by E. M. Abel
“I’m guessing he told you,” I mumbled as I made my way toward them.
Shaun was glaring at me, and then he turned his eyes to glare at Marcus. “How long?” he growled.
“Shaun—” I cut in, but he shut me up with his eyes before looking back at Marcus.
“Right before I left for L.A., remember that time when I asked you how you would feel if I tried to date Asia?”
I stopped breathing, and my feet froze. What?
Shaun pushed his back into the chair and ran his fingers through his messy long hair. “I thought you were fuckin’ around! Trying to piss me off.”
“Yeah, well, to answer your question, that’s how long. I’ve had feelings for Asia since I was sixteen. I was just too fuckin’ stupid to realize how serious they were. I’ve come to my senses now, and she knows how I feel. And now, you know.”
Shaun looked at Marcus, and they held each other’s gaze for a few tense seconds before Shaun sighed.
“Fuck. Do you know how fuckin’ weird this shit is? She’s my little sister for fuck’s sake!”
Marcus leaned back in his seat, obviously feeling more relaxed.
“Would it make you feel better if we didn’t touch or kiss around you?” I asked as I got to the table.
Marcus turned to look at me as he started to shake his head. “Uh-uh, babe. Not gonna happen.” Facing Shaun again, he said, “Sorry, bro. Not gonna happen.”
I smacked Marcus on the shoulder. “Why not? I mean, it’s the least we could do to not make things awkward for Shaun.”
Shaun raised an eyebrow at me. “To be honest, Ais, if Marcus agreed to that, I would lose respect for him. Only a pussy would do some dumb shit like that.”
I sighed and threw out my hands. Letting them fall back down, I smacked my legs. “Alright, fine. Whatever.”
“What happened with Jay?” Shaun asked me.
I felt my back go straight, and Marcus turned in his chair to look at me.
“Uh…can we not discuss my old boyfriend right in front of my new one?” I asked, crossing my arms on my chest.
“It’s actually a good question,” Marcus insisted.
I sighed and looked up to the ceiling again. I should have been more specific when I’d prayed.
“He didn’t want me, okay? You guys were right. Well, he wanted me, he got what he wanted, and then he changed his mind when he realized I wasn’t going to change for him.”
I rolled my eyes back down from the ceiling, and I realized that I now had two guys sitting at my dining room table who were pissed off. I tried to ease the tension.
“It’s not a big deal. Really. He came back and said he still wanted to try to work things out, but I refused. Seriously, can you see me dating a CEO? I don’t wanna deal with that shit, especially all those stuck-up bitches with sticks up their asses, riding around in limos and shit. I mean, he has a personal chef for God’s sake!”
Marcus and Shaun looked at each other, and they both busted out laughing.
“What?” I asked, confused.
Now, I was getting annoyed because I knew they were laughing at me. My confusion only seemed to fuel their laughter though. Shaun had his forehead on my table, as he smacked his hand on it. Marcus was shaking his head and holding up his hand toward me, like he was asking me to stop. Keeping my arms crossed, I glared at them and tapped my foot on the floor, growing impatient.
“I still don’t get what’s so fuckin’ funny,” I snapped as their laughter began to die down.
Marcus finally got his breathing under control. “You’re the only female I know who would find limos and personal chefs annoying, babe.”
“Yeah, I mean, who wants to date a CEO?” Shaun asked, mocking me.
“Shut the fuck up,” I clipped as I glared at him.
“Why’d you date him anyway? You knew he was rich,” Shaun said, ignoring my glare and command.
“Well, I…I don’t know. I was just tired of being single, I guess. He was hot, he was interested in me, and he was really sweet. Well, for the most part.”
Shaun shook his head, and Marcus slowly rubbed his hands over his face. That was when I snapped.
“Don’t judge me! You guys have no idea what kind of self-control I had! I went seven years…seven years!” I yelled toward the ceiling as I threw my arms down to my sides. “I used a vibrator for seven fuckin’ years! You guys couldn’t last six months!”
