The Protege (20 page)

His
attitude toward Sebastian the night before, however, left her with more
questions than answers.

“Where
were you before I came here, Price?” she called aloud.

The
day she’d learned of Sebastian’s impending marriage to Willow, she’d called
him.  She’d needed his reassurance, his comfort… his bed.  She’d needed to wash
away the love and affection that she had grown for Sebastian. Price was the
perfect remedy. When he hadn’t answered his home phone, she’d called his mobile
phone. 

Surprised
when he’d answered, he’d been vague about his whereabouts. All he’d said was that
he was out of town.

“Out
where?” Serena now question. “Did you go to Seattle, Price? Are you the reason
Sebastian came back to Irvine so quickly?”

She
thought of Sebastian’s week in the hospital and his suspicions.

No,
she instantly thought. Price had better things to do than to poison the man
she’d had a date with. At the time their relationship had not even begun.

But
the ransacking of Sebastian’s apartment…

For
the next fifteen minutes she debated the possibilities. What did she really
know about Price?

The
remaining contents of the envelope gave her a bit more insight.  Price had
signed a contract with Sebastian’s father.  She skimmed over the documents,
astonished by the amount of money that had exchanged hands.

Once
again, she questioned Price’s motive.  The contract had been signed soon after
her initial date with Sebastian; after the week she’d spent tending to him at
the hospital.  Was it all connected?  Was it all coincidental?

“What
are you up to, Price?”

It
was hard to believe her new love and her old master were so connected; so
intertwined.

As
she continued to flip through the pages, she came upon a check list.

Most
of it consisted of business talk – takeovers, mergers, dividends and stocks. 
Toward the bottom of the last page, however, she got a glimpse of Price’s
intention.

Her
complete name was written in big block letters, Sebastian’s full name beside
it.  Where her name was highlighted in yellow, Sebastian’s name was struck out
with a thick red line.  Below it was the name of the company Sebastian’s father
had spent so many years building.

It,
too, was struck out with a thick red line.

In
the margin, scribbled with a pencil was a notation; “The Sorensens, the Brooks,
Serena Singleton.” What did it all mean? Serena knew Price had business dealings
with the Sorensens and the Brooks, but what did it have to do with her? Surely,
he wasn’t so obsessive and jealous that he would destroy anyone who got in the
way of him and Serena? Knowing Price, he can be completely devoid of emotions,
especially love, when dealing in business. Not wasting another minute, she
picked up the phone and dialed Sebastian’s number.  If he had any doubts
whatsoever about their relationship, she wanted to put them to rest right away.
She’d already toyed unnecessarily with his emotions and now she had to
completely cut the ties…to protect Sebastian, to protect the Sorensens. For all
the love and gentleness Price had shown her as her lover and even as her
master, she knew he was a powerful man who didn’t like when his property is
taken. And being a little than obsessed with her, she was and always will be
his, despite how she had left him and tried to live a life as close to normal
as she could.

She
regretted the innocent virgin she’d portrayed to Sebastian. Regretted that she
took the ruse so far with him. She couldn’t resist giving the handsome sexy
music composer a taste of his own medicine. It may seem like a trifle little
thing to him, and he must have forgotten it, but she remembered all too well
the first time she had met him. The lengths she went through to get a chance to
audition for him…taking on the identity of Lily at the private men’s club she
found out he was going to be at…Little White Lily, the sweet submissive/dom,
the innocent, a type he seemed to be drawn to, and she was a master at
portraying.

Used
to performing sexual role plays with Price, Serena delved deep into her role as
Lily, the innocent stage performer, the seductress, the angel. For weeks she
had prepared for her role as one of the performers at the private club, ready
to perform whatever sexual fantasy the prominent members of the club wanted.
She was completely into her role, mind, body, and character when she walked on
stage, beckoned for Sebastian Sorensen to come to her, and invited him to kiss
her breast on stage when her ruse was found out, and she was almost thrown out
of the club for pretending to be a performer there.

