Unlawful Escort (Unlawful Series book 1) (18 page)

“So this is how the other half lives”, Elizabeth appraised her environs with apparent distaste.

Paige’s pride stung at her gist. The furnishing wasn’t exactly sparse or inelegant but they had received their fair share of wear and tear over the years.

“I’m certain you didn’t travel all this way to
assess my house”, Paige said, her patience wearing thin.

If Elizabeth thought to intimidate her with her aristocratic presence, she
’d better think again, Paige thought, squaring her shoulders.

“Impatient, are we?"
Elizabeth murmured, her eyes shining with wry amusement.

“You have no idea.”

“My sources tell me that you and Brad have been getting quite chummy over the past month or two
.”

“And how does that concern you”, Page fumed silently.

Elizabeth’s eyes flashed with anger but she masked it quickly.

“
Brad and I have been together for a very longtime as I’m sure you must have heard…”-

“Actually, I haven’t”, Paige interrupted nonchalantly and was rewarded with a flare of color in
Elizabeth’s cheeks.

Well it wasn’t really a lie, Paige placated her conscience. She wouldn’t have known that they’d been childhood sweethearts
if she hadn’t seen the pictures at Helen’s and guessed. Besides, Elizabeth deserved whatever she got for coming into her home and trying to demean her, Paige justified resentfully.

“Just so you know, your fling with Brad is over”, Elizabeth sneered, her graceful
air of a moment ago forgotten, “I’m back now, so he’ll have no need for you”.

Paige’s heart constricted painfully at Elizabeth’s crude remark but she would be damned if she would allow the other woman to see how much her words had hurt her.

“Then why are you here, if you’re so sure”, Paige taunted.

She knew she was treading on dangerous territory but she didn’t care. She’d already lost the man she loved.

Elizabeth’s lips thinned in anger, “stay away from Brad, if you know what’s good for you”.

“I think that decision is between Sebastian and me”, Paige said sweetly.

She was digging a hole that she had no idea how she was going to crawl out of.

Elizabeth stared at her in disgust, “I’ll have your belongings delivered to you by the end of the day”.

“Don’t bother. I think I’ll go see Sebastian and find out his take on the matter”, Elizabeth’s eyes widened in alarm, “And you can have the silk robe you borrowed the other night. Jasmine is definitely not my scent at all”, she wrinkled her nose in disgust and Elizabeth bristled.

“How dare you insult
me like this?”

“If you don’t mind, I was on my way
out,” Paige retraced her steps back to her front door with the expectation that Elizabeth would do the same.

She’
d had enough of this conversation; she wanted Elizabeth out of her house, immediately.

Elizabeth paused at the threshold and stared at Paige in disgust, “Just a little reminder, I always get what I want”, she laughed derisively, “and I almost forgot, Brad doesn’t like redheads”.

Paige didn’t consider herself a violent person but at th
at moment she would take great pleasure in kicking Elizabeth’s well-bred ass down the stairs. She sagged in relief, against the door as Elizabeth’s chauffeur driven car drove away from her gate. Elizabeth had no right to intrude on her space like this, Paige raged, but she was proud that she’d hadn’t crumbled under the pressure of her cold blue eyes and piercing words.

She frowned as a puzzling thought occurred to her. The fact that Elizabeth had sought her out could only mean that she saw Paige as a threat, which was nothing short of insane.
Thus it would be safe to assume that all was not well between her and Sebastian. But that could mean any number of things when it came to Sebastian Bradley? Paige reasoned as she steered the pickup unto the roadway.

There was only one way to find out, she decided, she would have to pay a visit to the Upper East Side. She checked her schedule as she got to the hospital’s parking Lot, to ascertain that Mrs. Willoughby’s masquerading ball was, in fact, tonight
. Immediately creating a mental checklist when she discovered that she was correct and hastening her steps. She had a lot to do before tonight, but first, she needed a date. Incase her name had been removed from the guest list.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

PAIGE SECURED THE GOLD FILIGREE
eye mask over
her face and appraised herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom, one last time. Though she was a bit skeptical of the open-back dress with its plunging neckline and centre slit that started at her mid-thighs; she decided it would have to do. Grabbing her coat and gold purse, she rushed down the stairs as fast as her golden platform shoes would allow her as the doorbell chimed insistently.

“Wow”, Brandon exclaimed
as she opened the door, “Are you sure you don’t want Brad to come and pick you up?” and she laughed.

She’d told him that she wanted to surprise Sebastian
but she needed him to take her to the event. She shook her head sadly; she was becoming such a proficient liar; or were they just half-truths, she countered herself. Regardless; she needed to get a leash on her disorderly life before her sins caught up with her, she reasoned as she shrugged into her coat and allowed him to lead her to his car. She supposed she could take a cab home after the ball.

“I hope you don’t mind me driving”, he said as he opened the door for her; “I like the freedom of being my own driver”.

“That’s ok”, she spared him a smile as she settled into the car and he slid into the driver’s seat, “I don’t mind at all”.

They discussed rising food trends for the remainder of the journey, but she couldn’t help the tightening of her stomach as she
neared their destination. Her heart lodged in her throat as Brandon assisted her out of the car and led her into the ballroom.

The ballroom fell silent for a moment; all eyes trained on her red and gold splendor and she blushed, bright red.

“Awkward, awkward”, she murmured below her breathe; extra conscious of the swishing of her dress around her ankles and praying that she didn’t fall on her face.

