by Miranda Lee
‘I’d love that,’ Emily said sincerely, taken aback but pleased by his suggestion. ‘Just as well I wore my jeans and joggers.’
It didn’t take very long to reach the bridge, and it was truly amazing. All too quickly, however, they’d driven over it, Emily appreciating that Sebastian wouldn’t have seen much at all, having to keep his eyes on the road.
At the northern end of the bridge there was a parking area to one side for people who wanted to walk the bridge. Sebastian turned into it and parked next to a small bus, out of which a group of Japanese tourists were pouring.
‘What a pity we don’t have a camera,’ Emily said when she saw all the Japanese tourists taking snaps of everything.
‘Wait here,’ Sebastian said and walked over to a Japanese man who had three cameras hanging round his neck. After a brief conversation and an exchange of money, he came back with a camera.
‘Fire away,’ he said as he handed it to her. ‘It’s digital and simple. You just look through there and if you like the shot, press that button.’
‘You speak Japanese?’ she asked, amazed.
‘I had to go to Tokyo on business a couple of years back and thought it best to learn. Damned hard language to master.’
But he would have mastered it, Emily realised ruefully, just as he mastered everything he set his mind to. He’d mastered her last night all right.
‘Come on,’ he said after she’d snapped a few shots. ‘Put that around your neck and let’s walk.’
They made it across from one side to the other in about fifteen minutes, though they didn’t rush. On the way back, Sebastian stopped at a point where, when you looked over the side, far below you could see the sea crashing on to rocks. Emily took some photos of the spray hitting the base of the concrete pier, then of the ships on the horizon. There were lots of them, huge tankers and cargo vessels. The larger south coast towns were sea ports, which shipped out coal and steel.
‘All finished?’ Sebastian asked when she finally took the camera away from her eyes.
‘Yes. I’ll put them up on my computer tonight and…oh!’ she gasped.
There, sitting on the railing in front of Sebastian, was an open ring box containing what had to be the biggest diamond ring she’d ever seen.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘MY GOD!’ Emily said, turning stunned eyes to him. ‘Where…where did that come from?’
‘I bought it yesterday morning when I went into the city.’
Emily blinked. He’d bought it yesterday?
‘I would have given it to you over breakfast, but you made me promise not to mention marriage again till we left the hotel. Well, we’ve left the hotel, Emily,’ he said, picking up the box and holding it out to her. ‘So I’m asking you again. Will you marry me?’
Shock held Emily speechless for a long moment. She’d been so sure he wasn’t going to ask her.
‘You…you really are too much, Sebastian,’ she heard herself babbling. ‘To buy a ring like that before you even proposed.’
‘I presumed you’d say yes.’
‘It must have cost you a fortune!’
‘A quarter of a million.’
Emily’s mouth dropped open.
‘It’s no more than you deserve,’ he said. ‘You’re a very special woman, Emily. Very special indeed. I want you to be my wife more than anything I have wanted in a long time.’
Emily stared at him. Did he really mean that?
She would be foolish to believe everything he said to her. Or to misinterpret what he said. What Sebastian wanted more than anything was for his life to go along as smoothly as before, when she was taking care of his house and Lana was sharing his bed. The only difference now was that she would be doing both jobs. And yes, she would have a new title. That of wife, rather than housekeeper.
‘And if I still say no?’ she blurted out.
His head jerked back in surprise, his eyes darkening. ‘Then this ring will be consigned to the depths of the Pacific Ocean.’
‘What? Are you insane?’
‘Not at all,’ he bit out. ‘What would you expect me to do? Return it to the jewellery shop and ask for my money back? Or keep it on the off chance I might propose to another woman in the future? I don’t think so, Emily. I don’t think so at all. So what is it to be? Your finger or Davy Jones’s locker?’
Emily groaned. ‘You really are a wicked man. You know I can’t let you throw it away.’
‘Then you’re saying yes?’
‘Yes,’ she said with a shudder of defeat.
Was she mistaken or did he sigh with relief as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger?
His tossing the box away startled her, as did his raising her left hand to his lips. A strangely old-fashioned gesture, she thought. But rather sweet.
Afterwards, he put his arm around her shoulders and started leading her back across the rest of the bridge, talking to her as they walked.
‘You won’t regret your decision, Emily. What we shared last night was incredible. It proved that we are sexually compatible, which was one of your main objections. As for my being ruthless…I am a tough businessman, but I never act unethically. I am also very loyal by nature. I promise I will be faithful to you. I will stand by you no matter what. I will care about you and commit myself only to you. You have my solemn word.’
Emily was touched by his speech, but glad that he didn’t mention love, because she simply would not have believed him.
Who knew? Maybe their marriage did have a chance of happiness.
Whatever, she was committed to the union now and, once committed, Emily aimed to do her best to make it work. She was not a person to be half-hearted about anything she did.
They were nearing Sebastian’s car when his cellphone rang. Emily knew it was his, because she recognised the tune.
‘I thought you’d turned that off,’ she said when he stopped to fish the phone out of his trouser pocket.
‘I turned it back on before I left the hotel. Here, take my car key and get in while I answer this call.’
