Rose of Thorne Read online

  “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Thorne. I just need a moment to speak with you.” Skylar stammers nervously as I make my way to where she is standing. She chews at her lip anxiously before she continues speaking. I hate myself for having this effect on her right now. I never want her to fear me. FUCK!

  “I just want say that I am used to guys like him. After working around people, I have learned to ignore things like what he and his friend were saying about me. There was no need to fire him for that,” she says sympathetically.

  “You heard them? What did they say?” I ask her angrily.

  “Nothing that I’d like to repeat, okay? It’s just… I don’t need you fighting my battles for me. People already think I slept my way here and I don’t want to give them any reason to feed the rumors. I promised you when you gave me this opportunity that I would stay out of your hair and now you go and do this. It only makes it harder for me in the end,” she says, as she looks down sadly.

  “What he did and said was beyond disrespectful, and I do not tolerate that kind of behavior in my firm. He has already been warned about previous incidents, and this was simply the last straw. I apologize to you on his behalf,” I say softly and she nods, but never looks up to meet my eyes.

  Please look at me with those eyes. I need to know you are okay.

  “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Thorne.” She says weakly and I feel my heart pull hard in my chest. She looks defeated and intimidated by me.

  I hate this!! I hate being this way around her!

  Everything in me is screaming to pull her into my arms and kiss her until we can’t breathe. I won’t lie. Intimidating others in business gives me a high, but this girl gives me a high unlike anything that I have ever known. This girl makes me lose every ounce of control, and I decide to temporarily let my guard down.

  I can’t let her leave like this.

  “Skylar… wait.” My voice is low and soft.

  Skylar

  I halt at his words. I feel the warmth of his body as he moves behind me. Tenderly, he places his hands on my trembling shoulders. His touch is too much to bear, and I feel the tears that were already burning my eyes now slowly trickle down my cheeks.

  “Hey,” he says softly and I tense.

  I can’t turn around; I don’t want him to see me this way.

  “Please, Skylar, look at me,” he pleads as he gently turns me to face him. His handsome face drops when he sees my tears, and he immediately pulls me in to him. I breathe him in and savor the feel of his strong arms around me. Here, in these arms, I feel safe… I feel my Sebastian. I never want him to let go of me. As if he can read my mind, I feel his grip tighten around my waist.

  “I’m sorry, really sorry for everything, Skylar. Are you alright?” He asks me, and I sadly nod into his broad shoulder. He presses his face against my head and slowly breathes me in. I feel his breath hitch, and then he suddenly pulls away from me.

  And just like that… like the flick of a switch, the kind loving Sebastian disappears, and the harsh and arrogant Mr. Thorne returns.

  “If you are done, Ms. Rose, I have important business to attend to. I hope in the future that you can refrain from mixing your personal feelings about me and can maintain a more professional behavior. If not, then perhaps we need to seek other options for this internship,” he says so arrogantly that I nearly gag on the bile that is coming up in my throat.

  “Trust me, Mr. Thorne; things have never been clearer for me. I assure you that there are no personal feelings you have to be concerned about now or ever. Good day!” I lie as I speak through gritted teeth. I yank the large door open and make my way to the ladies room where I spend the rest of my lunch break crying over a man who, in such a short time, has managed to own my heart and soul and then crush it in his hands. My phone buzzes in my purse just as I am fixing my makeup.

  LUCAS: Hey, gorgeous, I’ll be picking you up at 7:30pm.

  Crap! I almost forgot that I promised Lucas that I would go to dinner with him tonight.

  ME: OK

  LUCAS: Just “OK”? Is everything alright, angel?

  ME: I’m just having a really bad day at work.

  LUCAS: What happened?

  ME: Can we talk about it later?

  LUCAS: As long as you promise that you really are alright, then yes, we can talk about it later. 

  ME: Yes, I am. I promise. Where are you taking me tonight anyway? I need to know how to dress.

  LUCAS: McDonald’s

  ME: BIG MISTAKE! I’ll break you on the dollar menu.

