Roses & Thorns: Box Set Read online

  “How are the men Rose?”

  “Good.”

  She’s lying. It’s obvious. The older woman narrows her eyes.

  “Rose…”

  “I mean I just met them!” she quickly defends.

  The older woman narrows her gaze. “And Sven?” she says so quietly I almost don’t hear her.

  They must have lost track of time, not realizing this is a free hour for us to roam around. I plaster myself against the wall. I know how to spy without getting caught, and in this case, I don’t want to get caught.

  “He’s fine. I… I mean, again, I just met him.”

  “You sure you’re okay with this Rose?”

  Okay, this is about more than me being a criminal. I'm dying of curiosity now. I will find out everything about her before I leave. I know how to break a person ten ways from tomorrow. The fun part, the challenge, is I won’t hurt her body. Not with pain anyway. My heart beats faster and my cock swells. Other than my main goal to become boss, this is the most excited I can remember feeling about a job. A goal.

  “Please Kristy. Don’t ask me again. You know I love you, but it offends me. I’ve worked hard to earn my spot ahead tech of this unit. I can handle it. This is everything to me. I’ll tell you if I can’t handle it for some reason.”

  Oh, no she wouldn’t.

  “Okay sweetheart.”

  She taps her shoulder. Shit, they are leaving! I quietly scamper off and turn into the hall I know she’ll be walking down. She’ll come to see us guys. I'm sure of it. I hear her footsteps against the tile. She walks so loud. Clearly, she’s not worried about danger. I’ll change that. I'm always ready for attack. Always quiet. Always.

  She gasps loudly and flies back when she sees me. “Sven,” she squeals, throwing her hand over her heart, “you scared me.”

  Scared or scare Little Rose?

  “Sorry Rose.”

  “It’s… it’s alright.” She shakes her head several times. “Are… are you excited to start your groups tomorrow?”

  This little bitch…

  “My favorite is DBT. It’s dialectical behavior therapy. It’s so amazing and a lot of the girls find it super helpful and, wow yeah, CBT is incredible too. You’ll love it. Kristy also teaches a group on grief that is amazing and…”

  Oh, my God, this girl isn’t fucking with me. She really cares about this shit that much. I cut her off.

  “Why aren’t you a therapist?”

  She jerks back. “What?”

  “Do you have your degree?”

  I lean against the wall and cross my arms over my chest. I see her gaze flicker down to my unbuttoned top button. She quickly looks away. I slow smile spreads across my face.

  “Uh, no. I have my associates. How about you Mr. Xander?”

  I look her up and down, purposely. She tries to stand tall, stay professional, but I notice her small step back.

  “Waste of time.”

  “I think it depends on your goals.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Rose!” the older lady calls.

  Rose jumps and turns to her. The older lady looks at her, then me.

  “Oh hello, Mr. Xander. I'm Kristy. I'm the head therapist in the woman’s unit and co-owner of the facility here. If you need anything, feel free to ask. Ten minutes left of free time. Just so you know.”

  So, this is the hard ass I have to suck up to. Rose is the one I fuck with. Kristy is the one I kiss up too. Noted. Right now it looks like I’ll get to simultaneously fuck with Rose and suck up to Kristy in one. Perfect.

  “Nice to meet you, Kristy.”

  I extend my hand and act as polite as possible. I see Rose furrow her eyebrows. Kristy finishes shaking my hand and looks at Rose.

  “You can go. It’s 5:10,” she mumbles, with a hint of warning.

  “Oh right,” Rose jumps. “I'm just going to say bye to the rest of the guys. Okay?”

  I see Kristy wants to say no, but Rose looks so eager and so fucking cute, she can’t.

  “Fine. Five minutes Rose,” she sighs. Rose scatters. When she gets to the end of the hall she turns back.

  “See you tomorrow Mr. Xander.” Her tone is so serious I almost want to laugh.

  “Sven.”

  She nods and runs off. I turn my gaze back to Kristy. Kristy looks me up and down. Oh, she’s protective of Rose. She knows I'm fucking with her, but can’t prove it. And professionally she can’t say anything. I can smell her struggle, taste the words on her tongue.

  “Nice to meet you. I better get back.”

