Pulling out, he rolled off of the doggy pile and lay on his back. Mariss' husband spooned her body with his and she snuggled against him, but her hand rested on Sebastian's chest. He covered it with his own. His chest rose and fell heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Sebastian looked over at Mariss. She was staring, her eyes wide with shock and something else. He wasn't sure what to call it.
Sebastian had told her that her resistance to him would be her downfall, but as he lay there, he began to see the truth in Hellena's words. He was the one who was truly in trouble.
Run Far Far Away
Mariss kissed her husband and slid off the bed. Sebastian tipped his head back and watched her wobble to the bathroom on rubbery legs.
"Are you going to shower with her?" Sebastian asked the husband.
"No."
"I think I will." He didn't wait for permission. Sebastian rolled off the bed and followed behind Mariss. He held his back straight and fairly sauntered.
She was already in the shower when he got there. In this swank hotel, the shower stall was shut off from the bathroom by a milky glass wall. Sebastian stepped in behind her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Mariss jumped and spun, her arms covering her chest. "What are you doing in here?"
"After what we just did, I don't think you need to cover yourself up, Red."
She flushed, but looked no less indignant. "Holden won't allow-"
"He didn't stop me from coming in and he isn't in here now to drag me out. I assume that means I'm good to go."
She glared and he couldn't help but think how cute she was when she was angry.
"I don't want you in here. I want to shower."
"I want to shower with you. Why are you angry with me? Have I done something that didn't please you?" He raised an eyebrow and lifted the corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.
Mariss reached up and squished his cheeks with one hand so he was making the fish face.
"Is there a reason for this, Mariss? I don't particularly like people putting their hands in my face."
"Stop that," she demanded.
"Stop what? You like it when I smile like that."
"See? That right there. Don't be so self-aware."
Sebastian scoffed. She still hadn't let go of his face. "It's my job to be self-aware."
"Yes, but you don't have to do it with me."
Mariss squenched his face a few times.
Sebastian gently grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from his face. "Mariss, I don't like people putting their hands in my face."
"Stop trying to fluster me on purpose and I won't do it."
He blinked, amused. "Are you trying to compromise with me?"
Mariss shrugged. "What will happen if I don't stop?"
Sebastian thought about that. "I don't know. I've never had to find out before."
"Sounds ominous."
She turned away from him and reached for body wash and a scrub.
"May I bathe you?" he asked. Normally, he would have just taken it from her and done it anyway, but he was still trying.
"I'd rather you didn't."
"You like my hands on your body," Sebastian argued.
"I like to be touched. That's all."
"Oh. Then it won't be a problem for me to bathe you, if my touch means so little."
Mariss sighed and handed the soapy scrub over her shoulder. Sebastian grinned. With a hand on her shoulder to steady her, he lathered her back and buttocks. He could feel her quivering beneath his hands, but he didn't think it had anything to do with her being tired.
"How was work today?"
She didn't answer right away. Mariss cocked her head to the side as if listening to something far off. After a moment, he thought she might be ignoring him.
"It was fine. We spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the
pro's
and con's of our new…merger."
"I see. What did you come up
with.
"
"Con's?
Working with you."
"Naturally, that would be the top of the list." His voice was flat when he spoke.
"Naturally.
Pro's, we'll get a chance to move forward, have more recognition."
Sebastian squatted behind her so he could reach the backs of her legs. "Lean on the wall." He made sure it was more of a suggestion, rather than the demands her husband gave during sex. Mariss put her hands on the wall and leaned forward.
"That is a plus for you and your business," he said, picking up from her answer.
"Yes, it is, but I'm not sure at what price it comes."
"What do you mean?"
"You're stalking me, Sebastian. That's illegal, first of all. Second, I am happily married-"
"With a husband who lacks the 'equipment' to fully please you sexually.
His words.
Not mine."
"Holden pleases me," she snapped.
"But I please you too. As you said before, he doesn't have two dicks. You enjoyed having two men inside you."
"You keep insisting that I specifically liked having sex with you and it wasn't like that."
"Wasn't it?" He ran the scrub up the inside of her leg. Mariss sucked in a sharp breath when he reached her thigh. "You panicked when I said I was going to leave." He bathed between her legs, not touching the place he so badly wanted to lick. "Why was that?"
"I panicked?" she asked softly.
"Mm hm.
Isn't
that why you kissed me?"
"Why were you going to leave?"
Were her feelings hurt? She sounded as if she was going to cry.
"Because I was trying."
Sebastian let the suds gently caress that one place he had yet to know.
"Trying to what?" Mariss' knees almost buckled, but she shifted her weight and leaned her face against the tiles.
"Trying to follow the rules.
I didn't want to get the boot before I had a real chance, so I tried for you, but you blew that all to hell."
"How did I?"
"When you kissed me, you gave yourself away."
"I did not. There's nothing to give away."
"You did. You let your feelings show. Then, when you wanted me inside you and I refused, you were disappointed."
"I just wanted-"
"Don't
lie
, Mariss. You can be a prude if you want, but don't lie to me about what is so plainly obvious."
Mariss turned and her eyes flashed with fury.
Sebastian
tsk
ed. "Please, Mariss. I read you like a book."
"No, you don't."
