“Ready to run?” Mark winked as he said that.
I dismissed my reservations in my head and nodded. “Sure, let’s get going.”
We turned and started walking, then into a light jog. We chatted again as if nothing had happened last night. He told me where he grew up, where he went to college and how he started professional racing. I told him about college with Melanie since that was probably the safest thing to talk about. I couldn’t scare him with my upbringing and the past two years with him. Somehow we were able to skirt around those items. We ran a couple of full sprints and then down to a slow jog and then finally down to a walk to cool down. Running with him was so easy going and the time flew by.
We finished our run and returned to our meeting place. I wasn’t sure if this could be considered a real date. Was he going to kiss me? We were smiling at each other and doing that silly first date stalling thing.
“I had a great run with you. You’re a great workout partner,” he said smiling. I glanced down to his gorgeous lips.
I bit my lower lip, smiling. “Thank you. I had a lot of fun too.” Although I had sweat dripping all over and I’m sure at that point my makeup was sliding off my face. What was I thinking putting makeup on?
He bent his head toward mine and I tilted my head up to his, touching my lips to his. His lips weren’t as soft as I thought they would be and I didn’t get that warm feeling like I did with Z. I wasn’t sure if I was giving him a chance. We just went for a run, so he was probably dehydrated. Right? Maybe it was just in my head. His tongue entered my mouth and searched for mine. It was a good kiss, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t heart-stopping like last night with Z. He pulled back and I smiled, hoping that would still give him the okay that our kiss was enjoyable. He smiled and pecked my lips again with another closed mouth kiss.
He looked around for a moment as if he were searching for something to say. “Um, I hate to spring this on you, but I have a lunch meeting with some of my sponsors today. It’s kind of a banquet-type thing. Would you be interested in going with me?” Mark asked looking a little unsure. Maybe because he asked on such short notice?
Regardless, my heart picked up that he wanted to spend more time with me. I smiled, probably a little too brightly. “Yeah, that sounds like it would be fun. What time today?”
He chuckled and then scrunched his face a bit. “It’s at noon, actually.” Ah, maybe that was the reason he looked so unsure. It was very short notice!
“Wow, that’s in an hour and a half.” I chucked checking my watch.
“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m sorry. If it’s too short of notice, I get it. We’ll just plan another run. Maybe Tuesday we could go?” He looked like he really felt sorry and a little defeated.
I was actually used to things on short notice from him so it didn’t make me nervous, nor was it really an issue. “Actually, that’s not a problem. Really. I’ll just shower and change quick. Did you want to meet there?” I asked as I remembered my conversation earlier with Flynn. I wasn’t sure I wanted Flynn starting a fight as Mark picked me up.
“No, I’d love to pick you up if that’s alright?” He seemed very excited about picking me up so I decided I’d have to chance another possible fight.
“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll text my address to you. So, I should be ready in an hour or so?”
“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll see you soon.” He touched my cheek and gave me another sweet kiss on my lips. I smiled back at him as we went our separate ways.
I practically bounced home, still smiling from my “date run” with Mark and then being asked out to his sponsors’ brunch. The kiss may not have been as exciting as with Z, but it still made my heart pound. I was very excited to get to know Mark, not to mention see him in a social setting, other than the bar last night.
I returned to the townhouse and was surprised to see Z sitting at the kitchen island having coffee and talking to Melanie, Flynn and Clark. He smiled brightly when I entered and my heart skipped a beat seeing his blue eyes light up. There was that huge spark between us again.
Was I making a mistake by going out with Mark when I already have this connection with Z? No. I need to try to give it a fair shot with Mark and see where it leads. Z just wants a rebound, even though he said last night he didn’t. Mark wants to date me because he likes me for me. That’s what I’m going with for now at least.
I was curious as to why he was over, but maybe he’s always over here and I didn’t know it because of the whole Sheila thing; that may have thrown off his usual routine. “What are you doing over here?” I was beaming and realized it wasn’t from being asked out by Mark. It was because Z was here. And seeing him made me want to just smile.
