Love For Hire: The Helena's Grove Series Book 2 (8 page)

The party at the Cole’s was full of people who asked about Marcus. Annie tried desperately to avoid giving as much information as possible. By the time they got home, she felt wrung out and wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep.  She and Marcus both climbed into bed in silence. No crying, no bonding, no sweet kiss on the cheek and no cuddling. The bed seemed cold and Annie pulled the covers up to her chin to stop herself from shivering. After lying awake for what seemed like hours, Annie finally drifted into sleep. She dreamt Marcus was with her, but she could never quite find him. He was there one minute and gone the next. Then Annie was left alone in the dark, searching for someone, anyone that could help her. She cried out, hoping someone would hear her and come to her rescue. She could see Marcus in the distance, but he wouldn’t look at her. She called his name, but his back was turned to her. She called again and just as he began to turn Annie felt something on her arm. She awoke with a start and saw Marcus sitting on the bed next to her, one hand on her shoulder, shaking her.

“Wake up, you’re having a bad dream,” he told her.

Annie looked around as the fog from her dream began to fade. “Sorry,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I was up.”

Annie nodded and sat up slowly. Marcus was silent but his face said there was something on his mind. “What is it?” Annie asked.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the other night. What I did was completely unprofessional and I apologize. I’ve noticed that you’ve been hanging back a little, especially at the party last night. Like you aren’t sure about me or our arrangement but I can assure you, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m here and I’m going to do my job.”

“What exactly did you do that you feel was so unprofessional?” Annie asked, feeling she needed to be clear about it.

He took a deep breath. “When we, uh, cuddled and I…” He paused looking for the right words. “I kissed you.”

“You’ve kissed me before.”

“I know but when it’s just us… it was unprofessional and it won’t happen again.”

Annie nodded and looked away. She didn’t want him to see how much his words hurt.

“I don’t want you to feel that you can’t play your part because you’re worried about what I might do or what it might mean. This is a business arrangement. You are paying me to do a job and I’ll do it.”

“You’re saying that I’m not being very convincing?”

Marcus opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“I can be more convincing,” she told him.

“I’m not blaming you and I’m not saying that anyone suspects anything. I just want you to feel comfortable.”

“That’s very considerate of you.”

“I’m a business man Annie. This is business and…”

“I understand,” Annie interrupted. “Thank you for clearing that up.”

Marcus nodded and left the bed. Making his way to the door, he turned to her. “Coming down for breakfast?”

Annie nodded. “I’ll be down in a couple minutes.”

Marcus nodded again and left her in silence. She sat there, feeling simultaneous hurt and relief by his words. Hurt because she now knew, once and for all that Marcus had no other feelings toward her other than what a business partner would feel, and relief because she could finally stop worrying about it. She would no longer have to wonder if each touch, each kiss, each movement that Marcus made meant something to him. She could get through this week and go back to her life with no major damage to her heart. Taking a deep breath and trying to feel okay with the situation, she got up, got dressed and made her way downstairs, determined to be the best, most attentive girlfriend she could be. After all, with no risk of injury she could just have fun. Without any attachment, she could enjoy this service she was paying for.

Sunday and Monday were full of much needed relaxation for everyone. Annie wasn’t used to going to so many functions and being up so late night after night so she was glad to take it easy. She upped the flirtation with Marcus and everyone seemed to buy it; however, she and Marcus had no more intimate moments. And while Annie found herself still wanting to cuddle up next to him at night, she restrained herself. It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that Marcus started a conversation that was about more than the holidays or the weather.

“Are you excited for the party tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure, they’re nice people and their house is beautiful so it should be really nice.”

“What are you going to wear?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’m torn between a dress and my new pair of slacks.”

“Oh dress, for sure.”

Annie looked at him. “Why dress?”

“Because dresses are way hotter than slacks,” Marcus said with a nod.

Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a very strong opinion.”

“It’s the opinion of ninety-nine point nine percent of men.”

“Says you.”

“Says men.”

“Well I’m not looking to impress anyone so I’ll probably wear my slacks,” Annie said walking to the closet to get them.

“Ouch,” Marcus said quietly.

“What?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Well if I’m your boyfriend, and I say I like dresses better and you wear your slacks because you aren’t trying to impress anyone, what does that say about our relationship?”

Annie looked down at the pants in her hand and felt her face go red. “Our pretend relationship?” she said evenly. “I think the slacks look nice.”

“I didn’t say they don’t, I just think a dress would be more attractive.”

