Chapter 9

The night falls upon the big city. Everyone taking a walk and shopping in their favorite malls. Tiffany has come to pick up some necessary daily supplies. But her back is killing her. What's worse is the cramp she is having. She finds an empty bench to sit down. It will take her another 20 minutes to get home. Should she call Nathalie to come and pick her up? But she can't get through her. What about Mark? Is he busy right now? The call went over. 'Mark. Can you come and get me?' Her voice is unclear. 'Tiffany? Are you okay? You sound like you are in pain.' She is so exhausted to talk that it takes to much of her energy. 'It's hurting so much. I don't think that I can walk any further.' Mark shoots out of his chair and grabs his car keys. 'Did something happen to Tiffany?' Asks JD. Mark waves at JD before he rushes out. 'Your location. Now!' She looks around. 'I'm at the main entrance of the Golden Star shopping mall.' He hops in his vehicle and drives off rapidly. ' Go to the nearby pharmacy. Just stay inside while you wait for me. Let the workers know that you are not feeling good. Take care until I come.' He is about to end the call. 'Don't hang up. Keep talking.' Mark is driving at full speed, overtaking cars as if he is playing a racing game. 'Want me to sing you a song? How about I recite you a poem? Nevermind, I don't know both of them.' Mark hears a short laugher coming from Tiffany. 'Good. Laugh as much as you can.' But it hurts when she laughs. 'Oww.' Comes from her. Mark is getting anxious. 'What's happening?' He asks. 'It hurts more when I laugh.' He hears a cracking noise coming from over the phone. 'I'm inside the pharmacy right now.' Mark is relieved hearing her saying that. 'Good, just sit down and don't do anything. Ask them for painkillers.' Tiffany shakes her head. 'Painkillers don't work on me.' One of the pharmacists comes to Tiffany. 'Are you alright, madame? Can I help you with something?' Tiffany lowers her phone. 'I'm having menstrual pain. My husband told me to wait inside the pharmacy until he comes.' The lady looks impressed. 'What a nice husband you have. How sweet of him.' Tiffany agrees with her. 'I know, right.' The lady gives her a glass of water. 'Here, drink this lukewarm water. I'll go and get you painkillers for your menstrual pain. Just a second.' Tiffany stops her. 'It's fine. Painkillers don't have any effect on me. I need to sleep it off. It hurts, partly because I'm too tired right now.' The lady feels helpless as she watches Tiffany breathe heavily. 'If you need any help, call me. Okay?' Tiffany nods her head to the lady before she goes back to her work. She holds the phone back against her ear. 'Sorry. I had to answer her.' Mark is almost there. He drives into the busy street. 'It's nice of that lady to help you. But why are you outside when you have so much pain?'

'I had to get some extra sanitary napkins and other things.' Mark raises his voice. 'You should have asked me instead of going out on your own. Tatoo these words inside your head, stubborn lady. The next time you tell me and I'll get it for you. Is that clear?' Tiffany lowers her head down while smiling. 'Very clear.'

A minute has passed. 'I'm hanging the phone. Wait a second.' He ends the call before he exits his car. Mark opens the door of the pharmacy and sees Tiffany sitting in the chair. He comes closer. 'Hold on.' He bends down to scoop his hands underneath her to picks her up. Tiffany leans in as she gently wraps her arms around his neck. 'Thank you for coming all the way here.' She whispers into his ear. 'Hearing sweet talks coming out of your mouth. I'm not used to it.' Mark looks surprised at Tiffany while kissing her on her forehead. 'Do you need anything in here before we go home?' She shakes her head. 'No.'

To be sure, Mark walks over to the pharmacist. 'Good evening, what can I do to lessen her pain?' He asks. 'Hello. You must be her husband. What you can do is give her enough vitamines. Massaging before she sleeps will do her good if she can't fall asleep. Put something warm against her belly or her lower back. That'll ease the pain.' Mark nods every time the pharmacist says something. 'It's noted down. Thanks for the tips.' The lady gives them a bottle of lukewarm water. 'Drink warm milk or tea-like Camille and lemon balm. It'll calm her down.' Tiffany takes the bottle and thanks her before they leave.

