Rose of Thorne (19 page)

Sebastian

Just a little after 7 am, I reach my office floor and I am relieved that no other employees have come in early. As I make my way to my office, I can’t bring myself to look at her desk. I have to act professional and put my personal feelings aside if I ever expect to be able to work around her. I just lost control for a while when it came to her and now I get my head back in the game.

When I reach my
office, I turn on my light and toss my case on the nearby couch. It is then that I see it. Amongst the folders on my desk, a white envelope sits with my name written in a very familiar handwriting. She has even propped it up against the Christmas gift that I never opened.

FUCK! FUCK!
FUCK! I can only imagine what she must have been thinking when she noticed that.

With trembling
hands, I open the envelope and read the short letter enclosed.

Mr. Thorne,

Please accept my resignation effective immediately from Thorne Enterprises. While I appreciate the opportunity you have given me, l feel it is in my best interest to no longer pursue the internship program here at your company.

Skylar Rose

Resignation? She can’t fucking quit… she won’t graduate…. she can’t do this! I won’t let her do this! Over and over again, I try calling her number, but it keeps going to voicemail. I curse and throw my phone against the wall behind me and watch as it shatters into a million pieces.

I hate it…
I hate myself… I hate every fucking thing and person right now. This is what happens when you choose to love someone. They leave you alone and hurting.

Well,
fuck them! Fuck everyone!

I pick up the gift and toss
it on the floor. When I hear glass shatter my heart seems to shatter along with it. I crumple down on my office floor and open the box. My eyes can’t believe what they see.

There in the torn bo
x is a small, charcoaled drawing of a boy holding his mother’s hand as they walk around a large duck pond. It is as if she has taken that memory out of my head and sketched it to perfection. How has she done that from the one memory I shared with her so many months ago. I look down at the signature on the bottom right side of the picture and I realize immediately that she had drawn this herself. On the bottom of the now broken frame are the words
Forever Love
etched in the silver plating. I hold the gift to my chest and feel the unfamiliar wetness on my cheeks. I don’t think I have ever hurt so badly in my entire life.

The week after her resi
gnation proves to be more than difficult than I ever could have imagined. I choose not to tell Mr. Yung about Skylar’s resignation when he teleconferenced me earlier this afternoon. I will deal with him when I have to, but right now, I am still trying to figure a way around this mess that she has left me in. I have also not spoken to anyone at the university about her resignation letter. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that she gets credit for the internship and graduates as scheduled.

It
is late Friday afternoon when my cousin Nikolas phones me at the office.

“Yo
, cuz. It’s been a while!” he shouts into the phone.

“Yes, it has been a while.
How is L.A. treating you, Nik…, or better yet, how are you treating L.A.?” I reply sarcastically. Nikolas is quite the party guy, but he is also brilliant in his restaurant business.

“Oh man, the ladies need a break from
me here. I’ve seem to have worn them all out,” he jokes. I roll my eyes at his arrogance.

“Listen man, I’m
flying out in the morning for business there in Austin. Thought you might want to hit a club or something. I am craving some Texas women in my bed. They really know how to ride their cowboys out there,” he laughs.

“Well
, Nik, it’s good to know you haven’t let L.A. change you. Yeah, I’m free tomorrow night. Say 9? Just meet me over at my place and we’ll head from there.”

“Sounds good
, bro. See you tomorrow night!” Nikolas adds before hanging up.

Maybe this
is my saving grace after all. Nikolas is right. There is something spectacular about Texas women, and I am set to fuck one out of my brain tomorrow night.

Skylar

Clubbing is not my scene for many different reasons. I mean, dancing was my life at one time, but as much as I love to dance, the idea of being grinded on by a complete stranger does not appeal to me in any way. I rarely go out with friends, or on dates since I am always working or in school. Kylie has been begging me for a week to go out with her since it is her birthday weekend and I finally give in. I really do need to get out because I have been pining over Sebastian for long enough.

Kylie
is going to swing by here and pick me up in about an hour so I take a long shower and add some more curls to my hair. Still in my bra and panties, I step into my closet to begin the awful task of finding something to wear. It doesn’t seem that someone my age would have any problems finding something to wear to a club, but for me it is quite difficult. I decide on my favorite black pants, a cute red top and pair it with my favorite black sandals. It is the best I can do and I feel like I look decent. About twenty minutes later my doorbell rings and I hear Kylie open the door and let herself in. She runs up the stairs to my bedroom and instantly freezes when she sees me.

“UN HUH!
OH HELL FUCKING NO! There is no fucking way you are going with me fucking anywhere looking like that! You look like you are going to a fucking PTA meeting for shit sake Sky!” she shouts.

Gosh, this girl sure d
oes say the word fuck a lot. Good grief!

“Which is exactly why
you are so damn lucky that your friend brought you a little something to wear tonight,” she says as she pulls out a bag from behind her back.

“Just call it a little pick me up present…
maybe you’ll even get picked up tonight,” she teases.

Or at least I think she
is teasing. You never know with her.

She holds up
a tiny scrap of metallic material and wiggles her eyebrows up and down.

