by Kailin Gow
A rosy blush colored her cheeks as she offered him a reserved smile. “I don’t think the nurses would approve. Already I had to argue with them every night for them to allow me to stay at all.”
“Every night?” For the first time he noticed that she was no longer wearing the beautiful gown she’d worn to the fundraiser. In tight jeans that hugged her tight rear end and a bright red loose knit sweater that outlined her perfect round breasts, she was even sexier and more beautiful than when he’d last seen her. Her hair was a mess and she wore little make up, but… he couldn’t remember the last time a woman had affected him so profoundly.
He felt an unexpected tightening in his boxer briefs, thinking how good it would feel to have her naked against him.
“Yes,” she said, her eyes showing the concern she felt for him. “You’ve been here for three nights.”
“What?”
“They had to pump your stomach. They never found what caused you to be so violently sick. I spoke to your mother.”
Sebastian sank back into the pillow and closed his eyes.
“I had to let her know how you were doing, but I also wanted to ask if anyone else had gotten sick that night.”
“She must have been thrilled by that.” His grunt was a little rougher than he’d intended.
“Well, I’ll admit she seemed to think I was insinuating her chefs had screwed up, but I told her I just wanted to make sure you’d gotten sick due to something else entirely.”
Turning to look at her, he took her hand and guided her around so that she sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you. She might not show it, but I’m sure she appreciated all you’ve done for me.”
Her skin glowed and her eyes were alert despite the lack of sleep. Her gaze only vaguely veiled her admiration of him. He knew he pleased her; knew he appealed to her, yet she was decidedly restrained. It was both intriguing and alluring. For as long as he could remember women had thrown themselves at him. It’d been amusing for a while, but he’d quickly grown tired of the easy women. Boredom set in when all he had to do was look at a woman and she eagerly did his bidding.
Women’s lib… yeah right. Not in his circle. The women that hovered around him were more than willing to rely on a man, or at least on his wallet, to make them happy. A throwback to the 1950s and happy to be dependent on a man, like his own mother. Social status and being able to keep that trust money within its own circle was what these women cared about, not so much marrying for love. Despite how he avoided commitment like a plague, he was a romantic deep down. His music was an outlet of that romantic energy and sensitivity. It was the way he communicated it, while still being the man’s man that he was, the alpha, who liked being in charge and taking what he wanted when he wanted. That is, until now. His sensitive vulnerable side was showing, spilling over since he first met this woman who was pushing every button of his. Serena Singleton, whose very presence evoked the strongest possessive emotions he’d ever felt for a woman. She was every inch as feminine and elegant as his mother’s social circle of women, yet independent, tough, and strong-minded at the same time. She didn’t need a man to make her feel whole or to please her, and that made her even more enticing. Serena held her own in every way and seemed determined to do so.
“Why did you stay?” he asked.
“I couldn’t just leave you here alone. It just didn’t seem right.”
“Looks like I really got more than I bargained for when you walked into my office. You're far from the needy, desperate, inept girl I thought you were. I owe you one.”
“Really? Thanks for your compliment, I think,” Serena said.
“It is…I don’t usually have patience for desperation or ineptness; but with you, let’s just say I’m glad I took a chance on you.”
“Again, thank you, I think,” Serena let a half smile escape while closing her eyelid halfway.
He could see the excitement in her eyes and knew it had nothing to do with getting closer to him. It was at the prospect of having him as her advisor. His ego could have been dented by that fact, but it only added to her appeal. She wouldn’t be easy. She’d be the challenge he’d come to long for, and he would greatly reward her for ultimately giving into him. He felt himself growing harder just anticipating it.
She wanted him as his advisor… she had no idea what awaited her. Such innocence… He would teach her things she’d never imagined. He would bring her to heights of ecstasy few mortals ever experienced. He would revel in the touch of her skin, the taste of her mouth, the secrets of her body. Already, he could imagine how delicious she would taste when he explored her entire body with his mouth and lips. He couldn’t wait to make her moan out his name when he pounded into her and bring her to climax. It would be the greatest pleasure hearing sweet innocent Serena Singleton cry out in ecstasy.
“I was going to ask how you're feeling, but judging by that silly grin on your face, I’d say you're feeling pretty good right about now.”
“Indeed,” he said, crossing his legs.
Chapter 10
“Are you sure you're going to be able to drive yourself home?” Serena said as she reluctantly got out of Sebastian’s car.
Touched by her concern for him he was tempted to take her up on her offer to drive him home. Aside from a few dizzy spells he felt fine, but he dreaded leaving her. “I think you’ve done enough. I’m already heavily indebted to you.”
“Call me if you need anything.” She shut the car door and turned away.
“I most certainly will.” He sat watching the gentle sway of her hips as she walked to her apartment building. Her tight jeans left little to the imagination and he could already imagine how perfectly her buttocks would fill his hands. “I will surely need something and I will surely call you for it.”
