by E. M. Abel
“You’re not seriously trying to date Marcus, are you?” one blonde hissed.
I stopped and turned to face her, my jaw clenching as I met her glare with one of my own.
“You can’t seriously be that stupid.”
“You’d think she would have learned her lesson with Jay,” the other blond added.
I clenched my fists at my sides. Don’t punch her. You’re at work. Don’t punch her. You’re at work. I took a deep breath and forced a smile onto my lips.
“What’s the matter? You jealous?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. I turned on my heel and stalked back toward my office. I stopped halfway there and turned back around. “You girls might have more luck with men if you’d stop obsessing over me. Sorry, girls, but I don’t swing that way, and even if I did, I prefer brunettes.”
Stomping down the hall I made my way into the office.
“Hey, girl. What’s wrong with you?” Nick asked as he watched me slam my purse into my desk drawer.
“Those blonde bitches are going to get me fired when I punch those fucking looks off their faces,” I grumbled as I reached over to turn on my computer.
“Yeah. They obviously don’t know who they’re messing with. I mean, you punch ugly big dudes. I can only imagine what you would do to one of them,” Nick remarked, laughing to himself.
I laughed, too, as I felt myself relax. I just didn’t understand why those girls were so concerned with my life.
“Oh, shut up,” I mumbled as I plopped down onto my chair.
“So…” Nick rolled over in his chair to my side of the wall, looking suspicious. “What happened after I left Friday night?”
I smiled and leaned back, crossing my legs, as I tried to keep my blushing under control. I wished I could tell Nick everything, but I couldn’t, so I told him about my upcoming trip to Japan and Marcus moving in to my apartment. His jaw dropped as soon as I said it.
“Marcus Avery is sleeping in your apartment every night? Showering and eating and living there?”
I giggled at his reaction. “Uh, yeah, Nick. That’s usually what you do when you move in to an apartment.”
His eyes narrowed, and he studied my face for a few seconds. “You fucked him, didn’t you?”
Damn. I shook my head and smiled, trying to act casual. “No. We’re just roommates, Nick.”
He rubbed his index finger over his bottom lip. “Hmm…or so you want me to believe,” Nick drawled as he sat in his chair, looking like a villain trying to plot his next move.
I rolled my eyes and turned toward my computer. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Later that afternoon, I got a text from Marcus.
Hey, sexy. Let’s get a drink after work.
That short text was enough to get my heart thumping in my chest as my cheeks flushed. Marcus was quickly consuming my thoughts, my actions, and my world, and it wasn’t good.
Okay. Meet me here at 5.
Yeah, I know it was stupid, but I did it anyway. No matter how much my head was screaming for me to stop, my heart wouldn’t let me. I kept telling myself that this whole thing with Marcus was just fun and temporary. There was no reason to get worried or overthink it. He had already broken my heart once, so I wouldn’t let it happen again. No. I was keeping my heart locked away nice and tight. We were just fucking and having a good time. Nothing more.
At five o’clock, I walked out onto the sidewalk in front of my work. I didn’t see Marcus—at first.
“Hey, sexy. Looking for someone?” Marcus asked in his seductive tone. The raspy sound of his voice was enough to make my nipples stand at attention, not to mention the tingling I felt between my legs.
I turned around and saw him leaning against the brick wall of the building. His eyes were shining in the sun, and his lips were curled into a sexy smile. I bit my bottom lip, resisting the urge to kiss him.
“Hey,” I said as I slowly walked toward him. I swayed my hips and licked my lips. Two can play at that game.
I stopped just inches from his chest and looked up at him. His smell made my body react. I wanted him. Now.
He stood there for a minute, just looking at me. His eyes gradually moved down to my cleavage, his teeth raking across his bottom lip, before he met my eyes again.
“Ready?”
He pushed himself off the wall, inching closer toward me.
“Always.”
Marcus and I walked a couple blocks to a small pub on the corner. It was dark and quiet. A few older guys were sitting at the bar, watching some sports highlights. Marcus led me to a booth in the back corner, and I slid into my seat. He sat across from me with his knee resting against mine. He lifted his hand to the bartender, asked for two beers, and turned to face me.
“So, how was work?”
“Pretty boring actually.”
He smiled. “Yeah?”
I nodded, trying to ignore the heat from his leg pressing into mine. “How was your day?”
He shrugged. “Went pretty slow. I had a hard time concentrating. Too busy wishing I was in bed with you.”
I grinned and stared down at my hands resting on the table in front of me. I could feel my cheeks getting warm. It’s just fucking, Asia. No strings. Be free.
Marcus pushed his knee against mine, trying to get my attention. I looked up, and his eyes were fixed to mine. The light from the windows behind me were spotlighting his face. I could feel my heart pulling again, fighting against the walls I had around it.
When the bartender brought two mugs of beer to our table, I glanced up at him.
“Thanks.” I picked up one and took a long sip.
Marcus’s eyes were still on me.
“What?” I asked as I wiped the corner of my mouth with my thumb.
He just smiled and took a sip from his mug. “Just trying to figure out how quickly we can get out of here, so I can get you home.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “It was your idea to go out for drinks.”
