Chapter nine
Mark watched the way Piper screwed her eyes tight shut and waited for whatever it was he planned on doing, and he had to stop himself from laughing. She obviously expected an all out sensual assault, and he hated to disappoint her. He had actually only intended to talk to her about her father, but her own fearful anticipation of his actions made him revise his plan. That and the fact that her trembling lips were a temptation he wouldn't...or couldn't...resist. He lowered his head and slowly opened his mouth until he could cover her lips fully with his own, using the lightest pressure to explore the plump softness with his tongue as he sought to gain entry. To his surprise she didn't fight him at all, and her lips parted almost instantly, allowing him the access he sought. His tongue insinuated itself expertly into her mouth and he explored her, relishing once again the taste of her. He had almost forgotten how exotic the flavour was, and he dived into the kiss with enthusiasm, expertly dragging her along with him every step of the way.
His huge arms reached around her and pulled her up tight against his chest as he straightened up, his hold on her lifting her off the floor. He walked slowly backwards until he felt the couch behind him and then he sat down, pulling her onto his lap as he became slightly rougher with the kiss, one of his hands moving up to her throat and tilting her head at a sharper angle so he could explore her more freely.
Piper never even tried to fight him off her, and somewhere in the back of her mind shame was lurking, waiting for her brain to function properly so it could leap out of hiding and make her feel awful about what was happening. But for now it was buried, and she couldn't help but enjoy what his mouth was doing to hers. He was so good at kissing that she felt herself turn to mush after only a few seconds. She wasn't even aware of him carrying her over to the couch or of sitting on his lap, all she could feel and think about was the kiss. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest as she strained to get even closer to him, the emotions clenching her stomach more than just lust. She could fall in love with this big man so easily that...that thought made her freeze and her eyes flew open in shock. She could fall in love with him! Her hands flattened on his chest and she pushed him away abruptly, the suddenness of the movement making him fall back on the couch, although his arms didn't release her.
His intense green eyes stared at her in confusion, but he let her get up from his lap when she moved to do so, knowing she couldn't leave the room. "What's wrong?" he asked her, standing up to his full height and dwarfing her.
"Wrong? Why, nothing!" she said with a hysterical laugh. "Just because you lock me in here and try and force yourself on me again, why should anything be wrong?"
"Force myself on you?" he drawled, a smile tilting his mouth. "Don't kid yourself darlin', there was no force involved in that and you know it. In fact, there was no force used the last time either. You wanted me...hell, you were panting for it."
Piper gasped and swung her arm up, aiming for his arrogant face, but she never made contact. With lightning speed Mark caught her wrist in mid-flight and squeezed, making her wince with pain. "Does that hurt?" he asked, knowing full well that it did and that it wasn't too bad.
"Yes, let me go you bastard!" she shouted at him, her face going red with temper.
"Good, now you know what it would feel like if I really used force in any way, so don't go accusing me of that unless you want me to give you an even stronger lesson. And another thing," he said, bending slightly so he could glare into her eyes from close range, "watch your language, or I'll show you how quickly I can teach you to keep your mouth shut."
Piper swallowed a huge lump of fear and gave him a glare of her own. "I'm not frightened of you, you big moron, you can't scare me with threats!"
"Really?" he said, walking to the couch again and dragging her behind him. "Let's see if actions really do speak louder than words then, shall we?" He sat down and pulled her easily down across his knees, his intent obvious. Piper wasn't having any of it, and she started struggling, her movements so violent that he was surprised to find he had a problem keeping her still. He hadn't actually intended to spank her, but when she wouldn't keep still he gave her a hefty swat. She shrieked as his big hand impacted on her bottom and then intensified her struggles, kicking and hitting him with all her strength. Mark knew he wouldn't be able to keep her on his lap much longer so he picked her up and wrapped her in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides so she couldn't inflict any more damage. When she finally calmed down a bit he looked at her furious face, raising one eyebrow and smirking. "Quite finished?"
She didn't bother answering, just continued to stare mutinously at him, wondering at her own stupidity in even coming here. What had she hoped to accomplish? To teach him a lesson? That was something she didn't think would be possible.
He took her silence as agreement and the smirk got worse. "Good. Now how about we talk about your father?"
"What about my father?" she asked sharply, narrowing her eyes.
"You want what's best for him, don't you?" he asked her, lifting her off his lap and standing up, ushering her towards the desk and making her sit opposite him.
"Of course I do, but it's already too late for that isn't it? You've cancelled that cheque and he's probably blaming me for all of it, and it's your fault!" she said nastily, glaring at him.