With a regrettable chuckle, he put the car into drive and headed home. With every turn his thoughts left Serena and turned to the events of the fundraiser. He wanted to believe it’d been a simple matter of food poisoning. The matter would be settled; over and done with. If it had been food poisoning, however, he wouldn’t have been the only one to get sick. In addition, the doctor had all but conclusively eliminated the possibility. He didn’t want to allow his mind to suspect other possibilities, but the thoughts gnawed at him. Who? Why?
Parking his car in the underground garage he went through the rolodex in his head, but found no one who would want him any harm. As he rode up in the elevator, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror and chuckled.
“Seems Cinderella has turned into a pumpkin,” he muttered as he pulled on the old gray sweatshirt. When he got a good look at his sports shorts, he laughed out loud. “Nice, Serena.”
The doors of the elevator slid open and he walked into his penthouse apartment. His mother’s favorite vase, the one that adorned the side table of his main entrance, was in a million pieces on the floor. At first he wanted to consider the possibility of a strong wind. It wouldn’t be the first time. Several months before he’d found papers strewn across the entire apartment when he’d neglected to close his bedroom window.
Another step brought him into the main living area and he instantly knew this wasn’t a simple matter of an open window. Someone had ransacked his apartment. Every cushion of his posh sofa was torn apart. Treading carefully he walked to the kitchen and found every drawer pulled out and every cabinet door opened.
Even his refrigerator had been emptied.
He dreaded going into his bedroom. The door was ajar and he could already see a pile made up of his fine Italian suits. “Damn it,” he muttered as he pushed the door open. As expected every drawer had been pulled out of the dresser and the contents thrown onto the bed. Not a hanger remained hanging in the closet.
Among the clothes, ties and boxers on the bed; he saw his favorite cuff links, the gold chain his mother had given him and the diamond lapel pin he’d won at a social function. Whoever had broken into his apartment had obviously not been looking to steal valuables.
Then what had they wanted? He couldn’t imagine, but instantly thought of his parents. Were they safe? He headed back to the elevator and punched the button for the garage level. If he’d been targeted, perhaps his parents had been as well. He pulled out his cell phone and prepared to call them when it vibrated in his hand.
It was Serena. He realized on seeing her name on the screen just how badly he wanted to talk to her. “Serena.”
“Sebastian, I’m sorry to bother you. I hope you weren’t resting.”
“Not quite. What’s up?” He hoped he sounded casual.
“I forgot to tell you I have your tuxedo. I had it cleaned yesterday and picked it up this morning, but didn’t think to bring it to the hospital.”
“Serena, you didn’t have to go to the trouble of having it cleaned.”
“Yeah,” she said with an amused snort. “I’m guessing you don’t remember throwing up on it, do you?”
He laughed despite the stress he felt. The elevator door opened and he hurried to his car. “No, I don’t remember that.”
“Well, if you’d smelled what I smelled when I first came back to my place, you would have rushed to the dry cleaners too. Poor Mr. Lowry. You should have seen his face when I brought it in. I think if it’d been up to him he would have thrown it out rather than clean it.”
“Hey, that’s an Armani,” Sebastian said with a grin. He slid into the driver’s seat of his Roadster. Amazed at how soothing the sound of her voice was, he sat back and exhaled slowly.
“Do you want me to pass by later on a drop it off? Or maybe…”
At that moment he would have liked nothing more than to have her drop by. It was a little premature to say he already missed her, but he had to admit he looked forward to seeing her again. “Look, why don’t you hang onto it? I’ll come by to get it when I have a chance.”
“Sure.” There was a long moment of hesitation. “Sebastian? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” Though he would have liked to share this new development in this disastrous week, he held back. This was all turning out to be a little too strange for his liking; the sudden poisoning that wasn’t as accidental as he’d originally thought and now this break in. What were the chances the two episodes were related? What were the chances the person who broke into his place knew he’d be out for the night?
“Okay then,” Serena said in a soft, almost shy voice.
“I have a few things to take care of. You wouldn’t believe what can pile up when you're in the hospital for a few days. I’ll call you the first free minute I get.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll just leave it hanging in the hall closet then. Bye.”
“Bye.” He chuckled softly as he ended the call. He’d heard that shy hesitation before and it made her all the more enticing. His body ached as he thought of all he wanted to do to her. It ached for all she did to him. He’d long given up on ever finding a woman who had that special blend of naiveté and sophistication, innocence and mystery. Of course there was the student/professor problem he had to work out, but he felt confident he could work his way around it. The scenarios that played in his mind, pushing her up against the bookshelf while she wore a skirt with nothing underneath, taking her on top of his desk, hiding her under his desk while she took him into her mouth during a serious meeting with a school official or someone stuffy or uptight like that. “Yes, I’m going to enjoy weaving my way into your life, Serena.” And certainly into your pants.
He started the car and headed to his parents.
Chapter 11
Traffic was annoying heavy as he tried to make his way to his father’s office, but going there was quicker than driving out to his parents’ home and he was certain he’d get a sense of what was happening just by seeing his father’s face.
With growing impatience he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He’d barely advanced a few yards in the past fifteen minutes. Before he lost it and leaned into the horn he brought his thoughts back to Serena.
