"This bitch," the woman spat at Rachel, "is trying to steal my baby girl!"
Sebastian fought not to say anything off color about her stench. The woman was red in the face again, showing out now that the police had arrived.
"I want you to shut up," Sebastian said.
"Excuse me?" The woman looked like she was about to pop the blood vessel that throbbed against her forehead.
"Stop. Talking. Do not say another word. Your breath is offensive." So much for keeping his mouth shut, but the police officers hid agreeing smiles behind their hands. Rachel gasped, but Sebastian dared not look down at her.
"I beg-"
Sebastian stopped her with a simple glare and turned to Rachel. "Miss Rachel, please tell the officers what's going on here."
"I got a call a few days ago about Katie, this couple's daughter. She is malnourished and dehydrated and, when she collapsed at a pageant the other night and was left in the middle of the floor," Rachel was starting to get upset, "she was removed from her parent's custody. Because she was a pageant child, they brought her to me. Mr. and Mrs. Wickham showed up this evening, demanding their child back."
An officer frowned. "If the child was removed from their custody, then what's the problem?"
"We're still tying up loose ends with the paperwork," Rachel answered, "but they showed up here this evening causing trouble and I can't have this kind of behavior in front of the children. It's not professional and it's not safe. My staff and the kids are scared out of their minds."
Sebastian nodded. "Officers, I want these two removed from my property. They are not allowed here anymore and if I catch them here they will be prosecuted. Any other questions?"
"Yes!" Mrs. Wickham insisted. "I want-"
"I don't care what you want," Sebastian said. "I care that you're still on my property. Please, get them out of here now."
Sebastian watched in silence as the loud, profane Mrs. Wickham and her silent husband were all but dragged from the building shouting curses and threats the whole way.
"Where is the child now?" Sebastian asked.
"Katie is still at the hospital," Rachel told him. "She's actually doing really well, capturing the hearts of the male staff." Rachel tried to hide a smile. "She's precious. Maybe…it might be a good idea for you to go see her."
Sebastian nodded and followed her out.
***
Katie's long, blonde hair should have been glossy and thick, but it hung in dull, brittle waves over her shoulders. There was a pink scar down the right side of her face from the middle of her forehead to her jaw. It just missed bisecting her ear. It could easily be covered with her hair, but by the time she was sixteen it would all but disappear. It did nothing to mar the child's natural beauty and charm. When Sebastian walked into the hospital room where she was hooked up to machines and IV's, she smiled at him, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Hello." Sebastian greeted the little girl with a genuine smile he saved for children and elderly women. "You must be Katie." He kept his hands in his pockets; cool, comfortable, non-threatening.
Katie nodded, her eyes wary but alert. "Yes, sir. Are you Sebastian Boa?"
Sebastian's smile widened. "Yes, ma'am." She giggled. "I'm the one who is going to be taking care of you from now on. Is that okay?"
Katie's smile was sad, though bright. "My mommy and daddy don't want me anymore." There was far too much understanding in those words. "They say that I'm not pretty enough to win the pageants anymore so they don't need me."
Sebastian hid his shock behind a frown. "Why on earth would they say something like that?"
"Because I got hurt when we were in the car accident and it messed up my face."
"You mean this scar?" Sebastian traced the line of her scar and smiled. "That's just a scratch."
"My ear almost fell off."
Sebastian blinked and had to smile. "Maybe it was a little more than a scratch. I have a scar too." He pointed to one just below his right eye, high on his cheek bone.
Katie's tiny fingers brushed against it. "My mommy says your scar is sexy. I don't know what that means." She giggled.
Sebastian couldn't hold back his chuckle. "You know what I think, sweetheart?" He knelt by the bed and brushed her hair away from her face. "I think you're beautiful and you can be in as many pageants as you want to be."
Katie's bright, overjoyed smile lit up the whole room. "Really?" she asked, her face red with excitement. Clearly a trait she got from her horrendous mother, on Katie, the flush of her cheeks was endearing.
