Dare to Seduce

by Carly Phillips

  “Max,” she whispered, almost as if she couldn’t believe he was standing there.

  “Mom.”

  She blinked back tears, and he didn’t know what to make of the change. In this older woman, he saw signs of the mom he’d grown up with in that small apartment, before she’d let her job overtake her family.

  “You remember Lucy,” he said, his hand on the small of her back.

  “Hi, Mrs. Savage.”

  “Loretta,” she corrected her.

  “Loretta. It’s nice to see you again,” Lucy said.

  “Come in, come in. It’s cold outside.” She ushered them into the house, which was still decorated the same way Max remembered. Not overly ornate but too fancy for his taste, especially as a teenage boy prone to running, not walking, and for a houseful of foster kids.

  A little while later, they sat with both Max’s parents on the porch they’d enclosed to create a sunroom. His father looked pale, and though the room was heated, he had a blanket over his legs.

  “Dad, are you okay?” Max asked him, realizing his father had aged as well. His complexion was sallow, his shoulders hunched, and he lacked the strong-as-a-bull appearance Max had always associated with his dad.

  “Just some reaction to chemo.”

  Lucy sucked in a startled breath, and Max felt as if he’d been punched hard. He wanted to double over, but he remained upright. “What kind?”

  “Lymphoma, but it’s under control.”

  His father had always been a straight shooter, and Max believed him. Max nodded slowly. “That’s good then.”

  Max felt sad for the years that had passed, worried about the man who’d raised him, and though there was some guilt for not returning their calls, a part of him was still that hurt boy they’d all but turned their backs on.

  “Is that why you’ve been calling?” he asked, looking at his mother, who sat by Victor’s side.

  “No, actually we’ve been dealing with the cancer on and off for a while now,” Loretta said. “It makes you look back on your life. Reflect.”

  Beside him on the sofa, Lucy slid a hand into his as he listened, stunned by the fact that there was more to this visit than letting him know his father was sick.

  “Max, I loved being your mom.”

  “Could have fooled me,” he said, the bitter words escaping before he could censor his reply.

  His mother rose and walked over, then knelt down beside him, the pain in her eyes a tangible thing. “I hated working the restaurant. I never wanted you to know that. I never wanted your dad to know that. I wanted the career I went to school for, but I loved my family. I wanted the restaurant to succeed so your dad would be happy. So we’d have money so you’d have the things you needed and you wouldn’t want for anything.”

  Max gripped his hands together in his lap, knowing Lucy was there, by his side. “We didn’t need money, Mom. We needed each other,” he said gruffly, uncomfortable because they’d never had these kinds of serious conversations. At least not back then, when it would have helped. When it would have mattered.

  She dipped her head once, acknowledging his point before meeting his gaze. “You always were such a little adult, a self-sufficient child.” She smiled, shaking her head. “I mean, at ten years old, you could cook better than I could.”

  He shook his head, unable not to laugh. “I inherited that talent from dad.”

  His father, who had been watching in silence, smiled at that comment. But Max had the distinct impression they’d already discussed how this talk would go, that his mother would lead. And given that she’d been the one to make the major changes in their family’s past, maybe it was the right thing to do.

  “When the restaurant took off and our lives changed, I grasped on to the opportunity to live my dream, to help kids in need.”

  “I never begrudged you that. Hell, I never begrudged them the chance to start over. I just didn’t think I’d be the one left out in my own house. In my own family.” Max was mortified to find his voice cracking on the piece of truth that always had the power to break his heart.

  “I know. I handled things all wrong. I got all wrapped up in what they needed, in my do-good career I’d put on hold. I didn’t even realize I messed up my family until the kids were gone, you were gone… and nobody came back anymore.”

  “Because you didn’t create a family, Mom. You gave them a house, you gave them the things they needed. You told me I already had those things so I didn’t need more. But I think you forgot the most important thing in the mix. Love.”

  “I know that now and I’m sorry. When I thought I was going to lose your father, it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. Once I realized he was going to be okay and I really looked at my life… I wasn’t proud of what I saw. I’ve missed you. So much.”

  He felt Lucy beside him, her strength giving him more, allowing him to deal with this piece of his past. He really had thought it was all behind him, but she was right. How did you ever leave your parents without closure? And now that he was here, seeing how his father was ill, his mother seemingly sorry, he had to ask himself… did he really want to go on without them in his life? Did he want to live with regrets?

  “Can you forgive me?” his mother asked.

  He rose to his feet, helping her do the same. “You’re my mother. I’m not going to hold a grudge for the rest of my life.” It wouldn’t help him now. “I don’t know what kind of relationship we’ll have, but we can try.”

  She released the tears she’d been holding in and wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Thank you.”

  He patted her awkwardly on the back, knowing this was just a tiny step. There would be other awkward get-togethers in the future before the rift ever really mended.

  She pulled away, and he walked over to his father, who had stood up to join them. “I wasn’t much better, son. Not paying attention to what was going on at home, focusing on work to the exclusion of my family.”

  There wasn’t much to say to that, so he merely hugged the older man, noticing how frail he felt to the touch. He was happy he’d made this trip, glad he’d listened to Lucy.

