“Oh,” she said softly. Guess speeding across the lake to visit Kelsey and getting her junk food fix was out of the question.
“Do you want to see the rest of the house?” he asked.
“Yeah, sure,” she replied as he led her from the room.
His office was on the first floor, at the opposite end of the house, the window facing the lake. It was comfortably furnished with oversized everything, including the desk. The walls were lined with book shelves and there was a fireplace on the outside wall. The mantle had several framed pictures and Sue studiedthem. There were pictures of two small identical boys with what she assumed were their parents and another with an older couple, grandparents probably. A picture of a beautiful blond woman caught her attention and she picked it up for a closer look.
“Who’s this?” she queried looking at Marcus as he shifted through several papers on his desk.
“That’s Bianca,” he replied looking up to see what Sue held.
“Who is she?”
“She was someone very important to me, once upon a time.”
“Where is she? What happened to her?”
“She lives in France with her husband,” he answered, leaning against the desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied her reaction.
“So you didn’t stay together…why?”
Marcus sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he turned to face the windows before he answered.
“I loved her, but I couldn’t make her happy. She didn’t understand what made me tick, couldn’t accept some of my proclivities,” he stated with a grimace. “It would never have worked out. For a while I thought I could live her way, but as time went on I became more and more frustrated and she became more unhappy. She knew I wasn’t satisfied. She’s a beautiful woman; it was difficult for her to understand why her beauty wasn’t enough.”
“Did you spank her?”
“I did, several times in fact. She couldn’t or wouldn’t accept that it’s part of who I am.”
“Is that why you turned to Sugar Babies?”
‘Partly,” he answered truthfully, turning back to look at her. “I went there on a whim. Sam has been after me for a long time, but I never really had any intention of finding a woman through such, tawdry means,” he said chagrined. “It just seemedwrong, as though I would be purchasing what I want instead of developing a relationship with someone who understood the dynamics of what I need.”
“Then why did you go?”
“I was bored and agitated. Ty and I were in the city on business and planned to head home on Saturday. Then I saw you in that bookstore and became…fixated I guess. I could still smell your perfume; feel you pressed against me when I went to bed that night. I couldn’t settle down and get you out of my mind.
“I told myself it was just a chance meeting, that you were nothing to me and never would be, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. How you looked, your pretty mouth sassing me, your ass in those tight jeans,” he grinned, “and of course those ridiculous shoes. I worried whether you made it back home that night, never realizing you were staying at the hotel.
“The next night I found myself back at the store, describing you to the night manager, but no one knew who you were. I tried pushing you out of my mind, after all I had no idea whether you were married or attached. At one point I actually thought about hiring a private detective to find you, but I realized that was just plain insane. I didn’t even know your name.
“Friday I ran into Sam and he invited me and Ty to the party. I went out of sheer curiosity, thinking it might be amusing, and there you were, doing what you do best, arguing with the bartender and looking so tempting,” he smiled. “It was all I could do to control myself. I wanted to scoop you into my arms, find an empty room and ravish you, but I couldn’t. I ran the risk of scaring you away.”
“I don’t scare easily,” Sue replied, setting the photo down.
“I know, it’s part of your charm,” Marcus agreed. “Did you think about me, after that night we met?”
“I did,” Sue admitted, “but mostly it annoyed me. I’m not the type to spend much time mooning over some man I’d probablynever see again, but you intrigued me. It’s not every day that a total stranger tells you ‘you need a spanking’. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about incorporating into my sex life.
“I tried to remember your voice and convince myself that you were teasing, but in my heart I knew you weren’t. Then, before I knew it, I began to wonder if you were right, crazy huh?” she grinned. “My whole life has been sort of a roller coaster and I’ve just been along for the ride. My parents tried to curb my…let’s call it enthusiasm, but weren’t very successful. I’m not blind to my faults.
“When I decided to sign on with Sugar Babies, it was in the back of my mind that perhaps a little guidance wouldn’t be a bad thing, provided I trusted the man to actually care about me and not be an abusive jerk. I thought maybe with the right match, I could come out of this with a little more direction, and of course there is the money,” she added smiling. “So I went for it.”
Marcus laughed. What a little opportunist she was, not that he was above taking advantage when presented with his heart’s desire, obviously.
“And now?” he asked curiously.
“Well,” Sue grimaced, absently rubbing her bottom. “Now that you’ve spanked me, and I must say that I think it was a little unfair of you to do that considering all I wanted was to make love to you, I’m a little apprehensive about the whole spanking thing. Of course,” she continued walking up to him, tipping her head back and sliding her fingers into his thick hair. “You did mention something about erotic spanking and I’m all for giving that a try.”
