The alarm went off, so I jumped out of bed. Once my feet hit the ground, I regretted moving so quickly. My thighs and hips felt sore, like I’d been doing lunges and squats all night. Before hopping into the shower, I stretched my legs. I didn’t know how much longer I could put up with this soreness. A nice hot bath would soothe the pain. I walked into the shower and completed my morning routine, which was similar to my nightly one. I applied my makeup, blow-dried my hair, and headed to my closet to find something to wear.
When I walked into my closet, I looked on the floor where my yoga pants lay, the ones that Marcus ripped off last night. I laughed at myself. My closet would never be just a closet anymore; it would now be a steamy memory added to the ones we’d also made on our weekend trip.
Today I decided to wear a simple V-neck black dress. It fit perfectly around my curves, but it wasn’t too tight. My red pumps matched the color of my glossy lips. I wondered what Marcus would think of me with red lipstick; I usually wore a nude lip gloss. I shrugged my shoulders and headed towards the kitchen. Jeremy was not out of his room yet, and we still had time to spare. Only because I was in an awesome mood, I made us coffee and cheese omelets.
“You made breakfast?” Jeremy asked with an eyebrow raised as he walked into the kitchen, looking more handsome than yesterday in a navy blue suit.
“Yes, I’m in a good mood this morning.” I said giving him a full-toothed grin and sliding the plate to his end of the island. He stopped it with his hand and settled down on a stool.
“Did DeLuca sleep over? And you were extremely loud last night by the way.” I tossed a fork in his direction. He caught it and I rolled my eyes.
“Oh please, how many times have I had to endure the loud screams of your female friends’ orgasms?” I placed his mug in front of him and walked back to the other side of the island, deciding to eat standing up. He looked up at me and winked.
“My bad, I know how to please the ladies. What can I say?” Ugh, barf alert! I shook my head and continued eating my breakfast. To be honest the few times Id had sex with Jeremy, I was drunk. I really don’t remember if I faked my orgasms or not, but I decided to keep that to myself, not wanting to hurt his feelings.
“So you guys seem to be getting serious, huh?” He said while taking the last bite of his omelet.
“Uh, yeah, he actually asked me to be his girlfriend.” I hesitated on the word “girlfriend,” not sure how it sounded.
Jeremy choked on his coffee. “Excuse me, did you just say girlfriend?” He cleared his throat and continued when I nodded. “Wow, you guys are taking things a little too seriously.”
I bit my lip. “Do you think it’s too soon? I mean I really like him a lot. I feel happy around him.”
Jeremy’s expression grew unreadable, which was a first, since I knew him so well. His every crease or wrinkled expression wasn’t new to me, but this was definitely new. It made me a little nervous. “Mia, you deserve to be happy, really, and if Marcus makes you happy, then, no, it’s not too soon.”
“I barely know him.” I expressed.
“No one ever knows a person right away. You could be with someone for ten years and learn something new about them. People are always changing. Don’t let that scare you.”
“Wow.” Taken back by his sincere words, I was shocked.
“What?” He said, standing then placing his dishes in the sink.
I laughed once. “I never had a serious conversation with you. It’s different. You’re usually goofy or telling a dirty joke. It’s nice for change. Thank you.”
“Yeah, well don’t get used to it. You look hot by the way.” He smacked my ass.
“And he’s back!” I yelled, pointing my finger in the air. We laughed and headed out the door.
****
“Good morning, Jeremy and Mia,” Stacy, the blond receptionist greeted. “Mia, Mr. DeLuca is in the small conference room. He would like you to go there first.”
“Thanks Stacy. Jeremy, see you later!” I smiled and winked at him. He was busy flirting with Stacy.
Quickly I made my way back to the small conference room. The door was open, so I stepped right in. My body came to a complete stop, frozen for a few seconds analyzing what I was witnessing. Marcus sat at the head of the table, same as yesterday. This time a brunette was sitting on top of the table facing him. She was looking down playfully, talking and laughing, and Marcus was amused by whatever she was saying. His smile grew bigger at the sight of me. “Hey, baby!” The woman looked over her shoulder to glance at me. Marcus stood up from his chair and made his way in my direction. He embraced me with a hug and kiss. The woman stood up beside Marcus’ seat, facing our way.
“Uh, good morning, babe.” I said. He grabbed my hand and led me back to where he was just seated.
“Mia, this is Stephanie; she’s my assistant. She was out yesterday. Stef, this is Mia; she’s one of the new externs and my girlfriend.” Stephanie eyes widened. She looked shocked.
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Marcus … ah, hi, it’s nice to meet you.” She extended her arm. I did as well, and we awkwardly shook hands.
“Yeah, it’s kind of new.” There was really nothing else I could say; it was true. We were new, and I knew her reaction would be the same as everyone else’s that worked in the firm. She nodded and looked at the both of us. I felt small, knowing that she was probably thinking, “Why her?” Marcus was oblivious to the whole thing. He was just standing there with a huge smile on his face. For some reason, I didn’t know why he was so happy. Was it because this was the first time he introduced me as his girlfriend? Or was it because of whom he introduced me to.
“Well, I’ll get to my desk. Mr. Di Angele will be here in about twenty minutes. I’ll bring him back once he arrives.”
“That would be great, Stef, thanks.” She waved at me and then walked away.
“So, babe,” he playfully said, slouching down so that we were at eye level, “you look beautiful as always. Mmmh, and those red lips.” He leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled back. “She’s the one you slept with.” His brows pulled in.
“H-how did you know?”
“I’m a girl, Marcus, we know.” I shook my head and began to walk away.
“Wait, babe, come here. You’re mad?” Hearing the desperation in his voice, I turned to face him. I had no right to be mad. The feeling I had was probably the same exact feeling he felt about Jeremy and me. But I’d just seen the hurt in Stephanie’s eyes: she was devastated. She loved him.