While this apartment wasn’t exactly an ideal match for the Worthingtons’ ultra-expensive tastes, they still had the townhouse left to them by Ben’s grandmother, but that place was in shambles. It would require far too much of an investment just to make the place habitable and to bring it up to code before they could move in. And Mike and Mandy both knew they didn’t have the time or the cash to soak into that ramshackle abode.
Selling it could also prove to be a chore, even though it sat upon one of the most prestigious tree-lined blocks in a prominent neighborhood. People didn’t want to bother with permits and building inspectors—let alone the complaints about the noise and filth from their neighbors. Those sorts of fights always played out on the pages of the morning tabloids.
As Ben poured a double shot of Bombay Sapphire into a rather tall glass that didn’t have much ice in it, a familiar voice called out, startling them from behind.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Max…” Mike said, turning Maxine around and opening his arms to a very stiff hug. Michael Worthington was no hugger. However, he and the Mrs. were on a serious campaign to persuade this little lady to marry their gay son. Their efforts, at best, were laughable.
Every time he spoke to her, Maxine found herself cringing. Mike had this way of talking with his mouth closed and his teeth clenched that just left her feeling unnerved. Everything about him was just a little too suave. She’d never seen him out of a jacket. Ben swore that man wore his blazers to the gym with his sweatpants. There was also that questionable wisp of thinning, sandy blond hair that swept over Mike’s head rather dramatically. It didn’t seem to move much, even when he stretched his neck out to mind you with his icy light blue eyes.
“Welcome to New York, darling,” he said.
“It’s good to be here, Michael,” Maxine forced a smile. This is for Ben, she reminded herself, and he loves you for it. “And for such a wonderful occasion.”
With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, “Amanda takes her birthday very seriously. To me, it’s just a day.”
“Well, Dad, sometimes, it’s just nice to have something to celebrate,” Ben said, nearly choking on his drink from his own chuckles as he gazed at Maxine over his glass. He could have cared less about his mother’s birthday when Maxine had just lost her virginity the night before. That was of utmost importance.
“Ben, why don’t you let Max mingle with the ladies and come have a drink with the boys in my den?”
That den was actually a third bedroom they’d converted into an office and man-space for Mike. Ben hesitated to use the term “man cave” because that just felt so redundant given that the room was dark with one small window and wasn’t much bigger than a walk-in closet. Desperate times, though, called for drastic measures. And Ben refused to allow his father to take over his old room just yet.
“You know, Dad, I think I’m good here. Haven’t seen Max in a few hours, and we need to just catch up. Girl talk…”
It was no wonder Ben got along with Drew so well. They both loved to make her suffer just a little for their affections. Now, all Maxine could think of was how much she needed a damn drink!
“Alright, you kids…just behave yourselves.” He warned with an awkward attempt at a wink that twisted his face. “Our friends are here with us today…”
After his father had stepped out of earshot on his way back to his own little man party, Ben whispered, “All of his friends in there are fucking around with women half Bitsy and Bootsie’s age. And he’s telling us to behave ourselves?”
“You think he’s doing it, too?” Maxine questioned, thinking out loud before she had the chance to stop herself.
“Oh, probably!” Ben waved his hand in the air. “But I’m not done with you yet, Cap. I want to hear more about last night.”
“Ben…would you…be angry with me…if…”
“Hey,” he gave her hand a squeeze, “I could never be mad at you. Unless maybe you stole my boyfriend, but you have one of your own now. What’s wrong?”
“It was a very special night, and…” Maxine began “…and I just want to process it all right now. I’m sure I’ll tell you in time, but…”
“But you just want to keep the memories in there for right now?” he said and tapped his finger against her forehead. “Cap, I get that. Just as long as he didn’t tie you up and…”
Nothing could stop her from giggling over that comment. “Maybe he tied me up before last night…”
“He tied my best friend up before he bothered to fuck her cherry away?” Ben charged on behind her as she attempted to make her way back to the crowd of the Bobsy Triplets. “Damn, girl—you’re keeping all the good stuff to yourself! Uncle Benjy needs to know!”
