Ewan called after his son desperately now, but Philippe didn’t stop walking with Maxine and he didn’t look back.
Chapter 43
When they were outside and Philippe was waving down a cab, Maxine couldn’t help to still think about the forty million Philippe had turned his back on.
“If you ask me if I’m sure one more time,” Philippe threatened reading her thoughts. “I’m going to beat you seriously, Maxine.” There was humor in his eyes, but then he went dead serious when he said, “I love you, Maxine and being around that man is toxic for you and me.” He pulled her in his arms close and kissed her just as a cab pulled up in front of them.
Her body gave into his lips and she could feel the stirrings of a familiar arousal. Everything about Philippe took her breath away and she was overly honored this man sacrificed everything in order to be with her.
He assisted her in the cab and continued to kiss her face and neck after telling the driver an address, which Maxine assumed was the hotel.
“So where do we live? My place?” she questioned.
“If you want?” he murmured hitting a sweet spot on her neck making her bite her lip to keep from groaning.
Breathlessly, she said, “And you’ll do what? Most likely he won’t let you step foot in his company.”
“Pierre should probably be handing him my resignation letter right about now.”
She pushed him away realizing everything. “You planned this? You wanted him to disown you?”
“Yes, Maxine. I wanted him to disown me. After I spoke to Pierre this morning and told him all about you and my feelings and what I wanted to do, I asked him to give Ewan the resignation letter for me because I knew I’d want to punch the man in the face repeatedly and not stop.”
“But you did.”
“I know, but that’s because he went too far and I only punched him once. I had to defend you, Maxine.”
She kissed him tenderly. “Thank you, Philippe.”
“I don’t regret hitting that man. And if you’re worried about money, I have a little put aside.”
“I was worried about you. You’re used to a certain state of living and my old dusty apartment isn’t going to cut it with two people.”
The cab pulled in front of a large mini mansion in Indian village that looked freshly painted and well taken care of.
“Where are we?” Maxine questioned.
Philippe paid the driver and then guided Maxine out of the cab. “Our house.”
She gripped his arm tightly. “Our?”
“If you’ll have me Maxine,” Philippe said getting down on one knee. “I want to marry you. I want to make you my wife. I want to share the rest of my life with you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Maxine Waters. The only woman I’ve really ever loved. I want us to be a family, together.”
“Us?” she asked still in disbelief.
“Maxine,” he said. “You’re not dreaming.”
“But Philippe, what would people think. Once things get out about the society, they’ll know I was your slave and they’ll think-“
“They’ll know in truth you were always the master of our relationship. You had power over me from the first moment I saw your face, mi amour. And I will forever be a servant to you. Now please say you’ll marry me.”
She moved on his knee and kissed him tenderly. “First tell me how did you get this house?”
“I have a small savings, put aside,” he said. “I started a new venture a while ago with my own money and it paid off big time, if you must know. What does it matter?”
“Because I don’t want anything to do with Ewan’s money at all.”
“And neither do I,” he agreed.
“What’s a small amount?” she asked suspiciously.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just a couple of dollars I put away from my own paycheck and selling off all the stocks I owned to the company.”
“A couple, Philippe?”
“Only four.”
“Four what?”
“Million.”
Shooting to her feet, she looked at him in exasperation. “Four million dollars! That’s not small.”
“It’s smaller then forty,” he said. “Maxine, I’m still on one knee eagerly awaiting-“
“Yes!” she said impatiently. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Philippe. I’d have said yes last night if you weren’t so silly drunk in your hotel room.”
“I asked? Really? All of that wasn’t a dream?”
“No, silly.” She moved on his knee again and kissed him more to give him a proper acceptance of his proposal. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Philippe Darkore.”
“I love you, Maxine.”
“I love you too.”
He swept her up and carried her effortlessly into the home. Their kisses had become deeper and tumultuous with Philippe barely getting the front door closed before she was laid on a couch and her clothes started coming off.
Maxine would get a tour later, but for now, she wanted to feel Philippe from the outside to her insides. She would never get enough of this man.
***
Philippe heard the knock at the door from all the way up in the bedroom. The house was so quiet and he had been up for a while just watching Maxine sleep. Somehow, they’d made it upstairs after a tour of the grand house and ending in the master bedroom where they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other yet again.
On top of that, he had made Maxine take the tour naked so keeping his hands to himself had been very difficult.
Grabbing his pants from the front room, he answered the door to his son, Pierre.
“Did she like the house, Father?” Pierre questioned.
“What she did see she liked,” Philippe answered.
Pierre held up two sets of keys. “I had your cars towed from the hotel. Armando had business and no one else wanted to get between Ewan and you.”
“You aren’t afraid your grandfather will be angry at you?”
“You’ve taught me a lot, Father, and the one thing you made me unafraid of was Grandfather. I do what I want and he can only cling to the hope that I won’t leave him too. He was truly upset.”
“I don’t care, Pierre.”
“I know, but you should know that I’ve formally accepted the position to be head master of the new society,” Pierre announced.
“You what?! NO! I forbid it.”
“Another thing you taught me is never do anything for your parents you don’t want to do.”
“I’m forbidding you to do this, Pierre,” Philippe said emphatically.
“You’re acting the opposite of your father. Hear me out, Father, before you make a decision.”
Philippe huffed but listened.
