Sandy Sullivan

by Doctor Me Up

  "What is your take on the water situation, Marcus?" Mitchell questioned.

  "I'm with Natalie. I think there is foul play involved here although I don't have a clue from where. The levels they found in the water suggest a large contamination."

  "See?" Natalie sat back in her chair with a smug look on her face.

  "Fecal matter might do this, but no one found large amounts of it in the water supply. Do you have any new hands on your place, Mitchell? Someone who might be suspicious?"

  "Nope. I trust all the men on my place."

  "Enough money might persuade someone to jump sides though," Natalie said.

  "It's true, Dad. I could see a couple of your guys doing something like this for enough money. Not that you don't pay them well."

  "I guess you're right, Cade. I could see it as well. There are a few who've been kind of jumpy lately. Jackson seems to have some extra cash these days. He drove home in a brand new larger pickup truck the other day and I don't think I pay him enough to afford one. A couple of the hands said he was flashing some cash at the bar this past weekend, too."

  "Sounds suspicious to me," Cade said. "You'd better have the law talk to him."

  "I don't want to jump to conclusions though. He's been a good man on this place for many years. He kind of got screwed when his wife left him a few years ago. I know their divorce hurt him financially pretty badly."

  "He'd be kind of desperate for money then wouldn't he?" Marcus asked.

  "Possibly. I hate to think he'd turn his back on me though after I've kept him on the place for so many years." Mitchell scratched his chin. "But, I'll talk to the sheriff tomorrow so he can question him."

  The ringing of a phone caught their attention. Marcus noticed a cell phone on the floor. "It must be Elizabeth's. She must have dropped it before she went upstairs." He laid it on the table. "Should we answer?"

  Natalie grabbed the phone and flipped open the lid. "Hello?" Her eyes widened. "No. This is her sister-in-law. She's in the shower. Can I take a message?" Her face turned beat red. "I'll tell her." She snapped the phone shut and growled, "That was her ex-asshole boyfriend."

  "Ari?" Cade asked. "The bastard has the gall to call her?"

  "Apparently. He wanted me to tell her to call him so he could apologize and beg for her forgiveness. There is no way in hell I'll tell her he even called."

  "You can't keep this from her, Natalie. It's not fair. She has to make her own decisions on who she wants to be with. If she chooses him, we must abide by her decision."

  "You can't be serious, Marcus? She doesn't want him, she wants you."

  "I hope this is true, but it's up to her."

  "What's up to her?" Elizabeth asked, walking back into the room, her hair mussed and wet. She slid onto his lap as she looped her arms around his neck. Her warm body heated his blood to boiling the moment her warm thigh touched his.

  "Your phone rang. You must have dropped it before you went upstairs."

  "Oh. Who called?"

  He looked at Natalie, Cade and then her father. "Your ex-boyfriend."

  "Ari?"

  "Yes, darlin'."

  "Who talked to him?"

  "Nat."

  "What did he say he wanted?"

  "He wanted you to call him so he could apologize for his behavior apparently."

  "Seriously?" she asked, sliding off his lap and back into the chair she'd occupied earlier. "Wow."

  He didn't like the look on her face. Not one bit.

  "You aren't considering calling him are you, Elizabeth?" Natalie asked, her eyes wide with shock.

  "Well…"

  "No you can't possibly! The man is an asshole. He cheated on you. You never loved him. He just used you for a plaything while he fucked around with anything with female parts. Come on, Elizabeth!"

  "Enough Nat. It's her life," Cade answered. "She can be with whomever she thinks is the right person for her, although I happen to agree with you on the asshole part."

  "Don't you think everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt?"

  "You saw him kissing the woman coming down the escalator, right?"

  "Yes."

  "I don't think there is a benefit of the doubt then."

  "True." She turned to him. "What do you think I should do, Marcus?"

  "For me to answer that would be selfish on my part. I know what I want you to do and say, but I can't make the decision for you, Elizabeth. You have to decide on your own." He climbed to his feet. "I'm going to head for home now. You don't need me around to complicate matters."

