A Room With A View – By Nikki Heat

This had been the week from hell. Make that, the month from hell. From the day she’d learned about Roman’s affair with Kate, Marlena’s world had begun to spin wildly out of control. ‘Control’, that was a funny word. For someone who always felt she had pretty good control on her life, that concept seemed so far in the distance that the idea of ever beingable to retrieve it again, well, it seemed impossible. Marlena chuckled at herself. For the last month, every time her mind went to this place where she started having a conversation with herself, it seemed almost every word took on a whole new meaning. ‘Control’….. and now ‘impossible’. She swore to herself that if she were to look the word “Impossible” up in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Roman next to it. Maybe even a picture like the one’s she’d found, the day she borrowed Roman’s car to make an early morning bagel run while Roman was still sleeping. And with that thought, Marlena’s mind slipped back into the memories of that day. Memories she’d played over and overas if it were on a continuous loop reel. A loop reel that made her physically ill every time it played.

When she’d pulled out of the parking garage that day she realized she’d forgotten her sunglasses. Instinctively she pulled the visor down to block the harsh sunlight. She’d never thought a task as simple as that would be something that would alter her life so much. But in that split second, her life had changed forever. She couldn’t get the images out of her mind. Releasing the visor had released a lap full of papers and pictures. For a moment, she didn’t realize what it was. She’d thought it was just more pack rat stuff of Roman’s. She swore than man never threw anything away. And don’t even get her started on what he would call his filing system. It was always a running joke between her and Roman; Marlena was certain the reason the Salem PD never caught many criminals was probably due to Roman’s filing system. Some where on Roman’s desk at work was the one key piece of evidence the Salem PD could use to lock Stefano DiMera away for life… if only Roman could find it amongst his stack of paperwork. But that day’s stash of confusion was different than most of what Marlena was used to seeing from Roman. No, this pile of paperwork looked different and was oddly enough, organized. Or, at least it was before it had fallen into her lap. But even then, the pile had retained some of its tidiness despite being relocated, if you will. She began to assemble it back into its neat and tidy pile and put it back where it belonged when she noticed the pretty colored envelopes, the handwriting on them looking very feminine. And then there were the pictures. Polaroids. She hadn’t seen a Polaroid in years. People still used Polaroids? And when she took a closer look at the picture she realized… they do, if they’re taking pictures they shouldn’t be taking. If you want no negatives and no images accidently left on memory cards, Polaroids were your best friend. And by the looks of the picture she was holding, she was certain, the people in the picture would never have wanted anyone to see it but themselves.

Okay… he gave up. He’d sat behind the car in front of him thru 2 green lights. John liked to think of himself as a patient man, but two green lights without moving an inch was pretty much his limit. He could tell by looking at the back of the drivers head that it was a female driver. And she was a blonde. There were some jokes in there somewhere and if he’d had his normal cup of coffee that morning, he’d probably be telling those jokes to the invisible passenger, in the seat next to him. He hadn’t honked immediately because he also noticed she wasn’t on the phone so that wasn’t her distraction. He thought for a couple of seconds that she could be hurt behind the wheel but then he saw her moving around in the front seat. Nope, not passed out. If she were lost and looking at a map, then the least she could do for all humanity is to pull it over to the curb. Better yet, he was in a gracious mood; he’d toss her a few bucks to put towards a wireless GPS, if she’d only get out of his way. People had places to get to this morning. He had places to get to… and again, he was reminded how his morning began with no coffee. When he’d hired the movers to move his things, it never occurred to him that he should tell them to mark the boxes as to their contents. Isn’t that what every one does? Nope, not the movers that came to his Manhattan apt. Sure enough, they were the only four people on the planet that would throw items from every room into one single box, tape it shut and make it feel like Christmas for the poor sap that hired them. Open a box… you’ll never know what’s going to be inside, surprise! And after opening 11 boxes that morning and not finding the coffee pot, he’d simply given up and made a mental note to himself to get rid of some of the books he owned. His living room now looked like a defunked Barnes and Noble… minus the Starbucks inside. And, with that thought, the light turned green for the third time and his hand hit the horn… .and hard!

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Thoughts were racing through Marlena’s head.

Thoughts about everything. Her life with Roman. Years with Roman. How her body was feeling as she felt the blood draining from her extremities. She felt like she couldn’t move her arms. She was paralyzed be the contents of her lap. She was desperately trying to place a name with the face in the picture. The picture. Roman, shirtless, in bed with a woman… who was also shirtless. If it weren’t for the sheet wrapped around them, she’d be getting more of an eyeful than she cared to get. It was one of those typical ‘stiff arm’ pictures, the kind people take when they’re together and there’s no one else around to take their picture for them. She knew, because she and Roman had tons of pictures of themselves just like that. The smiles on the faces staring back at her from

that picture made Marlena physically nauseous. And what was that horrible noise? She glanced at the radio to make sure it wasn’t turned on. She didn’t like Roman’s preference in music. When she saw the radio wasn’t turned on, she became even more confused as to what that horrible noise was. But her thoughts didn’t wander that way for too long because suddenly, she was snapped right back into the desperate confusion of trying to place a name with the woman’s face in the photograph. She began to look through the pile of papers, soon realizing they were love notes.

As soon as John had hit the horn, he regretted it.

He always felt the horn, when not used to really avert a driving emergency, was sort of rude. The sound of it was startling rude. And he should know. Having lived in Manhattan for the last 7 years, he was very familiar with the sounds of horns. That city lived on horns. And Texas; when he’d lived in that state, he realized, Texans honk at anything also, yet, for different reasons. Texans honked instead of waving. They see a friend on the street, they honk. Cow in the road, they honk. He sometimes thought that, if a Texan went for 5 minutes without honking, they instinctively honked, just because they hadn’t done so in the last 5 minutes. California, when he lived there, the honking was the same as the New York style of honking, yet, in California, they laid on the horn a lot longer making him wonder if they realized how long they kept their hand on the horn. As he was flipping through the mental rolodex of places he’d lived, he saw the light turn from green, back to red. That was now three green lights the blonde had sat through. Something had to be wrong. John decided, before the car behind him started honking at him, he’d get out and go see if the blonde needed help. He put the car in park; opened the door and got out. He immediately regretted not wearing his coat. This town was cold this time of year.

“I love you too, can’t wait to spend time with you again”; “The times we’re together are the best times of my life”; “One of theses days, we won’t have to say good-bye at the end of the night”. Letter after letter had statements like this written on them. Love letters; written on expensive stationary, some of them smelled of sweet perfume. She turned one of the letters over to the backside and that’s when she saw it, the name of the

woman in the picture. The words, “I’ll love you always, Kate” jumped off the

page at her and her mind raced back to a policeman’s ball she and Roman had

attended 3 years ago. That night, she was introduced to a woman named ‘Kate’

and when she looked back at the photograph in her hand, she realized that was

they were the same Kate. The picture began to blur. Marlena blinked a couple

times and the picture only became more and more blurry. It seemed the more she

blinked, the blurrier everything became. She was confused as to what was going

on until she looked down and saw the watermarks on the letters; marks that were

causing the ink to begin to smear.

As John approached the driver’s side window he felt a little anxious jump in his tomach. You never know what to expect when you approach a driver in a car. For all he knew, she could be the perfect definition of a road rager…. a beautiful, blonde, bombshell road rager. “Eh”, he thought, “life could be worse”, and he chuckled a little. As he reached her window, he could see inside and he could see what looked like a mail explosion

lying in the woman’s lap. For a split second he was irritated. Now was not the time to be reading your mail. He tapped on her window. She didn’t even look over. “Man”, he  thought to himself, “That must be some pretty good mail!”. He tapped the window again, this time letting out a little “Wakey, wakey!”

Marlena was jolted from her thoughts and she snapped her head in the direction of her window. She was shocked to see a man standing beside her car. The man was looking into the car and for a moment, Marlena was  offended that this man was invading her privacy. She saw him mouth some words but couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“Are you okay?” John asked, as he looked back at the line of cars that had assembled behind his own car and then back to the blonde.

Marlena was confused. Who was this guy? What did he want? And she was in the middle of something important, why was he interrupting her? “What?” she said, the irritation in her voice not lost on the ears of the stranger standing next to her car.

John thought to himself for a split second, “Wow… this is going to be harder than I thought. She might not be the smartest crayon in the box”. John motioned with his left hand for her to roll down her window.

That was it, Marlena was at her irritation limit.

She hit the button to role down the window. Before she could say anything, the man spoke up.

“Are you alright?” John asked.

“Excuse me?” Marlena snapped.

“We’re all wondering if you’re alright, or if you

are in need of some kind of assistance.”

“Okay”, she thought, “Why is this guy talking to me like he’s the spokesman for a crowd of people?” “I’m fine”, Marlena snapped.

John could clearly see otherwise. The woman was crying. She didn’t seem to be in the mood to get to personal and even if she was, the middle of the road wasn’t the place to do it. “Perhaps this isn’t the best place to take care of your personal business. Might I suggest you move over to the side of the road, finish what you need to do and let the rest of us”, he gestured with his right arm, back towards the line of cars behind Marlena’s, “be on our way.”

With that gesture, Marlena looked in her rearview mirror and was horrified at what she saw. A line of cars, must’ve been 20+ strong. Then, reality hit her. She was sitting in the car, in the middle of the street. How long had she been there? Apparently long enough to draw a crowd.

Flustered, Marlena began spewing a string of apologies.

“Not really a problem…” John was saying, as the BMW Marlena was driving went into drive and the blonde made a sharp right-hand turn into the next lane and was beginning to drive down the road. “As long as you’re okay……..” his voice trailed off.

As John walked back to his car, he made a gesture to all the other cars in line behind him. A gesture indicating he had no idea what was going on with the driver of the car in front of him. He got in his car, shut the door and proceeded to put it in drive, thankful that that would be the last green light he’d sit through today. As he accelerated from the light, he noticed that the blonde in the BMW hadn’t made it very far down the street. In fact, she was driving pretty darn slow. As he passed her, he glanced back in his rearview mirror and saw her wiping tears from her face. And then he noticed her pull the car over to the curb and put it in park. John quickly looked over his shoulder and saw that it was safe to get over. With one quick movement, he pulled the car into the right-hand lane and then over towards the curb and parked. He got out of his car and began walking back to the blonde’s BMW. As he did, he wondered to himself, what was it about beautiful woman and fancy cars that made him lose all common sense.

As John stepped out of his car and headed back to the blonde’s BMW, he put on his gloves and long, black trench coat. He wasn’t going to be caught out in this cold again. Traffic was light, as it should be this early in the morning. He also noticed that the portion of the street they had pulled over on was a little wider than usual. Perfect, he thought. No one needed to get side-swiped by a car trying to help a complete stranger. A completely beautiful, stranger, he thought. Oh, her looks hadn’t gone unnoticed. Even if she wasn’t parked at a green light, this woman’s looks could stop traffic. John pulled his coat closed tighter , buried his hands in his pockets and continued the half-block walk back to her car.

Marlena sat behind the wheel of Roman’s car, crying uncontrollably. She cried long, deep sobs that took her breath away. What was happening? For a few split seconds she thought perhaps she’d gotten into the wrong car. Maybe this wasn’t Roman’s car. Maybe none of this was really happening. Maybe this whole, horrible thing was a dream. When she caught a glimpse of her lap, reality hit her again and another wave of uncontrollable grief waved over her.

A few feet from her car and John could hear this woman’s crying. He quickened his pace to a light jog and got to the car just in time to hear her screaming “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” and pounding her fists on the steering wheel. Her window was still rolled down and as he got up next to her door, he thru all caution to the wind and opened her car door.

“Hey, hey”, he said as he crouched down between the car door and the drivers seat. “Come on now. Don’t cry!” And he instinctively reached inside to give her a hug.

Without putting up a fight, Marlena fell into his hug, hugging him back, her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his neck and continued crying. After a few seconds, she raised her head enough to get a fresh breath and again, the words “Oh God! Oh God!” poured out of her mouth.

“Shhhh….” John said, trying to calm her down a bit.

Always the one to try and lighten the mood, he added, “You can just call me

John. That other name is just so, I don’t know…. formal. I only use the name

‘God’ on special occasions”.

John looked up to see a small group of women walking by on their way to work. He could tell by the looks on all of their faces that, without knowing the situation, they’d already pegged him as the reason for this woman’s emotional state. He rolled his eyes. “Perfect”, he thought, “The minute they turn the corner they’re all going to be on their cell phones, dialing the police, reporting a man harassing a woman”. Not what he needed this morning.

Marlena’s head was resting in the crook of John’s neck. She thought she’d heard him say something, but couldn’t make out what it was, she was crying so hard. John turned his head slightly so his mouth was closer to her ear. “Shhhh…” he kept saying, as he stroked her hair with one of his hands. “It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.”

Time seemed to have slowed down to a snails pace and, while she continued to cry, John couldn’t help but take notice of how wonderful she smelled. She smelled of Barney’s New York or Fred Segal. His years in New York, he’d spent enough time around the classy ladies of Manhattan to be able to tell what the expensive perfumes were and where one could buy them. But even then, this woman didn’t just smell, expensive, she had an intoxicating aroma of sexiness about her. John was both surprised and disappointed in himself. Here, this beautiful woman was having a breakdown, in public no less, and he was caught up in the fact that, although this might be the lowest point she could be having in her entire life, she was still incredibly sexy.

Her smell was erotic and John, unable to resist, found himself closing his eyes and pushing his face farther into her hair.

Marlena’s crying had begun to slow down. She pushed herself back from his embrace. Glancing down, she was mortified to see that all of the make-up she’d applied that morning, was now resting on this man’s nice dress shirt. She began apologizing and wiping at it with her hand, like that would make it go away. She turned away to look for her purse still sitting on the passenger seat. She reached in and grabbed a handkerchief out of it; tuned back to the man and began wiping away at the marks she’d left, all the while, spouting apologies.

“Don’t worry about it”, John kept saying, over and over. She’d acted like she’d never even heard him and was now trying to wipe him down with a hankie. Perfect. Had she heard anything he’d said to her this whole time? The way she was acting, he answered that question in his own head with a resounding “No”.

“Hey…..” John said. He pulled off his gloves and gently grabbed the handkerchief with one hand and the woman’s face with his other hand. “I said, don’t worry about it.”

A shot of electricity shot through John’s entire body the moment his hand made contact with her face. Her face was the softest thing he’d ever felt. He was sure of it. And, for the first time since they’d encountered each other that morning, they made direct eye contact.

Marlena stared back at the stranger holding her face. Part of her was unnerved by his boldness and by the fact that he felt he had the right to place his hands on her. She stared back at him, full of misplaced anger; anger meant for Roman; hurt, also meant for Roman and mixed in there was the thought of how beautiful this man was and how gently he spoke to her. She added confusion to her list of feelings.

John stared back at her. He was completely lost in her beauty. For a woman who had been crying her heart out, probably most of the morning, she was simply gorgeous. Her eyes were an incredible color, unlike any color he’d ever seen before. Her cheekbones were perfectly chiseled. Even her nose was perfect. His eyes dropped down to her mouth. Like the rest of her, it was flawless.

Marlena watched his gaze drop from her eyes, down to her mouth. She did the same and made a mental note of how perfect a mouth he had. He had perfectly shaped lips. The kind of lips some women pay a lot of money to try and have. When she went to take a breath, it was a shaky one; the kind that comes after a long cry. John was jolted back to reality when he felt her body shake a little and he looked back into her eyes. At the same time, Marlena realized she’d been staring at this stranger longer than what would be considered proper . She needed to leave.

She quickly jerked her head out of his hand. “I have to go” she suddenly said. She turned and began gathering all of the papers and pictures, along with her purse.

John stood up, placing his hands in the air as if he’d been ordered to by the police. “Hey, lady, I’m not here to stop you”.

“As if you could”, Marlena snapped back.

“Wow”, John thought, a small smile crossing his face, “She’s really a piece of work.”

He put his arms down and backed up, getting out of between the car door and her, actually holding the car door open for her.

Marlena put her pumps back on and proceeded to get out of the car, never looking John in the face again. She slammed the door shut and started to walk off in the direction she’d been driving from.

As she started to walk away, John looked in the car and noticed she’d left the keys in it.

“Hey… you left the keys in it!” he called out to her.

As Marlena stepped up onto the curb, she called back, “That piece of shit, isn’t my car!”

John just stood there, looking at the car. “Well… okay then” he said, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. He glanced back at Marlena who was making her way down the street. He turned back towards the car. Shaking his head, he opened the car door, sat down in the driver’s seat, his legs still outside the car. He turned the key in the ignition and the instruments on the dashboard came to life. He reached over to the door and

pressed the button to roll the window up. Turning off the key, he leaned forward and got back out of the car. He shut the door and hit the button on the remote to lock the doors. Again, he glanced back in Marlena’s direction. She was easily a half block away already. He shook his head; made a short, chuckle sound, placed the keys in his coat pocket; turned and began making his way back to his own car, all the while making a mental note of his own – should he ever encounter that woman again, she would never drive his car.

He reached his car, opened the door and, before getting in, he took one last glance in Marlena’s direction. She was completely out of sight now. This had certainly been the most interesting morning he’d had in a long time.

Samuel knew that sound. That was the sound of an engine from a black on black Mercedes Maybach 57, driven by the one and only Mr. John Black. He closed his eyes and took in the sound. Samuel loved that car. He smiled at he thought of Mr. Black’s impeccable taste. ‘That man had class’, Samuel thought.

As the Maybach pulled into the parking garage,

Samuel waved and pressed the button to raise the security gate arm. John waved back and pulled the car into the first, ‘reserved’ parking spot just to the right of Samuel’s security booth. John opened the car door and stepped out.

“Good morning, Mr. Black”, Samuel said.

“Good morning, Samuel”, John replied as he closed the car door and walked in Samuel’s direction.

Samuel smiled. John Black was the epitome of high-class. The man dressed in Armani from head-to-toe. Samuel had never seen him dressed in anything less. He also had an air about him that screamed how he liked the finer things in life. Nice cars, nice clothes, nice restaurants… and the list could go on. But Samuel also knew that John Black would drop whatever he was doing and go help if he saw a stranger in need. Samuel was greatly aware of John Black’s giving side. He’d worked for John for over two decades. He was one week away from being homeless, when he’d had a chance encounter with the man Time magazine had put on its cover and called “The Most Important Security Guard in the World”. He was surprised when John had seen him down on his luck, sitting outside a restaurant, offered to buy him lunch and then offered him a job at his security firm, Basic Black. And not only had John hired him, but each time John’s company was sought out for their services and he’d packed up the company and moved, he was as loyal as they come, offering most of his employee’s the opportunity to move wherever the company was going. Getting a job with the best security firm in the world was a dream come true. And every morning Samuel woke up and gave thanks for the life John Black had given to him.

“Samuel”, John said, snapping Samuel out of his thoughts, “I want to thank you again for staying with the company. I know this is a new town, for all of us. If there’s anything you need while we’re here, please, let me know.”

“Yes, Mr. Black”, Samuel replied. Again, he was impressed with John Black’s graciousness. The way he cared about the smallest employee’s was so impressive, it brought tears to Samuel’s eyes. As he watched John walk to the elevator, he said a quick prayer for him; that his day would be a blessed one.

As John got into the elevator going up to the lobby, the thoughts of that morning were still racing through his mind. One of the things he hated most in this world was seeing a woman cry and the woman he’d encountered today wasn’t just crying, she was having a breakdown, the kind of breakdown someone would have if they were mourning the death of a loved one. John knew that the events of that morning were going to take a while to leave his memory, if they ever did.

As the elevator door opened up, the lobby of the building came into full view. John took in the sights. Even though everything wasn’t in place like he’d wanted it to be, everyone seemed to be working well with what they had for the time being. He could see Charles behind the lobby desk and he smiled when he could hear him arguing with a delivery man who just wasn’t getting the new security measures implemented in the last couple days.

“Good morning, Charles”, John said, as he walked by.

Charles stopped his argument with the delivery man in mid-sentence, “Good morning, Mr. Black”, he replied.

John glanced at the delivery man as he made his way across the lobby and to the hallway of elevators that would take him to his office on the 12th floor. He pressed the button to call the elevator and waited. It wasn’t a long wait and that made John happy. There had been buildings he worked in, where he could actually take the stairs and beat the elevator and, although he enjoyed the exercise, he wasn’t thrilled about the idea of securing a building where the elevators would take, what seemed like forever, to get to a floor, should there be an emergency.

As he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, he was pleased with the fact that’d he’d be having a solo ride that morning. He began to remove his gloves and coat and, as he did, he caught a hint of the perfume the blonde in the BMW had been wearing. He tilted his head down to his left shoulder where she had been crying, to try and immerse himself in her smell even more. He couldn’t shake her image. The sounds of her cries echoed in his head. The sadness in her crying was enough to make his heart hurt. The thought that another human being was responsible for making that woman feel that way, sickened him. And as he closed his eyes, he was taken back to the image of her face in his hand and he was once again overwhelmed by her shear beauty. His mind started racing and the next thing he knew he could see himself pulling her face close to his. His lips were barely touching hers. He could feel the heat of her mouth on his. He kissed her lightly. Her lips were incredibly soft. He placed a couple of Eskimo kisses on her left cheek and then brought his mouth back down onto hers. This time he kissed her with more passion and urgency. He heard her moan a little and that sent chills through his body. He pulled his mouth back, ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and, with is hand holding the back of her head, he pushed her mouth back onto his, his lips parted and his tongue entered her mouth. His tongue made contact with hers…….

The elevator chimmed, indicating it had stopped on the 12th floor. John was snapped back to reality the instant he heard it. He quickly looked around inside the elevator, making sure he had been alone with his thoughts. As he stepped out of the elevator he tried to regain his composure before anyone suspected anything.

Sandra tried to hide the look of surprise on her face when she saw John get step out of the elevator. She’d never seen him in any other condition than impeccable, but this morning, his shirt was a complete mess.

“Good morning, Mr. Black”, she said, a sort of questioning tone in her voice. Perhaps he’d had an accident on the way in to work this morning and she was ready, pen in hand, to take some notes about any phone calls she should make.

“Good morning, Sandra”, John replied.

When she didn’t hear him mention anything that was out of the ordinary, she proceeded to act as if everything were normal and she handed him his mail and began rattling off various messages left for him and followed him as he made his way down the hall to his office.

“I had a call from the monitor suppliers this morning stating that they’re still 8 monitors short of what we’ve requested. They said it would be at least 4 more days for them to come in.”

Looking through his mail, John replied “Please call them back and tell them to make it only 2 more days, or I’ll place my entire order with whom ever their biggest competitor is. Please find out who their biggest competitor is.”

“Yes, Mr. Black. The computer people asked for access to your office around 4 o’clock so they can finish up their work”.

“Please tell them to make it 2 o’clock, as I’ll be leaving today at 4.”

“Okay. Robert called from New York and said that the total count for the remaining condos to sell is sitting at 17. If it means anything to you, my sister said she’d be interested in buying my old one, so that might put the number at only 16.”

“Very nice. Tell her she can have it at the price I bought it for.”

Sandra knew that that price was well under market value and she tried to hide her stunned excitement and made a quick mental note to call her sister ASAP.

“Robert also said that he should be completely packed up and moved here within 4 days. He’s waiting for the contracts to be finished up and signed, which he says should be done by this Friday.”

John shook his head in acknowledgement.

They had reached the door to John’s office. He grabbed the door knob and pushed the door open. As they both walked in, they were both taken back by the smell of freshly painted walls. There had been a lot of remodeling to do to make the office suitable for John’s needs. His office was huge. One wall was covered in wiring, waiting for over 60 36” flat-screen TV monitors to be installed; flat screens that would be monitoring the entire building. In another area there was the beginning of what looked like a small IBM warehouse; computer monitors and hard-drives still in boxes, waiting to be set up so John would have the same exact computer monitoring system they’d left behind in New York when they left. Two walls of his office were nothing but windows, over looking all of Salem. From his office, John could see the building he’d moved into. John’s desk was large, but simply accessorized.

There was a laptop computer; another computer monitor, a single phone and other basic desk accessories, all expensive, but understated.

John placed the mail on his desk and walked towards his closet.

“Would you like me to have that shirt taken out to be dry cleaned, Mr. Black?” Sandra asked.

“No. Thank you. I’ll take care of it myself” John replied.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll leave you alone.”

“That’s it for now. Thank you”.

Sandra turned around and began walking out of his office. Just before she got to the door she heard John say, “Sandra…” She turned back around.

“Yes, Mr. Black.”

“Could you order lunch early today? I missed breakfast, so I’m a little hungrier than usual. Thank you.”

“Absolutely, Mr. Black” and with that, she turned, walked out of his office and closed the door behind her.

John reached into his closet. Hung up his coat, took off his suit jacket and then began taking off his shirt. When he got it all the way off, he brought the area the blonde had gotten all her make-up on, up to his nose. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deep and inhaled the aroma of her perfume. He took back what he had thought before. She had smelled better than any of the high society ladies in New York. He pulled the shirt back a little and looked at the damage she’d done to it and he couldn’t help but smile. It might have been an expensive shirt, but the moment he got to spend next to her, his face buried in her hair, his skin touching her skin, that was well worth the price of a ruined shirt. He’d let her ruin every shirt he owned if he could spend time that close to her again. And, just like that, another wave of sadness came over him. Not because the odds were stacked against him ever running into her again, but because of the heartbreaking pain he’d seen her in. No one deserved to be in that much pain.

Before he knew it, he softly said, out loud, “If she were mine, she’d never know pain like that. I’d make sure of that.”

He hung the shirt up in the closet and put on a fresh, new one; replaced his tie and suit jacket and was closing the closet door when he remembered something. He opened the closet door back up, reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out the keys to the BMW that she had left behind. Closing the closet door, he made his way over to his desk where he sat down, turning his chair to face out the window of the new city he’d be calling ‘home’ for a while.

Marlena had practically jogged and made it back to their building in record time. The thoughts of Roman and Kate in the pictures together consumed her thoughts to the point where she didn’t even feel how sore her feet were. The doorman greeted her and she could sense the sound of surprise in the doorman’s voice as he greeted her and opened the door for her.

She crossed the lobby and entered the elevator and when she did she felt an overwhelming sense of nausea over take her. What was she going to say to Roman?

How was she going to approach him? She tried to push the thought out of her mind of literally throwing all the evidence in Roman’s face. That’s how she’d like to let him know what she knew, but the psychiatrist in her kept trying to push a different idea. Remain calm and collective, was what the doctor in her said. But the wife in her wanted to scream, throw things and hit something.

The elevator chimed, alerting Marlena to the fact that she had reached the penthouse. The elevator door opened and, with all her strength, Marlena stepped out. She got her keys out of her purse; took a deep breath, put the key in the lock and turned the handle.

As the door opened Marlena was shocked to see Roman standing in the foyer. Marlena surprised Roman too.

“Doc”, Roman said, with a slight jump in his voice.

He was in the midst of clipping his cell phone to his belt. “Geez, you scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here? I thought you’d gone into the office early.”

Marlena just stood there and stared at him, without saying a word.

“Doc? Are you alright?” Roman looked confused.

When she finally spoke, Marlena was surprised how calm her voice was. Inside she was screaming.

“Roman. We need to talk.”

“Hey, I’d love to be able to take a few minutes and shoot the breeze with you, Doc, but Abe called and I need to get down to the station right away. We got a potential suspect to the stabbing downtown. We can’t hold him for much longer unless we charge him with something.” Roman was moving all over the foyer, gathering the things he’d need for a day on the job.

“Roman”, Marlena said again; completely calm.

Roman’s back was turned to Marlena and he was putting on his jacket. He was just moments from leaving.

“Look Doc, I’m really sorry. What do you say I make it up to you tonight? I’ll try and come home a few minutes early.”

As he finished his sentence he turned around to see Marlena still standing in the same spot as when she’d first walked in. This time, when he looked at her, he actually looked her in the face and he could tell something was bothering her. She looked to him like she’d been crying. And just as he thought that, he saw a tear roll down Marlena’s face.

“Doc?”

Roman made a step towards her, Marlena held out her right hand. Roman looked down at her hand and saw a picture of him and Kate starring back at him. Marlena’s hand began to shake as her silent crying came harder and harder. Roman just stood there, the blood clearly draining from his face, staring at the picture, his hands buried deep in his pants pockets.

“Roman”, Marlena said, her voice barely above a whisper, cracked with the tension she was holding in. She was doing her best not to burst out crying.

Still, Roman remained silent. This was the last thing he’d ever expected. Part of him grew angry that Marlena had been in his car. She had her own car, why did she need to be in his car for anything? He didn’t make eye contact with her, but he could tell that she hadn’t taken her eyes off him.

When Roman realized that there was nothing to say to appease Marlena, he reached over to the table, grabbed his keys and walked towards the front door.

“I’ll be working late tonight”, was all Roman said.

He brushed by Marlena, who was still holding the picture out for Roman to look at. She was crying harder, but still made no noise. She didn’t want to miss anything Roman had to say to her. As he got to the front door, he turned back around, came up alongside Marlena, reached for her hand and took the picture out of it. He turned and walked back to the front door, just leaving her standing there. Marlena put her hand over her mouth to muffle any crying. She didn’t want Roman to have the satisfaction of hearing her cry. He opened the door and started to walk through it when he stopped and, without turning around he asked, “Where’s my car?”

Marlena didn’t even turn around. She was crying so hard she couldn’t see anything. And she knew if she tried to say anything to Roman, she’d just end up sobbing and screaming at him.

When she didn’t reply, Roman walked out the door, closing it behind him.

It took Marlena a few seconds to realize that that was how her marriage was going to end. After 14 years of marriage, in that instance, Roman had shown her the same respect he’d shown to hardened criminals he dealt with at work. She wasn’t awarded an explanation for his actions. She was given nothing. Her grief consumed her and she fell to her knees right in that spot and began to weep, uncontrollably.

John knew today was going to be a slow day. The first week in a new place always was. Not much happened except setting up new systems, getting everyone situated to a new place and then there was the job of acquainting everyone with the new rule changes. In all his years of doing this type of business, he’d only met a few people who were dead set against cooperating when his company would be hired to run the security of a building. And he always found those that resisted the change were the ones he needed to keep his eyes on the most. Either that, or ask their company to move out of the building. If they couldn’t play by the new rules, then they’d have to conduct their business elsewhere. He was grateful that, so far, no one was giving him or his company any resistance with the new changes here. But it was only a matter of time before someone felt like their toes were being stepped on. He was hoping that day would come later, rather than sooner.

John looked at his watch, made a mental calculation, picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Dubai.

John counted the number of rings before the phone was picked up. It shouldn’t be more than two.

“Jim Bennett”, the voice on the other end of the phone said.

“You’re a workaholic”, John answered, smiling that he knew the voice on the other end so well he could predict how many rings before he’d picked up.

“John Black. How the hell are ya, man?”

John and Jim had been friends for years. John had given Jim a job straight off Jim’s days on Wall Street. One night over a few beers, they’d formed a relationship that went well beyond a working one. John had been the godfather to Jim’s daughter, Kimberlinn. Sadly, Kimberlinn had passed away seven years ago, at the age of 4; she drowned at a pool party Jim and his wife had been attending. That was the closest John had ever been to being a father. Jim and his wife had never fully recovered from that tragedy and their marriage dissolved. When Jim thought he was losing everything in his life, he’d asked John to transfer him, to run the daily operations in Dubai. As much as it pained to see Jim go, John knew it would mean a fresh start for his friend and he gave him his blessing. John had learned, in this business, close friends were not something he had the liberty to have many of and he missed those long evenings of good drink and even greater conversation with Jim.

“Lonely”, John replied.

“So what else is new? Ya need to go out and meet people.”

“Oh, is that what you’re doing? Seems to me it’s 7 o’clock in the evening there and you’re still at work”, John quipped.

“Ha… you got me there. There’s always loose ends at the end of every day that need to be tied up, huh?”

“The world is one big loose end. How are things going over there for you?”

“Sandy. There’s nothing but sand over here. How ‘bout where you are? Where are you exactly?” Jim asked.

“Salem”.

“Ah, Salem. So, what’s the new place like? Moved in yet?”

“Not completely, but we’re making good progress. I’m not quite irritated with the pace yet. But ask me that again tomorrow.”

They both chuckled a little. Jim knew that John was the kind of person who didn’t like procrastination and sometimes John thought people didn’t ‘make things happen’ fast enough for his pace.

“So, are there any women in that town that have been lucky enough to dine with the fabulous Mr. Black”?

With that question, John’s mind went back to the blonde from that morning. She was defiantly the kind of woman John would be interested in dinning with. And, again, he closed his eyes and could see her face; smell her perfume.

Jim’s voice broke John’s wandering mind, “Oh, did I say something wrong?”

“No… no. It’s… it’s just, um…” John couldn’t find the words to try and explain the events of that morning in a way that Jim would understand and if he told Jim about the events of that morning and how they affected him, Jim would definitely think John needed to get out more; meet more people. “No…. haven’t met anyone here yet.”

They chatted a bit longer; talking both business matters and personal. After a while, Sandra knocked on his office door and walked in with lunch, placed it on John’s desk and walked out. They wrapped up their conversation, said their good-bye’s and hung up.

John wasn’t really hungry. Sure, he knew he should eat something, but he just wasn’t in the mood right then. He swung around in his chair and took in the city view. Somewhere, out there, there was a beautiful blonde whom he couldn’t get out of his mind. John leaned back in his chair. He placed his left elbow on the arm rest, his left thumb rested under his chin and he was rubbing his bottom lip back and forth with his index finger. He stared off blankly into the distance. What was it about that woman that he just couldn’t let the thought of her go? His mind picked up where it had left off in the elevator earlier that morning. He was once again, face-to-face with her; kissing her. His hand gripped her hair a little tighter and she whimpered softly. As he kissed her, he felt like he couldn’t get close enough to her. As hard as he tried he couldn’t kiss her hard or deep enough. He needed to posses her. She matched each move he made. Her mouth kissed his back just as passionately; her tongue sought out his with the same intensity. He moved his left hand up her thigh, up to and then underneath the hem of her skirt. When his hand reached just above mid-thigh he could feel where her nylons met her garter. The feel of her garter sent blood racing between John’s legs and he became instantly hard. He ran the tips of his fingers over the top of her nylons and then slipped his fingers into the top of them. He pulled on them causing her garter to strain under the tension. She moaned into his mouth. She pushed her head slightly back from his, breaking their kiss. She looked him in the eyes. Her mouth was slightly open and she was breathing heavy. John relaxed the tension on her garter and he moved his hand up her thigh. As his hand wrapped around towards her back and met her ass he could feel she wasn’t wearing any underwear. He pulled her face back down onto his and kissed her with an intense passion that even surprised him. The strain he felt from his erection was almost too much for him and he thought for sure he was going to erupt right there….

A loud crashing sound jolted John back into the reality that was his office. He spun around in his chair in time to see Marcus crawling around on the floor trying to pick up an entire box of random tools he’d accidently dropped. The tools were for the computer technicians who were entering his office right behind Marcus.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Black”, Marcus was saying, “I didn’t know you were here. Sandra buzzed your office, but when there was no answer, she figured you’d left”.

John stared at Marcus with a serious look on his face. In all his life, John had never met anyone as uncoordinated as Marcus. And each day that he worked for John, John hoped he’d improve on those skills. So far, no luck.

“Not a problem”, John said as he got up. He buttoned his suit coat, came around his desk towards Marcus , knelt down taking in the inventory of the tools and then proceeded to help him pick them up and return them to the box.

When he stood, he turned towards the technicians and said, “I’ll be out of my office for an hour. I’ll be in the building if you need me. Sandra will know how to get a hold of me. I’d really appreciate it if you could do whatever you have to do within that hour and be gone when I get back.”

“Yes, Mr. Black” one of them replied.

John turned and headed towards his office door and walked out. He made his way down the hallway towards the front desk. When he got there, he saw Sandra sitting behind her desk, eating her lunch. She was surprised to see him.

“Mr. Black! I had no idea you were in your office”, she said.

John continued to the elevator without stopping. “I’m not. I’ll out for the next hour. I’ll still be in the building if anyone needs me. Please make sure the computer people are out of my office by 3 o’clock.” and, with that, he stepped inside the elevator and the doors closed behind him.

