Driven by Desire (13 page)

“What does that mean?”

“In the beginning, our relationship was non monogamous. Open. Which meant we agreed on seeing other people.”

“How can a relationship like that work?” Tanya asked.

“It didn’t. Not in the long run. I came to realize that what we had wasn’t a relationship at all. I think Becca got a bit of a rush or confidence booster that she was my main lover and I was hers, like we agreed. I was tired of it, tired of playing around, but Becca convinced me to give her a chance and we promised to stop dating others. Faithfulness is not something Becca was very good at. I don’t think it would have hurt so bad if she hadn’t been sleeping with one of the members of Rugged.”

“Oh.” Tanya frowned. “You must have had feelings for Becca, then?”

It took him a while to answer. “There’s affection, lust, and then there’s true love. I’ve grown to learn the difference.”

“Sorry that happened, but I’m glad you’re being truthful with me.”

“I can’t control what other people do, but do know that after what happened I made certain she knew that we were through. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my past when it comes to women, Tanya. I’ve had many, many failed relationships. I played the field because I could and because that’s what I wanted. In the end, there’s no fun in the outcome of it. Broken hearts. Hurt feelings. These things come up to haunt you in future relationships as it has done here with us. You will not be one I fail at keeping. My life is purposeful now with you in it. I can wake up in the morning and know that when I’m with you, everything will be as they should be. I don’t want that feeling to end ever again. When you refused to see me, I experienced what that felt like.”

“Not only am I an emotional wreck,
I’ve got baggage too,” she admitted.

He arched a brow. “
Care to tell me all about it?”

“Has Zaira told you who Justin is—was I mean?”

“Why don’t you tell me? I hate gossip
and hearsay.”

She exhaled, but continued to make eye contact with Marcus.
“My ex, Justin, used to work for Svelte in the accounting department. I can’t believe you haven’t found that out yet. This is why I had issues with you and I continuing a relationship after Ocho Rios.”

His brows came together. “Wh
y would you let someone you no longer want in your life dictate your future?”

She shrugged. “I thought maybe it would be an embarrassment if you found out that the woma
n you were dating had also been with a past employee.”

“Sometimes things happen for a reason. We met in Ocho Rios because of the wedding, but I do think that sooner or later, we would have met. This Justin is not the only thing we have in common,” he replied
. “I’ve told you this many times, but I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks of me. I’ve gone through that phase earlier in life.” He took her hand. “Why should I care if they didn’t give birth to me, aren’t paying my bills, aren’t fucking me, and aren’t taking care of me?”

“Okay…”

“I know exactly what I want. You.” Marcus kissed the back of her hand. “
You’re the type of woman that you have for a lifetime. Can you commit to me? Can you commit to us?”

“
You have everything you need versus trying to obtain what you want. You’re already successful, and you’re different, but it will take some time for me give full trust again.”

“I’ll be
patient, Tanya.”

A long sensuous kiss confirmed their declarations, and Tanya was sure now that she’d found a man who understood her.

When they pulled apart, Marcus gestured to a package sitting the coffee table. “Now that we have that out of the way, the contents of this box posed no bearing on the decision we made here today because before it ever arrived on my doorstep, I’d already fallen for you. Likewise, what’s in the box never changed my feelings for you.”

Tanya said, glancing at the box, nervously. “What do you mean?”

“You ex plays dirty, Tanya.”

She looked at him in confusion, and shook her head.

“He still wants you, doesn’t he?” Marcus asked.

“I don’t know. He’s been calling, but just the other day I had to tell him that I’
ve moved on. He was…a little shocked. What’s in the box?”

“That makes sense.”

“What makes sense? What are you saying?”

“Did you make a sex tape with Justin?”

Her mouth literally dropped to the floor. “What!”

“That bastard sent me a video tape of you two in bed together.”

“Oh, my God.” Her heart beat thunderously in her chest. “We…we…earlier, we…”

Marcus dropped his face in his palm.

Tanya had no idea that Justin kept a copy of the short recording of them having sex. She didn’t even know he had made a permanent copy of it. “Do you think I cheated on you? This happened when Justin and I first started dating.”

“I know
you didn’t cheat on me. You had shorter hair in the video.” He grabbed both of her hands. “Listen to me. I watched it because I had no idea what it was.”

Tanya’s face grew heated. “I’m so embarrassed.
That idiot.
Why did he do this?”

“I think maybe the point of him doing this was to ruin what we have. From what you’ve told me, he regrets breaking up with you. Do you still have feelings for him?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s over between he and I, but this sounds exactly like something Justin would do. He doesn’t like being crossed.”

“Well, he’s messing with the right one, because neither do I,”
Marcus said, a frank expression on his face.

“Don’t get involved. Let’s just leave it be and I’m sure he’ll leave it alone.” But how stupid could she have been when she agreed to making a video of them being intimate? “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“No need for apologies. At least I understood what you meant the moment you said that you had baggage.”

“My ex w
ent a little further than yours, don’t you think?”

“
Either way, we’re in this together, and just know that everything will be dealt with. Don’t worry. I know some important people in important places.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve ties to several business acquaintances in New York, high and low.”

“Marcus…?”

“You have better things to do than worry about this, alright?”

“Alright, but will you at least destroy the DVD?” she asked. “I don’t want to see it. And I don’t want you watching it again or anyone else for that matter.”