  "Don't leave, Marcus. She needs you here," Natalie said.

  "No, she doesn't. She must make up her own mind." He leaned down, kissing her cheek. "Remember how it felt to be in my arms and then remember how you felt in his. Your choice," he whispered in her ear. "Thank you for dinner, Mitchell. Cade. Nat. I'll see you two around. Maybe for dinner on Sunday if I'm still invited."

  "Of course," Cade replied, standing as well. "I'll walk you out. I'd like to ask you something."

  "Sure." He looked down at Elizabeth, noting the tears glistening in her eyes. "Call me when you've decided."

  When he turned to glance at Elizabeth before he walked out, he almost laughed at the shocked look in her eyes. She apparently thought he would go all Dom on her and tell her she must be with him. Well, she didn't know him very well then because having a sub who didn't want to be with you could be much worse than being in a relationship with a woman who hated you. He'd done both.

  "I think you did the right thing in there, Marcus."

  "Thanks, Cade. I can't make her decision for her. She either wants to be with me or she doesn't."

  "She's confused."

  "I'm sure. She thought she loved this other man. But what choice does she have? She’s facing a relationship with him knowing he cheated on her or a non-existent relationship with me."

  Cade put his hand on Marcus' shoulder. "Yours isn't non-existent, Marcus. I saw the way you two were together."

  "We haven't known each other long enough to establish a relationship. We've spent some time together, yes, but that doesn't make a relationship."

  "Don't let her think too long before you make another move. I'm afraid she'll decide to give asshole another chance."

  "If she does, it's her choice, although I hope she doesn't. I care for her a great deal."

  "Have you told her that?"

  "No. It has no place in what’s currently between us. She and I established we might pursue something after she leaves on a long distance type basis. We haven't discussed anything beyond those terms though."

  "Going back to him would cause the same issues. She's already committed to doing her residency in Billings."

  "I know. It's closer to Red Rock than Los Angeles."

  "True. I believe what you two have is genuine. What she had with him was based on lies and misconceptions. She wanted to be in love. The major flaw in her plan was he wasn't in love with her. I believe the man cheated on her several times. She just didn't catch him until the last time at the airport."

  "I hope she remembers how she felt to see him in a compromising situation. It would help her decide."

  "You would be good for her, Marcus. I'm sure of it."

  "I'm counting on her coming to the same conclusion, Cade."

  Chapter Eleven

  Elizabeth watched in surprise as Marcus glanced back before he walked out the door. Did he care at all? It didn't appear to her like he did. "What the hell?”

  "You can't expect him to decide for you. And let me tell you one thing sister dear, if you even seriously consider calling that asshole, I'll personally kick your butt."

  "I will, too, Elizabeth. I can't believe your behavior with this," her father chimed in.

  "I'm just shocked he called. I don't want anything to do with him. The man cheated on me God only knows how many times. I wanted to see what Marcus would do. He doesn't seem to want to commit to anything between us."

  "Maybe he's test
ing you to see how you'll react to this and him."

  "Maybe. I don't like this at all."

  Moments later, Cade came back into the house and plopped down into his chair.

  "So what happened out there?" she asked, not liking the concern on Cade's face.

  "Are you really going to call Armand back?"

  "No."

  "Good. Then Marcus did the right thing by letting you chose. Be careful. He cares about you, but he's not going to let you run roughshod over him."

  "I don't want to. Things are very different between me and Marcus."

  "How so?"

  "I can't talk about it. It's private. Let's say he does something for me no man has done before."

  "Then what was all the discussion like you were seriously contemplating getting back together with Armand?"

  "I wanted to see if Marcus would react."

  "Not a good game to by playing, Elizabeth. Not with a man like Marcus. What if he doesn't want to play your games? You might have just cost yourself the love of your life."

  "Don't say things like that, Cade. Marcus understands me or at least I hope he does."

