She had never liked roses. Even when her crush in eighth grade had given her a beautiful red rose with a long, thick stem of green finished with a flourish of ruby-red bloom at the top, she had grimaced and given it to one of her friends to fawn over. There was just something about the way they were so beautiful to look at and yet pricked her with their thorns the moment she got too close made her distrust them. Flowers were supposed to be a charming sign of affection, not a reason to run for a band aid because you had been jabbed by a thorn. She never understood why women would get so excited about a blood-red flower that blossomed a flower the exact same shade as the blood coursing through their veins. She found their whole concept, from the way they looked to the sickening scent that poured from their petals, unsettling, weird, and utterly unromantic.

So when she had first driven up the driveway to Justin’s new house that sat comfortably in the niche of Beverly Hills, she had been struck by the bushes of crimson roses framing the outline of his house. She assumed that they had been there from the previous owner, as Justin knew better than to plant her least favorite flower around the house that she might eventually move in to. Upon interrogation, he had told her that gardening was not on his list of priorities, but had promised her that once he had finished decorating his new home, he would take away the roses himself and replace them with her preferred floral choice, daffodils.

Alexandra Jane Malone slammed the door of her new Honda Civic, throwing the roses bordering the distinctive white bricks that made Justin’s house a contemptuous look. He hadn’t even made good of a bad situation by selling them or something; at least then he’d be getting money out of the red tipped monstrosities. She sighed and shook her hair from the restrictive bun it had been strapped back in for what felt like an age, letting the honey colored tresses fall past her shoulders. She picked up a lock absentmindedly, reminding herself that she had to book an appointment to get it dyed before the telltale streaks of dark came through. Shrugging, she made her way towards the house, swinging her dark leather purse over her shoulder as her feet crunched over the gravel.

Alex ran a hand through her hair before ringing the doorbell, hearing the dingdong of the chime tinkle through the large house, and she could just imagine the sound reverberating off the many walls before meeting Justin’s ear. She would normally just waltz in without any forewarning, it wasn’t as though she would see Justin doing anything she hadn’t seen him do before, but she had lost her key a few weeks ago and was praying it had fallen down some gutter rather than in the hands of a crazy stalker.

Alex frowned when she didn’t hear the patter of running feet or the door swinging open eagerly, as it usually did every time she visited. In an attempt to kill some time, she pulled out her mirror and winced at her reflection. Deep purple bags had been etched underneath her dark brown eyes, like a heart carved into a tree by a lovesick teenager. She fluffed up her light brown hair slightly with long manicured fingers and snorted when she saw the pale pink nail polish had been chipped; no doubt thanks to the excessive typing she had been forced to do at work all week in a vain attempt to meet deadlines. In a final effort to look decent, she pulled out her lip gloss and ran it over her lips quickly, the sun’s weak glare shimmering on the moistened lips that, coincidently, had been coated with Rose Pétale.

Once she had snapped the mirror closed and replaced it into the sea of miscellaneous items that had somehow found their way into her purse, she stood with a hand on her hip and let out a sigh or annoyance. It had been a long day at work, she felt irritable and stressed, and she looked ridiculous just standing outside of a house that she frequented regularly. Plus she was still stuck in her restraining work clothes, and she felt suffocated in the demure white shirt and black skirt that hit her thighs just an inch and a half above her knee. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into one of Justin’s tent-like shirts and bury herself in the fading scent of his cologne, before falling asleep in between the white fluffy sheets on his bed.

With her patience wearing thin, she decided to take a stab in the dark and try to open to door, on the offhand chance that Justin had left it open. To her delight, and mild surprise, it had. She pushed through the heavy oak door, her eyes skirting over the oval patterns engraved in the wood. The smell of paint greeted her nostrils, and her eyes landed on the freshly painted living room. She nodded her approval at the dark vine green color that complimented the black furniture before proceeding to the kitchen, picking up a half eaten Twinkie from the table and putting it in her mouth, remembering that she hadn’t eaten anything but a hurried lunch of a ham sandwich at work all day.

