by D. A. Young
Glass eye shining, Raymond nodded his head vigorously, “Well think about it. Chitlins are complex, but if you can get past the obstacles of their smell, cleaning them thoroughly, the way they look-”
“And now I’m out too. Bye, Temp-I mean Raymond,” Max corrected himself.
“Bring our girl back, Mr. E-I-E-I-O!” Raymond called to his retreating back, as he picked up Max’s burger and took a bite, muttering “Ain’t a damn thing wrong with this burger.”
***
The invitation to Feminine Intuition’s fashion show burned a whole in Max’s shirt pocket as he poured himself a glass of bourbon and sat down at his desk, attempting to get some paperwork done. Since checking the mail an hour ago, he’d taken it out and looked at it at least twenty times. The show would be held at the Plaza Hotel in New York. He looked at the small feminine writing. Georgina had written it personally, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could smell her perfume. He tipped his head back and swallowed the liquor, enjoying the fiery trail it burned down his throat. With a sigh he closed his eyes; then quickly opened them as she invaded his thoughts again.
Every time he closed them all he saw was Georgina’s beautiful face. The way she looked as her orgasm took control of her and her eyes slowly drifted shut, the gorgeous grin she wore when giving him shit, those big brown eyes, sparkling with humor. She stole into his dreams and seduced him nightly, with that teasing laugh and her breathy moans, driving him Out. Of. His. Fucking. Mind. These days it wasn’t unusual for him to wake up with his hand wrapped around his rigid shaft as he attempted to seek relief.
He stood up and turned off the lamp before leaving his office. After securing the alarm, he walked around turning off lights. There wasn’t a room that didn’t have a memory of Georgina in it. Slow dancing in the kitchen while dinner cooked. How she and the dogs cuddled on the floor in front of the fireplace. They’d made love in damn near every room, and he still had the list she’d made of rooms to “christen”. The way her toiletries had taken up almost every space of his vanity counter in the master bath. Her off-key singing in the shower, or when she did office work, she spread it all over the bed and fell asleep right in the middle of her mess.
The more he thought of all their memories, the angrier he became. Who did she think she was to turn her back on, Maxwell Hayes? The man who would love her forever and beyond?? Max grabbed his laptop and opened it to book his flight. Fuck that. He would tell her face to face.
***
The venue at the Plaza was a madhouse as the time for the fashion show drew nearer.
“Alright, gather around everyone! I want to do a final check on faces and hair!” Georgina called as she and Lavon walked to the center of the backstage room. “Let’s go!”
The twenty models came together for one last inspection, and they looked each one over carefully, pleased with the diverse group they were able to put together. The models ranged the gamut in complexion from porcelain to polished onyx. It was mandatory that all the women had curves, and not one was below a size six and went up to size eighteen. In addition to the ladies, there were two male models who wore nothing but leaf loincloths on their gleaming bodies. They would stand with python snakes wrapped around them where the models would enter the runway. The snakes were faux but so detailed, they appeared real which definitely helped to enhance the Garden of Eden theme.
“Are we good here?” Renee asked as she hustled over to them with her clipboard and headset. We’ve got a packed house out there, and it’s ten minutes to go time.”
Georgina turned to the large group. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s just about that time. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and just remember to go out there and have fun, but remember you represent my brand, so I expect you to still be professional!”
“Because she will cut a bitch if you get it twisted,” Lavon warned, and everyone laughed…but noticed that she didn’t dispute his words.
The group disassembled, and then it was just Georgina, Lavon, and Renee. They looked at each other in nervous excitement, and Georgina clasped their hands “I just wanted to say thank you for everything. For always being there for me and never turning your backs on me. From the bottom of my heart I love you and could never have done this without you guys.”
Lavon blinked back tears, “Bish, please! You were already on your way, and I’m just happy you included me for the ride. Love you too, boo.”
Renee sighed dramatically, “Giiiirl, you know how difficult you can be, but I wouldn’t take you any other way. I know after tonight, things are about to change in a major way, but you’ve been my A1 since day1, and that will never change.”
They shared a group hug, and Georgina tried to hold back tears as Lavon threatened her with, “You don’t even want to know what I had to do to get my hand on that brand spankin’ new Nars collection! Don’t you ruin your face!”
“Well whatever it was, I’m sure you enjoyed yourself immensely,” Georgina retorted as she fanned her eyes. “Okay y’all, how do I look?”
From behind her, the voice that belonged to the man of her dreams replied, “As if you could ever be anything but beautiful, Georgina.”
Stunned, she whirled around to see Max standing about fifteen feet behind her, looking immaculately sexy in a charcoal grey suit, white dress shirt, and a cobalt paisley printed tie. Georgina’s eyes were thirsty as she drank in the sight of him. His curls on top were a little longer, but he’d trimmed his beard shorter, and his rich sienna skin was slightly darker with the warming of the weather.
“Max…you came,” she replied stupidly, still unable to believe that after what seemed like an eternity apart, they were now breathing the same air.