  "I don't think he understands this. The gut punched look on his face when you slid off his lap hurt my heart to see," Natalie said. "He cares about you."

  "I care about him too, but I can't get tied up with a man right now, Nat. I'm leaving in a week or so. I really should probably cool things off with Marcus anyway."

  "Whatever! I'm about tired of you playing your games. If you hurt him, I'll never speak to you again, Elizabeth. He's a nice guy," Natalie snapped, jumping to her feet.

  "Nat, calm down."

  "I will not. I didn't think she played games but apparently she learned well from her ex-boyfriend because now she's pulling the same kind of shit."

  "I did not cheat on anyone!"

  "You're playing head games, Liz." Natalie began to pace the kitchen floor. "If you hadn't made it sound like you planned to call the asshole back, Marcus wouldn't have left. You'd better fix this."

  "I will. I'll call him right now."

  "Call him hell. You'd better go over there and apologize. He's hurt for Christ’s sake."

  "Fine!" Elizabeth slapped her hand on the table. "I'll go over there. You are such a hardass, Nat. I don't believe you," she said, throwing up her arms.

  "I don't like seeing my friends hurt. You upset him with all of this. Was it really necessary?" Natalie asked, taking her seat again next to Cade.

  "I guess not, but maybe I wanted him to declare himself. If he really wants something with me, he needs to let me know instead of playing so nonchalant." Elizabeth's hands flew back and forth as she talked. She'd always been an animated talker.

  "Have you told him you're in love with him?"

  "I'm not in lo—"

  Natalie interrupted with a sharp, "Bullshit. It's written all over your face."

  "I haven't known him long enough to be in love with him."

  "Then you care deeply. Whatever you have going on between you is something special. You're a damned fool if you walk away from it."

  She threw up her hands. "All right, yes, I care deeply. I shouldn't because I hardly know him. This is ridiculous, you know. The feelings I had for Ari didn't even come close to what Marcus already makes me feel."

  "You weren't in love with Ari."

  "I thought I was, but apparently I wasn't in love with him. Maybe I was more in love with what he could give me. Could I have been that shallow?"

  "He's shallow. Why do you think he kept sleeping with his investors, their daughters, wives and anyone with big boobs?"

  "True. I'm not huge," she said, plumping up both breasts in her hands as they all laughed, breaking the tension in the room.

  "You're a beautiful woman, Elizabeth. I don't see why Ari couldn't see that."

  "You're only saying so because you're my brother."

  "Not so. I know several men in this town who enjoyed your company."

  "Before I went to Los Angeles? I was eighteen, Cade."

  "And beautiful even then."

  "Oh, psh." Her face heated. "I didn't have all the football players chasing me like you had the cheerleaders, Cade."

  "Um…cheerleaders?As in plural?" Natalie folded her arms across her chest, glaring at her husband.

  "He had all of them hot after him, but you snagged him the minute you came back to town."

  "I didn't stand a chance when she crawled out of her wrecked car and flashed those eyes at me."

  "Such a cute love story," Elizabeth said. "Now, I'm off to apologize to Marcus. Should I dress sexy?"

  "I don't think he'll care." Natalie crawled into her husband's lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Shall we go home, husband?"

  "Only if you…" He whispered in her ear as Elizabeth watched her smile get bigger.

  The love the two of them had for each other was something Elizabeth strived for. She wanted that type of give and take relationship, each partner being the other half of a whole. Can I have something like that with Marcus? He seems to only want playtime, not anything permanent. Do I? I'm leaving in a short time and we might not see each other much. Maybe we can work something out.

  "I'll see you two later."

  "Probably not. We're headed home."

  "Okay. Lunch in a couple of days, Nat? You can buy for chewing me out."

  "Lunch is good, but you're buying for me having to chew you out."

  Elizabeth laughed. "Okay, fine. I'll buy." She glanced at Cade. "You've got a wife who should have been a Wall Street executive or a lawyer. She's vicious."

  "Only to protect those she loves. Remember that."

