12. Like Fine Wine #2
My voice came out strong. I made sure of that. I wanted both of them to know just how strong I was for some reason.
He nodded once then walked out, brushing past me.
The room felt different the second he left and I didn’t look at Marlon right away.
I didn’t trust what I’d show if I did, so I focused on the task.
“I took no joy in that,” he said after a while. “It’s a hard thing to do, but I—”
“The cellar,” I cut him off. “Let’s just get it over with.”
The elevator doors closed, but Marlon didn’t press the button. He just stood there across from me, one hand braced near the panel, watching me while I tried to keep my face straight.
“Aurora.”
I stared at the brushed steel doors. “What?”
He didn’t answer, he gave me a second. Then quieter, “…Aurora.”
I let out a slow breath. “…yes.”
“Why are you upset with me?”
I turned my head and looked at him then. The nerve of that question.
“I heard what you said earlier to Wyatt.”
His face didn’t soften or harden.
“What partnership was he talking about?” I asked.
He looked at me for a moment before answering. “Wyatt wants to stay on with us and offered to invest in the wine-tasting project you started.”
My mouth parted before I could stop it. “Why wasn’t I consulted?”
“It didn’t concern you.”
I blinked at him. “Didn’t concern me? It’s my idea, Marlon!”
He finally pressed the button. The elevator gave a soft hum and started moving to the cellar.
“I know.”
“And?”
“And it didn’t concern you. Like I said.”
This nigga here…
“Why did you turn it down?”
“It’s your venture,” he said. “You don’t need help.”
I stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious or if he was fucking with me.
“Oh, so now it’s my venture.” I folded my arms tighter across myself. “Where was this energy when you got rid of somebody that was helping that same venture? Somebody I care about?”
His shoulders shifted as he rolled them.
“You don’t care about that man, Rabbit. You bored, and your boredom is an expensive bill I’m tired of paying.
You already hired an assistant I did not budget for.
You barely put a dent in the money you owe me.
And now I’m supposed to take Wyatt on as an investor too? ”
“Shouldn’t investors bring in money?” I argued.
“I don’t need that man’s money. I’m good.”
“So why you making it a big deal, then?”
“I’m not.”
I rolled my eyes away from him. “You’re so damn difficult for no reason. If it’s about the money I owe you—”
“It’s not.”
“—The wine tasting will make you your money back, Marlon.” I leaned toward him, voice sharpening. “I ain’t realized we was penny-pinching around this motherfucka.”
“Like I said. I’m good,” he said nonchalantly.
“I got my money secured. But it ain’t about having it.
It’s the fucking principle. That’s not the way you move through life or run a business, burning through shit when you got people’s livelihoods to think about.
Wyatt will be fine without this place. Will the other workers? Will Patch? Will your TaskRabbit?”
Damn.
“I ain’t think about it that way…”
“Why would you, Rabbit? You too spoiled to notice anything that don’t concern you.”
“Fuck you, Marlon.”
“Watch your mouth, Aurora. For real. Before you write a check that ass can’t cash.”
“I’m ‘pose to be scared or something?”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
I stepped off before he could answer.
“Hey,” he snapped behind me. “We weren’t finished talking.”
“Oh yes we were.”
The cellar was colder than the rest of the building. The walls were stone, old and solid, like him. Shelves ran floor to ceiling in long rows, packed with bottles laid on their sides, labels facing out.
The lighting was low and warm, set into the walls instead of hanging overhead, so everything felt close and quiet. I kept walking deeper into it, too annoyed to appreciate how beautiful it was.
“The nerve of you,” I said, spinning around to face him, “to keep undermining every single effort I’ve made since being here.”
He said nothing.
“And the worst part is…” I shook my head, hating how emotional I sound. “I started to believe you actually cared about me. I really thought I was making a good impression on you.”
He still didn’t answer again.
“But why do I gotta care about what you think?” I asked, my voice rising as I moved along the aisle. “Look at what I’ve accomplished in spite of you. I could run this whole business by myself if I put my mind to it.”
“…really now?”
“I’d do a lot better than you,” I shot back. “I ain’t so scared of losing control that I’d cut off my nose to spite my face.”
“…uh huh.”
“And it’s dumb,” I snapped. “You’re preventing business from happening because you need to be the boss of everybody and everything. You only wanna get rid of Wyatt because you knew it would piss me off. And the gag is…you don’t even like me.”
I grabbed the first bottle I recognized off the shelf more roughly than I meant to.