“I know. Stupid idea.”
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my legs, my ankle resting against his calf. I slowly moved it up his leg until the toe of my stiletto was grazing the crotch of his jeans, and then I inched it back down. Marcus smirked as he felt me move against him.
“Are you teasing me, Ms. Fuller?” He took another sip of his beer.
“I hope so,” I replied as I moved my leg again.
Marcus raised his eyebrow and gave me a sexy smile. “You better start drinking, so we can get the fuck out of here, or I’ll end up taking you in the bathroom.”
I pressed my thighs together as my body reacted to his words. My mind pictured him taking me up against the bathroom wall. His eyes were intense as they watched mine, and I could feel my body growing warmer. It definitely wasn’t from the beer. I took another sip.
“Good girl,” he said before licking his lips.
The fact that he was forbidden, that I knew he was bad for me only made me want him more. We had our dirty little secret, and it was intoxicating.
Later that evening, Marcus and I had sex in my bed, and it felt different. It reminded me of the night he had taken my virginity. He was gentle and slow. His eyes connected with mine as he moved himself inside me. I tried to remind myself that this was just for fun, hoping it would somehow keep my heart tucked away, but inside, I knew things were getting out of hand. It wouldn’t be long before I was falling for him all over again. Or maybe I had already fallen.
Marcus must have noticed the change, too, because during the next two days, he stayed away. He would go to the skate park after work with the excuse that he was getting ready for his appearance at Warped Tour, but I knew that wasn’t it. He was keeping his distance, like he always did.
We still had sex, but it was more like fucking. It wasn’t intimate like before. I was hurt that he could so easily separate himself from me, but I was also grateful that he had enough sense to know when things were getting too serious.
This was just the wake-up call
I needed. I had to be sure to keep things more in the friend zone, and I had to put a check on my emotions. The last thing I wanted was to get hurt all over again.
Marcus didn’t do relationships. He was making that perfectly clear, and I couldn’t hold that against him. He’d warned me, and that was what I wanted anyway. Getting hearts involved would only ruin things.
The week went by fairly quickly at work. Nick and I didn’t have much work, so we spent most of our time talking about Luke. I tried to avoid talking about Marcus as much as possible even though he was always the first thing on my mind.
I told Nick about my plans to go to Warped Tour with Marcus. I left out the fact that Marcus and I had become fuck buddies, and he was giving me the best orgasms of my life. I was dying to tell someone though.
During our lunch break on Friday, Nick and I decided to walk to Marcus’s shop to check it out. Well, it was Nick’s idea, but there was no way I would turn down a chance to see Marcus.
After walking two blocks, we looked up at the two-story glass wall. Both of our mouths gaped open as we took in the immensity of it. Marcus Avery Skate and Surf Co. was printed in white near the top of the building.
“Wow. This place is huge!” Nick said as he leaned against the window, cupping his hands around his eyes to look inside.
I took a peek, too, and I immediately spotted Marcus. He was standing on top of a ladder with his shirt off. It was tucked into his back pocket while he hammered a nail into the wall.
I licked my bottom lip as I stood frozen while I stared at him, remembering how he’d tasted and felt on top of me. When I heard Nick clear his throat, I quickly turned to look at him.
“I knew it,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “You little slut.”
I rolled my eyes as I knocked on the glass door. “You don’t know shit.”
Marcus turned around, and his face lit up when he saw me standing outside. He looked down and said something to the guy standing at the bottom of the ladder. As Marcus started climbing down, his friend made his way to the door to unlock it.
The guy was tall and lanky with shaggy dirty-blond hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt and baggy brown cargo shorts with a pair of boots.
“Hey,” he muttered as he turned around, not taking a second glance toward Nick or me.
“What’s up? I didn’t expect to see you two here,” Marcus said as he wiped his forehead with his shirt.
“We thought we would come and check out the shop. I brought you a roast beef sandwich.” I grinned as I held up the brown paper bag in my hand.
I could feel Nick watching us, looking for evidence to prove he was right. Clearing my throat, I quickly handed Marcus the bag and then took in my surroundings.
“This place looks amazing, Marcus. I had no idea it was so big!”
“That’s what she said,” he muttered under his breath as he set his sandwich on a table covered in paper and sawdust.
I laughed and smacked him on the arm. “Shut up.”
“This place really is nice,” Nick said as he walked around the big open space with his arms crossed in front of him.
“Thanks, man. It still needs a lot of work, but I’m hoping it’ll be open in a couple months.”
Turning back toward me, Marcus leaned in and whispered, “I’ll have to find a way to thank you for the sandwich later.”
I could feel myself blushing and remembered Nick was with us.
“Okay, well, we have to go before we’re late. You ready, Nick?” I asked as I walked toward the glass doors.
Nick nodded and smiled at Marcus before he walked toward the doors, giving me a suspicious look.
“Thanks for stopping by,” Marcus said as he opened a bottle of water.
As we headed back to work, Nick wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “You realize Marcus is loaded, right?”
I shrugged. “I guess so. I mean, he’s a pro skater, and he has his own business.”
