Taking Over (6 page)

“He's
right about that.” She sat on the ottoman. “We’d been headed towards a divorce for
a long time before then. The whole mess with Dale finally gave him the shove he
needed. The next day movers arrived and took the rest of his stuff.”

“Your
mom still doesn't know?”

“No.
She doesn't know anything about any of it and we're keeping it that way.”

“What
about Dale? It seems like it might be a lot of work to keep his hands off you.”

“He
tries. I've gotten better at keeping furniture between us and twisting his
wrist when he gets too close.” She flung the throw over the couch. “Can I get
my clothes?” She was done. She could handle no more confessions and she
definitely couldn’t deal with more questions from Marcus.

“No.”

“Look,
I'm tired.”

“You
need to eat something for dinner.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Keller made me
promise I'd take care of you.”

“Fine.
Give me a
minute to freshen up. Check the fridge. There are probably a couple of options.
If there's nothing you like, call Andrew. He'll bring whatever you want. His
number's in my phone.”

“If
you don't come back out soon, I'm coming to check on you.”

“Careful
there, Marcus. A girl might get the feeling you don't despise her.”

“This
is a lot to take in, but let’s just say I can see how complicated your life has
been. None of it could have been easy for you.”

“I
won't apologize for what I've done.” She’d kept her mother from another bout of
depression. Sure, she’d lost a lot in the process, but she wouldn’t be able to
live with herself if she’d let the alternative happen.

“Go,
freshen up and I'll find something for us to eat.”

****

His
chest felt heavy with all she'd told him. He didn't know what bothered him
more, that he believed her or what that prick of a stepfather put her through. Her
goal had been protecting her mother. When they were young, he’d stepped away to
protect his friendship with Rob. It was past time someone protected her.

He
was probably the last person she wanted fighting for her though. However, he
learned a long time ago to give a woman what she needed and not what she
wanted.

An
odd feeling flashed across his thoughts. Could he still be in love with her? His
heart beat faster and faster. It would never work between them, not now. He’d
only cause her to hurt more and, oddly enough, he was now thinking that was the
last thing she deserved.

His
phone buzzed with a new text message. He pulled it from his pocket.

Rob.
Shit.

I hear you're at
Lake Geneva.
Everything okay?

Yes and no. We
need to talk when I get back. How's Jane?

Good. We're
meeting Charlie on Sunday.

Good luck.

Same to you,
buddy.

Marcus
wasn’t thinking straight. Maybe food would help. He looked through the fridge
and found several options. From soup, to stew, a bounty of fruit and
vegetables, but it was the fresh pizza he selected. Comfort food seemed a good
fit. The note on the wrapping led him to a pizza stone in the cupboard and to
preheat the oven. Next, he took out the fixings for a salad.

A
buzzing sound came from the bedroom. He followed it and found Gina sprawled out
over the bed. She hadn't bothered to put any of her clothes back on. They lay
in a pile next to her. She must have come back here and fallen right to sleep.
With her hair sprawled around her and the setting sun casting rays over her
backside, she was a vision.

He
imagined the events as she'd told them. The Gina he knew back when he was young
was completely capable of making that kind of sacrifice for her mom, but not
the woman he knew her to have become. Could he really have it all wrong? Could
she simply be lashing out at everyone around her because she couldn’t call out
the person who had done her wrong?

The
buzzing came again, filling the room. He was afraid she'd wake up. The sound
seemed to be coming from her purse. He dug around the center pocket and found
her phone. The display showed she'd missed a call from Keller. After turning
the sound off on her phone and tossing it back in her purse, he pulled out his
own phone and returned the call.

“How's
it going?” Keller asked.

“It's
been enlightening.” Marcus walked back to the kitchen.

“Is
Dale keeping his hands off Gina?”

“Do
you know?”

“If
you're asking if I know her stepfather is made of utter shit, then yes. I know.”

“Why
have you let Gina handle it this way?” Marcus rubbed his forehead.

