by E. L. Montes
“He’s a very nice man.” I turned my attention to Marcus whose stare was gentle and passionate.
“He was good friends with my grandfather. My dad used to bring me and my brother here all the time as kids. I haven’t been here in a long time, and since I was in the area, I figured it would be nice to visit.”
The older man returned with laminated menus and a pitcher of water. He poured water into our empty glasses. He asked a question, and Marcus looked at me, “Would you like some wine?” I shook my head rather too quickly. It made him laugh knowing that I consumed enough alcohol last night to last me an entire week. He responded to the man who then left.
I glanced down at the menu. Thankfully everything was printed in English.
My stomach growled. I looked up at Marcus, wondering if he noticed. Surprisingly he wasn’t staring at the menu; he was staring at me. It felt … strange. “Do you know what you want?”
Licking his lips seductively just like in my dream, he answered, but something told me he wanted something more than his meal. “I always order the Pesto italiano pasta.”
Looking down at the menu and back at him, I tried to pretend his stare didn’t faze me. “Oh, do you recommend anything for me?”
He slightly tilted his head. “I recommend the lasagna or the eggplant parmesan.” He licked his lips. Oh God, he did it again; suddenly I was hungry for him and not food.
What was wrong with me!
Bless the older man’s soul when he interrupted my sensual thoughts. He placed before us two plates of salad, a basket of bread with a side dish of olive oil, and some type of seasoning. The man ran off again. I grabbed my fork and dug into the salad, not waiting for Marcus to go first. I was too hungry to be polite and not dig in.
We sat in silence as we ate our salads. Halfway through, I looked up at him, and he was staring at me again. “Is there something wrong? Every time I look at you, it feels like you’ve been staring at me the entire time.”
“I have.” He grabbed his glass and sipped his water, not taking his eyes off me.
“Why? Is there something on my face?” I picked up a napkin to wipe my lips.
“No.” He chuckled. “I like staring at you. You’re a beautiful woman, so it’s hard not to stare.” My stomach fluttered. Underneath the table, I pinched my hand to see if this were real or a dream. Nope, I felt the sting against my flesh; this was definitely real.
“Thank you,” I whispered. To distract myself, I grabbed a piece of warm bread and dipped it into the olive oil. I took a bite; oh it was good. I took another bite. When I looked up, he was smiling at me. “What?”
“Do you want to talk about what happened last night? Maybe you can relax after we do.” I stopped chewing. What? Oh no, something bad happened, I must have slept with him and don’t even remember. What a waste!
Looking away nervously, I whispered, “What happened last night?” Turning my head, I tried to distract myself by admiring the trees in the park.
I could hear him adjust his body in the seat. “Well, for starters, we didn’t sleep with each other.” My eyes snapped to his.
“Oh thank God!” I cried in relief.
“But you wanted to; you asked me too.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
His all-white, perfect-toothed grin engulfed his face. “No…you were completely hammered last night. I helped you up the stairs and into your room. When we entered your room, you asked me to help you out of your dress. You were complaining about how tight it was, so I unzipped it for you. You sat down on the edge of the bed, so I could take your shoes off. After I did, you ran your fingers through my hair, saying how soft it was. You also mentioned how much you thought my lips were sexy.” He smiled, remembering my foolishness. I wished I could fly away, maybe even make a clear escape by throwing myself off of the balcony, but I was too stunned to move, to even speak.
He continued, “You tried to kiss me, but I didn’t want to kiss you like that. So I pulled away. You were very angry at the rejection. I remember a few curses, and then you stomped over to your drawer, pulled something out, and tossed it to the side of your bed. I’m not sure what it was. You then you threw yourself in bed … You lay there and fell asleep … I covered you with the blanket, and then I left.”
Embarrassed by his brutally honest account of last night’s events, I couldn’t look at him. I also had the feeling he was just being polite and pretended not to know what I took out of my drawer. Lowering my head, I focused on my fidgeting fingers.
I could feel the heat of his stare, but I didn’t dare to look up. "I apologize for my behavior last night. Please know that’s not me … I don’t even drink liquor.” Nervously laughing once, I continued to mumble. “I'm more of a wine person. Last night was just a celebration of the start of summer break. I assure you it will never happen again.” My voice was so low I'm not sure it was audible.
Bravely I peeked up through my long lashes, catching when his smile faded.
“I hope that’s not true … See I wanted to kiss you last night, very badly, but not while you were incapable of remembering it.” He bit his lip and then continued, “I want to get to know you better, if that’s okay with you? I want to know about you, where you’re from, your family, everything.” He paused for a mere second. “For some unexplained reason I'm drawn to you, and I can't stop thinking about you. All day at work today during a conference call during my deposition, you were the only thing on my mind.” His lips curled into a crooked smile.
Speechless I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t find the right words, so I closed it. I thought he wasn’t interested, especially the way he acted last night. “So what are you saying exactly?”
Chapter Four
“I want to date,” Marcus said, “see where it goes. I’ve never dated before, and I don’t know how it works, but you’re the kind of girl that a man should treat like a woman, not as a one-night stand.”
Baffled by this entire conversation, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “You’ve never been in a relationship before?”