Max nodded as he fought the urge to snatch her into his arms by shoving his hands deep into his pants pockets. She was clad in a navy robe and wore a gold flowered filigree headband in her pixie haircut. Her face was expertly made up, but she still looked like herself, except a little thinner. It had been a lifetime since he last touched and kissed her, and his hands were itching to do so. “Of course, I would come to support you. Congratulations on everything. You look good.”
There was a moment of stilted awkwardness, and it was nothing like they had ever experienced; even after their one-night stand had it never been this…weird.
“Thanks, so do you,” Georgina replied softly.
“Well I hate to inject myself into this moment but, Georgie, we’ve got five minutes until show time, and you still need to get dressed,” Renee said with an apologetic look towards Max as she gently led her friend away.
“You’re staying for the whole thing?” Georgina asked desperately as she was led away. The panicky feeling that if she took her eyes off of him he would disappear was quickly rising within her.
“I’m not going anywhere, Georgina,” he vowed, and only then would she go to get ready for one of the two biggest moments of her life.
Chapter Thirty-One
Max took his seat in the front row, nodding in greeting to Vivienne Romankov and Ian Rusnik, along with the Bankses, Eliza, and Graham. His assigned seat was in the center between Eliza and Graham. As he took it, Graham gave him a mocking smile. “Glad you could make it. I was starting to wonder if you were still hiding in a haystack on your farm.”
“I’d shut up if I were you, Shadow Man. My hogs can make a body disappear in twenty minutes, if I give the word,” Max growled menacingly.
Graham studied him for a moment, “Man, that is some seriously sick shit!”
Max tried to hold his intense expression, but burst out laughing, “I thought so too when I saw it on some Hannibal Lecter movie. Ayyye, but your face tho…”
“The Odd Couple, 2016 Edition,” Eliza said with a smile as they rolled their eyes at her.
After confessing Georgina’s problem to the Shadow Man, Max received a call, requesting that they meet, and Max suggested Mo’s. When he arrived, he was surprised to find a tense-looking Nate, Valerie and a pretty woman with a curly afro sitting w
ith the Shadow Man.
“Graham Carlton, I presume?” Max asked him dryly, and the other man nodded his head. “You should have told me, man.”
“I needed to see who was looking into my family and determine for myself if you were friend or foe,” Graham said grimly. He pulled out the empty chair next to him. “Have a seat. There’s a lot to discuss.”
Max kept his eyes on him until Eliza held out her hand and introduced herself. “I’m Eliza Rossini, Georgie’s older sister. Sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances, but we need to know exactly what is going on with Ingrid, so we can figure out the best solution. I still can’t believe Georgie’s been in contact with her all these years…”
Max and Graham gave each other shit every chance they got, but there was mutual respect beneath it. Because they had a common ground. They both loved Georgie, albeit in different ways and wanted her to be happy above all else.
“It’s good to see you here showing your face and maybe staking your claim?” Graham asked slyly as he stared at the closed curtains in front of them. “I heard Georgie had a date, and it was pretty intense…”
“With whom?” Max asked quietly but forcefully and felt Eliza shift away from him with a look of alarm, but he kept his eyes locked on Graham who just smirked at him. Rage swept through Max’s body as he processed Graham’s words. Georgina had gone on a date. She’d been in close proximity to another man. Had she allowed him to taste her soft mouth and caress those silken curves?
Before Graham could answer, Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On” was blasting through the venue as the curtains were pulled back to reveal a lush floral garden background and a runway covered in green moss. Models started to strut down the runway barefoot, and they were all glorious with their unique looks, curves, and complexions. The collection was like Georgina herself— a big contradiction: boldly sexy and demurely shy, all parts beautiful. There were so many facets to appreciate in her designs. The color capsule used appreciated all skin tones, strategic placing of lace cutouts, sheer panels, and bows. The dee-jay continued to spin sexy songs with pulsating beats throughout the show.
The entire show was a visual feast, and Max was so busy taking it all in and proudly listening to the excited chatter of reporters that he almost missed Georgina’s entrance. She strutted down the runway wearing a flowy, white organza caftan with a v-neck and a white flower pattern that had puffy, short sleeves. It had a deep center slit that opened when she walked, and Max found himself growing impossibly hard as he rose with everyone else to give her a standing ovation as she waved to everyone. She came to a halt at the end and adjusted her headpiece as she said “thank you” over and over again.
Finally, the applause died down, and beaming with pride, Georgina spoke again. “Thank you so much for coming out and supporting me! I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. I just wanted to say thank you so much to my family, friends, and R. R. & S. for being with me every step of the way and supporting my vision. I am forever grateful for all of your time and appreciate everything you do.”
