Rush

by Gina Gordon

  Every time with Everly felt like the sunrise. Even in darkness, she was always the shimmer of light in my world, bringing me hope. For the future. For my choices. For a life that might one day be my own.

  Chapter 26

  Everly

  When I had agreed to accompany Max to the World War Cock wrap party at his father’s house, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

  I was guided through the kitchen toward the backyard, which was eight times the size of mine.

  Where I expected seedy, I got bright and lavish. Where I expected naked bodies and bodily fluids, I got tailored suits and clean-shaven skin.

  I had brought my own stereotypes with me, and the reality was nothing like I’d expected. Which seemed to be my recurring catchphrase every time I learned something about Max Levin.

  As I looked around, I was shocked at the number of women who, if I applied a little more makeup and paid attention to all the girly things, I would look just like. They were young, nothing fake about them—except for maybe their nails.

  All of my insecurities came flooding to the surface. It wasn’t necessarily their beauty that had me tied in knots, it was their confidence. Something I was already used to, living with two escorts, but a concept I just wasn’t in tune with. Something I didn’t think I’d ever be able to attain.

  Between Sadie studying, Grace being curious, and Max being proud and showing off his work, there has been a lot of porn in my life lately. And tonight was no different. When we walked in, the film was already being shown. A large screen had been set up on the patio and a tent had been erected in case it rained. Tall evergreens lined three sides of the rectangular yard, keeping out prying eyes. I was sure the neighbors were thankful for that. In the summertime, this backyard would be spectacular.

  Max pulled me to a stop a few steps away from where most of the guests were gathered watching the film. Right now, a guy was fucking a girl from behind and she was nose deep in another girl’s pussy.

  “What do you think?” His warm breath cascaded across my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. I needed to get a handle on my reaction to him. It was one thing for my brain to skip when he spoke, but I needed to keep my body from giving away his effect on me.

  I wasn’t sure if he was asking about the movie or the party, so I gave him a generic answer. “It’s great.”

  He eyed me curiously, then grinned. “You were expecting an orgy, weren’t you?”

  I gasped. I was embarrassed to say I had let my imagination run wild, not to mention indulge in every stereotype I could think of. I should have known better.

  He leaned in, pressing his mouth to my ear. “Don’t worry. The orgy doesn’t start until midnight.”

  He was probably joking, but there was a part of me that dreaded the truth in his words. Though, if I was honest, there was also a part of me that hoped they were true.

  I craned my neck, looking up into the brown eyes of the man that never ceased to amaze me. “There’s an open bar, right?”

  He laughed. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you loosened up.”

  I knew our destination was the tiki hut that sat off to the side of the rectangular pool. Every time someone emerged, they had a drink, or two, in their hands. But with every step we took, we were stopped. Max was kissed on the cheek, winked at, and hugged tightly by countless men and women. Some of them I even recognized. They all had that intrinsic confidence I was lacking. I had experienced it a time or two. Of course every moment I was with Max. So it begged the question, were these women über confident on a regular day or was there something about Max that brought it out?

  I hoped the former. I liked to think that my slow but steady transformation had everything to do with Max, and the fact that I was special.

  We finally made it to the hut, which was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. A real L-shaped bar was positioned on the farthest side, two eight-foot tables sat behind it, housing glasses, mixers, and condiments. When we arrived, a young man with black pants and a white shirt hauled a bucket of ice over the table. The sound of it hitting glass echoed around us.

  While Max and I waited for our drinks, a man sidled up to me at the bar and ordered a bottle of Heineken. I casually looked up and my entire body tightened when I realized it was the man from the scene we had watched in his office. The DILF. The one who really knew how to go to town on a woman’s—

  “Cannon.” Max reached in front of me and shook hands with the DILF.

  “Max, good to see you.” He winked at me. Hot damn. I felt that wink hit my crotch and flush my cheeks.

  He noticed, because he turned his body toward me and leaned in.

