by Zoe Ann Wood
He turned back to his bedroom, intent on changing into gym clothes. There was a superb studio a floor below his, and he could run himself into oblivion, or maybe punch a bag until he’d worked out his frustration.
Then he’d go to the meeting at the chocolate factory and be on the evening flight out of Vienna, leaving all his memories of Lorelei behind.
Eleven
Lori
Lori greeted the hotel’s receptionist with a smile and walked across the grand lobby toward the fancy private elevator she’d used to leave Sebastian’s suite. She’d swiped his hotel keycard, hoping he wouldn’t mind. Holding her purse tight under her arm, she tried to nudge the elevator button with her elbow, but a nice young valet appeared at her side, doing the job for her.
“Thank you,” she trilled, amazed at how helpful the hotel staff had been. Really, everything about the last twenty-four—no, make that forty-eight—hours was perfect.
She’d arrived downstairs a half hour earlier and asked for directions to the coffee house where she and Sebastian had had their breakfast the previous morning. The Sacher cake had been to die for, and she wanted to surprise Sebastian with their delicious coffee.
The receptionist stared at her, perplexed, then told her they could send someone else to run the errand for her. And charge the room account for it. But it felt like something she should do herself—Sebastian had been paying for everything the past two days, which did make sense in a way. He was clearly wealthy, and she couldn’t even imagine what a dent their greenhouse dinner would have put in her poor bank account. This, however, was something she could do on her own.
She accepted the receptionist’s offer of a car, though, so she didn’t have to walk through half the city center in her evening-appropriate high heels. She was worried everyone would think the worst of her because she’d shown up in Sebastian’s shirt, the sleeves rolled up. But the staff hadn’t even blinked at her clothes or her smudged eye makeup. They were spectacularly efficient, and the coffee in the takeaway cups was still hot as the elevator arrived on the top floor.
Placing the cake box on the polished parquet, she balanced both covered coffee cups in one hand and swiped the keycard. Opening the door, she peered inside—was Sebastian still asleep?
She held the door open with her foot, bending down to pick up the cake box. When she straightened, Sebastian was standing right in front of her, glowering.
“Oh!” Lorelei exclaimed, fumbling with the coffee cups. She made a grab for the top one and dropped the cake box in the process. It landed flat on the carpet with a thud.
“Lorelei.” Sebastian’s voice was deep and gravelly, his frown deepening. “What are you doing here?”
“I-I went to get breakfast,” Lori stuttered. “I’m sorry for waking you.”
They were still standing at the open door, the cake box on the floor between them. The door behind her opened, and Lori turned to find an elderly gentleman exiting his room, an old-fashioned hat tucked under his arm. He nodded at them wordlessly and hobbled to the elevator.
“Get in,” Sebastian ordered, bending down to pick up the box.
He stood back, allowing her to walk past him, but still radiated so much frostiness, Lorelei’s composure crumbled.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, setting the cups on the dining table and turning to him.
She took in his rigid posture, his gym clothes, the way he held the cake box as though he wanted to squash it between his hands. He remained silent, staring at her with a stony gaze.
“Are you upset that I left or that I came back?” she asked finally, hating how weak her voice sounded. She knew her emotions were written across her face; she’d never been good at hiding her pain. And his reaction hurt. What had happened to the kind, attentive man from yesterday?
She’d woken up in a strange suite, and it had taken her a minute to figure out where she was. Her eyes had stung a little because her contact lenses had glued themselves to her eyeballs during the night. Then she’d noticed her clutch on the nightstand, a small pile of hairpins beside it, and her heart had swelled at Sebastian’s attentiveness. He’d removed her shoes and made her comfortable but had remained a perfect gentleman.
And now she was facing this severe man who stared at her mutely.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” She crossed her arms over her chest, instinctively picking a defensive position.
“I thought you’d left.” His voice was hoarse and low, as if it had been torn from the depths of him.
“Oh, Sebastian.” Lori reached for him, and to her immense relief, he let her wrap him in a hug. “I’d never leave without telling you.”
His sigh racked his body; his arms came around her, and he squeezed her tight against him. “I-I know that. But you left the dress and the diamonds.”
Lori held on to him, giving comfort, though her eyes filled with tears. She hated whomever had instilled such doubt in this strong man. “Listen to me. I’d never leave like that, all right?”
After a moment, he nodded, his chin resting on her head. With a shuddering inhale, he broke their hug, grabbing her shoulders and glancing down at her. “You stole my shirt.” His lips turned up in a smile. “I have to say, I like this look on you.”
She snorted, the pressure in her chest easing. “We’ll have to stop at my hotel before we visit the Klug factory. I need a shower and my glasses.”
Sebastian winced. “Oof, I forgot you might be wearing contacts. Are you okay?”
His concern touched her more than she wished to admit. Her heart was still pounding after that minor misunderstanding, and she didn’t want to turn all sappy.
“It’s not a big deal. Now come, your coffee is getting cold.”
They dug into their cake, the dark chocolate sponge and ganache contrasting beautifully with the tart apricot jam that was slathered between the layers. But Sebastian seemed to be in a talkative mood.
