Karma Ain't Always a Bitch Ch. 08

Mark hesitated and looked at Vanessa seeing her smile and nodded his head.

"Just some wildlife issues," he said with a frown.

Amy saw Vanessa squeeze his hand and watched as Mark relaxed.

Amy and Denise shared a giggle when Mark and Vanessa went for a swim. Mark had scratches down his back and a new hickey, but that was nothing compared to what Vanessa was displaying with pride. The red love bites were peeking out on her breasts and there was one on her inner thigh, and she took the time to arrange her hair and suit to emphasize them.

Vanessa had noticed too many pretty women in bikinis and started watching Mark. When he didn't give any sign of seeing them, she started pointing out some of them.

"What about her?"

"Who, Ness?"

"That blonde with the tits," she giggled.

"She had tits? You don't say." Mark deadpanned and got pounced, rolling across the sand with Vanessa.

Vanessa tried again, although it was easier to ask when she was pressed against him.

"What about that redhead?"

"No, baby. Not even close," Mark said as he kissed her.

"She's beautiful though," Vanessa countered.

"Too much makeup, fake tits, and she's too skinny," Mark ticked the points off on his fingers.

All three women looked at him when he hit the last one.

"What?" He asked. "The ones that look like Ethiopian refugees aren't attractive in the least. You already know about the makeup thing and the tits thing should be a no brainer. I would rather see just nipples than those things that look like floats," he said with a grin. "Plus, why would I look at anyone else when I have the three hottest women on the beach with me already?"

Mark said the last as he was settling back into the sound of the surf.

Mark had been calling her beautiful since she "saved" him from Jack eleven years earlier. Even so, hearing him say it around Denise and the array of bikinis that had been parading past made her heart race. Amy looked over and saw how he and Vanessa interacted, the physical intimacy filling the only void that had been in the relationship.

Mark's "beautiful" comment had grabbed Denise as well, and she started her mental comparisons again. Just as she was starting through her list of blemishes and faults, she heard him saying "you are you and they are them". As the words bounced around, she looked over at him expecting to see a teasing kid but saw the older him smile at her as he let the sound of the waves float him away.

The quartet convened again for supper on the overlook. The sun disappearing over the horizon accompanied the appetizers and the moon and stars were served with dessert. Amy and Denise said their good nights with an extra for Vanessa as she peeked around Mark. She had snuggled up to his back and poked her head under his arm.

Once they were alone, Mark carried Vanessa back out to the overlook, an awkward silence descending. He had been acting strange all evening and while she wanted to know, she was afraid to find out what it was about.

Mark felt the end of the weekend coming and had tried to avoid thinking about it for as long as he could. As the silence stretched, he could feel the knots in his stomach growing.

"Ness," he stopped when Vanessa jumped. "I need to know something, sweetheart."

Vanessa felt like she was going to fly apart. The longer they sat the more tense Mark got until it was like she was trying to snuggle up to a wall. When he finally said something she jumped and felt her heart racing.

"What's that, baby?" Vanessa asked, not sure she wanted to hear it.

"I need to know," he stopped. "I need to know what happens tomorrow," he finished in a whisper.

Vanessa took a deep breath. She had been thinking about that since Friday night.

"Well, what do you want to happen?" Vanessa asked.

"The only thing I know right now is nothing with kangaroos or clothes pins," pausing with a weak grin. "That, and I don't want to be any farther from you than I have to be."

"What a killjoy. First it's ceiling fans and now its marsupials." Vanessa said with a grin. "Mark, I meant when I said 'our bed,' that is if it's ok with you," she finished with a whisper of her own.

Mark made a show of thinking about it until he saw the dread in Vanessa's eyes.

"Okay, but only fifty pair of shoes," he said tapping into one of their running jokes.

After dropping Amy at her house, Denise took Mark and Vanessa back to his house, laughing as she saw him carry her across the threshold.

The couple appeared on Amy's doorstep fifteen minutes later. "Mom, can we borrow the truck, pleeeeaaasseeee?"

Amy smiled and pulled Vanessa into a hug and the two disappeared. Mark sat on the couch and spaced, thinking of all of the changes that had taken place in the last nine months. He was still trying to come to terms with the latest evolution and didn't hear the ladies come back until he had an attractive brunette filling his lap.

"When did you say your class was, Amy?" Mark asked tipping his head back and looking at her upside down.

"Oh shit, that's right. I'll see if I can get Ambe...," she stopped as a set of keys arched over his head. "These are the keys to the '80."

"Yup."

"I can't, sweetheart. If something happened while I was driving it I would never forgive myself. I'll just get Amb...," she stopped again as she saw him shaking his head.

"I guess we'll just take you back to the house so you can take the other one then. You've driven it already anyway." Mark said.

"Are you a million percent sure baby?" Amy asked, dreading the answer. He didn't disappoint her.

"And then some, beautiful. Just take it, please. Do me a favor and skip the little red button unless you enjoy speeding tickets," Mark said with a grin.

As the group walked out to the driveway, Mark jangled the keys at Vanessa, shocked at how fast she jumped into the truck with Amy.

With a grin, Mark put the t-tops in the back seat and took the back way home, ensuring that the ladies could track his progress as the engine roared. He was pulling the '69 out as they arrived and saw the look of apprehension on Amy's face.

"It's okay, beautiful. We can drop you off at class if you would like, please don't get stressed about it," Mark said. "When do you finish?" he asked when he saw the relief flooding across her face.

"Six. I can get a ride home if that's too early though," Amy said not recognizing that she had already accepted.

"Three hours should give us just about enough time to pack the shoes," he said as he poked his tongue out at Vanessa. He figured he would pay for the comment but hadn't counted on Amy joining the fray.

After the three had collapsed into a giggling heap, Mark offered a hand to each lady and helped them up, taking a bit more time to dust Vanessa off.

"If you keep that up you won't even finish the shoes," Amy said grinning. "Let's go! Remember that you're picking me up and get out of bed in time."

"I'll remind him for you, Amy," Vanessa said with her own grin.

"That's fine. But who's going to remind you?" laughing as the three piled into the truck.

Two quickies, thirty four pair of shoes and a dozen boxes later, Mark and Vanessa picked up Amy and drove home.