“It sounds like we all owe you our gratitude,” Brant admitted. “Plus, you may have a small point about Declan’s mother-in-law. I haven’t interacted much with her, but Dec says she’s hell on wheels. I think Crystal’s been in her line of fire since her divorce. I guess both her mother and ex-husband are trying to pressure her into reconciliation.”
“Maybe they both need someone to spell it out for them. Ang—Crystal isn’t interested,” Mark retorted. What in the hell was he doing? He had no idea how she actually felt. For all he knew, she was dying to get back with her ex-husband. Even more worrisome was the fact that it pissed him off to even think about it. She wasn’t Mark’s, and he didn’t want her to be. He was just feeling strangely territorial after taking care of her for a few days. He’d never done something like that before, so it was only natural that he would be concerned about her—right?
Brant studied him for what seemed like hours but was probably only seconds. “We’re friends, Mark, and what you do in your personal life is your own business. Unless it involves someone that I care about.” Indignant, Mark opened his mouth to protest, but Brant waved him off and continued. “Crystal is so far out of your league that you two might as well be from different worlds. She might have been married, but like Ella, she’s led a very sheltered life. I know she’s attractive and would appeal to most men—especially once someone spends some time alone with her. But she wouldn’t know how to handle your world. You’ve got to know that, man.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mark attempted to regroup before he blasted his friend. He was sick and fucking tired of being judged. He’d always had a healthy sex drive, and yeah, he liked to be in control. Was that a crime? He’d never had a woman complain. And he certainly didn’t make promises, so he couldn’t be accused of giving them false expectations. “Nothing happened between us,” he said curtly. “Yes, she is beautiful, and of course, I’m attracted to her, but I didn’t act on it. If I did decide to pursue something with her, though, that would be between us. But at this time, I have no intentions of doing so. Which makes this not-too-subtle warning unnecessary.”
Brant didn’t look like he believed a word that Mark was saying, but he simply responded, “Fair enough.” Glancing down at his watch, he stood, saying, “We’re running a few minutes late for our meeting. Are you ready to go?”
Mark gathered the papers that he needed and followed the other man out the door. His guilt lay like a heavy weight on his shoulders because he’d just done something that he hated. He’d lied to one of his best friends. He couldn’t stay away from Angel. He missed her already and knew that it was just a matter of time before he sought her out.
Chapter Four
“Well, hello, Hollywood!” Mia wolf-whistled as Crystal made her way across the restaurant to where her friends were waiting. Mia Gentry handled the installations of new communications systems for Danvers and was dating Seth Jackson, who owned the luxurious Oceanix chain of hotels. She had actually met Seth while doing an installation at his hotel. Gwen Day also worked for Danvers in the accounting department and was engaged to Dominic Brady, one of the owners of East Coast Security. East Coast had offices in the building and also provided security for Danvers. Crystal had met both of them through work, and they’d become fast friends. Mia was outspoken and at times irreverent, while Gwen was sweet and funny. She was also noticeably pregnant, which Crystal could admit to herself that she envied. If only Bill hadn’t been so . . . repressed in every way, maybe she would have had a family by now. Of course, he’d blamed their difficulties conceiving on her and had refused to even consider that he might have been the problem. Her doctor had mentioned when everything checked out fine with her that maybe Bill had a low sperm count. He’d completely shut down on her when she told him. As per usual, any problem in their marriage was always her fault. Heck, hadn’t her own mother often agreed with him?
Gwen gave her an admiring look as she took her seat. “Wow, you look amazing. Is that a new dress?”
Shifting uneasily, she said, “Um—yes, it is.”
Mia lifted the tablecloth to peek at her feet and let out a sigh of pleasure. “Damn, girl, those shoes are to die for. Actually, this whole look is sexy—but it’s really different for you. You know I’m always up for a shopping trip, so why was I left out of this apparently epic one?” She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
Crystal had decided to keep her encounter with Mark to herself, but now she found that she desperately wanted to tell her friends what had happened. It wasn’t every day that you spent the weekend with the man of your dreams. Why not enjoy it? “I didn’t exactly do the shopping,” she confessed. Both Mia and Gwen just looked confused now.
“Ohhh, you ordered it online,” Gwen piped up. “It gives me a big thrill every time the UPS man shows up at our door with another package. Dominic says I’m way out of control, but God, I love Amazon.”
Smiling in response, Crystal noticed that Mia looked disappointed. Well, that certainly wouldn’t last for long. . . . “I didn’t shop online,” she added before taking a drink of the water their waiter had dropped off. “Someone bought this for me,” she tossed out as she picked up her menu. “What’s everyone having?”
The table was dead silent for a moment before Mia pulled Crystal’s menu from her hand and huffed out, “What we’re having is an explanation. Who bought you that dress and those do-me shoes?”
Gwen choked out a laugh before looking around nervously to see if anyone was listening to them. “Don’t make a pregnant woman beg. That’s just cruel.”
“I’ll tell you,” Crystal began, trying to control her own excitement, “but you’re not going to believe me.”
“Do you think we can get away with having a margarita with our lunch?” Mia asked, sounding half-serious. “It sounds like we need alcohol of some sort for this.”