His eyes grew serious. “I never had time for a serious relationship.”
Glaring at him, I leaned in on the table. “But you have time to date me?”
His expression relaxed. “I'll make the time for you, to get to know you better.”
I said everything in one quick breath as I always do when I’m mad or nervous, “And what if I'm not the woman you think I am? What if one of us takes this more seriously than the other? One of us could end up hurt. What if I get the externship position at your firm? How will people look at us, at me? How will it interfere with my position if it doesn’t work out with us? I don't know if I can deal with all of that.” I was extremely nervous.
Laughing once, he dragged his hand through his hair, thinking before speaking, “Stop over-thinking every little outcome. But to answer your questions, yes you’re exactly what I thought. No one will end up hurt. You will have the extern position; there’s no question about that. Don’t worry about what others may think. If, and I mean if, it doesn’t work out between us, your position will remain; your work life and personal life are two separate issues.”
“Not when your work and personal life are combined. I don’t know Marcus. I’ve seen two separate sides of you so far. Last night you seemed angry and quite the asshole.” He raised an eyebrow. “Sorry…and then today you seem to be polite and a gentleman.”
Relaxing his shoulders, he leaned into the table, folding his hands. “Last night my anger was not directed towards you: I was angry at Jeremy for leaving you behind. He was willing to allow you to take a cab alone at that hour. It upset me; that’s all. I apologize if I offended you in any way.”
I stared at him for what seemed like a long time, trying to think this through. We didn’t say anything for a few seconds, just stared at each other. In less than twenty-four hours everything had changed. He was a very handsome man but a busy man as he himself said. What did he
want from me? Why me? Fortunately the older man reappeared, ready to take our order, Marcus gave him our selections, and he rushed away.
“Can I think about it?” I needed a clear mind to analyze this on my own time, not while he was staring at me with those big brown eyes.
“Of course.” Leaning closer, he studied me. “How about we change the subject? Where are you from, Mia. I can tell you’re not from Boston from your accent.”
I giggled. “My accent? I'm from Philly, and we Philadelphians do not have accents, whereas Boston natives do.”
He shook his head, smiling. “How long have you been in Boston? Did you come here for Harvard Law, or were you living here prior to your attendance at the university?”
Why was he so formal? I’m not on a damn interview, or maybe this is the interview!
“I moved here with my brother when I was fourteen years old. He was ten years older than me and took care of me after our father passed away. It was emotional for us, so we left. He was hired as a detective, and he purchased a home here and took care of me.” I took a sip of water to distract myself for a moment. I didn’t want to cry. It was still too soon; every time I talked about my brother I’d get a little emotional.
“Sorry to hear about your loss. If you don’t mind my asking, how did your father pass?”
Taking a long gulp of water before answering, I shifted in my seat. “He was a Philly cop. He was shot and killed while responding to a robbery at a local gas station. When he appeared on the scene, he was alone. He phoned in on the radio, letting them know it looked clear and that he was going in to question the clerk. But when he entered, the robber was still there: a nineteen-year-old boy. He was startled when he saw my father in uniform, and his initial reaction was to pull the trigger.”
He raised his eyebrows, not expecting that answer. “Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that.” The atmosphere between us became too serious. This was a subject I liked to avoid when people asked…because no one could understand why I had no one in my life. I had told these stories a few times before, but that time it felt different. I couldn’t quite explain why.
“Your mother?” he continued to question.
Clearing my throat, I thought to change the attention onto him, but I caved in. “I don’t know who my mother is. After giving birth to me, she left my father, leaving my brother and me in his care. I’d heard different stories, but the main one was that she suffered from depression and couldn’t deal with being a parent…and while on the subject, I don’t know anyone from my mother’s side of the family as well. My father was an only child. His father passed when he was young, and my grandmother died when I was nine of breast cancer.
“So after my father passed, it was just my brother and I. When my brother died in October, I took it very hard.” I stopped myself and tried to make a joke out of my self-pettiness. “Well I guess I’m a loner, all by myself.” I nervously giggled, taking another sip of water, wishing I’d ordered that wine instead.
His eyes widened in shock. I thought that maybe he’d see that I was emotionally messed up and rethink this getting-to-know-me-better bit. “Your brother passed too?”
“Yes, but that’s a subject I rather not discuss. It's been a few months since his death, and I'm still taking it very hard.” He nodded in response, knowing not to touch that subject anymore. I managed to hold back my tears when talking about my brother, a first since his passing. “So you mentioned a brother. Is he older? Younger?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from me.
He squirmed in his seat now that the tables were turned. “Uh, yeah, he's older but not by much, by four years; he's thirty-three. Uh, it was just he and I growing up. We have a close relationship. When my father passed, I was just beginning my freshman year in high school. My mother took it very hard and forced my brother and me to have a good relationship. At that time, we hated each other.” He laughed, thinking back. “It worked. I guess mothers know best, huh?”
I shrugged my shoulders; I wouldn’t know. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean—,” he said.
I interrupted him, “Don’t worry about it. You know, I think I will have that wine.”
“Yes, I agree.” He called for the older man.
