by Jenika Snow
For the next hour and a half Mary’s mom incorporated Lance into any and all conversations that were started. Mary’s anger was slowly rising with each passing moment.
“So Lance, how are things with your father? I heard you’ll be starting your internship with his company soon?”
Lance spent the next hour gushing about himself. Mary couldn’t stand it.
“Lance.” Everyone turned and looked at her. “How is Brittany anyway?” There was a beat of silence as he stared at her. There was no missing the way he gritted his teeth. Aww, so a sore subject. Good. He cleared his throat, looked between her mother and father, and gave them a saccharine smile.
“Actually, Brittany and I have parted ways.” The way he said it, with a slight undertone of distaste, had Mary wondering what her one-time friend had done to him. It was clear he was pissed about how things ended with them. Maybe Brittany had gotten a taste of who Lance Marten really was and had booked it? Not that she wished ill on anyone, but karma and all that.
Lance, with his smooth talking skills, glossed over the Brittany question. “Mary, I was thinking maybe we could get together after the wedding.”
Either her family was too dense to have seen the little ticks of Lance’s anger, or they just didn’t care to continue onto at path of conversation. “Oh, Mary, doesn’t that sound lovely?” Her mother gushed at what Lance said. “I never did understand why you guys broke up, but two years is enough time to get things sorted out. Besides, you’re single, and so is he.”
Mary didn’t correct her mother on the fact she didn’t consider herself single. She and Alex may not have talked about what their relationship was, but she cared for him, and couldn’t see herself with another guy. She just wanted Alex.
She snapped her eyes at her mom, but she was practically fawning over Lance from across the table. “You two should go to the wedding together.” Her mom looked over at Mary. “Since your date obviously isn’t coming, I think it is the perfect timing that I ran into Lance at the club.”
Yeah, perfect timing. Enter sarcasm.
“I don’t think so, and my date, Alex, will be accompanying me. He just had things to do, like I said earlier.” She kept her face firm as she looked at her mom. She would not back down on this. This was going too far, and she had stepped right into it by not saying something sooner. “Sorry, Lance, but I’m sure you can find another date.” Satisfaction filled her when a spark of fire snapped behind his eyes, and she knew he had hit a nerve.
“Well, that’s a shame, but you’ll save me a dance at the wedding, right?” God, she just wanted out of this uncomfortable nightmare.
She didn’t bother responding to his question. “Listen, I’ve got to go.” Mary had enough, and just wanted to get back to the hotel room and wait for Alex. She looked at her phone, and wondered where he was. As it was she didn’t want him over here, because subjecting him to this would be cruel. Margo was giving her the stink eye, and her mother and father were looking at her disapprovingly, most likely because of her “attitude”. In just these last two years she had really felt like she had grown as a person and an adult. She supposed when bad things happened to someone in their life it could make them a stronger person in the long run. She knew if not for the situation with Lance, and the way she had let others make her feel like shit while growing up, Mary might never have had the courage to lay it all out for them right now. Before they could stop her she stood and grabbed her purse.
“Mary, you’re just going to leave without even finishing dinner?” Her mother stood, the surprise clear in her voice.
Mary turned to leave. “I’ve had a long day, so I’d rather just go to the hotel.”
“Hotel?” Her mom’s voice squeaked with shock. Mary’s back was to the table, and she closed her eyes. Yeah, she hadn’t gotten around to telling them she was staying with Alex at the hotel. Turning around she was confronted with everyone now standing, staring at her. There was a bit of hurt on her mom’s face, and that made Mary feel even worse.
“Yeah, I thought it might be a little crowded with Margo and Joe staying here, and besides, it might be uncomfortable for Alex to stay in a place he isn’t familiar with.”
“Alex? You mean the ‘boyfriend’ that isn’t here?” It was clear in Margo’s voice that she thought there was no Alex. Mary was exhausted mentally and physically, and was ready to go.
“Yeah.” She clenched her teeth, feeling that weakness she had always felt slowly start to dissipate. “In fact, leaving is sounding better by the second.”
“Mary, I don’t know what has gotten into you, but your behavior is very rude and unacceptable.” Her father took a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth.
“I agree, Mary. You never act like this. Is there something else bothering you?” Her mom had a tight grip on her linen napkin.
“Just let her go, Mother. She’s ruining dinner anyway. She’ll probably throw a temper tantrum at my wedding also.” Margo sat down and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
That was it. Something inside of Mary snapped. All that weakness they made her feel, the way she allowed everyone to walk all over her and dictate her life, was past the breaking point. She was a grown ass adult, had been surviving without them for the last two years, and was stronger than they gave her credit for. The fighter inside of her rose. Spearing Margo with an angry look had her sister’s eyes widening a fraction. Oh yes, no more standing back and letting herself be looked down upon.
“You are such a bitch, Margo.” The room went deathly quiet after Mary spoke those words. Everyone looked scandalized by her crass statement. It felt fucking great.
“Mary—” Her mother’s high-pitched voice couldn’t sway her from continuing. No, this was a long time in coming.
