Morning, how are you? Are you awake? X

I reply to Mark’s text.

Yes, I’m up, showered and dressed. I’m fine thanks, and you?

It’s just after nine. I have not been awake long. I put my phone down and walk into the bathroom. I stand in front of the mirror and apply mascara and lip-gloss, not overdoing my make-up, as I prefer the natural look. I give my hair a good brush. After I’ve finished in the bathroom, I walk to the bedside table and slip a handful of silver bracelets over my wrist. I hear my phone beep, letting me know I have another text.

Knock, Knock. X

Almost immediately, I hear a knock on the door. I make my way to the door as a smile lights up my face when I open it.

Mark smiles, handing me one pink rose. I take it and inhale the rose’s intoxicating fragrance. Mark steps closer, cupping his hand to my cheek. “Beauty for a beauty,” he whispers.

Mark is wearing a white T-shirt with a black open jacket, dark blue jeans, and that amazing smile of his.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

"Morning, Mark," I reply softly. "Did the meeting go well?" I ask while moving to the side, allowing Mark to enter the room. He smiles at me. I move to the table and place the rose into the vase with the other roses.

“My meeting went well, just all the normal boring stuff, but I found it hard to concentrate. I couldn’t stop thinking about you!”

I offer up a small smile and ask him if he wants to sit down. He is standing so close to me that I am nervous at our proximity.  He ignores my invite to sit and again he caresses my cheek with his hand.

“What would you like to do today?” Mark asks. My heart is beating so fast that I’m surprised Mark cannot hear it. I can’t believe how close we are.  We are as close as we were last night. He smells fantastic. He is definitely wearing the same aftershave as last night. Somewhere deep inside, breaking through my inhibitions, is a desire to touch him. I just cannot bring myself to do it.

“I don’t know. What would you like to do?”

Mark's eyes are full of intensity. His gaze holds me, and he almost growls. “This...”

Mark leans in to me and kisses me. His lips are so soft, yet there is a power in his kiss. However, I cannot return the intensity, not yet, not like this. He must notice my indecision as he slowly pulls back. I see the sadness hidden deep in his eyes, but then it is gone. He kisses me softly on my forehead, just above my left eyebrow, and I feel a spark shoot through my head. I close my eyes, so wanting to trust this beautiful man with my broken feelings. As he pulls away, he smiles down at me. I meet his gaze and smile apologetically.

“I can take it slowly, Megan,” Mark tells me. “How about we go and get some breakfast?”

“That sounds perfect, Mark. Thank you.” He lets go of my hand after placing another brief kiss on my knuckles. He walks over to the door where the room-service menus are located. I stand watching him.

“Right, what do you fancy, Megan?” he asks, as he reads the room service menu. As he decides, I go to the bedroom and retrieve my socks from the bed where I had laid them earlier. I attempt to pull them on, but it is not as easy as it was prior to “Bump” ever growing in my belly. Mark comes over to me, kneeling at my feet, and takes the socks from my hand to help me.

“I’m not an invalid, Mark. I’m capable of doing this myself.” I say with a little sass and smile. Mark gives me a look, shakes his head, and pulls them up over my toes and ankles. Mark hands me the menu.

“What do you want, Megan?” He smiles.

“Well, I can’t have what I fancy, due to this little one,” placing my hand on my swollen stomach.

Mark smiles. “How about a bacon sandwich? That’s what I’m having.”

“Perfect.”

Mark places our order with the hotel and then sits next to me on the sofa.

“Can I?” Mark asks as he moves his hand closer to my stomach.

As Mark caresses my bump, I nod and a tear rolls down my cheek. Mark sees the emotions etched on my face, and with tenderness I had yearned so long for, he leans down and speaks to my swollen belly, talking directly to “Bump”.

“So little one, do you know how blessed you are? Your mummy is stunning. She’s sweet, and that means you will be, too.”

I smile at Mark as “Bump” kicks his hand.

