The guests enjoyed an elegant five-course meal and then it was time for the auction. I could see Mr. Blu nod at someone every now and then when there was an item that he wanted. He was a very generous bidder and that helped to change the perception I had of the man who was surrounded by a table full of beautiful women. It was nice to see that he was giving so much to such an incredible foundation. Everything was running smoothly so I figured it was okay for me to quickly run down the hall to use the restroom.
I had just walked out of the restroom and was looking down at my dress to make sure that it wasn’t bunched up when I literally ran right into Sebastian Blu. His hands grabbed my shoulders to steady me and I was mortified.
“Oh my goodness! I am so sorry Mr. Blu, how clumsy of me!”
“It’s quite alright…Ms. Sumner is it?”
“Yes, Elena.” I felt my cheeks flush as I realized I had just made this encounter personal by implying that he could use my first name.
I didn’t have much time to even think about what I had just said because I became acutely aware of his close proximity to my body and his gorgeous dark eyes that were drinking me in. I was 5’6” without heels so I was easily 5’10” that night with the shoes I was wearing. The top of my head reached his shoulder and I nearly gasped as I looked up at him. My skin was blazing underneath his touch and I found it difficult to catch my breath. What is going on? Why am I reacting to him like this?
His eyes glided over my face and my hair. “You are a very beautiful woman, Elena.”
I was completely tongue-tied and did not know how to respond to his compliment. Say thank you!
“Oh, thank you.” The words found their way out with a bit of difficulty. I had never been so tongue tied around a man before. It was usually the other way around.
“Are you working the entire evening?”
Why is he asking me that?
“Yes. Is there something I can do for you?”
“There is definitely something you can do for me.” His words hung in the air as his eyes held mine. He pressed his body against mine and while I normally would have protested, my body betrayed me and I was frozen in place. He smelled of a mixture of lotion, soap and light, crisp shampoo and his scent was deliciously intoxicating. We were in the hallway where anyone could have seen us and while Sebastian didn’t seem to care at all, I was terrified that at any minute someone would see that the gorgeous billionaire had me pinned against the wall. My senses were overwhelmed with his scent and I wanted to dig my fingers into his skin and devour him. I had not been this enthralled by a man ever in my life. No, no, no!
He ran a hand down my side and it followed the curve of my hip. He dipped his head toward my neck and that sexy voice caressed my ear. “I didn’t see a ring Elena, I take it you’re not…taken?”
Breathing, at this point, was nearly non-existent and I could barely think straight. There is no way this is really happening to me. No, I’m not taken, but you can take me anytime you want. I had never felt this consumed by a man before and I told myself that I had to step away from him so that I could think straight. I had completely forgotten that I was working and I had to get back to my section. Ms. Parker would be looking for me and I didn’t want to get in trouble. I highly doubted that this gorgeous billionaire would admit that he pinned me against a wall and detained me for a bit and that was why I was late returning to my section. I looked up at Sebastian mesmerized once again by his beautiful, soulful dark eyes and all thoughts flew out of my head as I stood there still in his grasp. He stood looking at me waiting for my answer.
“Well? Are you? Taken, that is.” I could see a deep intensity behind those dark eyes.
“N-No, I’m not taken.” I was so consumed by his scent and his charisma that I almost forgot that he had not come alone to this event and once I remembered that I stepped away from him. I immediately raised my eyes to his and he looked surprised that I was rejecting his affection.
“Oh? You don’t like my touch?”
I was cautiously defiant as I held his gaze. “I’m sure that your date would not appreciate what is going on here.”
His eyes held mine for a while and then a tiny smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair lightly brushing my neck, causing my skin to tingle.
“And what is going on here?” His voice was pure seduction and I had difficulty getting my lips to come together to form a sentence. After a moment I was able to finally utter words.
“I think your date would not appreciate you being here with me in this secluded space, Mr. Blu.”
He pondered what I said and then I sucked in my breath as his face moved toward mine. Is he going to kiss me?
I held my breath as I waited for what came next. Oh, what I would give to feel those sexy lips on mine. I felt as though my world was spinning as he continued coming closer. Instead of kissing my lips he leaned down and whispered in my ear.
“Do me a favor, love, call me Sebastian. My father is Mr. Blu.” His warm breath caressed my ear and his words made my belly flip.
I stood there puzzled as he left me standing alone to ponder what had just happened between us. I was clearly daydreaming because I didn’t hear Marissa, one of the servers, calling my name.
“Elena? Are you okay?”
My fog cleared as I realized that she was standing right in front of me.
“Um, yeah I’m fine Marissa, just a touch of a headache. Is everything going okay out there?”
“Yeah, everything is fine. Ms. Parker wanted me to let you know that we will be serving dessert soon.”
I got nervous because I thought Ms. Parker may have been looking for me and couldn’t find me.
“Was she looking for me?” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible because I didn’t want Marissa to see me fretting over anything. She was a new server and I had to keep my cool at all times.
“No, she just told me if I saw you to let you know, but she said she figured you probably were already on top of it.”
I smiled at her and thanked her for relaying the message. I went back to the ballroom and did my best to avoid eye contact with Sebastian because I was sure that my body would betray me if I locked eyes with him. I walked around the table glancing at everyone’s plates to make sure that none of the plates were empty. The guests were enjoying dessert and conversation and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention and eyes boring into me as I was walking around. My mouth went dry and my palms were sweating because I knew he was watching me. I was terrified to look in his direction because I didn’t want anyone to see what he was doing to me, and I knew that one look at me looking at him and the heat between us would be obvious to any observer.