by T. C. Clark
She wondered what had happened to him. Just a few months ago she’d seen a picture of him in a newspaper on Alex’s desk and he’d looked like he was on top of the world. She watched him for a while, from the corner of the room. She had to figure out how to approach him; he must have felt her gaze because he turned in her direction.
Well, she couldn’t stand in the corner watching him forever like a creepy person. She moved forward and tilted her chin back—remembering her mother’s advice for keeping great posture as she entered a situation that could end in confrontation. If someone was being sent to collect him, then he obviously didn’t want to leave. Alex had already called ahead and left a message that he was sending someone to collect him, but she was expecting a fight.
He was dressed like a man who belonged here and yet he seemed out of place. He was wearing tinted glasses that hid his eyes from her. The one thing that stood out to her was his lonely profile. There were people all around him in the bar, yet he seemed like he was worlds away.
He smiled when she dusted the seat off before she sat down. She tried to look nonchalant as she smiled at the bartender who was staring at her in confusion. She knew she looked out of place in a swanky bar like this. To be honest, this was not the sort of place she would usually spend time in.
“You are beautiful,” Maks said gruffly, leaning forward to get a better look at her. She blushed at the unexpected compliment. She hated that he was wearing tinted glasses. They hid his gaze. Ever since she was little, she’d been able to recognize the truth in people’s eyes. On the rare times, her dad had been around he’d often called her his little witch. He said it was magic. She thought she was cursed.
The bartender walked up and examined her as well. A loud group of women strolled in laughing and talking. Leslie winced when they sat down directly next to them. She put her hand over her mouth to hide her laugh when the bartender looked in their direction and gave a mock shudder, rolled his eyes, and walked over to her.
“What would you like?” he asked, leaning over the counter to hear her talk. She was surprised at how clear his English was. So far today she’d been met with a barrage of indecipherable Italian, and the basic phrases she’d looked up on the plane had been zero help.
Before she could talk, one of the girls moved forward and yelled something out in Italian to get his attention. Her bright green eyes looked her over and then she whispered something in Italian to her friend. The tone and the nastiness of her expression made it clear she was talking about her.
They laughed, and she sighed. Some women never grew up. They didn’t know that Leslie had dealt with that type of mean girl shit her whole life. She’d learned long ago that women like that were meant to be forgotten. People who found pleasure in hurting others were damaged beyond repair. Their words held zero value.
She straightened her back and turned away from them. There was no need for a scene; they didn’t deserve her time. Maks obviously didn’t believe in taking the high road because he yelled something in Italian. Whatever he said silenced the women and had the bartender laughing so hard that he nearly dropped her drink.
She looked at their bright red faces as they gathered their things while muttering to each other. One girl said something to Leslie and the other ladies nodded their heads in agreement. They stormed off, leaving the bar just as loudly as they’d entered it. Leslie turned back to him with a frown on her face. She really needed to learn Italian.
“What did they say?” she asked Maks as she accepted her soft drink from the amused bartender. She needed to keep her head clear for this.
“Something about even you could find better company than me,” Maks said honestly. He took the rest of his whiskey and downed it in one gulp. Leslie winced. That had to burn.
“Even me… wow, even when they’re trying to say something nice, it starts with a slap.” Leslie took a sip of her Sprite. It was funny how something as simple as a familiar drink could make you feel like you were home.
“Some people know no other way.” Maks tapped his glass to indicate to the bartender that he wanted another drink. But Leslie shook her head and signaled for him to stop. For a moment he looked as if he was going to argue, but something on Leslie’s face must have stopped him. She sighed with relief. She didn’t know what she would have done if he’d continued drinking.
“So what brings you here?” he asked. He’d missed the interaction between her and the bartender. His massive frame looked uncomfortable on the small bar stool, but he showed no signs of getting up to go.
“I’ve come to take you home,” she said honestly, wondering how to explain that he needed to go back to Chicago when she didn’t even know what had brought him here or why they needed him to come back.
“You’re a fan, right?” He looked own at the empty glass and then back at the bartender who’d moved away.
“Yes, I’ve seen your work.” She didn’t know why that mattered.
“Another,” he roared to the bartender who was doing his best to avoid eye contact. His voice quieted the room, and the other patrons looked at them. She didn’t need to look into the overhead mirror to know that her light brown skin was flushed with embarrassment. She hated scenes of any kind.
“I think that’s enough,” Leslie said quietly, her heart beating faster.
“Enough? Who the hell are you to tell me when I’ve had enough?” He picked up the empty glass and raised it. The bartender purposely ignored the command and picked up the phone behind the counter. Probably calling security.
“What the fuck are you really doing here?” He slammed his empty glass down onto the counter and turned to face her. Oh, lord, now she was the target.
“I was sent here to help you,” she began, reaching into her bag to pull out her phone to show him the messages from Alex.
“Help me?” he asked with a nasty expression. His once handsome face morphed into an ugly thing. “You want to be helpful? Then tell me how much.”
“Excuse me?” She knew what he meant, but she wanted to make him spell it out. What the fuck was wrong with him?