“
Let
Gina.” Keller rolled through a
hearty laugh. “I tried to get Gina to see reason but she’s had only one
priority since her father died and it’s been to keep her mother happy. Nothing
I've said or offered to do since the day I met her has gotten her to change her
mind.”

“This
is seriously messed up, Keller.”

“Did
she let you see her mom?” Keller’s voice softened.

“She
did and I have to say for a woman fighting cancer, she is a happy lady.”

“Gina
wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Is
she really living on borrowed time?”

“I’m
afraid so. They only gave her eight months and that was ten months ago.”

“Damn.”

“Gina's
going to need you when her mom loses this fight.”

“Me?
Keller, that's crazy. We don't even get along.”

“You
may be the only person capable of understanding her.”

“She
doesn’t even want me here.”

“That’s
only because she thinks you don’t want to be there. The love in that woman is
strong and has a very long memory. You just have to open that closed-off heart
of yours. It made you lose her once. Don't let it be the reason you lose her
again.”

“Have
you and Rob been talking? You both are barking up the wrong tree.”

“Hardly,
we both came to the same conclusion on our own. Look, if you expect Gina to be
honest, you should be brave enough to do the same.”

“Okay,
that's fair.” His thoughts tumbled like boulders towards a cliff.

“Help
her through this and then we can talk more if you want.”

“Thanks.”
He took a deep cleansing breath. “I'll call you after we talk to Dale again. We
hope to have your funding back where it belongs on Sunday.”

He
put his phone back in his pocket, crept to the bedroom, and picked up Gina's phone,
tossing it, testing the weight. He shouldn't snoop. He shouldn't care to know
anything more about the giant mess she'd created for herself. But if Keller had
it right, Gina had done it all for her mom, who was a lovely woman. He didn't
want either of them getting hurt.

Keller and his head games.
He swiped his
thumb across the screen on Gina's phone. No passcode. The recent call logs
showed three numbers dialed almost daily, her mother, Andrew, and a doctor's
office. Two other numbers were dialed less frequently but he recognized them as
the office and Club Voyage. He selected her contacts and checked her favorites,
those five numbers were the only ones listed.

The
evidence was piling up. The only thing standing in his way now was his need to
not believe a thing she said. He needed to stop messing around. It was possible
the only way out of all this mess was with the truth he'd been hiding from. The
truth he didn’t even recognize now since he'd forced
himself
to hide from it all these years. He picked up the throw blanket hanging over
the nearby bench and covered her.

Chapter Six

Light pushed through her lids. Could she
have slept through the night? Confessing everything had wiped her out last
night. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she hadn’t opened up.
And to Marcus, of all people.
He hated her before. What must
he think of her now?

An
ache rolled through her muscles. At least she made it to the bed. She couldn’t
be wearing any clothes though because she was freezing. Had she kicked off the
blanket during the night? She rolled over to reach for the blanket. A strap of
some kind caught on her wrist.

“Shit.”
She tugged both arms.
Damn.
Her other
wrist was bound too. “Marcus.”

“I'm
right here.” He paced back and forth at the foot of the bed, folding the covers
she wanted.

“Why
did you do this?”

“We
need to talk.” He sat the blanket on the bench.

“I
think we did plenty of that to last a lifetime yesterday.” She tugged on her
restraints, testing for a weak spot, but found none. She drew up her legs. Each
ankle was wrapped in a cuff but clearly not attached to anything. The change in
position gave her just enough slack in the ropes.
If she
worked quickly…maybe.

“Are
you determined to be disobedient?” He tapped her thigh with a crop.

“No,
Sir.” She kept her gaze on the crop. “Is that mine?”

“Yes.”
He set the crop at the end of the bed. “You were right. This place really does
have everything we need.

“We?”

“Yes, we.
Are you
planning to question everything?” He crossed his arms.

She
narrowed her gaze as she weighed her options. Antagonizing this Master would
certainly lead to an unbearable sore ass. She could at least attempt to play subservient.

