Freeing Asia

by E. M. Abel

  Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes up to the sky. “Babe, you’re gonna have to get used to girls flirting with me. I’m not trying to sound cocky here, but people know me. Up until a couple weeks ago, I was kinda known for liking it.”

  I dropped my arms and put my hands on my hips. “Oh, so I’m supposed to just put up with it then? I suppose I should have waited inside until she was done flirting with my fucking boyfriend. Is that it?”

  By this point, I was seething. I was so pissed. Marcus’s jaw was clenched, and he was grinding his teeth.

  “That’s not what I’m saying, Asia. What I’m sayin’ is that maybe you should be secure enough to see that shit and know it doesn’t matter because I’m not interested.”

  “Oh, so I’m the one who’s fucked-up? Not the bitch who was blatantly flirting with my boyfriend right in front of my work where she knows I’ll see her? Not my boyfriend who stood there smiling at her while she did it, letting her touch him? No, it’s my fault because I’m insecure. Do I have that right? I’m insecure, right?”

  By this point, I was yelling, and I really didn’t give a fuck who heard me. Marcus was glaring at me, clenching his jaw again, and if he wasn’t pissed already, he definitely was now.

  “Yeah, babe. You’re insecure,” he growled at me.

  “Fuck you,” I hissed back.

  I turned around and started stomping off down the sidewalk. I was so angry that my hands were shaking, and I could feel tears gathering behind my eyes, which only pissed me off even more.

  I heard Marcus call after me, but he didn’t follow. I just lifted my hand and flicked him off as I kept walking.

  By the time I reached my street, I had slowed my pace. I was still furious, but I wasn’t shaking anymore, and the tears had gone away. I was too mad to change out of my heels, so my feet were now killing me on top of everything else. I sighed and pulled my hair out of my ponytail as I approached my building. That was when I saw it—Jay’s black Mercedes. Impeccable timing. Again.

  I came to a stop when I saw him open his door. Stepping out from the driver’s seat, he was in a black suit with a light green shirt underneath. The top buttons were undone, and he wasn’t wearing a tie. I’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. I continued walking slowly toward my building when he turned to face me. He gave me a small smile as he began approaching the sidewalk. When I reached him, I gave him a small grin.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, Asia.”

  “Um…what’s up?” I looked down the sidewalk and then back up to meet his deep blue eyes.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  Huh?

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw you earlier. I was driving by your work, and you looked like you were fighting with your friend. I thought I’d stop and see if everything was alright.”

  Okay…so that was sweet, I guess.

  “Oh. I’m fine, Jay. Thanks though. That was nice of you.”

  “You sure you’re okay? You seemed pretty upset.” Jay took a step closer to me and placed his hand on my arm.

  I glanced down at his hand and pulled my arms up, wrapping them around me like I was cold, so his hand would fall away. Jay dropped his hand and put it in the pocket of his black pants.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  Jay looked down at the sidewalk and cleared his throat. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Asia,” he confessed, peering up at me through his thick lashes.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but he didn’t give me a chance.

  “I know where you’re coming from, and I know I fucked things up. I just wanted you to know…I was wrong to ask you to change for me. I was so busy trying to change who I was that I didn’t realize I was trying to drag you right along with me. You were stronger than I was. Because of you, I’m buying my club back, and my dad is looking for a new CEO.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “What?” I whispered.

  He smiled at me, flashing his beautiful dimples, as he nodded. “I told my dad today. He wasn’t happy about it at first, but I think he respects my decision.”

  I wanted to hug him, but I didn’t. I just dropped my arms to my sides and gave him a genuine smile. “I’m so happy for you, Jay. Really.”

  He was gazing down at me, smiling, when his eyes moved to look behind me. When his back straightened, I assumed he saw Marcus walking home.

  “Get in the car, Asia,” he said in a low voice.

  “What?” I asked, completely confused.