For the last hour John had spent his time with the big-wigs on the 17th floor. The 17th floor was going to prove to be a challenge. The entire floor was taken up by a diamond importing company and their security measures were demanding. So were the big-wigs. John had patiently listened to them rant on and on about their needs and their concerns with the new security firm that had taken over. The entire time they spoke,

John made no comments. He had learned early on that comments led people to believe you had made them promises and when people, who thought you had made them promises, started messing things up on their end, they started pointing fingers at others whom they thought were responsible and that’s when things could get ugly. And, to be honest, he already knew what the 17th floor needed so he was only half-listening to what they had to say. Perhaps if he could get the blonde from that morning out of his head, he’d care a little more about being at work today. But she had ruined his thought patterns for the day and he knew that was a dangerous mindset to be in. In his line of work, he really needed to be focused on the job, when he was on the job. Thanks to her, his day was a complete waste of his time.

He periodically nodded, to make everyone think he was listening and he thought it was a godsend when his cell phone rang. It was Sandra.

“Mr. Black, there’s a gentleman from the DMV here to see you. He says he has some papers he needs you to sign.”

“Thank you, Sandra. Tell him I’ll be right there”.

He hung up the phone, shook everyone’s hand that he’d been talking to, reassured them all that their concerns would be taken care of properly and apologized that he’d need to cut their conversation short as he was needed elsewhere in the building.

As the elevator door opened and John stepped back out, a short, stalky guy was standing at Sandra’s counter, hovering over her. John looked at him, and his eyebrow arched a little as he thought to himself, “Some men try to hard. Poor Sandra”.

“You must be the man looking for me” John said, and held out his hand.

The man turned around.

“John Black”.

“Well, Mr. Black, you’re a hard man to get a hold of”, the man said, as he shook John’s hand.

John looked past him and gave Sandra an inquisitive look.

“I called you as soon as he got here”, Sandra stated, matter of factly.

John looked back at the gentleman with a look of slight irritation. It bothered John when people made comments that would imply he was late for anything, or hard to get a hold of, especially if he were at work. John made no indication he was going to say anything further and the man became nervous.

“Well, I’m Dennis from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the DMV. I brought some registrations for a number of your cars that need to be registered here. My boss said I should make it more convenient and come to you, rather than have you make an appointment and come down to the DMV.

So, if we could get started…”

“Yes, let’s”, John replied; his voice flat and without expression.

“Can we do it in your office…?”

“No. Here will be fine”. John never invited anyone into his office if they didn’t have a direct relationship to his work. If he was in charge of your security, than he would conduct business with you in his office. If you were, say someone from the DMV and your security was of no concern to John, business was never conducted behind his office doors. There was no sense in letting anyone with no connection to him seeing how he ran things.

“Oh…Um… Okay… well, we can start with the Lincoln Town Cars. Here are their registration slips and the receipt for their tags and their plates. I just need you to sign right here.” John began signing his name to the papers.

“Okay… Ahhh…… then there’s the SUV’s. Here’s their tags and plates, and I’ll need you to sign here for them.”

When John said nothing, the man felt the need to fill what he considered awkward silence with small talk. “So… is there any special reason behind all of your cars being black?”

John shot him a look of irritation; he was running on a really short fuse today. “Suppose there is” was all he said.

John continued signing his name.

“And, lastly, There’s the two Mercedes. The 57 and the 62s.” John continued to sign papers. “Man, that 62s; what a nice car. Just beautiful.

Don’t see many Maybach’s around, much less someone who owns two of them. So, what does that thing drive like? Bet it’s nice. Fast too!”

John finished signing the papers, put the pen down and looked at him, “I don’t know. I don’t drive it. I believe we’re done here?

Sandra, I’ll be leaving for the day. Please make sure these plates get to Samuel, to put on the cars. Dennis, I’m sure you can find your way out. Thank you for stopping by” and with that John headed to his office to gather up his things. He could tell he needed sleep. With a little bit of sleep he felt he wouldn’t be so short tempered. When he got into his office he was more than pleased to not see any computer technicians in it and even more pleased to see all of the computers set up. “Tomorrow”, he thought, “would be a better day. Things were getting done around here”.

He made his way out of the building and into the parking garage.

“Good night, Samuel” he said, as he walked by the guard booth, towards his car.

“Have a good evening, Mr. Black.”

As John drove home he was wishing he’d get stuck behind a certain BMW at a green light. He’d sit through a lot of green lights to see that blonde again. He couldn’t wait to get home, relax, have a Scotch and wake up the next morning with his mind back in the game, instead of every minute, having his mind wandering back to a beautiful stranger. As he passed the place on the road where he and the blonde had had their interaction, he noticed the BMW was no longer parked on the side of the road. Well, he’d always

Have the keys for a memory. John laughed to himself. He’d made it to his building, pulled the car into his parking spot, gotten out and headed into the elevator. He could already taste the Scotch. The elevator stopped on the top floor and John got out, put his key in the front door and was met by a stack of books all over the floor. He remembered he still needed to find his coffee pot. But he thought that could wait. He needed to unwind and relax. He tossed his keys on the table next to the door, took off his trench coat and suit jacket and hung them on hooks, also near the door and as he made his way across the large loft, to the bar area, he began loosening his tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt. He poured himself a Scotch, turned around and leaned up against the bar. He surveyed the loft. It was huge. He’d need to buy some new furniture to fill the place. The wall he was facing was a wall of windows that overlooked the city. He thought it was funny that, when he’d moved in, the previous owners had left behind a large telescope. The note they’d left on it said, “To the new tenant. This brought us hours of fun. Enjoy”. John looked at the telescope; thinking of how, the last few days, he’d invaded people’s privacy with it. It made him wonder how many people out there in the city had a telescope pointed in his direction. He was bored tonight; unpacking could wait.

He walked over to the windows and, with drink in hand, he looked through the telescope. It was aimed at an apartment building he estimated was about a mile away. With the view of the entire building obscured by other buildings in the area, he could only see the floors from 17 on up to 32. The building was smaller than the one he lived in. As he looked out that way that night, he saw the usual, people sitting down to eat dinner, people watching TV, playing with their pets; everyone going on about their every day life. He looked up from the telescope and spotted a larger building close by that same one and turned the telescope in the direction of that building. He moved the scope from floor to floor, pleased that he didn’t see anyone with a telescope looking back at him. He chuckled to himself about how funny that would be if he did happen to see that. He moved the scope towards the top of the building; to what would be the penthouse of the building. It looked big and fancy. He raised his head to get an actual visual of the building. He brought his head back down to look through the scope again and when he did, what he saw nearly took his breath away. He could’ve sworn the person he was looking at through the scope was the blonde from that morning. He quickly looked up and rubbed his eyes, his heart was racing. There was simply no way he could’ve seen what he’d just seen. He looked back through the scope again and it was true. In the penthouse of that building, was the blonde from that morning.

It had been 3 weeks since Roman had left Marlena and during that time he hadn’t come by the house once or even called. Marlena decided to take some time off work and, after rearranging her patient’s schedules she put in for some personal time. She didn’t leave town or anything. Instead she decided to spend some time around the penthouse. She had kept herself busy by packing up Roman’s things. After a week with Roman never coming home and never even calling her, Marlena knew, for sure, that things with him were over. She had slowly been moving through the grieving process. One minute she would find herself bawling her eyes out only to be raging mad at Roman the next. As a psychiatrist, she knew the steps of the grieving process so she didn’t bother to try and hold any of her feelings in. Every other day, Louise, the housekeeper would stop by and see if she needed anything, but other than that, no one called or stopped by. Marlena’s inner circle was pretty small and tight. She knew that, by now, everyone had heard the news, so she’d set her answering machine to reflect that she didn’t want to be disturbed and her friends respected her wishes.

Then, three weeks after the discovery of the affair,

Marlena woke up one morning to find a message on her machine. It was from Kate.

Her voice had a matter-of-fact tone to it and she was talking about how Roman had the right to come over there and retrieve his belongings. It infuriated Marlena that Kate would assume Marlena was holding Roman’s things from him. He’s the one who hadn’t made even the slightest attempt to have any communication with her. He’s the one who’s not acted the least bit interested in coming by and getting his things. The next message was Louise letting Marlena know she was checking in on her. It was the message right after that one that made Marlena’s heart jump up into her throat.  It was Roman’s voice. Hearing his voice for the first time in three weeks brought tears to Marlena’s eyes. She played the message at least four times, making sure she’d heard it right. Roman’s voice was expressionless. He first apologized for Kate’s call and then let Marlena know that he’d be coming over there tonight to pick up his things. For some reason, which Marlena couldn’t quite figure out, she immediately felt the need to make herself look presentable. She hadn’t let her looks go since Roman left,

but she felt the need to make herself look really pretty. Maybe it was an attempt to make Roman regret what he was giving up. But that made no sense to Marlena because, after the way he’d handled everything, or the way he hadn’t, she didn’t want him back. Sure, she felt like she was owed an explanation, but even after she heard it, she knew she would never take Roman back. But if she could make him feel bad and regret what he gave up, she was game for that. He said in his message that he’d be stopping by around 9pm and she mentally made plans to look really nice by then.

For the last three weeks, life for John had been what he’d call ‘typical’. Almost all of the kinks had been worked out in the new building and all the new equipment was up and running. There hadn’t been any major issues to address and he was beginning to wonder why the building owner had gone above and beyond security measures by hiring him to watch over the building. So far, everything seemed to be, should he say, almost boring. It was so boring that the only excitement he’d found so far was to watch the beautiful blonde in the penthouse a mile away from him, every night through the telescope. He had come to the conclusion, from watching her, that she’d had either experienced a death in the family or a divorce. He watched her as she packed up men’s clothing. He watched her cry; scream and throw things. He watched her sit and drink alone and he also watched as, each night, she chose to sleep on the couch and not in her bed. Some classic signs of someone who’d lost a loved one. He felt like he was getting a little obsessed with her. Since the night he’d first seen her through the telescope, he had made it a morning routine to pull out of his parking garage and, instead of turning to the right and heading straight to work, he’d make a left and drive by the building she lived in. He was hoping to maybe catch her walking outside on the sidewalk or something. He hadn’t thought of what he’d say to her, had he ever seen her out there, but it was just the thought of seeing her again that made his heart race.

John had put in a full day at work and headed home. The weatherman had predicted rain and he really didn’t feel like going out in that tonight so he decided he’d order in some Chinese food. For some reason, to him, rainy nights alone were even lonelier than regular nights alone. As he got into the elevator of his building and headed up to his loft, his mind wandered to the blonde and what she would be doing on a rainy night; home alone. The elevator stopped on the top floor and John stepped out. He unlocked the door to his loft and stepped inside. He dropped his keys on the table near the door as he took his jacket off and hung it up. He walked over to the phone and called. the Chinese place nearby and placed his order. Knowing that it would only be about 20 minutes until the food arrived he didn’t even bother taking off his shoulder holster. Some would call him paranoid, but he knew, after so many years in his line of work, that one can never assume anything and even though he had met the delivery guy before, he just couldn’t take the chance that that was who was going to knock on his door. He went over to the bar and poured himself a Scotch. He was drinking alone, on a rainy night. He couldn’t get lonelier if he tried.

Without knowing it, John must’ve nodded off to sleep as soon as he’d sat down on the couch because the next thing he knew there was a knock at his door. As he got up from the couch and headed to the door, he instinctively reached for the gun in his holster. It was always a relief to find out that the person at the door was the person he was expecting. He got his food, paid the delivery guy and settled in to eat. It was after he was done eating, when he’d relaxed a bit and before the rain started, that John got up, walked over to the window and looked towards the penthouse through the telescope.

Marlena had taken a shower, fixed her hair real nice; in a sort of half-up do with strands of hair falling around her face. She had put on some nice clothes. Not too nice. She didn’t want Roman thinking she’d dressed up just for him, but she was dressed nice enough for Roman to notice her, she thought. She opened a bottle of wine and had a glass. She wanted to calm her nerves before he showed up.

Her heart was racing when the clock struck 9 o’clock. Her heart sank as the clock struck 9:30 and Roman hadn’t shown up. By 10:30 she had resigned herself to the fact that Roman just wasn’t coming and, again, he hadn’t even respected her enough to call and let her know. She had methodically drunk almost a whole bottle of wine. She was drinking alone on a rainy night. How pathetic had her life become in such a short time, she thought.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had been watching her, so, technically, she hadn’t been drinking alone.

When John first looked through the telescope he was taken aback at how Marlena was dressed up. His heart sank a little with the thought that she might be going out on a date. But as time had passed and no one came to Marlena’s apartment and she didn’t leave, he was slightly pleased. Not that she might have been stood up. Well, okay, he was kind of happy that she had been stood up. She looked wonderful, he thought. If she’d had a date with him, she defiantly wouldn’t have been stood up. He imagined what it would be like to touch her hair; it looked so pretty half up and falling in her face.

Her dress was simple, yet she looked elegant nonetheless. After watching her on and off for a while and it was clear that she wasn’t going out for the night, John’s heart hurt a little to see that she was drinking alone on a rainy night too. It seemed so senseless to him that two people, who could be drinking together, were drinking alone.

Marlena had laid down on the couch around 11:15. She knew Roman wasn’t coming by but she was too emotionally exhausted to go change her clothes. She thought to herself that she’d just lie down for a little while and rest her eyes. Perhaps she’d had too much wine and not enough food. She was already beginning to regret how much she’d drank.

“Wake up!”

Marlena was startled awake by a voice from someone standing over her.

It was Roman.

“Roman!” Marlena gasped, frightened to be woken up with him standing over her.

“Yeah, it’s me”, Roman snapped back.

“I mean, how did you get in here?” Marlena asked, still trying to fully wake up.

“It’s called a key”, Roman shot back and he threw his apartment keys at her, hitting her in the shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing here? It’s way past time for you to be here.”

“Yeah, we all work on your schedule, don’t we, Doctor Evans” Roman quipped.

Marlena was still trying to gather her senses. When she heard the nastiness in Roman’s voice ,she shot him an angry look. “How dare he”, she thought, “I should be the one pissed at him coming over at this late hour”. She glanced over at the clock. It was 1am.

As she breathed in she caught an overwhelming stench of alcohol. Roman was drunk.

John had dozed off on the couch again. When he awoke, he decided it was time to head to bed.

He got up, stretched, walked his Scotch glass over to the bar and set it down. He thought he’d check on the blonde one last time; to make sure she was tucked in to bed on the couch, for the night. It was his way of telling her goodnight. At first, he couldn’t see anything through the telescope. The lens  was trying to focus on the raindrops on the window. When he finally did get it to focus, he was surprised to see a man in the apartment. He looked up and took a glance at the clock. It was 1:13 in the morning. He was confused. Her date didn’t show up until 1 in the morning? Immediately his security senses went into overdrive. He didn’t like the look of this. He didn’t like it at all.

“Roman, have you been drinking?” Marlena asked.

Roman had his back to her.

“Roman?” Marlena said, getting up from the couch.

“I’m a grown man, Doc. I can do whatever I want. And I most certainly don’t have to answer to you for anything.”

“Roman, I think it would be better if we did this at another time” Marlena said, wiping some hair out of her eyes.

“And I certainly don’t have to adhere to any schedule you make for me any more”.

Marlena was confused. She knew he was drunk, but he’d never been a mean drunk.

“Roman, it late….”

Roman swung around to face her, “And what? You need to get to bed? Got big plans for tomorrow? Have lots of patients to see?” He stepped towards her and Marlena began to back up.

“Roman, I’m not comfortable with you here now.”

For every step Roman took towards Marlena, she took a step backwards. In a split second, Roman’s arm reached out and grabbed Marlena by the waist.

“Roman!” Marlena screamed out.

Roman pulled Marlena close to him and she used all her strength to try and keep him at arms distance.

“Roman, let go of me.”

“You’re still my wife” Roman uttered, as he bent his head down and started kissing her on her neck.

“Roman!” Marlena screamed as she pushed her way out of his grasp.

Roman seemed dazed. He looked around the room a bit and, with staggering steps, he walked over to the mantle. With one sweep of his arm he sent everything on the mantle, crashing to the floor. Framed photos, candles, even a clock.

Marlena screamed out.

John had seen enough. In no time at all, he had his shoes on and was running towards the door. He had no idea what he’d do when he got there, but he knew that that beautiful woman needed his help and he couldn’t get there fast enough.

“Roman”, Marlena screamed again.

Roman shot her look that was so filled with anger Marlena felt fear grip her body. She’d never seen him like this before. She had no idea what he might be capable of.

“Fourteen years. I’ve waited fourteen years for you to make time for me. But I was never important enough to you for you to make time, was I?” Roman was practically shaking as he spoke.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Marlena replied, tears starting to stream down her face and she glanced around the room, looing for a potential exit route, should Roman come after her again.

“Kids. You never even gave me kids.”

“Roman…”

“Stop!” Roman yelled out, “It’s my turn to talk now. You’ve had your turn for the last fourteen years.”

“What are you talking about?” Marlena cried out.

“Oh, so innocent, aren’t you?”

“Roman, I really have no idea what you’re talking about…” and she screamed out again as Roman swept his arm across a book self and everything came crashing down to the floor.

John pulled the car up fast to the front of the building where the penthouse was. He got out and ran to the door. He banged on it to catch the night doorman’s attention. As he stood out in the rain, getting soaked, the doorman slowly made his way to the door.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“I need to get in. I need to get to the penthouse. It’s an emergency.”

“And who is it you need to see in the penthouse” the doorman asked.

“I don’t know her name. Look, she’s in trouble. Let me in so I can get up there. And call the police”.

“Sir…..”

“Open this door” John screamed back and he jerked the door handles causing the doors to shake violently.

The doorman threw the door open and John ran in past him. He headed straight for the elevator and pushed the button. The wait felt excruciatingly long. He heard the doorman on the phone with the police requesting for a patrol unit to come out. When the elevator doors finally opened, John raced inside and repeatedly pressed the button for the top floor.

The ride to the top floor felt like it took an eternity. When the elevator had finally reached the top and the doors opened, John stepped out and he immediately heard the screams of the blonde coming from a nearby apartment. He ran towards the voice and when he reached the door to the apartment he kicked the door in.

Roman was standing over Marlena, his right arm grabbing onto her left arm. She was on the floor crying and trying to get away from him. Roman was standing over her yelling and screaming at her. The things he was saying to Marlena were making no sense to her. He was in a drunken rant.

In one swift move, John ran inside the apartment, grabbed Roman by the back of his collar, spun him around and punched him square on his right cheekbone. As Roman fell to the ground, John grabbed him by his collar and in one abrupt movement, with one hand holding Roman by the collar, he reached over and pulled his gun out of its holster and pointed it right at Roman’s left temple.

Marlena let out a terrifying scream. John glanced over at her, making a quick visual assessment of her physical condition. Physically she looked fine, albeit, she looked a little ruffed up around the edges. He looked back over at Roman. The man was passed out. He let go of him and Roman dropped to the floor, landing in a slummed pile. With the gun still pointed at him, John walked over to Marlena who was curled up in a corner, her knees tucked up under her chin and she was crying hysterically.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

Through her tears Marlena screamed at him, “Who the hell are you?”

“That doesn’t matter right now. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

“No. I’m fine. I’ll be fine” Marlena said, as she looked at Roman, unconscious on the floor.

John holstered his gun and knelt down beside her. “Are you sure? Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?”

“No. He’s drunk. I’ve never seen him like this. Oh God”, she cried and began to sob again.

John put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. The moment he did he was instantly reminded how soft she was; how sweet she smelled. “Shhhhh…. It’s all going to be okay”, John whispered in her ear. He pulled himself away from her and looked her in the eyes. “The police are on their way.”

Marlena declared, through short, crying breaths, “He is the police.”

John’s mouth dropped open in disbelief as he looked over at the man he’d knocked unconscious and who’s head he’d  put a gun to; how was he going to explain all of this, when the other police arrived.

As John stood in the corner, he surveyed the room. Two of the police had introduced themselves to him, briefly talked to him and then asked him not to go any where, they’d be back to talk with him more in depth. The man he’d knocked out was out in the hallway, holding an ice pack to his face talking with the two policemen that had also spoken to him. The blonde was talking with a couple other police. She was no longer crying and had, in fact, been glancing over his way quite a bit. That made him really nervous. She already made him nervous, but adding talking to police, possibly about him, made him get a sensation the pit of his stomach to do whatever he had to, to get out of that room. He could tell, by the way she talked with the police, that she had a relationship with them that went beyond just police business. He could tell that she knew them outside of their working environment.

He couldn’t take standing there and looking at her anymore. The more he looked at her the more he wanted to walk over to her, grab her by the arm and pull her into an empty room and have his way with her. He turned his back to her, walked over to the windows and stared out into the city. He couldn’t see much, as it was dark outside. The rain left water drops on all the windows. He could see more of the reflection of the room behind him in the windows, than he could see the city. He closed his eyes and began to rub the back of his neck. It had been a really long day and he was beginning to feel extremely tired. He had yet to talk to the police and explain why he was in the apartment, how he knew anything was going on; he hadn’t even given them his name yet. This night was going to be a lot longer than it already had been.

He felt someone brush his arm and he opened his eyes to see the blonde standing next to him. Her arm was placed on his and she was looking him right in the eye.

“Are you alright?” she said.

“Am I alright? I’m fine” John said, a little confused. “How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine”, she said and smiled.

John looked around the room and noticed everyone had left. He looked back to the blonde. Her gaze hadn’t left him. He looked at her a little puzzled. He didn’t understand why she was smiling up at him, her eyes not wandering and her hand never leaving his arm.

“I’m sorry”, she said. “I haven’t thanked you properly.” And, with that, she reached her arm up around John’s neck, stood on her tip toes and brought her face close to his and gently kissed him on the mouth.

John was stunned but without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body into his. His left-hand traveled from her lower back, up to the back of her head where he ran his fingers into her hair and held her head firmly in place, leaving her unable to move away if she wanted to. He kissed her deep and heard her moan a little. That sent a chill through his body and, instantly, his cock became hard. He moved his right hand down to her ass and pushed her body into his cock. He needed her to feel how much he wanted her. Again, she moaned. This time deeper. John pulled his face back from hers. He wanted to see how much she desired him. When he looked at her, her eyes were closed, her mouth was slightly parted open and she had a smile on her face. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. John knew he had to have her, right then and there. He reached down and lifted her up, his hands firmly grabbing her ass. She wrapped her legs around his and brought her mouth  down onto his, wrapping both her arms around his neck. Her mouth was on fire asJohn kissed her back, parting her lips with his tongue. She moaned into his mouth as their tongues explored each other. Her tongue was hot and wet and John couldn’t help but wonder how hot and wet she was between her legs. He walked forward while carrying her. When he reached the nearby wall he pushed her body up against it and pushed his weight into her, his cock throbbing up against her pelvis. He ground his cock into her and, throwing her head back, she took her mouth off his and she let out a cry as she felt the weight of his body and the hardness of his dick. John looked her in the face, just to reassure himself that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She looked back down at him, the look of desperate passion covering her face. John moved his right hand to the front of her blouse and he began slowly unbuttoning it. She leaned her head back into the wall again and arched her back a little, allowing her breasts to be shoved closer to his face. He could smell her; a mixture of expensive perfume and raw sex. He dropped his head down between her breasts and breathed her in. That smell was so intoxicating and it almost pushed him over the edge. He could feel his pre-cum on the inside of his pants. He opened the right side of her blouse and saw her sexy, lacey black bra. It barely covered her breast. He could feel her breathing getting heavier as he began tracing the top of her bra line with his fingers. He looked up at her face one more time and, seeing how much she was enjoying this, he smiled and brought his mouth down onto her breast.

“You haven’t heard a word of what I’ve said, have you?” Marlena was completely irritated. “Hello?”

John was startled when he heard the blonde’s voice behind him. He spun around and was startled to see her standing there, fully clothed. He looked back at the wall, turned back and looked at her again and, still confused, realized it had all been a dream of sorts. He looked past her and realized that everyone else was still there too. Perhaps even more police than before.

“I said you can go now”, Marlena said, matter of factly.

“Oh… um… okay. Um… I haven’t spoken with the police yet…”

“I know. It’s alright. I’ve talked to them. No one’s pressing charges or anything. You’re free to leave” she paused and then added, “ Please.”

Again, John looked past her and at all the police that felt the need to answer the call here tonight. When he looked back at her, he was even more confused to see the irritated look on her face.

John started to open his mouth to say something and thought twice. He nodded towards her and then walked past her towards the piano that he’d set his jacket on top of, along with his holster which was missing its gun.

John turned back to her and with no expression in his voice, said, “I need my gun.”

“Abe”, Marlena called out.

John looked in the direction of the group of police standing around the man he’d hit. One of the policemen looked in Marlena’s direction and broke from the group and made his way over to her.

“Abe, this man needs his gun back”, Marlena said, pointing towards John, but looking down at the floor.

John just stared at her with a confused, slightly angry look on his face. He had helped this woman out and she didn’t even bother to thank him. He was disgusted by her attitude. She may be drop dead gorgeous, but her personality was greatly lacking.

“Can I see some type of identification, sir, including a concealed weapons permit”, the cop was asking him.

Still looking at the blonde, John reached into his back pocket and got his wallet out. He opened it and pulled out his drivers license and his permit and handed it to the man.

Abe took it and looked it over carefully. “You live in New York?” he asked.

“No”, John replied, never taking his eyes off the blonde. “I’ve recently moved to the area.”

“I see. Well, you’re permits legal and up-to-date. Let me go and get your firearm.”

Abe turned and walked back to the group of police. They all began mumbling, talking amongst themselves. John could tell they were talking about him but he didn’t care. He kept his gaze firmly planted on the blonde; trying to figure out her story. He put his holster back on and then stood there, facing her, his hands in his pants pockets.

Marlena could feel the mans eyes burning into her. She didn’t want to look back at him. She’d been glancing at him for the past few hours and she was fully aware that he had devastating good looks. She’d noticed his nice clothes and his clean cut appearance, from his haircut to his manicured hands. Even though he’d been soaking wet when he first got there, being this close to him now she was intoxicated by the way he smelled . He was definatly a man who took good care of himself. She knew if she were to look him in the face, especially at this close proximity, she’d allow herself to become vulnerable, sexually, towards him.

Abe returned with John’s gun. “Mr. Black, here’s your firearm”, he said, handing it back to John.

“Thank you” was all John said. He kept his eyes fixated on the blonde as he holstered his gun, clipping it into place. He picked up his jacket, put it on and turned to leave.

He had taken a few steps away from her and Marlena couldn’t take it anymore. She had to ask him a question.

“How did you know?”

John stopped and turned around and looked her in the eye. “Know what?” he said. Matter of factly.

“That there was something not quite right here, tonight. How did you know?”

John walked back towards her, never removing his hands from his pockets and got within a foot of her. He looked her up and down, taking in her beauty, one last time.

“I live in the area”, he replied, staring her right in the eye again.

“Interesting. That’s not what the doorman said.”

John just stood there, staring at her, never blinking. He’d learned a long time ago not to give up any unnecessary information. If the cops weren’t going to ask him questions, he didn’t feel any obligation to give any more information to anyone and especially not to her.

He gave her a slight nod. “Good night” and with that he turned around and left.

Marlena’s heart sank as she watched him walk away, past Abe, Bo and Roman. He didn’t say a word to them, yet he didn’t walk past them with his head down either, like most people would have. She was instantly taken in by his confidence. She was turned on by the way he carried himself, the matter-of-fact air that he had about himself.

She watched as he walked out the front door and across the hallway to the elevator. He pushed the button to call the elevator. When the elevator arrived, she watched him step inside and turn around. He stared right at her as he reached over and pushed the button for the lobby. The doors didn’t close right away and for that brief moment, they didn’t take their eyes off each other.

As the doors of the elevator began to slowly close, a smile came across John’s face.

Marlena just stared.

And just like that, he was gone.

Abe walked over to Marlena and noticed her staring in the direction of the elevator.

“You do know that it was very foolish to not at least let us question him”, Abe said to her.

That brought Marlena’s attention back to the room. Looking up at him she said, “Abe, both you and I know, Roman got what he deserved tonight” and she walked away.

Chapter 7

John hit the button to recline the rear seat in the 62s. He needed the few extra minutes to rest his eyes. On his way home from the blonde’s house, he’d called Samuel to pick him up for work. He knew he would be in no condition to drive. He had gotten 3 hours of sleep and there wasn’t enough coffee in the world to get him awake and alert enough to operate a vehicle; getting through work was going to be difficult enough.

Samuel pulled the car up to the front of the building at exactly 8:00am. He put the car in park and got out. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. John stepped out onto the sidewalk, glanced around and took notice of the various cars parked at the curb out front, one of which was a delivery truck. John looked at his watch. It was 8:03. He decided to just stand there and see how long it took the delivery

truck driver to return to his truck. He pulled his coat closed and put his hands in his pockets.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Black?” Samuel asked.

“Everything’s fine, Samuel. Please keep the car ready. I’m not sure if I’ll be using it for lunch.”

“Yes, Mr. Black” and with that, Samuel got back in the drivers seat and drove off to go park the car in the parking garage.

At 8:05 and with the delivery truck still parked out front, John turned and headed inside. As he entered the lobby, the scenario he thought might be happening was. Charles was arguing at the lobby desk with the driver of the delivery truck, trying to explain to him that he was not allowed to deliver the package he had, himself, that there were new security measures in place and that packages were now being delivered by an internal delivery company.

“He already knows this”, John stated, loudly, as he approached the delivery man. The delivery man swung around and was face-to-face with John. “And I know you already know this because I’ve seen you here before, having this same exact conversation with this man”, he said, pointing at Charles, “about 3 weeks ago. Now, if you can’t understand the new procedure of dropping packages off at this front desk and then leaving, making it so that your delivery truck isn’t parked out in front of this building for longer than 60 seconds, I’m going to deny your company access to deliver anything here, period. Leave the package and get that truck out of here or I’ll have it towed to South Jersey. And I’m not joking.”

The delivery man looked at John and could tell, from the expression on his face, that he was indeed not joking.  He dropped the package and turned around and headed out to his truck.

John turned to Charles.

“That will be the last time this happens. Call whatever company he’s with and tell them that that driver no longer has access to this building. If they have deliveries to make here, they are to send a different driver. And explain to them the new procedures here. If they don’t like it, they can deliver whatever they have to the curb and their customers

can go outside and pick them up there….”

As John was talking, he pointed towards the front doors and to the curb beyond. He glanced in that direction and caught the sight of the blonde as she walked through the front doors and into the lobby. The sight of her startled him and stopped him in mid-sentence and his eyes followed her as she made her way across the lobby to the elevators.

“I hope you get the point. I have to go”, John said, never taking his eyes off the blonde and he headed towards the elevators, following her.

“Hold the door”, John called out, as he approached the elevator he’d seen the blonde step into.

At the last second, he stuck his hand in between the closing doors, making them re-open. When they did, he was staring at the blonde. He stepped into the elevator, turned around and stood next to her. He was thankful they were alone in the elevator. He hit the button for the 12^thfloor.

As the doors closed he asked, “What floor do you need?”

“Fourteen, please”, Marlena said. She was an emotional mixture of shocked, irritated and yet excited to see the man from last night.

As the elevator made its way up to their desired floors, John couldn’t help but try and start a conversation with her.

“So…. You work here?” he said.

Marlena rolled her eyes.“Yes”.

“Wow, she’s a talker”, thought John. “This was going to be difficult”.

“What do you do here?” As soon as it came out of his mouth, he wanted to shrink into his trench coat.

“I’m in the medical field”, Marlena responded, straightening out the wrinkles in her coat she had draped over her arm. She was hoping she’d been vague enough and yet she cringed at how irritated her response sounded.

John took notice that she sounded put off by him trying to have a conversation with her so he decided to goad her even more.

“Awww…. You hawk pharmaceuticals to various doctors?” He didn’t look over at her but instead kept watching the numbers of the floors creep by, glad that this elevator ran slower than the others.

“No. I’m a doctor”, Marlena replied. This time the irritation in her voice was real.

“Oh… a brain surgeon!” John said, smiling to himself, proud of how sarcastic he’d said that.

Marlena glanced up at him with a look of confused annoyance on her face.

“No. I’m not a brain surgeon.”

“Really?” John said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

“I’m a psychiatrist”, Marlena responded, waiting for him to make another snide remark.

When he didn’t respond, Marlena’s curiosity got the best of her.

“I suppose you work here?” she asked.

“Yep” was all John replied.

Marlena waited for him to say more and when he didn’t she got even more angry at herself that she even cared and couldn’t help herself from asking more questions.

“What do you do here?”

“I’m in securities”.

Thinking she’d be a smart-alec she replied, “Oh… the stock market. I didn’t realize they had an office here”.

“No… not that kind of securities” John replied.

“Oh… you’re a security guard?” Marlena asked, hoping that would irritate him enough.

A small smile came over John’s face. The more she tried to be sarcastic, the more he liked her.

“Yeah. I’m a security guard”, John replied. “Fourteenth floor, huh?”

“Excuse me?”  “You work on the fourteenth floor?”John asked.

“Yes”.

“Interesting”, John said.

“What’s so interesting about that?” Marlena asked.

“Well, this building has no 13th floor” John said.

“So what?”

“Well, with no 13th floor, I think you 14th floor people know what floor you’re really on. Glad you’re not superstitious.”

Marlena was annoyed and glanced up to see what floor they were on. Just as she did, the elevator stopped on the 12th floor and the doors opened.

As John stepped out he turned around and held the door open with his hand. He looked her right in the face and said, “Should one of your patients jump out the window, they’re going to die a floor earlier” and with that he let go of the door and turned around and left.

“Asshole”, Marlena whispered.

Just as she said that a gentleman about 6’8”, muscular build, dressed in an all black suit, stepped into the elevator doors and looked right at her. As he got inside the elevator and turned around, he called out, “Good morning, Mr. Black”.

“Good morning”, John replied.

The elevator doors shut and Marlena looked up at the man. She remembered that name from the night before. That’s what Abe had called him.

“You work with him?” Marlena asked the man.

“No, Ma’am”, the man replied. “I work for him”.

The doors of the elevator opened on the 14th floor and Marlena stepped out.

John’s day couldn’t get any better, he thought. The beautiful blonde worked in his building. He had renewed enthusiasm to come to work every morning. He had a huge smile on his face as he approached the front desk Sandra was sitting behind.

“Good morning, Sandra” he said, as he picked up his mail and began sifting through it.

“Good morning, Mr. Black” Sandra replied.

“Any messages for me this morning?”

Sandra took note of the huge smile on his face.

“No, nothing urgent. I’ve left all the messages on your desk.”

“Perfect” John said and started to walk down the hallway to his office.

“Oh, Mr. Black?” Sandra called out.

John stopped and turned around. “Yes, Sandra?”

“Mr. Black, there’s a man here to see you. He says it’s important. I put him in conference room number 3.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know him, Mr. Black. He says his name is Roman Brady. He says he’s with the Salem police department.”

The smile drained from Johns face. The man he’d hit last night had tracked him down to his work. He could imagine what kind of civil lawsuit would come from this, now that the man knew he owned a business.

“Thank you, Sandra. I’ll meet with him right now” John said and turned around. He’d taken a few steps when he stopped and turned back around. “Sandra”.

“Yes, Mr. Black?”

“I need you to get me information on everyone who occupies an office on the 14th floor. Names and suite numbers, please.”

“Yes, Mr. Black. Right away.”

“Thank you”.

Marlena turned the knob on the door and entered the reception area of her office. The familiar scent of the place warmed her inside. She was happy to be back at work. She knew it would take her mind off of things going on in her personal life. She immediately saw Robin sitting behind the reception desk. Robin looked up as she heard the door open and was surprised to see Marlena walk in.

“Doctor Evans”, she exclaimed. “It’s so nice to see you.”

“Well, thank you, Robin” Marlena replied, as she made her way past the reception area and towards her office.

Robin got up from her seat and walked in Marlena’s direction.

“I had no idea you’d be coming in today. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m feeling better. Thank you for asking.”

As Marlena spoke, she entered her office and walked towards her desk where she sat her briefcase and jacket down.

“And how was everything while I was gone?” Marlena asked.

“Everything was nice and quiet. No big issues.”

“Oh?” Marlena questioned. “We’re their small ones?”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean anything like that” Robin said. “There were a couple of patients who didn’t get the message we left for them that you’d be out of the office, because they were on vacation, and they showed up for appointments.”

“Well, I hope they weren’t too angry”, Marlena said, as she sat down behind her desk and began thumbing through the stack of messages waiting for her.

“No. Not too upset.”

After pausing for a little bit, Robin finally asked Marlena, “So, are we back to a normal schedule? I mean, with patients and all?”

Marlena looked up from her messages and smiled at Robin. “Yes, we are.”

“It’s really good to have you back, Doctor Evans” and with that she turned to leave. Just as she got to the door between Marlena’s office and the reception area, Marlena called out to her.

“Robin…”

“Yes, Doctor Evans?” Robin said, turning around to face her.

