Page 132 of My Year of Saying No
‘Is that real?’ I asked, poking at his bow tie.
Shit. Did I really just say that? Lottie! What happened to calm, smooth and classy?
Seb’s laugh rang out as he hugged me to him. Standing back, he took my hands, his smile still wide. ‘You look breathtaking.’
I opened my mouth. Closed it, thought about trying again and gave up.
He frowned a moment. ‘Everything OK?’
I nodded this time. It was easier. ‘I’ve just never been called breathtaking before. It sounds like something…’ I reached up and touched my hair, suddenly nervous, ‘out of a fairy story.’
Seb caught my hand back. ‘Right now, you look like something out of a fairy story.’
‘So long as it’s not the evil queen, I guess we’re good.’
Oh, for the love of god, Lottie, shut up.
Seb grinned. ‘Most definitelynotthe evil queen. I was kind of going for the beautiful princess thing, but I’m sensing it’s not gone as smoothly as I’d hoped for.’
‘No, it has. I mean, it’s lovely. You’re lovely. What you said was lovely, I’m just a bit nervous all of a sudden and seem to have lost the ability to take a compliment. Or, you know, act like a normal person.’ I was horribly aware I was now babbling and quickly clamped my mouth shut.
Seb gave me a lazy, unbelievably sexy, smile. ‘Normal is very overrated.’
I returned the smile. ‘That is true.’
He pulled me to him. ‘You look stunning. Really.’
I felt the blush rise and hoped it didn’t contrast too much with the emerald green of the corseted satin gown. I flapped a bit to move some air around. It didn’t really work, but I had noticed Seb’s eyes drift.
If we’re being honest, I wasn’t exactly overendowed in the ‘upper echelon’ department, so I was as surprised as anyone when I’d tried this dress on. Whatever sorcery went into the construction, it seemed to involve finding a whole lot more cleavage than I started out with. Hence, I wasn’t used to having it on display.
‘Umm… eyes up, soldier!’
Seb’s head snapped up. ‘Sorry.’ And he did actually have the dignity to blush, so, for a moment, we were a matching pair.
‘This is what happens when I leave Jess in charge of finding a dress for me.’
‘Remind me to thank Jess later. Several times.’ He gave me the cheekiest of grins and I bumped my arm against him. ‘Come on, I want you to meet some people.’
‘Sebastian, darling!’ A woman whose age it was impossible to guess, thanks, I imagined, to access to a decent plastic surgeon, approached us in a cloud of expensive, and very heady, perfume.
‘Lady Gardner, how lovely to see you. Thanks so much for coming and supporting us tonight.’
‘Absolutely no question! Although, you naughty thing, changing that auction lot has rather caused a few tantrums in our house.’
Seb frowned. ‘Which auction lot?’
Glancing at the younger woman with her, and the way she’d been looking at Seb, I had a pretty good idea.
‘The date with you, you silly boy. Petunia here had already demanded we bid on it.’
‘Mother!’ Petunia snapped in horror.
Lady Gardner waved her away. ‘She’s been looking forward to it for ages! Obviously, her father would have kept bidding until she won. You know what he’s like when it comes to her.’
‘Mother. Be quiet!’
I gave her a sympathetic smile but received only a glare for my trouble so I left her to it. I guessed the fact that Seb was still holding my hand hadn’t exactly won me any favours in her eyes, but at least I’d tried.
