“Well?” he asked.
She looked him in the eyes. “Even better than I could have imagined.”
Max growled and crawled up the bed, covering her body with his. He was so desperate for her now. It had been too long since he’d felt this way about anyone. He dragged his fingers over her skin, smiling when goosebumps rose in his wake. He palmed one of her breasts, his thumb running over the nipple repeatedly while he sucked the other into his mouth once more. The small noises she made for him made him want to beat his fucking chest like a goddamn caveman.
Releasing her breast, he leaned over to the bedside table, pausing when his eyes landed on the clock.
That couldn’t be right.
“Max, is everything okay?” Gigi asked, obviously noticing how he had stilled.
He shook his head. “For a second there, I thought the clock said it was quarter to five.”
She tipped her head back and looked at the clock too. “It does say it’s quarter to five,” she said, looking back at him. Her eyes widened. “You’re going to be late for work.”
“Fuck,” he cursed bitterly, pushing himself upright. He looked down at the woman he’d rather spend the evening with and knew what they had started would have to wait. “I’m sorry. I have to go.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Believe me when I say I’d rather be here with you.”
She blushed deeply. “It’s okay, Max. Go and get ready.”
He kissed her hard before picking up his towel and throwing it in the corner of the room. He rifled through his cupboard and wardrobe, dressing in the Temptation uniform. When he turned around, Gigi was gone, the door left slightly ajar.
“Fuck.”
Max opened up his door all the way, hearing her door click closed at the same time. He wanted to go back in there and finish what he’d started, but knew that was impossible. If he expected his staff to get there on time, he had to lead by example. Striding past her door, he grabbed his keys and phone. He brought up Jeremy’s number on his phone.
“What’s up, boss?” Jeremy answered.
“I’m running late,” he bit out. “Erin wasn’t settling.”
“No problems. I thought the nanny would have helped out with Erin.”
He ground his teeth. “She was out,” he lied. “Look, I’m going to be there in fifteen, and I’m going to go through the rear entrance.”
Jeremy laughed. “Don’t want to be seen coming in late, huh? I don’t blame you. You worked hard to put the fear of god into the staff. I wouldn’t want to see you lose your edge.”
Max growled into the phone. “Just make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be and working hard.”
“You got it, boss,” Jeremy replied seriously.
He hung up, pocketing his phone for a moment before pulling it out once more. He found Sam’s number and hit dial.
“Max,” his best friend said, two rings in. “How’s NYC treating you?”
“Good, Sam. How are you? Sorry I haven’t called you in a while. I was busy getting settled in.”
“Don’t sweat it. I’m good. Work is the same. Life is the same, except that I don’t get to hang out with you anymore.”
“I’ve barely been gone a week. You trying to make me feel guilty?”
His best friend laughed. “Is it working?”
“I won’t be here that long. I’m sure Evangeline’s looking for replacements.”
“So, what’s happening with you? How’s the club?”
Max paused at the edge of the sidewalk to check for traffic before stepping out. “Like clockwork. I’m on my way there now actually.”
“And you thought you’d just call me for a chat? That’s sweet.”
“Fuck you,” he shot back, grinning. “I need some advice, man.”
“Shoot.”
“I’ve met someone here.”
“I fucking knew it wouldn’t take you long,” Sam muttered, and Max could just picture the guy shaking his head.
He ran a hand through his hair. “She’s the girl I hired to be Erin’s nanny.”
“Nice,” Sam said, drawing out the word. “What’s her name?”
“Gigi.”
“Sounds exotic. What does she look like?”
Max gave him the details, and Sam whistled through his teeth. “She sounds fucking hot, and nothing like Chelsea.”
“Yeah. That’s the appeal, I think.”
“Knowing you, you’ve already sealed the deal.”
Max’s brain burped up the image of him pressing her against the wall and eating her out. His cock stirred even from that brief memory. “Almost…but she’s different. I don’t want to just fuck her and leave her.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Are you going to tell her about Chelsea?”
He bristled at the sound of his wife’s name. “I’ve told Gigi that I’m a widower.”
“Cold,” Sam replied.
“Hey, that bitch left me. She’s dead to me in every other sense other than she’s not six feet under.”
“Yeah, but Chelsea is alive and kicking. What happens when she comes crawling back, begging you to give her a second chance?”
Max barked a harsh laugh. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Max…” Sam hesitated for a moment making Max’s stomach tighten.
“You’ve spoken to her, haven’t you?”
Sam’s sighed heavily. “She called me yesterday asking where you were.”
“You didn’t tell her, did you?”
“Fuck no. You’re my boy. I’d never betray you like that, but…”
Oh, fuck. “But, what?” he bit out.
“She said she’d been trying to get in contact with your mom, too.”
That brought him up short. Max had ground to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing people to move around him like he was a stone in a stream. He had more than a few curses thrown his away, but he didn’t give a shit. His mom would more than likely be screening Chelsea’s calls while she was still at the hospital with his dad, but eventually she would cave in and answer one of them. He also knew Chelsea would play the mommy card and beg his mother to tell her where he and Erin were.
