Dark Facade (Book Four) (Dark Facade Series)

by Hubbard, Sylvia

  Dark Façade: The End to DarknessBook Four Word Count: 40K (est)| Chapter 30-42

  Synopsis: Maxine, an AA graphic designer who has no life, realizes that her best friend and coworker disappeared the day after telling Maxine she was going out on a hot date with a man she met on the Internet. Now it's up to Maxine to find out what happened to Lisa and who was this mysterious man, who emailed his picture to her friend that Maxine just can't stop thinking about.

  As the saga continues, Maxine infiltrates The Masquerade, an underground secret society of wealthy men who believe money can buy everything, including treating women however they please. When her membership application is accepted, Maxine braces herself for a weekend where she will have to spend without any contact with the outside world. What Maxine never thought to encounter was the mysterious stranger was now … her master. Maxine breaks the rules determined to find Lisa. Yet she never expected punishment like this.

  Vowing never to return to the “Society” Maxine tries to return to normal life, but longs for the taste and touch of Philippe, despite the evil that was done to her. Though she tries to deny her needs, Maxine struggles daily to concentrate on the most important project that could escalate her career, all the while STILL trying to find out what happened to Lisa. She prays Philippe isn’t involved in her friend’s disappearance.

  With nowhere else to go, Maxine realizes she has to return to the “chamber” one… last… time…

  But her last time may be the end… for her.

  ALREADY PUBLISHED

  Book One: Dark Façade: Let The Party Begin

  Book Two: When The Dark Comes

  Book Three: The Evil Behind The Mask

  DARK FAÇADE © 2007 Sylvia M. HubbardPublished by HubBooks Literary Services

  Cover design by @PaytonLeaf

  Photography Unknown frm iStockPhoto

  All rights reserved.

  Dark Façade IV © 2013 digital Sylvia Hubbard

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to author’s website and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  For information address:

  Sylvia Hubbard

  PO Box 43439, Detroit, MI 48243

  Visit her website at:

  http://SylviaHubbard.com

  AUTHOR’S NOTEYes, finally it’s here. The last book. If you’re new to this experience and been waiting to make a comment about the book until you read the ending, then after you finish reading this please make a review where you purchased the book at and then tell a friend.

  This was a new experience for me. I’ve done live writing since 2005, but never like this where instead of releasing parts of chapters all day, I released larger parts in books. I also never expected my house to burn down and my whole life to burn down with it.

  Keeping my sanity together at the end of March was so difficult, I had to lay everything down, including my writing to keep from having a nervous breakdown.

  If you’ve visited my website and been a fan of my work for years or even just months, you know what I’ve been personally dealing with and losing my writing mojo was a major thing for me.

  Eight years shy of fifty, losing the thing that has kept your passion for life alive is a bummer.

  That’s really all I can say. I feel in this empty deep black hole that I couldn’t get out of. But I want to say I appreciate all my fans and readers support in my darkest days.

  Even when they just came by my website and just said Hey gurl, I was thinking about you.

  WARNING: For all you die hard readers that have been reading the series and want only perfection, you’re reading the wrong thing. I’m not perfect and neither is my work, but I write a good story. This is like a live book, which means it’s only had a once over by the author.

  Thank you in advance for supporting my literary endeavors.

  Now sit back and enjoy … Dark Façade…

  Your Author,

  Sylvia Hubbard

  CHAPTER 30

  So overwhelmed by the thoughts charging rapidly through her brain, Maxine was in a mental fog as she drove home. Her body was literally on overdrive as she got on the freeway and turned corners.

  When she pulled up in front of her apartment she was vaguely aware of the familiar brown Buick Century and walked past the semi handsome man who stepped out of the car.

  Max?" his deep familiar voice said on shock.

  She had just slightly past the man who had called for her and turned to meet dark brown eyes she remembered getting lost in so many times from the first day she had worked for him. Yet the effect on her now only reminded her of her deep feelings growing reluctantly for Philippe.

  Plus, it had always irked her that Gerald had called her Max when he knew her real name from the first moment she met him. That was another reason why she had allowed her current employer to let the mix up in her name happen since it seemed no one really cared what her real name was. Most of her life people had called her Max instead of Jax, but she just got used to it and let the slip up go.

  "GERALD?” she asked just in shock surprised he made an unannounced visit. The brown in his eyes had dulled and there were a lot more stressed lines kn bis face with additional gray to his hair. He had lost weight and his former strapping frame now wasn't to masculine anymore. The couple of years she had stayed away from him had been very unkind to him. Her ex-lover looked exhausted and haggard.

  It was almost instinctive to hug him, but she held herself back. This was the first time she resisted his charms and her old urges for him.

  Was it Philippe’s influence over her body? She wondered briefly.

  Gerald leaned in to her to try to kiss her lips, but Maxine smoothly turned her cheek to him.

