by Aiden Frost
“Okay,” said Amanda. “Yeah. Ummm...” She looked around, wishing there was someone close by to ask. She was afraid if she hung up the phone they’d lose the one spot left. But if she didn’t talk with Max and convince him... “Can I place a deposit on that date right now?” asked Amanda.
“Certainly! Let me get some information from you and we’ll get that date reserved.”
After answering a few questions and placing a deposit, Amanda hung up the phone. She had some time to look through the different packages before Shelly needed a final answer.
She blew out a heavy breath. Either Max would think she was brilliant for finding this place and pulling off the perfect Christmas party in only a couple hours, or he’d be furious with her for going against his rules. She thought for a moment. He wanted the party to be nearby for people who were leaving directly from work. But what would be better than walking down the street to your Christmas party, than riding a limo to your Christmas party? Amanda knew she’d be saving a ton of money by having Shelley take care of everything. She had plenty of money to burn. She tapped her computer awake, seeking out a limo service.
Amanda started calling. The first service she disregarded. The man was grumpy and only had one limo. She called again. This place had three available out of a fleet of fifteen. The woman was chipper and had no issues with Amanda’s request of booking all three for the entire evening. She figured three would suffice for bringing everyone to the party and then those that needed it, could have a safe ride home (or at least to a destination within twenty miles).
Pleased with herself, Amanda sat back in her chair. Then she stood, straightening her hair and then smoothing down her skirt. She held her head high, walking to Max’s door before rapping on it three times. At first there was no answer, but she heard him talking from within. His voice was firm and assured, but then it became angry and the phone call was ended abruptly. “Come in,” he growled.
Amanda looked around, wondering if there was someone else she could put in her place. Since there was no unsuspecting fall-guys, she moved into his office. She smiled brilliantly at him, and he returned the gesture, but she could tell he was distracted. “Is now a bad time?” she asked.
He smiled again, this time more genuine. “No,” he said. “Sit down. What do you need?”
Amanda moved around his desk, standing next to him instead of sitting as he requested. He watched her as she set her laptop down on his desk and flipped it open. She could smell him this close.
She conquered his personal space. He could see the outline of her stomach. He stared at the line between her shirt and her skirt as she nudged her computer awake. He realized he hadn’t tasted her there. He wanted to taste her there. He looked up and realized she was already looking down at him. The side of his lip raised and her face flushed a dark crimson. She was going to do what he wanted, whether she liked it or not.
“I planned the Christmas party,” she said, suddenly turning away from him and loading an image onto the screen.
Max lazily looked from her face to the computer. “The place is beautiful,” he said. “Where is it?”
“Outside the city.” Max opened his mouth to speak, but she went on. “But I’ve set up a fleet of limos to drive everyone to and from the party. Even home if they wish.”
“And you kept to my budget?” he asked.
“Of course. I mean, I’m way below budget. This place, it takes care of everything.”
“What’s everything?” he asked. He delicately ran his finger across the outside of her thigh. At first it was soft, this almost accidental brush, but when she didn’t move from him, he wrapped his hand around her leg, squeezing her thigh. Her heard her breath hitch, but she continued speaking.
“Everything you spoke about, food, drinks, games. I can even give them a budget for the prizes.” Amanda paused as Max ran his hand to the inside of her thigh. For a moment, she forgot what she was even talking about.
“Lock the door, Amanda.”
She froze, uncertain. He continued to run his hand across her leg. She still had the chance to deny him. She should turn around, yell in his face and walk away.
As if in a daze, she moved away from him, locking the door before returning to him. He had pushed his chair back further from the desk. When she approached him he took her by the hips, moving his knee aside so she now stood between his legs. She should be the one in charge, she chastised herself. But the sensations he sent up and down her legs seemed to be clouding her brain. She stared at the computer screen, wondering if Max had even approved her choice in venue.
“Do you think you should have gone against my wishes, Amanda?” He said her name soft, yet his voice was gravely. She wanted him to say it again. She wanted him to moan it into her ear. She wanted to watch as the words crossed his lips. His hands pressed her thighs further apart and she heated in anticipation of what was next.
Amanda thought back to what question he had asked her. His fingers moved higher, teasing her along her pantie line. She wanted to get his approval over the Christmas party, to hear him praise her efforts, but she also wanted to sit in his lap, to grind her hips into him until he made her scream.
“Amanda?” asked Max, his voice thick. “Are you going to answer me?”
She nodded. Then realized he couldn’t see her nod her head. “I thought this would make you happy,” she said. He was working her senseless. She didn’t work to make men happy. Men worked to make her happy.
He slipped his finger beneath the elastic band. Her head flung back and her breath poured out as she felt his finger brush against her center. He pushed hard against her with his knuckle, almost sending her faltering to her knees. Amanda could hear the soft voices of the office as they continued with their day outside the room. She felt herself get wetter, thinking about the secrets her and Max shared between this thin wall and the rest of the world.
