by Zoe Ann Wood
“This is it,” Lorelei announced. They reached an open door. “Do we, um, just go in?”
At that moment, a portly man appeared from within. “Ah, Mr. Lynch, there you are!”
“Mr. Klug, it’s good to see you again.” Sebastian took the man’s hand, appreciating how firmly he shook it. “May I introduce my date.” For a moment, he got stuck, because he’d forgotten to ask after her surname, even though they’d talked at length about their families.
“Lorelei Hirsch,” she said, stepping forward and extending her hand.
Mr. Klug executed an elegant bow and kissed her fingertips. “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, my dear.” His accent and manner made him sound a little pompous, but his eyes twinkled merrily.
Sebastian knew they would mesh well.
Lorelei was already chatting with him, complimenting the opera house and thanking him for his invitation, laughing when he expressed concern that she would find the great hall too flashy for her delicate taste.
“Your name sounds German,” Klug commented.
“My grandmother was Austrian, and she kept her name after marriage, which was quite unusual at the time,” Lorelei told him. “She was actually from Vienna.”
She didn’t go into detail about losing the woman who had meant the most to her, but Sebastian placed a hand on her back, silently offering support. Lorelei flashed him a secret, warm smile in response.
“Come, come, you must meet my wife,” Klug exclaimed. “The performance is about to begin.”
They stepped into the box, which was rather cramped with four seats. He’d sat in the Mittelloge on his previous visit, where the seats were the most expensive, yes, but the view of the stage was unparalleled.
It took him a moment to notice that Lorelei had gone completely silent. She moved forward until she clasped the balcony’s thick ledge and stared at the scene in front of her.
Mrs. Klug, an elegant woman in her late forties, chuckled. “Let’s give her a moment to take it all in.”
Sebastian stepped up beside Lorelei. “Do you like it?” he asked, looking at her profile.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, her voice hushed with reverence. “It’s incredible. I can’t even…” She pointed at the stage. “How am I supposed to follow the performance with all this to distract me?” She waved her hand at the ceiling, where gold ornaments ringed a massive circular chandelier.
Sebastian grinned at her. “Well, the lights will turn off…”
Lorelei clicked her tongue and smacked his chest lightly with the back of her hand, but she smiled back at him. “You know what I mean. I wonder if this ever becomes commonplace if you come often enough. Do people get used to this kind of luxury? I don’t think I ever would.”
Sebastian didn’t dare voice his hope: that she would get a chance to find out. He would take her to the opera every week if it meant making her this happy.
“Maybe we could—” he started to say, but the lights dimmed at that moment, announcing that the show was about to begin.
Lorelei turned back to their hosts. “I’m so sorry,” she said to Mrs. Klug. “I forgot to introduce myself. I was just…” She waved again at the hall.
“I completely understand,” the older lady whispered. “When Mathias first invited me to a showing of Die Zauberflöte, I even brought binoculars to get a better look at everything.”
Lorelei giggled, and just like that, the two women became friends.
The lights flashed the second time, so Sebastian and Lorelei took their seats next to the Klugs; with the box’s small size, they decided to move two chairs to the front and two to the back.
“You two take the front,” Mr. Klug insisted. “We saw Sleeping Beauty when they last performed it.”
“And I come primarily for the music,” his wife added. “I adore Tchaikovsky.”
So Sebastian and Lori found themselves sitting side by side. The moment the lights went out completely, Lori’s hand landed on his, and she whispered, “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to keep thanking me,” he replied, leaning closer so they wouldn’t be overheard.
In the darkness, he couldn’t see her expression very well, but his other senses were heightened; the warm press of her palm and the light, floral scent of her perfume were all he could think about.
“But this has been the best night of my life, and the show hasn’t even started yet,” she whispered back.
Sebastian couldn’t find the words to reply. He felt the same, and something suspiciously close to joy exploded in his chest at her admission. He was saved from having to answer her by the first notes of the overture.
