he might succeed where law enforcement and hospital security had failed. People didn’t open up to cops and security guards. On that score, his charm stood him in good stead. He had no trouble coaxing people into spilling their secrets.
Idly, he wondered what secrets Julie DeMarco hid behind those sweet, guileless blue eyes. He’d discovered that everyone had secrets, even the most innocent.
Sebastian was deep in the middle of his media campaign plan when his computer played a snippet from the Bond movie theme song “For Your Eyes Only,” letting him know he had an instant message from Blanche.
He flicked a switch and turned on his Internet camera for a video conference. Blanche was sitting at her desk, looking prim and proper in a double-breasted fawn-colored suit, her iron-gray curls perfectly coiffed.
“How’s Austin?” she asked.
“Fine. Watcha still doing at the office?”
“Just finishing up. I’m on my way out the door. I thought I’d check on you. See if you needed anything.”
“You work too hard.”
“Pot. Kettle. Black.”
“Ah, but I play just as hard as I work. You don’t play, dear Blanche.”
Blanche gave him a Mona Lisa smile. “You think you know me so well.”
“Come on,” he said, suddenly realizing that other than his brother, Blanche was his only real friend. He spent too much time in hotel rooms just like this one. It was pretty sad when you were a thirty-year-old guy and your best friend was a fiftysomething grandmother. Maybe he did work too hard. “If you had a social life you wouldn’t be at the office at eight at night.”
“You don’t know what I’m doing here. Perhaps I have a suitor and I’m showing him my desk.”
“Are you?” Sebastian lifted an eyebrow.
“I’ll never tell.”
“So what’s up?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Linc told me he’s quitting and that he and Keeley are getting married. How do you feel about that?”
Sebastian shrugged. “I feel fine.”
“Liar.”
“Okay, you want the truth? I think Linc’s making a big mistake,” he said.
“He loves her. She loves him.”
“They’re wrong for each other.”
“How do you know?”
“They’re total opposites.”
“Opposites attract.”
He thought of Julie, laughed and shook his head.
“Oh,” Blanche said. “I see.”
“See what?”
“What’s her name?”
“Her? What are you talking about?”
“You’re already penning another new name in your little black book.”
“I’m not,” he denied, wondering how in the hell Blanche knew him so well.
She tilted her head. “You’re working on it.”
“What can I say,” he confessed. “I love women.”
Sebastian did love women. They fascinated him. With their potions and perfumes that smelled so good. From their soft skin, to the delicate underside of their throats. And the way their minds worked, so mysterious and unpredictable.
The opposite sex mesmerized him. Tall ones, short ones, plump ones, thin ones, dark ones, light ones. He loved them all. It was the reason he couldn’t choose just one. There were simply too many wonderful ladies walking about the world.
“Maybe you should consider backing off,” Blanche said.
“What?”
“You rush into courtships.”
Courtships? He grinned. Blanche was so old-fashioned. He found it endearing. “Hey, I’m usually only in town a short time. If I didn’t rush, I wouldn’t get anywhere.”
“And then just as quickly, you rush out of them. You’ll never get married like that.”
“You know I’m not interested in marriage.”
“I know you say you’re not interested in marriage,” Blanche said. “I think it’s that you haven’t met the right woman. When you do, everything will change and then you’ll finally understand about your brother and Keeley.”
The truth was he didn’t want to understand. “Yeah? Well, if you know so much about men and women and love, how come you’re single?”
Blanche straightened in her chair, making herself look even more prim than usual. “I’ve had my great love affair, Sebastian. No one else could ever compare to Edward, so there’s no point searching. He’s gone. I’m a grandmother, which keeps me happy enough, and I’ve got you to look after.”
“Now see,” Sebastian said. “If I did something stupid like fall in love and get married, then you wouldn’t have anyone to take care of. How could I ever do that to you?”
Blanche’s opinion came out in a snort. He’d gotten quite accustomed to the expressive sound and it made him smile. “Good night, Sebastian. Call me if you need anything.”
“Sleep tight, Blanche.”
She turned off her computer camera and that was the end of the conversation. Sebastian finished up his work and logged off. He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed, hands cupped behind his head. His thoughts trailed to Julie.
He couldn’t figure out what it was about her that appealed to him so much. She was cute, sure. And he loved her curvy, compact body. Just thinking about touching her had him growing hard. He wanted her…oh, yeah.
But he had a nagging feeling she was a forever kind of woman and that simply wasn’t what he was looking for. He thought about calling her up, canceling their luncheon appointment, but then he realized it was almost midnight.
Why was he so confused about what he wanted from her? He was normally very decisive. In that exam room he’d decided he was going to seduce her. But after talking to Blanche, he was feeling…
What was he feeling?
Sebastian pushed the thought away. Blanche loved messing with his head. He wasn’t going to let her get to him. He did know what he wanted and he was going after it.
A nice little fling with Julie DeMarco.
SO THEY THOUGHT they could hire a spin doctor to solve Confidential Rejuvenations’ image problems, eh?
Fools.
The hospital saboteur rummaged through the file on the cocky Mr. Sebastian Black. He was a good-looking devil. No question about it. With his lush dark hair and straight white teeth. Veneers, no doubt.
And from the curriculum vitae the saboteur had found on Dr. Butler’s desk, Sebastian Black ran one of the most sought-after, privately owned PR firms in the country. His clients included important movers and shakers in the entertainment industry.
Mr. Black, the saboteur had discovered, had quite a reputation as a ladies’man. The saboteur chuckled. Such a man would be so easy to manipulate.
What a wickedly wonderful turn of events that he was interested in Julie DeMarco.
That woman needed to be taught a lesson. Shamelessly sleeping with a married man. Was nothing sacred anymore? DeMarco deserved to get her heart broken by a notorious playboy like Black and the saboteur