“Answer
the question, sub.”

“No,
Sir.” She took a deep breath and concentrated on her role at the moment.

“We
shall see if that’s true. I have a feeling the crop is going to get some use.” He
helped her position her foot close to her butt, tugged on the strap connected
to her ankle cuff, and secured it to something on the side of the bed. His gaze
remained on her as he walked around to the other side and secured the strap on
her other ankle in the same way, leaving her spread wide open. “Almost there.”
He climbed onto the bed and pulled on her hips. The slack disappeared.

She
couldn’t move. Her ankles were tight against her ass. She was vulnerable in
more ways than one and each was a cause for concern. After her giant confessions
yesterday, she had no more secrets to spill, none that she’d share anyways.

“We
have quite a few things on our list today.” He pushed off the bed and resumed
his pacing. “We need to discuss our strategy for dealing with Dale, we need to
spend time with your mom, but first we need to discuss a few things between us.”

“There
is
no
us
.”
She tugged on the straps. “I thought at the top of your list would be leaving.”

“Enough.”
He picked up the crop and snapped it against her thigh.

“Sorry, Sir.”
She pressed her
lips together. She wouldn’t be able to sit tomorrow if she kept speaking out.

“You've
made a mess of your life.” He stepped back and crossed his arms.

“Gee,
thanks. Can we talk about your life now?” She closed her knees as far as she
could.

“Actually, possibly against my better
judgment, yes.”
He picked up the crop and used it to press her knees back.

“Are
you going soft on me, Sir?”

“Nice
try.” He tapped her clit with the crop.

“Okay.”
She hissed through her teeth until the sting settled. “What do you want?” She
kept her gaze on the crop as he set it beside her.

“Keller
says I need to be honest with you.” He positioned himself between her legs.

“Be
careful, you might admit you're not perfect.” A case of the giggles erupted
from her. Always on a soapbox, Marcus admitting he wasn't flawless would be
like winning a vacation.

“I’m
far from perfect, honey. Look, I got you to answer a lot of questions
yesterday. Today, I'll answer some of yours.” He pinched her nipple between his
thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth.

“Okay.”
She arched her back and shook her head, trying to process what he said and how
her body was feeling. “I can ask you anything?”

“Anything.”
He dragged his
touch down her belly. “You ask and I’ll play.”

“Were
you happy Rob and I got married?” There were several questions she could ask.
She had no idea why that one had come out first.

He
sat back. “No.”

“I
don't like this game.” He probably thought her unworthy. She didn’t need to
waste any more time feeling bad about her choices. She had her reasons for all
of them.

“You
didn't ask me why.” He caressed her leg.

“Fine.”
She pressed her
lips together. “Why?”

“I
didn't want you to marry Rob. I didn't like you dating him either.” He got up and
took off his shorts, leaving him naked. He was magnificent. From his striking
gaze and chiseled jaw, all the way down over his firm pecs, and the angle of
his body drew her gaze to his thick cock.

“If
you hated me that much, why didn't you try and break us up?” Her breathing
increased as she fought her arousal.

“You
don't get it. When we were young and Rob told me he wanted to ask you out, I
should have told him how I felt.” He stroked his dick. “But you wanted him. You
chose him. I wasn't going to step in the middle of that.”

“I
don't understand. You know what? Fuck you. You really are a piece of work if
you tied me up just to tell me you should have warned Rob away from me. We were
good together. We made each other happy which I can hardly say you've done for
anyone.” Tears flooded her eyes, blurring her vision. She pulled her knees
together. A smack rang through the room and searing heat blasted the side of
her ass.

“Enough!”
He tapped her knee with the crop.

“Fuck!”
She spread her thighs as the burn rolled to her pussy and turned to sparks of
pleasure.

“Leave
those thighs spread open.” He wiped the tears from underneath her eyes and
returned to his pacing. “I didn't want you to be with Rob.” He continued stroking
his impressive cock and then positioned himself on top of her.
“Because I wanted you to be with me.”

