by M E Whiter
'So, are you going to tell me now, where we are staying?” I ask him, gazing out at the colourful patchwork of countryside passing us by. Where small pockets of woodland forest create a barrier, between the cultivated crop fields and the open grazing land for cattle and sheep.
"I have a house on the lake, just a few minutes drive, from the heart of the city. It's secluded and secure. You will be safe there." I laugh to myself, hearing him say the word 'safe'. It tickles my sense of humour, because the last song I just heard, on the radio, was called "Safe" by Westlife. I don't think Sebastian was listening to it, but, the lyrics talked of promising to keep someone safe.
After fifteen minutes, Sebastian makes a left turn off the highway. He then navigates his way through several urban streets, lined by large trees and houses with immaculate gardens. Shortly after, he turns right onto a small side lane and drives down to the end, stopping in front of a set of tall double gates with black metal rails. Beyond, I can see an impressive pale grey timber house with white trim.
"Here we are," Sebastian says, pulling out a remote and pressing a button. Seconds later, the gates slide open.
As soon as we drive through, the gates close behind us. Driving down the short paved driveway, we then pull up, in front of a pair of white double garage doors.
Sebastian jumps out and fetches our luggage from the boot. I fold out my walking cane and climb out, not waiting for him to help me. Sebastian carries the bags to a side door beside the garage, while I follow behind.
AS SOON AS we enter the house, I notice how cool and quiet the interior feels. Down a short hallway, we enter the entrance foyer, with double doors. Across the way, is a generous sized sitting room, with large bay windows on the two outer walls, both with magnificent views over the lake. I don't get the chance to have a good look around, before Sebastian takes off to the right, down another short hallway. He then stops when we reach a staircase on our right.
Dropping the bags by the bottom step, he turns to me, “I will take these up later. But now, I want to give you a tour of the place.”
At the end of the hallway, we enter the dining room. Turning right again, we walk through the white and timber kitchen and around the island bench, into the adjoining glassed-in breakfast nook. Sebastian walks across and opens the french doors, and then steps back, letting me step out first, onto a long covered terrace, with a fantastic view over the lake.
A small paved footpath cuts across the lawn, to a set of shallow steps, that lead directly onto a narrow strip of sandy beach. From what I can see, the beach runs off in both direction, along the edge of the lake.
“Well, what do you think of the place, Rachel?”
“I think it's beautiful. Is this place yours?”
“Yes. I bought it about six months ago. I wanted somewhere where I could escape to, when the need arose,” he says, waving his hand in the air. “There's always something to do here, all year round, from sailing in the warmer months to skiing in the winter. I have only been here once, so far. You are my first house guest." He turns and gives me a small grin.
I smile back at him. “Well then, I feel privileged.”
“Come on, I will show you, your room,” he says, heading back inside, while I limp behind him, until we reach the staircase. Picking up our luggage on the way, Sebastian marches upstairs, and stops at the first door along the hallway, on the left.
He opens the door and then stands back, "This is your room," he says, allowing me to enter first. Stepping inside, my eyes light up, as I peer around the spacious bedroom, decorated in the New Hampton-style, of pale egg-shell blues and off-white trims.
Walking in behind me, he sets my bags down near the walk-in robe. “I will leave you to get settled in. Take you’re time. I have some things to do, but I will catch up with you in a little while, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply, my focus drawn to the imposing four-poster bed that dominates the room. I hardly notice when Sebastian leaves the room, the bed is almost too good to resist. The urge has me wanting to dive straight in, and lose myself, within the mountain of fluffy pillows and cushions, spread over the the pale blue and white satin quilt.
But, then the glorious weather and the view of the lake outside, proves a much stronger lure. Opening up the french doors, I wander out onto the balcony, which runs along the back of the house. I lean against the sturdy timber railing for support, breathing the fresh clean air deeply into my lungs. The slight breeze blows through my loose hair, the long strands whipping about my face, as I watch a couple of speed boats, skimming across the blue sparkling water.
Pulling my hair to one side, I look down and see that this place has an in-ground pool. It's situated on an elevated terrace to one side of the backyard. A privacy wall surrounds it on three sides, while the fourth side is open, and looks out over the water. Goosebumps break out on my arms, when a slight chill hits me, making me shiver, and forcing me to go back inside.
Downstairs, I make straight for the back patio, deciding to explore some more. I saw a small jetty from upstairs, directly opposite the steps, leading down onto the beach. Following the path, I only go a short distance, when I hear Sebastian calling me.
“Hey Rachel, where are you going?” I turn to see him standing in the doorway.
“I was just exploring,” I reply, turning and walking back towards him.
