Max (A Carter Brother series Book 4)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  Then suddenly he does and all bets are off.

  Something tells me I won’t be able to handle the Max I’m finally about to meet.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  MAX

  The walk to Snoops is taking us forever. Thankfully, the walk has sobered Adam up a bit. The rest of us, however, are pissed as fuck, staggering along the pavement.

  “I’m surprised Max hasn’t brought his own music along with him,’’ Mason grunts, smirking.

  “Fuck off, dickhead.’’

  “Why would he bring his own music?’’ Lee asks amused.

  “No reason,’’ I snap, not wanting to get into this. The way they’ve picked on me tonight you’d think it was my fucking stag do.

  “He’s not into the whole RnB shit. He’s more into Disney, Taylor Swift and all that bollox,’’ Mason laughs, punching my arm playfully.

  “Seriously? Assault,’’ I warn, my eyes snapping to my arm. He just chuckles, ignoring my pain.

  “No way?’’ Lee and Adam laugh.

  “Hysterical,’’ I snap dryly. “Oh, look, Snoops.’’

  “Sing the way for us,’’ Lee adds.

  “Nope.’’

  “Come on,’’ Maverick urges, grinning at me like a drunken fool.

  “Can we go drink like men, please,’’ I tell them. “I’m beginning to wonder why we’re even out. If you all wanted a pamper party I’m sure the girls would have loved to have organised you one.’’

  “Aww, come on, bro, show us what you’re made of,’’ Myles teases.

  “Sugar and spice and all things nice,’’ I wink.

  “Spoil sport,’’ Mason laughs.

  “Don’t forget you’ve still got one task to complete before we can meet up with the girls,’’ I add, making Mason lose the grin.

  “Fuck!’’

  I laugh, giving him a punch in the same place he gave me mine. It’s Malik’s task next. This fucker had help from Harlow, though. She let it slip one night when she told us she already knew what Malik had planned ’cause she helped plan it. We all let him have it, though, all of us ripping him a new asshole. None of us consulted with outsiders or the hen party so it felt like he let the team down when he went running to his girlfriend.

  “Hit me,’’ Mason says, motioning his hands towards himself.

  Punching him in the arm again, I get a grunt of pain from him. I grin; pleased with myself.

  “What the fuck was that for?’’ he shouts as we stand outside Snoops.

  “You told me to hit you,’’ I tell him slowly, wondering if I hit him too hard the first time. I roll my eyes at him and move away slowly.

  “I meant hit me with the next task, asshole,’’ he growls, raising his fist.

  “I’ve got ChildLine’s number on speed dial,’’ I shout, moving away quickly. The guys laugh, shaking their heads, but Mason just rolls his eyes before turning to Malik.

  “Come on then. What bright idea did you come up with?’’

  “Now, don’t go giving him the credit,’’ I start, but a slap around the head from Maverick shuts me up. “Shit. I’m seriously hoping ChildLine is twenty-four hour,’’ I groan, rubbing my sore head.

  “Basically, when I shout ‘selfie’ you have to take a selfie with the person to your right. Doesn’t matter who is there. You have to do it,’’ Malik grunts, smirking.

  “Seriously?’’ Mason laughs. “That’s not as bad as the ‘ant’ game.’’

  We all look away, not bothering to tell him Malik plans to shout ‘selfie’ at the worst possible time. There isn’t a queue outside Snoops. There rarely ever is, but with the limited clubs in town, we had no choice.

  Walking up to the doors, a large doorman stands with his arms crossed across his chest, looking intimidating while talking to some bloke in a suit. He’s around six foot five, has muscles that out rank any wrestler I’ve ever known about, and has hands the size of my head.

  I take a deep swallow before making sure I’m the furthest away from the beast. The rest don’t seem to be fazed, but then I notice everyone is hanging back a little. I know why when I hear Malik shout, “Selfie,’’ at the top of his voice.

  “Fuck no,’’ I hear Mason groan and I laugh. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and, unbeknown to the doorman, Mason walks right up to him and stands up on his tip toes before snapping a picture. The doorman notices the flash and looks to Mason with an angry glare.

  “What the fuck?’’ The doorman grumbles looking pissed.

