by Jo Leigh
6
NATALIE RISING BROUGHT Max out of his stupor. He liked the view as she shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, the top sheet held to her chest. Her pale back looked as soft as it felt, but she was so still he resisted touching her.
When she stood, leaving the sheet behind, the view was even better. He could still feel her waist beneath his hands, her firm bottom. He’d wait until she got back from the bathroom to take care of his own business, and then ask her if she wanted to have some cheesecake and milk. Satisfying one hunger had awakened another, and there was every chance the circle could continue after refreshments.
Then she picked up her dress. And her bra. No panties to worry about, which still shocked the hell out of him, but more important, she was getting ready to leave. “Hey,” he said.
She jumped a little, now using her dress to cover herself. “I thought you were asleep.”
“Nope. Awake and hungry. You know, you don’t have to leave this minute. I was going to bring you a piece of cheesecake.”
“Sounds yummy,” she said, “but I need to go.”
“Don’t tell me you have to work tomorrow. It’s Saturday.”
“I do have to. But not until the afternoon. I don’t have work days like most people. Officially I take Tuesdays and Thursdays off, and every other Saturday. But that changes almost weekly due to conferences and local events.”
“Ah. You must really like what you do.” He threw back his part of the sheet. “I’ll take you down.”
“Don’t bother. Honestly. I’m just going to walk over to Broadway and catch a cab.”
“Yeah,” he said, not rolling his eyes, but wanting to. “It’s almost two a.m. No way you’re walking by yourself.”
She lowered her lashes as she smiled. “Thank you. That’s very gallant.”
His laugh was more like a bark than he’d care to admit. “Now there’s something I’ve never been accused of before.”
Awkwardly keeping herself mostly facing him, she moved toward his bathroom. Before she disappeared, she paused. Sadly, all he could see was her head and one shoulder. “You think being gallant is a bad thing?”
“Not at all. That’s what counts for humor at two in the morning. I would like to believe that it’s not gallantry so much as common courtesy. I’d hate to see anything happen to you.”
“That’s nice. Not that many people are courteous these days. I’ll be out in a sec.”
The door closed and he got up, stretching extravagantly. He pulled out his most comfortable jeans and his Northwestern University sweatshirt. He wouldn’t dress until he’d washed up, but with the addition of a pair of socks, he was prepared. He would have preferred putting her into a cab, but the walk wasn’t a big deal.
She came out looking pretty damn great. Her hair wasn’t as neat, but that was a good look on her.
By the time they were ready to leave, she’d made him put half the cheesecake in his fridge and taken the rest in the box. She accepted the loan of his leather jacket, and then they were outside, the air cool but not uncomfortable.
“Tonight was fun,” she said, as they headed for Lafayette. “Unexpected and very educational.”
“I’m glad,” he said, walking just close enough that they almost touched shoulders. He liked New York at this time of the morning. It wasn’t quiet, not by any means, but it was subdued for downtown. The bars hadn’t closed yet, but honking wasn’t allowed anymore so the never-ending traffic wasn’t too much of an intrusion, and the big garbage trucks wouldn’t be on their way to his neck of the woods for at least another hour.
“I’m glad, too,” she said. “It was a definite step outside my comfort zone, but you made it safe. Thanks for that.”
He grinned. “I’m going to call my mom later and tell her she did a good job raising me. She’ll be delighted. She’d lost hope by the time I was in high school. Thought I was a selfish brat. Not without reason, I must confess.”
“Really? How were you bratty?”
He sighed, not sure he wanted to confess quite so much, but what the hell. It wasn’t as if he would see her again. “I got a little carried away. I thought I was hot, and a lot of the girls in my school agreed. It wasn’t pretty, actually. I was the farthest thing from gallant you can imagine.”
“Teenage hormones. Understood.”
“My brother, Mike, wasn’t quite such an ass.”
“Was he close to your age?” she asked, looking pretty under the streetlight.
“About four minutes younger. So the comparison was apt. And shoved down my throat. The ‘why can’t you be more like your brother?’ had a lot to do with my issues.”
“You have a twin.” She looked startled, and then smiled as if she’d just remembered something. “Identical?”
“Yep. You find this amusing?”
She shook her head. “Is he on a trading card?” she asked. “Not for me. My friend made a remark—never mind.” She cleared her throat. “Are you two close now?”
“Yeah. He lives just outside of Oyster Bay. I haven’t seen him a lot lately because of work. He recently opened an art gallery in Sag Harbor.”
“It must be nice, having a twin. I assume you still aren’t being compared to him unfavorably?”
Max chuckled. “Nah, we’re good. What about you? You a native New Yorker?”
“Yeah, I am,” she said, and then she winced.
“What’s wrong?”
“High heels are the devil’s work is what’s wrong. I’d rather be thinking about the lovely night and not my aching feet.”
“Yeah, I’m enjoying the walk, myself. But if you’re in pain—”
“The ridiculous part is that my house is so close. I’m in the Bowery, by Sheriff. Amusingly, I live on Attorney Street.”
