A/N Okay so I just wanted to reassure everyone that I am a huge R/M fan. No matter what happens they will be together in the end. There's just a few speed bumps along the way. So don't panic.
Ryan finds out
Ryan pushed Sasha roughly out of his way and tried to make his way to the bathrooms through the crowd.
"Just give it up. It's not as if they don't have a history." Sasha remarked following closely behind.
Ryan hesitated and turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"Karl and Marissa. He's been poking her for years". She laughed as she took in the expression on Ryan's face. "Don't tell me …. She hadn't shared that information with you?"
Ryan stood dumbfounded. Surely Sasha was making it all up? He wouldn't put it passed her after what she'd just tried on him. She really was a piece of work. He thought that he'd met all types in his life but she was something else. And not in a good way. Why would he even consider believing her over Marissa? "They have never even dated." He explained to her … wanting to make her understand that he knew exactly what was going on between Karl and Marissa.
"I didn't say they dated. I said they fucked. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you what I mean. I don't want to date you - I just want to fuck you. And I promise to keep you amused until they are finished with their fun. I don't see why we should miss out. She ran her tongue around the outside of her lips making sure that he got the meaning of her words. "I promise that I can give you a blow job that will blow your mind." She offered.
Ryan turned from her obscene suggestion still running her words over in his mind. He didn't know whether to believe Sasha or not? Surely Marissa would have told him if there was an intimate history between her and Karl wouldn't she? She had no reason to lie to him. He had to find out … and now.
---
Marissa splashed her face with water and looked in the mirror. She could see the flush on her cheeks but she didn't know if that was from the alcohol, the dancing or just being close to Ryan. He could do that to her. When she was feeling a little better she emerged from the unisex bathroom only to walk straight in to Karl. A person she had been avoiding being alone with all night. She thought about turning and going straight back into the bathroom but he'd already grabbed her hand.
"Marissa. We need to talk."
"Not now Karl. Ryan's waiting for me." she said as she made to brush his hand away from her.
"Ryan's being looked after. You can't keep avoiding this." He stressed.
Marissa looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?" she asked as someone pushed passed them to get to the bathroom forcing them around the corner into a hallway that led to the cloak room. At least it was deserted and a little quieter.
"Just come home with me and we'll sort this out once and for all. " Karl suggested.
"I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm with Ryan." Marissa stressed.
"I know that you are just trying to make me jealous by playing hard to get and you'll be happy to know that it's working. So what is it you want?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Marissa tried to explain.
"Is it just some sort of commitment from me or do you have to move in as well?" He asked. He knew that he would rather that they kept their own places but he thought that if he had to, he could find somewhere else for his other liaisons.
Marissa shook her head. "I REALLY have no idea what you are talking about. I'm moving to LA to live with Ryan."
"You're what?" Karl asked astounded. He couldn't believe his ears.
"I'm moving to LA to live with Ryan." She repeated.
"But your work?" Karl asked.
"I'm just completing the contracts that I already have in place. I'm not taking on anything new unless it's in the States and preferably LA." She explained feeling a little bad as she watched the expression on Karl's face as it changed.
"But after everything we had? I know that you're special Marissa. I've never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. I guess that I took it for granted and didn't realise it until you went away. But I missed you. Stay…. Stay in Paris ... Stay with me." he pleaded.
Marissa just shook her head wondering how she could get through to him.
---
Ryan made his way to the hallway that the bathrooms were in, with Sasha following close behind. He couldn't see Marissa anywhere but could hear voices coming from around the corner. As he neared the corner he heard Karl's voice.
"Please. What we have is too special to just throw away." Karl implored of her.
Marissa wondered how he had ever come to think that there was anything special between them. The time had come to make it perfectly clear but she still wanted to make it as easy as possible on him. "I'm sorry. What we had was not enough for me. I appreciate your help over the last few years and I'll always value your friendship but that's all it was." She explained.
---
Ryan smiled to himself as he overheard her words. He knew that there was nothing going on between them. Marissa would have told him if there was. He turned to Sasha smiling and was about to open his mouth and tell her just what he thought of her little games when he heard Karl's next words.
---
"Friendship? So you fuck all your friends do you?" Karl asked, angry at her words. He'd never put him self out there for a woman before and he didn't like the thought of her turning him down. It had always been the other way around for him.
---
Ryan couldn't believe his ears. He felt sick and wanted to turn and walk away but he stood riveted to the spot waiting to hear her reply.
---
Marissa was shocked by Karl's outburst but softly replied. "I know that we occasionally spent the night together. But it obviously never meant the same to me as it did to you. And for that I'm sorry."
"So what? You're telling me I was just an easy lay?" Karl asked hurt by her rejection.
Ryan moved to the corner and looked at the couple in front of him.
Marissa looked at Ryan horrified but hoping that he hadn't heard what they were talking about but from the look on his face, she knew that wasn't the case.
He blinked a couple of times as if to prove to himself that this was really happening and that he wasn't in the middle of some horrible nightmare. "And what was I?" Ryan struggled to ask.
Marissa looked at Ryan and could see that his trust in her was shattered. She didn't know what to say. The words stuck in her throat. She managed to get out "Ry…"
"You were a good meal ticket." Sasha commented. "There's more of her mother in her than you would ever imagine."
Ryan turned quickly and made his way back into the club with Sasha in hot pursuit.
It took Marissa a minute to come to her senses … she felt like she'd been slapped; the look of pain and disappointment on Ryan's face worse than anything that she'd ever seen. As he walked off, she called after him. "Ryan! Stop." She made to follow him only to have Karl grab her arm and stop her. "Let him go. Sasha will look after him. We need to finish talking about this once and for all."
"But Ryan …" Marissa started.
"Give him a minute to blow off some steam. I don't think I'd want to go near him right now. He'll listen to you when he's not so mad." Karl assured her trying to get her to stay with him.
---
Ryan didn't know where to go? What to do? He couldn't think straight. He looked back at the doorway to see if Marissa had followed but the only person behind him was Sasha.
She gently put her hand on him. "I don't like to say I told you so but ….. Now that you know … how about we get out of here? I'm sure that I can give you something else to think about." she suggested stroking him and making her intentions clear.
Ryan looked over the extraordinarily attractive woman in front of him and felt physically sick. No one would ever appeal to him after Marissa. He pushed his way past Sasha and walked out of the club. Standing outside in the cold he hesitated. He had no idea what to do. He couldn't go back to Marissa's apartment. He needed time alone to think things through and so he turned and started to walk into the dark night … looking for answers when he wasn't even sure of the questions.