by Hazel Parker
“I’m late. I’ll…see you around.”
And then she was out the door before he could so much as utter a response.
Now it was Sebastian who was shocked.
*****
He visited the chocolate shop where she was working that morning, only finding out where it was because Janice was feeling slightly sympathetic towards his plight. As it turned out, Janice and the other women were already there when he came in—and the look they gave him while sitting in their spots would have frozen water in an instant.
He gave them a nod before going to the counter to order a slice of chocolate cake, then took a seat at a table in the shop’s other end. Lily wasn’t around, and a few minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching him before a pair of red stilettos came into view.
Sebastian looked up at Darla, found her smiling sweetly at him.
“Is this seat taken, Sebastian?” she asked.
No longer Pastor Seb. She obviously already knew. Darla waited until Sebastian indicated at the seat beside him before she sat down delicately. She started a conversation with him about Los Angeles and its splendid sights, suggesting he go out and spend some time to appreciate it, too. It was such an odd commentary that he immediately knew she was preparing him for the big speech, and so he waited, pleasantly answering her questions and telling her what he already toured that she might have missed. She kept up with the chatter, kept up with the friendly attitude and sweet talk, looking delighted to be in the company of a man.
The cake was served, a slice of chocolate that was topped with creamy icing and more chocolate fudge. Darla looked at it appreciatively before leaning her body towards him in a slow, graceful movement.
“Sebastian?”
He gripped the fork, sliced a piece. “Yes, Darla?”
“Why are you here?”
Calmly, he slid the piece in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
“To get Lily back,” he said truthfully. It would be a waste of time evading the woman’s question. She had a knack for finding out the truth.
“Right. Sebastian?”
“What?”
Darla smiled. “If you hurt a single bone in her body or make her cry, you have four women to answer to.” She tilted her head, as if thinking it over. “And a beloved reverend and uncle.”
The words were said so sweetly, he blinked and paused chewing. Then Sebastian nodded his head and looked her levelly in the eye.
“Darla?”
“Hmm?”
“I’d rather cut off my own hand than hurt her again.”
This time, it was Darla who blinked and leaned back.
Then she gave him a brilliant smile that would have blinded—and dazzled—a lesser man.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement, then,” she said cheerfully. With that parting statement, Sunnydale’s resident spoiled rich girl stood back up and sat with her group as if nothing had happened.
Sebastian looked at his cake, replaying the conversation in his mind.
Then with a small smile, he continued eating.
*****
Lily kept herself busy for the rest of her Saturday, but she was polite enough to sit down with him during half of her break—the other half being spent with Janice and the others. She seemed calmer now and friendlier as she asked him how he was doing, even telling him a bit about her two new jobs with her eyes sparkling in excitement as she described them to him. He listened, asking questions when he could and listened some more, cherishing every minute she spent with him at that table.
He let her talk and made do with her placid expression. Then, when she was about to stand up and get back to work, Sebastian placed his hand on top of hers.
“I’ve missed you, Lil,” he murmured, deliberately using her nickname—the one he often used when he gathered her in his arms at dawn and buried his head at the back of her neck.
He felt her hand tremble slightly, saw the flicker in her eyes before she steadied her gaze. Slowly, he released her hand—and felt a deep, inward satisfaction when she almost bumped into a chair on her way back to the counter.
She was still affected.
*****
Sebastian waited until she was done with her shift. He waited until she finished her short dinner with the girls, then walked her back home. It was just after ten in the evening, and he had ordered a box of chocolates at the shop she was working in and gave it to her when they reached her door.
She smiled as she received the box, the kind of smile that had every part of his being lighting up.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome.”
They stood in silence, then she cleared her throat.
“So…goodnight,” she murmured.
“Goodnight.”
Then Sebastian pulled her into his arms and gave her a slow, lingering kiss.
It didn’t exactly hurt that after a few seconds of surprise, she kissed him back.
*****
Courting her was a long, slow process. Sebastian didn’t want to crowd her too much, so he waited until she finished bonding with the girls for the whole two weeks before he finally visited her again. During his free time, Sebastian roamed the city—immersing himself in its culture, remembering a time when he had lived there, too.
He called his parents, who were now living in New York and respected art dealers. He explained that he was on sabbatical and reexamining his call to ministry. His mother was understanding. His father, as usual, was disappointed with him for wasting his life yet again.
“This isn’t wasting a life, father. I will continue to serve and to spread kindness…just like you taught me. I just don’t know if it will be in the church or not.”
His response surprised the old man, who was speechless enough to hand the phone back to his mother. Ruth Nolan wished him good luck with his discernment, reminding him that she loved him no matter what. It made his heart full, made him realize exactly how lucky he was.