  He turned to find her, to tell her, to thank her, but she’d disappeared.

  * * *

  Lucy slipped out of the room and left the house, making her way to the backyard next door, where she’d grown up. She sat in the ultra modern jungle gym the new owners must have erected, and swung back in a swing. A layer of sadness filtered over the pleasure she’d found in watching Max reach a tentative sense of peace with his parents, something she’d never had the chance to do. It made her miss her family even more.

  When she’d offered to come here with Max, she hadn’t given a thought to how she’d feel returning to the neighborhood. Now she knew. Her heart hurt.

  She’d come to terms with losing her parents years ago, but being here reminded her of what she’d had and lost. Of what she could have with Max… and the fear of being destroyed should something go wrong.

  “Excuse me…” A woman approached her, walking toward her warily. “Umm, can I help you?” She stopped a few feet away, obviously afraid Lucy was an unhinged female in her yard.

  She rose to her feet. “I’m sorry. I’m Lucy Dare, and I’m visiting the Savage family next door.”

  “And you just thought you’d play in our backyard?” the blonde asked, confused.

  “I used to live here,” Lucy explained. “I grew up in your house. I’m sorry I scared you.”

  The woman’s shoulders dropped in relief. “I’m Carrie Sanders. We bought this house two years ago.”

  “It’s changed hands a few times then,” Lucy mused.

  Carrie nodded. “The last owners were in the financial sector. The husband was transferred to Hong Kong.”

  “Mom!” a little voice yelled from the house.

  She shot Lucy a wry smile. “That’s me. I’ve got to be going.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll leave too. No worries about the strange
lady in your backyard.”

  “Lucy!” Max called, the concern in his voice clear.

  “And that’s my cue anyway. Nice meeting you,” Lucy said.

  “Same.” Carrie glanced at her, watching as she walked out of the yard, probably relieved.

  Not that Lucy blamed her. She had a family in the house to protect.

  Lucy rubbed her arms with her hands, feeling the chill in the air down to her bones. Or maybe it was the chill of memories. She wasn’t sure.

  She met up with Max on the driveway of his parents’ house. “There you are! Jesus. You scared me, disappearing like that.”

  “Sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I just took a walk next door.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “I would have gone with you if you’d asked.”

  She smiled but wasn’t feeling any lightness at all. “I know. But you were busy with your parents, and I figured I’d get it over with, you know?”

  He grasped her hands in his and held on with all his strength. “I do know. Which is why I wish you’d waited for me.”

  “Everything okay with your mom?” she asked, sticking to his life, not hers.

  “We made a start, thanks to you. I never would have come here if you hadn’t pushed.”

  “I really am glad, Max. Life is short. You don’t know how much time you have left. Better to make peace with the past while you still can. And maybe have a future with them that’s better. For all of you.”

  “Lucy, you know I’m here for you, right?”

  “I know.” And she did. She just couldn’t feel anything since visiting her old house.

  “No, princess. I’m here. No matter how tough things are, I’m not going anywhere, ever. Because I love you.” His amber eyes met hers.

  Everything she’d ever needed and wanted she found in his handsome face, concerned expression, and honest, from-the-heart words. He’d told her he loved her before, when he’d explained his own life and bared his soul. He hadn’t pushed for her to say the words back and hadn’t repeated them again until now.

  She loved him too. With every fiber of her being, and she sensed he knew it. But she couldn’t bring herself to say so out loud. First, because she just couldn’t find her emotions. They were locked inside her, frozen in ice, in the pain of loss and the fear of facing that emptiness again. And also because if she told him she loved him, she’d make it real. Put it out there in the universe and risk life laughing at her. At the futility of allowing herself to be happy, when it could all disappear again so easily.

  “Max.” She squeezed his hands tightly, the best she could do to express her feelings at the moment.

  “I know, princess. You’ll say it when you’re ready.”

  Except she feared she never would be… and he’d get tired of waiting.

  Chapter Ten

  “So I have the walk-through with the inspector, a couple of meetings at the restaurant, and then I’ll come by and steal you away from work,” Max said, speaking to Lucy on his cell. “Sound good?”

  “I’ll do my best to get out early,” she said, sounding distracted. He understood. They’d both been extremely busy lately, and this morning she’d had an early meeting at the office.

  “Enjoy lunch with the girls. I’ll call you later.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, disconnecting the call.

  Isabelle and Amanda were coming into the city to visit Lucy and take her to lunch, and as far as Max was concerned, it couldn’t come soon enough. She needed to talk to someone about her feelings, and if it wasn’t him, maybe one of her sisters-in-law could get through to her.

  Max had a healthy ego, but even he was worried about how far into herself Lucy had withdrawn since the visit to their old neighborhood. She took self-protection to the extreme, and though he’d love to deal with it now, he didn’t have time to focus on his personal life. Not with the opening night for Savage in Soho creeping up in a few short days.

  Despite the hassles with the permits and the usual bullshit with the contractors, in the end, Max was damned proud of the result. Hiring Lucy had been the key to pulling the ambience together, and he couldn’t wait for the customers to visit and see for themselves. He’d even invited his parents to attend, snagging them a table despite already being booked solid for all seatings that evening.

