Max

by Terry Bolryder

  By the time Jackie had driven home, Max still hadn’t replied, so she cooked herself a quick dinner and went into her bathroom to pace, wondering what her next move should be.

  Perhaps the only way to get in touch might be to go over to the club again, since he would probably be working the line. She sighed as she tucked a few curls back, wondering if she shouldn’t get at least a little more dressed up this time so as to blend in.

  Leaving her phone on the counter, she took some time to spritz her curls, pin them back off her face, and apply a little makeup—just some mascara, blush, and powder—and studied herself in the mirror.

  Still no answer on the phone.

  Despite hating the idea of going to a club alone, she knew it was probably her only option. And she’d rather be accused of bothering Max than slacking in her duty.

  So she got into her car, mapped the club, and headed downtown.

  When she arrived, the line was even bigger than usual, and she gaped as she drove past them to park in the small back lot. She pulled her black cardigan around her, wondering if her white camisole underneath was too low cut or her dark skinny jeans too tight.

  She was even wearing little heels tonight because she’d been told they did nice things for her legs.

  Not that it mattered how she looked. She was just trying to blend with the others.

  But as she walked by the line, she realized she never would. The women were excited, glowing, shouting. Whereas she was dreading all the loud music and the dark.

  As she was almost past the line, a hand reached out to grab her by the elbow, jerking her back. She pulled out of reach and stared aghast at the woman who’d grabbed onto her, glaring at her now with folded arms.

  “The line starts back there.” The woman sneered, tossing overly teased blond hair.

  “I’m not going in. I’m just talking to the bouncer.”

  The woman looked her over with an exaggerated smirk. “You really think he’s going to pick someone like you over us?” She turned to her friends. “She looks like she just got off work or something.”

  Was that a bad thing?

  Still, Jackie wasn’t there to feud with other women who were just trying to have a fun night, so she shook her head and went back in the direction she was going.

  Only to have the woman grab her arm again. Jackie snapped her arm out of the woman’s grasp this time and faced her with fiery indignation.

  “Okay, that’s gone far enough,” a deep voice said. “No fighting.”

  A shadow loomed over them, blocking some of the neon light overhead, and Jackie slowly looked up to see Max glowering down at them. As his eyes narrowed on her, his frown seemed to soften slightly. “Jackie?”

  “You know him?” The blonde’s tone was equal parts disbelieving and mocking. When Max turned his golden glare on her, she shrank. “I mean, uh, I’m sorry.”

  Max nodded and turned back to Jackie, ignoring the rest of the line. “Why did you come here?” He looked around. “This place isn’t safe at night. Not alone.” The glower was back.

  “I… had to check on Lionel. I promised I would take care of him, and you didn’t answer my texts—”

  Max let out a curse as he put a hand on her lower back and guided her past the line to his post right in front of the door. Then he pulled out his phone. “Sorry, the reception here is terrible. I just got your texts.”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m sorry to bother you.”

  An unexpected smile crooked his lips, and he cocked his head as he stared down at her. “You aren’t bothering me at all.” He frowned. “Which is surprising, because I usually find people very bothersome.”

  She couldn’t help smiling at that. “Ah. Well, I’m glad. So how’s Lionel?”

  Max pushed a few buttons and held out his phone. On the screen, she could see a little cat bed and a small lump of black fur nestled inside. “Fine, see? I got a baby cam so I can leave him at home and still keep an eye on him. I should have texted you. I was going to give you a call when it was closer to feeding.” He put his phone back in his pocket and folded his arms. “It’s been kind of a busy day.”

  “I imagine,” she said. He already had a full-time job, and he’d had to add taking care of a kitten to all of that. “Anyway, should I head over and feed him, then? Or wait until you get a break? I can go back to my car—”

  “No need for that.” A voice interrupted as a man she’d never seen before stepped out into the night. He had thick, short dark hair and a plaid shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. He looked like he’d be as at home in a cabin in the woods as he would anywhere else.

  His eyes were a warm shade of hazel, and he had slight freckles on his handsome square face. He stuck out a hand, and her fingers were engulfed as he gave her a handshake.

  “If she wants to wait in her car, she can,” Max said, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer.

  “Nonsense. She’ll have a better time in the club.” The new guy smiled. “I’m Benny, by the way.”

  “Jackie,” she replied, still a little dazed by having two extremely good-looking men in close proximity to each other. Was this what the club was like inside? If so, she was kind of tempted to see it.

  “Did he show you the kitty cam?” Benny asked with a broad smile. “Cute, right?”

  Jackie blinked. “You know about Lionel?”

  “Sure,” Benny said. “I’m this guy’s boss. He brought the little guy in here earlier to get permission for some stuff. But I think the kitten cam works best.” He nudged Max. “Let me see it.”

  “He’s asleep,” Max said firmly, ignoring his boss.

  Jackie stifled a smile. “I do think it’s cute.”

  Benny opened the door to the club, and pulsing electronic music came through. “Come on, since you’re waiting for Max anyway. Just check out the club.”

