That the money would seal her addiction to heroin and keep her that way for as long as I knew her, I wouldn’t have been able to predict, but I was fourteen, without anyone but the mother I was stuck with. I didn’t know what else to do but to listen to her. And so, that’s what I did…
“Hey! William. You listening to me at all? Have you heard anything I’ve said?” He exhaled, annoyed and irritated. “You aren’t yourself.” Anthony bent over his large stomach to retrieve his suitcase and then stood up out of the chair. “Think about it, would you?”
“Yeah, sure.” I shook his sweaty hand. “I just want this all out in the open, Anthony. It’s high time I told my story. I’m sick of hiding, of running.”
“I understand. I’ll talk to my partner and get his advice too. But presently, there is no proof. And as your attorney, I’ve laid out the consequences should you come forward. This Victoria or Rose or whatever her name is was their last ditch effort to get a confession. There is no evidence of foul play. I’m no priest. But if an absolution of guilt is what you’re looking for, it’s a pretty stupid reason, if you ask me, to throw your reputation, if not your life, away. You can’t bring back the dead, William. Please. Think about this. Without your confession, there is no story to be told.”
Mark appeared in the doorway just as Anthony was walking out. He stepped out of the way to allow Anthony some room to get through the door and walked over to sit in the now vacant chair.
“Hey. You got a minute?” He looked troubled. Was there something wrong with the financial outlook of the center?
I rubbed my eyes. I hadn’t been sleeping all that well. “Yeah. Sure. What’s up?”
“I don’t exactly know how to broach the topic. It’s sort of the elephant in the room though isn’t it?”
I was exhausted and didn’t feel like playing the 20 questions guessing game. “Mark, I have a lot of my plate right now. Just spit it out. What’s on your mind?”
“Well,” he fidgeted.
“Jesus Fucking Christ, Mark, just spit it out. How long have we known each other?”
He cleared his throat. “Victoria, I mean, Rose,” he stuttered. “She was the brains behind this center. She’s talented as hell, could have a promising music career of her own and yet, each day someone asks for her back here, and I know she loved it, the idea, the vision. So I called her. You haven’t replaced her yet and things are falling through the cracks without her.”
“Jesus, Mark. She was not who she said she was. You do realize that, right? She was working with investigators to frame me, to try to blackmail me.” I was exasperated. Mark, like everyone else, was still in the dark about the whole situation.
Mark rubbed his hands over his face. “She wants to come back,” he said slowly. “She said this was all a big misunderstanding. And without you replacing her, we are really in need of someone who understands this stuff, William. Someone who loves the arts the way she does.”
I stood up. “Fine. I will see to a replacement. I will get Jennifer on it immediately.”
“But, William, Victoria is sharp. She is a natural. You know this. Can’t you put your personal thoughts aside and think about the center? Whatever happened between the two of you, clearly, you can put the needs of the center above it? How bad could it be? Why don’t you start by just telling me what’s going on.”
I shook my head. This was ludicrous. And I just started laughing. “I thought she had offers, offers to move to New York or California? And Mark, her name? It’s Rose. Rose Wellington. You might just want to start there.”
He was becoming as irritated with me as I was becoming with him. “Yes, William. I know. And yes. She does have offers but she doesn’t want to leave. She grew up around here too, William. Did you know that?”
That almost made me want to slap him. Instead I just laughed. “Yeah, Mark. I knew that.”
“Well,” he continued, still just so oblivious to the situation, I couldn’t completely knock him, “you know how shy she is. She is happy playing at my place or maybe a concert or two, but she has made it clear. She would love to stay on and assist here and teach.”
As Mark’s insane plan loomed in the air like some twisted angsty romantic comedy, something donned on me in that moment. How the fuck did Mark know so much about what Rose was doing? I sat back down and could feel all but a thread of patience remaining.
He continued, “I thought you were dropping this thing anyway? Isn’t that what your attorney is instructing you to do?” I had told him too much and I had told him too little at the same time. He had no idea what was going on.
“Mark, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing right now, but bringing back Rose is not one of them. Let me talk to Jennifer and work this thing out.”
He stood. Mark rarely argued with me. I could see fire in his eyes. I knew he wanted to say more. Instead, he huffed, squeezing his fists tightly, and just said. “Fine, William. But I think it’s a big mistake.”
“Yeah, well. Remember? Me boss? You not? You’ve said it yourself a million times. This is not up for discussion. I will find a suitable replacement.”
I breathed the stale air around me deeply. There was no sense in getting this angry with Mark. I couldn’t fault him for caring about the center. And I couldn’t fault him for not knowing the whole story when I wasn’t willing to tell him or anyone for that matter. “I do respect you caring about our new center. I do not want to see it fail. So you are right. A replacement is needed.”
He left my office without another word, unappeased.
I leaned back in my chair and shut my eyes. I knew I needed to do something. But what exactly? I wondered if I was ready to get a new personal assistant, one who could fill the role of employee and personal….slave.
Jennifer always thought it balanced me, calmed the demons within me. Finding someone who could fill Rose’s shoes at the center and at the home were probably impossible, which would mean I would need to hire two employees. Without Rose, we were missing a key person. I doubted I could ever find another personal assistant as effective as Rose had been.