  I turned to look behind me. A few buildings down, I saw the big guy with the tattoo on his neck, the one I’d punched in Jay’s club, and he was staring at me. Super creepy! My breath caught in my throat, and I instinctively took a step toward Jay.

  “Get in the car,” he ordered again. He walked toward the passenger side door and opened it for me.

  I quickly followed behind him and slid into the seat. Jay closed the door and jogged over to the driver’s side before getting in with me.

  “What the fuck?” I breathed as I felt my adrenaline kicking in.

  Jay brought his car to life and took off down the street.

  “That’s fuckin’ creepy!” I said, turning to Jay with wide eyes.

  He looked pissed as he drove, periodically checking his rearview mirror. “Is that the first time you’ve seen him since that night at Red?” Jay asked as he took a right turn.

  “Yeah.” I clutched my purse in my lap. “I need to call Marcus.”

  Jay looked over to me before pulling into the parking lot of Bob’s Diner. When he stopped the car, I decided I should go inside before calling Marcus. I didn’t want to make Jay listen as I explained things to him.

  “Thanks for the ride, Jay. I’ll be safe inside. I can get someone to pick me up.”

  Jay gripped his steering wheel before looking at me. “You guys are dating?”

  I glanced down at my lap. “Nothing happened between us when you and I—”

  “I know, Asia. You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m the one who fucked up. You did nothing wrong.”

  I bit my bottom lip and peered over at him. “You’re a great guy, you know? I’m glad you’re going back to the club.”

  Jay gave me a small smile. “Me, too.”

  “Well, thanks again for the ride,” I said, reaching for the door handle.

  “I’ll wait with you,” Jay insisted. He opened his door and got out of his car.

  Shit.

  “Um…okay,” I muttered to myself. I grabbed my purse and got out of the car.

  When we walked inside, Jay and I found an empty booth and sat down. A waitress brought us some water, and Jay ordered us coffee as I pulled out my cell phone and found Marcus’s number.

  He answered on the third ring. “Hey.”

  “Um, hey.” I glanced up at Jay through my lashes.

  He was looking around the restaurant.

  “What’s up?” Marcus asked.

  “Are you home?”

  “No. Where are you?”

  “Don’t go home.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You remember that creepy guy I told you that I punched at Red?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I saw him. He was near our building, and he was staring at me.”

  “What the fuck?” Marcus growled. “Did he say anything to you? Did he fuck with you?”

  “No. No. Nothing like that, um…Jay was there, and he saw the guy before I did, so Jay gave me a ride to Bob’s.”

  Marcus didn’t say anything. All I could hear was him breathing into the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Jay?” Marcus asked.

  “Yeah. Look, can we talk about that later? I just wanted to warn you, so you wouldn’t go home. I’m gonna call Hailey and see if I can stay with her tonight.”

  “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right there.”

  “But—”

  Then, he hung up.

  I glanced at my phone before hitting the End button a
nd tossing it back into my purse. I looked up to see Jay watching me.

  “I guess Marcus is coming to get me,” I explained before taking a sip of my water. “Maybe you should go. I’ll be fine.”

  Jay shook his head. “I’ll wait.”

  Great.

  Jay and I were drinking our coffee in silence when Marcus walked into Bob’s Diner. His eyes flickered around the tables until they found mine, and he started stalking toward us. Jay saw me staring behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to watch Marcus as he approached.

  When Marcus stopped beside us, Jay and I both looked up at him. He was staring at Jay with his jaw clenched tight, both hands balled into fists. Jay just continued watching him, seeming completely unaffected by the anger radiating off of Marcus.

  “You can leave now,” Marcus growled at him.

  “Marcus!” I snapped.

  He turned to aim his glare at me. “Let’s go,” he ordered.

  “Maybe she doesn’t want to go with you,” Jay said, still looking up at Marcus.

  Oh god.

  “Well, she sure as fuck isn’t going anywhere with you.”

  “Guys—” I tried to interrupt, but I was cut off by Jay.