“Well…” Annie countered, “I’m not trying to impress you because you’re not really my boyfriend.”

“Alright, but I still think the dress would be sexier.” He pulled two shirts out and held them up. “Which one do you like better?”

Annie looked at the two shirts for a moment. One was blue with black pinstripes and the other was black with white pinstripes. “Do you notice all your shirts are the same?”

“Do you know that you talk in your sleep?” he teased, grinning.

Annie stared at him. “I do not.”

“Oh, you most certainly do.”

“Did you know that you hum when you shave?” Annie shot back.

Marcus thought a second. “Do I?”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” she said nodding and pointed to the black shirt. “I like this one.”

He put the other shirt back and handed her the black one. She looked at the shirt then back at him. “I just thought you’d want to get it ironed ahead of time. That way you won’t have to do it tomorrow,” he offered.

“Oh. No, I think I’d rather wait until tomorrow,” she said, handing it back to him.

He made a face. “Do you realize that you are the most accommodating person on the planet, unless someone specifically asks you to do something? Then you decide you don’t want to.”

“Are there any other horrible characteristics of mine that you’d like to get off your chest?” she asked sarcastically, feeling a growing twinge of irritation inside her.

Marcus thought for a moment. “You say the word ‘awesome’ a lot.”

Annie scoffed, “I do not!”

“Yes you do. And you constantly apologize for things, even though you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Annie glared at him, the irritation quickly growing into anger. “You have plenty of your own annoying traits.”

“Name one,” Marcus laughed.

Annie thought a moment. The truth was, she really couldn’t think of that many. Then a smile spread across her face and she moved slowly across the room to stand in front of him. She reached for the shirt he held in his hand, getting as close to his body as possible. Standing as straight as she could, she looked into his face. She could feel her breath speeding up and their hands touched as she slowly took the shirt. Then she stood on her tiptoes and put her hands on his chest to steady her. She could feel his heart beating under her right hand and it thrilled her that she could have at least some affect on him. She put her mouth close to his ear and he leaned in to her. She took a deep breath and said in the most sensual, seductive voice she could muster, “You snore.”

Marcus’ mouth dropped open as Annie backed away with a smirk and headed out the door. “No, I don’t!” he told her emphatically.

“Oh, yes you do,” she called back, leaving him staring after her, his head shaking back and forth. Annie felt exuberant. It was by far the most seductive thing she’d ever done and it excited her that she’d pulled it off. If he wanted her to be platonic, she could be. But she couldn’t deny the electricity between them, and judging by his quickening heart beat, now he couldn’t either.

Wednesday evening Marcus and Annie got ready for the party. This was it, New Years Eve; the last night of their arrangement. Annie tried not to think of the party as the last time she’d spend time with Marcus as her boyfriend. She’d gotten used to him being there, used to having him in bed with her, used to his smile and antics. She shook her head, trying in vain to get the thoughts, feelings and emotions out of her mind.
Business, business, business,
she repeated to herself as she applied her mascara.

“Are you almost ready?” Marcus poked his head into the bathroom.

“Not quite, if you want to head over with Aunt Gabby I’ll catch a ride with Zack and Jen later. They said they’re going to be a little late.”

“No,” Marcus said, shaking his head casually, “that’s ok, I’ll wait for you.”

“Ok,” she said and continued with her mascara. She stopped when she noticed Marcus hadn’t left the doorway. “Do you need to come in here?”

“Uh, no. I just…” He paused as he played with the cuff on his shirt. “Thanks for ironing my shirt.”

Annie looked at him and their eyes met for several seconds before she replied with a smile, “You’re welcome.”

“I’ll just be downstairs whenever you’re ready.” He turned to leave, but stopped and turned again slowly. “I also wanted to tell you…” He paused and grinned teasingly. “There aren’t many women that can pull off slacks but I think you look good in them.”

Annie was caught off guard. She looked down at the mascara tube in her hand, blushing.

“In fact, I want you to know you look good… in most things. So, don’t worry about what to wear tonight. You could wear anything…” He looked around as if embarrassed.

Annie noticed for the first time since she’d met him that he wasn’t in complete control. Apart from the night they talked about her mom he had always been the picture of confidence. But now he seemed tense and nervous, and for some reason the thought made Annie smile. She nodded at his compliment. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.”

He nodded, lingered for a few more seconds and then left the room.

