by Gina Gordon
She was spread open for my admiration, for my claiming. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do. Claim her. I didn’t know if I’d be able to go through the rest of my life without her smile, without her unwavering belief in me and everything I wanted to do.
I grabbed her hips, probably a little harder than I should have, and pressed my erection into her ass. She wiggled, letting the beautiful cheeks of her bottom rub and caress my aching hard-on.
I wiggled under the fabric of her dress and gripped her thighs until I found bare skin. Securing her skirt above her ass, I admired the perfect, tight globes.
With my eyes transfixed, I pulled down the zipper of my jeans and released my cock from its prison. I just watched, letting my hand fist my length.
She turned her head and straightened. “Let me—”
I pressed my hand to her back and pushed her down. “We don’t need foreplay. I already know you’re ready for me.”
I stroked myself a few more times. She was still looking over her shoulder, her eyes watching as I made love to my cock with my hand.
“Max…” She said my name on a whisper, a whisper that slid across my erection. “I have condoms in my purse.” She gestured with her chin to one of the recliners. Her blue sack sitting on the leather.
With two wide steps I was across the room and rooting around in her bag for the foil packet. I found it, ripped it open, and let the purple foil fall to the carpet. Squeezing the tip, I slid it down my length.
I positioned myself at her backside and grabbed her thong. I pulled it aside, making room to press the tip of my cock to her center. I swiped the head up and down until it slipped between her folds. She was wet, so I stroked her a few more times, relishing the silky smooth flesh. Finally, I sank inside, the most warm and heavenly place on earth. I canted my hips, moving us back and forth without pulling out, our bodies moving in sync.
I grabbed her ass cheeks, squeezing hard, tight as I thrust. The fabric of her thong wrapped around my fingers. I thrust harder, squeezed tighter, and I knew she’d have marks when we were through.
With both hands, I pulled at the waist of her panties. The fabric tore, the rip echoed around us.
She gasped then moaned, letting her head fall forward to the shelf.
I let the panties drop to the floor and resumed my assault, but the force with which I needed this woman was blinding. I couldn’t see anything except for her smokin’ ass. I couldn’t feel anything except for her tight pussy. I couldn’t hear anything except for her sexy whimpers.
I leaned forward, pressing my chest to her back. I bracketed her with my arms, letting them rest on the shelf. I pumped inside her, again and again, our bodies sweaty, our breath heavy. But when she turned her head and her eyes met mine, something slammed into me. Something more than me staking my claim. Whatever I was feeling, I saw it reflected in her eyes. This was a moment to never forget. A moment when two people were so in sync, they just let go.
I never thought I’d have my own perfect sex scene. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Everly had given me so much already.
I knew she was close, but I also knew she needed a little extra to tip her over the edge. I reached around, continuing to pump, and placed my fingers against her clit. I rubbed in a circle, picking up the pace with each swipe.
Her head whipped up. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
All I wanted to do was pleasure this woman. I had wasted so much time trying to seek pleasure for myself that it became stale, but doing it for Everly, it was addictive. The look on her face when she reached the pinnacle, hypnotic.
Her flesh quivered under my touch as she came with a loud wail. I followed, not long after, with my own grunt of satisfaction.
“Wow…” She groaned. “Wow, wow…”
I slumped over her body, my chin resting just under her shoulder.
She had changed my life. But how did I tell her that? How did I disclose such personal information when our deal was supposed to be casual? This experience had ended up being so much more than that.
“Max, I…”
I stopped her words by placing a finger to her lips. Staring back at those cobalt blue eyes, I whispered, “I know.”
And that was the moment I fell in love with Everly Parker.
I smacked her bottom and she squealed, as I walked us to the door. She only managed to take one step outside the room before I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me, wrapping my free hand around the back of her head. I pressed my lips to hers. I needed one more taste before we went upstairs.
But instead of reveling in the kiss, we were interrupted by hushed voices drifting from down the hall.
“You’d be surprised how much gossip I know, dear.”
I pulled away, despite the unprecedented hard-on that had just returned. Party guests weren’t supposed to come down to the basement. I sighed. “I’m going to have to play the bad guy now.” I kissed her nose.
I took two steps, but stopped short when I recognized the voice.
Aida, our set mother, was talking. “That poor boy has no idea his mother was a drug addict.”
I felt Everly come up behind me, placing her hand in mine.
“I never got the chance to meet Ellie.” Another familiar voice. Tara. Why the hell was she talking about my mother? And why the hell were they talking about my mother and drugs?
“I’ve worked here for two years and I’ve never heard Ellie was into that stuff.”
That’s right. My mother never did drugs. She had more than her fair share of wine, but never drugs.
“That’s because Ellie isn’t Max’s real mother.”
The words hit me like I’d just walked into a brick wall.
I felt a slight squeeze to my hand. Everly offered her comfort when I didn’t even know I needed it.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tara disputed her claim. I was going to have to remember to indulge her flirting a little more as a thank you.