Alex idly flicked through a few interior design magazines that Lynn had left Justin as an aid to help him decorate his new house. Alex smiled as it occurred to her she was probably the first reader of these magazines; despite Justin’s best attempts to take an interest in how his new house looked, she could tell his was dangerously close to just giving up and saying, “paint the whole thing white”. Justin just did not have the patience for interior design.

Brushing her hands of the remnant crumbs of her Twinkie, Alex head up the stairs, kicking off her painful heels and dangling them in one hand as she clung to the banister with the other. She padded around upstairs, sinking into the thick cream carpet that felt as though it was massaging her sore feet. Smiling, she headed towards Justin’s room, calling out his name as she did so.

As she rounded the corner towards his bedroom, her eyes were pinned to the floor by the sight of a lingering trail of dark red rose petals scattered across the cream carpet, contrasting against the pale color of the floor. She frowned, torn between amusement and unadulterated confusion as to why there were flower remains on the floor.

A grin crept onto her face as her gaze followed the trail, which led to Justin’s room. Trying to appear disapproving, she pursued the meandering path, her feet brushing against the petals on the floor. She arrived at Justin’s white door and cautiously put a hand to the doorknob, dreading what would greet her on the other side. Justin had often teased her about her hate for roses and never understood it, and it would be just like him to arrange an over the top display of affection that was really a sneaky poke at her unusual peeve.

Twisting the brass handle, Alex’s gaze was treated to a blanket of roses across the carpet surrounding the bed that lay in the center of the back wall. Her stare slowly rose to the bed, and she almost let out hysterical burst of laughter at the sight that met her eyes.

The large bed sat as it usually did against the wall, with a white headboard supporting it. It was a very soft looking bed, which was usually adorned with white fluffy sheets of cotton…but not today.

Justin had replaced the white comforter with a pale pink quilt embroidered with pastel fuchsia roses in every available space. The pillow cases were the same pale pink as the comforter, and both had a large rose sprawled across it, so that the sleeper would sleep on a bed of roses, figuratively speaking. On top of the sheets were, of course, rose petals sprinkled across the bed, like a smattering of red velvet.

In the middle of the clashing pinks and reds lay Justin Timberlake, grinning wildly at her. He had neglected to cover his top half and a pale glow from the hundreds of candles lit around the room was cast across his chiseled chest, highlighting the grooves and outlines of the muscles in his stomach and chest. His brown hair was just recovering from a shave and blonde tips were already beginning to curl on his head. His blue eyes twinkled mischievously at her, like a little boy harboring a naughty secret, and Alex couldn’t help but laugh and drop her head into her hands.

“Justin, what the hell have you done?”

“Just for you, darling,” he grinned. “I thought I’d give you a rosy surprise.”

“Well, you certainly did surprise me,” Alex laughed, glancing around once again at the decorated room. She sniffed. Was that…yes, it was. Even the candles were rose scented.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Timberlake,” she said as she dropped her shoes and stepped over the speckled carpet before crawling onto the pink bed, feeling it sink under her weight.

“Thank you,” he smiled, holding out a hand to help her creep across the mattress. “I was trying to be romantic.”

“Oh, and it is,” snorted Alex. “Taking what someone hates and turning into a sexual catalyst. What do you hate the most in life? Oh yes, mustard. Alright, tomorrow, I’m going to cover myself in mustard and you can lick it off.”

Justin chuckled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I can’t wait.” He held out his hands. “So…do you like it?”

Alex took another glance around the room, a smile pulling at her lips and melting away her bad mood. “I hate it. Thank you so much, sweetheart!” she exclaimed, laughing before bringing her lips to his.

He sniggered and pulled back. “How was work?”

