Seduce (Beautiful Rose 0.5)

by Missy Johnson

  “So, tell me about yourself?” I said, pouring her a glass of wine. She told me she was twenty-two, studying physiotherapy, and she loved to have fun. The studying surprised me. I’d assumed she would be majoring in something easier to allow her more time to party. Maybe there were brains behind this beauty somewhere.

  “I love going out and dancing. I’m always on the go,” she laughed. “Daddy, he worries, you know? I think that’s why you got roped into being my companion. To keep me out of trouble,” she joked in her strong Italian accent, laughing again.

  “I bet you break hearts,” I murmured. She blushed, but not a shy blush. It was a calculated one that read ‘I know how to break a man down into a blubbering mess’. The same way I could talk any woman into my bed.

  Guilt washed over me as I thought about Belle, who had no idea I was out with this Italian beauty. I had gone over and over whether or not to tell her and in the end, I decided no. Telling her would worry her and she didn’t need that so close to her exams. I only hoped not telling her didn’t make it seem like I was trying to hide something. As I took another look at this Italian man-eater, I had a pretty solid feeling that I was going to regret my decision.

  Right now, Belle thought I was at a work dinner, which technically I was. Something told me she wouldn’t be happy learning my dinner companion was female, Italian, and stunningly sexy.

  “So, tell me about you, Jack. You work for your father, yes?” she asked, reaching for her wine. Suddenly she giggled. “My eyes are up here, cheeky boy.”

  “What—” I stopped, horrified as I realized my eyes had been focused on her breasts. I felt cheated, considering the whole time I was apparently staring at them I’d been thinking about Belle. If I was going to be caught staring, at least let me reap the benefits!

  “Yes, I work for my father,” I answered stiffly. The last thing I wanted to talk about was my father and work. I downed my wine and poured another.

  “Ah, a daddy’s boy,” she laughed as I handed her a menu. This was going to be a long night. Her laugh was already grating on my nerves like fingernails running down a chalkboard. I flagged the waiter and ordered a bottle of their most expensive scotch. Since Daddy was paying, I planned to live it up. The waiter carried over the bottle and two glasses.

  “Lisbeth?” I asked, motioning to the waiter. She nodded. A woman who liked her scotch. Impressive. “To a memorable night,” I said, holding up my glass. She giggled and took a sip.

  “What do you feel like?” I asked, scanning the menu. I had already decided on lobster.

  “Hmm. I think I like the fish,” she said, shutting her menu with a giggle. “And after we eat, you will take me dancing?” she said, her eyes wide. I nodded, my father’s words echoing in my head. I knew just the place.

  We chatted through dinner. The whole time I felt like I was on autopilot. Laughing at the right moments, smiling, and nodding. This girl loved to talk, and mainly about herself. The only time I was even remotely interested in what she had to say was when she spoke about her studies. She was in her final year of her degree, and she planned to travel to Paris to model.

  She barely ate her fish, only picking at the plate, insisting that she was full. I savored my lobster, the rich, buttery sauce creating an orgasm in my mouth. By the end of the meal we’d consumed the bottle of scotch and two bottles of wine. By this stage I was aware of myself, but not aware enough to control my actions. Lisbeth seemed to be holding her drink pretty well, still insisting we go dancing.

  Outside the restaurant, I hailed a cab and directed us to Backslash, one of the top nightspots in London. Anywhere I might run into Luke was out of the question because I didn’t want to deal with him asking me why I was out with another woman. Backslash was the only place where I knew we were sure to be photographed and that was a key part of my plan.

  We were ushered right in, past the line that stretched around the corner. I was on the list of every club in the country. A hostess led us directly to the VIP area, where we were seated at a booth overlooking the dance floor.

  The place was full of people with money to burn, and women that wanted to hook up. That’s what this club was known for: you came here to pick up and to score. Right away, Lisbeth wanted to dance. I ordered a scotch, throwing it back before leading her out onto the dance floor.

  What quickly became clear to Lisbeth was that I don’t dance. Ever. The most I will do is stand there and sway slightly with my hands shoved in my pockets. She danced around me, grinding herself against me, trying to get me to interact with her. Instead, I stood there and watched her.