“Love you…” she laughed as he stepped in line with her.
“Hate you so much that I love you,” he muttered. “But, Cap?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve never been happier for anyone in my life…” As she moved to put her arms around him, Ben’s body went rigid. “No, don’t! Mandy will think you’re coming on to me!”
“Good!” she said and moved closer to embrace him, then punctuated her sentiment with a kiss on his cheek. “Let’s confuse her. That’s always a fun game…”
“Oh, girlfriend…I love how you think…”
“You, too…” She stopped just for one second to wink his way. “Girlfriend…”
That afternoon actually provided the perfect diversion for Maxine. In truth, she’d spent so much time with Drew that week that she missed Ben terribly, but that was a delicate balance she’d have to create over the coming days and weeks. She knew she’d have more time to spend with Ben once Drew began rehearsals, but she couldn’t be so cruel, allowing him to think of himself as a sloppy second to her new romantic interest. Relationships involved work, and Maxine was willing to give and take on all ends just to satisfy both of her boyfriends—the straight one and the gay one.
By the time the caterer arrived with their late brunch, everyone but for Maxine had medicated with their adult beverages of choice. Given what she knew about their lives behind closed doors, Maxine just had to laugh to herself over the show of love that this set of husbands and wives proclaimed for each other in their altered states of consciousness.
As Mandy tore into her gifts like a three-year-old on Christmas, Ben’s effort to regain—repair?—his relationship with his parents nearly went unnoticed with the show of presents from Saks and Bergdorf’s. He’d put together a book of family photos dating back to his parents’ courtship, and had it printed with a lovely hardbound cover. In truth, he wanted to jar his mother with happy bygone memories of their now disjointed family.
Deep down, Maxine knew that Ben wanted nothing more than to make peace with his parents. How soon that would come, if ever, she dreaded to think. One day, maybe, he’d just have to create his own family. For now, though, he was quite welcomed by the Kirks.
Just in time, Mandy blew out the candles on her cake at four-thirty, and Maxine knew she had to leave soon. Balance, she reminded herself. Tomorrow, she would spend time with Ben again. They’d already set plans to regroup at the local pub in the early evening.
“Oh, stay, Max!” Mandy insisted as Maxine attempted to bid her good-bye in the kitchen while Ben began his clean-up effort. “We’ll go have dinner. And I’ll put you both in a cab to get you home.”
“Well, uh…I actually…”
Always playing the role of the big brother to Maxine’s little sister, Ben stepped up and said proudly, “Maxine has a date this evening.”
“Oh, does she now?” The eyes drooped; the chin dropped. Botox couldn’t even boost Amanda Worthington’s disappointment. “Well…um…”
“Hey, Mom—she’s seeing someone quasi-famous,” Ben added. “You know Drew McKenzie? That actor on Broad—”
“Drew McKenzie?” Mandy stood up with a bit of a start. “Yeah, I know who he is. Shit, he was the kid who was kidnapped…”
“Oh, Jesus, she’s drunk
,” Ben smiled and rolled his eyes.
Swatting him playfully, Mandy turned her full attention to Maxine’s look of absolute disdain that filtered through her broad, but pseudo, grin. “Yes, I’ve had some cocktails, but I’m telling you, he was the kid who was kidnapped—as an infant—right from the hospital. Returned a few years later. I don’t know—he was like six or seven at the time,” she prattled on. “This all went down when I was a teenager. Shit, my parents went nuts when he was taken! If it could happen to the McKenzies…any one of us could be abducted…”
“Mom, stop it!”
“Ben…” Maxine squeezed his arm. “Ben, it’s true.”
Suddenly, she understood so very well why Drew didn’t want to discuss his early childhood. The mere mention of his name caused a spectacle. This certainly wasn’t the way she wanted to present this news to Ben either. He deserved to know, but she was hoping that she could sit him down and bring it up casually…after she’d spent a bit more time dating Drew, of course. Right now, she felt as if she were betraying Drew’s trust through the big mouth of Mandy Worthington.
