Who Gets to Marry Max?

by Neesa Hart

  “Edward is not enough of a visionary to know what he has. Besides, the patents aren’t worth much without the innovations our development team has made.”

  “What is it?” Licia asked. “The patent, I mean.”

  “It’s for a self-regenerating miniature power source. We believe we can use it in combination with our interactive microchips. We’ve been working on artificially intelligent animatronics.”

  Kelly blinked. “In English?”

  “We plan to introduce a new doll in the Real Men collection that never needs its batteries recharged, and learns to recognize the voice and preferences of the girl that owns it.”

  Licia chuckled. “I’d watch out if I were you. Not only will that make ‘Who Gets To Marry Max?’ the best advertising slogan of the decade, but you’ll have a revolt on your hands.”

  “A revolt?” Max prodded.

  “Sure, if those dolls had been around when Keith and I were dating, I might have reconsidered getting married. Once this generation of little girls finds out they can have a Real Men doll who walks, talks and answers to their every whim, they’ll swear off genuine men altogether.”

  Chip looked affronted. “Hey. There’s more to life than a man who caters to you, you know.”

  Kelly laughed. “Well, I’ll admit I’d like to know what it feels like, anyway.”

  Sidney shook her head. “I don’t care how good it is, if it can’t take out the trash, who needs it?”

  Max’s eyes twinkled. “Maybe, but we’re banking on the doll being popular enough, and successful enough, that we’ll be able to apply the technology to other areas. If we can produce, say, a notebook computer battery that allows the unit to operate for three days without recharging and responds to the idiosyncrasies of the user, well, let’s just say Chip could considerably pad his stock portfolio.”

  “I’ll call my broker tomorrow.”

  Sidney gave him a wry look. “Would that be 1-800-Dial-a-shark?”

  “Very funny.”

  “All I know is,” Kelly added, “my sister’s kids are going to kill for one of those dolls. Licia is right. ‘Who Gets To Marry Max?’ is about to become the hottest campaign on Madison Avenue.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears,” Max said. “In the meantime, it’s your bet, Chip.”

  “I know. I’m thinking.” He studied his hand a few seconds longer, then dropped it to the table with a disgusted sigh. “I’ll fold.”

  The play went to Sidney. She searched Max’s expression for a glimmer of what he was thinking. “I’m going to call,” she said quietly, “and raise you nine.”

  Max looked over the top of his cards and gave Sidney a shrewd look. “I think you’re bluffing.”

  “I never bluff.”

  “Then you must be a lousy poker player.”

  Chip laughed. “Don’t you believe it. She cleans our clocks just about every month.”

  Kelly glanced first at Max, then at Sidney. “Well, regardless of whether she’s bluffing or not, with the hand I’ve got, it wouldn’t matter. I’ll fold. What about you, Licia?”

  “No way.” She dropped her hand. “All I’ve got is a pair of twos.”

  With only Sidney and Max left, the tension took on a strange new edge. Max contemplated his hand a few more seconds, then tossed seventeen peanuts into the center pile. “All right. I’ll see your seventeen,” he added thirteen more, “and make it an even thirty.”

  Licia shook her head as she stood. “Too rich for me. Besides, I’ve got to get home. Keith is going to wonder what’s been keeping me.”

  “No guts, no glory, Licia,” Kelly told her.

  “Yeah, well, let’s just say that I’d rather have what Keith is offering than a pocketful of peanuts.” She glanced at Sidney. “I’ll let you know what I work out on those bids for the shelving units.”

  “Thanks.” Sidney gave her a warm smile. “I’d like to get that done as soon as possible. The stockroom is starting to look like a war zone.”

  Licia scooped up her purse, then grabbed one more of Chip’s appetizers. “I know. I’ll get it straightened out by Monday. I promise.”

  They told her goodbye and as the door clicked shut behind her, Kelly made a clucking sound with her tongue. “The coward. Can’t take the stress.”

  Sidney studied her hand while Max studied her. “You don’t have anything, and you know it,” she said.