  LUCAS: You’ve already broken me, gorgeous. Just be sure to wear your Armani tonight.

  ME: Armani? HA! Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t own anything Armani.

  LUCAS: Hmmm… are you sure about that?

  ME: DEFINITELY sure about that!

  LUCAS: Perhaps you need to double check your desk then. And NO ARGUMENTS! Just wear it for me, okay? I owe you a dress and I always pay my debts. See you at 7:30 pm sharp at Marie’s and I CAN’T WAIT!! LATER, GORGEOUS!!

  ME: WHAT??? LUCAS!!!!

  ME: LUCAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Ten texts and three calls later….

  LUCAS: 

  That sneak! What does he mean double check my desk?

  My mouth drops at the sight of the large garment bag and white box on my desk.

  Sara beams at me when she sees me.

  “I just signed for these. Oh, Skylar! How exciting! Are you going somewhere special tonight?”

  “Yes, I am going with someone to dinner.” I say breathlessly as I try to control my shock. My heart is pounding when I slide off the top of the white box and find a pair of silver Jimmy Choo shoes sparkling back at me. The garment bag marked ARMANI holds a magnificent black, short, silk, one shoulder dress that is adorned with silver sequins and a silver cross strap in the back. It is beyond stunning. I can’t believe he has actually done this all for me. My heart sinks when I look over to Sebastian’s office door that still remains closed. As exciting as it was to hold this dress in my arms, the only man I want to spend time sits behind that door… at least I think.

  Five o’clock finally comes, and I make my way to the garage and through the rush hour traffic. Because of this crazy traffic, it now takes me an hour to make the normal twenty minute drive to my house. I turn on the shower and curlers, and go to lay the dress out on my bed. Sophie comes up the stairs just as I am stepping out of the bedroom.

  “HOLY SHIT! You look beautiful, Skylar! He is going to die when he sees you in that dress!” she squeals and pulls out her phone to begin snapping pictures of me.

  “Thank you, sis. I should be back around 11:00, but I’ll call you if it looks like I am going to be much later than that.” I say as I glance at the time. “Oh gosh, I’ve got to go if I’m going to make it in time. Love you!” I say as I hurriedly grab my purse and keys.

  “I love you too! Relax and have some fun!” she yells at me as I make my way out the door.

  Lucas

  Breathless, that’s how this girl leaves me. Simply breathless. When I see her step out of Marie’s shop, I freeze in mid-step. I cannot for the life of me take my eyes off of her. There aren’t enough words to describe how magnificent she looks in the dress that I picked out for her. My chest swells with pride as I make my way to greet my stunning angel. I hand her the white rose that I have been holding behind my back and she rewards me with a gleaming smile that melts my heart to its core. I gently kiss her cheek and pull her in for a hug. She smells so heavenly that I know she truly is an angel from above.

  “You take my breath away, gorgeous,” I whisper in her ear.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself there, kind sir,” she replies, and I help her into my Aston Martin.

  When they were still living, my grandparents would often make jokes about my lavish playboy ways. I never really cared to have anything serious with any girl because life was too short, right? But my grandfather always told me over and over, “Lucas, one day you wil
l meet her. That one girl you will never be able to let go of. She will steal the very breath from your body and own your soul. And son, when the day finally comes that you meet her, you will know she is the one.”

  As I stare at her from across the car, at last I know.

  You are right Grandpa; I have finally met that one girl.

  Sebastian

  I wait until everyone has left before exiting my office. I hid in my office for the rest of the day because I couldn’t face her again after what happened earlier. Why did I have to hold her in my arms? Fuck! I have to get her out of my system and QUICK! I have gone far too long without the feel of a woman riding me. Nothing is going to stop me because tonight I will have my cock buried deep inside a woman and I will make sure she screams for more. Hell, I might even take two home tonight, and then tomorrow… tomorrow I will be that much better.