“I know that, from your experiences eating your lunch at the commissary here that you get to know quite a few people in the building.”

“Yes?” Robin replied.

“Well, I was just wondering if you happened to ever meet a gentleman by the name of Mr. Black”.

“You mean, John Black?” Robin shot back with overwhelming enthusiasm in her voice. This surprised Marlena.

“Yes. I guess. John Black”

“Oh, no,  Ma’am. I don’t think he eats in the commissary here. At least I’ve never seen him there.” As she spoke, Robin sat down in one of the chairs that faced

Marlena’s desk and her voice and body language became more animated. Marlena tried to hide her expression of bewilderment at the way Robin was acting by the

mere mention of this man, John Black’s, name.

“You do know that his security firm took over security operations here while you were gone. I mean, it was like, over night, boom; there was this whole sea of people dressed all in black, wandering all over the building. I’ve seen Mr. Black a couple of times. I’ve ridden in the elevator with him. He looks so much better in person than those pictures they had of him in Time magazine….”

“Time magazine?” Marlena interrupted.

“Yeah! He made the cover a couple years ago. You didn’t read it? Don’t get me wrong. He looked sexy in that magazine, but when standing next to him in an elevator, he just looks so much better. Nice clothes, nice haircut. He even smells good. You can’t get that kind of impression of someone just by reading an article of them in a magazine or

something. I’ve tried to time it so I’m in the lobby at the same time he is every morning, so we can ride the elevator together. I think he gets here around 8am every morning. And I mean, like clockwork. Well, except for today. He must’ve been late because he wasn’t there when I was. And I even waited….Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go on and on about him. He is fine though. What was it you were wondering about him?”

“Nothing. Never mind”, Marlena said.

“Oh, okay, well, if there’s anything else you need, let me know” and with that, Robin got up and headed to the door again. When she reached it, she opened it and, before walking out, she turned around and said, “You know, his entire operations in on the floor just below us. Nice to know he’s so close by”. And with that Robin gave a devilish grin, turned around, walked out and closed the door behind her.

Marlena sat at her desk. A mix of emotions ran through her. She was intrigued by this John Black, glad to have learned his first name. She defiantly agreed with Robin, he was very attractive. He also had an air of mystery about him that she relished. There was part of her that would like to learn more about him. And even another part of her wondered what he kissed like.

John grabbed the door knob to conference room 3 and, with a sigh; he opened the door and walked in. The man from the night before was standing at the opposite wall looking out the windows over the city of Salem.  Roman turned around when he heard the door open and saw John standing there.

“Nice view you have here” Roman said, gesturing towards the window.

“Thank you” was all John replied. He stood near the door; hands in his pockets, noticing the nice big bruise on the side of the man’s face.

When Roman saw that John wasn’t going to offer up any more, he walked to the conference table that was in the room, sat his coffee down and walked closer to John.

“This is a really nice place you have here” Roman said.

John didn’t respond. He just glanced down at his shoes and then back up at Roman.

“My wife works in this building. But I’ve never been on this floor…”

“What can I do for you?” John interrupted. His tone,unwavering.

“Oh… well… um, perhaps we can shut the door and have this conversation in private…”

John cut him off again, “No. There’s no need for anything you have to say to me, to be private.”

John had years of experience with people trying to blackmail him for money and he never trusted anyone who didn’t have legitimate security concerns that he could help with, to have conversations with doors closed.

“I understand” Roman said, hesitating to get to the point of why he was there. “Um, last night was very interesting…”

Again, John didn’t say anything to him. He liked seeing this man squirm.

“Um… I was very drunk last night. Not really an excuse for my behavior. I don’t know. I just felt like I owed you an explanation…”

“You don’t owe me anything”, John interrupted again. “You’re certainly not entitled to an explanation for my behavior.” John stared back at him.

“I understand. I just didn’t want you getting the impression that that was normal behavior for me”

“And why would you think I would care what your normal behavior is?”

Roman shot John a nasty look. Roman was the type of person who was easily offended, whereas, John was just the opposite.

“Well, I don’t suppose you would care about my private life. But since you made it your business last night to get involved with it…”

“Stop right there”, John replied with a stern tone. “I don’t care about you or your private life. But when you raise your hand to a woman, that’s when it stops being private and it becomes public. You don’t want your dirty laundry aired, then keep your actions in check. Grow a pair. Quit blaming things like alcohol on your disgusting behavior. There’s a huge difference between getting drunk and coming home late and what you did last night.” John paused.  “We’re done here.Get out” and John motioned towards the door.

Roman picked up his coffee cup and walked past John giving him a nasty look.

Before he was out the conference room door, John added, “And keep with the habit of not visiting this floor.”

Roman was fuming when he got into the elevator. He had come to apologize for his behavior and he left feeling like John had punched him in the face again. Roman hit the button for the 14th floor. He was going to pay Marlena a visit.

John walked out of the conference room and as he entered the hallway he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Trevor standing there. They exchanged silent glances, each of them knowing the other well enough to know what the glance meant. The man who had just left was a lose cannon and could pose a problem in the future. Trevor gave John a slight nod, knowing that John’s glance was his way of telling Trevor to make a mental note, should that man ever enter the building again, to keep a close eye on him. John turned and walked to his office.

Who knew, John thought to himself, that this small town of Salem, could have so much drama in it. And he had a feeling this was just the beginning of it all. John took off his suit jacket, walked over to the closet, opened the door and hung it up. He was still replaying, in his mind, Roman’s conversation. He was trying to figure out what he thought Roman had to gain by coming to his place of business and letting John know he wasn’t a wife beater. Or at least not on a regular basis. John didn’t like the feeling that

Roman thought he could intimidate him by hunting him down and showing up at his

work. John knew he wasn’t a hard person to track down, but the fact that Roman felt the need to go out of his way and there before John got to work, left a nasty taste in John’s mouth. As he sat down at his desk, the keys to the BMW that the blonde had left behind caught his eye. He laughed at how Roman would’ve reacted if John had handed them to him when Roman went to leave. And when that thought hit him, he got an uneasy feeling about Roman and him being in the same building as the blonde. He picked up a remote and switched three of the monitors to cameras on the 14th floor. The pictures started flipping through their rotation and after a few seconds, John’s heart jumped in his throat. One of the cameras picked up an image of what he thought might be happening.

He picked up a walkie-talkie and hit the button.

“Trevor!” he called out.

When Trevor heard his voice, he knew something was wrong, “Yes, Mr. Black” he answered.

“Get to the 14th floor and resolve the issue taking place in the hallway.”

‘Yes, Mr. Black”. And with that, Trevor ran for the stairwell door and started sprinting up the flights of stairs.

Roman was fuming by the time the elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the 14th floor.  He was all turned around in the building and it took a few second for him to acquaint himself to where he was and in which direction Marlena’s office was. He stormed down the hallway in her direction. When he got to her office, he swung the door open hard, making it hit the wall. Robin looked up startled.

“Mr. Brady!”

“Where is she?”

“I’m sorry. Where’s who?”

“Marlena. Where is she? Is she in with a patient?”

Roman was yelling, as he made his way to Marlena’s office door. He swung the door to her office open just like he’d done to the other door. Marlena was looking through her messages when the door burst open and she saw Roman standing there.

“Roman!” she called out and jumped in her seat a bit.

“Didn’t think I’d find out?”

“What?” Marlena shot back, completely confused.

“You fucking him?”

“What?!?!”

“John Black. You fucking him?”

And with that, Robin’s ears perked up.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Roman kept advancing towards Marlena and finally made it around her desk. He grabbed her arm and lifted her out of her chair.

“What, you didn’t think I’d find out? Thought you covered your tracks pretty well?”

“Roman, you’re hurting me. Let go.”

Roman started leading her out of the room, through the reception area and out into the hallway.

“What kind of a fool do you take me for? All this time I was feeling sorry for you. For what I’d done to you by sleeping with Kate. And this whole time you’ve been fucking John Black behind my back!”

He was screaming so loud that a few other office doors opened and people stuck their heads out into the hall to see what was going on.

“Roman. Lower your voice. This is a place of business. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about…”

“John Black. The man you’ve been fucking thinking I wouldn’t find out about it”, Roman screamed.

“Stop this”, Marlena screamed back. “I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re way out of line here.”

“Oh, so let me guess” Roman said as he took a step back and gestured in the air with his hands. “Last night, he just happened to be “in the area” and you just happened to be dressed up real nice….”

“Stop this”, Marlena yelled between her clinched teeth, tears streaming down her face.

Roman leaned in close to her and grabbed her arm again, jerking her closer to him.

“Listen to me. You’ve play innocent this whole time and all the while you’re fucking John Black. Probably right in your office, on the same couch your pathetic patients pour their fucking guts out to you on. You think you can divorce me; drag my name through the mud and keep your reputation untarnished….”

“No, Roman, you’re wrong…” Marlena sobbed through tears.

“Save it. You’re about as innocent as I am in this whole thing. My bet is you’ve been fucking John Black longer than Kate and I have been together. Explains the reasons you never had time for me, why you were never home, why you were never interested in sex with me. Hey, why fuck me when you can fuck John Black all day at work.”

“Roman, you’re hurting me…”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. You think this hurts. Wait until you see what I do to you in court…”

Just then, Roman felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Trevor standing behind him. Marlena looked past Roman and recognized the man. He was the same man she’d ridden briefly in the elevator with that morning .

“Let her go” Trevor said, calmly.

Roman sized Trevor up. Trevor had to chuckle to himself over that. The man that stood before him was no where close to being able to take him on, should he want to go a couple rounds.

“It’s time you’ve left the building. I’ll show you the way out.”

Roman let go of Marlena’s arm, took a few seconds to gather himself. He took one last glance at Marlena.

“This isn’t over yet, Marlena. Not by a long shot. This just got started.”

With that, he turned and walked away; Trevor escorting him to the elevator and getting in it with him to ride it down to the lobby and escort Roman completely out of the building.

John had watched it all on the security monitor. He watched as the blonde leaned up against the hallway wall, her hand covering her mouth. He could tell she was crying. He programmed the monitor to stay permanently on that location. He sat back in his chair. Before his mind had time to wander, there was a knock on his door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Sandra walked in with a small stack of papers in her hand.

“Mr. Black. I have the list of person’s working on the 14th floor.”

“Thank you”, John said, reaching his arm out to take them from her.

“Would you like me to order lunch, Mr. Black?”

“No thank you. Not yet.”

Sandra turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

John started looking through the pages of names. Of all the people on the 14th floor that occupied an office, only one name was female.

“Doctor Marlena Evans”, John said out loud.

He sat back in his chair and a small smile came across his face. He made a mental note of how the name ‘Marlena’ felt in his mouth when he said it. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady, he thought. He swiveled around in his chair and looked over at the monitor once again. When he saw Marlena still crying out in the hallway he immediately got up and headed out of his office. He made his way down the hallway, past Sandra, sitting behind the reception desk, and through the door to the stairwell. He climbed the flight of stairs with ease and opened the door to the 14th floor. As he made his way down the hallway that would connect with the hallway where Marlena’s office was, his mind was racing. He didn’t know what he was going to say. He knew what he’d like to do and that was to take her in his arms and hold her tight until she was done crying.

As he rounded the corner he saw Marlena standing half-way down the hallway; her back to him. As he approached her she heard him and turned around to face him. She was still crying, silent tears streaming down her face. John stopped about fifteen feet from her. Marlena tried to stop her tears. She clinched her mouth shut, refusing to let the sounds of her crying to be heard anymore. She wasn’t about to let John Black have the satisfaction of hearing her cry. She shot him a look of disgust, mixed with undiluted pain, but in the back of her mind she felt like bursting out crying all over again, when she saw the look of absolute despondence on John’s face. She could swear he looked like he was about ready to cry him self. She dropped her head, pretended to smooth out her skirt, looked up at him one last time and then opened the door to her office and walked in, closing the door behind her.

John just stood there for a minute, wondering how it was that he always seemed to mess things up when it came to this beautiful woman. Every time he had a good intention towards her, it backfired in his face. He turned around and headed back to the stairwell feeling completely hopeless.

For the last week, John had done everything in his power to avoid having any contact with Marlena. He felt he had inflicted enough pain on her. Every time he was around her, the complete opposite of what he wanted to happen, always did. So, to avoid any further complications, he had begun arriving earlier than usual for work each day and leaving later than normal. He’d begun taking the back way into his office and he’d left anything that needed taking care of on the 14th floor up to Trevor to deal with. As he sat in his office he couldn’t help but be fully aware of the empty feeling he had. He had moved the telescope from the living room into the coat closet by the door. He didn’t like the feeling of watching her anymore. It was just too painful for him. When nighttime fell at home, he’d eat dinner alone and stare out the windows, watching the city get quieter and in that silence; he felt overwhelming sadness take over. He would play the events over and over in his mind that took place between him and Marlena and try and think of ways he could have done things different so the outcomes would be one where he would be given a chance to ask her out on a date; out to dinner; out for even just a stroll through the city’s park; anything, just as long as she was enjoying herself with him. He imagined how pretty she would be, smiling back at him. The desire he had, to make her smile, made his heart ache.

As Marlena made her way across the parking garage that morning, her mind was miles away. Her recent dealings with Roman, well, things had just gotten to the lowest of low points with him and the lines of communication were now completely non-existent.

From the day he had accosted her in the hallway with his ridiculous claims of her having an affair with John Black, Marlena stopped taking his calls. Now, if and when Roman had anything to say to her, he said it to her lawyer. Her mind was thinking of John Black and how she hadn’t seen him since that day in the hallway. She couldn’t get the image of his face out of her mind. The look of complete helplessness that consumed his face had made her want to go to him and console him. She was so surprised each time that feeling came over her. It was so unlike her, to give physical comfort to a complete stranger. But there was something about this man, that drew her to him. She tried to write it off as nothing more than physical attraction. She knew that she longed for physical attention from a man. She and Roman hadn’t been intimate for over four months before she’d found out about his affair. But there was something about John Black that went beyond just physical attraction. She had a desire to get to know him; know what he was all about. And, she  admitted, to herself, she’d had more than a few nights when John Black hadentered her dreams. She didn’t bother to try and self-analyze her feelings. She just kept trying to push them out of her mind each time they surfaced. She knew this wasn’t the healthy route to take and defiantly not something she’d suggest to any of her patients, but she felt like it was the best she could do for herself right no w. At least until things cleared up with Roman and that situation was resolved.

“Good Morning, Dr. Evans”, George said, as she walked by his parking garage booth.

“Good Morning”, Marlena answered back. She was a little confused as to how that man knew her name. On one hand it was disturbing that he knew her name and she had no idea of his. Yet, on the other hand, it was comforting to know that the man responsible for safety in the garage knew who she was.

Marlena stepped into the elevator, accompanied by three other people. She took notice that, as those three people had walked past the garage attendant, he hadn’t said “Good Morning” to them. She made a mental note to get his name next time she saw him.

When the elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the lobby, she tried to casually look around and perhaps catch a glimpse of John doing business in the lobby. She was disappointed when she saw no sign of him. She made her way across the lobby and to the next set of elevators that would take her up to her office.

As she stepped into the elevator, a gentleman, dressed in an all black suit stepped inside with her. The doors closed and the man looked over at her.

“What floor may I get for you?” he asked; his finger ready to push the button for whatever floor Marlena requested.

“14 please. Thank you”, Marlena answered.

“You’re very welcome”, the man replied. He pushed the button for the 14th floor and then pressed the button for the 12th floor.

Marlena noticed him press the button for John’s floor and instantly made the connection between how he was dressed and what floor he’d be getting off at. They rode the elevator together in silence. When the elevator stopped on the 12th floor, Marlena’s heart raced as the elevator door opened. She wished, for a split second, that when the doors opened, John would be standing there, but he wasn’t and a wave of disappointment came over her as the man exited the elevator and the doors closed again.

When the doors opened again, she was on the 14th floor. She got out and made her way down the hallways to her office. As she opened the door to the reception area, she could here Robin on the phone.

“Yes, Mr. Strauss. I’ll have her call you the minute she comes… oh wait, she just walked in.”

She put the caller on hold and looked over at Marlena.

“It’s your attorney. He said it’s extremely important”.

“Thank you, Robin. I’ll take it in my office”.

Marlena walked past Robin and into her office, closing the door behind her. She sat down behind her desk and, before picking up the phone, she took a deep breath. She was overdue for some good news.

“Mark. Good Morning. What can I do for you?”

“It’s hit the fan, Marlena!”, her attorney was yelling into the phone.

“What are you talking about?”

“This thing you had going on with John Black.”

“Slow down! What thing are you talking about?” Marlena was horribly confused.

“I just got papers from Roman’s attorney. He’s filed a counter claim, stating you committed adultery, long before he did. And with a very high profile person, I might add.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… slow down, Mark”, Marlena said, a rather nasty tone in her voice. “There’s no thing going on between me and John Black. I barely know the man. I tried telling that to Roman and he has his head shoved so far up his ass he couldn’t hear me…”

Mark interrupted her, “Look, I’m just letting you know that by dragging John Black’s name into this, you’re going to be the headliner of the 8 o’clock news.”

“What are you talking about?” Marlena was pissed.

“Are you kidding me? One of the world’s most eligible bachelors. Don’t act like you don’t know how big this is. Once the media gets wind of him being involved with a married woman, you’re face is going to be all over every tabloid. You might as well kiss your privacy goodbye.”

“I wasn’t involved with him. Are you not listening to me either?” Marlena yelled.

“Hey, I believe you. Look, I’m gonna file papers with the court today to try and keep these papers private and not public record. I can’t guarantee that some poor file clerk, looking to make an extra buck, won’t leak something to the press. But I’m going to give it my best shot. Meanwhile, I suggest you try and keep a low profile for a few days.”

“But I just got back to work. My patients are just now getting back to a normal routine with me.”

“You might want to temporarily move your office to a different location for a little while. I mean, doesn’t John Black run the security in your building now?”

“Mark, there’s nothing going on between John Black and I and that’s the last time I’m going to tell you that. And I’m not letting him interrupt my practice. That’s final too.”

“Hey, do what you want. I’m only shooting a warning shot off the bow of this ship, before we hit the iceberg. I’ll be in touch in the next couple days” and, with that, he hung up the phone.

Marlena sat back in her chair. Her day had just begun and she was already exhausted and, once again, John Black was at the forefront of her life. After thinking for a few minutes, she decided to go pay John a visit; to warn him of what was to come.

Marlena’s heart began racing as she stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the 12th floor. She had no clue as to what she was going to say to John and she knew she didn’t have much time to think something up. She started doubting her decision to go to his office and say anything to him, when the elevator stopped and the door opened. She was on the 12th floor and it was too late to turn back now. A lady sitting behind a reception desk had already looked up and spotted her. If she remained on the elevator and didn’t get off, letting the doors close, she’d raise suspicion and she didn’t know what any of John Black’s hired help might do.

She stepped off the elevator and, trying to remain composed, she headed to the reception desk. Marlena wondered if she was able to pull off looking as cool and calm as the woman behind the desk.

“Good Morning. How may I help you?” Sandra asked.

Immediately, Marlena’s throat went completely dry and she thought she might just choke right there.

“Um, yes. I was wondering if I might have a few minutes to speak with Mr. Black.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“No. No he isn’t.”

“May I ask your name?”

“Um, yes… my name is Dr. Marlena Evans. I have an office on the 14th floor.”

“Is there a problem with something on the 14^thfloor? If so, I have someone who handles that floor directly”, and Sandra picked up the phone, readying herself to call Trevor’s extension.

“No. No… there’s nothing wrong on the 14th floor. I was just hoping to speak with Mr. Black about a personal matter.”

This wasn’t normal protocol and Sandra hesitated to dial John’s extension. Marlena sensed her hesitation.

“It’s important and I won’t take much of his time. I promise”, Marlena said.

“Please, have a seat and I’ll call and see if he’s in his office”, Sandra motioned to a group of chairs for Marlena to sit down at.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

The phone rang in John’s office, breaking his train of thought. He pressed the button for the intercom.

“Yes, Sandra.”

“Mr. Black, there’s a woman here that would like to speak with you.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that I had any appointments today.”

“No, sir. You don’t. She just walked in. She says she has an office in this building. On the 14th floor.”

“Could you please direct her to Trevor so he can handle whatever problem she’s having. Thank you.”

“Mr. Black, she says it’s a personal matter. Not building related. Her name is Dr. Evans.”

John’s could swear his heart stopped beating. He just sat there, frozen in his chair. When he didn’t reply, Sandra wondered if she’d lost the connection with him.

“Mr. Black?”

John’s mind raced with the possibilities of what a visit from Marlena could mean, and also with the prospect that he had just been given another chance to make something happen.

“Mr. Black?” Sandra asked again, jolting John back to the present.

“Yes, Sandra. Please show her to conference room 3 and make sure she’s taken care of. I’ll be right there.”

“Yes, Mr. Black.”

Sandra hung up the phone and stood up from her desk. She walked over to Marlena.

“Dr. Evans, if you’ll come with me.”

“Sure”, Marlena said, standing up and following Sandra down the hall.

Sandra opened the door to the conference room and politely motioned for Marlena to enter. As Marlena stepped into the room she was overwhelmed by the view; the windows allowing an unobstructed view of the city.

“May I get you something to drink?” Sandra asked.

Marlena remembered how her throat had gone dry talking to her and she got a little panicked at the thought of what was going to happen when she would try and talk to John.

“Yes. Water, please.”

Sandra nodded and walked over to a small wet bar in the corner; opened a mini-fridge and took out a bottle of water. She opened it and poured it into a glass with ice. Walking over to Marlena, she handed her the glass.

“Mr. Black will be right with you” and, with that, she turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

John was pacing in his office. He didn’t know what to think about Marlena wanting to see him. He walked over to the closet and opened the door. As he put his suit jacket on, he looked into the mirror on the inside of the closet door. He thought he looked presentable, but he double checked everything, just to make sure.

The intercom buzzed again and, again, Sandra’s voice could be heard.

“Mr. Black. There’s a gentleman here to see you.”

“Perfect fucked up timing” John thought.

He walked over to his desk and hit the intercom button.

“I’ll be right there”.

As John walked down the hallway, he passed the conference room he knew Marlena was waiting for him in. What he really wanted to do was to ignore whom ever was at the front desk waiting for him and, instead, just head directly into the conference room and work on making boy scout points with Marlena. He hesitated at the door and then decided instead to see who was waiting for him out front and to deal with that person as quickly as possible.

As John entered the reception area, he spotted a large man in a crumpled business suit. The man looked like he hadn’t seen an iron since 1983. Immediately, John knew this wasn’t someone who had any business dealings with him.

“What can I do for you”, John addressed him.

“John Black?” the man responded.

“Suppose so”, John shot back.

“Are you Mr. John Black?” the man demanded.

“Yes, I am. There, mystery solved. Now who are you?”

“Mr. Black, you’ve just been served” and with that, the man shoved a clump of papers into John’s chest and turned around and headed to the elevator, got inside and left.

John skimmed through the pile of papers and realized he’d just been subpoenaed  by Roman Brady’s attorney, to testify in the divorce proceedings between him and

Marlena.

“Son of a bitch”, John yelled out. He looked over at Sandra and she could see the rage in his face. “Get me Jacob on the phone. Now.”

Marlena jumped when she heard John’s voice. She could instantly tell he sounded angry and for a split second she thought he might be mad that she was there. She quickly thought of a way to get out of the conference room and she began looking for an alternative exit from the way she came in.

John skimmed through the papers a little more, while Sandra got his attorney on the phone. He took note that the court date was in a week.

“Mr. Black”, Sandra said, holding the phone receiver out for John to take.

John took the phone.

“Jacob….” was all he could get out, before he was interrupted.

“John, I was just getting ready to call you. I just got a copy of the subpoena. Don’t worry about anything. I’m working on all of it.”

“Keep my name out of this shit, Jacob.”

“I’m in complete agreement, John and I already have a call into the court house to seal all records pertaining to this situation.”

“There is no ‘situation’.”

“Well, you know John, I have to ask. Is there any truth to anything this, Roman Brady person is claiming?”

“No! Keep my name out of this. And I expect to hear back from you before the end of the day” and with that, John hung up the phone.

As John walked down the hallway towards the conference room he called back to Sandra, “Tell Samuel to have a Town car waiting for me in the alley, all day. I have no idea when I’ll be leaving.”

“Yes, Mr. Black.”

John was instantly pissed that his schedule would now include sneaking in and out of cars in back alleys to possibly avoid any news media that might want to report on this mess. He went and placed the papers on his desk and walked back to the conference room. He paused at the door and took a deep breath, before turning the doorknob and opening the door. As he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with Marlena, who had decided to try and make a silent exit. She jumped and let out a gasp when John startled her in the doorway.

“Oh… I wasn’t expecting you…”

“You were here to see me, right?”

“Yes… um….”

“Well if you were here to see me, who you be expecting on the other side of this door?”

“No… it’s not that. It’s just that…” Marlena’s words

just stumbled out of her mouth as she tried her best not to make eye contact

with John and to regain her composure.

As she did, she backed up into the room and John stepped towards her, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. John was still fuming and he tried his best not to let his emotions show. He didn’t want to lash out at Marlena for Roman’s actions.

For each step John took towards Marlena, she took a step backwards, trying not to trip over anything. Granted, she hadn’t seen John Black much, she was still taken aback by the look she’d glimpsed on his face. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or if the look on his face was one of wanting to take her right there on the conference room table. The second that thought entered her mind it took her breath away and it sent her heart racing again. And still, John just stared at her with the same look on his face.

After a few moments, John turned and walked towards the wet bar area. When John’s eyes finally left her, she began to get the courage to tell him why she’d come. She looked over at him at the wet bar and she couldn’t help but notice how, even the smallest things he did, he did with an air of self confidence she had never seen in any one before.

“I… um… I thought I would… I thought should come by and, um….” Marlena stammered.

John did all he could to hide his smile and not burst out laughing at her.

“Well… something came up and…. And I, um…. And, well….”

John took his bottled water and headed over to the table and sat down, staring at Marlena the whole time. He was taking delight in watching her squirm. He was also delighted with the fact that her perfume was filling the room. Not in an over powering way, but in a way that he’d be reminded she had been there, long after she left. He loved the way the natural light in the room bounced off her hair, making individual strands shine like they were electric. Her skin was porcelain smooth and he did all he could to resist the image in his mind of his fingertips brushing her face.

Marlena was still avoiding eye contact with John. Every time she looked directly at him, she got lost in his eyes; his good looks, and she could feel her legs go weak and she could feel herself get damp. She watched as he opened his water bottle. The way his thick wrists moved assertively yet gently. She could imagine him running his hands down her thigh, lifting the hem of her skirt up over her ass. She caught her breath again.

“Um… anyway…ah… a situation came up that I thought you… um… well, that I should probably tell you about myself…”

“Do you eat?” John interrupted.

“And I felt it was… whaa… what?” Marlena stopped, mid-sentence; glancing over at John with a confused look on her face.

“Do you eat?” John repeated himself, enunciating slightly better but making sure to use the same tone.

“Whaa…. Yes, I eat. Why, don’t… don’t I look like I eat?” Marlena snapped back, taking a quick glance over her body.

“I’m just asking if you eat. We’ll talk about what you look like later” John replied, a small smirk coming across his face.

The look on Marlena’s face was a mixture of confused meets nasty. She was confused. Had he just insulted her?

“I’m actually here because I felt the need to inform you of a situation that’s come up….”

“Do you eat dinner?”

“It’s about my husba…my ex-husba…” Marlena stopped in mid-sentence again. “Whaa?” She had a look of complete confusion.

“Do you eat dinner?” John repeated.

“Yes. Yes, I…I eat dinner. I actually eat 3 square meals a day with the appropriate amount of snacking in between. I don’t smoke, I drink plenty of water and I exercise regularly. Anything else you want to know?” she finished with a matter-of-fact tone in her voice.

John was laughing hysterically inside, trying with all his might to not crack a smile.

“Nope. You’ve already told me way too much personal information.”

Marlena was baffled at how someone so good looking could be such an ass too.

“Look, I came here today to let you know….”

“No, wait!” John threw a hand up in the air to indicate to Marlena to stop whatever she was going to say. “ Let me guess”, he said, moving his hand down and pointing a finger at her. He swung the chair he was sitting in, around to look out the windows and placed his hand under his chin. “You’re here to tell me that your husband, or, soon to be ‘ex’ husband, an upstanding member of society, an all-around great policeman, whom I’m sure has only raised his hand to a woman once and he’ll blame that on too much alcohol intake; whom I’m sure you loved for years” John leaned his head back into the chair, “ has concocted a theory in his mind that you and I have been having a torrid, sexual affair, behind his back for the past, oh, let’s say, six, maybe eight months. And, because of this, he’s suing you for a divorce based on your adulterous ways and he expects me to go to court and testify on his behalf that I have, indeed, been having the pleasure of your company in my bed, making passionate love to you day and night, while he’s been at work, slaving away, keeping the streets of Salem safe for all decent citizens. And he hopes to ruin your reputation and in the process, drag my name through the mud as well.”

And with that, John swung the chair back around to face Marlena. She just stood there with a look of utter shock on her face.

“How am I doing so far? Did I get any part of that wrong?” John asked.

“No”, Marlena replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Well”, John said, as he stood up “. I don’t think very highly of Roman Brady. And I don’t care if you’re offended by that. I have no respect for any man that would raise a hand to a woman. I don’t really care what the circumstances are. And I have no respect for a man that would make a woman cry, like I’ve seen him make you cry. No one has the right to make you cry like that.”

John stepped out from behind the desk and began walking towards Marlena. He could see tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She just stood there, frozen in place. “I’m afraid Roman is going to be horribly disappointed, because I have no intentions of testifying on his behalf, or yours either, for that matter. You see, my name is going to be kept out of this completely.”

John stood in front of Marlena, their bodies inches away from touching each other. He took in how beautiful she looked. He could easily imagine slowly peeling her suit jacket off her, revealing her thin silk blouse, with the camisole he could see underneath, being exposed a bit. He could imagine her breasts responding to the change in temperature; her nipples becoming hard; her breath becoming labored as she tried her best to hide the sensations her body felt with him nearby.

John leaned in close to Marlena’s ear. He nudged some of her hair out of the way with his nose and he could hear her take a small deep breath.

Marlena closed her eyes and tried her best to not let her body respond to John’s closeness. She was failing miserably. The heat radiating from his body was more than she could handle. She could feel the dampness between her legs getting stronger. He smelled outstanding, she thought. And she used all of the strength inside her to not turn her face towards his and allow for their mouths to meet. She knew if she were to allow

herself to kiss him, she wouldn’t be able to stop with just that. She wanted so badly to know what it felt like to have his muscular arms lift her up and carry her to the table and set her down. She wanted to know what his hands would feel like as he pushed her back down onto the table; his fingers gently running up the front of her blouse and slowly unbuttoning it.

“Roman doesn’t want to take me on. And that’s a fact”, John whispered in her ear.

Marlena’s body shuddered when his hot breath hit her ear and neck; goose bumps appearing on her body.

John pulled back a little and looked her in the face. He gave a slight smile and then leaned back in. As he moved his mouth up to her ear, he glanced down and he could see her nipples, hard and erect, poking through her blouse and his smile grew bigger. He was pleased with the affect he was having on her.

“But I do love the part where he thinks I’ve been making love to you. That part makes me very… very happy”.

Marlena breathed in deep and held it, unable to release it with John so close to her. She could swear that if he stayed that close to her much longer, her body was going to erupt in an orgasm, right then and there. What was this affect he had over her, she thought.

Before John pulled away from her, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of her scent. She had an animal type sexual smell about her. It was completely intoxicating and he could feel his cock becoming hard.

And, with that, John backed away from Marlena, turned around and headed to the door. Marlena watched him open the door and, without looking back, he walked out of the room and turned down the hallway in the opposite direction of the reception area.

It had been a few hours since John’s encounter with Marlena and, he could honestly say, he hadn’t been the least productive all morning. No matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t get the image of Marlena out of his mind. He was happy by the reaction she had to him. He had taken notice of how she had tried to avoid eye contact with him and he could tell how her body reacted to him being close to her. Every time he thought about it, a smile came across his face.

The intercom in his office buzzed and it was Sandra.

“Mr. Black, Jacob Strauss is on line 4 for you.”

“Thank you, Sandra.”

John picked up the phone, hit the button for line 4 and then leaned back in his chair.

“Jacob.”

“John. It’s all taken care of. Records sealed and, in all honesty, I don’t think you’ll be bothered again by Mr. Brady or his attorney. Well, at least, not if they’re smart. Not to mention, there isn’t a judge in that town that would be willing to drag you into this mess. I’d still keep a low profile around Salem for a bit. Who knows what this Mr. Brady has up his sleeve.”

John watched the security monitor he had turned onto the 14th floor and aimed down the hallway towards Marlena’s office. As Jacob was talking he saw Marlena and her secretary, Robin, come walking out of her office and headed towards the elevators. He looked at his watch and noticed it was the same time Robin took lunch every day.

“Thank you, Jacob. That’s the kind of news I like to hear. I’ll talk with you later” and John hung up the phone. He got up, buttoned his suit jacket shut and headed out of his office and down the hall towards the elevator.

“Mr. Black”, Sandra said, as she saw him walk by. “Will you need lunch ordered in today?”

“No thank you, Sandra. And I’ll be out of the building for a little while. If you need me, call my cell. Please phone Samuel and ask him to bring the car around to the back of the commissary.”

“Yes, Mr. Black.”

John got into the elevator and hit the button for the lobby. He knew he must look silly, what, with the big smile he had splashed across his face. He tried to regain his composer before the elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, he made his way across the lobby towards the commissary. He was hoping and praying that Marlena had decided to have lunch with Robin, whom he knew ate at the commissary nearly every work day.

As he stepped inside the commissary, he was overwhelmed with the smell of fried food and too many sweaty bodies. He was instantly reminded why he never came down here to eat. He scanned the room for any sign of Marlena and Robin and a wave of disappointment came over him when he didn’t see either of them. Well, it made sense to him. Marlena didn’t look like the kind who would eat cafeteria food. John excused himself as a woman pushed past him in the doorway. He had turned around to leave, when he heard a couple of women break out in laughter. He quickly turned back around and looked towards where he thought the laughter had come from and that’s when he saw Marlena. She was standing in line, an apple and bottled water in hand. Again, he could feel a smile creep over his face. He stepped to the side of the doorway and watched as they made their way thru the check out line and then proceeded to look for a place to sit down. He waited until they were fully seated; Marlena’s back to him, before he made his way over to their table.

As he got closer to them, he could tell they were having a light-hearted conversation. When he was about three tables away from them, Robin happened to glance up and caught the sight of John walking towards them.

“Marlena”, she whispered and motioned with her head in John’s direction.

Before she could turn around, John was standing beside Robin, looking down at Marlena.

“Good afternoon, ladies”, John said, never taking his eyes off Marlena.

Marlena looked up at John, a look of complete shock on her face. John smiled back at her.

“Hello, Mr. Black”, Robin replied.

John glanced over at her, “Robin”, and he immediately returned his gaze to Marlena.

Marlena tried not to choke on a piece of apple and she tried with all her might to avoid any more eye contact with him.

“You were right. You do eat”, John said, still smiling at her.

Still, Marlena said nothing. She glanced over at Robin, wondering what was going through her mind and then returned her attention towards John, yet still not looking at him. John could see she was uneasy with him there. What he couldn’t tell was whether it was because he bothered her in a good way, or if she was worried what others might be thinking with him around.

“Do you mind if I have a word with you in private,

Dr. Evans?” John asked, and held his hand out as if to help her out of her seat.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Black. I didn’t know we had anything to talk about”, Marlena replied, shooting a quick glance around the room to see if anyone was looking in her direction.

“It won’t take long. I promise.”

“Mr. Black….”

“Please”, John said, interrupting her.

Marlena looked up at him again and immediately was overwhelmed with a feeling of arousal when she looked him in the eye.

“Certainly. Robin, if you’ll excuse me” and she got up from her chair.

John smiled back at Robin and then proceeded to lead Marlena away from the table and into the kitchen.

“I’m sorry. Where are we going?” Marlena asked.

When John didn’t reply but instead kept walking, Marlena became nervous.

“John…”

Just then, they reached the back of the kitchen and Marlena noticed a man in an all black suit standing by the back door.  John opened the door and stepped out into a long hallway. A few steps into the hallway, he stopped walking and turned around to look Marlena in the face. As the door slammed shut behind them Marlena realized they were alone, in a very remote, out of the way place and she became uneasy. The man in the suit stepped in front of the door, blocking it so no one could get out and possibly disturb his boss and whatever business it was he was conducting.

