The Protege (10 page)

“I’m
here, Seb.  I’m here.”  She had no idea who he was calling out to in his dream,
but she wanted him to know that she was there; that someone was there with him…
for him.

He
grabbed her hand with fierce force and she let out a soft yelp of pain.  With
her free hand, she wiped his brow then gently ran her fingers through his
hair.  He immediately slackened his grasp.

“I’m
here,” she whispered.  “I won’t leave.”

 Tears
clung to his lashes as he struggled through the dream that so tormented him. 
She felt helpless for a brief moment then decided to try to wake him.  Leaning
over him, she kissed his brow and softly whispered his name.

He
stirred and groaned, but remained deep in sleep.

“Sebastian,
you're having a nightmare.  Wake up, and everything will be okay.”  Again she
kissed his brow while her fingers continued to play through his hair.

“I
want you with me,” he muttered, the desperate and fearful voice of his
nightmare now strangely husky, almost aroused.  The fingers that had clasped
around hers moved up to grab her forearm and pull her closer.

She
sat on the edge of the bed before he could break her arm, and tried to make
sense of what was happening.  He was asleep and clearly had no idea what he was
doing, but… She was awake.  She knew she should back away, but her body… her
body wanted the heat of his, wanted the touch of his fingers on her skin…
wanted him.

He
pulled her closer, murmuring incoherently as he did so.  His breath warmed her
face and the longing to kiss him became unbearable.  For a long, torturous
moment, her lips hovered over his.  It would be so easy, so delicious… just one
small kiss… just one taste of his…

As
she battled with her lustful desires, Sebastian brought his free hand to the
small of her back and pressed her to him.  A shockwave of heated intensity
coursed through her, enveloped her and she felt powerless to stop her
reaction.  She leaned in closer, inhaling his breath.  Her lips parted and she
closed her eyes.  He was all she wanted.  In that moment, he was all that
mattered.  Without a doubt, she knew she could easily do anything he asked of her. 
Her body was willing and her mind was mush.

It’d
been so long… too long… and his touch ignited a flame she’d intentionally
doused with cold water for over a year.

Her
lips brushed against his just as the sound of
Sands of Time
sounded in
the earpiece that lay on the pillow beside Sebastian.  She pulled away,
initially startled by the powerful opening notes of the song that had so often
stirred so many emotions.

Music. 
All her energy had been put into her music, her career, her love and passion. 
Was she going to throw it all away on a fling with Sebastian Sorensen?  Despite
the painful protest of her body, she pulled away and twisted her arm out of his
grasp.

He
murmured a complaint, but remained asleep and after a few more murmurings, he
quieted down and slept peacefully.

Staring
at him, she saw her past, her present and her future flash before her.  She’d
been through so much, had worked so hard and knew more work was still to come
to get to this point in her life. “It kills me to pull away from your touch,”
she whispered.  “But I have to think of what’s best for me; not just the
instant gratification, but what’s best for my future.”

She
kissed her fingertips and touched her fingers to his lips. “You’re dangerously
sexy, Mr. Sorensen; too sexy for my own good.”

Chapter 9

T
he room was chilly and dark when Sebastian
opened his eyes. Scanning the room he tried to find familiar ground.  The past
hours were a blur of fever, headaches and punches in the stomach that pestered
his sleep and left him gripping the sheets in sweat.

His
last memory was of the fundraiser.  Serena… she’d defended him, stood up for
him.  A man of lesser self worth could have easily been insulted by her
outburst, but he’d been touched not only by the way she’d spoken to his parents,
but the words she’d said about his work.  Far from needing praise and
compliments, he’d enjoyed every word she’d said.  Something about the intensity
of her words had held more weight than the critical acclaim he’d received.

Of
course, there had also been that minor slip about how handsome and sexy he
was.  Or had that been intentional?  He grinned at the thought then, like a
shot, he sat upright and tried to remember what had happened to her.  He didn’t
remember dropping her off, didn’t remember going to her place.  She’d been with
him as they’d left the yacht and he clearly remembered her at his side when
he’d pulled over to thank her for coming to his defense.

But
then…

His
eyes, aided by the dim light that peaked around the curtains, adjusted to the darkness
and he was able to better make out his surroundings.  None of it made sense
until he realized Serena was right there beside him.

Seated
awkwardly in the small armchair she’d pulled up to the bed, her head rested on
a tiny corner of his pillow. Lost deep in sleep, her lips pouted with innocence
and sweetness. She was as lovely sleeping as she was dripping in sensuality at
the fundraiser. He’d never had a woman sleep with him overnight before. Never
even wanted that much of a commitment. Now he can see how he wanted to see
Serena sleeping like an angel like this more often. The tender thought unnerved
yet thrilled him at the same time.

Slowly
the events of the previous night came back to him; the sudden onset of nausea
and the cramps, the fever. She’d been there through triage, through the tests…
had she really been there throughout the night?

The
music. Yes, he remembered. When the nightmares and pain kept him from sleeping,
she’d found the way to calm him. Touched by her compassion, he brushed her hair
off her face. “My own family didn’t even bother coming,” he whispered.

She
stirred, and while he regretted waking her when clearly she couldn’t have slept
well throughout the night, he was nonetheless happy to see her big green eyes
looking up into his.

“You're
awake.” Serena sat up and ran her fingers through her tousled hair.

“Had
I known you’d be spending the night I would have made room for you up here,”
Sebastian said with a wicked grin while his palm patted the mattress beside
him.

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

“
A
re 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.