“I think that decision is between Sebastian and me”, Paige said sweetly.
She was digging a hole that she had no idea how she was going to crawl out of.
Elizabeth stared at her in disgust, “I’ll have your belongings delivered to you by the end of the day”.
“Don’t bother. I think I’ll go see Sebastian and find out his take on the matter”, Elizabeth’s eyes widened in alarm, “And you can have the silk robe you borrowed the other night. Jasmine is definitely not my scent at all”, she wrinkled her nose in disgust and Elizabeth bristled.
“How dare you insult me like this?”
“If you don’t mind, I was on my way out,” Paige retraced her steps back to her front door with the expectation that Elizabeth would do the same.
She’d had enough of this conversation; she wanted Elizabeth out of her house, immediately.
Elizabeth paused at the threshold and stared at Paige in disgust, “Just a little reminder, I always get what I want”, she laughed derisively, “and I almost forgot, Brad doesn’t like redheads”.
Paige didn’t consider herself a violent person but at that moment she would take great pleasure in kicking Elizabeth’s well-bred ass down the stairs. She sagged in relief, against the door as Elizabeth’s chauffeur driven car drove away from her gate. Elizabeth had no right to intrude on her space like this, Paige raged, but she was proud that she’d hadn’t crumbled under the pressure of her cold blue eyes and piercing words.
She frowned as a puzzling thought occurred to her. The fact that Elizabeth had sought her out could only mean that she saw Paige as a threat, which was nothing short of insane. Thus it would be safe to assume that all was not well between her and Sebastian. But that could mean any number of things when it came to Sebastian Bradley? Paige reasoned as she steered the pickup unto the roadway.
There was only one way to find out, she decided, she would have to pay a visit to the Upper East Side. She checked her schedule as she got to the hospital’s parking Lot, to ascertain that Mrs. Willoughby’s masquerading ball was, in fact, tonight. Immediately creating a mental checklist when she discovered that she was correct and hastening her steps. She had a lot to do before tonight, but first, she needed a date. Incase her name had been removed from the guest list.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
PAIGE SECURED THE GOLD FILIGREE eye mask over her face and appraised herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom, one last time. Though she was a bit skeptical of the open-back dress with its plunging neckline and centre slit that started at her mid-thighs; she decided it would have to do. Grabbing her coat and gold purse, she rushed down the stairs as fast as her golden platform shoes would allow her as the doorbell chimed insistently.
“Wow”, Brandon exclaimed as she opened the door, “Are you sure you don’t want Brad to come and pick you up?” and she laughed.
She’d told him that she wanted to surprise Sebastian but she needed him to take her to the event. She shook her head sadly; she was becoming such a proficient liar; or were they just half-truths, she countered herself. Regardless; she needed to get a leash on her disorderly life before her sins caught up with her, she reasoned as she shrugged into her coat and allowed him to lead her to his car. She supposed she could take a cab home after the ball.
“I hope you don’t mind me driving”, he said as he opened the door for her; “I like the freedom of being my own driver”.
“That’s ok”, she spared him a smile as she settled into the car and he slid into the driver’s seat, “I don’t mind at all”.
They discussed rising food trends for the remainder of the journey, but she couldn’t help the tightening of her stomach as she neared their destination. Her heart lodged in her throat as Brandon assisted her out of the car and led her into the ballroom.
The ballroom fell silent for a moment; all eyes trained on her red and gold splendor and she blushed, bright red.
“Awkward, awkward”, she murmured below her breathe; extra conscious of the swishing of her dress around her ankles and praying that she didn’t fall on her face.
“Relax, you’re wearing a mask. Chances are no one even recognizes us.”
He had donned his black eye mask with emerald gems to match his shirt and tie; paired with a form fitting black jacket suit.
She relaxed a bit as most of the attention diverted from them and she searched the crowd for his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him. He was dressed in full black; the half-mask covering one side of his face, giving him a dangerous edge and heightening his rugged beauty. His visible eye flashed angrily as he strode purposefully towards them and her heart hammered against her ribcage. She wanted to run and hide from his black fury but she stood her ground.
What right did he have to be angry? He was the one who had shacked up with his ex, she thought, her own ire rising.
“Brandon”, he didn’t even spare a glance for his friend.
There were lines of fatigue under his eye and his expression was as hard as granite. She could sense an emotional distance in him and she wanted to crawl into a dark room and free the raw howls of pain trapped inside her.
“Hey Brad”, he must have guessed at Sebastian’s dark mood because he backed away from her.
“Dance with me”, Sebastian commanded and drew her roughly against his sturdy chest.
She was immediately enveloped in the warm muskiness of him and the past few days drifted further and further away with each passing second.
“That’s a low blow, even for you”, his hard tone seemed to break the trance, “don’t you think?”
She frowned in confusion, “I don’t know what you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me”, he twirled her away from him suddenly and hauled her back to his chest, “you come here on my best friend’s arm, in a dress that would tempt a saint and expect me to believe that your intentions are pure”.
She flushed with embarrassment, “don’t be silly Sebastian, he merely accompanied me here”.
