I Need You: A Valentine's Anthology

by Roberts, Vera

  I think you should move out.

  She couldn't understand it then and it still made no sense to her now. His voice was calm and his body language was stiff and distant. But she’d remembered his eyes, they were the most telling. They weren't angry; instead, regretful, as if someone or something was forcing Scott to break up with her. Even when he'd given her access to his accounts, he’d hesitated to do so, as if he was making a mistake.

  A mistake. A mistake he hadn't bothered to correct.

  It took some time, but Mariana realized it didn't matter if she went out with Bernard that fateful night; the end result still would've been the same. Scott would've broken up with her, she still would've gone out with Bernard...

  And she still would be in the current position she's in, helping Scott’s new girlfriend tie up her dress.

  She was tired and impatient with him making her wait, when really he didn't know what she was waiting for. He was thirty-six for crying out loud! He should know what he wanted by now.

  Maybe it was someone like Dove. If I was an easy gold digger, I would be available as well! There went the ugly jealousy feelings again with a sharp aftertaste of wanting to hand Dove a good old-fashioned beat down.

  And that dress Dove had on! A slinky black number that had crisscross strings across the back. There was no doubt that Scott had picked that out for her. Everything Dove had on was reminiscent of Scott. The up-do her hair was in, with small ringlets down the sides. The simple but very expensive jewelry she had on. The earrings were Tiffany, Mariana recognized. She would know since she owned the exact pair.

  Even the way Dove presented herself, carrying an air about her that spoke of grace and class. She was a natural beauty and wore very little makeup during the times Mariana had seen her. She was lean with a pear-shaped body that made fans of every man in the office. If they weren’t already envious of Scott, he gave them just one more reason.

  Don't look down at her shoes. Don't look down at her shoes. Don't look down at her shoes! Mariana glanced down at Dove's shoes. Of course. Of course they were Louboutins. Leopard-print with a five-inch heel. Mariana wanted to say it was a tacky choice in shoe and that a real lady would wear something classier. Then she remembered how much those heels must’ve cost and she quickly bit the inside of her cheek.

  Expensive shoes aside, that wasn't the most glaring thing about Dove that captured Mariana's attention. It was one key accessory, one thing that made Mariana not angry, but uncomfortable...

  Dove was collared.

  Four

  The collar had a diamond-encrusted, heart-shaped key locket that sparkled whenever Dove made a slight movement. Mariana wondered how serious Dove and Scott were in their relationship for him to collar her. She wanted to think that maybe he did that with all of his girlfriends; that she and Dove were just women in a long line of forgettable women that Scott made that promise to.

  Mariana knew it was a lie.

  Scott took being a Dominant just as seriously as he took his career and money matters. He wouldn’t be a Dominant to just anyone and he wouldn’t just pick any woman to be His submissive. She’d have to have a certain quality about her that he could nurture, develop, train, cultivate...

  Was Mariana looking at a Caribbean blonde version of herself?

  “There you go,” Mariana finished tying up Dove’s dress, “it’s a really beautiful gown you’re wearing.”

  “Thank you!” Dove smiled. “Scott picked it out for me. In fact, he dressed me this evening! Can you believe that?”

  Actually, yes, I can. Scott used to pick out every outfit Mariana wore, only the best that would accentuate her features. Part of it was to show her off to everyone. The main reason was to boost her confidence and self-worth. Mariana had never felt so sexy and... boss. “That was sweet of him!” Mariana once again forced a smile. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. “I didn’t know he had such great taste!”

  That was an unconvincing lie. She knew all about his taste. The Gucci suits, the Burberry ties, the Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, and the Breitling watches. Even when he shopped at Target, Scott’s clothes were still of nice quality.

  “So do you and B. have any plans after you leave here tonight?” Dove asked.

  “I don’t know. The night is still young.” Mariana contemplated asking the next question for fear of an answer she wasn’t going to like. Curiosity still got the best of her. “What are you and Scott doing?”