“John…”

“Will you have lunch with me?” John asked.

“Excuse me?”

John grimaced, he had his hands stuffed into his pants pockets; he looked down at the ground and pretended to kick something with his foot. When he looked back up at Marlena he had a very serious look on his face.

“I’d like for you to have lunch with me. Today. Right  now.”

Marlena was stunned.

“John. I’m sorry. I can’t”, she said and she saw a look of disappointment come over his face. “I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“Roman” John said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Whaaa…? No. No. It’s not Roman.  It’s… it’s complicated.” Marlena looked up at John and noticed he was no longer looking in her direction. He was looking towards the door at the end of the long hallway. “I mean, yes, Roman is part of it and also with everything going on lately, I don’t make for good company.”

John didn’t say a word. He turned back and looked towards her, studying her face, trying to figure out what it was he had to do to get the gorgeous woman standing in front of him, to give him a chance.

“I’m sorry”, Marlena said, almost in a soft whisper.

John glanced away again, trying his best not to let his disappointment show too much on his face. When he looked back in her direction, he gave a slight nod, to let her know he understood.

“Dr. Evans…”

“You can call me Marlena”.

“Marlena…” John hesitated.

“John…”

“Please”, John interrupted her. He stepped towards her and stood right in front of her, so close he could feel the heat radiating from her body. He brought his right hand up and gently placed it on the side of Marlena’s face, cupping her cheek in his hand. He drew his face in closer to hers until his mouth was right next to her ear. His face had a look of pain about it, but, in reality, it was heartbreak. He so badly wanted to get to know this remarkably beautiful woman that stood in front of him and yet, he felt every opportunity to do so, slipping through his fingers and there was nothing he could do about it.

The second John’s hand touched her face, Marlena’s heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. His hand felt electric against her skin. Her eyes closed and she could feel herself get a little light-headed. She leaned back a little, allowing for the wall to help hold her up. She could feel her body reacting to his touch; her nipples becoming hard, her legs weak.

“I just…” John started to say. He was still holding Marlena’s face in his hand and placed his forehead against her left temple.

“John…” Marlena started to say and turned her head slightly towards John’s.  As she did this, she found John’s mouth mere inches from her own.

John could feel Marlena’s breathe on his lips and it sent chills through his body. He knew he should just walk away but he’d thought about what it would be like to kiss her for some time now and he couldn’t resist any longer.

John lightly brushed his lips across her mouth and he heard her let out a small sigh. He placed his mouth on hers and paused for a second, waiting for her to object. When she didn’t, he kissed her lightly.

Marlena couldn’t believe what was happening. Everything about John made her desperate to kiss him back with all the urgency of a woman who hadn’t been intimate in months. She tried to get a hold of herself but she knew it was going to be useless. His gentleness spoke volumes of how he’d treat a lady. As his lips lingered over hers, it was all she could do to not grab his head and pull his mouth down onto hers. The desperation she felt to feel affection was overwhelming and trying to resist a man like John Black had taken all of her willpower. It had been so long since she’d felt wanted. When he kissed her, she couldn’t help herself and she kissed him back.

Kissing Marlena was everything John had dreamed of. Her lips were so soft and he was so close to her that he could get lost in her sweet smelling perfume. The heat of her skin made him feel like he was on fire.

He kissed her lightly again and he felt her kiss back. That was all he needed. He moved his hand from her face and up into her hair a little. It felt like silk between his fingers. He gently grabbed a small amount of it and Marlena let out a small moan. John couldn’t hold back any longer and he brought his mouth down hard onto hers. He couldn’t control himself. He wanted to posses her, make her all his own and to his surprise, Marlena continued to kiss him back; he could swear, with the same urgency. He pressed his body up against hers, fully pressing Marlena up against the wall. He still had one hand entwined in her hair and he used his other hand to steady himself against the wall. Marlena could feel the hardness of his cock on her inner thigh. She could feel her panties getting wet and she thought she was going to cum right there. It had been so long since she’d felt a man get excited for her. Her knees went weak and she grabbed onto John’s upper arms to help steady her self. John let out a moan as he felt her grab onto him. He opened his mouth and let his tongue seek out Marlena’s lips. He lightly brushed his tongue over her lips and felt Marlena open her mouth slightly, inviting his tongue inside. Their tongues danced inside each others mouths, both lusting for affection. Her tongue was soft in contrast to his. His was full of desperation and urgency, while Marlena’s felt soft and passionate. He felt her move her left hand up to the back of his head and she intertwined her fingers into a small amount of his hair. She moaned into his mouth and he could feel her part her legs a little wider for him. He pressed his hard cock into her thigh even more, just to make sure he knew she could feel it. She tasted so good to him as their tongues came into contact with each other.

Suddenly, John came to his senses. If he wasn’t careful he was going to cross the line right then and there. Without a warning, he pulled his mouth off of Marlena’s and he quickly took his hand out of her hair and placed it on the wall next to her head. Resting his forehead on hers, he took a moment to catch his breath. He could hear Marlena’s breathing coming rough, she was still holding onto his arm with one hand and her fingers in his hair with her other.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that”, John said.

“John…” Marlena started to object.

John pushed himself off of her and he could feel Marlena’s hands release from him. He couldn’t look at her. He felt ashamed for what he’d just done. Although he’d wanted to kiss her for a while now, he’d wanted the circumstances and things to be completely different.

“I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again.”

“John…” Marlena tried again to.

“Please” John interrupted her, “I’m sorry. I won’t bother you any more”. He reached out for Marlena’s hand and placed something in it and then turned and hurriedly walked away; down the hallway towards the exit door of the building, where he knew Samuel would be there, waiting with the car.

Marlena looked down and opened her hand and was surprised to see a set of keys. She looked back towards John, confused as to what the keys were supposed to mean. She looked back down at the keys in her hand and just stared at them, wondering why he would give her his keys. She turned the key ring over and saw it was a BMW logo. Her mind raced. She knew she’d seen that key ring before. She struggled to think of where. Then it hit her. Those were Roman’s keys. What was John doing with Roman’s car keys? And while she stared at the key ring it all came back to her. All the events of the day she’d found out Roman was having an affair came flooding back. The stranger who came up next to her car to let her know she’d been sitting through red lights; the same stranger who’d come back to her car when she was parked on the side of the road. She was so shocked she couldn’t breathe and she just stared at the keys in disbelief. It’d been John who held her so tightly making her feel so safe as she cried that morning. Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked up in time to see John open the door and walk out to a waiting car.

“John….” She cried out as the door closed.

John sat at his desk staring out the windows that overlooked the city. Salem. What a town this had turned out to be. The thought made him roll his eyes. He wished Jim would call him from Dubai with an emergency, just so he could have an excuse to get the hell out of this town. He had had Samuel drive him directly home yesterday and, even though he’d paced himself, after drinking more than seven

Scotch’s last night, he felt the residual hangover still lingering. He took another sip of his coffee and the mental discussion he’d had with himself the night before crept back to the forefront of his mind. Why was it so complicated for him to find a decent woman to settle his life down with? Why was his life full of ‘Marlena’s’? Marlena, easily the hands-down winner of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and just as much baggage, if

not more, than every other woman he’d known. He closed his eyes and shook the thought of her baggage out of his mind. Each time he closed his eyes, visions of him in the hallway with Marlena flooded his mind. The way she smelled; the way she breathed; the way her body moved under his, the way she moaned, the way he could tell she wanted more from him. He was brought out of his mindless wandering by the phone on his desk ringing. He reluctantly picked up the receiver.

“Mr. Black”, it was Sandra, “There’s a tenant of the building here that would like to file a theft report with you.”

John shook his head. This was so not something he wanted to deal with today.

“I’m not in today. Direct them to Keith and have him fill out the proper paperwork.”

There was a slight pause and then he heard Sandra’s voice once again.

“Mr. Black. The tenant says she knows you’re here and would like to file the report with you… personally.”

Sandra could hear John sigh and she braced herself for whatever John was going to say to her.

“Who is it?” John asked with a great deal of irritation in his voice.

“She’s a tenant on the 14th floor by the name of Doctor Marlena Evans. She say’s there’s been a break in at her office.”

“Sonofabitch” John said, exasperated.

As John walked down the hallway towards the reception area, he buttoned up his suit jacket and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he looked like warmed over death and the last person he wanted to see today was Marlena. Having made, what he thought, was a complete jackass out of himself the day before, he wouldn’t mind it if he never ran into Marlena again. The moment he saw her standing at the front counter, he reconsidered that last thought. The second he saw her face he could swear his heart skipped a beat.

“Doctor Evans”, John said, as he approached her; extending his hand out to shake hers.

“Mr. Black”, Marlena replied, reaching out to shake his hand; trying to keep with John’s formalities.

A shot of electricity ran thru her the instant his hand touched hers and she caught her breath and quickly looked away from him. John smiled faintly at her reaction.

“What can I do for you, Dr. Evans?”

“Um…” Marlena stumbled, “Can we talk about this in private…. Please?”

“Certainly”, John said. He turned to Sandra. “Hold any calls. I don’t want to speak to any one. Thank you.” Sandra shook her head in understanding and John motioned to Marlena, “Please” he said, inviting her to head down the hallway towards his office.

They walked down the hallway, John behind Marlena, silently admiring the view he had as she walked. When they got to his office door, John stepped in front of Marlena.

“Allow me”, he said as he opened the door for her.

“Thank you” Marlena replied, as she stepped into his office.

John stepped inside, behind her, but he left the door open. He knew no one would be able to hear their conversation and part of him was unsure of what his behavior might be if he were alone in complete privacy with her.

Marlena looked around in disbelief at John’s office. The size of it was overwhelming and then there was all of the computer equipment and other electronic equipment that consumed so much of the place. To her, it looked like the brains behind some nuclear station and in a way, it was. She knew she must’ve looked silly, the way she was starring at everything, but she couldn’t help herself. She had never really taken the time to imagine what it would take to secure a building like this one or even what John Black’s private sanctum might’ve looked like inside. She was overwhelmed by all of the high tech equipment.

“May I get you something to drink?” John asked.

Marlena was completely oblivious to the fact that John was even speaking. She turned her attention to the opposite end of his office, to the wall of windows with the city view.

John took a few steps closer to her and brought a hand to her shoulder.

The second he touched her, it startled her and Marlena jumped and let out a little a small “Oh”.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. May I get you something to drink?” John asked.

“Oh, no. No thank you. I’m fine”.

John stepped in front of her and turned to face her.

“So what can I help you with?”

“Whaa?” For an instant, Marlena had completely forgotten why she had come. “Oh… um, there’s been a break in at my office”, she stated, as she looked at all the security monitors that covered one of the walls.

John never took his eyes off Marlena.

“Is there anything missing?” He couldn’t help but smile a little at her. She was so damn beautiful. Just the finest feminine creature he had ever seen.

Marlena couldn’t pull her attention away from all the monitors. She was busy observing what was on each and every one of them. Without looking at John she said, “Well, therein lies a small problem. Yes, there were some items stolen but I don’t…. want… to make… an… official…. report….”, her voice trailed off and she squinted to get a closer look at one of the monitors and when she realized what she was looking at, she shot a glance straight at John and then back to the monitor, in disbelief. “Is that monitor aimed down the hallway where my office is?” she asked as she stepped closer to inspect the image on the screen. Without her glasses on she was unsure if what she thought she saw was indeed just that.

John tried to remain cool and calm about it, hoping he wasn’t about to get busted for “spying” on her.  He watched her, as she continued to step closer to the screen to get a better look. He tried not to burst out laughing, wonder just how ‘blind’ she was and thinking he should suggest she get some glasses. He looked away before he laughed out loud. With his hands buried deep in his pockets, he looked down at the floor, then over to the opposite wall and then back down at the floor.

“JOHN!”

He looked up at Marlena. She’d said his name just like his Mom used to whenever he was in trouble. He was sure if she knew his middle name, she would’ve used that too.

“Yes?”, John asked.

“Don’t play stupid with me. Are you spying on my every move?”

He could tell Marlena was irritated and he knew he wasn’t in the mood to put up with any of her moods today. She really blew hot and cold, he thought.

“That monitor has been locked on that camera since the day someone was being assaulted outside the door to your office. Do I need to remind you of who that person was?” He gave Marlena a stern look and it took her back a little. She glanced back at the monitor and thoughts of the day Roman had dragged her out into the hallway came back to her and she immediately felt ashamed. She averted her eyes to the floor, too embarrassed to look John in the face.

John wanted badly to reach out to Marlena, to take her in his arms and embrace her and let her know he would be there to look out for her. But he refrained, realizing that he didn’t know her well enough to make a move like that. And especially after the way he’d acted yesterday.

“What property seems to be missing from your office, Dr. Evans?”

Marlena looked up from the floor, tears welling in her eyes. She  brought her hand up and wiped away at her tears and sniffled in.

“Oh… um. Well, the items I noticed missing… well, let me back up. I know someone was in my office because my door was unlocked when I got there today.”

“The exterior door? Or the interior door that leads to your office?” John asked, concern rising in his voice.

“The interior door to my office. And Robin doesn’t have a key to that door.”

Marlena made eye contact with John and saw the sincere look of concern on his face. She also felt an overwhelming need to feel him wrap his arms around her and make her feel safe. She caught her mind wandering and snapped herself back to reality and dropped eye contact with him.

“So what seems to be missing?” John asked again.

“Oh… they’re items that… “ Marlena turned around so her back was to John.  “They’re items that I took from our penthouse… my penthouse… because I didn’t want Roman

coming back and getting them.”

“And those items would be….?” John asked, a questioning tone in his voice.

“Pictures.  Personal pictures.” Marlena was completely embarrassed and she instantly felt like just walking out of John’s office.

“Oh” John said, a rather playful tone in his voice. This might actually turn out to be more fun than he thought it would. A small smile crept over his face.

Marlena sensed his tone of voice and turned around to look at him.

“Look, this is very embarrassing for me. I don’t need… I don’t want my personal items to be in any one else’ possession but my own. They’re pictures of me. I should have every right to say what happens to them and who gets to see them or keep them.”

“Well of course you should” John said, half mocking her and half sincerely agreeing with her.

“This isn’t funny, Mr. Black….”

“John”, he said, interrupting her. “I thought we determined yesterday that you could call me ‘John’”.

“Yes, we did. And about yesterday…”

Immediately John regretted bringing up yesterday. He grimaced a little, shook his head and looked down at the floor, then up and out the windows, a pained look remaining on his face. Maybe if he stared out at the city long enough, Marlena would switch the topic back to her missing items. Or maybe she would just leave.

Marlena watched John’s body language and thought it best that she change the subject. She could tell that he was uncomfortable with what had happened the day before and she thought if she pushed it, he might not want to help her retrieve her stolen items. She bit her lip and waited to see what John would do; how long he would let the silence linger in the air.

John noticed she’d gone quiet and he turned his attention back to her. She was so beautiful. Her hazel eyes caught the light coming in thru the windows; strands of her blonde hair looked like thin strands of gold glistening in the sun. If he could he would sweep her up in his arms and kiss her passionately.

Marlena looked John in the eye. He looked upset. He just stood there starring at her. She began to feel self conscience. She cleared her throat and nervously looked out the windows.

John smiled a little, noticing how nervous she was.

“Who do you think broke in?”

Marlena let out a small laugh.

“I know it was Roman” she replied, looking John square in the eyes.

“Well, I’ll have one of my men start writing up the paperwork…”

“No, please”, Marlena interrupted.

“Excuse me?”

“Please” Marlena paused and let out a little sigh. “I thought I would come to you personally with this matter. I would really like to keep this out of the news. You know, no paperwork, nothing to add to the gossip fire.”

“I see. Why don’t we just cut to the chance and you tell me exactly what it is you want.”

Marlena was taken aback by his forwardness. After a slight pause, she got her courage up.

“Mr. Black, I would like to hire you, on a private level, to get my things back for me.”

John smiled and gave her an inquisitive look, as he leaned in towards her and then stood up straight again. He brought his arms out of his pockets and crossed them in front of him.

“Let me get this straight. You want to pay me to do a private robbery for you. To break into Roman Brady’s home, or worse, possibly his office at a police station, in order to retrieve some pictures of you…. naked” and with that, he glanced up and down Marlena’s body, wondering exactly what she looked like naked.

“And videos”, Marlena said, barely above a whisper, as she looked back down at the floor, shear embarrassment overtaking her.

“And videos!” John said, a bigger smile coming over his face. He was beginning to enjoy this predicament she had gotten herself into.

“I’m willing to help you in any way I can”, Marlena said, looking up at him.

John noticed she wasn’t enjoying this nearly as much as he was.

“I’m sorry, I’m not in the private robbery business… in case you couldn’t tell”, John said, slightly mocking her.

“You don’t have to call it that. They were my possessions to begin with. They were stolen from me.”

“And now you want me to steal them from someone else”.

“I want them back.”

“Right. You want me to go and steal them for you.”

Marlena ignored his last remark.

“I’m willing to pay you”.

John gave her a look of confusion. His forehead wrinkled and his eyes squinted.

“And as I said before, I’m willing to help you”.

“Really?” John said, a mischievous look coming across his face.

Marlena looked back at him, almost regretting that last statement. John smiled at her as he saw the “deer in headlights” look on her face.

“Well… anything within reason…”

Before she could finish, John interrupted her.

“I tell you what, you have dinner with me tonight… and I might consider your offer” he said, smiling at her.

Marlena thought for a moment. It seemed harmless enough.

“Just dinner?”

“And just a consideration”, John replied.

Marlena looked around his office, trying to delay her response.

“Dinner would be fine”, she finally said.

“Great.  I’ll have a car come and pick you up around six. Is that fine?”

“Six would be just fine.”

Marlena was slightly in shock wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

“Meanwhile, I putting some personal security on you” John said, walking over to the door.

“No, John…” Marlena called after him.

John walked over stepped into the doorway and saw Marcus standing near the reception area.

“Marcus” he called out and when Marcus looked his way, John motioned for him to come over.

Marlena had made her way to the doorway and peeked around John’s shoulder at the young man walking towards them.

“That’s my personal security?” Marlena asked, a worried tone in her voice and  an even more worried look on her face.

John shot a glance back at her and then turned his focus back on Marcus.

“That’s Marcus”, John replied, knowing Marcus was a slow walker and not within hearing distance of them.

“No offense John…”

John turned to look at her, pleased with how close she was standing to him.

“But Marcus? For security? I mean… have you ever seen ‘Deliverance’? Every time I see him I’ll swear I’m hearing banjos playing.”

“MARLENA!” John faked a shocked response, quickly turning his head so she couldn’t see his smile and the fact that he was about to burst out laughing.

“Yes, Mr. Black”, Marcus spoke slowly, as he approached John.

“Marcus, this is Dr. Evans.”

“Dr. Evans”, Marcus said, as he extended his hand to shake hers.

“Marcus”, Marlena said as she shook his hand.

“Marcus, I’d like you to find Anthony and Cristiano and have them meet Dr. Evans in her office on the 14th floor. I think you’ll find them down in the cafeteria at this time. And remember what Dr. Evans looks like so you can describe her to them. Have them call me when they get to her office.”

“Yes, Mr. Black” and with that, Marcus turned around and headed to the elevators. He felt proud when Mr. Black trusted him and gave him jobs to do besides cleaning up his office, even though he took great pride in knowing he was the only one Mr. Black let clean his office.

John turned back towards Marlena and looked down into her face, still relishing the close proximity she had to him.

“Anthony and Cristiano will take very good care of you. I trust them completely.”

John motioned for Marlena to make her way down the hallway and he followed her. When they got to the elevators, he pressed the button to call the elevator car. When the elevator doors opened, Marlena stepped inside and turned around to see John reaching in to press the button for the 14^thfloor. She smiled shyly at the kind gesture. John smiled back at her, thinking this might actually be the first time he’d made her smile. And she looked beautiful when she smiled.

“Six o’clock,” and he leaned in close to her and whispered, “I can’t wait to hear what movie you think of when you see me”. He winked and smiled at her as he moved out of the way of the door and let them close, his last view of Marlena being a look of embarrassment mixed with a shy smile on her face.

John couldn’t believe how nervous he was. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this sick to-his-stomach excited and especially over a woman. He’d left the office early and stopped at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner. As he’d stood in the checkout line at the store he tried to remember the last time he’d cooked dinner for a female guest and as hard as he’d tried to think, he simply couldn’t come up with the answer. Not exactly the ego boost he could’ve used.

He came home, put the groceries in their appropriate places, opened a bottle of wine so it could breathe and then went to take a shower. He ran the water a little extra hot to help loosen up his tense muscles. It was ridiculous how nervous he was. He decided then and there that he’d polish off a glass of wine before Marlena showed up, perhaps that’d help him relax a bit. He emerged from the shower, toweled off and went to the closet to pick out some clothes. He didn’t want to be too dressy and yet, at the same

time, not too casual. After a few moments of pondering, he decided on a slate blue Armani silk and cotton blend t-shirt and a pair of slacks. He put a small amount of gel on his fingers and ran them through his hair and, out of habit, he hit himself with a couple sprays of “Chrome” cologne.

Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed a wine glass and poured himself a glass. If he didn’t start cooking and calm himself down, this was going to be one very long night. He got a pot of water set to boil and got all of his other ingredients prepped. Out of nowhere, a smile came across his face with the idea that Dr. Marlena Evans, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, was minutes away from being his guest for dinner.

Marlena had left work early. With no patients to see, there was simply no way she could’ve stayed at work and gotten her paperwork done. She’d tried. She’d sat behind her desk for over an hour, nervous as hell and trying to come up with a viable excuse to call John’s office and leave a message with this secretary that she couldn’t keep her dinner… she’d almost called it a date! There was simply no good excuse to not go through with the dinner and, besides, she really needed John’s help in getting her pictures and videos back from Roman. As she stood looking into her closet for something to wear, she tried to shake off the anger she felt towards Roman for stealing such personal items from her. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel after washing it in the shower. She looked down at her watch to make sure she was still running on time and she noticed she had 45 minutes. She couldn’t decide what to wear. She didn’t know where they would be going to eat, so did she dress casual or elegant? She voted for something in between. She picked a nice wrap-around style dress with three-quarter quarter sleeves in a soft shade of pale pink with dainty black trim and she paired it with a nice pair of pumps.

By the time she was done getting ready, she had exactly 11 minutes before she was expecting to be picked up for dinner.

“Just enough time”, she thought, “for a glass of wine to calm my nerves”.

John had the pasta cooking and the sauce simmering, filling the loft with rich Italian smells. He was feeling pretty relaxed now. Cooking always calmed his nerves, but the 2 glasses of wine he’d already had hadn’t hurt either. He contemplated putting on some music, but he didn’t want to come off as too cheesy or as a typical bachelor working too hard to “set the mood”. He looked at his watch and smiled; she would be getting picked up right about now.

The sound of the doorbell startled Marlena a little and she set down her glass of wine. Walking to the front door, she paused to check herself one more time in the mirror. This was as good as she could get it, she thought. She reached for the doorknob; so nervous she couldn’t figure out how her legs were holding her up.

She opened the door only to be surprised that it wasn’t John standing in front of her.

“Oh, hello. May I help you?” she asked.

“Ma’am. My name is Samuel. I work for Mr. Black. I’ll be your driver for the evening and I’ll be taking you to meet Mr. Black for dinner”, Samuel said, smiling back at her.

“Oh….” Marlena said. “Um… let me just get my purse and I’ll be ready to go” and she turned around to the table next to the door and gathered her purse and her coat.

Closing the door and locking it behind her, she turned around to see Samuel politely holding the door to the elevator open for her.

“Ma’am”.

“Oh, thank you”.

“Yes, Ma’am”, Samuel replied and stepped into the elevator behind her.

When they got down to the lobby, Samuel motioned towards the front doors and they walked thru the lobby, past the night doorman’s desk.  He nodded at them both and watched as Samuel opened the door for Marlena. The doorman waited until they were outside and the door closed behind them, then he shook his head and speaking out loud, he mumbled, “So not her type”.

Samuel stepped in front of Marlena and opened the car door for her.

“Ma’am”, he said again, as he motioned for her to step inside.

As Samuel drove towards John’s place, he noticed Marlena in the rearview mirror, looking around inside at the interior of the car. He smiled as he saw her press various buttons to find out what they did.

The drive didn’t take long and when they pulled up in front of John’s building, Samuel parked the car. Got out and came around to open the car door for Marlena.

“Thank you”, she said, as she stepped out. She looked around, now completely confused. There wasn’t a restaurant in site.

Samuel led her into the building and to the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, he motioned for Marlena to step inside and then he stepped halfway inside, pressed the button for the top floor and then stepped back out.

“Have a wonderful evening and I’ll be here waiting for you when you need a ride home”, he said to her and smiled at her as the doors closed.

As soon as the doors closed, Marlena began to panic. Was she going to John’s house? He never said anything about dinner being at his house. Well, at least there would be the driver to explain to the police how he’d driven her there, should she go missing or something. She was in a state of deep regret that she’d agreed to this. She made the decision that after 15 minutes, she was going to excuse herself to the bathroom and call

Laura and have her make up some emergency that would allow for her to leave. When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, Marlena stepped out into a short hallway. There was only one door so she felt it safe to assume that behind that door was the inner sanctum of one Mr. John Black. She became so nervous, she turned back around and stepped back into the elevator. As she was about to press the button to take her back downstairs, she remembered the pictures and videos she wanted back and she cursed Roman under her breath. She stepped back out and walked to the door. She took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door.

“Perfect”, she thought. “If I knocked lightly enough, maybe he won’t hear it and I can just leave and tell him I was there, but no one answered the door.”

But that wasn’t to be the case.

“Great”, John thought, as he looked at the bottle of wine, two-thirds empty, “She’s going to think I’m an alcoholic. But I’ll only make matters worse if I open another bottle. Then it’ll lookreally bad.”

As he was having this mental argument with himself, he heard a light knock on his front door.

“This is it”, he thought. Walking towards the door, he stopped by a mirror and paused long enough to whisper to himself, “Try not to fuck this up, Mr. Black.”

And with that, he reached for the door and opened

Marlena was happy that she hadn’t knocked very hard as she thought John wouldn’t have heard it, but at least she could say she’d given it a try. She turned around and pressed the button for the elevator and waited for it to come.

John opened the door and saw Marlena standing with her back to him, apparently waiting for the elevator. She jumped a little when she heard the door open and immediately she was flooded with nerves. She turned around to see John standing in the doorway.

“Leaving already?” he asked.

She tried to play it off.

“Oh, I… I knocked but no one answered. I thought perhaps the driver had gotten the wrong address”. She noticed the way John’s t-shirt brought out the blue in his eyes and she immediately regretted her decision to knock and run as she saw a look of sadness come over John’s face. She could see that she’d hurt his feelings.

John could tell, right away, that she didn’t want to be there. He couldn’t make eye contact with her. He knew if he looked at her, he would give away the fact that he was disappointed.

“No… um… this is the right address.”

He stepped out of the doorway and walked up next to Marlena.

“I understand if you’d rather not be here. Allow me to get that for you”, he said, as he pushed the button for the elevator. He briefly looked down at her, “You look very pretty tonight”. He turned and walked back to the door way and stopped short of walking back inside. He turned around to look at her. “And I’m sorry. I should’ve made it more clear as to where dinner would take place. I apologize.”

“John…”

“It’s just that… it’s pretty hard for me to go out and eat… with a female companion. Um…” he paused “it gets interpreted the wrong way in the papers and magazines and with how thing are between you and Roman… I just thought it might be best if dinner wasn’t a public event.”

Marlena’s heart sank and she immediately felt horrible.

“John… “, She said as she stepped towards him and placed her hand on his forearm, “I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought about any of that. Please… dinner here would be nice.”

John looked down at her hand and then back to her face as she smiled at him.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m positive,” she said, still smiling at him.

“Well then… please… come in,” he said, as he stepped aside and motioned for her to come in.

As Marlena stepped inside she was taken aback by the size of the place. She immediately noticed that two of the walls were nothing but windows that overlooked the city and the lights of Salem looked gorgeous from up that high. She turned around and looked at John and smiled and then turned back around to take in the city lights again. She looked around and was impressed with how the living room, kitchen and dinning room were one gigantic room, no walls blocking anything off. Over in one far corner she could see some workout equipment and she knew, from feeling his arms the day before in the hallway, that he actually used that equipment, as opposed to just keeping it around to hang laundry on.  She instantly felt comfortable in her surrounds and she thought that part of that might be due to how comfortably decorated the place was. The floor was a polished concrete. The furniture and accessories were all well matched browns and whites. There was a large, brown leather couch and a couple matching lounge type chairs placed near the large fireplace, large book cases on either side; every shelf filled with books. She made a mental note that he must be a reader. She noticed that, oddly enough, there didn’t seem to be many electronics no TV, no computer. A stark contrast to how his office looked.

John stood a small distance behind her, his arms crossed in front of him with his right hand nestled under his chin. He didn’t wasn’t aware of the smile that consumed his face as he watched her look around.

“Do you play?” she asked, pointing to a piano across the room and turning around to look at him.

“No”.

Marlena nodded and turned back around.

“It belonged to my Mother. I suppose I keep it for sentimental reasons. Perhaps later, you can explain to me why I do that, Doc”, John said,

Marlena shot John a look and just as quickly, she looked away again.

“What? Was it something I said?

“No… no, it’s um…” Marlena turned to look at John, “It’s just that Roman used to cal me Doc. You’d have no way of knowing that.”

“I see”, John said, looking down at the floor. “Strike one”.

“No…” Marlena instantly felt like she needed to do damage control. “Please, don’t take that the wrong way.”

John looked at her and nodded.

“And for the record, I own a piano I don’t play either and mine didn’t even belong anyone. But it does a wonderful job of holding picture frames on top of it” and she said, smiling at John.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, John offered her a glass of wine.

“That would be wonderful. I’d love a glass of wine”.

John walked towards the kitchen and he could hear Marlena’s heels on the floor, following him. He smiled at the sound of that. He hadn’t heard the sound of a woman’s high heels in his various homes for quite some time. It was small things like that, he thought, that made a house a home. He poured Marlena a glass of wine and handed it to her and then poured a glass for himself.

“To a wonderful dinner, between friends”, he said, and raised his glass to toast.

“Dinner between friends”, Marlena repeated and clinked her glass against John’s.

John took a sip, put his glass down and picked up a large wooden spoon. Lifting the lid of a pot on the stove, he dipped the spoon in and brought it back out with sauce on it. He blew on it to cool it down and then tasted it. Marlena watched as he added some salt to the pot.

“You cook!”

“Yes, Ma’am. I do cook. Occasionally” John said, with a smile on his face.

“And what have you cooked up tonight, Mr. Black”. Marlena was surprised how sexy her voice had sounded when she’d said ‘Mr. Black’ and she hoped that John hadn’t caught that. Her next thought was to watch her intake of wine a little better.

“Well, Doctor Evans, we are having gigatoni with tomato romano and ricotta cheese sauce” John said, smiling at her. The thought crossed his mind how he should work on wiping the stupid smile off his face before he drove Marlena to drink too much to forget about the evening.

“That sounds sinfully delicious and something that will probably go directly to my hips”.

She instantly regretted bring attention to any part of her body. John could see her slightly grimace and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to wipe the silly grin off his face. She was fascinatingly perfect in every way, he thought.

They took their time eating dinner. A few hours had passed and the conversation seemed to flow so seamlessly. There was never a moment of awkward silence between them and maybe they could chalk that up to the amount of wine they were both consuming. John asked her all about her growing up. He was surprised to learn she was from a small mid-west town and had moved out, on her own at the age of 17. She had gone to college on a full scholarship; she had never had children and there were days when she wanted to just be a clerk at a small bookstore, just to escape the pressures that her job sometimes brought her.

After what she felt like was forever, talking about herself, she turned the tables on John.

“And what about you? What do you do during your free time?”

“Well, now you’re assuming I have free time”, John joked.

“Okay, let me reword that. What do you do, let’s say, between the hours of when you leave Basic Black and the time you return to Basic Black?”

“Well… unfortunaly, some would say, I never get the chance to really leaveBasic Black. I’m always “on call”, if you will. But a typical evening… I’m sorry; I’m as boring as they come. I usually come home, eat, read and then go to bed.”

Marlena giggled a little and she could feel the wine hitting her.

“Well I’m sure that would greatly disappoint many of those in the press”, she said with a matter-of-fact sarcasm in her tone.

“Yes, I suppose it would”, John laughed back.

“Thrill me”, Marlena laughed, “What are you reading now?”

“At the moment I’m reading a book by an author named Peter Berger entitled ‘The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge’.

Marlena was silent and then, after a lengthy pause, she burst out laughing, the wine taking its full affect on her.

“You sound like your evenings are about as exciting as mine! I think I’ve read that book!”

They both laughed together and as they did, they both leaned in close to each other. Their laughter slowly subsided and they found their faces just inches apart from one another. Marlena looked into John’s eyes and then he watched her gaze as she studied his face and eventually came to rest on his mouth. The way she looked at his mouth made his cock twitch and he could feel himself slowly growing hard. He brought his right hand up to her face and brushed her cheekbone with his thumb. Her gazed stayed fixed on his mouth. John thought about adjusting his cock in his pants with his other hand, to relieve some of the pressure. Just as he thought he could without her noticing him doing it, Marlena looked him in the eyes.

“Kiss me… like you did… yesterday… in the hallway” Marlena said, her voice breathy as she dropped her eyes back down to his mouth.

“Marlena…” John began to say, only to be interrupted by her.

“Please….” She whispered, a look of complete want and desire filling her eyes, as she didn’t take her gaze off of his mouth.

John moved his hand up into her hair and gently grabbed a small handful and pulled her to his mouth. He wanted to kiss her gently, but as he brought his mouth to hers, his desire to posses her overtook him and his kiss came hard. Marlena let out a small moan. John pulled her even closer to him, slightly lifting her off her chair. She leaned farther into him and as she felt the need to steady herself, she brought her left hand forward  and placed it directly on his cock. John let out a loud moan into her mouth the instant he felt her hand cup his dick and he slid a little down in his chair to give her more access to him. He reached up with his other hand and ran it up into her hair and grabbed it, then moved it to around the back of her head. Marlena could feel her clit swelling and she gripped John’s cock tighter making him moan again. Not breaking their kiss, he moved his left hand down, around her waist and lifted her up, out of her chair and pulled her close to him. Needing no instruction, Marlena straddled John in his chair and brought herself down onto his throbbing cock. The second she felt his hard cock, through his pants, hit her clit, she broke their kiss and let out a small gasp and gripped him tighter around his neck, pulling her chest tightly into John’s. John moved his mouth to her neck and began alternating between kissing and running his tongue up and down, occasionally sucking on her neck.

“Oh God, John….” Marlena cried out and she began grinding her clit into him harder.

John began kissing her on the mouth again, able to manipulate how hard he kissed her by keeping his hand on the back of her head. He pushed her mouth down onto his harder and their tongues sought out each others with an unmistakable passion. As they kissed, John felt his cheeks become damp and he broke their kiss and he gently pulled Marlena’s face from his. Looking her in the face, he saw she was crying.

“Marlena…” John whispered, a tone of concern in his voice. He gathered her hair on both sides and gently pulled it back so he could get a view of her whole face.

Silent tears fell from Marlena’s eyes, onto John’s chest leaving small watermarks on his t-shirt. She didn’t say a word, instead she just held her gaze with John’s. Holding her hair back with one hand, John began gently wiping away her tears with his other. The feel of his touch on her face was something Marlena wanted to remember and she closed her eyes, trying to burn the memory of that sensation into her mind forever. His  gentleness, his thoughtfulness and the look of want he had in his eyes for her. She wanted to remember it all, should it never happen again.

After a short time, John broke the silence. When next he spoke, his voice was soft.

“Let me get us more wine” he said.

Holding onto Marlena’s waist and never breaking eye contact with her, he gently stood up and slowly let her slide down his body. When he could feel that her feet were firmly planted on the floor he smiled at her and withdrew his arm from around her.

Marlena watched as he walked over to the kitchen and began opening up a new bottle of wine. She caught his eyes as he looked at her and smiled. She couldn’t help but smile right back. She looked around the room and slowly walked over to where the piano was, in the far corner of the room. It was situated where the two walls of windows met. The windows were floor to ceiling in length and as she stood next to them she felt like she was floating over all of Salem.

“The view you have is tremendous”, she said.

“Yes, it is”, John replied, looking directly at her, a smile spread widely across his face.

Marlena shot a glance back towards him and saw that he was looking at her and not the city lights. She smiled back at him, shyly, watching him walk towards her with the glasses of wine.

