Hot Property (Kingston Bros.) (15 page)

L
eaving town had also meant that she could temporarily avoid another altercation with Karl. He hadn't overtly threatened her that night out on
Old Carriage Lane
, and yet she had jumped like an axe murderer was on her trail when she'd heard Jacob stumbling around in the maze. She'd actually thought the creepy blonde scientist had followed her and was going to attempt to finish whatever he'd been meaning to start at the isolated mansion. Given her over-reaction to some rustling bushes it seemed fairly obvious to her how close she'd been to a complete emotional breakdown that n
ight.

Now she was at Jack and Lacey's wedding, but she couldn't quite force herself to take the steps necessary to confront Mark about his feelings for her. Instead she just sat and watched him like a complete stalker. He was sitting at another table, on the other side of the garden, nursing what looked like a glass of scotch whiskey, looking pissed off and utterly sexy. Every once in awhile she would catch his eye and he would turn away, only to catch her
gaze again a few minutes later.

They had been playing this game for hours. He'd openly stared at her when she arrived, late, for the ceremony, but he hadn't smiled back at her or even nodded. Just watched her with his heated gaze as she'd walked up the aisle on Jacob's arm. It was maddening, but just his eyes on her made her feel so hot and excited. She could feel an embarrassing tingle between her thighs each an
d every time their eyes locked.

The band struck up a slow song and Serena knew it was time to make her move. She took a fortifying gulp of her wine and then made her way over to Mark on shaky legs. When she was finally standing directly in front of him, he looked away, like he w
asn't even aware she was there.

"Mark. Will you dance with me?" She asked, holding out her hand. Her voice sounded a bit weak, but it was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone at the table, including her Aunt Marie and her Masseur, Klaus. Conversation stopped and everyone stared, except Mark, who just watched the people out on the dance floor like he hadn't heard her
or noticed her approach.

"Mark?" She said a little louder. Now he looked up and glared. His dark eyes blazed into hers for a moment and she could see all the hurt and disappointment she'd caused him. Then the shutters closed and his eyes went completely b
lank.

Mark stood up, downed what was left in his glass, and let his eyes wander insultingly over her body in the red dress. "Why not?" He said, sounding bored, and roughly took her by the wrist and pulle
d her out onto the dance floor.

Once out on the floor, Serena thought she'd be able to reach him, but he was completely detached, looking dully over head even as his hands traced her curves i
n a casually demeaning manner.

When he blatantly squeezed her ass right in front of the minister, she hissed at him. "Mark, w
hat do you think you're doing?"

He pulled back from her completely and raised his hands. "What? You wanted to dance, so I danced. You got ex
actly what you wanted. Again."

Forgetting completely about her resolution to be a better person, Serena put her hands on her hips and yelled. "Dancing does not mean pawing me, you
brute. What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" He asked, incredulously. "We finally make love after thirteen years of foreplay. You take off seconds later, steal my shirt, and then leave town without a fucking word and there's something wrong with me? Are you kidding me?" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I thought that Karl guy had you tied up in his basement or something. I was worried out of my mind until Lacey told me two days later that you'd gone on some kind of 'find yourself' mission. I was half-crazed trying to figure out what had happened to you and you were soaking up the sun in paradise. How the fuck is
that supposed to make me feel?"

Serena stared at him. He was a little drunk but still his pain was genuine. And she'd thoughtlessly caused it. Everyone was watching them now, but she didn't give a damn. "I'm sorry, Mark. I didn't think you'd care. I swear. I didn't leave to hurt you. I just needed to get away. Think about things. I don't know. I probably should have handled things differently." She shrugged and lowered her voice. "Can we go somewhere to talk a
bout this? Just the two of us?"

Mark just glared. "You know what? I don't think so. I'm outta here. And by the way, I'm not taking off to
Hawaii
for three weeks. I'm going home.
Where I plan to drink enough t
equila to temporarily put me in a
coma. See. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" With that, he stalked off the dance floor, leaving Serena alone with fifty pairs of eyes watching and waiting for he
r reaction to Mark's rude exit.

Her pride demanded that she should dismiss him and let him go. No man was worth this humiliation. But her heart, so long ignored, insisted that she follow him and make things right between them. For once, her heart won. Pulling up her dress so she could avoid stumbling on the long hem, she held up her head and followed her man into the maze where she would finally tell him what she'd been denying all along. That she was in love with him.

Chapter Twelve

Mark made it two turns into the maze before he realized how stupid he was being.
For some idiotic reason he'd been following Jacob's advice. Jacob, who had never been in a relationship that lasted longer than 48 hours. He'd actually been basing his strategy to win Serena on Jacob's questionable guidance. What was he thinking?

He'd let Serena be the boss. He hadn't followed her to
Maui
even though every cell in his body had demanded it because that would have been typical dominant male behavior. He'd watched her walk up the aisle looking like a complete wet dream come true in that red dress and hadn't dragged her off to the nearest bed. He'd even danced with her when that had seemed the most ridiculous, luke-warm act he could commit when his body was crying out for something much more sweaty and intimate after three weeks of aching for her.

