ago.’
Instant panic flooded Edie and she gabbled, ‘It doesn’t matter. Forget I said anything.’
She turned to leave but Sebastio caught her arm, restraining her. At the same moment two men came up to them, seeking to speak with Sebastio. His hand tightened on her arm and Sebastio said something to the men that made them step away for a moment. They were looking at Edie curiously and she managed to pull free of Sebastio’s hand.
He must have sensed her intention to run as far and as fast as she could. He stood in front of her. Stern. ‘Do not leave. This conversation is not over, Edie.’
Oh, yes, it is, she thought to herself.
‘Forget I said anything—it was nonsense.’
She backed away and Sebastio frowned again, saying warningly, ‘Edie...’
Before he could touch her again Edie turned and fled, putting her glass of champagne down on a table as she left. She walked blindly across the reception hall and found herself in the main library, with its floor-to-ceiling shelves and its smell of old leather. A curiously comforting smell.
She walked over to a window and wrapped her arms around herself. Big fat snowflakes were falling outside, but that fact barely registered on her consciousness.
Her heart was pounding and she thought, What have I done? The last thing she’d wanted to do was draw Sebastio’s attention to the fact that they’d met before. It was excruciating.
She’d never expected to see him again, and she’d certainly never expected to be in a situation where she did meet him again and there was this explosive chemistry between them. It had been so close to her fantasies that she’d automatically assumed he was privy to them on some level. That he was using that knowledge to tease her because he couldn’t possibly really want her.
But of course he couldn’t know her secret fantasies. And all she’d done was expose herself spectacularly.
That kiss the other night hadn’t felt like a fantasy. It had felt all too real. Edie quivered just thinking about it.
She heard some movement coming from the main hall, but was too afraid of seeing Sebastio to go outside and investigate what was happening. So she hid in the library and told herself that she would return to her flat in Islington in the morning. There would be no need for her to stay the weekend. She and Jimmy would have plenty of time to re-dress the house in time for the next party early next week.
She needed to get away from the disturbing orbit of Sebastio’s presence before he saw through her completely and realised how utterly flimsy her defences were. She might have fantasised about being a match for him, but she knew she wasn’t.
* * *