by S. Nelson
Daring to take another sip of my drink, I prayed the liquid went down more smoothly this time around. Thankfully, it did. No more coughing fits. I had no idea what I would’ve done had he chosen to put his hands on me again.
Alina
WE SAT IN silence for the next two minutes. I sensed his stare the entire time, him only looking away when he ordered a drink. “Do you want another one?” I didn’t answer. “Look, I’m sorry if I upset you. I was just trying to be friendly.” The sincerity in his voice had me turning my head to look at him once again. I hadn’t meant to come across as a bitch, but entertaining someone was the last thing on my mind.
I decided to play nice. The liquid courage coursing through my veins made it easier than it would’ve been moments prior.
“I’m sorry for being so rude. It’s just been that kind of night.” The condensation on my drink allowed my finger to trail up and down the glass with ease while I openly stared at the handsome stranger. His hair was dark, a little longer on top than what I was used to seeing on the men who attended these types of fundraisers. Piercing chocolate-colored eyes roamed my face, settling on my mouth a second too long before making eye contact with me once more. His clean shaven face allowed me to see he had a small scar on his chin, and I wanted so badly to ask him how it happened, but of course, I didn’t. A dimple appeared on his left cheek when he smiled, but that feature wasn’t what drew my attention. It was his lips, his lower fuller than the top. When his tongue captured a lone drop of his drink from his lips, I instinctively parted my own.
“Are you okay?” he asked, tapping the top of my hand with his finger.
“What?” I startled. “Yes. I was just thinking about something I have to take care of later.” I lied, but he didn’t need to know that.
A momentary silence ensued before either of us spoke again.
“I’m Maxton,” he offered, extending his hand while patiently waiting for me to accept his greeting. Luckily not all my manners had left me. I placed my palm in his, and he gripped it tightly. The heat of his skin tingled, and a random thought of his hands all over my body assaulted me. Shaking my head to clear the sudden thought, I pulled my hand from his.
“Maxton? That’s an unusual name?”
“Well, most people call me Max.” Brief silence again. “And you are?” he asked, elongating the word are.
“Alina.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Alina.” No hesitation on his part followed before he bombarded me with personal questions. “So, why are you so upset you’ve turned to alcohol to cope? Problems with your job? Or could it be issues in your love life? Tell me you’re not hitched to someone. Tell me I have a shot,” he teased, placing his hand over his heart in mock seriousness.
“Boy, you’re really not afraid to say whatever’s on your mind, are you?
“No point in wasting time.” He flashed me a smile, and unlike Chris’s, his appeared heartfelt and genuine. “I see you’re not wearing a ring, so I’m guessing you’re not married. You seeing anybody?” He took a sip of his drink, licking those damn lips again before placing the glass on the bar.
“I guess I am.”
“You guess you are?” He looked baffled, and I couldn’t say I blamed him.
For some inexplicable reason, I found the conversation with Max uncomplicated, if that made any sense at all. That didn’t mean I wasn’t unnerved being so close to him. And because I couldn’t accurately describe the way he made me feel, I chalked it up to attraction.
I became lost in the moment, staring at his features, especially his mouth, or watching the way his index finger followed the shape of the rim of his glass, over and over again, entrancing me so much so I almost forgot he asked me a question.
Quickly shaking myself out of whatever spell he’d cast over me, I answered, “I’ve been involved with someone for barely a month, and already my father insists on us becoming engaged. He just told me he’s announcing it shortly, hence the hard alcohol.” I took a large gulp of my drink. “The wedding is set for the fall.” As soon as the words had left my lips, I realized what I’d divulged and slapped my hand over my mouth, knowing the liquor was partly to blame. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I just told you all that. I don’t even know you.”
Without missing a beat, he continued the ludicrous conversation, to my dismay. I wasn’t someone who blurted out my personal life to friends, let alone complete strangers. Everything had to be just so, my reputation, and that of my father’s, of the utmost importance. Or so I’d been told my entire life.
“So you don’t want to marry this guy then?”
“I can’t talk to you about this.” I signaled the bartender for another drink, knowing damn well I should switch to water, especially after seeing the amused look on Max’s face. Because I was sure he was going to continue to press me for more information, I needed all my wits about me, but instead of being smart, I decided to throw caution to the wind.
What’s the worst that can happen?
“Why not? I’m the perfect one to talk to. We don’t know each other so there won’t be any judgment.” He crossed his heart as if he was a boy scout, the corners of his mouth curving up again. I took a deep breath, contemplating canceling my drink order and walking away, or giving in to the impulse to be free to say whatever I wanted. For once in my life. Besides, he was right. He was a total stranger, and I’d most likely never see him again. New York was a large city, after all. So, after draining the rest of my drink, I decided to indulge him and bare it all.
Little did I know my one bout of vulnerability would turn around to bite me.
Alina
“SO FIRST THING’S first, Alina,” Max coaxed, “have you had sex with this guy yet?” His previously charming smile quickly turned into a wicked grin, proving he knew exactly what he was doing.
Rattling me.
Prying.
Being intrusive, yet again.
