How I Met My Master Ch. 03

There had to be.

Although my body ached, I dragged myself out of bed and to the bathroom door. I couldn't hear the water running anymore, but I was sure that even if Mark was finished, I'd be able to coax him back under the shower with a few soft kisses. However, as soon as I reached for the doorknob, I heard Mark's voice, and the sick feeling I'd experienced before came back in a flash.

"Yeah, honey, I...I just got done with that extra work." Mark sounded slightly humored. "Yeah...I know, I'm sorry I had to run out on you like that."

I leaned against the doorframe and remembered the smell of alcohol on Mark's breath. Not beer, but some fruity drink. Nothing he'd ever order with me.

"I'll be home in an hour, "he continued. "And yeah, I'll bring you home some of that ice cream you like. It's a promise. Love you, babe."

The door opened before I could move away, and I suddenly found myself standing naked and helpless in front of a fully clothed Mark. He reeked of cologne and hotel bath salts.

'Of course. He can't go home smelling like the whore.'

Mark sidestepped me without a word, and refused to make eye contact.

"Hey," he started only once he'd stepped into his shoes. "Something just came up—

"—your wife?" I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned against the doorframe.

Mark sighed out loudly, as if that alone was supposed to make me believe he had regrets. "Look, sweetheart, don't be pissed. I'll take you home real quick, and next time--

"—it's always next time..." I hadn't meant it to come out with a whine, but it did. I tried to calm myself, but by that time, Mark had shrugged me off and was searching for his tie under a pile of my clothes.

"You didn't have any intention of eating dinner with me tonight, did you?" I followed him around the room, still stark naked.

"If you don't get dressed now you're going to catch a cold or something." he didn't bother to look at me.

"You already ate with her. Had drinks with her. You keep..." I stomped across the room and ripped the tie out of Mark's hands once he'd found it. "God, what hold does she have on you?!"

"She's my wife!" He pushed me.

It didn't have much force behind it, but I still fell backward onto the bed.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew what he was saying to me, and yet...I just couldn't let go.

"Why don't you just explain to her?" I whimpered.

"There's nothing to explain," Mark picked up my dress and tossed it to me. "I thought you'd grown up a little, you know..."

"Me? Grow up?" It took all of my strength not to sob. "You said you were going to leave her. You...said..."

I tried to pull myself together, and Mark observed me carefully for a long moment, before coming to my side.

"Why are you getting so bent out of shape over this?" he crouched and took my face in his hands. "We're having fun, aren't we? You know you're my number one..."

Number one what? I wondered.

I took hold of his sleeve. "Maybe she's open," I tried again. "You could just tell her how you feel about me and...and maybe it would be okay! I'd share my time—

Mark shook his head at me and finally stood. I could tell he was annoyed, but there was nothing I could do about the things I was feeling in that moment. All of a sudden, I could smell the fruity wine on his breath again, but this time it was overwhelming.

"I'll give you a ride home," he repeated, but this time there was no gentle lilt in his voice.

I remained where I was on the bed, slouched over a little, and just shook my head.

"I'll find my own way back," I picked up my dress from where Mark had tossed it and hugged the damp fabric to my chest.

I could tell Mark was growing tired of my attitude, but for once, I didn't retract my statements. I wasn't his eager to please little girl anymore.

He sighed loudly and glanced at his watch. "Okay, alright. Stay here as long as you want. Order room service, whatever. It's on me."

Mark leaned in front of me and attempted to kiss my forehead, but I turned away.

"Baby, I'll make it up to you, I promise," Mark smiled brightly and ruffled my hair. "Don't act like such a little kid, huh? It's not attractive."

Kid.

A little kid.

I was so tired of hearing those goddamn words. "Yeah? A little kid you like to fuck! Well doesn't that make you a—

"—hey, don't start," Mark grabbed my shoulder in warning, and then glanced at his watch. Obviously, he had other, more important things to deal with.

"Go home to your wife," I told him, and though I hadn't meant it, he left.

Just like that, Mark turned and walked out of the hotel room. He didn't even try to kiss me again, try to hold me, tell me that everything would be okay. He was out before I could even form a proper emotional response. It was bizarre how quickly things had disintegrated.

But when I looked in the mirror -- really looked -- and saw what I had become, it didn't take long to stop feeling angry with Mark and start feeling angry at myself. After all, he never made me do anything.

And as long as Mark was paying for the room, there really was no reason why I shouldn't do as he said and enjoy the hospitality. After slipping back into my dress, I rooted through the minibar and drained four mini bottles of peppermint schnapps before ordering several bottles of their most expensive vodka and the most lavish desert plate they had to offer.

