The Real Deal (8)

Writer's Block + the fact that I don't have a computer at the moment really suck! Sorry for such a long wait everyone. This chapter isn't very long I'm sorry for that too.


"Harlz, you have to buy more than one dress! Didn't you say that Mark told you to go crazy with that card?" Laurel asked as she watched her friend pay for the one red knee length spaghetti strapped dress. "And you didn't even get any shoes to match!"

"I just wouldn't feel right spending Mark's money like that Laurel," Harley protested just as her phone started to ring. "It's Mark," Harley said confused as she looked at her caller ID. "Hello," Harley said nervously.

"Hey darlin' just calling to see how the shopping is going."

"Well I got a dress," Harley said with a nervous laugh.

"Just one dress, Harley did you not hear me when I said to go crazy? Get more and I mean it and no old school teacher type clothes or any of those awful suits you were to work that cover you all up, I want you to go outside of your comfort zone and get things that leave little to the imagination like you know I like," Mark said sternly.

"Mark, I'm not sure that I can…"

"She will buy the sexiest things that we can find Mark, don't worry," Laurel said taking the phone from Harley. She listened to Mark for a minute before saying goodbye and sliding the phone shut.

"Why did you do that? Laurel you know how uncomfortable I am in my own skin. If I have to buy things that make me "look sexy" I may just break out in hives," Harley said seriously.

"Harley listen to me, I know that your mother and your sisters have always made you feel like you were fat and unattractive, but honey they are all dead wrong. Are you ninety pounds and starving yourself? No, you are a very healthy one hundred and forty four pounds and sexy as hell. You have to stop believing all the bullshit that Havilland spews at you, okay?"

Harley sighed but she let Laurels words sink in before responding, "I'm actually one hundred and forty seven pounds now, but you are right. Mark thinks I'm sexy, at least I hope he meant that when he said it, and if I am going to be honest here, I really liked the way he looked at me the night of the barbeque. It made me tingle inside to catch him watching me."

"So you did notice Mark watching you that night?" Laurel asked with a smirk.

"I did, but I thought I was crazy until…"

"Until what?"

"Until Mark made love to me over and over last night. Laurel I have never in my life felt like I felt last night and I know that I am not that experienced when it comes to that kind of stuff but I really don't think Mark was faking it," Harley said as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Oh my goodness, Harley Davidson Cooper, you are in love," Laurel practically squealed.

"I am Laurel I really am, but what happens when mother leaves and I have to go back to reality? Mark may like me but there is no way he will ever be in love with me Laurel never," Harley said as a sad expression covered her face.

"You don't know that Harley," Laurel said as she pulled her friend into a hug.

"I do know that Laurel, but I'm not going to let that stop me from loving him. I realize now that I never really loved Randall I just tolerated him because I didn't think I could ever do better. I'm over feeling inadequate Laurel and even if I can't have Mark for the rest of my life I have him for now and I am going to make the most of it, so come on chica we got some shopping to do," Harley said as she pulled Laurel through the mall.


Mark sat in his recliner watching sports center and nursing a beer. He hadn't been able to get him mind off of Harley and all of the wonderful things they did the night before. He had had many women in his life but none of them came close to his Harley, his Harley, he liked the sound of that. Okay so she wasn't his type really. He was used to skinny blondes with fake boobs and nose jobs, Harley was nothing like that. She was a real woman, a woman with meat on her bones and a brain in her head and he knew from personal experience that not one single hair on her head had ever been chemically or surgically altered. He had spent hours kissing, licking and caressing her flesh from head to toe and he enjoyed every single minute of it, so much so that he couldn't wait to be able to do it again.

He sat his beer can down as he got up to go and grab another when he was joined by Havilland.

"Darling would you by any chance know where my daughter is?" She asked in her most uppity tone.

"She went shopping with a friend. Can I help you with something?" Mark asked politely.

"Well dear I wondering what time to be expecting dinner, I mean if I know my daughter she never misses a meal you can tell that just by looking at her," Havilland laughed.

"Okay that's it!" Mark boomed as he stalked over to stand right in front of Havilland, "You will not disrespect Harley in our home, do you understand me? She has told me all about how you and your daughters treat her and it's sickening, she is your flesh and blood and she is a good woman and all you do is put her down and make her feel like she is ever good enough at anything she does," Mark said.

"Now wait one minute here," Havilland started to say but Mark cut her off.