That shut them up.
Marcus just sat there and rubbed his hand over his stubble, obviously trying really hard but failing to hide his smile. Shaun was pushing his forehead against his palm as he shook his head again.
I opened my mouth to keep talking, but Shaun threw up his hand in my direction.
“Shut up.”
“I was just gonna—”
“Asia, please, please, I’m begging you. Shut. Up.”
I walked over to my couch and plopped down. Crossing my arms over my chest again, I pouted. I really hated it when people would tell me to shut up. Actually, I hated being told what to do at all.
“You sure about this?” Shaun asked with his eyebrows raised.
Marcus turned away from me to look at Shaun. “I’m sure,” he answered. “So, we good?”
“Yeah. We’re good. I know I don’t need to say this, but I’m gonna say it anyway. Don’t fuck her over, Marcus. You’re like a brother to me, but don’t think I won’t go after you if you fuck things up.”
I stopped pouting and looked over at the grave expression on my brother’s face. No matter how annoying I thought he was or how much he pissed me off, I could never doubt that he loved me—even if he had a weird way of showing it.
That night after Shaun left, I had to spend an hour on the phone with Nick, telling him about my new relationship and the confrontation with Shaun. Then, I had to listen to Nick go on and on about how he was happy for me, but I still needed to avoid using the L word. He had already known about our upcoming girls’ night since Hailey was the one who called him to spill the beans about Marcus and me. Luckily, he didn’t tell her that he had known about Marcus and me having sex, and I could tell he was feeling pretty smug about it.
When I got off the phone, it was seven fifteen. Marcus was in his room, lying on his bed with his head resting in his hands. I leaned against his doorway, studying him. His long legs were stretched out on the bed, crossed at the ankles. I could see his black boxers sticking out between the top of his shorts and his white T-shirt. His flat stomach and broad chest were moving slowly with his breaths, and his tattooed muscular arms were on display near his messy, sexy hair.
By the time, my eyes made it to his face, I saw Marcus was looking at me. He wasn’t smiling or smirking. He was just watching me. His eyes were warm, and they were staring directly into mine.
“Come here, babe,” he invited as he moved one of his arms and held it out for me.
I smiled and walked to the end of the bed. I crawled my way up until I was lying next to him. Curling into his side, I put my arm across his stomach as I rested my head on his shoulder.
“What are you thinking about?” I tilted up my head to look at him.
“I was just thinking about sending Jay a thank-you card for being such a dumbass.”
I chuckled. “What? Why?”
“I owe him. If he wasn’t so fuckin’ stupid, I might have lost my chance with you.”
I moved my arm from around Marcus’s waist and rolled onto my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows.
“Jay’s not a dumbass, Marcus. We just weren’t right for each other, that’s all.”
Looking down at me, Marcus used his arm that was holding me to reach up and tuck my hair behind my ear. “You really have no clue, do you?”
“No clue about what?”
“How amazing you are.”
For some reason, his words sank in deeper this time. I liked it when he’d told me I was amazing before, but this time was different. His eyes were so warm, and the way he was looking at me m
ade my heart throb in my chest. This time, I knew he meant it, and he was right. I didn’t believe it, and that hurt. It was one thing for someone to insult you or hurt you, but it was an entirely different thing when the one person who didn’t believe in you and didn’t think you were anything special was…you.
I looked down at my hands resting on the bed, and I bit my bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears stinging my eyes.
“Hey.” Marcus cupped my cheek with his rough hand and lifted my face, so I would look at him. “If you wanna be free, Asia, all you have to do is see yourself through my eyes. If you could see how beautiful you are, what an amazing artist you’ve become, how you light up a room just by walking into it, you would realize that you have no reason to keep yourself locked up. You should be proud of who you are, babe. ‘Cause you are amazing.”
