At my request, Mrs. Simmons put me in one of the smaller guest bedrooms at the other side of the house, farthest from the master suite. 

Actually, I’d asked her to put me in the staff quarters where she herself stayed, explaining that I was to stay for the summer as help in whatever capacity I was needed. She wouldn’t hear of it, insisting that I was still a guest even if I wanted to lend a hand. 

I decided it was best not to argue. The fewer questions they asked me about my original reason for arriving in Cove Manor, the better. 

The staff was surprisingly small for a house this size—a housekeeper, a driver, a cook, a gardener, four maids and two security guards, not counting Jennison whom Mrs. Simmons explained was Sebastian’s personal bodyguard and right hand and stayed wherever his employer was. Cove Manor was apparently just one of Sebastian’s many homes and he usually only stayed here during the summer. 

A week had passed since my arrival and fortunately it had passed without incident. 

I haven’t seen Sebastian once since he hasn’t been home much and on the one night that he was, I took care to stay in my room. 

I busied myself with helping Mrs. Simmons with the chores. I liked everyone in the staff who had been friendly to me but the housekeeper reminded me very much of my aunt. She gave me very light tasks to start out with—like helping sort the laundry or loading the dishwasher or helping out at the kitchen or the garden.

After a week, she found that Bart, the portly, middle-aged cook with the apple-pink cheeks and hearty laugh, found me the most useful and assigned me to assist mostly in the kitchen. I had no complaints. 

I’d always helped my aunt around the kitchen but Bart took my culinary education to the next level, sharing with me tips and techniques to make excellent food. He didn’t stay in the manor along with the rest of the staff but lived fifteen minutes away with his family. He said he wanted me to be able to whip something up if he wasn’t around. 

During that week, I casually asked the staff about Sebastian and they didn’t tell me much except that he was a good employer even though he could be a tad bit difficult at times. Just the way he is, they said. Brilliant as a businessman and complicated as a person. I could tell they wanted to share a little more, especially Bart and Mrs. Simmons who seemed to have been in his employ much longer than the others but I could tell they were protective of his privacy, which made me oddly curious.

Despite participating in a lot of the housework, I still had a lot of free time in my hands. I spent it walking around the grounds, even once taking the long, narrow wooden stairs that led to the private beach below, or spending time reading from the vast collection of books in the library where Mrs. Simmons had allowed me to sneak into as long as Sebastian wasn’t around. The books were all serious stuff though. A lot of them were about business, history, sciences, philosophy and literary classics. I had little money and as much as I’d like to read my usual romance novels, I decided to make use of what was available. I rediscovered Jayne Eyre all over again.

I had brought my old, slightly banged up laptop with me and since I had internet access in my bedroom, I finally gave in to searching every information I could find about Sebastian Vice.

He was twenty-nine but at eighteen his father died and Sebastian became the CEO of The Vice Group, his family’s privately held corporation that did almost everything from oil to shipping to textile. His latest acquisition a mere three months ago was a technologies company that focused on corporate security. He was reputed to be cunning and ruthless in business but too powerful to be openly criticized. I wasn’t surprised. In a way, I understood his hardness—a person given that much responsibility at that young an age was bound to grow up fast. Just like I did.

His name was tagged along a reference to Cobalt Bay Billionaires, a short list of the city’s most eligible bachelors who left a trail of broken hearts in their wake. 

I snorted not so delicately. 

Trust him to be part of some men’s club who flaunted their charms, wealth and power.

He was single but never without female company if the dozens of pictures of him with a variety of women attending social functions were proof. 

“Can’t see him passing that up for a seventeen-year-old plain jane,” I muttered once to myself, clicking on a picture of him dressed sharply in a suit with a tall and voluptuous blonde in his arm at some charity dinner two days after my arrival at Cove Manor.

Annoyed at the direction of my thoughts, I decided I knew enough to satisfy my curiosity and decided to never look him up again. If I passed the entire summer without ever running into him again, I’d consider my part of the bargain fulfilled and I’d happily be on my way.