  “Maybe if you were with her when all this shit went down, she wouldn’t be here with me right now.”

  Marcus bent down to get in Jay’s face, and he looked scary, like really scary.

  “Get it through your thick fuckin’ skull. She doesn’t fuckin’ want you. Now, get your sorry ass out of here before I fuckin’ throw you out.”

  I gasped and quickly stood up. I grabbed Marcus’s arm, pulling him back. He stayed in Jay’s face for a few more seconds before allowing me to take him back a couple steps.

  He turned his angry face toward me. “Let’s go,” he growled again.

  I dropped my hand from his arm and looked back at Jay. “I’m sorry, Jay. You don’t deserve this. I appreciate you helping me and waiting with me, but you can go now.”

  Jay took a deep breath through his nose. He nodded and gave me a small grin. “Okay, Asia, as long as you’re sure. Call me if you need anything.”

  Jay stood up and glared at Marcus, who was still standing behind me. Jay took out his wallet from his back pocket, grabbed a bill, and tossed it onto the table.

  “Bye, beautiful,” Jay said as his eyes moved down to mine. Then, he turned toward the door and left.

  I could still feel the anger radiating off of Marcus behind me. I turned around and looked up at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you? He was just trying to help!”

  Marcus just stood there, glaring at me.

  “You know what? Forget it. You can go, too. I’m calling Hailey.”

  I went to reach for my purse in the booth, but Marcus snatched it first.

  “Let’s go,” he said again.

  I glared at him. I wanted to cuss him out, but we were in a diner. People were already staring at us, so I decided to save it for later. I whipped around in my heels and stalked toward the door.

  Marcus didn’t speak in the car as he drove us home. Since we lived right around the block, it wasn’t a long trip, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be the one to speak first.

  As far as I was concerned, Marcus had fucked up. He should have told that blonde bitch (yes, I still didn’t know her name) to back up and leave him alone. His comment about my insecurity had hit way below the belt. To top it off, he had acted like a complete asshole to Jay for no reason.

  I went over all those things in my mind as I stomped up the stairs to our apartment. I started rummaging through my purse for my keys. When I got the door unlocked, Marcus grabbed my wrist and pulled it back. I snapped my head up to look at him.

  “Wait here.”

  The tone of his voice and look on his face kept me from arguing. He released my wrist and walked into the apartment turning on the lights. It wasn’t until then that I remembered the creepy musclehead, and I started to get nervous.

  A couple minutes later, Marcus reappeared in the door and motioned for me to come in. I walked in slowly and scanned my apartment, waiting to see something out of place or a sign that someone had been there. Marcus dropped his keys on the table, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I gasped and grabbed at my chest as Marcus turned to look at me.

  “It’s okay, Asia. I already checked everything out.”

  I quickly straightened my back and started walking toward the living room, trying to hide the fact that I was still jumpy. I took two steps, and then Marcus grabbed my bicep, pulling me back to face him.

  “What was he doing here?” Marcus asked in a low voice.

  “What?” I snapped back as I gave him my what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about face.

  “Jay. What was he doing here?” This time, his voice was lower and angrier.

  I pulled my arm out of his grip. “He said he saw us fighting on the street. He came over to see if I was okay, and that was when he saw that creeper staring at me.”

  Marcus studied my eyes with his jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles working in his cheeks. I had to admit that he was hot when he was mad, but there was no way I was admitting that now.

  I glared up at him. “You might as well get used to it, babe. Guys are going to flirt with me.”

  Marcus’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak, so I kept on.

  “You’re secure, right? So, you shouldn’t have a problem with it,” I sneered and turned back toward the living room.

  Before I could take another step, Marcus grabbed my arm again and turned me back.

  “Did he touch you?” he asked in his low, angry voice again.

  “Yes. He did. He touched my arm, and I moved away. That’s what you’re supposed to do—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Marcus slammed his mouth down on mine and kissed me hard. I pushed his chest with both of my hands and separated our lips. Breathing hard, I glared at him.

