Authors: Dawn Stanton
Chapter Twenty-Three
June 2015 - Marcus
Cory brings Hailey home tonight after happy hour and she’s drunk. This is the most inebriated I’ve ever seen her. It’s a little disconcerting to see her in this condition because she has a two drink rule that she religiously follows whenever we go out. I’m not sure what was different about tonight, but I have a pretty good idea that it involves the asshole standing in front of me with his arm around her. Her face lights up when she sees me.
“Marcus honey,” she slurs as she launches herself into my arms. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too baby. Let’s get you on the couch and get those shoes off.” I tell her as I guide her over to sit down. Once she’s seated, I pull her heels off and place them on the floor before looking at Cory. He’s standing with his hands in his pockets, staring broodingly at Hailey. I stand up and thank him for bringing her home safely before ushering him out the door. I don’t have the time or inclination to deal with him or his bullshit. Hailey needs me right now and everything else can wait.
"Let's get you to bed Hails," I say as I help her rise from where she is seated on the couch. She sways from side to side a little before finding her balance point. I place my arm around her and help her make her way to her en-suite bathroom and wait for her on her bed. She's in there for about five minutes and when she comes out she is stark naked
. Damn!
Her body is perfection personified with her full chest and rounded hips and I know the rear view of her heart-shaped ass is even better. My dick begins to have its usual reaction to her and I adjust myself through my pants, telling my body to calm down. She's drunk and needs some sleep, not to be ravished by me. I take off the wife beater I'm wearing and slip it over her head.
"Here baby, put your arms through." I coach her. She can barely keep her eyes open as she climbs into bed. I lean over and kiss her forehead as I pull the covers up.
"Marcus, stay with me," She says so quietly I almost missed it. I remove my jeans, leaving on my boxer briefs and sink into the bed behind her, pulling her back to my chest.
"Go to sleep baby, I've got you."
Chapter Twenty-Four
June 2015 - Hailey
Making it to work on time the morning after getting drunk, is no easy feat for me. I woke up with the worst headache and with the foulest taste in my mouth, which is why I always follow my two drink rule...except for last night when I didn’t... and now this morning I’m definitely paying for my poor decision. I’m angry at myself for letting Cory’s presence at the bar affect me. I shouldn’t have let him get under my skin and I drank more as a result. I’m lucky nothing inappropriate took place with us. Alcohol and poor decisions go hand in hand and I’m thankful my night didn’t end horribly. I need to get over whatever my attraction is to Cory and focus on Marcus. He would never do anything to hurt me and he has only been sweet and loving with me. He even had orange juice and some ibuprofen on my nightstand, when I woke up. I immediately took the three pills and drained the glass. I don’t think I’ve ever been as thirsty as I felt this morning. Thankfully, it only took about twenty minutes for the medicine to kick in and once my headache subsided a bit, I jumped in the shower and started to get ready for work.
***
Now that I’m here at the office, I really don’t want to be. I could use a day without having to deal with Cory. I’m looking forward to a much-needed break from him this weekend. It’s not easy to stay mad at him all the time. It takes a lot of work and it’s actually exhausting. I’m still pissed at how he used me all those years ago and I will never forget it, but holding a grudge this long takes a lot of work and energy that I don’t want to be wasting on him. I’m getting tired of forcing myself to hate him and I think I’m finally ready to forgive him. That doesn’t mean I want to be best buddies or spend all my time with him. It just means that I’m no longer going to go out of my way to piss him off or be so contrary with him. I’m going to start by thanking him for driving me last night.
“Cory, thanks for looking out for me last night and giving me a ride home.”
“It was no problem at all. I was happy to know you made it home in one piece. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m fine now, but when I first woke up, I was miserable. Last night was the drunkest I’ve ever been and I can’t say I’m anxious to duplicate it anytime soon.”
“Wow, you’ve never been so drunk you vomit or you’re falling down?” He asks me.
“No, I never drink to get drunk. I can’t imagine giving up control of my body.”
“There are certain situations where losing control can be worth it” His reply is full of innuendo and I act as though I don’t realize it.
“So what do you need me to do for you?” I ask, trying to get him into work mode.
“Well, that’s a loaded question. I can think of a few things I’d like you to do for me.” He says this with his trademark smirk on his lips.
“Cory, I’m not performing any sexual favors for you, so you can stop with all this flirty banter. It’s inappropriate and unprofessional. Aren’t you supposed to be teaching me the proper way to do things?’