Except that early one Sunday morning, he walked into the kitchen.

I stilled in the middle of dropping a clump of biscuit dough on a baking sheet and stared at him.

He seemed startled and as shocked as I was as he stared right back at me.

I didn’t know he was home. Mrs. Simmons mentioned he had some party to attend but not that he’d be staying the night here. He had a penthouse downtown. If I’d known, I would’ve steered clear.

He was wearing a loose pair of wheat-colored linen pants, a white shirt that fit nicely over his muscled torso and his feet were bare and his hair mussed from sleep.

If seduction had a face the morning after, he would look like this.

Although I shouldn’t have noticed that.

“Where’s Bart?” he said with narrowed eyes, looking around the kitchen. 

I blinked, snapping back to reality and carefully lowered the dough scoop I’d been using. “He’s not here yet. He goes to Sunday mass at six with his family before coming here. He says you’re never up before ten whenever you’re here on a Sunday so he had time.”

He sighed and sat on a stool across the vast prep table. “That’s true. I usually don’t get up early but I’ve hardly slept so I figured I’d just get started on my day. I have a headache and I’m starving.”

“Probably from drinking too much the night before,” I muttered as I stood to fill a cup with some of the fresh coffee I’d just brewed for myself. “Here. I normally wouldn’t prescribe coffee for a hangover but you can use a little bit of it. Partying hard and late has its price.”

He stared at the cup of coffee I’d placed before him with the creamer and sugar set right next to it before glancing up at me with a slightly amused arch of his brow. “Am I about to get a lecture on partying hard and late from a kid?”

I placed a frying pan on the stove and went to get some eggs and bacon from the fridge. “I don’t have to. Your hangover’s lecture enough. You need some fat to help you get over it. Bacon and eggs sound good?”

His lips twitched in what I suspected would’ve been a smile as he nodded. “Yeah. Scrambled please, with a little bit of cheese.”

I tossed the bacon into the pan and worked on beating the eggs with some milk before taking a smaller pan out and pouring the mixture into it.

I took out the first tray of cheese biscuits I’d worked on from the oven and slid a few of them on a plate which I pushed towards him. “Here. Start with these until the rest is ready.”

He stared down at the biscuits. “I love everything with cheese in it."

I suppressed a smile at the sight of him looking like a little boy presented his favorite food and went to flip the bacon. “Then I suggest you start eating. I’ll get you some orange juice too. It helps.”

He gingerly picked up one steaming biscuit and bit into it. He eyed me warily. “You seem to have some experience in treating hangovers. Don’t tell me I harbored a teen drunk.”

I shrugged. “Timothy comes home in a drunken stupor almost every other night. I was in charge of making the after-effects as manageable as possible for him.”

He frowned. “You should’ve just let him waste away. You’d be better off without him.”

“As much as I hate him, he’s my only family left,” I answered quietly, watching the oil and fat sizzle and burst on the bacon strips. “Besides, I owed it to my aunt and uncle for all of their kindness to me.”

“They could’ve done the world one more service by making sure someone like Pendley never made it to the gene pool,” Sebastian grumbled before stuffing his mouth with the rest of the biscuit.

I let him eat in silence until the eggs and bacon were ready.

I waited for him to send me away, considering he didn’t want me around him but he didn’t say anything and I took that as an unspoken invitation.

I knew I was nothing more really but a servant and he the master of the house, but I couldn’t stop myself from sitting back down on my stool, helping myself to a biscuit and sipping the rest of my coffee as I dropped more lumps of dough on my next tray.

“It was a benefit, you know?”

I looked up at his sudden speech and found him gulping down some orange juice. “What?”

He put the glass of juice down and speared a piece of bacon. “Last night’s party. It was a benefit. It was for a good cause. I got a little carried away with how much wine I was drinking.”

My brows furrowed as I watched him thoughtfully. “You don’t seem to be the kind of person who gets carried away.”

