What was he afraid was going to happen if he had sex with her?
Sebastian knew she could deny it all she wanted, but Julie was the happily-ever-after type. So why had she propositioned him out of the blue?
Just then, there was a knock at the hotel-room door. Grateful for the distraction, Sebastian went to answer it. âYes?â
âPackage for Mr Black.â
Sebastian opened the door, tipped the bellman generously and accepted a large box with a fancy ribbon. He removed the lid and peered inside. He laughed at the pair of black cowboy boots, matching black stetson and brand-new lasso.
At the bottom of the box was a folded note.
âIâm naughtier than you could ever guess, cowboy. Wear this outfit and meet me at Lone Star riding stables on Sunday at 10:00am. That is, if you have the balls.
J
PS Expect the unexpectedâ¦â
âSEX SCANDALS, insider media leaks, Mafia connections and homicidal nurses running amok in a hush-hush, celebrity boutique hospital in Austin, Texas? How are you planning on spinning your way out of this one, Sebastian?â
Sebastian Black grinned at his stern secretary, Blanche Santini, like James Bond smirking at Moneypenny. âIâm not a spin doctor,â he said. âIâm a highly trained public-relations specialist adept at repairing the tattered reputations of the social elite.â
Blanche snorted.
âIâm shocked that you doubt me, Blanche, shocked.â He loved teasing her just to see her get bent out of shape. Heâd hired Blanche because she reminded him of the doting aunt whoâd raised him. He kept her onâeven after he discovered she was nothing like his permissive aunt Bunnieâbecause she was the most efficient secretary heâd ever employed.
âConfidential Rejuvenationsâ latest disgrace made the front page of the Inquisitive Tattler. Itâs the fourth time this year. Tough case, even for a man with your silver-tongued talents.â
âHave you ever known me to fail?â
âFirst time for everything,â Blanche said crisply and dropped the Confidential Rejuvenations file on his desk.
With his smile still firmly entrenched, Sebastian cradled the back of his head in his palms and propped his feet on his desk. Blanche frowned at his shoes, which were polished to a high sheen. It was all he could do not to settle them back on the floor. The woman worked for him. He wasnât about to let her dictate his behavior.
âWhy, Blanche,â he drawled. âIf I didnât know better Iâd think you wanted to see me fall on my ass.â
âCharm, poise and sex appeal will only get you so far in life, Mr. Black.â
He hated when she called him Mr. Black. It made him feel like his father and he was nothing like his old man. âDonât forget my razor-sharp wit.â
Blanche rolled her eyes. âMark my word, one of these days youâre going to get your comeuppance.â
âComeuppance? Which millennium is that from?â
She ignored his comment. âAt some point the wine, women and song have got to come to an end.â
âIt still works for some,â Sebastian said.
She waved a hand at the file. âYou have a first-class seat booked on the ten a.m. flight to DFW. With the time difference and plane change, you should arrive in Austin on schedule for your dinner appointment with the Confidential Rejuvenationsâ owners. I checked the weather in Austin, storms are expected this evening so I packed your raincoat. Would you like me to drive you to the airport, sir?â
âNo, thanks,â Sebastian said. Blanche had driven him to the airport before and she followed the speed limit as if it was one of the Ten Commandments. âIâll get Linc to do it.â
âAs you wish.â
He chuckled, but the minute Blanche was out the door, he dropped his feet to the floor, leaned forward and flipped the file open. Truth was, he loved a challenge of this magnitude.
Sebastian saw himself as a modern-day knight in shining armor. Swooping in on his fire engine-red Ferrari, saving the day with a glib turn of phrase, a wink and a grin for the media and then swooping out again, with money lining his pockets and kudos ringing in his ears. Returning to his lavish 90210 area code and bachelor lifestyle. It was the kind of life heâd daydreamed about as a poor kid growing up on a run-down farm in Bakersfield with his little brother Lincoln, his ditzy, hippie aunt Bunnie and all the other eccentrics at the commune.