Chapter 14
MARCUS
~Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Miss Sebastian~
(Three weeks after the operation…)
“Marcus Reed!” Miss Sebastian screeches as she comes down the hallway. “You better not still be in bed.”
I pull the covers over my head, only to have it yanked off seconds later.
“Your filthy ass is stinking up my house. Get in the bath.”
“You were the one who insisted that I stay here,” I growl.
“Darling, I’m also the one who’s going to bathe you like a damn toddler if you push me any further.”
Knowing she will, I glare at her. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
She blinks at me as her cheeks turn red with anger. “That’s it. I’m done talking,” she shrieks before stomping out of the room.
I turn on my side and close my eyes with the full intention of going back to sleep.
When I hear her heels stomping back towards the room, I let out a heavy sigh. The next moment a wave of cold water crashes over me.
I dart up, which makes a sharp ache spread through my chest.
“Fuck, woman!”
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that. I swear I will put you over my knee and give your ass the spanking your mamma never did.”
My eyes snap up to hers. “If she didn’t fucking die then maybe she would’ve gotten around to it,” I hiss.
Miss Sebastian’s eyebrows shoot into her hairline. Oh hell, now I’ve gone and done it.
“Don’t play the pity card with me. You need to pull your head out of that fine ass of yours and start living your damn life. You’re driving us all insane. You’ve been given a second chance, and all you do is sleep it away.”
“I’m not wasting anything. I’m recovering from having my ribs cracked open,” I growl as I walk to the bathroom. The only way I’ll get Miss Sebastian off my back is by taking the damn bath.
I fill the bath and strip out of my boxers. As I sink into the water, Miss Sebastian walks in, closes the toilet seat, and sits down.
“Do you mind? I’m bathing.”
She crosses her legs and smiles. “I don’t mind at all.” She wiggles a finger in the general direction of my cock. “Darling, you’ve got nothing my eyes haven’t seen before. I washed your ding-dong. Quite a few times actually.”
“Thanks for reminding me of that,” I snap. I grab the cloth and cover my cock.
She swipes the damn cloth from my cock and starts to lather it with soap. When she yanks one of my feet out of the water and begins to wash it, I try to slap her hand away, but I can’t reach.
“Will you stop being so stubborn, and let me wash your feet? It’s not like you can reach them. Now, if you weren’t so damn stubborn, and you did your exercises you’d be able to bathe your own ass. Until then, your sexy ass belongs to me.”
I drop back into the water and wonder for the hundredth time why I agreed to move in here until I’ve recovered.
“I might not have met Willow, but any woman who’s willing to give you a second and third chance deserves the medal of honor. I swear I will bedazzle one for her myself.” She drops my right foot into the water and grabs the left one. “I know you told me that you’re only friends with Willow, but it’s clear as day that you love her. She’s worth fighting for, and you can’t do that when you’re winded from taking a few steps. You need to get stronger so you can woo her. A woman like Willow won’t wait forever. I overheard Leigh talking with her earlier today. Your Willow has moved back home. Do you know where that is?”
“She’s not my fucking Willow,” I snap.
“I swear I will throw pepper in that mouth of yours. Does she deserve to be talked about like that?”
Fuck, Miss Sebastian is right. I’m a fucking asshole.
“Yes, you’ve got that right. You’re an asshole. You might be a sexy one, but lately, your assholishness far outweighs the sexy.”
She drops my left leg back into the water, then throws the cloth at my cock.
“Wash it before it turns green. There’s not a woman on God’s green earth who wants a man with a green ding-dong.”
I let out a sigh when Miss. Sebastian finally leaves me alone.
I should’ve said she’s not my Willow. She’ll always be my Willow. I’ve done nothing to deserve her but I sure as hell want her. Fuck, I’ve made her life a living hell. The last time I saw Willow was on Christmas day. I seriously didn’t think I was going to survive the operation. I still feel ripples of the fear I felt before I went in for the surgery.
Saying goodbye to Willow, fuck that was hard. We’ve been messaging, and she wanted to come visit me, but I asked her not to. I want to get better before we see each other again. I want to get stronger.
