Stepping into the store, Mark could not help but to note to himself how out of his element he was. Looking around, he wondered just what the hell he was doing. Why did he keep getting himself into these predicaments for this girl?

"Hi there, may I help you?" A man in his fifties asked Mark as he approached him.

"Hi, I was actually wondering, uh...is...is Charlee here?"

The guy frowned. "Lee?" Mark nodded. "Why-"

"Paul, I have a...question..." Molly commented as she walked up to the two men, but her comment died down when she saw Mark. "Professor Calaway, what...what are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Paul asked.

Molly nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'll help him," she replied, and Paul looked between the two before walking away. Mark looked down at the girl, knowing she was Charlee's friend but trying hard to remember her name. "So what are you doing here?" she repeated, the look on her face not too friendly.

Finally, it clicked with him what her name was. "Molly, I could really use your help." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I really need to speak to Charlee-"

"No," she interrupted in a firm voice, taking him by surprise. "I know Lee was a willing participant in whatever the hell it was you two had going on, but...I refuse to see you hurt her again."

"I'm not going to hurt her. I never wanted to hurt her in the first place. Things just...kind of got out of hand fast."

"You think? I know what all you two did. You took advantage of her."

Mark could feel his patience wearing thin. "I'm sorry if that is how my actions are being taken, I understand how it can come off that way. I was not out to take advantage of her, though. It just got complicated. Please do this one thing for me, I really need to see her."

"Well, you can't. She is with someone right now. Someone who isn't going to fuck with her emotions like you did."

"Molly, please. All I want to do is explain myself to her. If she still wants nothing to do with me, I'll leave her alone. I just want to talk to her. I'm begging you at this point. Please."

Molly continued to look up at him with a leery expression, until finally she commented, "If you do hurt her again, I swear to fucking god-"

"I just want to talk," he repeated.

Giving a heavy sigh, Molly shook her head. "Fine. Just know, though, if you make me regret this...I won't hesitate ending your career with proof of all of this. Don't make me have to resort to that."

"It won't get to that point," he reassured her, and still showing reluctance she gave him the information he needed to find Charlee...

) ) ) )

Before he even reached the building, Mark could feel the thump from the bass of the music playing inside the club. It had been quite a while since he had been to this kind of place. Once inside, he was taken back by how crowded the place was, and the fact he was barely able to avoid bumping into others. Ignoring the stares and attempted advances from the women he walked by, he searched through the crowd, grateful in that moment for his height. Just when he started to lose hope, he was finally able to spot the guy he had previously seen with her, and could see next to him the top of Charlee's head.

Walking closer, he tried to both keep his distance and get a better view, wanting so badly to get her away from him and everyone in that club. Finally, he got close enough to get a better view of them, and discreetly Mark continued to watch them as he felt his jealously rise. As he watched Charlee move on her date, all he could think about was her using similar moves on his cock as she came for him. When he could see the guy's hands start to explore over her, a tight ball of anger settled in Mark's stomach. Those were his curves to touch. At one point, she turned around to face the guy, and when he leaned down to say something in her ear she laughed before taking a drink from her cup. He missed that sound so much...

Standing close enough to where their bodies were touching, they continued to dance together, and Mark could see him grab her ass. When she suddenly leaned up to kiss him, Mark felt that ball of anger grow as they held onto each other. When he saw his hands going under her shirt, Mark had enough, and stalked his way over towards them. "I need you to come with me," Mark said in her ear as soon as he was next to them.

Looking over, a shocked expression on her face, she commented, "Mark, what...what the hell are you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Mark stated, gently grabbing her arm, when she pulled back.

"I'm busy," she retaliated, her eyebrows burrowed in a frown.

"Charlee, we need to talk."

"Hey, man, why don't you listen to her? She's here with me," Mikey commented, and tried to grab her other arm when Mark suddenly let her go and moved his grip to the guys throat.

"This has nothing to do with you, boy. This is between me and her, and I suggest you go before I beat your ass for touching what is mine," Mark growled at him.

Clearly petrified, he simply nodded, and as soon as Mark let him go he backed away. "I'm sorry, Lee...I think I should go," Mikey stated, giving her an apologetic expression, and quickly made his way into the crowd of people, leaving Charlee to watch him in disbelief. Well, it looked like their night together was over...