“You heard me, how much do you want for the night? Although as a fan you may be up to going upstairs with me for free. Fans are the best in the bed, so eager to please, especially ones that look like you.”
“Maks…” she warned.
“You’re not even my type, not really…but I can manage. You really are a plain-looking woman, not my usual kind at all.” His voice was so loud that his words were clear. She had never been more embarrassed. It was true that she was a fan, and maybe she’d had a little crush on him, but his words obliterated all of that. She’d been through a lot, but somehow his remarks were cutting through her well-earned armor.
“That’s not what this is about,” she managed in a shaky voice. She braced herself as an Italian man separated himself from his friends. She had a feeling he was heading this way. The pain his words had inflicted must have shown on her face.
“I know women like you. You try to change a man. But people don’t change. Trust me; you need to leave me alone. I promise I’ll hurt you if you don’t,” he said, standing quickly. She noticed his swaying. She stood as well as the man who was heading their way moved to punch him. She tried to step in, but Maks pushed her back as the other man’s fist connected with his jaw. Before she knew it, a full bar fight was happening. It was just like a Western if you forgave the expensive designer clothes.
When Maks fell to the ground, something fell out of his pocket. She reached down to grab it and stuffed it into her bag. As more people joined in, she moved away from the fight and headed out into the hall. Maks was a big man with a lot of money. Whatever happened next, he would be fine. She kept her head down and moved to the front of the room. She pulled the bottle out and looked at the pills. A quick Google search revealed that it was a mixture of ecstasy and pain pills. The number of pills was enough to kill him.
She was out of her league here. She opened her phone and found the number of the
one man who was more intimidating than Maks. Nikos was the definition of alpha male, and if anyone could deal with this, it was him.
“Hello?” Nikos answered in a gruff tone.
“I need your help. I’m Leslie, Alex’s assistant. He sent me here to get Maks.”
“Why the hell would he send you? I told him to handle it himself!” he roared. A sleepy voice said something to him and he whispered, “Sorry moró, go back to sleep.”
“I don’t have time to explain all of this. I found pills on him, and he’s different now. He’s actually in the middle of a barroom brawl. I need your help because in the next ten minutes he’s about to be taken to an Italian jail.
“Give him the phone.”
“Listen, I don’t want to be involved in this. He feels dangerous, and he’s on drugs…”
“Just give him the phone, that’s all. I promise you he won’t hurt you, and after that, you are free to go. Alex should never have sent you. When you get home I want you to tell him, we will have words. You called me because you want to help, right?”
“Yeah, I do,” she sighed. Fuck, she was going to have to go back in there.
“Then hand him the phone,” he commanded again.
Maks had just knocked someone down. She was almost in front of him when someone went to push her. Maks moved quickly to intervene and punched him. It was the second time he’d stopped someone from hitting her. He was an ass for sure, but at least he was doing what he could to protect her, and that gave her an opening. She grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her.
His tinted glasses had fallen off, and she finally caught a glimpse of the bloodshot, pain-filled eyes. His pupils were dilated to the point that his eyes looked black. Okay, he was messed up.
“Where are we going? You ready to give me a price?” He asked with a disgusting smile. She pulled him into the entryway for the stairs and turned around.
“Someone wants to speak to you.” She handed him the phone.
He took the phone and started yelling in Greek. It took a while, but the yells turned into muttering, and before she could say anything about the change, he handed the phone back.
“You can go home. I’ll be there soon to take over care,” Nikos said.
“Are you coming here now?” she asked.
“I’m about twenty hours away, I should be there soon. I’m leaving within an hour.” She grabbed Maks’ arm, and he went with her willingly. She walked in a circle back to the bar. He followed along, stumbling slightly, subdued by whatever Nikos had said.
“Well, when you get here, pick him up from the jail.” She pushed him back into the bar where the police were and the bartender pointed in his direction. Maks looked back at her menacingly, and she shrugged and walked away.
“I thought you got him out of there,” Nikos asked.
“I did, but I brought him back. He’s high on drugs, and the number of pills in that bottle I found is dangerous. I kept the pills; I’ll flush them down the toilet. But he can’t be trusted to just go back to his room and wait for you to show up. He’s a big boy, he can handle himself in there, and maybe by the time you get here he will have sobered up enough to let you help him.”
“I think you’re right. Thank you for helping him. Is he really that bad?” Nikos asked seriously.
“He’s hurting over something. Something that’s turned him nasty. Whatever you do, don’t let it go until he tells you what it is. And if you want to thank me, keep him away from me. That’s all I want,” Leslie said, warily making her way back to her room. She ignored the pain tearing through her heart. His hateful words had hurt her. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were too bright, but she wouldn’t shed a tear for that man.
* * *
Present Day…
“When we met again, you didn’t remember my face. I was thankful for that, and Nikos knew I wanted to be left alone, so he kept quiet. I knew something was wrong with you but your words… they cut deep. That’s not all your fault. I had a crush on you, admired you. Your words should not have mattered as much as they did. But that’s why I don’t want to do whatever this is. You lost that chance, and anyway, I’m not really your type, right?” Leslie moved away from the table and walked to the sink. Her back was rigid. Maks cursed himself as he recognized the pain he’d placed there.