But I wondered. Perhaps the key to finding happiness again, or at least peace of mind, was to replace Rose, at least in my personal life. That just might be the exact ticket I needed to move forward. I buzzed my secretary.
“Yes, Mr. Thorne?”
“Rachel, could you please get Jennifer on the line? It’s a bit urgent.”
“Yes, sir. Of course.”
Within five minutes, Rachel buzzed Jennifer in.
“What’s up, Will? Is everything okay?” She was out of breath.
I chuckled. “Sorry. I got a wild hair. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”
“Jesus, okay. You had me worried. So what is it?”
“I’d like you to find me my next personal assistant. I need to put Rose completely behind me. Go back to the way things used to be. Clean. Easy. Satisfying. Can you do that?”
There was a pause.
“Jenny?”
“Yes, of course, I can do it. But are you sure you’re ready? You went six months last time in between. Don’t rush things, William.”
“No. I’m ready. She was never the right fit. We both knew this. You know what I need. The sooner the better.”
“Okay.” I heard hesitation in her voice. “I’ll work on it today.”
Chapter Four
I grabbed my suit coat and decided I needed to get back into my routines, the things that kept me sane. Running, having a personal assistant at my beck and call to alleviate stress, patching things up with Olivia to keep my image clean. These were the things that had kept my life running efficiently and smoothly. The minute I veered off that path, my life crumbled like ashes from a fire. I breathed out a long exhale and actually felt my whole body relax, muscles loosening their discomfort. I looked up to find Mark standing again in my doorway. I looked at my wristwatch.
“Mark? What are you still doing here? It’s nearly 8:00.”
“You’re not
going to be happy with me right now.”
My eyes drew themselves into slits. He was never here this late. “What? What is it?”
“I thought you’d be gone by now.”
It was true, I hadn’t been working the long hours I used to. I was preoccupied. The funniest part, though, if you asked me exactly what I was preoccupied with, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you.
Deep down, of course, I knew. I was preoccupied with thoughts. Just fragmented thoughts. Thoughts of Rose. Thoughts of my mother. Thoughts of what I had done and my past. Thoughts of what I was going to do and my future. Each night passed with a shadow of myself sitting in the leather chair beside a fire that gave me no warmth.
“Yeah, well. I’m not gone. So what’s up? Why am I not going to be happy with you right now?”
“Um…Rose…is…well…I thought I could convince you to take her back. I thought I could reason with you this afternoon. I mean, have you checked the number of emails we’ve received about her? The fact that we don’t have a decent music teacher here for that class, for the older kids? I just thought you might be able to put aside…”
“Mark,” I barked. “I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me. But if I hear Rose’s name one more time, it’s going to get ugly. We have been friends for years, Mark, but my confidence in people is pretty fucking low right now. So either you tell me exactly what is going on or you let me get home and on with my evening.”
“I told her to come here tonight and get settled, that if you didn’t agree to let her back today, that you would come around. She’s actually teaching one of the music classes right now, the one that started at 7:00. You do remember we have been without one for over three weeks now? Even before this all blew up, we lost the teacher.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Mark. Go home! I’ll take care of this.”
“William, I think you’re being pig-headed about this. I really do.”
“Well, Mark, at this present moment, I don’t really care what you think! Go home. I’ll deal with it,” I repeated.
Twice in one day, he huffed off. I heard doors slamming and hushed cursing under his breath. He didn’t fully understand. I got that. He had no idea that Rose and I had been romantically linked in any way, so it probably didn’t make all that much sense to him. And I had to keep remembering that I hadn’t explained the full extent of who she was posing to be or what she had been up to. I hadn’t really told anyone the whole truth, save my attorney and Jennifer.
I walked up the stairs, the old wooden spiraling staircase, and listened for the music. I was still getting used to what each room was used, we had so many facets and classes. I heard a faint giggle and I immediately recognized it as Rose’s. My entire body reacted to her. It was so unlike me, so out of character for me to be affected by a woman, let alone the mere sound of a woman.
As I peered through the square of the foggy glass atop the dark wooden door, I saw her smiling, seated at the piano, five pre-teen students surrounding her. One sat on the bench with her as she gently guided the student’s fingers, as others counted rhythms standing tightly in a huddle around the two of them.
The tune she played was simple, a children’s song that escaped me at that moment, but the atmosphere was full of warmth. I could see the students’ comfort and happiness in her presence, without even having to hear a word they uttered from the way they looked at her, the smiles on their faces, the way their proximity to her showed their trust.
I watched the smooth lines of her shoulders and back, her hair up in a high ponytail, away from her face and body. She wore a tan fitted tank top and a light blue scarf with dark blue jeans and flats, and I never quite saw her look so innocent. When she tried the least, she looked the most beautiful.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Mr. Thorne?” A tall man with a dark beard and mustache stood next to me.
“Yes?” I took the hand that was held out to me and nodded in the affirmative.