  “Mr. Xander,” she looks at me, eyes stern, “make the most of your time here.”

  Oh, I plan to Kristy. I plan to.

  Rose

  Maria invited me out again. This time with Kylie. No thanks. I bought myself, at least, one free night when I slept with that guy. John? Jake? Jim? I don’t know. Whatever. The point is, I bought myself time.

  Besides, I have the stuff to think about. Like Sven. He’s trying to get under my skin. He’s a criminal. A member of the mafia, and for some reason he’s chosen me to mess with. Do I have a target on my back? I love my job. Why did he have to come here?

  It’d be easier if he wasn’t the most good-looking man I’d ever seen. Dark hair, dark eyes, full dark eyebrows that give him a sinister look. He’s elegant. Not a word I ever thought I’d use to describe a man, but that’s what he is. Elegant.

  What am I saying? He’s an asshole putting on a show. I pour myself a drink and grab something I haven’t grabbed in a while. Kristy would be so mad at me. Along with Maria, but I won’t tell them. I grab a cigarette and step out on the porch, feeling the smoke fill my lungs.

  You’re not empty Rose.

  There are six men who you can help.

  Get it together.

  I put out the cigarette, throw it in the ashtray and drink my shot of vodka, wincing as it goes down. I should eat. I'm not really hungry though. I’ll eat breakfast tomorrow. Geez, I'm one step away from being one of the girls.

  Kristy always jokes about that, but it’s kinda not a joke.

  I fall asleep way too early. I have nothing else to do. It’s really depressing. I just want to be at work. Where I have a home, people and a purpose, not this empty shell of a place I go back to. It’s funny. This is exactly the apartment I always dreamt of. I guess when I was a little girl I never realized a house doesn’t make a home.

  When I wake up the next morning I throw on my grey scrubs, straighten my hair, put on makeup and go. Work. Yayy.

  Then I remember I'm not with my girls.

  I'm with the guys. Something new… and Sven. I’d have to deal with him. It’s okay. It’s all fine. I'm anywhere but here.

  “Hi Rose,” Kylie greets me as I walk in the door to work. She looks tired. She and Maria must have stayed out too late last night.

  Reminding me. Shit, I forgot to eat breakfast. No wonder I feel dizzy.

  “Hi, Kylie.”

  “You’re early.”

  “Don’t tell Kristy,” I beg.

  She sighs. “Rose you have a problem.”

  Okay, I have to use my leverage here.

  “I'm not clocking in. Besides, I’ll make a deal. I won’t tell her how hungover you are right now if you don’t tell her what time I got here.”

  She glares at me. “That’s low. You have a dark side, Rose. For someone so nice… you have a dark side.”

  I shrug. “We all do.”

  “Well fine. You know you have a deal.”

  Her tone is sour. I know she’s mad at me, but I really can’t have her tell Kristy. I’m mid-thought when suddenly my vision blurs. I have to reach for the desk to stay steady.

  “Rose, are you okay?” she says quickly, all anger gone.

  “I’m… I'm okay. What are the boys doing?”

  “They are heading to breakfast.”

  Oh, thank God.

  “Okay, thank you.”

  I feel remarkably dizzy as I turn from Kylie and head to th
e dining hall. It’s the same hall for men and women, but for now, they eat at separate times. We don’t plan on doing that for long. Just until we adjust to everything, and figure out how best to handle the different clientele.

  I'm honestly gonna throw up. How long has it been since I’ve eaten? Shit. Days. Fuck. Kristy would kill me. I need food now. She can’t know. I'm gonna get fired or thrown into treatment myself. I turn into the hallway and suddenly the dizziness washes over me even worse than before. I waver on my feet. I try desperately to stay up, but I fall into the doorway.

  Falling. Falling. I'm gonna hit the floor like an idiot in front of my patients… when bam. I stop falling. Hands reach under me and shove me back to standing. One hand stays on me as I try to regain control of my footing. The hand is too low, but I can’t think about that at the moment.

  Finally, my vision clears a little and I gather myself as best I can. I look up to thank whoever caught me from what probably would have been a concussion. I gasp and leap back when I see who it is.

  Sven.