Lights illuminated the stage, and soon the curtain rose, showing a dreamy set and the first dancers in gauzy, ephemeral costumes. But he couldn’t keep his full attention on the ballet, because the woman at his side pulled his gaze in like a magnet. Her every emotion was written clearly on her face, and he couldn’t stop watching her.
She glanced at him, her eyes bottomless and dark, and he knew he would do anything to make sure she stayed with him. The idea was both alarming and exciting.
During the intermission, they all trooped out to the foyer for a glass of champagne, and even Lorelei accepted one. He worried briefly that she would feel left out while he and Mr. Klug discussed the details of their meeting the next day, but he needn’t have worried. Lorelei chatted with Mrs. Klug, who took her arm and led her away to introduce her to a posse of friends. The ladies accepted her into their circle, and soon there was laughter echoing from the group. They looked like brightly colored flowers in their evening gowns and jewels, but their gazes were shrewd, and Sebastian knew it would be a mistake to underestimate the society matrons. These ladies wielded as much influence as their husbands.
Perhaps one day, Lorelei would, too.
“She is very special,” Mr. Klug remarked. Sebastian turned to the older man, embarrassed to be caught staring at Lorelei. “My Marianne wouldn’t have taken to her quite so fast if she wasn’t. She’s an excellent judge of character.”
“I…” He thought about what to say. “I’m enjoying spending time with her, yes.”
This was putting it mildly, and Mr. Klug chuckled as though he could read Sebastian’s mind.
“Why don’t you bring her with you to the factory tomorrow? I’ll be giving you a tour so you know what you’re dealing with, but we have an even more spectacular guest tour of the factory. She might enjoy it. Especially the samples.”
Sebastian grinned. “I’ll ask her, thank you.”
The lights flashed again, and they returned to the hall for the second half of the stunning performance. Lorelei kept holding his hand for the entire time, which soothed Sebastian in a way he couldn’t have imagined before. What was it about her that spoke to him so deeply?
The ballet dancers, winded but grinning wildly, bowed at the end of the show, and the house exploded with applause. The performance had been a triumph—Sebastian stood up beside Lorelei who was clapping enthusiastically, leaning on the ledge to better see the stage.
They said their farewells to the Klugs before the rush of people separated them from the older couple. Sebastian offered Lorelei his arm as they made their way down the grand staircase.
“Mr. Klug invited you to come along to the factory tomorrow. We’ll have a meeting, but it shouldn’t last more than an hour—and he promised samples for you.”
Lorelei looked at him curiously. “Samples of what? We never actually talked about what he does for a living.”
Sebastian grinned. “Chocolate. He owns the largest Austrian chocolate factory that exports their product all over the world. Surely you’ve heard of it?”
Lorelei’s mouth formed a little O. “Klug’s! They’re… Oh wow, I had no idea. I didn’t connect them to the name. It’s like… You don’t really think of there being a Mr. Hershey out there.” She squeezed his arm tighter. “I’d love to come. And not just for the chocolates.”
The warmth that
spread through Sebastian’s veins had him saying, “Would you like to come to my hotel for a late supper? It’s been hours since our dinner, and I’m hungry. We could order room service…” He trailed off at the uncertain look in her eyes, then added, “That doesn’t mean we have to…” Waving his free arm around in search of the best way to put it, he stopped again when he saw her smile.
“I know you didn’t mean it like that. And I’d love some supper. I had another glass of champagne during the intermission—those ladies did not take no for an answer.” She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “See, it’s all gone to my head. I’m not tipsy, just fried, I think.”
She was steady on her feet as they reached the ground floor foyer, where a crowd of theatre goers was still milling around, chatting to acquaintances, discussing the performance, and waiting for their cars to arrive. Sebastian suspected the evening would have turned colder since they’d arrived, so he didn’t want Lorelei out of the opera house before their car was already at the door.
He checked his phone, then said, “The driver says five minutes. We can wait in here.” He took Lorelei’s elbow gently and led her to the side, where they didn’t risk being trampled by the ebb and flow of the two thousand guests who had been at the fully packed show tonight.
