Holding up one finger, he excuses himself and leaves the room.
“Sebastian Downs,” his deep voice says as way of greeting. Left alone, I return to the sink and study my reflection in the mirror mounted above it.
My cheeks are flushed, my green eyes wide and chest heaving.
What the hell is happening to me?
“I have to go handle something,” Sebastian says, his presence filling the doorway once again.
“Oh, okay.”
Turning away from the mirror, I watch him slip his phone into his pocket.
“But I’ll be back for our one-on-one dinner. Does seven work for you?”
“Of course,” I agree easily.
I’m ready now!
“Great.” His smile is charming as he turns on his heel. “I’ll see you then. Get settled and let the staff know if you need anything.”
His strides are measured and confident as I watch him retreat.
I suppress the urge to squeal and race over to my suitcase to find something to wear.
CHAPTER FOUR
SEBASTIAN DOWNS
Alone, in my Jeep, I handle the curves of the road skillfully and head back to my hotel for an emergency video conference with our overseas partners in Japan.
Usually, I would stay at my place when in town but I’d just turned over the keys to Olivia for a week.
Olivia, Olivia, Olivia.
That woman is trouble on two beautiful legs.
After our dinner tonight, I need to get back to the States.
Of all the people in the world who could have won, I couldn’t believe it was Olivia. The contest had been announced six months ago and ran for that entire time, gaining millions of submissions and tons of media attention.
Everyone wanted to be the lucky soul to win a million dollars and a trip to paradise for a week.
My competent team had done most of the groundwork, running interference on the app and filtering through the top submissions. The only thing left for me to do was pick the answer I liked the most from their top ten, show my face to present the prize today and go for dinner with the winner.
Sounds simple enough, right?
I’ve never been more wrong in my life.
Olivia’s honestly the last person I expected to step off that plane.
Being in the back of the limo with her wreaked havoc on my senses. My cock strained against my zipper so hard I thought it would burst open.
She’s every bit as beautiful now as she was ten years ago and seemingly just as sweet.
In high school, despite her popular status, an air of genuine realness had accompanied her and I’m happy to see that she still possesses this quality.
When she told me that she wasn’t a nurse, I’d done a terrible job at hiding my shock.
Olivia had every last detail of her life planned down to a tee and I can’t but wonder what had thrown her track.
That’s none of my business.
I just need to get through the last part of her prize package — our sit-down dinner — and then I’ll be on my way.
Nothing good can come from dredging up these feelings. They belong in the past and that’s where the hell I will leave them.
I have a growing business to run and she’ll only serve to distract me.
Pulling up in front of the hotel, I throw the Jeep in park and hop out. Tossing my keys to the valet, I rush inside to take of business.
***
Later that evening, I pull up to the house and sigh as I cut the engine.
I have to face her again and I hate myself for feeling like such a wimp.
High school was years ago, yet seeing her today had erased the passage of time and transported me back to that art room where I sat longing for her affection.
Pushing my car door open, I decide to face the music.
I don’t get a chance to even knock on the door before she swings it open with a radiant smile plastered on her beautiful face.
She looks slightly rejuvenated already.
“Hi there,” she says with a gleeful lilt to her voice.
And nothing makes me happier than to know I’ve played a role in her apparent happiness.
Suddenly, I’m thrilled that I let my assistant talk me into creating this contest to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the app launching.
I’ll have to send my assistant flowers and chocolate to show my appreciation.
“Hey, yourself,” I smile down at her. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yep,” she replies, standing on tiptoe to look over my shoulder. “Is that our car for the evening?”
My cock twitches at her proximity. Her natural feminine scent mixed with the smell of her fruity shampoo does a number on me.
I step back, creating distance and let her walk in front of me.
Big mistake.
The strappy sundress she’s wearing is completely backless. The bright, floral material falls over her petite frame, the bottom brushing the ground as we walk to the car.