“It’s true?” Ben wrinkled his forehead and placed his hands carefully upon Maxine’s shoulders. “For real?”
“You know there was another huge case at the time,” Mandy babbled. “This couple…they weren’t married, I don’t think. And they had stolen a couple of kids. Lived in filth. Killed the little girl, I believe…they found a couple more kids in the house…Brooklyn, maybe? Oh, it was gruesome…”
Before Mandy could continue, Maxine gripped the countertop. Now she hoped this was mere nonsense—either confusion or exaggeration—over Drew’s identity. He’d mentioned a sister, but the thought of such barbaric brutality brought with it a rush so sickening that she felt like she just might faint.
“Amanda…” Maxine said slowly, her blood thinning to ice over the possibility of some truth behind whatever the hell she was trying to convey. “Amanda…will you…what…are you implying?”
“Well, if you’re seeing him now, ask him!” Mandy shrugged. No, she didn’t want to hear one single word about Maxine dating anyone other than her son, and in her present state, bitterness crept into her voice. “Everyone had wondered if he was one of those kids that were found after the little girl…after her murder. But the timing was a bit off. He came home about a year or so after that whole thing went down.”
Thoughts racing back to Tuesday afternoon, Mandy’s speculations actually correlated to what Drew had told her himself. He’d been returned home, but his parents protected him from media attention for a year while acclimating him back into society.
A sharp pain shot through her, and regardless of whether it was real or imagined, Maxine was certain that it was her heart cracking then shattering to bits. The apparent terror and pain Drew still carried with him likely originated in a place far worse than she had even imagined.
“Cap, you alright?” Ben rushed to her side.
“Fine…” she managed, her mouth suddenly dry as a bone. “Just have to…my ride…”
Her ride! She had to meet Lou downstairs in minutes! How the hell could she possibly manage to make it to Drew’s apartment with the gravity of this news weighing upon her shoulders?
“Hey, I’ll…let me get your bag…” While Ben hustled off to the bedroom to grab her things, he hated to leave her alone with his mother. However, someone had to get her out of there—and fast. If necessary, he’d go straight home with her at that very second until she figured out what exactly she needed to do.
She accepted Mandy’s offer of a bottle of water but ignored the drunken ramblings. Obviously, she’d just met this Drew, and he was hiding secrets from her, Mandy endeavored to convince Maxine. She knew nothing about him, and she should consider running away before he could hurt her.
The notion that Mandy felt she had to try so hard to dissuade her budding interest in Drew, though, left Maxine rattled to the core. She couldn’t believe that Ben’s mother would go to such drastic lengths just to eliminate the chance of another man’s pursuit.
All the while, Maxine hated the thought that the Worthingtons just might never accept Ben for the wonderful and charming man into whom he’d grown. He would always be gay. But he would always be just Ben to Maxine, and she loved him unconditionally.
“Come on, Cap…I’ll get you downstairs…” The ninety seconds that passed before Ben returned to the kitchen were the longest of Maxine’s life.
Once in the hallway, far enough away from the apartment, Ben pulled her toward his chest and held her tight.
“Talk to me…what are you thinking?”
Thoughts askew, she simply didn’t know what to say and allowed herself to collapse against Ben’s strength.
“Coming home with you right now. We’ll discuss. We’ll figure it out…” He just kept talking and attempting to comfort her, as he shoved her into the elevator.
“No…Ben…?” That time, Maxine gripped his shoulders and gave him a shake. “I’m a big girl. I need to deal with this…”
“But Max, you just can’t—”
“You’ll be there…on the other end of the line…if I need…”
“Listen…you were there for me through every single quasi-relationship I’ve had over the last four years,” he began. “And fuck, if I didn’t make some stupid moves. But you never ever wavered in your support. You’ve also stood on the frontline in the ongoing war with my parents. I am here. Right here. Right now. Or later on tonight if you need me. Maxine, there is no greater friend than you…”
“No, Ben,” she shook her head as a tear slipped down from the corner of her eye and dampened her lashes. “There is no better friend than you. And you are the one person I can count on in the long haul of this thing called life…”
Blindly, she allowed him to step her through the lobby. She didn’t want to leave Ben, but she had to—she desperately needed to see Drew. Mind awash with conflicting emotions, she had no idea what to say to him. As long as he shrouded those vivid nightmares from the world, however, his torture would never end. He’d helped her to understand how to deal with her pain. Now she could only hope that she could offer him the same consolation.
