Taming the Devil's Heiress

7 - Sprained Ego

I waited for the kiss to come but it didn't. I frowned and opened my eyes when I heard him clear his throat.

His confused face greeted me.

Fuck!

Did I just embarrass myself again? I almost groaned in annoyance and I just wanted to hit myself. But before I could make another move, he had already pulled me out of there. I found ourselves outside the club. I took a deep breath to calm my ragged breath.

I still felt hot and bothered.

Damn.

I can't believe I would feel desire rising within me just because of a scandalous couple banging their heads off inside a public bathroom! And I couldn't believe I expected Sebastian to feel the same! I even assumed he would kiss me!

What the hell was I thinking?!

"I'm not yet done." I pouted, showing him the concealer in my hand. I need something to distract my polluted mind and to cover up the embarrassment filling my whole system.

"Oh shut up!" he snapped angrily. "Why are you even so bothered by it? Haven't you gotten a bruise before?!"

Bruise? Tss... Well, I guess it is a bruise technically.

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. I opened my bag to get some make-up wipes to remove the remaining product from my fingers. Then I returned the tube to my make-up kit.

I looked at his love bite. I was able to cover it up a bit. I staggered back when he suddenly pointed his finger at my forehead.

"What nasty thing were you thinking, huh?" he asked, his forehead creased while looking at my face. I heard him click his tongue when I didn't say anything.

"I got this from playing paintball." he scoffed angrily.

My brain seemed to lag as it tried to process the information he just said.

What? Paintball?

He c****d his head to the side while waiting for my reaction. It seemed like he knew what I was thinking this whole time.

I bit my lower lip and suddenly prayed for the ground to open up and just swallow me whole! As in right now!

"Let's go back. Your brother must be looking for you," he told me after a while.

I haven't said anything out of embarrassment. I didn't even dare look at him! I just stood there processing what he just told me.

A bruise he got from playing paintball? Really, now?

Ugh. I don't know. It's not like I'm an expert when it comes to love bites.

"Fine." I walked back to the club with my chin held high. I didn't bother to wait for him, but I'm sure that he was just right behind me.

I walked back into our private lounge like I was at a catwalk performance. I gasped when somebody grabbed my arm.

"Oh my gosh Eli!" a loud squeal pierced through the club's upbeat music. "I didn't know you were coming!" she grinned.

Coming to what?

"It's Jane's birthday today! Did you forget?" she asked. I have my phone now, so I would know if they sent me an invite, but there's none.

"Of course, how could I forget?" I smiled. Jane is one of the few whom I consider a real friend in a sea of fake ones.

"We thought you weren't in the country since we haven't heard from you," she continued to blab dramatically.

"Hmm, yeah. I am with my brother now," I told her. She's Miranda, from my circle of socialite friends. We weren't that close though. I was planning to leave but she quickly blocked my way.

What is wrong with her?

"Oh! Right!" she quirked an eyebrow like she was planning something devious. I know most of my so-called friends didn't really like me at all. They were just tolerating my presence because of my status. It's not like the feeling isn't mutual.

I just don't care. I wouldn't die if I didn't have a single, genuine friend at all.

"Want to pass by our table? Come on." before I could refuse, she already pulled me through the crowd.

"Elinor!" I heard Sebastian's voice trying to stop me before it got drowned in the sea of music and noise. Damn. Dmitri will surely kill me.

I looked back to see if Sebastian followed me but there were just too many people. I couldn't see him. I wanted to pull Miranda's hair but I didn't want to cause a scene. At least not when I am sober.

It didn't take long before I saw their table. My legs froze when I saw two people eating each other's faces off. My teeth gritted while looking at them.

Miranda's exaggerated gasp told me that this is exactly what she was hoping for when she pulled me there. Damn b*tch!

"Eli!" Blaire exclaimed when she saw me. It caused those two people to get away from each other. They both looked at me with their widened eyes. I didn't give out any reaction as I stared back at them. The other one is my friend Jane and the man she was just sucking off a few seconds ago is Vaughn.