Emily heard him say, ‘Yes, John,’ before he could possibly have known who it was on the other end. So he’d been expecting this call.
Emily sat in the car, fiddling with her ring and watching Sebastian through the windscreen. The exasperated look on his face was a bit worrying. Clearly, things in Queensland were not going well. After a few minutes, he put the phone away and strode back to the car, his expression frustrated.
‘I have to go away,’ he said as he climbed in behind the wheel.
‘Oh, no. When?’
‘This afternoon. John’s booking me a flight to Brisbane, then a car to take me to Noosa.’
‘Noosa,’ she repeated with a sigh. That was even further away. ‘When will you be back?’
‘Not sure at this stage,’ Sebastian said as he gunned the engine and backed out of their parking spot. ‘Depends how long it will take to fix the problem. With a bit of luck I might be back tomorrow evening.’
‘Oh…’ Impossible to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
He slanted her a sharp look before driving off. ‘Don’t go imagining that I want to go, Emily. I don’t. I’d much prefer to stay home with you.’
Then don’t go, her heart screamed at him. Let someone else do it. Send John.
For a good minute neither of them said anything further.
It was Sebastian who spoke first. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘I’m a businessman. And a highly successful one. I didn’t get that way by being lazy or sloppy. Or letting my lesser lights do my job for me. Besides, I’m the only one who has the immediate clout to fix this problem.’
‘And what problem is that, exactly?’ she countered, doing her best to replicate his matter-of-fact tone and not get all emotional on him. She knew he would hate that. ‘I realise that when I was your housekeeper you didn’t have to explain yourself to me. But I think, as your fiancée, I have the right to be confided in a little more.’
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She could see that he was taken aback by her stance. But eventually his head nodded.
‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I’m not used to answering to anyone. I’ve come and gone as I pleased for years. But I can see that has to change. What would you like to know?’
‘Just what the problem is. And how you’re going to fix it.’
‘Right. Well, I’m building these luxury retirement homes in Noosa and we got behind schedule because of some bad weather. Unfortunately, a lot of people bought these villas off the plan and their contract says they can move in next month. I organised for the builders to work seven days a week to catch up, but the foreman has suddenly walked off the job, wanting a bigger bonus. Now the rest of the men have walked, making similar demands. It’s a case of blatant blackmail. I should just tell them all to get lost and hire another construction team, but that takes time and won’t get these retirees into their villas on time. Lots of businessmen might not care about that, but I do. My word is my bond and I gave my word.’
Emily felt very proud of him at that moment, and slightly more confident that their marriage might just work.
‘Then you must go,’ she urged. ‘But please…hurry back.’
‘I fully intend to,’ he said, and shot her the sexiest smile.
Her stomach flipped over. ‘Will…will you have to leave as soon as we get home?’
‘Pretty well.’
‘Oh…’
‘Does that “oh” mean what I think it means?’
‘What do you think it means?’
He smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to make good time and give us a few minutes alone together.’
‘Just a few minutes?’
‘Ravishment doesn’t take long.’
Heat zoomed into Emily’s cheeks.
Sebastian shook his head at her. ‘You like it quick sometimes, so don’t pretend you don’t. That’s one thing I never want you to do, Emily. Be less than honest with me. I like the calm, capable woman who runs my house. But I also like the wildly passionate woman you become in my arms. There will be no room for embarrassment or inhibitions in our sex life. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes,’ she said, secretly thrilled by his words.
‘Now, is there anything you’d like to say to me about our future sex life? Anything you like or don’t like?’
Lord, there wasn’t anything she didn’t like with him. There was one thing, however, which was going to bother her. Big time.
‘Would it be all right if I bought a new bed for your room tomorrow? The one you have reeks of Lana’s perfume.’
‘New bed. New carpet. New everything, if you like. Be my guest.’
‘But I can’t get all that done in one day!’ she protested.
‘I suppose not. No worries. We’ll bunk down in one of the guest rooms till it’s all done.’
‘One of the guest rooms,’ she repeated, startled.
‘You don’t expect me to share that dinky little four-poster bed of yours, do you?’
‘No…’
‘Not that I intend to confine our sex life to beds and bedrooms.’
Emily’s head whirled as her bottom squirmed. She really had to get their conversation—and her thoughts—off sex.
‘I think I’ll go to the hairdressers’ tomorrow,’ she said abruptly. ‘Have my hair cut and lightened.’
He glanced over at her. ‘You mean I’ll be coming back to a glamorous blonde?’
‘I don’t know about glamorous…’
‘You could be seriously glamorous, if you want to be. You have all the right equipment.’
‘I will have to glam myself up before I marry you, Sebastian.’
‘I actually like you as you are, Emily. But I know women. Their self esteem seems irrevocably tied in with how they look. When I get back, I’ll organise a credit card for you and you can go to town on your wardrobe as well.’
Emily frowned. ‘I do have some money of my own, Sebastian. I’ve hardly spent a cent on myself since I started working for you.’
‘I have to confess, I do like it that you’re not marrying me for my money. But let’s be honest. As my fiancée, and then my wife, you’ll be going lots of places with me. The other women there will think me a miser if my wife isn’t decked out in the latest designer fashion. So humour me, will you, and let me pay for your clothes, and whatever else you might need.’