“I’m sorry I overreacted,” he said. “I just assumed the worst.”
Lori sipped her coffee. “Did you have a bad relationship in the past? Or is this connected to your family’s situation?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. For a moment, she wasn’t sure he would respond.
But then he said, “My father’s company is basically a criminal empire.” He grimaced, then added, “I mean, it’s real estate, not drugs, but the way he built his fortune is both illegal and immoral. When I confronted him about it years ago, he laughed at me and told me that was how things were done. We didn’t speak again until he was days away from dying.”
Lori stopped eating and placed a hand over Sebastian’s clenched fist. “I’m so sorry.”
Sebastian shook his head. “It was hard to believe, because he was such a standup guy. Gave my mom millions to run her charities. He was absent a lot but always good to Sophie and me. And then, just like that, he was gone, leaving me to deal with the mess.”
“How are you coping with that?”
“Not well, I guess.” He gave her a rueful smile. “The day we met, I was visiting a stolen painting I’d anonymously returned to the Leopold Museum.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“He can’t exactly go to jail now. And though his board members are just as crooked, it would take decades to prove who did what. So I’m trying to compensate everyone who’d ever worked for him but didn’t receive their fair pay. I have an entire team of lawyers and investigators digging through records.” He rubbed his face with his palms, looking tired. “It’s slow going.”
“And a lawsuit would drag your name through the mud, hurting your current business, even though you had nothing to do with the company,” Lori guessed.
He nodded. “And also my mother and sister. I suspect Mom knew a part of what had been going on, but she didn’t work at the company. So there’s no use in…dragging our skeletons from the closet.” Groaning, he leaned his head back. “Or I’m just selfishly trying to protect my life from imploding.”
Lori s
tudied him for a moment, then shook her head. “Children shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of their parents.”
She meant him, but it also applied to her. She’d been trying to live a normal, uneventful life because her mother had proved to her, time and again, how destructive a life full of ‘excitement’ could be. But she wasn’t her mother, and she would not repeat her mistakes. She would never abandon her children in search of the next big thrill.
“Thank you for saying that.” Sebastian picked up his fork and took a bite of the cake. “But I have to tell you something.”
“Hmm?” Lorelei looked up, meeting his gaze, and saw humor twinkling in his green-blue eyes.
“If we’re going to share any more breakfasts in the future, I can’t have cake every day.”
Lorelei laughed. “Are you saying cake isn’t a good breakfast?”
“Cake is dessert. I need eggs and kale. Fruit. Oatmeal. Something that won’t clog my arteries and set me up for a heart attack by the time I’m forty.” He was grinning as he said it, though, so Lorelei thought cake for breakfast might be allowed once—or twice—a week.
The idea of having breakfasts with him in the future warmed her from the inside out. They would have to talk details, see how they could arrange dates around their schedules, but they’d make it work. She was sure of it.
“How old are you, anyway,” she asked him.
“Thirty-five,” he said. He did not ask for her age, which earned him some Brownie points.
“I’m thirty-one.” Self-consciously, she finished the last of her coffee and stood to take her cup to the trash. If they were going to be seeing more of each other, he needed to understand something. “We should leave soon. I’ll need at least twenty minutes to shower and make myself presentable.”
Sebastian caught her wrist before she could dart away from the table. “I don’t care how long you take,” he said. “I’m just glad you bumped into me that day.”
Lorelei found herself staring into his beautiful eyes, wondering how her life could have changed so much in the past two days. She wanted to kiss Sebastian, press close to him and stay cocooned in this magical suite where the outside world ceased to exist. She also needed to tell him about her grandma’s will and her situation back home. But they were already running late, and he would not appreciate missing his business meeting because of her sob story. She would tell him that evening or maybe during their tour of the Schönbrunn Palace—she didn’t want the secret hanging between them.
So instead of throwing herself into his arms, she raised an eyebrow and said, “You mean you bumped into me, right?”
Sebastian snorted. “You keep telling yourself that.”
The detour to her hotel took them half an hour; Sebastian elected to wait downstairs and have ‘proper breakfast’ while she went up to shower and change. She didn’t need a proper breakfast: they were going to a chocolate factory. She’d find something to eat there for sure.
Before she ascended the stairs, he caught her against him and said, “I was thinking…maybe you should pack your bag.” He searched her eyes. “And check out, I mean.”
Lori opened her mouth, then closed it again. Did she want to? Yes. Was it a good idea? Probably not. But she knew herself—she wanted to spend every hour with Sebastian before they had to return to the States where their work would inevitably keep them apart for a while.
“You can stay in that bedroom you slept in last night,” he added quickly, his arms tightening around her. “Say yes, Lorelei.”
How could she resist?
He even helped her carry the big suitcase down the stairs because the hotel was so ancient it didn’t have an elevator—and not fancy enough to have valets. Then she checked out, paying the rest of her bill, her grin so wide her cheeks hurt.
Their drive to the chocolate factory was calm, even though it had started raining—Sebastian had to go over his notes for the meeting, so Lori put in her earphones and listened to Ella Fitzgerald while the lush Austrian countryside zoomed past the windows. Their driver deposited them at the entrance to the Chocolate Museum, where Mr. Klug greeted them enthusiastically.
