Scent of a White Rose (5 page)

“Hi gorgeous!” he said.

Christian's kiss effectively weakened my knees,
so I had a hard time concentrating on what he said next.

“I’ve got a surprise for you. Evie said that
from now on you’re welcome in the club whenever you want, as long
as you wear this bracelet. She had it made for you after checking
with the liquor board."

He had a big smile plastered on his face as he
continued, "They said as long as she made sure that you had
something to clearly designate that you're underage, you’d be able
to join us.”

I looked down at the black rubber bracelet; it
had the club's logo on it, and the words UNDER 21 in white print
repeated around the band. This I could live with.

“This is great, but how did Evangeline know that
I wanted to come inside the club tonight?” I asked.

“I think she decided to have it made after the
last time you were here. Actually, she had a bunch of them made. I
think she’s planning to bring in some extra revenue by opening the
club to 18+ kids a couple of nights a week.” Then with a fake pout
he said, “I’m just not sure I’m ready to share you with everyone
else though.”

He pulled me close, placed his hands on my hips
and looked straight into my eyes. “I like having you all to
myself.”

Suddenly I was feeling flush. I couldn’t tell if
it was from his sexy tone, or if it was just because I was so damn
horny, but it didn’t matter. Because just then, Jill stuck her head
out of the front door and yelled, “Hey you two, get in here!”
Christian smiled and took my hand, and as we made our way to the
club's front door, I took a deep breath and thought...
I don’t
like sharing you with anyone else either!

The club was dark and sexy. A thin layer of
smoke drifted in the air as different colored lights pulsed from
all different directions. The music was sensual and had a very
bump-and-grind beat to it. The guests were just as Jillian had
described them...oozing sex. There were amazingly beautiful women
and men dancing and making out everywhere I looked. Suddenly, I
didn’t like the idea of Christian working here anymore.

“Come on, Evie wants to talk to you!” he yelled
into my ear.

As we made our way toward Evie’s office at the
back of the club, I kept getting a weird feeling that everyone was
watching me. I was used to people staring since I was pretty tall
and had a very curvaceous figure and my blonde hair always seemed
to attract attention. But this was different. It was like they were
waiting to see what I was going to do…or what Evie was going to do
to me.

As we entered Evie's office she gracefully rose
from her chair. “Hello, Rose. I’m so glad that we could accommodate
you tonight. I’m sure Christian already told you, but I want to
extend my invitation personally. You are welcome at The Rising Pit
whenever you want as long as you wear your bracelet.”

“Thank you so much Evangeline.” I had never felt
comfortable calling her by the nickname Christian and everyone else
used for her. “I really appreciate you thinking of me. I'll be
turning twenty-one in just a few months, and until I move out of my
dad’s place I won’t be down that often, but this is such a generous
thing for you to do in the meantime.”

“You’re moving out? When?” Christian suddenly
sounded serious, and not very happy.

“Well, yeah. As soon as I graduate college,
which will be at the end of May, remember? I told you–I'm
graduating early because of all the AP classes I took in high
school. I only agreed to live with Dad as long as I was in college,
and since that time is almost up, I’m ready to start looking for a
place of my own.” I felt slightly annoyed and more than a little
confused by the change of subject.

Christian seemed upset at my news and I couldn’t
understand why. I thought he would be happy that I would be out on
my own and able to see him whenever I wanted. Frowning, he
continued, “I don’t like the idea of you living alone. Not after
what happened to your mom.”

And now my evening was ruined. “Oh, Jesus
Christ. Really? You sound just like my dad. Do you think the guy
who killed my mom has been keeping tabs on me this whole time?
What, has he just been waiting for me to move out, biding his time
until he could strike? Be realistic, Christian. Just because I’ve
had to face tragedy in my life, doesn’t mean I’m different from any
other twenty-one year old living on her own. Besides, I’m tougher
than you think,” I spat as I headed towards the door. “Thanks again
for the kind gesture Evangeline, though it looks like I won’t be
needing it tonight after all.”

