He just left. No, not Mark. Well yes, Mark left, but that was basically his party trick. I had expected that. Work came first, and I promised him he would be able to get some done when he needed to. It was the man that jumped in my buisness the other night that surprised me by his withdrawal. I had half expected him to make some smart ass remark about Mark taking off, as if he could have known Mark's actions upset me.

It bothered me Mark left, it usually did, but I would not admit it to Mark. Every time I would bring up something that upset me, he would just try to smooth it over with gifts. I got a new Louis Vuitton out of wanting help with the housework, and diamond earrings the time I brought up being ready for marriage. That was how he "fixed" things. The problem itself was always left unresolved, so I tried to avoid bringing it up in the first place.

What was truly upsetting me at that moment, however, was the man and his all-knowing looks. It was as if he was reading my thoughts while he sat there smugly, drinking his beer. I wanted to slap that smirk off his face, and that made me all the more mad and confused. I was better at holding my temper, and not just because I wasn't a fan of conflict.

Despite my perplexity, I knew I needed to let my encounter with him go. He was gone, and that was that. If I had to see him again at the lodge, I was sure it would only be in passing, and I knew I could be mature and well-mannered. That was who I was, afterall. Years of obedience practically insured it.

Sighing, I stood up and walked closer to the band. If I could not dance with my boyfriend, I would dance by myself. I closed my eyes and listened to the soothing beat, softly swaying in rhythm. I imagined it was only me, and I started to feel free. I had not one care in the world in that moment. It was the feeling I always chased, but a feeling I never got close enough to. There was always something missing. I did not know what that was, but I desperately hoped I would find it there.

It was getting dark when I had decided to head back to my room. I had stayed a while, listening to the country music and mingling with a few of the guests. There were some really great people there, and I was looking forward to running into some of them again. When I stepped into the room, Mark emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped around his shoulders and a glistened chest.

"Hey. You ended up staying a while."

He ran the towel through his hair and threw it on the floor before sitting on the bed and patting the space next to him.

I walked over and took a seat. "Yeah, the band was pretty good. I ended up staying for their whole set, and I met a few interesting people."

"A few people huh?"

Something in his tone told me that irritated him, and the fact that it did, irritated me. "Yes. There are some nice people here. It's not like I had you to talk to."

Sighing, he ran his hand through his wet hair. "Listen, I know you weren't happy I left. But you know I have work to do. That was part of the deal for me agreeing to come here."

"Yeah I know. It's fine. I just didn't know you were going to leave as soon as we sat down. I mentioned listening to the live music and you seemed good with it."

"I am not sure what you're wanting me to say here Grace. I went for you and stayed a little for you. But I kept thinking about the proposals I have to get done. Now, you know you would rather me be here with my work if it's on my mind, rather than be with you and not be in the moment like you deserve."

I looked to him and gave him a weak smile. That was his usual argument. He would always tell me I deserved to have his full attention on me and not have his mind elsewhere. Problem was, his mind always seemed to be elsewhere. I was not sure if I ever had his full attention. Would I even recognize it if I did?

"I know what you need. How about I treat you. First thing tomorrow, I am going to buy you a spa package. You can take the day to get relaxed and pamper yourself. You seem tightly wound, it may help." He grabbed my hand and rubbed his thumb over my skin.

"What about you? I would actually love to be spending our anniversary with you, not alone."

"I'll get some more work done while you are getting pampered. Then we can meet up for a nice dinner and maybe have a swim together at the pool. Hopefully, I will get enough done to where you can have my full attention the rest of our time here. How does that sound?"

He was looking at me with hopeful eyes, and I knew I would not let him down. Even if a spa day was not exactly what I had in mind for my time spent there, I knew it would still be nice. Plus, maybe he really would get the rest of his work finished for me and then we could just enjoy each other and the rest of our vacation.

"Sure, that sounds nice. Thank you for thinking of it."

He leaned down and gave me a small kiss before pulling away with a wicked grin on his face.

"Good. What my Grace wants, my Grace gets." He patted my knee and squeezed. "I have a feeling I know what else would make you feel better." He wiggled his eyebrows as his grin grew wider.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" I asked, already fully aware of what it was that he had in mind. It wouldn't make me feel better, but he didn't have to know that.

He placed his smooth hand underneath my dress and slid it up past my thigh. His other hand cupped my face and he pulled me in for a deep, needing kiss. When he pulled away, he grabbed my hand and placed it on top of his boxers and worked his erection with it.

"There you go babe. You know what to do." He leaned back, so I could get to work on him.

When I finished pleasing him, we swiftly made love. He fell asleep almost as quickly, leaving me still yearning. I sighed, and scooted back to my side. Stealing a glance at Mark to make sure he was really asleep, I slowly trailed my hand down my stomach and to my core. My eyes fluttered closed as I worked out the tension Mark usually left behind.