He chuckled as his eyes swept over my body. He bit his lip and said, “Going to play basketball with the guys.” His expression changed slightly to a frown as he glanced away. “How was your run?” I was pretty sure judging from his different tone that Flynn told him I had met Mark for my run.
I wasn’t sure why, but I felt guilty for running with Mark. I suddenly remembered the banquet I needed to get ready for and that caused additional guilt to sweep over me. I looked away and nodded, “Good, it was good. I’m going to grab a shower.”
“Another one?” Flynn asked smugly. Asshole.
“Yes, I just went running.” I shot out as I ran up the stairs. I sent a text to Mark with my address, then took my shower and quickly got ready. I wondered what I was going to wear and what I was going to tell the guys downstairs. I was getting nervous that the guys would start a fight again if they saw Mark. I was hopeful that they already left for their game, but I still heard them chatting, so that wasn’t the case.
I decided on a crème skirt of a respectable length, but still a little sexy. I paired it with a royal blue silk wrap top with spaghetti straps and some cute wedges I’ve been dying to wear. After rechecking myself in the mirror and checking the time, I hurried downstairs. I wanted to make sure I could get to the door before the guys did.
I walked into the kitchen as casually as I could. The guys hadn’t left yet and were still gathered around the kitchen island.
I grabbed a coffee mug, filled it and went to the fridge for the creamer. Z got up from a bar stool and handed the sugar to me, smiling.
“Thanks.” I smiled back at him and again my heart was beating out of my chest. What is it with this guy? And at the same time, why am I going on a date with someone else when I don’t have the same reaction with Mark? Just give Mark a fair shot. I sighed as I said that to myself...again.
I watched him eye me from head to toe, lingering on my legs before coming back up to my eyes. “You’re all dressed up. Going somewhere?” Z asked curiously. I watched him as he swallowed, his expression seemed a little annoyed, boarding on anger.
I turned back to the counter and stirred my coffee. “Uh, yeah. I was invited to a brunch.” I tried to sound as vague as possible while avoiding his eyes.
“Oh? Going with Mark, I assume?” I glanced back quickly, seeing his jaw tighten and his eyes that were once bright were now replaced with anger. My heart jumped the moment I heard the front doorbell.
“I’ll see you guys soon,” I called out as I bolted for the door. I was glad I jumped and ran because I had an odd feeling that I needed to give Z a kiss on his cheek before leaving.
I opened the door and shut it just as quick behind me. Mark stood there looking handsome in dark dress pants, an untucked white linen shirt and sunglasses that I was pretty sure were from his sponsors.
He drank me in with his eyes the same way I had just done to him. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “You look amazing,” he whispered into my ear giving me goose bumps. “Come on, we better get going or we’ll never leave,” he said.
We walked over to a black BMW M6 and he opened the passenger door for me. After I slid into my seat, he closed my door, walked around and slipped into his seat so we could leave. I glanced over to the windows and saw the
curtain move before we took off, but wasn’t sure who had looked out.
Mark grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m really glad you could make it on such short notice. You look absolutely gorgeous.” He smiled as he kissed my hand. I grinned back and realized we were on a “real” date instead of a running date.
The whole scenario waged was inside of me. Whatever it was with Mark felt nice, however my attempts to not think about Z failed. Anytime Z entered my thoughts adrenaline shot through me. I squeezed my thighs together and tried to think of other things as I gazed out the window, smiling to myself, nodding happily at Mark’s ongoing chatter.
We pulled up to the front of the hotel using valet and Mark came around to help me out of the car.
The hotel was beautiful and very chic with marble tiled floors, elaborate expensive décor and high ceilings. He took my hand into his as we turned the corner and walked toward the door of the banquet room. Rich crème linens covered the tables which were decorated with beautiful tall glass cylinders. A sign above a stage read, “Welcome Athletes.”