There wasn't anything official going on between us but he had been trying to woo me for a while now. My "friends" here knew that I was actually considering him to be my boyfriend. I thought at least he or my friends here would respect that. But oh well, it doesn't matter. I don't like him that much anyway.

"Hi!" I smirked.

"Eli... I can- This is not what you think it is!" Vaughn stuttered.

"So you know what I'm thinking now?" I raised an eyebrow at him while a smirk was playing on my lips.

"Eli..." Jane called at the same time I heard someone calling me from behind.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm gonna exit now so you can continue whatever you are doing. Bye girls." I grinned before facing Sebastian, who had just got to my side.

"Eli, let's go," he whispered behind my ear. My fake friends gawked at him. At least I wouldn't get out of here looking like a loser.

"Yeah." I was about to march off when he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him.

"Is he your boyfriend?" he asked. He must have seen what happened.

"Nah, I don't do boyfriends," I snapped.

"Then why do you look pissed?" he taunted. I wanted to punch him in the face but... never mind.

"None of your business." I hissed before pulling him back to where my brother was.

He had this annoyed expression on his face when he saw me emerging from the crowd.

"What took you so long? I thought you were just going to the ladies' room." Dmitri snapped when I finally got to our table.

"My "friends" saw me and pulled me to their table," I grunted.

"That's it. I'm going to call your guards." he took his phone from his pocket but I quickly cut him off.

"No need. I'm going home now." I'm not in the mood anyway. I stood up when he stopped me.

"Wait for your guards." he insisted.

"Oh come on Dmitri, I tell you I'm going straight home from here. You don't expect me to go around without my cards, right?" I snorted.

He was ready to argue with me when Sebastian spoke.

"It's okay, Dmitri. I'm gonna take her home," he stated nonchalantly. My jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"Excuse me?" my eyebrows knotted while looking at him.

"You're leaving?" Marc asked him.

"Yeah. I need to get to work early," he answered coolly.

Since when did he look cool? Ugh. I have barely finished my Cosmo, but I think I'm already drunk. Otherwise, I wouldn't think that Sebastian is cool.

"Eli?" Dmitri called me. "If you can't wait for your guards, you can come with Seb. Leave your keys so I can tell your guard to take your car home," he ordered.

"Fine," I fished for the car key inside my bag, then threw it to my irritating brother. "Bye guys, thanks for the great night." I snorted sarcastically.

I walked out of the club with Sebastian. I was scowling the whole time. I didn't mind the people who were greeting me along the way. Camera flashes greeted us when I stepped out, so I waved them hello with my middle finger. Sebastian quickly grabbed my hand and clasped it inside his.

"Stop it." he sternly said.

"What? They should pay for taking my pictures like that! They can't even get a good angle, damn them!" I ranted, at which he just sighed. He seemed to not want to argue anymore, so he just kept quiet.

We headed to the parking lot and my eyebrows knitted even more when I realized that he didn't even try to touch me or anything. I remember how he looked so caring while he was with that girl this afternoon. Why can't he extend the same courtesy to me?

I know I'm being unreasonable, but maybe it was the young girl in me talking. The one girl whom his whole world revolved on when he was young.

I used to be that girl. But it's clearly not the same now. He doesn't care a bit about me. Well, we will see about that...

"Ouch!" I exclaimed after acting like I tripped my leg.

He quickly turned to me to see what had happened.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. I knew it. He's still the same Seb.

"Uhm, I think I twisted my ankle." I even winced to make it seem believable. He sighed and walked back to where I was. I'm almost sitting on the pavement. He took my hand and helped me stand up.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think," I murmured. I gasped when he suddenly knelt in front of me!

I staggered when he held my left leg.

"Hold on to me," he uttered seriously. My hand flew onto his shoulder to help me balance. My heart started hammering inside my chest when he lifted my foot to inspect it. I'm not sure whether it's from the fear of being caught or not.

The feeling of his taut muscles beneath my palm isn't helping either. I quickly want to regret what I did, but I can't just take it back.

