The Protege (6 page)

“People
who have tons of money sometimes lose all sense of fun. Their idea of fun is
arguing whether they’re drinking a Chardonnay or Merlot.  To make things really
exciting they might throw in a Bordeaux or Chianti.”

“You
certainly have an odd opinion of your own…” She caught herself and stopped.

“What? 
An odd opinion of my own kind?”  His smile was warm and teasing. 

As
a waiter slowly passed by balancing a tray laden with flutes of champagne,
Michael grabbed two and handed one to Serena.

With
a smile, she nodded her thanks and took a sip. “Well, sort of.”

 “Look,
every time I come to one of these things, I see people who put all their
efforts into being elegant and classy; showing off basically. And, of course,
they get a kick out of putting down all those who don’t live up to their high
standards.  It gets dull and dreary pretty fast.”

“And
you're not one of those people who like to show off?” she chided. “Come on. How
many times have you picked up a lovely young woman with a flashy and showy
car?  How many times have you tried to dazzle a woman with expensive jewelry or
a night out at an exclusive restaurant?”

He
laughed, a hearty and pleased sound that came from deep within. “Touché. 
Guilty as charged. But…” He held up an explanatory finger. “I still know how to
have fun.  I mean, if I invite you on a date, yes, I’ll pick you up in my
silver Mercedes, and after a few dates I’d surely want to show my affection for
you by giving you a beautiful tennis bracelet or teardrop earrings. Throughout
the process, however, I’ll show you tons of fun.”

“Really?”
Serena said with mock disbelief.  “And how does a boy raised in such luxury
have fun these days?”

“The
better question,” he said as he peered over her shoulder. “Is what is a lovely
and lively girl like you doing with Mr. Dark and Moody?”

“Is
that really your opinion of Sebastian?”  She glanced back to see Sebastian
wading through the crowd as he tried to make his way towards them.

“Or
Bash, as my sister loves to call him.”  He rolled his eyes on Bash. “She thinks
that just because Mrs. Sorensen calls him that, she can too.  It sounds so
pathetic.  But, to answer your question, yes.  I mean, look at him.”

Once
again, Serena glanced over her shoulder. 

“He
is dark.  He is moody.  I mean, the hair, the music, the brooding.  It’s like
he’s trying to be some great 16
^th
century genius.  Like he wants to
impersonate Mozart or something.”

“And
what do you know about classical music and the greats?”

He
shrugged.  “This movie I saw.  Then again, I guess dark and moody is in these
days.  I mean my sister certainly didn’t waste much time laying claim to him.” 
After an awkward silence, he put his hand over his mouth.  “Oops, sorry.  I
didn’t mean to let that slip out.”

“What?”
Serena said with casual disinterest, though her heart raced for some
inexplicable reason.  “Have they been seriously seeing each other?”

“Well,
I overheard Mother saying Willow had already picked out her wedding gown.  A
twenty-thousand dollar thing covered with crystals and all those things you
girls like.”

“That’s
a pleasant stereotype.”

“Are
you going to tell me you don’t dream of that magical day? Princess?”

Serena
tried to hide just how annoyed she was by everything he was saying; not only
his idea of women and weddings, but the relationship between Sebastian and Willow.

“In
a sense it’s like they’ve been engaged since childhood,” he went on.  “At least
that’s what my mother and Mrs. Sorensen seemed to think; though Sebastian seems
to like to play hard to get whenever he can. In time, I think he’ll come
around. I mean my sister might be a little coo coo sometimes, but, I guess in
some circles, she’s considered a catch.”

“I
think it’s pretty obvious he’s not interested in her at all. Otherwise, why
would he have brought me here?”

He
shrugged. “Dark and moody. I guess that also means he’s hard to figure out.
I’ve seen him go through all kinds of women over the years; tall ones, short
ones, rich ones, poor ones; talented songstresses, serious businesswomen and
artsy whack jobs. Of course he’s had a healthy dose of models and starlets in
there, too.” He brought his fingers to her hair and played with a thick strand.
“Sounds like you're a very decent girl, Miss Singleton, not the type to get
caught up in all this lunacy.  I would hate to see you get hurt by him, or by
this little game my mother and Willow insist on playing.”

