A Chance at Love

Chapter Four

#Luna's POV

Clara drives me straight into the Bronx to my neighborhood of Fordham Heights. I'm quiet most of the ride, listening to Clara talk about some of her wedding ideas, plans for the honeymoon and such. After a little while, she looked over at me, catching me looking wistfully out the window. She reaches over and snaps her fingers near my ear, catching my attention.

"Sorry, you said something about Vegas?" I mumbled, looking over at her. Her expression is one of amusement and slight concern. She doesn't have to say anything, I know what she's thinking. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat. "So...I might have slept with someone last night."

For a moment, there's silence, but slowly a grin grows on her face, and she looks over at me briefly before looking back at the road. "Luna Maria Rosado...you slut!"

I start laughing, smacking at her thigh. "Hey, no shaming!" I pull my hand back and brush a curl from my face, looking back out the window. After a moment, "It was amazing. He was amazing."

"And, did you exchange information?" My best friend asked, brow raised.

I groaned and sank into my seat. "I thought I did, but I was already in the air when I found the note I meant to leave, still in my notebook."

Her face fell, genuinely upset for me. A perfectly manicured hand reached over and covered my hand in my lap. "Lu, honey, I'm sorry."

I shrugged and forced a smile. "It wasn't meant to be, I guess. Bummer too, he was...hot."

"I'm guessing he was more than just hot," Clara says, a knowing smile on her lips. "You're not one to be swayed by looks alone. Let me guess, nerd?"

I scoff and chuckle. "Of course, would I even look at someone who couldn't tell me what planet Chewy was from?"

"Planet Nerd-O." She laughs.

I smack her thigh. "Better than the planet you and Jordan are from, where the indigenous aliens get turned on my numbers and projections."

Clara purrs. "Keep talking dirty."

I laughed, my mood lifting just a little. I might not ever see Marcus again, but I had the memory of our night burned into my mind. And that was something, at least.

#Marcus's POV

When I woke, I knew instantly that she had left. For a moment, I just lay there, a mix of hurt and frustration crossing my face. But, once I managed to stop being a baby, I got dressed and went down to the concierge. I didn't know her last name or what her room number was, but I knew how to talk to people and get information when I needed it. And usually, it worked. But all the manager at the desk would tell me that the guest fitting that description had left a few hours earlier for the airport.

I cursed under my breath, vaguely remembering her telling me she had to leave today. But, he didn't intend on giving up just yet. He just needed to talk to his head of security at his company, Yarrow International. Gregory was ex-special ops, turned copper, turned head of security when his wife got pregnant and demanded he find a safer job. So, he'd been hired by Marcus' father ten years ago and had not only been good at security detail, but also at tracking people and information.

Taking the lift back up, I gathered my things just as my phone rang. Seeing my brother's name pop up on the screen, I hesitated a moment before picking up. "James, please tell me you have reconsidered."

James snorts. "Not on your life. I'd rather jump off a cliff than work corporate."

I ran a hand over my face and sit on the bed. "I meant helping out with our father. I really would prefer to stay with him more, but with the business..."

"f**k the business, Marcus," James says, sighing. "And I'm not going to give up my dream to come back to London and take care of the old man. I've got my own things going on here. Just...hire a nurse or something." Last year, James gave up his position at the company in exchange for being a tour guide in Thailand, living on a beach in a hut and going barefoot. Marcus figured it was just a reaction to James' wife, Michelle, cheating on him, but now, it seemed to be his brothers' only desire in life. Gave up the house to his ex, his money, and left Marcus with the ashes. And left him to sign the checks to his ex-sister-in-law. "Besides, it's not like you have a social life." James comments, a little snidely.

Marcus lays back on his bed. Their father, Theodore Demir, had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, essentially leaving Marcus to not only care for the company, but also, his father. This weekend was the first moment he'd had to himself in weeks. Would be his only time to himself for a while. Even if he could find her again, what did he have to offer her except busy schedules and broken promises. Just like his dad had given his mother.

"You know, James, you're right, I don't have a social life." I murmur. "Do me a favor, unless you're calling to give a s**t, don't f*****g talk to me for a while." I hang up the phone and let it fall to the bed beside me. I lay there a moment, rubbing my hands over my face. "Screw it," he growled, more angry with himself than anything.

ing.