Marlena spotted the telescope and walked over towards it. In a split second, John thought he felt like his heart stopped beating and he wanted to scream out, “NO!”, but he didn’t. He had completely forgotten about the telescope; that he had taken it back out of the closet and that it was aimed directly at Marlena’s penthouse. He held his breath as he watched her peer down into the eyepiece. It took a second for Marlena’s eye to adjust and focus on what he was looking at. When it came into focus she thought her mind must’ve been playing tricks on her because she could’ve sworn she was looking directly into her own living room. She glanced up and out the window in the direct the telescope was aimed and then looked back down into the eye piece. No, she hadn’t been imagining it, that washer living room. She looked up and glanced at John with a confused look on her face. All John could do was stand there, holding his breath, waiting for her to unleash her fury. But to his surprise she didn’t. She took one last look through the eye piece and when she looked up again, she turned towards him and smiled.

“Nice to know I have someone to watch over me”, she said, with a sly, sexy smile on her face.

John didn’t say anything. Instead, he decided to remain silent. Marlena walked up to him and  took the glass from his hand and walked past him, towards the couch As he turned to follow her, he bumped the telescope, moving it so it was no longer aimed at her house. He wasn’t sure if she’d meant what she said, or if it was just the wine talking.

Marlena took a seat on the couch. She brought both her legs up and tucked them under her and sat her wine glass on one of her legs, holding it steady with her hand.

“Read to me?” she asked, as John sat down.

John looked over at her, smiled and then reached for his book.

Marlena rested her head on the back of the couch as she watched John open his book to where it was marked.

“Social structure is the sum total of these typifications and of the recurrent patterns of interaction established by means of them. As such, social structure is an essential element of the reality of everyday life”, John began and glanced over at Marlena, only to see she was fast asleep.

It wasn’t sunlight or an alarm clock that woke Marlena. It was the distant sound of dishes clinking together. She awoke, completely confused as to where she was. All she knew was that the room she was in felt like it was spinning and her head was in throbbing pain. Lying on her stomach, she tried to push herself up, but quickly laid back down when she thought for sure her head was going to split open like a ripe melon. She moaned in pain and grabbed her head. As she slowly began to open her eyes more,  she wondered what time it was. It couldn’t possibly be morning she thought to herself, simply because her bedroom was never this dark in the morning.

She thought it best that she get up, take a couple aspirin and then go back to bed. She slowly sat up, swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat for a few seconds trying to get her head to stop pounding. She noticed her feet felt unusually cold on the floor and she glanced down to see what she could possibly be stepping in. The room was to dark to see anything clearly, but she could swear it felt as if the carpeting in her room had been replaced with hardwood flooring. Now she knew her head needed some serious medication because now it was starting to play tricks on her. She brought her right hand up to her face and began massaging her forehead. An intoxicating aroma hit her and her mind raced, trying to remember where she’d smelled that scent before.

“John!” she thought, out loud.

She suddenly panicked! The night before! She remembered having dinner with him and talking and that was pretty much all she could remember. Oh… and wine. She’d had wine. And apparently, from the condition her head was in, she’d had a lot of wine. How did she get home? When did she get home? As she continued massaging her forehead she caught a glimpse of  a shirt sleeve. She pulled her arm back a little and was mortified to see it was a man’s dress shirt she was wearing. The fragrance she’d caught before was John’s cologne… she looked down and was horrified to see she was wearing one of John’s dress shirts. She still had on her bra and panties… but the dress she came in was nowhere to be found.

She felt a wave of anxiety overtake her body. She tried not to get hysterical, as she strained to see through the darkness. She wasn’t at home. The floor beneath her feet was hardwood. She wasn’t in her own bedroom at all. She was in John’s bedroom! She froze in place, too scared to move. She was afraid if she turned around she’d see John lying on the other side of the bed. Holding her breath, she slowly turned her head in the direction his body would be. She didn’t move too fast. She didn’t want to wake him up. She figured if she didn’t wake him, then she could just slink out of his place undetected and then…. And then what? Never again show her face in the building she occupied an office in?

She sighed with relief when she saw the bed was otherwise unoccupied. To the contrary, the other side of the bed looked completely unaltered, as if no one had been in it. The clock on the bedside table caught her attention. It read 10:32am. Not only had she slept over at John’s, and had done only God knows what, but she was two and a half hours late for work. She jumped up, forgetting how badly her head hurt until she was completely vertical and when the throbbing hit her again, it was all she could do to maintain her balance. Regaining her composure, she walked towards a wall of drapes and pulled them back a little. The sunlight temporarily blinded her. The mixture of sunlight and the throbbing in her head was nearly lethal, she thought.

When her eyes finally adjusted, she took in her surroundings. John’s bedroom was as expertly decorated as the other parts of the house she’d seen. The furniture coordinated with the rest of the house in a seamless way. His bed was dark wood with a padded leather headboard and adorned with expensive, all white bedding. A closet took up one entire wall, another bookcase was along another wall, and it too was full of books. A large painting hung over the bed and Marlena took a few moments staring at it before coming to her own opinion that it made her feel like she was invading someone’s privacy. Something about the painting made her feel slightly uneasy and, oddly enough, slightly turned on.

She looked around the room for her dress and saw nothing. She imagined it carelessly thrown on the living room floor somewhere. She made a mental note to never drink in John’s presence again. Correction, she would never be in John’s presence again. Her level of embarrassment wouldn’t allow it. She walked lightly, as if she was trying not to wake anyone, towards the door she believed would lead her out into the living room. Turning the doorknob slowly she stepped out of the room only to be surprised to see three people, none of whom were John, in his home.

A lady, over at the far end of the room with her back turned, was dusting and the other two people were in the kitchen area directly, off to her left. One was cooking and one was on a cell phone with paper and pen in hand.

Marlena’s presence caught the attention of the young woman on the phone.

Yes, sir. I’ll be sure to do that. I should go. Your company’s woken up”, she said, and hung up the phone.

Turning to Marlena, she walked over and greeted her.

“Good morning, Doctor Evans. May I get you some breakfast?”

“No. Thank you”, Marlena replied, confused as to how the woman knew her name.

“Well, if you change your mind and would like anything, please let me know. My name is Karen.  Mr. Black took the liberty of having your dress laundered. It’s hanging in the bathroom.”

“Thank you”.

Marlena turned back around and headed back into the bedroom, completely confused as to how people she didn’t know, knew her and just how many people had witnessed her passed out in John’s bed and what kind of conclusions had they drawn? She couldn’t begin to answer that last question because she had no idea what she had done herself last night.

She found her way to the bathroom and, as she turned on the light, she saw a glass of water with two aspirin sitting beside it, resting on the counter. There was a small note placed next to it that simply read: “Good Morning ~ John”.

She tried hiding the smile that crept over her face with her hand as she stared at the note, with it’s simple greeting written in perfect penmanship. A hook on the wall held her dress, still wrapped in a dry cleaners plastic bag; her shoes placed neatly below it. She walked over and turned on the water in the shower. While waiting for it to warm up, she glanced around the room. Mr. Black was an impeccably clean person with nothing out of place. She swallowed the aspirin with some water and then stepped into the shower. The hot water against her skin felt fantastic. She could feel her muscles relaxing and her head beginning to clear up.

She got dressed and headed towards the living room. She was beyond late for work. She knew she had no appointments until 1:20 that afternoon, but she liked getting to her office and clearing up paperwork before she had any clients. She glanced down at her watch and figured if she caught a cab and went straight to work she could possibly get some paperwork done before her first appointment. She stepped into the living room and immediately caught the attention of Karen again.

“May I get you some coffee this morning, Doctor Evans?”

“No thank you. I’m running late. I’ll just catch a cab.”

Before she could respond, Marlena was out the front door and gone.

It felt like the elevator was taking forever and if she weren’t on the top floor, Marlena would have seriously considered taking the stairs. When the elevator finally arrived, she stepped inside and hit the button for the bottom floor. During the ride down, she checked her face in the mirror of her compact. If she could pull this off and have no one notice that she wasn’t as “put together” as she regularly was, she’d consider today a success. When the elevator stopped, she stepped out and headed across the lobby. Stepping outside, Marlena made her way to the curb and began looking up and down the street for an available cab.

“Doctor Evans?”

She turned around to see Samuel standing on the curb next to the car he’d driven her over in the night before.

He smiled at her and asked, “May I give you a ride home or to work?”

The conflict of emotions that were racing through Marlena’s mind as she sat in the backseat of John’s car, were almost more than she could handle. Part of her was grinning like a kid at Christmas; the way John had made sure she had been taken care of that morning; it had been so long since a man had shown that kind of care towards her. Yet at the same time, not sure of what all went on the night before, she was embarrassed and nervous to see John. Thankfully her next encounter with him would be in public; that is, if she saw him while she was at work today. She felt butterflies in her stomach as Samuel pulled the car into the parking garage at her work.

Kevin saw the Maybach pull into the garage and without hesitation he pushed the

button to raise the security gate. Instead of pulling into a parking spot, Samuel pulled the car up as close to the elevator doors as possible, got out and walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for Marlena.

“Thank you”, she said, as she stepped out.

“You’re very welcome. Have a nice day, Doctor Evans”.

Marlena smiled to herself as she entered the elevator. A girl could get use to being treated this way, she thought to herself.

The lobby was in its typical state of hustle and bustle, everyone in a hurry to get somewhere. Like a perfectly choreographed dance, Marlena made her way from one end it to the other managing not to bump anyone. She made it to the other set of elevators and saw one only a third of the way full; doors still open so she stepped a little faster and made it inside before the doors closed. She looked at her watch as she turned around to assume the typical elevator stance of looking towards the doors.

Just as the doors were about to close a hand shot in between them forcing them back open. Marlena looked up and was startled to be standing face-to-face with John.

Not wanting Marlena to feel uncomfortable, John had slept on the couch and had gotten up extra early that morning, gathered some of his belongings and went to a hotel to shower and get ready for the day. Even with getting up early, he was still managing to run late. The side trip he took on his way into work had taken longer than expected and the outcome of that trip had left him in a bad mood. Roman Brady was a class act jerk in John’s book. And what Marlena had ever seen in him, he’d never know.

He’d made his way across the lobby and spotted an elevator with it’s doors ready to close and, not wanting to wait for a new car to fill up before heading to various floors, he decided he’d interrupt the progress of that one. When the elevator doors reopened, he found himself face-to-face with Marlena.

Immediately, a smile came over his face as he took in how beautiful she looked.

“Good morning”, he said, staring at Marlena, as he stepped inside. “Please hit the button for the 12th floor”, he asked a man standing near the controls.

As he stood next to Marlena, he could feel their arms touching and he couldn’t help but keep smiling. He glanced over at her and she caught his gaze.

“Good morning”, she said, bashfully and quickly looked down at her feet.

John’s smile grew wider. He looked up at the floor numbers to see what floor they were passing and then he looked back at Marlena. He loved the fact that she was dressed in the same clothes as the night before, opting not to go to her house, but instead she had come straight to work.

Marlena glanced up at him and smiled back, slightly.

“Good morning, Mr. Black,” a couple of young girls from the rear corner of the car said, in unison.

John took his gaze off Marlena and, a bit irritated, he looked towards the ladies.

“Good morning”, he stated, flatly and then returned his gaze to Marlena.

He leaned in slightly and whispered to Marlena, “You look very pretty this morning”.

Marlena could feel herself begin to blush and her smile increased.

“Thank you”, she replied, sheepishly.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Everyone attempted to move around so

those needing to get out could. John felt some people push past him, but try as he might, he couldn’t help but to continue to stare at Marlena.

Mr. Black?”

John looked up and saw the two girls from the back of the elevator, now standing outside of the elevator, talking to him.

“We work in suite 823”, one of the girls was saying. “We thought we’d let you know that we’re having an office party this afternoon. It’s Becky’s birthday. You’re more than welcome to come, if you’d like. Party starts at 1 o’clock. ”  John just stared at them, blankly, as they smiled back at him until the doors finally closed and the elevator began moving again. And just like that, John was back to being irritated. He never did have a tolerance for, what he considered to be air-headed women that made it obvious how desperate they were. And to top it off, he wondered what Marlena thought of that little scene. He worried that she might think he would actually go to the “party”, yet now wasn’t the time or place to set her straight on these kinds of matters.

“Sir?”

John felt a tap on his shoulder and looked to his right.

“Sir, this is the 12th floor”, the man said.

John realized the elevator had stopped and someone was holding the door open for him.

“Oh, thank you.”

He turned and looked at Marlena one more time. He couldn’t think of the right thing to say to her, so he just nodded and smiled at her and stepped out, letting the doors close behind him.

Marlena knew she still had the silly grin on her face as she entered her office.

“Good morning, Doctor Evans”, Robin said, as she walked in.

“Good morning, Robin. Are there any messages for me?”

“No. But your 3 o’clock did cancel. He said his ex-wife is giving him problems and he needed to go to their daughters school for a meeting”.

“Thank you”, Marlena said, as she opened the door to her office.

She turned the light on and when she turned back around, she saw the most beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on the middle of her desk. She was speechless as she walked to her desk. Smelling the flowers, she opened the small card attached to them: “Have a wonderful day ~ JB”.

She smiled even wider and giggled a little to herself. Then she had a thought. She wasn’t sure if it would work or not, but she thought she’d give it a try, just in case.

She stepped out of her office, using the side door, so Robin wouldn’t see her, and she made her way down the hall towards the security camera mounted in the ceiling that she knew John had aimed towards her office. She stopped when she’d gotten as close as she could and, looking up into the camera, she held up the card and mouthed the words, ‘thank you’. Embarrassed that someone might see her, she turned around and headed back into her office.

John sat in his chair, the biggest grin plastered across his face. He’d watched her until she had gone back into her office. Then he swung his chair around and let his thoughts wander as he stared out the windows and all of Salem. Today might turn out to be a good day after all, he thought.

Marlena looked at her watch. A quarter to five. She would wait another 15 minutes and then leave for the day. Robin had gone home earlier but, even without patients to see, Marlena had stayed. She was ashamed to admit it, but she had hoped to have another “run in” with John. That was her reasoning for staying until five. She shook her head in disappointment at her self. The entire day she’d thought of ways to possibly run into John. She hadn’t paid much attention to what her patients had talked about. Instead,

she tried to figure out how she could go have lunch in the cafeteria, hoping John might be eating there as well. She thought of “accidently” showing up on the 8th floor where the girls from that morning were having the party; wondering if John would take the time to show up. The majority of her thoughts all day had been about John. How he looked that morning as he stepped into the elevator; how he stood so close to her she could feel his muscular arm rubbing up against hers; the way he’d smiled at her, not giving away the secret that she’d slept at his house the night before and hadn’t even bothered to go home and change. She turned the lamp on her desk off, leaned her head back on her chair and, with one foot, opened the bottom drawer of her desk and brought both of her feet up to rest on it as if it were a foot stool. She’d wait 15 minutes before she headed out to grab a taxi home. Maybe John would be leaving at the same time. As she rested her head and closed her eyes, her mind wandered back to that mornings encounter in the elevator. She relived the scene in her mind, yet this time, her mind began playing a different version of it.

Marlena hit the button for the 14^thfloor, anxious to get to her office to double check her schedule and see when her first patient was due to arrive. Just as the doors of the elevator were about to shut a hand shot between them, causing the doors to retract. Marlena’s irritation was short lived when she saw John step inside the elevator. He smiled at her and as the doors closed, Marlena realized they were to have a private ride to their destinations. John glanced over at her again, and then he slowly leaned over in her direction, reached out and pressed the button for the 12th floor. As he brought his arm back it lightly brushed over Marlena’s chest, causing her nipples to react. Marlena took a quick breathe in. She longed to feel John’s strong hands all over her body.

In Marlena’s darkened office, she slowly untied her wrap around dress and slid her left hand inside it, making contact with her right breast. She could feel her breasts respond to both her thoughts and her own touch. She slowly spread her legs a little wider and moved her right hand up her thigh, pushing her dress up. As she smoothed her hand over the top of her silk panties her mind returned to her daydream.

John kept a steady gaze on the floor and Marlena wondered if he’d say anything to her. Being in such close proximity to him made her nervous and aroused at the same time. He so attractive; so well put together in the clothes he wore. There wasn’t anything

about his personal appearance she’d change.

“That good, huh?” John asked.

Marlena looked over at him with a blank stare on her face.

“I asked how your morning was going”.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you. My… morning… well what I’ve had of it so far, it’s going fine. Thank you… for asking.”

John nodded and looked up at the lights of the floors as the elevator climbed.

“Wow, Slowest elevator in the building today.”

“Sometimes slow can be good”, Marlena said and instantly regretted it. She visibly cringed that those words had come out of her mouth.

A slow smile crept over John’s face. He liked the Freudian slip and he loved the fact that, without looking at her, he already knew there was a good chance she was regretting having those words come out. Without looking at her, he, once again, reached past her and hit the emergency stop button causing the elevator to come to a halting stop. Marlena grabbed the hand rails and stepped back to the corner of the elevator.

“What are you doing?” Marlena asked, a sense of shock running through her voice.

John turned to look at her.

“I’m slowing things down. You like things done slowly, Marlena?” he asked, turning towards her, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I… I… didn’t mean to say that… I…”

“It’s alright. It’s good to let people know what you like… and how you like it”.

Just then the emergency phone rang inside the elevator and, without taking his eyes off her; John reached behind him and picked up the receiver.

“No, we’re fine. No. No. John Black. No, I’ll let you know if we need any help” and with that, he hung up the phone.

Stepping towards her, his voice at a low growl he looked Marlena up and down.

“Do we need help? I mean, I know I don’t need any help. What about you, Marlena? Do you have anything you need help with?”

Marlena could feel her pulse beating harder between her legs. John stood within inches of her face and she could feel his hot breath on her. He took a small sniff of the air and smiled at her. He loved how she smelled. He could hear Marlena’s breathing becoming more labored. He brought his right hand up to the top button of her coat and in a single move, undid it. Marlena looked down to watch his hands. She wanted him to just grab her and be rough with her. The anticipation was pushing her almost over the edge and she wasn’t sure she could hold off her orgasm for very long. John brought his hand up to her chin and gently lifted her head.

“Look at me.”

Their mouths were mere inches apart and they could feel each others breath on their lips. John moved his hand and slowly slid it down her body; their eyes fixed on each others.

“I want you to look at me. I want you to remember whose hand you’re going to cum on”, he said as he ran his hand up her skirt. She could feel the heat of his hand on her thigh as he slid it underneath her garter strap and then brought it around to the front of her panties. The strength of his hands; the thickness of his fingers; the power in his thick wrists; the muscles she felt as she grabbed hold of his forearm, all of it was too much for Marlena and she could feel the wetness between her legs hit her panties.

“John” she whispered.

“Say it again”, he groaned.

“John” she whispered between short breaths.

He traced his fingers over her clit and a deep smile came over his face when he felt how wet she already was. She brought her left arm up and wrapped it around his neck for stability. She knew, in a few seconds, she wouldn’t be able to stand on her own. Slowly, John pulled her panties to the side and when she felt the skin-on-skin contact, Marlena let out a small cry. He lingered for a few seconds at her opening, making Marlena wither a little with the anticipation. Slowly, he parted her lips and lightly brushed her clit and then began rubbing small, light circles around it. John was harder that a rock himself, watching Marlena in agony. He spread his legs, braced himself with his other hand against the elevator wall and pushed his cock up against Marlena.

“My god, Marlena, do you feel what you do to me?” he said, grinding his cock into her, burying his face in her neck.

“John”, Marlena cried out.

And with that, John slammed two fingers up inside her; a deep grunted moan coming from deep within him.

“Oh god…” was all Marlena could manage to get out

before she felt her orgasm overtake her and she could feel herself cumming all over John’s hand.

The phone rang, startling Marlena from her daydream. She bolted up in her chair grabbing her dress closed as she looked around her office. She had masturbated herself to orgasm and was short of breath when she picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Doctor Evans?” the voice on the other end asked.

“Yes?”

“John Black”.

Marlena froze. She got the feeling that he’d be able to tell by her breathing and the sound of her voice what she’d just been thinking. And what she’d been doing. Perhaps he’d even been watching her.

“Hello?”

She didn’t say anything, desperately trying to regain a normal breathing pattern.

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better time to talk?”

“No! No… I’m fine” she said, cringing at how desperate or excited she might have come off sounding. “Um… I just… wasn’t expecting you to call me. Well, I wasn’t really expecting anyone to call me…”she glanced up at the clock and saw that it was 10 minutes past 5.

“I see. Well, I hadn’t seen you leave for the day so I thought perhaps, if you weren’t busy, we could talk?”

“Um… sure. I’m not busy. I was just getting ready to leave”, she said as she sat up and adjusted her dress.

“Well, this won’t take very long, if you have a minute.”

“Of course.”

“Very good. I’ll be right there” and he hung up.

Marlena hung up the phone and then jumped up and ran to her bathroom to try and regain her composure. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on her office door. She continued to straighten up her appearance as she headed for the door. One last glance in the mirror by the door and she reached over to open it. John stood there, no suit jacket on, just dress slacks, dress shirt and tie; his hands in his pockets.

“Hi”, Marlena said.

“Hello.”

“Please… Come in”, Marlena invited, stepping aside so John could enter.

“Do you feel alright?” John asked.

“I’m fine! What makes you ask?”

“I don’t know. You look a little flushed. Did you eat anything today?”

“I’m fine”, Marlena shot back, and doing a quick double check in the mirror as John’s back was to her.

“Okay!”

John took a few steps around her office, observing its décor.

“Nice couch”, he said as turned to look at her.

“Well, it is the hallmark of every psychiatrist’s office” she snapped back.

John raised his eyebrows realizing he must have struck a nerve.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to hit a nerve.”

“No… no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I apologize.”

As John walked past he leaned in towards her and whispered, “And here I thought about laying down; spilling my guts all over your couch.”

The heat of his breathes hitting her took her own breath away and sent goose bumps tingling all over her body. She grabbed hold of the back of the chair she was standing near, to help steady her.

She quickly pulled herself together and turned to watch him walk to the window behind her desk and stand there looking out at the view.

“Is there something I can help you with, John?”

“Your view from here is terrible.”

“I beg your pardon?”

John swung around to face her.

“I’m here to hold up my end of the bargain.”

“Excuse me?”

“You had dinner with me last night, so I’m here to uphold my end of the bargain and to offer up some of my services in retrieving your personal items” he paused, noticing the blank look on Marlena’s face. “You do remember your personal items that you claim have been stolen from you?”

“Oh… yes! And they were stolen. About last night…”

“Do you know how to pick a lock?” John asked as he turned back towards the window.

“Excuse me?”

“Pick a lock. Do you know how to do it?”

“Why would I know how to pick a lock?” Marlena asked.

John turned around and walked over towards her, stopping within inches from her. Staring at her, he dropped his gaze from her eyes to her mouth and then caught himself. He walked over to her office door and grabbed the doorknob.

“Well I know you weren’t thinking of having me do all the work myself, were you? Come here. I’ll give you a quick lesson in Spy School 101. Lock picking.”

“John!” the tone of Marlena’s voice had a ‘how dare you’ air about it.

“Look… you want your things back? Then you can learn how to get them on your own.”

“But…”

“But you don’t want to commit a crime like breaking and entering in order to get them back yet its okay for you to have me commit a crime.”

He stared at her with a no nonsense glare.

“John…”  “Care to get your stuff back?” he asked, holding up a metal object in his right hand.

Marlena quickly looked around the room in hopes of finding a distraction.

“I could just charge you by the hour” John said, still waving the metal object.

She looked back at John and then reluctantly walked over to the door.

“Here… stand right here”, John took Marlena by the shoulders and, standing behind her, he positioned  in front of the door.

John was standing at the windows of his office, looking out over Salem, making a mental note that it looked like rain in the not too distant future. He glanced down at his watch; 5:20. Marlena had called his office 20 minutes ago saying she was on her way there. He couldn’t imagine what was taking her so long. He turned and walked to his desk and lifted the receiver, getting ready to call her office, when he heard a light knocking on his office door.

“Come in”.

The door opened slowly and Marlena stepped inside.

What John saw made him stop in his tracks; his jaw dropped open slightly and he couldn’t help but just stare at Marlena. He slowly hung up the phone.

Marlena took the time to turn around and close John’s door and as she turned back around and started towards John’s desk she noticed the look on his face and it stopped her in her tracks.

“What?” she asked.

“What are you wearing?” John asked, trying his best to maintain a serious face while inside he was laughing as hard as he could.

“What? Is there something wrong with my outfit?”

She’d brought an extra change of clothes to work with her and had changed after Robin had left for the day. She’d taken the time that morning to carefully pick it out; black turtle neck; black pants and black shoes.

She made a couple feeble attempts at straightening her hair as John just smiled at her.

“No. You look fine. You’ll defiantly blend in.”

“Wait… why aren’t you dressed? Don’t burglars dress in all black? We are breaking into Roman’s place tonight, right?”

John couldn’t help but smile at her. She was just too cute for words, he thought.

“Yes. We are paying a visit to Roman’s”, John said, as he walked towards her.

“I just don’t like to blend as much as some people. Did you bring a coat? It looks like it’s going to rain.”

“No. I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t bring a black one.”

John reached into his coat closet and pulled out a light tan overcoat.

“Here, you can borrow one of mine,” he replied, handing her the jacket.

Marlena looked down at the coat and then it finally occurred to her, her outfit was overkill.

“John, I don’t know if I can do this. I mean… I can’t even get the dress code right…”

John turned around to look at her as he got his jacket on and noticed that, although she was looking away from him, he could see tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hey… hey, hey….” He said, as he reached out and took her chin and directed her face back to his. “You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna do just fine.”

She frowned a little and returned her gaze to the floor.

“I’m just so nervous. I’ve never done this before. Roman knew what he was doing when he took those items. He knew how much it would upset me…” and with that, tears rolled down her face and John could feel a couple of them hit his hand.

“Come here”, he said and pulled Marlena in close. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Marlena brought her arms up under his and placed her hands on his shoulders. With all the anxiety that had been building up over these stolen items, it felt good to finally get a little release. But, as much as she wanted a good cry, her senses took over her body and she felt herself get warm all over. The strength in John’s arms as he held her made her feel like she could break at any minute, yet she had complete trust in him that he would never hurt her. He smelled as good at the end of the day as he did in the beginning and she closed her eyes and tried to make a mental note of all of it.

John felt like he could stand there forever with her in his arms. In the short time he’d known her, he’d seen way too much pain surface from within her and he silently cursed Roman Brady for ever bit of it. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been hugging her, but before he felt she might start feeling awkward about it, he let go of her and stepped back a little. He placed his hands on her shoulders and slightly bent down to be at eye level with her.

“You’re gonna do just fine tonight. I have every confidence in you. Even if you do look like you’ve walked off a bad movie set.”

They both chuckled a little, glad to have some comic relief.

“Now… are you ready to go?” John asked.

Marlena took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Ready as I’m ever going to be.”

“Good. Let’s go do this thing.”

And with that, John turned around, opened the door to his office and held it open for Marlena, turned off his office lights and shut the door behind them; locking it and they headed down the hallway towards the elevators.

“This is it” Marlena said, an air of disgust in her voice, as she sat in the front seat of the small car, staring out through the now rain drenched windows.

John looked out at the building they were parked next to. It looked horrible; located in a horrible neighborhood.

“I know. These kinds of places are bad for my allergies” and as he said it, he hit the dashboard of the car one more time to try and get the cassette tape that was stuck in the radio to stop blaring John Coltrane at them.

“Whose car is this again?” Marlena asked.

“I thought I told you, the less you know, and the better off you’ll be when questioned by the cops” John shot back, wrestling with the tape player.

Marlena shot him a deer in headlights look.

“I’m joking. Relax. But it is none of your business”, John smiled at her and glanced out the window past her, to the decrepit building. “That’s it. I can’t take this music any more. Wait right here”, John killed the motor, opened his door and got out. He walked around to Marlena’s side of the car and opened her door for her.

The rain was coming down just hard enough to make everything twice as inconvenient. They both pulled their coats closed and headed towards the front door of the building. Stepping inside, they were taken aback by the musty smell. The lobby was lit by a single 50 watt bulb. They made their way over to the elevator and Marlena reached out and pressed the up button. John came in, right behind her and wiped the button off.

“Didn’t you bring gloves?” he asked.

“No. I didn’t think to bring gloves!”

“You thought to dress up like cat woman, and you forgot gloves. You plan on leaving your fingerprints all over the place?”

“John… I’ve never done this before…”

And before she could finish, John grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her up against the wall. He used one leg to spread Marlena’s legs open wider and he stepped in between them, pressing his body into hers. Before she knew what was going on, John moved his right hand up into her hair, grabbing it a bit and brought his mouth down onto hers and began to kiss her passionately.

Marlena tried to protest, bringing her arms up to his chest and trying to push him away, but he just grabbed them and pinned them against the wall. She tried to speak but with his mouth on hers no words could come out. After a few seconds, she succumbed to his kiss and began kissing him back. His mouth was warm and soft, yet at the same time demanding and aggressive and it made her a little weak in the knees. John let go of her wrists and moved both his hands up to cup her face.

Marlena could hear someone fumbling with keys and a doorknob.

“Get a room”, the stranger yelled and with that, they heard a door slam shut.

John pulled his mouth off Marlena’s, stood up and stepped back from her a little. He was breathing heavy. As Marlena tried to catch her breath also, she looked in the direction of the stranger’s voice and didn’t see anyone.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t want him seeing our faces. I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”

“It’s alright” Marlena replied, dabbing at her mouth.

John looked towards the elevator.

“Look, let’s take the stairs. That thing’s probably a death trap anyways.”

They headed into the stairwell and made their way to the third floor. Making their way down the dimly lit hallway they stopped and stood in front of the door marked 307. Marlena turned to look at John.

“Well? Did you bring your tool?” John asked.

“I did”, Marlena replied and reached into her pocket and pulled out the paperclip John had given her the day before.

“You know what to do” John said, nodding towards the door and then looking in both directions down the hallway.

Marlena stepped towards the door and slowly placed the paperclip into the key hole. She began wiggling it around trying to feel the same clicking she’d felt when she’d worked on the key hole on the door to her office. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably and she could feel sweat beginning to form on her upper lip.

John took one more glance up and down the hallway and then turned his attention towards Marlena. He watched as her hands shook so bad he was surprised she’d been able to even put the paperclip into the hole. He glanced up at her face and smiled at the intensity and concentration in her eyes. Realizing they could be there all night if he didn’t help her out, he leaned into her and covered her hand with his.

He brought his mouth down to her ear and whispered, “It’s like a woman. Be gentle. Move slowly.”

Marlena got chills as he spoke; his hot breath on her ear.

“Do you feel that?” he asked as a significant click vibrated through the paperclip.

“Yes”, she whispered back.

“Turn the knob.”

Marlena reached down and grabbed the knob, turning it slowly and felt it give way and in an instant, the door opened. She turned to look at John. This is it, she thought, no going back.

“You have to step inside, Marlena” John said, and nodded towards the inside of the apt.

They both slowly stepped inside. A single lamp was lit, revealing the contents of the apartment. Everything seemed to still be in boxes. Nothing had been unpacked. They were both surprised how nice the apartment was inside, compared to the condition of the rest of the building. John made a mental note that most people who lived in places like this did so because it was highly unlikely someone would want to rob anyone here, especially after assessing the exterior of the building. John walked over and opened the flaps of a couple boxes.

“Books”.

“Interesting. I’ve never known Roman to read anything besides police reports. Maybe Kate got him into books.”

“I doubt it”, John replied, flatness to his tone.

“He sure hasn’t unpacked much. Probably to busy spending his free time with Kate..”

“Stop it!” John snapped back.

“I beg your pardon?”

“The pity party. Knock it off.”

“I’m not having a ‘pity party’. I’m just expressing myself…”

“Well, do it on your own dime. I’m not a shrink and this apartment has no couch.”

“You can be a real ass sometimes, John Black.”

“Oh… am I in more trouble when you use my full name?”

“No wonder you’re still single…”

Anger burned in John’s eyes as he reached out and grabbed Marlena’s upper arm and pulled her next to him.

“Oww, you’re hurting me!”

“Watch what you say, Doctor Evans. You don’t know anything about me. I’d hate for you to say something you’ll regret later”, and then John let go of her arm and slightly pushed her away.

Just then they both heard the rattling of the doorknob on the front door and in an instant John grabbed Marlena again and pushed them both into the coat closet near the front door. He kept pushing until they were as far back into the closet as they could go; past the coats; hidden as best from view as they could get. They heard the muffled sound of the door open and close and keys being thrown onto the table next to the door. More light flooded under the closet door as another lamp was turned on. The foot steps came closer to the closet door and instinctively, John brought his hand up to Marlena’s mouth to deaden any scream she might emit. The look of complete terror in her eyes made John feel bad for how he’d spoken to her seconds before. Without taking his hand off of her mouth, he brought the forefinger of his other hand, up to his mouth and motioned for her to be quiet.

The closet door opened and they felt something hit their feet and just as suddenly, the closet door shut again. John slowly removed his hand from Marlena’s mouth, but continued to motion for her to be quiet. Marlena could swear the sound of her heart beating so hard was going to rat them out. John mouthed the words, “Are you okay” and Marlena nodded back ‘yes’. He smiled back at her and stifled a laugh. Worst case scenario was right on the other side if that door. What were the odds, he thought.

They could hear the footsteps throughout the hardwood floors of the apartment. John tried shifting his weight from one foot to another, but it was no use. The closet was just too small to get comfortable in. He lifted up an arm and grabbed hold of the wood dowel that the hangers hung on, bringing his body into contact with Marlena’s. He looked down at her and smiled. Even when terrified, she was beautiful. He could feel her chest rise and fall against his. As he tried to adjust his position again, he could feel Marlena’s breasts rub across his chest, her nipples felt erect. He brought his free hand up to her face and lightly brushed her cheekbone.

Marlena locked eyes with John. For all the trouble she could be in; that they both could be in, she should be petrified. When she looked into John’s eyes, she felt safe and a world away.

He traced his finger down her cheekbone and then to her jaw line, his eyes dropped down to her mouth and he could feel his cock getting harder as he watched her part her mouth slightly.

“My god, you’re beautiful” he whispered.

“John…”

He silenced her as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. Marlena’s breathing became heavier and she opened her mouth even wider, dropping her gaze down to John’s mouth and then back up to his eyes.

Slowly, John moved in closer to her, their mouths almost touching. John breathed heavily onto her mouth, sending chills through her body. The feel of his lips slightly grazing hers made her catch her breath. In the dimly lit closet, Marlena completely forgot her situation; her full attention turning to John and the way he felt with his body pressed against hers. Her soul screamed for him to kiss her passionately. She wanted to feel wanted and she wanted that feeling to come from John, whether she knew him very well or not. It took every ounce of her self control to not cry out for him to kiss her like he wanted her. Little did she know that that feeling was mutual.

John slipped his hand behind Marlena’s head and up into her hair. He wanted to be able to control whether she moved away or not. As his finger intertwined in her hair, he could feel no resistance from her and that made him even more excited and the aching between his legs was more than he thought he could contain. He kissed Marlena slowly, savoring the taste of her on his lips. When he next kissed her more intensely, his erection twitched when he heard a stifled moan come from Marlena, filling his mouth. His tongue entered her warm, moist mouth at the same time she ran her fingers up his neck and into his hair. Their tongues intertwined and danced in and out of each other’s mouths; their lips moving over the others in perfect rhythm. John took Marlena’s right hand in his and guided it down his left thigh. Without further instruction, Marlena moved her hand over slightly and cupped his hard cock and then gently squeezed it. John let out a moan into her mouth and Marlena could feel a wet spot forming on her panties.

Suddenly, John broke free from her and looked around.

“What is it?” Marlena asked, breathlessly.

“Did you hear that?”

“No. Hear what?” she asked.

Her heavy breathing distracted John for a second. He loved the fact that had she not only kissed him back, but he had taken her breath away also.

“Shhhh….” He whispered, placing his forefinger over her mouth.

He reached for the closet door handle and, ever so slowly, turned it and cracked the closet door open a bit. He put his ear to the crack and listened. Marlena strained to hear anything, wondering what John could have possibly heard over their breathing.

John leaned back into the closet, holding the door closed with one hand.

“I hear snoring. I think he’s asleep and I think now would be a great time to leave”, he whispered.

As he slowly opened the door again and made a move to get out, Marlena grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back inside.

“What?”

“John… what about my stuff?”

“What about it? I’m not about to go rummaging through boxes while fucktard sleeps in the other room.”  The look of despair washed over Marlena’s face.

“Hey… it’s okay”, John said, cupping her face in his hand. “We’ll try again another time! But right now, we have to go, sweetie!”

