Arielle Immortal Seduction (24 page)

“Have you seen your father yet?” Olivia asked.

“Not yet, but we are heading that way,” he replied, and placed a gentle kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“We will talk again before you go,” Mrs. Dillon said firmly, as Loren, Sebastian, and Arielle walked away.

As they walked, Loren began chattering nonstop, telling Arielle everyone’s business. Arielle chuckled happily.

“I don’t see Daniel anywhere.”

Loren gave her a surreptitious look, and leaning closer she whispered back, “He’s history.” They laughed. Through it all, Sebastian, kept a firm arm around Arielle’s waist, as if he were afraid to let her go. Several young men walked up and asked her to dance, but he told them politely, and firmly, that she had promised all the dances to him.

As they were mingling, a beautiful young woman walked up to Sebastian and took him into her arms. Arielle thought she saw some familiarity in the look he gave her, and again she felt a pang of jealousy. But she just looked at him and met his gaze steadily. He smiled lovingly, and introduced her.

“Arielle, this is Sylvia, she is the wife of a dear friend. We’ve known each other for many years.” Then, turning to Sylvia, he said. “Sylvia, this is my girl. She is the woman I’ll be spending the rest of my life with.”

He couldn’t have said anything that would have made Arielle feel happier or more secure. He bent down and pressed his lips on hers, while she noticed a flash of jealousy in Sylvia’s eyes.

Arielle looked away quickly and let Sebastian pull her towards the next room. As they entered, several girls walked up to him and hugged him, some lingering for a long time in his arms, some kissing him as if they knew him well. Arielle was so jealous she was ready to scream. She pressed her lips together and instantly he noticed. Nothing she did escaped him.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” she said, keeping her lips pressed tight.

“Something is bothering you, and I want to know what it is,” he insisted.

“How come you know all these women so well?”

“Arielle, come on, they are just people I’ve met through the years.”

She remained quiet while he tried to make her look at him.

“Are you jealous?”

“Yes, extremely,” she said in a very stiff voice.

“Mmmm, I like that,” he said and pulled her tight against his body. “Do you still love me?” he asked, chuckling.

“You should stop asking that…” she said, a bit anxious.

Just then, two guys walked up and introduced themselves to Arielle as Taylor Wells and Roman Brannon. Loren seemed to know Roman, and they moved onto the dance floor. Taylor was striking. He was tall, with bright blue eyes, dark hair, and a brilliant smile. His voice was warm and exciting.

“Sebastian, ol’ man. Where have you been keeping this beauty?” he asked.

“Taylor, this is Arielle Lloyd, my fiancée,” Sebastian said irritably.

“Your fiancée? When did this happen?”

“Earlier this year,” Sebastian replied, enunciating his words crisply.

Taylor’s gaze never left Arielle’s face. “You are gorgeous, my dear,” he said charmingly.

What’s with the “ol’ man” and “my dear” bit?
Arielle thought.
He sounds like he’s back in eighteenth century.
Arielle suppressed a giggle.

“Can I have the next dance?” he added with a flirtatious grin. Sebastian’s arm became rigid around her waist. His jaw muscles tensed. Arielle smiled softly at Taylor. “Thank you, but I’ve promised all the dances tonight to my fiancé.”

Taylor returned her smile courteously. “Sebastian, ol’ boy, you’ve always been a very lucky man,” he said. He gave a nod to Arielle, and turning around, he walked away. A quiet curse escaped Sebastian’s lips as he pulled Arielle away from that side of the room.

“What was all that about?”

“I have never liked that guy.” He scowled. “There’s something disturbing about him. He is an old adversary of mine. I never thought he would be here tonight. It wasn’t Arianna that attracted my attention earlier, it was Taylor.”

“Oh…” her voice trailed. “I supposed you don’t want to talk about this right now, do you?”

“No, not particularly.”

“All right then,” she said softly. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Sebastian chuckled, and pulling her close to him, pressed his lips ravenously against hers.

“I love you, my Lizzy.” Their eyes met, emerald to sapphire. Then, their lips met again. Sebastian held the kiss for a very long time.

