The Protege

by Kailin Gow

  Her heart sank. Why did Price have such a photo? Where had he gotten it?

  Don’t blow this all out of proportion, she reminded herself. The photo had appeared in the society pages and it was easily conceivable that Price, deeply concerned for Serena, should have the photo in his possession.

  As logical as all that seemed, Serena wasn’t convinced of the innocence surrounding the envelope and her picture, but why?

  And more importantly, how long had he known of her relationship with Sebastian? Sebastian had been adamant about keeping the relationship private, at least for the time being.

  She thought back to the night of that party. So many people had filled the yacht, all impeccably dressed. With the men all in tuxedo, they’d easily blended in with one another. Had Price been there that night, he could have easily missed Serena’s sweeping gaze.

  Thinking back to that night, she remembered how she’d thought of him. She’d looked for him. At the time it’d been just an amusing game. She’d felt certain of the improbability, but now… It was exactly the type of party that drew him in.

  But why would he now want to keep this photo? Though Price could be possessive at times, he’d never been the type of man to be jealous. After all, their relationship had always been an exclusively physical one; there was nothing to be jealous about.

  His attitude toward Sebastian the night before, however, left her with more questions than answers.

  “Where were you before I came here, Price?” she called aloud.

  The day she’d learned of Sebastian’s impending marriage to Willow, she’d called him. She’d needed his reassurance, his comfort… his bed. She’d needed to wash away the love and affection that she had grown for Sebastian. Price was the perfect remedy. When he hadn’t answered his home phone, she’d called his mobile phone.

  Surprised when he’d answered, he’d been vague about his whereabouts. All he’d said was that he was out of town.

  “Out where?” Serena now question. “Did you go to Seattle, Price? Are you the reason Sebastian came back to Irvine so quickly?”

  She thought of Sebastian’s week in the hospital and his suspicions.

  No, she instantly thought. Price had better things to do than to poison the man she’d had a date with. At the time their relationship had not even begun.

  But the ransacking of Sebastian’s apartment…

  For the next fifteen minutes she debated the possibilities. What did she really know about Price?

  The remaining contents of the envelope gave her a bit more insight. Price had signed a contract with Sebastian’s father. She skimmed over the documents, astonished by the amount of money that had exchanged hands.

  Once again, she questioned Price’s motive. The contract had been signed soon after her initial date with Sebastian; after the week she’d spent tending to him at the hospital. Was it all connected? Was it all coincidental?

  “What are you up to, Price?”

  It was hard to believe her new love and her old master were so connected; so intertwined.

  As she continued to flip through the pages, she came upon a check list.

  Most of it consisted of business talk – takeovers, mergers, dividends and stocks. Toward the bottom of the last page, however, she got a glimpse of Price’s intention.

  Her complete name was written in big block letters, Sebastian’s full name beside it. Where her name was highlighted in yellow, Sebastian’s name was struck out with a thick red line. Below it was the name of the company Sebastian’s father had spent so many years building.

  It, too, was struck out with a thick red line.

  In the margin, scribbled with a pencil was a notation; “The Sorensens, the Brooks, Serena Singleton.” What did it all mean? Serena knew Price had business dealings with the Sorensens and the Brooks, but what did it have to do with her? Surely, he wasn’t so obsessive and jealous that he would destroy anyone who got in the way of him and Serena? Knowing Price, he can be completely devoid of emotions, especially love, when dealing in business. Not wasting another minute, she picked up the phone and dialed Sebastian’s number. If he had any doubts whatsoever about their relationship, she wanted to put them to rest right away. She’d already toyed unnecessarily with his emotions and now she had to completely cut the ties…to protect Sebastian, to protect the Sorensens. For all the love and gentleness Price had shown her as her lover and even as her master, she knew he was a powerful man who didn’t like when his property is taken. And being a little than obsessed with her, she was and always will be his, despite how she had left him and tried to live a life as close to normal as she could.

