by Jasmine Hill
“I like a woman with a healthy appetite,” he said, his voice low and husky.
“I need to keep my strength up,” she whispered as her stomach performed flip-flops. How does he do this to me with just a look and a touch?
He leered at her and bent to brush his lips very softly over hers before releasing her and taking up his paper. Sarah sighed inwardly at the lost contact and scooped up some fruit. Chewing slowly, she thought about how to broach the question that had been nagging at her.
“How serious were you and Angelique?” she asked, her voice deliberately nonchalant.
Maxwell looked up in surprise, his eyebrows raised. “Well, from my perspective—not very. We have some things in common, a similar circle of friends. It was a relationship that was…” He waved a hand in the air. “Convenient, for both of us,” he finished.
“Did you break things off with her?”
“I initiated it, yes—and she agreed.” His eyes narrowed. “Why these questions about Angelique?”
“No reason,” she responded hurriedly. “Just curiosity and I wanted to be sure that it is completely over between you.”
“As I told you last night, Sarah, it is over,” he stated with finality. “But I could ask you some questions about James—do you two have a history?”
How did he turn this around to me and James?
“I have no history at all with James. I have only met him a couple of times and don’t forget that it was your ex-girlfriend who conveniently interrupted us on the balcony last night.”
He sighed heavily and set his paper aside. “We have been over this, Sarah, and besides, the last I saw of James he was making himself very acquainted with you,” he said coolly.
She didn’t want to go down this road and didn’t want to recall the incident with James. Anyway, she had no right to question Maxwell about past girlfriends—it wasn’t as if they were in a serious relationship. The thought depressed her a little.
“You’re right,” she said in a conciliatory tone, “I won’t mention Angelique again.” She decided she needed to tread on more neutral ground. “Owning your own company must be challenging, you must be very busy.”
He looked at her in surprise. “It is challenging, and yes, I am busy. How about you and your job?” He was looking at her intently, head cocked to one side.
“I work in hospitality so my hours can be erratic. My job is very boring,” she said dismissively. She hoped he couldn’t detect the flush that crept across her cheeks. Over the last twelve hours she had managed to push her job to the back of her mind as she did her feelings of guilt for deceiving him. Of course she didn’t want him to know what she really did in her evenings—something told her he would not be impressed.
“Are you available Tuesday night?” he asked.
Sarah conducted a mental check of her diary. She was working that evening. “I’m working.”
“What about Thursday?”
She thought quickly. It wasn’t unreasonable in the hospitality industry to work evenings—in fact, that was exactly why she used hospitality as her pseudo job description—but she really didn’t want to make Maxwell suspicious and encourage too many difficult questions.
“I’ll check my schedule,” she said. “Perhaps I can rotate some shifts.”
He fixed her with a penetrative stare then shrugged and smiled at her silkily. “Have you had enough to eat?” he asked in his low, sexy voice.
“Yes,” she all but whispered. The raw, aroused way he was looking at her took her breath away and made her insides liquefy.
“Come,” he commanded, standing up and holding his hand out to her.
Shakily she rose to her feet, her mouth suddenly dry with anticipation. She took his outstretched hand and followed him back upstairs and into the bedroom.
Chapter Six
Sarah thought about the weekend she had spent with Maxwell and smiled. After a leisurely Sunday spent lazing about in each other’s company, Maxwell had driven her back to her apartment. Her mind drifted back to him walking her to the door and her surprise at finding a huge bunch of flowers waiting for her.
She picked up the box and plucked the card from the centre. The flowers were from James.
I’m sorry. Please let me make it up to you… James.
She glanced up at Maxwell who was leaning casually against the wall. “Secret admirer?” he asked, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly.
Sarah unlocked her door, balancing the huge box of flowers in one hand as she did so. “They’re from James,” she said, placing the flowers on a hall table as she entered the apartment. “Apologising for…” Her voice drifted off and she waved a hand in the air. They both knew why James was apologising.
Maxwell snorted and eyed the flowers suspiciously. “I’m still planning to discuss that little incident with him,” he said. “He is obviously attracted to you, Sarah, you would have to be blind not to see it.”
“That might be so, Maxwell, but I am not attracted to him, at least not in that way. It was sweet of him to send the flowers.”
As the words left her mouth she could have kicked herself. Maxwell obviously had a lot of adjectives to describe James and ‘sweet’ was not one of them.
“Are you serious?” he growled at her. “The guy practically assaulted you in my bathroom.”
Sarah sighed heavily. “You’re right, his behaviour was totally inappropriate. I just meant that it was sweet of him to apologise and send the flowers. He obviously feels bad about the whole situation. He did have too much to drink and, as I mentioned previously, I believe he thought that I knew it was him,” she pointed out. “Please let’s not discuss this any further. It was a lovely weekend, Maxwell, and I don’t want it to end on a sour note.”
