Driven by Desire

by Ambrielle Kirk

  The driver helped them inside the backseat, and she couldn’t help but notice that she felt better than she had when she’d arrived. Only a few days ago, she was one confused and angry woman. Now she felt elated and new possibilities galore spun around in her head. But did she dare embark on them?

  When they were minutes into the drive towards the airport, Marcus took her hand, leaned in, and whispered, “You are definitely worth the risk.”

  All she could do was smile all the way to the airport.

  Chapter Six

  Back in Atlanta…

  A combination of jet lag and sore muscles had Tanya hitting the snooze button more times than she planned to. The thing that finally got her up was the sound of her ringing cell phone which was sitting where she left it last night—on the coffee table in her living room. Whoever was calling surely was relentless.

  She grumbled as it rang a third time, threw the covers off, and hurried out to answer it. One look at the LCD screen and she huffed. Zaira. Of course…her best friend just couldn’t wait to get the details of Vanessa’s wedding.

  “Hello, Zaira,” she said into the receiver.

  “Spill it. I heard by word of mouth that it was the wedding of the century!”

  “It was,” Tanya said, groggily into the speaker.

  “It doesn’t sound that way to you. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She walked back to her bedroom and to the small closet by the window. Thank God she’d had most of her work attire dry cleaned before flying to Ocho Rios or she’d have nothing to wear. “I just got back last night. Feels like a hangover. I’m late for work too.”

  “You?” Zaira exclaimed. “Late for work? That’s unheard of!”

  “This jet lag is a mutha,” she said, thumbing through the hangers.

  “Oh, yeah? I forgot about the time change.”

  “The time change…and other things.”

  “Other things?”

  Tanya could see Zaira now on the other end, eyes wide in curiosity. Maybe she should have kept her lips zipped. But how could she have had the best sex of her life and not tell anyone, not even her best friend? They shared everything. Good and bad news. When she needed a shoulder to bear her frustration on after Justin left, Zaira had been there night after night.

  “Tell me. Tell me. Tell me,” Zaira urged after a moment of silence. “Does it involve a man? Sex on a Jamaican beach? A romp beside the sea with an island boy?” She giggled.

  Tanya couldn’t contain her laughter. “Close.”

  “Oh my God! You met someone, didn’t you?”

  “Kind of,” she teased, and leaned against the closet frame. “But the wedding…you were asking—”

  “F the wedding. I need details about this man. Now.”

  Tanya sighed into the phone reminiscing on the way Marcus had kissed her so intimately in a busy airport amid dozens of people just before sending her off through security after finding out he’d have to wait behind an hour for the next flight from Jamaica to Atlanta. She touched her fingers to her lips. “It was nothing at all.” She plucked a black A-line skirt and red sleeveless blouse from the closet and laid it out on the bed.

  “Come on. Did you meet him at the wedding?”

  “Kind of. He was a guest at the wedding.”

  “Hhmmm. Name please.”

  “Marcus.” Even as Tanya said his name, it felt like she was saying it for the first time despite the many times it rolled off her tongue during their two nights together.

  “The Marcus?” Zaira screamed. “Oh. My. Goodness.”

  Tanya’s heart thumped. “Wait a minute! You know him?”

  “Veronica was going over the guest list just last week when I was doing their business taxes. He was on there. I had no idea that Leroy went to school with him until she told me.”

  She sat down on the bed, a lump suddenly forming in her throat. She hoped to goodness that she hadn’t slept with the same man as Zaira. “How do you know him? Please don’t tell me you’ve fucked him.”

  Zaira burst out laughing. “No! I wish. If you’re talking about who I think…”

  “I doubt it. I hope not.”

  “Okay. What else do you know of him? The Marcus I’m talking about is the new CEO of Svelte. My father just hired him about a month ago. That’s why I was surprised to see him on the guest list. Apparently he has ties to Atlanta.”

  Tanya gasped. “Hold on a moment.” She jumped up again, and raced to her purse. She dumped the contents out in search of the business card he’d given her right after the kiss at the airport. More concerned with how good his lips had tasted, she’d tucked it down into her purse and hadn’t even taken a look at it. Her heart raced frantically, as the cream colored card with raised black lettering came into view on the coffee table. She turned it over, and she literally felt the blood rush up to her face. Her heart began to thump wildly.

  Marcus Brooks. CEO. Svelte Technologies.

  “Tanya? You still there?” Zaira’s voice was faint on the other end. “You can call me back at lunch if you need to.”

  “Yeah,” she mumbled, her fingers trembled as she held the card.

  “You’re usually at the coffee shop in the mall by now. I had no idea you were still in bed,” Zaira said. “Call me at lunch, okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Once the call disconnected, Tanya swallowed hard. Reality had literally hit her in the gut.

  Marcus Brooks was just the type of man she’d vowed never to date again courtesy of her ex. Men with money, fortune, and power who thought they could just run all over women and discard them as they saw fit when the next opportunity came along.

  Marcus’ career status wasn’t the only thing that had her head reeling in shock.

  Her ex, Justin, had just resigned from his position in the accounting department of Svelte Technologies a little over eight months ago to become a stock broker in New York.

