He winked at me and pulled away to catch up with the other team members. The thought of being with him later sent chills down my spine.
We hung out with the group and had a couple beers before Mark looked at me and announced it was time to go. I have no idea how many people with us were aware of our bet.
It seemed like the drive from the go-cart track back to my apartment took forever.
When we finally got there, Mark opened my door and grabbed my hand. The desire in Mark’s eyes melted any hesitation I may have had about what we were about to do. My heart was beating so loud, I swear he must have been able to hear it, too. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to feel his hands on my body and his kiss on my lips.
Once we got inside, neither one of us could look away from the other. The strength of my attraction to him was insurmountable.
Pulling me into his arms, Mark slammed the door, unable to control the urgency he was feeling for me. As his lips touched mine, I could feel sizzling pleasure through my body. I didn’t think he could kiss me better than he already had. How very wrong I was.
My anticipation continued to grow as his kisses began descending down my neck to my collarbone. Soft, gentle kisses. His kisses were so gentle, and yet, the power they had over my emotions began to soar. I never wanted to stop kissing him. I never wanted to let go of how secure I felt wrapped up in his arms.
Tugging at the bottom of my shirt, Mark said, “Let’s get you out of these.” With deliberate slowness, he raised my blouse over my head. Softly, he ran his hands down my torso.
I reached up to kiss him as he began removing my bra. As his fingers began circling my breast, my need for him reached levels I’d never experienced before.
I gasped out his name. “I can’t wait any longer…”
“And yet, you will…” he said, teasingly. It felt like my desire was going to explode.
He pulled of his shirt and took me into his arms again. I opened my mouth to say something, and he covered it with a kiss.
What seemed like an instant later, he’d placed the condom on and grabbed me into his arms, lifting me on top of him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and legs around his hips as he drove into me.
“Let me see you come for me, Shirin.”
The kisses he had given me earlier and the feel of his pulsing member were a powerful combination. When he pulled my nipple to his mouth, I was hit by a shockingly strong climax.
He carried me to his bedroom and gently played me on the bed. I desperately wanted to tell him how much I loved him. Everything inside of me was buzzing. In minutes, I was asleep, feeling secure in his strong arms.
Chapter 22
Mark insisted on taking me to The Big Game. Apparently, this Cal-Stanford football rivalry goes all the way back to 1892. I’d never been to a football game before. I’d bought a new Stanford sweatshirt to show my team spirit.
We sat with Abbey and Kyle in the student section. When the band played, we got up and danced with the rest of the students. I’d never had so much fun. I couldn’t help reaching over and grabbing Mark’s hand. He just looked at me and smiled.
At one point, Abbey looked over at me, grabbed my hand, and winked. “You did good!” she said pointing to Mark.
Mark tried to explain the game to me. It was to no avail. Every time he tried to explain the play on the field, I got lost in his big blue eyes.
I had completely fallen in love with him, and in some ways, I think he was falling in love with me, too.
After the game, we went out to a pub where a bunch of students were going to celebrate our win. Mark got along well with my friends from school.
“Are you having fun?” Mark asked.
“I am. Thank you for insisting I go. I’ve enjoyed this.”
Mark took me back to his place. I wasn’t planning to spend the night. I had a lot of studying to do the next day, and I didn’t want to be too tired to do it.
Once we were inside, he asked if I’d like to have another drink.
“No,” I said. “I’ve had enough for tonight. Besides, I have to drive home in a little while.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator. “Can I at least get you some coffee?”
“That would be good.” We went out to his balcony and sat together on his wicker couch enjoying the view of the Bay Area sky.
“Look,” I said, “A shooting star! Hurry! Make a wish!”
He grabbed my hands, pulled me into his arms, and smiled.
“What did you wish for?” he asked.
“I can’t tell you that! It won’t come true if I do,” I smiled. “What did you wish for?”
“What? Are you telling me you don’t want my wish to come true? You don’t even know what it was...”
I giggled at him. I couldn’t help but wonder what he had wished for.
“It’s getting late. I’d better get going.” I said, trying to pull myself away from him.
“Please stay,” he asked looking into my eyes. “Not because of our arrangement. Please stay tonight because you want to.”
“I do want to stay, but I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.” I gently kissed him. “I’ll text you when I get home.”
“If you have to… just know I’ll be thinking about you all night long.”
He was so damn sexy. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.
If only I had listened to him and stayed…
Chapter 23
The drive home was normal until something went horribly wrong. All I saw were lights heading toward me. I heard a big crash and then everything went dark.
The next thing I knew, I could hear people talking in hushed voices. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t lift my head or move anything.
I overheard Mark talking. “I’m her fiancé. She has no other family here.”
I could hear the worry in his voice.
Even though I couldn’t speak or move or open my eyes, I could hear everything that was going on in the room.
“I’m Dr. Lau. I’ve been treating your fiancee since the ambulance brought her in. We’ve done everything we can for the moment. Right now, she’s in a coma. She’s breathing on her own, which is a good sign.”