Alex’s face darkened and she looked down, picking a petal off her skirt. “Awful. I just have so much stuff to do, what with the new client making all these demands which--”

Her words were cut off by Justin’s slender index finger halting her lips. He shook his head at her, telling her wordlessly that he didn’t want to think about work, and gently sealed the gap between them, brushing his lips against hers. She felt a jolt of electricity, before it was cruelly snatched away as he pulled back, getting off the bed and holding his hand out to her. She eyed it with a mixture of anxiety and fascination, before slipping her small hand into his larger one.

He pulled her off the bed, towering over her petite frame. He grazed his mouth against her once again, but before her tongue could beg for entry he turned away and led her by hand to the adjoining bathroom. As she expected, the bathroom had been flourished with petals across the worktop and sink, sprinkled on the floor and finally, floating atop a steaming bath full of water.

She smiled as Justin turned to face her, returning her shy grin. He captured her lips with his own but this time, he did not pull back, and gently caressed her lips with his slow movements. His fingers found the hem of her shirt and tugged it up, pulling it over her head and tossing it without care onto the tiled floor. Alex smiled against his lips as she felt his hands dance over her stomach before gently cupping her breasts through the silky material of her bra, running his thumbs in circular motions across her chest.

His fingers slid down from her breasts to her waist and then dropped to her hips, all the time rubbing his warm hands against her slightly chilled skin. She reciprocated by wrapping her arms around his neck, digging her fingers into the short hair on his scalp and clutching onto him as though she thought she was going to fall. He deftly unbuttoned her skirt and slithered it over her hips, letting it glide down her legs until it fell at a puddle on the floor, leaving her in just her underwear.

His hands moved around to her back and he gently massaged her until fiddling with the clasp on her light blue bra, finally unhooking it and carelessly tossing it over his shoulder. His mouth left hers and began to skim over her jaw and neck, his licks, nips and bites eliciting little squeals of delight from her as he lowered his kisses over her full breasts and little stomach. She wasn’t obsessive about exercising and as a result, she had the smallest chubby bit on her otherwise flat stomach, which he loved.

Justin teasingly licked along the rim of her panties, causing her to giggle at the sensation of his rolling tongue gliding across her skin. He grinned and hooked his fingers on the side of her panties, pulling them down and helping her step out of them. He rose from his kneeling position and took her hand, assisting her step into the bath. The swirling water swallowed her body whole as she lay down in the tub, stretching out and relaxing as Justin smiled at her. The petals and bubbles spun on the water’s surface and over her body, covering her from Justin’s wandering eyes, but he didn’t mind. He knew how tough work had been on her that last few weeks, and tonight was going to be completely devoted to relaxing her. Even if they didn’t have sex, he wasn’t particularly bothered. He just wanted to make her feel good.

Idle, pointless conversation left their lips as Alex lay in the bath and Justin swirled his hands lazily in the water, stroking her slick skin and letting her know that he was still there when she closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the bath. He soothingly rubbed shampoo into her light coffee colored hair, the scent from the lit candles, the bubble bath and finally the shampoo all mixing together to form a fruity blend in the steamy air.

When the water got cold and Justin had washed the shampoo out of Alex’s hair, he helped her get out of the bath without slipping and wrapped a fluffy peach towel around her body. She gave him a grateful, content smile and he led her into the bedroom, shivering slightly as the air drifting in through the open balcony door hit his almost naked body, wearing only a thin pair of boxers.

“I still can’t believe you did all this,” Alex laughed, looking around at the dripping candle wax and scattered petals. “It must have taken you ages.”

Justin shrugged and knelt on the bed, inviting Alex to do so as well. “Anything for my girl.”

She knelt in front of him and cupped his face with her hands, kissing him gently. He responded with slightly more urgency, and she found herself reacting exactly how he wanted her too. Her soft skin was bathed in the mellow light of the candles, and Justin found his head dipping to taste her slightly wet skin, licking at her collarbone. She groaned and tilted her head back, giving him more access to her neck as he devoured what she gave him, whispering nonsensical words against her skin.

