Page 11 of Another Lucky Number

‘I’ll give it some thought…’ I say, climbing down from my seat to escape to the ladies toilets, having u-turned on my willingness to engage in this conversation.

After a quick breather, I make my way back to the table, noticing that the rude man from earlier has returned to his seat. I glower in his direction, and while I’m inelegantly clambering back onto my seat, he glances round, making eye contact and causing my breath to catch in my throat.

It’s the hot man from the karaoke bar.

Chapter Five

The man does a double take, and his face breaks into the same amused – and slightly inviting – smile from earlier.

‘Alors… what do we have here? It is the superstar from the karaoke bar.’

His accent is unmistakably French. And unmistakably sexy. Cat, Amber and I are goners the moment he opens his mouth. He may have offended me only minutes before, but my principles have already jogged across the terrace and dived into the sea.

‘Mesdames, are you all right?’ He athletically leaps off his seat and approaches our table, making it clear that we’ve been staring at him for way longer than what would be considered appropriate.

I clear my throat, triggering my friends to surface from their own trance-like states.

‘Hi, I’m Cat.’ My bestie thrusts an overenthusiastic arm forward to shake his hand.

‘Enchanté.’ He chuckles, giving it a squeeze. ‘You British are so formal.’

Amber then introduces herself with a casual nod (much respect to that impressive turnaround).

‘Pleasure to meet you, Amber.’ The man pronounces itOm-ber,causing Cat to visibly swoon.‘And the superstarchanteuse?’ The man’s emerald-green eyes land on me.

I hold my hands up in a fanatical wave, then on realising what I must look like, quickly hide them behind my back. ‘I’m Emma. And singing that song wasnotmy idea.’

‘I see.Enchanté, Emma.’ He smiles warmly and Cat and Amber gape open-mouthed as he leans in and greets me French-style, with a kiss on each cheek, his fruity yet spicy aftershave wafting into my airways.

The whole experience leaves me a little faint, and I have to put a hand on the table to steady myself. I turn to my friends, speechless and wide-eyed.

‘I see you’ve been sitting alone.’ Amber immediately seizes the opportunity. ‘That can’t be much fun. Would you like to join us,Monsieur…?’

‘Dumont.’ He flashes Amber a heart-stopping smile. ‘Sébastien Dumont. And I would be delighted to join you.’

Sébastien seats himself at the table while Amber signals to the waiter to bring another bottle of champagne. To our surprise, it arrives in record speed, along with more chocolate dipped fruit.

‘You are enjoying your holiday so far?’ Sébastien asks us.

‘It’swonderful.’ Cat has a dreamy look in her eye and I’m unsure what’s at the root of this – the holiday or Sébastien himself. Or perhaps a bit of both.

‘That is good to know. And you are here for how long?’

‘Until next Thursday.’

‘Really?’ He raises an eyebrow. ‘Moi aussi. Well… I leave next Friday.’

‘Are you here at the resort alone, Sébastien?’ Amber eyes him curiously and I give her a little kick, knowing fine well what she’s up to.

‘That is correct,’ he replies. ‘I am here mainlyfor business reasons, but also for some rest and relaxation.’

His eyes catch mine, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine. I take a couple of swigs of champagne to distract my brain from complete sensory overload.

‘What kind of business?’ Amber continues her fishing.

‘Hospitality,’ he says. ‘I buy resorts, and make them the most desirable places to be in the world.’

‘Interesting. Resorts like this?’

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