Taking Over (8 page)

“Stop
procrastinating. You have one minute to get naked.” Between his dark gaze and
the way he chucked his shoes as he took them off, told her he wasn't messing
around.

“What
if I don't get everything off?” She tugged her shirt up and over her head.

“I
can't guarantee I won't rip anything.” He yanked off his pants. “I need to get
inside you.”

“Feeling
needy, much?” She slipped her panties off and threw them at him.

“Hands on the island.”
He walked
towards her. His cock was hard, the tip glistening with pre-cum. She gripped
the edge of the counter and widened her stance. He slapped her backside.

“What
was that for?” She wiggled her ass, enjoying the sting.

“For
making
us
wait.” He stepped in behind her and stroked
his cock right between her folds. “You're already wet for me.” He nipped her
shoulder. “I'm not the only one that's needy.”

She
arched her back, eager to feel him filling her once more. With three firm
strokes he was all the way in. He clutched her breasts, plucking her nipples.

“Marcus.”
She cried out.

“What
did you call me?” He increased the pressure.

“Sir.
Please.” She leaned
back against him.

“That's
better.” He massaged her breasts. “You feel so right, so fucking tight.” He
grabbed her hips, pulling out and slamming back in. The kitchen filled with
smacking sounds of their bodies coming together.

Pleasure
built in her core, faster than she knew how to handle. She moaned and closed
her eyes, shutting out everything but what Marcus was doing to her. He'd helped
her to do something about the ugliness in her life, something she didn’t think
she’d ever have the strength to do and now he was bombarding her body with all
kinds of things she never thought she’d feel again.

Step
by step he was taking over, and God help her, but she was letting him. He
worked her body up and over. Not long after his moans grew louder than hers, a
blast of pure gratification hit her. His sporadic thrusts increased the intense
pleasure surging through her. The moment had been raw and animalistic, exactly
what she needed. She clung to him as they slumped to the floor.

“Don't
let me go.”

“I'm
not going to.” He tucked her against him.

****

Within
an hour they'd received a call from Keller. The investment would be back in
place by the morning. They'd done what they'd come to do. She was quite
pleased. Keller hadn't deserved this.

Of
course that wasn't all that had changed over the weekend.

Her
mother had picked up on it too. During their last visit, her mother’s shit
eatin' grin gave it all away when Marcus stepped out to get fresh water for her
pitcher.

“I
knew you two would be good together, that all it would take would be a little
bit of time.” She squeezed her daughter's hand. “You love him, don't you?”

“Oh, Mom.”
She sat beside
her. “I've always loved him.”

“I
know. That's why I never understood why you didn't tell him how you felt. Don't
let your fears keep you from what you want most.”

“It's
more complicated than that. We don't have what you and Dad had.”

“I
don't believe it for a second.”

Marcus
came back into the room. “What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing.”
She caressed
her mom's hand. “We should get going.” She leaned over and kissed her mom. “I'll
see you next Saturday and I'll call you tomorrow night.”

“It
was so good to see you again, Marcus. Please tell your mother I said hello.”
She held out her hands and he came closer.

“I'll
do that.” He kissed her cheek. “And I'll see you next week, too.”

“I'm
looking forward to it.” She squeezed his hands. “Take care of her, Marcus.
She's going to need you.”

“I'll
be there for her.”

“Okay
you two. Let's go, Marcus. We've got work tomorrow.” Her time with her mom was
over again. Each workweek seemed to drag longer and longer, probably because
she always worried there wouldn't be another visit.

She
wondered how all the changes would weather her. Even as Marcus sat next to her
holding her hand on the ride back to the city, she felt more alone than before.
She blamed him. He came in with his big presence and awakened so much she'd
tried to bury. But there was nothing to be done now. Their hand had been dealt.
They were headed back to the city and she had no idea what to expect.

Chapter Eight

All the way back to Chicago, he kept
Gina in his peripheral vision. It was like he could see her slip back beneath
her veneer.

“You
didn't have to tell my mom you'd be back to see her.”

“It
wasn't a lie. I'm coming back with you next weekend.” He squeezed her hand. “You
might not believe it, but I care about your mom.”

“Well,
that I can understand.”

“I
care about you too, Gina.” He drew her closer. “I intend to keep my eye on Dale
while I'm up there.” The city was getting closer. He was anxious to stretch his
legs or maybe it was the thought of leaving her side that waged the war inside
him. He'd never had such a problem leaving her before.

“Do
you want to get a bite to eat?” He tugged on her hand, which he'd held the
whole trip.

“Did
you have something in mind?”

“There's
a pizza shop not too far from my place. I know they're still open. Interested?”

“Sure.”
She shrugged and looked out the window.

Marcus
called ahead and a large stuffed crust pizza came out of the oven minutes after
their arrival. From their little table at the front of the restaurant, they dug
into the pizza.

