Mary stood transfixed. Her eyes unblinking as she continued to stare at Smith, after their passionate kiss. He had first given her a peck on the corner of her lips but Mary's expectations had gone so high few seconds earlier, when Smith's eyes hungrily feasted on her lips before he lowered his head to hers. She could however, not hide her disappointment when Smith graced her with a peck. Smith had chuckled immediately, seeing the frustration wash over her beautiful face. He gently pulled her closer, positioning her in between his thighs. He rubbed the back of his hands on her soft cheek, lightly caressing it.
He looked into her eyes, seeking approval. He saw the eagerness, the curiosity and a trace of doubt that lingered in her eyes. He placed his index finger beneath her chin as he repositioned her head. He lowered his head, his lips touching hers, as he gave her a lightfeathered kisses. Then he took her mouth in his, kissing her slowly, tasting the sweetness of her mouth, the softness of her lips. He ran his tongue on her bottom lip, gently gracing his teeth over it. He deepened the kiss, slowly guiding Mary's lips to return the favour. He could tell Mary was inexperienced in the field and it gave him great pleasure to discover that he might actually be her fist kiss.
Mary was surprised to see Smith kiss her with little effort, and yet, remarkably sweet. Her only experience had been with her college boyfriend, Jax, once upon a time. He had brought her to his room that night, after their prom party. She had emerged as the prom queen with another guy as the prom king. After the party, Jax had invited her to his home. His parents' absence from town had given him an easy ticket to own the apartment to himself that night. Mary had gone with him, sharing in his euphoric state.
They started making out, feeling each other up. In an attempt to kiss Mary, Jax had crushed her lips and ended up giving her a bite instead. Mary cried out in pain, pushing him away. Rather than feel bad and show some care to Mary, Jax had felt insulted. Mary was not his first kiss. He had made out with girls before who had showered him with praises. He felt Mary was just being rude and unnecessarily cheesy. To make up for his bruised ego, he had forcefully kissed Mary again, as he tried to have his way with her. Mary slapped him hard on the cheek when she saw what he was doing.
She tried to talk some sense into him but Jax was way past listening. He was blinded by rage and lust. He dragged her down, pulling her dress up. Mary fought back, holding her dress tightly around her. He slapped her face hard, as he closed his palm tightly around her neck, holding her in place. Mary was almost choking, as tears rolled down her eyes. Jax had torn some part of Mary's dress, using his knees to drive her legs apart. Mary's hands searched blindly for what to defend herself with. Her hand hit a flower vase. She closed her palms around it as she picked it up. With all the strength she could muster, she hit Jax with it, as the vase connected with his temple.
His hold on Mary immediately loosened as he felt the impact of the crash. Mary seized that opportunity to drag her knees up, connecting it with his crotch. Jax yelled in pain, as he rolled off Mary, cursing bitterly. Mary quickly stood from the sofa, gathered her torn gown around her as she ran out on shaky feet. She had ended the relationship the following day when Jax came to apologize, blaming his act on the excess drink he had at the party.
"Are you okay?" Smith asked, seeing Mary had not blinked her eyes since he brought the kiss to an end.
Mary's eyes widened, blinking twice
"What?" She asked in a small voice
"You appeared to be spellbound," Smith replied with a smirk. "Did you enjoyed it that much?"
"Mmm, is that your way of asking what you ranked on my list of best kisser Mr. Smith?" Mary asked, giving Smith one of her naughtiest look.
Smith gave a deep bass guffaw, his eyes glinting with joy. He knew Mary was never one to back down, or allow him take the glory. So he wasn't expecting her to easily admit her inexperience in the art of kissing. She is a fast learner though. Smith would give her that. She had quickly caught on few moves, following his lead. His eyes softened as he caress her cheeks.
"Call me J.B", he had told her, quickly giving her a peck on the lips.
"Why? You are my boss, remember?"