We stood for a moment at the entrance and studied the room full of people already mingling.
A woman with short straight red hair practically ran toward us beaming and held a clipboard in her hand. “Mark, You’re finally here. I was beginning to get worried.”
Mark clapped her back and smiled, “I told you I might be a few minutes late.” Then turned toward me and introduced us. “Izzy, this is Marni, my personal assistant. She helps me organize everything.” He obviously holds her in high respect, I noted to myself.
I held out my hand and Marni shook it warmly. “It’s always great to meet one of Mark’s many girls,” she trilled excitedly, still smiling, oblivious to the impact of what she said. What is that supposed to mean? And why did she say it so excited?
Mark gave a slight nervous cough and asked, “So where are we seated?”
“Oh, my God! What on earth did you do to your eye?” Her green eyes were as wide as saucers as she inspected the cut under his eye that was surrounded by a deep hue of purple.
“Umm, well, I kind of got into a little fight last night.” He smirked and winked at me as he said it. I felt horrible. Now knowing that he had to meet with his sponsors today and I was positive they wouldn’t be happy with his new look.
“What were you thinking? You have a photo shoot tomorrow after your workout,” she chastised him.
He shrugged, “That’s what Photoshop is for. It’s not a big deal. Where are we seated?”
Marni shot me a disgusted look. I guess his new look was automatically attributed to me. She walked toward the sea of tables and pointed to one toward the middle. “Your table is over here. I’ve seated you next to the reps from Ray Ban, Nike, McKnight Global and GNC,” Marni announced proudly to Mark.
My heart stopped beating and I gulped, hoping I heard wrong. “Did you say McKnight Global?” I searched the room nervously to see if he was here, although I was pretty sure a marketing or sales representative would attend this type of function rather than him.
“Well, yes, they manufacture the latest technology for GPS watches, among many other things.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. Among many others… more like a crap load of other items. Unfortunately, I knew this first hand. I felt sick as I thought about who I might see and pleaded to whoever would listen to my silent prayers that whoever the representative was will not recognize me.
Mark placed his hand on the small of my back to guide me over to our table. “Are you alright? You look a bit pale,” he whispered softly into my ear.
“I’m fine, sorry, I’m just a bit hungry probably from running. I forgot to grab something to eat this morning.” I tried to fake a smile.
“Ah, that’ll do it. Always need to make sure you eat something at least an hour before a run. You need to fuel your body” he stated informatively with a wink as we continued to walk over to our table. If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would have giggled that he sounded like an advertisement or nutritionist with that comment.
“Sorry about Marni’s comment. I really don’t date that much, but when I do Marni always makes a comment like that to any date I have. It makes me wonder if she’s jealous or something weird like that.” Jealous, I’m sure. I think I agree with Mark’s analysis of Marni.
I nodded. “No, no worries. I didn’t think anything of it. Besides, it is really just our first date, isn’t it?” I gave a nervous laugh.
Mark gestured to a table as a waiter came around with a tray of drinks and asked, “Mimosa?” I grabbed one a little too eagerly and took a long drink. Mark eyed me and I realized I drank it a little too fast. I stopped and grinned at him as I noticed he wasn’t taking one. “Training?”
He nodded. “Yes, but you go right ahead. Looks like you’re enjoying it enough for both of us.” I pressed my lips together feeling like I had done something terribly wrong by the manner of which he said that.
“Mark!” A tall, blonde man came stalking toward us in khakis, a striped dress shirt, and blue sports coat. “So great to see you again! How’s the training going? Are you all ready for Kona this year?” He questioned Mark while smiling and showing his perfectly white teeth. I watched his eyes flick over to mine and spark with a quizzical look.
Mark noticed his glance and quickly introduced us. “Steve, this is Izzy McKenna. Izzy, this is Steve Maxwell with McKnight Global.” I took a deep breath hoping that quizzical look that sparked in his eyes wasn’t from recognition.
