Chapter 10
Once inside the living room, Jalyse had to look around, never having been in this room before, and couldn't believe how dark, yet comforting it was. Black leather furniture that looked extremely comfortable with a huge fireplace and two other couches filled the room. It was a huge room and it ended with a huge screen television and a nice stereo system. Jalyse looked around as she finally sat down on the couch, and curled her feet beneath her, sniffling a little, and wiped her tears away. They kept falling though.
Mark wasted no time in building a roaring fire, leaning back on his haunches to stare into it, feeling the warmth washing over him. Though, it didn't penetrate any farther than his skin. Sighing, he stood up, walking over to what appeared to be a wall, and slid open the panel to reveal his private liquor cabinet. "What would you like? And it's all hard stuff…sorry." He glanced back at her.
"It doesn't matter." She whispered softly, her eyes locked on the fire, and leaned back against the couch, breathing raggedly from crying so hard. The flames danced as she finally tore her eyes away from it and looked up at Mark, raking a hand through her hair. "Are you sure this is okay? I mean, we haven't exactly gotten along, Mark…" She pointed out the obvious, biting her bottom lip, and sighed.
Mark held out a glass of whiskey, his drink of choice, holding his own glass. He waited until she took it before settling down on the other couch, sprawling on it comfortably, and stared at her. "I would hope we're gettin' along now…" He toasted her by raising his glass up.
"Yeah, all because of our cheating spouses." She laughed bitterly, toasting him, and downed the whiskey, not even wincing. She was a drinker, she wasn't afraid to admit it, and set the glass down on the table before curling up in a ball on the couch. Tears poured down her cheeks as they reflected off the firelight that engulfed her body. Why was she with John for so long? More important question, why the fuck was she still HERE with Mark?
Mark drained his own glass. "Screw this formal shit." He growled, getting up and getting them each their own bottle. He stared down at Jalyse almost broodingly. "Yer regrettin' stayin' here aren't you." He wasn't asking.
"No, I'm just…I'm hurting right now and I don't like showing people my tears. They show weakness and I hate them, but after what they did, I can't help, but cry. It hurts to know that he never gave a damn about me and I gave him three years of my life and heart." She sniffled a little, taking the bottle from him, their fingers brushing momentarily, and felt a jolt of fire rush down her arm as she filled her glass again, downing it. "I hope they're very fucking happy together, those fucking pricks."
Mark understood the weakness bit with the tears and personally agreed with her. He almost jumped at the lightening that coursed through him when their fingers brushed together, and dropped back down on his couch, drinking straight from the bottle. "Sometimes it's good to just…let it out, Jalyse." He said finally. "And he didn't deserve you."
"I hardly know you though." She pointed out, throwing the glass in the fire as it erupted a little, and didn't care as she took the bottle and started downing it. Her heart was broken and she wanted to be numb from head to toe from the pain that was coursing through her heart. She finally pulled away, collapsing back on the couch as she allowed the bottle to hang from her hand and started crying again. "I hate him so much." Her voice cracked again and shook her head, wiping her tears away angrily. "Fuck them. Just wait until I talk to her mother. I'm going to make Journey wish she'd never even FUCKED with me and my life!"
Mark listened patiently as she ranted, arching an eyebrow when he seen how much whiskey she had packed away already, and had to smile to himself. This woman was so much like him. It was becoming scary. He worked his way through his own bottle, never taking his eyes off of her. Even with swollen eyes and a red nose, she was still drop dead gorgeous, her cheeks becoming ruddy as well.
Finally draining her bottle, Jalyse slowly set it down on the table before laying down on the couch, her arm draped over her head as she stared up at the ceiling. "Did you ever love her?" She asked out of nowhere, drunk beyond belief, and hiccupped a little as she started laughing through her tears before going back to being serious again. "I mean, did you ever TRULY love her or was it just a convenience to have her here?"