Sebastian
Sorensen was in Las Vegas, producing one of his musicals, a new one with an
edgy twist, and he was going to be visiting the nightclub with some friends. A
big fan of his music, she wanted to meet him and audition for his musical, and
the only way she thought she could meet him was at the club that night.

She
had left Price almost a year when she met Sebastian as Lily at the club. It was
disastrous, and although there was serious chemistry between them, as soon as
she opened her mouth to sing, he said she was “rough” and needed further
training in front of everyone. She was humiliated, not so much for dressing
like Little White Lily with her breasts practically hanging out in front of
other people, but for Sebastian to say her voice wasn’t good enough for his
musical. Needless to say, humiliated and ashamed, she stopped going to
auditions and gave up on trying to be a singer.

Instead,
she found her calling in composing music, channeling all the angry and hurt
feelings she had towards Sebastian Sorensen into writing music and composing,
eventually ending up in the Music Program at UC Irvine, where she found out
Sebastian Sorensen was a professor. Still stinging from his rejection in the
audition, it was the prime opportunity Serena thought to get back at his
arrogant ass, but still be able to learn from his brilliance, although she
thought he was an arrogant ass. She didn’t think it would turn out so
differently, and that she would end up falling hard for him, despite her love
for Price. Sebastian was not the arrogant man she had thought he was in the
beginning, but someone who was misunderstood, flawed with demons that she had
just began to discover. Though that innocent child still resided deep within
her, Sebastian had deserved the truth.  Though it was too late to change that,
she had the capacity to change whatever notions he still had in his head.

“Sebastian?”
she said when he picked up.

“Serena,”
he said with relief and surprise.  “I’m so happy you called.”

“Sebastian.”
She kept her tone of voice solid and strong. This wasn’t the time to fall
apart. “You left so quickly last night. I just wanted to make sure everything
was clear between us.”

“I
didn’t leave because of what I learned about you.  I don’t care about all that,
and I’m prepared to do anything you need to be happy.”

“That
won’t be necessary.”

The
silence that followed broke her heart.  More than anything she wanted to go to
him, to hold him in her arms. She wanted to tell him what was in her heart… all
of it…that she still cared for him…

“I
tried to stray from Price and I was mistaken.  I’m not ready to leave him. I’m
not ready to start anything new. It has nothing to do with you and has nothing
to do with your capacity to make me happy. I have no doubt you’d do everything
within your power, but for now…”

“Serena,
please don’t say that,” his beautiful velvet voice choke at her name.

“I
have to tell you the truth, Sebastian.  I should have told you the truth right
from the start, but…”

“It’s
not too late.”

“Sebastian,
there’s so much more you still don’t know.” While he’d had a glimpse of the
woman she’d become under Price’s thumb, he didn’t really know the extent of her
relationship with her master.  Considering her brief liaison with Sebastian,
she doubted he’d be able to take in all that encompassed that aspect of her
relationship with Price. She was his, and there was no escaping that bond. If
he was a vampire, she would be his sire. Like a protégé. It was emotional,
psychological, physical, and encompass everything she knew. She couldn’t escape
it. Price was a part of her. Now she knew.

“I
don’t care,” he persisted. “I want to know more.  I want to know all that you
are, all that you’ve been through. Don’t underestimate my capacity to
understand and accept it all.” He paused, “I want to help you, whatever
emotional hold he has on you, I want to break it. I want you to be able to
stand on your own two feet and make your own decisions in life without being
indebted to or under the influence of someone else. That’s why I wanted you so
much. I saw the potential in you, Serena. I saw the fire in you, the drive and
desire. You can be set free. And all I want to do…all I can think about doing,
Serena, is helping you reach that potential.”

Serena
felt her heart sink. She could hear Sebastian’s shoulders slumping, hear how
much he wanted to reach out to touch her to hold her through the phone…to give
her strength. But she had to do this. She had to go back to Price, to keep
Sebastian and everyone close to him safe.

