"It"s not my family anymore. You made that quite clear when you disowned me."
Mark stood up then, and I followed his lead.
"You know what we want, father. You know my phone number. We"ll be in the city tonight, but we"re leaving tomorrow morning. If I don"t have an answer by the time I step on the plane, you know what will happen."
The two of us turned and left, and I couldn"t help but feel a little bit of pleasure at the fact that Mark"s father looked completely and totally stunned. He looked twenty years older than the man that greeted us when we entered the office, who had been confident almost to the point of c.o.c.kiness.
The driver was still waiting for us out the front of the estate and he took us back into Manhattan, where Mark had booked us a hotel room.
"So now we wait?" I asked, settling in by dropping onto the couch in the living room.
"Yeah, nothing else to do for now," Mark answered, sitting down next to me.
"Any guess as to what your father"s going to do, or how long it"s going to take him to choose?"
"Well, he"ll have to call someone in to look at the hard drive, so maybe two hours? After that he"ll make the call pretty quickly, he"s always been like that."
We were both too nervous to do anything other than really pace around the room. Time had never crept by so slowly before for me in my life. It felt like every second was taking an hour. I"d check the clock and find only a minute or two had pa.s.sed. Mark left his phone on the table, the blank screen taunting us, and when it finally rang an hour after we arrived Mark practically pounced on it, only to find that it was a friend of his.
"Well, in case you thought I wasn"t on edge, I"m sure my reaction to the phone ringer proves I was," he laughed as he pressed the ignore b.u.t.ton.
"Don"t worry, I had the exact same reaction," I replied, laughing. The comedy defused the tension in the room and we both ended up cracking up.
Finally, about three hours after we left, Mark"s phone rang again. He went to it, looked at the screen, then looked at me and nodded. He picked up the phone and answered it.
Only hearing the one side of the conversation I didn"t really know what was going on, and looked up at Mark expectantly when he finally hung up.
"He wants us to go back and see him, and he"ll tell me what he thinks then."
I nodded. I was kind of expecting this.
"It"s just a power play, that"s all he"s doing," Mark continued. "He wants us to go out of our way, wants us to wait a little bit longer before we know what he"s going to do. I think it"s a good sign. If he was just going to tell us to f.u.c.k off he might have simply done it over the phone."
Mark called the driver again and a few minutes later we were driving back to Connecticut once again. It was afternoon now, the sun making its way closer to the horizon.
The estate was no less impressive when we arrived a second time, and this time rather than having to wait we were led directly into Mark"s father"s office.
I wasn"t totally sure, but it seemed to me the man was paler than he was this morning.
"Sit down, both of you."
We obeyed. I felt like my heart was going to burst through my chest; I couldn"t take any more of this. I had no know: we were going to jail, or was Mark going to get his charity back?
"I"ve made a decision. It"s probably not the one you were expecting."
I silently started cursing to myself. Was it possible he was going to say no? That he was going to be ok with all that info being leaked, with the company stock, of which he owned so much, going straight down the toilet? Surely not. I glanced discreetly over at Mark, but his face was a stone, showing absolutely no emotion.
Mark"s father continued.
"I know I haven"t been the father you"ve wanted. You made that perfectly clear to me. However, I"ve always done what I thought was in the best interests of the family. By coming to me here today, you"ve shown me a daring, a skill that"s important in business, a willingness to take risks that I"d never seen from you before. I will have the lawyers draft up the papers to have the charity put back in your name."
So that was it. He was going to do it, he was going to give Mark back his charity!
"On top of that, I"ve changed my mind about your inheritance. I"ll speak to my lawyers this afternoon and give you back access to your trust fund, as well as altering my will once more. However, I can"t give you back your job. It would simply be too difficult from a public relations standpoint, to have you leave and then come back a week later, it would make the entire company look weak."
"I understand," Mark said.
"Good. Now get out of my office."
Without another word Mark and I stood up and left. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible now that we knew we were going to get what we wanted. As soon as we were back in the car being driven back to the city, Mark took me into his arms in a huge bear hug.
"You did it, Caroline. Thanks to you, the charity is mine!"
"No, I only had the idea. You"re the one who did the hard part," I replied, grinning. A part of me couldn"t believe we"d done it. Not only had we pulled off getting the charity back, but Mark was also getting access to his trust fund back, and all the money that came with it.
"Do you want to go to dinner and celebrate? I can pay for it again, now," Mark joked, and I laughed as I agreed.
"That sounds great!"
Mark had the driver take us to an absolutely amazing Italian restaurant in the middle of the city. As we walked past tables full of New York"s rich and famous, I felt so incredibly underdressed, wearing a simple business suit. As we pa.s.sed someone I was about 95% sure was a player for the New York Knicks, I almost pa.s.sed out.
"What is this place?" I asked Mark when we were finally seated. He took me to nice places in San Diego, of course, but this was a whole new level.
"This is my favourite restaurant in the city, and I figured what kind of better place to celebrate than here? After all, that was a h.e.l.l of a meeting."
"Yeah, I never expected your father to actually put you back into the will!"