"Absolutely. Whenever you're ready, you just let Miss Rachel know and she'll call me, okay."
"Okay. Mr. Boa?"
"Yes, Katie?"
"Can you do something for me?"
"Anything. You just have to ask."
"Can you get my crowns for me? My mommy took them and I don't know where they are."
Sebastian smiled and decided he was going to make it his life's mission to make sure Katie was provided with everything she needed to live the life she wanted. Whether that meant she became a pageant star or a farmer.
"Katie, I will make sure Miss Rachel has them in her vault by tomorrow."
"Promise?"
Sebastian smiled. "Promise."
CHAPTER FIVE
Mile High Club
Sebastian rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes. His Brazilian Rainbow Boa Constrictor named Artemis hissed from the crate on the seat next to him. Whenever he transported her, he bought an extra plane ticket.
"Excuse me, Mr. Boa."
Sebastian opened his eyes. The young flight attendant blinked false lashes at him and her bright red lips twisted into a smile.
"Yes," he read her nametag, "Mindy?" She brightened at the use of her name.
"Is there anything I can get for you before we take off?"
"Actually, I'm fine for now, but thank you, sweetheart." She smiled, though a little bit disappointed, and left.
His was a tough life. There were so many women who wanted to be with him. While he'd like to, he just couldn't be with them all. He had to be selective.
The flight was uneventful. About thirty minutes before they were to touch down, Sebastian went up front in search of his hostess. She was fixing drinks in the hostess' station.
"Oh, Mr. Boa," she grinned, but it slipped a moment later. "Was there something you needed?"
"Mm hm." He pulled the curtain behind him and shifted his weight to lean on the wall with one arm.
Mindy smiled up at him. "I need to get these drinks out."
"The drinks can wait." He took them from her hand and set them on the counter where she was working. "You've been flirting with me an awful lot this flight," he admonished. "You really shouldn't do that unless you know what you're getting yourself into."
Mindy nodded, uncertain.
Sebastian pulled her against him, let her feel his arousal. "Understand?"
Mindy nodded again, more confident this time. Her false lashes fell over her eyes and she peeked up through them.
"Hm." She tipped her lips up begging to be kissed, so he did. She tasted of stale coffee and he wondered how long she'd been awake.
There was no need to remove clothing. With one hand he set himself free. Sebastian retrieved a condom, tore it open with his teeth, and slid it quickly over his erection. With the same hand he lifted Mindy's skirt and pushed her panties aside.
Sebastian was inside her quickly. There was little resistance. This girl got around. He angled to the left for more resistance. Mindy squealed, but it wasn't the kind you would expect to hear from a woman during sex. It more resembled that of an angry sow down on Uncle Peterman's farm during feeding. Sebastian laughed, unable to refrain. He turned her around and pressed her against the wall, hands wide, face smashed against it.
It didn't take much to bring her to climax. Sebastian clapped his hand over her mouth so he wouldn't have to hear that damned squealing. He pulled out and tossed the condom. Tucking himself b
ack inside his trousers, he zipped up and washed his hands.
Mindy hadn't recovered yet, so he went back to his seat. He didn't see her again until he disembarked. She gave him a sly smile as he followed the rest of the people from the plane.
***
Sebastian's New York flat was far from a home away from home, but it suited his purpose. He pushed inside, the soles of his shoes ticking on the polished marble. The lights turned on at his movement, glinting off the high-gloss finish of his cherry wood Baby Grand piano and matching cabinets against the far right wall of the sitting room. The shiny marble floors extended into the kitchen. From here, Sebastian could see the lights of New York from the window wall that made up the outer wall of the flat.
Sebastian set his nine foot boa free of the carrier and let her slither over his arms and across his shoulders. He passed the piano and office door and went straight to the bedroom where he set the carrier down and took off his shoes.
This flat was smaller than the one in London and the bedroom was, by far, his favorite room. Today, though, there was something amiss.
"How long have you been here, Hellena?"