All hope faded as he quirked his eyebrow and asked, “Isabella, isn’t it?” My stomach dropped and my hands shook. Mark eyed me with curiosity. Shit. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. My heart raged inside me although I tried not to panic.
Faking a smile, I stammered, “Umm, yes, but I prefer Izzy, actually.” I racked my brain trying to remember where or if I had ever met Steve Maxwell before. Since Steve was obviously with McKnight Global, I was pretty sure he just knew me from when I visited the office or from the company functions that I always attended on his arm. Steve continued to eye me with a small smirk on his face, which only fueled my nerves.
“So, how do you two know each other?” Mark asked pulling his brows together.
Steve’s eyes never left mine. I waited anxiously to hear what would come out of his mouth since I had no recollection of him. “Isabella, sorry… Izzy,” stressing my name, “worked for one of our subsidiaries. Isn’t that right, Izzy?” He explained as he raised his Mimosa toward me.
Unsure of where he was going with this, but at the same time relieved he hadn’t mention him, I played along. “Actually I was under contract, one that I decided not to renew.” I tried my best to fake smile, but pretty sure it didn’t work. I glanced over at Steve and he still had some odd knowing expression on his face. It calmed my nerves just a little knowing we were possibly playing the same game. Mark looked between both of us as if he knew something strange was going on.
Marni called Mark over to meet someone. Oddly, he excused himself leaving me standing with my new friend Steve. “So, no longer under contract, huh?” He chuckled with a cute smile, his eyes bright with mirth.
I took a deep breath knowing I needed to just call him out to find out his intentions. “Are you going to tell Mark about him?” I had just wanted to enjoy my date with Mark. But between Marni’s comment and meeting my new buddy, it was far from being any fun.
Steve shook his head and chuckled softly. “No. McKnight was pretty upset when you first left but has calmed down since and found another…similar looking friend…to put ‘under contract’.”
My smile stopped immediately at his words and my heart jumped into my throat. While I was glad he found someone else, I also had a flash of jealousy go through me. I was with him for so long, I guess maybe there was some small hope that he had broken down without me. It was the least he could feel after what he had done to me.
I glanced over to where Mark stood, making sure he was out of earshot and then exa
mined the remainder of my Mimosa. Knowing I would need another one shortly, I placed the glass to my lips and gulped the rest down. “How do you know about me?” I asked as I glanced around nervously.
He looked down at my empty glass and gently put his hand on my elbow leading me toward the bar. He tilted his head and smiled. “Someone as beautiful as you, how could I forget? I only know you from seeing you on his arm all the time. You seem like you’re doing very well and lot happier than before.” We arrived at the bar and he ordered a scotch on the rocks for himself and a double Mimosa for me.
As he handed me my drink, I asked, “So, how do you know he was upset when I left?” I couldn’t fathom that he would become angry about anything. Especially, after all the lessons I was taught on remaining calm. He continually enjoyed teaching me that one. I flushed as I thought of those nights.
Steve practically scoffed. “Are you kidding? He’s an asshole to begin with, but the day you left…whew,” he gave a low whistle. “I think everyone in the company knew something was very wrong.” He shook his head and then looked around. “So, any reason after being with him for so long that you decided to leave?”
I swallowed hard and felt tears threaten. I held them back tightly as I glanced around the room, trying to make sure they didn’t spill over. “I just wasn’t happy anymore with the relationship. That’s all.”
He nodded and then gave a small chuckle. “You know, everyone at the higher level was betting on when he would propose to you.”
I rolled my eyes and felt myself relax a little. “He is definitely not the marrying kind, not in the least,” I whispered as I finished off my second Mimosa, the strength of the drinks were now starting to take effect.
“I don’t know. I think with you, he was the closest he was ever going to be.”
I snorted. “You certainly don’t know him very well.”
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