I stepped back trying to put some distance between us, as I noticed security start to enter the room. Tom tried to take a swing at me again, but this time I hit him right in the nose. I could here the crunch of bone and knew it was broken, giving me some satisfaction.
Tom noticed the security and started to push and shove his way over to another exit yelling. “You’d better watch your back Prescott. I’m coming for what’s mine and you can’t have it.”
We don’t know how he managed to slip past everyone looking for him, but he was on the run. The police showed up and we gave them a detailed description of what happened. At least violating his restraining order created an APB for his arrest.
Marissa and I’d both been shaken by the events. I got us some brandy from the bar and asked her to sip it slowly, while I gulped mine down and then got a couple more. My nerves were shot. How dare that jerk call her names like that and in front of her friends. A woman was to be respected and treasured, not treated like a lesser class citizen.
Marissa was extremely apologetic to Ash and Brian, but they were the one’s who’d apologized to her. “We should’ve called him and told him directly that he couldn’t come or at least told security to check a list of names we should’ve provided.” Ash leaned over and hugged Marissa. “I’m so sorry, hon. No one ought to be treated like that. I’m glad you have Dane, now. You’re an amazing person and you deserve happiness.”
I stood and took Marissa’s hand. “I think it’s time we head up to our room and try to calm down.” I turned toward Ash and Brian. “Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. I’m sorry for the chaos, but at least now everyone can breathe a little easier and enjoy what’s left of this special day.”
Ash gave Marissa another hug, as Brian shook my hand. He pulled me close enough to whisper. “I’m sorry, man. I had no clue that piece of shit would show up.”
I pulled him into a half man hug. “What’s done is done. Let’s just move on and hope that Tom screws up enough that the police eventually put him away and we can all breathe a little easier.”
I held Marissa close as we headed back to our room. She’d calmed down some, but seemed jumpy at every corner, as though she expected him to jump out at her. “You’re safe with me, cara. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
We got back to the room and I could see that she had slipped back into her old personality traits of being quiet and reclusive. I squared my shoulders, stood tall, and let my Dom side come out. “I know you’ve had a rough day, love. But, I need you to strip down to your lingerie, now. I want to see what belongs me, your Dom!”
She paused for a moment. “No thinking, Marissa. I want to see that dress come off, now!”
Her eyes instantly went to the floor, as her hands went to her side to a hidden zipper. I walked over and lay down on the bed; watching as she took off her shoes and her stockings and then waited for further direction.
I patted the spot beside me on the bed before I reached out my hand. “Come to me, pet. Let me look at how beautiful you are.”
I watched as she seemed to gain some confidence and walked over, sitting upright on the bed beside me. I could stare up at her face for an eternity.
I’d already taken off my shoes, jacket and cummerbund. “I want you to undo my tie, unbutton and unzip my pants, and undo the buttons on my shirt, bella.”
Her hands were shaky, at first, but she moved swiftly to do as I’d asked. The feel of her hands moving across the skin on my chest and abdomen, was nearly my undoing. My boxer briefs were already straining against the hardness of my erection.
I grabbed hold of her hand interlacing our fingers. I brought the back of her hand to my lips to kiss, before I raised them both up to her face as I gently brushed the side of her cheek. “I’m so in love with you, angelo mio. I need you, always, mi amore.” The words were spoken from the depths of my heart.
She tensed and inhaled sharply. I watched as she shifted on the bed, leaning over me and squinted. She released my hand quickly and clutched her chest. “Oh my god! It’s you!” She started backing away from the bed.
I wasn’t sure what she was talking about until I replayed the words I’d spoken in my head and got out of the bed, catching my reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall. Shit! She knows! I might as well come clean and be truthful, hoping she’ll forgive me.
I tried to move toward her, but she kept backing away from me. “Were you stalking me?” She started pacing the floor and shaking her head. “How could I’ve been so blind, not to realize it was you?”
I’d gone over to the bar and poured us a couple glasses of whiskey. It was the strongest thing they had in the room and handed her a glass. I was surprised when she took it and started gulping it down. I just sat in the reading chair, nursing my drink and trying to figure out what I could say to make her listen.
She continued pacing, while she drank her whiskey and spouted out questions left and right. She was trying to make sense of things in her head and forming a conclusion that was far from what happened. “How could I’ve been so blind, so stupid?”
I was done listening to this chatter. “Marissa, that’s enough!” I yelled out. “It’s time for you to stop fabricating your own theories and listen to the truth. I’ve not lied to you yet and I don’t intend to.”
“But, you didn’t tell me.” She argued.
My head was beginning to throb as the shiner I now sported began to get painful. I used my hand to support my head as I told her my story. “That night was one of the lowest points in my life. You know how I felt responsible for Gabi’s death. Well, I had to live it twice that month, first the night she died and a couple weeks later when she finally gave birth to her daughter, only to be taken off life support and be gone for good.”
Tears began to form at the corners of my eyes. I watched as she turned away from me to contemplate my words, as she stared out the window. “I couldn’t accept that she was already gone. I’d walk into her room and see her breath and hear her heart beat on the monitor, along with Nicola’s on the baby monitor, and I had hope she’d come back to us. The funeral was the day you’d found me in the streets, drunk and ready to die.”
