Felicity felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him. He appeared relaxed, freshly shaved, dressed to the hilt, and his arm firmly around Melania’s waist. Damn. The rumors had to be true.
He caught her eye. The shock registered on many levels on his face. He seemed slightly perturbed, but broke out into an adorable happy-to-see-her, broad-faced, dimpled grin. Huh? He escorted Melania to an empty seat at the table and approached Felicity.
“What should we do, Miss Felice?” Shantae tugged at Felicity’s dress sleeve.
“Set ‘em up, Shantae, we need to roll. Now.”
“Right away.”
Shantae disappeared just as Max reached her. “Felicity. What on earth are you doing here?”
Felicity held her chin high and purposely calmed her shaking voice. “You said Charlotte might be interested in our show so I pitched her. And she was! Now it looks like you’ll be doing an impromptu guest appearance on Executive Women.”
“Good job. And then so you will be part of the feature as well?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“I’ll be what?” She’d been momentarily paralyzed not knowing what to do or what he meant.
Until the light of the cameras were on her.
Ha! So she’d be part of the show.
“I suppose I am a guest on my own show. Not a bad idea though, huh?”
With that, Max pulled her in and gave her a long, languishing, sexy French kiss finished with a backward dip, which almost had her parallel to the floor. Max pulled her up to her feet with a flourish and announced. “Your production assistant, Shantae, informed me of your plans.”
“What? Why?” She looked around for the culprit and caught her giggling behind one of the cameras. The little—
“Don’t be angry with her.” The mics came in closer to catch their every word. “It just gave me more time to prepare for your arrival.”
“What’s with Melania?” Felicity motioned to her and noted she glared at them with envy.
“Oh, might I detect a little jealousy on the part of the most fiercely independent gal in showbiz?”
“I’m just curious.” Felicity feigned a look of innocence.
He put an arm around her and motioned to the table. “This is a dinner I arranged for the several New York high fashion models Melanie works with. Max guided Felicity toward the table. “Felicity, meet Maggy, Heather, Lizzie, and Carmel all of Vogue Magazine.”
Felicity faded out on the litany of names. “. . . and then we have Janice, Serena, Sybil—” Felicity registered the shock running through her system. “. . . who are on a photo shoot for the restaurant week. The shoots will feature Charlotte’s New York restaurants. Maggie here . . .” Max placed his hand on the shoulder of a buxomly blonde, “. . . is from Switzerland and the newest addition to the John Dean agency.”
Max directed his attention to Felicity and squeezed her to his side. “And this here is my woman, Felicity Burgess.”
His what?
He glanced at Felicity with a teasing glint. “Yup, that’s right. I could have lost her to a sea of wolves in California. But it only took a few weeks without her to realize I wanted her all for myself. If she’ll have me. Will you have me Felice Burgess?”
OMG. He sounds like he was going to propose. And this was all being taken on camera!
Felicity wondered what she’d say if he did propose.
What a weird spin on things.
But was this all just for the cameras?
My God am I being punked by my own crew? No, they wouldn’t. Max wouldn’t do that to me.
Yet, it appeared her planned surprise was all on her.
Felicity sat down with Max and he consulted with her on menu selections and put a dinner order in for them. The crew taped the entire scene. Amazed, Felicity relaxed, allowing everyone else to do the work.
Max’s woman. Just like that. Unbelievable. She wasn’t going to question it. It was wonderful.
Yet a niggling doubt or two still zigzagged through her brain. She had to force the thoughts out of her mind.
If she knew anything about Max, he was a man of honor. The rest went with him, whatever ghosts he carried from his past, well, she’d find out soon enough.
Felicity hoped, anyway.
Off camera and safe in the privacy of the ladies’ room, Felicity confronted Shantae. “Just what did you do, you little sneak?”
Hand on hip Shantae acted, pretending to be angry. “Just look at Miss Felice, getting all up in my face when she should be thanking me for all the trouble I went through.” She lifted her nose up in the air and faced the mirror to touch up her plump lips with a flaming red lipstick.
“You played along with me letting me think I might be setting myself up for a let-down.”
Shantae raised her brow. “I couldn’t predict what he’d do. And I couldn’t tell ya I gave you away either.”
“I wanted to catch his reaction by surprise.”
“What you talking about, girl? You want to embarrass the man?”
“It was all right for you to embarrass me.” Felice applied her signature champagne pink lipstick followed with a clear gloss and touch up her face with her compact.
“You loved it and don’t you lie now.”
“Tell me how you did it.”
“Okay it was easy as pie. I got his number from your phone . . .”
Felice glared at her assistant with mock surprise. “Rascal.”
“. . . and told him about your little coup d’ etat. That’s all it took. He was cool as a cucumber and said he planned to be there anyway and looked forward to seeing you. That’s it, I swear. We exchanged all of three sentences.”