His lips curled into an unpleasant smile. “It’s because I’m as controlled as a rock, right? That unlike others I’m not capable of losing control.”

I blinked in surprise at the vehemence in his voice. “I didn’t say that. All I meant was that you don’t strike me as the type to do something you didn’t want to do. If you got drunk, I’m thinking you planned on it.”

His expression relaxed and now he was smirking at me. “It takes a lot to get me drunk.”

“More reason why I think it was intentional,” I quipped with a sweet smile. 

He blinked slowly. “You have dimples.”

My smile deepened. “Yes, sir, I do. People are known to sometimes have them.”

His eyes fluttered close briefly. “I must be going mad.”

“Work that stressful?”

“No, not work,” he answered quietly, his green eyes glittering. “There are other... things, that I need to keep my mind off of.”

“Drinking doesn’t really make them go away for real, does it? You’re better off just dealing with it right away,” I said as I reached for the bowl of fresh strawberries I’d taken out earlier and bit into one, sucking some of the juice that trickled down my thumb.

I popped the rest of the fruit into my mouth before glancing at him and realizing that he was watching me keenly. “What? Do you want some strawberries?”

He took a deep breath, looked away for a second as if trying to remember something, and then went back to his food. “What are you doing in the kitchen anyway? It’s five-thirty in the morning. Don’t tell me Mrs. Simmons is working you through the night.”

I shook my head. “No, she’s great. I’ve been assisting Bart mostly and I thought I’d get breakfast started while he’s off to mass. Beside, I’m an early riser. I’m used to having lots of things that need doing I’ve never really had the chance to develop the habit of sleeping in.”

“That makes you an unusual seventeen-year-old,” he said with a smirk. “Kids your age go to bed late and get up around noon and then spend the rest of the day lounging in front of the TV or hanging out at the mall with their friends.”

“Is that what you did when you were seventeen?” I teased with a grin. 

“No,” he answered with scowl. “I... I was busy with other things. I had a very different childhood.”

“Then that makes us both unusual,” I told him with a knowing nod, still grinning. “There must be more people out there who aren’t inclined to act the stereotypical teenager.”

His grim expression didn’t improve. “But you should be able to act like the stereotypical teenager. You should be able to enjoy the opportunities of your youth. Instead, here you are, in the home of a total stranger, paying your lewd cousin’s debt, being well-versed in ways to care after drunkards and tuned by habit to waste little on sleep because of more than your fair share of responsibilities. You’re still a child, Cassandra. You should have the privilege of being one while you still have the chance.”

All my humor fled and I felt every blow of his statement.

I was suddenly very angry. “You make it sound as if it’s so easy. If it were, then why did you skip out on being a child yourself and took on all the responsibilities no eighteen-year-old should be saddled with?”

“I had no choice but you do,” he argued almost patiently. “You’re a young girl—”

“Oh, stop always pointing out how young I am,” I snapped. “So I grew up fast. Just like you did. It’s done. Can’t regret it, can’t pine after it either. So just forget about it. I’m happy to move along.”

“No, I’d do well to remember just how young you are,” he muttered, pushing back his empty plate and getting up. “Thank you for breakfast. I shall leave you to your baking. Good day, Cassandra.”

I stared after his retreating back with an open mouth, wondering how quickly we moved from having an amicable breakfast to a snapping argument.

I closed my mouth shut and clenched my hands into fists as I frowned at the lumps of dough on the tray in front of me.

I’ve never really been one to go up against my elders. I had been content with their decisions so far except where Timothy was concerned that I never once had the need to. But for some reason I couldn’t figure out, Sebastian didn’t seem to fit in the same category and something about him provoked me to meet his temper blow by blow like we were equals, which of course, in this reality, wasn’t entirely true. 

I was a poor orphan adrift in life and he was a powerful, self-assured man of the world.

He could teach me a thing or two, for sure, but sometime after our first disastrous meeting, it seemed I had unconsciously decided there may be some things he could learn from me as well.

