“Do you need something?” Cara asked with concern as she entered Marcus’s room. To her surprise, she found him sitting on his bed clad in nothing but a towel. With his body glistening and damp, it was obvious that he had just showered. She wondered how he managed with his injured hand. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’ll come back later.” She was about to dash off and save her virgin eyes when Marcus stopped her.
“Wait. I need help.” Cara’s heart did a somersault imagining the kind of help he required. She slowly turned around and stood transfixed to the spot acutely aware of his hungry gaze fixed upon her. “Can you get me my clothes?” Cara jumped and rushed over to his closet. She wondered why he couldn’t do that much by himself when he managed to take a shower! Choosing a pair of soft cargos and a shirt, she returned back to his room.
“Here.” She placed the clothes on the bed, acutely aware of his rippling hot body on an uninterrupted display right in front of her eyes. “Do you want me to redo the dressing? It’s wet already.”
“Later.” He picked up the clothes and gave her an amused look. “Don’t you want me to wear any underwear?” Cara’s mouth hung open with shock.
“Umm, I’ll just get it.” She blushed crimson and ran inside the closet to get him what he needed. Shyness took over her and she placed the piece of clothing on his bed.
“I’ll get the first aid box.” She was eager to escape the exceptionally heated room. She did not want to witness the source of the heat getting dressed. It seemed he was oblivious to her mental turmoil and he struggled with the clothes.
“Hey wait!” Halfway to the door, she stopped and turned around only to see Marcus struggling to wear his underwear. Before he pulled it up to cover himself, he cursed and got rid of his towel. Cara’s heart stopped and she closed her eyes. What exactly was he up to? Did he have no shame? “Don’t just stand there. Come and help me. Can’t you see that the wound has ripped off?” Cara’s heart sank with horror and she opened an eye to see his condition.
“How did it rip off? What was the need to shower today?” she scolded him to keep her mind sane. She noted that he had somehow worn his underwear and was trying to catch his breath while sitting on the bed. She tried to focus on his head and avoid looking at his tanned, drool-worthy form. She had never seen such a se*y male body in all her eighteen years of life. It was easier said than done as her eyes wandered all over him. He, on the other hand, didn’t look perturbed at all, as if he wanted her eyes to feast on him.
“I was stinking. Just change the dressing and I’ll be fine.” He said impatiently. Cara nodded and picked up the trousers and handed them over to him. He pulled them on somehow, wincing a lot in the process. Cara then helped him with his shirt while he just sat and watched her with hooded eyes. She went to fetch the first aid box and returned to check his wound. Thankfully it didn’t rip off as he had thought. She wiped off the blood, applied medicine and dressed it up again.
“I’ll transfer your dues to your account.” Cara looked up at him to see him watching her.
“I don’t have an account, Marcus. You can pay me in cash.”
“No, I’ll deposit the money in your bank and your family can withdraw it whenever they need. You wouldn’t have to go home to hand over the money to them.” Cara stared at him wordlessly. Does that mean she would work as his maid for the rest of her life? As if sensing her inner turmoil, Marcus continued. “Since you inspire me to paint, you’ll be working for me as my model. We can do the housework together. It’s not important. I want to get on with my life. I want to host an exhibition of my paintings soon. So I’ll offer you four times what I pay you now. Will you continue to be my inspiration and help me achieve my dreams?”
Cara was stunned by his offer. What would she need to do as his model? How long would her services be needed? “For how long?” she asked feebly, a feeling of dread forming in her head.
“Till I’m able to complete all the paintings in this series.” Cara had no idea what he was planning but in hindsight, she realized that this was an opportunity and she couldn’t afford to ignore it. She needed the money. Marcus waited eagerly for her to respond. One look at her and he knew that she hadn’t realized at all what he was asking for.
“I can enroll you into Suffolk Community College as a perk. You can pursue their AS program in Music.” Cara’s eyes widened and she had no reason to decline him. It had been her dream to study there since she was a little girl. It had been her mom’s dream as well as hers.
“You will?” she asked with disbelief as tears pooled into her eyes. Marcus gazed at the incredulous expression on her face and nodded. He had never expected her to accept his offer and now that she did, he hesitated to explain the other details. Cara was so overwhelmed that nothing else figured in her euphoric state. The opportunity to study was what she had always dreamed of and now it was coming true. It didn’t occur to her that there might be a catch!
“Thank you, Marcus. I’ll be forever indebted to you for this.” She beamed with happiness while Marcus gazed at her radiant face with a slightly worried expression on his face. Would she back out when he started making demands on her? Would she run for the hills knowing what the job demanded? “I’ll make breakfast first. You need to take your medicine on time.” Before he could utter a single word, she rushed out of the room.
Marcus slowly walked out of his room. His mind was now on his studio. He was a man on a mission. After the unspoken confirmation from Cara, he needed to get his studio ready to start right away. The way he had left it, he was sure Ben Duncan saw everything. He should therefore ask him for help in cleaning it up. However, the moment he walked in, he was shocked to see that it was scrupulously clean. Who cleaned the place? He went to the kitchen to ask Cara. If she had done it, she would be aware of the mental condition he was in. She would know how crazy he was about her! With his heart pounding in his ribcage, he walked into the kitchen to see that she had started making breakfast. He stood behind her, breathing the sweet scent of her hair.
Cara stilled and glanced up at him. “Do you need anything?”
“Who cleaned my studio?” Cara’s heart skipped a beat with dread. She remembered his warning as well as the punishment.
“It was stinking. I cleaned it last night.” Marcus’s eyes searched hers as if trying to understand something.
“Don’t get me wrong, Cara. This has nothing to do with you personally. I couldn’t paint without any inspiration. That was the sole reason why I took such a drastic step.” Although Cara’s heart sank with disappointment, she flashed him a fake smile. She knew instantly that he was trying to give her an explanation for his actions.
“I know Marcus. Don’t worry.” Although he clearly admitted that he desired her and considered her as his inspiration, Cara couldn’t stop her heart from loving him. She would live with him till he needed no inspiration from her. She sighed and continued to make breakfast while Marcus continued to stand behind her. With his hot breath against her neck, it was difficult to ignore him yet she did. Why did his admission hurt so much? Did she expect him to confess his undying love for her? Maybe yes!
Marcus watched her quietly making breakfast. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her every second and every minute. It was true that he was obsessed with her but it was all physical. Maybe after having her, he would be able to get rid of it forever. His phone buzzed with an incoming call from Nicholas and he walked away from the kitchen to talk to his brother. Cara stared at him through the glass panes as he paced the deck while talking to someone over the phone. She had been so happy to finally be able to study but after Marcus’s announcement, all her enthusiasm flew out of the window.
She felt snubbed and hurt. He did not love her as she had hoped he did. Had she misjudged Marcus Donnelly? Was he not obsessed with her? She felt lonely and longed to get back to her family. She wondered what Marcus meant. Wouldn’t she be allowed to go and meet her family till he completed his series? But mainly, she wondered what type of paintings he wanted to do of her!