"I cared about her, but no, I didn't love." Mark answered honestly. "She wasn't that way when we first got together. I noticed what a bitch she was after she'd moved in and been here fer awhile. By then, I was just…used to it. Obviously, it weren't no convenience havin' her here. I now own nothing, but plastic dishes." Mark stared at her, wondering if she was going to be sick.
"Trust me when I say this, Mark, you made the right decision in throwing her ass out." Jalyse sniffled and coughed out a little, feeling her head spinning a little, but nothing she couldn't handle. "This must be really awkward for you, having her cousin here and all, but I hope you've realized that I'm nothing like her. I'm a hardass bitch and I don't take shit from anyone. She, on the other hand, likes to spread her legs to the first guy she lays her eyes on. Do you know what she said to me when I first got here about you?"
Mark cocked an eyebrow, finishing off his own bottle, and set it down on the floor. "I'm not awkward with ya here. If I was, I woulda let you leave." He informed her gently. He felt curious in spite of himself when she mentioned that last bit and slowly moved to the floor, stoking the fire back to life. "What'd she say to ya?"
"She said she was with you for your riches and the sex." She felt sick just hearing those words come from her mouth and shook her head in disgust. "I wanted to fuckin' punch her lights out when she said that, but it didn't surprise me. She's a gold digging hussy who spreads her legs for the first eligible bachelor she can find." Jalyse wasn't afraid to speak her mind, especially after having a whole bottle of whiskey inside of her, and coughed out a little as she wiped her eyes. She was still laying on the couch, but glanced over at him before back at the ceiling.
Sighing heavily, Mark laid back on the floor in front of the fire, folding his hands under his head. "That seems to be the story of my life, which is why I ain't too surprised." He grunted, mentally cursing up a storm. It seemed every woman he had been with only wanted him for those two things. "Christ…" He muttered, running his hand down his face, scrubbing it.
"I'm sorry, Mark. I really am sorry, but you had the right to know exactly what kind of woman you were fucking. Shit, makes me wonder how she lives with herself." She scoffed disgustingly at the thought of her cousin and scrubbed her hand down her face, sighing heavily.
They were silent for what seemed like an eternity. Each in their own thoughts. Jalyse started thinking about Mark. She wouldn't want him for his riches or the sex, even though those were bonuses. She was more about finding out what was inside the guy than out, but of course, that would never happen. John had broken her heart and she was through with men for awhile. She'd focus on her career. On her own life. Instead of worrying about a man.
Mark was busy thinking that the sooner he got back to work, the better all the way around he'd be. At least on the road, he was too damned tired at the end of the night to care about anything besides hitting the pillows. He was honestly getting tired of this shit with women. He doubted he'd ever find a woman who wasn't just interested in his money or being in his bed. "What're ya thinkin'?" He finally asked, dragging himself out of his thoughts.
"Thinking about how I'm sick and tired of men in general and that the sooner I get the fuck out of here and back to school, the better off I'll be." Jalyse answered, no remorse evident in her voice or eyes as she continued staring up at the ceiling. She was never one to beat around the bush. Never one to sugarcoat anything. She sighed, wondering what the Hell she was going to do for the next month.
"School? What're ya majorin' in?" Mark asked curiously, rolling onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, his hair falling over his bare shoulder. "And do ya got a place to go too? You got one more month left dontcha?"
"God what is this, twenty questions?" She shot back at him, feeling her head throb, and sighed heavily as she raked a hand through her hair. She slowly sat up and leaned against the armrest of the couch. "My major, not that its any of your business, but its in writing and journalism. I'm going back for my master's and then I'm finished."
"Sorry, didn't know it was a crime to be interested." Mark muttered, rolling back over and closing his eyes.
Groaning, Jalyse raked a hand through her hair and slowly stumbled over from the couch, landing on the floor on the side of him on her knees. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that." She sighed and leaned back against the coffee table, closing her eyes. "No, I don't have any place else to stay for the summer except my dorm room. I'll survive there, just have to live on fast food for a month." She shrugged, coughing a little.