“I am willing to teach you all I know.” He smirks and waggles his brows at me. I throw my hands in the air.
“I give up! You are impossible to work with. If you keep this up, I’m going to ask my dad to have Sean mentor me.” He rises from his chair and walks around his desk to stand in front of me. I hold my ground even though I really want to take a step back or more like ten steps back. He looms over me with a displeased expression on his face.
“You will do no such thing. Your dad made me your mentor, not Sean and you need to accept that and deal with it.”
“Then be my mentor and stop with all the flirting and sexual innuendos.” I firmly reply. I’m not backing down on this.
“You say that, but deep down you can’t deny that you love when I come on to you.” He steps closer and his voice gets deeper. “You can protest all you want but your eyes don’t lie,” he cups my face in both his palms. “Those bottomless turquoise pools of yours tell me you are just as attracted to me as I am to you. One of these days you're going to stop fighting it and give up the ghost babe and I’m going to slowly savor every single inch of you.” He trails his index finger from my brow down my cheek and across my lips. I feel my breath hitch at his simple caress and I place my hands on his chest to push away from him, breaking free of his touch. I turn my back on him and walk across the plush oriental rug, my eyes focusing on the door in front of me. My thoughts are a complete jumble in my head. I need to get away from him and regroup for a bit. I’m reaching for the doorknob when his voice stops me.
“Hailey, you’re only prolonging the inevitable, babe. You and I are destined to be together whether you want to admit it or not.” I lean forward and rest my head on the cool hard surface of the door. “You feel this incredible heat between us too,” He says his voice now sounding closer. “Don’t you wonder if it will be as hot as last time?” He’s behind me now, with his hands on my hips, pulling me back into him. I can feel his hard-on against my ass as he whispers in my ear.
“Do you ever think about it...think about how hungry we were for each other... how good my cock felt slamming into your pussy?” He nips my ear with his teeth provoking a gasp from me. “I think about it," he tells me, his voice husky with desire. I take a deep breath before opening the door as quickly as possible. I need to get away from him.
***
My nerves were shot to hell by the time I finished at the office and all I wanted to do was get home and decompress from the stressful day I'd had. By the time I walk through my front door my heels are already off and I’m unzipping my skirt on the way to my bathroom where I have plans to soak uninterrupted in my jacuzzi tub. I start the water running and head to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of much-needed wine. I was never much of a wine drinker until this past year when Shelby got me hooked on it. Neither one of us has any real knowledge about wine, we just keep buying the same few kinds that we know we like. I take a sip from my glass and savor the fruity flavor while I grab a chicken finger out of the fridge and eat it cold on my way back to the bathroom. I remove the rest of my clothes and grab my kindle before getting in the bubble-filled water. I groan as I sink down into the churning suds.There's nothing better than a jetted tub to help you relax after a Cory Marshall filled day.
Ugh, don't think about him.
I need to keep my mind occupied with more important things and then I won't be tempted by thoughts about him.
Reading is a great distraction so I turn on my kindle and start to read my favorite thriller, City of Champions. Morgan Cole, the main character is such a sexy, badass, alpha male, that I never get tired of re-reading it. Ironically, Marcus resembles the description of what Morgan looks like.
Marcus and Morgan, I wouldn't mind being in the middle of that sandwich.
By the time I'm done with my bath, I'm feeling extremely sleepy so I lie down on my bed, still wrapped in my towel. I just need to rest my eyes for a few minutes before I get dressed and make dinner. I like lying here when no one else is home and I savor the complete silence. Even though we live in a brownstone in Boston and we have neighbors on both sides, we never hear them. This building was built in 1830 and they don’t construct them like this anymore. The walls are extremely thick and since it’s been newly renovated, all the insulation was replaced with spray foam, which has a top of the line rating.
I must have been more tired than I realized and dozed off for a bit. I’m woken by soft kisses trailing over the back of my neck and I smile to myself before turning and finding Marcus sitting on the edge of the bed beside me.
“Hi,” I say with a sleepy smile. I turn over to my back and hold my arms out for a hug. “Come here. I missed you today.” I did miss him and wished he was there with me, lending me the quiet strength he always does. It would have made dealing with Cory so much easier. He climbs on the bed with me and I can tell he’s just showered by his damp hair and Irish Spring scent. He wraps me in his muscular arms and pulls me close to him.
