8. Anna
It takes a few weeks, but after countless hours studying at home and having Penny quiz me at the diner in between customers, I finally pass all of my GED exams. Mark’s in his office on a conference call with someone, but I’m too excited to wait until it’s over to tell him the good news. Carefully, I slip past the open door to his home office and tip-toe closer. He sees me immediately and mutes his microphone, spinning around in his chair to face me.
“Can they see us?” I ask, eyeing the four monitors at his desk. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“No one can see you but me,” Mark assures me, outstretching his arms to beckon me closer. Once I’m within range, he wraps them around my waist and pulls me onto his lap from the side.
I’ve never sat in his lap before, but I like the way it makes our heights match for once.
He rubs my thighs and hums as he starts kissing my neck. “What do you need, sweet girl? Or did you just miss me?”
I try to laugh, but it turns into a moan as he licks my pulse point and spreads my legs to palm my inner thighs. “M-Mark!” I squeal, blushing furiously. “Your call! They’ll hear us!”
“They won’t,” he says matter-of-factly, pulling the edge of my tank top down with his teeth and exposing my breast. “I’m the only one allowed to hear you, Anna. Don’t forget that.” He latches onto my exposed, pink bud with a groan, and I cling to his broad shoulders as he sends shockwaves of pleasures to my core with nothing but his mouth.
Without meaning to, I start rocking my hips against his knuckles, and he eagerly cups my sex as I ride his hand.
“That’s it,” he rasps, pinching my other nipple beneath my shirt. “Come for me, sweet girl. Come on daddy’s lap.”
With a silent cry, I come undone at his dirty words, feeling a rush of liquid soak my panties as he groans against my neck and cups my sex so hard that it hurts.
“My perfect girl,” he praises, kissing my lips for the first time since I walked in. “So perfect.”
Gaining my composure enough to remember why I came in here, I ignore the deep ache inside me begging to be filled and stand on shaky legs. “Mark! I passed my exams!”
“Did you now?” The gleam in his eye is sinful as his eyes travel down my exposed breast to the slick seam hidden behind my panties. “I think you deserve a reward, don’t you?”
My eyes widen as he smiles and gestures for me to turn around. “Close your eyes.”
There are many things I can imagine Mark doing. Palming my ass. Pulling me back into his lap, but from behind this time. Picking me up and carrying me out of here to lay on the bed. His tongue delving inside my aching core.
Shocking me with cold metal sliding across my neck is not what I expect, and I open my eyes immediately. Three sparkling sapphires along a string of diamonds shine in the dimmed office light, and my emotions run on an all time high as I recall the same necklace clasped around my mother’s neck.
“Where did you get this?” My voice is wavering as I choke up, and I blink back stubborn tears. “I thought it was lost or pawned or something. I never thought I’d see it again.”
Mark’s eyes shine as he kisses my cheek from behind. “I’m taking you out this weekend, and I want you to wear this. Consider it a congratulations.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” He pats my bottom and steers me towards the door. “I’ll be done in thirty minutes and we can start celebrating early. Keep those panties on.” His lips curve into a wicked smile and he kisses me deeply, stealing my breath away just as easily as he’s stealing my heart.
- o -
Wearing the deep blue dress Mark bought me and my mother’s necklace makes me feel like a whole new person, like someone who has her life together and has a man who loves her. At least one of those things is coming true, but lately I’m confused about which one it is.
Things have been moving fast, but nothing feels out of place. Not with Mark. For the first time in years, I’m starting to remember what happiness feels like.
Mark loops my arm through his as he leads me out of the rented limo and onto a red carpet. Cameras flash all around, and I’m caught in the moment as people ask for our names.
“This is my wife,” is all Mark says to each of them, kissing my palm as he leads me across the walkway and into the gala.
The proclamation would be a surprise if he hadn’t warned me beforehand; the only way he could have me as a plus one was to claim me as his wife, and hearing it aloud for the first time sends butterflies fluttering across my skin. Looking at him now, dressed in a light gray suit with a royal blue tie to match the color of my dress, makes me wish it were true.
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve any of the love he’s showered me with since we reconnected, but I know better than to question it now. The last thing I want is to ruin the good thing we have going.
Showing up to an event tonight even feels risky, but Mark was so excited to show me off in the big city, away from the small town lanes of Crescent Bay.
Here, we can be free without the scrutinizing gaze of everyone we know. Here, we can be free.
That doesn’t mean we don’t get curious glances. A man twenty years my senior, godfather and guardian to the young woman clinging to his side, planting secret kisses along my neck every chance he gets, is sure to gather attention anywhere we go.
Anyone who spares more than a cursory glance will clearly see just how intimate we’ve been. Part of me loves the idea of Mark laying claim to me so publicly, but a wriggling knot of fear pumps adrenaline through my veins.
What if we’re forced apart because of how others perceive us? What if, even fifty miles away from my hometown, the past comes creeping up on us?
The roar of camera shutters and interviewers begging for answers about the mystery couple in blue dies as soon as we cross the elegant, gold-trimmed double doors and enter the expansive art gallery. Paintings as big as one of our bedroom walls hang on the gallery wall, glossy paint splattered across the many canvases in seemingly random arrays of color and shape.
