Rose of Thorne Read online

  Sebastian

  I really hate the holidays. I mean I REALLY hate them! I hate the lights, the sounds, the music, and I especially hate the fact we are all supposed to be in some sort of fa-la-la Christmas spirit. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in the meaning of Christmas, just not the hoopla that goes along with it. Add that to the fact that I always spend my Christmas alone, and I guess Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge and I are more alike than one would’ve thought.

  I’ve witnessed Skylar growing more and more distant these past few weeks. She has a new sadness in her eyes. I can’t help but hope that the sadness is in some way because she is missing me, but I know better. In all reality, I know it isn’t me that she’s missing; it’s Lucas Drake. I’ve heard that he’s been called out of the country to take care of a financial crisis for one of his major clients. Judging by her demeanor and long face, she seems to be missing the lucky bastard pretty badly.

  My phone goes off early Tuesday morning, and I look down to see my assistant Sara’s name on the screen. It is unusual for her to call me so early, but I quickly answer it.

  “Good morning, Sara. How are you?”

  “Oh Sebastian, thank goodness you answered!” She sounds frantic.

  “Sara? Are you okay?”

  “Charles had to be rushed to the hospital last night with chest pains. The doctors seem to think he only suffered a minor heart attack. He had a small blockage, so they had to perform surgery on him early this morning, but they think he will be fine. I don’t know when I will be able to return to work, Sebastian. I can’t leave him,” she cries into the phone.

  “You just focus on Charles and don’t worry about work at all. Please give Charles my love, and if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me.”

  “Thank you so much, my dear boy. I’ve already spoken to Skylar about everything. She’s more than capable of doing my job while I’m out. I’ve updated her on everything she needs so she’ll be ready for this morning’s meetings. I’ve got to go now. The doctor is coming in. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Great! Just fucking great! There will be no more avoiding Skylar Rose now.

  I’ve done a pretty damn good job of that these past five weeks. I curse under my breath as I make my way to in to work this morning. When I step through our glass office doors, I catch sight of her perfectly managing a thousand tasks all at once. She looks so fucking hot right now, and it’s all I can do to compose myself enough to walk over to where she’s standing.

  So much for my confident entrance.

  Skylar sees me approaching, and smiles as she hands me a typed agenda. Wow! When I walk into my office, a fresh coffee and pastry box from Marie’s bakery sits on my desk. In the conference room, she has binders already in everyone’s seat, as well as an assortment of treats from the bakery spread out for everyone. I shake my head in disbelief; she has thought of absolutely everything.

  I need to get my thoughts together for our staff meeting this morning, but the sight of her in that black dress is driving me insane. I stand at the front of the room and watch her smile pleasantly at everyone as they enter the room. They immediately begin praising the pastries, and thanking her as they make their way to their seats.

  Even though it seems to be the longest hour of my life, I manage to get through the meeting with my designers. I stay behind after everyone leaves the conference room to speak to Skylar, and to thank her for everything she’s done this morning. Instead of returning to her desk, she begins cleaning up the tables and throwing the trash that’s left. I close the door of the conference room and clear my throat to get her attention.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t be but just a minute, Mr. Thorne,” she says as she continues clearing the table.

  “Skylar, we need to talk,” I say as I motion for her to have a seat.

  “Okay, um, sure,” she says as she sets the bag of trash down beside her. The large chair seems to swallow her whole when she sits.

  “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done to help out today. I certainly appreciate it, and I know Sara does as well.”

  “It’s no problem at all, Mr. Thorne. Sara is a wonderful person, and I’m glad I could help. “

  “Yes, well, there’s something else I need to speak to you about, and I’m sure Sara forgot to mention it. She was supposed to attend a business function with me tomorrow evening. I know that it’s short notice, but do you think you will be able to attend? It is not a formal event, but we will be eating at Driskills Grill. I really need you there to handle taking notes for me and scheduling meetings with some potential new clients.”

  “Tomorrow evening will be fine, Mr. Thorne. What time?” She responds professionally.