  She regretted the innocent virgin she’d portrayed to Sebastian. Regretted that she took the ruse so far with him. She couldn’t resist giving the handsome sexy music composer a taste of his own medicine. It may seem like a trifle little thing to him, and he must have forgotten it, but she remembered all too well the first time she had met him. The lengths she went through to get a chance to audition for him…taking on the identity of Lily at the private men’s club she found out he was going to be at…Little White Lily, the sweet submissive/dom, the innocent, a type he seemed to be drawn to, and she was a master at portraying.

  Used to performing sexual role plays with Price, Serena delved deep into her role as Lily, the innocent stage performer, the seductress, the angel. For weeks she had prepared for her role as one of the performers at the private club, ready to perform whatever sexual fantasy the prominent members of the club wanted. She was completely into her role, mind, body, and character when she walked on stage, beckoned for Sebastian Sorensen to come to her, and invited him to kiss her breast on stage when her ruse was found out, and she was almost thrown out of the club for pretending to be a performer there.

  Sebastian Sorensen was in Las Vegas, producing one of his musicals, a new one with an edgy twist, and he was going to be visiting the nightclub with some friends. A big fan of his music, she wanted to meet him and audition for his musical, and the only way she thought she could meet him was at the club that night.

  She had left Price almost a year when she met Sebastian as Lily at the club. It was disastrous, and although there was serious chemistry between them, as soon as she opened her mouth to sing, he said she was “rough” and needed further training in front of everyone. She was humiliated, not so much for dressing like Little White Lily with her breasts practically hanging out in front of other people, but for Sebastian to say her voice wasn’t good enough for his musical. Needless to say, humiliated and ashamed, she stopped going to auditions and gave up on trying to be a singer.

  Instead, she found her calling in composing music, channeling all the angry and hurt feelings she had towards Sebastian Sorensen into writing music and composing, eventually ending up in the Music Program at UC Irvine, where she found out Sebastian Sorensen was a professor. Still stinging from his rejection in the audition, it was the prime opportunity Serena thought to get back at his arrogant ass, but still be able to learn from his brilliance, although she thought he was an arrogant ass. She didn’t think it would turn out so differently, and that she would end up falling hard for him, despite her love for Price. Sebastian was not the arrogant man she had thought he was in the beginning, but someone who was misunderstood, flawed with demons that she had just began to discover. Though that innocent child still resided deep within her, Sebastian had deserved the truth. Though it was too late to change that, she had the capacity to change whatever notions he still had in his head.

  “Sebastian?” she said when he picked up.

  “Serena,” he said with relief and surprise. “I’m so happy you called.”

  “Sebastian.” She kept her tone of voice solid and strong. This wasn’t the time to fall apart. “You left so quickly last night. I just wanted to make sure everything was clear between us.”

  “I didn’t leave because of what I learned about you. I don’t care about all that, and I’m prepared to do anything you need to be happy.”
/>
  “That won’t be necessary.”

  The silence that followed broke her heart. More than anything she wanted to go to him, to hold him in her arms. She wanted to tell him what was in her heart… all of it…that she still cared for him…

  “I tried to stray from Price and I was mistaken. I’m not ready to leave him. I’m not ready to start anything new. It has nothing to do with you and has nothing to do with your capacity to make me happy. I have no doubt you’d do everything within your power, but for now…”

  “Serena, please don’t say that,” his beautiful velvet voice choke at her name.

  “I have to tell you the truth, Sebastian. I should have told you the truth right from the start, but…”

  “It’s not too late.”

  “Sebastian, there’s so much more you still don’t know.” While he’d had a glimpse of the woman she’d become under Price’s thumb, he didn’t really know the extent of her relationship with her master. Considering her brief liaison with Sebastian, she doubted he’d be able to take in all that encompassed that aspect of her relationship with Price. She was his, and there was no escaping that bond. If he was a vampire, she would be his sire. Like a protégé. It was emotional, psychological, physical, and encompass everything she knew. She couldn’t escape it. Price was a part of her. Now she knew.