“No, Mom, I’ve had enough of her shit, and of you two looking at me like everything I do is not up to par with the perfect little lives in this community.” She stared at her parents. “I’m sick of always feeling like I am not as worthy as everyone else.”
“Mary, honey, I didn’t know you felt this way. Her mother’s eyes were big and her tone sincere.
“That’s because you never asked, Mom.” There had been far too many times to count in her life when her parents and sister had made comments about what they expected of her, that she should wear certain things, talk a certain way, or act the way they wanted her to. She was always on display and always felt as though she never did anything right. And it had taken her this long to grow comfortable in her skin. It had taken two years to realize that she was worth something. Alex made her feel special, didn’t expect her to be someone she wasn’t, and cared about what she had to say. He made her feel like a human being. He may not realize it, but he had helped her realize a lot in the very short amount of time they had spent together. She felt like she could be herself with him, and that was very freeing.
The room was still quiet, and she didn’t break her stare from Margo. “I’m tired of you treating me like I’m not good enough for anything. I’m tired of you acting like you’re better than me. And I’m really fucking tired of you being a bitch all the time.”
Her mother gasped, and Margo opened her mouth in shock, but nothing came out. Everyone else stayed silent. At least they were smart in that sense because she was feeling a fire burn inside of her and would unleash it on everyone.
“You’re not better than anyone else, Margo.” She lowered her voice. “You’re my sister, whether the same blood flows through our veins or not. It doesn’t matter to me where you come from, how much money you have, or who your friends are.” She turned to her mom then. “I’m not a doll, Mom, and you can’t make me act a certain way, or do certain things. I’m a human, your daughter, and I’m sick of never being able to feel like myself when I come home.” They held each other’s eyes for a second. In a softer voice Mary said, “And I will never be getting back with Lance.” Mary held her hand up when her mom was about to speak. “Let me finish.” For the first time Marsha Trellis actually
looked at her. “You want to know why I will never be with Lance again?” She looked at her ex, saw the way his nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. “He cheated on me with Brittany, you know, the girl that I used to be friends with. Yeah, I caught them having sex at one of those posh wine parties they always liked to throw.”
“Mary, I think that is enough.” Lance gritted out through her teeth, but she wasn’t about to shut up. Not now, and certainly not ever.
“It’s not enough, Lance, because I want them to know exactly the type of person you are.” His face started to turn a shade of red from his anger.
“You’re making a mistake, Mar—”
“Let her finish, boy.”
Mary snapped her eyes to her father, surprised at the low warning in his voice.
Her father looked at her and nodded for her to continue. “You hurt me, Lance.” Her voice was soft, but she knew everyone in that room heard her nonetheless. “And the entire time we were dating I put up with your drunken verbal abuse because I was scared about being alone.”
She would not cry even though she felt tears prick behind her eyes. They weren’t sad tears, surprisingly, but ones that made her feel clean and happy, because finally getting this off her chest was like a weight being lifted from her shoulders.
“The only thing I am glad about that came from our relationship was the fact I learned a lot about myself and my self-worth by being with you. I’m different now, as you can all see, and that is a good thing.” She took a step back and addressed the room. “Being on my own, standing on my own two feet and handling things myself has made me not feel dependent on others, or what they think about me. I might live in an old, rundown house with a roommate, not able to buy designer clothes or have the newest possessions, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” The tears she had tried so hard to hold in spilled free, but she didn’t care. It felt good to cry, because for once in her life they weren’t because she was sad.
The only sound that could be heard after she spoke was the grandfather clock in the foyer chiming the hour. “Mary, honey.” Mary shook her head and smiled at her mom.
“I don’t want an apology, because what’s done is done. I was tired of having all of that bottled up, but it’s out in the open now, and just know that I will not ever keep it in again. I owe a part of that to Alex, because he has never made me feel awkward in my skin, and has always let me know I am worth something more. I have to go, but I’ll be at the salon tomorrow, Margo.” She didn’t wait for anyone else to reply, just headed to the front door, but stopped when she heard her father’s deep voice.
“You did that to my daughter?” Mary was surprised to hear the unrestrained anger in her dad’s words. There had only been a few times when she had seen or heard her father upset, and they had all been when there was an issue with work. He was stoic, apathetic on the best of days, and showed her, as well as everyone else, very little affection. It was who he was, but right now he was speaking to Lance with rage laced in his voice.
Lance cleared his throat. “Sir—”
“You are no longer welcome in my home, or in the company of my family. I want you out of here.”
She heard her mother start to cry. Mary opened the door and headed out, but stopped when she saw the downpour. Of course. Taking her keys out of her purse, she grabbed her phone in the process, and saw a few missed calls from Alex and texts saying he was sorry he was running so late and that he was on his way. She sent a quick text to him saying to just meet her at the hotel. She was glad he hadn’t gone with her tonight, because no way would she have wanted him to see that circus act. Hitting the unlock button on her keychain she took a step off the landing and made her way quickly to her car. The rain pelted her and she was instantly soaked, but before she climbed in her car she heard the front door open and close and turned around to see Lance walking briskly toward her. He stopped right in front of her, water dripping from his once perfectly done hair, and his eyes narrowed into slits.