  “She’s with me, Cannon.” Max gripped my shoulder. “Throw your winks someone else’s way.”

  Max’s grip tightened on my shoulder and I felt his pelvis press against my back. He was getting closer. Staking his territory.

  So winking was the DILF’s modus operandi. Why wouldn’t it be? It worked.

  “Cannon Slade.” He held out his hand. “It’s always nice to meet one of Max’s girls.”

  I returned his handshake. “Everly Parker.”

  “Everly?” He said my name in a husky whisper. “That’s an interesting name.”

  “Not as interesting as yours. Your parents must have wanted you to be a porn star from the beginning.”

  He laughed. I wondered if he realized that he winked when he laughed. Who was I kidding; he knew exactly what he was doing at all times.

  “Funny, interesting, and beautiful.” He looked over my shoulder at Max. “She’s a triple threat. Hold on to this one.” He returned his attention to me and once again winked. “Nice meeting you, Everly.”

  I gulped back my glass of champagne to the sound of Max stifling his laughter. I was so out of my element. Max was confident and in tune with his sexuality, and he definitely knew how to use it. Which was the same vibe I got from the few male actors I had come in contact with since spending time with Max. Something dangerous and sexy wrapped up in a package you knew wasn’t good for you, but you had to open it anyway.

  “Beautiful Everly.” I choked back the last of my drink just as Max’s father approached. He leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Wonderful to see you again.”

  “Mr. Levin.” I returned his kiss. “Thank you so much for having me.”

  “Happy to induct you into our circle.” He took the glass the bartender held out for him without him even asking. “How is my Max treating you?”

  My Max. This man loved his son more than anything. I could tell simply by the way his eyes softened every time he looked at him.

  “Max is wonderful. He’s gone above and beyond helping me out the last three weeks.”

  I owed him a debt of gratitude, even though I still hadn’t figured out why he was helping me in the first place. I looked up at him, admiration in my eyes. “He’s changed my life.”

  Max returned my smile and rubbed his hand up and down my back. I had a bad feeling that when the running clinic was done, I’d miss it.

  “I’m not surprised. Max learned from the most unselfish person in the world, his mother.” Hirsh cocked his head and eyed us both with curiosity. He was a little different tonight. More scrutinizing. “I must return to our guests. Enjoy yourselves, children.”

  Max brought me around the backyard, introducing me to his employees and co-workers. With every introduction, I got the feeling he was proud to have me on his arm. It did things to my ego I could never learn from a self-help book. So I made the most of it. I pranced around, my arm tight around his, laughing and drinking, enjoying the company of these wonderful people.

  Granted, there were some sideways glances. I even saw someone point and laugh, but I shrugged it off, because I was here with Max, on his arm, as his date.

  I excused myself to use the restroom. Even though there were facilities set up outside, Max gave me permission to go inside the house. Remembering where I’d used it the week before, I snuck inside to the small pow
der room off the foyer.

  No sooner had I finished my business and was washing my hands did the door burst open. A woman walked in. Had I not locked the damn door?

  She was blond, with heavy eye makeup. A tight, blue spandex dress hugged every curve of her perfect body. She had a tattoo, a butterfly on her left shoulder, which I noticed when she turned around to close to the door.

  “Ummm, I’m almost done if you—”

  “We’re both girls. I’m sure you don’t mind. I have to pee like a race horse.”

  Next thing I knew, her dress was hiked up and her panties were pulled down.

  At least she’s wearing panties.

  I gasped and turned my head back to the mirror and kept my focus on my own face, refusing to divert my eyes for fear of catching a glimpse of the stranger peeing behind me.

  Funny. You didn’t wince when Bobbi peed in front of you. Must have been the Absinthe.

  The toilet flushed and with a wiggle, she righted her clothing and bumped me out of the way to use the sink.

  “You came here with Max.”