After a couple glasses of wine, we forgot about the touchy subjects and discussed other things, such as Marcus taking over the firm from his brother who began it all. His brother quit practicing law and started a private company. We didn’t discuss this company much. He also mentioned how within a year after taking over the firm, he managed to double the size and clientele and tripled the profit.
We also talked about Harvard, which he also attended. He remembered Professor Johnson as his instructor. He made me feel a little more comfortable when he explained that Professor Johnson was attached to him and made similar comments about one day him being bigger than the average attorney. To know that Professor Johnson had an eye for knowing who would succeed made me feel at ease. Marcus also translated between Mr. Giuseppe and me, and I grew more fond of the old man the more we talked and laughed throughout the evening.
Pushing my plate aside and wiping my face with a cloth, I felt overstuffed. “Ugh, if I eat or drink anything else, my stomach is going to explode.” I laughed and Marcus joined in.
“Yeah, me too.”
We sat and talked a little before Mr. Giuseppe cleared our table. Marcus asked for the check, but the old man refused to take any money. He said that Marcus was family, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Marcus told him he’d leave a tip for the cook, and Mr. Giuseppe approved. We rose from our chairs, and I watched as Marcus pulled out his wallet, opening the flap and revealing several hundred-dollar bills. He placed three of the bills on the table, and we left. It was darker out, but the lights from the park made it feel earlier than it really was.
“Would you like to walk through the park? I know it’s a longer way to get you back home, but I figured we could walk off what we just ate, and I can spend some more time with you.” He truly had the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.
Smiling at him, I said, “I would actually like that.” We walked side by side to cross the street. We entered the empty park. A nice breeze gave me a slight chill, and he took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I thought it was such a sweet gesture. He leaned closer and placed his arm around my shoulder. I was close enough to smell his cologne; it was a sweet smell mixed with his own glorious body’s scent. It was delicious. I leaned my head against the side of his chest, and we continued to stroll through the park.
We didn’t say anything, just enjoyed each other’s company. I was comforted by his scent and his strong grip around me. I could breathe his aroma all day and not get tired of that sweet smell. My thoughts began to turn on me as I imagined him ripping my clothes off and laying his naked body on top of mine. It gave me the chills. I shivered at the delicious thought, and he rubbed his palm against my arm to warm me. If he only knew what caused me to shiver…
When we reached the front of my building, I surprisingly didn’t want to go in. I enjoyed a beautiful night with Marcus, and he was leaving. I’d be alone, thinking of him in my dreams. He stood in front of me, and I couldn’t help but move in closer and inhale his scent. “You smell so good,” I whispered, unable to control my thoughts.
He cupped my cheek with his hand and lifted my face till our eyes met: his dark brown eyes to my emerald green. His thumb gently rubbed against my cheek. “Your eyes are so beautiful; you’re beautiful,” he whispered back. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said about us spending more time together.” I nodded while my eyes remained locked to his.
He licked his lips in a different way this time. He took his time; it was a more erotic lick and ended with a slight bite to the bottom lip. He ducked his head, tilting to the right. He was going to kiss me! I could feel the electricity going through my veins, and he hadn’t even touched me yet.
I closed my eyes, anticipating his mouth. My heart raced as I felt them: his soft warm lips a
gainst mine. I felt his mouth open, and he slid his tongue into my mouth. He was gentle, sucking on my bottom lip and returning his tongue back inside in soft circular motions. I wanted more, so I deepened the kiss, forcing my tongue in as far as I could go. He moaned and pulled my hips to his.
I dragged my fingers through his soft, thick hair and tugged lightly. He groaned again, and I felt his erection pressing against my body. Just thinking that my kiss could have that effect on him made me want him more. I rose on my tiptoes, so I could further the kiss.
His left hand was at my waist, pressing me against him, and his right hand was in my hair, his fingers wrestling through my ponytail. His mouth tasted of wine and salt, and I craved him. I’d never wanted a man so much. I would’ve taken him right there in the middle of the sidewalk if I didn’t care that others were watching. I was lost in his spell, and at that moment I didn’t care if anyone watched.
He broke from the kiss first at the sound of the door closing behind us. I looked up, and there was my third floor neighbor. I scowled at the old witch, disliking her even more for interrupting my moment.
She walked down the stairs and glanced at us suspiciously. Marcus gave her a polite nod, and I shot an annoyed smirk at her. She continued down the street, walking her pug. I touched my lips to calm the soreness of the kiss. Once my neighbor was out of earshot, he snapped back in my direction with intense eyes. “Mia,” he breathed. I tried to catch my breath as well.
As if I needed any more distractions, I felt my phone vibrate against my back pocket. I took it out to see a text from Jeremy.
Jeremy (10:22pm): Where are you?
Me (10:23pm): On my way up.
Shoving the phone back in my pocket, I sighed heavily. “I have to go.” He nodded. I was midway through shrugging his jacket off when he grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Keep it, that way you can have my scent near you, and hopefully it will make the decision about us easier for you.” He flashed that dimple and gorgeous smile I was beginning to love and leaned down to plant a small kiss on my forehead. Without another word, he strode to his car which was parked only a few feet away. I watched him get in before I entered the building. What just happened?
