His Leading Lady (10 page)

They were quiet in the elevator and all the
way to the apartment. Mark put the bag of food down and offered her
a beer or glass of wine. She opted for wine. He plopped down on the
sofa, toying with his brew, and she sat opposite him, wrapping her
delicate fingers around her glass. He made eye contact.

“Okay, Penny. Shoot. I’m listening.”

“Can I spit it out, and you ask questions
when I’m done? Interruptions make me nervous.”

“Sure.”

She took a swallow of her wine, a deep
breath, and began. “I was twenty-one when I had those taken. I had
been modeling on and off, trying to get work in commercials. My
father’s drinking had gotten so bad he couldn’t hold a job. I had
moved back home and was making the mortgage payments, the car
payments, and buying food to keep him from being homeless.”

“Don’t models make good money?”

She looked up at him. “Please, Mark.”

“Sorry.”

“I made decent money, when I worked, which
wasn’t all the time. But the bills kept piling up. Electric, gas,
phone, gas for the car. And, of course, liquor.”

“You paid for your father’s liquor? Why
didn’t you just cut him off?”

“I did. He stole from me. Not all the time,
but little bits here and there. Sometimes, a piece of jewelry went
missing. My mother’s pearl necklace, my grandmother’s watch…” She
stopped to take a breath, blinking back tears. He squeezed her
hand.

“I’d see them in the pawn shop window.
Sometimes, if I’d been working more, I’d foolishly buy them back
instead of saving my money. He’d simply steal them again.
Sometimes, he sold stuff from friends or acquaintances. Or, he’d
run up a bar tab. And the marshall would come put a lien on the
house until I paid up. The house was in his name. He had his little
ways, and I was too naïve and stupid to be one step ahead.”

“It must have been hard.”

“It was. He’d apologize and say it wouldn’t
happen again, but it always did. He kept taking my car and driving
drunk. He got three DUI’s. That’s when I got the call. The call
that changed everything.” She stopped to take a sip and compose
herself.

“It was from the police. He’d been arrested.
It was awful, because they wouldn’t let him out on bail this time.
He had to stand trial. You can’t imagine what it does to see your
father in jail.”

Mark sat quietly, staring at her. The
expression on his face appeared sympathetic. But her confidence was
so shaken, she didn’t trust her own instincts. “What did you do?”
Mark sucked on his beer.

“The judge gave him one chance.”

“And that was?” Mark seemed to be hanging on
every word.

“If my dad agreed to go to rehab, he’d
suspend his sentence.” She sipped her wine.

“And did he?”

“We didn’t have the money to send him. I
wanted to. He swore up and down that he’d kick alcohol, if he could
only go to rehab instead of jail. I believed him. He seemed so
sincere.”

“And did he?”

“With legal fees, on top of everything, I was
broke. I’d been modeling some, but rehab was five thousand dollars
a week. A week! Can you imagine? He was supposed to go for a
minimum of three weeks. The counselor told me he needed to go for
four weeks. Where was I going to get twenty grand?” Penny twisted a
tissue in her hands.

Mark leaned forward. “What did you do?”

“I went crying to one of the photographers I
knew. He’d asked me to pose nude before, but I’d turned him down.
He’d offered me a lot of money.”

Mark hung his head. “But this time…”

“This time, I said ‘yes.’ I had no other
choice. My back was to the wall. How could I let my father rot in
jail for five years because I wouldn’t take my clothes off for a
few pictures? He swore they were only for one private client and
would never surface publicly. Like an idiot, I believed him. What
would you have done?” By now, tears were streaming down her face.
She tried to clean them up, but they kept coming. Mark sat with his
head in his hands.

“I had no idea those pictures would still be
around years later. If I’d known then that my father was
manipulating me again and never intended to give up alcohol, I
would’ve left him in jail. I was only twenty-one, and he was all I
had. So, I believed him.”

“What happened with the pictures?”

Penny dried her eyes. “The shoot was awful. I
hated being naked in front of Fred. He was a letch. I did it as
fast as I could and covered up between shots. Then, he asked me out
and refused to accept ‘no.’ So, I hit him.”

Mark’s head snapped up. “You hit him?”

