GRACE

 

 

When we got back to my house, we stuck the ice cream in the freezer.  “So, what now? Do you want cold burgers and fries?” I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm.

“Is there a pizza place around here you use? We can do dinner and a movie. Got any good movies to be had?” I saw a wicked smirk hiding about his lips.  Funny guy.

I could feel a responding smirk on my own lips at his silliness. “Pizza?” I said, feigning a shocked tone to my voice. “You’re been in Italy ten years and you come to the States for––pizza?”

“How bad can it be?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never pizza in Italy. I like Hawaiian, what about you?”

I heard him choke, with a suppressed laugh, “Ha!  Hawaiian?”

“Uh huh. Pineapple, ham, and cheese––what could be better? What do you want?”

I turned my head to see a frown on his. “Just cheese.”

Letting the giggle I had been holding in out, I dialed the number, lifted my phone to my ear and gave the order to the pizza place.  One extra large six-cheese pizza.

After placing our order, I turned to Markus and asked, “So, what kind of movie for you?” I had quite a collection of DVD’s and movie channels on TV. I nudged his chest playfully with my shoulder. I tried for his shoulder, but he was so much taller than me.

Markus laid his hand on my bicep and slowly spun me to face him. I stared up at him, a smile still on my face that slowly disappeared at the predatory look on his. I shivered as his hand slid down my arm to my hand, entwining our fingers before placing our hands on his chest.

What was he doing? This was way too soon. Whatever this was.

“Come on, let’s watch TV until the pizza comes, and then we can watch a movie.”

I couldn’t deal with this right now. He’s two years younger than my father, suddenly comes back from Italy, and what does he want? What does he want?

My body suddenly went sideways, and I reached up to grab his strong, square chin between my fingers.

Markus’ light blue eyes went wide in surprise that I would manhandle him in such a way. If I weren’t so frustrated, I would have laughed.

“I need to know what’s going on, Markus. What is this?” I asked, motioning with my finger between the two of us.

He shrugged his shoulders while his eyes settled beyond me. I almost looked, except I knew there was nothing there. This was my home.

I gave a very unladylike snort of frustration and narrowed my eyes at him, though his gaze remained locked beyond me.

My hands pushed at him, trying to subtly slide my hands down his chest to his tight abs. I was hoping he wouldn’t notice, but of course––he did. The smirk I got made me grit my teeth in annoyance. Even at forty-five he was built. He must work out every day. I tried to move him, but he was built like a tank.

Markus moved, and I was suddenly lifted into his arms, and plopped onto the couch, my remote in his hands.  Damn that annoying smirk on his handsome face. Is that all he could do was smirk at me? Although, that crooked smile was mighty attractive.

The TV snapped on and a weekly comedy began playing with a lot of canned laughter. I heard a deep laugh as Markus began watching the comedy, his legs spread apart, with the remote hanging loosely in his hands. He tossed it lightly into the air to catch it again, without even looking, while he watched the show.

I shook my head at the typically male action, as I settled myself on the couch beside him to watch the show until the pizza arrived.

Twenty minutes later, I was curled up beside Markus when the doorbell rang.  He untangled me from his side and opened the door to take the large square box in exchange for cash.

Markus had just set the box between us on the coffee table, when the bell rang again. Glancing at him for a moment in surprise, I shrugged my shoulders and went to the door.

My father stood, framed in the doorway, still in his suit and impeccably tied tie. He glanced down to the cuffs at his wrists and tugged them down.

“Baby girl, I came to see you before I left early in the morning,” he effused. Sometimes, his affectations drove me crazy.  He always had to act the tycoon part. Why couldn’t he be a normal father––take my sister and myself to miniature golf, the movies, slumber parties when we were younger? No, we had to be the princesses.

“I’ll take you out to dinner. La Majon will stay open for me,” he said, palming his cell, starting to raise it to his ear.

“Dad, it’s after ten.” I couldn’t believe he would make a restaurant stay open past their closing time. Well, actually I could.

He looked at me like, ‘so?’

“Besides, I have company.” I still hadn’t opened the door all the way to let him in. I wasn’t sure how he would react if he saw that Markus was my company.

“Ah, a boyfriend? Maybe I should meet him and give him the talk,” he said playfully, as he barged his way in, shoving me out of the way.

Shit. Dad took two steps into my townhouse and saw guess who, sitting on the couch, looking all comfortable.

I could see the shock making his face slack before his known rage took over. Rage was not a good look on my father. He had a naturally florid complexion. Must be from all the alcohol he drank.  Though at this moment, his face was an unattractive purple color.

Markus stood upon my dad’s entry and extended his hand to shake, a delighted expression on his face.

I jumped forward to try and stop the inevitable fight because I knew my father couldn’t win. What drunk could?