Felicity didn’t care. She had wanted to see the shock on his face. And maybe catch him red-handed with an unsuspecting female. But, what she really wanted was to get Max in her life. For real. And now she’d gotten her wish and her answer.
Well, to one of her questions.
Felicity’s crew packed up for the night by the time she and Shantae got back to the dining room. Max chatted away with the models. He caught Felicity’s eye and came up to her. “How about we go for a drink?”
Felicity didn’t want to drink. She wanted to talk. She wanted a heart-to-heart, open, honest talk with this man. Felicity had practically shared her life story with him. Now it was Max’s turn to share. Felicity needed to know everything about the real Max.
“I’d like that. But it’s late and I’d like to go somewhere private.”
“Tell you what. Our hotel has a nice bar overlooking Broadway.”
So, the little devil knew she booked there. She supposed after Shantae spilled the beans he checked, or maybe she told him. It didn’t matter. Everything was out in the open at this point.
“That’ll be fine. Let me say goodnight to my staff and we’ll go.”
Felicity made her goodbyes, rejoined Max, and they hailed a cab to the Marquis.
Max was thrilled when Felicity’s production assistant reached out to him. He’d been thinking of arranging a meeting between Charlotte and Felicity for the Executive Women anyway but the vixen beat him to it. After he wrapped up his family affairs at the Outer Banks, as best as he could at that point, he headed to New York as scheduled. Then Shantae called him Monday and told him about the plans, and Felicity’s suspicions about Melania.
He was fine with the fact that Felicity defied him and went ahead with booking a shoot with Charlotte Winters. Felicity had a good sense for this business and she’d planned to strike while the proverbial kettle was still hot. And Restaurant Week was the perfect time. He also didn’t mind Shantae knowing about Felicity and him. There was nothing to hide.
To think Felicity actually thought he had something going on with Melania or someone on the east coast was laughable.
He could understand her being suspicious, what with what happened with Brad and that Max had been so close-lipped about his travel plans. But, tonight he’d clear up any uncertainly she had about him.
Felicity deserved to know the whole truth about him.
He thought on his mother’s last words. Slurred as they were. That he wasn’t the baseless, heartless man his father turned out to be. He was his mother’s son. And that he deserved Felicity’s love.
His mother’s validation seemed to click something into place in his mind. He now knew he deserved love and was capable of giving it.
Tonight, Felicity looked absolutely luscious in her ruffled black tight top with matching, well above the knee and equally tight, black skirt.
She must have wanted to dress to impress him. And that she did.
“Why are you so quiet?” she asked as she snuggled on his shoulder in the cab.
“Ah, I was just thinking how glad I am you came here.”
“I’m glad, too.”
Max curled his finger under her chin and lifted upward, forcing her to meet him eye-to-eye. “You mean a lot to me, Felice. You have to know. I’d have come back and finished what we started. I had actually thought to arrange to have Executive Women do an on location shot during this restaurant blitz—”
“You said you wanted to wait until it was over, but I needed to jump in at the right time.”
“So you did all this just for Executive Women?”
“Partly. But I couldn’t wait any longer. I also needed to see you.”
The cab arrived at their hotel. Max paid the cabby and escorted her—his woman!—to the hotel lobby bar. They got a two-top in a tiny corner where no one else could sit overlooking dead center of Broadway.
He ordered a couple of wines. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Felice.” He idly picked at the nuts on the table. Time to fess up. “When we were in San Diego I wanted you so bad. Every bit of you. Your body and your heart. The very essence of your being.”
“And now?” Felicity leaned in so close he could smell her sweet musky rose aroma and man did it turn him on!
He shook his head to keep it clear. “Of course I still do. I always will.” He took her hand and kissed it. “It’s just I have doubted my ability to give you all of me. To give you the stability you deserve.”
“I think the bachelor rep is a façade you put up for the press. It’s not really you. You’re different than the so-called commitment-phobes or confirmed bachelors out there who I don’t think have a true respect for women. They use women like the tools in their sheds. When they wear out they replace them.”
Now that had to be one of the most intelligent summations he had ever heard. And she was totally right. “Why do you think so?”
She sipped her Cabernet and looked off a moment seeming to search for the perfect words. “You display amazing respect for me and every woman I’ve seen you interact with. You give of yourself effortlessly and never expect anything in return. With Melania, with your playhouse . . . with me.”
“That’s part of my problem.”
“You’re going to have to explain that one.”
“I’m afraid to take love. To have a woman depend on me for moral and spiritual support because I’ve turned my back on my family. It’s left me emotionally bankrupt. And I knew until I faced my family, attempted to fix my wrong doings, I’d never recover. And continue to live the loveless existence I’ve lived, for years.”
“So you went to the Outer Banks?”
“I did. And, initially, I wasn’t welcomed. But, as they say, blood is thicker than water. I’m still my mother’s son and a sibling to my brother and sister.”
“What happened?” Felicity shifted and gazed deeply into Max’s eyes.
