by Alexa Davis
Instead, Lexi wrapped her arms around my neck and began moaning softly as I slowly ran my tongue over her lower lip before gently nipping it with my teeth. I heard her sigh as her tongue darted out from between her lips and found mine. She teased me as the kiss intensified and my hands began to wander.
"Max," she whispered as she pulled back from my mouth. "Are we…is this…"
"I've wanted this from the moment I first laid eyes on you," I told her as looked into her eyes and caressed her cheek with my fingertips. She was looking up at me and her eyes sparkled with desire as she nodded and then pulled me back down into another deep kiss. With my fingers, I traced a path down the deep v in her dress and was rewarded with a soft moan as she shivered. I was torn between wanting to draw things out for as long as possible and wanting to tear off her clothes and feel every inch of her naked skin pressed against my body.
Afraid of moving too quickly and frightening her, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her over to the large chaise lounge in the far corner of the deck. I gently laid her down and starting at her feet, began pushing the silky layers of fabric up her body exposing her skin with every inch. I stopped to run my tongue up the inside of her leg and was rewarded with a deep sigh before I continued my ascent. I was surprised to see that she wasn't wearing anything under the dress, and I smiled at her as she sat up and raised her arms so I could pull it up over her head leaving her completely bare.
"You're exquisite," I whispered as I leaned forward and kissed her neck. "And, I want to explore every inch of you. Slowly and deliberately."
"Max," she moaned as she ran her fingers through my hair. She ran them across my shoulders before whispering, "I want you…please."
She reached down and grabbed the bottom of my shirt and tugged until I was forced to lift my arms up so she could remove it. She gasped as she leaned forward and ran her lips over the skin of my bare chest. I could feel my own need building as my shaft swelled inside my pants. Lexi dropped one hand and began massaging it through the fabric as I grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back so I could kiss her harder.
As I held her hair in one hand, I ran the other across her breasts, stopping to tease each of her nipples into erect points as our tongues darted and danced. She moaned into the kiss as she unzipped my pants, slipped her hand inside them, and began stroking. I groaned as I felt her fingers close around my shaft and begin to squeeze as she slid her finger across the slippery tip, where evidence of my desire was already leaking out.
She teased me until I whispered, "Two can play at this game, lady," and ran my hand down her body until I reached the center of her need and slid my hands between her thighs. I leaned back a little and held her gaze as I lightly stroked her outer lips. She squeezed me tighter and stroked a little harder. In response, I dipped one finger between her lips and massaged the wet, velvety folds between them. She gasped, and then let go so that she could bring her hand up to her lips and run her tongue across the palm, coating it in her saliva before reaching back down to grasp my turgid erection. Now, it was my turn to gasp as she began stroking me with her slippery wet hand.
"You're evil," I grinned.
"You like it," she replied with a wicked smile as she stroked a little harder. For a moment, I lost track of what I was doing as I gave in to the rhythm of her hand. My fingers were still buried between her legs and her warmth reminded me I still had an edge. I slid two fingers down to her wet, waiting entrance and then slowly slid them all the way in, earning a long low moan in the process.
"I told you, two can play this game," I whispered into her lips as I leaned forward and kissed her again. I followed her rhythm as I stroked her inner walls and together, we drove each other to the edge of desire. I wrapped my arm around her lower back and held her firmly as I slid my fingers in and out again and again, applying my thumb on the swollen flesh of her clitoris. She moaned loudly and picked up her pace as she stroked me harder and faster. I groaned as I felt the wave of orgasm approaching and I stroked her harder, trying to bring her under with me.
"Max, Max, Max," she panted into my mouth as I pressed my fingers deeper into her and stroked her harder and faster. I could feel her tensing around my hand and I wanted to feel her go all the way and cede control. I tried to hold back as I felt the warm slick pressure of her hand sliding up and down on my shaft, but I knew that I wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.
"Do it, Lexi, let go and do it for me," I whispered into her lips. "I want to see your beautiful face as you let go and climax for me. Do it for me, Lexi. I need it."
The words pushed her over the edge, and I felt her clamp down on my hand as she screamed and thrust her hips up to meet my fingers. The sound of her orgasming set off my own release and I groaned loudly as I let go and climaxed with her. She continued gripping my shaft as she pumped her hips against my hand, and I throbbed as I felt the last of my release dripping from the tip.
"What was that?" she whispered many minutes later when we'd both regained our breath. She groaned softly as I pulled my fingers from between her legs and then lay down next to her on the chaise. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her as I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent.
"Whatever it was," I said as I stroked her skin. "I want more of it, much more."
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Lexi
As Max held me, I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating. It was strong and steady, and as I lay next to him, feeling his arms encircling me, I wondered if I had just made a huge mistake. I worked for him, and now, I'd crossed a line and become something entirely different. The question was what that was.