“This
is delicious.” She took a pepperoni from the middle of her piece and popped it
into her mouth. “How long has this place been here?”

“They've
been open for about five years.”

“I'd
appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about my mom.”

“I
can understand you wanting some privacy about your mom's illness.”

“Cancer.
You can say it.
My mom has cancer.” She cleared her throat.

“I'm
sorry.” He grabbed her hand when she reached for another piece.

“Thanks.”

“You
need to tell Rob.” So much of what he’d learned that weekend Rob needed to
know.

“You're
right.”

“I
know.” He let her go. “You need to tell him about Dale, too.”

“I'm
not going to do that.”

“Why not?”
He sat back in
his chair. “I don't understand you.”

“Well,
you don't have to.” She sipped from her beer and set it down, rubbing at the
label that was coming loose. “Rob could have something good with Jane, if she
hasn't messed everything up.”

“You
mean if you haven’t scared her away.”

“Hey,
I didn’t tell Jane anything that wasn’t true.” She held up her hands.

“Rob
deserves the truth. I don't think you understand the ramifications of your
lies.”

“Rob
deserves to be happy and my admission will just get in his way. Besides, it
really doesn't matter. Who knows how many more days my mom has left?” She scratched
at a tomato stain on the tablecloth. “You know I hate it when you call me a
bitch. But you're right. That's exactly what I am.”

“For
some reason, I only like it when I'm the one calling you names.”

“Hold
that thought.” She rubbed her forehead. “I'll give you a reason to walk away
from me. Since it seems you're having a hard time.”

“I'm
not going to defend how I feel for you.”

“You're
free to change your mind.” She slid her empty plate away and turned slightly,
crossing her long legs. “The day my mom came home with her diagnosis, she sat
me down and I panicked. I thought for sure she'd found out about what Dale had
done, or worse the lie covering it up. I thought she was going to kick me out
of her life.”

“Shit,
Gina.” He reached for her, but she pulled away.

“When
she told me about the cancer, I was relieved. I was fucking relieved it was
cancer and not my own lies.” She blew out a breath, as a single tear slid down
her cheek. “Aren't I a piece of work?” She licked her lips and slowly blew out
the breath she must have been holding.

Marcus
stood. His chair crashed to the ground and, in the next second, he scooped her
up. “Only I get to call you a bitch. Okay.” He dried her cheek. “Honey, it was
an honest reaction to a stressful situation. You weren’t prepared for her
diagnosis.” He turned and settled her on his lap. “It's fucked up. No one
should have to deal with losing their parents so young. You've taken way too
much on.”

“You
weren't there when my dad died.” She sniffed and hid her face on his shoulder. “I
honestly didn't think she was going to get out of that deep depression.”

“Your
mother's happiness is not your sole responsibility.” He took hold of her chin,
until she looked at him. “You need to go after your own happiness too.” He
brushed the tears away. “Let me stay with you tonight. I don't want you to be
alone.”

“I'll
be fine.” She picked up her napkin and rubbed under her eyes.

“I
know, but you don't have to be on your own anymore. Let me take care of you.”

****

The next couple of nights Marcus stayed
at Gina's, holding her all night long, in the hopes of reminding her she wasn't
alone. He recognized the fatigue etched in the hunch of her shoulders when he
walked through her door.

During
the day they went their separate ways, but thankfully she kept letting him in
at night. He had no idea how she sounded so strong in her evening talks with
her mom. After her daily assessment of how her mom was doing, the pair would
talk and talk, giggles occasionally filled the room and his heart, but it was
the whispered parts of the conversation that always concerned him.

Today,
they were holding a launch party for Janna's project. He knew Keller wasn't
planning to thank Gina for her part in getting the funding back, per her
request. No one around him had any clue how caring she could be. All they saw
was the exterior, what she chose to let them see. He'd been debating how to get
around her damaging ways. Each time he considered an option, he’d stopped,
knowing Gina would see it as a betrayal. The damn woman was a puzzle.

Gina
had left that morning quite early. He hadn't expected an explanation, whatever
was happening between them allowed him to hold her at night, but it didn't seem
to allow him any insights into her padlocked thoughts.

When
he arrived at work, he walked into the large open room that housed most of
Keller's team, the finest team around for developing applications. The
directors and project managers were upstairs near the boardroom. As the server
engineer, his cubicle was near the server room. Rob's desk, which was usually
empty because he typically worked from home, was positioned in the next section
over with all the developers. The technical writers were at the opposite end,
with Gina sitting next to Lydia. He used to love that he was far from Gina
during the day. Now, the distance troubled him.

He
dumped his bag in his bottom drawer and removed the devices he'd need today
from the top drawer. The morning system checks kept him busy for a bit. Once
done, he turned from his desk, intending to fetch a cup of coffee.

“Marcus, good morning, buddy.”

“Rob.”
The men hugged. “I wasn't expecting you in the office today.”

