Into The Flames (Sebastian x Reader)

Lady of the Night

When the dance came to an end, everyone turned to politely applaud the musicians, who tipped their heads to the crowd in humble acknowledgment of their recognition.

I watched Nicholas Irvine from the corner of my eye as I clapped with everyone else, though my gloved hands hardly made a sound, muffled by the velvet fabric that encased them.

I noted that he applauded with the others around us, but didn't seem to be putting much effort into it. He seemed rather bored with the frivolous expectations of the ball. A thought process we both apparently shared.

I was ready for this party to get a little bit more exciting.

I turned to him and flashed him my most flirtatious smile as the musicians moved to start up again. "Well. You are quite an excellent dancer, Lord Irvine. I must say, I don't usually much care for these events myself, but you have shown me that when one has an accomplished partner, anything can be enjoyable."

There it was. The flash in his eyes, gone just as quickly as it had appeared. The sign that I could move forward with my plan. The emotion I had been waiting to see all night.

Interest.

He bowed stiffly to me. "Well, my lady. We obviously share the same sentiments when it comes to these shows of opulence. However, I do believe you are correct. One's company for the night does indeed make all the difference."

I opened my mouth to respond to him, but before a single word could slip past my lips, someone approached us.

"If it's not too bold of me, sir, may I steal the Lady Bellamy for a dance?"

I'd know that voice anywhere. The dark velvety quality was hard to miss.

I looked over in surprise to see Sebastian standing beside us, his hand outstretched toward me, his eyes on Nicholas Irvine. Yet he looked nothing like the Sebastian I knew in that moment.

He had changed from his normal butler uniform into an elegant, perfectly fitted, black as night tuxedo, and his hair was slicked back away from his forehead, a few errant strands hanging along his temples. He wore a pair of rimmed reading glasses, and the familiar scarlet eyes flashed behind them as he waited for Irvine to give his reply.

I glanced over at the tall man and saw a slight look of displeasure cross his features before he answered Sebastian. "I suppose if you must."
Sebastian offered him a smile, bowing to him deeply as he did so, and then held his gloved hand out to me once again, his face unreadable as he said pleasantly, "Shall we, my lady?"

I took his offered hand, I didn't have much choice, and followed him back onto the dance floor. He placed a hand on my waist, his touch so light that I hardly felt the contact, and then took my other hand in his as the music began to swell.

The dance began, and Sebastian guided me effortlessly through the required steps, and as we made our way around the ballroom, my annoyance finally got the best of me. "What are you doing?" I hissed out between my teeth, my jaw aching as I held the fake smile in place.

Sebastian twirled me out and under his arm before bringing me back to him, his hand once again alighting on my waist as his lips quirked upward in amusement at my irritation. He didn't miss a step as he said congeniality, "I'm dancing with you. Whatever do you mean?"

I glanced over my shoulder to the corner where Nicholas Irvine had retreated, watching us sullenly from the shadows, and then turned my attention back to Sebastian. I felt my irritation rise at the familiar smirk that donned his lips, his crimson eyes flashing at me from behind the glasses. "Don't play stupid. I had him. And then you interrupted us. I told the kid, I don't need your damn help!"