A Secret Love Affair

Chapter Eleven

(Emily)We lay tangled in each other’s arms. I wasn’t prepared for this….whatever the hell THIS was. It was supposed to be fun. Somewhere along the way, it had turned into something more. I was left confused and utterly at his mercy.

I struggled to free myself from his arms. He mumbled some words of discontent, reluctant to let me slip from the bed. When I finally managed an escape, I could feel his eyes boring into my bare backside. A blush rose to my cheeks. I slipped a robe over my shoulders and made my way into the kitchen.

My phone chirped. With a lifted eyebrow, I peeked at the caller id. My stomach turned to knots. It was Tanner. We hadn’t spoken in weeks. He’d been far too occupied with Jessica. Should I answer? With a sigh, I picked up the phone.

“Jessica.” His voice was heavy, slurred. s**t. He was drunk. I glanced at the clock. It was late, around midnight.

“Tanner. What do you want? It’s late.”

Tanner rambled somewhat incoherently for a good ten minutes. I was used to this. Whenever his life fell apart, I was the one he turned to. And it seemed to fall apart quite frequently. Apparently, Jessica had stormed from his home after a rather bitter argument over who would pay for the wedding. Tanner thought they should split it. Jessica thought he should foot the entire bill.

“Tanner. I- I don’t have time for this.” I cut him off.

“But, but, I neeeeeed you.” He whined.

I resisted the urge to fling the phone across the kitchen. A familiar arm curled around my waist. “Who are you talking to, babe?” He whispered.

Babe. I swallowed. That was a term of endearment, a term that people in relationships used.

“Jessica? Hellllooo?” Tanner called from the other end of the phone.

Marshall’s lips caressed the side of my neck, his other disappearing beneath my robe. I slapped his hands away. He just chuckled and continued his delicious groping.

“I-I’m hanging up now, Tanner.”

“Wait-!” He began to argue.

Marshall snatched the phone from me. “She’s busy.” He grunted before hitting the end call button.

“Marshall!” I slapped his chest, “That was your brother! What if he recognizes your voice?”

Marshall shrugged, “He won’t. He’s drunk off his ass.” His fingertips brushed across my cheekbone, “Now. Come back to bed.” 

He wasn’t asking. I found myself beneath him one more, his heavy frame moving against me. Gods, this man was addicting. My fingers curled around the back of his neck, our lips battling one another for dominance. His won in the end. 

I ended up curled back in his strong arms, my head resting against his chest. His fingers danced along the outline of my spine, tracing tiny circles against my skin. I sucked in my lower lip. I was desperate to know what this was, to know where this was going. The answer terrified me. 

I lifted my head from his chest, tilting my face to look at his. I expected his eyes to be shut. They weren’t. He stared at me, a slight smile ghosting his face. “Hey.” He murmured.

“Hey.” I replied, not sure what else to say.

“Something on your mind?” He could read me like a book, “Worried about the case?”

I shook my head. I mean, I was. Sorta. I was nervous to take that stand and tell a room full of complete strangers just what that man had tried to do to me. I wasn’t the only witness. There were a few others. Peter was going to jail. There was no avoiding that. It was just a matter of how long. 

The D.A had offered him a deal. Plead guilty to six cases of s****l battery and do five years. As far as I knew, Peter had refused this deal. He was facing twenty plus years if he was found guilty. He was an i***t not to take the deal. In his mind, he probably thought he did nothing wrong.

I’d lost my job at the firm. They didn’t say the court case was why I was being fired. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. But, you know, that was okay. It was a crap job anyway. I had an interview the day after next at another law office across town. Marshall had given me a glowing recommendation.”

“Marshall...what are we doing here? I mean, is this just s*x or-” My words trailed off.

His eyebrows pinched, “Is that what you want this to be?”

I lowered my eyes, “Honestly? I have no f*****g clue what I want.” A sigh left my lips.

“Well, I know what I want.” Marshall spoke, shifting so that I was no longer laying on his chest. He ran his thumb across my lower lip, “You.”

A chill ran up my spine. That was the end of the conversation. When I awoke the next morning, he was gone. He’d left a note.

Early meeting. Be back tonight. Breakfast is on me.

XOXO  Marshall.

My heart fluttered. Those four letters sent me reeling. Though he hadn’t said it directly, everyone knew what XOXO meant. I sat on the edge of the bed. My eyes flickered up. The delicious scent of baked goods wafted across the bedroom. I was not prepared for the array of breakfast foods that greeted me as I strolled into the kitchen.

Over the last couple of days, my appetite had grown to an almost scary level. I was constantly hungry. I began to scarf down the bacon. My stomach turned to knots, my throat tightened. I had enough time to rush to the sink before every bite came rushing back. I rinsed the sink out.

Oh god. I hope I wasn’t getting sick. I had entirely way too much on my plate to worry about an illness. The flu had been going around the office last week. With my luck, it had been passed to me. I made a mental note to go see a doctor when I got the chance...especially if it happened again. There was a knock at the door. Thinking maybe Marshall lef this keys, I opened the door.

His name died on my lips. An extremely pissed off Jessica stood at the door. She took one look at me and her jaw hit the floor. “Emily. The hell-?” She started to ask. A knowing look entered her eyes, a grin spreading across her face, “I knew it. Girl, we need to talk.”