He had resisted all those impulses because he thought Serena needed to be in control. But that wasn't true. She didn't need to be the boss. She needed an equal, and he was acting like a little piss-ant, running away when she was finally trying to communicate with him.
 

He was just turning around when he felt a small, manicured hand on his arm.
 

"Mark," Cherry
Pizor
said in her breathy, little girl voice. "I've been trying to get you alone all afternoon." She looked up at him coquettishly through false lashes and several coats of black mascara.

Mark stared, appalled. Cherry still had the body of a playmate, but she was so deeply tanned that her skin tone now resembled a cheese-doodle. Her leopard-print halter dress and bleached blonde hair just emphasized her unnatural color. Covering his shock, he patted her hand and gave her a friendly kiss on her leathery cheek. "Cherry. Wow. You look great. Do you mind if we catch up later? I was just taking off."

"Now Mark. I just need a minute with you." Her grip on his arm was surprisingly strong and insistent.

Mark was tempted to just make a run for it, but the last thing he needed was to alienate this aging sex kitten. If she was thinking about blackmailing him then rejecting her would just aggravate the situation and guarantee that his past became public knowledge. Gritting his teeth, he smiled at her. "Oh? Is there something I can help you with?"

She suddenly looked very vulnerable. Like a child playing in her mother's makeup, rather than the stereotypical predatory divorcee he remembered.

Cherry tugged him over to one of the maze's dead-end alcoves. There was a stone bench there and despite his resistance she tugged him down onto it until they were sitting side by side. "I wanted to apologize to you," she said softly, her eyes darting to the side guiltily. Her tone lowered until Mark had to lean down to hear her. "For what happened when you were a kid. I swear, I had no idea how young you were. Your dad never told me."

Mark felt a wave of shame wash over him. The last thing in the world he wanted was to discuss this particular subject. Especially here and now with Serena and the Kingstons within shouting distance. "It's okay, Cherry. Forget about it. That was a long time ago." He tried to pull away, but she clutched at his arm.

"I know. But that doesn't make it any less wrong. You see, my husband pretty much bought me, so I didn't really see anything wrong with helping you out financially in exchange for some company. You were so beautiful and I thought we were only a few years apart in age. When I figured out that you were only fifteen we'd already been together lots of times and I didn't really see the point of stopping. I mean, you seemed happy. And you certainly made me happy." She gave him a small smile full of large capped teeth.

Mark touched her hand where it rested on his arm. "I'm glad I made you happy. Really."

She cupped his cheek with her other hand. "But it was still wrong. I took something from you, Mark. And I can't tell you how bad I feel about that." Tears and mascara ran down her still pretty face and she brushed them away with her red-tipped fingertips.

Mark stood up and moved a step away from her, thinking about what he needed to say. Was he angry with her? No, not really.
A big part of him had enjoyed all the attention from his older clients. He had enough college psychology to know that his
mom
’
s abandonment probably contributed to his susceptibility to their advances. He wasn’t Oedipus, but looking back he understood a great deal more about why he’d been willing to sell himself so cheaply.

All of that was in the past. He needed to let go and stop feeling ashamed of decisions he'd made as a kid. He also needed to forgive the people who had used him, including this sad woman.

Turning back towards his former lover, he smiled gently at her. "Cherry, I still came to see you long after you stopped paying me. So, you must know that I genuinely liked you. You taught me a lot. So, please stop beating yourself up. My dad's really to blame in all this. Not you. Okay?" This wasn't strictly true, but Mark didn't see the point in being cruel to her at this point. She had exploited him, true, but there wasn't any real malice in her. And she never would have had the opportunity to buy him if his dad hadn't been so willing to sell him like a piece of meat.

Surprisingly, talking to Cherry made him feel somewhat better. He didn't put much stock in talking out issues and problems, but this particular confrontation had been weirdly cathartic. Mostly he was relieved that she wasn't going to try to resume their former relationship. But he also felt a real sense of peace wash over him.
 

"Are you sure?" She asked, grimacing.

"Absolutely. Now, why don't you get back in there and get my friend Jacob to dance. He was asking about you a few weeks ago. And I bet he'd be thrilled to show you his moves."

"Really? Jacob Kingston? The young one with the light brown hair?" She asked, reaching up to fluff her platinum helmet.

"He's twenty-eight, Cherry. So take it easy on him, okay?"

She giggled. "I'm not making any promises," Cherry said, reaching up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "And Mark. That girl you were arguing with out there? The one you're in love with? She's extremely lucky. I hope she knows that." With an exaggerated wiggle and a wink she strutted back to the party.

*****

 
Mark fished his keys out of his tuxedo pocket and approached his truck with a shake of his head. He'd followed Cherry back to the reception only to find that Serena was gone. Again. No one seemed to know where she was, but everyone was quite willing to give him advice on how to handle her when he found her.