  "You look great," he said still in awe as if he couldn't believe whom he was speaking to. "It’s like the clock has turned back for you. Although I still see you dress dowdy."

  She smiled stiffly pushing away the irritation slowly growing. In the past, things that he did didn’t seem to bother her, but now it felt like everything he did peeved the hell out of her. “You look well, Gerald," she said because she couldn't return his compliment, plus she was slightly now on alert wondering why he was making an uninvited appearance in front of her house.

  Gerald ran a hand over his short cut hair. "I’ve got a lot grayer," he admitted with a sheepish charming smile. "But I blame you, Max.”

  "Really? Why?" she asked curiously.

  "I’ve missed you."

  "How could you possibly miss me, Gerald, and how could your gray be my entire fault? That happened while I was gone. You have a wife and kid, plus a successful company because of the amazing work I did for you that you took credit for."

  "Well, now I have none of that if you must know," he admitted.

  "Why not?"

  "Shortly, after your departure the clients who loved your work wanted more business, but I was unable to give them what they wanted so they found another firm to satisfy them and dropped me like a
bad habit." His face tightened severely making him look even older. "At the same time my wife found out about the affair and decided to separate from me taking fifty percent of my assets off to New York, along with my only child which she has made very difficult to see ever again until our divorce is final."

  Maxine almost felt bad for him. Despite what Gerald had done to her, she didn't feel he deserved the cruelty that had come upon him. "If it means anything I'm sorry for your trouble." Feeling an uncomfortable need to get away from him, Maxine decided to make an excuse to go, "I have so much to do, Gerald, but it was nice to see you-"

  He cut her off coldly. "You have so much to do?" he asked incredulously as if mocking her. "You're all alone, Max. You and I both know that. You have no one and all you do is work and go home. You never change. You never will." His words were so harsh and his lips moved into a snarl, while he held her in front of him by gripping her arm so she just couldn’t walk away. "Dammit, if you didn't want to talk to me, all you have to do is say so."

  Still forcing herself to be nice to him, feeling empathy over his situation, she said, "I just think considering that you're still married, we should maintain our distance." Maxine looked sharply at the gold band he still wore on his finger.

  The more she was in Gerald Moss's presence the more she was sure about her feelings for her ex-lover. No longer was she mentally lonely, drifting aimlessly in thoughts when she had broken up with him. Philippe filled her every waking thoughts more and more, even when Maxine was trying not to think about him.

  Gerald straightened her clothes unconsciously just like he used to do. "You can’t deny you we were good together, Max.”

  “If we’re so good together, why don’t you call me by my real name?”

  “That old gripe, Max?” He shrugged indifferently. “That’s a stupid name. Max sounds so much better. Besides I like knowing I’m probably the only person on this earth who really knows your real name.” He went back to the subject he wanted to speak about. “Just accept you need me and I won’t deny I need you," he said this as if it were a hard undeniable fact.

  He needed her alright! He needed her to work for him and just let him use her body however he saw fit.

  Maxine tightened up remembering the long hours she had worked at his office only to find out he took credit for her designs and creativity; how he lied about being married and once she found out he swore he was going to leave his wife, but never did.

  Most of all, she clearly remembered his annoying penchant for cleanliness and how he expected her to not only give her all at the office, but cater to his every need in the home life when he was there and all his anal tendencies.

  Gerald always wanted her to dress perfectly, have her home military clean for him, cook perfect dinners and, most of all, be willing to just lie there and let him do whatever he damn well pleased to her body with no thought of pleasure for herself for days or weeks at a time.

  The stress of being his employee and lover had taken its toll on her mind, body, spirit and heart.

  Yet, at that time in her life when she was with Gerald, Maxine never realized the deferment to her soul the relationship had caused, not until everything was over.

  Still consumed in her thoughts remembering the anxiety and stress, she allowed Gerald to pull her body to his and kiss her. His lips were still very warm and soft just like his thickness indicted, but that was really as much as her body observed.

  There was no blood rushing to her head or any dizzying effects of need like Philippe invoke. She didn't even feel disgust or dissatisfaction. She felt absolutely nothing.

  A great feeling of relief filled her and she even giggled as she was certain her whole being was completely over Gerald Moss.

  Gerald moved her out of the kiss looking very disgusted. Albeit he was still sexy, if this was the past and he wasn't married, she had a feeling she would have still been crazy devoted to him despite how deeply miserable she had always felt. She would have been delusional honored he even paid attention to her.

  Yet, after being with Philippe and even being his lowly slave, Maxine felt drastically different about being with a man. True Philippe tried to demean her, but he also made her feel so damnable gloriously queen-like and had taught her body to demand so much more.

  "It’s not you, Gerald. I’ve changed... a lot. I honestly don’t need you."

