Heathens Need Love Too - Chapter Three

Marcus opened his eyes as he awakened from a deep sleep. His heavy slumber had been interrupted by the sun that shone relentlessly through the bedroom window of his brother's guest house. He looked over at the alarm clock, which had failed to wake him at 6AM. I was now 10AM and he was late for work.

"Great!" he fumed, sitting up and running his hand over his silky scalp. He picked up his cell phone, which he had muted when Mary came over yesterday evening. His supervisor had tried to call him ten times already.

Nervously, he dialed Rick's cell phone number.

"This is Rick," his supervisor said impatiently after a few rings.

"Rick, it's Marcus."

"Marcus, where are you buddy?" Rick asked. "We're super busy at the store this morning."

"Listen man, I'm really sorry. I was up sick with a stomach ache half the night and I just fell asleep around 3AM. I'm trying to pull myself together to come to work but I still have the runs."

Rick cleared his throat, taken aback by the explicit revelation. "That's a little more information than I really needed...but okay. I'll call and see if Tracy can come in today and help us out. I wish you had called me earlier."

"I'm sorry - I'll work this Saturday to make up for it," Marcus said apologetically.

After he disconnected the call, Marcus lay back down on the king-sized bed and let out a sigh of frustration while staring at the ceiling. His late night with Mary had been a total disaster.

Things started off great - Mary showed up wearing nothing but a sexy black leather teddy and a pair of high-heeled black leather boots. Thank goodness she didn't get pulled over for speeding, or she might have been mistaken for a prostitute, Marcus thought when he answered the door.

Mary looked like a pin-up girl for an adult magazine as she posed there in the doorway, her overflowing silhouette captured under the spotlight of the full moon. Her 5'5" frame and 40-24-38 measurements left Marcus's mouth wide open, a tiny bit of drool escaping out of the right corner of his mouth.

They engaged in verbal foreplay for a while in the living room of the guest house as soft jazz music played in the background from Aaron's high tech sound system. After sitting on the sofa for 20 minutes or so, sipping White Zinfandel, Mary moved in for the kill. Seductively, she turned Marcus's face toward hers with her hand and leaned in to plant a wet one on his mouth.

"I know you want this," she said confidently, closing in on her target.

Marcus cringed.

"Baby, what did you have for dinner?" he asked her, covering his nose with one hand as he put the other on her shoulder to gently thwart her advances.

She laughed. "Oh, I have a little problem. But it doesn't bother most men because they're happy just to be in my presence. Some even find it sexy. We don't have to kiss though if you don't want to."

"Yeah, let's not," Marcus replied curtly, the rotten stench still lingering in the air.

Although that put a damper on things, he hadn't been intimate with a woman since Alice, and that was over six months ago. Desperate to score, he decided to go on with their romantic evening despite being turned off by the week-old-garbage-like odor coming from Mary's mouth.

Unfortunately, his body was not in agreement.

"Marcus, you're a little young to be in need of Viagra," Mary joked as her hand crept over to touch his rapidly shrinking manhood through his satin boxers.

Embarrassed and frustrated, Marcus decided to cut things short. Abruptly, he jumped up, extending his right hand to help Mary off the sofa.

"Look Mary, you are an incredibly attractive and sexy woman, but I'm just not into this," he told her flat out.

"Is it my breath?" Mary asked, covering her mouth with her perfectly French manicured hand, her almond-shaped eyes opening wide like those of a deer caught in headlights.

"Well... I'm just trying to get over an ex and I need some time," Marcus said. "Maybe in a couple of months I'll be okay, but right now I'm still trying to sort things out and I really don't want to use you."

He braced himself for possible retaliation.

"You are so sweet," Mary said unexpectedly, kissing Marcus on the cheek. He caught a whiff of her toxic fumes and his gag reflexes kicked in. He coughed a few times to cover things up.

"Excuse me. I've been struggling with this cough for some time now. Anyway, we both have to get up and go to work in a few hours. You had better go home so you can get some rest," he told her politely, giving her an impersonal pat on the back.

Fortunately, Mary did not put up an argument.

