High Tide

by Michelle Mankin

  I shrugged out of my coat, dropped it on the couch in the living area, and headed to the bathroom. Placing my cell on the counter in close reach in case he called back, I peeled off my clothes and got in the shower.

  I was wrapped in a hotel robe, moisturizing my face, when my cell finally rang. I scooped it up without looking at the display. “Hello?”

  “I can’t get the image of you in that outfit out of my mind.”

  “Diesel?”

  “Tits ready to pluck and suck on. Legs. Fuck, I want those legs of yours wrapped around me while I pound my cock into you.”

  Definitely Diesel.

  “Why are you calling me?”

  “Didn’t I just tell you what and why? Maybe I wasn’t explicit enough. I want to nail your slippery wet pussy with my rock-hard cock. I want to pin you against the wall the first time I fuck you. Then I’ll take you fast with you on your hands and knees on the floor. Then I want to spread you open on the bed—”

  “I get the picture.” My nipples were tight, my clit throbbing. I let out a shaky sigh. It had been too long since I’d been with Max. “Go call one of your groupies. I’m sure they’re lined up out in the hall, waiting their turn to have a go with you.”

  “They were. Had a few. Threw them out. Still hard as fuck thinking about you.”

  I could practically feel his frustration. It vibrated in Diesel’s deep voice, penetrated my ear, and pricked my skin with sensual awareness.

  “You touched me.” His growl stroked more heat into me. “I can still feel your nails raking my chest. You started a fire with that move, Pelehonuamea, and you need to come put it out.”

  “I was in character. The woman I portray is sexually aggressive.” My character was younger than her love interest in the film, but experienced. In their intimate moments, she knew what she wanted and went for it. It felt empowering to be her, and maybe I’d taken things a little further than I should have during the video. “I was only playing a part. Like all the women you take to your bed do.”

  “They don’t pretend anything. They scream. They come apart. They beg for more.”

  “They just want bragging rights to say they did it with a rock star. But that rock star is an image, a part you play the same as me today. That’s what I mean.”

  “You don’t know shit about it.”

  “I’m an actress. I get those kinds of offers. Your kind of offers often. I know enough.”

  “I’m not offering jack anymore.”

  “Good,” I huffed out.

  “Fine,” he said abruptly and hung up.

  “What? No good-bye, Diesel? I’m hurt.” I rolled my eyes at my reflection.

  My phone rang again, and I accepted the call without looking.

  “That didn’t last long,” I said haughtily.

  “What didn’t last long?”

  “Max.”

  “Who were you expecting?”

  “I wasn’t expecting to see my sister, Ernie, and the Dirt Dogs this afternoon, that’s for sure.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “I should be, but I’m not. You . . .” My throat closed up, and I swallowed to clear it. “It was a good thing you did. Thank you.”

  “I would do anything for you, shug. I love you.”

  “How are things with you and Lori?” I asked, my words rushed, my tone overly bright. The ease with which he declared his feelings was the opposite for me.

  “I was with her at a screening. Crazy how fast her star is rising. But she isn’t letting it go to her head.”

  “Oh, good.”

  Max liked her. I could hear it in his voice, and that upset me more than it should. He’d never given me any reason to doubt him.

  “Any security problems?” I asked.

  “Just an abusive ex. But there’s been no sign of him in weeks.”

  “She’s lucky to have you looking out for her.” I couldn’t keep the wistfulness from my tone.

  “She’s paying me well. It’s a business arrangement, a strictly professional one. It’s not with her like it was—is—with you.” He cleared his throat. “So, did someone call before me?

  “Diesel.”

  “Him and you again?” Max sounded as unhappy to know I’d been talking to Diesel as I was about his affection for Lori.

  “There is no him and me. And there never will be, outside his fantasies.”

  • • •

  My resolve firm, I got off the plane in Los Angeles, remembering my promise to my sister and repeating the one I’d made to myself.