  “You don’t like to dance?” Lisbeth laughed. She grabbed hold of my hands and placed them on her hips as she swayed to the music. She moved closer to me, so that with every movement her body rubbed against mine.

  “I try to avoid dancing whenever possible,” I said dryly.

  “Yes, I see why,” she giggled. I laughed in spite of myself and made a face. “Come,” she took me by the hand and led me back to the table. “Sit down,” she said.

  I watched her disappear over to the bar. I took the moment to check my phone. The message from Belle made my heart plummet with guilt. I clicked on open.

  I hope your work dinner is not too boring. I miss you. Love B xx

  My stomach tied into knots as I read the words over and over. What the hell I was doing? Lisbeth reappeared with a bottle of scotch and two shot glasses. I raised my eyebrows as she set a glass in front of me and filled it.

  “Drink,” she demanded. “You need to relax. You’re too stressed!” she said, reaching over to rub my neck. I didn’t pull away; instead, I let her hands move over my shoulders and my neck. She poured a glass for herself, downing it quickly before pouring a second for herself and handing me the bottle.

  I shook my head and took a mouthful straight from the bottle. Lisbeth danced at our booth in front of me, doing her best to get my attention. I looked away, trying to ignore how her breasts jiggled as she moved, or the way the hem of her dress rose slightly when she moved her legs. She rubbed herself against my crotch, the movement creating arousal.

  “This is so much fun!” she laughed. “You’d be surprised how much trouble I get into at home. You would think I was sixteen, not twenty-two. I feel like here I can break free and be myself.”

  “To being ourselves,” I said, handing her another shot. She could barely stand by now, and just as I’d hoped, alcohol made her very sexual. She swayed to the music, holding onto my hand, her eyes closed, a vague smile on her face.

  “You like me, Jack?” she purred. Her top came off as she pressed my hand against her breast. As soon as I saw the flash of the camera I knew I had what I needed. I moved my hand away, hiding my smile.

  “Shall we get going?” I asked her, standing up to steady her. She giggled and nodded, letting me slip her top back over her head. That had gone perfectly. With any luck, it would be all over tomorrows back pages and Delenski would have a fit.

  ***

  Lisbeth had insisted on me walking her back to her room, and then she had insisted on me coming in for a nightcap. I agreed, only because she could barely manage a step without tripping. We took the lift up to her room. I could barely control her as she tried to kiss me. I managed to fend her off until we reached her room. I went to leave, but she insisted I stay until she was safely in bed.

  I waited while she changed, facing the other way like the gentlemen I was.

  “Jack!” she giggled. I turned around. She had removed the top, and for some reason thought it was smart to remove the skirt over her head. “I’m stuck,” she giggled. I walked toward her, ignoring the fact that she was completely naked in front of me, apart from the skirt that covered her face. My eyes ran over her full breasts, with nipples so hard I was sure they’d prick me if I touched them. The curve of her hips framed her beautifully bare pussy, and her long, lean limbs were just begging to wrap themselves around me. My cock hardened as I freed her from the offending skirt. She smiled
at me, her face flushed and her eyes bright with excitement.

  “Thank you, Jack,” she said, moving her arms around my neck. She leaned in, her hand on the back of my head, her lips pressing against mine. I moved my hand over her breast, squeezing it hard. She cried out, then laughed, pushing me back on the bed.

  “That was nasty, Jack,” she said, unzipping my pants. I groaned as she reached inside to free my hard cock. For the briefest moment I let the feeling of her hands on my cock engulf me. It had happened so quickly that it took me a second to realize what was about to happen—the line I was about to cross.

  No, I realized as she opened her mouth to take me. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.

  I pushed Lisbeth off me and pulled up my pants. She fell to the floor in a heap, her glazed eyes not capable of deciphering what had just happened.

  “Jack?” she asked, confused.

  “Sorry, Lisbeth, I can’t do this.” I grabbed my things and left. “I love my girlfriend too much to fuck her over.”

