“Acquainted might be a bit of a misnomer. You actually are quite a bit closer to him than that, aren’t you?”
Marcus was staring at her rather intently now. She was surprised at how much she was enjoying this. Her chat with Daniel the previous day had enlightened her quite a bit and answered the question of how Marcus even knew of her and why he had contacted her.
“Would you like the chance to come clean with me or shall I tell you what I know?”
“I suppose that I would only be confirming what you already know.”
“Yes, actually,” she replied as she took another sip of her wine. “Daniel dropped by yesterday and we had a nice long chat. Funny thing is that your name came up.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” he replied. “Are you going to share any of that chat with me?”
“Daniel told me that you and he know each other quite well. In fact, he told me that you and he are good friends. The two of you go gambling together a lot. You enjoy a good wager now and again. Recently, it seems Daniel made a bet with you. He lost. You won.”
Pausing to take another sip of her wine, Catherine stared at Marcus over the rim of her glass.
“Do you want to finish this story or shall I?” she asked.
“You’re doing an excellent job so far.”
“Very well. The subject of that wager was a rather odd one. When you won, you set about to claim your winnings. Part of that required that Daniel break up with me. Next, he was to stay out of the way so that you could approach me. Is that right?”
Marcus slowly nodded not taking his eyes from hers.
“Then, I received a rather curious gift delivered anonymously followed by your quite timely arrival at my door on Valentine’s Day. You whisked me away in a luxurious limousine and presented me with a night to remember. We came back here and you made love to me all night long. I was what you won!”
“You seem to know everything,” Marcus said.
“Don’t you feel even a little bit guilty for what you’ve done?” Catherine suddenly shouted at him.
“Guilty? No, not really. You see, Catherine, I’ve wanted you for a very long time. Do women throw themselves at me all the time? Yes! Do I want them to? No! You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and yet, I wasn’t allowed to be near you because you belonged to my friend. When I saw my chance to finally be with you, I took it. Fault me for that if you want but I will not apologize!”
For several long moments Catherine was silent as she sat and stared at him. Finally she spoke.
“First of all, Marcus, I don’t belong to anyone. Secondly, paying me a bunch of compliments isn’t going to change the fact that you deceived me. You made my boyfriend break up with me just so you could have a date with me! That’s the most incredibly cruel thing I’ve ever heard!”
“Catherine,” Marcus said softly. “I now know I was wrong to even make such a wager. But I’ve wanted you ever since I first saw you. Those beautiful eyes. That gorgeous hair. Your smile could light up an entire room. And your body! Before you think that I’m only after your physical beauty, let me assure that I was very taken by your personality and your intelligence. You seemed to be all wrapped up in Daniel and he’s not good for you.”
“Oh but you are!” Catherine laughed abruptly. “I don’t know if I’m more amazed at your audacity to follow through with such a bet or that you’re actually trying to defend yourself!”
“Catherine, you can throw me out of here if you want but you need to at least hear me out. Danny has been lying to you the entire time you’ve known him. He’s not who you think he is and, before you even ask, I’m not going to tell you what I mean. That’s not for me to say. But he’s not being honest and he simply doesn’t deserve you.”
“I’m not sure whether I should be flattered or furious.”
“You have a right to be furious, but I’m also hoping that you’ll be flattered.”
Taking a chance, Marcus moved over to the sofa and sat beside Catherine. When she didn’t instantly push him into the floor, he reached for her hand.
“Look,” he said. “I know that you’re upset right now and you’ve got every right to be. I just want you to know that I had the most wonderful night of my life with you and I would do it all again if it meant that I could be with you.”
Catherine glanced down at their joined hands and was silent for a while. She couldn’t deny that the chemistry between her and Marcus went well beyond anything she had ever felt with Daniel. In fact, if she were to be honest with herself, she would admit that Marcus was one of those guys that she was sure she would never be able to get to notice her. She also couldn’t ignore her rapid heartbeat when he was this close to her. Even now, when she was still annoyed with him, all she really wanted was to rip his clothes off and climb on top of him.
“Now,” he said. “The real question here is whether or not you can forgive me and let’s start over.”
“I’m not totally sure,” Catherine answered. “I have to admit that the night with you was unlike anything that I’ve ever had.”
“We agree on that, then.”
Catherine nodded to herself as if she had suddenly made a decision. Unclasping her hand from Marcus’s, she stood up.
“Excuse me for a minute,” she said as she exited the room and walked down the hallway.
Marcus drummed his fingers on his thigh and finished his wine as he waited. As it turned out, he didn’t hear her when she came back.
“Marcus,” Catherine said quietly behind him.
He whipped around and could only stare at her. She was standing there wearing nothing except the red teddy that he had given to her on Valentine’s Day.
“Oh my god,” he breathed. “You are stunning!”
She smiled a slow sexy smile.
“Well, what are you waiting for?”
He practically ran around the couch and took her in his arms, crushing her to him and searing his mouth to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she returned his kisses with equal fervor. His hands roamed over her body and ended up on her luscious ass giving it a healthy squeeze before moving a hand up to her delectable breasts. He caressed one of them before giving her nipple a little pinch. Her gasp was enough to let him know that she liked what he was doing.
They never made to the bedroom. Instead, they kissed their way over to the couch where Marcus deposited Catherine on her back before climbing on top of her. She loved the way his body felt against hers and wasted no time in helping him get rid of his clothes. Within minutes they were both nude and writhing against each other.
Marcus could feel her wetness against his nudging cock head and put his hand between them to spread her thighs even more. He wanted to be inside of her more than life itself. He need not have worried because she was well ahead of him. Her thighs parted and her legs curled around his back like twin snakes.
Taking his moment, Marcus plunged deep inside of Catherine. Together they rode the building wave to that moment of pure ecstasy, and build