  Tell him. Tell him now before you have to leave again.

  Sunglasses shielding my gaze from the sun and my hair stuffed into a ball cap to disguise my identity from the paparazzi, I made my way through the press of other passengers, looking for and finding the car Olivia had ordered for me.

  “Address the same, Miss Wood?” the driver asked after I got in, peeking at me in the rearview mirror.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Google maps estimates it’ll take forty-five minutes.” He sounded distracted as he steered the unmarked sedan into the line of traffic exiting the airport.

  “All right.” I clicked my belt and settled into the leather seat, withdrawing my cell phone to scroll through the messages I’d missed during my flight.

  OLIVIA: Call me the minute you land.

  Not.

  FANNY: can we talk some more? I didn’t mean to upset you

  Not now.

  ERNIE: I know you’ll be busy with manalicious, but save some time for a hug for me before you leave. xxoo

  I would try.

  HART: Call me immediately.

  The last was an obligation I couldn’t avoid. My stomach felt as if it were clamped into a vice as I dialed his number.

  “Miss Wood.” Hart’s authoritative voice boomed in my ear.

  “Yes. I just landed and got your message. How can I help you?” I stared out the window at the palm trees and blue sky beyond, hoping he wouldn’t make me come into his office. I had such a limited amount of time in LA. I wanted that time to be all for Max.

  “I have unfortunate news to share, and I wanted you to hear it straight from me.”

  My blood turned to ice.

  “The key witness to corroborate your testimony is now a witness for the defense.”

  Maria Castel. “When? Why?”

  “Not sure why, but I just fielded an unsettling call from your stepfather’s attorney about the matter.”

  “What did he say?”

  “That they have a recorded statement from her. She alleges she heard a noise that night, and that when she came to investigate, you were arguing with Samuel.”

  “We weren’t arguing. Not then.”

  Samuel had slapped me for biting him. I touched my cheek now, remembering the sting on my skin then. I’d turned my head to avoid his mouth, only to see Maria standing in the library doorway. Her eyes had been wide with shock.

  My breaths grew labored like they had been with his heavy body on top of me.

  Hart’s voice softened. “I have your deposition in front of me. Her version of the night’s events differs greatly from yours.”

  Could he hear my seesawing breathing over the phone?

  “There’s no way around it. You and I will have to go over everything again as soon as I receive the full written transcript of her sworn statement.”

  “No,” I whispered, feeling an icy shiver trickle down my spine.

  “It’s unavoidable, Miss Wood.”

  My eyes burned behind my sunglasses. The bright blue sky seemed to tint to a darker shade than my polarized lenses accounted for.

  Samuel was out of my life, yet he was ruining everything. He would continue to ruin everything until I was destroyed, if I persisted. He’d told me I would regret suing him.

  And he was right. I did.

  “In light of this new development, we’ll need to rethink our strategy.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” I said dul
ly. I’d had enough.

  “It’s entirely necessary, I assure you.”

  “I want to withdraw my allegations.”

  There were several beats of silence. “You can’t do that. He’ll sue you for slander. You have lawyer fees with me on contingency. You would have to declare bankruptcy. You would never work in this town again. You’d lose everything.”

  I felt like that was already happening. My sleepless nights belonged to Samuel. My hold on my sanity would be gone next. Then Max.

  “I hear what you’re saying.”

  “You’re upset. The news is unsettling. Take some time to absorb it. I’ll reorganize what I can on my end, but only until you return from Switzerland. I can only delay things so long.”

  “I understand.”

  “Very well, Miss Wood. I expect to hear from you shortly.” Hart ended the call.

  I lowered the phone from my ear. My fingers were wrapped so tightly around the case that my knuckles were blanched.

  Why this? Why now? Why me?

  I blinked back tears as the sedan slowed. Off the freeway, we were rolling along a residential street with small but well-kept bungalows and lots of dense greenery.