“Sebastian,” a beautiful velvety voice called out behind them. “Can I have one of those kisses?” A cheerful laughter followed. Sebastian and Arielle turned around and came face to face with a striking woman. She looked a lot older than Sebastian, yet utterly gorgeous. Her smile was mesmerizing. Sebastian’s muscles clenched. His eyes narrowed to slits. He became absolutely still.

“You haven’t forgotten me have you, darling?” she continued, never taking her eyes off of his beautiful face. She reached out to brush his hair away from his forehead, but Sebastian pulled back quickly, avoiding her touch. The woman flinched, but kept a wide smile on her face. She seemed to be purposely ignoring Arielle’s presence, just keeping her gaze focused on Sebastian.

“Hello, Elizabeth,” he stammered, awkwardly. Arielle felt his body stirring uncomfortably.

“Just hello? No hugs, no kisses, darling?” she pouted. Sebastian paused for a short moment, struggling to regain his control as he instinctively pulled Arielle tighter against his side.

“Elizabeth,” he said firmly. “This is my fiancée, Arielle Lloyd.”

“Fiancée? You’re going to… be hitched?” she asked, laughing disagreeably. She shook her head in denial. “I’m having a hard time believing that any woman could claim you for her own,” she said, laughing again, most unpleasantly.

Arielle felt an immediate dislike for this woman. Who is she? she wondered.

Finally, Elizabeth acknowledged Arielle. “My dear,” she said, accentuating the words, “Sebastian and I go way back. He was one of my very best customers,” she chuckled.

Arielle looked up at Sebastian, utterly puzzled. His face was tense and his lips were pursed. He had a dreadful look in his eyes. Arielle realized that whoever this woman was, she was making Sebastian extremely uncomfortable. Her thoughts whirled wildly in her mind. She didn’t like the sound of the woman’s words, but could see that she was determined to finish this conversation.

Arielle slowly turned and gave the woman a stern glare. “Your very best customer? What type of business are you in?” she asked, totally puzzled by Elizabeth’s next statement.

“Oh, let’s just call it the—ultimate gifts— for men,” she said, and broke into another ill-mannered laugh.

Sebastian gazed down at Arielle, and pulling her softly toward him, he murmured, “Let’s go, baby.” Arielle shifted, letting him know that she was going to get through this conversation. She continued to keep her gaze on Elizabeth.

“What types of gifts did Sebastian purchase from you?” Arielle insisted.

“Oh, he wasn’t the one purchasing the gifts,” Elizabeth said, chuckling distastefully.

“Then, I don’t understand. How he could be your best customer if he didn’t purchase any of your gifts?”

Elizabeth continued to hold a tactless smile on her face. “It was the ongoing crowd of women that were buying gifts, trying to get Sebastian into their beds,” she said. “So, as you can see, indirectly he became one of my very best customers.”

“Elizabeth, be careful,” Sebastian spit out, his voice icy cold.

Arielle ignored Sebastian’s statement. “Well, it sounds to me that you should be grateful to Sebastian for boosting your business,” Arielle said, holding her own. She was sure this discussion was going somewhere, but she wasn’t sure where.

“Oh, indeed, I’m most grateful,” Elizabeth said, looking up at Sebastian, who remained rigid. He wished very much that Arielle would listen to him and move away from Elizabeth, but she was insisting on standing her ground. He pursed his lips in frustration, but he knew he couldn’t force her to move.

Now, Elizabeth turned her gaze back to Arielle and when she spoke again, her voice came out slow and venomous. “Sebastian was loved by many, but he chose me,” she said. The smile widened and she pierced through Arielle’s eyes deliberately. Arielle’s jaw dropped in astonishment, a sight Elizabeth seemed to enjoy. But she quickly regained her composure and stared back at Elizabeth with pure revulsion.

“What are you doing here, Elizabeth?” Sebastian interrupted. His voice was now hard as steel.

“Oh, didn’t you hear? I married Lord Winston, one of your mother’s dear friends,” she said.

“Will you please excuse us? I want Arielle to meet the rest of the guests,” Sebastian said, giving her a meaningful glare.