Lori visited the museum while Sebastian and Mr. Klug held their business meeting. The guided tour took her group of smiling tourists through the chocolate production process, showcasing different methods and explaining how the company had moved toward fair trade and locally sourced organic ingredients over the past decade. The Klugs clearly ran a great company here, and by the time the perky young guide finished her last speech, Lori was more than ready for the samples the tour had promised them.
She tasted one of everything—marzipan-filled pralines, bitter orangettes, decadent truffles, and a cup of hot chocolate so creamy and fragrant, she closed her eyes in pleasure and wondered if anyone would notice if she simply stayed there and lived under the counter. Mmm.
She spent a small fortune in the shop, buying gifts for Hannah, her coworkers, and even Sebastian. Maybe they could have chocolate truffles for breakfast instead of cake. The thought had her smiling, and not even the downpour outside could dampen her spirits.
Mr. Klug sent an assistant to fetch her, a tall young man with an enormous umbrella. He escorted her to the main lobby of the factory, where she met Sebastian and Mr. Klug. Lori burst out laughing the moment she laid eyes on them—they were wearing white lab coats and hair nets. Even Sebastian looked ridiculous in a hair net, which was something of a consolation, given how handsome and put-together he was on all other occasions.
“Laugh all you want,” he grumbled. “But I bet you didn’t see a two hundred gallon tank full of melted chocolate.”
Lori pressed her lips together to keep from laughing again.
“My wife would love to have you both over for lunch tomorrow,” Mr. Klug was saying. “We know a little restaurant that makes excellent fish.”
Sebastian glanced at Lori and lifted his eyebrows, as though asking whether she wanted to take the lead on that question. So she briefly explained about her grandmother’s funeral and the plane she had to catch in the evening.
“But I’m very glad I met you,” she concluded. “Please tell Marianne I regret not being able to see her again.”
“Mm.” Mr. Klug bounced lightly on his toes. “But Sebastian will be visiting us before long. Be sure to come with him then, okay?”
Lori’s face heated; she was certain she was blushing furiously. Mr. Klug assumed she and Sebastian would be in a relationship serious enough to travel together. She couldn’t deny it pleased her to hear this, but she had no idea how Sebastian would react. What if he was horrified?
But he placed a warm hand on her lower back and raised his eyebrows at her. At her tiny nod, he answered, “We can’t wait.”
So they were making plans for the future now. Lori almost floated to the car, not entirely certain her feet were even touching the ground. A bubble of happiness was rising inside her, and she wondered whether Sebastian could feel it. This was the start of something magnificent.
Twelve
Lori
She meant to talk to Sebastian the moment they were safely tucked into their car seats. The driver even brought a soft wool blanket for her to drape over her legs; the weather had turned nasty, so she was grateful for the added warmth.
But then Sebastian’s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he said, “I need to take this,” and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Then he proceeded to have a full business meeting with his colleague, who was apparently still at work even though it was six a.m. in DC.
Not wanting to eavesdrop, Lori plugged in her earphones again and listened to music on their way back. The cozy blanket and the gentle sway of the car lulled her into a short nap. When they arrived at Sebastian’s hotel, she woke with a start, drowsy and disoriented.
“You should rest,” Sebastian suggested while the receptionist handed him a large envelope over the counter. They took the elevator to the top floor, and he let them into the suite. “You were up early today.
Just relax. I have work to catch up on anyway.”
Lori’s suitcase was waiting in the living room, as though the valet hadn’t known where exactly to put it. Lori peered at the master bedroom—maybe she’d be staying there the next time they came to Vienna. She smiled and wheeled the suitcase to the other bedroom, which was smaller but still luxurious. Her private bathroom even had a claw-foot tub, which delighted her. Maybe she’d have a bubble bath in the evening.
But right now, she was still so tired. The remains of her jet lag, all the walking she’d done in the past days, and the grief of losing her grandmother were catching up with her. She changed into a t-shirt and leggings and burrowed under the soft covers. The sheets caressed her skin, silky and cool until her body warmth created a cozy cocoon. With her last clear thought, she set the alarm for one hour because she didn’t want to sleep away the entire afternoon.
She came awake before the alarm, refreshed and hungry. If it was still pouring outside, she and Sebastian could order room service and then visit Schönbrunn. They’d have to postpone strolling through the gardens, but the palace itself was a vast museum that she also wanted to explore.
Opening the door to the living area, she noticed Sebastian was absent. Had he gone out? There were papers on the dining table, so Lori marched over there in the hopes that he’d written her a note.
He hadn’t. Instead, he’d left an open envelope—the one he’d received earlier—and its contents. They were all about her. Her entire life was written on those pages. Lori dropped into a chair, unsure of whether her legs would support her, and pawed through the papers. There were her school records, her latest CV, information on her father’s whereabouts that even she didn’t know about, and, at the very bottom, a copy of her grandmother’s will. Accompanied by printed-out photos she’d been sending to the lawyer’s office from Vienna.