Next, he wrote a letter to Reverend John, apologizing for leaving so suddenly—and why, when the time was right, he would be coming back whether it was to say goodbye or not. It was a matter of honoring the town and the man who had given him a second chance, and he vowed he would return to do so.
When the girls returned to Sunnydale, Sebastian started his courting in the most honest way possible—by asking Lily out on a date. She was surprised, but she accepted, wariness in her every movement as they ate in a seafood restaurant and watched the stars come out on the way home. He kissed her again, and she let him, melting into his arms even when she tried her best to resist.
He took her out on dates for a month, though sometimes they stayed in her rented house and watched movies all night long. He attempted to cook pasta once—unsupervised—but ended up almost burning the kitchen down so he didn’t attempt anymore after that. Lily couldn’t stop laughing, filling the room with her joy. There was a happy sexual tension as they looked at each other and remembered all the good days. Then the smile had gone from her face as memories replaced it.
He didn’t attempt to touch her—the one thing he wanted to do more than anything. He vowed he would wait.
And so he did. Even when he ached so much that she became a part of his dream every single night, he resisted, as much for her as for him. He wanted to do right by her this time.
And so he courted her. A month became two, then three—until finally, Lily’s eyes no longer held its initial wariness whenever he was near, and she was more open. He talked about his struggle with his vow to give his life to the church and why and what Reverend John had said to him. Lily understood a little more after hearing about the accident and Tanya’s death. She admired Sebastian’s commitment and willingness to sacrifice but she was glad he had changed his mind about celibacy!
They were just finishing up their cake for the night when Sebastian knelt down in front of her, shocking her to the core.
“I love you, Lil.”
Her eyes softened.
“I love you, too.”
Quietly, he took out a box from his pocket, one he had been keeping there for days now. Heck, weeks. He opened the box, held it out to her.
Lily stared at it for a full minute, suddenly making him nervous when she said nothing. His heart dropped, and he was suddenly afraid she would never accept him completely.
But then she held out her arms, pulling him up.
“Yes,” she said.
His heart leaped. In joy, he remembered how to be arrogant, just a little bit. “I didn’t even pop the question yet.”
A laugh came out of Lily’s throat as she repeated her word.
“Yes.”
It was all that he needed.
That night, they made love for the first time in a long time. And it was hot. Wonderful. They talked after, apologizing to each other and promising more. Sebastian told her of his struggle to decide what he was going to do. He told her that he hoped to continue in the ministry somewhere and of his plans to go back to visit Sunnydale. Lily challenged him by asking one question: why visit when we can go live there and stop running away?
She was absolutely courageous.
And dear God, he just loved her more for it.
As they lay in bed and she slept in his arms, Sebastian vowed one more thing.
He was never, ever going to let her go.
THE END
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Abby Walker nervously wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. Once again, she tried to remind herself that she had no reason to be nervous. She had a plan, she could put it into action, she could carry it out.
She was settled now in the front row at one of the largest fashion houses in New York, waiting for their latest fashion show to start up. She looked stunning in her low cut, short black dress and six-inch Jimmy Choos. Abby loved fashion. She’d grown up with it, and the models that went through it, her entire life.
Abby’s father, Ed Walker, had co-created the most successful modeling agency in New York City. While Abby was pretty enough to be in the industry herself, her father had gone out of his way to protect her. Ed Walker did not want her to see the ugliness that could come with both the modeling and underside of the business enterprise. That had not stopped Abby from ending up at parties, or corporate events. That was where she had met the man who was currently seated on the other side of the runway from her—Mitchell Fields.
Mitchell Fields had been her father’s business partner her entire life. Mitchell was twice her age, but he was gorgeous. She’d developed a crush on him early and it had been with her ever since. Not that Mitchell had ever noticed. She’d always been nothing but Ed’s Little Girl to him. But today, Abby had a feeling that was going to change.
Abby had not seen Mitchell in several years. She’d graduated high school and gone off to college, coming home only on the occasional holiday break and never for a full summer. Now that graduation was over, she had just returned to New York after finishing at Yale. Her degree was just as impressive as her looks. She was twenty-three now, and had grown up in all of the right ways. Abby’s long blonde hair, huge green eyes and killer figure had gotten her the attention of all of the Ivy League boys. Despite that, she was still a virgin. She was holding out for just the right man… and today she was going to have him.
She was not a little girl anymore, and today Mitchell Fields would see that. Abby was going to seduce him if it was the last thing that she did. Studying him, she realized that he looked even better than he had in the past. She had chosen her outfit with the intent of proving to him that she was no child. She had gone through every modeling tip and technique on makeup that she had learned over the years. Expensive foundations and brighteners accented her flawless skin. Her eyes were rimmed in black liner and mascara. She had topped off the look with bright red lipstick. She looked hot-and Mitchell was going to notice.