“In here, you’re all mine,” whispered Max from behind her. Amanda’s knees faltered and Max pressed on her back, sending the top half of her sprawling onto the desk. She knocked the computer aside, grabbing onto the far edge of the desk. Max pressed her skirt up, onto her back before pulling her panties down around her ankles. She was exposed to him. She wanted to run, but more than that, she wanted him to consume her. He grabbed onto the firmness of her butt, squeezing, before pressing her cheeks apart, allowing him better access to the softness between her legs. He licked at her tentatively and she shuddered against the hardness of the desk across her waist. He tasted her again, leaving out a throaty moan which almost lost her her footing. He pushed his fingers inside of her as he set about tasting and licking and nibbling her in ways that made her want to scream for release. He stopped then, and she left off a heavy breath. He licked her lightly, moving his fingers tenderly against her. He knew where to touch her, he knew how to touch her as if he’d touched her a thousand times before. She pressed her hand to her mouth, biting into her own skin as a garbled scream tried to erupt from her throat. Her body shook, her feet no longer holding up her weight. He pressed his lips tighter into her, sending her riding on a current of pleasure that she wasn’t sure was ever going to end. He released her then and she sank onto the desk, panting. She wanted to take him home. She was going to take him home.
Chapter Thirteen
BY THE TIME THE END of the day came around, Amanda had chickened out. She was going to ask Max out to dinner. She figured it was the least she could do after what he’d done for her earlier today. She’d spent the rest of the day walking around in a fog. She couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t see straight. She needed to focus. She was supposed to call her mother tonight. And she couldn’t exactly do that if she was riding on Max Avery’s face all night.
She sighed. Luckily Shandra hadn’t returned to the office for the rest of the day. She’d only needed to hide her stench of shame from Carter, and he seemed otherwise distracted. At five minutes until 5 p.m., she bundled herself in her coat and headed out the door. She left,
unseen. She wanted to be alone. She was thinking too many things and feeling too many things and she didn’t know what to do about any of it.
WITH THE SHORTER DAYS of winter, it was usually dark by the time Amanda got home. Leaving five minutes early had gained her about fifteen minutes in commute time. The sun was still above the horizon. The night was cool but reasonable and she thought Bunny could enjoy a few minutes running in the yard.
Bunny greeted her as she opened the door, sitting up on his back legs so she could reach his head. When she didn’t immediately shut the front door, he got down on all fours, stretching his nose out toward the cool night. He leaned forward, and then took a couple tentative steps outside, before apparently deciding that he did in fact wish to play, and he hopped off into the yard. Amanda grabbed a blanket, and wrapping it around her shoulders, she sat down on the porch, contentedly watching Bunny enjoy a few nibbles of dried grass.
There had been many people who looked at her a bit odd when she mentioned having a rabbit as a pet. Many thought they were cute but couldn’t understand the appeal of keeping one for a companion. But they were different. She didn’t have the time to properly tend to a dog, and a cat could just as easily be aloof as they could be loving. But with Bunny, not only did he greet her at the door, he minded himself during the day, and his antics kept her amused. He offered her this warm feeling of coming home to someone. Even if she was minus the someone. She laughed as he suddenly took off into the yard, spinning into a tight U-turn and kicking his feet into the air. He settled down into a new spot to continue nibbling at the grass, and her mood dropped back down into sadness. This wasn’t like her. Amanda didn’t wallow, she didn’t pine after any man, and she wasn’t prone to moodiness. She needed a distraction. She needed something to focus on besides Max Avery.
Amanda pulled her phone out of her purse, wondering if her mother was awake yet. Her mother lived across the country in Vegas, and worked full-time, night-shift, in one of the casinos. She was a black-jack dealer the last time Amanda had spoken to her, and she seemed to be doing well. She seemed stable. And Amanda wasn’t quite sure why she still never bothered to be involved in her life. She decided to wait a little bit longer, unwilling to chance waking her mother. Her eyes glanced at the date on her phone. Friday night. Amanda had been so caught up in things today, she hadn’t even realized. She made a point not to sit home on Fridays. It was still early. She could go...somewhere ...with...nobody. Maybe she should have asked Max out. But she was spent. She didn’t know how to deal with this situation. She didn’t know what he wanted from her. And she didn’t know if she wanted the answer. Bunny started hopping closer to the porch as the night became darker. His bright white fur illuminated in the soft porch light. Amanda went to him, scooping him in her arms and snuggling his warm fur against the cool skin of her face. Tonight was going to be about a hot cup of tea and a quiet night in front of the TV. But before that, Amanda would call her mother. She’d show Shandra that she wasn’t afraid. That she could take risks as much as Shandra could. And then she’d tell Max Avery what it was she wanted from him. She just needed to figure that out first.
Chapter Fourteen
MAX’S MIND WAS SPINNING in a million different directions. He’d stopped at Stonebender’s Pub on the way home. He needed to unwind. He wasn’t prone to sitting home by himself on a Friday night, but he had nowhere else to be. He lifted his glass to the bartender, indicating he needed a refill. He was on his third bourbon. He wasn’t on his way to drunk. He just wanted to be on the way to hazy. He needed to calm his mind. Just because he’d figured out how to get the staff their bonuses and a Christmas party, didn’t mean he’d saved his father’s business. Max knew he had the money to invest into it. He could cover the business for the next six months, but like his father said, he’d need to bring in twice the money during the six months after that. He could sink his money into the business and could watch it flop. He’d be left with nothing. No money. No job. And who would want to hire someone who just ran their own business into the ground?