"Neither did I, really. I knew he always valued people being ruthless, he"s from that generation where men were men and all that sort of thing. He always saw more value in being open about things than being subtle. I suspect he saw me coming directly to him as doing business "his" way, and that changed his mind."
"Either way, I"m glad for you."
"For us. It"s good for both of us that I"m filthy rich again," Mark replied, looking at the menu.
I did the same, finally settling on the beef Bourguignon as the waiter came by and took our orders. Mark ordered the wine, as he knew so much more about it than I did.
When the sommelier came back with the bottle Mark chose, we toasted to us.
Dinner was perfect. The food was delicious, the company even better. It felt like I could easily fly off into the sky, I was so happy for Mark. I knew he felt the same way, that gorgeous grin that sent my inside fluttering never left his face throughout the meal. Tomorrow morning we would fly back to San Diego, sign some papers and Mark would have his charity back.
When we finished eating we walked along the street for a while and got gelato from a store that was still open well into the evening before heading down to Central Park.
"I know you still haven"t gotten that good trip to New York I promised you," Mark told me, "but hopefully this is a good start."
Mark led me towards the horse drawn carriages and we took the tour around the park, with me snuggling into the crook of Mark"s arm as he wrapped it around me.
The evening was hands down the most romantic I"d ever experienced. Just when I thought it was going to end, that we would head back to the hotel to get some sleep before our flight the next day, Mark led me towards a taxi.
"I want to show you something, Caroline."
When we pulled up in front of the Empire State Building I was astonished.
"Wow, it"s enormous!" I muttered, craning my neck upwards to get a better look.
"That"s what she said," Mark muttered, and I hit his arm lightly as we went inside.
The top of the observation deck was incredible. Night had well and truly fallen over Manhattan a while ago, and the lights of the city shone down below us. The view was unlike anything I"d ever seen before in my life, like an ocean of light down below.
"It"s nice, isn"t it?"
"Well if that"s not the understatement of the year, I don"t know what is."
"I used to come here when I was a kid, my aunt would bring me up here at night, and I"d look down at the lights and think about all the people underneath living in the city, and feel connected to them. It always made me feel so at peace, so when I was old enough to come into the city on my own, especially after a bad time with my parents, I"d come here as a kind of therapy. I"ve always loved the top of this tower."
"I can absolutely understand why. This is incredible."
The night was cold, even more so up here, and as the wind picked up the number of people on the observation deck with us dropped. Eventually there were only about ten people up on the deck with us, spread out over such a large area that it practically felt like we were alone up here.
I was looking out over the city for a while, not really thinking about anything, enjoying the presence of Mark near me, when I realized suddenly that he"d moved away.
I turned around to see where he went and found him on one knee, holding up the most incredible diamond ring I"d ever seen.
Not expecting this at all, I"m pretty sure I just stood there with my mouth open for what felt like an eternity.
"Caroline, you"re the love of my life. You make me a better person, you make me want to be a better person, and you"re absolutely incredible. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
I heard the words Mark said, but it was like I couldn"t believe it was happening to me. Still, I must have answered yes, because all of a sudden the people left on the observation deck with us were clapping, Mark was smiling and slipping the ring on my finger, and I realized I was crying.
As I slowly came back to my senses, I realized what was happening. I was engaged! I was engaged to Mark, the best man I"d ever met in my life. This was totally crazy! Absolutely insane! There was no way this could be happening to me. I looked down at the diamond now comfortably nestled on my left ring finger. The three diamonds, all princess cut, two smaller ones on either side of an enormous rock, all gilded in the most beautiful gold I"d ever seen.
"Oh my G.o.d, it"s gorgeous," I finally managed to stammer. The view I"d just seen was nothing compared to seeing this ring on my finger, shining brighter than any of the city lights.
"So you like it then? I was hoping you would, although if you prefer something else we can always take it back and choose something else."
"No, no, I love it. I absolutely love it, Sir, wow, is this really happening?"
"It is. I"m so glad you said yes. I"ve wanted to ask you for a while now, and I was going to do it the last time we were in New York, but decided tonight was perfect."
"It is perfect, absolutely. So, incredibly perfect."
Waves of emotion poured over me, so much so I felt like I was going to faint. I had never felt like this before, I still wasn"t sure if everything had sunk in completely. I was engaged! Engaged to the greatest man on the planet.
"Should we go back to the hotel and have some champagne to celebrate?" Mark asked, and I nodded.
We barely made it into the building before our hands were all over each other. As Mark fumbled with the key card and opened our room door, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me inside, pressing me against the wall in the entrance, towering over me as he leaned down and his lips found mine.
Instantly it was like a fire was coursing through me. Pleasure began to radiate through me, my s.e.x began to react and I wanted more, more, more of this. It was more than a want, I needed this.
I pressed back against Mark, and he pressed me back against the wall even harder. His hands found my wrists, pinning them against the wall as he slipped his tongue into my mouth, both rough and gentle at the same time, discovering my mouth.
I kissed him back, moaning in pleasure, my eyes closing, allowing all my other senses to take over, to completely enjoy every little sensation coursing through my body. I didn"t want this to end, but at the same time I wanted him to take it further, to take me further, bring me pleasure I had never felt, couldn"t even imagine.