Rubbing her stomach ruefully, Gwen shook her head. “Oh no, I don’t think so. If I have to go dry, then so do you. Now please put Mia out of her misery, Crystal, and tell us what’s going on.”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Crystal blurted out, “I spent the weekend with Mark DeSanto, and he bought me these clothes! Well, at least his assistant did, but I’m sure Mark paid for them.”
“Holy shit sticks!” Gwen gasped out before turning red when all conversation nearby ceased. “Er . . . sorry,” she murmured before dropping her voice.
“You slept with Mark?” Mia sounded as if she was being strangled as she choked out the words. “This is huge! You tramp, how in the world did that happen?”
Gwen snickered, wiggling her eyebrows. “I think we know how it happened. First, you both take off your clothes, then . . .”
Crystal looked down, knowing her cheeks had probably flamed bloodred, as Mia tossed a wadded-up napkin at Gwen. “Duh, I wasn’t asking about that. Believe me, Seth gave me a detailed demonstration of what goes where just hours ago. And I’m betting that Dominic did the same to you. So, since we’ve covered that, let’s get back to Crystal—who has a lot of explaining to do.”
Holding her hands up to quiet the questions her friends were tossing out, Crystal began to explain what had occurred. “It started off kind of badly—so don’t get too excited.” At their look of shock, she quickly added, “I mean, it wasn’t like a normal date or anything.”
“How in the world is that man so cocky if he’s got a tiny dick?” Mia mused. “Sure, some might say it’s not the size but how it’s used—but damn. I would have guessed that Mark’s was huge.”
“Me too,” Gwen whispered. “That just negates my belief in the ‘swagger.’”
Feeling as if her eyes were going to cross as she tried to figure out what her friends were talking about, Crystal asked, “The what?”
Mia held her hands apart. “You know—men with big peckers have that certain kind of walk. At least we’ve all found that to be true.” Gwen nodded her agreement as Mia continued. “So with you telling us that Mark has a petite package, it’s b
lown all of our theories to hell. I will give the man full respect for owning his shortcomings, though. He walks around Danvers like he has a tree between his legs.”
“But it’s just like a limb instead,” Gwen bemoaned solemnly as she patted Crystal’s hand. “It’s okay, sweetie. As long as he makes you happy—that’s all that matters, right?”
Mia jumped in her seat, as if jolted. “Oh, of course. Big ones are overrated. Sometimes a girl just wants to cuddle.”
Crystal rubbed her forehead, wondering how the conversation got so far off track when it suddenly hit her. “Oh, my God.” She started laughing. “Mark and I didn’t have sex, so I never saw his—size. But I did feel it and I don’t think there is any reason at all to call his manhood into question.”
“I’m confused,” Gwen said uncertainly. “I thought you spent the weekend with him?”
“I tossed my cookies all over him in front of the building on Friday and he took me home with him,” Crystal revealed, trying to avoid any more crazy speculation.
In true Mia fashion, her friend skipped right over the truth and circled back to a certain body part. “Tell us more about your inspection of Mark’s most valuable asset? How did that come about?”
Gwen, always being the more patient one, said, “Crys, just start from the beginning. I, for one, want to hear the entire story. You’ve been stalking the man for so long. This is like something from a romance novel.”
“Thank you, Gwen,” Crystal huffed out. “So, after our unfortunate meeting, Mark took me to his house and had a doctor come over to examine me. It was determined that it was just something viral, and sadly, I wasn’t even aware of where I was until Sunday. Then Mark made me breakfast and asked me to stay until Monday. Just in case I had a relapse. He had his assistant, Denny, buy me this outfit to wear today—and that about sums it up.” It was all she could do to keep a straight face as her friends looked at each other before turning pitiful eyes back to her.
“But what about getting close to Mark’s love rod?” Mia asked beseechingly. Crystal wouldn’t have been surprised to hear the woman’s feet stomping on the floor. Mia had never been good at waiting. She would bet that poor Seth had his hands full with his girlfriend.
“Oh . . . did I forget to add the part about the ride to work this morning?” she asked innocently.
“I’m going to do something crazy if you don’t tell us right now,” Gwen threatened. When her chin wobbled, Crystal started to panic. She knew that her pregnant friend cried at the drop of a hat now. There was no way teasing them was worth that kind of risk.
“Hold your Kleenex waterworks,” Mia said dryly. “Now, Crys, I don’t know how long I can hold the floodgates closed, so you’d better spill—like now.”
Giving Gwen a wary look, she said, “All right; I sat in his lap on the way to work this morning. Nothing happened, though, even though he asked me to kiss him.”
“Why didn’t you?” Mia asked incredulously. “Honey, I would have climbed that like a vine.”
“Apparently, I said a few . . . embarrassing things while I was out of it. Like how he was my dream man. I think I even admitted to following him around Danvers. So I jumped out of the car as soon as we arrived and I was thinking to myself how I wanted to lick him—only I actually said it aloud! I, Crystal Webber, managed to shock superstud Mark DeSanto. When he recovered, he told me that he’d never wanted to fuck a woman as much as he did me—and then I humped his leg like a dog in heat, right in broad daylight for all to see.”