“Oh, hello, you’re awake in there. Mummy's going to have some breakfast soon. I hope you’re hungry.”

There is a loud knock at the door, and Mark gets up to answer it. I stand up, walk over to the wardrobe, and slip on my favourite cardigan. It’s grey with pink spots. I slip my feet into a pair of Ugg boots. I return to the sofa and get comfortable.

Mark comes and joins me with a tray loaded with our breakfast.

“How do you take your tea, Megan?”

“Milk, no sugar. I am sweet enough,” I say while giggling.

“I agree with that.” Mark winks at me.

Mark pours out the tea before handing me a small plate with a steaming hot bacon sandwich on it.  I nibble it and smile as Mark devours his.

“Megan, are you all right? You look a little pale.” 

“I'm fine,” I reply, looking down at the food, which now appears anything but appetising, I have so many conflicting thoughts about this man.

“Okay, well, if you’re done with breakfast, let’s get going.”

“Are you always so bossy?”

Mark looks at me with a cocky grin. “I'm not bossy. I’m just anxious to spend the day with you.”

“Mark,” I say nervously: “I like the idea of spending the day with you, relaxing and having fun as friends, but beyond that...we can’t.”

“Why not, Megan?” Mark moves closer to me and takes hold of my hand.

"Mark, I live a four-hour drive away, if not farther. I'm pregnant with someone else's child. What can't you see? I'm not a fling, nor am I a weekend joke. So, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to cancel for the day. I really do appreciate the dance last night and the flirty texts, but for my sake, I really would like you to leave.” Again, tears well up in my eyes. Mark is quiet, but not for long.

“I get your point, but I’m not leaving. Megan, let’s give today a chance, okay? I am not looking for a fling either, and I certainly do not see you as a weekend joke. Yeah, maybe once I was a bit of a player, but I want something more than a one-night stand. I want something meaningful.”

I am silent, not even able to look at him. I try to pull my hand away from his, but he holds on tightly. He is not hurting me, but he will not let go.

“Megan, please spend the day with me, as friends. Let’s just see what happens.” He looks sincere. I stand up and walk to the bathroom, not turning to see what Mark is doing. I close the door, and sit in the bathroom thinking. Could I? I mean, what could it hurt to spend an afternoon with a friend? Oh, I know what it could hurt. It could hurt ME! But Mark seems to be kind, not out to hurt me. I would love to have an afternoon with no pressure, no expectations, and forget past hurts. That settles it. Just once I am not going to do what my head says, but listen to my very terrified heart. I stand up, straighten out my hair, and grab my lip-gloss from the sink top. I walk out into the sitting room. I need to be spontaneous for once in my life.

“Okay, let me get my bag.”

Mark just smiles. He does not say a word, and his silence speaks volumes. It shows he understands my concerns. I gather some personal effects and put them into a bag. It is a different one to the one I had last night because I am such a freak for bags. I have dozens of them back at home. I slip a grey scarf around my neck and grab my room key and then turn to Mark and ask if he is ready.

Mark takes my hand and asks, “Are you going to be warm enough?” I smile at his thoughtfulness and point towards the door where I had hung my jacket the night before.

“This one?’ he asks, taking a black jacket down from the hook. There a couple of coats hanging with it. I take the proffered jacket and tell him, “Thank you, Mark.”

Mark holds the jacket for me. I look at him questioningly, and he offers up a playful smirk.

“What? Even friends can be gentlemanly.”

I slip my arms into the sleeves of the jacket and thank him once again. Mark opens the door for me, but stops me on the threshold and turns to look directly at me.

“Just promise me one thing today, Megan. Don’t be putting yourself down. Please don’t think that I’d rather be off with someone else. I want to be with you today, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be, okay?”

“Okay, I promise I’ll try.”

As we exit the hotel, Mark slips his hand into mine, and every hair on the back of my neck stands up. Why is he having such an electrical effect on me? Being around him is like nothing I have ever experienced before.