"Aw!" I whispered when he moved my foot in a circular motion. I don't like the feeling of his palm against my skin, so I tried to pull my foot away from his grasp.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"I-it's okay." I blurted out, ignoring the loud beating of my heart.

"It's not yet swollen but you need to be careful." He held my elbow and started leading me to where his car was parked. I had to bite the insides of my cheeks to stop the smile from forming on my lips.

I won. He held me like a fragile doll until we reached his car. I wanted to roll out laughing.

He acted like a real gentleman as he opened the passenger seat for me. He even helped me sit before closing the door. See? That's the kind of treatment that I deserve. I thought he had already changed, but this proved to show that I can still have him wrapped around my fingers.

I watched him as he ran to the other side to get to the driver's seat.

"Do you want to go to the hospital first?" he asked after sitting behind the wheel. I couldn't help but raise my brow. Good thing he wasn't looking at me or else I would have been busted.

"We should get it checked to make sure that you didn't break anything," he added when I didn't say anything.

"No need. I'll just put on a hot compress when I get home. This is just a sprain," I answered nonchalantly. I heard him click his tongue as he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.

"You should use a cold compress first," he sternly said, like a strict doctor, but I didn't give too much attention to it. My eyes were focused on his arms. His muscles were flexing as he steered the wheel. It's fascinating.

How did he have those kinds of muscles? Where did all his fat go?

He worked out for sure! The bitchy side of my brain taunted.

"Eli." he glanced at me.

"Yep? Oh yeah, right. Cold compress first." I nodded. He took a quick look at my ankle.

"Why would you even want to wear those things?" he said, probably talking about my high-heeled stiletto.

"What do you expect me to wear except for these? My outfit doesn't go with sneakers." I rolled my eyes, remembering that girl again.

Is he comparing me to her?

"Besides, it was just an accident," I uttered, slightly feeling guilty. It wasn't even real. I pouted and looked out of the window so that he wouldn't see my face.

He didn't say anything anymore. Silence filled the car as he drove the rest of the way to my home. I don't even know if he still lives in the same village as ours. But he was the one who volunteered to drive me home, so I'm sure he doesn't live that far.

I sighed when the car stopped in front of our huge manor.

"Wait for me." he got out and went to my side to open the door for me. I bit my lip, guilt washing over my whole being. He really thinks that I got hurt.

He held my arm again and helped me step out of his car.

"I'm gonna walk you home," he said. It's still a few meters away from our front door. The guards weren't around. Don't tell me they all came to pick me up?

"There's no need. I'm okay now, thanks." I quickly refused. I gulped while looking at his face. I am standing there, my back leaning on his expensive car while he stands in front of me.

He sighed while looking down at me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable with our closeness. I can even smell his minty breath slightly fanning my face.

"Uh, you can go now. Thank you..." I looked up at him, his gaze seemed to be hypnotizing me.

We held each other's gaze for I don't know how long, but the next thing I knew, we were already kissing as if our lives depended on it! I don't even know who kissed who!

I moaned when he snaked his tongue between my lips. My hands fisted on his collar as I pulled him closer. My head spun with the sudden attack of sensations that his kiss was giving me. A small gasp escaped my lips.

"Eli..." I blinked. Huh?

He's still standing in front of me.

No. He's not kissing me.

F*cking imagination. Ugh! What the hell is happening to me?!

"I'm going inside." I stupidly pointed at our house. Luckily, I finally saw a guard coming. I called him and asked him to help me get inside.

"Eli..." he gently called me again. What the hell is wrong with him? Why does he have to call me like that?

"What?" I snapped.

He cupped my face as soon as I looked at him and before I knew it, his lips landed on mine for a chaste kiss.

"Goodnight," he murmured. His lips were still just an inch away from mine.

Then he quickly walked back to his car and drove away. I stood there like an i***t, watching his car disappear into the darkness of the night. My heart is pounding crazily inside my chest as if it would just jump out any minute now!

"Miss Elinor," the guard caught my attention. I almost forgot that I had called him.

"Nevermind. I can walk on my own, thanks." since Sebastian is already gone, I strutted into our house as if nothing happened...