Boundless Desires (His Dirty Secret Book 4)
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Authors: Evelyn Troy
His Dirty Secret
Boundless Desires
By Evelyn Troy
Copyright 2014 by Evelyn Troy
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author. All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.
Also by the author:
Lie To Me – The Complete Collection -
http://amzn.com/B00MS7Z1X4
Isobel lay in bed for way longer than was necessary, but she simply had no inclination to get up and start the day. It was probably because she just didn’t know what the day held in store for her, other than having to talk to both Tyler and Marcus, of course.
And that right there was where the problem lay. She didn’t want to have the conversations she knew she needed with either of them. Hell, she didn’t even know how to even start, let alone what to say. She’d thought that things were going great with Tyler, but after the day she’d had yesterday she wasn’t so sure any more. Isobel wasn’t really sure of anything where he was concerned.
Isobel hadn’t consciously thought about Marcus for years, but after bumping into him the day before; a meeting that she was sure he had manipulated, so many old feelings had come back. He’d made it clear that he wanted to see her again, and in return she’d told him to more or less fuck off. But the dream she’d had last night in which he’d fucked her so thoroughly, had made her doubt her decision to avoid him at all costs.
Maybe Marcus had changed. Could it be possible that he wasn’t the self-centered chauvinist she’d know while back in her college days? He’d definitely been a pig to her in the final days of their relationship, but they’d also had lots of good days filled with fun and laughter. He was definitely a catch; good-looking and funny. And he’d obviously made a pretty penny playing football, although the monetary aspect of things had never really interested Isobel. She’d really enjoyed the time she’d dated him, up until the last few days at least, so could there be a chance that they could rekindle things?
And was it also possible that Tyler
hadn’t
changed, especially with regard to the woman he was supposed to be divorcing to be with Isobel. Tyler’s soon-to-be ex-wife had also confronted Isobel yesterday, shocking her to the core with her promise that Tyler would not be divorcing her when he realized just how much he stood to lose with regards to his businesses. Was Jessica right? Would Tyler break up with her if it was a choice between her or his business? And did she really want to take a chance and wait until he made up his mind one way or the other?
But waiting for Tyler could be oh so worth it. She’d had better sex with him than she’d ever had with anyone else, ever. And even if Tyler
was
sure about their relationship, was it really fair of her to carry on with it until she’d made up
her
mind one way or the other?
It wasn’t just about the sex either. Tyler always went out of his way to make her feel good; whether it was about her or something she was doing. And she really liked being with him and enjoyed almost every minute they were together. Wasn’t that more important than anything?
Isobel thumped her pillow in frustration and sighed. Here she was, in one of the most exclusive hotels in Miami, part owned by Tyler, of course, and instead of being in the luxury suite that Tyler had arranged for them, she was in a single room on her own. There was something seriously wrong with this picture. Oh well, she couldn’t stay in bed all day. She had to figure things out one way or the other to be fair to everyone, and she wasn’t going to do that by hiding away in this damn room.
Isobel swung her legs out of bed and walked into the bathroom, turning the shower on and stepping under the hot spray with another sigh. She should be sharing a shower, or a bath, with Tyler right about now.
And it would have been infinitely more interesting than washing her own body down
, Isobel thought as she shampooed her hair and soaped herself up with the shower gel she’d purchased at the hotel store the night before.
She finished her shower and stepped out, wrapping a huge fluffy towel around her as she walked back into the bedroom. Her suitcase was up in Tyler’s suite, but she’d washed her underwear out in the bathroom sink before going to bed and had bought a new top at the store. Her pants would have to do for now though. Isobel pulled her clothes on and dried her hair with the dryer that was in the room. She didn’t have any of her makeup with her, but there wasn’t much she could do about that right now, and she never wore much of it as a rule anyway.
When there was nothing else to be done, Isobel sat on the edge of the bed staring at the telephone. She had no idea if Marcus was actually staying at this hotel or if he was staying somewhere else, but she needed to find out. She called down to the front desk and told the receptionist who she was and what room she was staying in.
“I’m here at the request of Tyler James.” Well it wasn’t a lie, although she was actually supposed to be staying in his suite
with
him. “Could you possibly get a message to him, please, and let him know that I appreciate that he has meetings this morning, but I’ll see him this afternoon around three?”
“Certainly, ma’am. That would be no problem at all.” The receptionist was very polite and professional, and Isobel wasn’t sure if the curiosity she heard in her voice was her own misguided guilty imagination or not. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Actually there is. I bumped into an old friend of mine yesterday, and we’re supposed to be meeting for lunch but I’ve lost his cell phone number. Could you possible connect me to his room?” She’d soon find out if he was staying here or not.
“What is the name of your friend ma’am?”
“It’s Marcus Tanning. Thank you so much for your help.” Isobel felt herself starting to shake with nerves at the sudden prospect of talking with Marcus again. Did she really want to do this? Hell, she didn’t really have a choice, did she?
The receptionist’s voice sounded again. “You’re very welcome, ma’am. I’m connecting you to Mr. Tanning’s room now.”
Isobel’s stomach did a somersault as the phone rang in Marcus’s room. After four rings she was about to hang up when his voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Hello?”
“Oh! Hi, M-marcus. This is Isobel.” She hated the fact that she couldn’t quite keep the slight stutter from her voice.
“Well hey beautiful.” His voice was warm and he sounded pleased to hear from her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Isobel deliberately ignored his off-handed compliment. “I was wondering if you’d be free to have lunch today.” There was no point in beating round the bush.