  “What the fuck was that? I’m pissed at you. You can’t just kiss me when I’m pissed at you!”

  Marcus smirked and took a step toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Oh no? You gonna stop me?”

  Still glaring at him, I shoved his chest, but he didn’t move.

  “God, you’re so fuckin’ sexy when you’re mad,” he crooned in my ear.

  He leaned in to kiss me, and I tried to fight it. When I felt his warm tongue against my lips, I gave in. Marcus groaned as he invaded my mouth, and I gripped his hair in my hand, letting out my frustration.

  Our anger quickly turned into passion. His hands were roaming my body, his erection pressing against my stomach, as I dug my nails into his shoulders and his back. Marcus picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his hips. He started walking down the hall toward my room while ravaging my mouth with his. He stopped halfway and pushed my back against the wall.

  When he tore his lips from mine, I whispered, “You’re such an asshole.”

  Marcus eyes were dilated, and his lips tipped up into a devilish grin. “And you love it,” he whispered back.

  He started kissing me hard again. His hands moved to my ribs, my hips, and then up to my breasts. He nipped my bottom lip with his teeth before he broke away. As he began unbuttoning my blouse, I could feel his erection between my legs.

  Then, I remembered I was on my period. Shit!

  “I can’t,” I breathed as he pushed the cups of my bra down to expose my breasts.

  He peeked up at me through his dark lashes as he teased my nipples with the pads of his thumbs.

  “My period,” I breathed again, my breath hitching in my throat.

  “Shower,” Marcus muttered.

  Bending down, he took one of my nipples into his mouth. My jaw went slack as I pressed my hips into his. I felt my body reacting to the warmth from his tongue.

  Marcus carried me to my bathroom where he started the shower. As the water was warming, he left to get a condom, leaving me alone to get ready for him. When he returned we hurriedly stripped off our clothe
s before our mouths connected again. I ran my hands over Marcus’s strong back, raking my fingernails down his skin. He groaned and shoved me up against the bathroom wall, my breasts pressing roughly against his chest.

  “God, I can’t fucking get enough of you,” he whispered against my neck before kissing it with an open mouth.

  His hands were roaming all over my naked body. As steam began to fill the room, Marcus finally pulled back the shower curtain and stepped in. He held my hand as I followed him, and then he shut the curtain behind me. As the water was beating against his back, Marcus watched me and grinned, drops of water splashing off of his broad shoulders.

  “That time I came in here and asked you if you wanted anything from the store…” He waited for me to confirm that I remembered. I grinned back at him. “I fantasized about getting in this shower with you, so I could fuck your brains out against this wall.” He motioned to the tile wall beside us.

  I bit my bottom lip before releasing it and smiling up at him. “Well, here’s your chance.”

  “Damn straight.”

  I giggled as Marcus swiftly turned my back against the wall, pushing me up against the cold tile. The water hit both of us as we kissed each other frantically. One of his hands tangled in my hair while the other one wrapped around my thigh, winding my leg around his hip. I gasped against his lips as I felt his erection against me. Marcus’s hand tightened in my hair, and he pulled my head back, exposing my neck to him.

  “No one touches you but me,” he growled.

  Leaning down, he ran his teeth against my neck before licking it. His stubble was rough against my skin, and I loved it. I ran my hands through his hair, down his back, and finally stopped at his ass where I pulled him toward me.

  Marcus let go of my leg to position his cock, and with one deep thrust, he was inside. My body leaned into the wall as I felt the fullness of him. He was so warm, just like the water beating against my skin. While Marcus kept one hand in my hair, the other moved back to hold up my leg as he began moving his hips. His rhythm was constantly changing. First, he gave long and slow fluid movements, and then he was fast and rough before he began moving slow again. The way he was teasing me drove me crazy. He was taking me to the point of begging before he finally gave me what I wanted, and I loved every minute of it.