“Thank you, mother, I would like to go back,” I say, swallowing hard. I really need to check on Marilyn.
“You know I already knew you would want to go back. I will open the portal for you, but you must convince her to come see me,” she says, leaning down, smiling at her flowers and walking closer to me. How the hell is that going to happen? I can’t take her through the portal. My mother doesn’t like coming to Earth, so I can only assume she means bring her here, but why?
“Mother, why do you want to meet her? And how do I set this up?” I ask, looking at her smile.
“Showken, use your gift and arrange a meeting, I want to meet her very soon, please don’t keep me waiting,” she says, waving her hand and opening a portal, yes. I didn’t expect her to let me leave so soon, but I’m glad.
“Thank you Mother, I will set it up,” I say, making a run for the portal, I can’t wait to find Marilyn. I walk right into my room. I quickly dress and walk out my door. Hawken is standing with his arms folded.
“Feel better?” he asks.
“Yes, where is she?” I say, narrowing my eyes.
“She’s at her friend’s place, now.”
“Now? Where she was at first?” I ask, worrying she’s been with a man.
“Brother, just go to her friend’s, it doesn’t matter anyway. Layern says she’s pretty hurt.” Hawken confirms my fears. I walk past him, grabbing the keys to my Hummer and walking the door.
Driving to Jasmine’s place, I can’t help but think about how to fix this. I stop and grab some cupcakes. Finally making it to the apartment complex, I see Marilyn’s car, she tries to hide. I step out of the car and sniff. Yes, she’s here alright, she’s trying to hide from me. I walk up to Jasmine’s door and start knocking. I listen and can hear Bruiser barking, she’s trying to quiet him. I keep knocking; I’m not leaving. The door swings open and Marilyn is standing in front of me, pointing a gun. This should be interesting. I walk past her and stroll in.
“Get out my house, you sorry piece of shit!” Jasmine yells.
“I will, once I make Marilyn understand I never meant to hurt her,” I say, looking at Marilyn. She is still pointing the gun at me, not speaking. Bruiser comes up to me, I bend and give him a rub.
“Marilyn, please put that away, you could hurt someone,” I say to her.
“I plan on hurting someone, now leave or I’ll shoot you for breaking into my friend’s house,” she says, with a blank look. She means it, too. I need to get control, but not scare her.
“I see, you want me dead?” I say, looking at her. She looks amazing, and I just want to hug her and kiss her all over, but I must wait.
“Yes, she does want you dead, and so do I. Mari, go ahead, I didn’t invite-” I interrupt her friend. Damn, she talks too much.
“Would you please leave us alone?” I ask, not taking my eyes off Marilyn.
“Jazz, let me hear what he has to say, then he will be gone,” she says, lowering her gun and placing it in a holster she has at her back.
“You sure Mari, because I can take him,” Jasmine says. I laugh to myself at this little feisty woman. She grabs her young and walks out of the room. Finally we’re alone.
“You have five minutes, Showken,” she says. I start to come close and she takes two steps back.
“First, I’m sorry for hurting you, I didn’t mean to. Well, I wanted you to want me. You said you wouldn’t see me any more. I thought if you saw me with someone else you would admit your true feelings.” I take a deep breath, and continue. “I don’t want anyone else but you, if you could have seen me the other night, let’s just say my beast didn’t like rejection. I really don’t want you to hate me, I want you to give me a chance. I didn’t sleep with that woman, I want you, Marilyn, I have never loved any woman, ever.” Taking another breath, I look to see if she’s truly listening, and she is. I chance a step towards her and she doesn’t move. This is good. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to gain your trust, and I won’t stop until I get it back,” I say, staring. I can’t believe I used the word love. I’m not sure about that, but I’m sure about wanting her right now. She says nothing for a while. I can see wheels are turning in her head.
“I don’t want you, I don’t ever want to see you again. I was going to reconsider not seeing you, but you, you set out to make me jealous, to hurt me. I should have never trusted you anyway. So, do yourself a favor and leave me alone. Don’t feel guilty about what happened. We had great sex and that was it. Now, if you respect me you will leave, now,” she says, calmly. Fuck. I do respect her, but leaving her alone is not an option. I run my hands through my hair, pulling it tight. She is staring at me expressionlessly, yet I hear her heart rate increase, I see her eyes widening and I smell her arousal. She says she wants me to leave her alone, but that’s not the truth. I’ll give her some time.