Emily sighed. ‘I don’t think I’ve thought out what marrying you will fully entail, Sebastian. It sounds complicated, being the wife of a magnate.’
‘You’ll manage.’
Would she?
Suddenly, Emily wished her mother was alive. She really needed to talk to someone—someone who cared about her and wouldn’t just give lip service to her concerns.
It was appalling to think that she had no one to confide in. No girl-friend. No relative. She wasn’t close to any of her aunts and uncles, perhaps because none of them lived in Sydney. All her grandparents had passed away, her parents not having been all that young when they’d married and had her, their only child.
Before she’d found out the awful truth, she might have asked her father what he thought of her marrying a rich man who didn’t love her. There’d been a time when she’d believed him to be a wonderful man. A warm, caring, compassionate person who’d chosen to become a doctor because he had a vocation to help people.
Her mother had believed the same thing. It was a relief to Emily that her mother had never had her eyes opened to the truth about the man she’d married.
‘You’ve gone all quiet on me,’ Sebastian said. ‘Are you tired?’
‘Positively wrecked,’ Emily replied. ‘You must be too.’
‘I was, till you agreed to marry me. Now I feel I could conquer the world. And hopefully make that idiot foreman get back to work,’ he added wryly.
‘What will you do? Read him the riot act?’
‘I can’t afford to get into any protracted arguments or negotiations. I’ll just make him an offer he can’t refuse.’
Emily stared down at her ring and wondered if that was what that had been. The offer she could not refuse.
‘I’ll make sure I’m home by tomorrow evening,’ Sebastian said. ‘And I’ll take you out somewhere to celebrate our engagement.’
‘Don’t be silly. You’ll be way too tired. I’ll cook us something nice at home.’
Sebastian shook his head. ‘I appreciate your consideration, but no. We’ll go out. So get yourself a good night’s sleep, then hit the shops tomorrow and buy yourself something seriously sexy.’
Emily’s blood fizzed with a whoosh of excited anticipation. She was sitting there, making mental plans for the next day, when Sebastian leant over and gently touched her arm.
‘Yes?’ she said, her head whipping round in his direction.
He smiled softly at her before returning his eyes to the road.
‘Now that we’re engaged, would you mind telling me what you argued with your father about? You don’t have to, but I’m curious. You don’t seem the family feuding type.’
Emily sighed. ‘Actually, I was just thinking about him a couple of minutes ago.’
‘When you went all quiet on me?’
‘Yes.’
‘What did he do, Emily?’
‘He started an affair with a colleague. Before Mum died. Dr Barbra Saxby. Blonde and beautiful and young enough to be his daughter. Of course, I wasn’t supposed to ever find out. But I’d stayed on at home after the funeral. I wasn’t in a fit state to join the workforce. I felt too depressed. Dad pretended he was doing me a favour, but I saw later that it suited him, having me there to cook and clean for him. Anyway, when I was out shopping one day, I saw them having lunch together in a restaurant. You didn’t have to look too hard to see that it wasn’t a business lunch.’
Emily still couldn’t think of that moment without reliving the shock—and the distress—she’d felt on seeing that woman all over her father like a rash. It had
only been a few weeks after her mother had passed away, after all.
‘What did you do?’ Sebastian asked.
‘That night I confronted Dad with what I’d seen. Initially, he claimed there’d been nothing between them before Mum died, but I knew he was lying. Eventually, I wheedled the truth out of him. He broke down and said that he’d needed the comfort of a woman. He claimed he still loved Mum and would always love her. But life went on and he couldn’t spend the rest of his alone. He said he was going to marry Barbra and that was that.’
‘I see,’ Sebastian said. ‘I can imagine you were very upset.’
‘That’s putting it mildly. All the neighbourhood must have heard me screaming at him. I totally lost it, I can tell you. That night, I packed my bags and moved out. I stayed at a cheap motel and started looking for work. I still didn’t feel like getting back into the hospitality industry. I couldn’t face having to be bright and breezy with everyone. When the employment agency suggested the position as your housekeeper, I jumped at it.’
Sebastian nodded. ‘Now I know why you seemed so sad at times when you first came to work for me. And why you have trust issues with men. First your boyfriend, and then your father. You know, I tried to find out some more about your background when you had a drink with me occasionally, but you always steered the conversation away from anything personal.’
‘Did I? I didn’t do it on purpose. It must have been subconscious.’
‘No one likes to talk about the skeletons in one’s closet.’
‘You sound like you have a few.’
‘Who, me? No, no. I was just talking in general.’
Emily didn’t believe him. There was something he was hiding from her. Something in his past which had hurt him.
‘So what about your parents?’ she asked, feeling she had the right to know something of his upbringing.
‘What about them?’
‘Are they still alive? They never visit, if they are.’
‘They were killed in a car accident when I was eleven.’
‘Oh, Sebastian, that’s dreadful! You must have been traumatised.’
‘It wasn’t a pleasant experience. But I got over it.’
Emily stared over at him. How typically male to dismiss such a tragedy with a few understated words.