  I admit that when she calls me Mr. Thorne, it hits a major nerve. I want her calling me Sebastian.

  “I will pick you up at 7:00 pm, but our meeting isn’t until 8:00 pm. And Skylar?”

  “Yes,” she replies.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  She smiles and nods as she stands. Her long curls fall around her face, and I catch her candy scent as she moves past me to continue cleaning up. Something about seeing her pick up the trash left on the tables feels insulting to me. I don’t want her having to do this. I reach down and grab her arm, and she jumps at my touch.

  That fantastic energy that we have always shared now surges through our bodies. I feel her breathing halt as she stares back at me with a look of confusion in those gorgeous eyes of hers.

  “Don’t worry about this. The cleaning crew can handle it.” At this moment, I am fighting the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her. I feel myself begin to give in and I can’t help myself. I reach for the loose strand of hair that’s fallen in front of her face and gently tuck it behind her ear. I can feel her body tremble at my touch, and to be completely honest, I am shaking myself. She closes her eyes when I run the back of my hand down her cheek.

  She is pure Heaven!

  “Please, don’t,” she pleads. It breaks my heart to see the single tear fall down her face. Without thinking, I take my thumb and wipe it away. I then draw my thumb into my mouth and taste her sweet salty pain. No words need to be spoken because our bodies communicate well with one another on their own. She rests her hand on my chest and looks down. I lift her beautiful chin to look up at me and I can see all of the pain and sorrow in her eyes.

  I can’t help it; I do something that feels so natural. I pull her into my arms.

  God, how I have missed this…oh, how I’ve missed her.

  She holds onto my jacket for dear life and I sway her against me. I know we can’t stand like this for long for fear of someone walking in on us. I personally don’t care, but I don’t want people talking about her. I kiss her on the forehead and she flutters her eyes up at me. We memorize each other for a few moments before I smile down at her.

  I want things to be alright between us. I want that more than anything.

  I follow her out of the conference room and become captivated at how fucking hot her ass looks in that short dress and how every delicious curve moved when she walked. Turning toward the long hallway, I head immediately to my office and into the bathroom. It has grown painful to walk by the time I got there because of the raging hard on I am now sporting.

  What the fuck have I just done?

  My mind races with thoughts of her and how good she had felt against my body. Trying to regain my composure I will myself to think of anything else… dead puppies, world hunger, old grandmas with saggy asses…. but my mind only goes back to her. So, I do the unthinkable. I unzip my pants and relieve myself of my problem. The whole time I am pumping my cock in my fist, I imagine her sinful body, and how incredible it will feel to be inside her.

  Oh, Sweet heaven above, I need help!!

  Skylar

  It is almost 7 pm before I finally make it in from watching Sophie’s game. I haven’t heard from Lucas in over a week and a half. He hasn’t responded to my voicemails or text messages and I have gr
own concerned. Glancing at the time I calculate that it’s after 2 am in Paris right now. Even though it is late and I don’t want to wake him, I decide to dial his hotel room. The phone rings five times before someone finally picks up. A giggling woman shrieks over the phone and then I hear Lucas’ smooth voice come on the line. He is out of breath and laughing as he whispers something in French to the giggling woman.

  “Bonjour,” he says into the phone.

  I hear the girl continue speaking in French in the background and my stomach sinks. I can’t believe I actually believed he cares about me. I feel the burn of the threatening tears and I choke back my sob.

  “Hello?” Lucas repeats again into the phone, but I still can’t answer him. With trembling hands, I end the call and watch as the phone drops to the floor. I fall across my bed and allow the tears to fall. I know now that I have been stupid to ever think that men like Sebastian or Lucas will ever be anything but players.

  My day at work the next day goes by quickly, and I am now home getting ready for the business dinner with Sebastian. Taking another glance at the clock, I nervously slip into the dress that I have borrowed from Kylie for tonight. It is a little more fancy than necessary, but I don’t have anything dressy enough to wear other than the dress that Lucas bought for me. It would be wrong to wear that tonight, so I called for help from the fashion queen herself… my best friend.