“I’ve been around a long time,” Aida said. “I know things no one else does.”
I took a step closer, but Everly pulled me back, our eyes met and she pleaded with me not to get any closer. But I needed to know more. I needed to know what the hell this woman was talking about. I whipped my hand from hers to get myself free. I stood with my back against the wall right outside the bathroom.
“Max’s real mother was Ellie’s best friend. She got knocked up. She stayed clean long enough to have Max, but went right back to drugs after he was born. She did it one too many times. With her gone, Ellie and Hirsh took him in as their own.”
It couldn’t be. How could Aida know more about my life than I did? This was the best-kept secret, because I had no idea, not even an inkling or a gut feeling. Nothing. I had spent the last twenty-three years trying to figure out who I was. Walking into this party today, I was as confused as ever, but now…Confused didn’t even begin to cover my feelings. If I wasn’t a Levin, then who was I?
A gasp knocked me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Aida and Tara in the hallway.
“Max…” Aida reached out to touch me, but I jerked away. “You shouldn’t have found out like this.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have found out at all. Or maybe it should have been my parents—the people who raised me—to tell me that my own mother was a drug addict who overdosed when I was a baby.
“You’re not supposed to be down here,” was all I could say.
“Max, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to gossip.” Tara rambled on about her part in the matter.
I looked over at Everly; she was just as shocked as I was. I saw the sympathy in her eyes—the hurt. I should be feeling the same way, but I was numb.
“I need to find my father.”
I pushed between Aida and Tara, making my way to the stairs.
I heard Everly call after me, but I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop until I found out the truth. This was just the rambling of an old lady who’d seen one too many porn films. Her mind was permanently thinking u
p dramatic scenarios.
I pushed past a group of people in the kitchen and headed right for the bar. I knew where he’d be.
Everly called out for me again, but she wasn’t going to stop me. I needed answers. My entire life flashed before my eyes on my way to my father. I wasn’t Hirsh and Ellie’s son. I wasn’t the true heir to White Lace.
I found my father leaning against the bar in the hut, a glass of scotch in his hands.
When he noticed me, he called out, “Maxy—”
“How long ago did my mother die?” I blurted out the question. I didn’t have time to beat around the bush.
“Max.” My father cleared his throat and sadness washed over his face. “You know this. Five years ago now.”
“No.” I fisted my hands at my sides. I wanted to punch something, and if my father lied to me again, so help me, I’d be connecting with his face. “I’ll ask one more time. How long ago did my real mother die?”
For the first time, an expression crossed my father’s face that I had never seen before. Not in twenty-three years. But I had managed, with a single word, to garner the one emotion I thought he was immune to. Fear.
“Max.” His eyes darted around the hut, surveying the witnesses. “I can—”
“How long?” I whispered.
He reached out to grab my arm, most likely to pull me aside, but I wasn’t moving. Not until I got an answer.
“How long?” I yelled it this time, my voice like sandpaper scraping over old wood.
With a resigned sigh, my father slumped his shoulder. “She died when you were six months old.”
“So you just decided to steal me?” I wasn’t thinking clearly. That much was obvious since I blurted out words without knowing the consequences of the answers. But I must have family somewhere. Someone who shares the same blood as I do, who would have wanted me.
“We didn’t steal you,” he yelled, but then remembered he was in public, lowering his voice so as to not draw attention. “It was all legitimate. We adopted you.”
“I was just another one of your good deeds, wasn’t I?” I shouldn’t be surprised. My father the savior. But I had never, not once, thought that I was one of his projects.
“Do not mistake our intentions for adopting you, or for helping others.” Anger crept its way to his eyes. “Why do you think your mother and I give back, we’re thankful every day that you came into our lives. We give back because we know this business is harsh, and sometimes people make bad choices. Everyone deserves a chance at a happy and successful life.”
I noticed Everly out of the corner of my eye, far enough away not to be involved, but close enough to let me know she was there for me.
I had just found out I was the product of a junkie mother who fucked for money and that my entire life had been a lie. But I couldn’t let her get caught up in my shit. She had a bright future. And mine had just exploded.
“Who told you about this?” There was a stern look to my father now. Like he was mad that someone leaked his dirty secret. Ironic. Hirsh Levin had spent thirty years making porn, and here I was, the dirtiest thing about him.
“Does that matter? You should have told me years ago.” I pointed, my finger connecting with his chest.
“Max, please let me explain.”
I didn’t want to hear his explanation. I didn’t want to know what could have possibly possessed them to lie to me all these years.
I couldn’t explain it, but something inside me fell out of place. “I might be adopted, but I’m not your son. Not really.” The Levin name, which I had spent my entire life trying to live up to, wasn’t in my blood. So what did that mean for my future?
Everly fell in line beside me, grabbing my hand. She was too good for me, but I wasn’t letting go. I needed something real to hold on to because I wasn’t even real anymore.
