Second Chance with the Playboy

by Charlotte McFall

  Annabel stayed silent. She knew Marcus was angry, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him angrier. “I guess not.”

  “Stay with me today,” Marcus implored. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He was doing a bad job of trying to ignore the pain; after all, there was nothing he could do. He should know it would heal itself when it was good and ready.

  “What, you want me to be with you?” Annabel looked puzzled. Even though she had woken in his bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling she had been just another conquest.

  “Yes, of course.” Marcus stood with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Annabel found it very difficult to pay attention to what he was telling her. Drinking in the sight of him, she wanted him to come back to bed. Her worries seemed to disappear when he was lying next to her.

  She wasn’t sure what to say. “To do what?”

  “Anything. To be honest, I’d not given it much thought. I just know I don’t want you to leave.”

  ****

  “I need to go into the office for about an hour, but after that we could do anything you want to.” Marcus thought about the huge pile of paperwork he still had to do and the accounts for Greg. It really was a good thing the tax year wasn’t coming to an end just yet. “You did say you would help me look for a house.”

  “Sure, I’d forgotten about that. I’d like to see where you work.”

  “So come to work with me for a while?”

  Marcus wanted to punch the air with joy but thought better of it. Even though he had asked Anna to stay with him, he hadn’t expected her to say yes.

  “If you want, tonight, we could go to that restaurant you mentioned. I will reserve a table.”

  “There is absolutely no way you can get a table on such short notice.”

  Marcus laughed loudly. “When you have money, my dear, you can get in anywhere.”

  “Okay, Mr. Flashy.” She didn’t like the thought of Marcus flashing his cash around when so many others were struggling or in need. Being who he was, he would do what he wanted, and the consequences could go hang.

  “Humph, and here I thought I was your bad boy biker.”

  Annabel put her head in her hands. “Don’t repeat that stupid nickname. I’m surprised you even remembered it.”

  “You would be surprised at what I can remember.” Marcus moved with stealth, swiftly removed his towel, and kissed her hungrily as his hands caressed her body.

  “Marcus—”

  “Shh, baby, I need you.” Lowering himself gently, he entered her slowly, never taking his mouth from hers. He grasped her hair in his hands. He had needed this connection since he’d climbed from the bed last night.

  ****

  Their breathing was ragged as they lay entwined in each other’s arms. “Good morning, sweets.”

  “Morning,” she replied, holding him tighter. Annabel couldn’t help but smile. A stark contrast to how she felt when she’d first woke up.

  “You happy?”

  “Yes, you know I am.” Did she dare tell him she was still worried about everything? The sinking feeling she had earlier was still as strong as ever. Annabel didn’t think, didn’t know if they had a future.

  No, Marcus would never settle down. This was all she would ever be, someone he could have for a bit of fun whenever he pleased. He was still a playboy but a playboy with a lot more money than he had before.

  “What’s wrong, Anna?”

  She caught the concern in his voice. “Nothing, I’ve just been thinking about what you said about going to work with you.” She ran his hands over his chest. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea. It’s like meeting your parents.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s nothing like meeting my parents. It’s just work.”

  Annabel wasn’t so sure about meeting his employees. How the hell was he going to introduce her? As his latest fling? She had more important things to think about, like the hospital. There were only three more days of her holiday left.

  “Look, if you’re that concerned, then you could stay with Mary.”

  “I’d rather just stay here?”

  “Anna, come on, let’s go. It won’t take long. Let me just go get all the paperwork, and we can come back here.”

  Reluctantly, she got dressed and walked out of the hotel with him. When the valet brought the car around, they sped off to his office.

  Annabel started imagining a young blonde woman with legs to die for. The image stayed in her head all the way to the office. Why was she getting so jealous? There was absolutely no point, no point to any of it. Anger bubbled up inside of her. She had been so happy this morning, and now she was letting her thoughts get the better of her. Too lost in their thoughts to speak, Annabel was frightened that she had just given her heart away.

  Marcus held open the office door to reveal an elderly lady at the reception desk with her white hair tied back in a ponytail.

  “Annabel, this is Mary, my secretary. Is it okay if I leave you in her capable hands?”

  Annabel was relieved that she wasn’t what the young good-looking girl she had thought. Marcus winked at her and swept a brief kiss across her cheek.

  “Go on, Marcus. Those papers need signing,” Mary piped up. She stood and shook Annabel’s hand. “Come get a cup of tea with me.

  Annabel stared around the reception. Huge comfy leather seats lined the walls, and a copy of Monet’s Water Lilies hung above the oak reception desk. The office was clean but very masculine in its colors and textures.

  “Oh, he is very much a man’s man. I have tried to get him to add color to the place, but he won’t.” Mary indicated the kitchen area. “If he could, he would have had his bike in here to sit on.”

  “Yes, he always was mad on the things. I have never understood why,” Annabel replied in agreement.

  Over a cup of tea, she and Mary discussed everything from the weather to cooking, even her job. The old lady seemed to care a great deal about Marcus. It was nice to know he had someone keeping an eye on him. Annabel had discovered his parents lived in Spain, so he was quite alone here, apart from friends and his old neighbor.