I shifted a little and pulled back so that I could look at his face. When he didn't move, I realized he had fallen asleep on the chaise. I shook my head as I extracted myself from his embrace and then covered him with a blanket draped over the end of the lounge. It was warm enough to sleep outside and the sky looked clear, so I knew he would be fine. I leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek, then stood up, grabbed my dress and wrapped it around me as I walked back to my room. I looked for Anna, but when I couldn't find her, I assumed she was still fast asleep in Max's room, so I left the door cracked and went to bed.
I lay there in the darkness thinking about everything that had happened and my head spun with the mix of images and sensations. I'd landed a second audition for a major role, and then, I'd ended up having sex on the balcony of my boss's penthouse with him. As I turned it over and over again, I feel a growing unease in the pit of my stomach.
Rationally, I knew that there was no way on earth that a man like Max Malin saw me as a potential – anything. I was a young actress he'd hired to help him build his business, and the fact that he and I had hooked up was simply a bonus in his estimate. I was a support system, in much the same way I'd been for Josh, and I held back a small sob as I thought about where that had gotten me.
I began replaying all of the interactions and conversations Max and I had had since I'd begun working for him. I looked at it all through the lens of being the hired help and flinched as I recalled that he had people who washed his sheets and did his dishes. He wouldn't flinch at having a sales girl who performed other duties, and the shame of having been willing to believe that there might be something else to it all made my cheeks burn. I was a fool. Just like with Josh.
The problem was that I'd bought my own act. Max had hired me to play a role and I'd played it so well that I'd forgotten it was a role. I'd forgotten that it wasn't real. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't at least a tiny bit of real mixed in. He couldn't have done what he'd done had there not be some kind of real feelings. The memory of his soft lips pressed against mine, and the sensations that his hands had drawn out of my body were real to me. They were still very real. And, the fact that I wanted more of him proved that what I'd felt was real.
I shook my head as I thought about how a man like that didn't want for female company and that I wa
s fooling myself if I thought he'd choose me, an out-of-work actress, over some rich socialite who understood his world and what it would take to live in it. In Max's business, there was no room for this girlish romantic fantasy. He had an empire to build and I was simply a stepping-stone in the process.
The longer I thought about it, the more agitated I became as I compared the situation to the one I'd just left. Josh had used me, too, and then discarded me when I became a burden, and he didn't have anywhere near the resources or connections that Max Malin had. And, I'd been with Josh for over five years! If he could so quickly discard me after that, then there was really nothing stopping Max from doing it after a few weeks or months, and I wasn't going to become disposable again.
I breathed deeply as I fought back the tears of rejection and told myself that I didn't have time for all of this personal drama, anyway. I had an audition for a major role scheduled and a major part to land. This role with Max would be over once we'd figured out an ending to this fake wedding and generated publicity for his business. After that, I would be on my own again, me and Anna, and I needed to prepare for what would happen. Max Malin had no intention of becoming a permanent part of my life, so I needed to stop mooning around like a love struck schoolgirl pretending like he did.
I set my jaw as I pulled the covers up tightly around me. I was not going to allow myself to be blindsided twice – not when I could see the ending from a mile away.
CHAPTER THRITY-THREE
Max
I woke up alone on the chaise lounge the next morning with the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon and light up the sky. For a moment, I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there, then I smiled as the memory of the night before came flooding back. I turned over expecting to find Lexi fast asleep next to me. I frowned when I saw that the space was empty and wondered if she'd awoken early and gone in to get breakfast started.
"Lexi?" I called as I opened the balcony door and went inside. There was no response, so I headed back toward my bedroom, wondering if she'd already started getting ready for work. "Lexi? Are you up?"
The door to her bedroom was cracked open, so I peeked inside and found her sound asleep in her own bed with Anna curled up next to her on the pillow. The kitten opened one eye and looked at me, then stretched a little and laid one paw on her owner's head and went back to sleep. I backed up and closed the door, wondering if I'd imagined the night before.
I walked back to the balcony, saw the remnants of dinner still sitting on the table, and frowned. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what had happened. The last thing I remembered was stroking her hair and kissing her before I drifted off to sleep. Whatever had happened after that was a mystery to me. I shrugged as I went into the kitchen and began making coffee. I wanted to get a run in before it got to late, so I went into the bedroom, changed into my running gear, and headed out toward the lake to clear my head.
As I ran, I tried to push Lexi out of my mind, but her face and the feel of her body pressed against mine was impossible to completely ignore. I shifted my thoughts to what lay ahead of me. I had to finish my order so that we'd have all the pieces we needed to refill the displays, then Lexi and I had to decide on a venue and decorations for the wedding. After last night's dinner, the planning felt a little odd. I'd felt something with her that I'd never felt before – some kind of deep need that was satisfied only by her.
I shook my head as I hit mile three and then turned around and headed back home. Lexi would be up by now and wondering where I'd disappeared to, and I didn't want her to worry. I grinned as I caught myself thinking these rather domestic thoughts and then ran a little faster to get back to where I felt like I belonged.
