Part II (2 page)

Whatever he was, there was one thing he definitely wasn't:
Master.
Mariana shuddered at the thought. No White man was going to have a Sista call him
Master
in 2011.
Fuck that shit!
I'm no one's slave
.

Damn him!
Mariana couldn't show her anger. What would be the point of that?  She cursed herself for getting involved with someone as evil, cruel, demanding, sexy, hot, and well hung like Scott. She hated him. She hated how he avoided her. She hated how he acted like nothing was amiss. She hated how he would make her wet and all he did was tell her to undress. He hated how big his cock was and how perfect he felt inside her.

She hated how she still craved him.

Despite how angry she was, Mariana hoped Scott was just really busy. She knew he was an executive and he often flew all over the country to meet with clients.
Maybe he's on a business trip.
But she knew that was bullshit; there was evidence he had been home. The bed was unmade, there were a pile of dirty clothes in the hamper, and the kitchen was in disarray.

But the bedroom was the place Mariana found she spent very little of her time there. She used to spend the bulk of two hours cleaning Scott's bedroom; she was barely in there for 30 minutes.  She scoped out the place to see if there were any remnants of past dates but there was nothing. No condom wrappers, no spilled lubrication, nothing. She thought maybe Scott had gotten better cleaning up after himself but that was a failed conclusion. Despite how busy Scott was or claimed to be, he was still a slob.

She would arrive to his home early in hopes of catching him. He was never there. She would stay a little late. He never arrived. It seemed like he was trying to avoid her. Maybe she
did
cross a line. Maybe fucking Scott was the dumbest thing she could have done? No, fucking Scott wasn't the dumbest thing she did; letting go of her other clients at his request was. He wanted her all to himself but she never saw him. 

The real kicker was her tip. Mariana used to do little origami designs on the bed sheets as an extra bonus. She decided one day to skip the design and saw her tip significantly dwindle down to a dollar from the very generous fifty dollars. To see what game Scott was playing, she decided to do the origami design the next day. The tip went back up to fifty dollars.

This is some bullshit.

Once she knew there was no danger of Scott catching her, Mariana ventured back into the forbidden top drawer; everything was exactly like it was weeks ago. The porn stash was neatly arranged. The dildos and vibrators were side by side in order from smallest to biggest. Other bondage toys and the like were in a separate corner. Mariana was confused. What was going on with Scott? Did he start taking his dates somewhere else instead? Was he sick? What was going on that was so important he couldn’t spare a phone call?

She decided to test him and move a few inconspicuous items around in the drawer. If Scott wasn't seeing anyone else, he would not notice the contents were slightly changed.  She was confident everything would remain the same.

The next day when Mariana arrived, she noticed Scott had put a custom lock on the top drawer.

Chapter Two

"You come here a lot," a Starbucks barista commented to Mariana as she placed her order.

"I come here too much," Mariana chuckled. She has made the daily Starbucks pilgrimage a regular part of her habits. If she didn't go to Starbucks, Mariana was convinced she would go into shock. "I should open my own Starbucks honestly."

"Nothing wrong with that," the barista smiled back. He was a tall, light-skinned brother with dimples. He had doe-brown eyes that contrasted with his mega-watt smile. He occasionally licked his lips when he talked.

"Tell that to my pocketbook." Mariana handed out money for her drink and pastry.

The barista looked around and shook his head. "You're good. It's on the house today."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he smiled, "as long as I get your digits also."

Mariana wanted to laugh. She would get hit on at Starbucks. "I don't know what your name is."

"B." He stuck out a hand. "And you are?"

"Mariana," she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, B."

"Nice to meet you, Mariana.” He flashed a smile. “Now can I get your phone number?"

"Can I get my coffee first?"

"You got it." He smiled back.

Mariana grabbed her pastry and settled in a small booth around the corner.  Within a couple minutes, she saw her caramel Frappuccino placed on her table. She looked up and saw B. standing over her. "Is this something new Starbucks is starting?"

"Special treatment for a special lady," B. made himself comfortable on a seat across from her. "Now can I please have your phone number?"

Mariana scribbled her phone number on a napkin and handed it to B. "Friendship. I just got out of something and I'm in no rush to get back into anything." If she could even call Scott 'something.' A two-day stand seemed more appropriate.

"That's fine by me. I just want to get to know you. You'll help me determine if you're crazy," he winked as he got up.

Mariana smiled. If only Scott was like that.

****

I need to focus. It's my last year and I don't need to be caught up on any bullshit. Focus, focus, focus.

She finally had an interview with McCormick and Sheppard. The interview was at 3 PM. It was cutting close to the time she would be at Scott's home but Mariana didn't care. It appeared Scott didn't. She wore a pinstriped business suit and white blouse.  Her long hair was rolled up tightly in a bun and she topped off her look with pearl earrings and subtle makeup.

Mariana knew by a quick glance in the mirror she already got the job. She looked like a million bucks and felt like it.
Always walk into the interview like you own it,
a professor once told her,
they would have no choice but to hire you.

Within a few minutes, a secretary, Elissa, came to the lobby to get her. "Mariana?" She greeted her. "He's ready to see you now."