As he continued to kiss me, Mark"s hands began to wander, sliding up my arm, then down towards my breast. The feeling of his fingers against my skin, his every touch, felt like velvet, sending tingles of pleasure rushing through me. My breath caught in my throat as his hands first slid the blazer I was wearing off me and onto the floor, then found the top b.u.t.tons of my blouse and began to slowly, tantalizingly undo them, one by one. Cool air hit my skin, and as he reached behind and unclasped my bra, my nipples reacted to the cool air as well, hardening in front of him.
Mark moved his head down from my mouth, kissing my neck, then lower, until he slipped my right nipple into his mouth, and I threw my head back against the wall. His hot mouth on my cold skin felt incredible. I was pretty sure my legs were about to turn to jelly, and almost as though he could tell, Mark moved his hands underneath my a.s.s and hoisted me up, using the wall as leverage as I wrapped my legs around his hips instinctively, his mouth never leaving my chest.
I squealed with pleasure as he suddenly grabbed me and carried me into the bedroom, dropping me gently onto the bed and climbing on top of me, his mouth on mine once more. He placed one leg in between mine, spreading them apart for him. My body reacted immediately, and I shuddered in antic.i.p.ation of what I knew was coming. Mark"s fingers moved down to my nether regions and undid my pants, sliding them down my legs and letting them fall to the floor. I only wore my panties now, my shoes having fallen off on the trip across the room.
Out of nowhere, Mark slipped out some soft nylon rope, which he used to tie my wrists together above my head, then tied the other end of the rope to the headboard. I was completely in his control now, tied to the bed. Mark could do whatever he wanted with me, and just the thought of it made all new sensations of pleasure run through me.
Mark moved slowly down to where my panties rested, and slowly, tantalizingly began to slide them down my legs. A small moan escaped my lips as I found myself completely naked in front of him, Mark admiring every curve of my body in the dim light of the room, and I could see his own desire growing underneath his pants.
I expected him to climb on top of me, but instead he knelt down in front of the bed, where my legs dangled off the edge. His hands spread my legs apart, and I gasped as I realized what he was about to do.
I could feel his hot breath against me as he moved his head towards my nether regions, and I began to squirm in antic.i.p.ation.
"You"re like a furnace down there," Mark told me. "Hot and bothered already, you dirty little thing."
I could only moan in reply, desperate for what I knew Mark was about to give me. Sure enough, a couple seconds later his tongue flickered against the folds of my s.e.x, and I gasped in pleasure. No matter how often Mark did this to me, no matter how often he used his tongue to bring me to the edge, I never got used to it. It always sent such pleasure running through me, radiating from my s.e.x, as it did now. My breath caught in my throat as he moved slowly along my folds, discovering me slowly, lapping up the juices that were practically spilling from me now.
I could feel the pressure building inside of me, knowing what was coming soon. I was going to come, I knew I was. I was so close I could practically feel it, I knew it wasn"t going to take much. Mark"s tongue slipped inside of me, and I knew it wasn"t going to take much longer. My moans were louder and more frequent; my body writhed underneath Mark"s head, my hands clutching at the rope that bound them, desperate to hold on to something.
When I was only seconds away, I knew I was just about on the edge of release, past the point of no return, Mark suddenly slipped his tongue back out of me.
I moaned in disappointment.
"Oh G.o.d, I was so close," I cried out.
"The more you wait, the better it"ll be," Mark teased, and I writhed around in frustration. I had been so close, I was so close to the ultimate pleasure, to getting the o.r.g.a.s.m I wanted to desperately.
"No!" I argued. "I want it now, oh G.o.d please let me come!" I begged, pleading with my eyes, wanting Mark to see just how desperate I was for the o.r.g.a.s.m that was now slipping further and further away.
"You can come when I say you can come, no sooner," Mark replied, and I let my body relax, giving up. I knew he wasn"t going to give it to me until he was ready, until he wanted to.
Standing up in front of the bed, Mark began to undress. I watched, every part of my body tingling, as he took off his jacket, then laid it carefully over the back of a chair on the other side of the room. He was really going to stretch this out for as long as possible, wasn"t he?
Next he slipped off his shirt, taking his time with the b.u.t.tons, even pretending to fumble on one or two of them.
"Oh dear, I"m a bit of a klutz, aren"t I?" he teased, and I moaned my disapproval in reply.
Finally he moved down to his pants, sliding them and his boxers off in one swift movement, revealing his hardness, showing he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
After what felt like an eternity, we were both naked, and as Mark climbed on top of me, I could feel the antic.i.p.ation building up in my body.
He slipped slowly inside of me and began to pump away at such a snail"s pace, it drove me insane. Still, the feeling of him inside of me was a good one, and even with the slow pace, with every stroke I could feel the pleasure inside of me building once more. It was like my blood was made of lava, I was absolutely on fire. I needed to come, I needed it almost more than I did the last time.
"Oh please Sir, make me come!" I begged, desperate for it.
"Say please," he teased.