“Marilyn, I’ll go, for now, but make no mistake, I will not give up.” I stop talking to inhale deeply. “You and I are not over, beautiful,” I say, turning towards the door to leave. I will be with her very soon. Marilyn is quiet as I move towards the door. I turn and blow her a kiss.
MARILYN
Why is he doing this? I fall right down on my knees, burying my face in my hands to cry. I hear Jasmine come out the room. My God-daughter, Rachel, follows. I see her playing with Bruiser, and feel a small smile come. I love to see Rachel. Jasmine comes and sits with me on the floor. I sit for a few minutes and need to leave. I have to think. Showken says he won’t leave me alone. Why? He doesn’t even know me, and I don’t know him.
“Jasmine,” I say, rising from the floor. “Can Bruiser stay for a little while? I need to think. I promise I’m going home tonight. I just want to take a drive right now. I’ll be back,”
“You okay, Mari? I was listening, and he sounds serious about not leaving you alone,” Jasmine says.
“I know, that’s the problem, he is serious.” I look at Jasmine through my tears. “Jazz, seeing him today, I, I really don’t know if I want to stop seeing him. That is why I need to think he could be a very good manipulator, right?” I ask.
“Right, unless he is the real thing, Mari. Keep your phone on and go take a quiet drive, and go with your first mind and I’ll back you up no matter what,” she says. Rachel comes over to me with her arms stretching up.
“I want up,” she says. I pick her up, swinging her around, and she screams with laughter. I love her so much, and she loves me. I sit her down on the sofa and give her a kiss. I pat and hug Bruiser, promising him I will be back to get him. I walk out the door and jump in my car and hit the road. No destination planed, just a drive.
I turn up the music and just drive. I can’t get Showken out of my mind. His touch and kiss are amazing. I’ve never been so happy to have sex with anyone. Showken made me forget the horrible life I’ve had. His words of “not leaving me alone” were soothing, Showken makes me feel pretty and desirable. Yet, he still hurt me, trying to make me jealous to get what he wanted was not right. Using me to fill their needs is what everyone does to me, except Jazz and Bruiser. I wish I had never met Showken. Yes, he gave me mind-blowing sex and made me smile. I even felt happy, for a minute. My happiness vanished like smoke and now I’m hurting for this man, considering giving him another chance. It’s my need for abuse, my mother always told me, “abuse will always follow you, Marilyn”. She is a trying woman, who should never have gotten pregnant. I turn down the music, seeing my phone ring. Shit, it’s Showken. I’m not talking to him. I let the voicemail pick up. I breathe a sigh of relief. Then a text shows up on my screen:
Answer your phone beautiful, please
Shit, why is he doing this? Showken makes it very difficult to say no to him with his stubbornness. I’m not texting back, that is wrong, and I took the pledge not to text and drive. The phone rings again. I answer, pushing the speaker button.
“I thought I told you to leave me alone!” I snap.
“I thought I told you, you and I are not over. Now sweethea
rt, can you pull over at that donut shop up ahead?” Showken asks.
“What? I’m not pulling . . . wait, did you say pull over? Are you following me? Shit, Showken, you are a stalker,” I say, looking in my mirror when I see his Hummer.
“Marilyn, please. I can’t stop thinking about you, I just want to talk, please,” he begs. I can’t believe him.
“Fine, I’m pulling over,” I say, cutting off the person next to me and pulling over. I hear horns honking, I turn and see his Hummer cutting off people, too. I smile. He pulls his huge Hummer into the parking lot right next to me. He jumps out, and is at my passenger door knocking on the window. I roll it down a little.
“What?” I snap. He just stares at me. I don’t want him in my car, that is way too close in this small space. “Showken, you’re not getting in. Anything you have to say, you can say it standing right there.” He’s so quiet. His eyes are piercing me, and I hit the unlock button to get him to stop staring at me like that.
“Thank you, Marilyn, where are you going?” he asks, turning his body towards me. He is having difficulty, too. My car is way too small for him. I hold in a laugh, and focus on getting him out of my car.
