Heart Matters (4 page)

He took the shampoo and helped wash her
hair; he then took the soap and lathered her, washing away the
memories that lingered on her skin. When he touched her thighs, she
winced and he began moving his hand away but she held it in
place.

“Wash him away, Ty, wash him away!”

He did as she asked and lathered her
carefully, touching her intimately, caressing her, removing all the
filth till she felt clean.

He was aroused now and she leaned in his
embrace, her arms around his waist, her cheek against his chest.
The hot water caressed their naked bodies making him acutely aware
of every inch of her skin touching him.

She stood unmoving in his arms for a long
time. When she finally stirred and looked up at him, he knew she
was still crying. He turned off the shower and reached out for her
robe. Grabbing a towel for himself, he led her out of the
bathroom.

When he laid her on the bed, the shadows
under her eyes made his heart shatter into a million pieces.
“Jess?” It was a question and her response was to open her arms to
him.

He went to her willingly, wanting to restore
her dignity. His lips found hers in a passionate kiss and she
returned it with equal abandon clutching at him as though she was
drowning.

Mark reined in his desire, wanting to be
gentle with her but she wrapped her hands around his neck and
lifted her hips to him. “I want you now, Ty, no more waiting,” she
whispered through unshed tears. “I want to wipe his every memory
and I can’t do it on my own.”

“Oh my, baby girl!” he groaned, kissing her
fervently. “I’ll give you what you want honey, but are you sure you
want this?”

Her eyes glittered bitterly, silent tears
once again rolling down the sides of her face. She looked up at him
as he waited for her answer. “I could feel him when he was taking
my body, Ty, I could feeeeel him!” she hissed through clenched
teeth, “And I couldn’t do a thing to stop him. He forced himself on
me over and over again and I..I…felt good.” She began sobbing
again, closing her eyes to avoid his. “I hate myself, I hate
myself! How could I get an orgasm when I was being raped?!”

His heart raced with the acknowledgement of
the injustice done to an innocent like her. If she wasn’t in the
state that she was he would go find Jake and cut his dick off! “It
wasn’t your fault, Jess. He slipped you a powerful street drug that
is regularly used to rape women by getting their submission. There
is usually no proof of rape as it all appears consensual.”

“But to feel that kind of horrible
passion?”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he stated touching
his forehead to hers. “I swear he’ll pay, Jess, I’ll make him pay
for what he did to you!”

Jessica’s lips quivered as she attempted to
hold back her sobs. “Love me Ty. Show me how. I want it just once;
but promise me something.”

“What?” he murmured in between the small
kisses he placed over her face.

“You will leave me after we’re done.”

He paused, the shock of her words sinking
in. He knew she meant forever. “Why?”

Her smile was lost and forlorn. “I know you
too well, Ty. You will never be able to face Jeff after this. And
then you will hate yourself. You will love me but you will hate
yourself and I can’t let that happen. Take my memories with you and
be there when I need you.”

“What if I can’t leave? What if I love you
so much that I will die if I leave?”

She laughed then between her soft sobs. “Oh,
Ty, you love me! You really love me!” Tears kept streaming down her
face while she smiled sadly. “Say it again, please say it
again.”

Mark kissed the sides of her face where the
tears streamed down. “I love you Jess, I have loved you since I saw
you the very first time and I will love you till my dying
breath!”

A half laugh with a sob escaped her and she
kissed him back with tiny kisses all over his face. “Thank you, Ty.
I love you too. But if you stay, you will die from wanting me too
much.” Her wet lashes almost touched his cheeks. “Promise me you
will leave?”

For an answer Mark crushed her lips in a
kiss he wanted to burn into her memory forever. He felt her
response, tentative at first and then bold as her tongue entangled
with his, drawing as much as she could from him.

He left her mouth to place tiny kisses
across her breasts before capturing her nipple in his mouth and
sucking it gently. Jessica arched towards him moaning as a sharp
arrow of desire throbbed between her thighs with anticipation. “I
want you now, Ty, I want you in me
now!
”

His mouth left her breast and he towered
over her as he parted her willing legs. He positioned his hard
member near her entrance and then slid into her warmth with a
thrust that left her gasping. Her body stretched to accommodate him
and she caught his waist tightly.