I took another sip of the whiskey needing the liquid courage. “I’ll admit that the day we’d shared that kiss in the elevator at work, was the best day in my life. I’d felt lost and without purpose. I had a girlfriend, but I didn’t feel the love or the intensity that I found in our kiss. You had me so mesmerized, that I wanted to follow you, ask you your full name and see if I could call you sometime; but that kiss . . . it melted my brain. By the time I’d come back to myself, you were already out the front door and nowhere to be seen.”
She turned toward me. “You came looking for me, Dane?”
“Yes. I did. I walked up and down the sidewalk for twenty minutes hoping I would spot you. But, I never saw where you’d gone. I knew I had no right to ask you out, until I broke it off with Tiffany, so I decided to go home and call her.
“It took me a while to finally reach her, but she kept avoiding meeting up. So I went over to her place, and you know the rest of what happened. During the worst time of my life, the only bright spot was remembering our kiss and how beautiful you looked that day. I tried asking my dad for your information, but he’d refused, thinking I was just smitten.”
I watched as Marissa moved away from the window and sat down on the edge of the bed across from me. “So you weren’t stalking me that night?”
I shook my head. “I had no clue who you were, other than your first name. I didn’t know where you lived and was so drunk that I don’t recall how I even got there. All I do remember was seeing the spirit of Gabi.”
I got up and paced a bit, feeling antsy, before finally settling down beside her. I reached up pushing some hair out of her face and behind her ear. “I know it sounds stupid, but I believe she led me to you. I was at the point that I didn’t care what happened to me. I’d thought I had nothing lef
t to live for. But, she told me it wasn’t my time and that my destiny was right there beside me. It was you. I don’t know how I found you, but I knew I needed you in my life. You’re the only person I’ve ever felt a soul deep connection with. The only one I’ve ever told all my fantasies, secrets, and desires. The only one that I trust completely . . . I need you, Marissa, always.”
A small smile spread across her face. “I thought I was imagining things that night. I’d already had an encounter, where I’d felt a spark with a stranger in the elevator, and then that same spark that night when our hands touched. I didn’t recognize you, but felt I knew you from somewhere. I knew you were speaking with someone, but didn’t understand who you’d lost. My heart nearly ripped in half because of the emotional pain you were feeling.”
Tears started to pour down her face. I reached up and brushed them away with my thumbs as I cradled her face in my hands. “It’s okay, cara. You saved me, not only that night, but when we kissed. Our lives were fated to intertwine.”
She nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t understand why I felt so drawn to you that night. I cried for hours after you were taken away in the ambulance and sent out healing thoughts into the universe for you.”
Her hands came up to grip my wrists. In a soft voice she admitted. “I heard your sister that night. She spoke to me. She’d told me to watch over her brother, because you needed me. I thought I was delusional at first, but I’ve heard her voice a few times, the last being at the hospital when I got Nicola to finally drink her bottle.”
I took her drink and walked over to the bar to place our cups in the sink. I shifted my gaze back toward the bed. “I need you, Marissa. I know we’ve been through more than our fair share tonight. I’d brought some toys and restraints to have a little playtime, but right now all I want is to lose myself in you, making love to my girlfriend.”
I didn’t have to wait for her response, as her lips pressed firmly against mine, begging for attention.
THE PAST COUPLE OF months have been surreal. In a way I was relieved to find out that Dane was the man I’d saved that night. It’d left me a little unnerved not being able to figure out why I felt a strong pull to him that night, but now it made sense.
At first I’d questioned why his family had been so caring toward me, but now I knew; I’d saved their son’s life. Thinking back on it, I don’t know why it ever escaped me not to put two and two together with the notes of thanks marked with an A. for Alexander and C for Celia.
I’d asked whether my job was created because I’d saved his life, but both him and his father assured me it was based on my knowledge and the fact that Conner had stole my initial offering. Mr. Prescott even admitted that he thought I was a better fit in the department I was working in and let me know that Conner hadn’t lasted because he’d been unable to come up with any ideas of his own and his work performance was severely lacking.
It felt good to know that karma still existed in the world. Speaking of karma, Tom ended up getting arrested and taken into custody for violating the restraining order, but somehow managed to get out the next day with only a warning and a slap to the hand. Dane was furious and wouldn’t let me go anywhere by myself, which wasn’t really a problem, considering we’d been traveling all across most of Europe for the past two months.
We’d flown back over to France, getting to see a little bit of Paris and its surrounding areas. We also swung by Germany, Sicily, Ireland, Japan, and Australia.
It was fun visiting the different countries and taking in the sights. I’d even managed to lead a couple of meetings, with Dane’s guidance, to negotiate a few of my own deals. Plus, I’d finally gotten enough courage to go with Dane to one of the BDSM clubs overseas. Who knew they existed all over the world?
Dane’s helped me realize that I’m truly submissive outside of the office. He’s helped me to understand a lot of women are and to embrace it. I’ll admit I wasn’t that willing to submit at first, trying to top him at every corner, but in giving myself over to him and trusting him to lead me to new heights, I’d found paradise. I know it sounds corny, but that’s the way it feels when we’re together.