He scoffed; a predatory smile curling his lips, “just remember one thing”, he whispered against her ear, “you’re mine”.
As if to cement his claim, one hand splayed on the exposed skin of her back while the other traced the base of the split in her dress and she gasped. Her eyes darted around the dimly lit ballroom to ascertain that no one was watching them. She flinched as she met Elizabeth’s lace covered eyes watching them, with barely concealed contempt, and she was suddenly reminded of her initial reason for attending the ball.
“Relax, no one can see what we’re doing”, his lips closed over a sensitive spot on her neck; his tongue making swirling motions and liquid heat spread through her limbs; disrupting her thoughts.
His hand slipped beneath the split of her dress; stroking her legs, her calves and finally the apex of her thighs. And she bit her lips to prevent herself from moaning in delight as the ballroom and its occupants drifted away.
To an onlooker it would seem as if they were caught in a tight embrace as they waltz to the slow tune. No one would guess the sinfully delicious things he was doing to her. He growled in his throat as his finger parted her nether-lips and her knees wobbled.
“I want you”, he breathed hotly into her ear and she shivered with need.
He halted his sweet assault on her body to twirl her from the dance floor before stealthily leading her down a barely lit hallway and into a dark room. Closing the door firmly behind them, he pulled her into his arms for a scorching kiss.
They should slow down, talk first, her brain insisted but her body was like a raging inferno and only he could douse the demolishing flames.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
“SEBASTIAN…WAIT, WHAT IF THERE’S A CAMERA IN HERE”, she mumbled between kisses, fighting to regain her senses.
“I always check out a building before I enter it”, he murmured, trailing a hot path down her neck as he pinched her hardened nipples through her dress and she was lost.
“Wh
at if someone catches us?”
“I locked the door but who cares.”
He located a chair and flopped unto it; pulling her to stand before him. Hoisting one of her feet between his legs on the chair; he bunched the flap of her dress behind her back and guided her hand to hold it in place. He stroked the velvety skin of her exposed leg with his tongue; growling in frustration as he inched further and met her lacy underwear.
She panted with lust as he ripped the offending garment and his tongue teased the pulsing flesh at the juncture of her thighs. She bit her lips to prevent the scream she felt tickling at her throat as he ravaged her sensitive flesh with his lips and tongue.
“Sebastian, please…” she begged breathlessly, “I’m gonna scream”.
He chuckled and she shivered in pleasure as his warm breath fanned the flaming flesh of her inner thighs. The delightful flailing of his tongue didn’t waiver as she heard the ripping of foil, as if from a far. And she’d almost reached her peak when he pulled her astride him and sheathed himself inside her in one fluid motion.
He wound his arms under her legs; his palms cupping her ass cheeks as he moved hoisted her to the head of his solid erection before plunging back into her slick flesh; continuously. Their state of undress coupled with the masks and the environs added to the eroticism of the moment and she felt every vigorous stroke of his body, all the way to her fingertips. She sunk her nails into his shoulders to prevent herself from screaming as he quickened his pace.
And when she could bear it no more; she smothered her face into his jacket and shrieked as her body shattered in orgasmic bliss. She felt his shaft explode inside her and knew he had found his own release. As the fog of pleasure cleared from her brain she eased away from him; cursing herself for yielding so easily to him and delighting in every minute of it.
She stood on shaky legs and adjusted her dress as he rose and disappeared into what appeared to be a bathroom. The room resembled a small library or office of some sort and her cheeks flamed as her eyes drifted to the chair they had recently vacated. She should leave before Sebastian returned, she thought. She had the sudden urge to escape.
She was about to quit the room when Sebastian reappeared; his attire as flawless as when she’d entered the ballroom earlier. Her desire to be away from there intensified and she turned to leave but he grabbed her arm.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he demanded coldly.
“Where I’ve been for the past five days!” she spat, wrenching her arm from his grasp.
“If my memory serves me correctly, our contract doesn’t expire for another seven weeks”, she froze; her hand on the doorknob, “or did you forget about that”.
Paige whirled to face him in shock, “and what about Elizabeth?” she demanded before she could think better of it.
He smiled devilishly, “jealous, are you?”
“In your dreams, playboy”, she struggled to keep her features blank.
So he wasn’t denying that there was something going on between him and Elizabeth.
“Now if you don’t mind, I have to return to the ball.”
“Not without this”, he withdrew her torn undergarment from his pocket and dangled it in the air.
She inhaled sharply, her hands, instinctively, flying to the part of her anatomy where the garment had been a short while ago. Capitalizing on her momentary distraction; he seized her around the waist and guided her towards the door.
“Now, let’s get you out of her before someone sees you and know exactly what we were doing”, she blushed bright red as he led her in the opposite direction of the ballroom.
He retrieved his cell phone from his jacket pocket, “meet me around the back”, he said to the person on the other end.
“Wait, my coat…”
“I’ll have someone pick it up. In the meantime you can wear this”, he shrugged out of his jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
He whisked her out into the stinging, cold night air, into his waiting car and as they settled inside and the car drove away from the house she felt wholly depressed. Why hadn’t she stayed home? She thought, miserably. This is what you wanted, a cruel voice inside her head taunted, you’re beating Elizabeth at her own game; after all, you’re the one he’s taking home.