  “Mason, it’s good to see you,’’ the bloke wearing a suit greets, laughing. “Oh, it’s the stag party tonight. Tim did warn me.’’

  “Yeah,’’ Mason laughs. “Sorry, mate. These fuckheads have me doing shit,’’ Mason explains and the doorman nods his head in understanding but still doesn’t look too happy about having a selfie taken with Mason.

  A laugh rumbles up from inside me and everyone’s attention turns to me. “Don’t mind me. Just remembering this movie I watched last night,’’ I lie.

  “What? Tinkerbell?’’ Mason laughs.

  “Fuck off.’’

  “So, what have you troublesome lot been up to?’’ the suit guy asks.

  “Well, first I looked like a homeless prostitute looking for some cheap lovin’. Then we played ‘ants’ which is the cause of the dirt on the back of my tee and trousers,’’ Mason laughs.

  “Sounds fun,’’ suit guy laughs. “I’ll let you guys get back to it. Have fun. Oh, and here, first round is on me,’’ the suit says, handing some cards to Mason.

  “Cheers, Chris.’’ Mason pockets them and shakes Chris’ hand.

  The club is actually pretty busy for Snoops. One of the reasons we put Snoops down was because it rarely got busy and we knew Malik wouldn’t last long until he wanted to be with his baby momma. They must have some promotion on tonight to have brought in this many people. Looking around the club I notice a bunch of hot girls dancing on the stage to my right. My eyes only linger long enough to see that they’re hot. They’re just not hotter than Lake. Especially since I’ve got the image of her wearing that barely there outfit.

  I don’t think I’ll ever manage to erase that image from my mind, but just in case, I’m glad I have it saved to my phone. May as well save it under spank bank.

  Grabbing another round of drinks we stand around near the bar talking shit and having a laugh.

  More drinks are poured and more shots are taken. Girls have tried to come up and chat with us but, apart from Lee, no one has engaged in any of their conversations. Adam, the poor lad, tried a time or two but ended up with a drink in his face. It was probably the closest to a reaction he’s got from a girl.

  Maverick, who I thought would jump at the chance to get laid, has even sent girls away. He looked at them with boredom and disinterest. It makes me wonder if my eldest brother is gay. It would explain why he’s always single, that’s for sure.

  “What you staring at?’’ Maverick asks, looking at me strangely.

  “Sorry, just thinking about boys,’’ I tell him happily.

  “What?’’ he asks, his drink spraying from his mouth.

  I roll my narrowed eyes, wiping the drink from my face.

  “Thanks,’’ I say dryly.

  “Sorry,’’ he shrugs, not looking remorseful.

  “Anyway, as I was saying. I just think it’s a good thing when lads can reveal their true feelings to one another.’’

  “I think you’ve had one too many,’’ Maverick responds, looking at me like I’ve grown two heads.

  “Nah, bro. I just want you to know that I understand. I don’t mind. Women can be a huge hassle. You get in there, bro. I know a few lads that might be interested. Ash tried setting me up with a few.’’

  “Max?’’

  “Yeah?’’

  “Lay off the fucking drink. You’re talking shit,’’ is all Maverick says before turning back to the group. I grin thinking I’ve helped. I should become a councillor like Kayla. I’d be good at ge
tting people to open up about their true feelings, guessing what they really want for life.

  When ‘selfie’ is shouted, I react out of instinct. My phone is already in my hand and I end up grinning, open-mouthed, holding my thumb up and snapping a picture.

  When I’m done I look back to the group and notice them all staring at me with amused expressions.

  “What?’’ I ask, holding my hands up.

  “You do know Mason is the one to do the selfie?’’ Malik asks, laughing.

  “Yeah,’’ I lie. “I just wanted to post a picture on Facebook,’’ I shrug.

  “Okayyy,’’ Malik says slowly.

  I shrug then turn to Mason. “You do your selfie?’’

  “Yeah,’’ he grins.

  “Then we’re good,’’ I grin back and bob my head to the music.

  “This is meant to be a lads night out and you guys are moping around thinking about your girls,’’ Lee comments.

  “Or men,’’ I add for Maverick’s benefit. All eyes land on me but I shrug. I’m a loyal brother. When Maverick’s ready, he’ll let us know he’s into dick.