“My boys are in there. Thank you. Someone of her talent, teaching my boys like that. I can’t thank you enough…for what you’re doing for this community. We thought she was leaving. We wouldn’t blame her. We saw her perform a few weeks ago. That she chooses this? To give back to her community like this. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Well…” I didn’t know how to tell him that she wasn’t a part of the center anymore.
“After my wife died, my boys got into all kinds of trouble. I had to work so much, it was hard to keep tabs. Now they’re finding interests here. It’s only been a little over a month, and already their grades have improved just from coming to the center every day.”
I didn’t have the heart to say any more. I was certain we’d be able to find another teacher. I had just…well, I had let things go. There were no excuses.
Rose stood and the man opened the door to retrieve his boys. The other parents strolled in, some nodding in my direction, others taking my hand, as I followed them in.
A couple of the students grabbed Rose around her petite waist, and she drew them in gently and released them to say goodbye. And then she looked at me. And I at her.
From this long distance between us, I could see the intake of her breath and the air sucked out of the room and into her lungs. It felt like a lifetime since I had seen her. Something inexplicable afflicted me from the core of my being. I shook it off.
When we were alone, I walked over to her. Small wisps of hair moved in the air around her face from the vacuous space like an invisible breeze.
“Hi,” she whispered and she couldn’t quite look me in the eyes.
“Hi,” I said back and I could hear my voice, not quite anger but a slight edge laced it. “You know this isn’t going to work, right? You must know this, Rose.”
Her eyes finally met mine and we stood inches from each other. Her mouth opened but no words escaped.
“How are you getting home?” I stepped back from her and tried to fight the pull I had to take her, right there, on the piano.
“Um…”
“Rose,” I snapped. “You know how much I hate when you say ummm. I asked you a question. How are you getting home? Do you have a car? A cab? It’s late.”
“I thought Mark would still be here. Isn’t he?”
“Mark?” I spat the name out like some rabid, jealous dog. Why was I getting the distinct impression that she and Mark had been spending an awful lot of time together?
“Yes, Mark,” she said quietly. “He’s about the only friend I have left right now, William.”
“Friend, huh?” And I stepped in closer to her, pinning her against the bench of the piano. Her hands hit the keys behind her in a loud discordance, matching the mood at that very moment. I was about to do something uncontrolled and unpredictable. Stupid.
“William.” I heard the rushing of her blood almost in my own ears, that’s how attuned we were to each other. Or maybe it was my own pumping blood I heard. Her face flushed with nervousness and her tits taunted me as they rose up and down in time with her quickened breathing. I laughed. It was as if we were making our own symphony, one founded on jazz and dissonance.
“Does your friend do this?” I could not control a fucking thing I was doing anymore as I grabbed her pony tail and kissed her open mouth, which panted in shock.
She struggled for a second and then met my lips with the same fervor.
“William.” She moaned, and I wouldn’t let her head go as I ground my lips into hers. I didn’t care if I did actually bruise them. I wanted my mark on her. I didn’t care that she had deceived me. I deserved it. I wanted to thrust my cock as deep as was humanly possible inside her at that moment. I didn’t think anything would be able to stop me.
I pulled her lips off of mine with a yank of her hair again and looked into her eyes, filled with emotion that would look like pain if I didn’t know better.
“Does your friend do this?” I unbuttoned her jeans to find her pantyless, and I smiled. Thin tufts of her li
ght blonde hairs had grown back and I tugged them and she gasped with a shaky intake. My hand, with a mind of its own, worked its way down lower, and I ran the tips of my fingers through her wet slit and her ass slammed against the keys of the piano. She lost all her fight, becoming jelly, liquefied in my hands.
“Aaah. William.” Her voice was husky and pained, and I heard a longing in it that begged me not to stop and the sadist in me reared its ugly head.
“Stand up straight,” I ordered, “and answer my question with clarity.”
I shimmied her pants down to her mid thighs as she found the strength to stand perfectly straight, without support from the piano.
I spread her pussy with delicious ease, the honeyed wetness coating her inner thighs and now my fingers.
Her hands drew back again against the piano, trying to find support as I flicked her erect clit the way I had learned made her come quickly.
“Up,” I ordered again and stopped. She couldn’t hold herself up and I liked watching her lose control to me. “Does he, Rose? Does your friend know your weaknesses the way that I do?”
I was just being a prick. I couldn’t help it. That I was somehow jealous made no sense to me. That I still cared about someone that could deceive me the way she had, perplexed me even more. It brought out my monster.
“No, William. Of course not.”
“Hmmmm….” I stood back. “Pull up your pants.” I smeared her juices, sticky on my fingers, across her lips and then thrust them into her mouth roughly. I wanted to see her gag. I was twisted. When she moaned instead, I took them out and stepped back. Jesus. What was I doing?
“Wait. William…I…” I saw that all-too-familiar emotional flush cross her face, and I stepped back further and turned around to recover. I had lost control. I seemed to always lose my control around her. No more.
“This is not happening,” I said over my shoulder. And then for some reason unknown to me, I became cruel. I turned and looked her square in the eyes. “I just wanted to see how easy it could be.”
THORNE: Rose's Dark Secret: (Book 2) Page 3