“I’ve been to the ballet before,” Lorelei told him, “but nothing so grand. I loved it.”
She chatted about the individual dancers and musical numbers, her eyes lit up with delight and excitement. Sebastian vowed then and there that he’d make it his mission in life to find out what other things she liked, just so he could bring that expression to her face again and again.
But she was shivering now, clutching her elbows, so Sebastian removed his jacket and draped it quickly around her shoulders. She looked up at him, suddenly so close they were nearly hugging.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze dipping for a moment to his lips and back up again.
“I really want to kiss you,” he muttered, knowing full well they were in view of the entire foyer. He gazed at her, trying to tell her with his eyes what he wasn’t quite ready to articulate in words. “I’m not…used to things going so fast, but I like you, Lorelei.”
A pink flush spread over her cheeks, and she lifted her chin, leaning into him.
Sebastian couldn’t resist. He cupped her face with one hand and slid the other around her back, pressing her closer to him. Then he lowered his lips onto hers, catching her surprised gasp, inhaling her, tasting her, wishing he could make the moment last forever. He held her close, inhaling her sweet scent, and groaned when her nails scratched lightly at the back of his neck.
Too soon, he felt a vibration against his chest.
Lorelei broke away from him, laughing. “I think I’m buzzing.” She extricated his phone from the jacket pocket and handed it to him.
“Our car is out front,” Sebastian said. “Come on.”
They climbed inside the warm interior, and the doors of the Tesla swung down. He drove the same model at home, mostly for its energy efficiency. His interest in electric vehicles and alternative means of transport had started as a rebellion against his father, whose private garage had included more than a dozen gas-guzzling monsters, the more expensive the better. Then he’d realized he loved the silent cars almost as much as his friend, Daniel, so he rented one wherever he traveled.
Now he leaned forward, instructing the driver to crank up the heat. Lorelei was huddled in his jacket, looking tired but content.
“Yes, sir,” his driver replied. “It might take us a while to get clear of these one-way streets, though.”
Sebastian settled back and took Lorelei’s hand. Just as she’d done with him that morning, he ran his thumb over her soft palm in slow circles. He couldn’t believe so much had happened in a day. His body was running on adrenaline at the moment, but he didn’t want to miss so much as a minute of his time with Lorelei.
The car inched down the street, following a long line of red brake lights from other vehicles. They were still in view of the opera house, with all its lights ablaze. It was a truly spectacular institution, rivaled only by La Scala in Milan or perhaps the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Someday, they’d visit those together, too.
He was thinking way ahead, but somehow, it didn’t feel wrong, not with her.
A late-night tram rattled past them, shaking him from his thoughts. He glanced at Lorelei, curious to hear what she was thinking about to remain silent for so long.
But she’d fallen asleep, leaning against the car window. The car moved again, and her head lolled forward, so Sebastian gently took her shoulders and tipped her until she was leaning on him. Holding her in place, he whispered to the driver, “The back entrance of the hotel, please.”
He could have taken her to her hotel, now that he knew where she was staying, but it would take them another twenty minutes to get there. His hotel was much closer, and besides, he couldn’t bear to let go of her just yet. He had plenty of room in his suite. Instead of the supper they planned, they could have breakfast together before going to the chocolate factory.
Sebastian carried her from the car despite his driver’s offer that he could do it instead. He wouldn’t have entrusted his precious cargo to another man. Not when she was still fast asleep, likely burned out from their incredibly long day and the excitement of the opera performance.
“Come with me,” he told the driver. “I’ll need help opening my door.”
Lorelei’s cheek rested on his chest, her lips parted. She grumbled a little when he picked her up but settled in his arms with a contented sigh. Instead of carrying her to the hotel’s main lobby, where he might have encountered a curious valet or receptionist, even at this hour of the evening, he carried her through the back entrance and to the private elevator that only led to the two luxurious suites at the top of the hotel. One was his, the other occupied by an elderly gentleman from Argentina, who didn’t speak a word of English, so their communication had been limited to nods every time they happened to pass each other in the morning.