“You made me look like a damn fool in there.” She didn’t miss the way he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. She tightened her hold on her keys, refusing to be intimidated. He wouldn’t dare hit her, although she saw in his eyes that he had the urge to.
“I said the truth. If the truth makes you look like a fool then maybe you should take a good look in the mirror, Lance.” It wasn’t a question, but her words clearly pissed him off more because he bared his teeth at her. He lifted his hand, and for a split second she actually thought he would hit her. He held his hand in the air, and she looked between him and his fist.
“If you’re going to do it, then do it.” There was no fear in her words. Holding his gaze, she challenged him to hit her and prove exactly how weak he was. His nostrils flared, and for several seconds he did nothing but stare at her. He dropped his hand and grinned at her. It wasn’t sweet and genuine, but like a damn predator about to attack its dinner.
“You’ll regret doing that, Mary. You have clearly forgotten your place.” With that he stalked to his Porsche, climbed in, and sped off, tires squealing and water spraying everywhere. There was the Lance she remembered, the one with the short fuse but that could put on an act to fool the Pope. Her phone vibrated, and she saw it was a text from Alex.
Alex: K, but R U all right?
Mary breathed out, feeling so overwhelmed.
Yeah, just family drama. I’ll C U there.
Tossing her phone in the passenger seat she made her way to the hotel, feeling good about getting everything out, but also feeling extremely exhausted because of it. At least her family hadn’t tried to stop her from leaving. Despite telling herself not to, the tears she had been holding in spilled down her cheeks.
Chapter Seventeen
Alex stood under the awning at the small hotel in the posh suburb right outside of Brentsville. They had stayed several more hours for practice. His body was sore, and after running home and taking a quick shower and packing his bag, he had headed right over. He tried calling Mary to tell her he was on his way, but there hadn’t been an answer. He felt like shit for bailing on her, and even felt more like a douche when she sent him a text when he was on his way saying to just meet at the hotel. He spotted her BMW pull to a stop under the awning, and right when she got out the valet rushed over to her. She handed him her keys, and he drove the car away, and then it was just her standing a few feet from him, soaking wet, and her eyes red from clearly crying. His heart beat double-time and he moved toward her. Had those assholes hurt her? If so he’d kick some serious ass.
She met him halfway, stopped when she stood right in front of him, and before he could ask her what happened she had her arms wrapped around his neck and had her mouth on his. Surprise filled him at her assertiveness. Had he been wrong that she was upset? He grew instantly hard when she slid her tongue along his bottom lip. Alex didn’t question what she was doing, just wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close to his body so he was holding her weight and her feet dangled above the ground, and took her mouth in a fast, passion-filled kiss. For several long seconds they stood there, kissing like no one was watching, and it was so fucking hot.
She broke the kiss, trailed her lips along his jaw, and whispered in his ear. “Take me to our room, Alex. I need to be with you right now.”
She leaned back and looked into his eyes, and there was no fucking way he was going to question what in the hell was happening. Alex set her on her feet, took her hand in his, and led her past the front desk, and into the elevator. Pressing her against the mirrored wall, he took her mouth again, feeling the elevator ascend, and loving that if he wanted to he could have her right here, right now. She pressed against him, rubbed her body along the length of his, and seemed almost desperate for his touch. His pulse beat at the head of his cock, and he knew he’d need to stop or he’d pull her skirt up and take her right here in the elevator. She was wet, as if she had been standing in the rain, and he broke the kiss and looked down at her. Her dark hai
r seemed even darker now that it was wet, and a glance down at her chest showed the thin material plastered to her breasts, and her nipples rock hard through the bodice.
“You’re soaked.” He slowly lifted his eyes to hers, and his breath halted at the raw look she gave him.
“You have no idea, Alex.” The way she said it made it clear she wasn’t taking about her wet clothes and hair. Holy fucking shit. His girl was hot. Fortunately the elevator dinged when it reached their floor because he had been seconds away from taking her. He took her hand again and moved them quickly down the hall to their room. Once the door was opened and closed behind them, they stood there facing each other. The living arousal that bounced between them had his cock throbbing. He went to her, and at the same time they started tearing clothes away until they were pressed naked against each other. This was not a slow night of making love, but fast and fierce.
He took her to the bed, ran his finger between her thighs, and groaned deeply when he felt how wet she was for him. “Baby, I have to get a condom.” He kissed her and started moving away, but she tightened her hands around his neck. He looked down at her, slightly confused. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m on the pill.” He blinked once at her words, not sure exactly what she was getting at. He was glad she was taking extra precautions. When he didn’t respond right away she continued. “You’ve always used a condom with the girls you’ve been with?” He swallowed, realizing exactly what she was getting at.
“Yeah, baby.” His voice was hoarse, and his dick jumped between them.
“I don’t want anything between us. I just want to feel you.” Mary lifted up and pressed her lips to his. A strangled sound left him when she reached between their bodies, took hold of his cock, and placed it at her pussy.