He laid her on the pink bed amongst the red petals and hovered above her on all fours, gazing into her chocolate eyes. She was staring at him expectantly, waiting for some sort of signal as to what he wanted her to do for him, but he just smiled gently at her and descended on her again, tugging slightly at the towel wrapped around her torso. He opened it slightly, exposing her breasts to him as his tongue drew a map over her skin, drawing patterns against her cool skin.

Alex’s eyes closed and her head fell to the side as Justin began to worship every exposed part of her. His workings moved lower, and lower, until she could feel his hot breath tickling the inside of her thigh. She bit her lip in anticipation as he placed a line of small butterfly kisses along her thigh and then across to her opposite, purposely blowing in the direction of the place he knew she most craved his touch. Just when Alex was about to threaten to go on in there and do it herself, she felt a tentative touch ever so lightly grazing over her, and she breathed out a cry of surprise, mixed with pleasure and a want for more.

Justin grinned cockily and lowered his head once again, lightly flicking, skimming and brushing his tongue over her until her fingers grasped at the pastel sheets in desperation. She sat up and reached down, clasping his baby face in her long fingers and bringing him level with her face. Her lips sought his desperately, locking him in a ferocious battle of frantic passion, and she shivered at the taste of herself on his tongue. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, telling him he was going nowhere.

Alex slid her hands over his toned body, memorizing every ripple of muscle as he kissed her, before finding the band of his boxers. She hastily pulled them down, using her feet to push them away until they were a forgotten memory surrounded by petals on the floor. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clung onto him desperately, kissing him with all her might. Trying to calm himself slightly, he pulled away and returned to his position above her, on all fours.

“Are you ready?” he asked breathlessly, praying that she would say yes.

She reached up to stroke his face, gazing at the sincere blue eyes tainted with passion. Nodding, she brought him down again to kiss her, before he left her lips and nestled himself in the crook of her neck. She braced herself, and then felt him slowly slip inside of her, inch by agonizing inch. The tension of wanting him inside of her mixed with her intrigue as to the tantalizing feeling spreading through her body as he cautiously entered her. She sighed and dug her nails into his back, trying to impose some sort of self control and finding herself failing dramatically. He groaned and steadied himself once he was fully inside of her, their labored breathing corresponding in the silent room.

Alex gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek and he gradually built up an unhurried rhythm with her body, feeling her warm, silky walls tighten around him with each thrust. The legs around his waist urged him to go deeper, faster, anything that could encourage the feeling that was growing bit by bit in the pit of her stomach. She matched his strikes with her moving hips, and they steadily reached a pinnacle of pleasure, being happily welcomed into the garden of Eden as they progressively moved in synchronization. Alex’s fingernails raked on his back, but the pain was a sweet pleasure for him as he saw the trance of euphoria approaching him.

Cries filled the room, the flickering candle night dancing over the figures on the bed, surrounded by a sea of rose petals. Alex opened her eyes and looked to her right, feeling as though the bed of roses was swallowing her entire being into a vacuum of ecstasy, and she couldn’t be happier about it. The drapes fluttered from the wind breezing in from the open window, causing the dark red petals to blow over their trembling bodies.

When their desire had reached its optimum and the summit of their pleasure reached, heavy breathing echoed in the room as they clung onto each other, slowly descending from their peak. Alex rubbed her hand in rotational circles over Justin’s quivering back, and she lightly pressed her lips to his as he rested his forehead against hers, trying to bring himself slowly down from whatever place she had just taken him to.

“I love you,” she said quietly, feeling the petals from the bed stick to her sweat slicked body.

“I love you too,” he murmured, burying his head in the crook of her slim neck, feeling her small hands run through his curly hair comfortingly.

“And I love the roses,” she giggled.

He laughed and ran a hand through her wavy hair, still wet from her bath. “Good.”