  Sophie whistles at me when I step into the living room. Rylan and she are cozied up on the couch watching a movie together.

  “You look magnificent, sis! Your date is gonna flip,” Sophie says beaming.

  “Thanks, babe, but it’s not a date, remember? It’s only a work thing,” I correct her. I won’t lie; in my mind, I am secretly pretending this is more than just a work thing.

  “Speaking of date, when is the last time you talked to Lucas?” My sister asks me.

  I don’t want to talk about Lucas right now. The reminder of hearing the woman’s voice on the line sends sadness to my heart. Although I know I don’t love him, I had grown to care for him. I guess part of me has known that someone like him wouldn’t remain faithful. I am just relieved that I hadn’t slept with him, but then again, he might have grown tired of waiting on me.

  I notice the car lights illuminating the window and use the opportunity to avoid answering my sister’s inquiry on Lucas. Hurriedly, I grab my coat and tell my sister and her boyfriend goodbye.

  Sebastian looks startled as he takes me in. For a minute, I feel paranoid, and I glance back down to my dress.

  Why is he staring at me like that? Does he hate my outfit? Is he afraid I will embarrass him or something?

  Sebastian looks magnificent in his designer black suit. He has opted out of wearing a tie, and his crisp gray shirt lies perfectly against his broad chest. He rushes to open the door for me, and I catch his eyes before I sit in the car. His look is filled with much more than I am prepared for. I feel my body light on fire with desire at the way he is staring down at my legs. I tuck them inside his Porsche and he closes my door, hesitating for a moment before sliding back around into the driver’s side. Silence fills the car for the entire twenty minute drive to the restaurant, causing me to anxiously fidget in the passenger seat. Several times, I try to speak, but instead I continue staring up at the bright moon that glows overhead.

  Once we arrive at the restaurant, the valet attendant opens the car door for me, and Sebastian tosses him his keys. Trying to remain professional, I grab my binder and jacket, and allow Sebastian to lead me inside the restaurant.

  The meeting over dinner goes extraordinarily well and the two older gentlemen sign their contracts with Sebastian’s company. I am too busy taking notes and scheduling appointments that I don’t have time to be nervous about being here with him tonight. It isn’t until the clients have left that the butterflies come to life in my stomach. I assume that he will be ready to leave immediately after the clients, but instead, he takes my hand and begins tracing his fingertips against my palm. The feel of his skin on mine makes me tremble, and I immediately crave more.

  “You look incredible tonight, Skylar. I think the clients were quite smitten with you. Not that any man in this room isn’t under your spell tonight.”

  I’m taken back by his words, and feel the blush fill my cheeks.

  “Thank you,” I manage shyly back at him.

  “I know this has been hard for you, Skylar; however, you must understand that it’s been torture for me as well. Seeing you every day proves to be more challenging than I had ever thought possible.”

  “I know and I’m sorry, Seb… Mr. Thorne. I am very appreciative of you allowing me to complete the internship and of everything you have done for me. I really can’t thank you enough.”

  “I know how you can thank me properly,” he says and I instantly become enraged by his audacity. How can he insinuate that I should sleep with him to thank him?

  I am so pissed at the moment that I can’t form words to fire back at him.

  “Mr. Thorne, I can’t–,” His smooth voice cuts off my words.

  “Dance with me, Skylar. I want you to dance with me,” he says softly and I blink at him in confusion. He stands and takes my hand, leading me to the dance floor. Gentle music of Paul McCartney’s Valentine is playing, and Sebastian pulls me against him. I inhale his glorious spicy scent and hold on to him for dear life. Gently he sways us to the hypnotic rhythm, and I can’t help but admire his dancing ability.