  “But are you willing to risk it?”

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you kidding? I’m not the one at risk here.”

  “I’m telling you, Max,” Chip said. “She has the flush.”

  “No way.” He watched Sidney through narrowed eyes. “There have been ten spades played. There are only two left in the deck.”

  “It only takes one,” she teased. “So I’m going to see your thirty, and raise you thirty.” She moved the peanuts.

  “It’s the flush,” Chip persisted. “You’d better cut your losses.”

  Max’s eyes glittered as he watched Sidney. “I’m telling you, she’s bluffing.

  “Then take the bet.”

  His gaze dropped to his pile of peanuts. “I would, but I’m a little short. Would you take an IOU?”

  “How do I know you’re good for it?” she prompted.

  “I’d personally guarantee your satisfaction.” The subtle shift in his tone was unmistakable.

  Sidney found herself captivated by his gaze. “You would?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “How do I know I can trust you for it?”

  “Because I’ll commit my undivided attention to ensuring that you are?”

  Kelly coughed. The room temperature kicked up a couple of degrees, and Sidney felt the answering heat in her blood. She was vaguely aware that Kelly and Chip were watching the interplay with keen interest, but couldn’t seem to take her gaze from Max. “Okay,” she said softly, “I’ll take it.”

  He leaned closer. “Then show me what’s in your hand.”

  She tipped it toward him. “Full house, aces high. And you can’t beat it.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Evidently not,” he said smoothly as he laid his cards face down.

  Kelly abruptly rose to her feet. “Time to go, Chip. It’s late.”

  He gave her a bemused look. “I want to play another hand. We don’t have an early event tomorrow.”

  Kelly gave him a meaningful stare. “Well, it’s late and I’m leaving, and you have to walk me to my car. I’m scared to go out alone in the dark.”

  “Since when?”

  Sidney continue to watch Max. His eyes glittered. Kelly walked around the table and grabbed Chip’s ear. “Since now. Let’s go.”

  “Oh.” He jumped to his feet. “Right. I’ll, uh, pick up the tray from you tomorrow Sid.”

  “Sure.” She wondered if they could see the heat shimmering between her and Max.

  “Thanks for the stock tip, Max,” Chip said.

  “Don’t mention it.” His gaze stayed firmly on Sidney.

  In the seconds after they left, a tense silence filled the room. Max tilted his head in the direction of her den. “I like the new paint job.”

  He knew. She didn’t know how, but he knew. “Me, too. I never liked that wallpaper.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “Carter picked it out.”

  “I’m not surprised.” He rose to his feet and offered her his hand. “I’m glad you got rid of it.”

  And him, she thought. Somehow, Max knew, unequivocally, what it meant to her. She slid her hand into his. “I am, too.”

  “You ready to make good on that IOU now?”

  She rose to her feet and stepped into his arms. “I think I might die if you don’t pay up immediately.”

  His laugh made her shiver with pure, anticipatory delight. “I’ll get right on it, babe.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Max spent the next two weeks drowning in his feelings for Sidney, and in the general state of his univer
se. His brother, for once, seemed content to follow a reasonable course. Lauren was happily planning their wedding. Edward had stopped acting belligerent. The stocks were rising. The shareholders were ecstatic. Colleen and Warren were still vacationing in the Caribbean. And he had Sidney Grant warming his bed almost every night, and brightening his life each day.

  Max could never remember a time when he’d felt more content. Or less alone. Somehow, Sidney had knocked the edge off the ache that he’d once thought permanent. She delighted him in a thousand ways. Never, in his entire life, could he remember being with a woman—or another person, for that matter—who seemed to merely enjoy his company. Sidney paid close attention to his preferences and his moods, seeking out the things he enjoyed and listening patiently and sympathetically to his frustrations.

  On the afternoon of a particularly tense board meeting, she’d arrived at his office with fresh coffee and a tray of handmade chocolates bearing the Loden Enterprises logo. He’d left his board members happily enjoying the break while he’d trailed Sidney into his office to let her know, in a very graphic and pleasurable way, just how much he appreciated her.

