Page 23 of Bid For Me
Elle smiles warmly, clearly relieved. “Thank you, Bastian. I appreciate that.”
I sip my champagne, my mind racing with thoughts of how to balance our commitment to each other with the realities of our lives. It won’t be easy, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this arrangement work. After all, my inheritance is worth it.
“Now, let’s enjoy our flight. Where are we going, Bastian? Your secret is killing me.”
I grin, happy to see her eager anticipation. “Just wait and see, Elle. This is going to be the best year of your life.”
CHAPTER TEN
Elle
As I sitacross from Sebastian at the extravagant dinner table atop the Eiffel Tower, I can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. The grand gesture, the lavish display of wealth – it all feels so superficial, so contrived. I wanted something more...real. More like the diner this morning. Something that would show me he remembered the little things, the things that truly matter to me.
But as I glance around at the breathtaking view of Paris below us, I realise that maybe I had set my expectations too high. Maybe Sebastian doesn’t know how to be anything other than the charming, wealthy bachelor that everyone expects him to be. And maybe I don’t know how to let my guard down and truly be myself around him.
I take a sip of my champagne, the bubbles tickling my nose, and meet Sebastian’s gaze across the table. It’s so silly, but I don’t even like champagne. I just drink it because I’m supposed to like it. I once told my mother that I hated the taste and she looked at me like I’d grown another head. When I told my fatherI preferred a single malt, he enrolled me in finishing school to put an end to my ‘tomboy ways’.
Over a drink.
There’s a hint of vulnerability in his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before, a flicker of something genuine beneath the façade of wealth and privilege.
“Do you like it?” he asks nervously.
“The food is amazing,” I reply, honestly, because it is. Michelin starred cuisine and champagne private dining at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I should feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
“And the view?”
“It’s spectacular,” I reply, gazing out across the city skyline lit up in the dark. The lights are breathtaking, but you can’t see the stars in the city.
“And the company?” he asks, a teasing lilt to his voice.
“Below average,” I reply without missing a beat, then I grin at him and laugh.
Sebastian chuckles at my response, a genuine smile spreading across his face. For a moment, the tension between us eases, and I catch a glimpse of the person he might be when he’s not trying so hard to impress. Maybe we’re both just two people struggling to break free from the expectations placed upon us by our families, our fame, our wealth.
I set down my glass, suddenly feeling a surge of courage coursing through me. “Can I be honest with you, Seb?”
He nods, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
“This,” I gesture around at the opulent setting, “it’s all very...extravagant. But I think what I really want is just to get to know you. The real you. Not the Sebastian everyone thinks they know from the tabloids.”
His expression softens, and he reaches out to take my hand across the table. “I want that too, Elle. I want to show you who I am beyond the flashy dates and designer suits.”
“So, if you could arrange a second date for us, what would you do?”
“That’s a tough question,” he replies, taking a moment to consider. “I guess this is pretty hard to top.” I smile. “I don’t know. What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not…working?”
“Well, I don’t date much.”Or at all really.“So, I’m not sure my hobbies would count as date material.”
“Do you still do all the activities your mother used to pack your after school timetable with?”
I pull a face and laugh again. “God, no. I dropped everything as soon as I was able to, when I turned twenty three.”
“That’s an odd age.”
“My parents wouldn’t let me move out before then. I’m pretty sure my mother thinks I still do everything.”
“Remind me how accomplished you are,” he teases.