“This won’t ruin our night.”
Marcus retrieved the DVD from out of the box and split it in two. “I have the steaks out on the patio, we can make it a date night in, watch some movies, just chill, and maybe I can demonstrate my attempt of a Swedish massage to relieve some of your tension. How about that?”

She smiled. “
You know…I have missed you.”

Tanya
leaned against the elevator walls waiting for the dial to hit the fifteenth floor. It lugged along slowly despite the fact that the building was nearly deserted after normal business hours. When the buzzer finally chimed and the doors slid open revealing the receptionist area, she stepped inside Svelte Technologies’ corporate suite with a bag of takeout food.

S
ave for a few overhead lights over the waiting area, there was no one at the receptionist desk this hour of the evening. They had closed for regular business nearly three hours. Most everyone in the building was gone and from the silence on the floor the Svelte employee’s had gone for the day. Except for Marcus, who was working late.

Tanya picked the phone on the side of the desk and keyed Marcus’ extension.

“This is Brooks,” he answered the phone.

“I’m here.”

“Good timing,” he said. “I’m in the last office on the right. Three hundred.”

When she reached his office, he
was seated at his desk over a mountain of paperwork. There were three coffee cups and a bag of trail mix on the desk. With only the dim lights on in the hallways and out into the cubicle areas, he was literally in the dark except for a lamp shining brightly on his desk.

He eyed her under his dark lashes with an appreciative grin on his face.
“I think you wore that dress to distract me from my work.”

She’d just come from her photo shoot for graduation
pictures, so she had no idea that wearing the little black dress could divert Marcus’ attention. But while she was here…

“
Did not,” she teased, coming forward in the office. “I had graduation pictures today. Don’t you remember? I truly see what you mean now when you told me you worked after hours frequently.”

She sat the bag of Chinese
take-out on his desk, and then sauntered over to the long five foot mirror that was attached to a small closet door. She smoothed down the front of her skirt with her palms and shimmied her hips a little to adjust it. “It’s not too tight, is it? I know I’ve gain like five pounds hanging out with you, but I’ve still been going to the gym.”

“You look sexy. I wouldn’t change a thing about you. Especially not those hips and definitely not that ass.
I’d like some of those pictures when you get them, so I can put it here on my desk.”

Her fac
e grew heated at his compliment. “I’ll think about it.” She turned and moved back to the desk to take out the contents of the bag, placing his Lo Mein noodles down in front of him. “Or I might just make you work for it.”

He slid
his hand gentle around her forearm, and pulled her down to his level to kiss her. “What must I do?”

“I can think of a dozen ways.”

“Name one.” His fingers slid alongside the edge of her dress, where it had ridden up against her upper thigh.

She blushed. “Not here.”

“Why not?”

Tanya looked at him cross-eyed. “Are you serious?”

“No one’s around.” His hands moved further, teasing the silk edge of her thongs.

“You
are
a risk taker,” she said, and slipped away from him. “But, I don’t think you have it in you.”

Before she could move even two feet away from Marcus, he’d sprung up out of his chair and captured her in his grip.
He crushed his lips onto hers and slid his tongue into her mouth. Her ass hit the edge of the desk hard as he pushed his solid frame against her and deepened the kiss.

“
Is that a challenge?” he asked, when they both came up panting for air.

She licked his lips, and pressed her pelvis against the hard length of him. “Call it what you will.”

His irises blazed with passion. “I will bend you over my desk, spank, and fuck you thoroughly.”

A warm shrill shot up her spine and s
he bit into her bottom lip. No matter how many times he did this, she was always shocked by his arrogant possessiveness, but now she was particularly intrigued by his wicked promise.

Tanya
reached behind her to hit the switch on the lamp, so that they were completely in the dark in this office. She met his dark gaze. “You think you’re so bad. Do it, then. I dare you.”

He chuckled. “
Hmmm, I’ve seen many sides of you, but this is a first…?”

“Oh, it’s been there,” she said, grabbing his thick rod through his dress pants. “I’ve been counting on you to bring it out.”

“Don’t ask for what you can’t handle quite yet. I’ve been easy on you thus far.”

This time she laughed softly. “You mean you’
ve been holding back on me?” She tugged on his silver tie hard, and jerked him against her so that his face was nearly level with hers. “Give it to me, and then I will decide what I can handle.”

Two seconds later, her front was being pushed up against his desk w
ith her ass high in the air. He was above her, breathing hot and heavy against her ear. “You knew what you were doing when you wore that short dress.”

Tanya
bit her lip, nearly whimpering as he slid a finger behind the seat of her panties. He found her center and gliding his finger between her wetness. Her face was turned to the side where she could see his movements in the mirror. With his free hand he released himself from his slacks and stroked his thick hard flesh as he pleased her with wicked digits.

“Please,” she shuddered, as he lifted her dress until they were bunched at her hips.

He kneaded her ass, licking his lips and creasing his forehead in lust. “Once I start, I won’t stop.”

“Then do it quick before someone catches us,” she replied
.

Marcus
lifted her thongs, pulling the fabric aside and entered her aggressively. She nearly drew blood this time when she bit her lip to try to keep her scream of shock under control. She was already wet and her pussy milked him as he slid in and out, opening her up to his size.

He caressed
her behind as he fucked her, driving deep each time. When his palm landed across her ass the first time, she did cry out. With every smack across her tight flesh, her pussy pulsed wildly.