“Wait, don’t move,” she whispered, her eyes
dazed with her desire for him, “I want to remember how you feel in
me.” She closed her eyes, memorizing the fullness of him within her
and he obliged her by cupping her bottom and sliding as deeply in
her as he could, relishing her velvety depths.

Mark gazed down at the beautiful young woman
under him. He reveled in the feel of being within her as one. It
was the moment he knew he could never fall in love again. He would
cherish her forever. He laid tiny kisses over her closed eyes
whispering his love for her over and over again.

She sighed heavily and opened her eyes to
smile at him. “Now, Ty, take me now. Love me as much as you can!”
He captured her mouth in a wild kiss as he began thrusting slowly
in and out of her. She moaned, her head falling back. She kept pace
with him and rose to meet his thrusts even as the torturous journey
to her climax began leading her higher and higher. “Harder! I want
you harder!” she screamed through clenched teeth, her sore body
reveling in his large member ramming into her. He claimed her mouth
once again in a passionate kiss as he moved in and out of her with
an urgency he had never felt before.

He grabbed her hips and drove in deep within
her depths, almost losing control as he felt her hot muscles
beginning to clench around him. “Oh, yes, baby girl, yes, come for
me.”

She almost lifted off the bed as her orgasm
suddenly crashed over her in waves of ecstasy and she clenched
around him screaming his name over and over again. Mark felt his
restraint break and he slammed into her with one last thrust and
pumped his hot flow deep into her womb. “Jessica! I love you!” He
kept rocking till the last wave of his orgasm passed over and
collapsed against her. He rolled off her and drew her in his arms,
stroking her arm lazily. “You ok?”

When she didn’t answer, he looked down and
smiled to find her fast asleep. He held her for a while, wondering
if he could ever let her go. She was right of course. He had to
leave her. They were never meant to be.

He left her sleeping peacefully and packed
his stuff. He would get someone from the agency to replace him. He
was leaving but he would be damned if he didn’t make Jake Wallace
pay before he left.

Present day

The early September morning was bright, blue and
full of the fluffy, white clouds that made the scene look as though
it were straight out of a children’s picture book. As usual, Third
Street Promenade, Santa Monica’s famous shopping district, was
bustling with crowd that comprised of locals and tourists alike.
The tourists mostly went about looking a bit dazed as they
encountered one magnificent shop after the other. There was
something for everyone. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, music, books and
newsstands, cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries and even exclusive
art galleries that made up a rather tiring excursion. One could
never have enough of this street that was one of the most popular
and likely places in Santa Monica to spot a celebrity strolling
by.

Jessica Cantrell watched the enthusiasts who
thronged the place with irritated eyes. She was having one of her
recent bad days and longed to go home and curl up in bed rather
than give polite money-related answers to people who couldn’t
afford to buy most of the stuff in her garment boutique anyway. Of
course, her staff never bothered her unless they thought some
customer was showing genuine interest. But today even the thought
of a prospective client bothered her.

She scowled at her own reflection on her office
window that was situated on the mezzanine floor above her garment
boutique. Life wasn’t fair. Here she was on the verge of a nervous
breakdown while the people out there looked as though they had not
a care in the world.

A knock sounded on her office door and when she did
not bother to respond, it opened to let in Lynn Rogers, her
marketing director and closest friend. “Jessi?”

Jessica turned from the world outside, her
attractive features drawn in a sullen mask. “Save it, I need a
break.”

“You’re in a foul mood,” Lynn observed,
closing the door behind her.

“Foul mood?” Jessica drawled sarcastically,
“My dear, I’m never in a foul mood; I’m merely grumpy!”

Lynn flashed a dimpled smile well accustomed
to her friend’s varied mood swings. “Well, since you’re already at
your grumpiest best, I think you’ll survive the news I have for
you.”

Deep, gray eyes narrowed over her. “I might
blackout.”

Lynn laughed this time. “I don’t think so,
you’ve withstood worst.”