  “We’re going to go back home and probably get romantic and cozy.” Dove sighed. “Have you ever been with someone with whom you just gelled with sexually, so that you crave that person even though you just had them?”

  God, yes. Mariana could vividly recall Scott forcing his cock into her hungry mouth, holding her steady by his hands on her shoulders as he pumped in and out of her. Then when he came, he wiped his cock with her lips, smearing his seed all over her mouth before she greedily took his cock in again.

  That didn’t count the times where he fucked her so hard, she was paralyzed with ecstasy as they climbed new heights of passion and desire. Just thinking about his moans, whispering in her ears, his strong hands wrapped around her body as he thrust inside her, him slapping her ass asking her if she belonged to him…“Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

  “Yeah...” Dove leaned against the sink and lightly shook her head. “...girl, I wish you could understand what I’m going through. Each and every time he makes me climax. Each and every time. He is amazing.”

  Bitch. No, she’s not just a bitch. She’s a basic bitch! “It sounds like he makes you happy.” Bitch.

  “He does. He travels a lot but he always makes it up when he comes home with gifts.” Dove smiled as she played with the dangling gold bracelets on her right wrist. “Anyway, I need to get back to him. You have a great night, Mari!” Dove once again air-kissed her and left.

  Mariana let out the deep breath she’d been holding in for the past several minutes. Before Scott, Mariana realized she had settled. Even if the guy didn’t give her the butterflies in her stomach, the heart-stopping desire, and the toe-curling orgasms, he was ‘good enough.’ After Scott, it became pristine clear – she was settling once again.

  Her mother was right. She wasn’t over Scott. Not even close.

  ****

  Dove walked back to her table and sat on Scott’s lap. “All done, Sir.”

  Scott gently kissed Dove’s back. “How did it go?”

  “I stunned her,” Dove leaned over and took a bite of cheesecake, “she hates me.”

  Scott chuckled. “Good girl. You’ll be greatly rewarded later.”

  “I will admit, Sir, I’ll be sad when my assignment ends. I’ve really enjoyed myself.” Dove fed Scott a bite of cheesecake. “I never thought manipulating someone’s emotions could be fun.”

  “Well, we’re not manipulating her emotions,” Scott said through fed bites, “merely bringing out the emotions she’s denying, that’s all.”

  Five

  “It’s time for me to do my set now,” B. glanced down at his watch and began to excuse himself from the table. Word of mouth traveled around town about his DJ skills and Sentiment hired him for Valentine’s Day. In addition to compensating him nicely, B. also received a free reservation for dinner. “Did you want to join me behind the booth? I have a chair up there for you.”

  “I’ll be up there in a minute,” Mariana rubbed her bloated tummy, “I think I ate too much.”

  “Yeah, that filet mignon was bomb, huh?” B. smiled.

  “Oh, my God...” Mariana shook her head. “I knew I was done after the first bite and it just continued from there.”

  “All right, mami. Take your time to digest and come join me in a few minutes. But don’t take too long, now.” B. kissed Mariana, his lips playing with hers. “I’ll be waiting for you, boo.”

  “I’ll be there, babe.” Mariana smiled him off. She watched him from her chair, introducing himself before he started spinning tunes. Almost immediately, the dance floor w
as crowded with couples of all kinds dancing to B.’s music.

  Mariana paid the most attention to the older couples, reminiscing fondly about her parents, who have been married for over forty years. She only hoped one day she would have a love like they had.

  Except I did.

  Sadness came over her as she thought about her last Valentine’s Day. She remembered how upset she was seeing how everyone received gifts at work and she didn’t receive anything until Scott surprised her at lunch. A romantic drive up the coast to a park where an awaiting Mariachi band and picnic was laid out for her. After the romantic picnic, they went back to work but Mariana couldn’t remember the rest of the work day. She was still floating high above the ground. That night, they made love in every conceivable position, solidifying their love over and over.

