The Innocent (8 page)

Serena stared silently at him.

“And I’m willing to bet he’s the reason I’m at USC for the next little while.”

“I’m sorry about that.  If I’d known he go this far, I’d have ended it with you sooner.”

Sebastian gave her shoulders a frustrated shake.  “For crying out loud, Serena, how far are you going to let him go? End things with me? How about ending things with him? He has you brainwashed into thinking you can’t live without his commands. Look at you.  You're no better than a helpless puppy he can just kick around whenever he feels like it.”

“That’s out of line and you know it.”

Sebastian bit his lip and his fingers softened their hold of her shoulders. “I’m sorry.  It’s frustrating to see the way he treats you.  He drains you of all dignity.  You're just a piece of property to him, a piece of property he hardly cares about.”  He ran his fingers down the length of her arms and laced his fingers through hers.  “You're so much more to me, Serena.  You're the woman I love.  You're the woman I cherish.  You’re talented, beautiful, smart, caring, passionate, loving, and so much more than a sexual object or trophy. Don’t you want to be cherished?”

“You're wrong about Price.  He cares about me more than you can imagine, and it may surprise you to learn that he does cherish me.  You have no idea what he’s done for me, Sebastian.  I’d be nothing today if he hadn’t helped me.  I’d be dead.”

“You underestimate yourself.”

“No.”  She met his gaze with frank honesty.  “I was at the end of my rope when I met him.  He literally pulled me out of the gutter and kept me alive.  When I was strong enough, he made me a woman.  He taught me what it meant to be a woman; a woman who enjoys pleasing a man.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m sure it all seem so scandalous to someone like you, someone who grew up with plenty of food in his belly and nice clothes on his back.  I didn’t have that, and I’ll tell you, I much preferred the life of pleasing a man than starving on the streets.  Price taught me the value of my body in every way possible.  Men, so easy to entice with only the sway of my hips… they laid down hundreds of dollars just to see me take off a few pieces of clothing.  Put on a nice raunchy song, dim the lights and swing your hips as you kick off that dress and they’re putty in your hands.”

Sebastian grimaced.  “You…?”

“Danced?  Stripped?”  She chuckled though the sting of his disgust pained her. “My parents didn’t send me to private school, Sebastian.  I didn’t grow up in a privileged neighborhood lined with Porches, Jaguars and Bentleys.  I bet the biggest decision you had to make when you were fourteen was whether to have fillet mignon or lobster for dinner; whether to wear Armani or Versace; whether to go to the theater or the ballet. I had to decide whether I was going to go through the trash bin at the hamburger joint or rummage through the garbage container behind the grocery store.  I had to decide whether I was going to wear the old, ratty and worn out sneakers I’d found or go barefoot.  I’m sorry, Mr. Sorensen, if I didn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing what I could do to survive.  I just did what I
had
to do.”

Dumbfounded, Sebastian just stared at her.

“You see?”  She pointed to his face.  “That’s why I can’t be with you. That’s why I’m better off with Price.”

“What does that mean?”

“That look of disgust on your face; the disdain.  You look down at me from your high perch of million dollar morality and judge me for the choices I made.”

“That’s not true.”

“Look in the mirror, Sebastian.  Go have a look and tell me you have an expression of complete understanding and compassion for what I went through.  You can’t.  You’ll never be able to.  Our worlds are so far apart, we may as well be on different planets.”

“And your world is closer to Price’s?  To a man who has you sneaking around because you’re not allowed a moment of freedom?”

“Price knows and understands where I come from.  He knows what it’s like to be hungry.  He also knows the woman I’ve become; the Little White Lily who looks innocent and pure on the outside, but who wants it… wants it all the time, harder, rougher, louder. What I need will only make you more and more uncomfortable, Sebastian.  I appreciate the effort you brought today, but I don’t think it’ll be enough.”

“I have so much more where that came from.  You said it yourself.  You look innocent and pure, and I was reluctant to push for sex that was demanding.  Now that I know…”

“I honestly don’t think you're ready to go where Price can.”