Nick shook his head and looked down at me with his crystal blue eyes. “You must have a golden va-jay-jay, girl, because you bag the hottest, richest guys in town.”
“Yeah, and the least available,” I muttered under my breath.
Nick stopped in his tracks and tightly squeezed my shoulders as his eyes widened. “I knew it! You bitch! You’ve been fucking that amazing hot piece of ass, and you haven’t told me! What the fuck, Asia?”
I closed my eyes and sighed. Damn it.
“Nick, you can’t say anything to anyone. Shaun and Hailey would flip out.” Trying to intimidate him, I raised my eyebrows and poked at his chest.
“Your secret is safe with me.” He gave me a devilish smile. “As long as you tell me everything.”
The rest of the afternoon, I told Nick everything that had happened between Marcus and me from the moment he moved in. Nick’s eyes widened when I told him how much sex we were having.
“Is it better than it was with Jay?”
I nodded, looking down at the scar on my hand. “It was amazing with Jay, but there’s something different with Marcus. It’s like I can’t get enough of him. My body feels like it’s on fire, and I can’t control myself. I don’t know. It’s crazy.”
“Mm-mm-mm. You better be careful, girl,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Those ones are hard to let go of. If you aren’t careful, you might end up saying the L word.”
Feeling nervous, I rubbed my scar with my thumb. Without saying anything, I looked up at Nick and nodded. I knew he was right, and it scared me.
We rode in Marcus’s car with the windows down as we listened to music. Eminem was rapping, and the bass from the speakers was thumping under me. I couldn’t get the smile off my face as we got closer to the amphitheater. I was so excited. I’d found out that one of my favorite punk bands would be playing at Warped Tour, and the VIP pass hanging down my chest only made my smile wider. Marcus kept grinning at me before turning back to face the road.
I wasn’t sure how to act around him in public. Besides our walks to and from work, we were usually safely tucked away from everyone in our apartment. I was nervous that we might see someone we knew, and everything would be ruined. Reaching over, I turned down the volume on the stereo.
“So, about today…” I peeked over at Marcus. “You know we have to play it cool, right? No touching or anything.” I raised my eyebrow, waiting for him to respond.
He grinned, still looking at the road. “Why? No one there knows us.”
“Um, hello? You’re getting paid to be there. I’m sure a lot of people know you.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean they’ll know you.”
I sighed. “There’s a very good chance that someone who knows me will be there, too.”
Marcus looked at me with a grin. “I’ll try to control myself.”
“Good.”
Turning back to look out the windshield, I tucked my unruly hair behind my ear. I grabbed my VIP pass, turning it around in my hands. An image of Marcus surrounded by girls begging him to sleep with them flashed in my mind.
“I’ve been thinking…”
“Uh-oh.” Marcus laughed.
I smacked his arm. “I think we need another rule.”
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Oh yeah?”
“I think we should only sleep with each other. That is, unless we meet someone. I mean, I know we’re just fuck buddies, but I don’t want to catch some kind of disease from one of your groupies.” I watched him nervously as he drove.
“Seriously, Asia? And where do you think I would find the time or energy to have sex with anyone else?” He grinned and reached over, squeezing my knee.
I shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure.”
“Well, that rule sounds good to me. I don’t like sharing either.” He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
I giggled and blushed as I looked back out the window. “But if you ever did…want to sleep with someone else, just be honest with me, okay? I’d rather you just be up-front, and I pro
mise I will, too.”
Marcus studied my face for a few seconds before nodding once, and then he turned back to watch the road.
When we arrived, everything was already in full swing. There were people as far as my eyes could see. Three different stages were at the far end of the field, and a band was performing on the one to my right. A crowd was gathered around the stage, bouncing up and down to the music. In the middle of the field was a giant half-pipe ramp with skateboarders standing on each side, waiting for their turn. The entire place was surrounded by booths selling food, drinks, clothes, jewelry, and anything else I could imagine.
It was just like I remembered. I was wearing a black tank top and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. I’d decided to wear my DC sneakers instead of flip-flops since I knew I’d probably end up in a mosh pit at some point.
Marcus was carrying his board. He was wearing a white shirt with a Nike logo on the front, a pair of loose black cargo shorts, and of course, his very own Nike shoes. His hair was in its usual total-mess-but-oh-so-sexy style under his black hat sitting in its usual place on the back of his head.
Marcus waved when he saw some skaters he knew by the ramp. He looked at me and tilted his head toward them. “Come on.”
As we made our way through the crowd, people noticed the VIP passes hanging from our necks, and they looked up at Marcus in awe. A group of teenagers ran up to him with markers in their hands.
“Marcus! Marcus! Can we get an autograph, man?”
Marcus smiled. “Sure, where do you want it?”
The first kid held out his T-shirt with a black Sharpie. Then, it seemed like a line was forming. As everyone around us saw the commotion, they quickly got in line to take pictures with Marcus and get his autograph. He was extremely patient while people snapped pictures of him, and he made sure to talk to each person as he signed shirts, papers, and skin.
“You’re fucking awesome, man! I’ve watched all your videos. You’re like my idol!” one kid said as Marcus posed for a picture with him.