“Would you like some lunch?” he asks, remaining by the doorway.
“Yes, that sounds good.”
The early afternoon is starting to warm up, making me thankful I had taken off my jacket, as I sit down at the table. We both eat our sandwiches in relative silence, watching the hive of activity happening out on the lake.
“Rachel, I was thinking of taking you sailing tomorrow, but with you injured knee, maybe that is not such a good idea?” Sebastian suggests, giving me an inquisitive look.
“I’d love to go sailing, Sebastian. Don’t worry about my knee, it’s just fine.”
“Are you sure, you will be able to manage?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then I will make a booking for tomorrow morning. Hopefully, the weather will be just as perfect as this. But, tonight, I am taking you out to dinner.” He looks at me with his charming sexy smile, his dazzling blue eyes reflecting the sky.
“You mean, like a date?” I ask, a nervous tension rippling down my spine.
“Yes, if you wish? Now that you are on the mend, I thought it would be nice, if we had dinner together, somewhere other than my apartment.” He reaches across the table and places his hand over mine. My skin tingles from his touch, sending a thrill of expectation, curling in my tummy.
“Dinner sounds great.”
“Good, I am glad,” he replies, standing up from the table. “I have some work to finish, so will you be alright on your own, for a couple of hours?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
“Dinner is booked is for eight. The restaurant is just a few minutes drive from here." Picking up our dirty dishes, he carries them with him, as he heads back inside.
I remain seated where I am for a few more minutes, resting back in my chair. Gazing out at the lake, I think ahead to our dinner date this evening. Sebastian is definitely not like any man, I’ve been around before. He seems overly self-confident, and obsessively passionate about everything he does. But, he also has a kind and caring nature and for some strange reason, he seems to be attracted to me. And now he's taking me out on date. How lucky can a girl get?
I head upstairs, and change into a floral sundress and flat sandals. After freshening up in the ensuite bathroom, I rub on some sunscreen to protect my sensitive skin from sunburn. Then, grabbing my sketch book and pencils on the way out, I make my way back down to the terrace. Retracing my steps from before, I take the steps down onto the narrow strip of beach, and walk across to the small jetty.
When I reach the end, I sit down on the wooden planks, with my legs dangling over the edge. The afternoon sun is warm, making for a pleasant da
y, now the breeze has dropped off. Picking up my sketchpad and pencils, I start to draw the view in front of me.
My thoughts return to Sebastian, as I work, back to what I'd been thinking about just before.
I know my attraction to him is more that a mere infatuation, which probably means, going on a date with him, is a bad idea. Especially, if I don't want to risk getting too involved with him. But, no matter how much I tell myself that, my heart is refusing to listen to reason.
Chapter Twenty
SATURDAY, 23rd August
Rachel
WE ARRIVE AT the Lake House Restaurant just on dark. Walking inside, we have to wait in the restaurant foyer, for a couple of minutes while another couple before us are being served. Glancing through the open double doors, directly across front of us, I can see a spacious dining room with crystal lighting, potted palm trees and a glass outer wall. Outside on a large open terrace, I can spot another dining area, surrounded by dozens of fairy lights.
“This looks very elegant Sebastian. Have you been here before?”
“A couple of times with Matt and Fiona. You will meet them tomorrow, when we go sailing on their yacht,” he replies, as the maȋtre d' approaches.
He’s wearing a crisp white shirt, black vest and red satin bow tie, and greets us with a warm welcome. We follow him through the dining room and out onto the terrace. He seats us at one of the tables, that provides a stunning view over the lake, now shrouded in darkness.
The waiter hands us our menus, as he runs through the chef's special for this evening. Sebastian gives him our drinks order and then he leaves us alone, to look over the menus. Our table is beautifully laid out with an array of sparkling crystal and silverware. The centrepiece is a slender silver candelabra, with the flickering lights from the candles, reflecting off all the glossy surfaces.
I scan through the menu and then put it to one side. Sitting back in my chair, I fidget with the napkin on my lap, as I stare at Sebastian still reading the menu, that he's holding up in front of his face. Every now and then, I notice him peeking at me, over the top. Each time he does, it sends a thrill coursing through me, seeing the heated look in his eyes.
By the time the waiter returns with our drinks, we are ready to order. Sebastian asks for the chef’s special for two, as per the agreement, he forced me into, on the drive here tonight. He asked me if I would trust him enough, to allow him to order for the both of us, promising that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
On impulse, I acquiesced to his request with almost no resistance. Actually to be more precise, it was my recently awakened libido, acting on my behalf that agreed. But then, it was an inevitable decision, considering I was feeling a little over-excited at the time. Sitting in a sexy sleek sports car, I was too distracted by the purring of the engine, sending pleasurable vibrations up between my thighs, to put up any resistance.
