SEBASTIAN
Sebastian unclenched his hands and took a deep calming breath. He felt like a caveman. Never had he been this possessive towards a woman. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and all he wanted to do was to rip Andin away from Damon and take her away — preferably into his bedroom, on his bed. His mind kept reminding him that he would look like an utter fool if he tried to make any moves at all. And yet he was having a hard-on from dancing with Andin. She was his secretary for goodness sake!
London snaked her arms around his. She had just gone back from dancing with Damon. "I'm so tired now." She heaved a deep sigh as if she had just run a mile. "Can we retreat to your bedroom for a bit?"
She'd laid her invitation. Thrice tonight. If he was smart, he should take her up on it. After all, having a release would feel so much better than taking a cold shower. Yet he didn't want it. He wanted Andin and no one else but her.
"Babe?" London called him again when he had not answered her question. It seemed that it had not occurred to her that he was no longer interested in her.
"No," he finally replied very curtly.
The DJ took over and spiced things up with a hype song. "Dance with me?" London pursed her luscious lips, blinking her eyes as her hold tightened.
Again, he replied with one simple word. "No."
"Why not?"
"Go find someone to amuse you, London. I'm going to stay here on the balcony for a while."
She was about to protest when the look in his eyes silenced her. Then she gave him a smile and planted a kiss lightly on his lips. "Take your time, darling."
Sebastian closed his eyes and let the music soothe him. He wanted Andin back in his arms, against his body, close enough that he could feel her every curve and her warmth. His mind began to play a series of erotic scenes, giving him ideas of things that he could do to her. Things she could do to him. Things that they could do together.
He hissed as his body was hard once again. This body clearly desired Andin Williams and the more he resisted, the more he was driven to this mindless insanity. It needed to stop. His desire needed to be satisfied and he knew exactly how.
* * *
Sebastian had been watching Andin the whole night. She had mixed and mingled with the others. She knew most of the guests here since she had at least arranged meetings with them once or twice over the course of the last three or four years she had been working for him. And of course, her dedicated lover was tagging alongside her, keeping her company. It irked Sebastian to no end how their bodies stand so close. Patiently, he waited until she was alone.
Then, at last, he observed Andin whisper something to Damon and then talk to the group she was conversing with before detaching herself from them and walking further towards the hallway. A delicious grin spread across his face.
It was an advantage that this party was held in his house. He knew his way around and quickly enough he was able to catch up with her. He watched her look around the place. Although it was not her first time coming here, she had never ventured around the house and his house was big. Big enough to keep at least five families. She poked herself at the junction, seemingly unsure which way to go.
He strode towards her and when he was close enough, he said slowly in the hope that he would not scare her. "Are you lost?"
She jumped a little before she spun around and faced him. Relief glossed over her feature when she realized that it had been him. "Not really. I am trying to find the restroom."
Sebastian stuck his hand out. "Come."
She looked a little confused at first and then a glimpse of uncertainty before her face became stone cold. She placed her hand on his and he was holding her hand firmly as they walked together side by side.
Passing several rooms and then stairs, he led her to the second floor and moved north. At last, they arrived at a huge wooden door and he unlocked it for her. She followed him into a large master bedroom with expensive furnishing, marbled floors, and a large balcony further ahead with a gorgeous view. The bed was tucked neatly, the moonlight from the open balcony shone on the dark grey bed covers.
"Where is this?" she asked, her voice tight.
Sebastian tilted his head to one side, a lopsided smile forming on his face as his eyes glinted mischievously. He traced his way back until he stood right in front of her. "My bedroom, of course."
Finally, she was exactly where he had wanted her to be. In his bedroom. If only he could convince her to share his bed then that would be perfect. A birthday wish had come true indeed.
********
Andin stared at her boss and for a second there, she was going to lose her temper. She had specifically said that she was trying to find a restroom, then why on Earth had he led her into his bedroom? Her earlier thought about his wish to claim her as one of his conquests reared its ugly head. That must be precisely what his aim was. He expected her to sleep with him.
What an ass!
Her jaw clenched as she tried her best to calm herself by telling herself that if he made any moves, she could always knee him between his thighs then run like hell. So when she finally opened her mouth, she was quite proud of herself for sounding calm and reasonable. "Why did you bring me here?"
Without saying a word, he took her hand and was about to drag her but she planted her feet firmly on the floor and refused to follow him. "What on Earth are you doing, sir?" She had subtly added 'sir' in her sentence in the hope to remind her that he was her boss and that this was borderline inappropriate.
"Didn't you say you want to go to the restroom?" he asked incredulously as if she had just asked him a stupid question. He let go of her hand then pointed at the door on her left. "Go through that door." Then with a small smile, he added, "Make yourself at home."
Andin muttered her thanks then scurried to the bathroom before he noticed that she was blushing. Once she closed the door behind her, she turned on the light and breathed out her relief. Chandelier light shone down onto the white marble floors.
"Who would put a chandelier in the bathroom?" Andin whispered to herself, shaking her head. Apparently, the answer to that question was Sebastian Summers.
