“… when it comes to men.”
“I think you know.”
He turned his head, cheek resting on the blanket now. “How should I know?”
“You’re a man, that’s how. I’m pretty sure that you’ve had your share of women, given your status and looks.”
“My status? My looks? Is that what really attracts you to me?”
“Did I say that I was attracted to you?”
He frowned playfully. The truth was… I was very attracted to him.
“Well, you’re a woman. Given the time you’ve spent with me here today, if you were attracted to me, would you say it was because of my status and looks,” he said carefully.
“There are lots of things that attract me to a man. Status and looks are only among them. Personality is a biggie, of course. I’ve met too many men that were Tyson Beckford fine and Donald Trump rich, but didn’t have a lick of personality.”
“So is it trial and error for you? How many men does it take to find Mr. Right?”
My face flashed hot. I was embarrassed. I couldn’t believe how easy it was for me to babble about my dating situation with him. I hadn’t told him too much information, had I? “You don’t think that I’m some kind of whore, do you?”
“Absolutely not,” he said. “You’re a beautiful woman and you’re smart. You know that. I’m sure you have men lined up for dates right now.” He laughed as if he knew some kind of inside joke.
I turned to look at him. Now, we were face to face. “What’s so funny?”
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me. Face to face and lying next to each other on the blanket, he studied my face. Intently. He smirked at me.
“What’s so funny?” I repeated. “Alright then, if I had so many men lined up that wanted to go out with me, then why aren’t you still waiting in line?”
He grinned harder. “I just got it like that.”
“Ah!” I was taken back by his cockiness. “Oh, really?”
“Really.” He nodded. “What about Edward Smith? Why haven’t you given him the time of day?”
My mouth fell open. “Edward?” What did he know of Edward Smith?
“Uh-huh. He spoke highly of you at lunch yesterday,” he continued. “Don’t get me wrong, I was intrigued by you the moment I stepped in that conference room. Nothing he said could have discouraged me from pursuing you.”
“What did he say?” I looked into Mark’s eyes.
“He said that he’s been trying to get you to go out with him for years. He couldn’t imagine why you would turn him down. He thinks it’s because you work together. You take your work so seriously. He thinks you want him deep down inside.”
I almost busted out laughing, but thought against it. “Is that so?”
“Well, is it true?”
I glanced at Mark, teasing him with a flutter of my eyelashes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Well, guess what?”
“What?” I mouthed.
“Edward’s time is up. He had his chance to contend for you. Now it’s my turn to convince you to go out on many more dates with me.”
My breath caught in my throat. You’re serious.” That didn’t come out as a question.
“As serious as I can be.” When I didn’t say anything for a while, he said, “You will give me a chance, won’t you?”
I sighed. “Mark, I already told you—”
“I know.” He turned over on his side. “In the parking garage the other day… you said that I would be playing with fire.” He picked up one of my spiral curls and peeled it back from my face, pushing it behind my ear. His fingers touched the skin behind my ear. A little skin. And I shivered a bit.
“I didn’t literally mean that. There are just things in my life that I’m not exactly proud of. And I can’t believe that I’m telling you this. To you, I could mean trouble. Bad luck should be my middle name.”
“And you don’t think I can handle that?”
“Most guys won’t. Most guys can’t.”
“I’m not most guys. You know… the ones waiting in line to date you. I’m not them,” he said. “Nothing like them.”
I didn’t try to stop him as he pressed his lips to mine. At that moment I could have been in heaven. We weren’t even moving. Our lips were just touching and already I could feel the heat and the fire igniting. His lips were warm and velvety. I knew mine were scorching hot. I guess he was waiting for me to protest, but I didn’t. He angled his mouth and deepened the kiss. My lips parted too quickly when I felt his tongue seeking access between them. My stomach was now doing somersaults, more than the little flips it had been doing before. He was a good kisser. This man… Mark. I could always tell an experienced man at first kiss and he was extremely knowledgeable when it came to this. He applied just the right amount of pressure to my lips with his. He offered just the right amount of tongue action. Not too demanding, but still with urgency. After sponging my lips a few more times, he pulled away, and then nibbled my lips to finish off.
“Is that how you plan to convince me? By kissing me senseless?” I asked.
He laughed. “Now since that one’s out of the bag, I’ll have to come up with something else. I will convince you. One way or the next.”
You already have, Mark. It’s so soon and you already have, I wanted to say.
“So, I’ve got a beautiful woman here who likes to work out and go shopping. I can work with that. We have those two things in common. Tell me about club hoppin’.”
“It’s not like that, Mark. Me and my girl, Monique, go out to clubs and bars to wind down every once in a while. You know, have a few drinks. I’m still young.”
“And so am I. I go myself.”
“What? You mean country clubs?” She narrowed her gaze at him.
“Ha!” He laughed. “You’re funny. Don’t judge me. I actually mean the bar and dancing.”
“Fair enough. I guess we have a lot to learn about each other.” I sat up. “I think I need to stand up a bit.” I drew my legs up into Indian-style. I didn’t know how much longer I could sit on the hard ground.