"No, you hold on one minute. What kind of mother pays a man to stay with their child? Yeah Randall Drew stopped by to see Harley yesterday and told her all about how you gave him money to stay with her," Mark said when he saw the expression on Havilland's face. "I also know that you blame Harley for her father's death, who does that? I mean really lady are you that cold hearted that you would treat your own kid so bad that she moves away from home and never goes back? You don't deserve Harley's love but for some reason she all she wants to do is please you. So here is how things are going to go while you are here. You will not bad mouth my wife in any way no more talks about her clothes, her hair and definitely no more comments about her weight because if I catch you putting her down so help me god you will regret it understand?" Mark asked Havilland.

When she didn't immediately answer Mark stepped even closer, "I said do you understand?"

"Yes, yes I understand," Havilland stuttered nervously as she looked up at Mark's angry face.

"Good, now we will be going out to dinner as soon as Harley get's back and get's dressed, do you think you can survive until then?"

"I'm sure I can find something in the kitchen to tide me over," Havilland answered quickly before scurrying out of the den and into the kitchen.


Mark sat back in his recliner and closed his eyes. He needed to calm down before Harley got home. He didn't want to ruin their evening before they even left the house. He had been sitting so long that he had fallen asleep. He felt Harley's soft kiss brush his lips and he woke with a smile.

"Hey there darlin', how did the shopping go?" He asked when he didn't see any bags in Harley's hands.

"Great," Harley said simply before bending down to whisper in Mark's ear, "I got a lot of naughty goodies to show you later," Harley said standing back up right and winking at Mark.

"Woman you just made me need a cold shower," Mark said seriously.

Harley could suppress the smile that spread across her face like a California wildfire, "I did?" She asked sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, and if we didn't have dinner plans I would take you into our bedroom lock the door and make you show me now," Mark answered with a smile of his own.

Harley shivered at Mark's words, "We can always skip dinner, lord knows I could afford to," Harley said with a laugh that was abruptly cut short when Mark pulled her down on his lap.

"I don't like it when you put yourself down like that Harley, you are a beautiful woman. You don't need to lose weight you just need to believe in yourself, can you do that for me darlin'?" Mark asked as he gently rubbed his big hand up and down the small of Harley's back.

"I will try Mark I promise, but now I have to go and get ready for tonight. I got dresses, shoes, jewelry, perfumes, make-up the whole shebang now I just have to figure out how to put it all together," Harley said honestly.

"I was beginning to think you only came in here with the one dress since I didn't see any bags when you came in," Mark teased.

"I put them away before I came down here to wake you, I didn't want you to see anything just yet," Harley said as she began to walk back out of the den.

"You got something red for tonight, right?" Mark asked hopefully.

"You, Mr. Calaway, will just have to wait and see," Harley winked and headed upstairs.


Shawn and Laurel arrived at Marks forty five minutes later and in true Havilland form she treated them both like they didn't even exist.

"So you are a professional wrestler too?" Havilland asked even though it was obvious that she wasn't really interested.

"Yes ma'am been doing it almost my whole life," Shawn answered.

"That's a shame," Havilland said before turning up her nose at Shawn and leaving the room.

"Wow, you mean to tell me that nice, sweet, kind hearted, Harley came from that?" Shawn asked as he and Mark sat in the den waiting for Harley and Laurel to finish up getting ready.

"Hard to believe ain't it?"

"Oh yeah really hard," Shawn said just as Harley and Laurel walked into the room.

"Who's really hard?" Laurel asked causing both Mark and Shawn to laugh that is until Harley rounded the corner and Mark's breath caught in his throat.

"Darlin' you look absolutely breath taking," Mark said standing and walking over to Harley who was wearing a silky red knee length strapless dress with black stilettos heels. She had pulled her hair up into a French twist and her make-up was light and to Mark she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth.

"Was this what you had in mind when you said you wanted to see me in something red?" Harley teased.

"You have no idea," Mark said as he ran his hand over the cool silky fabric.

"Well I think you will be happy to know that this isn't the only thing red I picked up today," Harley said and laughed at the shocked expression on Mark's face.

"Harley dear you look very nice," Havilland said entering the room. "I take it that we can head out for dinner now," She asked as she ran her hands down over her emasculate cream dress.

"Thank you mother," Harley said stunned by the compliment, "and yes we can go now," Harley said as she wrapped her arms around Mark and walked out of the house followed by Havilland, Shawn and Laurel.

"I have a feeling that things could get very interesting tonight," Shawn whispered to Laurel

"You can say that again," Laurel whispered back as they all climbed into Harley's car.