“Love, Captain. It’s here. In these arms…in this heart.”
Pressing her hand against Ben’s chest, she whispered, “There’s love in my heart, too, Ben. More than you will ever know …”
Of course, Lou had the perfect spot right in front of the building, but Ben remained hesitant for Maxine to leave him. “I’m here, my dearest…” he said as he piled her into the car with her bag. “You call me if you need me, alright?”
Taking his hand in hers just before he closed the door, she tugged at his arm, then bent forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you. You’re too good for me, Ben…”
“Nope—we’re meant for each other…”
Once the door was closed, Lou immediately sensed the clouds hanging over her usually sunny mood. Turning around, his honest brown eyes filled with concern. “Hey, Maxine…what’s wrong back there?”
“I’m fine, Lou,” she insisted as she waved goodbye to Ben, even though he couldn’t see her through the tinted window. “I just need to see Drew.”
Chapter Two
That Saturday was just a strange, strange day. Life seemed to linger somewhere between absolutely extraordinary and utterly absurd for Maxine Kirk. She was tired and weak, yet restless and so alive.
Although she hadn’t yet had any confirmation from Drew on the claims that Mandy had just made, she knew that she couldn’t bombard him with a demand to tell her—if it happened to be true. Mandy was so drunk that she had to lean on Ben most of the afternoon just to stand upright. She wasn’t exactly what one would consider a reliable source. However, Maxine couldn’t ignore the rising notion that perhaps it just might be true.
Drew had been forthcoming with her about the kidnapping, and he’d already told her that the memories were too excruciating to discuss. Maxine wondered now
if he had been so fearful that she’d turn and walk away that he simply refused to tell her.
An uphill climb—and a treacherous one at that—was ahead of her.
Upon her arrival, Maxine hopped out of the car on pure adrenaline, muttering a quick thanks to Lou, and hurried along to the front door of the building, bypassing the doorman without bothering to return his greeting. That creepy lobby attendant whom she’d noticed the week before, rather dark and roguish with a sleek black hair that he’d slicked back with too much gel, sat behind the front desk. His smile was immediate when he spotted Maxine, but she had no time to entertain his flirtations.
“Uh, Miss Kirk…?” he called out as he headed toward the elevator bank that led to Drew’s penthouse.
“Yeah?” But Maxine didn’t stop. She had to see Drew.
“Can’t let you through until I call Mr. McKenzie. You’ll have to wait. Over here…”
“But I have the passcode,” she insisted.
“I apologize,” he said with a trace of a sneer. “But I have to phone him first.”
Her sigh mingling with a groan, she reluctantly turned around and pounded her feet back to the desk. This was just time wasting. That man knew who she was. He just wanted to be an asshole for the sake of it.
It would have been nice, Maxine thought, if he’d been a bit more subtle as he checked her out, his eyes locking on the dip in her blouse. While her breasts seemed to please Drew well enough, Ben always told her that she had mosquito bites for boobs now. There wasn’t much for this guy to see. He made her already nauseous stomach lurch, but now was not the time to throw up. Skeeved was the new awkward.
“Mr. McKenzie? Hi. Steven in the lobby. How are you?”
Stop fucking making chit-chat, asshole. I need to see my man. Now.
“I have Miss Kirk down here. Is it alright if I send her up? And does she have the passcode? Alright. Will do.” Slowly, he returned the phone to the cradle and nodded in gesture toward the elevator. “You may go ahead now. And have a lovely evening, Miss Kirk.”
WRAPPED: The Manhattan Bound Series, Book Two Page 2