As we reached the door he turned, holding an arm out for me to grasp. I clung to his strong, muscled forearm, allowing him to guide me towards the long and lean black vehicle.
So brightly and spotlessly waxed, it reflected the night sky as perfectly as the mirror in Sebastian's bedroom.
The inside of the limo was even better. Purple lights danced along the top of the ceiling, champagne waited in a chiller, the ride was so effortlessly easy I didn't feel a single dip in the road on the way.
It was also my first time riding in such an exquisite thing. I didn't even get a limo to my senior prom.
"What do you think?" Sebastian asked as he extended a glass of wine towards me. He watched me quietly, half marveling in the wonder in my eyes.
"It's amazing." I breathed.
I took the glass from my husband, delicately sipping on it, hoping it would calm my nerves before meeting all of the important heads of Sebastian's business. He'd be on a pedestal this evening, I was sure of it. All eyes would be on him, and in turn, on myself as well. That alone was enough to make butterflies jumble wildly in my tummy.
For such a young man, Sebastian had already accomplished so much. The head of a multibillion company stationed in two different countries, overseeing a huge staff. It was astounding really, that a person who just turned thirty could shoulder so much responsibility.
I'd only had my one little bakery, and I hadn't even managed to keep that on track.
Sebastian was basically a world wonder, and I got to call him my husband.
He stared quietly out the window now, brow creased and pensive. His blue eyes were stormy. I could nearly see the gears of his brain turning wildly.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, after gathering the courage to break the stillness of the car ride.
He sighed, keeping his eyes locked on the window, "My father will be there tonight." He finally said, "And I don't bloody well know how to face him yet."
"Your mother is going to be fine." I responded, reaching out to take his hand, "Like you said, George is still your dad."
"If they get married, Alissa will be my step mother." He said suddenly, eyes going just slightly wide as he turned back to me in disgust, "You don't think that will happen do you?"
"I don't know." I responded, though I definitely wouldn't put it past the scarlet haired young woman.
When she wanted something, she usually got it. All except Sebastian of course. At least I had one thing on her.
With the green tint of Sebastian's face growing brighter, I hastily changed the subject to get the billionaire's mind off the grody details of his father's newest conquest.
"Will there be lots of people tonight?" I asked, patting his knee with my hand.
"Yes." Sebastian responded, tapping his chin, "We'll have some of our London office in attendance. The head executives and most of our managers..."
He trailed off, going on and on about the schematics of the evening and what sorts of music he chose.
I stared at him, his words melting like butter between my ears. I honestly couldn't care less about how many people would show up or whether there would be enough quail to go around, but it was nice to see Sebastian seem more relaxed. It was nice to hear him chatter on instead of sulk.
He'd been through a lot.
I wondered how Karina was doing right now. Was she relieved she didn't have to sit through another boring party? Was she gazing at her piles of fine dresses and wishing she were all dressed up and ready to go?
What about Alissa?
Was she happy? Was George just a pawn in her game? Did she care about Karina's feelings at all, did she even care that she'd broken up a marriage?
I wanted to be spiteful of the young woman, to hate her for making Sebastian so upset.
But, in the end, the honest to God truth was that I couldn't bring myself to dislike her. I didn't know Alissa. I didn't know what she thought about or how she felt about herself. I didn’t know if she’d cried in her bed late at night, tormented over Karina’s sadness. I didn’t know if she’d even thought that far.
All that I knew was that it did not take a woman of dignity to steal a man so willing to cheat. This was going to come back and bite Alissa in the ass at some point. Karma would take care of everything.
Sebastian suddenly stopped talking, straightening as he glanced out the window.
From behind the glass, I could see the glow of lights decorating a large country club.
"We're here." Sebastian sighed, no excitement whatsoever lighting his eyes as he stared at the huge center.
I allowed him to help me out of the limosine, carefully brushing a wrinkle out of the chiffon gown.
Music spilled out onto the courtyard. From within the club, I could see figures dancing and moving about. I could hear their thrilled chatter.