“OH NO! There is no way you are getting m
e in that. No... absolutely NOT!”

“What?
It’s just a dress, Skylar! Come on, at least try it on before you trash the damn thing,” she argues with me.

I grab
the dress from her and roll my eyes.

If it weren’t her
birthday, I would kill her right now with my bare hands.

I pull
off my clothes and slip the dress over my head. The dress comes way above my knees and I keep tugging at the fabric as if that is going to make the dress a bit longer. Looking at myself in the mirror, I cringe at my reflection. I am a bit bustier than Kylie is, but the dress seems to grab all my curves perfectly. It is a short, copper, and black one shoulder dress with a huge cutout in the back.

“You look fucking hot!
Yep, you are so wearing that tonight!” Before I can argue, she has me stepping into the silver Jimmy Choos that Lucas had bought me. After she is satisfied with my appearance, we leave and make our way to the club.

“Tonight we are so getting free drinks and you
... YOU... are going to have fun! Do you understand me? You never let loose and it’s time you did tonight. You need to get that asshole off your mind! This club is full of hot men to make you forget. So let them!” I roll my eyes and she catches me and shakes her finger at me.

“Now, no
w, this is MY birthday weekend, and there will be NO eye rolling! My rules. MY NIGHT. Got it? Trust me, babe, men will be eating out of your palm.” I roll my eyes at her again once her back is to me and she yells over her shoulder, “I fucking saw that!”

Yep
... it may be her birthday tonight… but tomorrow I am gonna kill her.

Sebastian

Bass music is pumping loudly in the club and sweaty bodies are slamming and grinding against each other on the dance floor below. This place is so fucking loud and crowded that I don’t know how anyone can breathe, let alone think in here. I tend to stay upstairs in the VIP area when I come here for privacy reasons. I have never had any problems finding a girl, but a drunken skank in a tight number just doesn’t do anything for me. As I lean against the bar, I scan the room for a more suitable fuck.

M
y cousin Nik is a clubber, and he convinced me to come with him here tonight. Right now, I can see him downstairs grinding up against some blonde’s ass. Knowing him, he will probably try to hit that in the bathroom and still pick another one to bring home tonight. I finish off my cranberry drink and wait for the bartender to pour me another. A hot leggy red head is making eyes at me from across the bar. She is currently draped across the lap of an older man who is busy talking to a friend sitting next to him. She licks her lips and smiles seductively at me from behind the man’s shoulder.

Hmm
... not bad!

“Fuck dude, she is totally eye fucking you!
” Nikolas catches my attention as I turned to face him. “Yeah, well, maybe she’s not my type.”

“Not your type?
Who are you and what the hell have you done with my cousin? I wasn’t aware your dick had a type now?” he throws his head back and laughs hard.

Yeah, its got a
type… Its type is Skylar Rose.

“Fuck off
, Nik,” I say while shoving him back. “By the way, where is the blonde skank you were hunching on?”

“Some friends of hers came in. She will be back up
here in a bit.”

Great, I just can’t wait.
Concentrate Thorne; just find you a girl and leave.

Nik and I make our way to the glass tables that
sit overlooking the entire club. He turns up his whiskey and scans the crowd already looking for his next conquest. The music changes and is almost deafening, but I still manage to hear him let out a long gasp followed by an extremely loud whistle.

“HOLY SHIT
, man! I think I am in love! I mean, FUCKING WHOA! Check her out, dude! I am so blowing off blondie for a chance with that! Oh, and it looks like she’s got a smoking hot friend with her, cuz! One for me and one for you.”

Curiosity ha
s gotten the better of me, so I turn to look down on to the crowded dance floor.

“Copper dress
, killer legs, and tits made from Heaven above. Sweet Jesus!” Nik seductively describes the girl.

My eyes land on her before he even finishe
s describing her. My heart completely stops, and I struggle to breathe. I have never seen anything, I mean ANYTHING, more fucking beautiful in all of my life, EVER. Her copper and black dress sparkles in the club lights and her long dark curls cascade down her back.

I am going to kill those guys if they don
’t stop looking at her that way! Fuck! I’m going to kill Nik if he doesn’t stop eye fucking her!

“Sebastian! Pull your mouth up off the floor and watch thi
s man in action,” Nik says arrogantly.

T
here is no way in hell that I am going to let him close to Skylar. He may be my first cousin, but I am more than willing to beat the living shit out of him right here in this club.

“Hold on
, man, what about your girl heading this way?” I say. I am relieved that the blonde is heading towards us.

“
DAMN IT!” he moans as she moves closer to us.

“Hey baby, ready to h
it the dance floor some more?” She purrs in his ear.

“Yeah…
um... sure,” he replies before making a desperate face back at me. As they make their way downstairs, he turns and practically begs me to rescue him.

I
am so letting the slick bastard sweat this one out all on his own.
There is no way in fucking hell that I am giving him an out card to get anywhere near Skylar.
Speaking of Skylar,
she never comes to places like this. Why is she here tonight
?

I look back downstairs and frantically scan the room for her.