In a moment of frustration, Sebastian backed away and raked his fingers through his hair.  “Are you honestly going to tell me that you’ve enjoyed every moment you’ve had with Price?  Are you going to tell me he hasn’t degraded you?  Look at me and tell me you like everything he does to you… everything.”

Serena gazed directly into his eyes and parted her lips to say yes, but the word stuck in her throat.  The spectacle Price had made of her the night before; in all honesty, she couldn’t say she was proud of it.  In the heat of the moment, she’d been aroused by the dozens of eyes that were mesmerized by her every movement.  It had been an invigorating fuck.  The moment it was over, however, she’d felt dirty and used.  It wasn’t a new sensation.  Price had on occasion made her feel cheap and worthless, his way of keeping her in line… but all those men.

“What is it?” Sebastian said.

“Nothing.  I have nothing more to say.  I have to go.”

“No.”  He pulled her closer.  “I might not know you the way Price does, but I saw it just then.  You did regret something, didn’t you?  What did he do to you?  What did he make you do?”

“Sebastian, please.”  She knew in her heart her refusal to tell him spoke volumes on how she felt about her actions. Price had held private shows before, performing sexual acts in front of a few close friends and colleagues. He got a high from it. On a few occasions, he’d even allowed some of them a tantalizing touch of her breast or the sublime pleasure of her hand on their painful hard on. But the prestigious men who’d been in attendance, who’d watched Price fuck her with the wanton abandon of an animal… What would they think of her when they met in different circumstances? At the ballet or symphony? Would they accept her as a budding music composer, or would they forever scorn her for being so sexually active?

Budding music composer; she almost wanted to laugh at the thought.  Who in their right mind would take her music seriously?  As she thought of the career she held so dear, a tear streamed down her face.

“What did he do, Serena?”  Sebastian’s voice was a tender hush as he ran his thumb across her cheek and swept up her tear.  “Did he force himself on you?”

“No.  He would never do that.  I wanted it, Sebastian.  I just didn’t want the whole community to witness it.”

His eyes narrowed with anger and frustration then turned away in disbelief.  “What did he do?”

She refused to come straight out and tell him she’d fucked Price in front of a crowd of wealthy and horny men.  From the look in his eyes, she knew there was no point telling him anyway.  He knew.

For a moment, she considered apologizing, or explaining; anything to wipe the look of pain and disbelief from his eyes.  She reached out for his hand, hoping to silently convey her mixed up emotions, but reached for the doorknob instead.  “I really have to…”

Before she could open the door, it swung open with such force, she fell back.

“Vince.”

Looming above her, his massive body blocking out the sunlight, Price’s bodyguard stood with his arms crossed over his imposing chest.  “There you are.”  He walked into the room, grabbed her arm and yanked her up.  “Price wasn’t too happy when he arrived early and found you weren’t at the suite.”

“I was just…”

“Yeah.”  The big man glanced at Sebastian.  “I can just imagine what you were…”

For a terrified moment, she feared he’d hurt Sebastian.

“Who’s the dashing gentleman?”

Serena seamlessly brought out her silly and ditsy girly routine.  “Really. Vince.  It’s not what it looks like.  This is my professor, Sebastian Sorensen.  It’s all really simple.  You see, I’ve had a crush on him since, like forever.  I mean really, since my very first class with him. Thing is, he’s refused my advances since day one.  Can you imagine the nerve?  I was so upset and insulted that I lured him here to seduce him.  Look at me.  Aren’t I attractive enough?”

Vince barely met her gaze. “You sure are, Miss Singleton.”

“Well, then can you believe he still refused to touch me.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I just don’t want you to think he had anything to do with all this.  I’m so embarrassed by the whole thing, you know, getting rejected and all, but, you know how I am.  I’m insatiable and I just let the flirt in me take over.  Please don’t take it out on him.”

Vince shot her a disbelieving glance then looked at Sebastian.  “I can certainly understand your attraction.  He is a looker.”

Surprised by his comment, she went on, “so you understand why I have such a crush, right?”

Standing several inches taller than Sebastian, Vince looked down at him and winked.  “I certainly didn’t have teachers like this when I was in school.”  He leaned closer to Sebastian.  “So you're not into the ladies, either.”