I stayed there on my stomach, staring up at Marcus, as tears fell down my cheeks. This time, I let them fall.
“Oh my god,” I breathed as I felt Marcus between my legs.
He had been down there for a while, and I was just coming down from my second orgasm. My right hand was gripping his hair tightly. My left one was beside me where Marcus’s fingers were laced in mine, and I was holding on to him for dear life. His other arm was wrapped around my thigh, his warm hand holding on to me, as I came apart.
When he was done, Marcus kissed his way up my body as I tried to regain control of my breathing. Marcus’s eyes connected with mine, and without saying a word, we watched each other as he slid himself deep inside me. My mouth went slack, and I gasped as I felt how hard he was. His eyes looked more beautiful in that moment than they ever had before. The hunger and desire I saw in them took my breath away.
Marcus starting moving slowly, circling his hips each time he was fully buried inside me, and I licked my lips as we continued to stare into each other’s eyes. When I started breathing faster as I felt another orgasm coming on, Marcus tilted his head down, covering my mouth with his, as he started thrusting faster and deeper inside me.
I was lost in that kiss. I was lost in him. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t even see. All I could do was feel, and there were so many feelings coming in at once. Marcus’s warm mouth, his rough hands, his hard dick, my heart expanding in my chest, my hands running over the stubble on his jaw, my legs wrapped around his waist, my body convulsing and tightening around him—it was all too much and not enough. It would never enough.
As the wave of my orgasm came over me, I felt tears escaping my eyes again, but these were not sad tears. This time, I had tears of pure ecstasy.
I held on tight to Marcus’s shoulders as he started moving faster. He was grunting with each stroke as he kissed and licked my neck. I knew he was close, and I squeezed myself tight around him. Shuddering in my arms, he was breathing hard on my shoulder, still thrusting hard, until he suddenly stopped.
“Shit.”
Quickly pulling out of me, he sat up on his knees and began stroking himself, his shoulders convulsing, until he came on my thigh.
We forgot the condom. Shit!
Lying there, I watched him until he finished, and then he rolled and landed on his back next to me. He was panting, and I was still breathing hard when he looked over at me.
“We need to get you on birth control.”
Biting my bottom lip, I nodded. “That was close. I’m glad you realized you didn’t have a condom on because I was not thinking—like at all.”
Marcus smiled at me as his breathing became steady. Then, his eyes moved to the side of my head. As he reached over, wiping away one of my tears, his eyebrows drew together. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head and wiped off my other tears. “Nothing. Don’t worry.” I smiled. “These are good tears.”
Marcus grabbed a T-shirt off the floor and cleaned my leg. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his tattooed arm. “Are you sure? I don’t think I’ve ever made a woman cry while she was coming before.”
I nodded. “I’m sure.”
He extended a hand and lightly stroked my cheek with his fingers. “You have a beautiful smile.”
Turning on my side to face him, I leaned over to give him a soft kiss. “Thanks.”
“And just so you know, I’m clean.”
This time, my eyebrows drew together. “Huh?”
“I’m clean. My sponsors make me get physicals all the time, and I’ve been tested. Just thought you’d want to know. I got tested right before I left L.A., and I haven’t been with anyone since.”
“You haven’t?” I asked, unable to hide the shock in my voice.
He chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised, babe. I know you probably won’t believe me, but I’m actually pretty picky about who I sleep with. After seeing you at your dad’s house that night, there was no way I was gettin’ hard for anyone else.”
I fell back on the pillow, and I began laughing so hard that my shoulders were shaking. Marcus pulled himself up, so his elbow was propped on his pillow.
“What’s so funny?”
“You sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I said between laughs.
“Are you tellin’ me you weren’t impressed with my incredible charm?” He smirked as he raised his dark eyebrow.
I grinned, cupping his jaw in my hand. “So impressed.”
Marcus lunged forward, pushing me onto my back, and he started tickling my sides and my hips. Not many people knew my hips were my most ticklish spot, but Marcus, of course, did.