“That sounds like a great idea. Did you have anywhere specific in mind?” Isobel breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn’t laughed at her.
“I’ve never been here before so I don’t really know any places to go. Do you have any suggestions?” Isobel hoped he did, because she really didn’t want to have to eat here at the hotel. It would be very awkward if Tyler or his soon-to-be ex-wife saw them, and she really didn’t want to have to explain things until she’d made sure that she had all the answers that she needed first.
There was the slightest of hesitations before Marcus answered. “Okay, if I remember correctly, you were always partial to Italian food, right?”
“Good memory, and yes you’re right.” She was surprised that he’d remembered something that seemed so trivial, but the knowledge that he
had
remembered made her feel a little better about meeting with him today.
“Good. There’s a nice Italian place called ‘Beppo’s’ on Maddison Avenue. We could go together or we could meet there, whichever suits you best.”
Wow. Since when had he become so considerate? “I think I’d rather meet you there, if that’s okay? Does one o’clock suit you?”
There was a distinct smile in Marcus’s voice when he answered. “Of course it suits me. Even if I had other plans I’d drop them in a heartbeat to have lunch with the beautiful Isobel.”
Okay, considerate had turned sickly sweet in Isobel’s ears, but she gave herself a quick mental talk and chose to believe that his tone was genuine rather than patronizing. “I’ll see you later then. Bye for now, Marcus.” She disconnected the call and took a deep breath. She had absolutely no earthly idea about whether she was doing the right thing or not, but
not
doing it didn’t sit well with her either.
She checked her watch and decided that she had enough time to go and buy something new to wear. Isobel had been wearing the same pants when she’d bumped into Marcus yesterday, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to have him look at her as though she was down and out.
She picked up her purse and left her room, making her way down to the lobby and out of the main front door where she stopped and looked around to get her bearings and figure out which way she should go. Unable to decide, Isobel figured that she’d save time and leg-work by taking a taxi, so she hailed one from the line close to the hotel entrance, telling the driver what she wanted and thanking him profusely when he smiled, nodded and proceeded to drive her to the closest shopping mall.
An hour later she was on her way back to the hotel, armed with a couple of bags that contained a new skirt and top along with some new makeup and hairstyling products, as well as a small bottle of her favorite perfume. She had another quick shower in her room and then got ready for her meeting with Marcus. She didn’t feel comfortable calling it a date and she knew that to look upon it as such would be like cheating on Tyler.
Isobel called down to reception and asked them to book her a cab for one thirty, preferring to get to the restaurant before Marcus if at all possible. The restaurant was relatively close to the hotel and she arrived with fifteen minutes to spare and was shown to a table that had been booked by Marcus; not too secluded, but quiet enough that they would be able to have a conversation without being overheard. A bottle of champagne was chilling in a glass ice-bucket and Isobel was amazed to find a huge bouquet of flowers taking over what seemed to be half of the table.
“The flowers are courtesy of Mr. Tanning. He left word that he will be joining you shortly.” The young waitress looked extremely impressed and just a little envious, and Isobel was almost tempted to tell her not to be jealous because things weren’t always what they appeared to be, especially where Marcus was concerned. Instead she just smiled and thanked the girl.
Isobel was browsing through the menu when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “You look as delightful as ever, Isobel.” Marcus didn’t look too bad himself, with his blonde hair casually styled and his blue eyes sparkling at her. But when she looked at him, Isobel felt none of the butterflies that she typically felt whenever Tyler was in proximity.
She decided to err on the side of caution, and rather than compliment him back she simply said, “Thank you, Marcus.” She remembered her manners as the waitress came and took the flowers from the table to put them elsewhere while they ate their meal. “And thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”
He took the seat opposite her and glanced at the menu briefly before placing it to one side and looking back at her. Reaching across the table, he took one of her hands in his, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over her skin while he smiled at her. “A beautiful woman should be surrounded by beautiful things.” His voice was as smooth as chocolate, and his words even more so, but Isobel was unaffected by them.
She gently but firmly pulled her hand back and picked up her glass of water, taking a sip while she tried to formulate what she wanted to say. “I was surprised to see you yesterday.” Isobel figured it was best to start off with something obvious rather than just dive right into the nitty gritty of why she wanted to see him.
“I could lie and tell you the same, but I actually knew that you were going to be at the hotel.” Marcus’s words shouldn’t have surprised her, but they did. “In fact, you’re the reason I’m here, Isobel.” She was even more surprised to hear that.
“I am? Why?” She wasn’t sure whether to be pleased that he actually wanted to see her, or suspicious of his motives.
He took her hand back in his own, looking down at it seemingly in deep thought. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.” He finally looked up at her face, encouraged by the fact that she hadn’t pulled her hand away from him again. “I’ve missed you, Isobel.”
“You have?” She couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice. “Forgive me, Marcus, but I find that hard to believe.”
“You shouldn’t, because it’s true.” He didn’t bother mentioning that he hadn’t given her a second thought until he’d seen her picture in the newspaper alongside Tyler.
Isobel gave a small smile that, if he’d been watching closely enough, he would have noticed didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Shall we decide what to order?” Marcus raised an eyebrow at her words, not used to her being so assertive.
A lot has changed, buddy
, she thought to herself as she noticed his expression.
I’m not the meek little pushover I used to be.
Isobel picked up her menu once more and Marcus did the same.