“Like
I said, it has nothing to do with you, Sebastian.  My relationship with Price
is what I need now. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry I allowed
you to become involved with me at all. I’d have never thought we’d…”

“I
don’t believe you.”

Serena
swallowed the ball of guilt and pain that crammed her throat.

“I
am what I am, and I need a man like Price, who understands me. I’m sorry,
Sebastian, but I’ve toyed with you enough, and now I just want to set the
record straight. There’s nothing between us. We’ve both had our fun, and now
it’s time to move on.”

Sebastian’s
beautiful voice was hoarse. “Is that what you really want, Serena? Did our time
together mean nothing to you?”

“Nothing,
Sebastian. I’m not the innocent protégé you think I am…”

“But…”
Sebastian said very softly. “It doesn’t matter. I love you.”

Her
heart jumped into her throat, and she couldn’t say anything back to him. She
hung up just as tears streamed down her cheeks. It was for his own good, she
argued. Price would go too far to keep Sebastian out of her life, and she had
to save him now while she could.

She’d
played subordinate to her master long enough and he’d taught her everything
that made up who she was.

Now
it was time for her to become the master.

Epilogue

S
erena walked out of Price’s penthouse, rode
down the elevators to the lobby and walked pass the massive glass and chrome
double doors leading outside to the little café around the corner. Serena was
dressed in leggings, sandals, and one of Price’s cashmere v-neck sweaters that
smelled like musk and vanilla, like Price himself. She loved wearing his
shirts, although they were much too large on her. With one of Price’s leather
belts, she ran it around her waist a couple of times before cinching it. She
looked presentable enough, and since this was Southern California, no one would
care if she was dressed differently.

She
walked into the café and spotted the guy dressed down in a grey UC Irvine
sweatshirt, dark jeans, and a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes.
Before heading over to him, she looked around, making sure no one was looking.
As she got closer to the man, she couldn’t help but smile.

Those
piercing blue eyes peered lovingly out at her from under the cap. Even hidden
under a cap, they shone like sapphires. Serena felt herself getting warm as she
sat down next to the guy with the cap.

She
didn’t look at him when she said, “You look nice.”

“So
do you,” the guy said taking her all in from head to toe.  He leaned in closer
to Serena until their shoulders were touching and took her hand, entwining his
fingers into hers. “I miss you.”

Serena
sighed. She wanted to melt into him, rest her head on his broad shoulders while
he held her. It had been a few days since she last saw him.

“Thank
you for agreeing to see me,” he said.

Serena
took a shaky breath before saying. “I wanted to warn you and your family. I had
to…”

“I
thought you didn’t care what happens to me,” he said softly into her ears,
tickling them so slightly like a gentle caress.

“That
was because I wanted to protect you, especially in front of him.”

The
guy chuckled. “Good old…The Name That Should Not Be Spoken.”

“He’s
still my master, and I’ve agreed to be with him,” Serena said.

“It
doesn’t have to be that way, Serena. You’re your own person, not whatever he
wants you to be.”

“But
he’s definitely more than obsessed with me. I don’t know for sure, but I
suspect he had something to do with you getting sick at the dinner, amongst
other things.”

“Then
I have him to thank for bringing us closer together.” He pulled Serena close
enough that she was nearly sitting on his thighs. He bent down and kissed her
neck.”

“Sebastian…”
Serena wanted to jump into his arms.

“Let’s
get out of here and go to my place, Serena. I miss you. You have no idea.”

He
stood up, bringing Serena to him. As soon as they rounded the corner, Sebastian
pulled Serena into his arms, while kissing her with as much passion as he can.

When
they finally broke apart, they were breathless and staring at each other.

“I
take it that you forgave me for not telling you about my hang ups,” Serena
said.

“As
long as you’re in my arms now, that’s all that matters,” Sebastian led her to
his Roadster, opened the passenger seat and helped her in before sliding into
the driver’s seat next to her.