Serena cocked her head to the side and held back a giggle. 

“Okay, enough chatter.”  Vince tugged on Serena’s arm.  “Let’s go.”

Convinced she’d done all she could to protect Sebastian, Serena walked out of the motel room.

Vince shot a final glance at Sebastian.  “Hey, give me a call sometimes.  I’ll show you what a crush really feels like.”

Serena had never suspected Vince was gay and found the revelation amusing, though a little disturbing.  Was Price so paranoid and possessive that he deliberately hired a gay bodyguard to follow her around?  It was hard to imagine he could be that insecure about her, but as she glanced up at the big man who led her to the waiting limousine, she realized Price never really trusted her at all.

Chapter 11

“Where’s Mr. Su?” Serena said when she got to the car.

“Mr. Turnsby is having a little chat with him.”

Serena’s heart quickly lodged in her throat as she thought of the lie she’d told him. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to the older man who’d only sought to please her.  “Do you know what they’re chatting about?”

Vince opened the door and looked pointedly at Serena.  “You were supposed to go straight home.”

Clenching her jaw, she nodded.

“Price is a smart man.”

Again she nodded.

“Didn’t take him too long to put two and two together. This is the professor’s first day at the University of South California.”  He held up the index finger of one hand. “And this is the first time you're not home where you're supposed to be.”  He held up the index finger of his other hand and brought it to the side of the first finger.  “Nice story you told about having a crush on the Professor back there in the room. Even I figured out what was going on.”

Serena got in the car and Vince closed the door behind her.  She’d expected to see him walk around the long nose of the car to the driver’s seat, but he headed back to the motel room instead.

Panicked, she tried to open the car door only to find it was locked.  She pounded her palm against the window.  “Vince!” she shouted through the thick glass.  “Vince.”

He turned to her with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Where are you going?  What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry about this, Miss Singleton.  I’ll take care of everything.”

“No,” she shouted as he took forceful steps back to the room she’d shared with Sebastian.  While her heart pounded at a frightening rate, she tried to find another way out of the car.  Every door and window was locked.  She edged her way to the front of the limousine and sat immediately behind the driver’s seat.  The glass panel that separated her from the front of the car was up.  She could clearly see the key in the ignition and the driver’s door was unlocked.  “Damn it.”  She was so close, yet incapable to doing anything.

Rummaging through her purse, she found her phone and nervously punched out Laura’s number.

“Hey, little sister,” Laura said.  “I’m at USC, sitting here like a lame duck.  Where the hell are you?”

“Laura, something’s come up.”

Laura snickered.  “Yeah, that sort of thing happens when you have a little afternoon rendezvous with the hot and sexy professor.”

“No, not like that.  Laura, I’m at a motel, not far from school.”

“Oh, you are such a naughty girl.”

“Price’s bodyguard came down to get me.”

“What?  That’s impossible.”

“Damn if I know how he found me, but he did, and now I’m locked in the limousine and…”

“Where are you?”

Serena looked around for the name of the motel, but the neon sign was busted and the sign atop the office was too faded to read.  “We didn’t drive far before stopping.  It’s an old motel.  I can’t even make out the name.  It’s kind of an old, dingy green color and there’s a dead palm tree out front.”

“Wow.  Boy’s got some class.”

“No, boy was too horny to drive any further.  Laura, you have to come get me.  I think Price may have given orders to put Sebastian out of commission.  His bodyguard is in there right now and I don’t know what he’s doing, but it can’t be good.”

As she spoke, a shadow momentarily broke the light to her left.

“Laura, I gotta go.  He’s back.  I’ll call you when I get home.  Sorry for leaving you stranded.  I’ll make it up to you.”

Before Vince could open the door, she threw her phone into her purse and sat back.  She tried to regulate her breathing before knocking on the glass panel that separated her from the huge man.  The knock was feeble at best and she wondered if he’d heard her.

After a moment, he flicked the switch that lowered the panel, but Serena was no longer paying attention to that.  Her eyes were riveted to the bloodied hand on the steering wheel.

“Vince,” she said through teary eyes.  “What did you do?”