Roses & Thorns

by Bry Ann

  “Just why? Are you gonna hurt me?”

  The last part comes out in a whisper.

  “What do you think?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmm… Wanna know why you’re really here?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  “Come here.”

  “Huh?”

  “Come. Here.”

  I scoot to the front of the tub. He wraps his hand in my tangled hair and tilts my head before planting his lips on mine. I moan and melt into the water. Why is he so good at this? Why does he make me feel so good? His tongue slips in my mouth. I don’t fight it nearly hard enough. When he pulls away there is a moment of silence and heavy breathing.

  “Because you’re mine. You’re here because you’re mine.” His fingers trail my cheek. “You’re perfect.”

  “I hate you.” My voice is choked. What is he doing to me?

  He smirks. “Oh, you don’t hate me. Well, you do, but not in the way you’re saying. You hate me because you feel things for me and I keep doing things to let you down…” He stands up. “Get cleaned up. I’ll meet you out in the bedroom. We have things to discuss.”

  With that bomb, he walks out and shuts the door. I bury my face in my knees and scream through gritted teeth. When my voice is tired and sore I grab soap off the side of the tub. I soap myself off everywhere, shave and wash my hair the best I can. When I get out of the tub I shudder when I remember the toilet and how severe the emotions I felt there were. Last time I felt that way I was in the back of a police car finding out my father was responsible for more than forty deaths. Then I remember the way Sven picked me up off the floor… Stop it. Stop it right now Rose. I will kill myself if I start to feel things for him, and I'm not even kidding. He can make my body feel good and that’s all. I'm not even joking. He kidnapped me. He’s a murderer too. Something I’ve had to spend my whole life reversing the effects of. A murderer. Like him.

  When the towel is wrapped around me I look around for my clothes. Where the hell are they?

  “SVEN!”

  I hear him laugh from the other room. He took them. Of course he did. They were filthy but he could have replaced them. Of fucking course, he didn’t. Why would he? Oh, two can place this game. I'm not a shy person. I'm nice and stuff, but shy. Complacent. Nope. Not me.

  I dry off every inch of me, fluff my hair, hang the towel on the rack and walk out butt ass naked. I swing the door open.

  “Where are my clothes?”

  For the first time since I met him, I get a genuine reaction out of him. His eyes bug out before they turn dark and hooded. Whatever he thought I’d do, this clearly wasn’t it. I love that. I love that I surprised him, and did something he didn’t expect. Sven immediately stands and walks over to me. He trails his hands down my sides. I shudder but try and stay strong. No reaction Rose. No reaction.

  I'm not totally in control though. I can’t control the wetness pooling between my thighs with him looking at me like that. When his hands reach my hips, they delicately stop there. Taunting me.

  “Didn’t expect that.”

  “I know. Where're my clothes?”

  “I like you like this.”

  “My clothes Sven.”

  “You can earn them.”

  I step back. “No deal.”

  He steps forward. “Oh, I love to negotiate. Too bad for you I'm not one for compromise.”

  “Sven!”

  “Come for me, and I’ll give you clothes. Clean ones too. I'm being generous.”

  He traces a finger down my cheek. My whole body comes alive with his dirty words. I can’t do this. I don’t know what game I was trying to play, but I'm way out of my league.

  Run.

  I immediately try and run off to lock myself in the bathroom, but Sven catches my wrist, laughing.

  “Oh little Rose,” he chuckles, “You always know how to turn my day around.”

  “What was wrong with your day?” I ask breathlessly.

  “None of your concern.”

  “Does it have to do with why your boss looked so mad?”

  “None of your concern. I’ll repeat myself.”

  So yes.

  “Sven I…”

  “Let me make you feel good Piccola Rosa.”

  Something’s wrong with me that he makes me feel this alive. After feeling dead for so many years. The universe is cruel.

  “Sven I can’t!” I beg.

  In one swift motion, he pulls me forward and plunges a finger inside of me. I grab his shoulders and cry out.

