Roses & Thorns

by Bry Ann

  “Shhh… it’s okay. Does that hurt too much?”

  I look over. His eyebrows are furrowed in concern. His eyes are so kind. How are those the same eyes that were so cold just weeks prior? His shirt is off. His abs and protective muscles on full display. He jumped in after me when my mind split. No hesitation whatsoever.

  “No. I'm fine. I need to get clean.”

  His jaw clenches. He so softly runs the soap over my skin, keeping one hand softly on my shoulder to brace me. It burns. It burns so bad. I bite my tongue, but despite my efforts, a few times a cry slips out of me. The third time I audibly let out a sound of pain he drops the soap. He knows I'm not weak.

  “We’ll take a minute.”

  I sigh and slump back in the tub. Thank God. I feel his eyes on me so I take the opportunity to ask about the girl I’ve been wondering about. Also, to take advantage of his kindness while it’s there.

  “Can I ask something?”

  “Anything,” he says quickly.

  I let my head fall back against the tub so I can look up at the ceiling and not at him.

  “Is Rose still here?”

  “Yes.”

  I jerk forward. “Is she okay? Please, is she okay? Why is she here? Don’t hurt her!”

  “Shh, I have no intention of hurting Rose. She’s here because of Sven. He’s crazy about her. Dare I say falling in love with her.”

  I scrunch my face. “He can’t…”

  “He can.” Adam nods, totally sure. “Even monsters can love Lacey.”

  I don’t know what to say that. It’s profound, and the way he says it makes me think he knows exactly what that feels like.

  “Do you think I could ever see her?” I whisper.

  “You want to see her?”

  “A lot.” I need a friend. Someone not involved in what happened to me.

  “Then I’ll arrange it.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re not worried I’ll tell her.”

  He grits his jaw. “Yes. It will cause problems. She’s strong-minded and stubborn, a perfect match for Sven, so she’ll raise hell, but right now all I give a fuck about, to be honest, is making you better. So if she raises hell I’ll deal with it.”

  “Thank you very much,” I whisper, feeling shy.

  “Of course Lacey. Whatever you need.”

  He grabs the soap again. When he touches a really raw patch of skin I shriek and grab his forearm on instinct. I immediately let go. I squeeze my hand into a fist trying to give myself the same effect as the burn increases on my skin, but nothing was more comforting than holding on to him. Skin to skin. I see a tattooed hand reach out over the top of the water.

  “We’re almost done. Hold on. It’s alright.”

  I look at him. Looking for any indication it’s not alright. I don’t find anything. I grab his hand and then I'm... gone.

  “Give us something on those fucks.”

  WHOOSH. The air is kicked right out of my lungs. I hiss. It hurts. It hurts so bad. I'm too thin for this right now.

  “Spare yourself cunt.”

  I hate that word. I hate it. Searing hot pain shoots through me. The smell of burnt skin makes me vomit all over their tile.

  Adam save me.

  Save me.

  Someone save me.

  Images of him holding me stop the pain in my body, but only increase the pain in the one place that hurts the most.

  My heart.

  “Lacey! Lacey comes back. Please come back.”

  “I'm…. here. I'm fine,” I say, voice hoarse.

  He’s sitting on the edge of the tub above me, dripping wet. He lets out a deep breath. One he’s clearly been holding.

  “I'm sorry. Whatever you had to relive I'm just… sorry.”

  Really? How is this the same man who sentenced me to this fate? I just want him to be mean and stop making my heart squeeze. I wish he’d stop giving my heart hope for love when there is none.

  I don’t say anything in response.

  “I'm gonna wash your hair. Then we’ll be done with this.”

  He’s really gentle as he washes all the grime out of my hair. It really does make me feel better. Beings so filthy really was affecting my mood. It’s hard to hold onto any kind of optimism when you’re covered head to toe in filth. After he finishes he gets out first, dripping water all over the floor. He turns on the heaters and grabs me a big pre-warmed towel.

  That does make me excited. I love his towels. They’re my favorite thing. They’re so comfortable! He seems to notice my change in body language because his lips turn up the slightest bit.