“Keller
wanted everyone in today for the launch party.”

“Good.
Have you met Janna, yet?”

“No,
but Keller says she's planning to use me on this project. I've heard some great
things about her.”

He
stepped closer. “She's Simon's sub.”

“Oh,
okay. She's a trainee too, right?”

“Yes,
she's new to Charlie's program.”

“Jane
will probably meet her on Sunday then. Charlie invited her to the B&B for a
brunch she's holding with all the trainees.”

“Sorry
I didn't call you earlier this week. Things are still going well?”

“Quite well.
From the sounds
of it, last weekend was just as educational for us as it was for you.”

“What
are you talking about?” He lowered his gaze and turned in the direction of
Gina's cubicle, finding it empty. “Did Keller tell you what happened?”

“No,
Gina did.”

“What?”
He leaned in close. “Gina?” When Rob nodded, he waved at him and led him back
to the server room. After entering his passcode and fingerprint into the
scanner, he held the door open and ushered Marcus inside. “Start at the
beginning.”

“She
called last night and asked if we could meet her for breakfast this morning.”

“We?”

“I
know. Jane and I had no idea what to expect. I was tempted to go myself, but
Jane insisted on coming along. I'm glad she did, because I have a witness. You
may not believe this, but Gina apologized.”

“For what?”
The list was
long. “I hope she apologized to Jane.”

“I
think that was the only thing she didn't say sorry for. In fact, she was quite
adamant about not apologizing for how she treated Jane. The way she sees it, if
anything she'd said had scared Jane away then she wouldn't have been right for
me.”

“Figures.”
Marcus shook
his head and chuckled.

“Jane
agreed with her.”

“What?”

“I
know, but it wasn't the wildest thing Gina said. She gave us the story about
Dale. Most of it I'd heard before, but I think she was telling the truth.”

“It's
such a mess.”

“Tell
me about it. You met Dale. Did she tell you the story too?”

“It's
no story. That man is a real piece of work.”

“Oh
I know. I wanted to kick him right out of the house, but Gina never let me.”

“Did
she never tell you why?”

“At
that point, we weren’t talking much anymore.”

“Sorry
man, I had no idea.”

“The
last straw was the day she spun the cockamamie story I'd first heard from
Leslie. The whole thing proved I was no longer her priority.”

“I
knew there was something more to your breakup, but you never told me you
expected something else had happened.” He looked across the room at the rack of
servers. “Or was I not listening?”

“A
little bit of both. To be honest, part of me figured one day she'd admit she
had feelings for you.” He sat on the one stool in the room. “I never expected
our relationship to simply fall apart. She may not have cheated on me, but it
broke my heart when our marriage ended. Everything back then was confusing.
Gina certainly didn’t make that easy.”

“I
couldn't have been much help. Once I heard cheat. I blamed her for everything
that was going wrong in your marriage. I'm sorry, man. I don't think I ever let
you tell me everything.”

“The
woman was my world for so many years.” Rob rubbed his chest.
“Losing
her father.
Dale.
Her mom’s cancer.
She
deserved a happier life than the one she's been given.”

“I
know.”

“You
know because she's your world too. She creates craziness out of loving her.”

“You're
right about that.”

“I'm
glad you're finally admitting it.” Rob stood and grasped Marcus’s shoulder. “That's
one of the best gifts Jane has given me. The honesty our love has brought makes
me weightless.”

A
series of beeps rang from his phone. “That's Keller’s ringtone.” Marcus pulled
out his phone. “Shit.”

“What
is it?”

“It just says,
911 break room
.”

The
two of them made their way out of the server room and through the rows of
cubicles. The closer they got, the louder the voices became.

****

Gina stirred a little sugar in her
coffee, determined to make something in her life sweet. Her talk with Rob and
Jane that morning might make Marcus happy, but damn if it hadn't made her
cranky. It only proved to her she'd never be able to live up to all of Marcus's
expectations. Telling Rob the truth had been the right thing to do, but the
only reason she'd done it was because she gave a shit about Rob. She knew full
well that would not be likely the next time Marcus asked her to do something.

He
probably wouldn’t be pleased she snapped at Lydia on the way into work, but she
refused to feel bad about it, no matter how long Jake decided to yell at her.
She took a sip of coffee and glanced at the clock, wondering when Jake would
finish his lecture. There were plenty of other things worth her concern.

It
wouldn't be long now before Marcus stopped coming around her place at night. It
wouldn't be long now before her mom died too. Even the hospice nurse said she
seemed weaker. Last night, she told Gina to prepare for the end. Her mom might
be living on borrowed time, but Gina wasn't ready to let her go. The silver lining
was when she did
pass,
she'd be rejoined with the love
of her life. Everyone had their special someone. It was the beautiful part of
life. Rob had Jane. Even Jake, who was still yelling at her, had Lydia.