I wasn't even legally allowed to drink, but I didn't bother to mull over the irony of it all. When the order came up, I just tilted one of the frosted bottles of Grey Goose to my lips and drank as much as I could stand before it started to turn my stomach. Then, I emptied the rest of the bottle all over the bed sheets. Hopefully, I mused, they'd charge him big for that too.

When the tray of sweets came, I couldn't eat them. I just stared at the perfect cakes and tarts and then overturned them on the floor.

Childish, I'd show him childish.

The room looked as if a typhoon had gone through it by the time I stumbled out onto the street. I smiled, wondering how he'd explain that charge to his wife. But my little grin faded when I felt rain begin to fall. It was then, standing beneath a streetlight, I realized that I'd put my dress on backward. The lovely, deep slit down the back that I had been proud of was now open across my breasts and stomach, stopping just under the waistband of my panties. It wasn't made for me in the first place.

None of it was me.

Feeling tipsy and pathetic, I closed the dress with one hand and staggered ten blocks back to my neighborhood. Instead of going down towards my apartment, however, I trailed back and into the shadow of David's building -- where the streetlights didn't work quite right. Somewhere in my mind, it was better to sit on the side of the road than to go back to Blaine, a simpering little thing, just to be comforted with a string of "I told you so's." She was never very good about being subtle or sensitive to anyone else's emotions.

I was just afraid to face her; afraid that we'd slip back into our old comfortable role of sex partners when it suited us. But regardless of my fears, when it started to rain, I knew I had to go somewhere, even if it meant tucking my tail between my legs and cuddling up to Blaine. However, as soon I stood, I was startled by a chuckle.

"Ah...I thought I saw a lunatic. What the hell are you doing out here?"

Over the past few weeks, I had heard David's voice enough to recognize it immediately. As I turned, sure enough, there he was, walking with a leash and umbrella in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He awaited my response, but I stared at him dumbly, noting briefly that he didn't offer me the umbrella.

My gaze traveled to David's hand and the twitching leash he held. At the end of it was a little grey puppy, bouncing around and darting through his legs. It yipped excitedly, despite being soaked through by the rain. It was almost funny. I didn't see him as a "puppy" kind of guy. When David cleared his throat I was snapped back to reality.

"I'm just sitting," I said lamely. "Do you have some issue with that?"

David's eyes wandered over my body slowly, and I remembered my dress. The front was wide open and freely bared my breasts. I wrapped my arms around myself, immediately.

"I saw you go out with gramps earlier..." he teased. "What happened? Viagra not kick in soon enough? You look pretty unsatisfied..."

David's little smirk widened into a full on grin as he waited for me to explode, but I remained silent. I was too tired to fight him, and standing there in the rain, wet and shivering, I began to almost welcome his presence.

"Why don't you satisfy me?" the words came out before I could stop them.

For a long while, David just stared at me, limp cigarette hanging from between his lips. He couldn't believe I said it, and neither could I. I contemplated running on home before I humiliated myself any further, but then again, thought of Blaine. She was probably sitting up just waiting for me to come home with disappointing news about Mark.

I stumbled a little on my feet and at that moment, something in David seemed to click.

"Go home," his tone suddenly became stern. "You look like a fucking drowned rat, and for God's sake, I want to be able to sleep tonight. God forbid you get raped out here or some shit. The screaming will keep me awake."

I zoned out a little during his little tirade and only took notice when David began to turn and yank his dog along. Desperate, I jumped in his path.

"Let me come upstairs with you," I was unusually bold. "You can look after me."

A smile flashed over David's lips, but it turned into a frown when he leaned into me. "You reek of booze."

"I'm sober," I asserted, but the truth was apparent in my state of dress.

"Yeah, and I'm nice," David pushed a bit of wet hair from his eyes. "Go home," he repeated.

"I thought you liked me," I stood on my tiptoes to get up in David's face. A soft giggle escaped from my throat. "Huh? Thought you liked my ass."

He paused for a moment, as if in thought, but then waved me off. "You're wasted."

David started to turn away from me again and I felt panicked. I wasn't about to be humiliated twice in one night. I wasn't going to let him turn his back on me. He wouldn't deny me.

No way.

"I'm telling you I'm not!" I shouted, and sent David's dog into a barking fury.

"Calm the fuck down, will you?" he snapped at me, and then heaved a sigh. "Christ..."

I chewed my lips and David ran a hand through his hair again, sifting dark silken strands through pale fingertips. I was entranced.

"Look, come up for a couple seconds and I'll call Blaine to pick --"

David didn't even have to finish his sentence. I latched onto his arm with a little grin, and was surprised by just how warm he was. Before I had time to enjoy that warmth, however, David pulled away. I looked up to his face for an explanation, but he kept his eyes straight out in front of him, saying nothing. We were silent the whole walk back to his apartment, save for a few sharp barks from his puppy.