  Mariana took a sip of wine and lightly sighed. Maybe it was her fault for holding on to the past and not being concentrated fully on the future. B. was a great man who all but asked her to move in with him. Her family loved him. Her other friends adored him. They had a great relationship and it was never a dull moment between them.

  Of course, the comparisons naturally came:

  Asking her to watch over the house while he went away on a trip.

  Asking her to move in a short time later.

  A proposal would happen after that.

  Maybe not the last one. A girl can dream, huh?

  “You shouldn’t be alone tonight,” a familiar voice said in front of her.

  Mariana looked up and met eyes with Scott. Damn, he was gorgeous. His emerald eyes sparkled in the candlelight and there was a slight smile peeking at the corner of his lips. She briefly inhaled and was blessed with his earthy cologne.

  She should’ve been happy to see him but the anger from B.’s revelation clouded her jubilation. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m doing what Bernard is doing if I assume correctly,” Scott rocked back on his heels, “having dinner at a very expensive restaurant with my girlfriend.”

  “You know what I mean, Scott. B. told me about his future trip overseas,” Mariana’s eyes narrowed at him, and there was no sign of elation within them, “he told me you were behind his new tour.”

  “B. is very talented, Mari. He needs all the promotion he can get and I’m willing to help him with that.”

  “Stop,” she was curt, “he doesn’t need your help.” Scott looked around the restaurant and then sat himself down at her table. “I didn’t invite you to sit.”

  “I don’t care,” he brushed her off. He motioned to a server to bring him a drink and one was promptly served. Scott took a sip of his whiskey and chewed it, savoring the smoky flavor. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass for a short while before he turned his attention to Mariana. “Your boyfriend is passionate about something and I happened to have the right connections to make sure his dream comes to fruition. And you’re telling me you don’t want that to happen?”

  “I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t you,” she clarified, not moved by his intimidation attempt, “it’s the fact you are so insistent in helping him that makes me wonder what this is really about.”

  Scott took another sip of whiskey and leaned back in his chair. “And what do you think this is really about?”

  “You do not want me to be happy,” she held eye contact.

  “Au contraire, mi amor. I want you to be very happy.”

  “You don’t want me to be very happy with him,” Mariana held her ground.

  Scott played with his whiskey glass. “That’s a provocative statement.”

  “It’s a true statement,” she replied.

  “So you think.”

  “So I believe.”

  “Don’t believe everything you think,” he replied and Mariana uncomfortably shifted in her chair, “your happiness is all I care about, Mariana, contrary to what you believe. I have never wanted you to be unhappy because of something I did and yes, I’ll admit I did things that made you very unhappy and I sincerely and truly regret those things. But I will not sabotage your relationship for my sake. If I didn’t want you to be with Bernard, you wouldn’t be with Bernard.”

  “You may have B. fooled into thinking you fully support him but we both know that’s not the case,” Mariana revealed, “you’re keeping tabs on him like you are on me.”

  “You did not have to come back to McCormick, Mari.” Scott’s fingers circled the whiskey glass. “You chose to.”

  “McCormick had the best package out there and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

  “It was an offer you could have refused and you didn’t,” Scott pointed out. “Now let me ask you—which one of us is keeping tabs on the other?”

  “Do not flatter yourself,” Mariana retorted and Scott raised an amusing eyebrow, “I wouldn’t choose a job at McCormick just to spy on you.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t,” Scott replied back as Dove took center stage at the dance floor behind Mariana, “I would hate to think you hate me that much, to care about what I’m doing.”

  “You are convinced that I hate you and truth is...” Mariana briefly closed her eyes and counted to ten. There was a thin line between love and hate, though sometimes, it seemed that line became blurred. The man she would’ve done anything for was the same man who made her disgusted with anger.