The walk-in closet alone was as big as her own bathroom at home while the bathroom was bigger than her kitchen. Everything in there, from the bar of soap to the bathtub and shower stall, was fancier than anything she had ever seen — and being his secretary, she had traveled with him to many places and been to many five star hotels. Andin took a deep breath then tried to be careful while doing her business.
Shortly after she had cleaned herself, she swung the door open and walked out of the bathroom. Her breath caught in her throat the second she saw him leaning on the wall not far from her. He moved silently like a leopard eyeing its prey, closing the gap between them until she could smell the hint of his aftershave. He paused for a moment, his deep ocean eyes met her eyes and she struggled to keep still. She refused to feel intimidated.
"Thank you for letting me use your bathroom. Next time, you could just lead me to any bathroom."
He shrugged one shoulder as if it did not matter. "It is fine."
"I better leave now. Damon must be looking for me."
Andin noticed that at the mention of Damon's name, Sebastian's eyes turned a few shades darker.
"Do you have any idea how long it has been since I last had sex?" He muttered his question very lightly as if he had just said 'how are you' or asked about the weather. "I think I've gone more than a month without sex. You?"
"W-what?" She swallowed hard then subtly took a step back. Then as if she had not heard anything he had just said, Andin reiterated her intention again. "I'm going back to the party now. Thanks again."
His hand caught her wrist. "How about you? How long has it been for you?"
As she could no longer pretend that she had not heard his inquiries, she squared her shoulders and stared at his hand on her wrist. "This is highly inappropriate."
"Really now?" His eyes narrowed then he smiled. "You being here is inappropriate and yet while you were busy in the bathroom, I've spent my time imagining you on my bed."
Bitterness came into the back of her throat. Had Sebastian really thought he could bring her here and seduce her into sharing a quickie in his bed? She had never felt so humiliated in her life and before she knew it, her hand flew up and slapped him viciously, leaving a red mark on his right cheek. For a second, no one moved and despite the cheeriness and loudness from the party downstairs, the entire bedroom was dead quiet. Both of them looked completely stunned by her action. Andin could not believe that she had just slapped her boss while Sebastian could not believe that her little professional secretary had in fact slapped her.
Andin finally found her voice back and with a stammer, she said, "I shouldn't have done that." She was still shocked at her own doing for she had never done such a thing in her life before. She did not like violence and was appalled at having committed an act of one, even under the sting of his outrageous, inappropriate questions.
"You shouldn't have," he agreed with a shrug. His hand reached up and touched the red mark then he dropped his hand only to catch hers. "This small hand hits really hard."
She attempted to pull her hand out of his grip but he held it so firmly that her attempt failed miserably. "Look, I'm sorry that I hit you but you've been acting strange the whole night. And what's up with those questions? You provoked me so much that I slapped you."
"Says someone who has been provoking me for three years," he replied softly.
Her eyes widened then she cast her gaze away. "I must go. I'm really sorry."
"If you're sorry then would you kiss it better?" His eyes challenged her.
Andin shook her head. "As you said, me being here is inappropriate, let alone me kissing you."
"Do you realize that I've known you for four years, nearly five, and yet I've never kissed you?" His gaze slid from her eyes to her mouth.
"I'm sorry if that may have hurt your pride," said Andin with a hint of sarcasm.
He let out a low chuckle as if he did not quite believe her. "Are you?"
She took one step back and tugged her hand but instead of letting go, Sebastian jerked it forward, pulling her towards him. She put her free hand on his chest and pushed him away but he did not budge. Not even by an inch. She felt the inflexible strength of his muscles under her palm. "Let. Me. Go."
Completely ignoring her request, his other hand came round her back. His hand was stroking her as if he was trying to calm her down. "Why do you always do this? Every time I am close to you, you always move away." He dipped his head until his face was only a breath away from hers. "Do you always react like this to all men? Because I don't think you do."
"No, just to you, boss."
His lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "Boss? I wonder if you are still going to call me that, even in the bedroom."
"This isn't right. This is not proper!" Andin yelled, trying to convince him and her treacherous body that being this close to him that if she moved one inch, her lips would meet his, was indeed wrong on so many levels.
He moved the stray of lock hair on her temple and then his fingers moved to caress her cheek. "I am rarely proper, Andin."
Andin barely had time to fully understand the meaning when he took her mouth softly, seducing her lips to part as his exploring hand was sliding down her body in an intimate movement that she had never experienced before. Her skin warmed wherever his hands touched. She wriggled and tried to get away from him before her body completely melted in his arms. Her heart was beating faster and faster every passing second. This was insane. She had dreamt about how it would feel like to be kissed by Sebastian and now that his lips were against hers, her mind went blank and she could not even think about anything at all because this kiss had been far better than anything she could possibly imagine.
One of his conquests.
That word chilled her and she gasped protestingly under his lips. Finally, he lifted his head in a slow, reluctant movement. They stared at each other in silence and she could hear his heart beating against hers. With a low, husky tone, he muttered, "I've wanted to do that for years."
Andin could feel her heart skip a beat. Glancing at his darkened eyes, she was not sure whether he had been honest or not. She willed herself to calm down and her breathing slowly came back to its normal rhythm. Once again, she told him about her wish. "I have to go."
And this time, he let her.