Annie walked to the closet and pulled out the white silky blouse paired with black slacks she’d chosen for the evening. Pausing, she turned back and looked at the black dress she’d brought. She’d never actually worn it. She’d bought it on a whim one day when she was feeling adventurous as it was farther out of her comfort zone than she’d cared to admit. She pulled it from the closet and held it up to her. It was sleeveless, with a swooping neckline and hem that reached just above her knees. She looked at the slacks she’d laid on the bed, and then at the dress. She bit down on her lip as she thought of Marcus’ compliment and smiled. “What the hell,” she said out loud and slipped into the dark dress. She put on her fairly comfortable black high heels, did one more check in the mirror, applied a bit more red lipstick and walked downstairs.

Marcus stopped mid sentence when Annie walked into the kitchen. He stood slowly and stared at her from her shoes to her hair. His silence and wandering eyes made her slightly uncomfortable. It wasn’t until Aunt Gabby saw her that Marcus seemed to remember she was there.

“Oh, you look gorgeous!” Aunt Gabby gestured to her. “In fact, I’ve never seen you so beautiful… just like a movie star! It’s a good thing you’re taken or you’d have a hard time keeping the guys away from you tonight!”

“Thank you Aunt Gabby,” she said, blushing slightly. She walked to Marcus and put her arm around him. “It is a good thing I’m taken.”

“Well let’s go shall we?” Aunt Gabby suggested, grabbing her coat and heading toward the door.

Annie began to follow but Marcus caught her wrist before she could go. She looked up at him, and he gave her a smirking smile. “You decided to wear the dress?” He looked straight into her eyes.

Annie looked down at her outfit, glad now she had taken the chance. “Yeah, I figured, why not? If my boyfriend likes it then I like it.”

He nodded. “You. Look. Breathtaking.”

Annie felt her heart skip at his words. “Thank you,” she mustered. “We better not keep Aunt Gabby waiting.”

They rode in silence to the party. Marcus’ eyes were on the road the entire time. He didn’t touch her once. They arrived at the Grant’s shortly. The entire house was decorated tastefully in lights, garlands, and ornaments. Christmas music flowed softly through the house as they made their way to the large room where the majority of people were mingling. 

They were greeted and given wine by Mr. Grant, who was known for his love of wine. He was a business man who had done well and was friendly enough. They made their way through the crowd, saying their hellos. Annie spotted Lance and Amelia and quickly turned the opposite direction but it was too late, Amelia had spotted her.

“Annie!” she yelled from where she stood. She grabbed Lance by the wrist and dragged him through the crowd until they stood in front of her. Annie pasted on the most pleasant smile she could. “Hey you guys! How are ya?”

“Oh we’re just dandy. Quite the party huh?” Amelia said loudly. She’d obviously been sampling the wine for a while.

“Yes, it’s beautiful and I really like…”

“Yeah the wine is good too!” Amelia cut her off, lifting her half empty glass. “You look really good in that dress.”

“Thank you.” Annie was beyond uncomfortable. She glanced at Lance who smiled at her but didn’t say anything.

“So,” Amelia continued, “where is that boyfriend of yours? The one you were bragging about at Thanksgiving.”

“Amelia,” Lance said firmly but quietly.

“What! I’m just asking!” She pulled her arm from his grasp and looked at Annie, waiting.

“I’m actually not sure where he is right now. He went to get…”

“Hey babe.” Annie heard Marcus’ deep voice behind her and she smiled without thinking. She turned and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Marcus these are my friends, Lance and his wife Amelia.”

Marcus stepped forward and shook both their hands. His demeanor was professional, his hair perfect and his confidence intoxicating. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Amelia’s mouth hung open. “Wow! Little Annie, look what you’ve caught!”

Annie winced at how loud Amelia was talking. She glanced at Lance who looked even more uncomfortable than she felt.

“What a handsome man!” Amelia gushed on. “Aren’t you just the luckiest girl!”

Annie held Marcus’ hand, unconsciously squeezing it whenever Amelia spoke.

“Some girls have all the luck! I got lucky though, I got my Lancey, and he’s fantastic of course!” She laughed loudly. “I just never pictured Annie with a guy like you; I mean you two seem to be different kinds of people.”

“Actually,” Marcus cut her off, “I’m the lucky one. I knew I loved her the minute I met her. She’s everything I hope to be…” He put his arm around her shoulders protectively and looked at her. “I’m lucky she took a chance on me.”

Annie’s voice seemed to fail her, so she just kept quiet.

Amelia stood there like someone had smacked her in the face. “Well isn’t that just so nice. It’s good to see you folks.” She grabbed Lance and was gone.

“You are my hero,” Annie told Marcus. “That woman is awful.”

