CHAPTER 10

“Stop that!” Jessie slapped Marietta’s hands.

Marietta wasn’t sure how she had managed to let Jessie talk her into her short tight dress. She stared at her feet and the velvet black stilettos didn’t look like they belonged on her feet. How did she let Jessie talk her into this ‘do me’ outfit?

“He’s going to kick himself for dumping you after he sees how sexy you look.” Those were Jessie’s words of encouragement.

At first Marietta was comfortable with just going in jeans and a t-shirt. Sure the ‘end of filming parties’ was usually a semi-formal affair, with dinner jackets and dresses. But she had always seen herself as an exception to the rule. Now it was different. She didn’t know when the next time she would see Tobias would be and in what condition she would be in. She wanted to leave a long-lasting memory. With that she eased herself into a bandage, red dress, and black velvet stilettos. Her make-up was subtle she managed to win that fight. She had no problems with looking foxy, but she wanted to look like herself.

She had second thoughts when the elevator doors opened, but the reactions from the male occupants gave her confidence. They fumbled over her, asking what floor she was going to and helping her off the elevator. It felt good to be fussed over. Marietta made a mental note to follow Jessie’s advice occasionally. Marietta didn’t know whose arm she was holding onto; she was busy being impressed with the fact that she hadn’t tripped over herself just yet. The banquet hall doors opened, and she had to bid her escort goodbye.

“How does it feel?” Jessie asked.

“Surprisingly good. So, is this how you feel everyday of your life?” Marietta asked. Jessie was beautiful and didn’t need much to accentuate that beauty. Her thick black hair cascaded down her back as the red lip stick stuck out from her deep olive skin.

“Are you ready to conquer the room?”

“I don’t have anywhere else to be.” Marietta said as she grabbed a glass of champagne to settle her nerves.

Tobias’ eyes hadn’t left Marietta since she’d entered the banquet hall an hour earlier. His heart was still flittering in his chest as his blood thrummed in his veins from his desire. He wanted to kick himself for breaking it off with Marietta too early. He wanted her to come near him, that way he could mark a territory around her. She had only acknowledged his presence once that night and only because he happened to be standing next to McKenzie.

“McKay.” She smiled as the director twirled her around a lustful whistle sounding from his lips.

“That’s called the wolf’s call.” The director had remarked, “If I wasn’t such a gentleman, I would devour you on the spot.”

Tobias winced at the comment as the anger boiled in the pit of his stomach and rose to his chest. His hands itched to touch her body. He wanted to hook his arm around her waist and press her curvaceous body against his own. But he couldn’t. He had to be satisfied with just looking. Her laughter cut through him and at the same time, warmed his blood. He wondered why she hadn’t been in the room pining after him, instead of being down here turning each and every red-blooded male’s head.

“What would wife number seven say?” Marietta teased.

“If you give me a kiss, you could be number seven.” The old man piped in.

“Hi,” he said to her.

Marietta leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her body rubbing ever so lightly against his, “How are you?”

He was just about to answer, not sure if his answer was going to be lustful and miserable without you, or just fine. But Jessie came to pull her away before he could answer.

“The elevator guy is here,” he had heard Jessie say to Marietta. He wondered who that was and a possessive call from within wanted to order her to stay at his side, especially when he saw the excited expression on Marietta’s face. Since then, he had been watching her move around the hall on the arm of another man. When they got out of sight he would wander around the room until he found them. Now he leaned against a wall as he watched Marietta and the mystery man dancing.

He growled in sexual frustration as he watched her body sway side to side. Her hips and breasts seemingly taking on a life of their own. He watched as the other man put his hands around her, as he rubbed against her with the clear intention to conquer. Tobias didn’t know how much more he could take. He turned away and just as he did, he locked on Jessie’s condemning gaze.

“You broke her,” she accused.

“Excuse me?”

“Marietta never drinks. She hates alcohol,” she whispered into his ear. “Her father was an abusive drunk. Her mother offed herself with a combination of pills and alcohol, although they don’t know what killed her first. The loss of blood when she slit her wrist or all the poison she had just dumped in her body. Marietta is a warrior and there is no challenge she won’t face head on. Nothing she can’t overcome, that is until you came along. So yes, you broke her.” Jessie shoved him out of the way and headed towards Marietta.

Tobias had been known to wield the power to ruin women, but never the strong ones. He took pride as his ego fed off their pleas and opportunities to be with him ‘for the last time’. But he didn’t like the fact that Jessie just accused him of ruining the one person he cared about. Her past wasn’t unknown to everyone who had the internet, but it pained him to know he was another source of her pain. Tobias turned towards Marietta in time to see her kiss the other guy.

