Mark's Stirrings
"Thanks for helping me out with this man. I couldn't have done it without you." Mark told Matt as we drove down a long highway. I had pretended to be sleeping just to see if Mark would mention where we were going. I needed to escape him and I needed every piece of information I could get.
"No problem Taker…I just wish you would be nicer to this girl. We both know it isn't her fault that her father's a swine." Matt said.
Mark sighed, "True but I like torturing her. It's amusing."
Matt shifted in his seat, "Yeah well I don't think she feels the same way about it…damn."
"What?" Mark said.
"She sure does sleep a lot and she looks so peaceful even though you've got her all tied up."
Mark glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Yeah I guess she does."
"You guess?" Matt said. "Look at her man, she's gorgeous."
Mark cleared his throat, "I can see that and that's why I've kept her from harm."
I nearly popped my eyes open when he said that. He of all people actually found me attractive? Not once did I think my looks could get me out of anything with this guy, but I guess I was wrong.
"Harm? You mean you actually had planned on harming this girl?" Matt said in disbelief.
"Of course I did but when I seen her in person…oh nevermind."
Matt smiled, "Ahhh….Taker if I didn't know you any better I would say you have a crush."
Mark rolled his eyes, "Not a crush, I just have…stirrings…"
"Stirrings?" Matt chuckled, "You mean feelings?"
He glared at Matt, "No! Look…after Sara left me I promised myself that I would never let another woman into my life and I won't start now. I just feel terrible that Ric would toss this poor girl off on her own and never look back. It's disgusting."
Matt shook his head, "I'm not buying that but whatever you say."
About an hour later, we finally pulled into another city. I didn't really recognize where we were at all so I started looking around for signs.
"How far is it from here?" Mark asked Matt.
"Uh, just a few more blocks. I have security already waiting on you." Matt said.
Mark nodded, "Good. Now what did you tell them about Serena?"
"Do you want the truth?" he said.
Mark glared at him, "Yes."
"I told them you were her husband…" he said.
Mark shook his head, "Great."
"Well I didn't know what else to tell them. I'm pretty sure if I would have told them she was your captive, they would have called the police on you."
"True. Alright I'll deal with it…just don't expect me to like it."
The truck stopped in a parking garage next to this big glass skyscraper. I closed my eyes as Mark got out of the truck and walked over to my side. Matt got out too, giving Mark a brotherly hug before walking to the driver's side. Mark then opened my door and un-cuffed my hands. He also removed the bandana and then scooped me into his arms.
"Drive carefully man, let me know when you're back home." He told Matt.
"Ok dude, and don't worry, I'll take care of the truck." Matt said.
Mark shook his head, "You better or else."
They shared a laugh before Mark shut my door and carried me to an elevator. I wasn't sure why, but I felt the need to wrap my arm around his neck so I pretended to be having a nightmare and latched myself onto him. I felt him swallow hard as my head rested against the crook of his neck.
"Damn…" he whispered before the elevator opened up. He stepped inside of it holding me tightly as he hit the button for the 28th floor. It felt like a long ride getting up there and he was pretty tense the entire time. When we finally got up there, he stepped off the elevator and was greeted by two security guards.
"Hello Mr. Undertaker, we've been expecting you and your wife." The taller one said.
"Oh, thanks man," The Undertaker said. "She's pretty tired so I'm going to need the room to myself."
"No problem sir, we'll be in the lobby if you need us." The short one said as he opened the door for Mark and let us in. Mark carried me into the room and laid me down on another soft sofa. He then got the keys from the security guard and send them on their way. When he shut the door, I stretched out my arms and opened my eyes, only to find a beautiful view of the city before my eyes. I sat up slowly as I looked at it, wondering where we were.
"Hey sleepyhead." He said as he locked the door.
I looked over my shoulder at him, "oh…hey. Where are we?"
He sighed, "Now you know I can't tell you that."
"Ok…where is Matt?" I asked.
"He's on his way back home, with my truck." He said. "Don't worry, if I need to get back I'll either fly or have him come get us."
I nodded and kept looking around the apartment complex. "This place is really nice…is it yours?"
"No, it's Matt's. He's just letting me borrow it for awhile." He said.
"Oh. " I said as I moved into a comfortable position. "You two seem like great friends."
"We are." He said. "Matt has been my friend now for five years. It started off rocky but things got better once he kicked his ex to the curve."
I nodded, "I take it you didn't like her."
"Hell no. I threw that bitch off of a stage once." He said.
I giggled knowing that wasn't nice but hey…I guess people really shouldn't piss him off. He made his way over to me and took a seat next to me on the couch.
"So…what are you planning on doing with me?" I asked. "Are you really planning on hurting me if my dad says no?"
He sighed, "No. In all honesty, I was planning on helping you start yourself over."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He glanced at me with the softest expression I had ever seen. It was weird to see it come from him since he was so evil to me before but I suppose everyone has a softer side to them.
"I mean forcing you to stop stripping." He said. "You aren't like those other girls Serena."
"How so? You didn't answer me last time I asked."
He looked away from me for a moment and then answered, "You're not stripping just for the money. You strip because you think that's all you're good for."
I thought about it for a few seconds and realized what he was saying was indeed a fact. "How do you know that?"
He shrugged, "You cry in your sleep. I don't know what your dreams are about, but if I had to guess…something bad happened to you when you were younger and it messed you up in the head."
My bottom lip trembled as I fought back tears, "Oh God…how do you know all this?"
"I can see it in your eyes. Plus, I know what it's like to not have my parents in my life to show me right from wrong."
I nodded as I wiped my fresh tears. "Yeah…it sucks."
"Yes it does, but don't you worry. Win or lose, I'm going to help you get on your feet when this is all over. I can see so much potential in you it's not even funny."
"Thanks Taker." I said. "That's sweet of you."
"No problem." He said. "You just have to promise me you'll stop stripping. It's not you…"
I giggled, "Alright…I'll stop."
"Good."
That night we stayed up talking and watching plenty of television. I didn't know what it was but part of me felt like running away wouldn't be the best idea anymore. This man seemed to really care about my well being and he had just met me two days ago. I didn't know where this would take me, but I kind of liked where it was going.