  He grabs my hand and helps me stand. Every inch of my body burns. My muscles are weak and shaking under the strain. He almost has to carry me out of the tub, but I manage somehow. When I'm out in the open air, shivering, he wraps the big, warm towel around my body. It’s like a hug. I grab the ends and curl it into me. I sit on the edge of the tub with the towel as a wave of dizziness hits me.

  “I'm not ever leaving this towel. You can come retrieve me if I'm needed for something.”

  He laughs softly. “You can have as many towels as you want.”

  “Careful what you say.”

  “I am.”

  The left side of his mouth turns up. He’s so handsome and can be so kind. Why is he trained to be so evil? I know he was trained to be the way he is and it’s not his instinct, but what he did I can’t forgive.

  Days pass. Adam keeps his word. I see a therapist and a psychiatrist and the doctor. I like the therapist the best. She’s so kind. I don’t hold back with her. Well, I'm careful not to incriminate Adam, even though he doesn’t deserve it and I highly doubt he hired a therapist that would turn him into the cops. Still, I'm careful. Other than that, I take advantage of the opportunity. Hoping maybe one day with their help my soul will not carry so much pain… and shame. I want the nightmares, flashbacks, misplaced self-hatred to end. She helps with that. Slowly, but surely. The meds the psychiatrist prescribe help a ton too. I'm getting stronger, gaining healthy weight and a lot of my injuries are healing. It’s my feelings that are out of control. What do I do after this? He’s freeing me. For more than a year that’s all I’ve wanted. So why does the thought terrify me now? What is wrong with me? I'm way too embarrassed to tell my therapist this. Who is scared to not be a tortured prisoner anymore? No one wonder my parents shipped me off.

  “Lacey,” Adam knocks on the door, dressed in a full suit. He went back to working a few days ago, but he still checks on me all the time.

  I look over to acknowledge him. He’s not really keeping me in the room, but I'm terrified to leave it. I haven’t told anyone this either. I'm so scared to leave, not just this house, but this room too. It’s always been safe in here, and the world's not safe. I'm terrified. Nobody’s noticed yet. I'm just praying I can be strong when the time comes for me to go, or people start noticing I never leave this room by choice.

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  I look at him, confused. His eyes scan me, checking my outfit and bandages. I find it strange. I'm wearing a sweatshirt and oversized sweats. Fully covered, like always. I can’t handle seeing myself. It brings back the memories, and I think seeing everything makes my mind play tricks on me because all my injuries start to hurt a lot more after I see them. When I don’t look and take my meds, the pain is manageable.

  “Someone’s here to see you.”

  Adam opens the door wider with a smile. Instantly I feel a smile spread on my cheeks. It hurts a little. I haven’t smiled in so long.

  Sure enough standing there is Rose in a pink tank top, light blue shorts and flip-flops. She looks happy and healthy. My smile spreads.

  “Rose!” I say, surprised.

  “Hi Lacey!” she says with a big smile. The smile’s there, but I see the sadness hiding in her eyes.

  I look at Adam and then back at Rose. He really is letting me see her. I stare at him for a second too long, so surprised. He winks and smiles a genuine smile w
hen he sees how happy I am.

  “Have fun.”

  He goes to leave, but quickly turns back, face serious. Boss.

  “Please don’t do something that makes me have to monitor your time together. Okay? Alright.”

  Then he leaves.

  Rose stands there a little uncomfortable before walking in the room, confidently. She seems so different. I wonder if she realizes the air of strength and pure confidence she carries now. It’s a little strange given where she is and who she’s been with.

  “Can I hug you?” she asks in a small voice.

  “Sure.”

  She wraps her arms around me. I stiffen. I used to love hugs, but now I’d rather people just didn’t touch me.

  “I’ve been worried about you.” She looks down at her hands. “Lacey, I'm so sorry. I didn’t know. I'm so, so sorry.”

  I wonder what they told her. I hope not the truth.

  “I'm fine.” I know my smile looks so fake. “You look really good Rose.”

  So many emotions flash in her eyes.

