Chapter 15
Fire
Fire was L.A.’s biggest fashion showcase of the season.
While Sebastian wasn’t a fan of public parties, the company that was putting on the show was one of Mattheson Banking Corporation’s biggest clients — the global fashion house Safira. Although it was work that brought him there, it didn’t hurt that it was a brand of luxury lingerie, or that the hottest supermodels of the world were headlining the show.
An usher appeared at his side the moment he entered the club, which had been transformed into a luxurious, brightly-lit space. He wasn’t sure he recognized the theme of the decor — he saw gleaming brass installations. The ushers were dressed in what looked like Victorian-inspired clothes, except there was a lot more exposed skin. His own usher was a buxom blonde in a dark dress which had a skirt that was so long it trailed the floor when she walked and was separated in the front, giving him a view of long, stocking-encased legs. The front of her dress was covered in nothing more than sheer white lace through which one could clearly see her lavender bra.
As she led him to his seat, a petite woman in her forties dressed in red silk came up to him. “Sebastian, darling,” Sophie Ledeoux greeted him, then pulled him close into a warm hug.
“Hello, gorgeous.” He smiled at her fondly. “This all looks amazing. Although, I’m not quite familiar... “
“Thank you, Sebastian.” Sophie smiled. “It’s called ‘steampunk’. It looks wonderful, doesn’t it? “ Her accent was French tempered with a bit of her native Texan drawl, from having been born in the south of the US and moving to Paris when she was ten.
“It does, yes.” Of course. The male ushers were also in Victorian costume, only their shirts were worn unbuttoned to the middle of the torso. Trust Sophie to come up with something so irreverent and unexpected. She was a brilliant artist and businesswoman. He recognized her talent when she started out in the industry four years ago and took a chance on her when no bank would give her a loan. They had been good friends ever since. There were few businessmen he admired, and she was one of them.
“Now, cheri, I will have to leave you to attend to matters backstage, “ Sophie said. “But Lydia here will bring you champagne and anything else you need. “ She nodded to his usher.
“What about a date?” He winked at Sophie, who feigned regret.
“Unfortunately, as much as I’m sure Lydia would be happy to sit with you during the show, she will be busy serving drinks.”
“I meant you, of course,” said Sebastian. He held Sophie’s hand in both of his.
She laughed. “Mon cher, as much as I adore you, I prefer my men untroubled by work and always ready to attend to my needs.” Sophie’s boyfriends were usually aspiring models and actors in their early twenties, whom she supported financially so they had all the time to spend with her between auditions.
“Well, when you’re tired of playing the field, you know my number,” he said.
Sophie winked at him and left.
Lydia, who had stepped back a few paces while Sophie and Sebastian made their greetings, was once again by his side. Like all ushers with the guests they were assisting, she kept her body close to his and smiled at him flirtatiously while they walked. Sebastian found himself glancing at her breasts as they heaved every time she breathed. Every time she took a step, the creamy skin of her thighs glinted as they brushed past the gap in her skirt.
“So, it seems I can’t have you all to myself tonight,” he whispered.
“Well, you could have me all to yourself after the show, Mr. Chase.” She spoke close to his ear while laying her hand lightly on his arm.
“That sounds very tempting. Maybe I’ll come find you later.”
She showed him to his seat in the front row. “Maybe I’ll let you find me,” she said. She smiled at him before leaving.
The show was as spectacular as Sebastian expected. He knew a few of the supermodels who sauntered down the catwalk, as he had attended nearly all of Safira’s fashion showcases. And two of them he’d actually dated before — Tammi Taylor, the Canadian brunette with the spectacularly long legs, and Min Hye Kwon, who was Korean and had the most unnervingly beautiful eyes.
They were brief affairs, and they ended with neither heartbreak nor complications. He caught Min Hye wink at him during a turn at the end of the runway, and he smiled back. If he remembered correctly, she was dating a Japanese rock star these days.
This was just what he needed. A night to relax and enjoy the sight of beautiful women. It had been a while since he was with a woman, he realized. Since the negotiations with the bank in Beijing had begun a few weeks ago, he hadn’t had the time to meet anyone.
No, that wasn’t entirely true. His assistants could have called any number of the women he knew and set up a date. Actresses, models, executives who worked in the same industry he did — he had several of them in his personal phone book. For the past several days, for some reason, it had not occured to him that he needed to see a woman.
That need was certainly making itself known to him now.
He blinked his eyes and tried to focus on the the dark beauty who was walking down the stage at the moment, wearing nothing but flesh-colored thongs and a bra that made her look almost entirely nude if not for the jewels around her cleavage. Indira, he thought, trying to remember her name from the time they had been introduced a year or two ago. He had wanted to ask for her number, but he may have been with another woman at the time.
Perhaps she would be interested now. Maybe Lydia wouldn’t mind if the three of them got into bed together. If not her, Min Hye definitely would— if he remembered correctly, she had been more than happy to do a threesome, although he was sure he wouldn’t be able to tempt her to cheat on her boyfriend now.
The lights dimmed. After a few beats, a redheaded girl in black lace and silk lingerie began her walk down the runway.
He froze for a second, taken aback by her long red hair, the familiar unconsciously sexy sway of her hips. It couldn’t possibly be ... No. It took him a few moments, but he noticed she wasn’t very tall and her breasts were a little bigger.
Jesus, it could almost be her, he thought. Despite himself, the image of Victoria in a black lace thong and a tiny black silk bra sprung, unbidden, in his mind. Victoria walking towards him, unconscious of her near nakedness, her pale breasts gleaming with a slight sheen of sweat, softly rising and falling as she breathed. As she moved closer to him, she lifted a hand to her shoulder and slowly pulled down a strap of her bra.
His pants felt tight. Cursing silently, Sebastian adjusted his jacket, trying to find a way to hide the stiffness in his crotch. However he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman on stage.
She walked with her hands on her hips now, her eyes dark and teasing. When she stopped in the front of the runway, her eyes found him.
She held his gaze confidently, and her eyes lingered on him while she turned to walk back to the back of the stage.
Don’t go, he thought, feeling a sudden hollowness in his chest.
“That Erika Daniels is really something, isn’t she?”
It was the man seated to Sebastian’s left who had spoken. He looked to be in his forties, but fit enough to be ten years younger.
“Not really my type,” he added, with a grin. “But doesn’t she just grab your attention?”
“She does, yes.” Sebastian nodded. The stage was empty but the lights were pulsating. In a few seconds, every model would be back for the finale.
“I’m Burke, by the way.” They shook hands cordially.
“Sebastian. She’s not a model, is she?” The girl didn’t seem to be more than five foot five, by his estimate.
“Erika Daniels is a country singer,” Burke said. “She’s pretty hot right now. I don’t usually come to these things, but Erika is in this show and I’m pretty nuts about her music. I take it you don’t listen to the radio much?”
“I’m afraid not.”
At that moment Erika appeared again, this time in a green lace thong and a white satin bra with a large sparkling emerald embedded in the fabric between her breasts. Her red hair was piled up high on her head, with a few tendrils of hair loose, curling gently around her face.
Before she turned to walk to the back of the stage, her eyes found his again.
“You should take a listen to her new CD,” Burk said. “She’s an amazing singer, she really is.”
“I believe I will,” Sebastian said.