He saw nothing but pure love, pure concern. And in that moment he knew he deserved her. “My mother still lives in our childhood home. Once a beautiful, spacious place on the waterfront with the state-of-the art finery. But when I got there, it was in shambles. All of the money I’ve sent has stocked her liquor cabinet instead of her refrigerator. She was in worse condition than the house.”
“But what of your siblings? Weren’t they around to care?”
“An alcoholic doesn’t care about anyone but themselves. My mother’s pretty much isolated herself from everyone and refused company. She wouldn’t even see her own grandchildren. About the only people that she sees are the fellows at the American Legion.”
“What did she do that was so terrible to have caused to you turn your back?”
“My mother was a Class-A prostitute and that is how she supported us. She entertained only the affluent in town and in more sordid, disgusting ways than I care to comment on. It’s odd how wealth brings depravity with it. But it was my mother who allowed herself to be abused, and when she didn’t look as glamorous as she did in her earlier day they cast her aside.”
“It’s so sad. But, I still don’t understand—”
“I found out about what she did for a living when I was twenty years old. She was such an expert she even hid it from her eldest son. I literally believed the party planning and event coordination was her line of business. When I discovered what she was doing, I approached her and begged her to stop. I was still a sophomore in community college at the time, but I could have helped her. She explicitly told me to mind my own business or get out.”
Felicity shook her head. “My God, that had to be hard.”
“It was the vile hatred she spewed which really set me off. She rambled off in a drunken haze about how I was my father, a good-for-nothing deserter and I might as well continue with my destiny as such. Something snapped in me. I broke it off with my fiancé, Tracey, breaking her heart and took off. And didn’t look back since. I concluded I was like my father. And I feared I, too, would do the same he did to someone else. So I closed myself off to any intimate connections. I was thoroughly convinced I inherited my father’s traits.”
“That’s ridiculous. You don’t inherit personality, morals, values—those are things you learn and develop on your own. Much like me, you had to teach yourself those things, as we both lost our parents at a young age. Your mother to her lifestyle and father to his abandonment. But everything I’ve seen so far exhibits you have high values very similar to mine.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Felice. But I want . . . I need you.”
“I feel the same way.” Felice put her cheek against his and the warmth radiated through to his soul.
He crushed her to him, as much as he could sitting on the tiny seats. He cast any care away and attached his mouth her sensual, juicy lips forcing her them open, delving into them with his tongue as far as he could reach. She matched his passion and before they stopped, he was fully hard and huskily whispered in her ear, “I’m not going to be able to sustain myself much longer.”
“Why do it then?” She batted her eyes, pupils wide with passion.
“Do what?”
“Don’t hold back. Give yourself to me.”
“Ah, Felice . . .” He took her mouth, possessed it. “I know it at the bottom of my soul. I want you to belong to me.”
“I do.” She smiled warmly.
“Let me pay this tab. Then, I want you in my bed.”
“Gladly.”
And, finally, he knew it was the right time.
Felicity stood, shakily, from the cocktail table at the Marquis. Max steadied her. His fiery, passion-filled kisses got her quite wet between the legs.
Was this finally going to happen?
She was still on birth control even though there hadn’t been anyone else since . . . No, she would not allow herself to sully this amazing mood by thinking of anyone but this wonderful, gorgeous creature asked her to his bed.
It was about time.
&nbs
p; She could tell Max was incapable of keeping his hands off her in the long elevator ride up to the penthouse suite. Luckily, they had caught an empty elevator car all the way.
His hands boldly fondled her breasts, under her top, and she wanted him to rip her clothes off and take her against the mirrored wall of the elevator . . . but still she had to wait.
Inside the hotel room, with the door locked behind them, Max literally lifted her like a bride over a threshold. Never in her life had any man done that!
He carried her to the bed and in what seemed like a matter of seconds he had her top, bra, skirt, and panties off. She must have helped but couldn’t exactly remember unclothing him except when she fumbled with his belt and it wouldn’t unhinge. He did it for her. Now fully naked they laid on the bed. He caressed her cheek and trailed a long wet kiss down her neck. He drove her insane until she screamed, “Now, now, I can’t wait anymore.”
Ah, the sounds of her pleading for him to take her drove Max wild . . . to the brink of his losing all control and taking her fast. But, no, this lady would be ravished inch by inch before he took such pleasure. She smelled exquisite, musky and sweet at the same time. Her skin tasted like sugar. As he trailed down her tight abdomen with his lips. He arrived to her center, the crown of her essence. He spread her legs and drank in her very core. Before he could even fully taste her, he felt a first orgasm beat against his tongue and sound out in the deep-moan from her throat. He continued, kissing her deeper, stabbing the length of his index finger and then a second finger into her opening over and over while tasting her sweet nectar as she moaned and threw her head back experiencing countless orgasms. Yes, that’s what he wanted. To cherish this exquisite goddess. His goddess.
Dream Man (Executive Women in Love Book 1) Page 17