“I’m not proud of it, but I had to defend
myself. He wouldn’t leave me alone, had his hands all over me. I
grabbed an empty bottle we were using as a prop and bashed him over
the head. He wasn’t unconscious, but he was dazed. I finished
dressing, grabbed my check, and flew out of his place. I went right
to the bank, as I was afraid he’d stop payment.”

“That was quick thinking.”

She shivered at the memory. “When my father
got out of rehab, he went right back to drinking. He showed up on
my doorstep, drunk, begging for money.”

“What did you do?”

“I had stopped paying for the house. I let it
go into default, saving up enough money to start over. When he
showed up, I was preparing to leave anyway. I told him to come back
later in the week when I got paid. But that was a lie. He believed
me and left. The next morning, I packed my car, cleaned out my back
account, and left town. I went to Los Angles to stay with a friend.
She helped me get an agent, and I got this job.”

“Wow.” He shook his head.

“He found me once in L.A. because of a TV
show I did. But I gave him the slip. I’ve been running from him
ever since.”

“That’s a horrible story, Penny.”

“Can you see how the pictures are just a
small part of it for me?”

“I do. I’m sorry. So sorry you had to do
that...live like that.” He pushed to his feet and took her in his
arms. He stroked her hair. “You’ll never have to go through that
again.”

“I’m sorry, Mark. I should have told you. I
was afraid you’d dump me if you found out, and I love you so much,
I couldn’t bear it.” She sobbed into his chest.

“I love you, too, baby.” He rubbed her
back.

She calmed down in his arms, soothed by his
strength and affection. Her tears subsided. She closed her eyes and
inhaled deeply. His masculine scent mixed with his aftershave
smelled good. Her hands clung to his back, and her breasts were
crushed into his chest. He held her tight, resting his chin on her
head. Before long, her breathing returned to normal. She wiped her
eyes for the millionth time and tried to smile.

“Your life’s been hard.”

“I’ve had some success, been sought after by
good people, like you, too.”

“I’m sorry I got so mad. I should’ve
listened. Given you the benefit of the doubt.”

“Maybe we were both wrong,” she said. “I’m
starved. Can we eat?”

“Only if you’ll come back to me. I’ve missed
you so much. Been totally miserable without you.” He loosened his
grip.

“You have?”

He nodded. “You ruined me for anyone else. I
need you.” He lowered his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss. Penny
melted against him, winding her arms around his neck.

“I need you, too. It was so awful, being
apart.” She toyed with his shirt buttons, undoing the top two and
running her fingertips through his chest hair.

“I figured you’d had about five hundred dates
by now, with new guys drooling over you.”

She laughed. “Not exactly. No one else’ll do.
Were you jealous?”

“Yeah.” He blushed. “I got you a blue
cheeseburger,” he said, changing the subject.

“My favorite!” She opened the bag and took
out the food. Then, she grabbed plates and set everything out.

“You back in my kitchen makes everything
right again.”

She smiled at him.

“Next, in my bed,” he snickered.

“Before dinner or after?” She sidled up to
him and shot him a saucy look.

“Guess I can wait until after we eat.”

“Anticipation only whets the appetite.” She
pulled out a chair.

“Is that a famous saying? Who said that?”

“I said it. Eat so we can get to the main
course.” He laughed as he joined her at the table.

“What are you going to do about the team?”
she asked, taking a big bite of her burger.

“Forget about it. Fuck them. They’re not
exactly saints. So, they saw you. Let them be jealous. That’s what
Meg said, and she’s right.” Penny sensed heat in her cheeks.

“I might want a wallet size to remind me what
I’m missing, when I’m on the road.”

She chuckled. “I don’t have those, you
know.”

“No? You don’t have them stashed anywhere?
What a shame. They are great pictures of you, but only for my
eyes.”

From now on, I’m only for your eyes,
sweetie pie.
Penny inched her hand closer to his. He picked up
on it and closed his fingers over hers. She needed to touch him, to
be connected. As she looked into his eyes, she saw lust mixed with
love. All doubt had disappeared. She sighed and smiled.
I’m
better with Mark.