“Did you have a tough day at work baby? Your texts seemed off and I came home to find you in bed. That’s not like you.”
My texts seemed off.
It’s pretty amazing to be with someone that knows me so well that he can tell I’m having a rough day by the content of my texts and yes we have known each other our whole lives, but that’s not why. Marcus is a man that pays attention to everything about me even down to the smallest gesture I may make. Many times he knows I’m concerned about something before I recognize it. He will ask me what’s wrong and I will say nothing and then he will keep asking me until I finally realize what’s on my mind. It’s uncanny how well he knows me.
“Yeah, my day kind of sucked. I was never so happy to see five o’clock so I could leave. I didn’t even ask Cory if he needed me to do anything else before I went.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?” He asks as he lazily strokes my hair. My head is tucked under his chin so I can breathe in his manly soapy scent. Should I tell him about what happened with Cory? I know he’s going to freak out over it and want to kick his ass. Telling him is going to cause me more stress but I feel as though it’s the right thing to do. There have been a few things that happened already that I haven’t shared with him and I might as well come clean.
“I want to tell you, but you’re going to be pissed and I don’t want to upset you.” I reply, my voice muffled by the fact that my face is buried in his neck. I feel his body tense at my answer and I know he’s probably assuming the worst has happened.
“I can feel you tensing up and I know you’re worried something happened between Cory and I so let me preface this conversation by saying that nothing has happened between us." I raise my head from its resting place and meet his concerned dark blue gaze. “Since I started working with Cory he has been very flirtatious and outrageous with his comments. It wasn’t too bad the first few days but the night I stayed late to help him he cornered me in the elevator and tried to kiss me. I turned my head so he only got my cheek and I pushed him away and told him to stop. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you then, but I knew you’d be pissed off and worried about me working there. The night we went to happy hour he was really coming on to me and I drank more to try to drown it out. I know that was a bad decision on my part and I’m lucky it didn’t end up working in his favor, but he didn’t really try anything that night. He was a little handsy but not in a creepy way, just touching my arm or my back. Today was another one of those days where he made a lot of inappropriate comments and it’s just wearing on me. I try to ignore it most of the time, but it does get to me.”
“Are you still attracted to him?” Marcus asks me the one question I don’t want to have to answer. If I say no, I’m lying to him and he deserves better than that from me. If I say yes, I’m going to hurt him and I don’t ever want to cause him pain. God, I hate myself for having feelings for Cory. What kind of person still cares about someone that hurt them so horribly?
“Yes,” I whisper, ashamed of myself. “I’m sorry Marcus. I hate myself for causing you pain, but I have to be honest with you.” His whole body is now tense as he pulls away from me and sits up at the edge of my bed.
“Marcus, look at me,” I implore, grabbing his arm. He turns and looks in my direction.
“I’m not going to let anything happen with him. I don’t want to sleep with him and I don’t want you worrying about it. I only told you because you asked me what was wrong and I didn’t want to hide it from you any longer. We’ve always been so good at communicating and I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I love you.” I rise up to my knees, wrapping my arms around his back and resting my head on his shoulder.
“Don’t keep things from me because you’re worried about my feelings or how I may react. That’s a lie by omission Hailey and I do deserve better than that.”
He deserves better than me.
Sometimes I wonder if Marcus would be better off without me. He deserves to be with someone that can be open about their feelings for him and embrace his capacity to love wholeheartedly. I'm damaged and I'm not sure how to fix me. If Marcus' love hasn't been able to heal me by now, then I think I may be beyond hope. If that's true, I need to let him go. The biggest problem with doing that is I'm not sure I can survive without him in my life and I may be too selfish to even try.
Marcus turns to face me on the bed. "What do you say we pack a bag and head to my beach house for the weekend? My mom is gone away so we'll have the whole house to ourselves."
"I think that is the best idea I've heard in a long time." I can't help the smile that takes over my face. He reaches over and pulls me onto his lap, before resting his forehead on mine.
"Let's forget about everything but us this weekend. We are going to surf and relax on the beach. I'm going to get you to drink more than two drinks and you and I are going to have dirty, drunken sex all night long." He nuzzles my ear before finishing. "How does that sound, baby?"
"Yes to all those things but I am really looking forward to having drunken sex with you since we haven't done that since the first time we made love. You might give me a valid reason to do away with my two drink rule." He laughs at my reply before setting me on my feet. He stands up behind me and slaps me on my ass.