An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret

She didn’t say anything. Just pulled her arm free and went upstairs.

Sebastio curbed the urge to go after her and remind her of what they’d shared over the past couple of days. He had the uncomfortable feeling that something had just slipped out of his grasp.

* * *

The following evening Edie was no less confused about Sebastio’s declaration. ‘This isn’t over.’

She paced back and forth in her bedroom, eyeing the glossy black box on her bed. Another box. Containing another beautiful dress to seduce her with?

Edie knew she wanted Sebastio. He didn’t need to buy her beautiful dresses in order to seduce her. She couldn’t imagine a day when she wouldn’t want him. That was what scared her.

When she had seen the helicopter arriving and taking off yesterday she’d felt relieved for a second, thinking that Sebastio’s absence might actually help her rationalise how she was feeling. And then Matteo had given her a note.

I have to go into town. I’ll be back tomorrow in time for the party.

I want you there, Edie.

SR

Suddenly she’d been in turmoil again. She’d felt excitement, desire and panic, all mixed together. Panic because she really wasn’t sure she could let this go any further without getting seriously hurt.

She stopped and looked at the box as if it was a ticking bomb. Eventually, because she couldn’t resist, she went and opened it, pushing back the layers of gold tissue paper. Gold!

She lifted out a dress so stunning in its elegant simplicity that she gasped. It was black lace with a nude lining. Off the shoulder, long and straight. Cap sleeves. The material was so delicate it felt like air in her hands.

There were matching black shoes and underwear. A strapless bra. Panties. Stockings.

It was bad enough that she

’d actually told Sebastio she’d fantasised about being with him. It was as if there was no corner of her mind that he wasn’t privy to now. And Edie knew that if she was to indulge in this for a moment longer she’d be heading for a fall she might never recover from.

She was nothing to Sebastio. An anomaly. A fleeting moment of lust that would soon burn out for him.

She put the dress back in the box. She couldn’t do this. She’d never been someone who couldn’t face up to reality and now she really needed to face up to reality.

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘SHE’S WHAT?’

‘She’s gone, Sebastio. She left with Jimmy earlier. There’s a note in your office.’

For a moment after Matteo had walked away, Sebastio simply did not believe what he’d said. No one walked away from him. Not since he’d been a child, when he’d become so inured to watching his parents walk away that he’d vowed never to let anyone else have that power over him.

He felt as if someone had just punched him in the chest. Winded. That sensation he’d had the previous day of something slipping out of his grasp mocked him.

He went into his office and closed the door behind him. He saw the small piece of paper on his desk and went over. Something else was starting to fill him now. Anger.

He picked it up. Read the neat, concise writing.

Dear Sebastio,

I hope you won’t be too inconvenienced if I leave now, as the last party is tonight.

I hope you’ll find that everything is in order. I will, of course, be back to ensure the efficient removal of the Christmas dressing at an appropriate time.

Thank you for the opportunities you’ve given me, Sebastio.

All the best,