The Master Read online

  An interminable ten minutes passed before he reached his father’s building. Without bothering with the underground parking lot, he pulled the car up to the curb, cut the engine and rushed out. The main entrance was locked and could only be opened with a buzz from the security guard.

  Swearing beneath his breath, Sebastian rang the bell and fidgeted as he waited for the door to open. The buzzer sounded and he hurried in, rushing to the security desk.

  “Good evening, Mr. Sorenson,” the night guard said. “What brings you here at this hour?”

  “Have you seen my father?”

  “No, sir, but he usually takes the elevator directly from the parking lot below.”

  Yeah, yeah, I know, Sebastian wanted say.

  “Anyone else come in?”

  “No, sir. Are you expecting someone?”

  “I’m not sure,” he muttered as he hurried to the bank of elevators. He pushed the button and the doors to an elevator slid open. He entered, fidgeting and expecting the worse as the elevator brought him up to his father’s floor.

  The offices were dark, lit only by the dim lights that flickered from computers terminals and the moonlight seeping in through the windows.

  “Father,” he called out as he tried the doors to his father’s office.

  His father usually kept his office locked, but the doors flew open with ease. Sebastian was certain his father hadn’t simply forgotten to lock it. With all the important and confidential documents in his office, Kaiser never neglected to lock it.

  “Father.” He walked around the desk and his eye immediately caught on the sheets of paper strewn about the floor.

  His cell phone rang, the delicate and simple ring tone piercing through the silence and shattering his nerves.

  “What is it?” he barked into the phone, certain it was his bodyguard again.

  “A little stressed out, are we, Bash?”

  The sardonic sound of Price’s voice accompanied with his irritating chuckle grated Sebastian’s raw nerves.

  “What have you done with my father?”

  “You mean the good rector. Ironic, isn’t it? I have to admit I was a little taken aback when I arrived at his office to find him in such dubious attire. Of course, he was quick to explain that it was all a costume for the masquerade ball you organized. Very clever, Bash. Very, very clever. Once again you surprise me. I’ll admit, as furious as I am at you for breaking up my perfectly good party, I would have paid good money to see the expression on those horny old bastards’ faces when they realized who you were.”

  “Where’s my father?”

  “Funny. Considering all that has happened between the two of you, I’m surprised you care. I found this very interesting and intriguing letter on his person. Something to do with his wish to fuck Serena’s face and have her finger up his ass.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Oh, I understand. It mustn’t be easy to learn what really lurks in that old man’s mind, especially when it regards the woman you love. And the woman I love.”

  “I find it hard to believe you're really surprised, Price. After all, you took him just to upset me, did you not?”

  “Indeed, though I was a bit skeptical. Hearing the tremor in your voice, however, I must say, I’m thrilled.”

  “Where is he?”

  “That old bastard of a father of yours is quite well, Bash. Don’t worry. I have no intention of harming him… for now.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You know what I want, Bash. I want what you took from me, what is rightfully mine. You have no business being with a woman like Serena to begin with. Tell her you no longer love her, that you can’t be with a woman like her, can’t see pass her past, and that she’s better off with me. I know you’re thinking about it, Bash. You’re wondering if you can have a future with a woman wilder, more carefree and daring than you. Guess no longer, Bash. The very idea that you even contemplate it, that you have doubts, means you can’t. Give it up already.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Care to try me?” His tone suddenly lost all amusement. “You’ve taken away from me the only person I care about. You’ve kept me cooped up like an animal for days. And now you’ve ruined a perfectly good business arrangement I’ve had with these men for the past years. Yes, Bash. I guess you could say I am a little crazy. Do you really want to find out what a crazy man is capable of?”

  “You know that I can’t possibly hand over Serena.”

  “Then can you live with this?”

  After a loud clap, Sebastian heard his father’s cry.

  “Bastard. Price, you can’t do this.”

  “But I did, and believe me, before the night is through, I will again. I hate the old fart anyway. It’s not like it pains me to give him the back of my hand every once in a while. It’s even a little comforting to give him back a little of the pain he’s caused me.” He was silent for a moment. “Bring Serena to me now, Bash.”

  “Serena’s not even with me.”

  “You think I’m stupid enough to believe that?”

  “It’s true.”

  He’d been so desperate to get away from the yacht, then so eager to reach his father’s office, he’d simply left her at the party… alone in a room of angry and horny men.

  Chapter 13

  Serena

  At first the line of men waiting to sign their silence away was calm and relatively orderly, but as the men whispered and complained to one another about their uncertainty regarding Serena’s capacity to remain silent about their perversions, they became restless, agitated and ultimately aggressive.