No! She defended staunchly; she hadn’t intended for the situation to turn out like this. In fact she hadn’t thought beyond seeing him. Sebastian's cell phone rang and he spoke mildly into it in fluent French and she thought of how convenient it was that they’d left the ball from the back entrance so that no one could witness that they’d left together. The situation spurred a violent pounding in her temples and she closed her eyes; reclining into the headrest.
She was surprised when he halted his conversation to ask, “are you alright?”
Her eyes opened a fraction to see that he’d removed the mask; his brown eyes staring pensively into hers. He lifted an arm to remove her mask but she caught his hand mid-air; releasing him quickly when her palm tingled with awareness.
“I’m fine, you can go back to your conversation”, she turned away from him and he hesitated a moment, before the brusque sound of his voice told her that he’d done as she’d suggested.
The penthouse was extremely cold when they got there a few minutes later and she had the strange feeling one got when entering a house for the first time. She hadn’t realized she’d started thinking of the penthouse as home, before a week ago, until the walls seemed to scream at her to ‘get out’.
“I have some work to finish up in the study”, Sebastian informed her and she barely grunted a reply.
A wave of sadness washed over her as she mounted the stairs and she wished she was at her own house so she could crumble to the floor and cry her heart out. But she wouldn’t, she thought, straightening her spine and marching to the room Sebastian had given her upon her arrival. Her heart tightened painfully inside her chest as she thought of Sebastian’s room further down the hall and the wonderful nights they’d spent there together.
Closing the door behind her; she stepped out of her shoes and crumpled to the floor against it, covering her mouth with her hand in a futile effort to stifle her wracking sobs. She couldn’t do this anymore she thought. It was as if, every time he touched her, he left with huge chunks of her heart and each time it was more painful.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
PAIGE AWOKE AT DAYBREAK; HER EYES RED AND SWOLLEN from crying for the better part of the night. She dragged the pillow over her head hoping to stifle the overpowering urge to be in the kitchen. She needed to avoid Sebastian at all cost, which meant only sharing his company when it was extremely necessary. Her heart ached at the prospect of not seeing him but she decided it couldn’t be helped; it was more painful seeing him and knowing such a privilege would soon be denied her.
The sooner she accepted that he would never be a part of her life, never really was in the true essence of the word, the better. She listened to his footfalls as he passed her bedroom, biting her lip, as she had the night before and her eyes misted with tears as the silence foretold his absence. She was contemplating closing the blinds and hauling the blanket over her head when there was a firm rap at the door.
“Paige, are you alright? Open the door”, he said from behind the closed door.
“I’m fine. Go away”, she crossed her fingers, waiting for the sound of his retreating footsteps.
“I’m not leaving until you open the door or should I get my key.”
He has a key! She thought in shock. Why the hell couldn’t he leave her alone? She fumed as she lugged out of bed, partially covering her eyes with her hands as she opened the door a crack.
“Satisfied?” she kept her eyes riveted to his feet.
“No”, he nudged the door and she was forced to step back as he stepped inside.
She turned her back to him, restraining her longing to drink in the breathtaking sight of him. Thank goodness she was wearing a very ugly, oversized nightshirt, sh
e told herself.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to call the doctor”, his voice was soft with concern and her heart melted.
“That won’t be necessary, I’m just a bit tired”, she crawled into bed, secured the sheet around her and closed her eyes; hoping he’d take it as a hint to leave.
He strode to the side of the bed to tower over her and she fought to keep her features blank as he gently stroked her hair away from her forehead. Before, quickly leaving the room and softly closing the door behind him. And that was the last time she saw him for the next five days.
If Sebastian found it odd that she didn’t share his bed anymore, have breakfast and dinner with him or any of the many activities they usually did together; he made no comment. In fact, her ploy to avoid him was going perfectly. Except that she’d hoped that she would get little sneak peeks of him in the hallways or have her fill of the glorious sight of him as they attended different functions together.
And the fact that he hadn’t sought her out should have been a relief. Instead it was like a punch to her already wounded heart as it gave the distinct impression that their time together had been nothing but a pastime for him. As the winter grew harsher, there were fewer events to attend and as such Sebastian returned late at nights to the penthouse and left early in the mornings. And Paige found herself constantly listening, holding her breath, for his footsteps at such times but he never once knocked on her door after that first morning.
PAIGE CLIMBED OUT OF BED; ABANDONING ALL HOPES of ever falling asleep, and left her room to get a glass of milk in the kitchen. Perhaps Sebastian wasn’t coming home tonight, she thought as she strode down the stairs. Her heart constricted as she thought of him entwined in Elizabeth’s arms at that very moment. A bright light caught her eye as she passed the living room and she paused to see Sebastian sitting amid a clutter of papers.
“What are you doing up at this hour of the night?” he queried without looking at her.
Unlawful Escort (Unlawful Series book 1) Page 13