I spotted Jillian at the bar as I rushed out of
Evangeline’s office. I realized that she had just had a drink
placed in front of her when I grabbed her arm. “Sorry, change of
plans...let’s go.”

* * * * *

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ruined

(Rose)

Just as I reached the club's front door,
Christian grabbed my arm. "What's wrong with you?" His face was
lined with genuine concern. Christian and I had never fought
before. This was his first taste of my temper, and right now it had
just started to boil.

"What's wrong is that I'm sick of everyone
treating me like a fucking kid," I screamed over the bass of the
music. "You don't seem to think I'm a kid when your tongue is down
my throat or your hand is up my shirt, now do you?"

Taken aback, he gasped and dropped my arm. After
a moment, he cocked his head towards the door. "Let's go outside."
He walked out, leaving me standing there wondering if we'd survive
our first fight.

I glanced at Jillian who was standing there
watching me with a concerned look on her face. I leaned in and
raised my voice enough for her to hear, "I'll be right back." She
nodded and headed back to the bar to reclaim her seat and
drink.

After I passed through the door and popped my
ears, adjusting for the void of the loud music, I spotted Christian
leaning against his car. His eyes were locked on mine as he tracked
me from across the parking lot.

"I don't understand why you're so mad." Thick
emotion laced his tone. "I love you, and it's only natural that I
would be concerned and worried about you."

Listening to him express his feelings so openly
made me realize that I had just ruined our entire night. Feeling
ashamed I whispered, "I'm sorry. After all these months of my dad
babying me, I guess I'm just overly sensitive to anyone who tries
to coddle me."

He took my face in his hands. "Rose, I'm not
trying to coddle you. I'm just worried about you living on your
own. I'm your boyfriend, I love you, and that gives me the right to
be concerned."

He loves me.
As the fact settled deep in
my bones, a warm feeling started to spread in all the right places.
I pulled his hands away from my face and stepped closer. "Can we
talk about my moving out later?" I reached up and laced my fingers
through his hair. "I just really need to be close to you right
now."

I didn't wait for his response. I leaned in and
brushed my lips across his. When I pulled back to gauge his
reaction, his eyes were closed and his breath was shallow. He
licked his lips and then that sexy smile of his started to crook
the corners of his mouth.

He opened his eyes, pulled me into his arms, and
hugged me tightly. "All I ever want is to be close to you," he
whispered in my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and
started to kiss his neck. He reacted by running his fingers through
my hair and tilting my head so he could do the same. Feeling his
lips and tongue slide along my skin made me break out in goose
bumps. He leaned away, looking concerned. "Are you cold? Do you
want to go back inside?"

I didn't...not really. I just wanted to stay out
here in the dark, where Christian and I were the most comfortable.
But I knew I needed to get back to Jillian, and Christian needed to
get back to work. After kissing him once more I said, "Yes, let's
go." I'm sure I sounded disappointed.

After Christian double and triple checked that I
was okay, I convinced him to get back to work while I found
Jillian. She hadn't been in her seat when we returned and her drink
had already been cleared from the bar. After waiting my turn, I
flagged down Dominique, the older of the two sister bartenders.
"Did you happen to see where my friend went?" I had to yell to make
sure she could hear me over the loud music.

She nodded her head "yes" and then gestured
towards the bathroom.

"Thanks," I yelled back in appreciation. I
didn't know Dominique very well, but during the few run-ins we'd
had, she'd always been really nice.

I headed towards the bathroom to make sure
Jillian was okay. Once inside, I called her name, but there was no
response. After checking under the stalls and verifying that they
were all empty, I headed back out to the dance floor.

Looking around, all I saw were the patrons of
the club, lost to either the beat of the music or the throes of
passion. Finally, I glimpsed a speck of red out of the corner of my
eye. Jillian, in her red leather miniskirt, was currently making
her way up the curved staircase that lead to the club's second
floor. And she wasn't alone.

