Last Broken Rose: A Dark Romance (Rose and Thorn Book 3) Read online

  "Come on, fucktoy," a man groaned in my ear, and I moaned, waking up from the half-slumber I'd been. "Time to get used again."

  I cried out when he positioned me in a way he liked, but there wasn't much else for me to do. I was gasping and moaning for him in seconds, and he laughed when he saw the impact his cock had inside me. He leaned close to my ear and whispered in it, and a shiver went down my spine as I listened to him speak.

  "You've been fucked for a week fucking straight," he said roughly, his hips slowly thrusting inside me. "Orgasm on top of orgasm, pain on top of pain. Breaks only for eating, sleeping, and the bathroom. I hope you're fucking exhausted, poor little bitch."

  I looked down at my body, clothed in an outfit I didn't remember. Someone must have changed my clothes while I was sleeping again, or maybe they were putting something in my water to make me pass out. I wouldn't put it past them.

  My appearance hid what had been done to me, but my mind knew all too well. I touched my fingers to my hair and found it perfectly done. The nightie I had on was sheer, with a feather trim. Beautiful in its simplicity. I wore sky-high heels I'd probably never stand in, and my long nails were painted red. I barely recognized myself anymore. They'd turned me into a toy, a plaything, but unbeknownst to them, they were turning me into a weapon, too. And my first target was Thorn. I would have him or no one else would.

  "No more," I begged the man in a husky, desperate whisper, but he just laughed at me and kept fucking.

  I felt my body giving out, ready to collapse in a heap on the floor when the playroom door opened. I stared up to find him walking in, dark, tall, handsome, and so utterly irresistible my pussy clenched, coming at the sight of him. It made him chuckle and shake his head as he approached us, motioning for the man fucking me to get off.

  I felt him climbing off me, cursing softly as he did. A trickle of my own juices ran from inside me once he pulled out, and I shut my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the silent humiliation. No use though, because Thorn was more than happy to call me on it the next chance he got.

  "Horny girl," he said, staring at me with a bemused expression, then tossing me a silk dressing gown. "Dress up. Training's done for the week."

  Shivering and shaking, I managed to pick myself up from the bed and put on the gown. He didn't look at me as I covered up, and I hated him for that, too. I wanted him staring.

  Once I was done, he ushered me out of the playroom, down an empty hallway and into an office. Pia stood to the side, and my posture deflated when I saw she was there too. Her eyes on me were cold and calculating but understanding at the same time. Even though we were rivals in the long term, we had a more important enemy in common - Harlow. And our first task would be to get rid of her. After that, we would be pitted against one another.

  "Pia," Thorn said calmly as he settled behind a desk in a plush office chair. "I want you to start training Carina now. She's been broken..."

  He smirked at me, his eyes filled with feelings I couldn't explain, and my want and need for him fired up again in the pit of my stomach.

  "As you can see," he finished up with a smile directed towards me before he turned back to Pia. "I want you to teach her how to dress, act and behave. I think we can catch a fair price for this one."

  "I'm sitting right here," I mumbled, and he furrowed his brows, staring straight at me.

  "See, Pia," he went on, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "This is exactly the kind of thing I can't allow. She needs to be obedient. Understood?"

  "Understood," Pia agreed, even though his eyes were on me then, drilling into my head as if he was trying to read my mind. "I will begin today."

  "Good," Thorn smiled, getting up from his seat leisurely. "Anything that needs my attention can wait, though. I'm going to spend some time with Rose."

  He walked out of the room while Pia and I wore matching expressions of held back anger. I fucking hated it when he talked about Harlow as if she was some permanent thing when I knew full well I'd get rid of her before she became a real danger. I had grown to hate my former friend, hate her with a passion burning so bright I knew nobody would be able to extinguish the fire. And I knew Pia felt the same way.

  Finally, it was time to face my future opponent. I hadn't seen her for a long time, having been locked away with various men and women and fucked to the point where I barely remembered my own name. But now, the past came rushing towards me as we looked at one another, gearing up for another stand-off. I needed to play things cool, though. I needed Pia more than she needed me at the moment, and I knew she was aware of it too.