Everyone's eyes are fixed on them once they are outside. Mark opens the door and places Tiffany inside. 'Wait here.' He opens the window and locks the car doors. Tiffany closes her eyes while she waits for him to come back. The only thing that Mark has at home is coffee and black tea. He quickly runs into the nearby supermarket to buy milk and the tea that the lady has suggested to them.

The pain is getting worse that she squirms in pain. Mark finally comes back. He places the bag in the trunk and runs to the front. He starts the car and drives out the parking spot.

Mark rushes Tiffany into his room and gently lays her on his bed. 'Wait here while I prepare your tea.' He runs out of the room. Tiffany is awed at his actions. She never received so much attention from her previous relationships. It was always, Tiffany is a strong girl and can handle it on her own. There was a time when she asked her ex-boyfriend to bring her a pack of painkillers because she had so much pain. She could not go outside. He told her that he was too far away to come and never called her back. It was clear why he was too far away. Having two girlfriends in the same city is too dangerous. That's why. Tiffany took her revenge by kicking him into the hospital. It's a matter of time before the other girlfriend came. Once the other girlfriend learned about his two-timing. She hit him on his face and left the hospital. Tiffany was on cloud nine and heartbroken at the same time. And now. She is with a man who runs around for her without telling her that she is strong, so she has to do it on her own. Mark is back with the tea. 'How does my lady like to drink her tea? On her own, or do you want to use me as your straw?' He wiggles his eyebrows at her while pouting his lips. 'I'll drink it myself so you can come and lay down next to me.' She pats her hand on the sheet. Mark obeys her order. Before that, he removes his clothes with the speed of light with only his boxer shorts on him. Tiffany smiles. 'You like the scene?' Tiffany nods her head. 'Funny how fast a man can strip with just one sentence.' She sips from her warm Camille tea. 'Wait and see when that man has permission to strip his wife. It's mind-blowing.'

The infamous middle finger goes up again as Tiffany takes another gulp of the tea. Mark waits until she consumes it all. Tiffany places the empty mug on the table next to the bed. She comes closer to Mark and hugs him. Mark suddenly pins her against his bed. 'You have to turn around and lay on your tummy. I'm going to give you a good rub.' With the help of Mark, she turns around. He begins with small palpations against her lower back. Tiffany feels her lower back glowing warmer while it eases the pain. 'Is it helping lessen the pain, missy?'

'Mmm. It feels good.' He bends down to her ear. 'I heard that when a woman is on her period, she gets horny fast. Should we try it out?' He starts kissing her cheek and neck. Tiffany kicks Mark's butt with her foot by swinging it backward. 'No, we don't.' Mark is unhappy. He repositions her and lays next to her. Now he is rubbing her lower abdomen. Tiffany smiles. 'This is the best feeling when one is in so much pain. I'm glad that it's the weekend tomorrow. It would have been a disaster if I had school.' She grabs Mark's hand to put it around her waist, rolls over to give him a hug with one of her legs over his body. 'But a human pillow is the best of all.' She buries her face against his chest. 'Big and warm.' This time she squeezes him. Mark loves her way of affection towards him. 'I need to act like a human pillow, but right now, I feel like I am the one who is being sugarcoated. Having a pretty lady rubbing against you like a cat. It's a wonderful feeling to have.' Tiffany slowly falls asleep. She is slightly snoring. Mark finds it cute of her. He covers her up so she won't have it cold. He brushes her hair out of her face with his fingers. Her soft hair slides between his fingers. He gently moves her head up so he can look at her face while leaning in to give her a soft peck on her lips. He savors a faint taste of Camille. He kisses her three more times before going to sleep.