  Just as they were about to have another cup of tea, Marcus reappeared with a thunderous look on his face. “Anna, could we postpone the house search?”

  “Sure, what’s wrong?” Here we go. He doesn’t want to spend any more time with me.

  “Don’t look like that,” he replied.

  Annabel didn’t think she had pulled a face. “I’m not, I mean…”

  “The accounts I need to do are a real mess. I thought I could get it done in an hour.”

  Annabel let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Sure. Here’s my address.”

  “Don’t worry, my dear. I will look after him. Marcus, stop acting like a petulant child and sort whatever it is you need to sort out.”

  “Mary, I’m not. Anna, see you later. I will get you a car.”

  Marcus grabbed hold of her, pulled her close, and kissed her hard.

  “Go, get your work done.” Annabel kissed him goodbye and headed for the door.

  She heard Mary’s stern voice as she was walking to the door. “Have you told her, Marcus?”

  Annabel walked quickly out the door. He was married. What else could she have meant? No, I’m being silly. He cares about me, I think.

  Chapter Ten

  Annabel had come straight home from his office and now stood in her bedroom rifling through her clothes, although there seemed to be more clothes on her bed than in her wardrobe. Marcus was picking her up in half an hour, and she wasn’t anywhere near ready. She had no idea what to wear and felt as though she was going out on a first date. Picking out a black dress with plunging neckline and low-cut back, she smiled.

  “This will do.” Her stomach flipped. They had been seeing each other for a while, but a niggling doubt kept creeping into her head. She had never seen his home. He didn’t seem to want her there; if they spent the night together, it was usually at her
house or the hotel.

  Dressing quickly, she applied just a bit of makeup—enough to cover the fact she had done quite a few double shifts recently. Annabel made her mind up to confront Marcus about the sleeping arrangements; it was just too strange he hadn’t allowed her in his home.

  It hadn’t been hard to find out where he lived. The Internet was a wealth of information. Annabel chuckled to herself; she sounded like a stalker all because she wanted to know what he was hiding. One night after work, she drove out to his home, but it was in total darkness. No car parked on the driveway, and the garden was overgrown, so much so that if she stood in the middle of the lawn she would have virtually disappeared.

  The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Grabbing her handbag, Annabel rushed downstairs. The giddy schoolgirl feelings still hadn’t disappeared. The honeymoon period was still very much alive in their relationship. Opening the door wide, Marcus stood with a huge bunch of roses and baby’s breath adding a splash of coolness to them.

  “Here you go, darling.” Marcus handed her the bouquet and brushed his lips tenderly over hers.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” He was so sweet, maybe if they hadn’t had that misunderstanding so many years ago—No, Annabel, at least you’re together now. “Come in, I’ll just put these in water.”

  “Sure, but come here first.”

  Marcus pulled her to him and hungrily claimed her mouth, his tongue searching for entrance. Wrapping his fingers through her hair, he pulled her closer. The bouquet fell from her grasp onto the tiled stone floor. Putting her arms around his waist, she held Marcus so tightly, not wanting to let go. Annabel’s whole body responded to him. They fit so perfectly together. Her skin burned at his touch. A white heat filled her belly as electricity arched between them.

  Before Annabel lost all coherent thought, she reluctantly pulled away. “We’re going to be late if we carry on like this.”

  ****

  “I can think of better things to do than go out for a meal,” Marcus complained. He was just beginning to enjoy himself. He was trying to put off what he should have told Anna from the beginning.

  “I can think of much better things too.”

  Marcus loved the little glint in her eye.

  “But it’s so hard to get a table at Leon’s. I really want to see what the fuss is all about, Marcus. Come on.”

  Marcus let out a breath. “Okay, okay, you win.” He released his grip on her. Well, this meal would go one of two ways—by the end of the night, he would still have Annabel by his side or he wouldn’t. He bent down and picked up the flowers. “Don’t these need water?” he reminded her.

  Marcus gave the flowers back to her and watched as she dashed to the kitchen. “Just give me two minutes.”

  Marcus waited. The atmosphere had changed between them. Or was he just overthinking the situation? He hoped she wouldn’t walk out of his life again, but there would be nothing he could do if she did.

  As quickly as she had gone, she reappeared. “Come on.” Grasping her hand, Marcus smiled down at her. For the first time in a long time, he was happy. He never wanted this to end.

  They drove the short distance to Leon’s, a posh new restaurant that had just opened up in Brighton. With its marble pillars and clean lines, the restaurant was more suited to Beverly Hills in America than a south coast town. But celebrities traveled down from London for the Michelin-starred cuisine.

  Handing his keys to the valet to park his car around the back of Leon’s, Marcus turned and reached for Annabel’s hand.

  “It looks so busy,” Annabel commented, looking at the huge line in front of the building and snaking around the corner. “Wonder if we need to queue up.”

  “No, Anna, trust me.”

  He caught the look of pain that flashed across her face. She still didn’t trust him. A sharp pain stabbed at his heart. He had done everything he could to make things up to her. He was at a loss as to what to do next, and his news tonight would definitely make things worse between them, not better.