She was hidden away in the shadows in a corner chair, the curtains open so she could look out over the city. She'd traded her skirts in for jeans tonight and wore a black leather corset with matching thigh high boots.
"About an hour."
"You know how difficult it is to get to you when you wear those boots." He complained, but he liked them. "I'm going to take a shower. Get the boots off."
"Frustrated?" Hellena put a hand to her hip and smirked. "Eventful flight?"
"Very. For her."
"You want me to join you in the shower?"
Sebastian shook his head. "Just get the bloody boots off."
Hellena took Artemis from his shoulders. Sebastian yanked his shirt from his trousers and nearly popped the buttons trying to get it off. Hellena just watched with amusement as he stripped out of his clothes and left them in a pile on the floor. It was very unlike him to leave his clothes so carelessly. He swore to himself that he'd pick them up after his shower.
Sebastian started the shower and stepped into the stall. The hot water felt good against his skin and soothed his tired body. He lathered up with a cinnamon scrub that he knew Hellena particularly liked, and scrubbed himself clean of the plane and the day and Mindy. He chuckled to himself, remembering her squeals, as he rinsed and dried himself off. Wrapping the thick, light blue towel low around his hips, he went out to the bedroom where Hellena waited for him, sans the boots.
Sebastian crawled onto the bed and buried his face in her neck. Hellena was one of the few people he could let go with and be something more than just Sebastian Boa, Man Without Rules. With Hellena he could be tired, angry, happy, hungry. Of course, it came with its drawbacks. It gave Hellena a power over him that he didn't like, and her attachment to him was more than just sexual. She truly cared for him in the way a woman is supposed to care for a man. It often caused problems.
"Rough day? How was the London shoot?"
It had been three weeks since he saw Mariss and met Katie. "It was a disaster. The poor wench hadn't eaten and she passed out on me. I had to force feed her, but she ate too fast and was sick in the middle of the restaurant."
"My god."
Sebastian rolled away and propped himself against the stack of pillows at his back. Hellena snuggled into his chest and he put an arm around her.
"Did you know she'd lost a child?" he asked thoughtfully.
"No, I didn't. I should send condolences from the club."
He nodded. "That would be nice." Sebastian rubbed her bare arm and she wiggled closer. "I know you're content to lay here all night, but I'll need a little something first."
Hellena shook against him.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"You fucked another flight attendant?" she chuckled. "When has that ever been lucrative for you?"
Sebastian gave her a grim look. It really hadn't ever been that satisfying.
"And what if I need some satisfaction?" Hellena continued.
"Get what you need then."
Hellena bit him lightly across his ribs and he jerked away from her. "Stop that."
"You like it."
"I don't."
"Oh, stop acting so old and persnickety."
"Persnickety?" he scoffed. "Is that your word of the day?"
"Maybe. It's a good word. I like it."
Sebastian stroked her hair. "Are you going to move?"
"I brought something with me."
"Ah. Alright. Bring it here."
Hellena left his side to rummage through a bag on the floor. When she came up she held black leather restraints and a hollow glass dildo with small blue knobs all over it. Sebastian held up one long finger so Hellena could slip the glass toy over the tip.
"Are you going to take those jeans off or am I going to have to do it for you?" Sebastian eyed her. The crazy smirk she gave him kicked him up a notch. "If I do it, you won't like it."
"Are you going to rip them?"
"I might."
"I like these jeans." Hellena wriggled out of them. She wasn't wearing panties.
"You came prepared."
"I always come prepared."
That was true. Sebastian sat up and switched places, securing Hellena's wrists to the headboard with the leather restraints. Then he crawled off the bed and crossed the room to his stereo.
"Too quiet?" she asked.
He nodded. Sebastian didn't always need music, but today his mind was fractured and it helped him concentrate. He turned on an R&B station and went back to Hellena, letting the towel drop into his hand.
Hellena raised an eyebrow. "Must have been a really rough flight," she said of his erection. She knew far too much about him.
