04
Sexy.
In which Sebastian has a sex appeal.
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THE SATIN SHEETS FLATTENED AGAINST MY body, the feeling of the floor being replaced by the softness of a bed. Opening my eyes, I stretched across the bed, looking to my left.
I was in the bed alone, but there was a tray of breakfast foods to my right, a note placed in front of the tall glass of what smelt like lemonade.
Reaching for the note, I read Sebastian's neat handwriting with a small smile on my face.
'We should probably make you sleeping over at my place a thing since I couldn't wake you up this morning. :) There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Have some breakfast, and I'll get George to drive you back to your place. See you later, pumpkin.
- Sebastian.'
Falling in love with how his bed felt, I lingered for a couple more minutes before I sat up. I was still in the clothes I had worn the day before, but I didn't have to worry too much about getting home with the media on my back since George would most likely drive me straight to my door.
After I finished the full English breakfast, I combed a hand through my wavy hair, fixing it to the best of my ability before I stepped out of Sebastian's bedroom.
"Well, I never pegged Sebastian as a one night stand kind of guy."
The voice shocked me as I turned to face a guy who gave me a small smirk. He stood on crutches and slowly lowered himself onto the sofa. "You certainly are very beautiful."
Warmth flooded my cheeks, but it wasn't very noticeable. "I-I'm just a friend, we were having dinner and I fell asleep after."
He studied me very closely, rendering me with a small nod. "I'm James Douglas, his best friend."
Proceeding to walk towards him, I held my hand out politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, James."
He took my hand and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine."
I blushed once again, but as it wasn't noticeable, James only focused on my smile. "Where is Sebastian, though?"
James massaged his leg and checked his watch. "He had a board meeting this morning. He should be coming back now because he's going to the hospital."
My eyebrows met in confusion. If they were going to the hospital, it would most likely be because of James' leg, but if he was going to the hospital, was he injured?
"How come he's going to the hospital?"
A flash of confusion passed James' features before he sighed tiredly. "His sister gave birth last night."
I acknowledged his comment, and before I could say anything further, Sebastian walked in. He already had a smile on his face, but it widened when he saw James.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, bringing James into a warm hug before he turned to me. "Guess you woke up later than I thought," he chuckled as James stood up. "So you now have the pleasure of riding with us."
"Two very handsome men." James input, a grin plastered onto his face.
I laughed and walked beside them as my phone vibrated in my bra. Instantly, I let out a small squeak since I had forgotten that I put it there when I was brushing my teeth.
Their attention was brought to my chest when I rapidly retrieved my phone, and their cheeks flushed red as Sebastian averted his gaze elsewhere.
It was the restaurant I had applied for, and I quickly answered, walking slower than Sebastian and James as we approached the lift.
"Is this Mira Casey?" they questioned, grasping my full attention.
"Yes, this is she."
After the whole conversation, my mood had severely plummeted. I was told that the position had been filled and that although it was a very hard choice, the owner thought the other person was more qualified.
Picking up on my mood, Sebastian gave me a frown as he held the lift for me. "What's wrong?"
Shaking my head, I brushed by him. "It was the restaurant, someone else got the job."
He put a comforting arm around my shoulders. "Do you want me to sort something out?"
"Absolutely not."
It was silent the rest of the journey down, but the chatter picked up when James and Sebastian began a humorous conversation between the two of them. I learned that James was in the army and had acquired the leg injury during his last deployment.
The whole ordeal seemed traumatising so I quickly changed the subject. "How long have you and Sebastian been best friends?"
James let out a short laugh. "Ever since we started secondary school."
Through the tinted window, I could just about make out that we had arrived at my apartment, and seeing all the people that were waiting outside had me sighing tiredly.
"I'm getting that sorted out," Sebastian informed me. "I'm sorry."
"Would they leave me alone if I told them that we're not dating?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "They probably wouldn't believe it since a lot of people saw us kiss."
I let silence fill the space between us before the door was opened, and one of Sebastian's bodyguards escorted me into my apartment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
As I expected, that night was the first time Sebastian couldn't make it for the cuddle pact. The night consisted of me simply staring at the ceiling as I tried to desperately count sheep.
At that point of my insomnia, I couldn't even be frustrated. It was like no matter how much my body wanted to sleep, I couldn't fall into a deep slumber, and if I did it only lasted for a couple of minutes.
Yep. I was definitely feeling Sebastian's absence.
I ended up taking sleeping pills that got me a couple of hours of irritable sleep.
The next afternoon, I was shocked to see Ada talking to Sebastian as she made some lay breakfast pancakes. Sebastian looked like he had come from a business meeting, and glancing at my clock, I saw that it was only 12:10.
