Page 4 of Destined
“Shall we get to it then, Sebastian?”
“Yes, indeed.” Indicating for her to take a seat, he waited until she sat before settling in the seat next to her.
A slow burn had ignited at the way he’d said her name. She loved the sound of it on his tongue. As if he’d reached out and touched her intimately. The look he’d given her as he’d waited for her to take a seat told her he wasn’t completely unaffected by her either. The air fairly sizzled between them as Serena and Sebastian sat at the boardroom table.
With a deep breath, she opened the folder to begin but got quite distracted by his cologne. It was fresh and clean, cool and spicy; a wholly masculine scent that made her mouth water and scrambled her senses.
Gathering herself, she turned to ask him about the event and found him staring intently at her, almost as if he wanted to say something. When he remained silent, she asked her question. As he answered her, she pushed her thoughts aside and concentrated on the matter at hand. Thankfully, as the meeting progressed, the annoyed vibe she’d sensed from him first dissipated.
Time flew by as ideas were bandied back and forth. When they’d finally settled on a concept, he asked Serena to describe her vision. Fired up by the images she saw in her mind, she leaned toward Sebastian, sketching on the pad that lay before her in a bid to share her concept. She lifted her eyes to look at him as she went to speak, but the words died away as she found his gaze focused on her cleavage.
She’d become so animated while explaining and sketching that her blouse had shifted to reveal the smooth, creamy skin beneath. Serena felt the heat rise in her cheeks, her body, her very core. She responded to the banked smoulder she saw in his eyes, longing to feel his hands on her, his lips on hers.
He leaned in, his gaze remaining intense. Their faces were so close she could feel his breath on her lips. Abruptly, she sat back and cleared her throat. Sebastian merely cocked that expressive eyebrow at her before glancing at his watch.
“We’ve covered much ground this morning, Serena. But, unfortunately, I must be on my way. I have another meeting this afternoon and cannot afford to be late.”
“Yes, of course. Let me see you out.”
She escorted him from the boardroom. As they reached the elevator, Sebastian pressed the button before turning to her.
“That was most productive. I am quite pleased with our progress this morning.”
“Yes, I feel we’ve covered a fair bit of ground today. It’s given me a good feel for what you’re after.”
The elevator chimed its arrival, and he stepped inside. Giving her that enigmatic smirk, he pressed a button on the panel.
“I will be in touch later in the week to arrange our next meeting,” he replied as the doors closed. And with that, he was gone.
For a moment, Serena remained where she stood. It felt as if she’d run a marathon. Sebastian Marino was a force of nature, and she was definitely feeling the aftereffects.
4
Sebastian
Sebastian stood waitingfor the elevator, his mind consumed with thoughts of the woman he’d just left.
When she’d disappeared from his club the night before, he’d searched frantically for her. There had been a spark of something, a connection they’d made as their eyes had met. Momentarily, he’d felt all was right with his world. As if she could silence all the noise in his head.
But then she’d vanished, and reality had come crashing back in. So, he’d gone looking for her. By the time he’d found her, he had been too late. All he could do was watch as she drove away. And he believed he’d never see her again.
When she’d walked into the boardroom, he could have sworn he saw a flash of recognition in her eye. Yet she’d acted as if she had never seen him before. He’d gone along with it, not wanting to create an uncomfortable situation. He couldn’t be one hundred percent sure she had, in fact, recognised him. But he’d sure as hell recognised her, and he’d be damned if he let her slip through his fingers twice.
The ding of the elevator arriving pulled him from his thoughts.
His mind still on the delectable Serena, his phone rang as he got in. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen. A frown creased his forehead as he saw his sister’s name. Since she never called him during business hours, it couldn’t be anything good.
Answering the phone, his heart sank as his sister launched into a tearful flood of Italian. It took him a couple of minutes to calm her down, enough to understand what she was saying. By that time, he’d reached the town car waiting for him at the curb. As he climbed into the idling vehicle, her words were finally intelligible. And those words made his heart clench. His father’s time was running out.
The conversation at an end, his sister whispered tearfully, “Amo tuo, fratello.” I love you, brother.
All he could reply past the lump in this throat, “Ti amo troppo, piccola. Per favore tienimi informato.” I love you too, little one. Please keep me informed.
“All okay, sir?” Sebastian heard Ari ask from the driver’s seat, as if it were from a distance.
With a deep breath to ease the tightness in his chest that his sister’s phone call had caused, Sebastian replied, “I hope so, Ari. I really hope so.”
He saw the man give him a concerned look through the rearview mirror before pulling away. On the way back to his office in the heart of Cape Town’s central business district, his mind churned. Change was coming. He felt it deep in his bones. He just wasn’t ready for it.