Pushing through the crowd, I struggled to keep
my eyes on her and her mystery companion, but kept losing them as I
elbowed my way to the base of the staircase. When I finally broke
through the crowd, I glanced up just in time to see them dip behind
a curtained entrance. Just as I started up the stairs, Evangeline
appeared, placed a hand on my arm, and motioned for me to follow
her.

I really wanted to head up those stairs to make
sure Jill was okay, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to
refuse Christian's boss. Feeling frustrated, I followed as she led
me to her office, held the door open, and motioned me inside.

"Are you okay, Rose?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I tried to sound as convincing
as possible.

"I'm sorry that Christian's concern was
upsetting to you. He tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, and as
with most men, that can often translate into a fierce
protectiveness. It's obvious that he's very much in love with you."
She sounded more like his mother instead of his boss.

"I love him, too." I replied softly. This wasn't
exactly a discussion I thought I would ever be having with
Evangeline, but suddenly it felt good to have someone to talk to
about this. "I'd do anything for him. That's why I thought he'd be
happy I was moving out. We'll be able to spend so much more time
together."

"I'm sure that he'll come around. As a woman
who's lived alone for years, I know you'll be fine, but it's always
hard to convince the men who love us that we don't need them 24/7,"
she joked. "Why don't you go wait for him at the bar? I'll go let
him know that he can take his first break.”

As we left Evie's office and headed towards the
bar, it took me a moment to muster up my courage. "Would it be
alright if Christian gave me a tour of the club? Since it's
officially my first time inside, I'd really love to see more of the
place."

After hesitating briefly Evangline said, "Yes. I
think that'd be fine. I'll send him right over to you."

Just as I sat down, Tori placed a drink in front
of me. I waved my bracelet at her. "Thanks, but I'm not
allowed."

"It's just soda!" Smiling she headed back
towards the man who was struggling to get her attention. Right
then, I made a conscious note to myself; once I moved out and could
come here more often, I would definitely be getting to know her and
Dominique better. They seemed like a couple of really cool
chicks.

As I sat there waiting for Christian, I kept
thinking about Jillian and what the hell she could be doing up
there with a complete stranger. Not that I didn't have any ideas.
She was older than me and more experienced, but she was my best
friend and I had brought her here, so yeah...I was feeling a little
overprotective I guess. How ironic.

"So I hear I'm to give you a tour." Christian's
smooth voice floated to my ear.

"Yes, you are." I slid off my stool and into his
arms. "Let's start upstairs." Yes, I wanted some alone time with
him, but this was also where I had last seen Jill. Two birds with
one stone and all.

As we rounded the top of the staircase, I heard
noises that indicated that everyone in this vicinity was having a
really
good time. "What are all these curtained off areas?"
I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

"These are our private rooms. VIP guests can
invite patrons to join them up here for a more
intimate
party of sorts." He sounded a bit hesitant in his explanation. I
think he was nervous about how I would react. He probably thought I
was going to be mad, which I might have been if Jill hadn't planted
her wicked idea in my head earlier tonight.

"Are any of them empty so we can have a more
intimate
party of our own?" Tilting my head, I batted my
eyelashes and let a sexy grin slowly play across my mouth.
Christian's chest expanded as he took a deep breath, a feral look
settling on his face. He took my hand and began leading me to a
private room all the way at the end of the hall. That's when I
heard Jill scream.

* * * * *

CHAPTER NINE

Damaged

(Rose)

I spun around and ran towards the room that I
had seen Jill disappear into. Just as I was about to reach for the
curtain, Christian was in front of me, pushing me back. "Let me
by!" I screamed. "That was Jillian and she's in there with some
strange guy!"

"It's my job, Rose. Let me do it." He looked
serious, and as I started to protest, I saw Dax bound up the stairs
and give Christian a quick nod.

"Let's go," Dax said.