  “This is it.” The driver hooked his thumb to a Mediterranean house with a red tile roof and turquoise shutters.

  “Okay.” I took in a couple of measured breaths, but they didn’t settle my jangled nerves. I was too out of practice. I’d been too busy in Chicago to devote the time I should have to yoga.

  “Thank you,” I said, grabbing my small bag off the seat, and slid my crossbody out of the way to get out. Standing on the street, I closed the door and squared my shoulders as I faced the house. Lori’s house. Now that I was here, arriving unannounced at his employer’s residence didn’t seem like such a brilliant plan.

  It will be okay. Everything is okay when Max and I are together.

  I moved up the driveway, ran my fingertips along the cool metal of his truck, and had turned to follow the sidewalk to the front door when I heard his voice. My heart skipped a beat.

  Max was in the backyard.

  I turned the other direction and slipped through the open side gate, greeted by a tropical oasis. Fountains on either side of the walkway tinkled soothingly, but I couldn’t be soothed. It had been months since I’d seen him, touched him.

  I started to run. The last time we talked, I hadn’t been sure I would be able to come, but I had. He was going to be so surprised to see me.

  The end of the path opened to a larger circular fountain and a cleared grassy area with a bench. I stopped short, my heart no longer skipping but stopped, like I was.

  Lori, the beautiful blonde, I recognized from her images on the internet. I had googled her. Lots. She had her hand on Max’s shoulder, staring down at him with such a sweetly intimate expression on her face that I felt like the outsider.

  I immediately regretted my choice to surprise him. A razor-sharp blade through the center of my chest would have hurt less than witnessing them together like this.

  I’d already lost him.

  I must have gasped. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I had to get out of there. Run. Keep running.

  “Hollie. Shug. Stop.”

  I ran faster as his footsteps pounded behind me. He was close. Then closer. He caught me just outside the gate.

  “Don’t.” His hand was heavy on my shoulder.

  “Don’t make this harder on me. It’s over. I get it. I—”

  “What’s over?” His hands on both my shoulders, Max gently turned me around. He tipped my chin up, prying my gaze from the ground. “Hey. Why are you crying?”

  When I simply drew in a shuddering breath, his handsome brow creased. He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to me.

  “I’m not having an affair with Lori.”

  “I saw—”

  “You saw a friend offering me comfort, offering to help me. I got some unsettling news today.”

  “So did I.” The rate of flowing tears slowed.

  He cocked his head to the side. “You first.”

  “Maria Castel won’t testify for me. She’s going to be a witness for Samuel.”

  Max’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That’s terrible.”

  “You don’t look surprised.” I tilted my head, mirroring his.

  A shadow crossed over his eyes. The line of his jaw tightened. “When it comes to your stepfather, nothing that happens is surprising. Right?”

  “I guess not.” Though this development had definitely caught me off guard.

  “Can we not talk about him?” Max glided his hands up my arms and hauled me closer. “You’re here. I’ve got you. I can barely believe it. I’ve missed you. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how much.”

  He framed my face in his large hands, and my knees went weak the moment he pressed his mouth to mine.

  I grabbed his forearms and held on as he kissed me. Possessively. Deeply. Then long and passionately before he eased off to let me catch my breath.

  “How much time do we have?” Max’s eyes searched mine.

  Staring back, I trembled. I’d minimized it in my mind, the effect of those eyes of his. The mesmerizing blue. The hold he had on me. How irrevocably I was his.

  I couldn’t outrun that truth.

  “Till ten tomorrow morning.”

  The shadow I’d seen before passed over his face again. “Then we’ll have to make the most of it.” He slid his hands down my arms and captured my hands. “I want you all to myself, but let me take you back and introduce you to Lori first before we go. You’ll like her. She’s very sweet.”

  “Sweet like me?” The thought popped up, and it took a concentrated effort on my part to sweep it away.

  “No one’s as sweet as you.”

