I Need You: A Valentine's Anthology (5 page)

****

Dinner wasn’t bad. The food was excellent as was the company sitting across from her. Mariana enjoyed the ambiance of Sentiment, with its romantic candlelit setting at each table and a string quartet softly playing music in the background.

A lush floral arrangement full of white peonies, hydrangeas, and roses was the centerpiece of every table, courtesy of a delivery from the famous floral chain, Madre’s, in New York.

In a short while, B. was going to DJ at the accompanying dance floor while Mariana would watch from where she was seated. That was going to be great. She could enjoy watching her man work for a while before they went home to cap off a great evening.

Ravishing
.

She briefly closed her eyes and squeezed Scott’s Southern grumble out of her head. While she was at it, she would also need to rid herself of the thoughts of him mounting her while she was tied up and blindfolded on his bed, caressing her torso with a single long-stemmed rose before he spread her thighs apart and played with her pussy with one of the many implements he would use that night
; leading her to delve farther into subspace before he pulled her back out...

“Are you okay, babe?” B.’s eyes searched all over Mariana’s face. “You seem flushed.”

“Um,” Mariana lightly tapped her forehead and noticed it was damp, “it’s a little warm in here. I’m going to go to the bathroom and freshen up. I’ll be right back.” She hurriedly left the table and made a beeline to the women’s restroom.

Once inside, Mariana locked herself inside a stall and sat down on the toilet. She laid her head against her palm and shook it in disbelief. Was she really fantasizing about her Dom ex while she was on a date with her boyfriend?
I’m the most horrible girlfriend, ever.
She couldn’t... no, wait... she
could
believe Scott still had that effect on her a year later.

She was having a nice Valentine’s Day with a great man and there she was, comparing the two
, like a fool. If Scott wanted her, he would be with her, simple as that. It was clear Scott didn’t want her by his choice of date that evening.

Who in the hell names their kid Dove?

Mariana wasn’t being fair. She was being childish and petty and it really wasn’t like her. Dove was a very sweet girl who always struck up a conversation with Mariana whenever she was in the office. Dove had been nothing but pleasant to her and sometimes went out of her way to be nice, even taking Mariana out for coffee a few times and footing the bill. Mariana secretly wondered if Dove was paying with Scott's money.

No, no, no
... Mariana refused to get jealous.
Refused.

That’s it! I’m not going to trouble myself anymore with Scott, Dove, and whoever else. I’m going to focus on my relationship with B. and be done with it.
Mariana grabbed some toilet paper, straightened herself out, and left the stall—only to run into Dove, directly in front of her.

“We meet again!” Dove smiled through the mirror. “Excuse me, Mari. C
ould I trouble you to help me tie up the back?”

Mariana hated her. Yes, she hated that bitch.

She was the one who decided to pursue a relationship with Bernard, pushing Scott away. Not that she had a choice, really. Scott forced her hand when he asked her to move out. Asked? No, he
told
her to leave. At the time, she was too devastated to pay him any mind, and spent the week holed up in the guest bedroom, only escaping to use the bathroom. She'd barely eaten that week and whatever food she did consume, her body refused.

She was determined to prove that she didn't need Scott in her life and she was just fine without him! He bought an engagement ring that she
’d picked out, only for it to be a waste of money for him and a waste of time for her. She felt silly thinking about all the times she’d spent researching wedding venues, picking out colors, thinking about which of her friends and family members she wanted to be in her bridal party...

I think you should move out.

She couldn't understand it then and it still made no sense to her now. His voice was calm and his body language was stiff and distant. But she’d remembered his eyes, they were the most telling. They weren't angry; instead, regretful, as if someone or
something
was forcing Scott to break up with her. Even when he'd given her access to his accounts, he’d hesitated to do so, as if he was making a mistake.

A mistake.
A mistake he hadn't bothered to correct.

It took some time
, but Mariana realized it didn't matter if she went out with Bernard that fateful night; the end result still would've been the same. Scott would've broken up with her, she still would've gone out with Bernard...

And she still would be in the current position she's in, helping Scott’s new girlfriend tie up her dress.

She was tired and impatient with him making her wait, when really he didn't know what she was waiting for. He was thirty-six for crying out loud! He should know what he wanted by now.

Maybe it was someone like Dove.
If I was an easy gold digger, I would be available as well!
There went the ugly jealousy feelings again with a sharp aftertaste of wanting to hand Dove a good old-fashioned beat down.

And that dress Dove had on!
A slinky black number that had crisscross strings across the back. There was no doubt that Scott had picked that out for her. Everything Dove had on was reminiscent of Scott. The up-do her hair was in, with small ringlets down the sides. The simple but very expensive jewelry she had on. The earrings were Tiffany, Mariana recognized. She would know since she owned the exact pair.

Even the way Dove presented herself, carrying an air about her that spoke of grace and class.
She was a natural beauty and wore very little makeup during the times Mariana had seen her. She was lean with a pear-shaped body that made fans of every man in the office. If they weren’t already envious of Scott, he gave them just one more reason.

Don't look down at her shoes. Don't look down at her shoes. Don't look down at her shoes!
Mariana glanced down at Dove's shoes. Of course. Of course they were Louboutins. Leopard-print with a five-inch heel. Mariana wanted to say it was a tacky choice in shoe and that a
real lady
would wear something classier. Then she remembered how much those heels must’ve cost and she quickly bit the inside of her cheek.

Expensive shoes aside, that wasn't the most glaring thing about Dove that
captured Mariana's attention. It was one key accessory, one thing that made Mariana not angry, but uncomfortable...