John inched open the closet door and slowly stepped outside. He glanced around the foyer to make sure no one would see them and then motioned for Marlena to come out. Tip-toeing out she made sure to stay close to John’s side. He reached over and grabbed the front door handle and slowly opened it; motioned for Marlena to step outside and then, following her, silently closed the door behind them both.

The race down the stairs seemed to take only seconds and before they knew it, they stepped outside, into a side alley, and out into the night rain. When the stairwell door shut behind them and they were sure no one would hear them, they looked at each other and in a moment of tension relief, began laughing uncontrollably, as they made their way, running, back to the car.

Marlena’s heart jumped at his touch and her ears went temporarily deaf with the sound of her own heart beating. She felt John’s strong arms envelop her from behind and she felt him move his face up close to her neck, his mouth right by her ear.

“Your official breaking and entering tool” John said, holding out a paperclip for Marlena to take.

“A paper clip?” Marlena asked, breathlessly, trying her best not to let on how John’s proximity to her was physically affecting her.

“I know… it’s all so high tech isn’t it?” John said, smiling. “Now, if this is a 5 pin tumbler style lock, you may have a problem getting it the first time, but don’t get frustrated. It should be a little hard… trying to be a criminal, that is.”

John placed the paper clip in Marlena’s hand, cupped it with his own and then guided her hand towards the lock. He guided the paperclip into the key hole and began to gently wiggle it around. With no free hand available, John took his nose and pushed some of Marlena’s hair away from her ear. He felt her shiver and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Can you fell that?” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes” Marlena responded. John couldn’t see that her eyes were closed and she was lost in the feel of his body up against hers. John continued to move Marlena’s hand ever so slightly, feeling the clicking of the lock thru the paper clip. Without realizing it, Marlena pushed her hips back slightly causing her ass to come into contact with John’s body. He squeezed his eyes closed trying his best to shut out the feel of her body against his.

“Grab the handle and turn it”.

Marlena did as he said and the knob gave way allowing the door to open.

“Ahhhh…!” she cried out. “We did it!”

John saw the ear-to-ear grin on her face and began to smile himself.

“You did it. You’re a fast learner for a burglar”, he joked.

“Can I try it again?”

“Certainly” John replied as he looked her up and down as she turned her back to him.

He watched as she locked the door again and worked at the lock. A short time later she’d unlocked the door all by herself. She spun around facing him, smiling so big it made him laugh a little.

Marlena giggled a little and then looked John in the eye and slowly became quiet.

“So… what’s next?” she asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“Well we can go and try to get your things back tomorrow night, if you’re available.”

“Are you serious? But, John, I don’t know anything about breaking and entering…”

“It’s okay. You can learn as we go. You’ve got the entering part down….” And as he walked past her, heading out the door he leaned in towards her and whispered, “just don’t break anything.”

Having parked the car blocks away from John’s apartment, they had jogged in the pouring rain, laughing the whole way at the hand fate had dealt them and how they’d beaten it at its own game. Their adrenaline was pumping at an all time high, blocking out the fact that they were freezing. They were completely drenched as they burst through the door of John’s apartment. The sound of Marlena’s laugh was like music to John’s ears; he could happily listen to that sound for the rest of his life. Closing the door behind them, he walked over to the kitchen, grabbed a couple of glasses from a cupboard and poured them both some Scotch. Marlena walked across the room to the windows on the opposite wall. She leaned up against the thick, industrial ballet bar that ran inches in front of the windows and, looking out over the city, she couldn’t help but smile. She might not have gotten her stuff back tonight, but now she had a taste of what it took it get them back and she felt a wave of confidence come over her; confidence that Roman wouldn’t have the last say in this matter. When she turned around, John was standing behind her holding out a glass for her.

“Oh… thank you” she said, smiling up at him and taking the glass. “To… an unsuccessful mission, but one that I know, if given the chance again, will be victorious!”

And, with that, they smiled, toasted and each took a sip. Marlena glanced to her right, out the windows, watching the rain drops dot the windows. With more lights on inside, the city had disappeared and all she could see was a reflection of the apartment, and of John standing in front of her. She turned back around to face him.

John couldn’t believe how beautiful Marlena looked, soaking wet and all. He brought his hand up to her face and gently moved some hair out of her eyes. He glanced down at her hands and he could see she was shivering.

“You’re freezing. Come here”, he said and took Marlena by the hand.

Leading her into his bedroom, Marlena became nervous and pulled her wet jacket closed, holding it tight against her body. John led her through the bedroom and into the bathroom. He walked to the shower, opened the glass door and turned on the hot water.

“You can…uh… adjust it to your liking. There’s a bathrobe over there”, he said, motioning across the room. “Take your time”, he said, smiling at her.

As he started to walk out, he caught a glimpse of Marlena in the mirror. She looked so small and delicate. He stopped, turned around and walked back to her.

“Sweetheart, you have to get in the shower and warm up. We can’t have you catching a cold. Come on, let me help you out of that coat”, he said and reached around her from behind, placing both his hands on her shoulders.

As he peeled back the jacket, Marlena’s breath caught in her throat. The feel of his strong hands; her body screamed for more. She wanted to feel desired, she wanted to feel sexy, and she wanted to fell wanted. She wanted to feel John Black all over her.

He was the perfect gentleman and left her alone in the bathroom. It wasn’t until she stepped into the shower that she realized just how cold she really was. She welcomed the hot fingers of the shower spray on her breasts, hips and thighs. She thought of John’s hands, his lips, caressing, touching, easing the ache inside her.

When she stepped out of the shower, she retrieved the bathrobe from the warming rack. The warm, thick white terry cloth enveloped her, easing away any remaining tension. She slipped on a pair of thick, cotton socks John had left out for her and then opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the bedroom, making her way back into the living room. Once there, she noticed John had started a fire in the fireplace, his back to her as he tended the fire. He’d changed his clothes and was wearing a long sleeve white cotton t-shirt and jeans. When he heard her come in, he turned to her and smiled.

“Feel better?”

“Much better. Thank you.”

“I made some hot chocolate. Would you like some?”

“Mmm… that sounds wonderful!” Marlena said and they both walked towards the kitchen.

John got some cups down from a cupboard and poured the hot chocolate into each, topping them off with a dap of whipped cream. Handing a cup to Marlena, he couldn’t help but think how comfortable it all was; having her in his home; in his robe. He could only imagine what it would be like to have her in his bed.

They made some small talk; mostly about the décor in John’s apartment, waiting for the hot chocolate to cool down enough to drink. The first sip Marlena took and a smile came across John’s face.

“What?” she asked.

“You have… you have a little whipped cream…. on your nose” he said, as he walked around the counter and came up to her. He wiped her nose off with his thumb and then brought his thumb to his mouth and licked it clean; never breaking eye contact with her.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut. Neither said a word and neither broke their gaze. Marlena’s heart was beating so hard she could swear John could probably hear it. John took a step towards her, eating the short distance between them. Then he reached out and touched her. His thumb tracing the line of her jaw, his fingers slid along the contour of her neck as his warm palm came to rest on the pulse drumming in her throat. Her pulse leaped. She could feel her blood pounding in her veins, throbbing eagerly against his palm as their gaze remained locked. All she could think of was being in his arms; wanting to feel his hands all over her body; she wanted to feel him inside her.

“If I kiss you right now… I won’t be able to stop”, John whispered.

Her lips parted as his fingers slid into her hair.

“Kiss me” she whispered back.

John pulled Marlena closer into him, pressing their bodies together. His mouth closed down over hers and she welcomed the sweet warmth of his lips, relished the pressure of his body against hers. Her senses grew alive and, needing, seeking the contact, she clung to him. John wanted to explore every inch of her body in detail, every pink fold until she was dripping wet, until he tasted her heat. Sensing that Marlena wanted the same, his cock began to strain against the fabric barriers between them. His breath hit her cheek and down to her neck. When his tongue hit her skin, she let out a moan. She crushed her breasts to him and he brought his mouth back to hers; their tongues dancing together in perfect rhythm. John clutched at the fabric of the bathrobe, bunching the soft material between his fingers until her bare ass was exposed. Like firebrands, his fingers slid under her ass and lifted her up, turning and carrying her over towards the wall of windows to their left. Placing her on the industrial bar, Marlena let out a gasp, breaking their kiss.

John’s hot fingers slid down her neck, pushing open the robe, revealing her bare breasts; her nipples so erect they looked almost painful. John pushed back from her, wanting to take in every ounce of her beauty. She was perfect. Her body was magnificent. He lightly ran his fingers over her breasts, gently massaging them. As her nipples peaked beneath his fingertips, Marlena’s head fell back against the window, her breath labored as much as Johns. He continued to pull the robe open farther, revealing her flat belly, her slim hips, a thatch of brown curls neatly trimmed to a small strip nestled between her legs. Her skin gleamed, soft and delicate. He brought his eyes back up to hers and their gazed locked. Her expression, daring and lustful, shot pure lust to the tip of his penis and it was then he felt his own wetness as his cock strained in agony against the front of his jeans. When Marlena shifted her legs in readiness, John began to unbutton his pants and step out of them, never taking his eyes off hers.

Marlena could feel the contractions of her orgasm already building. It had been so long since she’d felt wanted and even then, it was never by a man like John Black. She leaned forward and brought her hand up into John’s hair. It was still wet and ran like silk ribbons through her fingers. She tucked her feet around his waist as he brought his hands up underneath her, holding her entire weight with his muscular arms. In one gentle motion, he pressed Marlena against the glass window and, lifting her slightly, he guided the tip of his cock between her slick folds. Then he leaned forward, and with his weight, he pressed her back flush against the glass.

Trapped between his hard body and the smooth window, between fire and ice,  Marlena’s breath caught as he eased his length deeper inside her. Their position demanded that John be in complete control and she happily surrendered it to him. His muscular strength heightened her awareness of his size, his length, his ability to bring out her most inner desires.

John was amazed how tightly she held him, the warmth of her wetness covering his shaft completely. He could feel small contractions up and down his cock and he knew Marlena was ready to be thrust over the edge. He rotated his hips, each measured penetration searing her clit; fusing her back to the glass, bringing to her a unique friction, a cool burn.

John kept his gaze on Marlena’s, not wanting to miss one single expression on her face. He thought it impossible for her to be any more beautiful, but with each slow thrust into her, she became more and more radiant; her beauty growing steadily. The way she held his gaze as she slid up and down his cock, her tightness making it increasingly difficult for him to ward off his own pleasure. His breath came in hot gasps, hitting her chest and stomach, inciting a thousand fiery ripples to race across her skin. She moaned and strained against the slick glass. Aching for release, she cried out. John splayed his hand over her belly, wiping droplets of his own sweat from her body. The feel of his strong hands on her skin sent tremors of delight racing through her. She arched her hips towards him and let out a moan as he repositioned his hand around her waist. The force at which he held her pressed to him, the angle allowing for her clit to rub against him, his muscular body not allowing for her to feel like she was in this alone, all of it was unlike anything she had experienced with any man before.

“John….I…. I…”

John looked at her with such love in his eyes it made her want to weep.

“Its okay baby… let it go…. let it all go”, he said, as he continued to thrust into her.

And, as if having given her permission to do so, Marlena felt her legs begin to tremble and her cunt pulsated. From deep within her, her climax wrenched itself free. Unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Marlena welcomed its intensity, wrestling every morsel of gratification from her body. John continued to move within Marlena’s quivering folds. Each thrust brought him closer to his own release. He felt his balls tighten. He groaned; low and guttural, almost animal like as he felt his hot cum run up the inside of his shaft and fill Marlena; mixing with her own juices and then running back down the exterior of his cock and slowly spilling out, dripping onto the floor. He reached up and wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her tight to him, leaving no room between them. With one hand on her back and the other intertwined in her hair, he pressed her to him, trying to get as close to her as possible, but feeling like it would never be enough. He pulled back from her, enough to see her face. He reached up and moved a few stray strands of hair and then brought his arms back down, around her waist. He lifted her up and, turning; carried her into the bedroom.

The shadowy figure of the stranger, four rooftops over, lowered the binoculars. He’d seen what he’d come for and now, there was going to be a price to be paid, but at who’s expense, he wasn’t quite sure yet.

After moving into the bedroom John and Marlena both made love until exhaustion over took them both and they fell asleep, spooning; John’s arms wrapped tightly around Marlena. Sometime during the night, Marlena rolled over and reached out only to find John not in bed.

“John?” she sat up and quietly cried out in the dark.

When there was no response, she threw her legs over the side of the bed, reached down and found John’s discarded shirt on the floor and put it on. Walking out into the living room she was surprised to find him in the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” she asked her voice barely above a whisper.

“SHIT!” John shouted out as he spun around to face her. “God, you scared the shit outta me!” he said, between laughs. “I wasn’t expecting you to wake up!”

“I’m sorry” Marlena replied, unable to control her laughter.

“No… that’s fine! I’m just so used to be here alone…” his voice trailed off as he walked over to her and enveloped her in a strong embrace. “I got hungry. Are you hungry? Want something to eat?”

“Sure, I could go for something to eat. Are you buying?”

“Yes, I’m buying and I hope you like spaghetti because that’s all this restaurant has. And it’s reheated at that.”

“Sounds perfect” she said, smiling as she watched him walk back into the kitchen, visions of how a few hours ago, his perfect body had held her, moved above her, made her feel whole again.

“Nice shirt”, John said, smiling at her.

A few minutes later, the spaghetti was reheated and John escorted Marlena back into the bedroom; back into bed, where they got comfortable with their spoons and forks and the one large bowl of spaghetti. As they ate, John stared at Marlena, wondering how he’d gotten so lucky to be sharing his bed with such a beautiful creature.

“What are you staring at?” Marlena finally asked.

“You. You’re very beautiful.”

“Oh… I’m just ordinary.”

“Ordinary” John repeated, rolling his eyes at her.

The mood felt so familiar, like they had been together for years, yet he wanted to learn everything about her; every detail.

“So, tell me something about Doctor Marlena Evans that I don’t already know.”

“Like what?” Marlena giggled a little, her cheeks becoming slightly flushed.

“Have any siblings?”

“Um, I did. I had a twin sister actually”.

“Really?!?”

“Yes, really. Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago. “

“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that” John replied, genuine concern in his voice.

“How about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“No. I’m an only child.”

“And your parents?”

“Both parents are deceased.”

“Oh… now I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“No, don’t be. They were great parents.”

“But they seem too young to be deceased”.

“Yes. They were.”

“Care to tell me how they passed away?”

“Are you shrinking me?” John asked a joking tone to his voice.

“No… no shrinking. I’m off the clock… and defiantly not dressed properly for it”, she laughed.

“Well, my Mom died in a car accident. My Dad and she were coming home from a night out and my Dad fell asleep behind the wheel causing them to crash into a shallow ravine where they hit and tree. My Mom wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. She died instantly. And my Dad… well, a couple years after that, he just couldn’t live with the self imposed guilt and he committed suicide.”

“John”.

John looked up from the bowl of spaghetti and saw Marlena almost in tears. He sat up straighter; reached over and began rubbing her arm.

“No… don’t feel bad about it. They were great people; lived a great life and they’re together now, so it’s all okay.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such a sad subject.”

“Well you wouldn’t know until you ask. Okay… my turn. How long were you married?”

Marlena’s eyes dropped down to the bed avoiding John’s. John sensed her uneasiness, but he didn’t let up. He wanted to know about her relationship with Roman and he especially wanted to know if she had any lingering feelings for him. Marlena looked up and noticed John was still there, waiting for her answer.

“Fourteen years”, she said flatly.

John acknowledged her reply with a slight head nod.

He sensed her discomfort but decided to press on with his questions.

“Any kids?”

“No. No kids. We weren’t able to have kids.”

John twirled some spaghetti onto a fork and, without looking up at her, he asked his next question.

“You still have feelings for him?”

This question and answer game had become uncomfortable for Marlena, rather quickly. She felt her body getting warmer and silently prayed for a phone to ring or some other type of distraction. When none came, she swallowed hard and then decided that, should she want a continued relationship with John, she would just be honest with him.

“I honestly don’t know what my feelings for Roman are. It’s kind of like losing a loved one. I’m working through the different stages of loss.”

“Hmm Mmm…” John replied, not looking up at her, “And what stage do you think you’re in now?”

“I’m not really sure. I’ve been avoiding spending much time thinking about it. If I were to guess, I’m somewhere between painfully hurt and enraged. If you’re wondering if I still love him… I don’t know.”

John just nodded a little; setting his fork down he turned to look across the room, trying to process what she’d just said.

“What about you? Anyone important waiting for you?”

John turned to look at her and she was once again taken aback by his good looks; his piercing blue eyes beneath dark, strong eyebrows.

“Any one waiting for me?”

“Yes. Anyone is some other city you’ve lived in; heartbroken, waiting for your return?’

John’s face was as serious as she’d ever seen it and she was instantly regretful for bring up the question.

John studied her face, disappointed that the beautiful woman in front of him had ever loved someone like Roman Brady; disappointed that she’d spent such a substantial portion of her life with a man like him and more importantly, disappointed that she didn’t know her own feelings towards him.

“No; no one waiting for me; no one heartbroken; never married; no kids; no family.”

“I’m sorry I asked. It’s none of my business…”

“Don’t be sorry. I’d like you to feel free to ask me anything.”

Pausing a little, Marlena decided to take him up on that offer.

“Did you ever want a family?”

“Relationships are a liability in my line of work. You get too soft, you lose your edge. It can make for some dangerous situations. And I don’t exactly have a 9 to 5 job. I find people grow to resent the fact that I do business world wide, which essentially works out to be a 24/7 job. I’m going to miss birthdays, anniversaries, and soccer games.

Someone’s feelings are going to be hurt. It’s the nature of my job. I’ve always thought it best to not hurt anybody that way.”

Marlena knew she didn’t have a response to that. They were tough words to hear but she had to give him credit. Unlike Roman, John was upfront and honest about how his work would affect a relationship. Any girl getting involved with him could never say that she hadn’t been warned.

“Shower with me?”

John’s voice came crashing into her thoughts. She looked up at him to see him smiling at her, a smile that was easy to get lost in; a smile that easily washed away the stinging words he just spoke.

John carried the dishes into the kitchen and then returned to the bedroom, took Marlena by the hand and led her to the bathroom. Standing outside the shower, he opened the door and cranked on the water, adjusting it to the perfect temperature. When he looked back at Marlena, his heart jumped to see her smiling back at him.

Afterglow. Marlena never knew it existed, until now. Never, in her wildest dreams, could she imagine a man making her feel the way John had. His selflessness in his love making was something she savored and the need to taste it again immediately filled her senses, making her warm all over.

John reached for Marlena’s hand and led her into the shower. The hot spray hitting her belly and thighs. John stepped inside and Marlena turned to face him. His gaze studied her every curve. Marlena giggled a little. He looked like a little boy in a candy store. But he was no boy. His wide shoulders, muscled arms, chiseled physic; every inch of him screamed perfection.

Without a word John pulled her into him and kissed her. For several minutes they stood beneath the hot spray, soaking in each others embrace, exploring each other with their lips and tongues, as if this was their first kiss, so gentle and sweet they could have been standing in public. Breaking their embrace, John reached for the shampoo. Taking a small amount in his hand, he turned Marlena so her back was to him and he began

massaging the shampoo into her hair. It was an erotic sensation and Marlena caught herself slipping into a daydream of John’s soap laden hands running over her entire body. He slowly turned her around and began to help rinse her hair. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, smiling at the image of her so content. He reached past her and turned the water off, stepped out and handed her a towel.

“Would you like to dry your hair?” he asked.

“No… no, thank you. I’m fine.”

“You’re better than ‘fine’”, John said, as he stepped towards her carrying the bathrobe. He kissed her lightly and brought the robe around her shoulders and Marlena slipped into it. John gently reached around her waist and brought the sash around and tied the robe closed. He studied her face; the sparkle in her eyes, the way her hair complimented her skin tone, the look of complete satisfaction that encompassed her. He traced his fingers over her cheekbone. Just the thought of her willingness made him grow hard again. He kissed her gently and brought his forehead to rest on hers.

Pulling back a little he looked her in the eyes and smiled,“Come on”, he said and, taking her hand, led her out of the bathroom.

He walked around to the far side of the bed and helped her sit on the side of the bed. He knelt down in front of her and took her right foot in his hand, bringing it to rest on his thigh. He reached into the pocket of the robe he was wearing and brought out the socks she had had on before and, one at a time, he slipped them on her. They kissed for a few minutes before John finally moved up onto the bed and positioned him self next to her. As they spooned again, John placed one arm around her waist and with his other hand; he stroked her hair until he could tell Marlena was fast asleep. Bringing his face down into the crook of her neck, he inhaled her scent and closed his eyes. This was something he could get used to, he thought to himself and, as he fell asleep, his mind began to wonder what it would take to make that happen.

Sunlight streamed through a small break in the heavy drapes of the bedroom alerting Marlena that morning had come. When she rolled over, she was surprised to see John wasn’t in bed with her. Thinking he might have gotten up to make them breakfast; she made her way out to the kitchen. The entire apartment was still and silent. She smelled fresh coffee and noticed a hot pot of it with a note nearby. She recognized the writing as John’s: “Good morning, beautiful. Hot coffee and breakfast ready for you. I’ve instructed

Samuel to be waiting for you when you’re ready, to take you to your house. Can’t have you shrinking people in day old spy clothes ~ John”.

Marlena smiled and looked around the counter for the breakfast he’d mentioned and when she saw a box of Pop Tarts strategically next to the toaster, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She got dressed and, making her way downstairs, Pop Tart and coffee in hand, she met Samuel waiting outside for her. She went home, showered and changed and then drove to work, smiling all the way. Today was going to be a good day!

John stepped out of the elevator and into the busy lobby. There was the usual crowd for a Wednesday. He spotted Charles seated at his lobby desk, talking with a lost salesman. Charles saw John as he came closer and he held up his hand to silence the salesman.

“Good morning, Mr. Black.”

“Good morning Charles. Here’s your key back… and clean your apartment”, he said, as he turned around to walk away. He stopped short and turned back around. “One more thing… that music blaring from the stereo in your car… it’s awful”.

“Hey… man…. that’s Coltrane… that man’s a god! ”He yelled in John’s direction as John walked away from him, heading to the elevators; looking back at the salesman he gave him a nasty look and inquired, “What are you lookin’ at?”

John stepped into the elevator alone. He was always thankful for solo rides; it gave him just the right amount of time to get ready to tackle whatever may lie on the other side of the doors when they opened. But today’s solo trip was interrupted when the elevator stopped after only climbing one floor. When the door opened, a woman stepped inside. John noticed her makeup was too heavy and her perfume was too overpowering, not to mention she was way over dressed. As the doors closed again, he stepped to the side to put more distance between them. Immediately he noticed her shift closer to him and he shot an irritated look at her over his shoulder.

“Mr. Black” she said, seductively.

“Who wants to know?” John asked, not looking in her direction; irritation in his voice.

“You’re a very popular man. One of the most eligible bachelors, they say.”

“Don’t believe the hype.” John looked up at the lights for the floors and silently screamed at how slow the elevator moved.

“Feel free to prove them wrong” she shot back.

John’s head snapped in her direction; his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed a look of complete and utter disgust on his face. He studied the woman’ face and then it dawned on him who she was.

“I know who you are” he said flatly, turning back around.

“I’m flattered”.

“Don’t be. There’s nothing flattering about fucking Roman Brady.”

“Excuse me?”

John hit the button for the very next floor even though it wasn’t the one he wanted; he just needed out of the elevator as soon as possible. When the doors opened he stepped out and turned back around, holding the door open.

“Next time Roman Brady wants to spy on me, tell him to do it himself instead of sending his whore to do it”, he said, staring her straight in the eyes.

“Such a gentleman. I’d say all the rumors about you must be false, except the one about you sleeping with Marlena Evans…”

John stepped back inside the elevator and got within inches of her face.

“Let me make something perfectly clear, Ms. Roberts. If you don’t have legitimate business to do the next time you visit this building, I’ll personally escort you out of here and I promise you, it’ll be the most unpleasant experience of your life. Hope that clears things up for you.”

John stepped back out of the elevator and was already in the stairwell before the doors ever closed. He didn’t like one thing about Kate Roberts. From the way she looked, to the way she acted to the way she was partially responsible for the hurt Marlena was going through thanks to her and Roman’s behavior. But at least now he knew Roman Brady was in the building and if he was there to do the right thing, like John had discussed with him a few days earlier, than this day was getting off to a better start than he thought.

“Good morning, Mr. Black”, Sandra greeted him as he emerged from the stairwell.

“Good morning.”

John didn’t have time for small talk this morning. Walking right past Sandra, he picked up his mail and headed down the hallway to his office. Opening the door, he turned on the lights and headed to the wall of security monitors. He only turned on the one that was aimed at Marlena’s office. Seeing a commotion in the hallway, he turned around and headed right back out of his office.

“I’ll be on the 14th floor”, he informed Sandra as he pushed the door to the stairwell open.

Sprinting up the flight of stairs that separated him from Marlena’s floor he hoped he wasn’t too late. He’d hate to miss seeing Roman eat crow. He entered the hallway that led to Marlena’s office and he could already hear numerous voices talking. As he got closer he began to recognize familiar people in the crowd, the first belonging to Roman Brady. Two of the gentlemen from the night he’d burst into Marlena’s apartment were there. He recognized them as Abe Carver and the other who had turned out to be Roman’s younger brother, Bo. All three had their back to John. There was also a large number of uniformed police lingering around. Through the crowd he spotted Marlena, facing him. John decided to stand about 20 feet back from every one and as he crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall, he watched Marlena’s face as she listened to Roman talk in his authoritative voice.

“What does it matter, Marlena? We found your things and now that they’ve been returned, I think it’s in the best interest for you to sign off on the police report and we can close this investigation. Abe and Bo….”

As Roman spoke, Marlena glanced past him and saw John standing there. She tried her best to hold back a smile. He looked so handsome; dressed impeccably in a dark black suit, a sea green tie and a crisp white dress shirt. As he stood there with his arms crossed, Marlena couldn’t help but notice the small details regarding how he dressed that set him apart from every other man in a suit. His shirts, with their embroidered cuffs bearing a small design and his initials; his taste in expensive watches that seemed to mold perfectly to his thick wrists, those same wrists attached to his muscular hands, hands that had glided over every inch of her body last night; exploring, massaging, bringing her to heights of ecstasy she’d thought was only possible in her dreams. She found herself staring at John and not listening to a word Roman was saying to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to shake memories of last night out of her mind and refocus on the situation at hand.   “I’m sorry, Roman, I don’t understanding how my things ended up at the Salem PD”.

“And I told you that it doesn’t matter… it shouldn’t matter. It’s your things, you have them back, end of story. Sign the paperwork so I can go.”

“Roman, this is very serious to me. Someone breaks into my office, steals my things and you show up a few days later, hand me a box and tell me, “Here’s your stuff, investigations over” and I’m supposed to just be fine with that?”

“Not if you want to be a drama queen and drag this out. I guess not.”

“Excuse me?”

“What, do you want this in the papers? Is that what you’d like, Marlena? Your face on the cover of the Salem Chronicle? You want the drama? You that starved for attention? Just sign the fucking papers already and leave me the hell alone. I have serious work to be doing instead of holding your hand. There are people out there with real problems…”

Marlena shot a look of bewilderment past Roman and caught John’s eye. John shook his head in disbelief at Roman’s attitude and, breaking eye contact with Marlena, he lowered his head, pretending to be interested in something on the floor.

“That’s enough, Roman”, Abe interrupted, “Look, Marlena, the box was sitting in the night watch commanders office when we all got in this morning. We’ve asked around and no one knows how it got there. Your name was on some of the items in the box. We put two and two together and here we are. Trying to find how the box ended up where it did seems to be a dead end. If you’d like, we can leave the investigation open, but in all honesty, you have your stuff back, so the likelihood that any one would look further into this matter are slim to none.”

“I see. Another exquisite job performed by Salem’s finest.”

“Marlena… that’s not very fair.”

“Abe… if these had been your things and they just mysteriously appeared would you have handled the situation differently?” Marlena waited for an answer and finally added, “I thought so.”

She reached out and took the clipboard the uniformed officer standing next to her was holding, signed her name and handed it back to him, and with that, John pushed himself away from the wall, turned around and walked back to his office.

John had spent most of the morning in his office. Every time he’d tried to get some work done, his mind had begun wandering back to Marlena. The way Roman had spoken to her earlier enraged him. And the revelation she’d made to him the night before about not being sure of her feelings towards Roman frustrated him even more. How could she care one ounce for a man that would speak to her that way? How long had she let him speak to her like that? How many years had she just put up with it? And why had she put up with it? She was a gorgeous, intelligent woman who could have done so much better for herself than Roman. The intercom on his desk buzzed and Sandra’s voice came on.

“Mr. Black, your 1:30 appointment is here.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

Sandra looked up from her desk when she heard the elevator door open. Marlena stepped out and walked towards her.

“May I help you?”

“Yes, I was hoping I could have a few minutes of Mr. Black’s time, please.”

“I’m sorry. Mr. Black is completely booked with appointments this afternoon. Perhaps I could have someone else speak with you?”

“No… no, I was hoping… it won’t take long…”

“I’m very sorry, Ma’am. Perhaps I could schedule a time for you to speak with him tomorrow?”

As Sandra spoke, Marlena saw John heading down the hallway towards her. John spotted her and was pleasantly surprised to see her there, yet, at the same time, disappointed that he had no time to talk to her.

“Doctor Evans”, he said, as he approached her, his hand extended to shake hers.

Marlena was caught off guard with his formalities, but extended her hand towards him any ways.

“Hello, I was hoping to speak with you for a few minutes.”

John glanced over to his right and saw his 1:30 appointment standing close by and acknowledged him with a nod.

“I’m sorry, Doctor Evans. I have appointments this afternoon. Perhaps Sandra could check my schedule and see if there’s a time tomorrow that would work for you. I apologize. I hope you have a wonderful afternoon.”

He turned to the man waiting for him and greeted him and they walked to the elevator together.

Marlena stood in stunned silence as she watched him simply walk away from her, not even looking back in her direction when he got into the elevator. ‘What had just happened?’ she wondered and instantly she felt a sense of regret overwhelm her. Had he just used her the night before for sex and now that he’d gotten what he’d obviously come for, from her, he no longer had any use for her?

“Ma’am?” Sandra said, trying to get Marlena’s attention. “Ma’am?”

“Oh… yes…”

“Will 3:30 tomorrow afternoon work for you?” Sandra asked her.

“Ah… no…. no. Never mind… I… I changed my mind. Thank you any ways…” Marlena’s voice trailed off as she made her way to the elevator and headed back to her own office.

She was practically in tears as she entered her office. In the short time she’d known John, he always seemed interested in talking with her, always seemed delighted when his path crossed hers and the time they’d spent together the night before, she could have sworn it had meant as much to him as it had to her. He’d seemed so selfless in the attention he’d spent on her last night and, yet, today he hadn’t even so much as wanted to say “hello” to her or make an excuse to be around her. He hadn’t interfered when

Roman there, berating her in front of his colleagues, he hadn’t made any attempts at calling her at her office, maybe asking her to lunch and then, just now, he acted like he didn’t even know her very well. With tears streaming down her face and overcome with frustration and anger, she threw the papers she would take home to work on, into her briefcase, slammed it shut and buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

Two days; that’s how long Marlena had avoided John. Even though it was only 48 hours, to her it felt like it may as well have been a lifetime. The phone calls from him had started two nights ago; the same day he’d pretended not to know her or make time for her. There were 18 calls total; 5 to her office and 13 to her apartment. Maybe she was being a little childish by not returning any of them, but the way John had hurt her that day in the lobby of his office was a pain she had planned on never experiencing again. She’d gone home that evening, slipped into comfortable clothes, put on some

Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”; setting it to repeat mode and had drank more than a half a bottle of wine before she resolved to take more control of her life; to stand up for herself more and to not to put herself out there to men who didn’t appreciate her the way she wanted to be. She’d even flipped the bird to “whom ever” may be watching her, as she’d drawn the drapes in the apartment so no one could see in. Now she knew that was childish, but it had felt so good.

Now, as she stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, she looked back at her reflection wondering why on Earth she was going through with attending the annual Policeman’s Ball. She sat on the Commissioner’s committee, and being the on-call psychiatrist for the felon’s temporarily held at the jail inside the police department, she was obligated to go. But this year was different, if not difficult. She would be going alone and Roman would more than likely be bringing Kate as his date. She’d chosen her dress before she and Roman became separated; a floor length, form fitting, red dress with spaghetti straps and a cut that accentuated her cleavage and, with a slit running up the side, made her legs look like they went on forever. She wore her hair up and long dangling diamond earrings with a diamond cluster necklace sparkled in the lights. She had even taken the time to have her shoes and small clutch purse dyed to match the dress. When everything between her and Roman went bad, she had never thought to go buy a different dress for the ball. So now she was stuck with this one. She admitted to herself that she was interested in seeing what Kate would be wearing and knowing Roman would be in a tuxedo made her heart hurt a little. All the memories of past Policeman Ball’s ran through her mind; the memories of seeing him come out into the living room asking her to fix his bow tie, the many dances they’d shared and the tradition they’d started many years ago of stopping by the ice cream shop on the way home and sharing a banana split together. She took one final deep breath in, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

As John stepped into the ballroom, he scanned the room, simply out of instinct. He liked to know where all the exit doors were located; quickest exit routes; how many people would be ambushing the doors should a need arise to make a panic-filled exit. The first thing he noticed was the music blaring from the stage. A cover band… and a bad one at that, was playing their version of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”. This was going to be one long night. The things he did as favors to people. He checked his watch;  his date wasn’t supposed to be there for another 45 minutes. He stood in the back of the room watching people, whom he really felt had no right to be out on the dance floor, attempting to get their dance on in clothes clearly not made for that type of activity. As he continued to scan the room, he saw Roman off to his right, standing with Kate next to him; they were talking to Abe, who had a date with him also. For a brief moment, John’s mind wandered and he imagined the looks on their faces if they were to see him walk in with Marlena on his arm. The thought of Marlena made his heart physically hurt. Trying his best to protect Marlena and her reputation, he had done what he thought was best when she’d come to his office, by not letting on to anyone that they were more than acquaintances. Having tried to do the best thing, he’d ended up doing the worst and that was to have Marlena now ignoring him. He had made enough calls to her to qualify for certified stalker status in any police log. When she hadn’t returned his last call, he decided to not make any more and to arrange it so he “accidentally” ran in to her at work, but she had been elusive and he had been busy. He looked down at his watch again and grimaced when he saw only 10 minutes had passed. The band had moved on to cover songs of Def Leppard. That was John’s cue to look for the bar.

Marlena stepped into the ballroom and quickly glanced around trying to spot Roman before he spotted her. With her attention averted she hadn’t noticed the gentleman walk up to her. Lightly grabbing her arm, she spun her head around only to be face-o-face with Blake Garrett a colleague who was also on the Commissioner’s committee and who also counseled felons housed at the station.

“Well, this must be my lucky year”, he yelled, over the music.

“Blake!” Marlena replied, stunned.

“You know how long I’ve waited for you to be single. Roman was an idiot to let you go, but now that he has, let’s dance!” Blake shouted as he grabbed Marlena’s upper arm.

“No… no thank you. Please let go of my arm.”

“Marlena, tonight’s for letting your hair down and cutting loose. Another year put away. Tonight, there’s no business suits, no paperwork, no protocol…”

“Blake, please let go of me” Marlena stated, matter of factly, and she jerked her arm out of his hand.

“Well, excuse me! I didn’t mean to have the ever-pompous Doctor Evans break out and have a little fun. I just wanted….”

As he spoke Abe and Roman walked up, with their dates in tow.

“Well if it isn’t our two finest doctors”, Abe said.

Marlena rolled her eyes. She was already regretting being there.

“You look very nice tonight, Marlena. You too, Blake. You two come together?”

Before Marlena could say anything, Kate chimed in.

“Wow, dating already, Marlena?”

Marlena shot her a nasty look and then caught the grin on Roman’s face. Disgusted with them both she dropped her gaze to the floor, pretending to straighten her dress a little.

“Well, Mr. Black ,what would you be doing here? “

Roman’s voice broke into Marlena’s thoughts and her head snapped up. Standing between Blake and Abe stood John, looking incredibly handsome in a tuxedo, a glass of Scotch in his left hand. John’s gaze fixed on her and she could swear it was burning a hole right through her. She felt her throat immediately go dry and for a split second she thought about grabbing the glass in John’s hand and downing it in one swift gulp.

