Authors: Vera Roberts
“Mm-hmm.” Oliver looked back over to the street and began rocking his chair again. “Mariana’s young. She’ll be twenty-five soon. She’s too young for you.”
Scott expected that. Ten years was either a big age difference or irrelevant depending on the participants. “That’s none of your concern.”
“When it comes to my daughter, she is my
only
concern. I’m her father.”
And I’m her Master.
“Respectfully so, but I’m her partner and she’ll make the final decision on what she wants.”
“With influence from you,” Oliver shot back.
“On her merits,” Scott grew weary of Oliver.
Oliver kept rocking in his chair. He wasn’t sure about Scott. An older and wealthy White man was promising to take care of his only daughter. Race wasn’t the issue. Scott had
power
and Oliver thought that was very dangerous. “How did you meet Mariana?”
Scott prepared himself for the backlash that was to come. “She used to clean my home.”
“Sleeping with the help, huh?” Oliver nodded. “Do you do this with all of your hired help?”
“No, just the ones that proposition me first.” Scott shot back.
Oliver sharply turned his head towards Scott. “Now, you listen to me…”
“No, you listen to me,” Scott had enough of Oliver’s passive-aggressive behavior. “I’m going to marry your daughter. You don’t have to approve it. In fact, I don’t care if you do. You act like Mariana walks around twiddling her thumbs waiting for your approval when she is very much her own woman.”
“You control her,” Oliver didn’t back down. “It’s clear who has the power in your relationship.”
“Yes, and Mariana has it,” Scott replied. “If Mariana doesn’t want to do something, it doesn’t happen—period.” Scott wasn’t just referring to their
play
scenes
.
“Dare I say I know your daughter better than you do? If you approve of us, it’ll only make it easier for when the grandchildren come.”
Scott struck a nerve in Oliver. He had been waiting for Mariana or Jerome to produce some grandbabies for him to play with. “I just want my baby girl happy.”
“We both want the same thing, Mr. Harlow.”
“It’s Oliver,” Mariana’s father relented, “you can call me, Oliver.”
****
“Can I see you for a moment?” Scott whispered to Mariana.
Mariana was in the middle of sharing gossip with her cousins when Scott approached her. She immediately didn’t like his tone. It wasn’t the same tone when they
played
; he was disturbed about something. “Um, sure. I’ll be right back, ladies.” She excused herself from the table and followed him into the nearest bathroom.
Scott closed the door behind them and locked it. He put the toilet seat down to sit on it and motioned Mariana to sit on his lap. “I had a nice talk with your father just now.”
“And you’re still here?” Mariana nervously chuckled. “That’s impressive.”
“It was tense at some moments, yes, but once he realized I wasn’t your sugar daddy and you’re not my marionette, we saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things.” Scott wrapped his arms around Mariana. “We both want the same thing: for you to be happy.”
Mariana’s heart melted. “You make me happy, Scott.”
“And you make me very happy, Mari,” Scott wrapped his arms around her back. His erection was pressing into her shorts.
“Um, apparently,” Mari adjusted her position. “You need to put that away for later.”
“The door is locked,” There was a gleam in Scott’s eyes. He wanted her.
“This is my parents’ house, Scott,” she slapped his wandering hands away from her breasts, “and all of my relatives are here.”
“You didn’t give me anything for my birthday,” Scott playfully whined.
“Yes, I did!” Mariana kept slapping Scott’s hands away. His birthday was just a few days prior. “It’s not my fault you didn’t like it.”
Mariana had attempted to make Scott a romantic birthday dinner, except she didn’t know how to cook. It was the first time she attempted to make grilled cheese sandwiches, and they ended up looking like black bricks.
Scott was a champ and ate the black bread, anyway.
“I love my sandwiches like I love my women,” He smiled as he ate the food. “Black.”
The pair ended up ordering a pizza and having beer and wine.
Scott smiled as the memory faded. Despite the disastrous dinner, it was one of his best birthdays in recent times. He was with his love, and that was all that mattered. “They were charcoal bricks, baby.”
“You still ate them!”
Scott could still remember the taste of them. It wasn’t a pleasant memory. “Barely.” His hands found Mariana’s breasts again and she relented. She leaned forward so he can unhook her bra. “They won’t hear us if we’re quiet enough.”