“How long will she be in a coma?” Mark asked.
“It’s hard to say. Could be a week. Could be a month. Maybe longer. It’s possible she will never come out of it. We don’t know, yet. The next 48 hours are most critical.”
What was going on?
I could feel Mark there with me. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Dad. It’s Shirin. She’s been in a really bad accident…” His voice was shaking.
He stood up. “Yes, I’m at Stanford Hospital with her now.” I’d never heard him sound so worried.
“OK. I’ll see you in a little while.”
A nurse came into the room. “Why don’t you go back home and get some rest? We’ll call you as soon as something happens.”
“Please, just give me a few minutes with her.”
Mark grabbed my hand. I could tell he was crying.
“Who did this to you? Why?” he cried. “Why!” He began to sob softly.
“It shouldn’t be you here lying like this. It should be me. I should never have let you drive home alone. I told you it was late...” His crying became louder. He let go of my hand and started pacing.
“Shirin, I love you. You’re supposed to be my wife. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me like my mother did.” His voice trailed off. “I couldn’t bear to live without you...”
“You will fight, Shirin Pahlavi. You will fight and come out of this. Dammit! Fight!”
He collapsed into the chair by the bed. Holding his head in his hands, he sobbed.
“Dear God, please, show me you are really here. Help Shirin come out of this and I swear, I will do whatever it takes to be the husband she deserves. I will be a better man, I promise.
/> “I don’t deserve you, Shirin. But I love you. You are strong. You have been your entire life. Now’s the time for you to be stronger than you ever have been before. Please. Do it for me. Do it for us.”
He leaned forward in his chair and grabbed my hand. Slowly, he stroked my hair. “I love you Shirin. I never believed that true love existed. But, you have shown me that it does. I never thought I would love anyone like this. Please don’t go. I beg you.”
There was a knock on the door and then Fred and Brenda came in. Fred walked up to Mark and put his arm around him.
“Hi, Dad. Hi, Brenda.”
“How is she?” I could hear the concern in Fred’s voice.
“Doctors say it’s too soon to tell,” Mark said sitting down in his chair.
“She’s strong Mark. She’ll pull through. Let me go to the nursing station and find out if I can speak with her doctor,” Fred said, turning towards the door.
I could hear Mark sniffle.
As soon as Fred was outside of the room, Brenda began to speak. “Oh, come on, Mark.” Her tone was cold as ice. “Quit the act. I know you’re not in love with her. This whole thing is merely a ploy to keep your father from selling the company. You’re not even really engaged.”
“What are you talking about, Brenda?”
“I know all about it,” Brenda said triumphantly.
“Brenda, you have no idea what you are talking about.”
Walking back into the room, Fred could sense the tension between Brenda and Mark.
“What’s going on, here?” Fred asked, reentering the room.
“Oh, I was simply telling your son he could quit this preposterous act he has going on. He’s not really planning on marrying this woman. It’s all been a sham, and he knows it.”
“Brenda, that hardly seems appropriate,” Fred said, shooting Brenda a stern look.
“Just wait a moment, Fred. Is that Shirin’s purse over there?” Brenda said, pointing to my purse. She walked over to it and unzipped it pulling out my iPad.
“What are you doing, Brenda? How do you Shirin’s password?” Mark asked.
“Well, that doesn’t matter very much, now does it?”
It suddenly occurred to me why she wanted to show me the wedding dress she found on my iPad the night of our engagement. Her computer was probably working fine. She did it to get my password.
“Let’s look at what she wrote to her dear friend, Emily. I’d better get out my glasses to make sure I read this correctly...”
The room became suddenly quiet. Even though I couldn’t see what was going on, I could tell Brenda was putting on quite a show.
“Here it is, and I quote:
‘He’s asked me to pretend to be his fiancee so that he appears to be more responsible to his father. All I have to do is attend family functions and he will pay my Stanford tuition.’
“Do I need to go on or have you heard enough, Fred?”
“Let me see that,” Fred said, grabbing the iPad. Fred looked at the iPad scrolling through the text.
“Brenda, please give me and Mark a few minutes.” I could hear the disappointment in Fred’s voice.
“Since your discussion does affect me, I believe I will stay,” Brenda said defiantly.
“Leave us!” Fred commanded. Brenda slammed the door on her way out.
Fred didn’t speak at first. I could hear him pacing.
“Mark, is this true? Was your engagement to Shirin fake?”
Mark looked down. “Yes, it was in the beginning. I didn’t expect to fall in love with her like I have.”
“Why would you do this? Is it just about the money?”
“No, Dad. It’s not about the money. It’s not even about my job. I know I could get another job. It’s about your legacy. It’s about preserving everything you have spent your entire life building—maintaining the dream you created and made into reality. It’s about ensuring the people who have worked for us so loyally through the years keep their jobs.”
Just then the door opened. Brenda popped in her head. “Fred, it’s getting late. If you’re done here, we should go now.”