***

On the same day, we got notice that Sebastian was hosting a small fourth of July party for friends and business associates at Cove Manor. It was, after all, a highly esteemed estate raved about by celebrity designers and the media who were always clamoring for some intimate glimpse into the mogul’s private world. It had been built right before Sebastian was born, rumored to be a gift by his father to his wife, and had set the standards for the luxury homes that started cropping up around Seaside.

The party set the household into frenzied planning which apparently was no new thing. It seemed Sebastian always made very swift decisions and gave little time for execution. We didn’t see him during the week he gave us to prepare due to a business trip to Chicago. 

On Friday, morning of the event, he arrived at the house looking smug and self-satisfied with a tall and curvy brunette on his arm. She was wearing the most scandalous piece of sundress I’ve ever seen—a bright shade of orange with cut-outs that barely supported the heavy weight of her breasts. 

“Good morning, Cassandra,” Sebastian greeted with a crooked smile after I walked in on them arriving at the foyer, a floral arrangement I’d carried from the kitchen pressed to my hip. 

I blinked at him, a bit dazzled by the charm he rarely displayed within my vicinity.

“This is Aurora Gonzales,” he said, tightening an arm around the woman’s extremely tiny waist and smiling at her affectionately. “She’s one of our guests for tonight’s party. She’s a good friend of mine from Chicago. We thought we’d take the trip back here together.”

I offered a formal smile at the woman. “How do you do, Ms. Gonzales. I hope your trip had been pleasant.”

The woman flashed a cat-like grin, her fingers, prettied up with long and fancy french tips, grazing Sebastian’s arm. “Oh, it was a pleasure, indeed.”

I resisted the strong urge to roll my eyes and gag, especially since I noticed Sebastian watching me with a curious light in his eyes. “We have prepared rooms for guests who might enjoy staying overnight. Would you require one, Ms. Gonzales?”

I knew it was a bit impertinent of me to raise the question of whether Sebastian wanted to invite her to spend the night or not but from the looks and sounds of this conversation, she was certainly providing  him some rather pleasurable company. Be far it from me to deprive him of it, no matter how that sly smile of his irritated me.

The woman turned to Sebastian with puppy-dog eyes and batted fake lashes at him, murmuring excitedly to his ear.

I stood, pretended not to hear, as I looked around everywhere but the sickening sight of them. 

“Yes, she would like a room, Cassandra,” Sebastian finally answered with a quick nod. “Preferably one of our best by the east wing.”

I didn’t miss the unspoken meaning of reserving her the best room that was nearest his suite.

I gave him a stony look just as Aurora turned on her heel and dashed to the car that had dropped them off by the entrance earlier to give instructions about her luggage.

“Wouldn’t you rather give one of the best rooms to someone who’d actually stay long enough in it to appreciate it? Unless, you’d like the view of the ocean there.” I blurted out tartly. 

His brows arched in surprise and I braced myself for a reprimand but he merely smiled that damned arrogant smile of his. 

Before he could say anything, I dipped into a mock curtsy, balancing the vase of flowers expertly on one arm. “Don’t worry about it. Your wish is my command, your majesty.”

Then I immediately turned around and walked away, depositing the flower arrangement by the ornate, hand-carved side table gracing the entrance.

I sneaked a quick glance over my shoulder as I exited through the front door just in time to see Aurora glide back up to Sebastian and throw her arms around his neck in delight. 

I wondered for a moment why his bright green gaze was still locked on me.

***

More guests started arriving around late morning. There were about thirty or so people, looking all refined, affluent and important.

Bart, along with a small catering staff he’d brought in, prepared an elaborate outdoor lunch buffet. I was just in the kitchen helping arrange colorful French macarons on a tiered tray when Jennison came in.

“Ms. Collins, Mr. Vice would like for you to join the party,” he said. 

I blinked in confusion. “What? Why would—”

“You are a guest in this house even though you’ve been helping out with the staff,” the guard said politely even though I could tell he was starting to get a little uncomfortable. “Mr. Vice said he’s expecting you to join him in fifteen minutes.”