Mark knew he had too much to drink when he instantly said what he was thinking. "You can stay here if ya like…" He shrugged, not looking at her. "Plenty of things to keep ya occupied and outta a stuffy dorm."
Raising an eyebrow down at him, Jalyse bit her bottom lip, wondering if that was the alcohol talking, and cleared her throat loudly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea…" She trailed off, feeling her head spinning again, and closed her eyes as she took a few deep, calming breaths. Crying and hard liquor didn't mix well ever.
"Why not?" He shot back, one green eye popping open, staring at her.
"I'm your ex-girlfriend's cousin, Mark. Do you know how fucked up that is and besides, we don't get along. We can't stand the sight of each other and when we do, it's for a short brief of time. You honestly want me to stay here and drive you batty for the next month?" She questioned him, opening her eyes slowly to stare down at him, her eyebrow still raised, and shook her head as she sighed heavily. "I know you're drunk so I'll just forget what you've said." She started to get up.
Mark reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down, accidentally causing her to land on top of him. "I'm sure we can keep civil tongues in our heads…" He replied, staring at her, relaxing his grip. "And who cares about you bein' the slut's cousin, yer not anythin' like her. A blind man could see that, Jalyse." He tried reasoning with her, not wanting her to go anywhere, and couldn't explain why he was fighting to keep her with him.
"I know I'm not anything like her, but…" She trailed off again, realizing the awkward and compromising position they were both in, and stared down into his hazy emerald green eyes. Her bluish black hair pooled around them as her hands were gripping his chest since he'd caught her off guard and her knee was in between his legs. Damned if the man wasn't gorgeous as Hell and she had to admit, he had hypnotic eyes. She licked her dried lips and cleared her throat, still hoarse from crying so much. "How bout if I ask you tomorrow and see if you remember a word you've said to me tonight?" She finally suggested, deciding compromising with him would be better than getting into an argument.
A slow, sexy smirk crossed Mark's sinfully sensual lips. "You can do that, but I promise ya, I'll remember." He whispered, reaching up to gently brush her hair with his fingertips, loving how silky it felt against his touch.
Jalyse bit her bottom lip as his fingers started to brush through her hair and the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. The fire was roaring on the side of them as she felt her head spin. It wasn't because of the alcohol or crying though. It was staring into this man's spellbinding green orbs as she finally tore her gaze from his and looked down at her hands that were planted firmly on his chest. "We'll see if you do, Mark." She murmured back in a soft voice.
Mark gently, but firmly cupped her chin in one of his large, muscular hands, making her look back into his eyes. "I will." He lightly brushed his lips against hers before lowered his head back down on the floor, staring up at her. "You look exhausted, Jalyse." He pointed out, his voice sounding like a gentle rumble of thunder that came from his chest.
She was frozen solid against him, her nails actually digging into his flesh, and her teal eyes were as wide as saucers. He just kissed her AGAIN! She slowly felt her limbs able to move, hearing him say that, and coughed as she felt her cheeks inflame as she looked away from him. "Yeah, I am. No offense, but this has been a long night." She finally managed to pull her nails from his chest and raked a hand through her hair nervously.
Mark nodded, suddenly feeling tired himself. "None taken." He slowly got up, steady on his feet, and pulled her with him. "G'night then, Jalyse. We'll talk more tomorrow mornin'." He said softly, staring down at her, and slowly moved his hands from her body.
"Yeah, night." She mumbled back at him and immediately walked out of the living room away from him. Her heart was pounding in her ears, causing her pulse to race even more, and actually had to hold onto the wall for leverage on the way to her room. She looked around once inside, seeing John hadn't grabbed his things, and proceeded to hurl everything out the front door, slamming it shut behind her. She then stripped the sheets and comforter off, replacing them with new ones, and threw them in the laundry room. She didn't want to even smell the scent of him, her anger making the alcohol vanish from her body, and crawled into bed. Tears of pain and heartache flowed down her cheeks as Jalyse closed her eyes, finally welcoming the darkness to overtake her body.