"Actually, it's your fault, and I believe we've already been over this ground. However, I haven't cancelled the cheque, not yet."
"Yet?" she asked him, her eyes wary now.
"Hmm. You see, I've decided that I will help your father, on certain conditions," he murmured, studying her calmly.
"Conditions? What do you mean?"
"I've looked into your father's business and also his personal finances, and even with the cheque I wrote him and the reparations I've already made, he's in dire financial straits. In fact, if he doesn't improve the business this year, then he'll lose his house."
Piper gasped. "You liar! My father paid for that house free and clear, he doesn't owe one dime..."
"He re-mortgaged it to finance the trout farm," Mark interrupted her. "Of course, he wouldn't tell you about it, he probably wouldn't want to worry you. And don't call me a liar, Piper, because that's one thing I'm not. Now then, let's discuss how I can help him."
"Why would you want to help him?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because of what I can get out of it," he said instantly, his eyes holding hers in an intense stare.
She knew she shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help herself. "And wh-what can you get out of it?"
"You."
"Me? What...what do you mean by that?" she asked him, her voice slightly higher pitched now. "I'm not going to become some sort of whore for you, despite what you may think!"
Mark leaned back in his chair and smiled. "I don't want you to be my whore, Piper, I want you to be my wife. I've already arranged everything for the day after tomorrow."
Her jaw fell at his words and she stared at him dumbly for a few seconds. "Arranged what?"
"The wedding of course. In two days time you will consent to be my wife, and I'll get your father out of the hole he's put himself into. If you don't agree...then I'll ruin him."
"You...you can't do that," she said unsteadily, the Outer Limits feeling returning with a vengeance.
"I can do whatever I want, Piper, I'm rich. And so will you be when you become my wife," he said, his eyes glittering strangely as he looked at her.
"Why would you want to marry me?" she asked, still feeling dazed.
"Several reasons. We're compatible in bed, I need a wife, and I want to have children. I'm tired of fending off people who only want my money, people who fawn and grovel and beg, they make me sick. I'm fed up with trying to look for love, if it even exists." He looked at her and smiled again, making her shiver. "You fight me, Piper, and I like it. You'll make an interesting wife."
"But I hate you," she said.
Mark shrugged. "Ah, but you won't act like it, especially in front of others. You'll do exactly as you're told, or else you know what I can do to your family. And we'll start trying to get you pregnant straight away, too. I don't see any need to wait."
"How romantic!" she spat, standing up and glaring at him again, her shock slowly wearing off. "I will never marry you, or have anything else to do with you either! I'll go to a lawyer and sue you! You can't treat people this way!"
He stood up opposite her, his smile cold and calculating. "I can buy any lawyer you choose, and you won't have a hope. And I can treat people how I wish, as you'll find out. You may as well give in, because if you don't I can make life extremely uncomfortable for you." He looked at his watch and then back at her. "You can go, for now. But I want your answer by noon tomorrow, or I'll start dissecting your father's business."
"You're not giving me any damn choice!" she said hysterically, almost stamping her foot with bad temper and disbelief.
"Yes I am. Marry me and save his business, don't marry me and ruin him. It's entirely up to you," he said, sounding perfectly reasonable.
She stood staring at him silently, her mind going mad trying to think of a way out of this situation, but she couldn't think of anything. She loved her father and she would never want to see him destitute, and she knew Mark had the power to do that if he chose to. There was really no choice to make.
"O...Okay," she said quietly, unable to look at him and see the triumph in his eyes.
"What?" Mark asked her, not sure if he had heard her correctly.
"Okay, I'll marry you," she said, her voice dull now as she thought about what her life was going to be like from now on.
Mark grinned. "Good. I'll send someone to your apartment to help you pack up tomorrow night, and then you can move to my house. Everything you need for the wedding will be waiting for you."
"Okay," she said obediently, still in shock. She knew once it had worn off she would raise hell, and she wondered what he would do when she fought him again. Nothing good, she shouldn't imagine.
"You can go now," he told her, watching to see what sort of impact his order would have on her, but she was still too stunned to take any notice and she just turned away and walked to the door, opening it and leaving the room. Mark smiled slowly. He hadn't thought she'd agree to such an outlandish offer, and he hadn't even meant it. But now he wondered if he shouldn't just follow through with it. Maybe keep her at his house for a few months and delay the wedding. Or maybe just marry her anyway. His lips twisted thoughtfully. He had a feeling the dullness of the past few years was about to end. Oh yes, his life was going to be very interesting from now on.