Chapter 18
Marcus
“Can I get you anything Mr. Diaz?” The stewardess purrs as she flutters her ridiculously long and very fake eyelashes at me.
She’s made up to perfection. Her face is flawless and her lips are painted bright red to match her scarlet uniform.
And she doesn’t have a hair out of place as it’s pinned in a high ponytail.
She’s stunning, but she does nothing for me.
Whereas the woman who looks like a hot mess, currently fast asleep on my shoulder, where a slight patch of drool has appeared, has me imagining all types of dirty and depraved things.
I smile up at her. “When will you be bringing round the meals please?”
“In about ten minutes.”
“Great, can you make sure Miss Chambers has a Yorkshire Tea ready when you bring ours over. Piping hot please.”
“Of course.” She frowns slightly. “Anything else?”
“No, that's everything, thank you.”
She nods and moves back to her position behind the curtain, just as Lily nuzzles closer into me, one arm hooking around mine, while the other rests against my abs, and she sighs.
She has been there for an hour, a soft snore peacefully coming from her perfect lips.
I’ve spent the past hour enveloped in her scent, and it has been the most relaxed I’ve ever been on a flight.
Normally, I get a little anxious. I mean, we’re human, we aren't meant to fly.
“Lily?” I whisper. She moans slightly and tightens her grip on me. And fuck if it doesn’t send the wrong message to my dick. I’ve thought about her moans more than is healthy after the gala. “Lily, wake up, they’re about to bring out the food,” I say a little louder this time.
“I can’t see your face, Diaz, but when I do, we aren’t going to talk about the fact that I have just woken up clinging to you like a monkey,” she mumbles into my chest from underneath her baseball cap, but she doesn’t move.
I huff out a laugh. “I promise, I won’t say a word.
” Gently, I trail the tips of my fingers up her arm, but she still doesn’t move.
Eventually, she lets go and lifts herself, so she is upright in her seat.
She straightens out her baseball cap before she rubs her eyes.
I silently pass her glasses that I see poking out of her carry on and she takes them with a warm smile.
“Sorry. That won’t happen again.”
“It’s fine.” I shrug.
“You have a wet patch on your shoulder.” She groans.
“Crap, I drooled on you. If I didn’t give the impression that I was feral before, I definitely have now.
” She fidgets in her seat, her fingers tapping out a pattern on her thighs.
Reaching out, I grasp them, pausing her nervous tick.
Our eyes connect, and I get lost for a beat.
“I like you feral.” She blushes slightly, and I brush my thumbs over her knuckles. “It’s fine, really.”
The stewardess breaks our moment as she appears with our food. I release my hold on Lily as I pull down her table for her and then my own.
“Mr. Diaz requested tea for you, Miss Chambers.” The stewardess hands it over and swiftly moves on. I don’t miss the appreciative look Lily gives me, and I nudge her shoulder with mine before starting on my meal.
“You’re making it very hard to hate you, Diaz.”
“That’s the plan, Chambers.”
As we pull up to the grand entrance of the Hotel Villa Real, I exit the cab quickly, moving to help Lily out.
She has been engrossed in either her phone or laptop ever since she woke up on the plane.
But, just like when we watched TV in my apartment the other morning, it was such a comfortable silence, it felt right.
After I open her door, I lean down to take her hand to help her out, and she smirks.
“Ever the gentleman.” Her small, soft hand fits perfectly in mine, and I smile back at her.
“You know exactly how gentlemanly I can be.”
She elegantly exits the cab, and my hand instinctively goes to her lower back to guide her towards the hotel as a bellboy collects our luggage. Her steps falter slightly as she seems to take in exactly what type of hotel Damen has arranged for us.
The ornate building stands at eight stories, with black wrought iron balconies across every window, each with stunning arrangements of red flowers. The entrance has a large white canopy with ivy intertwined around the posts, reaching out to hit the beautiful, flawless white stone.
“This is gorgeous.” She gasps. “Are you sure we’re at the right place?”
I chuckle as I guide her further forward. “What were you expecting?”
“Honestly? A Holiday Inn.”
“You think Damen would put his star up in a Holiday Inn?” I scoff. “Chambers, you have no faith.”
“Well, I suppose because I’m travelling with you, they had to stretch. Same as the flights.”
My brow furrows at her comment. “You’re the star, Chambers?”
She huffs out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, right.”
I pull on her elbow to halt her, spinning her to face me.
“Listen to me. You’re a star in your own right.
You’ve helped spearhead a campaign to get women’s sport, not just football, on the map.
You’re sitting next to an all-male reporting line up and holding your own, never letting it phase you and showing the world that your gender shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love.
You’ve made our sports show hit top of the ratings again this month.
Not me, you.” Her gaze drops, and I lift her chin with my finger gently.
“People are talking about you; you’re the star, Chambers, not me.
” Tucking a stray piece of her hair that has fallen from her cap around her ear, I let the back of my knuckles brush down her cheek until I rest it on her shoulder. “We’re here because of you.”