“I agree. My butt hurts.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“I have an idea,” he said, “Since you and I like shopping so much, let’s see what we can go spend some money on.”
“Sounds good.” I grabbed my bag as we got up. “I saw some hand-blown glass sculptures that would look perfect in my office.”
He picked up the blanket, folded it, and handed it to me. For the next hour or so, we walked, sometimes hand in hand, along the row of vendors and bought whatever caught our interest. He purchased two hand-blown glass sculptures for my office and one for himself. I also purchased an abstract painting that would fit right in with the other paintings in my foyer.
When it was time to leave, we both procrastinated. It dawned on me that I loved spending time with Mark. I was still surprised that I could hold so much conversation with him. The words flowed from my mouth like I had known him forever. I had to stop myself a few times from giving up too much information. The less Mark knew about my sordid past, the better. At least, that’s what I thought.
As I anticipated and hoped, Mark asked me out for a second date. His persuasion caused me to give in to him picking me up for dinner tomorrow night. As I was driving home, I realized that I hadn’t felt this special in a long time. Sure, I could call up any of the guys that were waiting in line to date me, as Mark had said, and bet that they would take me out in a heartbeat. But, this special feeling I had was different. This feeling was one of anticipation and promise.
CHAPTER SIX
On our next date, I agreed to allow Mark to pick me up from my house. DJ wasn’t home when Mark arrived. That was a good thing for right now because all DJ needed was Mark’s first and last name and he had the power to discover practically anybody’s history.
Mark rang the doorbell, and I stepped out into the foyer and checked my reflection in the mirror. My attire
tonight was more formal than it was yesterday. I wore a black cocktail designer dress that I’d never worn for anybody.
When I opened the door, Mark was standing there dressed to compliment me. His black hair was neatly groomed, which was a contrast to the tousled manner that he wore it at the park.
“You have a way of taking my breath away,” he said. “Damn, you are beautiful.”
“Thanks. You’re hot yourself.”
Mark looked behind me into the house. That’s when I stepped outside beside him and pulled the door closed. He placed his arm on my waist and led me to his truck.
“I’m glad that you didn’t have any problems finding my house,” I replied.
He opened the door and held my hand as I lifted myself up into his truck as best I could with three inch heels.
“I used GPS.” He waited until I was settled in the seat and closed the door.
“You’ve got a nice mansion.” He glanced at me with curiosity riddling his gaze and started the engine.
I decided that I didn’t need to keep him in the dark too long. I knew he was dying to know if that was my house. “I live here with my brother.” I pulled the seatbelt across my chest and buckled myself in. “It’s just me and him.”
“Ah… that makes sense.” Mark leaned over and without saying anything, kissed me on the lips. Short and sweet, and then he pulled off.
That simple touch was enough to heat my core.
I pressed the remote in my purse to let him out of the gates. “How was your day?”
“So far, so good. I got in my morning run. I went grocery shopping and took my clothes to the dry cleaners. Nothing much.”
“Same here. No chaos so far and I took a break from my studies.”
The restaurant wasn’t too far from my house. Violetpointe was known for their upscale casual dining known for their award winning sushi selections. Mark already had a reservation, so we were seated at the table upon arrival.
“So do you date much, Mark?”
“Either way I answer that question, I feel like I will be judged or condemned,” he teased.
I shrugged. “The only right way to answer it is to tell the truth.”
“I network a lot because of my business. Several times I’ve needed a companion to go with me to some of these social hours with my business partners. I wouldn’t call all it dating though.”
“Do you date a lot of woman like me?”
He smiled. “There’s no one quite like you, so is that a trick question?”
“Maybe.”
“I was instantly attracted to you the moment I saw you. That attraction and the sound of your voice was all the confirmation I needed to pursue you,” Mark said. “I don’t get into many relationships. I’m just not good at them, but I’d like to have one with you.”
“Are you serious?”
He nodded.
The waitress came back with our tray of assorted sushi, two saucers, and a bottle of soy sauce. “Everything okay?” She directed her question at Mark, not me.
Mark glanced at me. “Would you like another martini?”
I looked down to notice that only ice was left. “Yes, please.”
“An apple martini and another Jack Daniel’s and cola,” he told the waiter.
She left us with our sushi platters.
“It’s your turn,” Mark said as they were enjoying the food.
“For what?”
“Answer the same question you asked me.”
“The one about a serious relationship?”
“Yeah.” He dropped his chopsticks and looked at me.
“I don’t do serious relationships either. I never have actually.”
Mark looked surprised. His forehead creased. “So, do you date?”
I nodded. “For fun, yes.”
Mark went back to eating his sushi, all the while his forehead was still creased in confusion. The waitress brought back our drinks and then took our orders for main entrees. I settled for the seared gulf snapper and a salad and he ordered a 20oz. ribeye steak with a salad as well.