“Showken, you can’t follow me, this is not going to work. I can’t trust you and-” I’m cut off, feeling soft lips on mine. I should be pulling away from him, yet my hands are instantly fisted in his hair and I pull hard. I’m angry that I want this kiss, and that he is taking a kiss. This man is driving me crazy. He is sucking, biting, and licking my lips. I feel his hand move up my shirt, squeezing my breasts hard. I moan into his mouth, “Ahhh”. His touch feels so good. He finally pulls away, leaving me panting.
“Come to my place with me right now, please,” Showken says. His eyes flicker from his normal green to a different green, it’s amazing.
“Showken, I have Bruiser. I need to go home, and we are not going to do this,” I say, waving my hand between us.
“Bring him. There is plenty of room for him to walk around, and I will make you some food.” He leans in, showering me with multiple pecks on my mouth. I can’t resist this man. “I need to make it up to you. Besides, I’m lots of fun and I’ll even let you pick a movie,” he says, smiling. I’m a sucker for his smile.
“Okay,” I say. His smile widens and it’s contagious, I’m smiling, too. “I have to go pick up Bruiser from Jasmine’s place. Give me your address and I will come over in about an hour,” I say, gathering my thoughts. I might just stand him up.
“No, I’ll follow you, precious. You might not come over and I’m not taking any chances with you, since you ran last time,” he says, arching a brow at me. Narrowing my eyes I glare at him, he is too good at reading me.
“Okay, I’ll call Jasmine and tell her to have Bruiser’s toys ready. I’ll grab him and follow you,” I say.
“I like that better. I will have to watch you, lady. If you’re trying to get rid of me, good luck,” he says, climbing out of the car and running back to jump in his Hummer. I pull out, heading for Jazz’ place. I call on the way and tell her I’m going to talk with Showken tonight, and I’m coming to get Bruiser. All she says is “Make sure you apologize right and eat up all night,” she is so nasty and outspoken. I love her. She’s proven to be a friend. One day I will tell her my entire life story instead of bits and pieces. I pick up Bruiser and follow Showken to a beautiful dream home. I can’t believe he came to my place that night. I’m not going to fit in. I’m not rich and don’t know what spoon or fork goes with what. I’m poor or average, and, looking at this house, Showken is out of my league.
***
The inside of the house says rich. After Showken pats Bruiser and whispers in his ear, Bruiser takes off on a run. Shit, I can’t pay for anything he breaks. Showken doesn’t say anything to me, leading me to an enormous straight-out-of-the-magazine kitchen. I should not touch anything where my hands will leave smudges.
“Sexy, what are you thinking about?” Showken asks, coming to stand right in front of me. Damn, he smells amazing.
“It’s Marilyn, and I’m thinking that I should not be here, but if we must, Bruiser will be hungry soon, and we need to be outside, so he can relieve himself.” I say, looking around.
“I will make sure one of my brothers takes care of that, love. Why don’t you belong here?” he frowns.
“Really? Showken, I’m not the woman you need. I mean, you are in a different world than me. I live normal, I budget my money, I sometimes eat hot dogs for dinner. This house says to me you have no idea about normal or eating hot dogs,” I say. He cups my face and holds it gently in his hands.
“Marilyn, all of this means nothing to me. I’m not that kind of guy, I like normal and hot dogs, too, sometimes. But I want to get to know you better. I’m really an easy going guy, and what would you like to eat?” he asks, leaning down and capturing my mouth. He licks my lips until I open my mouth, and he takes full advantage. Our tongues are dancing. It feels so good. Finding my strength, I pull away. We stare at each other for a few seconds.
“I’m not having sex with you, Showken, you hurt me,” I say, feeling my breathing is a little faster from that kiss.
“We don’t have to have sex, beautiful, but can we cuddle when we watch a movie and eat? I like cuddling,” he says, twisting his perfect mouth. I glare at him. “What would you like to eat?”
“Whatever you would like is fine with me. Did your brother take care of Bruiser, he needs food and water,” I say.
“Really? I could make some chocolate cupcakes, and yes, Bruiser has been fed and he’s playing now.” I narrow my eyes and he lets out a loud laugh. “I could also make some sub sandwiches,” he says, giving me a full-blown smile. I swallow hard; Showken is trying to test me with those smiles.
