Chapter 73: Molly's Decision

-Molly's POV-

My head was spinning from the pleasure that was still lingering in my body. Every time I moved in my seat, I was reminded of everything we had done. There were sore spots and even a few painful spots. But what really got to me was the feeling between my thighs.
Scott had stated quite clearly that he had wanted to mark me. I definitely felt marked, claimed, and owned. Just as Scott wanted me to.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could remember feeling angry at him. However, the emotion seemed distant now that it was covered by a blanket of satisfaction. That's not to say I had forgotten WHY I was mad at Scott, but it suddenly didn't seem like the most important thought for me.
A goofy smile touched my lips as I laid my head against the headrest. I gazed out the window to hide my smile from Scott. It was obvious to me, without even seeing it, that my face would show my emotions a little too well. I may not truly feel my anger, but I didn't want to start that argument again.
I just wanted time to enjoy the afterglow.
Even as the words passed through my mind, Scott's phone began to ring. The high-pitched, repetitive tone was like a swan song to my mood. The smile melted from my face as I turned to look at the offending hunk of metal that would not shut the hell up. My mood grew darker as I caught sight of the caller's name.
Paul. Even the ringing of his call sounded irritated
Oh, god. Paul was the last voice I wanted to hear at the moment.
"You'd think I would be allowed five minutes of enjoyment after the last few days," I gripped under my breath.
"What?" Scott asked as he stared at his father's name.
He kept glancing at this phone like he was reluctant to answer it as well. I realized that I was not the only one that would like to avoid Paul's gruff manner today.
I sighed heavily. "Answer it. If you don't, he will get pissed."
Before I could even finish my warning, the phone stopped ringing. When it began again, we both knew it was too late to salvage Paul's attitude.
Scott grumbled before reaching over and hitting the answer button.
"Dad, I'll be in shortly. Had a bit of an emergency,'' Scott tried to head him off.
"Let me guess," Paul's sneer was clear through the car's speakers. "Molly."
His disapproval echoed to me in surround sound. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on anything I possibly could in order to act like his sudden dislike of me didn't hurt. Paul had never been overly affectionate with me. But this... blatant disdain was getting increasingly difficult to handle.
"Don't start, Dad," Scott warned him. "It really was an emergency. This time it had to do with Becca. She was upset and needed to go home immediately."
"Becca," Paul mused and almost scoffed. "Scott, you are not these girls' personal savior. You need to let them handle their own mindless teenage drama. They're kids that need to grow up."
I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back the words that jumped to my tongue. Paul was being an absolute bastard.
"Dad," Scott replied tightly."It was not a mindless drama. I'll explain when I get to work. My assistant said you wanted to get lunch. We can talk then."
A loud frustrate noise came through the phone. "And how long will that take?"
"An hour max. I gotta stop by the house and pick up a few things. I'll be as fast as I can," Scott reassured him.
"Fine. But expect to work late tonight. We'll have to make up the hours we've lost while you were playing hero to these kids," Paul warned me firmly.
"Fine. I'll see you in a bit." Scott quickly hung up the phone. "Sorry. I tried to make it short. Dad hasn't been in the best of mood lately. The west coast merger is not going as well as he wanted. Hell, it's not even going as well as I'd hoped."
So there really were issues with the company, I thought to myself, feeling a little guilty for not believing them. My guilt, however, was overshadowed by the hurt and anger at Paul's attitude towards Becca and me.
"Why didn't you tell him I was in the car with you?" I asked, hearing the accusation in my tone.
"Dad would have still said what he did. In fact, it's possible that it might have been worse. It was better and faster if I just brushed him off and talked to him later," Scott explained.
"What did I do?" I demanded. "He has been such a bastard to me for a while."
"Don't do that, Molly," Scott admonished me.
"Do what?"I countered. "Be honest? Paul has been an absolute ass, and you know it!"
"He's just got a lot on his plate. Three mergers and several demanding clients. He's just overworked and stressed out.''
I curled my hands into tight fists to try to control my temper. Scott was brushing me off... AGAIN. This was getting old fast, and I knew he would continue to make excuses for his father. The whole fight was as futile as it was repetitive.
I gave Scott a blank stare, shrinking back behind a mask of indifference. "Whatever you say, Scott," I replied quietly.
Scott's jaw clenched as he pulled into the driveway, easing the car around to the guest house. As soon as he turned off the car, I shoved the door open and jumped out.
"Molly!" Scott's voice echoed through the courtyard like a whip.
I wanted to ignore him and keep walking. But my feet refused to move the moment my name was called. The submissive part of me was still trying to reassert itself, and it was the part that suddenly had control of my feet.
Glaring at the offending body parts, I slowly turned to face Scott. I kept my expression blank and made sure to maintain eye contact. The desire to submit to him still hounded me, but I refused to let Scott see it. I needed to stand tall and couldn't afford to let him get the upper hand.
"What, Scott?" I asked with a hard edge to my voice.
At my tone, Scott's eyes darkened until they rivaled the color of the ocean in a storm.
"You are not running this time," Scott warned me. "We are going to discuss why you are suddenly treating me like the enemy. And THAT'S just the start of our conversation."
My spine stiffened in defensiveness. "What would you like to discuss, Scott?"
Scott's eyes narrowed. "Do not patronize me, Molly. You and I need to have a serious, ADULT conversation."
My jaw dropped in shock at the obvious slight. But the anger helped me shake it off.
"Are you serious?" I snapped. "What am I being too childish?"
"Knock it off, Molly," Scott snapped back. "I'm not the one that keeps running away instead of sticking around and trying to work it out."
"What's the point, Scott?" I asked. "You don't want to listen. You refuse to believe me and have made it an art to brushing me off when you don't want to hear it. Talking with you is useless and frivolous."
"For the last time, I do not brush you off. You are just taking everything way too personally. I'm just trying to explain-"
"No! You are trying to make excuses, and frankly, I'm tired of feeling like I always have to defend myself with you."
By the time I finished talking, I felt the sense of exhaustion that I spoke of. Scott's face softened as he took a step toward me.
"Molly, that's not my intention. I don't-"
I held my hand to stop his excuses again. "I'm not interested, Scott."
Scott took a step back as if my words were a physical blow to him. I felt a bit guilty for hurting him but pushed those feelings aside.
"I think I had the right decision earlier. I think whatever has been going on between us has come to an end," I reiterated, this time with a bit more quiet certainty than before.
Scott immediately began to move towards me. "Molly, don't do this. You can't run from every problem."
I leveled him with a dispassionate stare. "I'm not. I'm just walking away from the wall I've been slamming my head against."
Before Scott could say another word, I spun around and walked into the house. My heart was shattering, and it felt like I couldn't breathe. But I held my head high until I got into the shower, where my tears blended with the same water that washed away the evidence of Scott's touch.