“Oh, no, not before Arielle has a chance to hear all about you, my darling,” Elizabeth replied, venomously. Once again Sebastian tried to pull Arielle away, but she held firm. She wanted to hear what this woman had to say.

“What is it that you would like to tell me?” she asked, pursing her lips.

“Oh, not much, just that I was the one who transformed Sebastian from a boy to a man, and what a man. If you know what I mean…” She winked conspiratorially at Arielle, who instinctively recoiled. “He became my one and only bed partner for many wonderful years,” she added, with a blissful sigh.

Arielle felt the blood draining from her face and bile churning in the pit of her stomach. But she struggled to remain poised.
What in bloody hell?
Another woman to torment me?
she thought, and winced.

Sebastian cursed quietly. He tightened his hold around Arielle’s waist. Giving Elizabeth a severe look, he warned her through clenched teeth, “Elizabeth, that’s enough! I suggest for your own good that you walk away from us this instant.” His glare was icy enough to freeze the blood in Elizabeth’s veins. She staggered backward. She started to say something but Sebastian’s clenched fist, hard expression, and another low curse that escaped his lips, pushed back and halted every word she had at the bottom of her throat. “There is no excuse for your behavior,” he hissed. And he pulled Arielle away forcefully, without saying another word.

Elizabeth stood frozen in place, watching them walk away. She was shocked by his reaction, but pleased with herself. She knew she had succeeded in delivering a hard blow to Arielle.

Elizabeth was married to a prominent older man that provided her with the life of luxury she desired, but the invitation to the Dillon ball had brought back exciting memories of her encounters with Sebastian, and she couldn’t wait to see him again. They had lost touch a couple of centuries ago. It had taken her a very long time to fill the void. This isn’t how she imagined her reunion with Sebastian to be. Meeting Arielle had filled her with a venomous jealousy. She hated the idea that he had chosen a mortal to share his bed. She would have never dreamed that Sebastian’s rejection would so devastate her. She pushed through the crowd, looking for her husband. When she found him, she feigned boredom and asked him to take her home.

After they had broken free of Elizabeth, Sebastian moved Arielle through the balcony doors and into the garden, away from curious eyes. Arielle staggered lightly, feeling faint. When they reached the garden, he helped her sit down on a small wooden bench by the fountain. He could hear her heaving, trying to breathe. He was at a lost for words. Everything Elizabeth had said was true, so there were no excuses; only the fact that what had happened had taken place centuries ago.

It was evident that Arielle was terribly disturbed by this encounter. She shuddered and began to sob. His stomach clenched tightly. A quiet curse escaped him, but other than that, he remained silent.

Finally, he leaned close to her and whispered. “Baby, would you like me to take you home?” She looked up and met his despondent gaze.

“No, I’ll be all right, just give me a minute.”

Sebastian sat next to her and slipped his strong arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Arielle, please,” he murmured. “It was a very long time ago.”

“Sebastian, I do understand, but I can’t help feeling overwhelmed every time another beautiful woman comes after you.”

“These women were in my life centuries ago,” he said with deep sadness in his voice.

“Would you be concerned if man after man kept showing up to claim me back? First it was Annabel, then Savanna, then Julia, now Elizabeth. How many more will there be? How many more?” she muttered, and began sobbing again. He remained silent.

“When was the last time you had a girlfriend?” she asked quietly, after a few more minutes had passed. She swallowed hard as she waited for his answer. He stood up, and taking her hand, he pulled her up to face him. He gathered her tightly in his arms, and gazed deep into her eyes.

“That would have to be more than a century ago.”

“Oh, come on, that’s a ridiculous statement.”

“Arielle, I don’t lie. I was tired of a life filled with frivolous affairs. I was looking for something that would bring meaning to my existence,” he said thoughtfully. “And then I saw you…and you are now my life. I can’t be in this world if you are not in it. I love you, you are my girl, my only girl. I want you to marry me, now, today this moment. I want to be your husband, your friend, and your only lover.” His arms tightened around her, and swooping down he took her mouth in a fevered kiss. “Please tell me that you love me.”