Now Max could interact with everyone else with ease once she’d had a drink and the dancing; she loved to dance and lose herself in the music swirling around her in the dark heat of the night.
Suddenly Max was almost desperate to escape the silence in her apartment; she would forget her problems minutes after walking into the club… she would give herself up to the fuzzy-headed peace the alcohol provided and then lose herself in the dance. Maybe tonight she’d find a man who could help her forget Rafe’s touch.
Chapter Eight
Rafe followed Tom into the dimly lit club with a frown. Max was here? This wasn’t the type of place Maxine frequented. The air was filled with desperation… desperate people looking for something, anything to fill the empty void of their lives.
Max was vibrant and alive, she didn’t belong here; this place would suck the life out of her and leave her a hard shell.
“Are you sure Maxine will be here?” he asked dubiously.
Tom looked at him with a little sadness in his eyes. “Max is here every night, Rafe. I told you she’s different. Harder… at least on the surface; she never smiles anymore. I’m not sure you’ll even recognize her.”
Rafe frowned finding it hard to reconcile what Tom was saying with his Maxine. Then Tom pointed out the small figure moving her body seductively on the dance floor. He froze with shock; the strawberry waves that used to fall down her back were gone. Instead her hair hung about shoulder length and was an odd mix of purples and blues and she was scarily thin. The curves he’d enjoyed so much were now just hard angles with the exception of her breasts; they were still enticingly full but looked out of place on her almost emaciated frame.
He watched as she danced; she barely even seemed to be aware of her partner as she moved to the beat. The man she was dancing with didn’t care, he used every opportunity he could to brush his body against hers in a sick parody of making love.
Rafe found himself getting angry; what the hell was she thinking letting some strange man rub himself around on her like that? Her behavior was beyond risky.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Rafe was standing in front of her on the dance floor, Romeo shoved roughly to one side.
Maxine didn’t even seem to notice her partner had changed at first, she was so caught up in the music, but when he took a firm hold of her waist and jerked her pliant body against his own, she stiffened and her eyes flew open in alarm.
He watched as her alcohol-muddled brain tried to make sense of being in his arms; it took a minute but soon she was trying to jerk away. “Let me go, Rafe.”
Ignoring the angry little demand, he pulled her closer and began to slow dance around the floor despite the fast beat thrumming around them.
She felt so good in his arms, even with the hard little bones poking him when before he’d felt only soft womanly curves. One of his first orders of business would be to put some weight back on his woman.
“I’ve missed you, Maxine,” he said softly into the shell of her ear and was rewarded with a soft shuddering sigh before she stomped hard on his instep.
“Let me go, you big ass!” Max yelled up at him.
He grunted at the slight pain in his foot and loosened his hold a little but didn’t release her. “I’ll let that one slide, baby. We’ve got to talk. You’ve got it all wrong…”
Maxine reared her hand back and slapped him solidly across the face, the anger behind the blow enough to give her the strength to make his ears ring.
When she started to lift the other hand, he caught her wrist before it could connect. “Tread very carefully.”
She glared up at him before finally dropping her gaze from his. “Fine, will you please let go of my arm? I don’t feel well and would like to go home.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a ride,” he told her and began to lead her off the dance floor, ignoring all the very interested stares their exchange had garnered.
“I can take myself,” she spat.
“Not in your current condition you can’t, young lady. You’re drunk and I better not find out you drive yourself around regularly in this condition,” he said sternly.
“Whether I do or not is no business of yours, Rafe Jennings!” Max practically screamed, demonstrating just how drunk she was.
“That’s enough,” Rafe said, turning her to face him firmly. “You have two choices. You can walk out of here on your own steam or you can ride out over my shoulder. Which is it going to be, Max?”
“Pig!” she yelled as she kicked him neatly in the shin.
“Shoulder it is,” Rafe said as calmly as he could, given he wanted to toss her over a knee and paddle the tar out of her. He managed not to, instead tossing her lightly over his right shoulder and taking her purse from Tom.
“See you at the office tomorrow,” Tom called after him as he walked out of the club with an irate Maxine yelling curse words and pounding his back from her position over his shoulder.
Rafe delivered one sharp swat to her bottom. “That’s enough!” Her struggles stopped, immediately reminding him how beautifully she’d responded to his discipline.
He sat her firmly in the seat of his truck and buckled her in, which garnered him another glare. “We’ll talk more at your apartment.”
Max made the ride home in complete silence; he could see the rage building in her as she worked herself up. He watched the rapid play of emotions across her face with concern but she continued to ignore him. As if it was no business of his how she felt and she resented his interference.
When the truck stopped in front of her apartment, Max jumped out and ran inside.
“Maxine, wait!” he called after her and cursed when she ignored him. Rafe walked into the apartment building, doing a quick perimeter check then a walk through before finding her in the kitchen pouring herself yet another drink. Rafe frowned; it was clear Maxine was drinking way too much. “What the hell are you playing at, Maxine? You know better than to just run in like that.”