“That is close. Huh. No wonder we ate at Lviv.”
“Family,” she said and shrugged.
“Makes perfect sense.” They’d stopped, and she’d used his shoulder for balance as she’d taken off her left shoe. He liked the way she wiggled her toes. The dark maroon nails looked black between lampposts. “I’ve got an idea.”
“What’s that?” She switched to the other shoe, and commenced the wiggle.
“We’re really close to some benches. Why don’t we go sit down for a little, give your feet a rest, then let’s see if you want to walk the rest of the way or not.”
Her grin was great, and that they would spend a little more time together was kind of nice. He liked her. Not enough to change their arrangement, but for his first night back in the thick of things, Natalie had been a terrific mistake.
It didn’t take them long to get to the metal benches, a rare commodity in Manhattan, especially finding two of the four empty. They sat as far from the others as possible, and he leaned back to put his arm on the back rest above her shoulders.
“I wish we had forks,” she said, staring at the box on her lap.
“I swear, I’ll never tell another living soul if you want to sneak a bite with your fingers.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Eating cheesecake right out of the box is no trifling matter. My reputation could be ruined.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “To seal my pact of silence, I’ll have a bite myself. Maybe even two.”
“You rogue. Deal.”
She flipped the lid back, and his mouth got a little too excited. “Ladies first,” he said. Now that was gallant.
Her giggling softly and him enjoying her unabashed enthusiasm, they both managed a few messy tastes each and ended the treat the only way they could, sucking the confection off their fingers. Watching her reminded him of their recent activities, and yep, little Max made it known he was ready and willing.
Big Max just crossed his legs, relaxed against the bench and put his arm around N
atalie’s shoulders.
* * *
NATALIE SHOULD HAVE been far more concerned than she was. The whole night with the wrong Max had felt more right than any date she’d ever had. After she’d done such a good job getting out of his bed and getting dressed, she’d caved the second he’d suggested the walk.
A smart woman would have cut things off at his loft. It was bad enough she could never go to Trattoria Spaghetto again, given the memories and associations, but the entire path from NoHo to the Bowery? It would make her miserable, at least for a while. But then she’d meet Max Zimm, and all would be right with the world.
She looked at the Max by her side and her optimism came crashing down to earth. Things would be all right, but after having danced with the prince at the ball, it would be hard to go back to the valet. Realistically, although she wanted to call the real Max Zimm right away, she’d need to wait until the glow from tonight diminished. Would Max Zimm still be available? Possibly not, but she wasn’t going to regret tonight. She’d accept the consequences and hope for the best.
“That is one serious expression you’ve got,” Max said. “Anything wrong?”
“Nope,” she said, putting on a happier visage. “I’m surprised I feel so awake, frankly.”
He nodded. “You mentioned you pack it in on the early side.”
“I like mornings,” she said. “I have a small balcony outside my bedroom. I’ve put a table and chair out there, and I like to watch the sunrise while I enjoy my morning coffee.”
Max smiled gently. “That’s completely insane. Nobody does that in real life.”
“Who said I live in the real world? I’ve been stuck in the movies most of my life. Come on, tell me you can’t picture the scene. Not in winter, obviously, but to be there when a city this vibrant awakens? It’s glorious.”
“No one says glorious either, for the record. What floor do you live on that has this spectacular view?”
“The second. All right, I don’t watch the whole city. But I do watch my street come to life. That’s fun. Also, I totally see naked people across the street. Through their windows. Don’t know why they don’t close the blinds more often, but they don’t.”
“They? What is it, a co-op for exhibitionists?”
“I don’t think so. There are only a couple of reliable windows. One with a couple in their mid-thirties, I’d guess. She’s in great shape, and he’s not bad, either. I can’t see their bed, just the short distance between that and the bathroom. Sometimes it’s too dark, but most often, they switch on the bathroom light before they close the door.”
“Wow, you really are a Peeping Tom.” His brow furrowed. “Peeping Tina.” That didn’t please him, either. “Perv. That’s the word I’m looking for.”
She hit his thigh. “I’m sure you’d be a total gentleman and never once peek.”
“Oh, I’d have the best binoculars money could buy.”
“Ah. Then I’m in good company.”
Max’s laugh made her giddy. The whole silly conversation had. “No comment,” he said.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I really should go home. Let you get some sleep as well.”
“I’m in no rush. How’re the feet?”
“Okay. You’d think I’d know better than to let beauty win over practicality. Most of my heels are sensible. Comfy.” She lifted her legs to look at the black five inchers that were determined to kill her. Sighing grandly, she looked at Max. “They were on sale. Fifty percent off.”
“Those bastards,” he said.
“Exactly.” She laughed. “Something else, for the record? I can’t believe I just told you that.”
Squeezing her shoulder, he leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips. It was nothing like the searing drama of their earlier make-out session, but it still made her heart pound and her cheeks heat.
“Want me to catch you a cab, or should we be stalwart troopers and walk the rest of the way?”
