An Innocent, a Seduction, a Secret

Edie

He stared at it for a long minute.

Thank you for the opportunities...

Was she including the unburdening of her innocence in that? Sebastio had a white-hot memory flash of how it had felt to thrust into Edie’s body that first time. The exquisite torture of it as he’d had to control himself so as not to hurt her.

His first cynical thought was that she was playing some game. Running away so he’d go after her. But almost immediately it rang hollow. She didn’t play games. She wouldn’t know how.

Sebastio threw the note down and went to the window of his office. He could see the guests arriving now in their droves and he felt sick.

The black and white of his tuxedo was reflected in the window. He’d never felt like this before—unmoored.

Why the hell had she left?

* * *

It was Christmas Eve and Edie was walking home from the local shop, where everyone had been panic-buying before everything shut down in a few hours. The beautiful, pristine snow had turned to slush in the last few days and the air was bitingly cold with thick leaden skies overhead.

The glinting, winking Christmas lights and decorations nearby looked garish and cheap, and Edie told herself a little caustically that Sebastio had ruined her for Christmas.

She tried not to think of Sebastio and what his reaction would have been when he got her note. He wouldn’t have been happy, because he didn’t like anything happening that wasn’t on his terms. But she figured that he wouldn’t have been too bothered. He would have gone down to the party and soon forgotten about Edie.

She clamped down on the stupid sense of self-pity. She’d never indulged in it before and wasn’t about to start now.

She’d spoken to her parents earlier, and they’d sounded so delighted with themselves in the Bahamas that it had made up for everything.

Even falling for Sebastio? a small voice whispered.

Edie fiercely denied it to herself, but it rang hollow.

Jimmy had been sweet enough to invite Edie to spend Christmas Day with him and his family, but she’d declined, preferring the thought of being alone so she could try and get over the impact Sebastio had had on her life.

On her heart.

As she approached the tall white house where she lived on the top floor, she told herself stoutly that lots of people spent Christmas alone. With no decorations. Or presents. Or a fancy turkey dinner with all the trimmings. She could do this. She’d be fine.

But her treacherous mind automatically wandered to what Sebastio would be doing for Christmas. Maybe he’d already left the country now that his social engagements were over?

So when Edie heard her name being called by a familiar voice she thought she was having an aural hallucination. She scowled as she stuck her key in the door, but it came again, with a trace of irritation this time.

‘Edie...’

The irritation convinced her it must be real. She turned around slowly, to see Sebastio standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to her house. She blinked. He didn’t disappear.

He was dressed in black trousers and a black top. A long dark overcoat with the collar turned up. When she allowed herself to believe he wasn’t an apparition giddy joy rushed through her before she could stop it. She’d really believed she wouldn’t see him again.

And then the joy was diluted by a delayed sense of self-preservation kicking in. She came down until she was at his eye level on the bottom step. Somehow it didn’t make her feel as if she had any advantage.

‘Sebastio. What are you doing here?’

He looked grim. ‘Why did you leave before the party?’

Edie glanced away for a moment. And then back. She moved aside to let some people up the steps. She saw their curious glances at Sebastio, and then he caught her arm and tugged her aside. Even through her thick Puffa jacket she could feel the impact of his touch, her nerve-endings tingling.

‘Edie, we can’t talk here. Let’s go up to your apartment.’

Panic spiked at the thought of being alone with him in her tiny intimate space. ‘No.’