  As he led, I followed, telling myself, You have him, Hollie. Not her. Don’t let your doubts taint the time you have with him.

  “Max, why?”

  “No talking? No more talking?” In the entryway of the condo, he whirled me around, and my hands landed on his hard chest. “I’ve been jacking off to the sound of your voice for months. I want you, baby. You.”

  When he lowered his head, I lifted onto my toes in my flip-flops, meeting him halfway, heat cascading through me the moment his mouth met mine. “I want you too.”

  “So good.” He groaned against my mouth, his breath rushing inside before his wet tongue did.

  I sucked greedily on it, jumping up and pulling his T-shirt over his head, even as I wrapped my legs around him.

  He walked us backward into the nearest wall. “Baby, baby, slow down.”

  “You slow down.” I arched my neck so he could rain his devastating kisses down the column of exposed skin.

  “Strawberries. You know I get hard every time I even look at one because of you.” Refastening our lips, he explored my mouth and ground his erection into me.

  I moaned, throbbing, aching, and shivering, so close, so desperate for him already. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair, tugging my urgency into his scalp as he kissed me deeper and wetter.

  “Bed. I’m having you in the bed.” His strides propelled us wickedly fast to the destination.

  Yet I made use of every moment, peppering his jaw with kisses and licking his lips, telling him how crazy his lemony scent made me, and how much I’d missed him.

  He laid me down in the bed, and as he stared at me hungrily, I stared back at him, wanting him just as much. After quickly ripping the buttons of his jeans open, he had his boxers off in a couple of frantic but fluid motions. I was still working on the tiny buttons on the front of my eyelet sundress when he put his knee to the mattress.

  “You’re too slow.”

  “My fingers keep fumbling.” I blew a platinum strand out of my face and ducked my chin, determined to go faster.

  “How attached are you to this dress?”

  I lifted my head. His heated gaze melding to mine, he grasped the hem and yanked upward. Buttons scattered across the bed
and the ripped fabric hung tattered off my arms, but there was no time to cast it aside before he was on me.

  Lowering the cup of my bra, he sucked and licked one furled nipple while I pulsed and gripped handfuls of his golden hair. Then he moved to the other breast. His hot mouth soaked the tightened tip and his wet tongue struck it, rocketing my desire straight up the steep cliff.

  “Max. Please.” I tugged on a silky strand of his hair. “I want you inside me. It’s been too long.”

  Lifting his head, he abandoned my breast and climbed over me, pushing me back. He kissed me again while I writhed beneath him, lifting my hips and seeking his cock.

  “Let me look at you a minute.” His hair tousled and his eyes cobalt flames, he swept his hot gaze over me. “You’re so beautiful.”

  Hooking his fingers in my lacy nude thong, he ripped it off. His vertical grooves appeared as he separated my legs and stared at my exposed pussy for a long beat.

  “Mine.” He lifted his gaze, his raw need and his possessiveness making me spasm. “You’re mine. Say it,” he rasped.

  “I’m yours.” I grasped his arms. His skin was warm, the tendons rip-cord tense.

  “Always.” He aligned his cock.

  “Always,” I repeated without having to be told.

  “Hell yes.” He surged his length inside me.

  I moaned as he filled me. I’d forgotten how good this was. How right.

  “Gonna be hard and fast, baby.”

  “Promise?”

  His grooves deepening, he didn’t answer. He began to move, and I moved with him. My hips lifted up when he drove deep. We crashed together again and again. His driving force speared my need.

  “Max. Oh, Max,” I said as I came.

  His hips pumping wildly, I held on to his tight ass as he reached for and found his release a moment later. Stiffening, he twitched inside me, and I came a second time, my pleasure pulsing in rhythm to the streamers of his hot cum inside me.

  Afterward, we cleaned up together in the shower. He took me again against the wall. No condom like the time before, but we didn’t discuss it. We ignored it, like we ignored everything else but each other.