Rage, he had never felt before built up inside him. With a couple of long strides, he was at her side. Tobias grabbed Marietta’s elbow and dragged her along with him. He could hear the other man’s footsteps as he pursued them, but he wasn’t going to stop.

Marietta winced in pain as her hand slowly grew numb. She looked up at Tobias in confusion as he dragged her along with him like a rag doll. “What’s wrong with you? What’s going on?”

She wasn’t sure who had seen the mad man drag her out of the hall, but she was aware that her dance partner was in hot pursuit. With one strong tug, Marietta pulled her elbow free only to lose her footing and land in the other man’s arms. Glad to be on her feet and not on a floor in an indecent heap she stood beside her hero.

Marietta glared at Tobias, but her expression soon turned soft when she was finally able to see his face. Sure, the anger was there, his fingers balled into fists at his side were a clear give away. But what she didn’t expect to see was the look of regret and remorse. She felt the other man hold her arm and without looking at him she pushed him aside. She quickly realized she wasn’t good at this cat and mouse game. Marietta strode past Tobias and rushed into the elevators, and just as the doors closed, she caught a glimpse of his eyes.

Once she was in her room, Marietta pulled out her suitcases and emptied the contents of her draws into them. A loud banging on the door scared her out of her wits. Her hand flew to her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. But before she could catch a breath the banging started once more. Marietta stood by her bed, staring at the door watching it about to come out of its hinges. She knew it was Tobias on the other side of the door, what she wasn’t sure of was whether she wanted to see him or not.

“If you don’t open this door, I swear I will break it down,” she heard him shout from the other side.

Marietta mulled it over, there was no way that he would hurt her physically, emotionally that was a definite yes, but never physically. The banging grew louder and louder as if Tobias was building momentum to knock it completely off its hinges. Marietta gave in, she unlocked the door and left it ajar before going back to her packing. She could hear his heavy breathing. She glanced at him for a second and gasped at how red he looked his chest heaving, his shoulders sturdy, and his fingers fisted and pure rage burning in his eyes. He looked like a bull and her hotel room seemed like it was about to be the China shop.

“What do you want?” He didn’t answer.

Marietta looked up when she heard the door bang closed. She gazed at him inquisitively wondering what point he wanted to make. She soon realized what it was when he slowly begun to ease his jacket off. She averted her eyes back to her suitcase and busied her trembling fingers with folding.

“What are you doing?” his voice sounded gruff and on the verge of losing any patience he had in reserve.

“What does it look like?” Marietta retorted, “I’m leaving this place as soon as I can.”

“What were you doing down there, on the dance floor with that guy?”

“What did it look like? You can’t be that stu-,”

Marietta couldn’t finish what she was about to say, all of a sudden, she felt him grab both her arms and pull her against his chest. Just then, for the first time since they had started their relationship, she wished she was taller than he was. She cursed the fact that she had taken her shoes off to soon. That would at least have given her four inches, raising her to be at eye level with Tobias.

She struggled to get free, but he only held her tighter. She winced when the pain shot in now numbing arms. He pulled her against his hard frame, and she found herself leaning against him. Marietta wanted to fight for her sanity before his kisses or his touch made her shuck them away. He had a talent for driving her to the edge of insanity and she wanted to hold on to the smallest chance, she had to fight him.

“You need to let go of me.”

Marietta felt the waves of desire build up inside her. His low chuckle vibrated inside her, breaking down any sort of resolve she had managed to create. His warm breath scorched her skin. Her body seemed to go against her mind as her head tilted to the side allowing him room to get to her throat. His open mouth kisses along her throat made her shiver as his hot tongue met her skin. Tobias’ grip on her arms eased giving her the chance to bury her fingers into his thigh muscles.

It was just this one time, she convinced herself as her body hummed from what his lips were doing on her skin.

“You are mine. No one can make you shiver the way I do.” The smugness in his voice was what knocked Marietta back to her senses.

She stepped out of his embrace and turned to face him. “What exactly is it that you want from me?”

“You.” He shot her a devilish grin as he pulled his shirt out of his waist band. The buttons were already undone as he tugged on his buckle, eased off his belt and unbuttoned his pants. Marietta froze as the object of her desire stood before her. Her gaze traced the six-pack muscled abdomen, his desire for her barely contained in the loose hanging trousers. Moving higher still, she noted his strong broad chest and the firm set of his jaw and dark hair that neatly fell over his forehead. His brown eyes seemed to glow when he looked at her. Tobias Harden was pure sex on legs, and she kicked herself for wanting more.

As she watched him ease his shirt off, Marietta wondered what exactly she wanted from him. His intentions were clear. Sex was the only thing she was going to get out of the relationship. She had to balance it out, pure pleasure or a connection beyond anyone’s understanding. As he moved towards her, she took a step back. At first his expression was that of surprise and amusement. He looked like he was enjoying this cat and mouse game. But when Marietta’s evasion tactics proved superior all the patience in his face dropped and was replaced by frustrated desire.