He crossed his arms over his chest, no longer self-aware, but imposing nonetheless. "You're slightly delusional."
"Excuse me?"
She was livid. A muscle twitched in her neck. He'd never seen a naked woman who could pull off righteous anger, but the bite-sized woman in front of him did it with an ease that made him nervous.
"You can leave."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going anywhere just yet. I wasn't insulting, I was making a statement. You do realize who you're talking to, Mariss. I've made it my job to read women. I see things most other men don't. That's why I am who I am. It's why I have to be so self-aware, because I know what actions and words make women think they have a chance and which ones don't."
"Oh, so you
are
god's gift to women."
"There, now you get it." Sebastian grinned.
"You just grinned at me on purpose."
"No, I was laughing at my own joke. Turn around and lean against me." He motioned her closer and she did as he asked.
Sebastian ran the soapy scrub over her stomach. Looking down at her with her eyes closed, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up next to her or watch her sleep.
"What other
con's
did you come up with for working with me?"
"Our reputation.
There's no doubt that you'll end up sleeping with every woman in the office."
"Ouch."
She smirked.
"With the exception of me, of course."
"Of course."
He let his voice ring with sarcasm.
"People will notice.
Not that I'm all that worried, but it's something to think about."
"Absolutely."
Sebastian stopped questioning her then. Her voice was tired and strained. He bathed and rinsed her and helped her wrap up in a towel before he sent her out of the shower.
When she was gone, he bathed himself using his hands to lather his body with the sweet smelling wash.
Hellena's words were starting to look like wisdom. Now was the time to make a clean break if he didn't want things to get messy. He wasn't sure he could do that on his own.
Sebastian rinsed and stood under the water, running his hands through his hair. He'd probably shower again when he got home, just to get her smell off of him. Sebastian felt himself closing down. He didn't know how Mariss had opened the door to his bank of emotions, but she got under his skin and he didn't like where it was leading. She had a happy marriage and he had the perfect working sexual relationships that he preferred. There was no need to screw any of that up for them. He'd run his only friend off last night because of this ridiculousness. It was time to move on.
Sebastian dried off and wrapped a towel low on his hips. He shook the water from his hair, letting the drenched locks fall across his eyes.
The bedroom was
pitch
black when he walked out of the bathroom, save for one stray shaft of light from the window. It fell across Mariss' sleeping face, illuminating her soft features. Had he known he would have this wish granted so quickly, he might not have bothered to wish it.
Her breathing was slow and deep. In her sleep, Mariss was angelic. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyelids fluttered in REM. She sighed and rolled over and the towel fell away. She hadn't bothered to put on any clothes. Or perhaps she was too shattered and fell asleep before she could.
Sebastian lifted her and tossed the towel to the floor.
"What's wrong?" Mariss asked. Her eyes blinked open, confused.
"Nothing."
He smiled to reassure her. "You looked cold, so I wanted to cover you."
In reality, Sebastian just wanted to touch her again and that frightened him. This whole situation frightened him. His smile slipped and she noticed.
"What's wrong?" she asked again. This time, her voice was laced with concern.
"Nothing, Red.
I'm going to tuck you in and be on my way. You won't have to worry about me anymore."
"Oh, good.
I hate worrying." Mariss dropped her head on his shoulder.
Sebastian chuckled and pulled the sheets down. By the time he had her covered up, she was asleep again.
He quickly redressed and exited the room. The light from the living room was bright after the darkness of the bedroom and he squinted into it. It took a moment for the husband's form to manifest near the bar.
"What are your intentions toward my wife?"
Sebastian didn't answer, because the truth was, he didn't know what the fuck to do.
"I see the way you look at her," the husband went on. "I see how she reacts to you. Don't play me for a fool, Sebastian. I know you. I know who you are, because I used to be just like you."
Well, that was a shock, but Sebastian could see that in him.
"Are you saying she changed you?"
"I changed me for her. I love my wife. I'm not stupid. I know I don't deserve her. I know I'm a lucky man. Despite all of my flaws, she loves me anyway."
The husband took a step toward him. It wasn't threatening, but it wasn't casual either.
"I trust my wife. She would never step out on me. But like I said, I see the way she reacts to you. She's never reacted to anyone else like that, except for me, so I'm going to ask you again. What are your intentions with my wife?" The husband kept his voice low and his temper tamped down, but Sebastian saw the strain and just what that was costing him.
"I want your wife," Sebastian admitted. "She's beautiful, loyal, driven, and she fights me even though her attraction for me is evident. She fights me because she loves you. I admire that, though I don't believe in love." He stopped and took a deep, cleansing, thoughtful breath. "I'm going," he nodded. "Thank you for this evening."
"Don't thank me."
Sebastian smirked as he walked out the door.
His car was waiting for him in front of the hotel lobby. During the short ride home, he wondered if it would be a good idea to cancel his appointment for the next day. They could reschedule for a time when he'd calmed down and got her out of his system.
He didn't have to ponder long.
"Hello, Jules." He answered his phone as he walked through the door to his flat.
"Mr. Boa, I have good news."
"What's that?"
"You got the cologne campaign." She was so excited for him that she actually squealed. Sebastian pulled the phone away
from
his ear. "You fly out tomorrow morning."
"Excellent. Call
The
Red Wife Media Group and reschedule the shoot for tomorrow."