  He narrowed those brown eyes suspiciously. “You sure have changed, Max, but you and I were special. No one can ever take that away or replace me." Her touched her chin, his voice filled with so much arrogance.

  She realized he was deliberately using all his intimate tricks to seduce her.

  Moving his hand away from her chin, Maxine knew Gerald would never believe her about Philippe and her own self realization for her newfound confidence. Tenderly, she said, "Get over us Gerald. I’ve gotten over you for a while."

  "Your silly coworker couldn't have made you talk like that, Max."

  Suspiciously she asked "You mean Lisa? How do you know about what Lisa would think? How do you know about her at all?"

  "Because I love you,” he said obviously. “I have to know who’s influencing you. She was using you, manipulating you and making you think you didn’t need me. Don’t let her get between us anymore."

  “Lisa doesn’t influence my decision and has never controlled my thoughts about you. She never has. I hardly talked about that part of my life with her. I'm just not attracted to you anymore," she admitted wholeheartedly.

  "Who is he?" Gerald demanded to know. He started to grip her arm again. "Who’s come into your life trying to get between us?!" He was so possessive all of a sudden and there was this desperate craze look in those brown eyes.

  Knowing he would never stop asking questions, Maxine admitted, "It's no one you know, Gerald."

  "Do love him?" he snarled.

  Her lips didn't hesitate to respond, "Yes!" as she snatched her arm from his grip.

  Gerald stepped away as if she had slapped him, but also looking even angrier. "You'll be sorry, "he seethed.

  Getting tired from feeling sorry for him, she raged, "Gerald, you're the one who lied to me. You're the one who stole my work and broke my heart. Whether I was with someone or not, whatever gave you the idea I'd want to be with you anymore?! Now please leave me alone." She stepped up on her staircase to get far away from him.

  He closed his fist tight and started to step toward her, but people came walking down the sidewalk. When they passed by, he said through gritted teeth, "You'll be sorry. You'll be real sorry. It’s not over between us until I say it’s over." He got onto his vehicle and drove away.

  A nervous shudder went down her neck, but she would refuse to believe Gerald could possibly lust after her so much to want to do harm to her.

  Shaking her head slightly, wondering where Gerald’s insane threats had come from, she disregarded him all together as she walked into her apartment returning to her thoughts for this weekend.

  Arriving at her apartment door, Maxine saw the familiar black box sitting in front of the entry. Whatever had happened to her before with Gerald was immediately pushed out of her mind as she fully focused on the box that was the invitation to a weekend she was nervous.

  As per the instructions, the dress and shoes were underneath it. Taking the box and the other contents inside of her apartment, she set everything on the bed and took a long hot shower.

  Thoughts of calling Sheriff briefly entered her mind, but in reality what could a lowly cop do in the world of great money and power? Sheriff Heart meant well and wanted to do his job, but she had a feeling the powers that be would hinder and frustrate the man to no ends. Yet, Maxine could go and find out if there was more to the society than everyone believe, including Philippe. She could speak to other women and even challenge Nicole or get the woman to help Maxine out.

  Fixing herself a hot cup of Earl Gray tea, she sipped it slowly and stared at the box saying a million and one curses in her mind.

  To g
o there and act as if there was nothing bothering her would be a lie. To accept Philippe as her master would be a lie, too.

  Yet, why did she feel deep down inside that she wanted to see him? Why did she yearn to feel him do more than look at her?

  “You’re crazy,” she told herself out loud. “This man’s crazy!”

  ‘Then you’ll make a perfect couple, especially since you’ve promised him anything. What the hell were you thinking? Do you know you could indebt yourself to this man forever?! You don’t know him. You don’t know anything about him!’

  “Then I’ll just find out,” she told herself facing her computer. “I’ll find out everything I can about Philippe Darkore.”

  With this mindset, she hurriedly washed and dressed before spending some time on the Internet to find out everything she could about Philippe. There wasn’t much about his personal life and she couldn’t find anything about his family either. Maxine knew the company’s website by heart, but even this was elusive when it came to the family behind the business. This frustrated her until she decided to Google him and found an article from a long while ago in the society paper.

  Millionaire’s Son Rescues Girl

  In his effort to try to “carry on” like a regular citizen, Philippe Darkore received a medal of honor from the Detroit Police Department for his efforts in rescuing a child from possible suffocation. The child, whose identity is not being released, was …. STORY CONTINUES | CLICK HERE.

  Maxine tried to click but that only opened to a website where the information was no longer listed online. Cursing, she wrote down the date of the article and the author of the story, whose name was Sharlie Costello, Guest Society Editor at Detroit News.

  When she did a search to see if this person still worked for the paper, there was no current listing for the Detroit Newspapers, but she found a current column for the woman who lived in Chicago now working as a freelance for the Chicago Times.