“Excuse me?” I was flabbergasted, my mouth hanging wide open in utter shock. I simply wasn’t used to anyone being so blunt, other than my father of course.
“It’s not a hard question,” he retorted, leaning closer so his shoulder brushed mine. “But while you’re thinking about your answer, you should close your mouth. All sorts of images are filtering in, and I’m sure if I made you privy to any of them, you’d slap me.” He winked before removing himself from my personal space.
I was completely at a loss for words. Even my internal reply was flustered. An air of arrogance wafted off him, and normally I’d find such a thing revolting, so why I didn’t just get up and walk away, I would never understand.
It took me countless seconds to decide how to finally respond, most likely amusing him even more with my ruffled demeanor. Trying not to appear as the type of woman he probably thought I was—proper and stuck-up—I gave him my reply, albeit laced with a ton of attitude. I simply couldn’t help myself.
“Not that it’s any of your business but, no, I haven’t slept with Chris yet.”
“Chris,” he repeated, nodding as if he was lost in his own inner conversation. “Can’t really gauge what type of man he is by his name.” Tapping his fingers against his mouth, he drew my attention to his lips again. Thankfully, he hadn’t noticed, or else he didn’t make mention of it before saying, “Go on.”
Swallowing a small sip of my drink, the liquor helping to free my tongue, I began to tell him about my proclivities concerning Chris. While I realized it was out of character for me to share personal details of my life with a stranger, I found it liberating to talk about the bullshit that was my current predicament.
“As I just said, we haven’t slept together. Yet. We’ve only been going together for a month.”
“Going together? Are you in grade school?” He laughed. “What does Chris have to say about you holding out on him?”
“He doesn’t have much of a choice now, does he?” I countered, annoyed a virtual stranger was able to rile me so.
“Well, if you
were mine, I would’ve had you underneath me at the end of the first date. This Chris obviously has no game.”
“He has plenty of game, I assure you.” An unexpected need to defend Chris suddenly overcame me. “In fact, I was considering taking the next step in our relationship later tonight.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, it is.” My throat constricted in a nervous swallow.
“Will he be your first?”
“Excuse me? First what?” I had an idea where he was going with his latest question but wanted to clarify before I stuck my foot in my mouth.
“You know, first guy you’ve slept with?” A haughty expression painted his features, and I wanted nothing more than to slap it off him.
“What makes you think I’m a virgin?” Luckily, no one else was crowded around us; otherwise, I feared the contents of my conversation with Max would have been relayed back to my father, and undoubtedly Chris.
With furrowed brows and a look of utter concentration, Max said, “You look like the type of woman who shies away from a good time. A woman who believes spreading her legs is only for whores.”
Is he for real?
“You really are a smug bastard, aren’t you?”
His hearty laugh proved me right. “I’ve been called worse. Believe me.”
“I do.” Looking down at my drink, I saw it was almost empty. Half tempted to order yet another, I decided against it, concerned Max would have me either opening up about everything I deemed personal, or I’d be causing a scene by slapping him before storming off. And both of those scenarios were less than ideal.
“So?”
“No, I’m not a virgin. I just don’t jump into bed with someone right away. Something I’m sure you find odd.”
“As a matter of fact, I do. A month is a long time not to fuck.”
I gasped, heat radiating from my neck up to my cheeks. The surge of awareness rattled me, and I prayed he hadn’t noticed how I’d suddenly shifted in my seat, my thighs pressing together to assuage the unexpected ache.
His blunt response shocked me, although it shouldn’t have. I’d only been engaged in conversation with him for a short time, and already I knew he loved to push the envelope, garnering reactions from people surely his specialty.
“You’re unbelievable,” I admonished. “While I’m sure women drop their panties as soon as you look in their direction, I’m not like that.”
“You would be,” he said matter-of-factly. “If I wanted you in my bed, you’d cave.” Draining the rest of his drink, he tapped the bar top for another.
“Argh, you’re undeniably frustrating. You know that?”
“I do.” He smiled as if our back and forth was the highlight of his evening, although, for the briefest of moments, sadness flashed behind his eyes. Knowing I shouldn’t be staring so intently into those piercing pools of chocolate, I hesitantly looked away. But not quick enough to disengage any further discussion of my sex life, or lack thereof. “So are you really going to rock Chris’s world tonight or are you just saying that to appease me?” My eyes flew back to his, and it was in that moment I witnessed a flash of annoyance cross his face. Had I not been blatantly memorizing every facet of his gorgeousness, I would’ve missed the look. I wondered if he realized he had such expressive features.
My lips parted to say something in response when I saw Chris headed in our direction. Clamping my mouth shut before I said something I regretted, although I had no idea what words were likely to fly free, I swiveled my chair away from Max and toward Chris. He stopped briefly to chat with an affluent couple, all the while watching me with a curiosity I was becoming all too familiar with from him. Or maybe that was simply guilt on my part, engaging in all things too personal with a stranger.
I didn’t know my soon-to-be fiancé well enough yet to know if he had jealous tendencies. He’d always treated me with the utmost respect. Although, I wasn’t naïve. Most people were on their best behavior in the beginning of a relationship, if that’s what this even was between us.