  It wasn’t a question. By now, everyone knew I had come to the party with him.

  I nodded. When her hands were clean, I held out my own in greeting. “I’m Everly.”

  She merely looked at my hand and smiled, a low hum escaping her lips. She pinched her cheeks and swiped a finger under her eyes. Then she darted her gaze to me in the mirror. I watched as she surveyed me, from the top of my head to my pelvis.

  “Did you even try to make yourself presentable?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She cocked her hip to the side and rested it on the vanity. “Your dress.” She pointed at my head. “Your hair.” She flipped both arms. “You show up on Max Levin’s arm and you look like a farm girl trying to pull off an extreme makeover.”

  I happened to know I looked good. I got approval from both Grace and Sadie before I left the house. So this woman was just trying to pick a fight. I wasn’t going to fall for it.

  “Thank you.”

  She had turned back to the mirror, ignoring me, as if her insult was the last interaction she was going to have with me. To my response, she made a confused face. “Thank you?”

  “Yes, thank you.” I turned to face her. “Thank you for pointing out how out of place I am. It really never occurred to me.”

  Playing dumb was the only way I could think of getting through this situation without freaking out. I already knew I wasn’t good enough. I already knew I wasn’t his type, and if close proximity weren’t involved, sex between us would be non-existent. But I didn’t need this bitch pointing it out.

  Fake breasts, probably double D’s, pushed up and out of her dress, which upon closer inspection might be painted on her body. She was exactly the type of girl I’d been expecting at this party.

  “You don’t actually think that Max will end up with a girl like you, do you?”

  I knew. I wasn’t stupid, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t fantasized about it. When I didn’t respond, an evil grin spread across her face.

  “Aren’t you sweet. Honey, pull off the blinders.”

  She turned back to the mirror and pulled a tube of lip gloss from her purse.

  “I don’t have blinders on. I’m perfectly aware that Max and I aren’t compatible.”

  “You’re complete opposites.” She swiped the applicator across her bottom lip. “He’s caviar, you’re liver paste. He’s a Bentley and you’re a used Pontiac Sunfire.” She cackled, and the sound echoed between the bathroom tiles.

  Tell me something I don’t know.

  Her words just proved that the time Max and I had spent together was in a bubble. It wasn’t real. It was a means to an end, and as soon as the last item was checked off the list, he’d be gone, without another thought.

  And it sucked. I’d grown to care for him. Maybe even…

  No, no, no.

  I shook off the thought.

  How could I, a soon-to-be lawyer, end up with the soon-to-be president of a porn company? My parents had already made it perfectly clear that Max wasn’t welcome. Bringing him to the firm’s party had proved their theory correct.

  I’d spent my entire life working toward a goal—a goal that was going to garner me prestige and success, and finally, the respect and love of my parents. How could I possibly be taken seriously with a significant other that worked in porn?

  It would never work. Someone like him just didn’t fit into the plan, at least not permanently.

  “Everly, you in there?” Max’s voice carried through the door.

  Hallelujah.

  The woman, who hadn’t even bothered to tell me her name, opened the door and stepped out, brushing past Max on her way back to the party.

  “Tara, what are—” He looked inside. “There you are. What’s going on?”

  I shook my head. “Just getting acquainted.”

  I stepped out and he immediately engulfed me, with his body and his scent. Intoxicating me with his touch and smell. That’s when something came over me. I felt eyes on us, and I had the urge to put on a show.

  I reached up and threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling him down to press his lips to mine. There was always a roar of thunder and a flash of lightning whenever we kissed. And the longer we did, the stormier my insides got. It wasn’t until I was sated that the sun broke free of the clouds.

  Just like I had hoped, he took the kiss to the next level and backed me up into the wall.

  I snuck a peek at Tara, who was watching. She could try and hurt me with her insults, but at the end of the day, Max had his tongue down my throat.

  The disdain in my words cut though me and I ripped my mouth away from his, panting against his chin.

