A/N: Thank you all for being so patient in waiting months for this chapter. There were things that couldn't be helped that kept me from writing, but I hope I'll be able to add more before much longer. This story needs an ending. It's getting too long. ;-)
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again!
(Chapter Sixteen)
As the movie came to an end, Dee Dee was more relaxed but wasn't quite ready for bed. She and Mark decided that one more comedy might do the trick, but by the halfway point, she had fallen asleep.
Mark was happy to see her sleeping peacefully and hated to wake her, but felt she may be more comfortable in bed. He called to her softly, but she didn't answer. He tried again and lightly shook her shoulder, but she only sighed and snuggled further under the blanket. He knew she needed the rest, didn't want to leave her alone in the theater, so he set both their recliners back even further to settle in for the night.
Before his own eyes grew heavy, he turned to watch her sleep, once again taking note at how beautiful and strong she was, though she had told him that she'd never felt so helpless in her entire life. He felt that for someone to survive her tragedy for this long, was doing a hell of a job at showing a great deal of strength.
Several hours later, Dee Dee awakened to find that she and Mark were still in the theater. Looking at the time, she couldn't believe how long they'd been there and that she's slept for so long. She was grateful that he didn't wake her and for not leaving her side. She watched as he slept and wondered how his ex-girlfriend could cheat on such a caring person. Of course she didn't know every single detail about Mark, but she truly felt that he was the genuine article, a man who would give his all to make sure those he loved were properly taken care of.
She was caught off guard when Mark's eyes fluttered open, but she didn't feel embarrassed. His eyes were not only beautiful with a slight hint of hazel, but warm and welcoming. She couldn't help but to take her time to look into them.
"Hi." Mark greeted softly as he stretched his arms over his head.
"Hi." Dee Dee replied. "How did you sleep?"
"Pretty well, actually. How about yourself? I tried to wake you, but you were really knocked out."
"I did pretty well, too. Thanks so much for letting me sleep and for staying with me." Dee Dee smiled. "I really appreciate it."
"No problem. You needed to rest."
The two put away their blankets and pillows and headed to their rooms to prepare for the day. Dee Dee finished her shower first and was making breakfast when Mark came into the kitchen.
It was such a beautiful morning, that they agreed to eat in the gazebo near the coy pond. They made small-talk during their meal, but after they finished, they found themselves to be even less chatty. Though they hadn't realized it, each had thoughts of asking the other about the ones they felt had hurt them the most. Dee Dee had wanted to find out more about how Mark was coping with the ending of his relationship, but she was fearful of prying too much and offending him. Mark wanted to ask Dee Dee if she'd had any thoughts of talking to Rick at any time, but he also shared the same fear, not to mention that of bringing her to tears with the reminders of the pain in how she felt Rick had betrayed her and caused her to lose her family.
He didn't know if he could bear being in Rick's shoes. He'd grown quite fond of Dee Dee and knew some of the reasons why Rick loved her so much. He felt that if he knew her the way Rick knew her and she lashed out at him in the same way, his heart would completely shatter.
"What are your plans for today?" Dee Dee interrupted Mark's thoughts.
"I have a potential client coming over in about an hour. He needs someone to write music for him."
"I hope it works out for you." Dee Dee smiled.
"Thanks. What about yourself?"
"I'm finally going for that swim. After that, I don't know."
"We can go out to dinner if you'd like." Mark suggested.
Dee Dee thought for a moment and realized that an evening out might be good for the both of them. "Sure. Sounds good."
An hour later, Mark opened the front door to greet his potential client, Byron Grant, a man of medium build, standing at about six feet tall with sandy-brown hair. From the moment he entered the house, Mark felt uneasy about him, but was courteous and welcomed him inside. After about forty-five minutes of going over some basic information, the two headed for the studio to try and sort through more ideas for the music. As time passed, Byron proved himself to be very ill-mannered which quickly aided Mark's decision to pass on working with him.
He was relieved to get a break when Byron excused himself to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes, Mark had a strong feeling that he'd taken a detour and foundDee Dee at the pool. He was right.
He found Byron at one of the sets of french doors watching Dee Dee as she stepped from the pool and smoothed her wet hair away from her face to take a sip of of iced tea.
Byron scanned every part of her body that wasn't hidden by the black one-piece swimsuit, which he found to be cut high and low enough in all the right places. "Is that your wife?"
"No." Mark answered.
"Oh, your girlfriend?"
"Why do you need to know who she is?"
"Just curious. Is there something going on between you two or is she a free woman?"
"It's none of your business what goes on between us." Mark's jaw tightened.
"So, she does belong to you?"
"She isn't property, you know. She doesn't belong to anyone."
"I'm just trying to pay you a compliment. Way to go, man." Byron exhaled sharply and folded his arms across his chest. Damn, she's hot...sexy as hell. If she's not wrapping her legs around you, then...I'll bet I can get them around me."
Mark grabbed Byron by the collar. "Get the hell out!" He had him scrambling to keep his feet on the ground as he quickly lead him to the front door.
"What's wrong with you, man?" Byron questioned stupidly.
"There's not a damned thing wrong with me, but there sure as hell something wrong with you!"