  “I don’t care,” he persisted. “I want to know more. I want to know all that you are, all that you’ve been through. Don’t underestimate my capacity to understand and accept it all.” He paused, “I want to help you, whatever emotional hold he has on you, I want to break it. I want you to be able to stand on your own two feet and make your own decisions in life without being indebted to or under the influence of someone else. That’s why I wanted you so much. I saw the potential in you, Serena. I saw the fire in you, the drive and desire. You can be set free. And all I want to do…all I can think about doing, Serena, is helping you reach that potential.”

  Serena felt her heart sink. She could hear Sebastian’s shoulders slumping, hear how much he wanted to reach out to touch her to hold her through the phone…to give her strength. But she had to do this. She had to go back to Price, to keep Sebastian and everyone close to him safe.

  “Like I said, it has nothing to do with you, Sebastian. My relationship with Price is what I need now. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I’m sorry I allowed you to become involved with me at all. I’d have never thought we’d…”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Serena swallowed the ball of guilt and pain that crammed her throat.

  “I am what I am, and I need a man like Price, who understands me. I’m sorry, Sebastian, but I’ve toyed with you enough, and now I just want to set the record straight. There’s nothing between us. We’ve both had our fun, and now it’s time to move on.”

  Sebastian’s beautiful voice was hoarse. “Is that what you really want, Serena? Did our time together mean nothing to you?”

  “Nothing, Sebastian. I’m not the innocent protégé you think I am…”

  “But…” Sebastian said very softly. “It doesn’t matter. I love you.”

  Her heart jumped into her throat, and she couldn’t say anything back to him. She hung up just as tears streamed down her cheeks. It was for his own good, she argued. Price would go too far to keep Sebastian out of her life, and she had to save him now while she could.

  She’d played subordinate to her master long enough and he’d taught her everything that made up who she was.

  Now it was time for her to become the master.

  Epilogue

  Serena walked out of Price’s penthouse, rode down the elevators to the lobby and walked pass the massive glass and chrome double doors leading outside to the little café around the corner. Serena was dressed in leggings, sandals, and one of Price’s cashmere v-neck sweaters that smelled like musk and vanilla, like Price himself. She loved wearing his shirts, although they were much too large on her. With one of Price’s leather belts, she ran it around her waist a couple of times before cinching it. She looked presentable enough, and since this was Southern California, no one would care if she was dressed differently.

  She walked into the café and spotted the guy dressed down in a grey UC Irvine sweatshirt, dark jeans, and a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes. Before heading over to him, she looked around, making sure no one was looking. As she got closer to the man, she couldn’t help but smile.

  Those piercing blue eyes peered lovingly out at her from under the cap. Even hidden under a cap, they shone like sapphires. Serena felt herself getting warm as she sat down next to the guy with the cap.

  She didn’t look at him when she said, “You look nice.”

  “So do you,” the guy said taking her all in from head to toe. He leaned in closer to Serena until their shoulders were touching and took her hand, entwining his fingers into hers. “I miss you.”

  Serena sighed. She wanted to melt into him, rest her head on his broad shoulders while he held her. It had been a few days since she last saw him.

  “Thank you for agreeing to see me,” he said.

  Serena took a shaky breath before saying. “I wanted to warn you and your family. I had to…”

  “I thought you didn’t care what happens to me,” he said softly into her ears, tickling them so slightly like a gentle caress.

  “That was because I wanted to protect you, especially in front of him.”

  The guy chuckled. “Good old…The Name That Should Not Be Spoken.”

  “He’s still my master, and I’ve agreed to be with him,” Serena said.

  “It doesn’t have to be that way, Serena. You’re your own person, not whatever he wants you to be.”

  “But he’s definitely more than obsessed with me. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect he had something to do with you getting sick at the dinner, amongst other things.”