The only thing that kept him from calling her was the risk of needlessly alarming her. He felt agitated and knew it’d show in his voice. She’d already done so much for him and he didn’t want to burden her with his problems more than necessary.
A break in traffic allowed him to advance just enough to squeeze off the highway and out into the city streets. Although traffic lights rendered the trip stop and go, he managed to arrive at his father’s prestigious waterfront offices within ten minutes.
Newport Harbor; it was an impressive and beautiful place to work, Sebastian thought. At least as far as working in an office was concerned. Everything about the building was rich and ostentatious. The marble floors gleamed and the brass fixtures shined.
In the elevator he anticipated the type of welcome he’d receive once the doors slid open. Would his father be relieved to see him up and about? Would he question what had happened? Would he show the slightest sign of caring at all?
He was a grown man; a grown man who didn’t understand why he still sought the love and acceptance of his parents. He hated himself for needing his father’s approval so much, but couldn’t rid himself of that need. He also hated how much he was still tied to them…he knew his obligations as a Sorensen, the only heir to the mass fortune and empire. It was the only reason why he was even friends with Willow, who seemed to understand and want to run the Sorensen empire.
The elevator doors parted and his heart raced. With quiet and reluctant footsteps, he approached the desk of his father’s secretary.
“Hello, Miss Goldwater.”
The young platinum blond woman looked up and immediately smiled. It was a warm smile that was accompanied by a now familiar look of lust in her eyes.
“Sebastian.” She stood and leaned over her desk to give him a hug. Dressed in a prim grey pantsuit she was the height of professionalism, but the pantsuit couldn’t hide her voluptuous curves. “What brings you up here? I thought you were working at the university.”
“Yeah, I am.” He couldn’t help but notice the complete lack of concern for his recent ordeal. Obviously his father had not even bothered to mention to the people around him what had happened to his son. “I just stopped by to see my father. Is he in?”
Pressing her lips into a tight regrettable line, she looked at him. “He’s with someone. One of his big hush hush meetings.”
“Any idea how long he’ll be?”
She shrugged. “They’ve been in there for over three hours already. Either they’ll step out any minute now or they’ll be in there for the rest of the day. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Okay.” He looked around, glanced at his watch and returned his gaze to her. “Well, I’ll take a chance and wait a bit. It’s almost noon so hopefully they’ll take a break for lunch.”
“That’s a fair bet.”
Sebastian turned to the austere beige, black and chrome waiting room. Modern to the point of being uncomfortable, he’d always suspected his father had chosen such a modern, almost hip décor to compensate for his graying hair and aging body.
As he waited he pulled out his cell phone and called his agent. After listening to the phone ring a half dozen times he hung up and tried Rick Steinberg, the film producer.
“Mr. Steinberg’s office,” a soft professional voice said.
“Mr. Steinberg, please.”
“Who may I say is calling?”
“Sebastian Sorensen.”
“Just one moment, Mr. Sorensen.”
A robotic message about the merits of the production house’s latest movie had time to play three times over before Rick answered.
“Sebastian! How’s my music man feeling?”
“Hi, Rick. That’s exactly what I wanted to call you about. It appears I skipped an important meeting with you. I know you were looking forward to hearing how the score to your movie was coming along. I’m terribly sorry, but I…”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I heard you were feeling a little under the weather lately.”
/> “What do you mean? How’d you hear about it?”
“When you didn’t show, I tried to call you. I didn’t get an answer so I tried a few hours later; still no answer. The following day I tried a dozen times and an angelic voice finally answered. She quickly explained that she’d found your cell phone was in your jacket pocket… the jacket you apparently left at her place. I guess you had a bit of fun before you got sick.” He chuckled.
“To tell you the truth, I couldn’t tell you. I was out before I could even have that bit of fun.”
“Too bad. Anyway, she seemed like a lovely young woman who appears to care somewhat for your sorry ass. She let me know you were in the hospital.”
“So Serena told you.” Sebastian said with a warm smile.
“Sorry. Didn’t catch her name. Serena, is it? A beautiful name for a beautiful voice. She just said you would be unreachable for a few days. Something about food poisoning.”
“I guess I owe her one.”
“I don’t know. I’d say you owe her more than just one.” Rick laughed.
“Right.”
“Look, take it easy and give me a call when you want to reschedule. I’m still looking forward to hearing this work of genius you’ve been working on.”
“Sure thing.” Sebastian ended the call just as the door to his father’s office opened.
“Sebastian!” Kaiser said when he saw him. “What are you doing up here?”
Sebastian approached him but stopped short when he saw a tall and handsome blonde young man about thirty-two years old in a grey custom-tailored suit and white linen shirt step out. With clean cut blond hair and piercing blue eyes, he looked like an European male model. The planes of his face were sharp and angular, but his lips were curled up in a victorious grin. Something about him seemed familiar, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. For a long moment the two men looked at each other, sizing each other up.
One dark and brooding, the other fair and calculating. Both young, tall and fit. The way the blonde man was staring at him in a challenging manner, had his defenses up.