“So
you think this is all a game?”

“Hey,
there you are.” Sebastian came up behind Serena and immediately put a
possessive hand around her waist. He glared at Michael and the tension between
the two was instantly palpable.

Michael
released the lock of hair he’d been fingering. “You should know better than to
leave such a beautiful creature all alone.”

“Were
it not for your persistent sister, I never would have.” He turned to Serena. “I
didn’t mean to abandon you like that. Mother can be rather insistent when she
gets an idea in her head.”

“So
I noticed.”

“Excuses,
excuses,” Michael said with an uninterested smirk.  He nodded a salutation to
Serena and shot one last glare at Sebastian.  “Better keep her close… Mr.
Sorensen. My time with her was all too short and I’ll jump at the chance to
accompany her again. She’s a veritable breath of fresh air amidst all the stale
blowholes here.” He snickered. “And I love to see the effect she has on Willow and our conniving mothers. Bring her around more often.” He walked away.

“Mr.
Sorensen?” Sebastian wiped the disgusted expression off his face and turned to
Serena.  “What’s that about?”

“Sorry. 
When he first asked who I’d come with…  To me you're still the professor and…”

“You
okay?” Sebastian said as he brushed away her slip up. “Michael is a notorious
womanizer and I can just imagine the games he tried to play with you.”

“I’m
fine. He was very polite and a good company. Handsome and a true gentleman.”

“Is
that a crack at me?” Though his smile was genuine, a light frown furrowed his
brow.

“Not
at all. I understand these events require you to mix and mingle. You just can’t
expect me to stay glued to the wall as you do so.”

He
leaned an elbow on the rail and looked at her. His eyes darted from the
windswept tendrils of hair, to her eyes and down to the glistening gold of her
dress, and her cleavage. “He is right, though. I’d have to be crazy to leave
you alone with all these sharks roving about.”

“Well,
I got a glimpse of this Willow person and I can certainly understand you.”

With
a sardonic chuckle he looked out at the darkening sea. “She’s the epitome of
the pretty bow on an empty package. She knows how to work her physical
attributes to perfection, but she hasn’t a clue how to tap into her own soul.”

“That’s
a cold assessment.”

“It’s
an accurate one.”

“She
can’t be all that bad if she’s so interested in you.”

He
turned a solemn gaze to her. “How about we talk about something else?  Like
you, maybe.”

Looking
at him, the words Michael had said about him rang in her head. “Michael seems
to find it odd that I would be here with you.  Seems you have an interesting
history of womanizing yourself.”

“You
have to taste a variety of foods before you learn what you really like.”

“No
need to get defensive… Bash.” The name sounded like a joke on her lips and she
promised herself she’d never call him by the silly diminutive again. “A man
with experience is far more interesting than a man who’s never known a woman. 
Of course a woman still has the desire to feel special in a man’s company, not
like just another notch on his belt, but a colorful history can make a new
relationship a little spicier.”

“Hmmm,”
he mused with an impressed, but stunned cock of his brow. “I didn’t really
think you’d be the type…”

“The
type of what?  Woman who enjoys hands that know what they’re doing?  Lips that
understand how to stoke a flame?  Please… it’s every woman’s fantasy.”

“Really?”

“Just
like men fantasize about women who are either virginal or full on
seductresses.”

His
smoldering gaze bore down to the heated folds between her thighs. Dark and
moody, Michael had said. Yes, so perfectly dark and moody…and delicious. She
had to admit it was part of his appeal, and she had to admit it was working. If
he was like any of his music, he would be complex, explosive, sweet, sensual,
and passionate. She wanted to get to know the man who could evoke such emotions
in her just from one part of her senses. What would it be like to have all of
her senses ignited like that?

“And
which one are you?” he asked, his voice huskier than before.

The
sexy curve of his lips was more tantalizing than Serena had thought possible.
They were full, sensual, and possessive. The kind you can spend hours nibbling
on. It wasn’t hard to imagine the softness of his lips over hers. And his
hands… Every time he touched her she felt the intense heat that raced
throughout her body.