  I wasn’t this girl. I wasn’t vengeful. I didn’t plan acts of retaliation. Who had I become?

  “You just going to tease me and then pull away?” His mouth found my neck and he sucked on my skin. I knew he’d leave a mark. Just like he had so many times before.

  “I…” When I looked up and into his eyes, I was knocked back by the need staring at me. Despite the seventy or so people milling around the backyard and kitchen, he wanted me. He wanted to fuck me, right here, right now. And I was helpless to deny him his needs.

  With a silent nod, I gave him permission. He grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner to the doorway that led to the basement.

  “Don’t worry, no one will follow.”

  I nodded and went with him down the familiar staircase, past another bathroom and the accomplishment room, to a theater room. A huge television sat along the back wall and four leather recliners were positioned in a semi-circle around it.

  “Why have we not spent any time in this room?”

  It was awesome. And I couldn’t think of a better place to watch movies with Max.

  “We’re here now.” He pulled me to a stop and pressed his pelvis into me. His hands came up and cupped my cheeks before he pressed his lips against mine. The room was suddenly hot. Sweltering with the heat that burst between us. The heat that ignited every time he touched me.

  “Do you have any idea how sexy you are?” he mumbled against my lips.

  I snorted. Couldn’t help it. The idea was just completely ridiculous. “There’s a room full of double D’s and mini-skirts up there and you think I’m sexy?”

  “You think it’s a lie?” He stepped back, his hands gripping my biceps, holding me steady. His expression was so serious. “Do you think it’s a line?”

  I gaped at him. He was offended.

  “I don’t need to use lines with you, Evs. It’s the truth.”

  “Max.” I hung my head. I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye when I felt so inferior. A feeling I just wasn’t used to. “I’m nothing like those girls up there.”

  “You’re right, you’re not.” His finger tapped under my chin and he lifted my head, his dark eyes meeting mine. “You’re the only woman in the room who makes me hard with just eye contact.�
� His finger slid along my jawbone then he wrapped a few strands of hair behind my ear. “You’re the only woman who gets my heart racing with the smallest glimpse of skin.” He smiled. “Like when your T-shirt rides up and I see that tiny slit of belly.” His other hand traced a line across my abdomen. “You’re the plainest Jane I’ve ever met…” He leaned in, his mouth pressing against my ear. “…and it’s sexy as fuck.”

  I let out a heavy breath as my head fell back. My nipples hardened with his words, with every hot breath that caressed my skin.

  “All I can think about every time we’re together is, how long before I can take your clothes off?”

  He pushed me to a shelving unit the same height as my waist. His hands roamed over my body, urgently, just like his kisses and breathing. He’d never been so intense. So primal. And I fucking loved it.

  He didn’t waste any time, and I didn’t ask any questions when his hand slid between my legs.

  Chapter 27

  Max

  I didn’t even have the words to express how much Everly turned me on. The fact that she didn’t believe me cut deep. I had spent all this time trying to tell her, trying to make her realize that she was more than just textbooks and exams.

  Something about the way she attacked me coming out of that bathroom had me revved up. I didn’t know where she’d gotten the burst of sexual energy. I had a feeling it had something to do with being locked up in the bathroom with Tara, but I shut it down.

  She had let me position her in front of a shelf. More like drag her to a suitable fucking position. I wasn’t into dominance, but the fact that she let me manhandle her had my chest puffing out and my ego jacked up.

  I pressed my hand to her back, my palm pressing against her spine as I pushed her down. She didn’t hesitate. She let me bend her body to a ninety-degree angle. No argument. No hesitation.

  “Put your hands on the shelf.”

  She did as she was told, knocking over a few of the items. The shelf housed my collection of DVDs from my childhood. Something about fucking her in front of Harry Potter was depraved and exciting at the same time.

  I nudged her legs open with my foot, and she took over, placing them more than shoulder-width apart.