He vaguely remembered that night. He’d taken a lot of drugs so the face of the woman he’d hurt was a blur. But he’d remembered some of what he’d said. He’d wanted to hurt anyone who came close to him. Only one other person knew the truth, and even then, he’d had to beat it out of him. Nikos had picked him up from the jail and taken him back to a villa he owned in the area.
Nikos had handed Maks some boxing gloves and asked him to tell him what was going on. He’d refused at first, and Nikos went to work. It took a few minutes of fighting before Maks broke down and told him what happened.
A few months later after rehab and therapy, he asked about the woman in the bar. He needed to find her and apologize, but Nikos refused to give him a name, and he didn’t blame him for that.
He’d heard a lot of stories about how he was during that time and none of them were good. How did he explain to her that he wasn’t the same man without telling his secret? The truth was the only thing that could save him. He walked over to her and tilted her head back so she would meet his eyes.
“Leslie, look at me. I’m sorry I hurt you.” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “I was a dad for exactly ten months. It was the best time of my life. Lacey, a friend of mine, we got drunk and slept together. But it was more for fun than anything else. She was still in love with her ex-husband and I was between girlfriends. It was meant to be one night. Afterward I left for work in New York and she went back home to Montana. I’d heard she’d reconciled with her ex and I was happy for her. When I found out she had a kid, I didn’t think anything of it. And then one day she called me in tears screaming about a DNA test. She’d wanted to wait until after Maria was born before having one done. It was a 50 percent chance it was her ex-husband’s, she’d been with us both at the same time. When she found out the truth, she told him, and their new marriage blew up.”
Leslie paled and sat down next to him. He didn’t know what she was thinking but he couldn’t stop now.
“She told me I was a dad. I knew Lacey. I could trust her. She wouldn’t lie about something like that. I brought her out to New York, and we somehow made it work. Maria made it easier. We weren’t in love, but our love for her made it okay. She made me promise to keep the news to myself until she was ready to tell the rest of her family; only her sister and parents knew what was going on. So we lived together, and I was… I was whole with them. You would have loved Maria; she was the most beautiful baby in the world. I proposed to Lacey…”
“You proposed to her?” she asked.
“Yeah, contrary to what I’ve shown you so far, I like to do the right thing, and we both decided that Maria needed two parents. After a bit of time, we were pretty happy. She was ready to talk to her extended family. I left for an exhibit in Japan. I was only going to be there for a few days and then I would meet her in Montana with her family. I’d also planned to tell mine. I kissed them goodbye so quickly. I was running late, and I didn’t want to miss my flight. I didn’t even sing to Maria. She liked it when I sang her goodbye…” His voice trailed off, and Leslie reached out to squeeze his hand. He looked at her; her eyes were filled with tears and compassion. He needed her to know everything.
“So I arrive in Japan and a few hours later I get a call. They’d been hit by a semi truck on their way to the grocery store. The man driving had a heart attack and spun out of control and crashed into them. Everyone died. My baby, Lacey, and the old man driving. I remember thinking that it couldn’t be real. Why would God do that? Why give me all of this just to take it away?” He asked out loud. Leslie opened her mouth to speak and then closed it as the tears finally fell.
“When you met me… it had been just a few
months. I’d finally gone back home and saw all of their stuff. They don’t tell you what to do with their things. My baby’s clothes, Lacey’s makeup. I lost it. I turned to drugs, drinking, and escorts to numb it, although that only worked some of the time. I wish I could remember what I was thinking when I said those things to you. But I’m missing months of my life. I took a lot of pills around that time and I’m pretty sure if you hadn’t stepped in when you did, I would be gone.” He looked as if he wanted to say more but couldn’t get anything else out. It took him a moment; he roughly wiped the tears from his face.
He stood then and took her hand. “I’m sorry I hurt you. You didn’t deserve that, and if I had been me… the me that I am now, it would never have happened. But nothing I said that night is true. You are beautiful and this isn’t a game, not to me. So I’m going to go home and have a Sprite and paint for a while. I’m now alcohol and drug-free, permanently. But I will be back, Leslie, because you are worth it. I was awful to you and you still saved my life… how could you ever doubt I would want a woman like you?” He leaned down slowly. He wanted to give her the chance to push him away. He stole a kiss from her cold lips. It was quick, but it provided exactly what he needed at this moment. When he released her, he took a step back.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he said quietly.
“Maks,” she called as he got to the door. She waited until he turned around to speak. “I forgive you for that night, and I am so sorry for everything you lost. If I could have been there to help you, to bear some of that pain, I would have. But I think you should think of your time with them as a gift. You were allowed to be a father, and you were granted a woman honest enough to tell you the truth. You were blessed even if it feels like a curse; try to remember that, especially whenever it gets hard.”
He paused as her words hit him. He’d tried to find a way to rationalize what had happened and nothing ever made sense to him. But he liked the way Leslie saw the situation. Her thick curly black hair was a mess now. Her light brown skin flushed. She had mascara running down her face, and still, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He smiled.