  Marcus walked to the front of the line. “Excuse me, we have a table booked.” Marcus used his most authoritative voice.

  “Name.” The concierge was dressed head to foot in black and carried a clipboard.

  “Chapman, and it’s a table for two.”

  The man briefly looked at his clipboard before saying. “Yes, go on through.”

  “That’s so strange, Marcus.”

  “What’s strange, Anna?”

  Annabel looked back and indicated with her head. “Well, imagine having a clipboard with all the reservations on it. The places I go to eat are usually pubs and all-night cafes.”

  “I guess all those people in line want to get in.” Marcus wasn’t sure, and he didn’t really care as long as Anna got into the restaurant. Everyone else could go hang. Nothing would ever be too much for her.

  It was as nice as all the reviews said it was. Most of the staff were dressed in black with a few of the wine waiters in red as they carried carafes of expensive wine around the room.

  “Oh, Marcus, it looks so beautiful in here. I wonder if the food will taste as good?”

  “I hope so, sweets. I really hope so for the price it’s going to cost.” Money wasn’t any object for him, but he hated wasting it on something that wasn’t worth it, like horrid meals.

  They were shown to their table and handed menus with total efficiency. If Marcus didn’t know better, he would think they were robots. Here you are, sir, thank you, sir. The waiters and waitresses could simper and smirk to whomever they wanted, but it was rather overdone for his liking. A few moments later, with equal efficiency, their orders were taken. Leon’s was a well-oiled machine, and one thing done out of order would throw things off balance.

  “Why did you want to come here?” Marcus asked her curiously.

  “Well, most of the neurosurgeons have been, and all say it’s wonderful.” Annabel looked at the table before she continued. “I guess I was a little jealous that they could afford to come and I couldn’t.”

  “You make a fair point, but I think you could have afforded it.” Marcus eyed the prices in the menu. Definitely not cheap, but far from being unaffordable. Maybe Anna had better things to spend her money on than nights out or just no one to go out with.

  “Hey, normal doctors don’t make that much, you know?” The hurt in her voice was unmistakable.

  Just as Marcus was going to start telling her his story, the waitress brought around their starter, interrupting his flow.

  “Are you going to tell me how a millionaire playboy hasn’t been here before?” Her face filled with curiosity.

  “Anna, it has never appealed to me. I have seen so many people make money and then lose it in bad investments that I don’t see the point in wasting my own.” Marcus closed his eyes for a moment. “Listen, sweets, we need to talk.”

  “Oh, yes, I know. I haven’t told you what the board has done, have I?”

  “Er, no, I don’t remember you saying anything.”

  His beautiful woman was like a school kid. “They’ve agreed to keep the children’s ward open for another year. With all the money raised, it pays for the running costs.”

  “That’s great, but what happens to the children’s ward after a year?” Marcus picked up his pâté and took a small bite. Adding silently, they will never shut it by the time I have finished.

  “Well, there won’t be any money left.” She sighed heavily. “The board has spare to keep the ward open for about a month after the initial year.

  “If we can repeat the ride and gain the sort of sponsorship we did this time, I hope the funds raised can keep it open another year. Did I tell you we received several generous anonymous donations?” Annabel grew animated as she talked about the job she loved.

  “No, you didn’t.” Marcus was glad she hadn’t figured out the largest donation had come from him.

  “I’m so glad it isn’t going to shut—”

  Marcus placed his ha
nd on hers. “Do you know how beautiful you look?”

  “Marcus, behave. We’re out for a meal.”

  The blush, which now crept endearingly over her face, told Marcus a different story. By the time dessert came, he had had enough of the restaurant. He just wanted to take Annabel home and show her just how much she meant to him.

  “So, what did you want to tell me?”

  Damn. He had forgotten about that. He was enjoying staring lovingly at her face. In one moment, Annabel had ruined any thoughts he had about making love to her. There was no way she would want him after this. No, he wasn’t going to let her go, not now that he had her back. Why the hell did he sound like a little school boy and not a man? “I haven’t told you this, and you may get angry.”

  “Marcus, how bad could it be?”

  Marcus composed himself. “Annabel, there’s a reason I don’t invite you to the house.”

  ****

  “You’re married, aren’t you?” Her voice rose several octaves. Her concern from earlier had been swept away, but it had to be something big.

  “No, no!” He waved his hands. “It’s nothing like that. At least, I’m not married now. I was briefly, yes.”

  Marcus reached for her, but she pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around her waist. “So, why won’t you let me come over to your place?”

  “It’s because of…Emily.”

  “Emily, who is Emily?” Confusion rained down on her. “Is this your ex-wife? Does she own the house?”

  “No, no, Emily isn’t my ex. Emily is, er—” The words caught in Marcus’s throat. “Was my daughter.”

  Annabel’s heart sank. So, he had an ex and a daughter. This was his way of ending it; she understood now. Why had she let him into her life, into her heart? “You know you didn’t need to take me out to end it, Marcus.”

  The tears she had been holding back began to slowly fall onto her cheeks. Marcus had done it to her again, but for the last time. Annabel stood up. There was no point in staying around. Taking some notes out of her purse, she paid her share of the bill. “Bye, Marcus.”