Chapter 10
Marley
“Okay. Enough talk about parents. Why event planning?” he asked.
“Well, I’m creative and organized and like solving problems. Plus, I like challenges. It’s very challenging to organize and put on events for some of the elite families in New York City.”
“Like Mrs. Lake?” He smirked.
“Yes.” I smiled.
“I think you did an excellent job with their child’s party. Is that all you do is children’s parties?”
“God, no. I’ve done a few small weddings, anniversary parties, engagement parties, showers, and bachelorette parties.”
“Did you go to college?”
“I graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s in business administration because I needed the knowledge to run my own business. I didn’t realize how hard event planning would be to get into here in New York.”
“How do you mean?”
“New York is filled with the best of the best. Nobody wanted to take a chance on someone just starting out. They want trustworthy and well-established planners who come highly recommended. Penelope’s father is wealthy, and she convinced him to let me organize her parents’ big anniversary party. After that, some jobs started rolling in. I’m a small fish trying to make it to the top with the sharks. I have to save every penny I make because I could go two, three, or sometimes four months without work.”
“How did you get the Lake’s party?” He tipped the glass to his lips.
“The woman Mrs. Lake hired unexpectedly moved to California, leaving Mrs. Lake high and dry. She called around to find another event planner, and all the top dogs were already booked. Miguel was the one who gave her my number and told her to call me.”
“Who’s Miguel?”
“He owns the florist where I get all the flowers for my events. Mrs. Lake stopped in one day to get flowers for a friend who was in the hospital, and she was complaining to him about her previous planner. Being desperate, she called and hired my company.”
“What is your business name?”
“Marley Monroe Events.”
We finished dinner, and after sharing a delicious dessert, we climbed into the back of the car.
“I have an idea,” he said, grabbing my hand. “How about we go back to my place and have some fun.”
“Didn’t we have enough fun last night?” A smirk crossed my lips.
“Do you really remember last night?” he asked. “After all, you did ask me this morning if we had sex.”
“I might remember a thing or two, but most is fuzzy.”
“Then let me refresh your memory.” He let go of my hand and softly stroked my cheek.
“Okay.” I smiled.
“Do you need to tell your friends? I’m sure they’ll be worried about you.”
“Nah. I’m sure they’re stalking my location as we speak.”
The moment we stepped into the elevator, Charlie pushed me up against the wall, held my arms above my head, and smashed his mouth into mine. Feeling his lips on mine felt magical, and instantly, my body began to remember how he made me feel last night. The door opened, and we stepped into the foyer. Our lips locked as he unzipped my dress while my fingers fumbled with his belt. Kicking off my heels, I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders while his tongue explored my neck. The intensity of what was happening already had me soaking wet. He placed his palm on my belly and slid his hand down my panties, his fingers reaching my slick spot.
“Fuck, Marley. I need you right now.” He picked me up, and my legs wrapped around his waist.
He carried me to the bedroom and lay me on the bed. His lips traveled to my breasts and wrapped around my hardened peaks. Shit. My body trembled with pure pleasure like never before. He made his way down south, teasing me with every flick of his tongue and dipping a finger inside me. The sensation of an orgasm had my heart racing. This wasn’t normal. He wasn’t normal. How the hell did this man know exactly what my body wanted from him? I let out a pleasurable moan as the riptide tore into me. Charlie stood up and grabbed a condom. Sitting up, I stared at the beautiful outline of his hard cock through the fabric of his boxer briefs. God, this man was so sexy.
“My turn.” I grabbed the sides of his waistband and slowly pulled down his underwear, setting his throbbing cock free. Swallowing hard, I looked up at him. “This was inside me?”
“Three times.” He grinned, looking down at me.
“Let’s give this big guy some attention first.” I wrapped my mouth around the head, taking him in slowly until it reached the back of my throat.
“Fuck, Marley.” His chest rumbled with excitement. “Oh, my God.” His moans grew with intensity as his fingers tangled in my hair. “Stop.” He held my face in his hands. “I need to put this on and fuck you senseless.”
“By all means, get to it.” I smiled, lying on my back.
He rolled on the condom and hovered over me, grabbing my arms and holding them tight above my head. With one thrust, he was inside me, and I was on my way to the fun town of Pleasureville. His thrusts were deep, intense, and rapid. The moans that escaped our lips were ones of ecstasy and fulfillment. I came. He came. And our bodies melted when he lowered his on mine. He let go of my wrists, and my arms wrapped around him, softly stroking his muscular back. Our breathing was rapid but slowly returning to their normal rate. Before rolling off, his lips pressed against the side of my neck.
“Damn.” I smiled as he rolled on his back.
“Damn is right.” His breath was bated as his hand lay across his heart.
When he climbed out of bed to toss the condom in the trashcan, I lay there for a moment, waiting for my trembling body to calm itself.
“You’re still in bed?” he asked, walking back into the room.
“I was just about to get up and get dressed. We don’t need to make things weird.”
“Yeah. I agree. I’ll walk you home,” he said.
“I live around the block, Charlie. I can walk home myself.”
“If my calculations are right, it’s a seven-minute walk back to your place. You are not risking seven minutes of your life on the streets of New York City after midnight.”
“Look at you being all protective.” I smiled as I slipped on my dress. “But seriously, I can catch an Uber.” I grabbed my phone and pulled up the app.
“Stop. I’m walking you home.” He took my phone from my hand.
“If you insist.” I grabbed my shoes and put them on.
Charlie pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. I couldn’t help but stare at him as he sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on his Nike tennis shoes. Damn, even like that, he was sexy as hell.
He walked me to my apartment building. I reached up and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks for walking me home. I feel like such a teenager.” I grinned.
“You’re welcome.” He chuckled. “Listen, Marley. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“About what?” My brows furrowed.
“You’re a great woman, but I’m not looking for anything. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that there could be a possible relationship between us. We had a good time, but that’s it.”
“You’re making this weird, Charlie. I’m not that girl. I’m not looking for anything or anyone. That’s not how I operate. But thanks for putting it out there and easing my mind. I was worried you would stalk me now because you fell madly in love with me, and I couldn’t return the favor.”
His eyes narrowed at me momentarily. “You’re cute, Marley Monroe.”
“Ah, so are you, Charlie Stone.” I grinned. “Good night.”
“Good night.” His lips softly brushed against mine.
I opened the door to my building and took the elevator up to my apartment. Something wasn’t right. I felt weird.
“Why are you home?” Olivia jumped up from the couch.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked, setting down my purse.
“It’s still early for me. You know that.”
“What’s going on?” Penelope bolted up from the couch, yawning and rubbing her eyes.
“Our girl just walked through the door,” Olivia said.
“Why? You went back to Charlie’s, and we know what you did. Why didn’t you stay?”
“I said I didn’t want to make things weird, and he agreed.” I walked to my bedroom, opened the dresser drawer, and pulled out my nightshirt.
“Are you okay?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah, Mar, you seem off.”
“I’m fine.” I smiled. “Just tired.”
I always told my best friends everything, but tonight, I couldn’t because I didn’t know how I felt.