“This is insane,” I breathe, clinging to Mark as my lifeline. “I don’t know how you managed to get tickets to this. Who do you know and what did you do for them?”
“I’ll do anything for you, Anna,” he replies cooly, his eyes settling on my face like I’m the most expensive work of art in the room. “And I already told you, remember? I know the gallery owner, and I called in a favor. But,” he pulls me closer and nudges my nose with his. “I’d be lying if I said this was all for you. I needed to see you in this dress.” He suddenly pulls back and spins me in his arms, causing the skirt to ripple out in waves like the ocean, revealing my slender legs beneath as the fabric flows around me. I watch in breathless awe as his eyes shine brighter than the full moon and pull me in, helpless, along his tide.
I spin into Mark’s chest and the rumble of his laughter comforts me as I hide my blushing face in his chest.
A slow, strong clap beside us makes Mark stiffen and hold me closer.
“Marcus,” someone greets, his voice low so that only we can hear. “Good of you to come. I was glad to hear you requested tickets to tonight’s gala. It’s been too long since we’ve seen you.”
“I’ve been busy, as I’m sure you already know.”
“Yes, I heard about that business involving the Dawsons. Regrettable, of course. But that’s no reason to break ties with us—”
My heart beats louder at the mention of my family name and I peek up at the stranger. His emerald eyes sparkle as they catch mine, and I have the urge to hide behind Mark and curl myself into an invisible ball just to get away from him.
Something’s… different about that man. More menacing. A shiver makes the hairs on my arms stand on end as his gaze shifts between me and Mark.
“Have you met my wife?” Mark interrupts, wrapping a possessive arm around my waist and pulling my back flush against his chest. “Anna, this is—”
“An old friend,” the man states, smiling broadly. “And business partner - if your husband is interested in renewing old ties?”
“Not interested. Now if you’ll excuse us, Lucius, I’d like to show Anna the gallery.”
“Of course.” Lucius bows his dark head and I catch the eye of the woman in a deep red gown behind him, a tablet clutched tightly in the crook of her arm. Her lipstick is smudged and her face is flushed, leaving little question as to what she’s been up to. When Lucius stands, I see the same shade of red blotched at the corner of his lips and wonder if that’s his wife behind him and why he hasn’t introduced us.
“Enjoy yourselves. We’ll talk later, Marcus.” He turns to the woman and her posture straightens under his gaze. “Make note of Marcus’s arrival, Amelia.”
“Yes, sir.”
She must work for the gallery, or for his office. I watch them walk away and try not to stare at the way his hand hovers possessively at the small of her back.
“What does he do?” I ask as Mark steers us towards the next room over, in the opposite direction of Lucius and Amelia. “Is he one of the artists?”
Mark snorts and pulls us through a small crowd of people to get to the back corner of the room, where the light is dimmed. “We’re not here to talk about Lucius.”
“Is he the guy who got you the tickets?”
Sighing, Mark runs a hand through his hair, messing up the slicked back look I’d help him with earlier this evening. “He’s the gallery owner, and yes, he’s the reason we were able to get in. I was hoping he wouldn’t actually make an appearance tonight.”
“You used to work together? I thought you were an accountant?”
“I am, Anna.” He frowns and leans against the cream-colored gallery wall. “I’ve handled a lot of accounts in the past. One of which led me to meeting Lucius.” He slips his hand in mine and laces our fingers together. “But I don’t take big clients like him anymore. And I’m not planning on starting up again.”
“Why not?”
His lips twitch into a small smile and he leans forward to plant a gentle kiss on my lips. “Because now I’ve got you in my life. And I want to spend as much time as possible with my wife.”
That word makes me giddy, and I can’t help but giggle as he pulls me close and kisses the curve of my neck.
“You drive me crazy, Anna, you know that?” His teeth scrape against my skin and I bite my lip to stifle the moan trying to break free. “You bring so much light to my life. Light that I don’t deserve.” He starts nipping and sucking a spot on my neck, and I close my eyes as I lean into his chest.
I don’t know what he means by that, since to me, Mark deserves everything. He’s been nothing but kind to me since my father’s passing, and he’s become more of a boyfriend than guardian.
“I’d give you the world if I could. You know that, right?”
“What’s gotten into you?” I ask, pushing my palms against his chest to look into his eyes. “Look at me. Mark.” I cup his face in my hands and pull him from my neck. “You’ve already given me everything I could have asked for. You always seem to know what I need before I ever do. I’m the happiest I’ve been in my entire life. I have a home now, with you, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
He shudders and grips my hips tightly. “Oh, Anna. My sweet girl.” Our foreheads meet and he takes a deep breath. “Marry me, Anna. For real. Not just for tonight.”
The din of the other guests chatting and laughing in the room falls away as Mark looks deep into my eyes, his very soul on display. My heart pounds like a hammer in my chest as the future plays out in the span of seconds. Mark and me holding hands on the front porch, a swath of children running around the yard catching fireflies. His everlasting love pouring from him as he fills me up with every piece of him, making me whole and complete in his arms.