He shoved a hand through his hair then roughly pulled her to him. “I agree it was a lovely weekend,” he said as he cupped her chin and tilted her head up so she was looking into his eyes. He brushed his lips softly over hers and she melted against him.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Sarah focused on her closet and tried to decide what to wear. She had got lucky that evening and had been able to leave work earlier than usual owing to the fact that some of her clients had fortuitously cancelled their usual sessions. This meant that she was able to meet up with Maxwell.
They had decided to meet at one of the new clubs in the city. It was one of Roxy’s usual Thursday night haunts, so she suspected that her friend would also be there. She selected and discarded a number of outfits before deciding on black skinny jeans teamed with a low-cut sequinned top and silver silk bomber jacket. She applied smoky eye makeup and nude lipstick and piled her hair loosely on top of her head. Lastly she decided on a pair of studded Louboutin heels and matching clutch. She checked her watch and headed out of the door.
* * * *
Max was already at the club waiting. He had organised a private booth and VIP entry for Sarah. He checked his watch—eleven p.m. She would be arriving soon. He wished she had accepted his offer of a car to pick her up but she had insisted on making her own way. He ordered a Scotch from the waitress and a bottle of champagne and scanned his surroundings. The club was starting to get crowded and the music was becoming a little louder. Across the floor he spotted Roxy and Adam. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that James was with them.
He didn’t know James well, only as a friend of a friend, but after his behaviour last weekend he didn’t want to know him any better. In fact, after the stunt James had pulled he was pretty sure that he had the guy’s measure. He still intended to discuss that incident with the bastard but he decided that there was a time and a place for everything and he didn’t think Sarah would be impressed if he got into anything with James at the club.
He was going to have to keep an eye on him. Sarah might prefer to believe that James’ sending the flowers was an act of sweet apology but Max didn’t buy it for a second—he saw the way James looked at her and knew that given half an opportunity the bastard would be trying to sli
p into her sweet little panties and would probably try anything to do it.
Max took a long swallow of his Scotch, savouring the burn as it slipped down his throat, temporarily taking his mind off the uncomfortable direction his thoughts were taking him in. He couldn’t recall ever feeling so possessive of a woman. Of course, in past relationships he had expected total monogamy but the mere thought of another man touching or even looking at Sarah made his blood boil. It was a peculiarly new emotion for him and one he didn’t quite know how to deal with.
His thoughts were interrupted as the subject of them walked into the club and his breath caught at the sight of her—those long legs encased in tight black jeans and that barely-there top. She had piled her gorgeous hair in careless disarray on top of her head—it made him think of bedroom hair, sexy and wanton. He watched as the men she passed stopped and stared. He knew exactly what they were thinking, as he was thinking the same thing—imagining those gorgeous legs wrapped around him. He smiled smugly, knowing that she was there to see him and that he would be the only man those legs would be wrapped around, and stood up to greet her.
* * * *
As Sarah walked into the club she caught sight of Roxy almost immediately. Her friend spotting her at the same time let out a cry of delight and swooped in to hug her.
“I didn’t know you were coming here tonight,” Roxy yelled to be heard above the music. “You’re usually working.”
“I had a few cancellations, Maxwell asked me to meet him here.”
Roxy raised her eyebrows and pulled Sarah closer so she could talk in her ear. “Well, you two are obviously hitting it off. I haven’t seen Max, though,” she replied, scanning the room. “By the way, you haven’t told me all the juicy details about last weekend.”
“We’ll talk later, Rox,” Sarah responded and was about to turn away in search of Maxwell when she spotted James making his way towards them.
Her heart sank. She really didn’t feel like talking to him. She plastered a smile on her face in greeting as he reached towards her and grasped her shoulders. She had the distinct feeling that he was just about to kiss her when a strong arm banded about her waist and she was pulled roughly into a hard chest. She knew without looking that it was Maxwell behind her.
“I’m glad you could make it. I have a table waiting upstairs,” he murmured against her ear.
Still clasping an arm around her waist, he greeted the others briefly and told them that they would see them later. Then, grasping her hand, he pulled her in the direction of the stairs. She had just enough time to a wave a quick ‘see you later’ to Roxy before she was pulled along in his wake.
* * * *
It was quieter upstairs and romantically discreet. Sarah removed her jacket and settled into the comfortable private booth.
“I’ve missed you,” Maxwell said as he handed her a glass of champagne and bent his head to hers. His lips brushed the soft skin behind her ear, sending a shiver through her.
“What was that about downstairs?” she asked him.
“What was what about?” he replied disingenuously.
“You know what I’m talking about, back there with James. Was that a proprietary display?”
He shrugged. “You could put it that way, although alpha displays of dominance are not usually my style. I just wanted to ensure that there is no confusion where our…relationship is concerned.”
“How exactly do you see our relationship?” she asked.
She assessed him over her glass as he sat back and ran a hand through his hair. He looked good, dressed casually but smartly in Armani jeans and an open-necked white shirt, ankle propped across his knee in typical man style. His elbow rested on the back of the lounge, his Scotch glass dangling between two fingers. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at her.
“I would like to think that we are seeing each other, and if you agree with that assessment then I want it to be clear to others that that is the case.”
She smiled and swayed towards him seductively. “I like your assessment, Maxwell. After all, I’m not a girl who sleeps with just anyone.”
