Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Primitive Performance Art
Her waist was soft and slender, and the faint, sweet scent wafting from her was alluring.
Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes darkened. His palm tightened slightly before he gentlemanly let go.
Cecilia Croft felt as if the searing heat of his touch still lingered on the skin where Sebastian had supported her.
Subconsciously, she bit the corner of her lip, feeling her cheeks and ears grow even hotter.
She was too embarrassed to meet the man’s gaze, afraid she would fall into the bottomless pools of his inky eyes.
"Thank you."
The words of gratitude came out in a soft rasp.
Sebastian Hawthorne looked down at her, his voice low. "Is it really that captivating?"
Cecilia’s thoughts were wandering. She instinctively nodded, then, realizing what she’d done, hastily shook her head.
’He’s setting a trap for me!’
’Why would I enjoy looking at something so risqué?’
’It’s just that the décor here is so bold, with this kind of provocative art everywhere. I was forced to look.’
Sebastian eyed her with a ghost of a smile.
"I never knew Miss Croft had such... particular tastes."
Cecilia quickly denied it.
"It’s not like that."
Sebastian chuckled. "If it’s not, then why were you staring so intently you couldn’t look away, not even noticing you were at the stairs?"
Cecilia forced an awkward, feeble smile.
"It was an accident. An accident."
Sebastian lowered his head, leaned in, and raised an eyebrow roguishly.
"The first time was an accident. Was the second time one as well?"
Cecilia: "..."
’If it wasn’t an accident, then what was it?’
Cecilia lifted her gaze and met Sebastian Hawthorne’s mocking eyes. Suddenly, it dawned on her.
"Mr. Hawthorne..."
She started to speak but was cut off.
"Miss Croft, the next time you ’accidentally’ fall into my arms, you should be more mindful of your decorum and location. In a place like this, things can get messy."
He stressed the words "get messy" with heavy emphasis. Blushing, Cecilia took a step back to create some distance.
As she retreated, her heel caught on the step behind her. She lost her balance, her body naturally falling backward.
Sebastian reached out, his arm wrapping around her waist and steadying her as she fell back.
Cecilia felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly straightened up and pulled away.
"It really was..."
Just an accident.
She didn’t get to finish her sentence before she met Sebastian Hawthorne’s eyes, which held a hint of a smile.
His smile held a knowing look that made any explanation she could offer seem utterly pale and weak.
"An ’accident.’ Of course. I get it."
As he spoke, the corners of his lips curved up slightly, his eyes shimmering, and his whole being exuded a casually roguish charm.
Cecilia: "..."
’Okay, she admitted it. She’d been played.’
’Trapped by this man’s words.’
’Now she’d never be able to clear her name.’
Cecilia felt a pang of exasperation. To be fair, being branded as someone with a taste for the risqué didn’t actually bother her that much.
’After all, to be human is to appreciate good food and beautiful things. It’s the most fundamental way of respecting life.’
But...
’She had absolutely no improper designs on him!’
She wasn’t clueless; she could see the sharp edge hidden beneath his nonchalant exterior.
After some serious reflection lately...
Cecilia had come to a profound realization: in this world, no relationship was more straightforward than a transactional one.
Seven years ago, she had known full well that she wasn’t good enough for him.
Seven years later, she was still self-aware enough to know her place.
For the sake of a friendly partnership between the Croft and Hawthorne Groups...
Cecilia felt she ought to state her position and intentions clearly.
’Why would she deliberately try to seduce the very fiancé she had once actively broken things off with?’
’She wasn’t that kind of person.’
’And she wouldn’t do something so foolish.’
"Mr. Hawthorne, joking aside. My taste in men might be questionable, but my character is not."
"Just because I got out of a failed relationship doesn’t mean I’m going to come crawling back to you. So please, rest assured."
’So he didn’t need to keep deliberately jabbing at her under the guise of joking.’
She looked up at the handsome face before her, her expression deadly serious.
The man before her narrowed his deep-set eyes. The lazy, roguish charm evaporated from him, replaced by a cold sharpness in his gaze.
"Miss Croft, your taste in men isn’t just bad. You’re completely blind."
Cecilia didn’t bother trying to figure out the source of his anger; she was just stung by yet another personal attack.
’That’s going too far!’
She pressed her lips together, unsure how to respond, her cheeks puffed out in frustration.
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced down at her, then turned and walked out of the hotel.
Cecilia followed at an unhurried pace.
Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to get one up on Sebastian.
Suddenly, the man walking ahead of her spun around, yanked her into his arms, and pressed her against one of the hotel’s central pillars.
Cecilia was startled by this sudden turn of events. Looking at the handsome face so close to hers, she was slow to react.
"What..."
She had just started to speak when the man before her raised a hand and covered her lips.
He leaned in close, his hot breath ghosting intimately across her cheek.
This intimate, close contact made Cecilia’s fingertips tremble.
She froze, holding her breath. Someone walked past them, letting out a teasing whistle as they went by.
"Dude, you’re really going for it, huh? Can’t even wait to get out of the lobby?"
Cecilia’s expression shifted. She recognized Zane Keller’s voice, and her face turned cold.
Her hands, pressed against Sebastian’s chest, stopped pushing. Instead, they clenched into tight, angry fists.
Zane Keller laughed as he entered the elevator. Clearly, Boss Sawyer hadn’t dealt with him yet.
’Everything he so carefully orchestrated tonight is going to backfire on him.’
’And he’ll get it back, with interest.’
’Boss Sawyer definitely won’t let him off the hook that easily.’
"Enjoying this position?" a cool, low voice sounded from above her head.
Cecilia started, snapping out of her thoughts, and only then did she realize she had a death grip on Sebastian’s collar.
She quickly let go and gave an awkward smile.
"Sorry."
Sebastian Hawthorne glanced at his collar, which she had left in a complete mess.
Cecilia quickly reached up to straighten his collar for him.
Sebastian remained still, holding his position and watching her with downcast eyes.
When she was done, Cecilia looked up. Her lips brushed against his as he was still bent over her. The illusion of their breaths mingling intensified the already charged atmosphere, making it feel even more reckless.
Cecilia froze.
’Crap!’
’Now I’ll really never be able to explain my way out of this.’
Sebastian’s breath hitched as his body had a natural, physical reaction.
His eyes went cold. He turned and strode toward the hotel exit.
He walked off quickly, almost in a rush, as if he were afraid she’d cling to him.
Cecilia watched his tall, retreating figure, frozen to the spot.
’So I wrinkled his collar and accidentally brushed my lips against his. So what?’
’It’s not that big of a deal, is it?’
Cecilia gave it some serious thought. On second thought, maybe it was a big deal.
’She’d seen him in plenty of financial news reports.’
’He was always impeccably dressed wherever he went. The fact that she had repeatedly messed up his appearance could very well have crossed one of his lines.’
’Besides, she had just declared that she had no improper designs on him. Not long after, she was taking liberties with his lips. That would be hard to explain away as just "an accident."’