  “Sven… “

  “Can’t what?” he growls as he pulls his finger out and then pushes it back in.

  “Sven you’re… I… JESUS…” I scream when his finger arches inside of me.

  He pulls out and picks me off the ground effortlessly and throws me on the bed.

  “You will come for me.”

  He slaps my thigh. I close my eyes and wait for his finger to plunge inside me. I wait to fight it. I stiffen every muscle in my body, but no. Sven is too smart. Too skilled for this. He softly traces his finger down the length of my body. I shiver.

  “Sven…”

  I keep my eyes closed. I hear shuffling but I don’t look. I can’t. If I see his dark eyes I’ll lose it.

  All of the sudden something ice cold touches my skin. I nearly leap out of the bed.

  “Holy Sh… crap.”

  Sven laughs. I look at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

  My voice is totally shrill. What is he doing? What the fuck am I doing? What is he doing to me? This isn’t who I am.

  “Shut up.”

  He has an ice cube between his teeth and he runs it down the length of my body. I shake with need. What is he doing? The second the ice cube touches my sex I freeze. Everything in me tightens.

  “What…”

  “Shh…” The ice cube is sticking out of his mouth, the stubble on his jaw has grown out the slightest bit and his hair is only minorly disheveled. Why does this devil look so like an angel? Why did my dad speak like one?

  Something is wrong with me. So, so wrong.

  He runs the ice cube over my clit. I tighten. I need more. His hot tongue wipes over the spot and I just about lose it. Almost. My lower belly tightens. All thoughts of fighting are gone.

  “I'm almost there… please, Sven…”

  Sven crawls over my body, moving the ice to his cheek.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous. Just. like. This.”

  He kisses me gently before plunging two fingers inside me. Just like before, I shatter. I'm alive. I'm flying. Feeling. Until I crash back to reality. I'm shaking so hard.

  “Shh, it’s fine. Aftershocks.”

  I realize I'm the only one naked. The only one getting off. I sit up and frown.

  “You look way too unhappy for a girl who just had an orgasm of that magnitude.”

  “Shut up. Where're my clothes?” I snap.

  He chuckles and throws me a black sundress, which I throw on.

  “You got me clothes?”

  “I didn’t expect you to walk around naked.”

  I sigh and walk to the wall, leaning my head against it.

  “Thanks for being well prepared for my kidnapping Sven.”

  Chapter 15:

  Sven:

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  The door is probably shaking the person is pounding on it so hard. I get up casually. Who is freaking pounding on my door right now? This fucking forcefully. I hear the shuffling of covers and glance over. My mouth curls up in amusement. Rose is scrambling to the back, blocking herself off with a pillow.

  Like that will protect her.

  I swing the door open. My eyebrows shoot up when I see who it is.

  “Boss?”

  Boss looks furious. He’s practically shaking with rage. Immediately my guard goes up and my mask slips on.

  “We need to talk. Now.”

  He stalks off down the hallway. I turn to Rose, feeling every bit of the
underboss I am. I point at her food.

  “Finish.”

  I know she won’t, but I'm curious to see what she does. I slam the door. It locks automatically. I have to practically run down the hallway to keep up with Boss. No way am I walking behind him. Principal. One of those things most people don’t pay attention to. I do. Power isn’t always in the grand gestures. It’s in the little details no one notices until they have a leader who doesn’t give a shit.

  He walks in the main area ahead of me. The air surrounding him is practically vibrating. In this moment the task of taking his role out from underneath him seems practically impossible. He embodies the role of boss.

  I shove aside these thoughts and drag my chair to sit across from him.

  “What’s going on?”

  I glance at his clenched hands.

  “So first things first, Giovanni’s dead. We need a replacement, so keep an eye out for who you think would be a fit.”

  Fuck the no questions asked rule.

  “Why?”

  Boss glares at me. “He disrespected me, and unless you want to join him you will stop questioning me.”

  I nod.