I drove her home in silence. She didn’t push me. When she got out of my car and walked to her front door, she looked back once, then walked inside.
I couldn’t bring her into this. I needed some time to think. I needed to rethink my entire existence.
Chapter 28
Everly
I’d spent the last four hours doing online research of White Lace productions. After the nuclear bomb that had been dropped on Max’s life last night, I figured now was the best time to remind him of the man he was. The man I knew he could be.
And there was only one way I knew how to do that—a remodel of the Levin Accomplishment Room.
I was looking for anything and everything I could find that could be seen as an accomplishment worthy of the room. I was surprised when I found so much more.
Under Max’s watch, his films had grossed millions of dollars. Membership to the White Lace website had doubled and it had been applauded on several web design sites and in magazines and he’d been recognized personally by two women who were the recipients of the Ellie Levin Grant through the Phoenix House. Not to mention, three of his films were nominated for multiple adult entertainment awards, and he’d won six—that last bit I’d gotten from Ben. I had called him to cover all my bases. I pretended I was interested in signing up. I didn’t want him to know what I was doing.
But there was one person I had to let in on my surprise.
Hirsh Levin.
I might have been overstepping my boundaries, but I had learned early that the Levin family didn’t have many boundaries. So I’d arranged to show up at Hirsh’s house around lunchtime.
Before my knuckles even touched the door, it flew open, Hirsh standing there with a huge smile on his face.
“Everly. I’m so glad you could come.”
“Thank you for letting me do this. I think, with everything going on, maybe all Max needs is a reminder of who he is.”
I hoped so. I didn’t want to see him crumble. He’d already felt so guilty about not wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, and finding out his true parentage…I could only imagine that making him feel worse.
“I should have continued Ellie’s project. I’ve just been…” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say his eyes watered. “I just miss her so much.”
I leaned forward and placed my arm on his. “He’ll come around. You just have to give him some time.”
“Come…” He helped me with some of my bags. “Let me show you downstairs and you can get to work.”
I followed him down the stairs that already had so many memories. Max had made me laugh and moan with ecstasy in this basement. This was also the place where his world had been ripped out from under him.
“Do you have that baby picture I asked for?”
Hirsh nodded. “I must admit, going through all those old photos brought back so many memories. Wonderful memories.”
I had decided that instead of just adding to the room, I’d give it a complete makeover. My first job was taking down most of the shelving.
I placed sex toys in shadow boxes. I framed posters and DVD covers. Everything was put back in its place with the corresponding year.
I even added a couple of certificates I’d made, and with Hirsh’s help, I’d managed to get two of the adult entertainment awards trophies. But the most important item added to the room was the year 1991. The year Max was born. The lone item, the baby picture his father had given me. I knew without a doubt, this was the most important and wonderful accomplishment in the Levin family. Blood or not.
“Everly dear. I…” Hirsh had come down to check on me and was speechless. His mouth hung open in awe and it made it all worthwhile. I couldn’t wait to bring Max here. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw the remodel.
“You know, I told Max he needed to start doing things out of the kindness of his heart.”
I thought there was more to Max’s story. I knew helping me, while selfless, was a means to make good.
“He already is selfless. He gives so much money to Phoenix House.”
“That’s just signing a check. I wanted him to experience what it was like to truly h
elp someone. Very soon he’ll be coming into a lot of money and I didn’t want him to lose sight of what’s important.”
And what was important? Not me, since I hadn’t heard from him today.
I was giving him some space. He had been so quiet last night in the car when he’d dropped me off after the wrap party, but he said he’d call, and I’d believed him.
But he didn’t call.
Three days went by since I’d remodeled the accomplishment room, and I didn’t hear a word. Not a call. Not a text. Not even a handwritten note by carrier pigeon.
“Of course he didn’t call.” Sadie leaned over and rested her arm on mine in sympathy, but her voice was nowhere near sympathetic. “You’re too good for a man like him.”
A man like him? She didn’t know him. Not many people did. They knew what he wanted them to see. If I hadn’t spent the last three weeks getting to know him—the real Max Levin—then I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Unfortunately, I had gotten to know him. He was selfless. Smart. Ambitious. Everything I could want in a man. But he was also lost. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through.
But that doesn’t give him an excuse not to call.
“He’s going through some stuff right now.”
I wasn’t going to spill his secrets. The skeletons that had fallen out of the closet were of epic proportions.
I glanced around the newly renovated living room, the warm gray of the walls worked perfectly with the couch, and the accent pillows and new artwork pulled everything together.
“Don’t make excuses for him.” Sadie was quick to hate on Max. I didn’t know why. I was guessing she had been burned in the past.
“I’m not. Look, I knew what I was getting into when I started this…relationship.” I don’t even know what we are—were. “He’s not the man you think he is.”
“You really like him?” Grace asked.
Liking him was beside the point. Right now, all I wanted to do was make sure he was okay. That he was coping with the truth. Not to mention, I needed him to get over to the house so he could see the new accomplishment room.