  I haven’t been at Driskills Grill, a famous Austin hotspot, for more than ten minutes before a hot blonde gives me the familiar look that I know all too well. She wants me. I look her over slowly as I take in her tight hot body. She bites her lower lip and stands to move beside me. A few drinks later and she is practically undoing my pants at the bar. Her huge tits spill out of the tight blue dress she’s wearing, but all I can think of is how she doesn’t smell as nice as Skylar. How her body doesn’t curve just in the right places either, but I fight the thoughts as I pull her in to kiss her deeply. The bitter taste of nicotine on her lips has me pulling back abruptly, but she quickly moves in and whispers naughty promises of all the things she wants to do to me tonight. I nod and give her a wicked smile in return. This is just too damn easy; I could practically feel myself in her already.

  Out of nowhere, my thoughts are quickly thrown by the sudden surge I feel in the air. The electrical charge jolts the entire place and leaves me gasping for air. The energy in the restaurant shifts, and the hair on my neck seems to stand on its very ends. It is then that I realize she is here, so I turn to find her walking through the door.

  The sight of her knocks the very breath out of my chest. She is wearing a sexy as fuck short black dress that hugs her voluptuous body in all the right places. Her long, toned legs seem to go on for miles as they reach her silver stilettos. Her beautiful, long, dark curls are pulled to one side with a sparkling silver hair flower. Her smoky eyes set off the vibrant turquoise color, almost making them glow. Those glistening raspberry colored lips are begging to be kissed all the way from across the room.

  It’s no surprise that everyone in the restaurant takes notice of her when she walks into the room, yet she remains completely unaware of the spell she is casting upon them.

  What is she doing here?

  I watch as a hand slides around her waist and pulls her towards them to whisper something in her ear. I clench the glass that I am holding and shove off the blonde as I make my way to my feet.

  It is then that I recognize the owner of the hand…Lucas Drake. Lucas and I have known each other since college and have done business together since he opened up his own financial firm. He and I share many of the same interests, beautiful women being just one of them. Lucas, unlike myself, tended to sometimes date the same girl a couple of times, but then quickly will move on to the next. He is definitely not a relationship kind of guy and I know he is usually after one thing… and one thing only. I know that because it is the exact same thing I was always after…sex. I will say that regardless of his well- known playboy ways Lucas is actually a really good guy and never disrespects women. He is like me in that we make it very clear from the beginning of our intentions and that there will never be emotions involved.

  Yes, Lucas likes to be seen with beautiful women on his arm. I, on the other hand, occasionally took them to premiers or events, but I prefer to keep my time with them cut and dry. I have found that taking women to the events only gave them the impression that I was seeking to be more serious with them. The only thing I am serious about when it comes to women is taking them in every known position I can and have them screaming for more as I find my release. Oh yes, the race for the all mighty release, that only leaves me temporarily satisfied and yet even emptier inside.

  I stare as Lucas wraps his hand in hers and leads her on through the restaurant. The waiter sits them in the far back secluded corner of the dining room. From where I am standing at the bar I can see her face clearly. The warm restaurant lights make her glow as she sits smiling across the table at him. She looks at him shyly as he leans in to whisper something to her. I notice her delicate skin blush and then he takes her hand into his and gently kisses it.

  Damn it! She is so damn beautiful!! Get your fucking paws off her, Lucas!

  All I want to do is take her into my arms and kiss her senseless. I want to throw her over my shoulder and spend the entire night kissing every delectable perfect inch of her body. Her stunning face brightens as she begins laughing at something he says. The very thought of her being in Lucas’ bed later tonight sets me over the edge, and I know I have to get the hell out there. The blonde looks at me confused as I grab my leather jacket, so I grab her ass to indicate that I am ready to head back to my place.

  Truthfully, I have lost my feel for her, but knowing that I can fuck some of my frustrations out has me grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the lounge.

  As we make our way to the front door of the restaurant, I brave one last glance towards Skylar’s table only to find her beautiful eyes upon mine. Her glance is full of hurt, pain, and pure sadness. She quickly blinks and looks down, and then excuses herself from the table. I find myself wanting to run to her but I don’t. I have to get myself under control and fast.