“Sub sandwiches will be great,” I say. I take a seat at the counter, watching Showken pull out lunch-meat, veggies, cheese, and Sub buns. He is like a chef making these sandwiches. I’m watching him when two guys come into the kitchen. He stops and they all stare at each other. You would think an unspoken conversation was going on, with the looks they are giving each other. Finally the one with brown hair speaks. He is good-looking, too, but the other one, although he looks angry, is freaking beautiful.
“Hello Marilyn, it’s nice to see you again. I’m Hawken, but you can call me Hawk,” he says, stretching out his hand.
“Hello, Hawk,” I say. I hear a rumble, or a loud plane passing, but we are not near the airport. The other brother speaks.
“I’m Domlen, Marilyn,” he says, and I am captivated by his presence. His eyes are a weird, but beautiful, reddish color. I’ve never seen eyes like this.
“Domlen, Hawken, please don’t scare my lady. Beautiful, pay no attention to them. They know how I can become a crazy animal,” Showken says, smiling, but his eyes say he is pissed. Another one walks in and he’s fine, too. “Marilyn, these are my brothers, Hawken, Domlen, and Layern.”
“Nice to meet you all, brothers, wow,” I say. Layern comes and sits right next to me.
“Showken, subs, great, I love subs. Thank you, brother,” Layern says. Shit, brother, what kind of talk is that?
“I’m making Marilyn and me subs. I think you guys can find something else to eat,” he says, clenching his teeth. He sounds upset, not five minutes have passed and his mood is changed.
“There is a dog sleeping in front of your bedroom door,” Hawken says. He looks at me then.
“Yes, it’s my dog and his name is Bruiser, and don’t bother him, or he will bite,” I warn them, although Bruiser is slacking, like the other night with Showken.
“Bite? Marilyn, we bite back,” Layern says, reaching over the counter and grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl on the island.
“Enough. Baby, you ready to watch a movie?” Showken asks, looking into my eyes. Shit, he’s a fine man.
“Umm, yes. I think I know what I want to watch, too,” I say, giving nothing away about the movie. He raises a brow at me and gives me that smile, it’s
truly like sunshine. He makes a tray with about five subs, two bags of chips, and a bottle of wine. It seems like he will drop something. I try to help, but he insists that I just follow him. We walk into a theater room. It’s beautiful, with four rows of leather love seats and smooth, red carpet. In front of each sofa is a perfect sized table for food, snacks, and a drink. There are even curtains on the side of the wall. I’m so out of my league. I swallow hard. I shouldn’t be here, Showken hurt me, and I said I was not going to see him, yet here I stand.
“Pick a row, Marilyn, and tell me the movie we are watching, so I can get it started,” Showken says. I head to the second row and get comfy on the seats. They feel amazing. I decide to take my shoes off, and curled up on the love seat. He places the food in front of me, producing two wine glasses. How the hell did he carry all this without anything falling? “Beautiful, name of movie, please.”
“Oh, do you have The Notebook?” I ask.
“Yes, I do.” Showken smiles, walking towards the back dimming the lights, and the movie is starting. He comes and sits down, lifting my feet onto his lap. He picks up one of the sub sandwiches and pushes it into my mouth.
“Take a bite, lady,” he insists. I take a bite, and even in the dark I see his eyes on me. “You are so beautiful,” he says, pulling me closer to watch the movie. He pours us glasses of wine, and we cuddle, not saying a word, watching the movie. Showken is such a gentleman, he doesn’t try anything, in fact, I think he is watching the movie, too. The end of the movie finally comes, and I’m crying. I love this movie, and cry every time I watch it. Showken grabs a remote I didn’t notice, and turns the lights up some. It’s still pretty dim, though. I look at the table and all the subs are gone. I feel his eyes on me, noticing I’m lying on his chest.
“I’m sorry,” Showken says. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. I didn’t mean to, you have to believe that. I like you very much, I want you real bad, and would like it if you would stay.” Stay where? Here in this mansion, I don’t think so. I need to go home. If I stay, sex will be involved, and I’m not strong enough to resist Showken.
The Draglen Brothers - SHOWKEN (BK 2) Page 6