Georgina took a deep breath as she tried to control the butterflies fluttering like crazy in her tummy. Her eyes locked with Max’s burning gaze as she spoke. “I wanted to say one more thing. There’s someone else who believed in me, whose faith in me was always unshakable until.... recently. Thank you, Maxwell Hayes for loving me, and I’m sorry that I was such a fool that I doubted you and ran away. I was a fool that I couldn’t see that you just wanted to help me make my dreams come true.”
There were shocked gasps all around, and as Georgina turned to look around, she saw phones recording her as she exited the runway and carefully walked down the steps Graham had made sure to include earlier. She walked until she was standing in front of Max. His hands were in his pockets again, and his face was tight with concentration as he absorbed everything she was saying. “The thing is, I didn’t dream big enough because I didn’t allow myself to. I was too scared to do so. I wanted my business to be successful and for people to love it. That didn’t scare me because I’m a firm believer of speaking things into existence and…well I’m just going to put it out there:
I want you to forgive me for being such a jackass and love me again. I want the big scary fairytale of having it all! Us being married, running our businesses, filling the farmhouse with babies. Of living, laughing and loving each other-”
She couldn’t speak anymore as Max snatched her up and kissed her passionately amidst the clicking phones and thunderous applause. Closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Georgina gave herself up to the feeling of coming home in his strong arms and inhaling the scent that was inherently Max as his lips devoured hers. Slowly her eyes opened to his face watching as he blinked back tears. “So…I take it you’re on board with the fairy tale?”
Max pressed his forehead to hers and was relieved to see this time around there was nothing but love shining in her eyes. For him. He was coming for her, but all along, she’d been making plans to come back to him. “Baby, you had me at jackass.”
***
With a groan, Max collapsed back on the bed and pulled a delightfully disheveled Georgie, with her back to him, close, tucking her in close to his side. He didn’t care if their bodies were slick with sweat; Max needed to feel her in his arms and that she wasn’t going anywhere. “Best. Yet.”
“It gets better each and every time,” Georgie purred as she wiggled her behind and felt Max’s cock stir in response. “I think you tapped out on this round.”
“You damn skippy I did, and with pleasure too,” Max agreed readily.
“Well can you untie my wrists now?” she asked seductively and brushed against him again. She was rewarded with Max shifting to slide a muscled thigh in between hers and the swollen head of his cock at her entrance again. “I said I was sorry, baby.”
They had managed to last an hour and a half at Feminine Intuition’s after-party before bidding everyone good night. As their friends and family looked on in amusement, they beat a hasty retreat out the restaurant and hailed it back to the Plaza, barely making it into the room before tearing their clothes off of one another and falling into bed. The first time was fast and hard to take their edge off.
The second time, Max punished her by tying her wrists together and spanking her bottom until it stung deliciously, and she was a shuddering mass of need for him. Max refused to relent to her pleas for him to take her as he brought her to multiple orgasms with his hands and mouth in between the six stinging swats he gave her.
Slowly Max stroked himself at her soaked entry but did not enter as he tenderly kissed her neck and shoulders. “So what now, baby?”
“Mmmm,” she panted, trying to trap him between her swollen nether lips. Max laughed softly as he evaded her ministrations. “What are we talking about?”
“I asked what happens now,” he said as he bit her ear, making her gasp. “I’m not going to make assumptions on how this plays out, but you need to know that I refuse for us to be apart longer than necessary, Georgina.”
“I’ve sold my house and shipped all of my things to Baymoor. Uncle Nate had them stored last week,” she growled as she shifted her bottom, but once again he evaded her. “Max, quit playing!”
“Finish,” he ordered as he teased her with an inch and pinched her plump nipples, causing her to arch in pleasure.
“You’re moving in right away, correct?” Max breathed into her ear and cursed softly as she clenched around him, and unable to resist her, he surged into her slick, hot tightness. His arm slid below her and across her chest to hold her in place as his other hand caressed her swollen button. “When we get back home, I’m proposing, you’re accepting, and we’ll be married before the year ends?”
“Yessss!” Georgina moaned, drowning in mindless pleasure from his lips, hands, and that magical dic- “Aaaagh! Right there! Don’t stop, Max!”
Max growled as he thrust into her wetness harder and harder and nipped her neck. “We talk,
not run. EVER. I’m your man and will always be here to love and support you. But I need to know that you have my back too. That you believe and trust in ME. Do you understand?”
“I do, baby,” Georgina wailed as she opened wider to receive him. Her arousal coating both of their thighs. “I’ll never hurt you again.”
“Then come for me,” he whispered, unable to hold back any longer, his body trembling as he lost himself deep within her. Georgina threw her head back, stars exploding behind her eyelids as she came, her orgasm rushing through her like a crazy roller coaster ride, dropping then shooting up and flipping her around and around, leaving her breathless and dizzy with pleasure.
Breathing harshly, Max withdrew from her slowly and left the bed to run them a bath. When it was full, he scooped her up and walked with her back to the bathroom.
“I want to tell the world how much I love you,” she said drowsily, looking up at him with loving eyes, and Max smiled tenderly down at her, still unable to believe they were together again.