  “This all seems to be a little too convenient for you,” one of them finally burst out. He turned to the man beside him. “I don’t trust her. Something about all this doesn’t smell right. After all, look at who we’re dealing with here. Look at the slut that she is. Do you really think we can trust her to keep her trap shut after we’ve signed these agreements? Hell we have a lot more to lose than she does. Our careers are built on respectability. Our families depend on us. Our peers…” His voice grew to near hysterical proportions. “Our peers look up to us.”

  Serena eyed Maxime and Keegan. Though they were big and powerful men, there was only so much they could do if the crowd of angry, horny men became more aggressive and uncooperative.

  “Keep an eye on them,” she ordered.

  Making a quick retreat, she closed herself off in Price’s lavish office. She needed some back up, but not of the brute kind. As much as she tried to sooth the men’s fears, there was only so much she could do. She needed a wit, an intellectual voice… the voice of reason.

  Laura.

  She grabbed the phone on the desk and dialed. Glancing at the clock, she hoped her friend would still be up at such a late hour. In her haste to show up at the party, she didn’t even let Laura know she had returned from Switzerland. She wasn’t even sure Laura knew she was there since she was hiding away from Price there with Bash.

  “Laura, I’m glad you're home. I need your help.”

  “Serena? Is that you? When did you get back? I was so worried, but then when you called me that one time to tell me you were alright, I knew Sebastian had hidden you away from that sicko Price, at a very safe place. Where are you?”

  “Can you come down to the Yacht Club in Newport Harbor? I’m on the DeSade. You can’t miss it. It’s the biggest yacht here.”

  “Serena, it’s almost midnight. What’s going on? Why are you there? Where’s Sebastian?”

  “I’ll explain when you get here.” Before she hung up, she quickly added. “And, Laura. Dress like a professional.”

  It took all of ten minutes for Laura to be ushered into the office.

  “Okay, now what the hell is going on, honey? What are you doing in that get up, and who are all those very unhappy men out there?”

  “It’s a long story. Suffices to say that I didn’t give them what they wanted, so they’re a bit miffed.”

  “Sorry,
sweetie, but those men are a little more than miffed. I’d say they’re on the verge of a riot.”

  “I know. That’s why I called you.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask.” Laura looked Serena up and down. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I’ve written up an agreement that is basically set up to keep either party for blackmailing the other.”

  “Blackmail for what?”

  “Out there are some of the most influential men in classical music today and a few billionaires and millionaires Price has built this kind of sordid men’s club around. If they open their traps about what I did here with Price, I may as well give up music now because I’ll never get my foot in the door anywhere… unless it’s to service a horny man.”

  Laura’s eyes widened, but she remained silent.

  “On the other hand, I have these.” She held up the pile of fantasies. “These are the written and signed sexual fantasies of every one of those men. In other words, what these men wish they could do to me, with me, or have me do to them. They’re all pretty wild and pretty explicit. These are all important and well respected men with families. They’re all afraid I’ll divulge their dirty little secret just for spite.”

  Laura’s mouth fell open. “Oh, my God, Serena. What have you gotten yourself into? Is this what Price…”

  Serena shook her head. “The important thing is that I’m getting out of it now. This is my key to freedom, Laura.” She waved the fantasies in front of her. “This is my way out. Once these men sign the agreements I’ve written up, I’ll be able to get my life back. I’ll be able to look at the possibility of a career I can be proud of without fearing one of these men will bar my path.”

  “And you want me…? As a legal presence?”

  “I need to you pull out all that great psychobabble and legal jargon and mumbo jumbo you're so good at. When you decided going to law school was what you wanted after graduating from college, you thought it would help women like me who needed a way out. Well, I glad you took that route instead of culinary school. I could use your help now. I need you to convince them that this agreement is best for both parties. I need you to get every single one of those men to sign these.”

  “Let me see the agreement.”

  Serena handed her a copy. “I managed to get a few of them to sign them, but they started to question more and more the validity of the document and they think I’ll squeal despite it… or even use it against them.”

  Laura nodded as she read. “You know, once signed, if these were ever to fall into the wrong hands…”

  “They won’t.” She looked intently and expectantly at her friend.

  “Because I’ll take care of them?”

  “I need to know they’ll be safe from prying eyes, but available if ever I need them. You're the only one I can trust.”

  “You know that this is barely legal as it is, don’t you?”

  “It seems everything around me is barely legal, but I’m doing the best that I can. Will you do it?”

  Laura nodded hesitantly. “I’ll do my best.”

  Chapter 14

  Sebastian

  “I’ll give you an hour to find Serena and bring her to my place,” Price barked into the phone. “In the meantime, have a little chat with your dear old dad. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to talk to each other about.”

  The phone clunked against something hard and metallic then was silent a moment.

  “Bash, son. Sebastian, are you there?” Kaiser said, his words bordering on desperation.

  “I’m here, Dad. Are you all right?”

