“You big baby.” He pulled his socks off and—oh, god, he wasn’t … yes he was—stripped to his boxers. Averyclose-fitting style. Sebastian caught her looking at his tight buns. Helen hit her bolshie button but the wiring failed again, her growing lust having blown a fuse.
Not seeming to mind the reeds, weeds and silt that he must be treading on, Sebastian waded out to the open water and dove in, swimming out to the deeper parts in a sleek breast stroke that barely rippled the surface.
“This is awesome,” he said.
“I’ll take your word for it.” Helen wanted desperately to be plastered wet against his chest, her legs wrapped around his body, floating out to oblivion against his hot, slick skin. But instead, she sat on a log and hugged her knees, settling for just watching him swim laps around the small island in the middle of the lake. His powerful arms sliced mechanically through the water, confirming what she’d been suspecting for some time; Sebastian Clarke was magnificent.
And her heart was in big, big trouble.
Chapter 20
ByTuesday,theheatin England had really cranked up. Seb loosened his tie as he stood by his office window, watching Helen work in the yard on her last day of community service.
Behind him, Brenda disconnected her latest call. “That was George Hampton. He and his mother have invited you to lunch on Saturday. I hope that’s okay. Vera Hampton has donated so much money to Get Living over the years, it would be nice for you to meet her.”
“Of course.” Seb went to sit at his desk. “Tell me the address and time, and I’ll be there.”
“The invitation extends to Helen too.”
“Thanks. I’ll check if she has plans.” The next event marked on the calendar wasn’t until Sunday. “She sometimes babysits her brother’s kids on Saturday mornings.” Then seeing that it was nearly lunchtime and that they’d agreed to eat together out in the yard—like a real couple—Seb pushed his chair back. “In fact, I’ll ask her now.”
“While you do, there’s something else you can ask her.”
“What’s that?”
“Gary Grice has requested a series of exclusive interviews with you and Helen. We’ve been talking since he so kindly helped us out with the clip on Saturday, and a few minutes ago, he emailed me this.”
Seb read the printout Brenda handed him. “He wants to interview us at home? Why not here?”
“A photo shoot at your home makes the interview more personal. More exclusive. And that’s what he’s after,” Brenda said. “He’s put together an entertaining proposal for a series of articles. I really like it. Articles like these will help keep up the momentum.”
Seb rubbed his chin. “How much money does Grice want Get Living to pay for these articles?”
“He wants nothing from us except access to you, Helen, and ultimately, The Wags—ifthey ever commit to attending an event. He’ll get payment from the publications.”
Seb placed the document on his desk. Grice had indeed put together an interesting pitch. “What guarantee do we have that he won’t publish anything about Helen’s history?”
“None, but after today, her conviction will have been spent, and should anyone ever find out, I promise you, I’ll spin her past misdemeanors into a great story—unless she gets arrested again.” Brenda grimaced. “I’m sorry, Sebastian, but I need to ask. Was Helen’s conviction a complete one-off? Is she likely to ever be in trouble with the police again?”
“No, it was an isolated incident,” he said firmly. He didn’t see the point in telling Brenda about Helen’s other arrests. One had been self-defense against a dickhead and the other due to stress. She hadn’t been charged on either occasion and he didn’t think it was right to violate Helen’s privacy. Besides, now that he’d gotten to know Helen a little better, he couldn’t imagine her ever breaking the law again. “She’s learned her lesson, done her time, and you saw on Saturday how conscious she is of bringing me or the campaign into any disrepute.”
“Thank you, I needed to hear that. Not just for the campaign, but for your sake, too. You have your contract renewal meeting with Strive soon, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Four weeks from tomorrow.”
“You were great in Weston-super-Mare, you’re working hard, you’ve helped Michael out enormously, and this Sunday’s event looks set to be another success.” Brenda gave him a warm smile. “So far so good, Sebastian.”
“Thanks, Brenda. I appreciate it. I’ll go speak to Helen now.” He picked up Grice’s proposal off his desk, along with the bag that contained the lunch and headed downstairs.
The renovation works were almost complete and the few remaining workmen were either painting or screwing on final fixtures. Seb stopped to chat with the guys who were installing the workout room and noticed a new punching bag hanging from the ceiling. A smile quirked his lips at the memory of Helen’s sneaky trick. He quickened his pace to be out in the sunshine with her.
As he’d spent last week in London, and had been out in meetings all day yesterday, today would be the first and last time Seb would have lunch with Helen at the Get Living Center. He found her on her knees, planting shrubs in the flower beds she’d cleared last week.
She looked up from under the peak of her cap. “Have you come bearing gifts of food?”
“Yes.” He dangled the bag in front of her, lighting up her face. “You ready for lunch now? It’s a little earlier than planned.”
“I’ve been ready since breakfast.” She brushed off her knees and took off her gloves.