  I am Sebastian Thorne. Ruthless, arrogant Sebastian Thorne, heartless to the core.

  I grab the blonde and pull her into the back of the waiting town car. I signal my driver to my apartment and she is on me immediately. She straddles me and grinds her crouch into my hardness. As I pull at the straps of her dress, I feverishly begin kissing her chest. We make the short drive to my apartment and compose ourselves as we take the private entry to my penthouse elevator. The minute the doors close, she is pulling at my belt, and I lean back against the cold metal wall while she moans and grips my hardness in her hand.

  All I can think about is Skylar’s face and how incredible her body looked tonight. I mean damn, she even looks gorgeous when she has smeared mascara and her hair wildly stuck to her face. I grab a handful of the blonde’s hair and pull her into me. I push her against the wall of the elevator and begin kissing her. In my mind, my mouth is kissing Skylar… not her. My hands are touching Skylar’s body, not hers. I moan in desperation and push my hardness into her stomach. I want inside of her. I have to fuck her now. It had been way too long… I have to fuck Skylar Rose out of my head. But how do you fuck someone out of your head when you’re imagining her while you are fucking someone else?

  The doors of the elevator open to my foyer, and I yank her inside. She pulls at my shirt, unbuttoning it frantically as I reach in my pocket for the familiar foil packet. She grabs it from me and rips it open with her teeth, but as she rolls it on me, something happens. When she takes me in her mouth, an overwhelming feeling of guilt rushes over me, and I push her off me. She glares at me in both anger and confusion.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she shouts angrily at me as she wipes her lips with the back of her hand.

  “You need to leave, NOW! This isn’t happening,” I inform her with my stern voice, and her manicured hand finds its way across my face.

  Fucking hell that hurt!

  “You son of a bitch! You have no idea what you are passing up tonight!” she screams at me as she pulls herself up off the floor.

  “Nothing I haven’t already had in a hundred different flavors, honey,” I say coldly and usher her into the open elevator.

  “My driver will take you wherever you wish to go,” I say coldly and she manages a, “FUCK YOU,” before the door closes.

  I run my hand through
my hair as I head for the bathroom. Looking down at my still raging hard on, I strip down and step into the steam shower, eager to rid myself of the blonde’s cheap smell. Visions of Skylar fill my head as I hungrily pump my hardness faster and faster before climaxing so hard that I slam my head against the hard tile wall.

  OH FUCK! Just the fantasy of her has me climaxing harder than anything ever before. I don’t think I will survive if I am ever inside of her.

  I toss and turn in my huge bed for the rest of the night, my thoughts still on her.

  Is she in Lucas’ arms right now? Did she give herself to him? Is he claiming what should be mine? Sleep barely finds me before I am awakened by her haunting eyes and screams of a night I can never seem to forget.

  Skylar

  Tonight is terrible and wonderful all rolled into one. Standing in the ladies room at Driskills Grill, I try to compose myself before returning to my date with Lucas. Just when I find myself enjoying the evening without thoughts of Sebastian, I spot him as he leaves with a blonde hanging off his body. They are holding hands, and from the looks of things, he isn’t going home alone.

  Why am I letting him get into my head like this? He doesn’t want you, remember Skylar?

  Of course, he wants someone like her. Why would he want someone who is clueless and inexperienced when he can have someone who obviously knows a thing or two about what she is doing? Yes, I am still a virgin, but I don’t regret that at all. Some sappy part of me is filled with hope that Sebastian is the person I’m meant to share that with. Now that I have seen them together, I know I have never been so wrong. After fixing my makeup, I leave the restroom and make my way back to our table. Lucas beams at my return and I can feel myself immediately begin to calm.

  How does he do that with just one look?

  “So, how is Sebastian treating you? I hope he’s keeping things professional. I know how he likes the ladies. I guess I have no room to talk, but I like to think I’m different from him,” he says.