She gives me a coy smile. “Anyone would think you liked me, Diaz.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief, and I can’t help the grin that tugs at my lips, but a click from behind me snaps my attention away, suddenly on high alert. “You okay?” Lily questions, just as two men appear.
“Marcus Diaz, would you like to comment on the reports that your on screen arguments are all scripted and you're secretly dating?" Lily pushes away from me, her eyes blown wide.
“Miss Chambers, are you in a relationship with Marcus Diaz?” The next pushes a tape recorder into her face, while the other snaps pictures.
“I suggest you remove that from Miss Chambers immediately and retract that question,” I growl towards the reporter, who just grins but doesn’t remove the recorder.
“Miss Chambers, is that how you got your role on Strike?”
Does this prick have a death wish?
“Oh hell no, you didn’t just say that to me.” She moves towards the reporter with so much venom in those deep emerald eyes that I’d feel sorry for the guy, except he fucking deserves it. But I pull on her elbow to stop her from doing something I know she’ll regret.
“Lily, don’t. This is what he wants.” I tug a little harder than I normally would to get her attention and to snap her out of the rage this prick has put her in.
“Let’s go.” I start to pull her towards the hotel, but she rips her arms out of my grasp and turns so quickly that my steps falter as I lose my balance.
“Listen here.” She jabs the prick with the recorder in the chest. “People like you are the reason women can’t catch a fucking break and why we have to try so much harder than men.
You like to spin the tale that we need a man to get where we need to be in life.
Trust me, we don’t. I got my role because of my talent and my skills, and I think I prove that day in and day out.
You don’t see anyone asking Diaz those types of questions, do you?
” The prick says nothing and has the decency to look scared.
“Thought not. Now, unless you’re going to ask me an intelligent question, I suggest you run back to whatever hole you came out of and stay there until you’ve had an attitude adjustment.
Only then will I consider speaking to you again. ”
Well, fuck me. Why does this side of Lily turn me on so much?
She brushes past me, but all I can do is stare wide eyed at the powerhouse of a woman who has managed to dress down this asshole better than I could have imagined.
After I realize that I’m standing outside alone, frozen in shock by what has just happened, I eventually snap out of my daze and smirk at the reporter, who is bright red, and I let out a chuckle as I follow Lily into the hotel.
Once inside, I spot her making her way to the bar, so I jog to catch up with her. “Nice to see that it’s not just me you bite at Chambers.”
“Trust me, I could have said a lot worse. I save my best insults for you.”
“I’m flattered.” She flops down onto the bright white sofa. Her dark clothes and mood are a stark contrast to the clean, sharp edges.
“Urgh, it’s comments like that that really rile me up. Why are we still having to defend ourselves for doing well?” She leans back, looking up at the ceiling. Anger radiates from her every pore, and I have an urge to bring her a tiny bit of calm.
“Just stay here for a moment. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t be too long. I’ll start getting stabby, and I will blame you for leaving me unsupervised,” she shouts as I chuckle and hurry toward the front of the hotel.
I can still see the vultures hovering outside, grinning around a cigarette.
My skin prickles at the sight, and a red haze drifts over my eyes.
Lily was right with every word she spoke. They had no right to say that to her, to any woman. When will small minded pricks like this understand that women are not weaker than us, they’re more powerful and relentless than any man.
Bursting back out of the hotel, rage coils my muscles tight. But the pricks don’t notice me. Not until I’m towering over them. I stand to my full six foot two height, crossing my arms over my chest and scowl down at them.
“You put a muzzle on your dog, Diaz?” One of these maggots chuckles, taking a drag from his cigarette. I pull it from his lips, crushing it in my fist, relishing in the burn. Because, fuck this guy.
“She doesn’t need taming. I think people like her bite.” My smile is wicked as I move further into his space. “But you’ll need protection if you speak to her like that again. Do I make myself clear?”
“I’m only doing my job, asking the questions everyone wants to know the answers to.” To the prick's defense, his voice is starting to quiver.
Good.
I crowd him even further so that his back is now pressed against the wall of the hotel. “Lily Chambers is a professional and a damn good fucking reporter. Report on that and we’ll be fine. Okay?”
The prick just nods.
“I need your words.”
“O-Okay,” he stutters.
“Perfect. Now I’ll be needing those pictures and that tape recorder.” I motion toward the recorder in his hand.
“That’s my work?”
“Is it?” Lunging forward, I grip the wrist of the hand holding the recorder.
“Ah fuck, yes okay.” I release him, and he hands it over. My gaze turns toward the other dickhead who has his SD card outstretched for me to take. I swipe the card and grin over at the pair.
“Pleasure doing business with you.” Smirking to myself, I head back toward the hotel.
“Oh.” I halt my steps, turning back around to look at them, and I’m pleased with the look of fear in both of their eyes.
“If I catch you two around here or anywhere near Miss Chambers, you better run.” I drop the recorder to the floor, crushing it under my boot.
“As next time it will be your face I’m crushing, do I make myself clear?
” They both silently nod, and I pick the recorder up, slipping the broken pieces into my pocket.
“Do better, boys.” I sneer pushing back through the hotel doors.