"Hello," I spoke groggily, going straight for the coffee machine.
Their conversation ceased and Ada gave me a smile as she turned the cooker off. "I'm going to work, but I made you pancakes."
"Thank you." I rendered her with a lazy smile, glancing at Sebastian and realised that he looked a lot less intact than he did yesterday. "Are you okay?"
The door softly shut behind Ada and I was surprisingly met with silence outside, which meant Sebastian took care of the cameras.
"I think I'm coming down with a cold," he smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Nothing I can't handle, though. I'm sorry for not coming last night. I had a last-minute meeting with some contractors building my new hotel."
"Branching out, huh?"
"Widening my influence in the business world." He grinned, setting down his mug as he approached me with a sympathetic look.
Taking me by surprise, he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me into a warm hug. A few moments passed before my arms circled around his waist, my nose happily taking in his heavenly scent.
Before I had the chance to speak, my phone rang, pulling me out of the moment as Sebastian stepped back to allow me to answer my phone.
Recognising the number as the restaurant I had applied to, I immediately picked up. "Hello?"
"Miss Casey," the manager started. "Good morning. I called to say that another chef vacancy opened up, and I would very much like to have your skills on hand. Do you still want the job?"
Hope bubbled inside me. "Yes! Thank you so much!"
"Great! I'll email you all the details. Have a wonderful day, Miss Casey."
"You too, Mr Hansen."
Hanging up the phone, I discarded the feeling that Sebastian could've helped me get this job as a broad grin washed over my features. I began to eat my pancakes as Sebastian watched me with a small smile.
As he followed in my pursuit and ate his pancakes, we sat in perfect silence for the remainder of the meal.
"I cleared my schedule today," Sebastian spoke up, washing his plate as I scrolled through my phone. "To make it up to you."
Looking up from my phone, a chuckle passed through my lips. "You didn't have to do that."
His cheeks flooded with warmth and, somehow, he looked away embarrassed. "I know but it'll really help ease my guilty conscience if you come out with me."
He stepped back when I proceeded to wash my plate, not forgetting to hand me the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. He caused a smile to grace my face as he wrung his hands together.
"A guilty conscience you shouldn't have." I pointed out, drying my hands on my pyjamas. I inwardly praised myself since I was wearing plain ones and not my Adventure Time ones.
I turned on my heels, walking towards my room as Sebastian followed my footsteps. "Come on, pumpkin. We'll have a great day. Ada told me you like hot air balloons."
"Did she?" I questioned, acting uninterested as he seemed slightly desperate to take me out. Seeing his puppy dog eyes again, I huffed. "Fine."
He straightened up, a smile instantly taking over his desperate expression. "Great. I've got other things planned too, but the hot air balloon sets off at 3:30."
Shutting my door before he could enter, I stood against it with a widening smile. He was going to be the death of me.
Soon after I changed, I exited my room to see Sebastian on a call. He glanced at me and blew out a soft breath as he smiled softly and finished his conversation.
"You look beautiful." He complimented, unbuttoning his cufflinks before he rolled his shirt up to his elbows.
My cheeks warmed and I gave him a dazzling smile. "Thank you."
Before I could move any further, he held his hand out to me, and I took it as we left my apartment. Getting out was much more peaceful since I didn't have multiple people with cameras waiting to badger me with questions about my love life.
Unlike every other day, Sebastian didn't have his personal driver and instead opted to drive in one of his own cars. A Lykan Hypersport was parked outside the apartment complex, and I wondered how Sebastian was never robbed.
But, when I saw his bodyguard, I knew no one would even attempt to steal the car when such a big man, who practically smelled like danger, was stood in front of it. His car, which was a whole lot more modest than Sebastian's was parked behind and he nodded to his boss before he quietly made his way to his car.
I was still in awe of his car, but when the door slid upwards, I was hit with an image of the Back To The Future movies.
"These cars are like £2m, how did-," I stopped myself short, almost facepalming at the fact that I forgot he was the Sebastian Harrington.
Sebastian laughed and waited until I took a seat to shut my door and walk over to his side. "This is my favourite car," he chuckled once more. "I did whatever I could to get my hands on it."
I took deep breaths and slowly ran my hand over the dashboard. The seats were different from any car I've ever been in and what Sebastian said next made my attempts to breathe useless.
"Do you want to drive it?"
My jaw dropped and I glanced at him with an anxious expression. "Are you actually offering to let me drive your £2m car?"
He grinned. "What are friends for?"
Trying to ignore the fact that I had been friend-zoned, I let out a nervous laugh. "I'd love to."
"You have your driver's license, right?"