  “I…”

  He cocks an eyebrow. “That was quite the entrance little Rose.”

  “I…” I clear my throat. You’re in charge here Rose. “Thank you, Sven. I don’t know what happened.”

  He steps closer to me, way too close. “I think you are lying little Rose.”

  “Just Rose,” I choke out, trying to back away.

  He smirks. It’s dark, evil. He’s in flipping treatment and it’s like he runs the place. What the hell? I need help. He’s stealing the one thing I'm good at.

  “Sit for breakfast, Mr. Xander.”

  His smile spreads impossibly wide like he’s having fun! Fun torturing me. Of course. He’s a criminal.

  “Okay. Of course, just Rose. When you tell me, your hero,” he mocks, placing a hand on his chest, “why you collapsed in my arms just now.”

  “Sven. Sit! It’s breakfast. Now!” I snap. It’s my first time snapping at a client. My eyes go wide. I’ve never snapped at a patient. This seems to please the total asshole!

  “Well, when you say it so sweetly.”

  He leaves my personal bubble and saunters off. I glare at him. I shake my head, realizing I'm giving him more attention than I should hate him. I greet all the other men quickly; Will, Ben, Mike, Sam, and Carson. Mostly alcoholics, one severe bipolar trying to figure out his medication. I slowly make my way to the kitchen. I feel like I'm walking underwater, and it’s only made worse by the fact that I feel Sven’s eyes on me. Watching me. Studying me.

  “Hi, Rosa. Do you mind if I steal something to eat? Anything.”

  I'm practically begging. I’ll pass out. This hit me so hard.

  “Si, si...” she frowns and rambles off in Spanish before scolding me with a stick of bread. “You’re too skinny senorita.”

  “I know,” I mumble.

  “Go sit with boys. I’ll bring food to you.”

  “Thank you, Rosa.”

  She looks me over and frowns, not saying another word. She’s like a strict grandmother. I sit by Carson and Will. Rosa comes out five minutes later with a giant plate of food. I'm almost embarrassed; ham, eggs, bacon, waffles with butter and syrup. My eyes go wide and I laugh escapes my lips. She sets it down in front of me, and then in front of all the men points a spatula in my face.

  “Come, Rose!” Eat Rose.

  Now I really feel Sven staring at me as I mumble thanks to Rosa. Maybe I’d have rather starved.

  Nope. Not once I dig in. I eat as much as I can. Stuffing my face, way too fast while the rest of the men are still getting their food. Carson, who it turns out is super funny, starts laughing.

  “Do you get paid here? You’re eating like a starving person.”

  It’s sad that thought my first thought is he needs to stop giving Sven ideas. He’s too perceptive. Too smart.

  I laugh. “I forgot dinner. Whoops, my bad.”

  “Dinner for the past year?”

  They all laugh. My cheeks heat and I shove my food away. Carson immediately looks sorry.

  “Rose, seriously, I'm kidding.”

  “No, I'm full. You guys start a group today. You should be excited.”

  I glance at the clock. I'm officially allowed to be here now. I walk over to the side computer and clock in real quick.

  “Bring your dishes to the kitchen window and I’ll hand out schedules and stuff.”

  I walk to the back and wait for them. I worry for each of them, watching for any signs of a struggle. Anticipating it before it happens. A dark figure appears in my vision.

  “So, you’re starving yourself.”

  “Mind your own busi… Focus on your recovery Sven. I assure you I'm fine.”

  “Still feel the way you felt in my arms, Rose.” He smirks.

  I glare at him. “Focus. On. You.”

  “For me or for you?”

  “Sven!”

  “Like you saying my name…”

  “Oh, Jesus Christ!”

  I stomp off. “Everyone in the main room. Now!”

  He’s making me crazy! I was never like this with the girls. When they get in the main area I hand out the schedules. Lucky for me they are in a group and/or therapy for all morning. I don’t have to see him ‘til lunch. God, he’s reversing things. Usually, I hate doing the paperwork and look forward to being with the clients. Now I dread it. Lunch is at twelve, but Kev, one of the other techs, comes in at eleven. When he gets in I feel relieved.

  “Hey, Kev!”

  “Hey, Rose. How are you? How are they?”