He smirked at her. “I could tell.”
“What do you mean?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Placing his glass on the table, he leaned towards her. “How do I put this delicately?” he said, running a finger lightly down her arm. “You were pleasantly tight.”
Sarah gasped, momentarily stunned. “Well, if you must know, I haven’t had too many sexual partners and I don’t jump into bed with the first man who takes my fancy. You were”—she paused—“an exception, Maxwell.”
He cupped her chin and tilted her head towards him. “I’m glad I was the exception, Sarah. I wanted you the moment I met you.”
He brushed his lips softly over hers then took the kiss deeper. Still cupping her chin, he ran his other hand lightly up her side until he reached her breast where he ran his thumb softly over her nipple. She moaned into his mouth and her heart rate sped up until she was sure that he could hear it. She reached around and clasped the nape of his neck, pulling him closer to her. All the sounds of the club receded as she became lost in his kiss, lost in the feel of his lips on hers and his thumb running delicious circles around her nipple. Slowly he pulled away from her and stroked a finger down her jaw. “Do you know what you do to me?” he whispered.
Sarah closed her eyes, trying to re-establish her equilibrium. When she opened them he was looking at her intently, his dark eyes seeming to burn into hers.
“How many?” he asked her.
She looked at him quizzically.
“Lovers,” he clarified.
“Oh, I can count them on one hand and that’s all I am saying, McIver.”
“Well, that will have to satisfy me—for now.”
“Why are you interested?”
He shrugged. “Call it morbid curiosity.” He refilled her glass of champagne and she took a long sip, enjoying the bubbles as they burst pleasantly on her tongue. “Now, I plan to be the only man who touches you for the foreseeable future.” He ran a finger over her lips, catching the residual champagne, before placing his finger in his mouth and sucking it. The action was so erotic it started a frantic fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. She cupped his cheek and was just about to lean in to kiss him when Roxy unceremoniously plopped down in the seat next to them.
“Sarah, it’s been an age since we went clubbing together. We need to dance and James wants a quick word with you,” Roxy declared.
Sarah shot a quick look in Maxwell’s direction and winced at the look of irritation that crossed his face.
He spoke up before she could respond. “I can’t imagine what James has to say to Sarah, and, Roxy, Sarah is not clubbing with you but with me.”
Sarah arched an eyebrow at his high-handed attitude but Roxy merely shrugged. “I have no idea why James wants to speak to you, he just asked me to mention it.”
Sarah thought it best to speak to James and get it over and done with. He was obviously not going to rest until he apologised personally and she really couldn’t see why Maxwell was making such a fuss over it. As far as she was concerned the incident in the bathroom was history.
She put her hand on Maxwell’s leg. “I’ll go and have a quick word with him, I won’t be long.” He gave her a quick, impatient nod in response.
Roxy grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the others. “I think Max is really taken with you, Sarah,” Roxy said in her ear. “He’s becoming quite possessive—I haven’t seen him like this before. His usual modus operandi where women are concerned is a sort of studied indifference. I mean he is always polite and charming, but he is used to them falling at his feet. You seem to have made quite an impression, Sar.”
At Roxy’s words a little thrill ran through her.
“Do you think it could get serious?” Roxy asked.
Did she think things between them could become serious? She definitely hoped so.
“It’s
early days yet but I have to admit that I really like him, Rox. He does things to me,” she said with a sigh that had them both erupting into giggles.
They had reached the others, and on seeing her James pulled her aside and spoke into her ear. “Sarah, thanks for breaking away from the jealous bastard for a moment.”
“James, he is just angry on my behalf.”
“Well, I want to apologise for my behaviour at Max’s party. I can only say that I did think that you knew it was me. I’d had too much to drink, I know that’s no excuse, but I would have checked that you understood who was in the bathroom with you if I had been sober. It’s not my usual style to go about massaging unsuspecting women,” he said with a self-conscious laugh.
“Well, now you know me a little more intimately than you did before,” she replied lightly and was rewarded when he had the decency to look embarrassed. “Life is too short to hold grudges so your apology is accepted.”
He let out a loud sigh. “Thank you, Sarah. It’s more than I deserve. Did you get my flowers?”
“Yes, they were lovely. Thank you.”
He moved closer to her, the movement so subtle that she didn’t realise at first that he had done it. His body was now pressed quite closely to hers, his lips at her ear. “Do you really like him?” he asked. “If not I’ll get rid of him for you.”
He pressed his palm to the small of her back, pulling her closer against him. Sarah brought both her hands up and pushed against his chest. “Yes, I do like him, but that’s really none of your business.”
James ignored her obvious discomfort and kept his tight hold on her. She wondered briefly if he had a death wish but before she could do or say anything further she was yanked roughly backwards, the unexpected move obviously taking James by surprise, making him loosen his hold on her.
Maxwell thrust her behind him and was now standing between them glowering at James. “You obviously have a hard time keeping your hands to yourself, arsehole,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “Unlike last time I don’t have any qualms about hitting you right now.”