“Mr. Brady”, John’s voice boomed in a very authoritative manner as he looked towards Roman, “I want you to know, my firm has no intention of closing the investigation regarding the breaking and entering incident that occurred in Doctor Evans office.”

“Excuse me? I don’t believe you have a say in the matter. And besides, Doctor Evans already signed off on the incident report. Case closed.”

“She may have signed a piece of paper for you, but seeing as how the incident occurred in the building I run security in, she can sign whatever she likes, but my word is the last word on this matter and I don’t intend on letting your police department do a half-ass job like you apparently always do. If need be, I’ll conduct my own investigation and find out who’s responsible. And when I do, it won’t be pretty.”

“Are you threatening me, Mr. Black?”

“Oh”, John shot back with a fake surprise tone in his voice, “Are you finally admitting to being a thief?”

“Gentlemen…” Abe interrupted. “Mr. Black, do you have a reason to be here tonight?”

John held his gaze with Roman a little longer and then finally turned his attention to Abe.

“I don’t answer to you, Mr. Carver. My reasons for being here tonight are none of your business.

John caught a glimpse of Marlena’s face and he tried not to laugh at the shocked look she had.

“Well, from what I understand, you’re date has reasons to be here”, Kate chimed in.

John shot a quick glance at Kate and then at Marlena. The look on her face devastated him. He wanted to take her by the hand and lead her out of there, to somewhere private so they could talk.

Marlena’s ears began ringing; she felt her body grow increasingly warm and she could swear she felt her heart literally hurt. He’d come with a date. The last time he’d seen her, he’d acted like he didn’t even know her and 48 hours later he was already dating someone else. It was all she could do to not break down in tears right then and there. She tried her best not to let her emotions show on her face.

“Meddling in people’s personal lives is very unbecoming. Nice choice in a date, Roman.”

And with that, John turned and walked away towards the tables, arranged for the dinner portion of the evening.

“If you’ll pardon me, I need to use the ladies room”, Marlena said, excusing herself.

She couldn’t walk fast enough across the large ballroom to the exit doors. She wasn’t even sure where she was going, she just wanted out of there and the first door she came to, she opened it and quickly stepped out. She found herself in a hallway adjacent to the lobby area. As she started walking in the opposite direction of the crowd, she could feel tears begin to stream down her face. She was hurt and mad; and mad that she was hurt.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she opened the door and welcomed the cool night air hit her face as she stepped outside. Looking around she noticed she was in the alley behind the building. She wished she knew where the valet had parked her car; she’d go get it and leave. She opened up her purse to look for a Kleenex.

John had caught a glimpse of Marlena as she walked down the hallway and trying not to be too obvious, he’d waited until she’d stepped outside before walking after her. When he got to the door, he paused, took a deep breath and then opened it. When the cold night air hit him, he cringed how cold it was and his next thought was that Marlena was out there without a coat and how cold she must be. He glanced up and down the alley and didn’t see her.

“Marlena?” he called out.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move off to his left. Glancing in that direction he saw Marlena half way down the alley, walking away from him. He called out to her again and when she didn’t answer him, he took off running in her direction.

“Marlena!” he said, catching up to her; grabbing her arm and stopping her from walking any further. “Where are you going?”

“What do you want, John?”

John saw her face and could tell, even in the dimly lit alley, that she was crying.

“We need to talk. Come on, we need to go back inside where it’s warm. You shouldn’t be out in this cold.”

“Leave me alone. I’m not going any where with you. I’m not yours to take care of. Now leave me alone.”

“Marlena, don’t do this”, John pleaded with her.

“Don’t do what? Ignore you? Oh… is that only reserved for you to do to me?”

“What? Listen… it’s too cold out here, Sweetheart. We need to go inside before it starts raining. You’re not dressed properly for this kind of weather…”

Marlena spun around to face John, jerking her arm free from his grasp.

“Don’t ever ‘sweetheart’ me again. I’m not your sweetheart. I’m nothing to you. You made that perfectly clear the other day at your office and again tonight by showing up here with a date? Roman was right, why are you here? You don’t have any business being here. Go back to wherever you came from John. No one wants you here.”

“Marlena…”

“I’ll give you credit. You were right when you said relationships are a liability for you. I’ll give you that.

John reached out and took her arm again.

“Marlena… let’s go somewhere where we can talk. This place isn’t…”

“I said, let go of me”, she screamed back. “Go back to your date, John. I’m sure she’s wondering where you are. You might want to do the same favor for her that you did for me and let her know that come tomorrow morning, she’ll mean nothing to you.”

“Don’t do this, Marlena.”

“Stop telling me what to do and where to go. You don’t own me. Hell, you don’t even want to know me.”

“Don’t…”

“GO AWAY JOHN!” she screamed back at him.

She instantly regretted it, as she saw the painful look come across his face. It was more than she could stand and she turned and walked away from him, leaving him standing there in the alley.

After a while, Marlena had made her way back into the building and into the ladies bathroom where she tried her best to regain her composure. She wasn’t going to let John Black, or any one for that matter, run her out of this event. She gave herself a pep talk in the bathroom stall and had made her way back into the ballroom. She stood at the edge of the dance floor watching the few people out there dancing, The DJ that had replaced the band while they took a break, began playing “Beautiful” by James Blunt. Marlena was surprised to see John step out onto the dance floor. As he did, he turned around, held out his hand and motioned for someone to join him. She watched in curiosity as she wondered who his date was. She found herself wishing it were she.

From between the bodies of people also standing near the dance floor, she saw a little girl approach the floor, stop and take off her shoes and then run out onto the floor and take John’s hand. He lifted her up slightly and balanced her bare feet on the tops of his shoes and began dancing with her. They smiled and laughed together as he waltzed her around the floor. Marlena was confused. Who was that girl?

“Luckiest girl in Salem, I tell ya”, the voice said.

Marlena turned to see a woman she didn’t know standing next to her.

“I beg your pardon?”

“That little girl. She’s the luckiest girl in Salem tonight. That’s the infamous, John Black she’s dancing with; one of the most eligible bachelors around. Someone said that he does business with her Dad. When asked what she’d like for her birthday, she asked her Dad if she could have John Black take her to the policeman’s ball. She’s a smart kid for only being 8, if you ask me. I mean, I would love to have a chance to dance with that man.”

The woman turned around and walked away, leaving Marlena speechless. John’s date was a little 8-year-old girl! She’d jumped to conclusions about John; had denied him the chance to explain himself to her. As she stood there staring at him, he looked up and they both made eye contact. As the chorus played, John just stared at Marlena… the look of hurt in her eyes breaking his heart and there didn’t seem to be anything he could do about it.

The song;  John’s gaze; her burning desire to be out there dancing with him; feeling his hands all over her body again… it was more than she could bear. She dropped her gaze from John’s and looked around for the table she’d set her purse down at. She quickly retrieved her items and, without looking back, she headed for the exit.

The cold air was a shock to her and as she handed the valet her parking stub and watched him casually walk to where ever he’d parked her car, she regretted that she didn’t have a coat to put on. She felt light sprinkles of rain and she silently prayed that the valet would hurry up.

John had watched Marlena as she’d left in a hurry. He made some excuses and apologies, as to why he had to leave, to those he knew at the ball and quickly made his way to the front door. He made it out the door just in time to see Marlena’s car pull away from the curb. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys as he ran across the street to where he’d parked his car.

John’s car raced along the streets as the rain began to fall harder. It puzzled him that Marlena wasn’t heading in the direction of her apartment. To the contrary, she was headed out of town. Through the rain he could barely make out her tail lights as she drove faster and faster, pulling farther and farther away from him.

As she drove, the tears began to stream down Marlena’s face. She sped up her wipers to keep in time with the amount of rain hitting her windshield, but even as she did that, her vision was becoming increasingly blurry, her tears obstructing her ability to see the road well.  She could tell she was out of town, as the only lights she saw of the city were in her rearview mirror. Where was she going? Asking herself this, she had no answer. She just felt like if she kept driving, she could drive away from her problems. And as soon as that thought entered her mind she knew it was wrong. She’d counseled endless people about not running away from their problems. Somehow, she felt tonight, her problems were different. She couldn’t get the visual of John’s face and the hurt look it held, out of her mind. She was torn between never wanting to see him again because she was so ashamed of how she’d acted towards him and wanting to see him and try and explain everything she was feeling in hopes he’d forgive her, take her in his arms and kiss her all over. As her mind wandered, she didn’t notice the headlights behind her, following her.

John became increasingly concerned. He knew Marlena wasn’t in the right state of mind to be driving. If she had to be driving, he wished she’d have headed straight home so he could make sure she’d gotten there safely. The rain began to fall harder making it almost impossible to see the road. His concern for Marlena’s well being mounted. He wished she had let him explain himself earlier. With a little explanation, he knew they wouldn’t be out in this horrible weather, possibly risking their lives driving to nowhere.

As his thoughts swirled around in his mind, he noticed Marlena’s car come to a stop. They were out in the middle of nowhere at the end of a dead end road. Out here there was nothing, only pouring rain and grassy, wind blown bluffs.

John put his car in park and turned the motor off.

His breathing was heavy as his heart raced. He tried to figure out what it was he was going to say to her. If she didn’t give him a chance to talk to her now, this could very well be the last time they ever spoke. He took a deep breath and opened the car door and stepped out.

Marlena wasn’t sure of where she was. She didn’t really care. She just needed to stop the car and allow herself to cry and then she’d head home and deal with her problems tomorrow. She turned the engine off and as the sound of the rain pounded on the roof of her car, it drowned out the sound of her crying.

John came up alongside her car and when he got to the window, he could barely make out her figure sitting in the driver’s seat. He tapped on the window startling Marlena. He heard her let out a scream as she turned towards the window. She was stunned to see him standing there. The next thing she knew, John was opening her car door.

“John!”

“I’m sorry. I followed you. I have… I have to talk to you, Marlena. I need you to give me a chance to explain things to you” he shouted about the sound of the wind and the rain.

She looked at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he was standing there.

“John…”

Leaning inside the car, he reached out and touched her face. A wave of electric heat shot through Marlena’s body the moment John’s hand touched her. He turned her face towards his, wanting direct eye contact with her. When her eyes met his, his heart skipped a beat. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her, but he could feel her resisting.

“I did it for you. I… the way I treated you… in my office… in public… I do it for you.”

“What?” Marlena asked, confused.

John could feel her irregular breathing due to her crying.

“Marlena… if anyone ever thought we knew each other, especially the way we do… Roman would make your life a living hell and I couldn’t live with myself knowing I caused you that kind of pain. You don’t know how it kills me to know that you’re crying right now because of something I did to you. My god, you’re beautiful. I’ve thought you were beautiful from the very first moment I ever saw you.” He stepped back a little and Marlena could see tears welling up in his eyes. “I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know when it happened… but you’re all I think about. When I breathe… it’s your scent, when I dream… it’s of you, when I ache… it’s for you. You’re never out of my thoughts.”

“Oh, John… “Marlena cried out and stepped out of her car into the rain.

“I don’t do things to hurt you, Marlena. You have to believe that, if for no other reason than because I just told you. You have to trust me on this. I could never hurt you.”

And with that, he stepped towards her, taking her face in his hands. Wild and eager, he brought his mouth down onto hers and kissed her, releasing a simmering desire for her that he’d kept in check when other people were around. He backed her against the car, pressing his chest, into her. He pushed his thigh into her, urging her legs apart. He wanted her to feel him; to know the affect she had on him. His hard cock pressed against her clit and he could hear her let out a moan into his mouth as she grasped the back of his neck, intertwining her fingers into his hair and pulling his mouth down on to hers harder. The heat of John’s tongue slipping into her mouth was in stark contrast to the cold rain hitting her face. Just as soon as he’d begun to kiss her, he tore his lips from her. His rain soaked body still pressed against hers, he took in her beauty, moving the hair from her face that the rain had plastered into place. The air between them electrified.

“I need you, Marlena. I need you…”

His words shot pleasure through her body making her clit begin to throb in pleasure; in need of him.

She began weeping, overcome with the thought of him thinking of her, of wanting her, of her meaning something to him. As John brought his mouth back down onto hers he could feel her cry into his mouth and he tried to kiss away any lingering pain he’d placed on her.

She welcomed the feel of his hands as they moved up her thighs, bringing the bottom of her dress up to her waist, exposing her thin, small thong. Needing to reacquaint herself with his body, his strong, muscular arms, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it out of the confines of his pants. As she touched the bare skin of his back, she felt his fingers slip under the confines of her thong; the heat of his hand alone nearly bringing her to orgasm. He slid his hand between her legs, bringing every nerve ending alive with his touch. She tilted her head back bringing it to rest against the car; feeling the rain hit her face. She gasped as he touched her, teasing her at first and then slipping a finger inside her. She felt so hot and tight and wet, John was ready to cum in his pants. When her fingers brushed his cock, he caught his breath. He felt her hand begin to undo his belt and then slowly undo his zipper. She slipped her hand into his pants and released his cock, encasing it in her warm hand. His heart skipped a beat and a smile came across his face at the thought of her wanting him the way he wanted her. He moved his hands up under her ass and lifted her up holding her between him and the car. She snaked her legs around his hips and brought her mouth down onto his. When his cock came into contact with the fabric barrier of her panties, John nearly lost it. He reached down and ripped her panties off, discarding them onto the ground. With one quick thrust, he entered her swiftly and wonderfully deep and he nearly came. Her hot moist passage sheathing his throbbing cock. He thrust his hips, driving his length into her over and over. She moaned as he kissed the rain from her face, her neck, his heated breath chasing away the cold. He whispered his wants, needs, burning desires for her as he continued to thrust into her, his words penetrating her soul. Her moans rose into a cry. For so many nights she’d wanted this man, craved his touch, desired to give herself to him and despite the cold rain, she wanted to spend the whole night making love to him right where they were. John’s breathing grew harder as the tempo of his penetration increased. Marlena’s climax came in sharp, urgent waves. John felt the intense convulsions deep inside her and he gave in to his own release. As they came together he reveled in the ecstasy as her cunt milked his cock of every last drop. John looked up into her eyes and smiled at her. He knew he’d never be able to get enough of her. He placed a hand on her face making sure she didn’t look away.

“Come home with me. Let me make love to you… all night long.”

John’s hand shook as he pushed the key into the lock of his front door. He’d been nervous during the entire car ride over to his place. He hadn’t said a word to Marlena the whole way; just held her hand in his. He wasn’t sure what to say. What was the right thing to say after the way he’d just had his way with her… in a public place. He wanted every minute he spent in Marlena’s company to be perfect, but it felt that his libido kept getting in the way. The effect she had on him was a feeling he’d never felt before and, although it kept him feeling off kilter a bit, they were feelings he wanted to experience for a lifetime.

“John?”

“What?” he replied, turning around to face Marlena, with a tone of voice of someone who’s just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“Are you okay with me being here?”

“What?” and this time his tone was that of complete confusion.

“Are you sure you want me here? I mean… you didn’t say a word in the car. If you’re having second thoughts…”

“Noooo… No!    No!    No…. No!”

John took a step towards her and took her face in his hands. “I very much want you here.”

John’s words didn’t register with Marlena; she had lost all reasonable concentration the moment John’s hands touched her face, his hands so warm against her flesh.

“Marlena?”

She opened her eyes to see John was holding the door open for her.

“Oh…”

As she stepped inside she was reminded of his decorating style and the smell of leather and musk filling her senses. She swore to herself that if you could bottle the way John looked walking around in a t-shirt and boxers, it would smell like his house.

John closed and locked the door behind him, took a few steps and reached to turn on the lamp on the table nearest the door. Walking towards Marlena he brought his mouth close to her ear and wrapped his arms around her from behind, making her jump a little.

“Can I take your coat?”

Before waiting for an answer, he grabbed the edges of her coat and slowly peeled it away from her body, sending chills racing through Marlena. She stepped out of her coat and took a few steps into the living room. Running her hand over the back of the sofa she glanced around the room and then suddenly realized how nervous she’d become. Not sure what to do with herself, she slowly turned back around to face John who was leaning up against the bar, smiling at her.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“No… thank you. I’m fine.”

Marlena, being too nervous to even look John in the face, found herself fidgeting with her hands. She knew how ridiculous it was to feel this way. They had just been as closely intimate as two people could be, yet right at this moment she wasn’t sure if she should sit or stand; she had no idea what to say to John or if she should say anything at all.

He just stood there staring at her. Granted he had a smile on his face.

“You look very pretty tonight”.

“Looked.”

She looked down at her dress, which was almost dry by now and attempted to smooth out the wrinkles and then tucked some of her hair behind her ear in a feeble attempt at fixing it.

“No”, John replied, with a matter-of-fact tone in his voice that caused Marlena to quickly look up at him. “You look very pretty tonight.” Sensing Marlena’s hesitation he added, “Do you want to be here? Cause if not, I can take you home. Would you like me to take you home? Or even better yet, I could go to a hotel for the night. Give you some alone time.”

“No… “, Marlena instantly cringed at how desperate she came off sounding. She very much wanted to be at John’s, with John. Truth be told, if asked, she’d never leave. She loved every moment she was with him and during the times when he wasn’t around all she can do is think about him and wonder when the next time she might get to see him and for how long.

John wasn’t fully convinced and as he watched Marlena walk towards the fireplace he wondered if he was pressuring her into something she really didn’t want. He so badly wanted her around him all the time he was worried if he was being too pushy, neglecting what Marlena really wanted just to please his own needs. He watched as she stopped in front of the fireplace, standing in front of it as if watching a fire burn.

Walking up behind her, he stopped within inches of her body and reached out to run his fingers down her bare arms. He heard Marlena’s breath catch in her throat and this time it sent chills thru his own body.

Leaning in close he nuzzled her hair away from her ear with his nose and breathed onto her neck.

“I… very… much… want you to stay”, he whispered in her ear.

He slowly turned her around and, placing his finger under her chin he lifted her head so she was looking him directly in the eyes.

“I never say anything I don’t mean. Never.”

Marlena’s gaze danced between John’s eyes and his mouth. He could tell her anything right now and she’d believe it. When she was this close to him, there was nowhere else she wanted to be or anyone else she wanted to be with.

John reached up and moved some strands of her hair out of her eyes, trailing his fingers over her cheek, down her neck and bringing it to rest on her shoulder.

“Wait right here” he whispered and turn around, heading for the kitchen. As he walked by it, he hit the switch that brought the fireplace to life.

Marlena couldn’t help but smile as she watched him. She felt her heart ache a little the farther away from her he got. She thought about

Joining him in the kitchen but she didn’t want to give off the impression that she was emotionally needy, so she decided to sit on the large ottoman in front of the fireplace instead.

John retrieved a couple glasses from the cupboard and a bottle of wine from the wine fridge. As he caught a glance of Marlena, he reached for the phone and made a quick call. Grabbing the glasses and the bottle of wine he made his way back over to Marlena.

He poured them both a glass and watched as Marlena took a sip, her long lashes hitting the rim of the large glass, making him smile.

“So, tell me, what was Marlena Evans like as a little girl?”

The question took Marlena aback. Not even Roman, in all their years together, had ever asked her a question like that. He never seemed interested enough in her to ask.

“Wow.. um… I can honestly say, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question like that before.” When she got no response from John she continued. “Um… let’s see, I spent a lot of time in my room, reading. I was really into reading. Still am.” She glanced at John and saw that he wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easy, so she continued, “Um… summer’s were spent at my Grandparents house in the mountains. I loved riding horses. Thought I might want to jump horses in the Olympics, but that never happened.

My pare ts didn’t have the money for those kinds of lessons.” Again, she looked at John to see if he was asleep yet. “I used to spend a lot of time with my Grandfather, in his woodshop, helping him build things for this dollhouse that we kept at their place; building things like miniature beds and dressers for it and stuff. I didn’t have dolls. I just liked decorating the dollhouse. And thinking back on it, I was probably more in the way than helping.” She glanced from the fire back to John. “What about you? What was John Black like as a child?”

“Touché”, he said, raising his glass in the manner of a toast. “I was… very much a problem solver. Not so much an imagination user as a practical problem solver. Perhaps I should back up and add the part where I didn’t speak until the age of 6. For the longest time my parents thought something was wrong with me, but in reality, it was just that I didn’t have anything to say.”

“Really?” Marlena said with a giggle. “If it’s any consultation, as a psychiatrist, I’d have worried too.”

“Yep… many a psychiatrist did.”

“Really?” Marlena reiterated. “You were taken to see psychiatrists because of it?”

“A few.”

“So what was so important at the age of six that happened to make you finally speak?”

“Well… we were moving. My father had taken a job with a company that relocated us to Chicago, from Boston. The car was all packed up and the moving van had already left. My Mom told me to get in the car and as my Father was backing out of the driveway I said to my Mom, ‘Perhaps it would be best, if we’re going to leave Nicholas behind, we leave some food and water for him also.’ Nicholas was my dog. In a rush, my Mom had forgotten to put the dog in the car.”

Marlena burst out laughing and John couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little too.

“My Father hit the brakes on that car so hard I thought he’d given us all whiplash. My Mom practically chocked on her sweet tea she had in a thermos. Me? I just thought I was trying to help. I didn’t want my dog to starve to death.”

Marlena looked at John and, still laughing, said, “Your parents probably pissed their pants when they heard a whole sentence like that come out of you!”

“Probably”, John replied and laughed right along with Marlena.

Looking at her he realized that her laughter was something he wanted filling his house continuously. He realized that no matter where he looked in his home, he wanted to see her there.

He brought a hand up to Marlena’s face and cupped her cheek with it and Marlena brought her gaze up to meet his. Dropping her gaze slightly, her eyes settled on John’s mouth. She felt herself becoming damp at just the thought of his mouth on hers, his tongue leaving moist trails all over her body. John moved closer to her and brought his forehead down onto hers, breathing in deeply to take in her perfume. He brought his hand to rest under her jaw with his thumb under her chin and, with a gentle nudge; he lifted her face and placed his mouth onto hers. He didn’t kiss her right away. He let his upper lip come to rest on hers. Marlena’s lips parted and as small sigh escaped from her as she felt John’s hot breathe on her. The torture she felt, waiting for John to kiss her she thought she might just start to cry. When John’s mouth finally closed over hers, the relief she felt manifested itself into a small, quiet moan that escaped her and filled John’s mouth. John ran his hand up into Marlena’s hair and gently grabbed a small section behind her ear.

He broke their kiss and pulled back slightly to look her in the face to see that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly parted. She opened her eyes and looked at John’s. Dropping her gaze to his mouth she faintly whispered, “Kiss me….”.

As John moved to bring his mouth back to hers,  suddenly the doorbell rang, interrupting the moment.

Marlena glanced towards the door.

With his hand still in her hair, John let out a long sigh. He looked at her, “Dinner. I ordered us some dinner. I hope you like Chinese food.”

And with that he got up to answer the door.

John sat at the kitchen bar resting his chin on the palm of his hand, his fingers covering the large grin plastered on his face. He watched Marlena, with her back to him, doing the dishes.

“You’re staring”, Marlena stated, never even turning around.

“Yes, Ma’am, I am.”

“Thank you for dinner. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.”

“That tends to happen, when you leave the party before they serve food.”

Marlena peeked over her shoulder at John. He moved his hand so she could see the smile he carried on his face and then placed it back.

“I suppose it does”, she said, with a slight giggle in her voice, and turned back around to finish up the last dish and turn the water off.

John got up from his chair and walked over to her. With her back still to him, he slowly slid one arm around her waist, palming her stomach. With his other hand he played with the ends of her hair. He took a small section and gently rolled it, intertwining it in his fingers. He brought his face closer to her and inhaled the erotic aroma of her perfume.

Marlena braced herself against the kitchen sink with both her hands. She had no control over her body when John was that close to her, touching her. She felt her breath becoming labored and she gently tilted her hips and ever so slightly pushed her ass into John’s pelvis. She could feel how hard John already was and she heard him let out a small, gruntal moan. She felt her legs grow a bit weak and John felt it too as he firmed up his grip he had around her waist. He buried his face into the back of her neck.

With one hand helping hold her up, he moved his other hand around to the side of her face and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. He moved his mouth in closer and whispered her name into her ear sending chills through Marlena’s body. He brought his hand up to her mouth and traced her bottom lip with his thumb, watching her part her mouth slightly at his touch. The second pass he made across her lip, she opened her mouth wider, inviting John’s thumb inside with her tongue.

She twirled her tongue around his thumb and sucked on it. She could feel John’s cock twitch as she did this and she heard him try his best to stifle a moan.

Without warning, John let go of Marlena and stepped back from her. Puzzled, she turned around to face him, a look of concern on her face. John looked down and took one of her hands into his. Looking up, into her eyes, he reached out with his other hand and lightly brushed his fingers along her cheek. He didn’t say a word; instead, his eyes examined every inch of her face.

He had the most amazing smile and look of love on his face, Marlena didn’t know what to say or if she should say anything. She’d never had a man look at her that way before. She slowly began to feel self-conscious. When a look of insecurity came across her face, it snapped John out of his little world and he quickly smiled at her to relieve some of her uneasiness.

Still holding onto her hand he lead her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

John watched Marlena as she walked towards the wall his dresser sat up against. She took her time looking around the room as if she’d never been in there before. Or was it that she was stalling, possibly nervous, or worse, having second thoughts about spending the night with him. He felt his throat get tight at the thought of her not wanting to be there, but his fears were soon squelched when he saw her turn to look at him and smile a small, bashful smile.

She reached behind her and tried to find the zipper to her dress. Without missing a beat, John strode over to her.

“Here, let me get that”, he whispered.

Marlena turned so he had access to the back of her dress. When she felt his warm hands on her, she again had to brace herself, this time, one hand on his dresser and one on the wall.

John let the zipper out in a way that was slow and agonizing. He could see goose bumps forming on Marlena’s skin and he resisted the desire to kiss every one of them away. The zipper went down so far that when it was totally unzipped, John could see her ass crack and he remembered a few short hours earlier, ripping her panties off her and tossing them to the ground.

Marlena brought her arms down, allowing for her dress to fall to the floor. She stood there with her back to John, completely naked and for half a second she wondered if this was a mistake, but the instant John’s hand touched her back that thought faded from her mind and was replaced with the sensual way he made her feel.

The smile on Marlena’s face, as she put the key in the door to her office, was all encompassing. Her mind was as far from her office as it could possibly get. She was mentally making plans on how she could sneak a visit into John’s office later that afternoon, without raising suspicions. She turned the knob, pushed the door open and with her free hand, reached over to turn the lights on.

As she turned around to head to her desk she screamed at the sight of someone sitting behind it.

“ROMAN!”

Quickly scanning the room she noticed he was alone.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, as the door closed behind her.

Roman didn’t say a word; he just looked at her with a harsh look on his face.

“I asked you a question. What are you doing here? And why are you in my office? My door was locked. How did you get in here?”

“Where the hell have you been?” Roman barked at her.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Where I’ve been is no longer your business. How did you get in here….”?

Roman cut her off, “None of my business? Then tell me this, why was I woken up out of a sound sleep at 3am with a call from the station saying they found your car out on an abandoned road, the driver door left open, headlights still on?”

Marlena stood there stunned. Her car had completely skipped her mind. She had completely blocked out the first half of last night’s events, choosing instead to focus on the later half. Without anything to say, she stood there with her mouth open, but no words making their way out.

“You have nothing to say? Still think it’s none of my business? Believe me”, he said, as he stood up, “Looking out for you is the last business I want to do. And if I weren’t a cop

I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass where you were or what happened to you. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have left my nice warm bed to troll around Salem in the raging shit storm outside last night…”

Marlena could feel the blood rushing to her face. Her ears began to ring and she mentally tuned Roman’s voice out, instead, trying to think of a lie to appease him, just to make him leave.

“My car….”

“Your car, what?”

“My car”, she paused trying to think of something to say,“broke down. I, I needed a tow…”

“Really?” he cut her off again and walked towards her. “Then why wasn’t there any call made to any tow company? You don’t think we called around to find those kinds of things out? And when the tow driver showed up, how were you planning on paying him for his services?” and with that, Roman reached into his coat pocket and brought out Marlena’s red panties.

Marlena could feel the blood drain from her face as she stared at her panties in Roman’s hand. She closed her eyes and turned her face from Roman, hoping that when she opened her eyes again, he’d be gone and it had all been a bad dream.

“Perhaps my, soon-to-be ex wife was sexually assaulted last night? ‘Cuz god knows she wouldn’t willingly give anything up for just any man. Especially outside the confines of anything resembeling  a bed.”

Roman’s words cut through her like a knife. Images of her and John outside, in the rain, in each others arms ran through her mind and, in an instant, the feelings John had for her were stolen away with Roman’s harsh words.

“I think you’ve made you point. You can leave now”, she said, still not looking at him.

“You have no car. It’s been impounded. We have a meeting to get to. I’ll give you a ride.” Roman’s voice was flat and without emotion.

Marlena looked at him with a confused look on her face,“What meeting?”

“The one that will finalize our divorce. Been too busy to remember?”

Marlena’s mental calendar kicked in and she could visualize her desk calendar and how she’d blocked out today’s date.

“Let’s go or we’ll be late.”

“Roman… may I please have my personal belongings?”, she asked, holding her hand out.

Roman looked at her panties and promptly put them in his jacket pocket. “No, their evidence. You can have them back when the investigation is officially closed. Now let’s go”, he said, opening the door.

The whole afternoon, John couldn’t wait to get through his meetings so he could pay a surprise visit to Marlena’s office. He’d almost called in and made an appointment under a fictitious name just to make sure he got an uninterrupted hour alone with her, but then thought better of the idea, although the idea did make him smile a bit. By late afternoon, his schedule had cleared up and he excused himself from idle chitchat down in the lobby and headed up to see Marlena. As he entered the reception area of her office, he saw Robin sitting behind the desk with her back to him and for a split second he thought about taking the chance of slipping past her and sneaking in to Marlena’s office undetected, but than wondered what he’d do if he walked in to find her with a patient.

“Good afternoon, Robin”, he said.

“Oh, Mr. Black! Good afternoon”, she said, turning around to face him. “How may I help you today?”

“Is it possible that Doctor Evans may have a few free minutes to see me?” He wondered if he’d hid the desperation in his voice well enough.

“Aww, I’m sorry, Mr. Black. Doctor Evans has been out of her office all day.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she left early this morning. Her and Captain Brady chose to spend the day together.”

Trying hard to hide his true feelings, John swallowed hard, but there was no moisture in his throat.

“I see. Perhaps I’ll catch her at another time. Thank you”and he turned quickly to leave.

Once out in the hall, John felt like he couldn’t breathe. He balanced himself against the wall, leaned forward and placed his hands on top of his knees, desperately trying to get the sensation of air making its way into his lungs and a wave of nausea overwhelmed him. He’d been sucker punched by a violent intruder once before, but he swore this felt twenty times worse. Why hadn’t she said anything to him about her plans for today? She hadn’t even hinted around that she even wanted to see Roman again. To the contrary, she made it seem as if Roman would be the last person she’d ever want to spend time with. She hadn’t said anything to him last night when he told her he loved her and with that thought, another wave of nausea and having the wind knocked out him, ran through his body. She didn’t love him. She didn’t lie to him and tell him she did, so he couldn’t fault her that. The way she willingly made love to him… or was it just sex for her? She’d spent the night sharing his bed, knowing his true feelings for her and never once did she hint to him that, what he thought was to be her soon-to-be ex husband, had a date with her the next day. And as hard as he tried to regret opening his heart to her and allowing himself to fall in love with her, he just couldn’t.

He regained his composure, straightened himself up and headed to the elevator. He was going straight home.

Sitting across the table from Roman in his attorney’s office, Marlena searched Roman’s face for any signs of decency. How had they gotten to this point? After 18 years, the Roman she was staring at resembled nothing of the Roman she’d fallen in love with all those years ago. And while she couldn’t take her eyes off him, Roman was completely the opposite, he hadn’t made eye contact with her since they’d left her office.

“My client has come up with a figure he’s willing to accept as final settlement and we can absolve the bonds of this marriage without having to go to court, if your client agrees”, Roman’s attorney said, pulling a piece of paper from her briefcase.

“Excuse me?” Marlena’s attorney interjected.

“Mr. Strausse, my client isn’t seeking alimony. A one-time payment, to be made by your client and this marriage is over. You’re free to decline the offer and we’ll see you in court”. She took the piece of paper and slid it across the table to Marlena.

Marlena took her glasses out and before putting them on; she took one last look at Roman, who never took his eyes off his own attorney. She picked up the piece of paper and without having to search very hard for it, the seven-figure sum Roman was asking for jumped off the paper at her.

“Roman!!!” she blurted out, not even trying to hide her astonishment.

“Roman! What is this?”

Roman finally made eye contact with her and she could see the hatred he held for her in his eyes.

“I think it would be a good idea if you gave me and Marlena some time alone to discuss this.”

Roman’s attorney promptly objected, but Roman patted her hand in an appeasing manner and assured her everything would be fine.

Too stunned to say anything, Marlena just sat there, staring at the paper in her hand.

Roman walked the attorney’s to the door and after they had left, he shut the door.

Without turning around, Marlena did her best to remain calm.“Roman, what’s going on?” she said, referring to the paper.

“It’s the price you pay to be a free woman.”

Marlena spun around in her chair, “A free woman? You don’t even want me anymore. You have Kate. You’ve had her for quite some time, I might add!”

“Lower your voice, Marlena!” Roman warned her.

“I will NOT! This is complete bullshit, Roman!” she yelled back.

Roman hurried over to her and grabbed her arm, bending it slightly and got real close to her face. “Lower your voice… or this thing will get ugly!”.

Immediately Marlena felt physically threatened by him and she looked past him to see that the door had been locked. Even if she screamed, it would take a while for anyone to be able to get inside to help her. Roman could see the fear in her eyes and it pleased him. He had her right where he wanted her.

“Did you really think this was going to be pleasant and you could leave here without paying a price?” and with hat he squeezed her arm a little tighter.

“You’re hurting me!” she whispered.

Roman took a second, looking her right in the eyes and then let go of her arm with a slight shove. He turned away and walked over to the wall of windows.

“You hate me that much?”

“I wouldn’t say that”, he said, looking out the windows. Turning back to look at her, he studied her face. “But I do hate John Black that much.”

Marlena’s head snapped up in surprise. Looking at Roman in total confusion she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “What did you just say?”

Roman walked back to her and placed his palms on the table. Leaning over her he lowered his voice. If anyone were on the other side of the door, he was going to make sure they didn’t hear anything he said.

“I. Hate. John. Black. That. Much.”

Marlena sat stunned into silence, unable to bring herself to look up into Roman’s eyes.

“I’m willing to make you a deal, Marlena”, Roman continued.“You pay me that amount and walk out of here a free woman, or… we agree to remain married.”

Marlena’s mouth fell open in complete shock mixed with utter confusion. And she could only stare down at the table.

“You see, my hatred for John Black is so strong, I’m willing to put up with all you’re shit, just to keep him from having what he really wants.” He gave her a minute to let that information sink in. “Or you could pay me that amount and be free to fuck whomever you want, wherever you want. Open fields along side the road… up against the windows of John Black’s apartment.”Roman heard her gasp and catch her breath. “Yeah… I’ve seen it. Amazing what no curtains will do for a place. Reveals your wife’s inner whore.” He paused. “Or you could roll the dice and we could go play in court.” He leaned in real close to her ear, “I’ll tear your lover apart in there. I’ll paint him as an adulterer. Image that splashed all over People magazine. The World’s Most Eligible Bachelor likes to fuck other men’s wives.”

Marlena could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

“You think you’re the first woman he’s ever fucked, Marlena? You’re not the first and you won’t be his last. You’re just one on a long string. Did he tell you he loves you? You probably believed that. I’ll happily air out all his dirty laundry in public. Every naughty thing he’s done and gotten away with simply because he thinks he’s better than everyone else. And I’ll make sure it’s on every magazine cover for the world to see. Let’s see how that plays out for his clients who like to keep low profiles…”

Roman’s attorney looked at her watch. “They’ve been in there for over 45 minutes.”

“I know, I have a bad feeling about this”, Marlena’s attorney said, running his fingers nervously through his hair. “Come on, tell me what the paper said. What’s the dollar amount he wants?”

“You know I have to allow Marlena tell you that herself, if she wishes to accept the offer. But if you ask me, I think it’s a ridiculous amount. No offense, but I’ve looked into your clients bank records and there’s nothing to indicate that she could ever afford that amount.”

“Then why did you encourage your client to ask for it?”

“Mark, you know my client. When he sets his mind to something, there’s no talking him out of it.”

“Your clients an asshole. Like you didn’t know that.”

“Oh, I know!”