“Nice. Make me feel like a wimp if I say no.”
“That wasn’t my intention,” he said, his gaze and hers so locked on each other, East Houston could have crumbled and she wouldn’t have noticed. “Although I’ll admit, I’d like to see you to your door.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“Are you just trying to get the address of the nude couple across the way?”
His wince was exaggerated and adorable. “Man, I thought we had an understanding about the whole pervert business.”
“Sorry. My fault. Let’s brave the mean streets and get me home. I might even give you another bite of cheesecake.”
He stood, held out his hand for her, the smile he was trying to control hinting that his mind had gone in the wrong direction.
She gave him the opportunity to drop her hand once she was standing, but he didn’t. Not there, not all the way to Attorney, where she pointed out the building in question, then her own redbrick home.
“You own the building?” he asked, so surprised he stopped completely before they’d reached her steps.
“My parents bought it years ago. I rent out the bottom floor, which I’ve converted into a separate apartment. It pays most of my taxes, and I figure when it’s time, I’ll sell the old place and move into something smaller. Where I don’t have to be the landlord.”
“Wow, smart planning. Very wise. So your parents are...?”
“My father passed away in 1998. My mother’s alive and well and living in sin with her boyfriend, Solomon, in Brooklyn.”
“Living in sin?” Max shook his head as he bumped her shoulder with his own. “It’s been really fun talking to you.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t expected such an abrupt goodbye. Admittedly, she was safe here, steps away from home, but still.
“No, I mean that literally. It’s a pleasure to talk to you. You’re bright and witty and there hasn’t been a hint of legalese since dinner. I can’t tell you how refreshing it’s been.”
“Oh,” she repeated, but in a completely different way. “I’m glad. It has been fun. For all kinds of reasons.”
“Yes,” he said, serious now, no teasing in his eyes or the way he held himself. “Altogether a memorable night.”
She looked at her house, knowing she had no business even thinking of inviting him anywhere close to it, but she didn’t want the spell to end quite yet. Turning back, she held up the box of cheesecake. “I wasn’t kidding about helping me with this. It’s late. My defenses are down. I need more cheesecake like I need a bunion.”
“I have excellent taste in cheesecake,” he said. “Shoot me.”
“Let me keep that option in reserve,” she said, and he grinned. “Instead, why don’t you come in? I’ll make coffee. I make very good coffee.”
“It’s pretty late for coffee,” he said, but she could see he was thinking about it.
“I make good decaf, too.”
“Sure. I’ve been fighting off stealing that box for a good five blocks.”
Showing her good faith in him, she let him hold the prize until she got her keys out. He held the door for her, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, Fred’s strident voice said, “Where the hell have you been, and why haven’t you answered your... Oh, hel-lo.”
The surprised look on Max’s face was one she’d remember for a long, long time. Sadly, she would remember all the other looks, too. Each and every one.
7
“MAX, THIS IS FRED. He lives here. And despite appearances, he’s not my dad or my conscience.”
Max relaxed into an offered handshake, but his smile was met with narrowed eyes. Fred was tall and thin, with dark reddish hair and a long face dominated at the moment by a look of suspicion.
“You’re the trading-card guy.” It didn’t sound much like a question.
“Sort of.”
Fred looked from him to her and back. “Meaning...?”
“Right picture, wrong bio.”
“How’d that happen?”
Natalie slipped out of her heels. “Printing glitch. But it turned out to be a nice evening anyway. I’m making coffee,” she said pointedly at Max. “Still want some?”
“It’s after two in the morning,” Fred said, at the exact time Max said, “You know what?”
Natalie’s expression fell. “It is late.”
Max stepped closer to her and touched the back of her elbow. He hesitated to go upstairs, mostly because he wanted to. But it didn’t seem like a good idea. Fred’s presence had brought Natalie’s life into focus in a way her family at Lviv hadn’t. Probably because he knew her better now. Tonight was truly a one-off, an outlier for her. She was on a trajectory that suited her, with her safety net of friends and relatives around her. He didn’t fit, and her protective tenant had seen that immediately.
Behind him, Fred cleared his throat. “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, Nat.”
Natalie had her focus squarely on Max. “Yeah, okay.”
Fred’s door closing made the whole goodbye easier. First, Max slipped the box of cheesecake out of her hand so he could put it on the stairs. Then he moved closer so he could run his hands down both her arms. “I should go,” he said. “It’s been a great night. Thank you.”
She inhaled and gave him a quick nod. “You, too. I could never have imagined the evening turning out the way it has. If you had any idea what I’m like normally, you’d be more than shocked. But as far as mistakes go, you’ve been top-notch.”
“Then it was a success for both of us.”
It was a perfect exit line, and yet, he hesitated just long enough that he couldn’t hold back from leaning in for a last kiss. Even that was meant to be short and sweet. Instead, the second he felt her lips part, he slipped inside. Her soft whimper combined with her hands on the back of his neck set him in motion.