  ***

  Pick up, dammit. I cursed, smashing my hand against the wall. Mr. Jefferies glanced at me and ran out of the room.

  Smart move, cat. I’m a bad guy to be around. All I will do is drag you down.

  “Hello?”

  “Alex,” I said, sighing with relief.

  “Jack? Are you okay?” Alex asked, concerned. “Have you been drinking?” I slumped onto the sofa, the phone spilling from my hands. I retrieved it to hear Alex yelling my name.

  “Sorry, I dropped the phone. It’s all fucked. I fucked everything.” I growled, pissed off at myself for letting things get so out of hand.

  “Jack, calm down. Please calm down. Talk to me, what’s going on?” he spoke softly, like he was trying to slow down my thinking. I sighed and took a breath.

  “Belle. I almost cheated on her. Dad had me taking out the daughter of someone he’s trying to close a deal with. He didn’t want a scandal so I got her really drunk so she’d flash her breasts at the cameras,” I mumbled.

  Alex snorted. “Well I hope that makes the back pages. Fuck Dad, Jack. He’s an asshole and nothing you do will ever be good enough for him.”

  “It gets worse. I don’t give a shit about Dad. I’m over that. All I care about is Belle.”

  “What happened?”

  “I got too drunk and ended up back at Lisbeth’s hotel room. She had her hands on my cock before I stopped it.”

  “You stopped it?” Alex asked, surprised.

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. She will never forgive me. I will never forgive myself,” I muttered.

  “Jack, a couple of months ago you would never have stopped. You’d have slept with her without a second thought. Now, your feelings for Belle stopped you before you did something really stupid. That’s a huge thing,” Alex pointed out.

  “Sure, tell that to my girlfriend,” I muttered. I knew what he was trying to say, but it didn’t matter. It was useless. I’d lost her. I was sure of it. “Look, I gotta go,” I sighed.

  “Jack, don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

  I hung up without responding. I was the king of stupid.

  ***

  I woke up in the afternoon with the world’s worst hangover.

  All of my actions from the following night came flooding back to me. Well, what I actually remembered, anyway. The stench of scotch and sweat filled my nostrils, almost making me gag. Stumbling out of bed, I made my way to the bathroom.

  The spray of the water from the showerhead stung my skin like a thousand bees ramming their stingers into my face. I felt like shit—exactly how I deserved to be feeling. I stayed under the hot water until my skin began to shrivel.

  After I had dressed, I poured myself a coffee and slumped onto the sofa, where I wasn’t planning on moving from for the rest of the day. I turned on the television, desperate to keep my mind off the last twenty-four hours. Mr. Jefferies curled up next to me, oblivious to my mood. I should’ve been at work, but actually going in never even occurred to me. As far as I was concerned I no longer had a job.

  “Jack, it’s Belle.”

  I jumped at the pounding on the door. Eventually, I stood up and walked over to let her in. She was the last person I wanted to see because all I felt when I thought about her was guilt. She hugged me and closed the door, following me over to the sofa.

  “You look like shit. How did your work dinner go?” she asked, kissing me. I forced myself to smile.

  “Okay. Work is work, you know? I missed you,” I said honestly. She smiled and tucked herself under my arm.

  “I missed you too. I’ve been thinking—I want to tell my parents about us.” She spoke confidently, as if she’d been thinking about this for a while. She had that much faith in us as a couple that she would risk the support of her family for me. And I had fucked her over.

  “Do you think that’s such a good idea?” was all I said.

  She shrugged. “What is the alternative? I’m eighteen, the worst they can do is cut me out of their life,” she joked. The look on her face told me that was a real possibility.

  “At least wait until your exams are over,” I said, reaching for her hand. “The last thing you need now is more distractions.” I would tell her about Lisbeth, but not until her exams were over. If she decided she couldn’t forgive me, then at least I wouldn’t have ruined her future.

  She giggled and lifted herself onto me. “Yes, I suppose you’re a distraction enough.”

  I smiled as she kissed me, her lips teasing me as her tongue circled around mine.

