Roses & Thorns Read online

  I need my girls.

  I think they help me more than I’ve ever helped them.

  “I’ll repeat myself just once. I don’t recall seeing you at the meeting.”

  Then he pauses, his eyes raking over me. He steps closer, all up in my space and sniffs. Literally smells me without saying a word.

  “Someone will come in her Mr. Xander,” I stutter.

  “Jesus, we are back to Mr. Xander? Alright. Question. Since when do you smoke little Rose?”

  My eyes go wide. “How… I showered. I don’t?”

  “I want to know why.”

  “You know why,” I hiss.

  “You act like I’ve come to kill you.”

  I clamp my mouth shut. I have nothing smart to say back, and I have to remember who he is.

  “Smart choice.”

  He grabs my arm with a death grip and pulls me from the stall. “You have work Rose. You are needed.” A tear slips from my cheek. “I have good news and bad news for you. What do you want first?”

  “Bad.” You’ve already delivered it asshole.

  “The good news is you are working with the girls again.”

  For a split second, the pain disappears.

  “Really?” I light up. My girls.

  He nods. “The bad news, for you, is Kev got fired.”

  “What? No! Not Kev, please! I'm not quitting. Please don’t fire Kev.” I need him. He’s my friend. He’s nice to me without expectations.

  His eyes darken and he nails me to the wall with his palm. “Because you are fucking him,” he hisses.

  HOW?

  “No. Sven, it’s… it’s not like that…”

  “Oh, I'm Sven now.”

  I push past him. “KEV! KEV! NO!”

  I go running but there’s a growl and I'm yanked back by my hair. The pain is bad, but it could have been a lot worse. Sven holds me in place.

  “I will help him find another job if you shut up.”

  “No you won’t,” I whisper, tears falling. “You’re trying to destroy me.”

  “No. Remake you.”

  “I don’t want to be remade.”

  “Oh little Rose,” he smiles one of his sexy, dark smiles, holding the promise of nothing but sex, violence and sin, “You are begging to be remade. Screaming for it.”

  Then his lips crash against mine. I whimper. No this is wrong.

  “I'm not a patient anymore,” he growls.

  “You’re a still criminal,” I moan.

  He growls and shoves me harder into the wall. His hand slips into my scrubs. I moan and try and get away while keeping the sensations he’s invoking. Nothing I'm doing is making sense. He pinches my nipple hard. I squeal as he rubs it between his rough, calloused hands. I whimper.

  “Sven. No. Sven.” I'm half begging him to go, half begging him to stay.

  “If she’s saying no you should probably step away.”

  It’s like ice water is poured over me and shoved into my scrubs. Kev.

  “Kev, it’s not what it looks like. I… he… Kev… I…”

  “It’s fine,” his tone is dry, “I’m sure Sven told me you were in here on purpose.” I HATE HIM. “I just wanted to say bye.”

  He looks between me and Sven.

  “Take care of yourself Rose.”

  I practically run at Kev.

  “Don’t leave me.” I grab the front of his scrubs desperately. “I don’t deserve anything, but please, you’re my friend. A real friend.”

  “I wanted more, but you just don’t have it to give.”

  “Don’t leave me.” I hold him tighter. His eyes look so pained. “Don’t go.”

  “Rose,” he gently starts peeling my hands away. He’s not even two fingers in when I am yanked off and pulled up against a hard body, “I have to go. I can’t save you. I wish I could.”

  “NO! KEV!” I scream as he walks off. “No. No. No.”

  My perfect little security blanket is being torn apart around me. I scream and thrash in Sven’s arms. He holds tight without saying anything.

  “I hate you!” I scream. “I hate you! I hate you so much! Fuck you, you fucking asshole! Kev. No,” I start to go limp. “My one friend.”

  My body falls completely, being held up solely by Sven. And I cry. He waits. He doesn’t say or do anything.

  “You done yet?”

  “You took my friend.”

  “No,” he growls and turns me to face him, shaking me slightly. “If he was your knight and fucking shining armour he wouldn’t have walked off like a pussy while I manhandled you.”

