Bent not Broken (263 page)

After taking a few moments to calm my racing heart, I entered my apartment with thoughts of Marcus, but they were instantly placed on standby. The brunette from the club last night startled me as she peeked from over the open refrigerator door. She straightened and slowly closed the fridge. She didn’t move, and her expression was one of a deer in the headlights. Jeremy rushed out his bedroom door and nodded, which meant it was my cue.

“What the fuck is going on here!” I yelled, throwing my clutch and Marcus’ jacket on the dining room table.

“Please, baby, let me explain.” Jeremy was holding his hands up to stop my movement.

“Oh don’t ‘baby’ me, who the fuck is this?” I dramatically turned my body and waved my arm in her direction. She was shocked and confused; her eyes went from Jeremy and to me and back several times. The realization that she was naked came to her, so she quickly covered her breasts with her arms.

“Uh, you … You have a girlfriend?” she stuttered at Jeremy.

“Try fiancée, sweetie! You have ten seconds to throw your shit on and get the fuck out of my apartment!” I glared at her. She didn’t move, and I placed my hand on my hip. “Now!” She ran to Jeremy’s room and back out, throwing her dress over her head. Rushing by me, she grabbed her purse and phone from the dining room table and hurried out the door barefoot, not saying a word or apologizing. I looked at Jeremy and rolled my eyes. He ran over to me, kissing both of my cheeks.

“You are a true talent, my dear Mia!” He placed his arms around my shoulders and led me to the sofa. I lay back and rested my head against the arm of the couch with my legs thrown across his thighs.

“I take it she wasn’t good enough for you?” I asked, knowing the answer. Jeremy had a habit of mixing me up in his sex life. If a female became
too
clingy, he was instantly turned off. It all started a year ago when he brought home a girl who wouldn’t leave; he’d run into my bedroom, begging me to get her out. Ever since it’d become a ritual: he would nod, and I’d know he wanted her out. If he immediately introduced us, then I’d know he wanted more time with her. I knew it was disgusting, and it was even worse that I played along, but he was my best friend. He was my
only
friend.

He slapped my thigh, “You have no idea! The minute we were done, she started comparing our facial features and told me how cute our babies would be. G
eez,
can I ever find a non-psychotic female?”

“You’re a pig!” He truly was disgusting! I threw my arms over my head.

“Whatever, I couldn’t wait for you to get home. You were out pretty long. Were you with DeLuca the entire time?” He reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

“Yeah, we had dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Romano’s. Have you heard of it? It’s literally one block away from the university.” Desperately trying to avoid questions about Marcus and me, I thought the subject of the restaurant would steer us away from it.

“Uh, yeah, I walked past it a few times. I thought it was closed though; I’ve never seen anyone go in and out of that place.” He flicked through the channels until a comedy, The Hangover, was showing. We didn’t say anything after that and just enjoyed each other’s company while laughing at each scene.

Once it was over, I slowly moved off the couch, trying to avoid waking Jeremy from his sleep. Grabbing my clutch and Marcus’ jacket from the table, I entered my room.

After changing into boy shorts and a tank top, I was finally nestled in my comfy bed. I was pulling my phone out of my bag to charge it when I noticed two text messages. Both were from Marcus: one an hour ago and one less than five minutes ago. Before I opened the text messages, it took me a few seconds to realize that he must have programmed his number into my phone while at work. Looking at the text, I couldn’t help the huge grin on my face.

Marcus (10:40pm): U were on my mind all day, n u will surely be on my mind all night. TY for a lovely evening and a kiss I will never forget.

Marcus (11:50pm): Sweet dreams, baby.

I waited before responding, not able to wipe the smile off my face. I wanted to give him something to think about all night.

Me (11:53pm): I will surely have sweet
wet
dreams of that kiss all night.

Marcus (11:53pm): You’re killing me.

Me (11:54pm): Good night Marcus

Marcus (11:55pm): Good night Mia.

****

Last night was the best sleep of my life. Dreaming of Marcus’ lips, body, and scent put me at ease. Then the thought that I could have it all in reality put me in a greater mood. I woke up, sang in the shower, and made breakfast. I also placed a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon for Jeremy in the microwave and headed out the door to meet Professor Johnson to go over the interview questions. It was a beautiful day out, so I decided to walk instead of drive. The university was only a fifteen-minute walk away. The entire stroll he was on my mind. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d woken up this happy. It was early, but I decided to send him a text anyway.

Me (8:35am): G.M., I slept very well last night. I hope you did as well?

Before entering Harvard’s building, I switched my phone to vibrate mode and shoved it in my back pocket. I headed for Professor Johnson’s office. His door was open. When I walked in, he was sipping on coffee and reviewing the newspaper. He popped his head up at the sound of my footsteps and smiled. Taking the seat in front of his desk, I returned his gesture with a brighter smile than usual. “So Mia, are you ready for this interview tomorrow?” He placed the paper down and took another sip of coffee before placing the mug on top of his desk.

“Ah, yeah, I think I’m ready, but it’s nice to go over these interview questions. I appreciate you taking the time to go over this with me, Professor.”

