As Octavia lay in her bed, contemplating her next move, Marcus was down the hall, doing the exact same thing. Marcus had gone through all the possible scenarios, trying to decide what his next move was going to be. He kept telling himself to let her go, to let her find a man with less baggage and fewer years under his belt. Marcus wanted to let her move on with her life, but there was...something. There was something inside of her that called to him. Something that was convinced that he couldn't just let her go, that he wouldn't be satisfied with just one night. Something inside him knew that Octavia was special and that she deserved much more than he had originally planned to give her. He only wished that they had met under different circumstances.
Octavia, after saying good night to Marcus in such a manner, was finding it impossible to sleep. She was consumed by the thought of Marcus' lips on hers. It must have been the hundredth time that she had thought about it, but his kisses were addictive and she could only seem to think about how she could get more of them.
Octavia was startled out of her thoughts by her cell phone's ringtone. She picked it up and quickly flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Tavia, it's me, Olivia."
"Hey, Liv. To what do I owe this pleasure? And at 1am, no less." Octavia leaned back and got comfortable. Conversations with her sister, Olivia, usually took a while, even if it was early in the morning.
"You know I don't sleep at normal times now with this baby kicking me. It seems to like to wait until I get good and comfortable, and then BAM, all out war in my belly. Your niece or nephew is sure taking after its auntie in being a pain in the butt."
"Yeah, yeah. No more of a pain that its mother was growing up. In fact, you're still a pain and this phone call is evidence of it." Octavia bit back a sigh. It wasn't as if she was sleeping, how could she with Marcus on her mind, but it was the principle of the thing. She had to make a fuss or one a.m. phone calls would become the norm.
Olivia laughed before she continued talking. "I was just thinking about you, little sis, and I thought that I should give you a call to see how things were going. I know that you don't usually like those conferences because of all the people...How is this one going for you?"
Octavia sighed. Should she tell Liv about Marcus? Well, Olivia might have some insight about how to get Marcus' attention for longer than just tomorrow. "I met someone."
Olivia was silent and Octavia could tell that she was trying to process the statement.
"You met someone? As in a friend or as in a man?"
"A man...and what a man he is. Liv, he is so handsome. He made me melt from the moment I laid eyes on him and his kisses, goodness, his kisses are amazing."
"You've kissed him? You've only been there for what, two days, and you're already making out with the man? Tell me more about the guy who's bringing my baby sister out of her shell." Olivia was intrigued.
Octavia began to tell Olivia everything, beginning with how she had spotted Marcus and he had followed her into the elevator. Octavia knew that in order to get the best advice, she was going to have to spill it all, including how old Marcus was, which she knew was going to cause some tension between her and her sister.
"He's an older man? So, when you say older, how much older do you mean?" Olivia wanted to know.
"Um...15 years older," Octavia answered hesitantly.
"Octavia, are you serious? Seriously? 15 years? The man was in high school when you were being born. Talk about a frickin' generational gap. What in the heck were you thinking, getting involved with a man like that?" Olivia couldn't believe it. She knew that Octavia would probably end up with someone older than herself by a few years, but her finding a 43-year-old man to bed never crossed her mind.
If Octavia wasn't so pissed, she might have laughed at Olivia's non-use of cuss words. Olivia was working on not cursing, saying that if she was going to be a mother, she was going to have to stop using profane language. After she had used every curse word in the book along with some new inventive ones when she got rid of her ex-boyfriend, she decided that she needed to cut back. Octavia couldn't disagree with that.
Olivia was pregnant with her first child and she couldn't have been happier, even if the baby was conceived through a sperm bank donor. Olivia had come to the point in her life where she wanted a baby and, though the man she had been dating walked out on her because of her decision, she had done what she believed was right for her.
"Liv, I don't need you lecturing me. I understand that age does matter in some respects, but in the ones that I'm concerned about, it has no bearing at all. So, the man has lived. He has more experience in life and in love. But, that's what makes him so appealing to me. He's in a place where he knows what he wants. If that's not me, then better for me to know now than to have him play silly games with my heart. I'll end up less hurt that way, if it doesn't work out. Besides, I'm jumping ahead of myself here. We've gone out on one date. Just because he kissed me doesn't mean that Marcus will want to see me after tomorrow." Octavia wanted to believe that he would, but there was no telling, especially since Marcus had gotten closure on his divorce.
"So, you're willing to fight with me over this guy, but you're planning to just let him walk out of your life tomorrow? Unacceptable."
Octavia laughed. "Unacceptable? Weren't you just the one giving me a piece of your mind because you feel he's too old for me? Now, you're changing your tune and telling me that I shouldn't let him just leave tomorrow?"
"Tavia, as much as I hate the fact that he's so much older, I also have to recognize that you care for this man. You haven't really been with anyone in so long...the fact that he makes you realize that you're a woman with a libido and a pussy that's ready and willing, tells me something. You're at least going to have to see where it can go. It's just my sisterly duty to voice my displeasure at his age. Besides, when mom freaks out about it, I can at least say that I told you so."
Octavia continued to chuckle at her sister's words. Olivia always knew how to put things in perspective. It was true, it had been a long time since she had shown any interest in a man. Perhaps it was time to see where things would go.
*******
Marcus sat at the desk provided by the hotel, surfing the internet and wondering what Octavia was up to at that moment. He hoped that she had gone to bed to dream of him, but another part of him wished that she was awake, sitting up and thinking about him just as intensely as he was thinking of her.
The light knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. He wasn't expecting anyone and he hadn't ordered room service. He hoped it wasn't one of those women that had been trying to catch his eye for most of the conference. He only had eyes for one woman currently, and she was in her room, probably sleeping the night away.
With a sigh, Marcus stood and went to the door. He opened it a crack before throwing it open. It was Octavia. Lovely, sweet Octavia was standing before him looking just as amazing as ever. This time she was clad in a pair of jeans that seemed to hug her curves just right and a plain white t-shirt that was stretched across her bosom.