  "Hello," Pia purred, testing the grounds. I knew what she was doing. We were similar in more ways than she would care to admit, and I planned on using it to my advantage. "How have you been?"

  "Great," I said sarcastically.

  But really, I wasn't lying.

  In the training Thorn had submitted me to, I had found a part of myself I'd never known existed. I found a deep-rooted need to submit, a desire to belong to someone so completely he had say over everything I did, from the smallest things to life's biggest decisions. The only problem was that the only man I could imagine such a connection with was Thorn himself, and he wasn't mine... yet.

  So my reply was half-truthful. I was upset, desperate to get rid of both Harlow and Pia, but at the same time ecstatic that Thorn had taken me. In my mind, I knew he took me because he wanted to own me eventually. And even though he hadn't so much as laid a finger on me, I knew he would eventually, and we would fall in love. Just like in the fairytales. Just like it was meant to be.

  "I'm happy to hear you're adjusting," Pia said with a kind smile, opening the doors leading on to the balcony. "Care to join me for some fresh air?"

  Her eyes told me there would be more than fresh air for me to enjoy out there. So I nodded and got up, joining her on the balcony overlooking the beautiful estate. It was on the other side of the mansion, not the one that overlooked the beach, but the back, where the land stretched out into infinity with beautiful gardens and orchards. I couldn't imagine the number of people it took to keep the Mansion running, but I was looking forward to finding out once Thorn finally claimed me as his.

  "No cameras here," Pia told me with a smile, and I stared up into her beautiful face.

  She was exquisite, exotically beautiful - not the kind of woman you'd see in your everyday life. Her beauty separated her from the rest of us, but I saw right through it to her bitter center. She was a jealous woman, jealous and enraged by the fact that Harlow, a younger woman, had taken the place she thought she deserved.

  "Good," I replied with a smile of my own. "Is there a special reason why you wanted to talk off camera?"

  I was slowly leading her to her demise. Pia might not have known it, but the whole time I was working with her against Harlow, I was also planning to get rid of her and claim Thorn for myself. I hoped for her sake she knew that, otherwise I was a large step ahead of her. I smiled at the thought.

  "I want to get rid of her," Pia told me plainly, her eyes burning with emotion. "I want her gone. I assume we want the same thing?"

  I nodded, saying, "I think we can get rid of her together."

  "Yes," Pia said with a smile so sweet and innocent it made me wonder how much of the attitude she showed me was a lie. "I have an idea."

  I wondered whether poor Harlow knew her supposed friends were conspiring against her. Whether Thorn was aware of our intentions and just kept us around because it amused him to see us fighting over him. I didn't really care either way. As long as I was the one that ended up with him.

  While Pia relayed her idea, I smiled sweetly and nodded at all the right moments. It was a good plan. One that would take careful planning but at the end of it, would leave only the two of us competing for the man we both wanted. Harlow would be gone, my wish fulfilled, and a new battle would begin.

  "Are you in?" Pia asked, and I gave her a bright smile as I nodded. "Good."

  She was pleased with me,
and I knew I'd killed two birds with one stone. As long as Pia thought I was on her side, she would attempt to make things easier for me, and I loved that. As we stopped talking, she reached into her pocket and brought out a small photo, the kind that is usually used in passports. She slipped it to me, and I looked down curiously as I realized it was a portrait photo of Thorn. He looked just as tall, dark and handsome as he did in real life.

  I raised my eyes to Pia's and stared at her questioningly.

  "I know what you want," she told me. "I know we're going to end up fighting over him. But for now... let's call a truce."

  "Let's," I lied smoothly, and have her a prim and proper little hug.

  I wondered if she knew how much I hated her when she pulled back, and I wondered just how much she really hated me, too.

