Tammy

As she hears Alexei, retching in the bathroom, Tammy's mind is blown.
Kissing him had been an impulse because every time they were close Alexei seems afraid, she wanted to test if it was true. Alexei also seemed to need a kiss. He was acting oddly than usual. Tammy had no way of knowing the kiss would take him to his literal knees.

Tammy feels a tiny trickle of sorry, for Alexei, deep within her stomach. Just a tiny bit, not enough to neglect the humor in his anguish. It served Alexei's OCD ass right. He came in here and woke her up being his usual asshole touch me not-self.

It infuriates Tammy that Alexei acts with offense to her touch when he nearly forced her to fuck him in the bathroom. In her mind, it's as simple as Alexei finding her good enough to fuck but not to touch.

Tammy finally decides to see if Alexei is alright, he'd zoned out as if someone turned his power button off. It sounds a bit like Alexei is crying. She turns the bathroom door nob.

"Don't you fucking open that door!" Alexei's voice chokes out.

The weight of the situation falls on Tammy and it is no longer funny that this, powerful man, is distraught over a kiss. It frightens her. Alexei's strangled, and incredibly angry voice halts her action. Tammy isn't too interested in finding out what happens if she ignored his command.

"Um Alexei, I'm kinda sorry. I just wanted to make you mad. No hard feelings, right?" Tammy whispers against the door, she knows Alexei can hear her.

They could hear a pin drop in the silence.

Her door opens.

Mark enters. His curly hair is tasseled and he has on the familiar Nike sweats with no shirt. All of his tattoos are on display. He looks amazing, but Mark shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be here right now.

The tension is thick.

Tammy's eyes go wide. She feels this looks, all wrong. She has been keeping a small distance from Mark, for some days, because she feels so terrible inside. Mark is always understanding and letting her know, they could talk about what happened. Mark asked to sleep in here tonight and Tammy plead for tomorrow.

Yet, Mark is here now and Alexei is crying in her bathroom.

Tammy watches Mark, pause, seeing the slimline of light under her bathroom door. Now the sound of running water and gargling can be heard. Tammy curses, in her head. It was apparent they aren't the only ones in this room.

Mark's eyes go dead and cold. He looks at her, as though he sees through her, just like the day he held the gun to her father's head. Mark's fistball up and his face is red. He looks as though he could kill.

"Um, hey Mark..." Tammy is shaking with fear but moves to be closer to him.

She has to make Mark understand, that this, isn't what it looks like.

Mark looks at her bed and then scans her up and down. She already knew what he is looking for. He looks for any sign that she has been touched.
***************************
Mark

His emotions are in turmoil.

For the first time, Mark considers the possibility of his plot imploding upon himself. Tammy's been distant and tonight he finds Alexei in her room. Mark had been so confident that Tammy began to fall in love with him. Mark thought because he'd met and had Tammy first, her loyalty would always be to himself above Alexei.

That's what Mark thought went wrong with Cassandra.

Mark always felt if Cassandra had fallen in love with him first, or that girl Alexei held a grudge over, those women never would have needed Alexei and would have chosen him over Alexei. Mark felt he could have helped Cassandra because he loved her. Cassandra just needed to be truly loved, she was special and Mark could tell that. Alexei never understood Cassandra the way he did.

Now, Mark feels angry because this isn't how it was supposed to go. Tammy was supposed to be his and just lent to Alexei at times. There's no way he wanted to lose the way Tammy felt about him. Mark questions everything now. Tammy has never once said she loves him back. Tammy avoids talking about feelings until he pushes it.

Since, whatever happened between Tammy and Alexei at the gala, Mark has been stressed. Tammy has been pushing him away and Mark has felt things are distant. He never considered that Tammy could have an affair and fall in love with Alexei. Mark just thought she would cheat and confess and then he'd pretend to be hurt and somehow suggest she can have them both.

"Why are you here?" Mark confronts Alexei. His face frowns seeing his cousin puking into the toilet and tears falling down his face.

"Get the fuck out." Alexei immediately barks at him as he made a move, in sympathy to go to Alexei's side.

"Let me help you. Tell me what's wrong." Mark feels worried. Alexei never cries. It pains Mark, beyond words, to find Alexei like this.

Alexei stands and wipes his mouth. He's emotional and angry. "Everything! Everything is wrong and it seems as though it'll never be right because of fucking you! Why Mark? Why did you bring her here?"

Mark swallows hard at the confrontation. Alexei did notice the similarities between Tammy and Cassandra. Alexei sees through him and knows his ploy. "I just want you to forgive me and I want things the way they were. "

Alexei curses and looks around wishing to be able to throw or hit something. "Things will never be the way they fucking were! Don't you get that? I will never be what I was to you!"

Mark breathes deep and feels his eyes get hot and throat tight. "why? Tell me fucking why!? Just tell me why you can't love me, Alexei!"