You’re going to be calling it a marriage soon enough.
Frustrated with the dawn of impending announcements to come, I squared my shoulders and tried my best to ignore the quickened beat of my heart and the warmth spreading through me with the knowledge that Max was most likely staring at me from behind. Instinct, or intuition, or whatever word associated best with knowing his gaze was locked on me affected me more than I cared to acknowledge.
I was never so happy to see Chris since my unexpected pull toward Max was becoming more intense as the moments ticked by. I desperately needed the distraction.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he greeted, leaning in to kiss my cheek, his lips lingering longer than appropriate in such a formal setting. But who was I to judge what was appropriate at that point? It surely wasn’t appropriate to tell a stranger I hadn’t slept with the man I’d been dating. And it definitely wasn’t appropriate to engage said stranger in further conversation, allowing him to ruffle me with thoughts of squirming beneath him when he told me he would’ve had me spread beneath him on the first date.
No, any sense of appropriateness flew right out the window as soon as Max had butted into my business.
Finally turning his attention toward Max, Chris gave the man a fleeting smile. “I see you’ve met Maxton Colter.” The two men exchanged a friendly greeting while I was left to wonder how they knew each other.
“Briefly,” I answered, still rather flustered. “How do you two know each other?” While I waited for Chris to answer, my conversation with Max replayed over and over in my head. How rude I was to him, although justifiably so, when he interjected his thoughts on my drink order. Then all the words that were exchanged between us afterward.
“Are you okay, Alina?” Chris leaned closer, slinging his arm over my shoulder as a sign of concern. Or was that possession?
“Yeah, are you all right?” Max asked, the gravel in his voice sending shivers through me. When I dared to connect my gaze with his, he smirked, as if he was aware of all things untold.
I knew right away the man was going to be trouble.
Max
THE GLARE ALINA shot my way thrilled me. She was proper and demure, but I saw the urge to break free from a life of restraint hiding just underneath the shroud of fierceness I’d witnessed over the past half hour. She was a spitfire, and like all the other dirty images rattling around in my head, I couldn’t help but imagine how she’d be in the sack.
Her long dark blonde hair was piled high on her head in a mess of curls, a couple of pieces falling loose and framing her stunning face. She had the most striking green eyes I’d ever seen, tiny flecks of amber hidden near the irises, only visible when the light hit them just so. Her pert nose and full lips were in direct proportion to her high cheekbones. The woman was a knockout, hands down the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Too bad she was taken. We really could’ve had some fun together.
“So how do you know each other?” she repeated, her intense stare bouncing between Harris and me.
“Max was just hired as Geoffrey’s replacement. And we won’t hold it against him that he’s a Harvard graduate.” Harris laughed at his own joke. He’d graduated from Yale and thought other Ivy League schools were second-rate. We’d had a few discussions on the topic and agreed to disagree.
“Someone has to class up that place,” I responded, bumping Alina’s knee with mine as I shifted in my seat, a purposely orchestrated effort to touch her, even if only with my leg.
Ever since Harris’s approach, she’d become nervous, and I knew exactly why. She’d revealed all the dirty details about her newest dilemma to who she thought was a perfect stranger. Turned out said perfect stranger knew her boyfriend, and knew she’d never slept with the guy. Why does that soothe me so?
“Oh . . . well, that’s good,” she eventually said, continuing to look more than a little uncomfortable. Harris noticed something was off as well, shifting from one foot to the other un
til he finally linked his fingers with Alina’s and guided her to her feet.
“Come on, sweetheart. Your father wants to see us,” he finally announced before turning back to me. “It was nice seeing you, Max. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Yep.” My eyes followed every movement Alina made, from the flick of her gaze to the bunching of her muscles, her throat constricting in an uneasy swallow.
Before she stepped out of reach, I grabbed her free hand and stood from my seat. She gasped, but it wasn’t loud enough to warrant a look from the man now glued to her side. “It was a true pleasure meeting you, Alina. I hope to see you again soon.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek before whispering so only she could hear. “Do put the man out of his misery tonight. He needs it.” Her posture locked tight and the breath from her lungs caught in her throat. I hated uttering those words. The mere thought of her lying underneath him made my muscles tense, but I couldn’t help myself. Any reaction I could garner from her was a win. Stepping back, I looked at Harris, knowing Alina’s eyes were pinned to my face the entire time. “You’re getting lucky tonight.”
“What?” he asked. I grinned at the tight furrow of his brows. Stealing a quick look at Alina, my smile intensified. She looked mortified.
With proper enunciation, I answered, “I said you’re a lucky guy.” Holding Alina’s stare, I reiterated, “A lucky guy indeed.”
“That I am,” Harris agreed, a slight suspicion creeping over his expression.
And just like that the one woman who’d managed to intrigue me in longer than I cared to admit waltzed off with another man.
Alina
“SO WHAT’S HIS story?” Chris ignored my question at first, instead silently ushering me across the crowded floor and toward my father, who was engaged in conversation with a group of men. I yanked on his hand clasped around my own, raising my brows when he glanced back at me in slight annoyance.