  He shoves me off him and goes to the door.

  “Think about that next time you choose who your ‘friends’ are. Be in the women’s lounge in five minutes!”

  He slams the door and walks out.

  Holy shit. He’s right. He’s really right.

  He’s really taking everything from me.

  Even my memories.

  Chapter 9:

  Sven:

  Fucking hell. This girl has more issues than I thought. I have to know why if this is going to be fun. There is always a why.

  I call on one of the men I used to work beside, now he’s below me. Ambition. Lot of people have it, few are willing to make the sacrifices needed to obtain what they are after.

  “Andre, look into Rose Bellemore. Tell me what you find. Then call me back.”

  Fine. That’s done. Now I can focus on the one thing both my brain and my dick agree upon. She finally said how she really felt. Finally told me to go fuck myself, and boy did I like the sound of that coming from her lips. Speaking of…

  “Oh hello Rose. Thank you for joining us.”

  She glares at me, basically telling to go fuck myself. I chuckle. She can glare all she wants, all I can picture is the way she was unable to fight me when I touched her. I want a repeat of that, but not today. It’s a delicate game, changing someone, molding them. Making sure they stay under your thumb. I can’t totally break her, and I could never have prepared myself for how easy she would be to break. It’s like walking on glass. Apply just a bit too much pressure and bam. The glass shatters.

  “Hello everyone. I'm Rose. A few of you know me, but a lot of you are new…”

  She goes on and speaks with the girls like she did with the guys. She looks at peace. I let her have that. A lot’s changed… and I'm fucking merciful. What can I say? I shake my head and laugh as I walk out. She can have today.

  Soon. The game begins.

  ***

  A Week and A Half Later:

  “When do you expect to be back?”

  The impatience is clear in his voice. I'm running out of time.

  “Soon. Very, very soon.”

  “Sven…” he warns. “I want you back.”

  “I need the slightest bit more time.”

  “A week. You have one week. Don’t fuck up.”

  “I’ll be there in six days.”

  “Good. We need to talk about several things when you get here. Fino ad allora.”

  “Until then boss.”

  I hang up. Time to move up this timeline. I stalk into the dining area. Rose is laughing with one of the girls one minute, and in the next is comforting one of the guys. She’s a natural at this. It’s her element. She’s stayed until seven pretty much every night. Off the clock. Kristy’s no longer in charge and she is taking full advantage. I’ve seen Kristy scolding her. She truly does look guilty and remorseful when the woman she fucking loves so much scolds her… but not enough to change. Mine.

  “Hello everyone.”

  Rose jumps. She watches my every move as I take a seat at the opposite table.

  “I want to play a little game.”

  I ignore the way Rose stares at me, unsure.

  “It’s called Roses and Thorns. I want you to say Roses to the good sh… stuff in your day. Thorns to the bad.”

  I cross my arms and glance at Rose. Her eyes go wide.

  “I love that game,” she whispers
to the group, not taking her eyes off me. “We used to play it all the time.”

  Corny as all fucking hell, but we play. It’s all a part of my plan. We all have to do things we don’t want to. This happens to be one of the things I don’t want to do, but I listen to every one of them, trying not to show my disgust and judgment. This part of the plan won’t work if I do.

  An hour and a half later the meals over, free times over and they all go to group. I strategically place myself so I will run into Rose in the hall. She’s gotten over her total spaz attack that I'm in charge here. It’s worked out for her so far, and she knows it. I let her stay as long as she wants, and other than fucking ‘Kev’ she’s gotten to keep everyone she loves. Dr. Bradford was pissed I took over, but he’s a smart man. He’s gotta keep his mouth shut if he wants to stay. And he does want to stay. They act like they are some sort of family here. It makes me roll my eyes, but whatever. One day they’ll learn all you have in this world is yourself.

  No one truly cares. Accepting that is what makes you successful.

  Powerful.