Almost an hour later, Professor Johnson went over my resume, asked a few questions, and quizzed me on the firm. I didn’t know much about Marcus DeLuca himself, just what was in a small biography written on the firm’s website. Johnson said it would be smart to do some research on him as he always does research on the owner or CEO of the company he interviews with.

Having that extra knowledge of charities he had sponsored or awards he’d received gave it an extra touch. I thought it would be a good idea for me
personally
as well. I thanked Professor Johnson again before heading out the door and wishing him a happy summer.

Reaching for my phone, I knew I had messages because it had vibrated against my behind during my meeting. I had three messages: two from Marcus and one from Jeremy.

Marcus (8:40am): GM Beautiful. I slept well thank you.

Jeremy (9:10am): Thanks for the breakfast, Mia, you’re the best. Luv ya ;)

Marcus (9:22am): Have lunch with me today. I can send a driver to ur place. I have to see u.

I quickly respond to Jeremy with a simple “you’re welcome,” and then I replied to Marcus.

Me (9:34am): Lunch sounds great, let me know where to meet u, I can drive there.

Marcus (9:35am): You choose.

Me (9:36am): Marcie’s at noon? I love that place.

Marcus (9:37am): Sounds good to me. Looking forward to seeing that beautiful face.

Me (9:38am):

Chapter Five

“Good morning, my lovely friend.” I jumped with delight on the small armchair located at the corner of the living room, giving me a view of Jeremy and the entire apartment behind him. He was unknowingly tracing his tongue along his bottom lip, concentrating on a game that he was playing on his game console. He quickly glanced at me and then back at the big screen. “You’re in a good mood,” he said while thumbing the controller. “What do you have planned for today?” he asked.

Jeremy and I had a very close relationship, and we hardly kept any secrets from one another, but I decided to keep this Marcus thing from him just because I didn’t know where it was going yet. “Oh, I’m meeting a friend for lunch downtown and maybe do some shopping afterwards down there while I’m at it.” I watched the screen and saw a Batman and Joker fighting each other. I wasn’t certain which one he was because there were other comic book characters fighting in the background. I shook my head.

His character died, so he placed the controller down waiting for a new game to reboot. He eyed me suspiciously. “Friend? What friend?”

Shit,
I’d forgotten we have mutual friends and that I didn’t hang out with anyone except with him. I slightly caved in. “
Okay
, so I met this guy, and we are just going out for lunch, that’s all.” He wasn’t buying it; adjusting his body on the couch, he was now facing my direction with an amused grin.

“What’s this guy’s name?”

I looked away because I couldn’t stare him in the eye. I’m the worst liar. “I rather not say because we’re just friends getting to know one another.” Biting my bottom lip, I bravely looked at him, hoping he’d leave it at that.

He frowned. “Is it Marcus?” His expression shocked me.

“No! It’s not, and why did you say it like
that
?” I thought he and Marcus were friends.

“He’s a cool guy and all but wouldn’t be good for you.” He faced the flat screen to restart his game.

“Not that I care because it’s
not
Marcus, but if it were, why wouldn’t he be good for me?” The question was delivered a little harsher than I expected. You could feel the tension building between us. He knew something and didn’t want to say, but I was nosy and would continue drilling until I collected my information.

My tone of voice set him off. His ears were bright red, and he seemed to be biting his tongue. I knew that look: the steam was building, so he’d blow up pretty soon if I kept pushing his buttons, but didn’t care. I stood from the chair and crossed my arms, giving him a nasty stare. “It is Marcus, so what!” That did it. He got up, throwing the controller on the couch.

“Jesus Christ, Mia! Did you fuck him?” His cheeks turned the same fire-engine red as his ears.

What the hell was his problem?
I gripped my hip with my one hand and waved my other at him like he was a five-year old. “That is none of your business!” I stormed to my room and slammed the door. The nerve of him! Did I
fuck
him?
Why
was he so against Marcus? I paced back and forth in my bedroom to calm my nerves.

The door swung open, and Jeremy was standing by the doorway irate.

“First of all, it is my business because you’re my
friend,
and I don’t want to see you hurt. Second, have you thought about the rest of the summer when you’re working for him and how it would affect
you
? Third, I
highly
recommend you do some research on him and see the
stuff
that he’s into, because so help me God, Mia, if you get hurt in any way and I find out that he was involved, there’s no telling what I would do.” He slammed the door behind him and left me in the room speechless by his outburst.

What did Jeremy mean, “if I’m hurt in any way,” and what’s this research thing about? What kind of stuff is Marcus into that could possibly harm me? My mind was racing, and I had so many doubts. This was what I didn’t want to happen, and yet a kiss from him had made me weak. There I was getting ready to meet him for lunch while my best friend was angry with me in the other room.

I threw myself onto the bed, trying to go over the past few days. My friendship wasn’t worth losing. What if Jeremy were right? Maybe I would get hurt in the end. Was Jeremy jealous or just being a concerning friend? I had so many unanswered questions. There was only one way some of these blank holes could be filled: Google. Jumping off my bed and slamming into the chair, I started up my laptop.

There were lots of articles on Marcus DeLuca: on his firm, his achievements, charities, and his successful verdicts on many criminal cases, mainly involving the mafia. I looked at many websites and spent twenty minutes trying to find something until the headline of one Boston newspaper caught my attention. It was short and to the point.