  Elizabeth kissed them both on the cheek before she headed upstairs. Her recent shower took care of the stink from the animals, sweat and riding, but she wanted to put on some sexy underwear for Marcus. Groveling wasn't something she really wanted to do. She did realize now though she shouldn't have made it sound like she really wanted to get back with Ari. If he would have done something similar, she would have been hurt too. "Crushed probably, which doesn't bode well for my heart." She stopped and tapped her fingers to her lips. Am I in love with Marcus? I thought I knew what love was with Ari. This is totally different. He makes me want to be near him all the time and especially when we aren't together. I think about him constantly. I can't wait to be in his arms. I want to please him all the time. "Sounds like love to me, but what happens now?"

  The door to her closet stood open. A short black dress hung near the end of the stack of colorful clothing lining the rail. She grabbed the hangar, pulling out the dress, turning it this way and that to examine her pick closer. Soft cotton material caressed her fingertips as she slipped her hand over the bodice. She really did love this dress. Marcus would too, she mused. The hem hung to mid-thigh on her and emphasized her mediocre bustline. The sweetheart neckline looked fabulous on her. With a simple string of pearls, she'd look like she dressed especially for him. Nude legs and strappy black sandals would complete the picture of seduction. Unknown to Marcus Melton, seduce him she would, one way or another. This would also give him an eyeful when she knelt at his feet, if she managed not to cringe from pain on the way down.

  Once she slipped into the dress and shoes, she wound her hair up in a messy bun on the back of her head, slicked on some kiss-me-red lipstick and nixed any idea of underwear. She almost wore the black thong in her drawer, but she figured no panties would make it so much easier. Regardless of the ache in her thighs, a small cat-got-the-canary-grin spread across her lips. "I'm so getting laid tonight."

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled into Marcus' driveway, noting no lights on in his house. What if he isn't home? What if he got really pissed off and found someone else to play with?

  She swallowed hard as she opened the car door. With heels clicking softly on the concrete walk, she made her way up to the door, glancing at the watch on her left arm. He'd only left her dad's place an hour ago. Surely he isn't in bed. It's only nine.


  A rhythmic crack caught her attention. Loud enough she could hear the noise through the front door, but muffled, giving her the impression the sound wasn't nearby. Curious, she opened the door, softly calling, "Marcus?"

  The cracks continued, so she decided to shut the door and follow the sound down the long hallway toward where they'd played on his cross. She peeked around the edge of the door where he'd left it open. Marcus stood in the middle of the room with a long coiled bullwhip at his feet. Large sections of butcher paper hung on the wall in front of him. Sweat glistened off his bare back, running in streams down the taut muscles emphasized by the track lighting over his head. He pulled back his arm and let the whip fly. The tip struck a red X placed in the middle of the paper, with precise precision so accurate, she flinched.

  "Come in, Elizabeth," he said, never turning around.

  How the hell does he know I'm here much less it's me?

  "I can smell you."

  "Damn you're eerie sometimes."

  Not turning around, he said, "Observation is one of the keys to being a good Dom. If I don't know what you're feeling or how you're reacting to something I'm doing, how can I know what you need?'

  "I guess."

  "Why have you come?"

  "You don't know? I thought you knew everything?"

  "You've earned yourself ten swats for your smartass comment."

  "Not if you don't want me to be your sub anymore."

  He turned and let his gaze wander from her eyes to the tips of her toes. "I never said I didn't want you to be my sub. The question is, do you want to continue or are you going back to your ex?"

  "No, I'm not."

  "Not what?"

  "Going back to Ari. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression."

  "No you aren't. You wanted to make me jealous. You did your job well." His appreciative gaze raked over her again. "I do believe you're dressed to impress especially since you're not wearing underwear."

  "How do you know I'm not wearing panties?"

  "No panty lines, darlin'."

  "Oh," she replied, dropping her gaze to the floor and slid to her knees.

  "Very pretty, Elizabeth."