As I started bucking underneath him, I was laughing so hard that I was crying, and that was when it happened. I farted. Marcus’s hands stopped moving, his eyes got wide, and his mouth fell open, a smile curling up the tips of his lips. I was instantly mortified. Oh my god! No. No. No. I quickly covered my face with my hands. Since Marcus was still on top of me, I couldn’t go run and hide in a closet somewhere. I could feel Marcus’s body shaking on top of me as he began chuckling.
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up,” I said through my hands.
“Aw, babe, that was so cute. Don’t be embarrassed. I bet it smells like roses.”
“Oh my god! Shut up, Marcus! Oh my god,” I said through my hands again.
He dropped his face into my neck and kept laughing. I couldn’t look at him. I had to go hide somewhere long enough for him to forget this had ever happened. Farting was something women did when they were married, and their husband was stuck with them, not when they were dating and definitely not when they were naked in bed together.
“Get up. Get up. Get up!” I ordered as I repositioned my hands, so they were only covering my eyes.
“Why are you covering your eyes?” Marcus asked, still cracking up on top of me.
“I can’t look at you. Now, get up!”
Marcus just started laughing harder as he gave in and rolled off of me. Without looking at him, I yanked the sheet out from under him, wrapped it around my body, and took off running toward my room. I could still hear him snickering when I slammed my door behind me. I sat on the floor with my back pressed against the door as I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.
“Oh my god. I just farted in front of Marcus,” I whispered to my knees before I giggled.
If my life were a movie, this would be the part where the love montage would start. You know, the part in movies when romantic music plays as you watch scenes of the couple laughing together, cooking together, rolling around on the sand and kissing. If it were up to me, “Glitter in the Air” by P!nk would be on the soundtrack while you saw scenes of me sitting on the bleachers at the skate park, watching Marcus skate, like I did when I was in high school. You would see him holding me on the couch while we watched goofy movies and laughed together. You would see him sitting on my bed for hours, watching me paint. By the time the next week rolled around, I was in deep, really deep.
Things were perfect, which is probably why what happened on Friday happened at all.
On Tuesday morning, I had seen my gyne
cologist. Somehow, I’d lucked out, and someone had canceled, so my doctor had gotten me in right away. I had received a prescription for six months of birth control pills, and luckily, my period had started the very next day.
Since I didn’t work on Tuesday morning and things were getting busy, I had to stay late on Friday evening. Marcus had said he would wait for me and walk me home. I sent him a text to let him know I was wrapping things up, so I’d be ready to go around six thirty.
After clearing my desk and turning off my computer, I made my way down the hall toward the front lobby. Then, I saw Marcus standing outside the glass doors, smiling and talking to one of the blonde bitches. He knew how I felt about them. I had complained to him about them once before, yet there he was, smiling and laughing with one of them.
I clenched my jaw and pulled my purse strap up higher on my shoulder as I walked toward the door. Just before I got there, I saw the blonde reach out her hand and touch Marcus’s forearm. That bitch. I pushed the door open, barely missing her, as I shot daggers at her with my eyes.
“Whoa,” she said as she turned to look at me.
“Sorry, did I miss?” I hissed at her as I looked down at her hand that was now releasing Marcus’s arm.
Marcus took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. Then, that bitch had the nerve to roll her eyes at me. She rolled her eyes at me!
She turned back to face Marcus and smiled. “I’ll see you around, Marcus,” she said in her breathy slutty voice. She shot me a glare and walked away, making sure to shake her ass as she did.
Marcus didn’t say anything. He just stood there with his arms crossed, looking at me, like I had done something wrong. Me!
“What?” I snapped when the blonde bitch was out of sight.
“What the fuck was that?” he asked back.
“What do you mean what the fuck was that? That bitch was all over you, and I can’t stand her! And you know I can’t stand her!”