"That's enough talking," he told her. Hellena shut her mouth.
From a drawer next to the bed, Sebastian took out a toy of his own. Hellena's eyes widened when she saw the leather Herringbone flogger. She looked up at him. Her chest rose and fell more quickly and her eyes became dreamy.
It reminded him of Mariss. Sebastian pushed the thought away. He was a firm believer that it wasn't fair to think about another woman in bed, so he listened to the words of the song and let his mind release anything that wasn't Hellena.
Sebastian looked at her tied to his bed in nothing but her corset and knew his smile couldn't have been polite.
He wanted to see Mariss tied to his bed.
Turning away from Hellena, Sebastian laid the flogger next to her thigh with the tresses folded over. With a deep breath, he cleared his mind of all thoughts of Mrs. Red. He crawled onto the bed between Hellena's legs and pushed her knees apart. The skin on the inside of her thigh was so soft and fragrant. He rubbed his cheek against it, tickling her with his goatee. Spreading her legs farther, Sebastian licked her core. Hellena moaned. It was out of character for her to be so needy.
Sebastian looked up, and she looked back at him sheepishly. "I had a rough day too."
He nodded. "I will take care of you." He slipped the glass toy back over his finger and stuck it in his mouth to wet it. When he slid the smooth, cool toy inside her, it went without hesitation. "You've been waiting for a while," he mumbled softly with a smile.
Hellena's hips twisted gently as he worked his finger in and out of her. It wasn't enough to bring her, but she moaned and writhed against him until he had her panting and begging for more. Sebastian swirled his tongue over her and her hips bucked.
"God, Bash."
He used his teeth lightly until he brought her with a cry. Her bound hands strained against the bonds, trying to touch him.
Sebastian took the dildo out of her and stuck in his mouth. Then he reached up and stuck it in hers.
"Turn over." The toy fell on the bed as she rolled away from him. "Ass up." He gave it a nice, resounding slap.
Hellena pulled her knees under her and pressed her face into the pillows. With
the corset, the dip in her back was more dramatic. Sebastian ran his hand over her ass and down her back.
"Higher." She stuck her ass up higher. "Spread your knees." He took hold of her legs and spread them where he wanted them. "Don't move," Sebastian warned.
He picked up the flogger's braided handle and ran the tresses through his free hand before he let them fly. Thwack! Hellena moaned loud. The tresses left a red mark across her ass.
Sebastian smiled and pressed his lips to her pink skin.
He let the flogger fly. The leather tresses danced across Hellena's bare skin. Her creamy white flesh turned a bright shade of pink that quickly became red with the repeated abuse. Hellena moaned until she cried, and then she cried until she begged for him to stop.
"Enough?" he asked.
"Yes." Hellena's teary voice was deeply aroused. Sebastian knew the difference between too much and ready to fuck. "Please."
"Mm hm." Sebastian worked a condom onto his painfully hard dick and thrust inside her. Hellena cried out with the sudden intrusion, but once he was inside she couldn't stop moaning.
Sebastian gyrated his hips, working her at the angle he'd worked Mindy. But Hellena didn't squeal. She gasped, "Ah, fuck."
Spurred on by her pleasure, Sebastian worked her hard. After his unsatisfying flight and working Hellena with the flogger, his climax overtook him before she had a chance.
He sighed, content, though it troubled him to leave her this way. "Turn back over," he told her softly.
Hellena did as she was told. Sebastian inserted two fingers inside her and flicked his tongue over her.
"Oh, god." Hellena moaned and came almost instantly. "God, Bash," she said a second time. She sighed and relaxed against the pillows. "Fuck."
Sebastian grinned and flopped down beside her, sticking his fingers in his mouth. He released Hellena's wrists and rubbed them gently to regain circulation.
Hellena turned her face into his stomach, and they rested for a bit. After the last few long weeks, it was nice to have her close by. As far as friends went, she was more understanding of his job and lifestyle than most.
"Are you going to reschedule your shoot?"
The Man Without Rules Page 4