"They let you keep a pet?" I leaned against the railing on the steps of David's apartment as he dug through his pockets for the keys.

He didn't answer me, but I didn't mind. Moment by moment, my body began to feel heavy and all I wanted was a place to sleep. When David finally got the door open, I followed him drowsily into the elevator, and at one point, had to grab the edge of his jacket to keep from falling over. Though David grunted in disgust, he gently hoisted me onto his back and let me piggyback him up the few stairs to his door.

"Don't puke on my shit, okay?" he warned me as soon as he let me down inside the apartment.

I just waved him off.

I couldn't help but notice that his place was much nicer than the one I shared with Blaine -- more modern and expensive looking. All the furniture was sleek black and white, and looked impeccably clean.

"Wow..." I staggered across the room. "How much is your rent?"

"None of your business," David sounded exasperated.

He went first to the answering machine to check his messages, and his little dog trotted beside him, obediently. I noticed all the voicemail seemed to be from women, but he deleted them without writing down a single number.

Feeling a little uneven, I started to sit on the couch, but David was quick to scold me again.

"Don't sit there. You're soaking," he grabbed a blanket from a closet out of my reach, and threw it down.

"Now?" I sighed.

"Have at it," I plopped down before he had even really cleared out of the way and when I landed, made sure to spread my thighs provocatively. I was certain that he could see my panties perfectly from his spot before me.

As I expected, David's eyes lingered on my wet, scantily clad form for quite a while longer than necessary. I pictured his gaze lingering on the outline of my pussy, admiring the way the wet lace of my panties clung to the smooth lips. I patted the spot next to me on the sectional, but David just rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to call Blaine," he moved into the kitchen again and grabbed the phone from its base.

"Why? Three's a crowd," my tease came out as a whiny moan.

"A little birdie told me you didn't always think so," he smirked at me and I gasped.

'Blaine...Blaine told him?'

"You bothered that I know?" David's smile grew wider and although I was seeing two of him, I tried my best to keep a straight face. He was goading me, but even drunk, I knew better than to fall into that trap.

"Why don't you just let me sleep it off this buzz? If not in your bed, then..." I started to stretch out on his couch, and David dropped the phone in his rush to stop me. I heard his hurried footsteps against the tile and then before I could react, he was on top of me.

"I'm warning you..." both of his hands were glued to my wrists, keeping me steady. There was a deathly serious tone to his voice that gave me shivers. If I was sober, I would have high-tailed it out of there, but drunk, I found David highly amusing.

"Yeah?" I dragged my body down with a jerk and immediately; he dropped his hands from mine to brace himself. His body hovered mere centimeters over mine, and I could smell the fresh, clean scent of rain on his skin. His knee fell between my spread thighs, and while he was distracted, I placed his hand over my breast. I was certain he could feel the stiff nipple against his palm.

"You..."

He narrowed his eyes at me, but I pushed up without warning, forcing my lips on his before he could even finish his sentence. They were warm and soft against my wet, but when I received no reaction, I let him pull away slowly.

"...whore." he said flatly, and let me fall back on the couch with a thump.

"You're lucky I like dirty talk..." I smiled even though I was feeling annoyed at his impassivity.

"Something tells me that's not the only thing you like dirty," he touched his lips briefly, and then gave a disgusted sigh.

A tense silence settled in the room and I watched as David walked back to the kitchen. Wordlessly, he opened the fridge and began slowly preparing a martini.

"Why are you playing hard to get? You were all flirty in the coffee shop..." I tried to stand up, but ended up tripping on the edge of David's carpet. I yelped, grabbed onto the couch to steady myself, hardly noticing when the left half of my dress slid off my shoulder. I expected David to look up, but he just plopped an olive into the glass and started dialing Blaine again.

"Desperation is not attractive," he warned me and I flopped back on the couch while he no doubt listened to Blaine's phone ringing off the hook.

"Where the hell is that bitch?" he muttered through a sip of his drink.

"Probably fucking someone..." I pressed my face into one of the cool leather pillows and heard David curse. I thought he was spouting something about loose women, but as I drifted, the less clear things became. I heard his footsteps coming close again and then another string of indecipherable words, but couldn't bring myself to force my eyes open. I was more than halfway gone.

For a moment, there was the soft, warm pressure of something on my shoulder.

"Stupid kid." I heard him mutter, and the warmth slowly traveled up my back, to my neck, and finally laid to rest in my hair.

I smelled the rain again, that cool, crisp scent, and the tension in my body faded away. My breath came easier, my muscles relaxed, and for the first time in a long while I drifted into a sound sleep.