  Anyway, bottom line. Rose treats me like her boss now. She acts like I am her superior and that’s it. It’s worked for a while, but today’s the day to shatter that. I have six fucking days. Fucking hell. This is where the game starts to put a little tension in my muscles.

  “Mr. Xander,” she gasps and steps back when she sees me. Not out of fear this time though. More surprise. Her eyes rake over my body, my burgundy button down and tan slacks. She finds my eyes again and hesitates. “Um, that game, that was a good idea. Really cool of you.”

  Bingo! Stupid fucking game worked. You have to know the art of getting under a woman’s skin, and for Rose, it’s this. Her work. Her patients.

  I don’t respond. I walk up to her and pin her to the wall with my hips. Her eyes go wide with lust, fear and surprise.

  “What are you doing Mr. Xander?” she breathes.

  I tangle my hands through her hair and kiss the hell out of her. She moans in my mouth as I slip my tongue inside.

  “Sven…” she whimpers.

  Ahh, I'm back to Sven now. I smirk. I untangle one hand from her and trace a line above the waistband of her pink scrubs. She jolts and pulls away.

  “Have I told you how good you look since you’ve been eating.”

  And she has. I don’t put up with it. If she’s at work, she eats. I can’t control, yet, what she eats at home, and she’s still far too skinny, but she looks a fucking hell of a lot better than she did. Soon, she’ll be a ten out ten, healthy and hot. Small steps.

  “Oh,” she blushes, “Sven, we… we can’t.”

  “I’m in charge here.”

  I rock my hips against hers. Her eyes roll back and she groans.

  “Sven please. I can’t do… this.”

  I slowly move against her. She whimpers.

  “You can.”

  “Someone will see us.”

  “Fine, you care about that.”

  I pull away. She gasps like she can’t breathe, then stares at me looking so disoriented I can’t help but let out a genuine laugh. I grab her wrist and pull her into a closet, shutting the door behind us. It’s dark and quiet, but fucking hot as well, because all I can hear is the sound of her rapid breathing.

  “Sven, Mr. Xander, what are you doing? You can’t…”

  I ignore her. “You’re going to come for me little Rose.”

  I can almost see her eyes go wide. “No. No. No way.”

  “We’ll see,” I smirk.

  I push past the mops and cage her in. I lean in and kiss her. I kiss some of the resistance right out of her. I trace my hands down her curveless, bony body. Yet still perfect.

  “I won’t Sven. I won’t. Not for you.”

  I suppress the rage that triggers inside me. That’s the second time she’s insulted me. If I ever feel bad about my plans, I will remember those words. No other person would be alive after saying something like that to me, but she’s different. For one, my dick is hard as a rock and my mind is swirling with the need to understand her. To take on her demons and give her whole new ones.

  “Again. We’ll see.”

  I wrap her hair in my hand, keeping her in my control, as I slide my hand down her stomach.

  She gasps. “Sven. No… no…”

  She’s panting and breathless. She wants this. Fucking hell, why is she fighting so hard? I hear heels walking down the hall. We both know those heels. Kristy. Rose gasps. I fight the urge to cover her mouth. If she walks in I won’t get to feel her lose herself in my grasp. Her inner walls pulsing around my finger.

  I don’t though. If Kristy walks in it will teach her an equally valuable lesson. One not nearly as much fun though.

  “You better be quiet little Rose.”

  She stops talking. I traced my finger around her lips, feeling her shiver, before sliding it back down her body.

  “I won’t… come,” she whispers.

  My hand slides into her waistband.

  “You’re so sure.”

  She lets out a quiet, but bitter laugh. “Oh, I'm 100% sure.”

  It’s my turn to fucking jolt. “Wait...” I step away. “I know you’re no virgin, but you’ve never had an orgasm.”

  “Like I said,” her voice is smug but sad, “I'm sure of it. I'm like a doll. I have the parts… but I don’t... do anything.”

  I stare at her, jaw dropped. Even I think that’s the saddest fucking thing to think about yourself.

  I practically shove her into the wall. “Don’t ever say that again.” I'm furious. “I'm gonna fucking show you. You are more than a set of parts Rose.”

