After they went back to Mark's apartment, he told her he and Derek were actually 33 and usually a massive age gap would bother her but this time it was different. She didn't think it was a big deal. So instead of running away, she pushed him on to his bed and leaned forward to kiss him. She slowly got on top of him and he ran his hands down her back and slowly removed her dress over her head. Zoey thought that maybe this was the time to tell him she wasn't actually 21 but at the mere age of 17 but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. She figured she would tell him afterwards because she assumed that after tonight she would never see him again. Mark rolled her over on to her back and started to kiss her going down her neck and on to her collarbone. He stopped and just looked at this beauty beneath him. She was a curvy girl, which was perfect for him. He hated those stick thin girls who looked like they hadn't eaten anything for a month. He guessed her dress size was probably a size 8 (that's a 12 in English sizes) and that turned him on even more. It meant that she was perfectly happy with how she looked and he loved seeing self-confidence in a girl. He carried on kissing the perfect body down to her flat stomach. She was wearing matching black lingerie, which as far as he was concerned needed to come off. Before he could do anything more, Zoey pulled him up and planted her lips on his. She pulled his t-shirt up over his head and threw it on to the pile next to the bed that was soon joined by pants, boxers and black lingerie. A few minutes later Mark entered her and for the next few hours, Zoey was lost in ecstasy.
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Two weeks had past since that night and Zoey still hadn't told Mark her actual age. It wasn't like she didn't have the opportunity to do so; she and Mark had spent all their time together; she was just scared to tell him because she didn't want it to end. She knew that once he knew she was really 17, it would be the end of them; he would hate her for lying to him. They had spent most of their time with Derek as well as just spending time on their own, mainly in the bedroom. Zoey had really grown to like Derek as a friend so she loved hanging out with the two of them together. She laughed at the banter between them and she could tell they were really tight friends – something she never really had. She was really good friends with Sarah but they were never as close as these two men were.
Mark was in bed with Zoey lying on his chest. This was a totally new experience for him, as usually he would ask the girl to leave after they had sex, or she would go automatically, but it was different with Zoey. He didn't want her to leave and it never crossed his mind to ask her to go. He never really questioned it because he didn't want to admit to himself that he was falling for this girl, regardless of how little they knew of each other. "So where do you study?" Mark found himself asking her, stunning himself in the process. He could not believe he just asked her that while they were lying in bed. Usually the first thought was round 2, not where the girl studied.
This shocked Zoey because she had not expected him to ask her that. "That's what's going through your mind right now?" She asked him, ultimately surprised at the question.
"Yeah … I know, I'm shocked too!" He laughed as did Zoey but it was more of a nervous laughter. After all, she was only 17 and still in high school but there was no way she could tell him that now. The time to tell him her real age was long gone. Instead she told him what she wanted to do within the next few years but made out like she was doing it now. "I'm studying Economics at NYC." She explained to him. "You really want to have this conversation now?" Zoey asked him, not really wanting to tell him any more lies. She had come to find that she was falling for this guy and was feeling guilty enough that she lied about her age.
"Yeah I do actually. Zoey, I want to know everything about you. What do your parents do?"
Zoey laughed. This she could answer without lying. "My both parents are high top lawyers but work at different firms. My mum's here in New York and my Dad's in Seattle. They got divorced when I was 17." She told him before he could ask why the different states. She didn't know why she told him the last bit, about her parents being divorced when she was 17. It did happen but she was 17 now. It was as if she had fallen asleep and woken up 4 years later and was now an older wiser 21 year who was in bed with a man who was 12 years older than her. She felt guilty but she loved it. She loved that she was mature enough to be able to pass herself off as a 21 year old. She then asked Mark about his family who explained that they abandoned him in as much as leaving him on his own a lot to fend for himself. He told her how Derek's family was more like his family as his mum took him in and treated him like her own son. Zoey smiled. So that was the reason why he and Derek were so close, they were practically brothers. When Zoey mentioned this, Mark smiled and said, "Yeah we are. Derek is my brother and I wouldn't have it any other way." They spent the next three hours just talking; something neither Zoey nor Mark was used to.
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A month after they had first met, Zoey and Mark went out for dinner. Mark had chosen a romantic restaurant where they had a massive three-course meal. After they had eaten, they went for a walk inside Central Park. They found a nice patch of grass by a tree and they laid down on their side looking at each other, just talking. Mark couldn't believe what this girl was doing to him. In just under a month, she was all he could think about, she drove him crazy but not in a bad way – in the best possible way he could think of. They stopped talking after 10 minutes and just fell silent smiling at each other. Mark couldn't resist it any longer and leaned in to kiss her. It was just a gentle kiss but it was all he needed. He laid back and pulled her down with him and he held her in his arms. Zoey's feelings for him grew even more just then; that evening couldn't have been more perfect even if they tried. It was at that moment she knew he had to know the truth about her age. The question was, how was he going to take it? Will he be ok with it or will he hate her forever? Either way, Zoey prepared herself for the worst.
The next chapter is going to continue this flashback where Zoey tells Mark her real age