  She bit her lip and looked at Max for approval, but he still stared straight ahead, back in his usual bouncer mode. Why did she think she even needed his permission? She was just someone sharing a cat with him.

  There was no reason to believe there was anything else between them.

  Even if a part of her couldn’t help but hope. He was just so hot and such a good person and good with animals…

  And she needed to get her head on straight since he clearly wasn’t mutually interested.

  She turned back to Benny with a smile. “I’d be happy to go see the club.”

  Chapter 6

  The club wasn’t too dark, thanks to lights over the bar and some of the tables at the back. The dance floor was mostly dark, though, with lights moving and flashing over the figures writhing along to the pulsing beat.

  Jackie hadn’t been in a lot of clubs before, so she didn’t know how this one compared, but she thought Benny had a lot to be proud of.

  “It’s really nice in here,” she said to Benny, who had moved behind the counter and seemed to be waiting for her appraisal.

  Unlike Max, who was aloof and intimidating, Benny was almost too easy to talk to, all relaxed smiles and occasional teasing. He seemed to know everyone in the place.

  She wondered how close he was to Max.

  “So,” Benny said. “What’s your drink?”

  “You have any ciders? I’m kind of a lightweight.” That was an understatement since she never drank at all and couldn’t stand the taste of most alcohol. Then again, she would need a little liquid courage to even people-watch in a place like this. It had only taken walking in to assess that Della had been right. The men in this place were beautiful.

  Maybe it was her imagination, but a lot of them seemed taller and broader and more handsome than men she’d seen anywhere but TV.

  Something was off about this place, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. Having hot guys around wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She just couldn’t figure out why…

  No wonder the line outside was so long.

  “Here. My favorite cider,” Benny said, pushing a glass of golden liquid
across the bar. When she reached for her wallet, he waved a hand. “No charge for friends of Max’s.”

  She widened her eyes. “We aren’t really friends.”

  Benny shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. Max doesn’t even let women talk to him most of the time. I saw you with him, and you’re definitely his friend.”

  She looked down at her cider glass, not knowing how she felt about being friends with a guy like Max. “I see.” She took a sip and was surprised by the taste of fresh apples bursting over her tongue in every direction. Sparkly and light. “That’s amazing.”

  Benny smiled, and she got the feeling he was genuinely someone who enjoyed bringing other people joy. “I’m glad you like it. And I’m glad you found Max.” He waved to someone who was trying to get his attention at the other end of the bar. “Have some fun and let me know if you need anything.”

  Then, with a charming wink, he was off attending to someone else, leaving her to sip her cider and people-watch. Just as she was getting the warm fuzzy feeling that came with a slight buzz, a man stepped in front of her.

  She looked up to see the guy from the other night, the one who had seen them in the alley with the kitten and called it a waste of time. She wrinkled her nose at him, not liking his coldness, but had to remind herself that in the end, he had taken the door so Max could go home.

  As she took a moment to look him over, she wondered how she hadn’t realized how different he looked before. His collar-length hair had an odd, dark-cherry cast to it. His skin was tanned with the kind of smooth quality that belonged on a skincare commercial. But his eyes… his eyes were startling. He had to be wearing contacts because the sunset-orange shade of his irises surely wasn’t possible in real life.

  He wore far too much leather for the average person, but it looked right on him.

  His expression made his boy-next-door features rakish, and together with his rock star stylish clothing, she got the feeling that calling him a player would be the world’s biggest understatement.

  He had full, curved lips that were currently lifted in what seemed to be a permanent smirk.

  “Nice to see you again, Jackie.”

  “I’m surprised you remember my name.” She pushed aside her cider, pretty sure she wouldn’t want to be drunk around this person.

  “You’re Max’s friend. He told us about you.”

  “Max doesn’t have a lot of friends, does he?” She frowned at the unfairness of that.

  He grinned. “He’s… not that fond of people.”

  In some ways, she didn’t blame him. In others, she thought most people deserved at least a shot. “Anyway, you work here, too?”

  “I own it, along with Benny. My name’s Lock,” he said smoothly, stretching out a hand. “Come on. Let’s dance.”

  She blanched. “Oh, no, I don’t dance.” She put up both hands, waving frantically. “Not at all.”

  “Look around, princess,” Lock said, dropping the charming act. “See all the eyes on you? If not with me, you’ll be dancing with someone. At least I can take you to a nice, quiet table in the back, and no one will bother you with me around.”

  She looked beyond him and was shocked to see he was right. Men were watching her. More than one of them. Tall men with vivid eye colors that showed even in the dark.

  She swallowed and looked from Lock’s hand to Max, who wasn’t visible with the door currently closed.

  “Honestly, it’s the least I can do for Max, given that he’s unable to entertain you.”

  “As if he would want to,” she said quietly, finally accepting Lock’s hand. It was warm, soft, yet calloused. Looking up at Lock’s face as he led her out onto the floor, she felt he was definitely more than just a bar owner.

  But since he was Max’s boss, she was pretty sure there was no harm in going with him. If Max hated the guy, he wouldn’t work for him, and Max seemed to be a good, if harsh, judge of people.