“Leave me alone, Rafe. I’m tired and I needed a drink,” she said, pouring a generous amount of vodka in her glass.
Rafe frowned at her. “That won’t help, Maxine,” he said in a gentle voice.
She suddenly whirled on him in a fury. “Don’t you dare presume to tell me what I do and do not need, Rafe Jennings!” Max yelled before flinging the glass and its contents at him.
He ducked and the glass shattered on the floor behind him.
They stood staring across the kitchen at each other.
“You have no idea what I need,” she said, her voice raw.
“What do you need, baby?” Rafe asked.
Max suddenly gave him a brittle smile and started toward him. “Do you really want to help me?”
“Of course I do, honey, just tell me what you need,” he said.
Max started unzipping his pants the minute she reached him. Rafe caught her hand, shocked by her boldness. She laughed and jerked her hand away. “This is what I need but I can find it someplace else.”
She snatched her purse off the counter and walked out of the kitchen.
He grabbed her before she made it to the front door, swinging her around to face him. Max’s purse fell to the floor and she slapped him hard across the face.
Rafe caught her wrist and pulled her close. “Feel better?”
She looked at the quickly reddening handprint on his cheek and smiled. “Yeah…” she said just before his mouth came down hard on hers.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss but it fit the mood. Maxine ground her mouth hard against his and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He lifted her with his hands beneath her bottom and brought her tightly against him. She groaned and hooked her legs around him. Rafe sat her on the back of the couch and reached a hand between their bodies. As his hand grasped the crotch of her panties, he paused and looked down at her.
“You sure this is what you want?” he asked hoarsely.
In answer she unzipped his pants and freed him. “Just shut up and do it,�
�� Maxine said, nipping him sharply on the chin.
Rafe ripped her panties off and surged into her waiting heat. He groaned and reached to pull her chest against his, but Max put a hand against his chest and laid back across the couch, her legs around his thighs, so that where his body joined hers was the only place they touched.
He frowned but grabbed her bottom tightly to hold her steady as he began to pound into her, giving her what she seemed to think she needed. It was hard and fast, only taking a matter of moments for Max to stiffen beneath him and cry out as she began to convulse around him. Rafe followed her quickly and rested his head on her chest in the aftermath.
He raised his head at the sudden sob that wracked her body.
Max’s eyes filled with tears and she pressed her hand against her mouth as if to stop the sobs. She shoved at Rafe roughly, as if horrified by what she’d just done. Rafe immediately let her up.
“Maxine,” he said, reaching out a hand.
* * *
She put a hand up to ward him off, then ran into the bathroom, slamming the door. Why had she done that? She knew better to think she could use Rafe for a quick lay without major repercussions. There was nothing easy or simple about the feelings he roused in her.
Max looked into the mirror and stiffened her chin. She would not cry. Running cold water into the sink, she splashed it across her face until she was back in control of herself.
Max opened the bathroom door to find Rafe standing there waiting; she straightened her back and did her best to look through him.
He reached a hand out and gently stroked her cheek. “Max…”
Max batted his hands away as he pulled her close to his chest. “Stop it! Don’t!” she screamed, fighting him as he wrapped his arms around her and began to stroke her back.
“It’s okay to cry, baby,” he said softly.
“Shut up!” Max yelled as she began beating on his chest. He held her fast and she suddenly collapsed against him with a broken sob. The tight rein she’d kept on herself and her tough façade was shattered by his gentleness. Great heaving sobs shook her body.
Rafe sank to the floor and pulled her into his lap, simply rocking and holding her while she sobbed out both her hurt and her unresolved feelings about his return. He continued stroking her back and murmuring soothing words while she quieted.
“Why’d you have to come back?” she asked almost fearfully against his neck.
Rafe froze for a minute and then resumed stroking her and said matter-of-factly, “I came back for you, Maxine, and I’m going to reclaim everything that belongs to me, baby girl. You’re just going to have to learn to forgive me.”
Another deep shuddering sob shook her frame. “I can’t. I won’t.”
“Yes, you will, baby girl. You don’t have a choice. You love me as much as I love you,” he said, shushing her when she would have protested.
Max let herself relax in to him for a moment; resting her head against him felt so right, but she knew better and she wouldn’t let him do this to her a second time. Firming her resolve, she stiffened her back, pushed out of his arms, and got to her feet.
“I want you to leave,” she said quietly but firmly.
“Maxine…” Rafe reached to catch hold of her again.
“No!” Max looked up and straight into his eyes. “I can’t talk about this anymore tonight. I need some space.”
She watched him struggle with his decision, but finally he nodded and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll go for now, Maxine, but this is far from over.”
Max had mixed feelings when the door closed behind him. Perversely there was a part of her that wished he’d argued to stay.
Shaking her head, she poured herself a healthy shot of vodka, ignoring the sharp pain in her stomach when it hit. Soon the blessed relief of fuzziness would fog her worry-torn mind and she’d be able to sleep.