"You seemed to forget that few minutes ago when you were kissing him" Smith pointed out
"That's because he kissed me first and urged me to do same. I was only doing his bidding", Mary replied with an innocent look. Her palms outstretched.
"Good point, Miss Minali. Now, your boss bid you to do this too," He said, referring to how he wanted Mary to address him.
"Fuck you Smith!" Mary said in between laughter.
"Actually, I think I can do an excellent job in that regard"
It took Mary a split second to catch the meaning of his words. She tried to cover her surprise with a suitable response, as she stepped closer to Smith, giving him her bad girl look, while flirting with him.
"In your dreams baby", she responded after a minute, enjoying the show she had displayed.
Smith didn't see that coming. Though, he had first expected a similar response but when Mary started flirting, giving him a green light, he had fallen for it. He was however, quick to recover from his fall, as he took her dare in great confidence.
"Mmm, is that a challenge?" Smith asked, enjoying every bit of the moment.
Mary smiled, encouraging him to bring it on.
"It is then". Smith replied.
Slowly, his happy features turned to a serious one as he looked at Mary, unsure of how she would react again if he brought up discussion about her mother's health. Truly, he had come to the hospital to see Mary but it would be inappropriate to leave without checking on her mother. Afterall, she was the reason Mary was at the hospital.
Mary seeing the rapid change in Smith's mood, had abandoned her playful mood also. She became concerned. She thought perhaps, realization had just hit home with Smith and he had just realized how far beneath him she was and now regretting his stupid moves with her. Mary braced herself for the word that would come out of those lips she had enjoyed caressing only some minutes ago.
"Mary", Smith called tenderly
Here it comes. Mary thought. Her mind racing as she fought for composure. She felt she should be ashamed of herself, feeling this way for him. At least, one of them is sensible enough not to mix fantasy with reality. Mary thought, comforting herself..
"Yes?"
Her voice had sounded small again. She had counted on her voice to at least help her mask her tumultuous feeling but it had failed her. She prayed Smith didn't notice as she steadied her eyes, staring back at him with all the courage she could muster.
"I like it when you are carefree with me and I don't wish this moment to end.."
Nice beginning. Not what she expected but now the big blow comes in. Mary said within her.
"...but I have noticed how your expression changes anytime I asked about your mother".
Smith saw Mary's brow furrow. He knew it was a telltale sign of her fury to come. He didn't give her the opportunity to react as he rushed to continue.
"Please if it's not too much to ask of you, I would appreciate if you let me see her at least". Smith finished.
Mary realized she was wrong. He wasn't thinking of ending their little fun time. At least, not yet. He was showing concern for her mother. Sometimes, if she didn't know better, Mary thought she would have believed his innocent look and be deceived by it. The way he acted as though, he was oblivious to her mother's case with his industry.
She took a deep breathe before responding.
"Fine, I'll take you to her"
Perhaps, her state would haunt you down and shed off any peace of mind you have reserved. Mary muttered under her breathe
"Pardon?" Smith asked, not catching Mary's words.
"I said I will take you to her"
Mary led the way as they climbed the flight of stairs. They walked towards the Oncology ward. Mary stopped in front of a door with Smith behind her, waiting for her to make a move. She slowly opened the door, as she stepped in, giving room for Smith to do the same before closing the door behind him. She walked towards her mother's bed. She was resting peacefully. Her eyes closed.
On their way up, Mary had kept thinking of how to introduce Smith to her mother without jeopardizing her chances of working with him as that was what she tends to loose if her mother ever found out. And that would not be because her mother still hold grudges against Smith or his industry but because she would not be able to entrust her daughter's safety in his care.
It was a relief for Mary, seeing her mother sleeping. She turned to Smith after giving him some minutes to take a closer look at her mother. His face furrowed in concentration. She thought perhaps, he was beginning to recall something but he didn't give any indication of such.
"I think we should leave now. She's resting". Mary said in a hushed tone
Smith nodded in agreement as they both walked out of the room quietly.