“Holy . . .” Mia murmured.
“Shit,” Gwen added absently.
Taking another gulp of her water, Crystal said, “Oh, and then I kissed him on the cheek and ran from him.” The order of events might have happened a little differently, but that was the story in a nutshell.
“He wants you, Crys—bad,” Mia squealed, finally breaking from her trance. “You’re on his radar now, so you need to take advantage of it.”
Crystal nodded before shrugging helplessly. “I don’t know how. He was amazing to me and I loved the opportunity to spend time with him—even if I did embarrass myself a lot. But that’s all I’m going to have, isn’t it? Really, can either of you sit there and tell me that Mark and I will ride off into the sunset together in the very near future? Because as much as I’d like to believe that could happen, it’s not very likely, is it?”
“Of course, it’s possible,” Gwen said immediately. “Trust me; I was the original unlucky in love before I met Dominic. My whole dating life was one failure after another. I always cared too much and got walked all over for my efforts. I would have never imagined finding a man who loved me through all of my insecurities. And look at Mia over there. She landed Seth Jackson. He’s rich, hot, and puts up with her.”
Mia stuck her tongue out at Gwen before nodding in agreement. “Just because Mark is wealthy doesn’t make him any better than you, Crys, nor is he unattainable. Seth is the only one of the Jackson brothers and cousins in a relationship, and he swears they all envy him. Most men are like us. They want someone to connect with beyond the physical or financial aspect. Don’t rule Mark out and believe that he’s out of your league, because that’s bullshit. You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman, and he’d be lucky to have YOU.”
Moved by the show of support, Crystal blinked back tears. “Is this where you tell me that he puts his pants on one leg at a time like the rest of the world?”
Nudging her in the side, Gwen winked. “Or we could say he takes them off that way. . . . Personally, I like that visual better.”
“You would, horny pregnant woman,” Mia teased. “I bet poor Dominic can barely keep up with you now.”
Gwen’s face flushed pink, but she gave a satisfied smile. “Trust me—he’s not complaining. The man is like the Energizer Bunny. I was determined to see how many times he could do it in a row before begging for mercy, and let me say—I was the one who gave up first and he actually seemed disappointed.”
“Seth’s the same,” Mia agreed. “The first few months we were together, I could barely walk straight. He goes at it hard.” Looking proud, she added, “We’ve broken the bed—twice so far. God, I love that man.”
“I have no idea why we’re friends,” Crystal pouted. “I pretty much hate you both most of the time. I’ve never been a part of anything being broken in the bedroom—well, unless you count speed records. Bill clocked in at less than five minutes on a regular basis.”
Gwen shuddered, while Mia cringed. “Well . . .” Gwen finally said, “sometimes men get a little excited and the actual main event might not last long.”
“I was talking about the whole thing—from start to finish. That includes any and all foreplay.” Crystal sighed glumly.
“Please tell me you at least got off during that time,” Mia pleaded.
“No,” Crystal said. “I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t realize how it could feel until I—you know . . .”
“Took matters into your own hands,” Mia guessed. “Crys, I would imagine that most women with a quick-draw man would feel that way. Heck, until Seth, my vibrator was the best I’d ever had. Some men just don’t care if a woman gets hers or not.”
“I was involved with a guy who was obsessed with making me orgasm,” Gwen added. “The thing is, he wasn’t really that . . . talented, and I felt like an old Buick that he was trying to fix up. I started faking it, just so he’d let it go. The point is, there are many things that can go wrong if you don’t click with someone sexually. If you’re attracted to Mark and he’s said that he feels the same, then I say pull out all of the stops and go for it. You don’t need to worry about what to do once you’re with him again because a guy like that knows enough for both of you.”
Crystal knew she probably sounded clueless, but she asked anyway. “So, how do I go after him?”
Mia put both elbows on the table and leaned forward to give her a confident smile. “You don’t have to do anything. If I’m right about Mark, then he’ll be co
ming after you shortly. Don’t change anything. He’s not going to be able to stay away now that he knows you exist. A man like that is going to be drawn to the innocent vibe you give off like a fly to honey. I give him a week, tops, before you hear from him. He’ll spend a few days in denial, telling himself all the reasons why he shouldn’t see you again. He may attempt to see other women to get you off his mind. When none of that works, he’ll break.”
“You really missed your calling,” Gwen marveled. “If you put all of that into a book, I’d buy it. You have me dying to know what happens next.”
“Me too,” Crystal enthused. “It sounds so exciting that it couldn’t possibly involve me.”
“Oh, baby, you’re the star of the show and only you will be able to script the ending,” Mia predicted. “And when you do, there had better be full disclosure. After the scare earlier over Mark’s package size, Gwen and I need to know that everything’s okay in that area so we can sleep at night. The whole world-in-balance thing, if you know what I’m saying.”
“You’re nuts.” Crystal laughed sheepishly. But she could only hope that Mia was right, although she couldn’t see Mark ever pursuing her, regardless of what he’d said about wanting her. When she got home that evening, she was going to write down everything that had transpired between them while it was still fresh in her mind. At least then, she’d have something to look back on if Mark never spoke to her again.