They heard the office door open and turned to see Roman and Marlena walk out together. It was immediately obvious Marlena had been crying.

Roman stepped in front of her and addressed both of their attorney’s. “Well, we’ve had a good discussion and we’ve decided to give it another shot”.

Marlena’s attorney gave Marlena a confused look. “You mean another mediation date?”

“No, Mr. Strausse. We’ve decided to give our marriage another try.”

Marlena’s attorney looked past Roman. “Pardon me, but what the fuck is going on, Marlena?”

“She’s tired. I’m going to take her home and have her put her feet up…”

“Fuck you, Mr. Brady, I’m talking to my client! Marlena…”

Marlena slowly brought her gaze up to look her attorney in the face.

“What the fuck is going on, Marlena?”

Marlena paused trying to compose herself and to make sure the words came out sounding believable. “Roman’s right”, she said, barely above a whisper. “We’ve, um… we’ve decided to give our marriage another try.”

“No fucking way!”, Mark yelled.

“Mr. Strausse, please. Show a little respect.”

“Oh, you’re going to school me in respect, Mr. Brady? That’s rich! Coming from a man who…”

“Mark”, Roman’s attorney said, grabbing him by the arm.“Don’t say anything that could bring a slander charge against you! Roman, we need to talk.”

“And we will. Let’s make it some time next week. Marlena’s tired and I’d like to get her home. You know how it is” he said with a smirk and then grabbed Marlena by her upper arm and led her towards the exit.

As the door closed behind them, both attorney’s looked at each other.

“What. The. Fuck?”

“I don’t know… but I’ll call you as soon as I hear from him”and with that, Roman’s attorney grabbed her briefcase and headed out the door.

Six months; twenty-seven days and seventeen hours.

Marlena had been clocking her own, private Hades, down to the very hour. In that time, her life had become completely unrecognizable. Even to her. She felt this overwhelming detachment to anything pertaining to herself. The thought she’d had for the last 304,860 minutes of her life was to simply talk herself into taking a breath… and then another… and then another. And when thoughts of John Black flashed across her mind, she found the decision to take another breath one of the hardest decisions of her life.

And, in all the time that had passed, she hadn’t heard once from John.

Roman had made good on every promise he’d made her. Promises to make her life a living hell. From the day he brought her home from the lawyer’s office, he hadn’t slept one night at home; not that she wanted him to. He openly flaunted Kate all over town, while everyone knew he was still married to her. He had his mail forwarded to Kate’s apartment, he’d moved most of his personal things to her place but he left most of his clothes at the penthouse; Kate having bought him a new, more “updated”wardrobe. It just made him look like an old man trying to hard to look young, to Marlena. Roman had froze the bank accounts, giving Marlena a meager one hundred dollar a week allowance. He’d stopped paying rent on her office, forcing her to move her practice out of the building where she might have a chance glimpse of John. Now her practice was in a small, two story office building located one convenient block from the Salem Police Department, so Roman could keep an eye on her every move. She’d slowly told her patients that she was going to be taking a sabbatical. She knew she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to give people advise about their problems when her own were so overwhelming. Thankfully, she shared a parking lot with 4 other offices so it always looked as if she had patients in her office whenever Roman decided to drive by. Even with nothing to do, she found what little solitude she could in going to her office. Perhaps it was simply because there were no reminders of Roman there.

She could lie to herself for only so long every day before thoughts of John drifted to center stage. Today was especially difficult not to think about him since tonight was the Policeman’s Ball. Memories of last year’s Ball flooded her mind and for the first time in a long time, she made the decision to not try and block them.

Her private line rang; jolting her from any happy memories she was trying to sink into.

“Hello?”

Roman’s voice was abrupt, “It’s me. Listen, about the Ball tonight, don’t wear anything in red… or green.”

“Excuse me?”

“Kate hasn’t decided on which dress she’s wearing tonight, but it’s going to be either red or green and I don’t want you trying to upstage her and wear the same color. I know how childish you can be.”

“Roman, I don’t think I’ll be going toni…”

“Don’t. Don’t even go playing the victim route, Marlena. You’re far from a victim. Wanna see a real victim? Come on down here and I’ll let you have a talk with the rape victim sitting in Abe’s office. You’re going. And you’re gonna be on time. None of this “fashionably late” bullshit. Be there. On time. And not in anything red or green.”

And with that, the line went dead.

Marlena slowly hung up the receiver. She sat in silence and waited… waited for the tears to come. She surprised herself when they didn’t. She was getting better at this by the day.

Entering the ballroom, Marlena immediately wanted to turn and run back out. Physically run, even if the fit of her dress made that type of activity completely impossible.

She spotted Blake and was pleased to see he had a date this year. Abe was there with Lexie. She continued scanning the room for Roman and Kate. They weren’t there. Then it crossed her mind that it was Kate’s plan to be “fashionably late”. She gave a half smile as she shook her head and wondered out loud when it all this nonsense would end.

“And what nonsense would that be?”

Marlena spun around to see Roman standing behind her, Kate on his arm. She’d chosen red, which Marlena found an unflattering color choice for her.

“The whole idea of a Ball. It’s nonsense. Let’s be honest, none of the departments speak to each other all year long and then they get together one night a year and act like they’re all best friends.”

“You might want to check your attitude at the door, Marlena”, Roman said in a warning tone. “Come on Kate, let’s get a drink and mingle with our friends”. As he shoved past Marlena he mumbled in her ear, “You look like shit in light blue, by the way.”

Marlena closed her eyes and tilted her head away from Roman. Perhaps, if she kept her eyes closed long enough, when she opened them again, Roman would be gone… for good. No such luck. She could hear him chatting it up with partygoers in the distance. When she looked up, she caught a bartender staring at her with a look of pity on his face.

Forty-five minutes and three watermelon martini’s later, Marlena headed back to the bar. Another glass of liquid courage might just make this “party” more bearable for her.

“Another?”the bartender asked.

“Yes, please”, Marlena, said, without looking up.

“You know, no one should be treated like that.”

Marlena snapped her head up and made eye contact with the bartender.

“Sorry. I’m not supposed to get involve with personal issues. But a good looking woman like you? I don’t know where any man gets off treating any woman the way that man treats you, but I can tell ya this, I’d never treat you like that….”

Maybe it was the alcohol but, as he spoke, his voice morphed into John’s. He’d said those same things to her, more than once. She felt her heart break a little more, realizing how long it had been since she’d actually heard his voice. She turned back to see Roman out of the dance floor making a fool of himself, dancing with Kate and something inside her snapped.

“Thank you”, she said quietly and put a tip in the bartenders tip jar, gathered up her shawl and, without drinking her martini, she headed out the door and ran to her car.

She knew it was late, but not too late for John to have left work. She drove towards his office, obliterating the speed limit. The bartender’s words were the final straw. She was going to make a change in her life. A change for HER and Roman could go to hell. She’d do what ever it took to explain everything from the last six months to John and pray that he understood. She brushed away the tears streaming down her face as she drove with a new purpose. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was ready to make drastic changes in her life, if it meant she could be with John. As far as the money Roman wanted, she grew more defiant the more she drove. “Let him take me to court for it”, she yelled out loud to herself in the car.

She pulled her car into the parking garage of John’s office building and parked a few spaces away from the elevator. An elevator that held many memories. As she turned the key off, she immediately started to doubt herself. Should she really go in and look for John? Would he be understanding of everything? Would he take the time to listen to everything she had to say? What if he wasn’t even there?

For every question she had, her instincts had answers ready for her. Yes, go in and look for him; he’ll understand and listen, and if he isn’t here, she knows where he lives.

With one final push of courage, she opened her car door, got out, headed to the elevator and once inside, she pushed the button for the 12th floor.

The elevator ride up was excruciatingly slow. She never remembered it being that slow. For an instant she thought she might lose her nerve to do this and had her hand on the button to stop the ride short, but before she knew it, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened on the 12thfloor.

She stepped out slowly to find all the lights on, as if it were regular business hours, except Sandra wasn’t behind the front desk and, for that matter, no one was around. She glanced down the hall and saw the door to John’s office was open and the lights were on. Her heart felt like it had stopped beating. She found herself forgetting to breathe. After a brief pause, she began making her way down the hallway.

Standing just outside his office door, Marlena ran her hands down the front of her dress, smoothing the wrinkles. Her hands shook and she realized just how nervous she was. She had come this far… she HAD to do this.

She lightly knocked on his office door and took a few steps inside. Looking around, she could tell that he was still there, even at this hour. A faint smile came across her face as she made a mental note of his predictability.

“Hello?” she called out, but no answer came.

She looked around the office and noticed a suit coat on the back of the desk chair. Perhaps he’d just stepped out for something. She’d wait for him.

Glancing around his office, she spotted familiar items. The world clock on the wall, notepads, pens and even a few cell phones, all neatly arranged on the desk. Doing a double take towards the windows that faced out towards the city, she noticed John’s telescope from his apartment. For a second she grew sad with the thought that it was no longer in his apartment, looking out towards her. She walked over to it and ran her fingers over it. Again, a smile came over her face, thinking about the first time she’d discovered him “spying” on her. The look on his face had been priceless.

She heard the door to the bathroom open and knew John was moments away from hearing the truth about everything that had been going on.

“John…” she said, as she turned around and she was immediately taken aback that the man standing in the room with her was not him.

“May I help you?” the man looked confused, as he glanced towards the door in an attempt to see if she was alone.

“I’m sorry… I’m looking for John Black?!?”

“And you are…?”

Without coming up with an alternative plan, Marlena threw out the name of her last patient she’d seen,“Karen…. Karen Thompson.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know you and you really shouldn’t be in this office” and he motioned towards the door.

“You may not know me, but Mr. Black knows me very well. Will he be back soon?”

“Ma’am, if Mr. Black knows you as well as you say, than you’d know that Mr. Black no longer works out of this office. I’m going to have to respectfully ask you to leave. Please.”

As she stepped out into the hall, confusion swirled around Marlena.

“He’s no longer in this office?”

“That’s correct, Ma’am.”

“I’m sorry… can you tell me which office he’s in now? It’s very important that I see him.”

The man closed the office door behind him as he guided Marlena down the hall. Arriving at the front desk, he walked over and pressed the elevator call button.

“Mr. Black hasn’t been at this location in over five months. He now conducts all of his business out of his Dubai office.” He noticed the confused expression on Marlena’s face and he spoke slowly. “Dubai… The United Arab Emirates?!?” He paused to make sure she understood. “I’m happy to leave him a message that you stopped by to speak with him. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you.”

And, with that, the elevator doors opened, the man held the door open for her and Marlena stepped inside. As the doors closed and the elevator began it’s decent, Marlena felt herself slipping right along with it. Not only wasn’t John there, he wasn’t even in Salem. He wasn’t anywhere she could just run to and explain everything and, with the meager allowance Roman allowed her, there was no way she could go to him. Reality hit her hard… she really had lost everything.

“And with THAT”, he slammed a stack of papers down, “your man, Jim Bennett here, is officially on vacation!”.He looked at John, staring out the window. “I’m thinkin’ of taking Alhena to Hong Kong for the week”, he said, as he sat down across the desk from him.

“Mmm.”

“Yeah, I thought the change of scenery would be nice.”

“Mmhmm”.

“Maybe we’ll adopt a few dozen kids while were there… smoke some class ‘A’ crack… bang hundreds of hookers all over town… then make it official and get married.”

“Well, I hope you have a great time. You deserve the time off”, John responded.

“Really? Are you fuckin’ for real?”

John spun around in his chair, “I’m sorry… what?”

“Well I just got done telling you how I plan on spending my vacation time and you gave me your blanket blessing, even though it would mean, in the end, you bailing me out of a Hong Kong jail. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine”, John replied, wrinkling his brow, looking at the enormous pile of paperwork on his desk and trying his best to get his head back into his work.

“You should really spend some time with Gregg the Geek.”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“Word on the street is he has some interesting “news”, if you will, that you just might be interested in.”

Without looking up, John replied, “And what news do you think he has that I’d be interested in?”

Jim studied John’s face for a few seconds, “Have you gotten out and done the town since you got here?”

John glanced up at Jim and then went back to his work.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You have the largest office and the penthouse apartment in the Khalifa Tower and you never leave the place. It’s actually kinda pathetic.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m just fine”.

“No. The last time you were here, you were ‘just fine’. You need to spend some time with Gregg. I’m off… vacation calls” and Jim got up and headed to the door.

“Have a good time” John called out to him. “Oh… and no kids, crack or hookers.” He shot a smile in Jim’s direction.

“Ha, you ass” and Jim closed the door behind him.

Three hours later, John found himself making his way to Gregg the Geek’s office. The kid was the living definition of a computer geek. There was nothing John could ask of him that he couldn’t do. And he’d taken the offer of moving with John to Dubai with such enthusiasm, at first it made John wonder what, at the age of 27, that he may be running from. But Gregg had fit in, in Dubai, from the second they landed and Gregg realized how much more advanced that country was. The poor kid was losing his mind being stuck in Salem with John, but to his credit, he’d never once complained. It made John happy to see him fitting in so well in his new environment.

He knocked on Gregg’s door and heard him yell out a ‘come in’ from inside.

Stepping into Greg’s office was like stepping into the brains of Dell, Apple and IBM all crammed into an 850 square foot room.

“Mr. Black!”

“Gregg. How’s it going?”

“It’s alright… good, in fact.”

Without waiting to be asked, John unbuttoned his suit coat and took a seat across the desk from where Gregg was working.

Gregg looked at him with a mix of confusion and nervousness. “How are things for you?”

John studied his face intently before answering, “Good.”

Gregg followed John’s eyes as he surveyed Gregg’s office and, suddenly Gregg felt self conscious about the way he kept his desk and surrounding area..

“Can I do something for you?”

“Jim Burnett stopped by my office, just now, on his way out on vacation.”

“Oh”, Gregg said and his mental rolodex began scanning recent conversations he’d had with Jim. “OH!!!”

John shot him a glance of confusion.

“NO!”

“No what?” John replied.

“No… what I discussed with him… that was strictly on a personal level. I had too many beers. I wasn’t on company time. Fuck me, Jim has a big mouth…”

John just sat there, watching Gregg self implode and not even sure why.

After a few moments, Gregg composed himself and looked at John. He watched John slouch back in the chair and cross his legs, bringing his knee to rest on top of his leg. John’s body language made the clear statement that he wasn’t leaving Gregg’s office any time soon.

Gregg looked at one of his computer monitor’s and randomly opened an email sitting in his inbox. “It’s just word on the street type of stuff.”

“What is?”

“It’s just stuff I’ve heard. I’m not sure it’s even that reliable… well… okay, wait, that’s a lie. It’s very reliable… VERY reliable.”

“WHAT IS?”

Gregg was surprised at the tone in John’s voice. He’d never heard him like that before. “Word on the street says that Doctor Evans stopped by your office last week… looking for you.”

John’s expression went from confusion to intrigued in a flash and Gregg noticed and realized that he wouldn’t get in trouble telling John everything he knew.

“She stopped by your office last Wednesday… still in her dress from the Policeman’s Ball. Ryan found her in your… his office when he came out of the bathroom. She was just standing there… kinda acting like she was looking out of a telescope I guess Ryan has in the office now. He’s a perv like that.” When he saw that John had no intention of interrupting him he went on, “She gave Ryan a fake name… a Karen Thompson, I think… yeah, Karen. I might have the last name wrong. Anyhow, Ryan had no idea who she was. He was kinda freaked out to find someone in the office so late at night so he escorted her to the door and asked her to leave.”

John just sat there, staring thru Gregg, taking in the information. For the past 6 months he’d thought about Marlena every minute of every day. She hadn’t tried to contact him in the least. No phone calls, no chance encounters and she’d gone to the extreme of moving her office out of the building. So, why now, after all this time, had she just shown up at his old office, looking for him.

“She’s not divorced… if that’s what your wondering”.

Gregg’s voice jolted John from his thoughts. “I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing. I mean… you just had a look on your face… like… like maybe you were wondering if she came by cuz she was…”

John put his hand up in a gesture to indicate he wanted Gregg to just stop talking.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, it’s fine; you’re fine”.And with that, John stood to leave.

Gregg’s voice rang out as John’s hand grabbed the doorknob. “It’s not you, Mr. Black.”

“What?” John asked, turning back to look at him with a look of distraught confusion on his face.

“The reason she’s not divorced. It’s not you. My word on the street guy tells me it’s money.”

“What’s ‘money’?”

“Money’s the reason. My source is very reliable. He says her husband, Mr. Brady, threatened her. He wants a huge chunk of money from her. If he didn’t get that, she didn’t get the divorce and he was prepared to go to the newspapers and magazines with a story about you. You and Dr. Evans.”

He couldn’t remember the walk back to his own office, but once inside, John closed and locked his door and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the sink faucet and cupped his hands under the flowing water, bringing them up to splash cold water on his face. He couldn’t believe the news he’d just heard. Marlena hadn’t left because she was still in love with Roman. She’d left to protect John from some bad publicity; publicity that some might think to be character damaging, but John didn’t care. His love for Marlena overshadowed any thing, any one could ever put into print. And the money threat. The more he thought about everything, the more the pieces fell in place and everything began to make sense. For the past six months, Roman had dictated, not only how Marlena could live her life, but how John was to live his also.

There was only one thing for him to do.

She knew it would be her last trip to the office for a while. She’d started her sabbatical and, although she had no place to go to really clear her head, she vowed to herself to make the best of this time and see how everything would work itself out. Stepping inside her office she closed the door and flicked on the lights.

“Karen Thompson?” a voice in the office called out from behind her.

Marlena jumped with fear and spun around. It took her a few seconds to realize exactly who she was looking at but when it hit her, she couldn’t help but scream out…

“JOHN!”

Marlena’s breath caught in her throat. She knew how she must look, standing there, mouth agape, staring at John. Her heart was racing. There was so much she wanted to tell him and yet her mind raced and she didn’t know where to begin.

“John…” she whispered as she took a step towards him.

“Shhh…” John gently replied, raising a finger to his mouth.

Marlena stopped where she was. The horrific thought that John wasn’t there for a pleasant visit brought Marlena to tears. She could understand him not wanting her any more, after what she’d put him through. But she worried that he wouldn’t give her the opportunity to explain to him why she’d done what she’d done.

The look on John’s face was breaking her heart. He stood feet from her but the look on his face paralyzed her from moving any closer to him. He stared at her with such a look of pained love and she knew she was responsible for it all.

Slowly, a faint smile crept over John’s face, but it wasn’t enough to wash the pain he held inside and she could see that. He walked towards her and stopped within inches of her. The proximity of his body to hers drew a warm sexual heat from Marlena. She closed her eyes and drew in a soft breath. Once again she found her senses swimming in the smell of John’s body.

John looked directly into her eyes, as if he were looking for all the answers she had for him. As tears rolled silently down her face, she saw Johns eyes fill with a look of unconditional kindness. She felt him reach out and take her hand in his and she thought she’d collapse in his arms. She looked down and saw him reaching into one of the pockets of his thick, wool trench coat and pull out a key, along with a small piece of paper. He placed them in her hand. His eyes shifted from her mouth to her eyes and back to her mouth as he gently placed his hand on her face and, ever so faintly grazed his fingertips along her cheek. She could feel his hand slightly tremble as his fingers ran along her jaw line and then suddenly, he took a step back, glanced down at the floor, back to her and then out the window of her office. He faintly smiled at her and then stepped away and walked out of her office, closing the door behind him.

Marlena felt like running out after him. He hadn’t heard what she needed to tell him and she knew, if she didn’t explain things, she’d never get another chance. She glanced down at the key and piece of paper he’d given her.

A lone key. The paper read: 1126 Woodbridge Road.

It was dusk when Marlena pulled off the road and onto the gravel driveway of the Woodbridge address. She’d waited to leave her office until she was sure Roman had left the police station to go to Kate’s. An hour on the road, she’d driven constantly watching her rearview mirror to see if she was being followed. There hadn’t been another car on the road with her for the last twenty minutes. If it hadn’t been for the GPS in her car, she would’ve gotten lost.

As she stepped out of her car onto the gravel, she couldn’t help but notice how completely quiet it was, the only sound coming from her own steps. The house was set back from the road and hidden in a thick grove of trees, so no one driving by could see it, or admire it’s majesty. The house was huge; a mixture of French Chateau and limestone that made it look right out of a fairytale. She spotted John’s car parked under a stone archway as she slowly climbed the front steps to the main entrance. The thick, wooden double door creaked slightly as she slowly opened it and stepped inside.

There was a faint, flickering glow from a room off to her right so she followed it and soon found herself standing inside a study, with shelves of books from floor to ceiling along three of the walls. There was a fire roaring inside the fireplace with a couch and some ‘smokers chairs’ in front of it. It all looked very inviting. She ran her fingers along the back of the couch, feeling the fine leather and the warmth of the fire. A creaking sound broke the relative silence in the room and Marlena turned to see where it had come from, only to see John standing behind her, hands in his dress pants pockets and leaning on one shoulder up against a book self. Staring at her.

“John…” she said, as a smile came across her face.

“You look beautiful”, John stated.

Marlena could swear she felt her heart literally break and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. “There’s so much I need to tell you…” she said, as she took a step towards him.

John shook his head and looked down at the floor, his body language stopping Marlena in her tracks.

“No, you don’t understand…”she pleaded.

When John looked up at her she noticed tears in his eyes. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief and no words could come to her. The strong, powerful man she knew had been so badly hurt, by her, that it had reduced him to tears. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself, for all she had done.

Looking down in an attempt to not face her disgrace, her words came out at barely an audible whisper, “I should go… this was a mistake….” And she turned around and began walking away. She had no idea how her legs were able to hold her up, let alone carry her across the room. She heard John’s voice as she reached the doorway.

“I never stopped loving you.”

His words stopped her in her tracks but she didn’t dare turn around for fear that she had heard him wrong. She grabbed the door jam to steady herself. She could literally feel her heart beating in her throat.

“Never. There was never a day that you weren’t on my mind… It’s… it’s like I’ve died a little more each day, since you left. Not being able to see you… to reach out and touch you… to hear you laugh. I couldn’t even convince myself to forget about you.”

Marlena slowly turned around to see John smiling at her through his tears.

John stood up straight and faced her head on, “I know… that… that you don’t love me. I know that. I do. But… I also know… that I can make you happy. I can do that. I don’t know if I can make you love me… but I can make you happy.”

“John…” Marlena cried through tears.

“I want you to experience a life with someone who cares about you. I want you to have a life where you’re treated better… the way you should be treated. You have a right to be treated better. And what I wouldn’t give to be the man who shows you that.” John couldn’t hide the pleading sound in his voice. “I love you Marlena. I always have… always will. And you don’t have to love me back… I’m fine with that… it’s not what I want … but…  I’d like the chance to be the one that makes you smile.”

Marlena tried to fight back her tears but she was unsuccessful. Taking a few steps in John’s direction, “I thought you were angry with me. You… you didn’t say a word to me back at my office…”

“I didn’t want to take the chance that Roman may be listening in. ”

The thought that Roman may have bugged her office had never even occurred to Marlena and for a few seconds her mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that it was very likely Roman had been.

“I need to tell you about Roman…”

John lifted his hand in a gesture to get her to stop talking.

“No, John… you don’t understand…”

“I’m not interested in Roman.” A whince came across his face. “I don’t want the air in here to be infected with talk of Roman. I know the man hates me and I’m fine with that, that’s mine to carry. But he also hates you… and that, I’m not fine with. But this isn’t about Roman. This moment in time is about you… and it’s about me. If it would make your life easier, I’ll walk out that door right now and I’ll never bother you again. Doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop loving you. But I’m willing to sacrifice my feelings to know yours are where you want them. You have to let me know what it is you want, Marlena.”

Tears streamed down her face and she made unsuccessful attempts at wiping them away.

“Do you want me to go?”

Marlena sniffled and her breathe caught a few times as she tried to compose herself and stifle her crying.

“No… no, I don’t. I don’t want you to ever leave me… I love you, John Black.”

John stood there shocked and confused, not sure he’d just heard what she’d said. When he spoke, he spoke slowly, not sure he wanted to ask her to repeat what she’d just said, in case he hadn’t heard her right. “Whaaaat?”

Marlena shook her head in confirmation, “I love you. I’ve loved you from the first time I saw you…” and then she slightly giggled, “well, maybe not the FIRST time…” and John laughed a little too. “It was probably the second time… or third.” She wiped at her tears again. Relieve washed over her as she saw John smile and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Now would probably be a good time to hug me?!?”

John’s face went from happy to serious in a split second. “If I hug you now… I’ll never let you go.”

“Promise?” Marlena whispered.

John walked towards her thinking this was all a dream. He’d actually dreamt about this moment for the last six months. Inches away from her he reached out and touched her face, his thumb wiping away a tear as it fell down her cheek.

The heat from John’s hand sent electric currents through Marlena’s body and she brought her hands up to cup his, holding on to it, making sure he was real. A wave of relief washed over her body as the realization hit her that her life was going to begin all over again, in the arms of the man she truly loved and there would be no more denial of it or hiding it from any one.

John moved his hand from her face to the back of her neck as his other hand slipped around her waist and, with one swift movement, he pulled her into him, his body enveloping hers. Marlena let out a cry of relief as she pressed her body into his as hard as she could, trying to mold their bodies into one singular one. Her hands felt the heat from the muscles in his back and her arms felt the strength of John’s as he hugged her tighter. John buried his face into Marlena’s neck; the smell of her hair filling his nostrils, a smell so intoxicating it instantly made him forget the anguish he’d lived with for so long.

John lifted his head to look her in the eyes, “I promise” he said, as he kissed her temple, her cheek, the tip of her nose, and the line of her jaw. The kisses were soft and warm and Marlena could feel the effects John had on her body, a feeling she’d desperately missed for far too long. John looked her in the face again, to make sure she was okay and then, brought his mouth down onto hers. Their tongues met at once, soft and wet and wonderfully curious. The kiss was a deep, soft kiss, quickly turning more intense. John let out a low throaty moan into her mouth and Marlena let out a small cry.

Needing some leverage, John took a few steps forward and pressed Marlena’s back into one of the bookshelves. She gasped as he moved his mouth to her neck. His left hand grazed her breast as he brought it down to her hips and the sensation through her blouse sent a tingle though her body. John kissed a wet trail from her neck back up to her mouth, owning it with the avid penetration of his tongue. He clutched her more greedily than before. With one of his knees, John parted Marlena’s legs open and pressed his hard cock into her. She broke with a low, quavering cry. John griped her ass and hitched her closer, off her feet, into the angry throbbing between his leg. Marlena felt like she was on fire. She could feel the pleasure in her body shoot upward and a rush of liquid heat skimmed downward, coating her inner walls.

John brought his mouth to her ear, “I need you, Marlena. God, I need you.”

Marlena couldn’t bear it and she needed to feel the part of him she’d denied herself for far too long. She squirmed her hand between their bodies and grasped John’s cock through his pants. John groaned and lifted her up and spun around, depositing her onto the couch. He kneeled over her as he tore off his suit coat and ripped his pants open. Leaning over her, he began stroking the softness of her inner thigh. Marlena’s only though was to put out the fire he’d ignited in her, clear down to her soul. Her breathing became labored and John decided to slow things down, to savor every moment.

“John… please…” she begged him.

Smiling down at her, John moved a hand over her heated entrance and dipped softly into her lush wetness, aching and swollen for him. She gasped and shivered, her skin betraying her, rising up in goose bumps. John slipped two fingers inside her and watched as she gasped and her head fell back. In a second he was on top of her, the impossible hardness of his cock resting smooth and hot against the wet opening of her cunt. Her fingers wound their way into his hair. She moaned and her hips rose. He brought his mouth down onto hers, roughly, his tongue powerful in its onslaught. She devoured his taste.

John broke their kiss and studied her face, “I love you, Marlena,” he said.

And, with that, he fit the tip of his cock into her. With control, he slipped in and out of her slowly, moving the swollen head of his cock over her hard slippery mound, teasing her repeatedly. He smiled at the agony he was putting her through. She whimpered and moaned, rotating her hips. Lifting them, trying to draw him deep inside her.

He could feel her climax starting and he could no longer control himself. He thrust solidly into her, as deeply as he could possibly go. She cried out at his thickness as a tight heat shot through her entire body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. He began thrusting into her with an increasingly deepening rhythm until her felt her begin to quiver and the walls of her cunt begin to contract and pulse around him. Her panting cries of release sent him over the edge. He plunged into her and felt his hot desire pump down the length of his cock, filling her up inside. He grabbed her hips and lifted her up to sit on him as he pulled her hard into his last violent penetrating thrust. Holding her in his arms, his hands entwined in her hair, his chest heaved and his body shook as he ground himself against her until the madness finally ceased.

Some time passed as they sat and talked, eating ate dinner and drinking some wine. The name “Roman” was never mentioned. Marlena updated him on her practice, or lack of. John told her all about Dubai and they made future plans to go there for a visit.

Some time after 2am, John awoke and sat up in bed. Looking over his shoulder he smiled seeing Marlena sleeping so peacefully next to him, her silk camisole hugging her curves and he couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was, even when she wasn’t trying. He got up and headed to the bathroom. Passing by the nightstand, he noticed a flashing light on his cell phone. He carried it into the bathroom with him. Turning on the light he pressed the button to retrieve his texts messages.

The package was personally delivered at 10:07pm ~ Always, Samuel.

Returning to bed, he slowly lowered himself into it, trying not to disturb Marlena. He rolled over onto his right side and faced the nightstand, his eye on his cell phone. Suddenly, her felt Marlena’s hand run down his back. He rolled over to see she was wide awake.

“I thought you were sleeping,” he said.

“I was. I saw you get up. Something disturbing you?” she said as she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his arm.

“You disturb me… greatly”, he said, a sly smile coming over his face.

Rolling onto his left side, he pulled Marlena closer to him, wrapping her in his arms. His erection ached to be inside her as if it had been months since the last time he’d had her. He grabbed her leg and placed it on top of his hip, allowing him complete access to her. The feel of her clean shaven pussy on his thigh made his cock twitch with anticipation. Marlena felt his hardness and reached down and took him in her hand and slowly began stroking her hand up and down his shaft. John knew he was powerless to her touch, he moaned, releasing her from his embrace as he leaned his head back and covered his eyes.

Marlena slowly made her way down his body, making sure he felt every inch of her body as it slide down him. She leaned forward and blew lightly on the tender skin of his cock, just that, no more. He rose. Higher. Thicker. Redder. His knees trembled. She lightly grazed her nails over his thigh and watched as his cock twitched. She lightly licked the rosey tip. John’s eyes were practically screwed shut; his body braced for whatever came next. His cock was so erect she had to pull it from his body. When he said her name it sounded like a primal groan. She smiled at him, wet her lips and drew his cock into her mouth. This time, his groan had no words to it. He thrust forward nearly overwhelming her with his length. She wrapped her hand around his base and sucked him with slow, deep tugs. She swirled her tongue around the heart shaped tip, loving the smoothness of the skin beneath. Their breaths became synchronized. Marlena released her hold on John and slowly pushed the straps of her camisole off her shoulders, letting it fall and pool around her waist. She glanced up at him as she took him again in her mouth. John watched the sweet rhythm of her head as it rose and fell on his ridgid, hot flesh. She took him deeper, sucked him harder. Her tongue was a weapon of pleasure. She caught his sac and cradled it in her palm. It felt so heavy and so full. John cried out and his cock swelled in her mouth. His hips jarred forward. One more pull and he was going to cum. She paused, savoring his body’s needs. She closed her eyes and drew on him one more time. John’s cock twitched and he cried out as six long months of denial poured out in a quivering, moaning flood. The taste of him was hot and rich. He shook, crying out with each pulsing burst. She soothed him with her mouth, sucking him gently.

Like a man deprived, John sat up and grabbed Marlena by the upper arms. Straddling her, he pushed her down onto the bed. He rubbed his body over hers. Chest to chest. Legs to legs. And everywhere he rubbed electric sensations flowed. He bent down and took her right breast in his mouth, drawing her nipple into a long aching bud. One knee wedged between her thighs, than two. He widened them. He hadn’t imagined he could recover so soon but he was already rigid and the sight of Marlena wide open for him, made his cock vibrate with lust. He brought himself down onto her and slipped himself into the moisture between her legs. He pulled and pushed between her folds, catching her tenderest spots on the smooth, swollen ridge of the head. She let out a moan so inviting. He moved again, realigning himself. The tip of him pressed against her lips and he groaned as he pushed himself into her. She was sleek and hot. He slipped his thumb over her clit and pressed it back against the bone and began a methodical rhythm that he echoed with his cock. The blunt head of his cock pushed against the barriers Marlena had built up over their time apart and her body clenched.

John leaned down and placed his mouth near her ear. “Say my name, Marlena.”

Her breathing came in gasps,“John”.

“Again.”

“John”, she cried out.

The feel of him, his heat and fullness stretching her secret flesh, she could feel the blood throbbing in his cock. John lifted her knees slightly and pressed farther into her. She wrapped her legs around him and locked her ankles around his lower back. John groaned and thrust into her one more time. A long shiver rolled down his body. Marlena tightened her grip around him. He reached down and took her hands, stretching them high above her head. All she had to hold on to him with were her thighs and calves. He began thrusting into her faster and changing angles so that he caught her where she ached the deepest. His hands tightened on her wrists. Shoving deep into her he ground himself against her. Marlena cried out, her back arching. John brought his mouth down onto hers and caught her cries in his mouth. Her climax slammed into her and Johns long groan of ecstasy followed close behind.

John withdrew from her slowly. He released her wrists and cradled her close, stroking her hair and back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

As sleep began to overtake them Marlena whispered, “John..”

“Mmm..”

“Who’s house is this?”

John tenderly kissed her ear and then her neck. He brought his mouth back up to her ear, “It’s your house.”

“What?”

“This is your house. I bought it for you… the night you fell asleep on my couch. The night I really knew I wanted to be with you forever. You’re home baby. You’re home.”

And with that, they drifted off to sleep, entwined in each others arms.

After Kate had gone to bed, Roman stood in the foyer looking down at the large manila envelope in his hands. He recognized Samuel when he had stopped by earlier. He had tried all night to hide the anger that rose up inside him knowing John Black had had the nerve to come to his house. Even if it wasn’t him personally, it was close enough.

He tore open the envelope and reached inside, pulling out papers. It took him a moment to realize they were Marlena’s divorce papers. Roman let out a sigh of disgust. Behind the divorce papers he noticed another, smaller envelope. He set the papers aside and opened it. Instantly, he could feel the blood drain from his face. He stood frozen, unable to move as his brain tried to grasp what he was looking at. Photos of him breaking into Marlena’s office the night he stole her possessions. Photos of him hiding those stolen items in the police evidence room at the station. He spotted a picture of himself down at the pier, taking bribe money to keep quiet as shipments of drugs were smuggled into Salem. There were pictures of him having dinner with top heads of organized crime. The more he sifted through the pictures, the clearer it became… if anyone ever saw these, he was done; his career was over. His mind raced, wondering how these pictures had been obtained. The last picture in the envelope stopped his breathing. It was a picture taken of him, standing on a rooftop, looking through binoculars. It was the night he’d watched John make love to his wife. Exactly who had been watching who? He looked down at the picture again and noticed an arrow scrawled on the corner. He flipped it over and read the words written on the back: I see everything. EVERTHING. John Black.

16 months later

As Marlena worked in the garden she could feel her body soaking in the warm sunshine of the day. Her English Cottage flower bed was in full bloom, the burst of colors a stark contrast against the massive limestone walls of the house. Her time working in the garden had been more therapeutic than she could have ever imagined. She didn’t feel any regrets about closing her practice for two years. She knew it was the right thing to do. She needed the break. She looked up to see John walking towards her and a smile came over her face.

“Hey you” she said, slowly standing.

“Hey yourself” John said, walking up to her and cupping her face in his hands; kissing her gently. He studied her face. “You get more beautiful, every time I see you.”

“John”, Marlena blushed.

“Flowers look amazing. You’re quite the gardener.”

“I know! Who knew!” she giggled.

“Listen, I have a conference call I need to make so I will be unavailable to you for about 45 minutes. Can I get you anything before it starts?”

“No. No, I’m fine”. She smiled up at him.

“Okay… don’t work too hard” he kissed her forehead and his hand drifted down to palm her expanding belly.

“We won’t” Marlena replied, placing her hand on top of his.

John turned and began walking back towards the house. He stopped a few feet away and turned back to look at her. “I love you, Mrs. Black.”

A wide smile came over Marlena’s face, “We love you, Mr. Black”, she said, her hand still resting on her belly.

He winked and smiled at her and walked inside.

The End.