  “Why aren’t you at work?” she asked suddenly.

  “Because my father and I had a difference of opinion,” I said dryly. I moved my hands under her top, running them up her bare back. I breathed in. No bra again. She shivered against my touch, her lips curving into a smile.

  “Why aren’t you at school?” I whispered, my hand moving down and under her skirt.

  “Because it’s study week,” she giggled.

  “And are you learning a lot?” I asked, sucking her earlobe. She laughed. Sitting up, she lifted her top over her head. I grabbed at her breasts, massaging them softly.

  “I’m learning plenty,” she whispered softly. She leaned down, her hair falling in my face.

  “Jack! Open this fucking door right now!”

  Both Belle and I jumped. Shit. My father. My father was here and that meant he knew. Fuck.

  “Go in the bedroom,” I whispered to her, yanking my top back down. I ran my hand through my hair, waiting until she was safely in the room before I opened the door.

  He stormed in, looking as pissed off as I’d ever seen him. He thrust a paper toward me.

  “What the fuck is this Jack? I ask you to entertain her and her breasts are over every newspaper with your hands all over them! Are you aware that they are both on their way back to Italy right now? If you wanted to fuck me over, you certainly did it!” he roared, thrusting the paper at me. I stared at the images of Lisbeth waving her arms wildly, topless with my hands over her nipples. The next picture showed me kissing her, my tongue clearly invading her mouth. I didn’t remember that moment. I felt sick as I stared at the pictures, but my anger towards my father took over.

  “Isn’t that what you wanted? For me to do what I do best? Well, fucking women is what I do best, Father. Surely you expected this from your useless asshole of a son!” I yelled, following him out into the hallway.

  “You know what, Jack? You and Alex are both nothing but disappointments to me. You’ve both caused me nothing but grief. As far as I’m concerned, I have no sons. I’m done with the both of you.”

  His words came out quietly and full of spite, and all I could do was watch him walk away. This wasn’t anger talking, this was my father revealing his real feelings toward us both—feelings he’d harbored for a long time. I walked back inside my flat feeling deflated and angry.

  “Jack?” Belle sat on the floor, the newspaper in her shaking hands, her expression hurt an
d angry. “Tell me this is a mistake,” she demanded.

  I stood there helplessly. There was nothing I could say.

  “Did you fuck her?” she asked, her voice raising.

  “Belle, no—” I said, trying to explain.

  “Did you kiss her, after this picture? Tell me what happened Jack, or I swear—” She stopped as I held up my hand.

  “We kissed, she took off her dress, and she tried to suck my dick but I stopped her. Then I left. Are you happy?” I said flatly. She glared at me, her eyes full of tears.

  “You’re making this out to be my fault?” she gasped. She got to her feet, sobs escaping from her throat. “I trusted you, Jack.”

  “And I told you all I’d end up doing was hurt you,” I replied quietly.

  “Did you do this on purpose? Are you trying to push me away?” she cried. “Because if you are, it’s sure as hell working!” She brushed past me and out the door. My biggest regret was that I did nothing to stop her.

  I let her go.

  Chapter Twenty

  The pounding on my door became too loud to ignore. Someone couldn’t take a fucking hint. Another bottle of scotch, another night wasted. It was dark, but I had no idea what time it was—or even what day it was—and I didn’t care.

  “I’m coming,” I muttered loudly, sitting up. I waited until the room stopped spinning before I gingerly got to my feet. I stumbled over to the door, unlocking the latch and swinging it open. Luke stood there, his hands shoved in his pockets, his face white.

  Fucking hell. Had she gone running straight to him? Had she told him what an asshole I was? This was all stuff I knew already, and I sure as hell didn’t need to hear it from him.

  “Luke, you’re wasting your breath. Go home,” I mumbled. Luke reached for my arm. Something in the way he touched me made my heart jump. I raised my eyes to meet his. He was crying, the tears running freely down his cheeks.

  “Jack, it’s Belle. She’s dead.”

  ***

  “She was driving around a corner, and she lost control of the wheel and hit a tree. The police said she was killed instantly.”