Nodding, Sebastian and I swapped seats, my fingers tingling as I wrapped them around the steering wheel. Once my seatbelt was clipped, I tried my hardest not to crash as Sebastian gave me directions.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
As a person who lived in London, I often found that the city was anything but exciting. But that came from an almost broke person. London was exhilarating if you were rich, and Sebastian succeeded in trying to show me just that.
After having lunch in one of Sebastian's favourite restaurant (one where it wasn't just Sebastian and me), his arm was hanging over my shoulder as he held his ice cream in the other hand.
"Hot air balloon rides at sunset are amazing, you'll see."
Tilting my head upwards to look at him, I grinned. "Thank you for today."
He was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat and broke our eye contact. "It's fine."
When we finally got onto the hot air balloon, I had my hands gripping the side of the basket as we slowly set off. There was complimentary champagne, but both of us held back as my eyes were transfixed on the view.
As the ride progressed, the grandeur sun continued to set and the sky was painted with specks of irate reds that swirled into oranges and ambers as hues of pink transcended over them.
I was simply in love with the view and allowed myself to get lost in the moment as Sebastian stood behind me. Turning around, there was a melancholy expression plastered on his face as I uttered my thoughts. "It's beautiful."
His gaze met mine and he rendered me with a relaxed smile. "So beautiful."
He took a glass of champagne and we simply watched the view for a couple more minutes before he began to slowly drum his fingers on the woven basket.
"Do you want to sleep at my place tonight?"
He asked the question so casually, and his close proximity had ignited something deep in the pit of my stomach. But that feeling was squashed when I remembered that he only saw us as friends.
Despite the fact that we had made out, I could've read him wrong. Maybe the kiss was a one-time thing, and the cuddle pact was the only thing keeping us in each other's company.
"You don't have to sleep in my bed like last time," he began, and I took a moment to glance at the man steering. If he told people about what he heard, this whole ordeal in the media would get ten times worse. "There's a guest bedroom."
But knowing how smart Sebastian was, the man probably had to sign a confidentiality agreement.
"I don't mind."
Sebastian nodded, pulling his phone from the pocket of his slacks as he captured a picture that certainly did the scene in front of us justice.
"I have to stop by my apartment, though. I have work in the morning."
He slowly grinned and grabbed a glass of champagne for me. "That's a cause for celebration."
Before long, the hot air balloon landed and Sebastian was driving us to his penthouse after I went to collect some clothes. When I had changed into something more comfortable, which consisted of an oversized t-shirt and shorts, Sebastian walked into my room dressed in pyjamas, a small smile on his face.
"I give you 20 minutes tops before you fall asleep."
I threw a glance his way, laughing as I tied my hair up. A light blush scattered across my cheeks, but my skin tone hid it well. "I do fall asleep easily if I'm cuddling someone."
Sebastian crawled onto my bed, settling himself down on the left side as he waited for me to climb in. Opening his arms, I slung an arm over his waist as he tightened his arms around my body, his head leaning against the headboard as mine rested on his chest.
"Mira? When did you know you wanted to be a chef?"
I listened to his heartbeat as I thought of my answer. Of course, I didn't need to think for long because I always knew the answer. "When my mother died." I murmured quietly. "She was a chef too and I wanted to follow in her footsteps."
I felt his body shift as made himself more comfortable. "What was her name?"
"Esmeralda." I closed my eyes as I thought about the woman I missed dearly. She had died from lung cancer when I was 14, and even though it had been 12 years since she passed away, the wound remained fresh.
She was such an important person in my life, and her death was the most painful thing I had to deal with, both emotionally and physically. When she died, I felt like a huge piece of me left with her.
Soon enough, tears pricked my eyes, and I took a shuddering breath.
"I'm sorry." Sebastian apologised upon noticing that I was on the verge of breaking down. "We can talk about something else."
"Tell me something no one knows about you."
Sebastian was quiet for a moment and once I took a glance at him, I saw he was deep in thought. "My middle name is sexy."
A few seconds passed before I broke out into an uncontrollable bout of laughter, Sebastian soon joining me as he tried to pout through his grin. "See, there's the smile I like." He leaned his head back. "I really think my middle name should be changed because I'm so damn attractive."
"Your thoughts are really weird past 10 p.m." I breathlessly laughed again, feeling slightly tired. "What's your actual middle name?"
Sebastian sobered up. "Maxwell." Hearing him yawn, I decided to stop the chatter and try to actually fall asleep so he could go back to his own bed.
"How do you like your eggs in the morning?" Sebastian quickly uttered, crossing one leg over the other at his ankles. "I'll make sure you have something to eat before you get to work."
"Scrambled." I sleepily muttered, feeling him nod.
"Well. I hope you dream of me when you sleep."