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“Of course,” she says. “I already have someone in mind.”
I know we’re not real, but I can’t help feeling a flush of pride when I think of Marian as my wife. She’s smart, funny, sexy … the list is endless.
“I’m so excited. That new space is perfect for the pizza shop, and it kind of looks like the Santa Monica one,” Marian says.
“It does,” I tell her. “It’s uncanny how identical the two spaces are.”
With both of us in business, it’s easy to talk to Marian. Not to mention how easy she is on the eyes. Dinner is fun and certainly different than my usual, which is on the fly as I work late.
“What drew you to the pizza business?” Marian asks as she bites and nibbles on some lettuce.
I find myself following the movements of her mouth. “I love cooking, but I didn’t study for it.”
“Why not?”
That’s one conversation I’d like to skip, but I’m in a mellow mood due to the wine we are having with dinner. “Father would have gone ape shit at the thought of a son of his becoming a chef.”
She frowns. “What’s wrong with being a chef?”
“Nothing, but in my father’s world, it’s not a manly profession.” Memories come over me as I remember the day I told my parents that I wanted to be a chef. My father’s face became red with rage, and a torrent of angry, demeaning words had gushed out of his mouth.
I hate that I didn’t fight for what I wanted like Ace usually did. I was the son who always did the right thing. The one who did as his parents wished until I realized what their game was. My parents rewarded good behavior with love and punished bad behavior by withdrawing love.
“That’s crazy,” Marian says. A faraway look comes over her features. “I wasn’t close to my dad at all. He was always working, and when he wasn’t, my mom and I seemed to baffle him.”
“I can imagine your stepmother,” I tell Marian. “She’s serious and stiff and lacks a sense of humor.”
She giggles. “How did you know?”
“Simple,” I tell her. “She’s the opposite of you.”
A soft look comes over her features before it’s quickly replaced by a closed one. The one she wears when she’s backing out.
“Thanks for dinner,” she says. “I’ll wash up.”
“I’ll help,” I tell her cheerfully. There are parts of Marian’s personality that don’t make sense. Like why the thought of intimacy sends her scurrying away like a frightened rabbit.
That ex-husband of hers must have pulled quite a number on her.
We stand side by side at the sink and wash up. I feel her tension easing as I regale her with funny tales from the pizza shop.
“Sort of like the email I got today,” she tells me. “The bride and the groom want me to write to NASA and ask if they can be married in space.”
I laugh. “You love your job, don’t you?”
“Meeting new people all the time, visiting gorgeous venues, then at the end of it, having a massive party and dancing the night away. What’s not to love?” she says.
I burst out laughing. “I might just change careers and become a wedding planner.”
“You’ll make a very handsome one,” she says, and when I turn to look at her, our gazes meet and hold.
Attraction sizzles between us. I wipe my hands on my apron and slip my hands around her waist. She palms my chest and caresses me. I kiss her and capture her lower lip, and gently suck on it.
Sweet sounds of pleasure escape her mouth. “Take me upstairs, Declan.”
I take her hand and lead the way up the stairs. I take her to my room and shut the door behind us.
“I felt guilty for the way I left you at the pizza shop,” she says, her voice tinged with laughter.
“And how did you leave me?” I ask her as I pull the apron over my head.
“Like this.” She cups my cock over my pants, and I gasp in surprise. The feel of her soft hand makes my cock throb and jerk.
I make a strangled sound. “You can make a man embarrass himself.”
She laughs softly.
“Take off your clothes,” I tell her.
She bats her eyelashes. “I like it when you’re bossy.” She makes a production out of removing her clothes.
Mine are off in a flash, and I lie on the bed and watch the impromptu show. Marian pops the buttons open and shrugs out of her top, all the while humming and swaying her hips in a way that makes me itch to grab her.
“Exquisite,” I murmur when she’s left in a bra and panties. She moves as if to come to bed. “Oh no, Finish the show.”
Her cheeks color. That’s a first. I can’t remember seeing Marian blush. She unsnaps her bra and covers her breasts with her hands.