  “I’m starting to worry about you,’’ Maverick shouts and everyone nods in agreement.

  “I’m just saying. It’s okay to like boys, ya know?’’

  “Yeah, but I thought you were straight as a ruler?’’ Maverick asks, mimicking the very thing I said to them when Ash tried to set me up.

  “I am. But maybe some people aren’t,’’ I answer, widening my eyes a little so he knows I’m talking about him.

  “What?’’ Maverick shouts, holding his hands up. The others are talking amongst themselves about the girls and what they’re up to. Don’t blame them. I can’t wait to meet up with them either. Okay, I can’t wait to meet up with Lake and see her outfit with hands-on experience.

  “They’ll understand,’’ I whisper yell, leaning in closer.

  “Understand what?’’ he yells back. His pissed off face fills with anger and frustration. There are two ways I could go about this. Argue it out until he owns up, or, I could call him right out on it and ask him.

  “I know,’’ I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.

  “Give me strength, Max. What the fuck do you know?’’

  “Seriously, calm down. I’m just saying I know why you don’t date girls,’’ I shrug, opening the conversation up for him.

  “And why is that, Max?’’ he bites out. Jesus, he seems to be getting more pissed by the second. He really is that deep in the closet; he’s forgotten why he’s in there.

  If I just give him a little push…

  “Because you’re into men,’’ I smile, making sure he knows I’m okay with it. I don’t understand the pleasure in it. Not that I’ve tried it. But a girl only tried to put her finger there once and I nearly cried like a baby.

  “Max. Get the fuck out of my face,’’ he bites out, moving away.

  “What’s up?’’ Mason asks, noticing the tension coming from Maverick.

  “Nothing,’’ Maverick sighs. Looking back at me he shakes his head, exasperated, like he doesn’t know what to do with me. He looks at me like this a lot.

  “It’s not nothing,’’ I trail off smugly. It feels great finally knowing something before the others. I’m usually the last one to find out.

  “What the fuck are you talking about now?’’ Myles grins.

  “He thinks I’m gay because I don’t date,’’ Maverick laughs. His eyes are still hard but clearly he’s playing it off amused.

  “You think he’s gay… because he doesn’t date?’’ Mason laughs. “He doesn’t date because…’’

  “Because I have to look after your dumb ass,’’ Maverick butts in.

  “I’m confused. Are you telling the truth or are you still hiding in the closet? You should know that none of us would care.’’

  “I’m not fucking gay,’’ Maverick sighs and then punches me in the arm. “Now come on, this place is shit. And you’ve ruined the fucking mood.’’

  “Sorry, I just thought…’’

  “You thought with that brain of yours. I know. But I’m not fucking gay, okay?’’ he says sternly, his eyes narrowing on mine. Looking, I can see he’s telling me the truth.

  Well, shit!

  That’s awkward.

  “Okay. Well, let’s get these pussies to their girls,’’ I say, rolling my eyes.

  “Like you’re not excited to see Lake,’’ he laughs, pushing me forward.

  I manage to finish my drink before we reach the entrance. Mason, however, is stopped short when Malik shouts, ‘Selfie,’ laughing his head off.

  Turning on the stairs at the entrance, I look over to Mason’s right and burst out laughing. I’m literally doubled over on the stairs. The people that are walking past me look at me curiously and I wave them off; clutching my stomach.

  On Mason’s right is a sweaty, older and larger woman, dancing. Usually, I’m all for a bit of weight on a girl. It doesn’t bother me. But this woman has taken her weight to a new extreme. She’s obviously not looking after herself and the full pint of beer in her hand is just another indication that she doesn’t. She could probably out-drink most men.

  She’s wearing a black tank top, her humongous breasts spilling over the top. Paired with that she’s wearing what I think are leggings, but I’m not sure, she could have just painted her legs black. You can see everything, and I mean everything.

  You know the saying, ‘I look like a beached whale? I’m pretty sure if you Google imaged that, her face would be plastered all over the screen.

  Don’t get me wrong, I know I sound like a complete wanker, but I call ’um as I see ’um.

  Mason hesitantly walks over with his phone clutched tightly in his hand. His face is one of horror and I can’t help but laugh harder. He looks scared as fuck.