  She’d fucked the CEO of the company where her ex used to work.

  She didn’t know why this had her feeling sick to the stomach. Maybe the feeling would pass, but one thing was certain…

  There was no way that she would have her heart run through again by a man who only cared about climbing the corporate ladder.

  ***

  A couple days passed and Marcus Brooks had already left two voicemails on her cell phone. One was to inquire about whether she made it back home safely, and the other was to express his concerns about why she hadn’t called him as promised.

  Tanya went about her day working at the high-end Meridian Goldsmiths jewelry store in the mall, physically but not mentally present. She had an exam tomorrow for her psychology class that she hadn’t even studied for. Every time she picked up the book, her fling with Marcus and the shock of who he was had diverted her attention.

  Was his bad boy demeanor all a front? He’d said he belonged to some motorcycle club. How could he be the CEO of a multimillion dollar company, yet exude such a rebellious nature. Who was he exactly?

  Tanya juggled the cell phone in her palm, contemplating what she would say to Marcus before she keyed his personal cell number written on the back of the business card with shaky fingers.

  She owed him at least a call. Just to reiterate that all she’d really wanted was the sex.

  “Tanya?” he answered on the third ring.

  “How did you know it was me?”

  “I have caller ID. I missed your voice. How’ve you been, beautiful?”

  “I got your message. And yes, I’ve made it back safely. I wasn’t feeling up to par over the last couple days which is why I didn’t call.”

  “What’s wrong?” He sounded concerned.

  She swallowed. “I…ah…just the stress of the job and going to school. And other things?”

  “Right. You did tell me that you were working on your graduate degree. There are many ways to relieve stress…”

  “Look, Marcus.” She decided to cut to the chase before he got any ideas. Or before she
gave into his charm and took him up on anymore offers. He was off limits because of who he was…and she was not about to give into his smooth-talking ass again because she couldn’t control herself. “I kind of wish we hadn’t done that thing back in Ocho Rios.”

  There was a long pause on the other end. “That thing?”

  “Yes. We fucked. Or do you not even remember? I was acting in desperation, I admit. My recent breakup with my ex and the stress of finding a real job hit me all at once. I needed relief.”

  “And you know that I was more than willing and happy to give you relief, but fucking was not all we did.”

  “Yes, but it was what we agreed on doing with each other.”

  “Excuse me for a moment, Tanya,” he said softly, and then there was a muffled voice on the other end of Marcus’s line. A soft, sweet voice that could not have belonged to a man. “Schedule it for two p.m.” The woman spoke again, but Tanya couldn’t make out the words.

  “I—” Marcus began.

  “Look, if you’re busy, I’ll let you go.” It was obvious he had plenty of other women to entertain him.

  “No, I’ve been waiting days for you to call me,” he said. “I was just finishing up a conference and walking back to my office when you called.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you at work,” she said.

  After all, he was the CEO of one of the most prestigious companies in the U.S., top 25 places to work in Atlanta, and known for beating out their competition on many projects. Mr. Wright, Zaira’s father, had been a well-known investor before he founded Svelte Technologies. In addition to owning the company, he also sat on the board as President.

  It was a small world, and there was no way that Tanya would risk everyone discovering that she’d slept with two men already at that company.

  “We might have agreed to have sex, but as I told you before, I want to do so much more with you.”

  She swallowed. “It won’t happen.”

  He chuckled nervously. “Did I do something?”

  “I’m not interested in anything serious right now. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Okay, okay. I get it. We’ll do whatever you want. If you just want sex from me, I’ll be that guy. I just want to see you again. I think that if we get to know each other more, you’d understand that I’m not just—”

  Heat rose to her neck in aggravation. “Is that all you think about? Really?”

  “Um…I’m a little confused here. You just told me you wanted sex and nothing serious.”

  Tanya exhaled deeply. “That’s not what I meant.”

  There wasn’t really much she could say. If she told him the real reason she never wanted to see him again, he’d know who she was right away. That her ex once worked under Mr. Wright, his current boss.

  “Thank you for an awesome time in Ocho Rios. It was all that I called to say.”

  “Tanya…”

  “I have to go.” She disconnected the call before he could even convince her to change her mind.

  Chapter Seven

  Three days later…

  “It’s been ages since we went out dancing,” Zaira said, twirling her straw around her mocha Frappuccino. “We’ve gotta go clubbing this weekend. How about it?”

  “You know I still have finals next week,” Tanya said. “Plus we get a big shipment in three days at the store and Zachary wants me to start staying later to do inventory.”

  Zaira sucked her teeth and pouted. “You’re a workaholic.”

  Tanya laughed. “Who me? I know you aren’t talking. Zaira Wright. The woman who holds down two jobs and still finds time to party hard like its 2999 or something.”

  They were having lunch at a deli across the street from Zaira’s accounting firm. Over a week had passed since she last talked to her best friend on the phone. And finally she had been able to share the details of the Vanessa’s extravagant wedding.

  “I’m only helping my father out until he finds Bane’s replacement. I seem to be the only one in that department who worked alongside Banes enough to know the ins and outs.” Zaira sighed. “I hope to God Dad finds my replacement before month end. I want nothing to do with those uptight bitches in the accounting department during crunch time.”