I want to be a man that’s worthy of her.
While I’m recovering, she’s taking the time to move out here. Miss Sebastian is right though. I’m going to have to start working harder if I want to be in better shape for when I see Willow again.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Miss Sebastian suddenly says from the doorway.
“My fucking heart, woman! Do you want to kill me?”
“I’ve thought about it a lot lately so I wouldn’t push it. Anyway, I was busy saying Rhett and Mia are coming over for dinner.”
I wait impatiently for her to finish what she’s saying.
“And? Out with it.”
“Darling, you need to ring your ding-dong and get rid of all that frustration.”
“Ah…” I can’t even get the fucking words out.
“We need to do your exercises as soon as you’re done bathing so don’t take too long.”
“Get out,” I grind the words out. “Close the door and get out.”
She starts to close the door. “Don’t forget to ring your ding-dong.”
Fuck, my life has turned into a circus. I close my eyes and remind myself that Miss Sebastian means well.
∞∞∞
WILLOW
“I’m never moving again,” I groan as I fall across my bed.
“I hope not, or my ass will be out on the street,” Evie says as she sits down on the corner of the bed.
“If this idea of mine is a success, you can always come and work with me.”
She flops down on her back and smiles at me. “That would be awesome.”
“I have so much to do tomorrow, but all I want to do is sleep for the rest of the year.”
“Talking about this year, besides starting your own business, what other plans do you have?”
I can tell from the curious look in Evie’s eyes that she’s referring to Marcus. If I’m honest with myself, I’m not sure where things stand with us.
Do I love him? Yes, with all my heart.
Will we ever be more than friends? That’s where I’m not so sure. I don’t think Marcus has it in him to be in a committed, romantic relationship.
I answer her truthfully. “My heart’s been put through the shredder, Evie. Marcus and I are good friends. We love each other, but I don’t think we’re meant to be more than friends. Every time I think there’s a possibility of us getting romantically involved, something happens.”
“Has he kissed you?” she asks as she turns on her side, propping her head on her hand.
“No, we didn’t even get that far.” Then I think of the few closed mouth kisses I’ve given him. “We’ve given each other a few pecks, but that was it.”
“So no toe-curling, knee-weakening, all-consuming kisses?”
I let out a burst of laughter. “Definitely none of those.”
“When are you seeing him? It’s been weeks since he had the surgery.”
“I’m giving him space to recover. We message each other every day, and when he’s stronger, we’ll probably resume our weekly dinners. It was a close call, and as much as I want to be there for him, he needs this time for himself.”
“Will you promise me something?” she asks as she sits up. “Don’t spend your life waiting for him. I know you love him, but sometimes you have to let go and move on.”
“As long as you don’t try to set me up with anyone.”
“That’s a deal,” she says as she gets up. “I have to go get ready for my shift. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Which restaurant do you work at? Maybe I’ll surprise you later and pop in for dinner.”
Evie instantly looks uncomfortable. “Trust me, you don’t want to have dinner there.” She lets out a breath and pulls an awkward face. “Don’t yell at me, but I work at Marilyn’s.”
“Why does that sound familiar?” I sit up, not liking where this is going at all.
“It’s that restaurant where you can dine nude.”
My eyes widen, and I get up off the bed.
“What do you wear?”
She looks nervous as she whispers, “I get to wear an apron.”
“An apron? Are you serious?”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“It’s only until I can find something else. It’s been hard, Willow.”
“I can talk to my dad. I’m sure he’ll help us out until my business is up and running.” My mind starts to race with ways I can help Evie so she won’t have to work there.
She places her hand gently on my arm, giving me a pleading look.
“It’s only temporary. You’re going to have debt coming out of your ears soon. Focus on getting the business running and then I’ll join you. It’s not as sleazy as it sounds and it pays the bills.”
I don’t want her to feel more uncomfortable than she already is, so I let it go for now.
“I’m going to work my butt off, Evie.”
“Thanks, but I’m just happy that you’re finally here. It makes all the difference to me. I missed having you nearby.”
We hug each other before I let her go so she can get ready.