  “I'm good. They seem good. A little too good actually. I'm expecting a catastrophe this afternoon.”

  “Okay,” he laughs. I'm never wrong though. Not about this stuff.

  Kev takes a seat and grabs some of my papers and starts filing them out. I love everyone, especially Maria, but Kev is my favorite to work with. He looks like a surfer, but his mom is anorexic and still struggles. Because of this, he’s a super hard worker. He does shit without being asked. It makes working with him really easy and really enjoyable. Finally, lunch rolls around.

  Kev greets all the guys and asks about the group while I stay back and observe. Watching over them. I have a feeling. Sure enough…

  “I'm not hungry! I want to work on my letter and the assignment my therapist gave me…”

  He goes on. He can’t stop talking. He’s having a manic episode.

  “Kev! Call the psychiatrist.”

  I walk over. “Hey, Ben. Are you sure you’re not hungry for lunch? You haven’t eaten in a few hours?”

  Behind the haze of the disorder I know he sees what is happening, but once again his mind is in charge. “It won’t taste good. I want to work on my letter and assignment.”

  “Okay, Ben. Actually, what is going to happen here is Dr. Bradford is going to come down and speak with you for a bit. How does that sound?”

  “Not great. I don’t really want to speak with him.”

  “But he wants to help you. Okay?”

  Ben pulls away from me, desperately looking for a pen and paper. “Ben, I know you’ve got a lot going on in your mind right now.”

  He looks at me as if to ask ‘why aren’t you helping me’? Thank goodness, as if on cue, Dr. Bradford walks in.

  “Hey, Ben. You think we can talk for a few minutes?”

  “No, I want to write my letter and write. I'm not hungry. I said I'm not hungry.”

  “Well, how about if I let you skip lunch for now and write while you are with me. Come on. It’s just a new room.”

  After a little more bickering Ben concedes and goes with him. Okay, now to get the other guys under control.

  “Guys. Can you sit for lunch please?”

  “I could use a drink,” one of them mumbles.

  I turn around. It’s Sam. “Well Sam, I believe you meet with Mr. Rollins next. You can talk to him about your urges. Now can everyone please sit? Lunch is good today. Rosa made pizza.”

  There are some
grumbles, but they all sit. Day one is usually where reality hits and everyone is pissy. Once they are all seated Kev walks up to me.

  “You have a gift,” he laughs. “You always know.”

  I shrug. “I’ve been doing this for kind of a long time.”

  I wait for the ‘and you’re a workaholic line’, but it never comes. Kev never criticizes me for working too much and I kind of love him for it. I clean up some of the papers and puzzles Ben messed up. Kev takes a seat. When I'm done cleaning, I look up to see Kev sitting on the spot by Carson. There is only one other seat for techs. By Sven.

  I take the deepest breath possible and take a seat.

  Sven

  I'm gonna shoot myself. This isn’t fucking fun at all. I'm gonna go nuts. I’d rather be in prison where I can still talk with my men and other men like me. Here it’s a bunch of pussies talking about their fucking feelings, and me having to put on this whole freaking performance just so I can get the hell out of here and continue on with my goals.

  Lunch rolls around. It better be something good. That’s all I have to say. Rose walks in with a tall, dirty blonde haired guy next to her. Instantly, some of the shittiness in my day dissolves. I'm still remembering the way her skin felt on mine. The way her body shook in my hands. Of course, she wasn’t shaking for the right reasons, but all in due time. I learned she was starving herself. Good information to keep handy. I have to learn her reasons. The why. It’s always about the why. That’s how you win.

  There’s this whole episode with the Bipolar, which Rose handles seamlessly. In her element. Like she was born to do this, but why? Why does she care so much? There’s so much more to her. I can feel it.

  The other tech, Kev, sits by Carson, meaning… Rose sits by me. I see her take a deep breath, before sitting down.

  “Hello Rose,” I grin.

  She looks at me, tired. Worried. “Hi, Sven.” Then she quickly turns in her chair to face me. I see her collarbone protruding through the dip in the top of her grey scrubs. She is positively fucking perfect. I realize I'm staring so I look up and meet her eyes, smirking. She swallows. I turn her on, and oh does she hate it.