  Her face falls. I can even see her hair falling in front of her face in the dark. “You’re wrong Sven.”

  “No. I'm sure as hell not.”

  I shove my knee between her legs, keeping them slightly apart. My hand goes into her scrubs with a newfound passion. My one and only goal at this moment is to prove her wrong. All planning, goals and timelines are forgotten. I plant my lips on hers, taking all my anger out there. Her hand goes into my hair on instinct before pulling away and keeping them by her sides like, well, a limp doll.

  I immediately find she’s wearing no undergarments under her scrubs. Not a thing, not underwear, nothing.

  “You kill me,” I growl against her lips.

  I flick my finger across her lips. She stiffens in my hold. I gently trace over parted lips, gently, teasing.

  “You’re awfully wet for someone with no feeling.”

  She starts to shake. “Sven. Stop. Please stop.”

  “Scared little Rose?”

  I stick one finger inside her. Holy fucking hell she’s so tight. So wet, my fingers slide right inside. Welcome. Her legs start to quiver around me. I slowly move in and out of her. Her body is still as a board, except for, well, her whole lower region.

  I smirk and place my finger under her chin as her inner walls pulse around my finger.

  “You’re going to have your first orgasm little Rose.”

  “No.”

  A tear slips down her cheek. Then more heels. This time I cover her mouth. No one is stopping me from getting an orgasm out of her. No one.

  I begin to fuck her roughly with my finger. I'm keeping her in place with my knee so I slide the other hand in her scrubs and roll her nipple between my fingers. I can see her biting her lower lip, hard. That makes me laugh.

  “Once I release my hand from your mouth you don’t have to hold back Rose.”

  She lets out a rebellious sound. Oh, don’t fight me, Rose. I fight back ruthless. I slide a second finger inside her. She jolts under my touch, the shaking I felt earlier increasing tenfold.

  I move my hand from her mouth when I hear the heels disappear.

  “Moan all you want now baby. This is an empty hall except for Kristy once and a while, and her heels are long gone.”

  I fuck her with two fingers and then stop. I dig my fingers so far inside her and curve, stro
king just the right spot. She’s practically suffocating my fingers. Everything about her is tight as a bow. She’s ready to let go, but she’ fighting it harder than I’ve ever seen. I’ve never had to work like this to get a girl off.

  “Damn it, Rose,” I stroke inside her once more. She shivers around me, “Let go.”

  “N..n.. Never.”

  “Fine.”

  I start to slide down her body with two fingers still inside her. When she realizes my intentions she gasps and grabs my hair, jerking me up.

  “No. No. No. Not that. Please.”

  “Don’t grab my hair again,” I growl, jerking her hair back.

  She whimpers. Then I slip a third finger inside her and ruthlessly fuck her. I don’t hold anything back. I'm not gentle.

  “Let…”

  She shatters. I pull my fingers out quickly and grip her hips to steady her. Her legs wobble and she falls into me. Breathing heavy. Although not typical for me, I hold her up. She’s shaking a fuck of a lot.

  Finally, she starts to come back into her body. I slowly push her to her feet.

  “No. Why. Why you?”

  Then there’s the sound of heels again. I shove a broom in her hands. “Better get out there. Say you were grabbing shit to clean with.”

  I shove her out the door, leaving her to her own devices. That was always the plan, but I find myself not wanting to let her go. And it’s bothering me more than it should that she wished it’d been someone else getting her off.

  Interesting.

  Chapter 10:

  Boss:

  “I want that shipment out yesterday. And no onlookers.”

  Three of my men walk out. They know… if there are onlookers, they pay for that with their lives.

  “Gioele!” I snap.

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Where’s Lacey?”

  “Cleaning with Giovanni boss.”

  Fuck. He’s ruthless with her. I stand up and stalk down the halls, down the stairs where we keep the cells. Like Gioele said she’s not there. I go to the kitchen, the one the staff cooks my meals in. Sure enough there she is scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees. Her eyes are puffy and red from crying, but then again, they always are.