Scott’s nose nuzzled against Mariana’s neck. She sweetly smelled of strawberries, peaches, and wine. It was her spot and they both knew it. His mouth lightly sucked on her neck and Mariana bit her lip to prevent any moans.
Her back arched and her toes curled upon contact. She instinctively ground against his lap, wanting him, needing him to be inside her. “You have to be quick, honey,” Mariana softly moaned as Scott continued to kiss her neck, “and no
play
.”
If it had been up to Scott, they would’ve been fucking already. “Take off your shorts. Leave your shirt on.”
Mariana hurriedly pulled down her shorts and stepped out of them, while Scott pulled his down to his ankles. She climbed on top of Scott and he surprised her by suddenly thrusting inside her. She let out a small yelp before his lips crushed hers. “Shhh…” He whispered. “Ride my cock, baby.”
Mariana eased herself up and down on his cock, her walls stretching to accommodate him. Their tongues intertwined as she wrapped her arms around his neck for support. She clenched tightly around his cock and leaned against his chest and rode him faster. “Fuck, Scott,” Mari whispered, “I’m about to cum. I’m about to—I’m about to cum.”
“Cum all over my cock, baby,” he dared her.
“I’m cumming…I’m…” Mariana breathed before her body shuddered. Scott quickly covered her mouth with his as she moaned into it. She carefully climbed off Scott and kneeled down before him. She licked the side of his cock, tasting both him and herself. She swallowed his cock with one movement and sucked fast, her hungry mouth devouring him. A few moments later, Scott erupted in her mouth and she swallowed.
“Happy Thanksgiving, honey.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, baby.”
T
WO
It wasn’t easy being manipulative. It took a lot of time to perfect.
Caprina had become an expert on manipulating men. It started with various photographers who wanted to sleep with her in exchange for a photo shoot. She would sleep with them and when they didn’t follow through on their promises, Caprina quickly placed a call to their wives letting them know exactly what kind of dog they were married to.
She often used the weaknesses of other models to her full advantage. If a shoot called for a model with a boyish figure, Caprina would recommend one of her curvier counterparts to show up, stating it was just a typo on the casting call. If a shoot called for a dark-skinned model, Caprina would loudly talk about the upcoming shoot for all fair-skinned models to appear.
She was the bitch everyone loved to hate but everyone wanted to be like.
She was thirty-nine and not a moment younger. Her curtain call was going to come soon, and Caprina had to milk her fame for what it was worth. The competition show was her saving grace but she needed more.
She needed Scott.
She had carefully followed his life and career since their disastrous breakup years before. She knew his daily routine: gym at five in the morning and then again at eight that night. She knew he shopped at the health food stores and often brought in supplements to maintain his physique. She saw him trade in that godforsaken Lexus for a Mercedes convertible.
The real change, however, was his home. She watched as his home went through a complete metamorphosis; no fewer than thirty carpenters, designers, and various others were in his home in one day. Caprina never saw Scott but knew he was there: various people kept talking to the dark-tinted window of a purple Bentley when it arrived every two hours. Caprina smiled as she realized Scott’s Mercedes was his “play” vehicle and his Bentley was his “business” one. She knew Scott had money, but she didn’t realize he had
that
much and was able to command that much power.
So when she found out that Scott’s precious girlfriend had a model roommate, well, it was a gift from God Himself. Caprina couldn’t have asked for a better gift. She had to time her arrival at the photo shoot just right. She knew Sarah would be there. She faded in the background and just waited.
And waited. And waited.
She was about to go out for a cigarette break when Sarah showed up at the shoot, teary-eyed and upset.
Awe, poor baby.
“Sarah! Girl, if you don’t dry up your tears I’m going to have to start all over!” One of the makeup artists, LaDale, commented as he reapplied foundation to Sarah’s face. She was modeling a new fashion line and was at a downtown studio getting ready.
“Sorry,” Sarah carefully blotted her eyes with a napkin. “I’m just a little emotional. I’m going through a rough time right now.”
“What’s wrong, boo? You’re always so friendly and cheerful!” LaDale asked.