Tiffany is rolling in bed. She smells food and opens her eyes, seeing that Mark is not in bed. She guesses that he got up early and is cooking for them. Tiffany comes out of the room and sees him in his boxer shorts with the apron, working behind the kitchen counter. Slowly tiptoeing and hugging him from behind. 'Who is this?' Says Mark, playful. She bites his upper arm. 'You like to bite me that much? Am I that tasty?' Tiffany smiles. 'You are so tasty that I want to bite you everywhere.' Mark let out a burst of devilish laughter. 'Don't. I need that thing to make you feel good. You can't bite it off.' She slaps his back with a flat hand. It made a lot of noise. The spot she hit became red. 'I never had a dirty and a slutty boyfriend like you before. You are unbelievable.' Mark halts with what he is doing to turn around. 'Boyfriend? Which boyfriend? I'd like to know their names. I'm not your boyfriend. I'm your husband.' He holds her up and places her on the kitchen counter. 'Just some unnecessary boring boyfriends. Not worth talking about it. My lovely husband.' But Mark wants to know their names. 'Not going to let you go until I get what I want. Start talking.' He raises his eyebrows. 'If you don't. I have my ways of finding in out. Confess while I am talking nice to you, my petty wife.'

'Their names are Adam Stilt and Brandon Millo. It was a short relationship. Nothing else.' Tiffany looks sad for a second. Mark notices it. 'Cheating?' He asks. She nods her head. 'How did you know?' Mark comes closer to kiss her. 'You looked sad after telling me their names.' He kisses her again. 'Did you do something like this with them? How far have you gone?' Tiffany pushes him away. 'Stop it, mister incubus. Nothing happened that should make you jealous.' Tiffany is getting irritated. Mark helps her up and brings her to the dining table. 'Be obedient and sit here until I finish.' He kisses her again.

They finish their food. Mark gets up to take the empty plates. He kisses her again, which makes Tiffany become suspicious of his actions. He keeps kissing her every time they come closer. She moves to the sofa. Mark comes with coffee and tea in his hands. He made Lemon balm for her. She takes a sip. 'This one is tasty.' She finishes her sentence, and Mark kisses her again. Tiffany backs off. 'Why do you keep doing that?' Mark looks at her with an obvious facade. 'To see how long you can keep it together.' Tiffany does not understand his answer. Mark also takes a sip from his coffee. He puts down his head on her lap, grabs her neck to push her down to kiss her again. The taste of coffee is bitter. Tiffany hit his bare chest. Mark laughs and rubs on the pain. 'Don't push it, you bunny in the heat.' Mark nonchalantly grabs the remote control and begins to zap through the channels.

Tiffany leans back against the sofa and closes her eyes. Her body is sore. The pain from yesterday has made her muscles go numb. Mark gets up to kiss her before he runs out of the living room. Tiffany is a second late to hit him. She begins to feel a little weird every time he kisses her like that. Mark strolls out of the room with a blanket in his arms. He covers her and gives her a quick kiss. This time she manages to hit him. He laughs again while sitting next to her under the blanket. And again. He leans on her to embrace her before giving her another kiss. Tiffany's cheeks become pink. She looks dreamy. Mark gives her a long kiss, and this time, Tiffany did not push him away or hit him. She lets Mark do whatever he wants. He slowly put his hand under her shirt and manages to loosen up her bra with one hand. She is not fighting back at all. Mark proceeds with undressing her. He kisses her neck while laying her down on the sofa. Tiffany let out a soft moan. She wants to stop but can't seem to calm down. So this is what Mark meant by saying for how long she can keep it together. He is doing it on purpose. See how far they can go? Tiffany succeeds in forcefully hanging onto Mark so he can't do much. 'Stop it.' She says with a tired voice. He smiles and brings her up in a sitting position on his lap. She is breathing heavily with a flushed face. Mark is satisfied. 'This is how I activate your sex mode, my pretty dense wife. You were meant to be mine from the go get.' She looks at Mark one more time and leans on him. 'You are so awful, do you know that? I'll get my revenge on you. Bite it off whenever I have the chance, so be ready to suffer.'