The Protege (4 page)

In
her mid-forties, Olivia was a beautiful woman who knew it all too well.  The
more he’d come to know her, the more her beauty had been marred by her vanity.
She had a body many twenty year olds would envy, but she was far from what
Sebastian had in mind as a lover. Her aggressive nature turned him off and he’d
taken to avoiding her whenever possible.  Fundraisers such as the ones his
mother had planned made it virtually impossible.

As
he set his suit on the bed, he had to admit Olivia had at least proven to be
talented as far as décor was concerned.  Between attempts to get into his bed,
she’d managed to do a decent job. His room was elegant yet simple and
masculine. The neutral colors, taupe, black and brown, suited his mood. The
heavy oak furniture lacked the flourished carvings his mother was so fond of. 
It was streamlined and simple, just as he liked it. 

After
a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table, he hurried into the shower. 
He would have preferred a long lingering shower, the kind that erased the
pressures of the day; the kind that left his mind roaming to new melodies, new
harmonies and breathtaking crescendos.  Instead, he lathered up and rinsed off
in record time. 

Patting
his skin dry, he gazed in the mirror. He looked decent, he thought, though his
mother would probably remind him again of his need to get a haircut.  She’d
never understood why he’d allowed his hair to flow down to his shoulders. As he
turned to look sidelong at his reflection, he could easily see the arrogant
gleam in his eye; the one that’d left him with a reputation for being as
arrogant as he looked.  Shrugging off the opinion of those he cared little for,
he shaved and slapped on a little after shave. This was a large-scale
fundraiser after all.

Back
in his bedroom he slowly and meticulously put on the articles of clothing that
made up the elegant suit he’d chosen. Standing tall and proud, he admired his
reflection in the mirror and once again thought of Serena.

How
would she look on his arm?

As
they’d stood face to face in his office, he’d noticed her height.  With heels
she’d almost be eye to eye with him.  Would she wear her long hair up?  Or
would it be wild and flowing?

Judging
from the way she looked today in his office, bedraggled, uptight, and plainly
dressed; he wasn’t sure if she was the right choice. Could she pull off looking
like someone everyone expected him to be dating, versus the coolly beautiful
Willow? Either way, he just hoped he wouldn’t regret bringing someone so simple
and plain spoken to such an elegant soiree.  As sweet and innocent as she was,
she could easily be swallowed up by the cougars, prowlers and vipers who so
deceptively dressed in satin and silk, and dripped with rubies and diamonds.

Then
again, Serena did prove to have complete disregard for rules.  She had no
concept of the order of things. Maybe she’d be the one showing those old
cougars a thing or two.  He laughed as he hustled to the kitchen and grabbed
his car keys.  Serena had dared refuse him.  Perhaps she had more bite than she
let on.

Out
of the corner of his eye he spotted the vase filled with luscious red roses.

Perfect,
he thought as he reached out to pluck one out.

“Thanks,
Becky,” he said.  His housekeeper insisted on bringing in fresh flowers and
while he’d often found them frivolous, he had to admit they added something
warm to his home.  And tonight, one would add a touch of romance to this last
minute dating arrangement.

The
bad mood that’d sat on his shoulders since receiving his mother’s invitation
slowly dissipated as he took the elevator back down to the parking lot.  He
realized now that far beyond the annoyance of his mother’s constant stream of
fundraisers, luncheons, banquets and balls, it was the company she kept that
truly grated his nerves.

Olivia
would be there and she’d used every seductive tactic in the book to try to get
into his pants.  Other mothers in attendance would try to set him up with their
daughters; aunts with their nieces.  He knew being a bachelor left him open to
so many advances, but he wished everyone would just understand his need to be
free of any entanglements at the moment. He had his career to think about and
his lifestyle. He enjoyed getting and receiving sexual gratification from
partners mutually seeking a purely physical relationship like that, and he
wasn’t about to give that up to be tied down in matrimony to a woman like
Willow or Olivia.