  Although it had only been a few days since his visit home, both his mother and father called each day, proving to Max that they were intent on mending the rift between them. How could he deny any of them the opportunity to have the family they used to have?

  Knowing he had Lucy to thank only made him more determined to free her of her own ghosts, even if he had to introduce her to his old friend, Dr. Daniel Carver, at the BDSM club. He hadn’t visited the place in ages, but he would if it meant getting Lucy’s head where she needed it to be for a healthy, happy life. And he would, as soon as the restaurant was up and running.

  Right now, though, he was due to meet an inspector from the health department for a final walk-through, and he’d been held up by a phone call about delivery issues from another location. Finally free, he grabbed his keys from the bowl on the counter in the apartment hallway and rushed out the door, opting for a cab as the quickest way of getting downtown.

  No sooner had he settled into the backseat and given the driver the address than his phone rang with a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”

  “Max? It’s Sebastian.”

  “Hey, man. You on your way to meet the inspector? I need you to hold down the fort for a few minutes. I had a call that ran long, and I’m running late.”

  “Umm, no. You’re my one phone call, so listen up. I’ve been arrested.”

  Max all but slapped his hand against his forehead. “What the fuck?”

  “It’s a misunderstanding, I swear. Gia’s lost her mind, and she’s accused me of assault. But I need you to call my lawyer and bail me out. I’m at the Fifth Precinct.”

  Max leaned against the plastic seat of the cab and groaned. Sometimes he regretted getting involved with the reality TV star who had more drama in his life than any normal person dealt with in a lifetime.

  This was one of those moments. “And what am I supposed to do about the inspector?”

  “He’s a decent guy. Just call and reschedule.”

  “Reschedule?” Max yelled. “We’re opening in three days!”

  “Gotta go,” Sebastian said. “I owe you one,” he added before disconnecting the call.

  Max redirected the cab driver to the precinct and called the inspector, leaving a suck-up apologetic message about having to reschedule. These guys could be difficult, and their time was tight. He’d have to tap-dance well to get the man back in before the opening or it wouldn’t happen.

  Then Max looked up Sebastian’s lawyer’s phone number, which he had on his cell thanks to their legal work with the restaurant. The guy wasn’t a criminal attorney, but he’d find Sebastian a good one. And though Max would prefer to go through with the inspection now, he knew he’d better make sure he had liquid funds with which to bail out his chef instead.

  Because the restaurant’s success hinged on Sebastian being sprung from jail and available to cook on opening night.

  * * *

  Exhausted after a long day of meetings, Lucy walked into her apartment and tossed her oversized workbag onto the couch, collapsing beside it in relief. She was supposed to have had lunch with her sisters-in-law, but Noah had a fever, causing Isabelle to cancel, and Amanda had begged off because she was nauseous. Again.

  Lucy shivered, the very idea of pregnancy at this point a scary concept. Thank you, Amanda, she thought wryly, although she felt awful for her sister-in-law. Still, Lucy had to admit that the change of plans turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since she’d been handed two new unexpected clients. She’d eaten lunch in the office, barely taking a break all day. She’d still gotten out a little early and texted Max, letting him know she’d be home when he finished up at the restaurant
instead of at work.

  All she wanted to do was chill out for a while and relax, already thinking about ordering in dinner instead of going out. She lifted her feet onto the table and grabbed the remote, turning on the big-screen television. The familiar anchors on her favorite channel were discussing the weather, which had undergone a sudden chill.

  She closed her eyes and sighed, her thoughts immediately traveling to Max. And their lives together. And Lucy’s sucky attitude ever since visiting home. Before then, she’d been… on the road to happy. She’d let old memories derail what they’d found. It was so easy for her to fall into those old habits and fears. Too easy, she thought. Max was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and he deserved to know it.

  He was opening a restaurant this week. The least she could do was support him through it, be as excited and proud as he was, and be a true partner. Like her mother had been to her father, she realized, her eyes snapping open at the thought. Ever since they’d died so unexpectedly, when Lucy thought of her parents, she thought of loss.

  It had been a long time, if ever, since she’d thought of the marriage and love they’d shared, the partnership they’d forged as a couple, and the family they’d successfully raised. How else could Gabe have stepped in and made sure she graduated high school and then college, being the parent she needed? How had both her siblings managed to overcome their hurt and fears to marry women they loved and start families? And if they were strong enough to do it, why wasn’t she?

  She rubbed her hands over her eyes, trying to pull all her thoughts together into something that made sense for her, for the future.

  One thing she knew for sure, her brothers were going to make wonderful fathers. They’d proven their abilities with her. And as soon as she could, she intended to thank them for all they’d done for her to help her grow up healthy, whole… and loved. They needed to hear her tell them how happy she was that they’d found peace, contentment, and the type of family they’d had growing up. And she wanted to be a part of it, the fun-loving aunt who their kids looked forward to seeing. Not the eccentric one who hid away, afraid of her feelings. Who said she couldn’t make progress? she thought wryly.