A few minutes later, when the waiter returns, he places an ice bucket on a stand beside our table. Nestling in a bed of ice is a bottle of chilled locally-produced Pinot Gris. When he serves the wine, he offers Sebastian a sample to taste. Once he gets the nod of approval, he pours out two glasses, then places the bottle back into the ice and leaves our table again.
Sebastian lifts his glass to me, his eyes glistening in the candlelight. “A toast, to our first date,” he says, leaning forward, as we clink our glasses together.
When I take a sip of my wine, I gaze across at Sebastian, thinking how lucky I am to be here in this romantic setting, having dinner with him. He looks like a prince charming, dressed in a black dinner suit, white linen shirt with gold cufflinks, and a silver silk tie. I'm so tempted, to reach over and run my fingers through the few strands of jet black hair, dangling over the front of his beautiful eyes. But at the moment, I can't move, too caught up in him gazing at me, with that dark smouldering look in his eyes.
Secretly, I'm hoping that look has something to do with what I'm wearing tonight. I only packed one evening outfit for this trip, not thinking I'd actually have anywhere to wear it. It's the same black and gold cocktail dress, I wore to the art auction. I like wearing it, as it makes me feel elegant and sexy. The clingy fabric hugs my curves in the right places and the low neckline shows off my ample cleavage to good advantage. It’s not something I would normally buy, but it was an indulgence, I had allowed myself, to celebrate my new-found independence as a single woman, after my divorce was finalised.
"Rachel, you look beautiful this evening and that dress is very . . . alluring,” he says, as if read my mind. “I don’t know if I will be able to keep my hands off you, during dinner.”
“Well, thank you Sebastian. Maybe you should try sitting on your hands. After all, we don’t want to get thrown out, before we've had our dinner," I suggest, through pursed lips, unable to resist teasing him back.
“Thanks for the tip, but I think I will pass.” He reaches his hand across the table to claim mine. I don’t pull my hand away. But, I do try to ignore the effect it’s has on me, while his thumb slowly strokes the back of my hand. It feels like a prelude to foreplay, sending a current of heat to my nether regions. My God! It feels warm in here, even though technically, we are sitting outdoors. I desperately need a distraction, before I start moaning, and embarrass myself.
I inhale a breath of fresh air, to clear my lust-fuddled brain. “Thank you for bringing me here," I breath out, retracting my hand from his possession. I keep my gaze lowered as I add, "I couldn’t have wished for anywhere more perfect for a first date.” Picking up my wine, I take a large gulp, to settle my composure.
“I'm pleased to hear, but wait until you have tasted, what I have ordered for dinner. Trust me, you are going to love it,” he says, with a cheeky wink. I sigh!
The sensual undertones in his voice with his slight Latin accent, causes my inner muscles to quiver, shattering any hopes of winning back my self-control. “I hope so,” I manage to reply, praying that I won't live to regret letting him choose the menu. “Sebastian, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, of course, anything?”
“Where does your accent come from?”
“My grandparents were originally from Brazil. They moved to Montreal shortly after they got married. When I was born, our parents were both working then. So, my grandparents looked after Adrianne and I, until we relocated to Vancouver, when I was about five.”
"I love the sound, it's very sexy," I tell him, feeling a little shy.
"Is it now," he murmurs, raising his eyebrows at me.
When the waiter brings our first course, I'm relieved to see that the dish looks like something, I might enjoy eating. He places the plates down in front of us, giving us a brief description of what's on our plate, before refilling our wine and then taking his leave.
Sebastian sits back, and waits for me to sample the first bite, “Go ahead Rachel. I want to watch your face, when you taste it.” Oh, no pressure then! I wonder what he’ll say if I don’t like it?
I pick up my fork and dig into one of the crumbed calamari pieces, dipping it into the aioli, then popping it into my mouth. Wow! It tastes amazing. The calamari is so succulent, it almost melts in my mouth, and the tangy sharpness of the aioli, just adds a burst of flavour to the taste.
“I guess, I don’t need to ask if you like it. I can see you do, by the look of satisfaction on your face.”
“You're right, this is absolutely delicious."
The main course follows about twenty minutes later. It’s pistachio-crusted salmon with organic brown rice, asparagus and goji vinaigrette. Thank goodness, it's every bit as delicious as the first course. I have to give Sebastian due credit for his excellent choice of menu.
“Would you like some dessert?”
“No thank you. I don't think I could fit another thing in."
“In that case, do you think you could manage a stroll along the waterfront, before we leave?”
“Yes, that sounds like a lovely idea.”