“I’m trying to figure out what that means. Or maybe I’m trying to find the double meaning behind what you just said. You date for fun?”
“There is no double meaning.” I took a sip of martini. “What else might one date for? I like to have fun, is all.”
“I just find it hard to believe that someone as drop dead gorgeous as you would stay unattached.”
“Like I said, I don’t do serious. It’s just not for me. We are being honest, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are.”
“You’re holding back, Candace. There’s more to you than you’re leading on.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Just a hunch. I deal with multiple clients on a daily basis, so I had to learn how to read them.”
I narrowed my gaze on him. “So, you’re reading me?”
“Without success. Tell me your reason for avoiding serious relationships.”
“I just don’t see the point in getting feelings involved and your heart worked up for something that will never be in the first place.”
“Where did you get that idea?”
“I’m just a woman who has gone through some things.”
“Yeah… this is about your parents, isn’t it? I understand. Misfortunes in the past can discourage people from moving on in the future. I can relate, Candace. I can relate more than you’ll ever know,” he replied.
I shook my head. “You can’t possibly relate to anything I’ve been through.”
Mark reached across the table and placed his hand on top of mine. “Look at me.” I looked up slowly into black, coal eyes. “We don’t have to jump into anything. We understand each other. I’m very sincere about this relationship with you. Maybe we can prove ourselves wrong.”
“Maybe,” I whispered.
“It’s back to work tomorrow. You looking forward to it?” Mark was halfway through his steak now. He had stopped stuffing his mouth long enough to cut bite-size pieces and talk.
“Hardly. I’ll probably be in meetings all day. What about you? Tell me about a day in the life of the owner of his own company.”
He liked talking about himself and his company. Over the next five minutes, he discussed everything from business expansion to joint ventures. The surprising thing was that when he was done, he asked me to describe the day in the life of an auditor. We went back and forth like that for the remainder of the dinner. We shared a chocolate dessert and prepared to leave. It had been the longest dinner date I had ever been on.
“We’ve still got a few more hours before midnight approaches. What about a movie?”
I grinned. “I’d like that. I’ve been wanting to see a romantic comedy.”
“Romantic comedy, it is.”
After the meal was paid for, we ventured outside into the evening.
Mark slipped his hand into mine. “That was nice. When I’m with you, I don’t get all stressed out and you don’t bore me.”
I chuckled. “Sounds like those are your dating pet peeves.”
“Pet peeves I don’t have to worry about anymore.”
He helped me into his truck and his arm brushed against my bare legs and our gazes met. Time stopped and nothing existed but Mark and me. I leaned in and he took that opportunity to kiss me. His lips felt like velvet against mine. I yearned to feel his body against mine. I was seated high in the truck. When he swung my legs back toward him, his body fit securely between my thighs. He placed his hands on my legs and kneaded them as we kissed. I could feel his heat through my dress. His thumbs skirted dangerously against my bare skin and inched upward under my dress. A car door slammed in the distance and I pulled away momentarily to catch my breath.
I wanted more, and I wasn’t ready for the blissful feeling to wash away from me just yet. Just as he began to back away, I grabbed his hands and put them back on my thighs. He grinned and then leaned in to take my lips again, only this time sweetly. Part
ing my thighs, I grabbed his forearm and pulled him in. I wanted him closer, and he obliged.
God, he tasted good. He smelled good.
I don’t know what had gotten into me, but I had never wanted someone more in my life than I wanted him right now.
“Mark.” The moan was so soft that I could barely hear myself. My raging pulse was louder than my words. My stomach did a series of somersaults as he taunted me.
I arched into him, pushing myself against his arousal. His lips paused on mine and he mumbled something unclear. He released my lips and buried his face into my neck. Brushing his nose and lips against the soft skin under my ears, he said, “I know what you mean now.” His cock became firm against her.
“About what?” I moaned.
“About playing with fire.” He pressed light kisses up the base of my throat. “How come you didn’t tell me you were so damned hot?”
“I tried. Still think you can handle it?”
“Most definitely.”
Mark kissed me again. Short and sweet, like the first time. Then he closed the door and walked behind the truck to get to the passenger side.
“Not sure I will be able to keep my eyes or hands off you long enough to pay attention to the movie,” he said.
“Maybe I don’t want you to,” I teased, watching as his face flushed red. I’d never seen a man blush before tonight and seeing how my words affected Mark made me forget about my “no feelings attached” rule.
His cell phone rang as he nervously fumbled to get the keys in the ignition. He answered the call. I tried to zone out, but when his tone of voice turned somber, it became harder to ignore.
“Are you sure? He’s in stable condition? I live closer. I can come out… no problem.”
After disconnecting the call, Mark sighed deeply and pressed his palm toward his forehead.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s been an emergency,” he said. “My uncle, Sebastian, is in the hospital.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. Can I do anything to help?”
“No, Henri said they just admitted him today. I’m going to meet some of the family there. I’m one of the few living in New Orleans.”
“Oh…”
Untamed Obsession (Den of Sin) Page 4