  When they reached the middle of the floor, Lock put both hands on her waist, pulling her closer. She gasped and pushed back a little, and he just laughed, relinquishing his hold slightly.

  “I told you,” she said. “I can’t dance.”

  He looked down at her, his orange eyes narrowing in consternation, and then he sighed. “You know, most girls just say that, but I think you might be telling the truth.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I am.”

  “Interesting,” he said, putting a finger to his lower lip and worrying it slightly. “You’re not like anyone I’ve met, Jackie.”

  She glared up at him, still slightly buzzed by the alcohol. “What does that mean?”

  “It means,” he said, taking her hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm as he pushed his way through the crowd to the table at the back, “that you and I should find somewhere quiet and talk more.”

  He pulled out a chair for her, and she sank into it, just glad to be off the dance floor and no longer surrounded by the crush of bodies.

  Lock told her he’d be back in a minute and disappeared in the direction of the bar.

  When he reappeared, he was holding a bottle of something golden and two glasses like the one she’d drunk out of before.

  “Saw you were having cider. Nothing like a little social lubricant.”

  She bit her lower lip, thinking that even the way he said lubricant made him seem like a bit of a cad. She glanced at the door again, wondering when Max would get a break from his shift.

  As nice as the club was, she longed to be in his clean, quiet apartment, just the two of them taking care of Lionel.

  And as attractive as Lock was, based on appreciative looks from the women around them as he walked, she much preferred Max’s company.

  Lock poured her a glass of cider, and she anxiously took it, deciding that if she had to wait for Max, she might as well have another drink. Besides, the first one wasn’t really affecting her anymore. Perhaps she was better at holding her liquor now than she had been before.

  She wondered if Max was checking his kitty cam and if there was a way she could gain access to it. Then she realized that would mean peeping in on his home, and obviously, she couldn’t do that.

  What if… what if he was walking around naked at some point or something? A blush overtook her entire body as she took another sip of her alcohol, and she took a moment to study everyone in the room.

  The overly big, handsome men seemed willing to ask anyone in the room to dance, but the curvy women almost seemed to be treated like celebrities.

  She watched one girl with pale skin and beautiful dark, curly hair as she turned in a handsome, burly man’s arms, eyes sparkling like the whole world was wonderful.

  Jackie couldn’t help smiling at the image.

  “You’re a softhearted little thing, aren’t you?” Lock asked, looking amused by her.

  She glared at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not little.”

  Lock wrinkled his nose. “You are to me and most of the men here. Take a look around, sweetheart. Is any of this normal?”

  “No,” she said. “It’s almost like a different world.”

  “More like a meeting of different worlds,” he said cryptically, taking a sip of the cider himself. He grimaced and set down his cup. “Yuck. I don’t know how you can drink that.”

  She smiled. “I think it tastes good.”

  “Alcohol isn’t supposed to taste good. It’s supposed to get you drunk.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Might as well taste good, too.” She let out a giggle, then frowned, realizing she might be getting drunker than she’d thought.

  “So what are your plans with the kitten?” Lock asked, leaning on one elbow. “You just going to raise him with Max?”

  She flushed. “No. I’m… I need to find a home for him or find a place where I can keep him myself.”

  Lock’s eyes widened slightly. “You’d go to that much trouble?

  “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I would.”

&nbs
p; Lock reached for the bottle of cider and poured her another glass. “Well, then you might as well relax a little longer, because you’re looking forward to a lot of tiring nights with a stinky cat.”

  She laughed, a relaxed sound that surprised even her, as she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

  Lock’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully at her, and he leaned slightly back in his chair. “You’re truly interesting, Jackie.”

  “Thanks,” she said, raising her glass with a hiccup. “You’re pretty weird yourself.”

  “I said interesting, not weird, though I doubt you can discern the difference at this point.”

  She ran her tongue over her lips and looked at the door again. Where was Max? Why couldn’t she just go hang out with him? Didn’t they get along well? Didn’t he treat her different than other women? Wasn’t he, if she really put her own self-consciousness out of the way, at least a bit attracted to her?

  He probably was.

  She looked up to see Lock pouring another drink for her, a knowing look in his gleaming sunset eyes. Everything about him practically screamed danger, yet, for some reason, she felt safe.

  She accepted the drink, hoping the time would pass quickly until she saw Max again.

  Chapter 7

  Max checked on his kitten cam between letting groups in, but each time he looked down and saw the tiny black ball of fur sleeping peacefully, he knew the camera wasn’t showing him what he truly wanted to see.

  Jackie.

  He let out a sigh and resisted the urge to look into the club again, knowing he would look like a stalker if he did. Not like he’d be able to see anything anyway, and besides, Benny kept a tight ship inside.

  If there was trouble, Max would be the first to know about it. Benny and Lock always called him in to deal with things they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, handle on their own.

  Max didn’t inherently love violence, but he loved order and didn’t mind doing whatever necessary to keep that order in place. And he had no problem using his size to bully people who used their size to bully others.