"Great," Mariana smiled back. It was now show time.

She followed Elissa through the long corridor and arrived at her would-be boss's office. "He's on the phone but you can have a seat in his office. He'll be off shortly." Elissa let Mariana in and walked away.

Mariana walked inside the office was floored by how big it was. It was at least 300 square feet with a couch, a small conference table and a long oak desk. In a nearby corner was a small refrigerator full of water bottles and snacks. Behind the desk were several large windows facing the downtown skyscrapers. The view alone was priceless.

Mariana looked around and instantly recognized the signature Lalique and Tiffany crystals placed throughout the office. She once saw a movie where a character fawned over Laliques and she instantly became a fan. Mariana once had her eye on a Lalique angel but the $1,300 price tag told her she should invest into a cheaper paperweight. She settled for one at Wal-Mart.

The office was modern and contemporary with an old-school feel. Mariana would later describe the office as a being an advertisement for Geary's of Beverly Hills. Her future boss was definitely someone who paid his dues.
The nicer the office, the more successful the boss,
she reminded herself.

Mariana nervously sat down across from the desk, wondering if she sat too close. All she saw was a large black leather chair that occasionally bounced. She felt like she was intruding on a conversation, despite the man not saying a word.  

As she waited for the man to get off the phone, Mariana's mind wandered to the last time she saw Scott. They were watching TV on his sofa and feeding each other popcorn. They snuck kisses in between popcorn bites and the next thing Mariana knew, Scott was had a mouthful of her as they did a modified 69 on his chaise lounge.

Not able to make it to the bedroom, they made love on the sofa while Mean Girls played in the background. Mariana was in a reverse cowgirl position and slowly eased herself up and down on Scott's cock. She leaned back against him as they watched the movie. He cupped her breasts again and softly played with her clit as he began to thrust upward.

"Great movie, isn't it?" Scott whispered in her ear.

"Mmm…it's amazing," Mariana panted back.

Mariana would never forget that movie.

She shook her head to relieve herself of the memory. Scott was officially in her past and what happened, happened. He had clearly moved on with his life and she needed to move on with hers, no matter how much it hurt. The potential internship at McCormick and Sheppard was exactly what she needed to get over Scott.

The man in the chair finally did speak. "Sounds good, Marty. We'll be in touch next week." He hung up.

Wait a minute.
Mariana recognized that Southern drawl.
It can't be…

"I'm glad to see you made it," Scott Reed turned around and smiled, "I was wondering if you were going to come."

Chapter Three

"I'm here," Mariana's face was emotionless. She was furious. She wanted to throat punch him.

For a split moment, she was surprised Scott called her in but then she remembered the conversation they had the first night they were together. "
I'm a marketing major at UCLA. I would love to work for McCormick and Sheppard. I'm just floored by their company and how they create all these brilliant campaigns. Just sheer genius."
She told him.
 

She had no idea Scott worked at McCormick and Sheppard and there was no hint he did at his home office. Had she had known, there was no way she would've applied for an internship there despite the company's world-renowned reputation. An internship at McCormick and Sheppard guaranteed a job there or any ad agency in the world.

A month absence had obviously done Scott some good. He wore a suit and tie, looking every bit of an executive as Mariana remembered. He went from clean-shaven to having a light beard. It made him more attractive.  He seemed more refreshed and there was a bit of kindness to him. Too bad Mariana couldn't see past the asshole.

Scott clearly knew what he was doing. He recognized Mariana's name and called her in for an interview. No, he didn't call her; his secretary did. In fact, it was his secretary that gave Mariana a pre-screening before she stepped foot inside Scott's office. Mariana was convinced that was just for shits and giggles.

Scott was going to see her even if she
wasn't
the most qualified candidate. "Would you like anything to drink? Water? Soda?" He was surprisingly friendly and cordial.

Mariana on the other hand, was not. "I'm fine," she was tensed.  

"Good." If Scott had any inclination on how his presence was making Mariana feel, he was either in denial or oblivious about it. Or, he just didn't care. He was called ‘Ice’ for good reason. "So why do you want to intern here?"

Mariana could no longer contain her anger. "Is this some sort of a sick joke?"

"You're at my place of business, Mari," Scott got up from his chair and walked around to the front of the desk where Mariana was sitting. He leaned back against his desk. "I don't joke when it comes to business."

"Alright, since this
is
an interview," Mariana pulled out her resume and handed it over to Scott, "as you can see, Mr. Reed, I am very qualified for the position of marketing intern. I have taken many classes such as Marketing 101, Business Writing and…"

"Did you miss me?" Scott asked as he glanced at Mariana's resume.

Mariana ignored him. "And I'm currently enrolled in International Marketing. I feel I would be a great fit for this position because…"

"I missed you," Scott said. "I've been thinking about you a lot." He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

"Anyway," Mariana pressed forward, "I'm dedicated, hard-working, and am willing to put in as many hours needed to get the job done."

"What are your worst attributes?" He asked.

"I'm too sensitive to the needs of others," Mariana deadpanned.