Getting
into his Roadster, he felt that need for freedom. The leather seat hugged him
without suffocating him. The steering wheel yielded to his every command
without complaint. The stick shift maneuvered the car as he willed it and
didn’t argue. And… the motor purred, not whined.

A
willing body to have sex with; that was easy.  Eager students, faculty members,
starry-eyed young singers who performed in his musicals; they all wanted him.
They all wanted a part of him.  They all wanted the possibilities he could
offer them; advancement in their career. Something from him, even pure sexual
pleasure. Sometimes he was willing to give it, but since a year ago when he
stumbled into a situation where it almost ended badly, he had been more
careful. He never ever wanted to hurt anyone, feelings or physically. It was a line
he would never cross and felt strongly other men should never cross, too.

He
put the car into gear and gunned it once he reached the freeway. His eagerness
to see Serena suddenly sent a shot of blood rushing between his thighs. Just
curious, he said to himself. That tight pencil skirt and buttoned up shirt had
been a severe way of hiding the woman she was.  And that hair.  He laughed as
the image of her came to his mind.  Who wore such a tight and demure chignon
these days?  Not even his mother. What was Serena hiding? Was she hiding
anything at all or she simply had a wall built up to shelter her from getting
hurt. Who had hurt her before where she would withdraw into herself like that?

“Now
let’s see what you're really made of, Miss Singleton.”

Chapter 4

S
ebastian parked his car in the underground
garage and took the elevator to the twelfth floor.  The fact that she lived in
an apartment complex that was not typically occupied by students was a relief. 
Though he wasn’t officially dating her, he still didn’t want any
misunderstanding to compromise his reputation at the university.

As
the elevator doors slid open, he let out a long, low whistle. “Pretty
impressive for a mere student.”

Though
not as opulent as the building he lived in, it was nonetheless tastefully
decorated and offered an aura of tranquility with a dash of luxury.

The
carpeting was obviously new, still plush and thick.  The walls boasted a
handsome grouping of paintings, a few of which he could easily envision in his
own home. Serena Singleton had exquisite taste, unlike many graduate students
and women he’d known.

As
meek and mild as Serena had seemed, she obviously had her life more in order
than many young women her age. This building was not the typical starving
student abode.  Perhaps over the course of the evening he’d find out how she
managed to afford living in such a building. Rich parents, or maybe several
roommates.

With
his rose held up before him, he brought his finger to the doorbell, but before
he could even ring, the door open.

“Hello,
Professor.”

For
a speechless moment, he stared at her, his blood rushing downward to the part
of his body that was suddenly hardening. If there was ever a dress that can be
an aphrodisiac, the one Serena was wearing now, had to be it. He wanted to grab
her, flip up her dress, and take her from behind while grabbing her beautiful
hand-filling breasts with both hands as leverage. The image of this, made him
catch his breath. It was so sudden and unexpected, hitting him like a brick. He
had to have this woman whether tonight or tomorrow, but his mind and dick won’t
rest until he knows how it feels to be in her and to hear her moan out his name
in pure ecstasy.

“Professor?”

Sebastian
licked his lips, backed up, looked down toward one end of the hall then the
other.  He looked up at the number beside her door and looked back at her. “I
think I must have the wrong place,” he joked, trying to regain his composure.

Serena
let out a tickled giggle. “It’s me, Professor.”

“Please.”
He slapped his palm to his forehead.  “Stop calling me Professor, Serena. We’re
going to dinner, and we have to at least act like we know each other. It’s
Sebastian… at least for tonight.”

“Fine,
Sebastian.  Is that for me?” Serena asked as she reached out for the single
rose.

“No,”
he said as he pulled it out of her reach.  “It’s for my mom.”

A
lovely flush of pink colored her cheeks as she held her hand aloft.  “Oh.”

“You’re
as gullible as you are lovely.” He handed her the rose. “Of course, it’s for
you.”

Taking
the rose, she gave a megawatt smile that lit up her entire face, making her
radiant and almost ethereally beautiful. Sebastian was speechless for a second
time. What was going on? No one’s ever affected him this way before, especially
not a student who was seeking him out as an adviser. He’d better put a lid on
this lustful attraction or he’d really start to care about people and
entanglements.