When they reached the door, Mark threw Byron against the wall and put his forearm across the man's throat to pin him. "It's bad enough that you disrespected me in my own home, but you went too far when it came to Dee Dee. Be thankful that you didn't have the chance to get near her. You need to understand that if I ever hear that you so much as thought about her, you'll wish you hadn't." The look in Mark's eyes and the tone of his voice proved that he meant business, and for the first time, Byron actually felt himself lose his nerve, even more when he remembered that Mark was an expert in the field of martial arts.
With his throat still constricted, he managed to reply. "Alright. I got it."
"Make sure that you remember it."
Once set free, Byron rushed out to his car, but remained trapped until the system to unlock the gate had been activated. For just a few seconds, Mark toyed with the man, making him sit and and catch glimpses of his cold stare as a reminder of his warning. When he could, Byron sped off in a hurry.
With his arms folded, Mark went into deep thought as he gazed out the window at nothing in particular. He had decided for himself a long time ago that Dee Dee was indeed sexy, beautiful and even...hot, but he'd never be as crass as Byron had been. As his father had taught him, he'd come to the defense of many women before, including his mother and sisters. Somehow, something felt differently for him while defending Dee Dee. It wasn't like when he'd done so for other female friends or women he'd been romantically involved with, including the woman he proposed to. So deep into his thoughts, he didn't hear Dee Dee call to him the first time.
"Mark, is something wrong?"
He turned to see her standing a few feet away with a red sarong around her waist. "Huh? No..I'm just thinking about something."
"Oh, okay. I was just wondering. When I came in, I asked if the meeting was over, but I guess you didn't hear me."
"No, I didn't." Mark smiled. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"Oh, and yes, the meeting is over."
"I see. I just came in to get my sunglasses, then I'm going back out for a little while. It's so nice out there." Dee Dee answered with a smile.
"Sounds good. In fact, I think I'll join you for a bit."
"Great." Dee Dee smiled again.
It was such a pleasure for Mark to see more and more smiles becoming a part of her recent expressions. He wanted to be a part of making many more of them appear and would try hard at doing so.
Dee Dee had made it back out by the pool before Mark had changed into his swim shorts. He'd moved so quietly, and with her sunglasses over her closed eyes, she didn't hear him take his place on the matching double canopy-covered chaise next to hers.
"Hey, wake up!" He exclaimed and then let out a chuckle.
"Oh!" Dee Dee's eyes flew open as she jumped. "You scared me!" She caught her breath and started to laugh. "Don't do that!" She hit him with a towel.
Once again, her smile and laughter warmed his heart and he contently placed his arms behind his head. "So, you're enjoying yourself out here?"
"Yes. It's very nice. How was your meeting?"
"Quick and a waste of time." Mark sat up. "The guy is a very rude and arrogant asshole. Wanna join me in the pool?"
Caught off-guard by his reply and the delivery of it, Dee Dee stifled a giggle. "Umm, sure."
Mark stood and stretched his arms before taking a dive into the pool. As he stretched, Dee Dee took note of his chiseled, muscular features from head to toe, that which wasn't hidden by his swim shorts. His naturally cocoa skin was smooth and taut, and his dark wavy hair, not too long or too short, but just long enough for a girl to run her fingers through, was the perfect compliment to the color of his skin.
"Six feet and two inches in height and pure masculinity." - Dee Dee's thoughts were interrupted.
"Are you coming in?"
Dee Dee nodded and stood to remove her sarong. She dove in a few feet away from Mark and surfaced quickly. "I'm sorry your meeting didn't work out, but there will be others."
"Thanks, and you're right." Mark swam a in a circle around Dee Dee. "Where do you want to go for dinner later?"
Hmm." Dee Dee began with a mischievous smile. "What about skipping the restaurants and going to the amusement park across town? I want to let out some frustration by going on the rides, screaming my head off, and I want to eat a lot of junk food."
Mark's face lit up. "Are you serious? I would love to go to the amusement park. Let's do it."
The park was alive with laughter, screams of excitement, bright lights, the call of barkers urging the guys to try their skill at gaining a prize for their girls, the aroma of hotdogs, cotton candy, candied apples, funnel cake and more.
Rick had been told to meet an informant at the amusement park over an hour ago, but the guy hadn't shown up. It was time to give up on him, but instead of leaving the park right away, he decided to take in some of the sights. He caught the eye of many of the young women who took note of his toned biceps, visible by way of the short sleeves on his Polo shirt. The well-fitting jeans didn't cause them to look away in a hurry, either. He didn't exactly ignore his admirers or any of the other girls he thought to be attractive who hadn't noticed him, but none of them were able to fully distract him of Dee Dee as she was constantly on his mind. Recently, his thoughts of her were filled with increasing worry as he had no idea of how she was getting along and as it was, he was not allowed to contact her.
As he awaited his turn in line for a soft drink, to his surprise and after a double-take, he was sure that he'd seen her from the corner of his eye. He turned and stepped out line for a better look. Remaining out of her view, he did see for a fact that it was Dee Dee. She and Mark were walking a few yards ahead and melting into the crowd of other thrill-seekers. He fought hard not to follow them, but he lost the battle.
(Continued...)