  For his part, he was finding that one of the greatest joys of his life came in pleasing her. Her warmth, her energy, her wit, her openness, wrapped him in a cocoon of undiluted happiness like he’d never known.

  Increasingly, he found himself counting the minutes until he saw her again. Even his staff had commented on his unusual good humor. “Who Gets To Marry Max?” was becoming the most frequently asked question among his staff and peers. Max took it all in stride, while silently praying that whatever it was Sidney had done for him would continue for a very long time.

  He was pleasurably contemplating his evening with her one afternoon when Philip interrupted him in his third-story office. “Max?”

  He smiled broadly. “Hello, Philip.”

  Philip regarded his good humor with little more than a raised eyebrow. “Have you forgotten that you’re to meet Mr. Lort in town this afternoon at four?”

  “I have not.” His hand rested on the wrapped package on his desk. “There was something out here I needed. I’m on my way back into town now.”

  Philip nodded. “Very good. Will you want Charlie to drive you?”

  “No, I’ll take the car.” Max grinned at his butler. “You and Charlie can get down to a serious game of gin.”

  “We play rummy, sir.”

  Max tilted his head to one side. “So you do.” The older man didn’t budge from the doorway. “Is something wrong, Philip?”

  Philip’s eyes dropped to the package. “No. Nothing’s wrong.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Philip hesitated, then met Max’s gaze once more. “Please don’t hurt her. She’s been hurt enough. I’m not sure she can bounce one more time.”

  Max frowned. “Why the hell would you think I’d hurt her?”

  “You can be, er, aloof at times.”

  “Aloof?”

  “Yes. You aren’t always open with your thoughts. Some people find you confusing.”

  “Is that how I got the name, ‘Mad Max?”’ he quipped.

  Philip’s expression didn’t flicker. “Sidney is a very complicated young woman.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “I care for her a great deal.”

  “So do I, Philip.”

  “I was very in favor of your relationship with her.”

  “Was?”

  “Yes. I wasn’t really sick the weekend of your house party, you know?”

  He had, of course. He’d seen the cards Philip was clutching under the blanket the morning he’d stopped by to check on him. “You don’t say?”

  “You knew.”

  “All along.”

  “I thought the time was finally right for you and for Sidney.”

  “It was,” he said firmly. He wouldn’t even entertain the notion that something might be wrong. “It is.”

  “She’s falling very hard for you.”

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  Philip studied him a second longer, then nodded. “I’m sure it is. I’ll go let Charlie know you don’t need him to take you back into the city.”

  Max halted his progress. “Philip?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m falling in love with her.”

  Philip looked at him carefully. “That’s an exceptional responsibility. You’ll want to handle it carefully.”

  Max felt his frustration mount. “This isn’t a corporate takeover, damn it. This is my life we’re talking about.”

  “Yes. It is. And I trust that when you see Sidney tonight, you’ll bear in mind that it’s her life as well. She’s not fragile, by any stretch of the imagination, but she’s not as strong as she appears, either. Carter Silas hurt her deeply.”

  “I know that. I’d like to cream the bastard for it.”

  “Perhaps you’ll have the chance.”

  “Do you know something you aren’t telling me?”

  That brought a slight smile to the older man’s face. “I know lots of things I don’t tell you. That’s why you keep me on your payroll.”

  His fingers tightened on the package. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

  Philip hesitated, then nodded his head. “I am. And if all goes according to plan, you’ll thank me for it later.”

  “What if it doesn’t—go according to plan, I mean?”

  “Then I expect I’ll be looking for a new post.” Philip pulled his pocket watch from his vest pocket and checked the time. “You’re expected in town in under two hours. Should I call Mr. Lort and tell him you’ll be late?”

  Max scooped up the package. “Hell, no. Ray Lort can sit in my office and stew for all I care.”