“I’m glad I could be of service.” He wrapped his other hand around her so she was facing him. Her breath caught from the unexpected move. His hands lingered on her waist as he spoke to her. “You really are an amazing person Annie. I wish you could see how amazing you are. How beautiful you are.”

Annie stared at him; their lips only a couple inches apart. She tried not to think of how easy it would be to close the gap between them. She wished she could muster that seductive Annie she’d been the other day when she’d whispered in his ear. But she couldn’t do it. She waited, hoping beyond hope he would make the move. Hoping he would just kiss her. Not because he had to, not because he was pretending to be her boyfriend, but because he wanted to. The moment was perfect. Several seconds passed and Annie willed his lips to touch hers. It was only two inches. She felt his eyes bore into her and watched them flutter to her lips for half a second. Annie’s breathing began to pick up.
Please,
she thought.
Please just do it!
Suddenly there was a loud noise somewhere to their left and Marcus broke their eye contact, turning to see what was going on. The moment was gone. Another opportunity missed, another shot not taken.

Annie composed herself, fighting the disappointment as they watched Mr. Grant stand on the staircase. He called out again and everyone turned their attention to him. “Thank you all for coming to our house to celebrate the New Year,” he said in a cheerful voice. “There’s plenty of wine and appetizers so please help yourselves. We have about an hour and half until midnight so until then, enjoy the evening and each other. And we’ll ring in the New Year with a good time.” He raised his glass and the audience cheered.

Zack and Jen had arrived at that point and found Marcus and Annie.

“I’m so sorry we’re late!” Jen apologized when they were all sitting down. “We got caught up and… yeah.”

Marcus and Annie shared a ‘don’t ask’ look.

“Did we miss anything?” Zack asked, changing the subject.

“Not really,” Annie told him.

“We met a couple of your friends,” Marcus told them. “Lance and Amelia.”

Jen gave a disgusted face. “Ugh that woman is the most annoying…” She put her hand up as if to stop herself from saying something mean.

“Lance is a nice guy though,” Annie offered. “It’s not his fault his wife is a little obnoxious.”

“I thought you hated Lance.” Zack looked surprised.

“I don’t hate anyone Zack. Hate is a very strong emotion.”

“I feel sorry for Lance; there are a lot of guys like him,” Marcus added.

“It’s his fault for marrying her,” Jen said stubbornly. “Anyway, we should get some more wine and dance a little.” Her eyes lit with excitement as she and Zack got up and made their way to the wine bar. They soon returned with a full bottle of wine and a large plate of appetizers.

“I figured we could all share,” said Jen and the four of them enjoyed the food and each other’s company. Soon it was announced there was only fifteen minutes until the New Year. Mr. Grant asked the crowd to gather outside for the countdown. By the time they made it out the door and on the great lawn there was only five minutes left. Shivering, Annie wrapped her coat tightly around her wishing Marcus would put his arm around her to keep her warm. They joined the crowd in the countdown. Five, four, three, two, one, HAPPY NEW YEAR! The cheer was deafening as kisses were given and hugs passed around. A man to Annie’s right turned and kissed her square on the mouth. Annie pulled back, shocked at first but then laughed when he turned and did the same thing to a girl behind him.

“I saw that,” Marcus teased.

“He just grabbed me!” she defended through her laughter.

Marcus smiled down at her. “Happy New Year Annie.” His arms wrapped around her in an embrace. He didn’t pull away but rather tightened his grip and Annie took the opportunity to hold him. When he finally pulled back he looked briefly at her, and in a flash, his lips were touching hers. The kiss was soft at first. Annie felt herself melt into him as fireworks went off somewhere in the background. His hands wrapped tightly around her, roaming her back as the kiss deepened. Annie’s fingers threaded through his hair, something she’d wanted to do since the minute she’d met him. She tingled all over as he pulled her closer to him. The cold was no longer felt as Marcus’ hand went inside her coat, holding her tightly. Out of breath they finally pulled away. Annie’s heart was racing and they were both breathless. Their arms were still wrapped around each other, neither wanting to let go but not knowing what else to do. “I’m sorry,” Marcus said suddenly as he let her go. “I’m sorry.” He turned and walked away. Annie stood in a daze as she touched her lips where his had been only moments before. Then she saw Jen. She was standing a few feet away and had witnessed the entire thing. Annie turned to walk back to the house but knew Jen was following her. She knew she’d have to tell her the whole story because Jen’s eyes had asked, “What the hell was that?” And Annie had answered, “That was our first real kiss.”