Max wrapped his hand around his refilled glass. “How the mighty do fall,” he said, lifting his glass and cheering his reflection in the bar’s mirror.
Max slung the drink back, downing it on one swallow. Sitting there and wallowing wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He stumbled to his feet. The last shot of liquor went straight to his head. He needed to eat. He got his bearings and walked outside. His keys swung lazily in his hand. He looked at his BMW at the curb. He hated to leave his car here, but he was in no condition to drive. He stepped off the curb, flagging down a taxi. He slid into the back seat. His vision dipped and then straightened as he rested his head back against the seat.
“Where to?” asked the cab driver.
“I need to go speak with my dad.” Max was silent a moment, his brain trying to put his father’s address in some sort of logical order in his head. “47 North Eighth Street.”
Max closed his eyes as the cab driver pulled into traffic. That made his stomach worse, so he leaned forward, looking out the window. Most of the shops were decorated for the holidays. As they inched through the stalled traffic, Max admired the bows wrapped around the streetlights and the snowmen and elves adorning the shop windows. He used to love this time of year. Growing up, Christmas was this magical, massive celebration. His mother always threw the best parties. Not only would she put on a huge, pre-Christmas celebration for all their friends and for the people her and his father worked with, but they’d also open their holiday table to anyone who needed a place to celebrate. They’d have single fathers from work, the elderly lady down the street, and a myriad of other people who wanted to celebrate the holiday but had no where else to go. When Max was older and found out that most of his friends at school only celebrated with close family and friends, he thought that was weird. They always had so much food at his house, he wasn’t sure why people didn’t extend themselves to those around them. His family may have been rich, but they weren’t shy about giving back.
Max sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head. When they entered the highway, the steady strum of the tires lulled him into a calm. He knew his father only celebrated the holiday with his wife now. She had some family out of town, and sometimes they would go there, but when his father was ill, the drive would be too much for him. He figured his father stopped the celebrations after his mother’s death because he didn’t know how to go about things without her. Max supposed they’d need to resume their normal lives sometime. His father had remarried, but he knew his mother was his father’s first love. They’d made a family together. Made a thousand memories...
Max needed to focus on the business. But what was he really going to accomplish over the holiday season? If anyone would have the answers, it’d be his father. They’d spent this last year specifically not meddling in each other’s business affairs. But maybe now was the time.
He almost didn’t recognize his father’s house as the cab pulled up to the curb. The place had been decorated since the last time he was there. And it wasn’t just a few strings of lights, it looked like his father had hired a professional decorator for the lawn. A passing car slowed as they drove by. Max turned back to see a child in the back seat press her nose to the glass, smiling at the waving Santa on his father’s front lawn. Max tossed money over the seat and hurriedly got out of the cab. He pressed the doorbell and when the door wasn’t immediately opened, he pressed it again. He was about to jam his finger onto the button again when the door was pulled open. He was greeted by a woman he didn’t recognize. “What’s wrong?” asked Max, pushing his way into the house. “Where’s my dad?” He spun around, glaring at the woman when she didn’t answer him. “Where’s my dad?” he growled.
“Bedroom,” said the woman.
Max eyed her for a second, before spinning around and hurrying down the hall. He approached his father’s bedroom. He heard the TV playing quietly inside. He knocked softly then heard gentle footsteps as someone approached th
e door. Ana cracked open the door. When she saw it was Max, she slipped out the door. Max tried to peek into the room, but she shut it silently at her back. Her face looked haggard, like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Where’s my dad?” asked Max. Ana looked up at him, and her eyes suddenly welled with tears. She looked about ready to drop to the floor and Max wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. She sobbed silently into his shoulder, grasping onto him as if he were her lifeline. After a few moments passed, she relaxed in his arms and her released her. She pulled a crumpled tissue from her pocket, dabbing at her eyes and nose. Her makeup was smeared, her eyes rimmed in black. “Oh, Max,” she said, indicating the mess she’d made of his coat. He waved her off.
“Can we go somewhere and talk?” he asked.
She nodded numbly, then walked off silently down the hall. In the harsh lighting of the kitchen, Ana looked even worse than Max had thought. She looked like she’d been wearing the same clothes for days, and her hair was matted on the one side. She walked trance-like to the fridge, opening the door and staring blankly inside. The woman who had opened the door to the house took Ana by the elbows and led her over to a chair. Max stared, still uncertain as to what was going on.
The woman turned to him. “I gave her something to sleep. She hasn’t slept in three days. But still, she refuses to close her eyes.”
Max looked over at Ana. Her head was lolled to the side. And she stared blankly in front of her while she continued to dab at her nose.
“Will she be okay?” asked Max.