He was done listening to other people's advice. When he found Serena he was going to play it straight with her. No more game-playing or hiding his feelings. He was either right for her or not. And that was it.

Yanking off his stupid tie, he opened the truck door only to find that the cab was occupied. A certain tall, leggy blonde in a silky red dress was sitting in the driver's seat, looking down at him apprehensively.
 

Without a single thought, he angled his body in through the door, and kissed her soundly on her upturned lips, practically crushing her in his delight at finding her exactly where he wanted her for a change. "Serena," he said against her lips. "God. I am so sorry for making an ass of myself back there. Forgive me?"

Serena kissed him back for a long moment, giggled and pulled him further into the cab until he was practically on top of her. "Hmmm...
You
really did let me have it, didn't you?"

He gave her a serious look. "Yeah. I did. But I was worried about you. You know that, right?"

She touched his nose gently with hers. "I know that now. I really didn't think it would matter to you if I took off or not."

"But it does matter. A lot."

She grabbed the keys out of his hand and dangled them in front of his face. "Why don't we go for a ride and we can decide who the bigger jerk is on the way. Shall we?"

Mark grinned and rolled to the side. "What? You don't want to make another spectacle out here in the parking lot?" He was about to grab for the keys when she put them in the ignition and gunned the motor. He tried not to look annoyed when she snapped on the seat belt and put his truck in gear. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her that he really didn't like anyone driving his truck, but she probably wouldn't be too happy if he brought it up right now. He needed to learn to pick his battles.

So he put a slightly strained smile on his face and slipped over to the passenger side of the truck. His smile widened and became genuine when he realized exactly where they were going.

The sun was just starting to set as they pulled into the deserted parking lot beside the Valleyview Country Club's ninth hole. Mark couldn't believe she'd decided to take him parking. Especially here. The last time had been such a disaster. Now she wanted to erase those memories and replace them with more pleasurable ones. It was perfect really. And if he was honest with himself, he'd fantasized about reliving those stolen moments with her a million times.
 

Serena turned off the truck and threw the keys on the dashboard. She hesitated, thinking about the conversation she'd overheard between Mark and that Cherry woman in the maze. She hadn't heard everything, but she had gleaned enough to know that Mark had been doing a lot more than just trimming that woman's hedges. And his father had been profiting from the arrangement.
 

She should have been repulsed. The man she was in love with had been a prostitute. Maybe not the street-corner, hustler type giving back alley blow jobs, but still, he'd serviced that woman, and probably others, for money. And yet all she felt was pity for him and white-hot anger at his father. That bastard hadn't been satisfied with nearly destroying her
U
ncle's business, he'd also been pimping out his own son.

I
t was horrifying to think that a father could be capable of that kind of evil. Especially someone who'd seemed so harmless. She'd known Mark's dad and had liked him a great deal. When she was a little girl he'd always teased her and called her a 'little spitfire.' Her Uncle Jack, who was no one's fool, had trusted him implicitly.
 

Serena's mother had once hinted that Eddie's wife had left because the man was incapable of being faithful, but that had just seemed to contribute to his roguish appeal. Just like his drinking. Everyone knew he drank, but he was so charming and outgoing that his status as a highly-functioning alcoholic was mostly ignored.

No one had suspected what was really going on beneath that pleasant veneer. Until Mark left town. Then Eddie's carefully constructed deceptions began to crumble. It wasn't long before Uncle Jack discovered that his friend had been showing up drunk to most of his landscaping jobs, if he bothered to show up at all.
 

Further investigation into Eddie's end of the business revealed that he'd been embezzling funds to feed his gambling habit for years. It was a crushing blow to both the business and Uncle Jack. He'd never really recovered from his friend's betrayal. But he'd never pressed charges either, despite the urgings of his lawyer and his family. He didn't see the point. Eddie was so deci
mated from alcohol by that time
retribution of any kind wo
uld have been utterly useless.

In retrospect,
Serena wasn't quite sure how Eddie had managed to keep Mark's extracurricular duties from becoming public knowledge. The elder Goldsworthy had spent the last nine years of his life in a drunken haze, and yet he'd managed to keep that shameful detail to himself. It was also mind-boggling that Mark had kept it secret all these years. Though there had been some rumors about him. Jack had even hinted that his friend had a thing for older women. But no one had ever suggested anything quite this disturbing and sad.

If she hadn't been eavesdropping in the maze, she never would have believed it. But she was glad she knew. It explained a lot about Mark. But what about now? Should she confront him about what she had discovered, or wait and hope that he would trust her enough to tell her about his past someday? Looking over at him, she decided it didn't really matter. She loved who he was now. His past wasn't relevant to her. But she couldn't go forward without telling him about Karl.

Turning in her seat to face him, Serena held up her hands. "Okay, before we get on with the happily ever after part I have something I need to tell you."