  “Yes I do,” she says flatly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I have to get out of here.”

  “I'm listening.”

  “I have a plan if you are interested and… up for it.”

  Is this my chance to take my power back? Will I even be able to leave this room? Time to see.

  “I'm listening.”

  Chapter 27:

  Sven:

  This plan isn’t going to be as pleasurable to execute as I imagined. I knew that the second I laid eyes on Lacey after Boss got her out. That plan went to all hell, but I guess we got the same result.

  Lacey was a battered mess though and Boss was wrecked. No one saw him for over a week after the incident. He spent every waking moment taking care of Lacey and the doctors were always in and out. It’s been a few weeks and things have improved. Boss seems to have come back to himself a bit. Less psycho and broken, which means Lacey is getting better. Not that we’ve seen her. Boss swears he’s not locking her in the room. I can tell he’s starting to get concerned about the fact that she’s not leaving.

  She’s scared.

  Rose has seen her nearly every single day. It’s been a way for me to let her out and know she’s not going to do anything stupid. She wouldn’t jeopardize her time with Lacey. She even seems happier. She says hello to me, and goodbye. She kissed me on the cheek the other day. All on her own. It’s almost a little suspicious. I let it be though. For now. I have other things to focus on, things other than my girl being unusually sweet.

  Like a very risky plan that could backfire.

  Rose is throwing on some black shorts. I glance at her black lace thong clad ass. I walk over and press my hand to her stomach and kiss her neck. She leans back into me.

  “I need you to stay in here for a few days babe.”

  She spins in my arms and searches me. “What are you planning? Things are fucked up enough Sven. Don’t ruin anything! I'm so serious right now.”

  I flick her thong against her skin. She closes her eyes and exhales a deep breath.

  “Gotta trust me.”

  She laughs bitterly. “I don’t trust you.”

  “I know.”

  “Sven.” She kisses me and rocks her hips into me. I don’t let my shock keep me from enjoying the moment.

  “Take me,” she whispers.

  My dick registers what she says immediately, but my mind asks all sorts of questions. Why now?

  “What are you planning little Rose?”

  She smirks. “Me? Planning something. Never.”

  “You really think you can pull something over on me?”

  The look on her face is so damn smug. It turns me the hell on. I take a step back from her and run my hand over my face.

  “You know I want to. Like, fuck this sucks. But I only have a few minutes and I don’t want to rush my first time with you.”

  She actually looks disappointed. I step back into her space.

  “Do you need to come little Rose?”

  “Yes.”

  I reach to touch her but she grabs my hands. “Let me do you.”

  What the fuck is going on? Is she actually going to pull one over on me?

  I sit down and spread my legs. “Alright then.”

  She walks over. She sure looks confident, so unlike last time. My mind is spinning with questions I don’t want to ask.

  She undoes my zipper. I’ve never been this hard for a woman before. I need her. Damn it. She squeezes my knee, telling me to be patient, which is fucking hard with her hands on me.

  “Take your shorts off,” I snap at her.

  She does. She tosses them across the room so all that’s left on her body is a black lace thong and a button-down cotton black shirt her small tits are spilling out of at the moment. She’s the most beautiful sight in the world.

  She frees my cock from its confines. When she sees how hard I am, she looks up at me pleased. She licks the tip. I groan. Her hand grips the base, not gently. I could come right now.

  “Rose,” I growl.

  “Oh, you don’t like being sexually tortured.” She sits back and cocks an eyebrow.

  I glare at her. “You better get to it girl.”

  She winks and takes the tip in her mouth, continuing to tease me. I'm gonna kill her. I rock my hips into her mouth, but she pulls away and shakes a finger.

  “Uh-uh, patience or you do me Mr. Xander.”

  If it was possible for me to get any harder….

  She slowly sucks the tip. Right as I'm about to grab her hair she deep throats my entire cock. I shudder.

  “Damn Rose.”

  I snatch her hair.

  “Play with your clit,” I snap.

  She pulls back. I see her finger find her clit. She moans desperately against my cock. I see her hips rocking into the floor, craving release. I’ll give it to her. I’ll fucking make time for that.