When I entered the kitchen, sweaty and still a bit out of breath, I was met with a chilly silence. "Good morning, Lexi!" I called. She turned and nodded, then turned back to the paper that lay in front of her and kept reading. Now, I was truly confused. "How are you this morning?" I asked.
"I'm well, thank you for asking," she replied in a crisp tone. She was wearing a robe, but her hair was pulled up into a tight bun at the base of her neck and no wisps were going to escape. "How was your run?"
"It was productive," I said as I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down across the table from her. When she didn't look up, I asked, "What's new in the news?"
"Gas prices have dropped," she said reading off the headlines. "CPS is going to implement stringent budget measures next year, and there's been another shooting in Wicker Park."
"What does it say about the shooting?" I asked, feeling the dread begging to rise.
"It says that a member of a known mafia gang thought to be run by Vladimir Malinchenko was gunned down outside Malinchenko's bar Ursus this morning," she summarized. "They called the victim one of the vory v zakone. I wonder what that means. I'm going to have to look that up."
"Thieves-in-law," I said without thinking. "It means they're part of the same gang."
"Oh, that's interesting. So, it's kind of like brotherhood or something," she observed.
"No, that's bratán," I said as I looked at the screen of my phone, hoping to find a message from Kristov. There was nothing there, and I quickly brought up his number and dialed it.
"How do you know so much about all of this?" she asked.
"It's an interest of mine since I deal with the Russian community," I said, carefully covering my tracks as I waited for Kristov to answer. I grew concerned when the ringing went to voicemail. There had never been a time when Kristov hadn't picked up his phone for me. There had been times he'd even answered while he was having sex with his girlfriend of the moment. I'd scolded him for being indiscreet, and he'd been unfazed as he told me that they found it sexy. I dialed a second time and it went straight to voicemail. Something was definitely not right.
"Are you okay, Max?" Lexi asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, fine," I said as I thought about what I needed to do next. I couldn't call Papa because I didn't want to alert him to what was going on with Kristov if he didn't already know. I quickly made the decision to get dressed, drive over to Kristov’s apartment, and find out where he was. "Look, I need to run an errand this morning. Can you get the store up and running without me?"
"Sure, no problem," she said in a flat tone. "Just don't forget that I have the call-back audition this afternoon."
"Right, right," I replied as I downed the rest of my coffee and headed to the shower. "I'll be back this afternoon in time for you to get to the audition."
"I hope so," she muttered under her breath. I couldn't figure out why she was upset with me, but I didn't have the time to figure it all out. Lexi would have to wait while I dealt with the more immediate problem of my brother.
I just hoped that he was, in fact, still a problem.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Lexi
I opened the store at nine on the dot and was happy to see Mrs. Zakhrov walk through the door ten minutes later. She was looking for a new statement piece that she'd heard about, but had never seen.
"My dear, the Star of Russia is the piece of pieces this season!" she cried as she browsed the cases. "I must have it. Have you heard anything about it?"
"No, I haven't yet, but I'll ask Mr. Malin," I replied, pulling out a large aquamarine pendant on a thick gold chain and handing it to her to try on while I pulled out the matching earrings. "If anyone knows where it is and how to find it for you, it would be him."
"Oh, my dear, this is lovely" she said admiring herself from all angles in the mirror. I handed her the drop earrings and watched as she threaded them through the holes in her ears and let them hang. The set looked lovely on her with her chestnut hair and violet eyes. "Oh yes, I like this very much. I will take them both."
"Wonderful, they deserve to go home with someone who will make them look as lovely as you do," I smiled. I took the pieces and began wrapping them up.
"You and Mr. Malin are such lovely people," she smiled. "How on earth did you meet?"
"We shared some common interests," I smiled serenely as I wrapped her packages. "Max always says it was love at first sight, but I tend to think it was lust, followed by deeper feelings."
"It's always that way for men, dear," she laughed. "They see what they want and then they find a way to tell themselves a story that allows them to go after it and get it."
"Do you really think that's the case, Mrs. Zakhrov?" I asked, genuinely curious to hear what a woman with her experience and years of marriage behind her had to say.
"Oh yes, I absolutely do," she exclaimed. "I think that women are much pickier than men, but that when men find what it is they want, they lock on and decide that's it. My husband pursued me for two years before I even agreed to go out with him!"
"Why?" I gasped. "I mean, why did you make him wait two years?"
"I wasn't sure I liked him." She shrugged. "I was in college and I needed time to finish my degree, and I knew that if I said yes, I'd most likely end up married with children, but no degree. So, I held him off until I got what I needed and by that time, I'd seen what a wonderful man he was, so I said yes. We were married two months after our first date."
"That's such a romantic story!" I said, admiring her for her strength of her convictions.
"No, not particularly," she said. "I love my husband, but he's never been one of those flowers and romance men. But by the time I married him, I already knew that and had accepted that I was marrying a hard worker who would always make sure I had a roof over my head and food on my table. I could live without the flowers and romance if I wasn't hungry."