It takes me less than two seconds to spot her beautiful body by the bar. Men ogling for her attention surround her. She is completely oblivious to her stunning beauty, and I love that about her. Women I have known who were half as beautiful as her have used it to their advantage, but not my Skylar. She has an elegance and sophistication about her that radiates beauty from within. I can’t tell you how incredibly sexy and rare that is in itself.

I recognize the girl shoving the
drink in her hand as her best friend Kylie. They both turn up the shots in their hands and place the glasses back on the bar. Kylie smiles at her and pushes her way through the men surrounding them as she pulls Skylar on to the dance floor. I am completely mesmerized by her as I watch her sinful body begin to dance. I could stare at her all damn day!

Underneath the colorful light display
, her flawless skin glows like an angel. The familiar sounds of Rihanna & David Guetta’s
Who’s That Chick
blares through the club. I am so glad I am standing against the large railing because my dick has certainly come to full and complete attention watching her grind up against her best friend. I cannot keep my eyes off of her as she sways her luscious hips in perfect time to the music.

In an effort to cool
herself, she raises her thick wavy hair and places it on top of her head. I can almost see those delicious beads of sweat form on the back of her neck from all the way upstairs. My breath hitches as I watch those glossy waves slowly drop and spill down her back. If ever I needed a drink it is right now, but there is no way I am giving up my sobriety, no matter how desperate I am to try to forget her.

Holy shit
, I still want her so bad it hurts.

I
am gathering my courage to go talk to her when suddenly a tall guy approaches her from behind. Skylar is still dancing with her eyes closed and doesn’t see him coming. He slowly moves into her and grips her voluptuous hips while pulling her firmly against him. She is startled at first, but begins to move with him to the beat. I see him lean in to whisper something in her ear, and she smiles that fucking smile that always stops my heart every time. I can feel the unfamiliar jealousy soar through my body.

I want to rip this guy’s head off his body
.
She. is. mine!

Skylar

Thanks to the shot of tequila earlier, I am finally letting loose and having a good time. The crowd that once used to bother me now seems to all fade away as I dance to the music. Kylie and I are laughing and grinding together on the dance floor. I am so glad that she pulled me out of my dungeon tonight and convinced me to have some fun. A guy pulls her into him and she immediately begins rubbing her ass against his front.

Shit
, she can be such a tramp sometimes.

A few moments
later, I feel myself pulled back into someone. When I turn, I see a really cute brown headed guy smiling back at me. He places his hands on the sides of my hips and for the next few songs, we dance to the pumping bass music. When the song we are dancing to ends, the guy asks me if I want him to get me anything from the bar. Knowing that is never a good idea to let a strange guy bring me a drink, I politely decline and he indicates that he will be right back. I nod back at him and continue listening to the DJ change tracks again.

Suddenly, I feel two hands inch around my waist
… two very familiar hands. I don’t have to turn around to see whom it is because I can smell his spicy cologne in the air. The energy between his body and mine surges like an uncontrollable wildfire throughout every nerve ending that exists in my body. He pulls me back into him and I can’t help it… I let him. Something about his embrace makes me forget everything that has happened this past week and right now, I need him.

Sweat pours off my body as our bodies grind into one
another in perfectly synced harmony. With each move of our hips, I can feel the desperation inside me to be with him and I can feel his desire through the denim of his jeans. Gently, he lifts my damp curls up off of my back and starts blowing to help cool off my neck. Sebastian thinks he is cooling me off, but truthfully, his breath is like liquid fire against my skin.

“Can I get you something to dr
ink?” he asks in my ear, loud enough for me to hear him over the music.

“Yeah, sure.
Ummm, a raspberry margarita, please,” I answer, and he leaves us to get our drinks.

Reality sets in as I stand there alone on the dance floor.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING SKYLAR?
YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HIM! NOW!

I realize
that I should have never come tonight. This is wrong and he knows it. I know it! I can’t allow whatever this is between us to continue because I am not ready to be around him yet.

I’ve got to find Kylie and get out of here, now!

J
ust as I begin walking towards Kylie, brown hair guy returns and pulls me back on the dance floor. He’s really cute, and I had fun dancing with him earlier, but I need to get some air and QUICK! He wraps his arms around my waist and turns me to face him. He playfully twists my waist with his hands to urge me to dance with him, and I smile back at him. All of the sudden, Sebastian is ripping the guy’s hands off the sides of my hips, and I feel the cold drink splash down the front of my copper dress. Everything around me seems to be in slow motion, while I stand there trying to process what the hell is going on.

“Dude! WHAT THE FUCK!”
Brown haired guy blasts at Sebastian. That simply sets him off, and I watch in horror as Sebastian slams his fist in the guy’s face, making him stagger backwards. Despite the full on brawl going on in their midst, the mass of people around us continue dancing.

I guess
this must be a common occurrence here.

He shoves him back
, and brown haired guy slams his fist into Sebastian’s stomach. I am paralyzed… to afraid to watch... to afraid to move. Kylie makes her way to me and puts her arm around mine as we watch the horrific scene play out before us.

Within seconds
, Sebastian has brown haired guy on the ground and is straddling him. He grips his shirt and snarls down at him.