“When the board came to me I was against the idea until they said they’d give me free reign over the changes I offered. Plus with our family name involved heavily in the charter, I know I need to at least make sure our name isn’t dragged down with this revamping taking place and some of the public knowing what was going on in the society. With the changes Nicole and even Maxine gave me, I know it will be a better place for everyone.”
“My Maxine. She hated that place.”
“She did, but she is educated and open minded enough to see it serves a purpose for some. Her ideas were quite good too,” Pierre said proudly. “I want to see everything through and I want the experience of the society, but without the restrictions they offered. It’s not only for one color of wealth anymore, if you must know. They even opened up the three board seats to two Black persons and a Hispanic. Let me do this and just support me however you can, but don’t be like Grandfather and give me all or nothing.”
Philippe hugged his son. “I’ve raised a very intelligent young man.”
Pierre chuckled. “Thank you and I’ll be careful. I promise. Tell Maxine thank you.” he handed his father an envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Armando said these are the papers he needs to f
ile for your marriage. She needs to sign them and he’ll send a messenger by tomorrow to pick them up, along with her birth certificate and identification.”
“Thank you,” Philippe said gratefully.
“Hello Pierre,” Maxine said from the top of the stairs with a sheet around her body. “I didn’t know we had guest. I awoke and saw Philippe gone and got worried.”
“I was just leaving. Congratulations on your nuptials,” he said nodding in approval.
She blushed and nodded back.
Pierre was about to leave, but stopped before he walked out the door. “A couple of more thing you two should know” There was this grievous look in his eyes. “Onyx Black came to me after the grand jury let out and she said Lisa’s daughter will be place in a foster home with no chance of a permanent home in the over burden system there, but if you wanted Onyx could work with Armando and get the child transferred here and you guys could foster her until-“
“Yes!” Maxine said without hesitation coming down the steps, but then looked at Philippe. “I’m sorry, love. I should ask your permission.”
Philippe moved to her and kissed her tenderly. “Will it make you happy, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s really all I need to know. Raising a family with you would be an honor, Maxine.”
She wrapped her arms around Philippe’s neck and hugged him in thanks.
Pierre cleared his throat. “There’s more,” he said getting their attention. “Armando said a reporter named Sharlie Costello contacted him trying to reach you, Maxine. Something about an article you inquired about.”
Maxine held Philippe’s hand tight. “Can he let him know I no longer need to know anything. I found out the truth about Philippe without her help.”
“Good, because that’s a woman you really don’t want in your business.” Philippe said relieved. “She makes Onyx Heart look like a saint.”
That was hard to believe, but Maxine would take his word.
Pierre continued, “Anna’s testimony in the Grand Jury cleared the both of you of all charges.”
“So she told the truth,” Philippe said surprised.
Maxine looked equally shocked.
“Yes, her testimony corresponded with everything you both said. Armando was shocked as well. I’m just glad it clears you of any charges, Father.”
“I’m glad too,” Maxine said in relief.
“I’m not bothered that I had to hurt someone in order to make sure you were safe, Maxine,” Philippe said perturbed. “But I am glad I don’t have to sit behind bars for it.”
“That’s not all,” Pierre said. “When they returned Anna back to her cell, she used her stockings to hang herself.”
Maxine gasped and sat down on the steps. Philippe moved to immediately comfort her. “Did she leave a note? Doesn’t anyone know why?”
“According to Armando, she left a note on the table where she was sitting with her assigned lawyer. Maxine, she asked for you to forgive her and to take care of son.”
“Her son? She had a child?” Maxine asked, blown away by this information. Anna never spoke of a child and she didn’t look like the type that would have a child.
“Yes,” Pierre answered. “Two years old and Sheriff went over there tonight to find out that he had been locked in a back room with a bunch of food and newspaper all over the floor. That’s one of the things I want to prevent as well. Women shouldn’t have to sacrifice their child’s life to be a part of the society.”
“What will happen to the child?”
“Anna had no relatives. Her mother died a crack whore and her father died in jail. There were no siblings and no aunts or uncles to find,” Pierre answered. “The son most likely will just go into the system.”
“Unless you want him too, Maxine,” Philippe said. “Is that an option?”
“Of course. Armando should have no problem with that request,” Pierre said. “That could be, but it’s really up to you, Maxine.”
Maxine never thought she would ever have a child or an opportunity to become a mother because of her past.
Now at this moment, she was getting the man of her dreams AND the opportunity to be a mother.
She would have a family of her own. Despite her mistakes, despite her pasts and despite all that had happened to her, she would have what she really wanted: People who really cared about her.
“And you wouldn’t mind?” she asked Philippe.
“Mind?! Hell, I’d welcome the chance to raise children with you, of course, after you become my wife.”
“So is that a yes?” Pierre asked.
“Yes, Pierre.” She kissed Philippe grateful he was in her life. “Thank you, Philippe.”
“No, thank you Maxine.” Philippe drew her into his lap to deepen the kiss.
Maxine heard the door close, but the way Philippe was kissing and touching her, she almost didn’t care if her almost new son in law saw them start to make love right there on the steps.
She’d never get enough of Philippe Darkore and she knew he’d never get enough of her. They would be together forever.
End of Dark Facade
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Dark Facade (Book Four) (Dark Facade Series) Page 13