  “The crazy bastard’s going to kill me, Bash. The son of a bitch is going to kill me. Son, you have to do something. I know I may not have always been the ideal father, but I did the best I could for you. Everything I ever did was in you best interest. All of this thing with Serena was way before you knew her. There was no way I could have known you’d meet up with her some day. Had I known, I never would have… I never meant to harm you, son. You have to believe that.”

  “Dad, Price wants Serena. Do you understand what that means? Do you know what he’s asking of me? How can I trade one human being for another?”

  “I’m your father, Bash. You can’t just leave me at the hands of this lunatic.”

  Sebastian swallowed as he tried to find another solution.

  “I know you think you love her, son, but surely you realize by now that she’s not right for you. She never was and she never will be. There’s been too much water under that bridge for her to go back to a normal and respectful life now, son. The best thing you can do, for everyone, is to give her back to Price.”

  Silent, Sebastian listened to his father and tried to remain calm.

  “Sebastian. Son. Listen to me, son. Price loves Serena. He wants to take care of her and you know that he’d never harm her.”

  “Is that supposed to reassure me?”

  “Maybe not, but consider this. While he would never harm a hair on that beautiful head, think of what he’ll do to me if you don’t follow through with his request.”

  All the events of the past days rushed through his mind, colliding in a confusing whirlwind of turmoil and guilt.

  A vague grating sound crackled through the phone. Then Kaiser’s whisper, “Son, he’s liable to kill me. Son…”

  The grating sound increased in volume and intensity. Kaiser huffed and quickly blurted out, “Please, son. Don’t let him…”

  “You heard him, Bash,” Price said with a sinister snicker. “Don’t let me…”

  The line went dead and Sebastian stared at the phone for a long while. He knew his father was right. While Price would never do anything to truly harm Serena, he wouldn’t think twice about doing some serious damage to Kaiser.

  Chapter 15

  Sebastian

  At the back of his mind, Sebastian knew he had no intention of handing Serena over. It was purely unimaginable. He’d have to find a way to make Price think he had Serena all while freeing his dad. While he couldn’t imagine she’d still be at the yacht club, he knew he had to return there to find Serena. If anything, she would know how to handle Price in this situation. Maybe she could even bargain with him and end this.

  As he turned to leave his father’s impressive office, the one Kaiser had always been so proud of, his eyes came to rest on the large family portrait on the wall. How misleading the photo was as they all smiled at the camera and pretended to be the perfectly happy and harmonious family, but it wasn’t nearly as misleading as the photo of his parents that sat on Kaiser’s desk. His mother fresh from the hair salon and his father in a suit and tie, they were indeed a very handsome couple. So many people even thought them the perfect couple. Sebastian looked at their smiling faces as he picked up the picture frame and thought of all his father’s lies.

  “Reminiscing, Bash?”

  Calm and not at all surprised, he looked up at her. Back lit, all he could make out was her silhouette, a silhouette tightly wrapped in a clingy red dress, but he knew.

  “It almost looks like you were expecting me,” she purred as she took a step closer.

  “I smelled your perfume the moment you stepped off the elevator. I was in the middle of something so I didn’t really pay particular attention, but I guess my subconscious knew you were there.”

  She stepped into the light, a delicious smile on her blood red lips.

  “If anything, I’d say you're the one who looks surprised to find me here,” he said.

  “Not as surprised as I am to see you in that costume. A musketeer?” She brought her hand up to his chest and ran a finger beneath his shirt, scraping her nail across his skin. “I always did have a weak spot for D’Artagnan.”

  Not amused, he grasped her wrist to stop her. “What brings you to my father’s office at this hour? In fact, what brings you to my father’s office at any hour?”

  She hesitated a moment while her eyes took him in. “Bash,” she said in a playfully scolding tone. “We haven�
��t seen each other in ages, and this is how you greet me?”

  “I’m not in the mood for your childish games, Willow.”

  “Honey, in those tights, I’ll go wherever your mood takes you. They do wrap up your package rather nicely.” She looked hungrily at his crotch. “Though, if I remember correctly, the package was a little larger than that whenever you saw me.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  Taking a step closer, she let one strap of her dress fall off her shoulder. The fabric barely clung to her large, heaving breast. “Is that the effect this Serena girl has on you? You can no longer get it up? Has she broken you, Bash? Broken your spirit? Your will to live? Your desire to fuck again?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I still want to fuck… the right person, and I can get it up… under the right circumstance.”

  She let the other strap fall off her shoulder and the bodice of her dress crumpled down to her hips, exposing her mounds of heaving flesh. “Are these circumstances right enough for you, Bash?”

  “You like your breasts, don’t you?” he said with scorn.

  “What’s not to like? They’re big, they’re round and they’re firm. My nipples are tight and high. All in all, perfect for squeezing, tweaking and sucking. If you play your cards right, I’ll even let you slide your dick between them. Remember how you used to like doing that?”