Standing in front of my father, between the two men, my arms outstretched. “We met at the fast food joint on Elm,” I said angrily, facing my father. Not that it was any of his business. Huh.  “Not that it’s any of your business, anyway.” As the saying goes, ‘I was so mad I could spit nails.’ “If I want to screw him, I can. If I want to screw anybody, I can. That’s my business.”

Dad stood, shocked that I would talk to him like that. Actually, no one talked to him like that. I was the good girl. Talia, my younger sister, was the bad one––the one that took all the risks. Not me. Nuh uh.

“Now, Grace,” he started. “You are my daughter, and you need to listen to me.”

“Why? I live on my own. I have my own house. I work constantly. I don’t have to listen to you anymore.” I lifted my head to stare him in his shocked brown eyes.

My father turned his head and looked to Markus with such hostility on his face. “You will stay away from my daughter.”

“Dad, let me see if I can explain it to you this way.” I was so mad I had to talk down to him. “We met at the drive thru on Elm Street. We figured we might as well have dinner together and I wanted ice cream, of course.”  Everybody who knew me knew my perchance for the dairy product.  “A couple guys tried to rob us coming out of the grocery store and we decided to come back here and watch a movie. Is that ok with you?”

As I spoke I became louder, getting more and more pissed. By the end of the sentence I was practically shouting.

Dad’s head jerked back as if I’d slapped him. I had never talked to him the way I had just now––never stood up for myself in this way.  Suddenly his head came forward to glare at Markus with all the hate he could put in his eyes. So much for friendship.

“I think it’s time for you to go back home Daddy, and finish getting ready for your trip. I thought you were supposed to leave yesterday, but whatever.  Call me when you get there, so I know you’re ok. You’re going to Japan, right?” I asked, trying to smooth it all out by pretending everything was hunky dory.

Dad gave Markus one last glare before turning and stalking back to the open door and out into the night.

“Well, that was a fun start to the night.” I said, closing the door with a firm slam before setting all five locks.

I heard a cough and saw Markus covering his mouth with his hand at my words. He dared to laugh at me?  I stopped him from having to destroy my father and he laughs? Thank God he didn’t get upset at the way my dad was acting.

Straightening my back and balling my hands into fists I stalked toward Markus to stare… Where was I? His full lips and strong jaw? Where was my anger?  As I got closer, my ability to speak disappeared, my thoughts consumed by his devilishly good looks.

He lightly skimmed my jaw with his surprisingly long fingers, a smirk still playing about those lips.

“Pizza,” he said.

“What?” My brain kinda short-circuited at those lips moving.

“Pizza, bella mia. Waiting,” he said again, lips skimming my forehead as he spoke.

 I lifted my head and his lips lightly touched mine for a moment.

My eyes gazed into his sapphire blue ones and I saw the same emotion that was making my heart full.

Markus quirked a corner of his mouth, and after placing his hands on my shoulders, turned me around and marched me back to the sofa and the pizza. “Soda?” he asked.

“Fridge. There’s also a beer in there if you want one.”

“Thanks. After this day I think I need one. How about you? You’re twenty-one in a couple days, do you want one?”

I cocked my head to the side and thought for a minute.  Why not? I normally didn’t drink, but every once in a while I did have a beer. It would taste good with the pizza, and after the attack, and my father, I think I deserve one.

“Yeah, after this evening, I think we both deserve one. Don’t you?” I smiled slightly at that, shuddering at the memory of the two men attacking us.

The click of a bottle-top releasing interrupted my horrible memories. Suddenly, a dark bottle was thrust into my hand.

The bottom of one bottle clinked against mine and I raised it to my lips, guzzling the harsh liquid down my throat.  It actually tasted refreshing.

“Here,” he said.

I glanced down to see a plate with two slices of luscious pizza, cheese oozing all over the plate.

Licking my upper lip, I peered up for a moment before starting on the goodness before me, and saw Markus staring where I had licked.

To tease him, my tongue slowly touched my upper lip. I saw a hungry expression on his face as he watched my movements, his mouth slightly open. I wasn’t sure where this inner slut was coming from, but I was kinda rocking it.

I gave a quick glance at my plate to make sure I grabbed the slice and held it the right way, holding his stare, as I brought the piece to my mouth. Taking a small bite, I didn’t want to be gross by taking a huge bite, I removed the slice, cheese stringing from the pizza.

Licking my lips thoroughly, the ends of my lips twisted into the start of a smile as I picked up my beer, throwing my head back, drinking gulps of the bitter liquid to relieve my thirst.

Having read it somewhere, I took my finger and placed it into my mouth, sucking on it. I felt stupid until I saw the predatory look on Markus’ face. I pulled my finger out, and after licking the tip, I pushed it back into my mouth.

Grabbing my forearm tightly in his hand, he bit out, “If you want me to fuck you right on this table, keep doing that. Though, I’d rather wait until your birthday and make it your present.  A night of dinner and sex.”

Shocked, all I could think was, What an offer. How could I refuse?