Dove
was collared.

Four

The collar had a diamond-encrusted, heart-shaped key locket that sparkled whenever Dove made a slight movement. Mariana wondered how serious Dove and Scott were in their relationship for him to collar her. She wanted to think that maybe he did that with all of his girlfriends; that she and Dove were just women in a long line of forgettable women that Scott made
that
promise to.

Mariana knew it was a lie.

Scott took being a Dominant just as seriously as he took his career and money matters. He wouldn’t be a Dominant to just anyone and he wouldn’t just pick any woman to be His submissive. She’d have to have a certain quality about her that he could nurture, develop, train, cultivate...

Was Mariana looking at a Caribbean blonde version of herself?

“There you go,” Mariana finished tying up Dove’s dress, “it’s a really beautiful gown you’re wearing.”

“Thank you!” Dove smiled. “Scott picked it out for me. In fact, he dressed me this evening! Can you believe that?”

Actually, yes, I can.
Scott used to pick out every outfit Mariana wore, only the best that would accentuate her features. Part of it was to show her off to everyone. The main reason was to boost her confidence and self-worth. Mariana had never felt so sexy and... boss. “That was sweet of him!” Mariana once again forced a smile. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. “I didn’t know he had such great taste!”

That was an unconvincing lie. She knew all about his taste. The Gucci suits, the Burberry ties, the Salvatore
Ferragamo shoes, and the Breitling watches. Even when he shopped at Target, Scott’s clothes were still of nice quality.

“So do you and B. have any plans after you leave here tonight?” Dove asked.

“I don’t know. The night is still young.” Mariana contemplated asking the next question for fear of an answer she wasn’t going to like. Curiosity still got the best of her. “What are you and Scott doing?”

“We’re going to
go back home and probably get romantic and cozy.” Dove sighed. “Have you ever been with someone with whom you just gelled with sexually, so that you crave that person even though you just had them?”

God, yes.
Mariana could vividly recall Scott forcing his cock into her hungry mouth, holding her steady by his hands on her shoulders as he pumped in and out of her. Then when he came, he wiped his cock with her lips, smearing his seed all over her mouth before she greedily took his cock in again.

That didn’t count the times where he fucked her so hard, she was paralyzed with
ecstasy as they climbed new heights of passion and desire. Just thinking about his moans, whispering in her ears, his strong hands wrapped around her body as he thrust inside her, him slapping her ass asking her if she belonged to him…“Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

“Yeah
...” Dove leaned against the sink and lightly shook her head. “...girl, I wish you could understand what I’m going through. Each and every time he makes me climax.
Each and every time.
He is
amazing.
”

Bitch
.
No, she’s not just a bitch. She’s a basic bitch!
“It sounds like he makes you happy.”
Bitch.

“He does. He travels a lot but he always makes it up when he comes home with gifts.” Dove smiled as she played with the dangling gold bracelets on her right wrist. “Anyway, I need to get back to him. You have a great night, Mari!” Dove once again air-kissed her and left.

Mariana let out the deep breath she’d been holding in for the past several minutes. Before Scott, Mariana realized she had settled. Even if the guy didn’t give her the butterflies in her stomach, the heart-stopping desire, and the toe-curling orgasms, he was ‘good enough.’ After Scott, it became pristine clear – she was settling once again.

Her mother was right. She wasn’t over Scott. Not even close.

****

Dove walked back to her table and sat on Scott’s lap.
“All done, Sir.”

Scott gently kissed Dove’s back. “
How did it go?”

“I stunned her,” Dove leaned over and took a bite of cheesecake, “she hates me.”

Scott chuckled. “Good girl. You’ll be greatly rewarded later.”

“I will admit, Sir, I’ll be sad when my assignment ends. I’ve really enjoyed myself.” Dove fed Scott a bite of cheesecake. “I never thought manipulating someone’s emotions could be fun.”

“Well, we’re not manipulating her emotions,” Scott said through fed bites, “merely bringing out the emotions she’s denying, that’s all.”

Five

“It’s time for me to do my set now,” B. glanced down at his watch and began to excuse himself from the table. Word of mouth traveled around town about his DJ skills and Sentiment hired him for Valentine’s Day. In addition to compensating him nicely, B. also received a free reservation for dinner. “Did you want to join me behind the booth? I have a chair up there for you.”

“I’ll be up there in a minute,” Mariana rubbed her bloated tummy, “I think I ate too much.”

“Yeah, that filet mignon was bomb, huh?” B. smiled.

“Oh
, my God...” Mariana shook her head. “I knew I was done after the first bite and it just continued from there.”

“All right,
mami. Take your time to digest and come join me in a few minutes. But don’t take too long, now.” B. kissed Mariana, his lips playing with hers. “I’ll be waiting for you, boo.”

“I’ll be there, babe.” Mariana smiled him off. She watched him from her chair, introducing himself before he started spinning tunes. Almost immediately, the dance floor was crowded with couples of all kinds dancing to B.’s music.

Mariana paid the most attention to the older couples, reminiscing fondly about her parents, who have been married for over forty years. She only hoped one day she would have a love like they had.

Except I did.

Sadness came over her as she thought about her last Valentine’s Day. She remembered how upset she was seeing how everyone received gifts at work and she didn’t receive anything until Scott surprised her at lunch. A romantic drive up the coast to a park where an awaiting Mariachi band and picnic was laid out for her. After the romantic picnic, they went back to work but Mariana couldn’t remember the rest of the work day. She was still floating high above the ground. That night, they made love in every conceivable position, solidifying their love over and over.