“What
are you saying?”

“I
should have told you how I felt.” He caressed her face. “I never said anything.
I knew if I told you how I
felt,
it would put us in an
impossible position. Anyone could see it was Rob whom you connected with. But I
wanted you for myself.”

“Don't
put this on me, you know damn well half the reason I flirted with him was to
get a rise out of you.”

“Gina,
don't you see? If I'd have given in, Rob would have been miserable and you
would have been miserable, too. You loved him.”

“But.”
She sucked on
her upper lip. “He wasn't the only one I loved.”

“I'm
sorry I didn't fight for you, but I did believe I was making the best decision
for the three of us.” He tossed the crop and settled himself between her
thighs, his face close to her pussy. “My lust for you has never waned. I can't
tell you how many times I thought about tasting you.”

“Don't
do this.” Her heart rate increased. She couldn't remember the last time she
wanted something this badly. “Don't change the game.”

“You've
never been a game to me, Gina.” He licked his way from the crack of her ass to
the tip of her clit. “You're even sweeter than I imagined.” He nibbled on her
pussy lips and licked up the cream.

“Why
are you doing this?” She stretched her arms and let her knees fall open, losing
herself in his soft licks and incessant sucking. Her heart felt like it was
unraveling while her pussy pulsed around the beautiful pressure. “I'm going to
come.”

“What
makes you think it wasn't my intention all along?” he sucked her clit into his
mouth, scraping his teeth across her flesh as he let go.

“Why
now?” She rocked her hips back and forth.

“I've
received a lot of pleasure from punishing you, my dear, and I think you know
why.” He kissed his way up her belly. “Do you like my touch?” He pinched her
nipple.

“Most
subs would like this.” She arched her back, as he pinched harder. “Yes, I like
your touch.” She tried to reach out to him, the bonds stopped her.
“Oh, Marcus.”

“You
don't need to say anything.” He claimed her lips.

A
throaty moan rumbled up her throat. She lost herself in the kiss and the
friction of his cock rubbing through her folds. It would be so easy for him to
be inside her, taking her to a beautiful place she’d always wanted to go. A
cloud of pleasure hovered over her, reminding her of all she could lose. She looked
away. “Please, no more. Please.”

“You
want me to stop?” He positioned the head of his dick at her entrance.

“No.
I don't know.” New tears rolled down her cheek. “Don't leave.”

“I'm
not going anywhere.” He pushed inside her. “This time, I'm staying.”

“Marcus.”
She screamed and arched back as he filled her. Her pussy squeezed around him.

“You
feel so fucking good.” He thrust into her with a mixture of slow and fast
movements. Their pelvises danced together, driving the pleasure higher. He held
her gaze for a few heartbeats before claiming her lips again.

This
is what she'd always wanted, pleasure in its most raw form. Her connection with
Rob had been beautiful, but there’d always been something missing. This was it.
This was the closest thing to making loving she'd ever known.

He
ground his pelvic bone against her clit.

“Tell
me we'll do this again.” She lifted her ass, meeting his thrust. “Right now,
tell me this will happen again.”

“Oh
yes, we'll be doing this again.” He pulled out slowly, only to drive back into
her.

They
continued in an uneven pattern. She lost herself in the pleasure until a flash
of light heated in her core. Time seemed to stop for a second and then pleasure
blanketed her body. She could hear nothing but the beating of her own heart.
She moaned on and on, as her orgasm started again while Marcus roared through
his.

They
lay together for quite some time, until he undid her bonds. She didn't want to
move, fearing she'd wake and find it had all been a dream. For years, she'd
thought about the pleasure he could bring her. She still couldn't imagine there
wasn't something more going on. True happiness had never seemed so within her
reach.

Eventually
they fell into a deep peaceful sleep. When she woke, he was still holding her. She
rubbed her ass against him, enjoying his hardness. Maybe her luck was changing.