  She let out a small sigh and slowly opened her eyes. “I don’t ha—” Mariana stopped speaking when she realized Scott’s attention was behind her. She turned around and saw Dove grinding against another man in the middle of the dance floor. She was slightly bent over, moving her ass against the man’s crotch before she stood up again and ground more against his body, all the while locking eyes with Scott.

  “You were saying, Mari?” Scott’s voice made Mariana sharply turn around to face him. A small smile formed on the corners of his lips as his eyes twinkled in delight in what Dove was doing.

  “Am I boring you?” Mariana asked with a jealous annoyance in her voice.

  “No, not at all.” Scott’s eyes danced from his ex-girlfriend to his current. “Dove was simply telling me something, that’s all.”

  “That she wanted you take her back to her home on Whore Island?” Mariana snickered.

  “What she wants me to do to her tonight when we get home,” Scott’s grin became bigger and Mariana turned around to see Dove’s dance becoming more sexual with each movement. She gyrated harder against her dancing partner, running her tongue over her sharp red-painted lips, and encouraging her partner to enjoy the ride.

  Meanwhile, Scott sat back in his chair like a proud Dom and nursed his whiskey. Mariana could tell Scott enjoyed the show Dove put on for him and he was already calculating in his mind, what positions he was going to have Dove in when they arrived home. Missionary. Doggystyle. Probably up against a wall.

  Of course, Dove was going to be tied up or bound in some form, maybe with a blindfold over her eyes so she wouldn’t be able to see. Instead, she would just feel... Feel Scott’s thick cock moving inside her as his strong hands gripped her wrists above her head. She would feel Scott caressing her ass with a cocoa butter salve after he’d slapped it throughout the night.

  Dove would feel everything Scott used to do to Mariana, and that made her boil over with jealousy and rage. How dare that chick dance for her man? “I see.”

  Scott finished his whiskey and stood up. He walked over to Mariana and leaned down, his lips brushing against her earlobe. “She’s letting me practice on her for what I’ll do to you eventually.”

  Mariana’s thighs trembled with want and her pussy fluttered with excitement. “You sound confident we’ll be back together.”

  “If you truly wanted to support Bernard in his efforts, you could always go on tour with him and there is nothing stopping you from doing so.”

  “I work for you, remember?” She bit back. “I have a career here; therefore, I wouldn’t be able to go on tour with him.”

  Scott leaned in closer and Mariana inhaled his m
usky scent. She didn’t like how she became almost instantly wet with need and desire. “And again, nothing is stopping you from going on tour with your boyfriend, Mariana. You could always quit and go to another firm if you feel uncomfortable and I’ll be sure to give you a strong letter of recommendation and support.”

  “Why didn’t you fight for us?” She finally asked, desperate to know his answer but afraid to hear it. “You told me to give you time and I did but you did nothing.”

  “How much time did you actually give me?” He countered back. “You went home with him that same night.”

  She bit back the frustrating tears that were begging to form around her eyes. She didn’t realize he might have seen them together after the bathroom incident. She re-opened her eyes and saw his staring back at her. She always hated how intense the green in his eyes became when he was either heartbroken or pissed about something. Mariana couldn’t tell which emotion he was currently feeling as his eyes bored into her. “I didn’t go home with him.”

  “But you left with him,” Scott shrugged, “same difference.”

  “B. dropped me off and...” Mariana hesitated on what she wanted to say next. That was a part of the story Scott probably didn’t need to know and she couldn’t see what good it would’ve done if he did know the truth.

  “You were saying?”

  “You moved on pretty soon as well,” Mariana didn’t dare to hide the anger in her voice when she thought of Dove, “I’m not the guilty one in this.”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” he softly replied.

  “So, you sending Bernard on a faraway tour is your big plan in getting me back?” She asked. “And I’m supposed to run back to you with open arms?”

  “You want me to fight, but you don’t want to be around when I win?” He pointed out. “That says a whole lot more about you than it does me, Mari.”