Sebastian waited for the driver to open the door for them, then carried Lorelei into the suite’s second bedroom. Depositing her carefully on the neatly made bed, he returned to the door, where the driver was hovering anxiously, unsure of what to do with Sebastian’s keycard. Sebastian tipped the man generously and closed the door behind him.
Then he entered the second bedroom again, debating waking Lorelei so she could change into one of his t-shirts. But she was completely out, her chest rising and falling with slow, deep breaths. So instead, he turned down the covers, removed Lorelei’s stilettos that peeked from below her voluminous gown, and rolled her gently. He reached around her and found the hidden zipper of her bodice, tugging it to her waist so she’d breathe more easily during the night. Covering her to her neck, he pursed his lips, studying her hair. She’d opted for an upswept style that looked uncomfortable.
Sebastian bent over her, trying to see the hairpins in the dim light coming from the living room. One by one, he slowly pulled them out, releasing her wavy locks until they fell softly around her head.
She mumbled and scooted away from him, and Sebastian chuckled quietly. “Goodnight, Lorelei,” he said, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Sleep well.”
His own bedroom was larger than hers, complete with a walk-in closet that was almost entirely empty but for a couple of his suits. Removing his tux, he threw it and his dress shirt onto the couch in the living room where the housekeeper would pick it up and take it for dry-cleaning in the morning. He put on a fresh t-shirt, even though he usually slept in his underwear; he didn’t want to alarm Lorelei in the morning.
Then he fell asleep thinking about the intriguing woman sleeping in the next room.
Morning came too early after the tiring day Sebastian had had. He squinted at the bright sunshine streaming through the window, cursing himself for having forgotten to draw the curtains last night. But he’d been tired and distracted because Lorele
i was here…
He sat up in bed, realizing that the suite was completely silent. This likely meant she was still asleep. Glancing at his phone, he saw it wasn’t yet eight o’clock. They had plenty of time to order breakfast, then drive to her hotel so she could change her clothes. He doubted she’d be comfortable touring the chocolate factory in a ball gown.
He opened the door carefully, not wanting to make a sound, and stepped into the living area of the suite. The first thing he noticed was that the door to her room was closed; he was sure he’d left it ajar so she’d have some light in the room and wouldn’t freak out if she woke up in the middle of the night. This meant she’d woken up at some point.
Then he realized her shoes were no longer in the hallway, next to his. He’d placed them there for sure. His smile slipped a little, an unpleasant thought curling through his mind like an insidious snake. Had she left?
He debated knocking on her door for a minute. He didn’t hear water running, so she probably wasn’t in the bathroom. If she was still inside, asleep, he’d be depriving her of an hour of rest. But if she’d left…
In the end, curiosity won out. Knocking firmly on her door, he called, “Lorelei?” And then again, when she didn’t answer, “Lorelei, are you all right in there?”
No answer.
Finally, he pressed the door handle and peered inside the darkened room.
Lorelei was gone. Her dress lay on the bed, spread out neatly, mocking him in its perfection. The diamond necklace was carefully placed on top of it. But her clutch and her shoes were gone, and there was no note to be seen. He stared at the gown for a while, perplexed. Had she gone out naked?
Then he turned to the living room, realizing she’d taken his shirt. It would serve as a dress for her, he supposed, with its longer tails, because she was so much shorter than him. She’d also nicked his belt.
He tried calling her next but received no answer. He stood in the elegant, expensive suite and felt the burden of his life pressing down on him, not for the first time. He hadn’t even told Lorelei everything about his father, and she’d run out on him. What woman would want to be saddled with a dubiously rich man who couldn’t even explain where his inheritance had come from? He called again, promising himself it would be the last time he did—because it was too soon for the disappointment to cut so deep after two days of knowing her. She didn’t pick up.
