Vows of Deception: Something old, new, borrowed, and BLUE... (22 page)

“Thank you Beejay.”

“Anything for you. One thing I’m so happy about is that we can openly be friends now. I love you girl.”

“Awe. I love you too.” They shared a hug with promise. That was the first person she has shared love feelings for besides her parents in a while. Deep down she wishes she could have said those words to Mark in response to his confession. Only time will tell if what they share is written in the stars.

*****

Some time had passed with Danni and Mark only talking briefly or seeing one another when time permitted. This being one of them. Thanksgiving had gone over without many setbacks. Of course some family was still ignorant as to why Lamont wasn’t present and Danni chose not to dwell on explanations.. Now it was very evident to most the divorce would soon be finalized because the announcement was printed in the newspaper. Danni had never paid much attention to that portion of the paper until someone brought it to her attention. Needless to say she wasn’t tripping on the world now knowing that she was going to be a single woman again. Who should care anyway?

The one thing that raised concern was where Natalie was. She didn’t dare step foot in her mother’s house just as she was warned. The anger she did possess from them was still very much a factor. The betrayal of that magnitude was enough to make some people homicidal. Only by the grace of God has she let certain things go without going off the deep end. Her Aunt Ruby hinted on being messy by pointing out that Lamont and Natalie were both missing. Then as if everyone was privy to the secret family issue they brushed it off giving no ammunition for it to fester any further. For that fact alone Danni was happy. Messy people will always try to ruin the peace that others have but with the right support system even they will fall.

One thing that didn’t happen was Danni, Mark, and Niecee showing up or appearing as a happy family. Instead they drove separate cars and just so happened to arrive simultaneously at the many stops they had to make between the two them. Danni’s first stop was at her mother’s house when she looked up seeing Mark walk in with Niecee. Of course she had planned on going over to Rita’s house later that day to visit with everyone but she hadn’t expected them to come to her parents. They hadn’t discussed anything outside of just seeing each other later. Tension was so apparent when they were around each other. No matter how they tried to remain impassive to one another the sexual tension would ruin any setbacks they had.

When they were around everyone else they fell into the friend roll to keep others off their scent. However they weren’t throwing people off too good because they still got those looks. The looks that said ‘y’all ain’t fooling nobody,’ but they overlooked them. At least Danni did. Her mother and Rita stopped trying to force them together, for now. Danni often wondered what she would do when he found another woman he felt worthy of pursuing. Where would that leave her? The odd ball out with no man or kid to hold a candle to a new budding relationship.

Poor Niecee even decided to throw caution to the wind and ask if she thought her dad was attractive. She wouldn’t lie to her sweet girl so she told her the truth. Only to add that they were only friends. Nothing romantic. Instead of asking anything further Niecee took that into consideration moving on to another subject. Telling her how she overheard her teachers and other faculty at her school commenting about how fine he was.

They had even begun a bet to see who can temp him into taking a second glance at them. The jealous Judy bug showed up all over when she heard that. Niecee also told her they were being extra nice to her all of sudden. Danni immediately knew exactly what was going on and she was internally fuming. ‘Some women had no values,’ she mused. Then a thought that she had no room to refute made realization hit. Mark wasn’t hers and at the rate she was going he would never be.

~

Mark was balls deep inside of Danni. She had been clawing at his back because that was the only thing she could think to do. Steadily grinding until she tried to close her legs but that didn’t stop his stride for his wide body was already wedged between her quivering thighs. On shaky hands, Danni tried to scoot from under him by pushing down and upward. Hitting the floor sounded like the best option to ease some of his torturous thrusting. Suddenly her hands were yanked above her head with some powerful force, held tightly with one hand. His strength was remarkable, holding her hands while never ceasing the pumps.

“Oh God!” Danni groaned. She could have sworn she heard him growl lowly.

“Wet and tight…” He groaned still going full steam.

“Mark… I can’t…” Danni wanted to tell him to stop cause he was rocking her world literally. Her body has never been worked so thoroughly before Mark. The first couple of times they had gone there while ‘just fucking’ was great but the raw need during this time was intense. Mark had nestled his head next to her ear, ready to give his one word command as usual. She shivered at the sensation feeling his hot breath against her neck.

“Cummm.” He hummed the word against her sensitive flesh. As if they were one, her body succumbed to his command doing as its master requested. The small piece of reserve she had crumbled, sending her nerve endings to above and beyond.

“Ahhh…” Danni’s hoarse cry drowned out his grunts. After catching his breath for a minute he pulled out. Made his way to the restroom to flush their protection. Mark had gone back to using protection. Danni faintly remembered when they stopped around the times he was slow and sensual with her. A thought came to her mind that maybe he was involved with others besides her now. Suddenly a hard vibration sounded off in the quiet room disrupting her sad thought process. Danni instantly knew it was his phone going off because hers was cut off. Unfortunately her legs felt numb or she would have made her way to the restroom as well.

“Hello?” Mark answered his phone that was on the nightstand. She didn’t even hear him come back into the room. “Who is this?” Danni’s ears perked up just a little when she heard a female voice faintly.

“Shit, chilling with a friend of mine. What’s up with you?” He said all of this while sliding on his boxers and basketball shorts. Even though she had no right, she still felt some type of way by being called just a friend.

“Nah, nothing like that. Just a friend. Nothing for you to concern yourself with.” He said with a straight face balancing the phone between his face and shoulder while he busied himself doing other things.