She stared at the part of his chest where
she’d opened his shirt. Her fingertips tingled, remembering the
feel of his skin as they made love. A shiver of desire shot up her
spine. She noticed his gaze drop to her chest and remain. He was
practically drooling, and it made her chuckle. They ate faster than
usual. Mark cleared the table, and Penny stood up.

“I’ve waited long enough,” he said, scooping
her up into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom. She
shrieked with laughter as he dropped her to bounce on the bed. He
stripped his clothes off in a heartbeat and crawled up towards
her.

“You look mighty uncomfortable in that dress.
Let me help you,” he said, reaching around to pull the zipper down.
She shed the top of the garment, pushing it to her waist, revealing
her generous breasts nestled in a white lace bra.

“Nice,” he said, focusing on her chest. Penny
buried her face in his neck, kissing her way to his shoulder. Mark
cupped her breasts, raising them to his lips. One hand snaked
around her back to flip open her bra.

“You do that like an expert,” she said,
lifting her head.

He chuckled. “Guilty as charged.” The bra
slipped down her arms and onto the bed. “Much better,” he said,
staring at her. Penny ran her hand down his cheek. He turned to
kiss her palm.

“Let’s get that off,” he said, tugging on the
pink dress pooled around her waist. Penny pushed up on her arms,
allowing Mark to slip it down then yank it off and toss it on a
chair. His eyes feasted on the lacy white bikinis she wore. He bent
his head to kiss her abs, flattening, then circling his soft, wet
tongue on her skin. “You taste good,” he murmured.

The sensation he created sent heat directly
to her core. He looked up before kissing his way to her chest.
“I’ve missed these,” he said, taking her peak into his mouth while
his hand squeezed her other breast. Penny dropped her head back and
opened her legs. Mark moved between them and perched on his
knees.

She combed her fingers through his hair and
down his back, digging the tips into his muscles. His shoulders
seemed as wide as goal posts as they hovered over her. He moved up
to nibble on her earlobe. “I love you,” he whispered so softly she
wasn’t sure if it was him or her own wishful thinking combining
with a breeze from the window.

“Do you?” she asked, raising her head to make
eye contact with him.

“Hell, yeah.” The blue of his eyes was so
clear and bright.

She believed him. Happiness washed through
her from head to toe.
I want him. He’s mine.
“Then, take me.
Make love to me,” she whispered.

“I’m not through playin’ yet, and you’re not
ready.”

“I am, I am.”

“No, you’re not. Not as ready as I want you.”
He shot her a sexy smile and gently pushed her back down on the
bed. “Relax. Let me do the work.” She chuckled and closed her eyes.
Mark amused himself rolling her nipples between his fingers and
kissing her breasts before he traveled south, dragging his hands
across her chest, then down her belly. He hooked a thumb in each
side of her panties and slipped them off in one movement.

He settled between her thighs and went to
work raising her heat level to unbearable. Penny squirmed under his
expert touch as the tension in her body grew tighter and tighter.
She raised her hips up, and fisted the sheet.

“Oh, God, Mark! If you don’t…” She cried out
as the volcano inside her erupted, spilling pleasure through every
inch of her. Finally, he stopped and sat back on his calves. The
shit-eating grin he wore made her laugh.

“I owned you,” he said.

“You did. Absolutely, you did.”

“You’d’ve done anything I asked.”

“I would’ve, I would,” she said, nodding and
still panting slightly as she pushed up on her elbows. “My
turn.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What? The king never
gives up the scepter.”

“Hmm, I might just have a few tricks of my
own.” She gazed at him with passion. Before he could say or do
anything, she bent down and took him into her mouth.

“Holy Mother of God, Penny!” Mark closed his
eyes. She ignored him and kept on. “You’re not going to get what
you want if you don’t stop,” he warned.

She sat up and grinned. Mark grabbed a condom
from the nightstand and covered himself.

“Round two,” he said, lying back, wrapping
his long fingers around her hips and lifting her to straddle him as
if she were as light as a summer breeze. She guided him into her
while Mark lowered her down. Her knees hugged him as he filled her
completely. She flattened her palms on his wide, firm chest and
lifted her hips.

“I want to see you, touch you.” He ran his
hands down her side then over her breasts.