“Yes,” I gasp, tears filling my eyes. “Oh, yes, Mark, absolutely yes!”
He grins and backs up into the corner of the room, towards a dimmed hallway blocked off by a red velvet rope. “Come with me, Anna. Let me make love to my wife.”
“Here?”
I flush crimson as he picks me up and sets me over the barrier rope. “You can’t be serious! I’m not about to lose my virginity—” When I don’t move, he picks me up in his arms bridal style and carries me quickly down the hall. “Mark! No!”
“I need you, Anna,” he rasps, backing through a door at the end of the hall. The room is completely empty, and his footsteps echo across the hardwood as he leads me towards the massive window at the other end of the room. Setting me down, he runs his hands over my hair, down my neck, across my breasts and down to my hips.
I shiver as the fire inside him ignites my own, and my body reacts to the desperation in his voice.
“I need you, Anna,” he repeats, his voice rumbling with bone-deep anguish that I can’t breathe. “I need you so much that it hurts. I’ve been patient. I’ve been good. I love you so much that I ache when I’m not with you. I can’t breathe without knowing where you are. I need to be the one who keeps you safe, who keeps you warm and fed and loved. Anna, I need to be the only man who touches you.” He lifts my skirt and runs his hands up my thighs, groaning when our skin meets. “You make me crazy. Please. Let me see you, Anna. I need to see you.”
He pauses with his hands on my bare hips beneath my dress, a wild look in his eyes as he swallows hard. “Tell me that this is okay. That you still want me. That you’re still my wife.”
A piece of my heart breaks for him, for the pain he’s endured. He’s scared - he has to be - scared that I’ll leave. That something will tear us apart. Isn’t that what I’ve been scared of too? That an outside force will rip us apart?
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure him, clutching the edges of his suit jacket. “I’m yours, Mark. Right here, right now, and always. I’ll always be yours. If you need me, take me.”
I’ll give this man anything. My soul, if he asks for it. Whatever he needs. “Let me take away your pain,” I whisper, standing on my tip-toes to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “You can have me, Mark. Don’t stop.”
With animalistic ferocity, he takes my lips, slides his tongue between them and tastes every inch I have to give, dominating my tongue into submission before biting my neck in a trail down to my breasts. He groans as he takes my nipple between his teeth, the silken fabric of my bodice blunting the sting.
Everywhere he touches is on fire, and I have to lean against the window to stay upright. “M-Mark,” I gasp, whining as he releases his grip on my breast. The ache that he’s carved deep inside me hurts so much that I need him, too - I’ve needed him for weeks. “Please, Mark,” I start to beg, pulling his jacket off of him and frantically undoing his shirt buttons. “Please fill me up. It hurts.”
He takes my hands in his and kisses them before undoing the rest of his shirt buttons himself. “Turn around, beautiful. I’ll fill you up so good that you can’t live without this cock.”
I spread my legs and lean into the window, unsure what exactly to do. On the bed, it makes sense - he could get on top of me, or I could get on top of him - but here? Standing?
I feel the heat of his hands as he unzips my dress from behind and pulls it down my body. “Fuck, you’re beautiful, Anna. So beautiful. And so wet for your husband.” He growls out the word husband and I start to tremble from anticipation, the ache between my thighs growing unbearable.
Just as I’m about to beg for him, I hear his belt hit the floor and the next thing I know, the heat of his cock brands my ass as he grinds against me, shoving my body against the cool glass window.
“Fuck,” he grunts, angling his cock between my thighs. “Arch your back. That’s it, Anna. Fuck, you’re gonna make me come, aren’t you, sweet girl? With that delicious pussy of yours wrapped around my cock.”
I’m dripping wet already, and he slides his cock against my lips, pressing the full length of him between my lips and rutting against me. The swollen tip pushes into my clit with each thrust, and I cry out, trembling, waiting, wanting.
With one hand one my hip and the other coming up to wrap around mine on the window, he finally starts to push inside me.
We moan together as suck him in deep, my body having been waiting for this since the first moment he touched me. There’s no pain from the stretch of him filling me up, only sweet pleasure as the ache he created is finally filled, finally given what it needs.
I’ve always needed him.
As soon as he’s all the way in, he thrusts hard and deep, keeping his hand over mine, muttering filthy things against my shoulder blades as he ruts again and again. The sounds of our love making fill the room, echoing off the barren walls and back to us, heightening every brush of his skin against mine, each slide of his manhood into my wet channel.
I don’t know how long it lasts, but with a roar that’s all at once Mark and some kind of animal, he shoves his cock so far inside me that I cry out and convulse around him, completely undone by my husband’s need sating my own. “I love you,” I cry, tilting my head back to capture his mouth. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”
With a groan, Mark buries his cock one final time, and it twitches inside me and spills come deep in my channel, marking me as his claim, his lover, his wife.
“I love you, Anna,” he rumbles, spreading kisses down my shoulder and arm. “I love you so fucking much. I’ll love you forever.”
My soul vibrates in harmony with his as, over the next hour, he shows me just how deep his love runs.