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Charlee cried out, and gave Mark a shove. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"I said we need to talk," he persisted, and as he looked down at her he both wanted to bend her over his knee for being such a brat, and pin her up against the wall to make her scream his name.

"About what? The fact that you used me?"

"Damnit, would you just come with me?"

"No!" she retaliated, and gave a yelp of surprise when he suddenly hoisted her over his shoulder and made his way towards the door. "Put me down!" She yelled at him, squirming to get out of his hold, but it was useless. He had an iron grip on her, and had no plan on letting her go until they were away from everyone else. "Let me down, you fucker!" she complained once they were outside, once more trying to get down, but again it was useless. Finally, once they were in a secluded spot away from the entrance and where people could not see them, he let her down, and she began to hit his chest with her fists. "What the fuck-" she started to say, when he suddenly crushed his lips against hers, silencing her words. Initially, she stilled and allowed it to happen, her mouth even beginning to move against his, but quickly snapped out of it and pushed him away. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" She snapped, a deep glare settled on her face as she looked up at him. God damnit, if she wasn't a sexy as hell little thing when she was angry.

"Let me talk, and explain myself."

"I don't want to hear a goddamn-" she started to retaliate, when he again silenced her by kissing her deeply, taking her face in his hands this time as he did so. Despite her anger, that lust for him was still there, and unable to help herself she kissed him back, this time more willingly.

"Would you shut that beautiful fucking mouth of yours for two fucking seconds and please let me talk?" He stated in a quiet but firm voice, his eyes burning into hers.

She continued to glare up at him, until she eventually grumbled, "Fine." He could not help but to be amused by how bratty she was being in that moment.

"Look, I'm sorry for how things went. It was shitty of me, and I admit I was a complete asshole. I didn't think things out, and I didn't think about how you'd feel. I just acted impulsively."

"Okay, so you rejected me out of impulse. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Would you let me finish?" He growled, and taken back she grew silent. "I did what I did, because...you scare me."

She immediately gave him a look of confusion. "Are you trying to be funny? Because I don't know how in the hell I would scare you."

"No, I'm not trying to be funny, Charlee. You...god damnit, you drive me crazy. I never stop thinking about you. I never stop wanting to be around you. I never stop wanting you, period. The night at the bar, I started to realize that...I feel more than just lust for you...and it scares the shit out of me. Hence, you scare the shit out of me. You make me feel things I've never felt before...and I guess I just didn't know how to handle it, so I pushed you away."

Charlee was stunned and left speechless by his confession. Was she hearing him correctly? Was this actually happening? "What do I make you feel?" She asked quietly once she was finally able to find her voice again.

"I don't know, honestly. All I know is...the mere idea of someone even looking at you makes me angry. I want to be the one giving you the things you want and need...be it making you laugh, or making you come." She could not help but to smirk at this. "I just...I want to be your safe place. I want to be the person you come to for anything and everything."

Her heart swelling at this, she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him, holding onto him when he immediately lifted her up into his arms to better kiss her back. "You make me feel the same way," she whispered when she finally forced herself to pull back. Taking his face in her hands, she added, "I think...I think I might be falling for you...and it scares me too, because I'm afraid I won't be enough for you. I'm afraid you'll find someone better...and I don't think I could find someone better than you."

When he saw her little chin quiver, and large tears fill her eyes he quickly kissed her once more in an effort to soothe her. "There isn't a single other person who could be better for me than you," he murmured, his words making her smile, and kissed her yet again, both of them clinging to each other as their pent up needs for each other burst open like a broken dam. When they finally pulled apart, they were both quietly panting but still holding tight to each other. "Come with me," he quietly requested, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

A small frown came to her face. "Where?"

"Just trust me," he reassured her as he placed her back on her feet. "Where are you parked?"

"I didn't drive...the guy I was kind of on a date with brought me here."

"That better be the last one," Mark warned, and grinned when she giggled. "Do you trust me?" She hesitated, but eventually nodded. "I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise," he replied, and held out his hand.

"I don't have anything."

"I'll take care of it." When she still looked leery, he added, "Please trust me, Charlee."

She looked down at his hand, still hesitant, but eventually placed her hand in his much larger one. As she allowed him to walk her toward his truck, she found herself wondering what she was getting herself into...