  “We need to discuss the hard drive.”

  Instantly I sit up straighter. I love being privy to this information. I used to have to sneak around to get it. Pull strings. Which was fun, but this is a much bigger game. The more you have at stake, the more fun it is to play. The more there is to win.

  “I'm all ears.”

  Something in Bosses demeanor changes. He studies me carefully.

  “You do know the consequences of betraying me? Correct?” He studies me further, then smirks. “We all have our ambitions. I understand that. What I expect is for people to know what lines not to cross, what roles they need to play and the timing in which they play it. Understood?”

  Damn. Shit. I underestimated him. He knows what I'm planning, but he also knows I'm smart.

  This game just got a lot more interesting.

  Teammates and opponents.

  Friends and enemies.

  Boss, underboss and equals.

  “Yes. I understand.”

  “So, the question is, Sven,” he leans back in his chair and wears a mask of nothing but power, “can I trust you?”

  I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  … And he can. With this hard drive. Because I plan on taking him down without ever betraying the family. Without ever becoming a snitch.

  Of course, other than the minor detail of, I plan on ending his life.

  “The hard drive contains information on The Castello’s,” he growls. The anger is back. It is well known we have been after this family for generations, and boss wants to be the one to take him down. It’s personal in some way. I just know it is.

  “This has to do with the girl?”

  Boss sighs, but it’s subtle. “Yes. She’s the… bait.”

  His teeth are gritted so hard he’s gonna burst a vein.

  “Interesting. Start from the beginning.”

  … and he does. How she literally fell right into his lap. The perfect trap. I don’t know what’s on the hard drive yet, but I know it ties the whole plan up with a pretty little bow.

  “So what is on the hard drive?”

  “The layout of their prison. We can thank Lacey for me finding out about the existence of that. She’s been very useful to me, and she’s about to be a whole lot more useful.”

  “How so?”

  Then I learn. I learn of the most evil, twisted plan I’ve ever heard. It’s perfect. The Castello’s won’t have any chance of existing after what boss has in store.

  Unfortunately for Bosse's little plaything, Lacey won’t either.

  That ends the meeting. Once Boss tells me the plan he looks exhausted. He dismisses me. There’s something off about him. He doesn’t like the plan. This is the first time I begin to suspect this Lacey, the prisoner, means more to him than he lets on.

  I walk back to the room just dying to know what kind of chaos Rose has started. She’s sure to have started some. She’s a little hellion hidden under a gold heart and model looks. Let’s just say what I find is a little more than I anticipated.

  Toilet water covers the bathroom floor and Rose is on the ground having a full-blown emotional breakdown. I don’t like it. Not one bit. I'm surprisingly calm for her having deliberately disobeyed me and caused such a mess.

  She’s tucked in a ball in dirty toilet water rocking back and forth, hyperventilating. She looks at me with pure terror.

  It bothers me. A lot. Interesting.

  I walk over and she begins to scream at the top of her lungs and stop breathing at the same time as I scoop her up. She puts as much space as possible between us. So, even though she’s light, it’s hard to hold her up like that. I set her in the tub. She’s fucking filthy.

  It takes her a while to calm down, but I'm relieved as shit when she does. I decide then I don’t like her like that. Not at all. I take off her clothes. Not to make her uncomfortable, but I need her clean. Her perfect body and skin help dissolve some of the tension I'm carrying from my meeting with Boss.

  For some reason I'm nice. I give her space. Let her get clean even though I want to be the one to run my hands over her skin. Well, almost nice. I do snatch her clothes on the way out. I chuckle as she screams my name. I don’t underestimate her. I expect her to pull a lot of shit, but what she does next I never would have imagined. She comes out stark naked and glares at me.

  Then… she tries to fucking back out when I try and touch her. She played with fire and got burned and then she’s surprised. Fucking hell.

  “Thanks for being well prepared for my kidnapping Sven,” she says when we’re done and I hand her the clothes I bought her.