Mark knew he was crossing the line asking the question. He knows what that question means for Alexei but he couldn't hold back. Things could just be perfect if Alexei would allow them to be, but Mark feels Alexei is addicted to hurting. Alexei can't allow himself to be happy and because of that, Mark believes, Alexei won't allow him to be happy. It's not about forgiveness, it's about Alexei wanting someone to hurt because he hurts and as Alexei smashes his face into the sink, Mark thinks in a morose disgust on how he allows Alexei to hurt him hoping Alexei will see his love. Mark loves Alexei enough to hurt with him, hurt for him.

Tammy

Tammy enters the bathroom to find a whole mess. Mark and Alexei, eye to eye, both turning colors from the grips held on each other's throats.

"You're going to kill each other! Stop!" Tammy finds her way to Mark's side and tries to pry his fingers off. "Please, Mark, I promise it isn't what you're thinking. "

She has no clue that it's not what she's thinking. This fight is no longer about her but the insecurities each male held and shared trauma. This fight is about someone wanting to be better and the other thinking everything is fine the way it is. This fight is about love that has nothing to do with her, but she's too selfish to see that.

"Come on Auntie, it's Tammy's room." Angela's voice sounds close and Tammy is cursing in her mind.

Angela doesn't need to witness Mark kill her father or her father kill her Cousin. Tammy feels a maternal need to protect Angela from bad things. Maybe Tammy feels that need because she sees so much of herself in Angela or maybe because she realizes no one is going to consider how any action affects the vulnerable young girl. Either way, Tammy cares about Angela in this small time of knowing her.

"What's going on!" Amber yells as she's already in action, assisting Tammy with pulling the two men apart.

"Nah, let me go, he like this. This what you fucking want Alexei? "
Mark smiles like a crazy person.

His eyes are dancing, shimmering brightly, with excitement, at the thoughts of harming Alexei. Mark seems to be incomplete blood lust. Mark scares Tammy, more than Alexei in this situation.

Amber held back Alexei, as he spat out blood to speak.
"I fucking hate you, You hear me? I want you to know it's forever, I hate you. "

Tammy only got a clue in what was being said when Mark's anger-filled flawed Russian drops to English.
"You could never hate me bitch. You fucking love me, gimmie kiss. "

Alexei becomes enraged shouting what sounds threatening to Tammy. It's only now she realizes that this fight is deeper than she understands. There are things she just doesn't know. However, Mark and Alexei are being dangerous and blood is everywhere. This can't go on.

Tammy began pushing Mark out of the bathroom and he allows her.
"Mark, I don't know what's going on, but Alexei came asking me to help Angela. Then, we got into an argument. I touched him and that's when you came in to find him throwing up."

Mark looks at her the way he looked at her father when he held that piece. Only Mark is taking a deep breath. Tammy can feel his chest shake with each inhale and exhale. Mark's listening though. Relief was flooding her.

"You fucking liar. " He finally says super calm. "You think I'm stupid? I know him and I know you."

"That's all that happened."Tammy pleads with Mark, as the overhearing Alexei laughs.

Tammy felt so angry with Alexei.

Why would Alexei laugh like that? The laugh could only be interpreted as she is lying. She shook her head vigorously. Mark didn't seem to pay Alexei any mind.

Mark grabbed her wrist hard. "You mine, okay? Mine. . . You don't have to lie to me. Tammy, you know how I feel about you. However, let me make it clear so you do not doubt that I'll kill everyone until it's just me and you. I don't want to lose you. " Mark says to her calmly and quietly looking into her eyes and he means it.

The trio comes out of the bathroom with a calmer Alexei. Tammy's heart races as Mark continues to look at her as though no one else is in the room. He's threatening her and he's begging her to reassure him. Tammy swallows hard and bites her lip hard to ensure no tears show. She just isn't sure she can give him the reassurance he so desperately needs.

"So, Tammy" Alexei is looking at Mark though. "The three of us: my daughter, you, and I are going for lunch tomorrow. Any issue cousin? "

Mark and Alexei are engaged in some eye war. Mark looks at her and takes a deep breath. "No problem. "

"Alexei, everyone, please just can we all go to bed?" Tammy holds Mark's hand, in a silent promise, he could stay here tonight, and that she would make all this up.

Alexei looks at her and she knows what his eyes are saying. Tammy wanted to cry. She didn't ask to be in the middle of these two men. She wishes Mark would go back to the apartment. She wishes all of this and the brand was a bad dream.

Mark pulls her into a hug. He kisses her ear sliding his hands into her pants before saying. "Tammy, I'd never want a reason to think you would betray me."

And her heart stops from terror as she feels him squeeze the brand on her thigh. "How could I betray you?"

He stares at her lips and grabs hand fulls of her ass and thighs. Mark pulls her closer. "remember you said you could love me?"

Tammy nods as his lips cover her own. The sound made as they pull apart, makes her body quiver. They haven't been together for a little bit.

"You remember?" He says kissing her cheek.

"I remember." No more needs to be said as he leads her to the bed and gently strips her clothes off.

Tammy stills and hopes he doesn't want her to turn around. Mark removes his shirt and puts it over her nudity. Mark has a fetish for making love to her with his tops on and nothing else. Immediately her senses are clouded with his clean scent and cologne.

"You look so fucking beautiful, like that. " He says before kissing her again.