Chapter Nine
Maxine studied the information on the screen while worrying her lower lip with her teeth. Could she really go through with this?
Eight hundred dollars was a lot of money and would just about completely deplete her savings account, but another man was just what she needed to make Rafe think they were done. Too bad she had to pay for him, but then again, an escort made parting again much less messy. There was no chance the guy would think she was harboring feelings and she didn’t have to put too much effort into being nice since she was paying.
She booked Javier for the night, having already decided that hiring him for the whole night was necessary to ensure the proper message was delivered. It had been tempting to just part with four hundred for three hours but at that hourly rate the full-night fee was a steal and really what she needed. It wasn’t like she had to actually have sex with the guy, unless of course she wanted to and then she would.
Maybe she should; a good lay by an expert would surely drive all thoughts of Rafe Jennings and his sexual prowess right out of her mind. She had a while to decide; Javier wouldn’t pick her up till seven. Hopefully he would live up to his write-up and the pictures on the Dallas Escorts site.
He was certainly gorgeous, tall with wonderfully broad shoulders and dark Latin good looks and his photos exuded a level of experience that should definitely give Rafe pause.
She’d given instructions to the service that Javier was to greet her like they had an ongoing relationship rather than meeting for the first time. Max just hoped he was able to be convincing.
* * *
Rafe pulled up in front of Maxine’s apartment building geared for battle. As far as he was concerned, their reconciliation was a done deal. The fact that she’d tried to hold herself back was irrelevant because she hadn’t been able to; she’d given herself into his keeping lock, stock, and barrel once again.
He stopped at the sight of a strange man standing at Maxine’s door, and his jaw tightened when she opened the door and was swept into the man’s arms for a penetrating kiss.
“I’ve missed you, Javier,” she said in a throaty voice that made his blood boil.
“And I you, my lovely Max.” The man’s deep voice held a rhythmic accent that he obviously used in his favor when seducing women. “I’ve made a reservation for us at 560; I thought you’d enjoy the night view of the skyline while we became reacquainted.”
Rafe frowned; 560 was the restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower that revolved in a complete circle over the course of an hour, giving its diners every possible view of the Dallas skyline. The name had been changed to 560 when Wolfgang Puck took it over; there had been a contest to rename the restaurant and 560 had won, since the restaurant stood 560 feet above the city. It was a place a man took a woman he wanted to impress.
“That sounds wonderful, Javie,” she said, smiling up at the guy from under her lashes.
Rafe glared; with her purple, blue, and turquoise hair waving about her shoulders, she looked all of sixteen instead of the twenty-eight years he knew her to be. What was this guy playing at? What was Maxine playing at? There was something familiar about the man, but he was too far away to get a good look at his face.
He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down and see how the evening played out. Following them covertly would be child’s play for him and would give him a better understanding of exactly what he was dealing with; something about the whole situation didn’t quite ring true, once he pushed back the jealousy that came immediately roaring to the surface.
It was a waiting game right now and waiting out prey until they made a mistake was something Rafe excelled at; he’d bide his time and then spring at the perfect moment. Once he’d done so, it would take very little effort to make it clear to both Maxine and Javier who she belonged to and then he’d paddle her little ass for putting him to the trouble.
At this point he was unsure if he’d need to pound the mysterious Javier into the ground, but he definitely hoped it was on the books.
He frowned again as the couple came down the walk and Maxine rubbed
a hand absently against her left side as if she was in pain. She’d done that a few times last night as well. Something else he would need to look into as she was obviously doing a piss-poor job of taking care of herself.
All in all, he had some work to do with Miss Maxine but she was worth it; he smiled as he remembered the sweet submission she’d given him before he’d left. He’d have that from her again and more. He’d have everything and he’d give her everything in return.
She just had to trust him again, but she would because Rafe wouldn’t accept anything less. They’d have it all and live happily ever after.
He shook himself from his musings and visions of her naked body draped over his lap for a long overdue lesson in behavior and hurried to his car. It would be best if he made it to the restaurant before them; then he could unobtrusively observe them from a good vantage point.
* * *
Max smiled at Javier. He was everything his write-up had claimed and more, but somehow everything about him left her cold.
All Rafe had to do was smile and or even slightly quirk a brow to start the pulse between her thighs throbbing double time and wetness to seep into the gusset of her panties. There was nothing Javier could do to elicit that sort of response from her. Over dinner as she and Javier chatted about inconsequential things, it was all Max could do to focus on the conversation at hand.
Her mind was filled with Rafe and how tender and understanding he’d been the night before and how horrid she’d been. Did he really deserve her scorn? He’d told her he was working for the government in the Middle East, though he couldn’t disclose exactly where and she knew whatever he’d been doing was very important.
Everything between them had just been so new and the thought of losing him to foreign policy was more than she could deal with; Max wasn’t sure she could handle a lifetime of not knowing where he was and being unsure if he’d come back to her whole or at all.
Unacceptable Behavior Page 6