Our only downfall came when I’d gotten sick with the some kind of bug in Australia. I’d been all right one day and throwing my guts up the next few days. Dane had Marjorie call to move our meetings out a week, which allowed us some downtime for me to heal.
I’d first thought it was just a stomach bug or food poisoning, but after two days of not being able to keep any food down and barely any water, Dane called for a doctor, who’d prescribed some medication.
I tried pushing him away so he wouldn’t get sick, but he insisted on taking care of me. He’d held me when I had the chills, carried me to the bathroom when I felt the urge to vomit, even held onto me, pulling my hair out of the way, as I did. Despite feeling miserable, I’d never felt so cherished in my life.
The medicine seemed to do the trick. The next day I was able to drink more and started feeling hungry again. A couple days later, the vomiting was completely gone and I’d actually felt a little turned on when he’d given me a bath. “You’re still not fully recovered, love. I don’t want to make you worse.” Dane had warned. When he wouldn’t give in, I pulled out the one thing I knew he couldn’t resist.
He’d taught me how to bring myself to orgasm, using my fingers. Apparently, it was a turn on for men to watch their women play with themselves. Who knew? So I started playing with my privates and before long, he’d dried me off, tied me to the bed spread eagle, keeping me warm with his body as he brought us both to orgasm.
Australia now held special memories for me, but we’d put off doing any work for a week, so it was time to play catch up and get back home.
To our surprise, Nicola was released from the hospital and Jackson and her were staying with the Prescott’s, until he figured out what he wanted to do with his house and Gabi’s belongings.
Dane had received a call when we were in Germany. His face was perfect mask, not showing any emotion as he handed me the phone. “There’s a phone call I think you’ll want to take. It’s from the states.” Of course my heart began to race in panic and fear that something bad had happened to either my parents or my brother.
“Hello?” I’d asked nervously.
“It’s so nice to hear your voice again sweet stuff.”
“Oh my, God! Ethan! You’re awake. When? How are you feeling? When can you get out of the hospital? Does Nate know? Have you talked with him?” I was spouting out questions left and right.
His voice was feeble, but calm and loving as always. “Calm down, Marissa. I woke up yesterday. I’m sore and weak. If I can build up my strength, I’ll get out in a week or two. Apparently my bones have already healed while I was asleep. Nate knows, he came by to see me today and suggested I call you, giving me Dane’s number.” He laughed a bit. “You and Dane. I’d have never seen that coming. I hear he’s good to you and I’m glad to hear you’re happy. I still can’t believe what a jerk Tom turned out to be. I wish I’d known how bad he was treating you, so I could’ve protected you.”
Dane didn’t seem to mind that Ethan and I talked for nearly an hour. I’d already explained that he was a second brother to me. He just kept on working on his laptop while I rambled on about all that had happened up until that point.
We’d finally made our way back home and I felt exhausted from the trip. We had a lot of sample items with us to let the sales crew take out and show our buyers, plus a little to sample for ourselves.
Dane and I had a lot of contracts to process and figures to enter into the computer to catch up from the time outside the office. We worked every day and well into the night trying to get everything inputted.
A few days later I’d pulled up the reports I’d sent to accounting and noticed my figures were off. I thought maybe I’d entered something wrong and redid the inputting and sent a corrected copy to the accounting department and just dismissed things as me being so tired lately. Wel
l, what do you expect when you’re working ten to twelve hour days?
I’d mentioned my mistake to Dane, but he didn’t buy that I’d messed up. He’d requested, “Let me know if you find any more mistakes. I don’t think it’s you, because you’re so meticulous with your details. We’ve been having a few issues with reports and accounts not being accurate lately. So let me know if it happens again.” His words had put my mind at ease, but made me wonder what could be going on within the company?
Dane and I had been getting along wonderfully. He kept making statements about us making a future together. I hadn’t put much thought into it, just living in the moment and enjoying the beauty of our love for one another.
I’d had to take my car into work that day, because Dane had an early errand he said he needed to handle and for me to relax, sleep in if I wanted, and he’d meet me at work later. I knew me being able to drive was too good to be true. He had one of the company’s security officers waiting at my parking space to escort me into the building. I’d gotten so spoiled to riding with Dane and walking hand in hand inside the building that things felt off from the moment I arrived at work. I don’t know if it was me missing our routine, or what, but something felt amiss.
My feeling wasn’t wrong. As soon as I logged into the computer system, reception called stating I had a letter delivered to the front desk. I’d walked down, thinking maybe Dane had left me a love note or something, since he’d been known to do that and then having a surprise waiting for me back in the office we shared.
The outside of the envelope had my name in computerized print. I just shrugged my shoulders and headed back up to the office. Dane was just pulling up his computer when I walked in. “Where were you?”
“Someone dropped this note off down at the front desk for me.” I tore open the envelope and reached inside for the letter. As soon as I saw the handwriting and then the picture, I knew I was going to be sick. I dropped everything onto my desk, put my hand on my mouth and ran to the bathroom, just making it to the toilet before the entire contents of my stomach left my system.
I Need You Always Page 22