  He steps beside the woman who’s dancing and gets knocked out of the way from her jiggling her hips. He flies across the room, stumbling into a few people before looking to us for some sort of help.

  Malik shakes his head ‘no,’ pointing his finger back over to the woman. I can only laugh harder. I’m pretty close to pissing myself. Malik isn’t going to let him sit this one out. He proves that when he gives Mason a gentle nudge.

  “First… Let me take a selfie,’’ I shout, using a girlie voice and swinging my head to the side whilst pouting. A group of girls walking out of the club, giggle, eyeing me up and down with appreciation. “Sorry, ladies, I’m spoken for,’’ I half lie. I am spoken for. It’s just Lake who doesn’t know it’s because of her. This relationship bullshit is a new thing for me. But with Lake I’ll try. Frankly, if I can get her to agree to go out with me then it will be a damn fucking miracle.

  My eyes flicker to Mason again to check his progress and they go wide when I see the woman has him in some sort of headlock.

  “Man down, man down,’’ I shout at the top of my voice. Jumping down the last few steps I land next to Maverick and Myles.

  “No, no, leave him,’’ Myles wheezes, holding his phone up: recording.

  “I don’t think he can breathe,’’ I tell them, kind of worried about my big brother. Okay, I’m not worried. This is funny as fuck and I end up taking out my own phone to record the disaster happening before my very eyes.

  The woman has her hand around Mason’s neck, his face swallowed up in her ample cleavage. His arms are flapping around everywhere, gaining attention from other dancers. The woman keeps him in line, though, dragging him with her as she dances.

  “One of us should save him,’’ Lee flinches. When the woman’s hold on Mason tightens, even I have to admit I’m feeling kinda sorry for him. The woman looks sweaty. Her wet hair is stuck to her head and her body is glistening under the club lights.

  Classy!

  All of a sudden, Mason escapes unscathed, but from the look on his face, a lot of therapy is going to be needed. He looks like he’s just survived The Hunger Games but is still reeling from the after effects.

>   “You doing okay there, bro?’’ I ask.

  “Get me out of here before she comes back with drinks,’’ he whisper yells, his voice hoarse. He hasn’t blinked or looked at any of us and I’m beginning to wonder if more happened to him than what we witnessed. I look behind him into the crowd and laugh when I see her holding two beers in her hand. She’s dancing towards us with a huge grin on her face.

  “Love-Bandit, come to mama,’’ I hear shouted and Mason looks at us with wide, horrified eyes.

  “Go! Go! Run! Evacuate the building,’’ Mason shouts. He’s running up the stairs before any of us manage to take a breath. When he’s gone from sight we all look back to the woman. She’s still heading our way with a determined look in her eyes. I think quickly, not wanting her to swallow all this hunky goodness up in one gulp. I push Myles in front of me in the line of fire before turning and following Mason as fast as my legs will take me. I’m out the door before the others have time to catch on, but it’s only seconds before I hear their footfalls behind me.

  I’m not sure how long we run for but by the time we stop we’re in the town centre, not far from MC5.

  “I cannot believe you would deliberately push me in front of her line of sight,’’ Myles growls.

  “Payback’s a bitch,’’ I wink.

  He growls. “She would have eaten me for dinner, or worse, made me her bitch.’’

  I laugh as I picture Myles becoming her bitch, my chest hurting with exertion. Everyone’s silent for a few seconds, trying to catch their breaths when Mason interrupts.

  “I’m never going to forgive you,’’ Mason growls. He’s bent over, his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. It’s pretty hilarious to be honest.

  “She seemed…nice,’’ Malik chuckles, his dimples on full display.

  “Nice?’’ Mason shouts. “I can still taste her fucking skin in my mouth.’’

  “Um. Why were you eating her?’’ I ask hesitantly.

  Mason’s head snaps to mine, a growl rumbling from his chest. “I was in the middle of asking her for a photo when she grabbed my head. I was swallowed up, open mouthed and she was sweating. At first I thought it was spilt beer but then I managed to get my mouth closed,’’ he tells us, and closes his eyes like he’s trying to block out the horror he just suffered. “I don’t want to talk about this, ever again.’’