  “Then I have him to thank for bringing us closer together.” He pulled Serena close enough that she was nearly sitting on his thighs. He bent down and kissed her neck.”

  “Sebastian…” Serena wanted to jump into his arms.

  “Let’s get out of here and go to my place, Serena. I miss you. You have no idea.”

  He stood up, bringing Serena to him. As soon as they rounded the corner, Sebastian pulled Serena into his arms, while kissing her with as much passion as he can.

  When they finally broke apart, they were breathless and staring at each other.

  “I take it that you forgave me for not telling you about my hang ups,” Serena said.

  “As long as you’re in my arms now, that’s all that matters,” Sebastian led her to his Roadster, opened the passenger seat and helped her in before sliding into the driver’s seat next to her.

  “For now,” Serena said. “I’m technically Price’s, but…”

  “You are not going back to that man,” Sebastian growled angrily.

  “But if he doesn’t get what he wants, he’ll make sure you and your family pays dearly. I’d better go back,” Serena said.

  “Not if I can help it, Serena, not if I can give you the sun and the moon. I’m prepared to do so.”

  Serena fought back tears, as she gazed into Sebastian’s determined eyes filled with such love and passion for her.

  He was about to kiss Serena again when his phone rang. “What is it?” he asked, frustrated yet aroused. That expression wasn’t there long, replaced by shock.

  His facial expression changed again, displaying calm collectiveness.

  “What is it?” Serena asked, never seeing Sebastian like that at all.

  “My father’s deal, the merger of Granite Gyms…something happened. It was formally cancelled seconds ago.”

  “Don’t know how that’s possible,” Serena said.

  “Why would it be canceled?” Sebastian asked.

  “He knows I’m with him now. He’s got what he wants. Why would he cancel the merger…unless he thinks he doesn’t really have me,” she said.
/>
  “This meeting with me,” Sebastian asked. “Did he know about it? Could he have known about it?”

  “Just that I did call you from my cell phone to meet with you.”

  Sebastian checked her phone and took it with him. “I’ll have your phone checked to see if it’s been tapped. Anything else?”

  “I don’t know,” Serena said. “Maybe my laptop or emails. Price can be very possessive. He did go through all my things once when I went on a weekend trip with some girlfriends while he was away on business, and found him fuming and outraged when I returned.”

  Sebastian took Serena’s hand and pressed it to his lips. “I would never do that to you, Serena, no matter how much I want you as mine. I still do. I don’t know if I can ever stop wanting it.” He kissed her knuckles and held her hand tight against his chest.

  Serena leaned over and kissed Sebastian on his lips before he pulled her closer to kiss her thoroughly. “I have to go back to him, Sebastian. I can’t explain it, but I care for him, too. I know he’s obsessed with me, but I have to see what else is he planning. Don’t worry about me, Seb, I know Price so well. I know what makes him tick. I’ve learned so much from him, now’s my turn to turn things around…” She kissed him again before stepping out of the car. “I’m going to assume my studies at school, Seb. And if you could, I’d like for you to become my formal official adviser on paper. We can’t be lovers, we can’t have a secret advisership or whatever it’s called. Everyone, especially Price, should know you and I are strictly student and teacher.”

  Seb’s mouth fell. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes,” Serena said. “For Price to accept that I’m truly his, we must do this. It’s a small sacrifice to pay for the long term. I love Price, and I will do whatever I can to help him get over this hold on me, but I need my freedom, too. School’s given me a second chance, and I’m not going to quit because someone’s supporting me.”

  “Good,” Sebastian said sadly. “I’ll at least get the satisfaction of being able to see you and help you along in your studies.” He sighed, before pulling her to him, his hands in her hair as he held her tight, his lips roving along her cheeks and throat before moving to her lips. “I’ll get to see you again, and that’s what matters now.” He pulled back and got into his car. “I’ll be seeing you on campus, Miss Singleton.”