  Five

  Thorn

  My study felt nice in the mornings. Refreshing and cool, it was the perfect place to relax after the long week I'd had. I'd left my Rose sound asleep in her bed, but I'd slept with her again - a habit I was finding hard to resist. I never slept with women overnight, but she made me reconsider it. I wanted to feel her lithe body against mine. Craved the feeling of her silky skin against mine. I couldn't get enough of her.

  I knew I was falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. I was becoming increasingly clear just how true my words rang in the rose garden. I loved her.

  I groaned to get the thought out, running my fingers through my hair. I was fucking sure she'd put more grey in it since she became mine. I was salt-and-pepper already, but with little Rose's help, I was gaining even more grey hairs.

  Resisting the urge to climb back into bed and hold her against me, I picked up my phone and called a number I hadn't used in a long time.

  Waves of guilt washed over my body, but I did my best to ignore it. I waited as the phone rang and rang, and finally, someone picked up.

  There were no words said, and there didn't need to be. I could pick her out from a crowd. There was a special bond between us and always would be.

  "I need you here," I said plainly, and she took a deep breath.

  "You've ignored me for months," she managed to get out, her voice shaky. "You've pretended I don't exist."

  "Didn't I send money?" I asked cruelly, and she laughed, a bitter, soft little sound.

  "You know I don't give a damn about your dollars," she told me, and I hung my head, knowing I'd poked the nest. "Now tell me why you need me. Have you fucked up?"

  "No," I replied calmly. "She's fine."

  "She better be," she replied, and I could hear the disapproval in her voice.

  She hadn't wanted to be part of this. Since the very beginning, she'd tried to discourage me from doing it, from taking her. She'd told me it was a bad idea, had even threatened to report me if I went through with it. But I insisted I needed her. Told her again and again that Rose needed to be mine. Convinced her with my sheer ferocity, never giving up on what I had wanted for years.

  She'd called me a sick man. Knowing I had seen my Rose when she was a little girl, she called me a fucking pervert, a jackass, a cradle robber. Every name under the sun. I didn't give a shit. All I cared about was having her, owning her. It didn't matter what her opinion was. I would get what I wanted, just like I always did.

  "When can you be here?" I asked, my voice rough.

  "When do you need me?" came her reply.

  "As soon as you can," I replied. "Get your affairs in order and I'll send someone to collect you."

  An awkward pause followed and I wondered briefly whether she even wanted to see me, whether she was excited about coming face-to-face with me after all this time, all the shit we'd been through.

  "Rueben," she said hesitantly as if she was afraid to speak my name.

  She should have been. Not many people knew what it was, and so far, I hadn't even allowed Rose to use it with me. It was always Master or Thorn - the way I preferred it. The woman on the phone was probably the only person in the world whom I tolerated using it.

  "Yes?" I barked down the line.

  "I missed you," she admitted, then cut the call.

  I stood there feeling useless with my phone in my hand. Finally, I set my shoulders back, put the phone down and left my study. I'd left a note for Harlow on the bedside table asking her to meet me in the living room. What she didn't know was that Carina would be present for our little meeting as well. I had something to tell both of them.

  I arrived to find her already there, but Carina was brought in a moment later after I'd kissed my Rose good morning. She looked beautiful in a silk kimono robe and her feet bare, her hair a wild halo around her head. Her eyes narrowed when Carina was brought in, and she gave me a furious little look which made me chuckle.

  "Why is she here?" Rose asked defiantly. "I don't want her here."

  Carina sneered at her former friend but I ignored both of their reactions and motioned for them to sit down at the coffee table. I joined them, sitting by Rose's side and taking her hand proprietorially. Carina's look of contempt didn't escape me, but I decided not to address it. She'd have to deal with her unrequited emotions by herself - I didn't have time for that shit.

  "I wanted to speak to both of you about something," I explained. "Rose, you expressed an interest in dancing."

  She gave me a worried look, but I squeezed her hand reassuringly. I wasn't about to reveal our private agreement to Carina, it would stay between the two of us, the way it was meant to. But still, I was almost morbidly excited to see Harlow's reaction to the news I was about to deliver.