She
chuckled, a sexy sound that came from deep in her throat. “You don’t really
want me to tell you that now, do you?  It would shatter the illusion… the
fantasy.”

“The
mystery continues.  I like that. You intrigue me, Miss Singleton.”

“And
you make me want to slap you.” She wanted to fight the heat wave that was
slowly taking over her body.

“Why? 
What did I do?” he said with a laugh.

“Someone
has to slap that smugness out of you.”

“Smug? 
I’m not smug,” he argued.

“Please.
I can’t believe I’m the first to ever tell you that. You're smug, arrogant,
haughty and domineering.”

“Anything
else?” he said with a smirk.

“You
deliberately set out to make me feel small and inferior when I first entered
your office. You wanted to play the role of the big, important professor who
could control everything and everyone.”

“You’re
getting me all wrong.”

“You
had me so flustered, I was like a babbling teenager ready to do anything to
please you.”

“And
you didn’t like that?”

“Of
course. No self-respecting woman would. But coming from you, and knowing how
you are or what people say about you…I didn’t say I disliked it.” Frowning, she
cast her gaze to the floor.

He
gently cupped her chin and brought her gaze back to his. “What is it then?”

Completely
disarmed by his gentleness, Serena’s breath caught in her throat a moment.  Powerful
men were always controlling and ruthless.  They wanted what they wanted and
didn’t care… didn’t care how she felt.  Her feelings were always cast aside.

Looking
into his eyes, she could clearly see he wanted her, but what did he want from
her?  What would he think if she spoke too much?  “The truth is that I like it
a little too much; more than what is healthy.”  There it was out.  She’d said
it.  She held her breath.

Sebastian
leaned in closer, his eyes smoldering. “Good,” he whispered into her ear.  “I
think I can provide that for you, and you can provide what I need, too.”

Chapter 6

T
he dinner hour was quickly approaching, but
Serena longed to remain outside on the upper deck with Sebastian. They hadn’t
stopped talking since Michael had left them and she wanted to know more.

“I’ll
admit I’ve always found the idea of sending a child off to boarding school
rather curious.  Were you a naughty boy your mother couldn’t handle?” Serena
had gasped when Sebastian had spoken of his cold and isolated childhood.

He
chuckled.  “No.  I was pretty much dark and moody, even back then. I was quiet
and kept to myself.  Music started to invade my life pretty young and all I
ever wanted to do was play piano.  No, boarding school was par the course. 
Everyone I knew went to boarding school.”

“Did
you miss your family while you were away?”

“At
first, a bit, but I quickly made friends, and of course, music took an
increasingly large part of my life.  Soon music was all that mattered and a
handful of really good friends had become more important to me than the family
I’d left behind.”

He
fell silent and Serena sensed he’d said too much.

“I
think it’s a little normal that you make strong bonds with friends.  There’s
nothing to feel guilty or ashamed about.”

“A
little psych 101?” His grin was friendly, even affectionate, but his eyes put a
definite end to the subject.

“I
heard that you’ve been working on the score for a dark comedy.”

“Actually,
it’s more like a dark romance. The trappings of love and all that.”

“Something
you know about?”

“Enough
to be able to tap into it.”

“Excuse
me,” a short, round bald man said as he approached them.  “Mr. Sorensen, if you
don’t mind I’d like to introduce you to my wife and daughter.  They’re great
fans and would appreciate a moment with you.”

“Of
course, Mr. Bresmin.” Sebastian gave Serena’s hand an apologetic squeeze. “I’ll
be back in just a minute.”

“Take
your time.” Serena smiled as he walked away to greet his fans. 

Much
to the glee of the young teenager and a heavy set woman, he shook their hands
and kissed their cheeks. It was the third time in twenty minutes that someone
had come to him with such a request.  He’d even received an invitation to make
an appearance at a flamboyant woman’s banquet the following week, something
he’d regrettably declined.

Serena
watched him. He carried himself with an air that was at once confident and
charming.  She considered the accusation she’d made earlier; calling him
arrogant and smug. Watching him now she saw a whole different side of him. Even
at a distance she could sense how approachable and warm he could be, given the
right audience. As cold and distant as he’d seemed with Willow and her mother,
he was now positively engaging and attentive to this young girl.