"Okay sweetie. Just call me when you're ready for love. We could've had so much fun tonight, but I understand. I can see that you are a special guy and I need someone like you in my life. I'll be waiting. I promise you won't be sorry."

When Mary was gone from the house, Marcus hit his forehead multiple times with the palm of his hand. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he said, regretting ever letting the woman come over in the first place.

By that time it was 2AM and he knew he was doomed. Marcus was far from the four-to-six hours of sleep per night kind of guy. He need at least eight full hours or he could not function during the day.

He sat on the sofa and drank the rest of the bottle of White Zinfandel as his mind drifted back to Heather. She's so perfect, he thought. If only she wasn't the holier-than-thou, avid churchgoer type.

These memories came to mind as Marcus lay in his bed the next morning, wondering if he should just sleep the day away. However, he found it hard to rest. Before he could do that, he would need to make one very important call.

He grabbed his cell phone and dialed her number, knowing she would be home.

"Hello?" she answered in her usual upbeat tone.

"Hey there Lady," Marcus said.

"Hey baby. You at work? Is everything okay?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm at home - well, at Aaron's guest house," Marcus replied.

"Oh. Is he in town?"

"He just left for Miami yesterday evening."

"Well what is it honey?" she asked.

"I don't know what to do Ma. I really need your advice. I met this beautiful woman but she's really into church. You know how I feel about church."

She paused before responding.

"So is that why you went to church on Sunday?" Marcus's mother asked, her tone that of disappointment.

"Well, I went to the church, but I didn't actually go all the way in. But yeah, that's why I went."

"Well why don't you just tell her the truth Marcus?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"I can't do that," he protested.

"Look Marcus, if you want to have a relationship with this young lady or anybody for that matter, you need to be honest. Anybody worth having will try to understand. I love the fact that you have met you a good Christian girl. Or at least that's what she sounds like. That Alice was a wild one..."

"Can we not go there Ma?" he asked. "Alice and I split long ago. You know the deal."

"Okay baby. I'm just giving you my two cents. Just being a mama. You be honest with this Heather young lady. Don't be ashamed. We all have our struggles. I've been telling you that your whole life."

"I know Ma, and I love you for it."

"I love you too baby. I guess you're not going to work today?"

"No, I have something important to do."

"What? Talk to that Heather girl?"

"Yep," Marcus replied. I need to get in touch with her. I don't always take your advice Ma, but this time you're on point for sure. That's what's up."

"Boy you know I don't understand all that hip hop slang mess!" his mother playfully scolded.

"Sorry Ma. I love you," he said, laughing.

"I love you too baby."

After hanging up from the conversation with his mother, Marcus took a deep breath. The look on Heather's face when she left after their date the previous evening haunted him. He wouldn't have peace until he spoke to her again.

His fingers trembled as he dialed her office extension.

"Easy as 1-2-3 Mortgage; this is Heather speaking," she answered.

"Hey, it's me," Marcus stated, hoping she would recognize his voice.

"Marcus?" Heather asked.

"Yeah. How are you doing?"

"Not the greatest Marcus, and I'm very busy this morning. I have a client in the waiting area as we speak."

"Are you too busy to go to lunch with me this afternoon?" Marcus asked in the sweetest voice he could muster.

Heather was silent for a moment.

"I guess I'm not," she replied. "I have to eat, right?"

"Absolutely," Marcus confirmed, smiling. "I was hoping I could take you out. I feel bad about what happened yesterday night. I know I acted like an ass. I want to make it up to you."

"Marcus, if this is a guilt trip you're on, don't even bother," Heather said, growing increasingly irritated.

"No guilt trip. I really want to see you."

"I don't have much time for lunch," Heather responded. "But there's a café on the mezzanine level of the building where I work. We can eat there. Say, around 1:30?"

"I'm there. Just give me the address."

He snapped his fingers and shot a gesture of approval into the air with both hands.

After they had hung up though, his mood changed as he recalled his mother's words:

"...if you want to have a relationship with this young lady or anybody for that matter, you need to be honest."

He had been dishonest with Heather about so many things. Where would he begin?