I frowned in irritation. “I don’t think so. Tell Mr. Vice that I’m—”

“It’s alright, dear. Go join the party. The food’s good and we’re holding up just fine here,” Bart said with an encouraging smile and nod of his head. 

I opened my mouth to argue that I wasn’t really here as guest but to pay back Sebastian with labor but I quickly realized the staff didn’t really know the true reason I was here.

I pursed my lips and nodded at Jennison stiffly. “Thank you, Jennison. I’ll be out shortly.”

I didn’t miss the flicker of relief that crossed the man’s face. He probably had orders to haul me out if I had kept refusing.

I trudged the way up to my room and headed straight for the adjoining bathroom. 

I’ve been up and about since five in the morning and I smelled of the kitchen. 

I had no designer clothes to wear but I could at least smell clean—if only to pop out there and give Sebastian a quick reminder that he’d asked me to stay out of his way and that I intended to fulfill my part of the bargain.

I showered for about five minutes, blow-dried my hair the best I could in another five until it was smooth enough to pull back on the top and secure with a red, plastic hair clip. I had no time to flat iron the ends so they curled naturally around my back and shoulders but they didn’t look too bad.

When I walked back into the bedroom in my underwear, I caught sight of two pale blue boxes sitting on my bed. I didn’t notice them when I came into the room. I snatched up the folded note sitting on top of the bigger box and scanned the one-liner.

Wear this. -SV

“He could’ve given me a little more notice if he’d wanted me to attend,” I grumbled in annoyance although I was secretly trying to quell the sweet anticipation that formed in my stomach as I slowly lifted the box open. 

I peeled the tissue away and peered at the white fabric.

“Wow.”

I held it up in front of me, mesmerized by the dress. 

Without further delay, I slipped it on.

It was short, the full skirt just grazing the top of my knees. It was nipped on the waist, the neckline a delicate and elegant wide V that hinted at my cleavage and highlighted my collar bone, the small capped sleeves resting just on the shoulders, framing my upper arms nicely.

The fit was perfect, the style a little bit more refined than my usual sundresses but still demure with the white fabric and modest design.

I opened the smaller box and found shoes, my exact size, and they were a pretty pair of low-heeled, wedge slingback sandals in white leather. 

My throat went dry as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I looked pretty. 

My cheeks were healthy and flushed naturally, my eyes were bright and clear, my skin a very light golden.

Despite the circumstances that brought me here, I was actually happy at Cove Manor and it showed.

“You’ve got to take it all off, put them back in the boxes and return them to Sebastian when you go  out there to tell him to leave you alone,” I told my reflection weakly. 

I should’ve never put the outfit on. Now I couldn’t summon the will to give it back.

But I had to make a point. Didn’t I? 

Oh, well. I guess I could still do it, looking amazing.

I was running a little late when I finally made my way down to the sprawling mix of multi-layered deck, stone patio and immaculate gardens that Sebastian utilized for all outdoor entertaining.

I swallowed nervously as I slowly made my way through the throng of guests, flashing small, polite smiles at anyone who glanced my way.

What the hell was I doing? 

I should just turn around and run back to the house. I didn’t know a single soul here and I doubted my social skills in a sea of people who lived in a very different world from me.

“Oh!” I yelped as a hard, solid body bumped into me from my right and I looked up and saw a tall, lean guy in a light blue shirt and brown shorts turning around to face me, his handsome face lighting up with a smile.

“I’m so sorry, miss,” he said gallantly, stepping back to give us enough room to face each other. “I really should stop talking over my shoulder when I’m walking but if it ends up bumping into a girl as pretty as you, I say the habit serves me well.”

His bright blue eyes crinkled with laughter and I couldn’t resist smiling back. “It’s alright. I should look where I’m going as well.”

“I’m Marcus Aldridge,” he said, holding out the hand that wasn’t holding a tall glass of what looked like the raspberry punch. “Please don’t deprive me of the privilege of putting a name to such loveliness.”