  I don’t like that. I don’t like how those words settle in my gut. Ungrateful little… She has no idea what I'm capable of. How easy I am taking it on her right now. I glare at her.

  “Yeah, you’re welcome.”

  She snaps her head off the wall and scowls at me. The girl flips moods so fast. I'm hoping it dies down when she realizes she’s not going anywhere, and that I don’t plan on her hurting her. Not physically at least. It’s unnecessary and actually counterproductive. I don’t know exactly what I want from her yet, but for now, I just want her here. She’s mine. Her and her blue eyes. Her blonde hair so light it’s nearly white and her frail body. It’s all mine.

  And her attitude. That’s mine too.

  Her heart. That’s something I have yet to come to terms with.

  “You are despicable! I said that to make you realize that… God, I HATE you! Let me go. I'm not meant to be here. My girls Sven! I mean you own the damn place. Let me go. Please let me go. Please.” She scrambles over and gets on her hands and knees, holding onto my pant leg. “Please. Please. Let me go Sven. Please.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Get off the floor Rose.”

  “No. Let me go.”

  I crouch down. She jumps back and lands on her ass. “No. Get it through your stubborn head that you are here now.”

  “What am I supposed to do here? Huh! Tell me that Sven. I can’t just stay locked up. I can’t do anything. I’ll lose it. I will lose it. The…” she frowns at whatever she was going to say. I already know.

  I cup her cheek. Not gentle. Possessive. She’s mine. Even her twisted mind. “The memories. You’re oh so lovely father.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Oh wow. Sweet little Rose, that’s so vulgar.”

  “You’re so awful. I hate you.”

  Her voice falls as hopelessness sets in. I stand and grab her hand, pulling her to her feet. She looks at me with big blue eyes full of fear and uncertainty.

  “What would you like to do little Rose? Behave, and this place doesn’t have to be a prison.”

  In fact. I want it to be far from it.

  She doesn’t know this yet, another act of kindness on my part, but no, this place isn’t her prison.
/>   It will be her home.

  When everything I’ve planned for succeeds.

  The Castelo’s are under us.

  Then I take over, effectively ruling the entire region.

  Rose will be mine, and this will be our home.

  Chapter 16:

  Boss:

  I hate this. It’s the first time in my life I’ve hated my job. I’ve always been resigned to it. Oddly enough, it is the Castelo’s that sealed my fate. I think that more than anything, more than the obvious, that is the reason I hate them so much. Leave it to me that the first person I develop any kind of real feelings for is the one person who can help me take down their entire family. The entire organization underneath me. It’s all I’ve wanted my entire life, but now it’s muddled by the fact that I don’t want to be the one to destroy the girl with grey eyes. I will follow through though. I'm Boss. My name, the person buried deep inside me, is locked away and the key is not in this world. I will do what I have to do to protect and avenge my family.

  “Gioele!” I snap.

  “Yes, boss?”

  “Lacey. We have to prepare her.”

  I can tell he wants to ask why. If there’s one thing my men know about me, at least the ones who are smart, is that I hate to be questioned.

  “Lacey has a big role to play,” I say in regard to his questioning eyes. Gioele I like. He’s the softest of my top men, but by no means weak. He would fight to the death and kill without question, but of all of us, he has the biggest heart. I think a big reason I keep him around is that I need that. I crave to have one human around me who has even the slightest regard for human life.

  “I see.”

  I see the way his lips tighten. Hurting women, well, he’s not a fan. He doesn’t like Lacey here. I haven’t ever had him watch her for that reason. I’ve had him take her down there, but I’ve never tempted him to cross me. Until now. We’ll see how he fares. I’d hate to have to kill him.

  But I would.

  “It’s the best way Gioele.”

  His gaze flicks up. I just gave him the slightest hint I don’t like this either. I see his shock, but I also see the slight drop in his shoulders. The relief. The relief I have some humanity left. At least when it comes to this girl.

  “What would you like me to do?”