He got his feet back with the program, moving one in front of the other until he found himself standing at the back entrance of the club.
“Max? You still there?”
“Yeah,” he croaked. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Take it easy, man.”
The call disconnected, leaving Max cold all over.
20
Gigi quickly collected her clothes from the hallway and slipped into her room. Less than a heartbeat later, she could hear Max’s heavy footsteps walk past, followed by the front door clicking shut. She let out a shuddering breath, feeling her body still tingling in all the places he had touched…and sucked and bitten.
A moan rolled from her throat. She had never been touched like that before. He had known what he was doing, unlike all the other guys she’d been with before. She laughed. ‘Boys’ was a more accurate description. They were inexperienced boys. Max was a man—a man who had made sure she was pleasured and satisfied. He was a man who she wanted to have more of. The reality of life had sure disrupted the moment, but she would be counting down the hours until they could finish what they’d started.
This development—although amazing and just what Gigi had wanted—also created new problems. She realized what she and Max were doing was just about sex—about mutual attraction—and although she wasn’t actually okay with that, she wanted to explore these feeling for him. The other problem was, what was she going to do about Alex? He was too sweet and too naive for her to hurt him so badly. It was obvious she had to cancel the date, but she didn’t know how he would take the news. Picking up her phone from the dresser, she created a new message to him and started typing.
Alex, I’m really sorry to have to do this to you, but I can’t go out with you tomorrow night as we’d plann
ed…
She paused, wondering whether the truth or a lie was going to spill out into the message.
My boss needs me to work tomorrow night. I’m really sorry. Raincheck?
Gigi hit send and placed the phone carefully back where it had been. She chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for his reply, which never came.
Picking up her towel from the back of her desk chair, she went to take a shower although she was loath to wash away the lingering scent of Max. She couldn’t just walk around for the rest of the night smelling of him. It would come across as too desperate. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she heard Erin stirring. She got the little girl up and brought her into the living room to prepare her dinner.
Once Erin was fed, bathed and dressed in her pajamas, Gigi sat up with her until she began to yawn. Taking Erin back into the nursery, she read her a book and settled her down to sleep. She drifted off like she didn’t have a care in the world, and for a second Gigi envied her. She couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have to worry about something. Even when she was little, her mom had told her she had worried about small, insignificant things like whether or not the goldfish had had enough to eat, or whether she had brushed the cat one time too many.
As she’d grown up, that sense of worry hadn’t abated—it had gotten a little worse. Gigi blamed it on university and her high drive and desire to succeed at everything she put her mind to. Closing Erin’s bedroom door behind her, she collected her phone and a couple of textbooks from her room and set up in the living room. There was a movie on she hadn’t seen since she was a kid. She left it playing in the background as she studied…or tried to study.
Her brain didn’t seem to want to concentrate on cultural anthropology. Rather it was much more interested in replaying the whole encounter she’d had with Max…over and over and over. Her body reacted as if he were actually there touching her again. She had been so lost in the sensations he’d been able to draw from her that she wouldn’t have cared whether the apartment was burning down around them, or whether they were being robbed. All that had mattered was the feel of his body against hers, the feel of his mouth on hers.
It had been terribly one-sided—Max had been giving, and she had greedily taken it all. Gigi also hadn’t had the chance to touch him as much as she wanted to. She’d decided that when he got home, she would do something about it. Any lingering doubts about whether or not this was right or wrong were now gone. She knew, unequivocally, that she and Max were meant to happen.
Her phone beeped.
Sorry to hear that, Gigi. Was really looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll definitely take that raincheck. XX
Her gaze was stuck on the little kisses Alex had put at the end of his text. Staring at them, her stomach dropped. They were only a single letter, but they represented so much; they were his hope for the relationship he’d always wanted with her and they were the physical sign of her betrayal of Alex by leading him to believe there could be more.
Gigi woke with a start. She blinked, taking in the room; the TV was on, her textbooks were all on the floor, the side of her face was creased from the couch cushions. She tried to focus on what had woken her up, her eyes sweeping up to find Max standing in the doorway. She sat up.
“Hi,” she said, her voice rough.
For a moment, he only stared and she could feel his eyes roving over every inch of her exposed skin. She had changed into her sleep shorts and tee after her earlier shower, forgetting how tight and short they were. “I’ve been thinking about you all night,” he said.
She swallowed, her face flushing with heat. “You have?” He nodded. “What have you been thinking?”
He took a step closer and a thrill went through her. “I’ve been thinking about how I made you come with my mouth.” His voice had taken on a coarseness that made Gigi tremble. He closed the feet between them like they were only inches. This near, she could smell his aftershave, his skin and the distinct smell of hard liquor from pouring drinks all night. “And I was also thinking about how I’d like to do it again.”
“Oh.” The word came out of her mouth with a hesitant shudder, her nipples hardening against her shirt.