I hesitated for a moment, knowing that despite his friendly, easy-going grin and deceptively casual attire, he was without a doubt a charmer—a rich one.

“Cassandra Collins,” I answered, taking his hand for a brief shake. “But call me Cassie.”

“Cassie—such a sweet name. It suits you,” Marcus said with a bigger grin, his hand still clasped with mine and he didn’t seem eager to let go. “Have you had anything to eat or drink? I was just on my way to the food bar when I ran into you. We could head over there together.”

I glanced around the party to see if I could spot Sebastian but didn’t find any sign of him.

“I... uhm, yeah sure,” I answered shyly, remembering I haven’t eaten anything substantial except cereal several hours ago. “Food sounds good.”

Marcus beamed triumphantly and slipped my hand through the crook of his left arm, one hand placed over mine. 

The food bar wasn’t busy when we got there, thank God. It was hard enough to maintain any kind of poise I possessed around one stranger, no matter how charming he was.

“So, Cassie. Are you here with anyone?” Marcus asked casually as he handed me a plate. “I don’t believe I saw you earlier with any of the other guests.”

I started filling my plate, avoiding Marcus’s eyes. “No. I’m here by myself.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “Are you a friend or relative of Sebastian then? I know most of the people he works with and I would know if I’ve seen you before.”

I secretly cursed Marcus’s affable nature. He’s making harmless small talk, albeit a slightly intrusive one, but I didn’t want to make up white lies if I could avoid it.

“He’s a... family friend,” I answered, backing it up with the sunniest smile I could manage. “He was kind enough to let me spend the summer here. I lived in Cobalt Bay with my mother until she died when I was only ten.”

Marcus’s expression softened and I felt a little guilty for twisting the truth slightly. At least it was mostly the truth.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said gently. “But I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to meet someone new in such familiar circles. So tell me, what do you do Cassie?”

I bit my lip. What did I do?

“I’m still in school, actually,” I answered, pleased that he looked surprised. “College.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a lie. Technically, I was done with high school although not quite in college yet. It was close enough, I guess.

He grinned. “I see. What are you taking up?”

“Finance—I’m appallingly good with numbers.” I couldn’t help a self-deprecating smile. “How about you? Do you work with Sebastian?”

“Not technically although I am invested with him in some things,” he replied, standing next to me as we helped ourselves to some mini lobster quiche. “Car racing is my passion but a man can’t rely on that forever to stay comfortable so I’ve staked my money on Sebastian’s excellent business sense. And we’re old friends.”

“Not for long if you don’t stop harassing my guests,” a deep voice drawled.

Marcus and I turned around at the same time and found Sebastian’s towering built behind us, his shoulders tense, his expression dark and disapproving.

Marcus chuckled lightly but I could sense him sobering up. “Vice! Here you are. I didn’t mean to monopolize Cassie here. I would’ve arrived a day sooner had I known such a beautiful guest was in residence.”

“She’s off limits, Aldridge,” Sebastian said bluntly and I flushed in annoyance. 

How dare he decide who could and couldn’t talk to me? 

“Right. Family friend and all that,” Marcus answered with a good-natured shake of his head. “It was generous of you to let her stay in the city she grew up in.”

Sebastian finally turned his scorching glare at me and I just tipped my chin up in defiance, almost daring him to call out my lie. 

“We’ll leave you to enjoy the food, Aldridge,” Sebastian said instead, grabbing my free hand and tucking it under his arm. “I have to show Cassandra around the party.”

I flashed Marcus my most reassuring smile, noticing the frown that was wrinkling on his face as Sebastian started dragging me away. 

When we were out of earshot, I finally tried to pull my arm away from his but he gripped my hand and held it in place. 

“You are being such an ass,” I hissed under my breath, keeping the friendly smile on my face as we wound through clusters of people.

“And you should know better than to flirt with a notorious playboy like Marcus Aldridge,” he muttered back, briefly nodding in acknowledgement at some people who greeted and waved at him. 