  For the rest of the song, I close my eyes and imagine that we are in a different world. A world in which I am his, and he is mine. When the music stops, and another song begins, I look up to find him transfixed on my face. Everything in my body grows warm and I am begging with my eyes for him to kiss me. He swallows hard as he lays a sweet gentle swipe with his lips across my mouth. It elicits an involuntary moan from my body and I run my fingers into his ebony hair. He growls in return and then crashes his lips to mine. Our tongues move frantically together as he gently sucks and bites on my lower lip. His hands are in my hair and I find that we are still slowly dancing to the music as we continue devouring each other’s mouths. I am positive that people are staring at us, but I don’t care. Right now, it is just us and the rest of the world can wait.

  Oh, how I have missed him. I want him with every fiber of my body and I wouldn’t care if he rips the dress off me and takes me right here on the dance floor.

  When we finally come up for air, which is quite a while and several songs later, he smiles down at me and I wrap my arms around him and hold on tightly.

  I don’t want him to let me go. Please, don’t make me let him go.

  An hour later Sebastian leads me off the floor and we gather our things in silence. After he helps me with my coat he has the valet pull the car around to the front. He holds my hand the entire way home and caresses it in gentle circles. When we arrive at my house he opens my car door and walks me to my front porch.

  “Thank you for a wonderful night,” I manage and quickly look away.

  “Skylar… I… please, when it’s just us don’t call me Mr. Thorne, okay? I’ll always be Sebastian to you.”

  I nod as I turn to go inside, but he grabs my hand and squeezes it. There is so much I want him to say… so much I want to say.

  ”I’ll see you tomorrow, Skylar. Sleep well,” he says and turns toward his car.

  I head inside to find Sophie asleep on the couch with her head on Rylan’s shoulder. He smiles at me and holds his finger up to his mouth. I laugh when I see the pool of drool that she has left on his shirt. Thing is, Rylan doesn’t seem to even care. He just smiles at her adoringly and for a minute I am overcome with the desire to have this with Sebastian. I am so happy my sister has someone who obviously loves her, but I pray that one day I will have this too.

  Yes, I really was a sad girl to be envious of my eighteen year old sister and her boyfriend.

  Rylan kisses her goodbye on her on the forehead and I pull a blanket over her. I should wake he
r, but she looks so comfortable that I let her lay there for the night.

  I slip out of Kylie’s dress and hang it on the outside of the closet door before getting ready for bed. Since it’s obvious that I won’t be sleeping tonight I pull out my library book and begin reading. My thoughts keep going to Sebastian and the way he held me tonight. I don’t know how this will be for us tomorrow at work so I have planned on playing it cool and calm. When sleep finally finds me, sweet dreams of Sebastian fill my head. For the first time in weeks, I don’t have any nightmares… but something tells me that I am heading straight into one.

  Sebastian

  My phone rings around midnight and displays Harrison’s number.

  “Mr. Thorne, I have the information you requested. I’ve discovered the identity of the Trevor individual you were asking about and I feel the information I have is something you need to see immediately.”

  “Can you meet now?” I ask him anxiously.

  “Yes, sir. I am on my way.”

  It is now two hours later and I wish to fuck I could forget all of the horror he had told me. I am sitting on my couch yanking furiously at my hair as I try to calm my raging anger. Pictures of my beautiful girl beaten almost to her death are now spread across my living room table. Each one is more gruesome than the next. Harrison discovered that “Trevor” is Trevor Rose, her forty-five year old uncle. The investigation reveals Trevor’s mile long record and shows that he still has warrants out for his arrest in several other states. He managed to evade capture the night that he assaulted her, and I shiver at the thought of him ever returning here to hurt her again. According to the police report, he had stolen more than $100,000 of life insurance money from her. Tears fill my eyes when I think about her having to go through this horror… all because of me.

  It is perfectly clear what I must do. There is no way I will risk him ever getting near her again. While Harrison was here earlier, he informed me that there is a major lead on Trevor’s whereabouts. Right now, my jet is being fueled and we will be boarding it before the sun comes up. I will find this motherfucker, and when I do, He. Is. Dead. DEAD! I have more than enough money for people to take care of the problem for me, but he is mine.