  I hold her hair but don’t control her. She doesn’t need it. She takes all of me; licking, sucking and pulling until I come into her mouth. She takes every last drop with a smirk. I feel my body relax. I desperately needed that. Just when I think she’s done she does the most unexpected thing. She kisses the tip of my cock before tucking me back in my pants.

  “Just so you know. Whatever happens. You’ll always be the best I’ve ever had. Even if we haven’t had sex yet.”

  I growl. Damn it. I knew she was fucking planning something. I jump off my seat and shove her back into the carpet. I crawl over her.

  “Don’t be stupid Rose.”

  “I'm not,” she pants.

  “You can’t get past me.”

  “We’ll see.”

  I growl and grab her hands, pinning them above her head.

  “We’ll see, huh? Yes, we fucking will.”

  I rock my hips into her hard. She moans loudly. I continue to do that. She desperately fights to keep the pressure there.

  “Sven!” she snaps. “Fuck you. Stop.”

  “Stop or go,” I whisper against her lips.

  “Go,” she whispers back.

  I sit up, pinning her down with my hips. In a second I have all my clothes off.

  “I'm gonna fuck you, Rose.”

  “I thought you were too busy.”

  I drag the tip of my cock against her slick opening. She shutters with need.

  “I thought you weren’t stupid enough to try and leave me.”

  I pull my cock away and jam my finger inside her. She instantly comes around my hand. Fuck, Rose. I lose some of my anger.

  “Babe. If you need a release that bad you come to me.”

  The smugness leaves her face and morphs into sadness. She tucks her head into my neck.

  “Don’t be sad. I won’t let you leave. I won’t let you leave me, Rose.”

  She doesn’t say anything. No. Fuck. No.

  I instantly slam into her. She screams and grabs my shoulders. Her face stays tucked into me. I stop
.

  “Fuck me Sven!” she says, on the verge of screaming.

  “Look at me.”

  She does. Cheeks flushed. Eyes filled with more emotions than I understand.

  “What do you need?” I whisper.

  “I want to feel you. Hard. Fast. Make me come. Like this. Please Sven.”

  I can’t say no to her. So I don’t.

  I rock my hips slowly before slamming into her. She screams and digs her nails into my skin. I thrust in, out, hard and fast. She comes quickly, screaming. I pull out and follow her. I quickly grab a condom and slide back into her. I reach down and pinch her clit.

  “Damn it!” she screams. “It’s too much.”

  “No,” I growl.

  I rock my hips and bury inside her to the hilt. She’s shaking so hard. I slide my finger behind her into her ass. She cries out. It only takes a few thrusts for her to come again.

  “How do you do this to me?” she cries as I continue to thrust into her and play with her clit. When she comes a third time I kiss her and slide out. We have forever to do this. I don’t want to wear her out. I stand and extend my arm. She takes it, shaking a lot. I hold her until she gets her strength back.

  “I got it. I got it,” she grumbles after she regains balance. “I’ve been fucked before.”

  I can’t help it. I throw my head back and laugh. “Not like that.”

  “Not like that,” she agrees miserably.

  We both go to the bathroom and clean up. As I'm getting ready to “work”, aka raise hell and steal power, I turn back to her.

  “This is the part where I'm gonna tell you not to leave me.”

  “This is the part where I'm gonna dare you to stop me.”

  And, well, I can only admire her bravado.

  “Alright babe,” I wink. “See you this evening.”

  Then I make sure to lock her in there.

  I walk down the halls of the building. Once upon a time, before Lacey, Bosses room was the most off-limits place in the house. In the world really. No one went in there. I wouldn’t have dared. But he let Lacey in. Then Lacey was beaten and raped, because of his choices, and it has become a revolving door for doctors, nurses, therapists, psychiatrists. She has become solely his responsibility. Today, however, he had to leave the estate. There are some meetings he has to attend to close out a deal with contacts of ours. It’s just signing off the final papers and closing the deal to make sure nothing that happened at the Castello’s will fall back on us. It’s the first time he’s left the estate since he retrieved Lacey.