“Relax, you’re wearing a mask. Chances are no one even recognizes
us.”

He had donned his
black eye mask with emerald gems to match his shirt and tie; paired with a form fitting black jacket suit.

She relaxed a bit as most of the attention diverted from them and she searched the crowd for his
face. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him. He was dressed in full black; the half-mask covering one side of his face, giving him a dangerous edge and heightening his rugged beauty. His visible eye flashed angrily as he strode purposefully towards them and her heart hammered against her ribcage. She wanted to run and hide from his black fury but she stood her ground.

What right did he have to be angry?
He was the one who had shacked up with his ex, she thought, her own ire rising.

“Brandon”, he didn’t even spare a glance for his friend.

There were lines of fatigue under his eye and his expression was as hard as granite. She could sense an emotional distance in him and she wanted to crawl into a dark room and free the raw howls of pain trapped inside her.

“Hey Brad”,
he must have guessed at Sebastian’s dark mood because he backed away from her.

“Dance with me”, Sebastian commanded and drew her roughly against his sturdy chest.

She was immediately enveloped in the warm muskiness of him and the past few days drifted further and further away with each passing second.

“That’s a low blow, even for you”, his hard tone seemed to break the trance, “don’t you think?”

She frowned in confusion, “I don’t know what you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me”, he twirled her away from him suddenly and hauled her back to his chest, “
you come here on my best friend’s arm, in a dress that would tempt a saint and expect me to believe that your intentions are pure”.

She flushed with embarrassment, “don’t be silly Sebastian, he merely accompanied me here”.

He scoffed; a predatory smile curling his lips, “just remember one thing”, he whispered against her ear, “you’re mine”.

As if to cement
his claim, one hand splayed on the exposed skin of her back while the other traced the base of the split in her dress and she gasped. Her eyes darted around the dimly lit ballroom to ascertain that no one was watching them. She flinched as she met Elizabeth’s lace covered eyes watching them, with barely concealed contempt, and she was suddenly reminded of her initial reason for attending the ball.

“Relax, no one can see what we’re doing”, his lips closed over a sensitive spot on her neck; his tongue making swirling motions and liquid heat spread through her limbs; disrupting her thoughts.

His hand slipped
beneath the split of her dress; stroking her legs, her calves and finally the apex of her thighs. And she bit her lips to prevent herself from moaning in delight as the ballroom and its occupants drifted away.

To
an onlooker it would seem as if they were caught in a tight embrace as they waltz to the slow tune. No one would guess the sinfully delicious things he was doing to her. He growled in his throat as his finger parted her nether-lips and her knees wobbled.

“I want you”, he breathed hotly into her ear and she shivered with need.

He halted his sweet assault on her body to twirl her from the dance floor before stealthily leading her down a barely lit hallway and into a dark room. Closing the door firmly behind them, he pulled her into his arms for a scorching kiss.

They should slow down
, talk first, her brain insisted but her body was like a raging inferno and only he could douse the demolishing flames.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

“SEBASTIAN…WAIT, WHAT IF THERE’S A CAMERA IN HERE”
, she mumbled between kisses, fighting to regain her senses.

“I always check out a building before I enter it”, he murmured, trailing a hot path
down her neck as he pinched her hardened nipples through her dress and she was lost.

“What if someone catches us?”

“I locked the door but who cares.”

He located a chair and flopped unto it; pulling her to stand before hi
m. Hoisting one of her feet between his legs on the chair; he bunched the flap of her dress behind her back and guided her hand to hold it in place. He stroked the velvety skin of her exposed leg with his tongue; growling in frustration as he inched further and met her lacy underwear.

She panted with lust as he ripped the offending garment and his tongue teased the pulsing flesh at the juncture of her thighs. She bit her lips to prevent the scream she felt tickling at her throat as he ravaged her sensitive
flesh
with his lips and tongue.

“Sebastian, please…” she begged breathlessly, “I’m
gonna scream”.

He chuckled
and she shivered in pleasure as his warm breath fanned the flaming flesh of her inner thighs. The delightful flailing of his tongue didn’t waiver as she heard the ripping of foil, as if from a far. And she’d almost reached her peak when he pulled her astride him and sheathed himself inside her in one fluid motion.

He wound his arms under her legs
; his palms cupping her ass cheeks as he moved hoisted her to the head of his solid erection before plunging back into her slick flesh; continuously. Their state of undress coupled with the masks and the environs added to the eroticism of the moment and she felt every vigorous stroke of his body, all the way to her fingertips. She sunk her nails into his shoulders to prevent herself from screaming as he quickened his pace.

And when she could bear it no more; she smothered her face into his jacket and shrieked as her body shattered in orgasmic bliss. She felt his shaft explode inside her and knew he had found his own release.
As the fog of pleasure cleared from her brain she eased away from him; cursing herself for yielding so easily to him and delighting in every minute of it.

She stood
on shaky legs and adjusted her dress as he rose and disappeared into what appeared to be a bathroom. The room resembled a small library or office of some sort and her cheeks flamed as her eyes drifted to the chair they had recently vacated. She should leave before Sebastian returned, she thought. She had the sudden urge to escape.

She was about to quit the room when Sebastian reappeared; his attire as flawless as when she’d entered the ballroom earlier. Her desire to be away from there
intensified and she turned to leave but he grabbed her arm.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he demanded coldly.