The house lights dropped. Abby smiled as her eyes focused across the runway on Mitchell. Her tongue traced across her lips once more while she crossed one long leg over the other. Her Yale roommate and best friend Maria had dared her to seduce the man she had been lusting over all these years. Abby suspected that Maria might have been growing weary with hearing about Mitchell. As long as Abby had known Maria, she had her crush on Mitchell. Maria had sat through countless nights of Abby googling recent pictures of Mitchell or just declaring how gorgeous he was. So when the other girl had offered out the challenge, she could not really blame her. After all, the other girl who had watched Abby walk away from countless men her own age over the years. So when the dare had come out of Maria’s mouth, Abby had thought it was as much a challenge to make her stop talking as much as it was one to see if she could do it. Abby had accepted immediately.
Abby smiled at the memory, just as Mitchell happened to turn. He looked across the runway at her. Their eyes met. She gave him a sly smile. She watched as Mitchell’s eyes roamed over her. Abby held back a grin. The look on Mitchell’s face said it all. He wanted her already. This was going to be no trouble at all. Abby licked her lips again. Maybe she did have a reason to be nervous after all.
*****
Mitchell Fields took a deep breath, trying to hide his arousal. Who the hell was the girl in the front row? He knew that he had never seen her here before—he certainly would have remembered. She was gorgeous, and she would not stop staring at him. Mitchell was not doing much better himself. He could barely take his eyes off of her to concentrate on the girls on the runway.
Mitchell was used to beautiful women hanging on him. He was forty, but he enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle. He had never really seen himself as the settle down type. Therefore, he had every intention of sticking to his world of drinks and hot sex with gorgeous models.
Getting older had done nothing to his looks. Mitchell still looked fabulous. His black hair had a few streaks of distinguishing gray in it. He himself kept to a strict workout routine and diet. It paid off. Models were always after him. Actually, all women were always lusting after him.
The fashion show ended not a moment too soon. Mitchell got up from his seat. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he had not paid as much attention as he probably should. He was too distracted by the hot blonde seated across from him. He hoped that she was on her way over to the after show party. He needed to find her—immediately if not sooner.
There was always an after show party filled with drinks and bands. It was a good way to network, give feedback, or simply hype up publicity with the press. Of course, it was also where some of the darker aspects of the modeling business began to form. That always happened.
He entered the large room that was already filling up with beautiful women and well-dressed men. He knew that most of the men in the room did not have the best of intentions where the women lay. That was the problem with modeling. Women too quickly became objects that symbolized only one thing. While he did not care much to think about it, it was something that he had to admit he was guilty of from time to time.
He laid eyes on his mystery woman near the bar. She was sipping on a glass of red wine. Mitchell smiled. He began making his way through the crowd. It took him a few moments. He kept getting stopped by both men and women alike. Everyone wanted his attention. While most of the men wanted to talk business or compliment him on the company’s successes, the women were batting their eyes in ways that Mitchell knew. Apparently his reputation preceded him.
“Did you enjoy the show?” He finally reached the mystery woman’s side. He leaned against the bar beside her, ordering himself a gin and tonic. The girl turned to him. Her eyes were bright green. Her lips were a beautiful shade of bright
crimson. Mitchell felt the lust well up in him immediately. He could already imagine what those lips could do to him.
“Couldn’t take my eyes off of it.” The girl put her wine glass on the bar. “It was everything I wanted.” Mitchell chuckled.
“I don’t believe that we’ve met. I’m Mitchell Fields.” He offered her a hand.
“It’s my pleasure.” She shook his hand firmly.
“And you are-?” Mitchell pressed gently. He was curious just who she could be. He had never seen her here before, after all.
“A fashion lover who is thrilled to meet the brilliant mind behind this empire.” She leaned against the bar beside him as her fingers wrapped around her wine glass once more.
“Flattery will get you everything.” Mitchell looked the girl over. His eyes immediately landed on her chest. She had quite the figure-that was for sure. “Have we met before?”
“Oh, we may have run into each other a time or two, but it was nothing formal.” She was quite casual about it. “Regardless, I have always been a fan of yours, Mr. Fields.”
“Oh have you?” Mitchell took a quick sip of his drink. He set the glass on the bar. “And please, call me Mitchell.”
“Well of course… Mitchell.” His name rolled so smoothly off of those beautiful red lips. Mitchell could barely contain himself.
“So are you a model yourself?” The girl laughed.
“Not hardly.” She took a step closer to him. Mitchell shook his head solemnly.
“Such a shame. A beautiful girl like you? You could be any modeling agent’s dream.” The girl laughed once more. It was delicate, musical. Mitchell could not believe his level of interest in this incredible woman whom he had just met.
“Well, you are quite the flatterer.” She shook her long blonde hair. Mitchell picked up the faint aroma of shampoo and expensive perfume.