  Zaira had interned with Banes, the prior CFO of Svelte Technologies, for about eight months while in her last year of studies before finding a job at an independent accounting firm. She could’ve probably stepped into the CFO role if she wanted to, but Zaira had told her many times before that despite her father’s many offers, she had no desire to work for Svelte under family. She wanted to make a name for herself.

  “I feel you on that one.” Tanya nodded. “When I used to visit to take Justin his lunch, all they ever seemed to do was gossip and fuss among each other.”

  “Since Marcus took the reigns as CEO, there has been major changes. I don’t know what he did or told the staff, but he put a stop to all that quickly. I’m only in there three hours a day, but you better bet his entire crew are always sitting at their desks, noses stuck in file folders or eyes glued to computer screens. He must have cracked the fucking whip on their asses.”

  Tanya swallowed on the mention of Marcus’ name. The man she’d dumped before she even had him. “That sounds interesting and good for the company.”

  Zaira dug into her purse, took out a small compact mirror, and began applying more lip gloss. “Dad couldn’t have picked a better CEO. He’s not even been there a year yet and Svelte’s bottom line has soured. I’ve seen the financial statements. Not only that, I spoke with some people in the sales department last week, and they’re bringing in accounts like crazy.”

  “Sounds like Svelte is really moving on up.”

  “Speaking of…have you spoken with Justin since he left?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t take his calls anymore. I actually lost count of the number of voicemails he’s left. At least two or three a week now.”

  “Wow. I bet he wishes he never left Svelte and he probably wants you back.”

  Tanya shook her head. “No, he made it clear that money and social status is worth more than having a real woman.”

  “Too bad.” Zaira moved her empty cup to the side. “Sounds like you’re completely over him, which is good. We’ll have more free time now that you’re graduating soon. We need to get out more.”

  “Agreed.”

  “And don’t just say it either,” her friend warned, narrowing her eyes. “You know I’ll come drag you out of your house.”

  “Like you somehow did today?”

  “Yeah…oh—” Zaira’s gaze became looked on something behind her. “Speaking of the devil. Don’t turn around now, but I think he is headed this way.”

  “He? Who?”

  “Ladies,” Marcus familiar voice greeted them from behind Tanya. “May I join you?”

  Tanya’s blood rushed rapidly as he came into view all decked out in business attire. Freshly dry-cleaned black slacks. Formal business shirt. A royal blue tie.

  “Of course!” Zaira smiled brightly.

  “Hello, Tanya,” he said, as he sat down, placing a brown bag on the table.

  “Hello, Marcus,” Tanya said, trying to keep her cool, although her heart was racing.

  “Oh!” Zaira’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes were wide in revelation and then wider still in shock. “I understand now.” Her lips spread in a grin.

  It was evident Zaira had figured out that the Marcus from Ocho Rios was the Marcus sitting here now, new CEO of Svelte Technologies. The man that had used his hands to bring Tanya pleasure dozens of times also used the same hands to crack the whip on the employees at her father’s company.

  Marcus removed his sandwich from the bag and unwrapped it on the table. “It’s a nice afternoon to enjoy lunch outside on the patio. I would have taken my sandwich back to my office, but I couldn’t resist the view here.”

  He stole a glance at Tanya, and she quickly diverted her gaze.

  “Oh, certainly.�
�� Zaira shot Tanya a sharp questioning look. “Things can get rather hectic back at the office.”

  Marcus rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing some of the tattoo design on the inside of his forearm. He picked up his sandwich and bit into it, drawing attention to pearly white teeth and a perfect set of lips. Lips that had been all over her body in Jamaica.

  Tanya’s stomach fluttered, as an image of them doing the deed all over the hotel room grabbed her.

  “Well…ummm…I’ve had my one hour lunch,” Zaira said. “Since you sign my paycheck, I should get back to work.”

  “It hasn’t been an hour yet,” Tanya said. This time it was she who shot her friend a warning look. One that said, don’t you dare leave me here with him.

  “Oh, yes it has.” Zaira only cracked a smile and picked up her empty lunch. “I’m sure you’ll find splendid delight in the rest of your lunch hour without me.”

  Zaira stormed off and Tanya crushed her nails into her palms. She was going to kill that girl.

  When Tanya turned back to Marcus, he was leaned back in his chair, observing her, and chewing slowly on his sandwich. He even chewed like a sex god.

  “What have you done to me?” he asked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You told me in Ocho Rios that you’ve never done this before.”

  She shook her head. What was he talking about?

  “Do you use men and dump them for fun?”

  She laughed, because she couldn’t help herself. “You honestly think that I’m some kind of whore?”

  “No, I never said. There should be no shame in what you did, but you could have warned me that you were addicting.”

  “I wasn’t using you. We were strangers. We were attracted to each other. We had sex. It was time to go home, so we went our separate ways,” she said, trying to keep her voice down.

  “You knew that I wanted to see you beyond Ocho Rios, yet you’ve been avoiding me. Why?”

  Tanya paused, thinking and rethinking her answer. Her reason for avoiding him was stupid. It was stupid, albeit necessary.