Tobias charged at her and instead of tackling her on the ground he forced her up against the wall. Marietta feet couldn’t touch the ground. He had moved so fast, one second, she was on the ground and the next her back was up against a wall, one leg dangling in the air while the other curled around Tobias’ hip. Something else that seemed to have happened during the confusion that she didn’t realize was that her dress was now gathered around her waist. She felt Tobias’ finger slip in between the elastic of her panties and her skin.

She smiled smugly waiting to see what trick he had up his sleeve to get the barrier out of his way. Marietta’s smile dropped when she heard the tear of fabric. But the disappointment of defeat was soon replaced by a gasp of pleasure as his fingers soon found her center. His thumb rubbed on her nub as two of his fingers dove inside of her. Like a flower her delicate center opened to him, welcoming his generous efforts to give her pleasure.

Tobias balanced her with his hips as his free hand made a mad dash for her breast. He forced her dress down, having searched for a zipper, and not finding one, he decided to go directly to the source. Marietta gasped at the feel of his hand grasping her fleshy globes out of rough need and desire. Just as she opened her mouth to sound out her pleasure, he captured her lips and his tongue slid inside hungrily stroking hers. His lips teased and stoked the fire he had just set inside her. Involuntarily she found herself replying and urging him on, gripping at his biceps, pulling on his hair, and pressing her aching body into his. A quiver of excitement shot through her as she felt his pulsating, hot, erection against her thigh. Her hand smoothed over his shoulder, chest, and abdomen before fishing after what she really wanted and needed. She slid her hand under the waistband of his shorts and gently wrapped her fingers round the velvety length of him.

As if on cue they both moaned in approval as she massaged him. Heat was building inside of her, and she didn’t know how much more teasing she would be able to take. Biting down gently on his shoulder, but not hard enough to break the surface, her tongue slurped on his skin. Her hips jerked against his hand as he worked another finger inside of her. The telltale sign, the tingle in her toes and the rumbling at the bottom of her womb warned her of the orgasm that was about to tear through her. She bit down on his shoulder as she jerked against his fingers as a wave of pleasure rolled through her.

Her breath became shallow as she leaned motionless against him. His fingers had soon left her nub and were tightening around her thighs. She rested her head on his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw his jaw tighten as he positioned his hands to grip on her rear.

“Are you ready?” Tobias rumbled into her ear.

He growled as an animalistic hunger surged through him. Making sure he had a sure grasp on her buttocks he thrust into her. The gasp of pleasure and shock that echoed in his ear urged him on. He could feel her tiny body shiver against his. Tobias dropped the reins he had put on himself and drove into her, harder and faster moving in the rhythm of their pounding heart beats. He felt her fingers dig into his flesh. He chuckled taking pleasure from the erotic pain. Tobias felt Marietta’s body begin to tremble and he knew she was about to climax yet again. He pounded inside her even harder as her orgasm rolled through her. He rocked against her until she was done before he went after his own release. A couple of more hard thrusts and he poured inside her, leaning against her so as not to lose his footing.

They sank onto the floor and leaned against each other.

Tobias eased her out of her dress and stared at her naked body. He could feel the animal within him growl in approval as his desire began to build up. But one look at Marietta made him wonder if she could take anymore. He shed the rest of his clothes and carried the limp, satisfied woman, and tucked her into bed. Tobias wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his body, and with his heavy leg, he trapped her in place.

Marietta wasn’t in any position to argue with him. She wasn’t going to ruin this happy place that their hard coupling had left her in. Under the weight of his heavy leg and shackle of his arm, she eased into a comfortable position and let his hard breathing lull her to sleep. Tobias had woken her up three times that night, twice for hard and rough sex, but the last one she felt as if they had made love. He was sweet, delicate and each time he surged inside her it seemed like he was reaching for something more. Something that said forever.

The sun poured into her room through the shutters. Marietta pretended to be asleep as she felt him leave the bed. He took a couple of seconds to get dressed, and then kissed her temple. She didn’t bother to open her eyes even when he whispered ‘I love you’ in her ear. With the night they had just had, Marietta wasn’t sure what exactly about her he loved. He had made it clear; he wasn’t one for serious relationships. So, when the door opened, she clutched onto the pillow as if stopping herself from getting up and begging him to stay. When the door finally closed, Marietta buried her face in her pillow and let out a heart wrenching cry.

So many times, when she was a child, after he had left her room, she found herself in this same position, curled up in a ball crying. She was left during loneliness while the emotions that damned to destroy her tracked her down. Marietta froze up, straightened up and closed her eyes willing herself to fall asleep.