“Brenda, leave us, please,” Fred ordered.
“Whatever!” Brenda said, slamming the door once more.
“Son, is that how you really feel?”
“Yes, it is. Look, you know how I feel about Brenda. All she cares about is your money. That’s all she’s every cared about. I know you’re blind to this. But trust, me, it’s true. That’s all every woman who has been in your life since mom passed has been interested in.”
Mark’s voice was shaky. I could hear the emotion in his voice.
“Why go to all of this trouble. Why not just find a nice girl to marry?” Fred sounded confused.
Fred sat down in silence, taking in everything Mark had just said.
“I know it hasn’t been easy on you since Mom’s death, Dad, but it hasn’t been easy on me, either. I was twelve when I walked in on your second wife having sex with the pool man. Do you know what that can do to a twelve-year-old? I never believed I would be able to trust a woman. They all seemed greedy and deceitful. And then came Shirin...”
Mark began to cry again. “Why couldn’t it just be me lying there in that bed. Why did it have to be Shirin!” Mark yelled, kicking the foot of the bed.
The room went quiet again.
Fred began to speak again. “When I walked in, I overheard you praying. Is everything you said true?”
“Yes, it’s all true,” Mark said, putting his head in his hands. “I know I tried to deceive you, and I am truly, truly sorry. I know that it is a lot to ask, but I pray that you will find it in your heart to forgive me.
“Right now, your forgiveness and Shirin’s recovery are the only things important to me. Nothing else matters.”
“Stand up,” Fred said, putting his arm around his son. “Thank you for being honest with me. I had no idea you felt this way. I do believe you have changed. And, if you ask me, for the better.
“I need to fly to MD Anderson in Houston tomorrow. They’re doing another PET scan. Give me some time to think about things. I also need to smooth things over with Brenda.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
Fred gave Mark a hug again as he left the room. Mark sat down in the chair near my bed again.
“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but everything I said to you was true, too.”
Chapter 24
Mark had been visiting me every day since my accident. I treasured the time we spent together.
I could tell by the sound of his footsteps Mark was coming into my room. The smell of flowers told me he had brought me another bouquet. I have no idea how many bunches of flowers he’d brought, but it reminded me of the Conservatory of Flowers. He brought lilies this time. The aroma was lovely.
“Hi, Mark,” said a voice that I recognized as one of my nurses. “Another bouquet! Those are pretty flowers. We’re going to run out of places to put them!” The nurse giggled a little.
Mark pushed a couple bouquets aside to make room for the flowers.
“Thank you. It’s kind of silly. The first night I met Shirin, I tried to ask her out, and she shot me down. She said, ‘I’m a take-me-to-dinner, buy-me-flowers, and get-to-know-me’ kind of girl.’ She asked for flowers…” his voice trailed off.
“That’s very nice of you. I’m sure she would be appreciative.”
I could tell Mark wanted to ask the nurse something, but he wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
“Nurse, can I ask you something?” Mark’s voice was strangely cautious.
“Sure.”
“I was looking on the Internet and I found a lot of articles about people who were in comas who were able to hear and understand everything that was going on around them. They just couldn’t move. Do you think it’s possible Shirin knows what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, Mark. But if she is aware, I’m sure she appreciates your thoughtfulness and how much time you’re spend
ing with her. I’ll leave you two alone.” The nurse walked out of the room.
Mark sat back down in the chair and grabbed my hand. His hands felt warm. Soft.
“Come on, babe. You can pull out of this. You’ve worked so hard to achieve your dream of going to Stanford. You’re doing it. Don’t give up now.”
Even though I wasn’t able to see him, I could feel him looking at me. It felt like his gaze was entering my soul.
Suddenly, I felt my fingers begin to twitch. Mark jumped up, shocked by my sudden movement.
“Nurse! Nurse!” he shouted. “Nurse, come quick!”
“What is it, Mark?” the nurse who had been in the room earlier asked.
“Her hand... it moved! Look at her fingers. I felt her fingers move!”
Mark sounded so excited.
I felt my finger twitch again.
“I think you’re right. There was a little twitch,” the nurse said.
“She’s waking up! She’s waking up!” Mark exclaimed with excitement.
“I need you to calm down, Mark. I’ll call her doctor,” the nurse said calmly. “We don’t know that yet. We need to have the doctor examine her.”
It seemed like it took forever for the doctor to arrive.
“Doctor, I’m so glad you’re here. I felt her fingers move!” Mark exclaimed.
“I understand you’re excited. Let me take a look.”
I couldn’t detect any positiveness in the doctor’s voice.
The doctor began to examine me.
“She’s going to be ok, right? She’s coming out of the coma, isn’t she?” Mark’s voice conveyed how much he cared about me.
“Mark, this isn’t like the movies. A person doesn’t just suddenly wake up from a coma like nothing ever happened. Coming out of a coma can be a long, slow process. Sometimes, it starts with the twitch of a finger or a squeeze of the hand.”
“So, she’s coming out, right?”
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