  Maybe the woman on the phone had been right. Maybe I really was a heartless, cruel and senseless bastard. Maybe I deserved every bad thing that came my way and then some. Trouble was, I still didn't give a shit. All I wanted was right on the couch next to me. And I wasn't fucking letting go.

  "I know you are a dancer as well, Carina," I went on calmly. "And I thought it might be good for my Rose to have some... competition."

  Harlow turned her head sharply towards me, but I ignored her imploring look and focused my eyes on Carina's.

  I saw the way she looked at me. The almost blind adoration, the need to be taken care of and used. A look I had seen in many submissives, a look I'd longed for my whole life.

  But not from her.

  I turned my attention back to my woman, who was glaring at me as if I'd just uprooted her entire life.

  "Marchante won't be training you any longer," I went on. "I've called on a new teacher. I thought some competitiveness wouldn't hurt you. It might actually do your dancing a world of good. So I want Carina to train with you."

  "What?" Harlow managed to get out, her eyes blazing with angry fire. "I don't want to train with her."

  "I'm happy to do it," Carina said sweetly, and Harlow turned her gaze to the other girl.

  Carina smiled wide, and I could tell she was enjoying this. I hadn't wanted to hurt Harlow, but I believed pitting the two girls against one another would result in a better performance from Harlow - especially since she'd be training alongside someone she so obviously hated.

  I wanted her last performance to be incredible. I want the world to know what an amazing woman, dancer, and lover she was. And I believed this was the right way to do things, that I would bring out the best in her by using Carina against her.

  "I don't want this," she said. "I didn't want it like this."

  "Well, too bad," I replied coolly. "It's your only fucking option, so if you want to dance, you'd better take it, because I'm not changing my damn mind."

  "What if I change mine?" she asked stubbornly while Carina crossed her legs on the other end of the coffee table. "What if I don't want to dance anymore? This isn't the way I wanted to do things. This isn't what I meant. This was supposed to be mine. My thing. My passion."

  "Frankly, I don't give a shit," I told her. "You asked for something and I gave it to you. If you're going to be an ungrateful little bitch about it, I can just as easily take it away."

/>   I saw the hurt in her eyes and regretted my words, but it was too late. I rose from the couch and buttoned my suit jacket before nodding to the guard, letting them know it was time to take Carina away.

  She didn't resist this time around, and Harlow sat there miserably as her friend was led away, giving me a lingering look that spoke volumes about how she felt about me. Once the guard took Carina away, I walked to the door to leave Harlow, but she got up and caught me by my sleeve, looking up into my eyes with desperation in her gaze.

  "Rueben," she whispered, and I swallowed a curse that wanted to rip itself off from my lips.

  Not because she'd used my name for the first time.

  Not because I was angry that she'd done it.

  Because the only thing on my mind was pinning her against the wall and taking from her what had been mine all along. She was pushing my limits, fucking testing me. And I wasn't about to let her get away with it. I wanted her spread, bent and broken. And I would have it all the first chance I fucking got.

  "It's been decided," I said calmly. "You're training with her, or you're not training at all. And you won't be able to convince me otherwise."

  "I understand," she said, her soft voice so shaky it did something to me, played with my heartstrings and made me anxious to make things better for her, to make her feel okay. I attempted to shrug it off, hoping Harlow hadn't noticed what I perceived as a weakness. "I hope I won't disappoint you."

  "Disappoint me?" I repeated.

  She nodded, her eyes on mine.

  "I don't want to train this whole time only to have a mediocre performance at the end of it," she admitted. "I want you to... I want you to be proud of me."

  Her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at me and I couldn't resist chuckling.

  "Sweet," I told her, touching my thumb to her lips.

  I outlined her bottom lip with my fingertip and she looked up at me so devotedly I wanted to bend her over then and there. But I held back, knowing there was business for me to tend to, and knowing she wouldn't be as eager to please me once she found out the whole story.