Jessica slumped in her chair, running her
hands through her luxurious cinnamon colored tresses. “Oh, all
right! Shoot, but be gentle.”

Lynn hesitated momentarily before sitting
down on the visitor’s chair. “Maxwell Mason called; his bank
refused to sanction the loan. Two more orders have been cancelled
and Alex resigned this morning. Here’s his resignation letter.” She
moved to place an envelope on the desk but Jessica waved her
off.

“Don’t bother, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen
them all. It’s just as well he resigned. The way things are I don’t
think I can keep on any of the staff much longer.”

“That’s not true, Jessi…”

“Oh, be realistic!” Jessica snapped, her
stormy eyes reflecting the frustration she felt. “Mason was our
last hope, now we have nowhere to turn. And those cancelled orders;
today it’s a couple, tomorrow the entire lot will back out and then
the creditors will start banging on my door and then they’ll sue me
for what I’m worth. Either way, it’s money they want, it’s money
that I want too! Do you know the insurance company is giving me the
third degree about the fire?”

“Yes, but…”

“Sheer negligence caused that fire. I know
it was an unintentional human mistake but it has ruined me! Short
circuit because of a hotplate that was left on in the pantry! Gawd!
That sounds so pathetic! So pathetic that we might not even qualify
for an insurance claim! Damn them and damn all their rules! It
wasn’t my fault was it?
I
didn’t start the fire, did
I
?” She looked around the room at the untidy piles of
semi-brunt dress materials and shook her head wistfully. “This
happens to be the humble remains of my little company.”

The intercom buzzed abruptly and Jessica
jabbed at it with an impatient finger. “What?” she demanded.

“Er..Mr.Cantrell’s here to see you,” her
secretary’s hesitant voice came through.

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep
breath. “Thank you, Ruth. Send him in will, you?” Her eyes opened
to show the storm had subsided. She smiled apologetically at Lynn.
“I’m sorry. When I let go, I really let go, don’t I?”

Her friend smiled warmly as she rose to her
feet. At five feet two inches with blonde hair and bright hazel
eyes, Lynn was the epitome of a fragile beauty. “Once in a while,
we’re all allowed to, Jessi. Just remember, we’re all there for
you.”

“I know.” Jessica came round her desk to
place grateful hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Thanks for being
there Lynn; from start to finish.”

A brief rap sounded on the door and Jeff
Cantrell’s tall frame filled the office, a wide grin splashed
across his dashing features. “Whoops, did I interrupt something
important?”

“Just some friendly reassurance, Jeff. Good
to see you again,” Lynn said moving towards the door. “Watch out
for dragon lady, she’s looking for fresh blood,” she whispered
before heading out.

“Thanks.” Jeff’s grin widened as he held the
door open for her. When they were alone, Jeff turned to his sister
warily. “Is that smoke I see coming out of your ears or am I
imagining things?”

“It’s smoke!” Jessica confirmed sulking
childishly. She folded her arms across her chest then frowned. “Why
are you here, Jeff?”

He put on a wounded look and sat at the edge
of her desk. “Still mad at me?”

“Yes,” her answer was gruff before her eyes
took on a look of anticipation. “Unless of course you’re here to
offer me a loan.”

“I’m not here to offer you anything except
some good advice.”

Jessica gave an exasperated sigh. She moved
behind her desk to once again slump into her chair. “What makes you
think I need your advice?”

Jeff’s gray Cantrell eyes cast a meaningful
glance at the mess around her cabin. “I don’t
think
, angel,
I
know
you need my advice.” He lowered his large form on the
visitor’s chair, a grave look on his face. “How long do you
have?”

Disturbed eyes rested on him. “I’m in a bad
shape, Jeff. The insurance company has proof that the fire was
caused by human negligence but they also have a very alarming
theory that they are trying to prove.”

“Which is?”

“Arson. The investigation team has reasons
to believe that the hotplate was left on deliberately. Someone
broke in through the pantry window and turned it on.” She sighed
looking resigned. “I would like to believe it was the poor security
guard who wanted a cup of hot milk or something but that doesn’t
quite explain the broken window or the sprinkler system that
failed.”