Danni didn’t hear anything else as she finally managed to hoist herself up to go to the restroom. Her legs were like jelly, the rest of her body wasn’t any better. Head pounding, chest aching, and ears ringing Danni wanted to make a mad dash for it. Too much was going on. Every time ending things with Mark comes to mind, she finds herself in bed with him. Each time it’s her who initiates the hook-up but she claims not to want anything serious with him. Only physical satisfaction is what she seeks from him besides his friendship. He was an outstanding friend and the benefits were well worth it. As of late she had been feeling off in a way after they complete their deed. So it was only natural to want to end things before they got complicated.

Washing up her sore sex, she made her way back out to the bedroom. Mark wasn’t in the room where she left him. Swiftly moving around the room, Danni gathered all of her belongings. Throwing her clothes on in a rush. She had come over to his house for this one thing and now that it was done it was time to dip out before her jumbled feelings made a fool out of her. Fleeing was the best option until she could steel her bubbling sensitivity. Unfortunately a formal goodbye wasn’t going to happen. “See you Mark.” Danni whispered into space. Her only regret leaving this way was she knowing the outcome was going to cause some friction between the supposed friends.

****

Arriving home in record time driving in a complete daze, Danni made haste jumping into the shower to wash away traces of their sex. The junction of her sex was tender to the touch, yet longing for more special attention. Mark never seemed to disappoint in delivering every stroke with precision. In the past their sessions had always been a little more intimate, passionate, and something on the lines of making love. Since the last time they were together, she blatantly told him she didn’t trust him or any other man and probably never would again. Mark only smirked leaving her feeling confused. Her soon to be ex-husband had diminished any chances of love living in heart again with his foolery.

At least that’s the lie she keeps telling herself. Danni had begun to feel tingly whenever her and Mark were together be it physically or casually interacting. When he addressed that he would love to be more than just fling partners, Danni had withdrawn completely. Rejecting any thoughts of possibly starting something serious with her savior. Mark had swooped in rescuing her in almost every aspect of her life after her failed marriage.

An extra job, a place to stay when things turned sour with the divorce proceedings, and finally some sexual healing that eased her self-esteem from crashing any further. Not to mention he was such a great person, friend, and father to Niecee. To say she truly owed him so much would be an understatement but how would she ever repay him. She could work the rest of her life and still not have enough. What he has done has no monetary value. Only if things were different. Different time. Different circumstances. They would be a match made in heaven.

~

“Who is it?” Danni called out as she walked to the door. She was awakened from a restless sleep. Sadly she had contemplated whether or not she was doing the right thing by keeping Mark at a distance. Her thoughts wouldn’t shut off for her to get any sleep.

“Mark!” The deep timber of his voice stopped her dead in her tracks. Slowly she made her way to the door although she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face him just yet.

“Hey.” She said hesitantly.

“Good morning to you too sunshine.” He remarked with his signature smirk.

“What are you doing here?” It came out ruder than she intended but it was out now.

“May I come in?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you leave last night?” He asked taking a seat on the sofa without a care in the world.

“There was no reason to linger around. Our business was completed. Right?”

“Business?” He chuckled sarcastically. “You couldn’t even say goodbye. See you later. It was fun. Thank you, nothing.”

“Your phone conversation seemed important I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“That’s cute.” He chuckled again.

“What’s cute? And what’s funny?”

“You. This act. The fact that you seem jealous.”

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous? I am just a friend, nothing for your late night caller to worry about.” Danni said rolling her eyes.

“It’s amazing that you have an attitude about something that was your idea. Being just friends was all on you. Then you show up at my house initiate sex claiming to only want a nut. I deliver and you are still bothered. You seem really confused right now, so I tell you what I suggest.” Mark said with all seriousness. Danni recognized the stern Mark so she thought it best that she state her woes.

“Mark…”

“Let me finish, this won’t take long at all. You always get to state your say and what you think. Now it’s my turn.” Mark said sternly. “I stated to you before that I am a grown ass man and I don’t have time for games. You assumed I was an uneducated thug because I don’t walk around in a full suit twenty-four seven. You also assumed I had my fair share of hoes left and right. If I wanted all of that I wouldn’t waste my time on your stubborn ass. I have let you dictate how, when, and what time we can share any time together. I am not nor have I ever been a pussy ass dude that will let a woman run over me. Nor am I a womanizer like your dumb ass ex. I saw something in you, I wanted, and I went for it. You have made it very clear that’s not what you want but in actuality you want what I have to offer on your terms.”

“That’s not how I am wired so that won’t work for me. In time we can work on being friends again with benefits being completely withdrawn from the equation. It’s obvious you aren’t built for any sort of interaction such as that. I care about you but I won’t be made to suffer for someone else’s actions.” Mark said void of his smirk but replaced with stone. “You and Niecee have a relationship on the outside of what we have. So I won’t be a total prick and cease that interaction you have with my daughter. As a matter of fact, I am willing to share custody of Niecee with you if all goes well with the courts. That is something I wouldn’t even allow with her birth mother or anyone on that side of the family.”

“Niecee looks at you like the mother she was never fortunate enough to have and I admire the love you have for her as well. You can continue your relationship with her and I won’t interfere unless we have something planned already. Maybe one day we can work on our friendship again but for now we should be cordial to one another. Before you try and add your own stipulations, it’s either this or nothing.”

“Deal?”

Danni stared at Mark trying to decipher if she was dreaming or not. The way he just spoke to her was a true eye opener. She had pushed him too far. Just when she was thinking of second guessing her ways he ends their friendship all together. Maybe it was for the best that he ended it because she had tried on several occasions coming up empty. He was an addiction she enjoyed. What rehab could she go to for help with recovering though? It’s either what he offered or nothing.