Mark leads me along the pavement to a parked silver car. Although I know nothing about cars, I can tell from just looking at it that it is some kind of expensive foreign car. Perhaps a Mercedes, maybe a Lexus, I am not sure, and when Mark opens the passenger door for me, I can smell the rich leather interior. The car is spotless as I get in. When Mark slips behind the steering wheel and starts the engine, it purrs to life. Classical music comes on over the stereo. I have never been a fan of classical music, but I find this piece to be beautiful.

Mark drives through the city, and I am quickly lost as one street merges into another. After a while, I realise that we are heading out of the city, leaving behind the urban sprawl and heading out in to the richer suburbs. Eventually, Mark pulls off the road and up to a pair of large black metal gates. He buzzes his window down and enters a code into a small silver box mounted on a post. The gates begin to swing inwards, and I look beyond the opening gates at the largest house I have ever seen.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“This is my house. I just need to grab some things.”

Mark parks his car in a large circular shingled driveway near the front door. I see that there is also a black Range Rover and a red Mini parked nearby.

“I’ll only be ten minutes or so,” Mark says as he switches off the engine. “Come on in. This won’t take long.”

I look at Mark, then back at the house. “Are any of your family in there?” I put a hand protectively on my swollen belly, jumbled thoughts play to get a foot hold in my mind. I’m not sure that I want his family to see me while I’m pregnant. I don’t want them judging me without knowing my story.

“No one is here, but my personal assistant. He’s doing some work for me, and I don’t live with my family. Even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.” He places his hand over mine. I smile, but my nerves are in my throat. As I begin to climb out of the car, Mark races around the car, telling me to wait. As he opens the car door wider and offers me his hand, I take it and he helps me out of the car. I close the door behind me and look at the other cars. Mark follows my gaze and tells me that the Mini belongs to his assistant.

“The Range Rover’s mine. Don’t worry, Megan. No one else is here. I only moved in six months ago after I saw this place and fell in love with it.”

I look around at the grand house, and Mark offers up a smile.

“It’s only a house, Megan. Come on,” he tells me, as he leads me up a set of steps to the front door. There are planters filled with overflowing flowers on either side of the steps, and Mark opens the door and ushers me inside first.

The foyer is minimalist, with only a few small pictures on the walls, and the black, central spiral staircase is obviously the main focal point of the entry hall.

“I just need to do some stuff in my home office. You’re welcome to join me, or you can just have a look around. It’s up to you,” Mark tells me as he shuts the door behind us.

I turn and face him. “I’ll just wait here.”

I watch Mark go through an archway, obviously heading for his office. I walk around the foyer and see that the pictures appear to be of Mark’s family. I hear his voice, and I walk through the archway that he had gone through. I walk down the neat hallway to an open door where I can see Mark talking to another man. The man is a little bit taller than Mark and dressed in a smart pinstripe suit.

Mark notices me and smiles. “Megan, I’d like you to meet my assistant Connor.” Connor is an attractive man with short blond hair.

“Nice to meet you, Connor,” I say.

Connor walks around a black leather sofa.

“Good morning, Miss. Nice to meet you. Is there anything I can get you?”

Did he just call me Miss? That is a new one on me. I smile and say, “I’m fine, thank you.”

Mark walks around Connor, taking my hand. He walks along with me to a room he told me was his office. It has a desk, a computer and three chairs. It has French doors behind what would be Mark’s chair. Mark lets go of my hand and sits down in the chair, looking for something in his drawers. I walk around behind his chair, and I can see what he meant about the view. It is amazing. The garden is pretty. There is a built-in barbeque and a black garden arch with built-up flower beds at either side.

I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. “I’m ready to go when you are, Megan.”

I turn around to face Mark. “I see what you meant about the view. It is breathtaking.”

Mark and I walk out of the office together and head out of his house.

“Where are we going now?” I ask.

“Into the city, just to get something.  We can pick up a film to watch later on if you like.” Standing at the side of the car, I nod and smile.

“That sounds great.”