“My best friend. She chose her man over me. I was just honest with her about her relationship, and yet I’m the asshole!” Sarah knew what she said was a half-truth, but no one needed to know the whole story.
LaDale sighed and sucked his teeth. “I will never understand why some women choose temporary dick over their girlfriends. Girlfriend, look at it like this—y’all were never that cool to begin with anyway if she gonna dump you because of some dude.” He said to quiet cheers from the other models.
“I know, but it just hurts,” she blew her nose, “I know why she’s with him. He’s rich and works for McCormick and Sheppard.”
“Oooh girlfriend, he got that long paper!” LaDale commented. “McCormick and Sheppard is known all over the world. Well, I can’t say I blame her. I mean, she shouldn’t have dumped you, for sure, but McCormick and Sheppard? Shoot, I would’ve dumped your ass, too!”
Sarah smiled through her tears. “You’re not helping, LaDale.”
Caprina pretended she wasn’t listening as another makeup artist worked on her face, but she hung on Sarah’s every word. The story she told was fascinating.
“Girl, I ain’t trying to help,” he lifted her face to his and eyed her face. “Dicks come and go but your true bitches? They’re for life, you hear me?”
“Thanks, LaDale,” Sarah felt better. “Thanks a lot.”
“Oh, shoot…I ran out of purple eye shadow.” LaDale said. “I’ll be right back.” He then left.
Caprina felt it was her time to move. She walked over to Sarah. “I’m sorry for butting in, but you said your best friend’s boyfriend worked at McCormick and Sheppard.”
“Yeah, that dick!” Sarah was proud of her Academy Award-winning performance. “Scott Reed. Whatev.”
“Scott Reed, you say?” Caprina pulled up a chair. “Do tell more.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Sarah shook her head, “he’s just an asshole with a big dick.” She covered her mouth. “From what I’ve heard.”
Caprina chuckled.
Just like I remembered.
“I see.”
“Do you know who he is? Maybe you can help me break them up?”
Caprina reminisced about her time with Scott. He was her knight in shining armor and she hadn’t realized it at the time, thinking she could do better. She had dated richer and more powerful, but none of them were Scott. They could never be
him
. Every fiber in her being craved Scott again, and the long separation only made the feelings deeper and more intense.
She would do everything she could to make sure he was back at her side and underneath her body. “I don’t think that will be a problem…”
T
HREE
Scott Reed had never lived with a woman besides his mother and sister. The closest he ever came to living with another woman was the Great Disaster, but she had never been in town longer than a few days at a time.
As he looked around his living room, Scott totally understood why he had never lived with a woman before. Boxes full of Mariana’s items seemingly grew by the hour. Just when he thought everything had been brought it from her apartment, he was surprised with another box in front of him. Mariana had agreed to donate her kitchen and bathroom items as well as her bed to the Goodwill, but those were only a few boxes. She still had at least thirty other boxes still sprawled out in the living room.
And Scott wasn’t allowed to go through any of them. If it were up to him, he would’ve thrown all of them away and started afresh. “Wow, you have a lot of shit,” he commented.
“It’s not that much!” Mariana defended as she went through another box. “I lived alone for a while and I just accumulated over the years.”
Scott walked to a box full of stuffed animals. He picked up a purple lamb. “Cute.”
“Hey, don’t mess with Sweet Pea!” Mariana rushed over and grabbed the lamb from her boyfriend. “This was a gift from my mama.”
Scott held up his hands in defense. “Is there anything else I shouldn’t mess with?”
Mariana began pointing at various boxes. “Um, my Special Collection Barbies! And my important documents. Oh, I’ll put the shot glasses away soon, there’s about thirty of them. Oh, and that suitcase is full of my naughty stuff, so don’t touch that.”
A twinkle formed in Scott’s eyes. “And since you said I shouldn’t mess with them, you know I’m going to, right?” He walked over to the suitcase and opened it. He was pleasantly surprised. “Well, well, well….what do we have here?”
Mariana walked over to him and looked down at the suitcase. It was filled with lingerie, a vibrator, and some flavored lubricant. “This was before we met!”
“My baby was a bad girl, huh?” Scott held a bottle of warming lubricant in his hands. “How bad were you?”
“Really?” Mariana snickered. “We’re going to compare sexual conquests?”