I didn’t know where he was heading but his purposeful stride was causing people to move away and part a path for him naturally. 

“Talk about the kettle calling the pot black,” I retorted. “And I’m not five, you know? I can handle myself around guys just fine.”

He snorted. “I doubt high school boys can give you a worldly education, Cassandra.”

“Stop calling me that elaborate name,” I chided. “And how do you know for sure that they haven’t? At least they tried.”

I instantly bit the inside of my cheek the moment the words rushed out.

Ah, drat!

I’m neither a practiced nor natural flirt and I don’t have a cock tease for an alter ego. Where these come-hither lines were coming from, I had no idea.

And apparently, I wasn’t the only one surprised.

Sebastian glanced down at me, his lips pursed in thought, his gaze fiery and alive with undisguised interest. 

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you say that,” he murmured as we made our way around a curve on the face of the cliff where the stairs to the beach wrapped around. There was a wide landing halfway down that served as a viewpoint and Sebastian pulled me towards it. The railing had a wide, flat top and I carefully set my plate down on it.

I stood looking up at him, watching every twitch and flicker on his expression, aware that he was looking at our entwined arms as if he’d never seen anything so fascinating before.

“What are you doing, Sebastian?” I finally asked, breaking the pregnant silence. “What am I doing at this party, wearing this dress you left in my room, parading around your guests who are complete strangers to me and now standing here with you at the edge of the earth?”

His lips quirked. “This isn’t the edge of the earth.”

I narrowed my eyes at his humor. “It might as well be considering how dangerous it feels to stand here with you.”

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked in a husky voice, all humor gone.

I closed my eyes briefly, taking in the sound of the waves, the rustle of the wind, the warmth of his touch and the seductive, musky smell of him. “I should be but I’m not.”

I heard him suck in his breath and my eyes fluttered open. 

“You’re better off staying away.”

I raised a brow. “I was doing just that when I got summoned by your loyal soldier to attend the party.” 

His gaze lowered and inspected my dress. “That dress isn’t what I expected on you.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded, stepping away and pulling my arm free. “Does it look horrible on me?”

“No. It looks... never mind.”

“It looks what, Sebastian?” I pressed.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “It looks a lot less innocent than I thought it would on you. I didn’t want anything... provocative.”

My lips twitched with the temptation to smile triumphantly but I somehow felt that I was in a rare moment with Sebastian’s guard down. If I was going to be bold, now was the time to do it.

“Are you trying to dress me like the virgin that I am?” I asked. “Does it help remind you to keep your hands off me?”

His face hardened. “I don’t need any reminder. I have it drilled in my head.”

I gave in to a smirk. “Think about it much?”

“Cassandra,” he warned, his expression darkening. “Don’t toy with me. You’ll regret it.”

As much as I wanted to show I wasn’t affected, I shivered at the silky quality of his voice that made his threat all the more sinister.

“Then leave me alone,” I snapped, trying to recover my upper hand. “I don’t know what you thought you’d accomplish dragging me into this party.”

“I’m not completely heartless,” he answered with a sigh, leaning against the railing on one elbow. “You’re not a slave in this house. And you’re young. You need to enjoy a little bit of life.”

“I don’t need grand parties to enjoy life,” I said, lifting my face to the wind. “My expectations are simple. There’s no need to get out of your way for my sake.”

“I’m not a man to go out of his way for anyone,” he bit out in a quiet but harsh tone. “I was merely extending the charity I’ve discovered I possessed since you came to my door.”

Then he turned and left and I stood frozen in my spot, an unpleasant shudder rippling through my body.

Charity.

Of course.

What else did I think it was?

Men—attractive, powerful men like Sebastian Vice—didn’t crush on a luckless, orphaned teenage girl who was too naive yet too bold for her own good.

They usually felt sorry for her.

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A/N: Hello everyone! What do you think so far? Please, please tell me what you think and vote if you like it! I really want to know what people's opinions are about this story. 

Thank you!!!

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