“All this over nothing.”
I turned back to him, bottle in hand. He hadn’t moved much. He just stood there at the end of the row, watching me wear myself out.
“I’m over whatever sick game you’ve been playing since I got here. I’m not about to run behind you, Marlon. You ain’t the only fucking man in the world.”
I stepped closer.
“Matter of fact, I’m sure there’s somebody at this very party who wouldn’t mind keeping company with a woman like me. Maybe I’ll pick one up.”
Nothing.
“Maybe you’re right,” I pushed for a reaction. “Wyatt has been eyeing me lately, so maybe it’s time I do that.”
Still nothing.
I scoffed and looked away first. “Whatever. I got the stupid wine. Let’s just go. The sooner this shit is over with and I can get out of here, the better.”
I turned toward the elevator and his hand closed around my arm before I made it.
“You know what. Fuck it.”
I jerked against his grip and looked up at him. “What are you—”
“I’m tired of putting up with this funky ass attitude you been having with me,” he cut in, forcing me back until the stone at my shoulders stopped me. “What exactly do you think you doing right now? Running your mouth and throwing out names tryna make me react. You think that shit is cute, right?”
He turned me around by the arm he held, making my face press into the cold wall.
“After everything I did for you. After all the shit I let slide. You gone tell me you wanna fuck another man in my face?”
I heard his belt unbuckle.
“I was just—”
“Nah. I don’t wanna hear it.”
He used his foot to spread my leg and hiked up my dress. I felt his hand on my hip as he grabbed the waistband of my thong and pulled it down. My heart was pounding in my ear.
“Panties wet as fuck. This turned you on that much?”
I couldn’t answer.
Suddenly, my head got pulled back by my hair—my freshly installed, $1000 wig. I almost cussed his ass out.
He held his palm out to my lips. I looked at it then glanced back at him. He still had that blank expression, but now it had a touch of annoyance.
“We ain’t got all day. You got guest waiting.”
I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him get the fuck off me. I should refuse this. After all the shit he put me through over the past weeks, the last thing he deserved was pussy. But then I thought to myself.
Don’t I deserve some dick?
Pulling from the back of my throat, I gave the wettest, nastiest spit I could muster. And that’s what made the sick bastard smile.
I barely had time to brace before he used the spit to coat his dick and ram it in me.
“Fuck!”
I arched into him and he used the grip he had on my hair to hold me against the wall as he wore me out.
Not gonna lie, I thought I’d black out again.
The level of pressure this man puts on my body was not like anything I’ve ever experienced. He knew exactly what to do to make me feel weak. It must be from years of experience or something ‘cause he was a professional.
My stomach warmed and I felt the pressure gather from all over to this one spot. The very spot he was hitting. I closed my eyes and felt it. Savoring it because with Marlon I never knew when I’d feel it again.
“Fuck…”
My nipples got hard from rubbing against the wall through my dress fabric. My nails dug into the dusty ass cement as I fought like hell to keep my sanity.
It didn’t work.
Not with him hammering in like this. Not with him groaning in my ear and his warmth against my back.
When the pressure built up to the point it was almost painful, I started giving it back.
“Yeah!” he got faster. “That’s what I like. Take that shit! Take it all!”
I barely lasted a minute before I was unraveling like a knot against the wall. But he didn’t stop. He was just as hard and as fast as before, like he had a point to prove.
“Again!” He demanded. “Cum for me again, Rabbit.”
“I can’t—”
A slap. Not a hard one. But one that made me actually cum again. I was surprised myself, especially considering he still didn’t stop.
“Marlon…”
“You done?”
“Y-Yes.”
And he stopped immediately. When he pulled out I almost collapsed but he caught me, turning me to face him with the same blank expression.
I was out of breath.
He took my face in his hand and looked me over.
“Did you…cum?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
Damn, I almost felt bad.
“You need water,” he continued. “And you gotta eat something.”
“Okay.”
But he didn’t let me go. He just looked down at me. “Remember back in New York, when I did what I did to you and you left?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel about it now? Would you stay?”
“Depends.”
He squeezed my face ‘til my lips puckered. “Straight answers, Rabbit. Depends on what?”
I swallowed. “What you’d do if I said I still want more.”
He smiled again. But this one was more pleased with himself than anything. He let my face go but still kept me close.
“Spread your legs. I got something for you.”
I didn’t even question it.
Instead of cumming inside me like I thought he would, he came in my panties, while keeping eye contact the entire time.