Max’s eyes tracked down to her chest, and his lip hitched up on one side. “I see you like that idea.”
Licking her lips, she managed to nod her head. He reached out and took her by the hand, tugging her against him. She went willingly, inhaling deeply. She looked up into his eyes, seeing how molten his bourbon depths had become. One hand went to her neck, his strong fingers wrapping around the base of her skull. He applied to smallest amount of pressure and, like before, she yielded to him. His lips pressed impatiently against hers, his tongue forcing its way inside her mouth. He swallowed her moan, the sound dragging out as his free hand brushed against one of her taut, aching nipples.
“Your breasts are perfect,” he said against her, his lips moving from her mouth to her jaw. “You are perfect.”
Gigi didn’t think that about herself, but when he said the words, she believed them. “Yes,” she whispered, her breath catching on the word when his hand skimmed down her torso and dipped past the waistband of her shorts.
“You wear things like this on purpose, don’t you?” he growled, his mouth now on her collarbone. She didn’t understand what he meant until he snapped the elastic waistband of her sleep shorts, making her gasp. “You drive me insane, Gigi.”
She whimpered in reply, bringing her hands into his hair, grabbing large handfuls of it. “You drive me insane, Max.”
He lowered her to the couch, dragging her hips to the edge. Falling to his knees, he placed a hand on either side of her shorts and tugged the fabric down and off her legs. Gigi’s plain cotton panties looked too tame for what he was doing to her—what he was going to do to her. For once she wished she’d listened to Jen and gone out and bought a black lace thong.
Before she could think about that anymore, he traced his finger down the center of her sex. Her hips bucked uncontrollably, her body more than remembering what he’d done to it earlier. “I want to taste you again.”
She stared into his eyes and nodded. That was what she wanted, too, but she would make a point of repaying the favor later on. With her permission, he slid her panties off and discarded them like they were just a token article of clothing rather than a necessary one. His attention dropped from her face to between her thighs. He hungrily licked his lips, and she felt the moisture pool where his searing gaze was now fixed. She was afraid that just one touch was all it would take.
He slid his hands from her hips, along her thighs, to the tops of her knees. Gently, he pulled them open wider, allowing his broad shoulders to fit. She only had a second to brace herself before Max’s tongue descended on her, driving her to the very edge with just a few strokes. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as he took his time with her—just as he had before. He expertly brought her closer and closer to orgasm, always pulling back just before she shattered.
The game of cat and mouse he was playing with her sanity was taking its toll on her. She felt too full, the rim of her mental cup wanting to spill over, but wasn’t able to. And Max was the reason.
She ground her teeth together as she begged him, like she had begged him before. It seemed that that was what he’d been waiting for because his strokes were more deliberate, perfectly timed and expertly pressured. She came so hard so saw stars bursting in front of her eyes. The orgasm took everything out of her and it was glorious. Gigi shut her lids, trying to gain control over all her senses again, and when her eyes fluttered open, Max was staring at her.
“Just beautiful,” he murmured, standing up and offering her his hand. “Come to bed with me.”
When she reached for his hand, she saw she was shaking, but as soon as his strong fingers wrapped around hers, that stopped. Bending down, he drew one of her arms across his shoulders and then swept his other arm under her knees. She was cradled against his chest, breathing in his heat and his
skin as he took her towards his bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind them, he lowered her onto the bed.
“Strip,” he commanded, and Gigi complied, tugging the hem of her tee up and over her head. When the fabric cleared her face, she could see he was kicking off his shoes and unzipping his pants. His erection sprang free as soon as his boxers had cleared his waist, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Without waiting for him to fully undress, she slipped from the bed and fell to her knees in front of him, wrapping one hand around the base of his cock. It kicked a little in her hand, making her smile.
Max’s eyes were half-lidded, his mouth set into a firm line. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, and she hesitated. Did he not like this? She loosened her grip, intending to stand up, but his words stopped her.
“Don’t you dare think about standing up.” She glanced at his hands, which were contracting and relaxing at his sides.
She bit her lip and met his intense gaze. Making sure he was watching, she opened her mouth and let her lips glide over the head of his erection. She took him to the base then brought her mouth back up to the head.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his whole body shuddering. Gigi had only done this a few times before, so she was a little unsure of what she was doing. Max seemed to like this though. She repeated the action, making his breathing come out in short sharp bursts. Feeling emboldened by him, she brought the hand she had resting on his hip down between his legs, letting her fingers stroke over the sensitive skin of his balls.
His hips jerked forward, sending his cock to the back of her throat. It shocked her, but she breathed through the strange sensation and relaxed her throat. Suddenly there was pressure on the back of her head and under her chin, and she realized Max was holding her head still. His hips, however, were moving against her mouth, sliding his cock in and out, moving it over her tongue. Although she was restrained, she wasn’t afraid. She felt…empowered by what he was doing. She was making him groan and grind his teeth like the pleasure he was feeling was too much, like he couldn’t take it anymore.
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 140