“I
admit a part of me regretted our impromptu date.” Sebastian’s gaze roamed over
her shoulders and dipped down into the curve of her waist and lingered on her
breasts and cleavage before returning to her face.  “I mean, you arrived at my
office so… well, you looked like something the cat wouldn’t even bother
dragging in.”

“Well
gee, thank you, Prof… Sebastian. I needed that little pick me up. Now I feel so
much better about myself.” Serena made a face.

“Well,
here comes the pick me up. You clean up like no other woman I’ve ever seen
before.” Sebastian licked his lips. “You’re quite lovely, exquisitely beautiful
even…why I haven’t noticed that lovely green shade of your eyes before…”

“Yeah,”
Serena said, completely unmoved by the compliment. “Well, considering how low I
apparently scored on our first meeting, seems I had a lot of room for
improvement.” After an awkward moment of silence, she added, “You clean up
pretty nice, too.”

Careful
not to ogle, Sebastian took in the shimmering garment that clung to every
gentle curve of her body.  He’d barely heard a word she’d said as he took in
every delicious inch of her. His hot eyes ignited her body, and he can see her
get aroused, her nipples hardening under her thin gown. She’d opted to wear her
long, dark hair free and flowing, and the effect was captivating. Shining like
silk, the soft waves offered brilliant glimpses of copper.  Her lips, glossed
and luscious, beckoned him and he deeply regretted the boorish party that
awaited them.  At this very moment, he’d have easily accepted her invitation to
sip a quiet glass of wine with her or better yet, from her body as he would
pour wine into her navel and sip from it, as they became better acquainted.

He
leaned in close… closer.  Her perfume was delicate and sweet.  He licked his
lips, wanting to touch his hot tongue on her skin, his burning lips to hers.

“You
like the dress I found?” Serena backed away, smiling as her eyes widened with
surprise.

“Um,
yes.  Very… suitable.  Your friend has lovely taste.”  She’d refused him, he
noted.

“Yeah,
and great shoes, too.”  She pinched the skirt of her gown and jacked it up a
few inches to show her feet.

The
sparkling gem-encrusted sandals could have looked gaudy, and probably would
have on anyone else, but they looked stylish and perfect under Serena’s toned
and tanned legs, legs he’d like to run his hands over inch by delicious inch,
and inner thighs he’d like to nibble and lick his way over to more intimate
areas.

“You’re
going to give the ladies quite a run for their money with those, and your
legs.”

“I’m
happy you like it. I admit, I initially regretted our little impromptu date,
too.  The moment I left your office, I was like, what did I get myself into? 
But, well, I think all this dressing up could be fun.”

Sebastian
offered his arm. Yes, fun. “Then, shall we?” 

She
slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and the mere touch of her hand
against his sent an unexpected thrill through him, making him harder. “I think
I’m going to enjoy this evening far more than I’d anticipated.”

“Me,
too,” Serena said with a smile.

Chapter 5

W
ith an expert hand, Sebastian drove the
Roadster toward the coast.  Serena’s apprehension and uncertainty quickly gave
way to a surprisingly serene sense of calm and belonging as Sebastian eased the
car out of Costa Mesa then out of traffic and onto the scenic road that led to
the dock.

Serena
gazed out at the Pacific.  The setting sun painted a glorious picture and she
wondered if she’d ever tire of the beautiful sunsets the California coast
offered. She turned and brought her attention back to Sebastian. He wasn’t half
bad to look at either.  “Where d’you learn to drive like that?” she asked.

“Like
what?” he said with a pleased and boyish grin.

“You
drive fast, almost dangerously so, yet there’s something smooth and sleek in
every move you make. I feel like you're in complete control at all times.”

“That
I am.” He shot her a knowing glance. “Actually, I learned to drive in
Switzerland.  Plenty of curves to keep a boy happy.” He smiled wickedly.

“You
lived in Switzerland?”

“Born
there.”