  Swinging open the door, Philip waited until Max preceded him out of the room. “I’ll call Lois and let her know you’re on your way. I’m sure she’ll find something to occupy Mr. Lort’s attention.”

  “Thanks, Philip.” He headed down the stairs. “You’re way too good to me.”

  Philip waited until Max disappeared before he said quietly, “You have no idea.”

  “SIDNEY, stop squirming,” Philip instructed her as he adjusted the necklace at her throat. “You’ll make me drop it.”

  Sidney gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry. I’m sort of nervous.” That, she thought, had to be the understatement of the decade. When Max had asked her to go with him to the engagement party Edward Fitzwater was hosting for Greg and Lauren, she’d almost panicked. Until now, they’d spent their time alone, or fitting into her world. She’d never tried to make the transition into his.

  As it was, she was wearing a dress she’d borrowed from Natalie, and, if Philip could get the clasp to work, a necklace Max had borrowed from Tiffany’s. She had on Kelly’s shoes and Licia’s perfume. Only her underwear was her own—Sidney drew the line at borrowing another woman’s undergarments.

  At Max’s insistence, she’d finally agreed to dress at his apartment. There was no more space than she had at her office, and he’d be able to join her there after his meeting. He planned to take her to dinner before the party.

  “I think I have it,” Philip said. He straightened the necklace. “It looks wonderful.”

  “Max has great taste.”

  “Yes. Why are you nervous about tonight?”

  “Why?” She turned to face him. “Are you kidding? You know why.”

  “Not really. It’s just a party, dear. You attend them all the time.”

  “I work at them, I don’t go to them. I serve people like Max champagne and hors d’oeuvres. I wear a uniform and blend into the atmosphere.”

  “Max wanted you with him tonight.”

  “Lord knows why. With everyone buzzing about the merger, he’d be better off with someone who could carry on a decent conversation about it.”

  Philip frowned. “You’re underestimating yourself.”

  “Sorry. Old habit. All I’m saying is, I think Max coul
d use someone who fully understands what’s at stake.”

  “I’m relatively certain he never considered Edward Fitzwater as a suitable date.”

  “Very funny.” She gave his shoulder an affectionate poke. I just don’t think Max has a firm grip on the reality of this situation. We haven’t been out in public—not his public—together. As a couple.”

  “Perhaps he thought it was past time.”

  “He didn’t think about it all. That’s the trouble.” She eased away from her uncle to pace the length of the living room. Clad in Natalie’s sapphire blue full-length gown, which fitted her like a dream, she felt a sense of unreality. Vaguely, she’d recognized the designer tag on the dress, and knew that three months of her salary probably wouldn’t begin to pay for it. Deceptively simple in front, it scooped low in the back, revealing a generous portion of her spine. The sleeves tapered to elegant points at her center fingers. When she’d tried it on earlier in the small apartment at her office, Kelly’s praise had been fulsome. “That,” she’d assured Sidney, “is a catch-a-man dress.”

  Looking at herself in the mirror now, Sidney searched her reflection. She barely recognized the person staring back at her. Finally, she met Philip’s gaze in the mirror. “I’m not just nervous,” she admitted. “I’m completely stressed out. I mean, what if I say the wrong thing to the wrong person and send Loden Enterprises into bankruptcy.”

  “You’re being melodramatic.”

  “Or what if they get sued because I offend one of their competitors?”

  Philip grinned at her. “Or what if you fall down the steps and embarrass Max?”

  “Exactly.”

  “It’s impossible to embarrass Max.”

  Sidney frowned. “This isn’t funny.”

  “I know.” The kindness in his voice made her turn to face him.

  “Uncle Philip—is this…are you—”

  “I’m not as nervous as you are, obviously.”

  She pursed her lips. “Are you okay with this?”

  “With you and Max?”

  “Yes.”

  He studied her for long seconds. “Sidney, would it surprise you to find out that you and Max were, er, my idea?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s true. I’ve been watching the two of you for years. Max needs you.”