“What about team Maxson? I prefer that one.”
“Ha! You just want your name first. No, that’s not going to work. Okay, Team Coffee?”
“No, if we can’t have pastrami, we can’t have coffee.”
“Team Coma?”
I groaned. “That’s the worst one so far.”
“Team Scrabble.”
“Nope.
“Team Madison is the best?”
I laughed. “Definitely not. Team Maverick?”
“Hmm, maybe.”
“What? Are you serious? But that’s my nickname. Are you finally admitting that I’m the better teammate?”
“I’m doing no such thing. But, I have to admit that I like the nickname. Team Maverick. Or The Mavericks?”
“Let’s go with Team Maverick,” I said and beamed at her. “The best team in the world.”
After our café date, we made our way to the nearest shop to buy our ingredients for our cocktails, and then we quickly made our way back to the safe house. Once we were inside, we called the chief to let him know that we were there. He still seemed slightly annoyed that we had gone out, but he didn’t say anything. I could hear it in his tone, and he asked me not to go out again for a while. “Space out your visits,” he said, and I promised him that we would.
“Now, are you ready to get your cocktail game on?”
Madison grinned. “Teammate against teammate. Let’s do it.”
We took out all the drinks, juices, and fruit and laid them all out in the kitchen, and then cornered off different sides of the room to make our creation. I had no idea what I was doing. I had never been much of a cocktail drinker in the first place, and I had never actually made one myself. Madison swore that she was a pro, but I got the impression that she was lying. I heard her mumbling to herself throughout the entire process, and swearing every few minutes.
“Having trouble there?” I asked her sweetly.
“No trouble at all. Everything is going well. Best cocktail in the world,” she said unconvincingly, and I chuckled to myself.
“All right, I’m finished!” I said.
“Already? Okay, I need ten minutes. Take your two glasses to the table and wait for me.”
I took the glasses over to the table and waited for her to arrive. I quickly took a sip and grimaced. It was more alcohol than anything else, but I had no idea how to make it any different. I was sure I had put in plenty juice. When Madison came back, I groaned at the sight of her cocktails.
“Curly straws and a sparkler? That’s not fair.”
She giggled while we waited for the sparkles to fizz out, and then we eagerly gave each other a cocktail to try.
“I have no idea how we’re going to judge these. We need a third party.”
“How about we just be honest with each other?” she suggested.
“Extra points for your presentation, that’s for sure. Okay, let’s try mine first,” I said and watched as she took a sip.
“Hey, this is good,” she said.
“What? Are you serious? I thought it was awful.”
“Really. Nah, I like it. Ooh, I’m worried now. Okay, let’s try mine.”
I was almost certain that she was just trying to make me feel better, as my cocktail wasn’t good at all. But when I tried hers I almost spat it out.
“Delicious,” I lied.
Madison burst out laughing. “Oh man, yours is so much better.”
“They’re both disgusting,” I said.
“Yeah. What are we going to do?”
“Drink them anyway?” I suggested.
She chuckled. “Let’s drink yours first. By the end of it, we might think my one is better.”
“Good plan.”
We went to the living room with our cocktails and sat on the floor with our backs against the sofa. I’m not sure why we decided to sit on the floor, but it just felt right. As if we were having a little cocktail picnic.
“Today’s been good,” I said. I took a sip of the drink and pulled a face.
Madison started laughing. She had to put her drink down because she was laughing so hard.
“What’s so funny?”
“Your face. These drinks. They’re disgusting.”
“I thought you said mine was nice.”
“Only in comparison to mine. But they’re really both revolting. Let’s be honest.”
I took a sip. “Well, we can’t be good at everything, you know.”
She sighed. “This isn’t right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Team Maverick is supposed to be brilliant. We cannot simply admit defeat and say that we can’t be good at everything. We need to become good at it. I say we perfect our cocktail making skills over the course of our stay. Surely anything is better than this. I mean, we can only get better.”
“Either that or our tastes buds are going to get so numb from these drinks that we won’t be able to define good from bad. We’ll probably just assume that we’re good even when we’re not.”
“Well, that’s fine too. It’s a win-win situation.”
It took us a surpassingly short amount of time to make our way through the first cocktail, and when I reached for the second one and took a sip, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I suddenly enjoyed it. In fact, I could barely taste the alcohol that had been so prominent the first time I had tried it.
“Hey, you were right. This tastes good now,” I said.
Madison took a sip and grinned. “Yeah, this is delicious. Maybe we’re not so bad after all. I say this was a hush success.”
“A what success?” I asked and laughed.
“Huge,” she corrected herself.
“You said hush. Madi, are you drunk?”
“Me? Drunk? Never. I can handle my drink better than anyone. I’m tough!” she declared.
“Oh yeah? Exactly how tough are you? Tough enough to go out and beat the bad guys?” I asked.
“Tough enough to beat you in an arm wrestle.”
“Oh yeah?” I said and put my drink down. I got up onto my knees and put my elbow on the table. “You call yourself tough? Then prove it to me.”
Our hands touched, and I felt a bolt of electricity run through me. We tried to wrestle, but neither of us could do it because we were laughing so hard. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one that was feeling drunk. We tried one more time and fell to the ground. We lay there crying with laughter. I looked at her and saw that she was looking at me. I scooted closer to her, and put my lips against hers. She tasted sweet, like fruit juice and alcohol.
“Delicious,” I said, and I was glad that she didn’t pull away.
Chapter Twenty
Madison
My head was fuzzy from the alcohol, and my body was warm with desire. Max and I were lying on the floor, after a failed attempt at arm wrestling, and kissing one another with more passion than the time before. The first time had been wonderful, but it had been very new, and we were still a little unsure of one another. But now, after already seeing each other naked, we lost all sense of control within seconds of our mouths touching. I was drunk on more than just the cocktails. I was drunk on Max.
Suddenly Max was on top of me, pinning me down to the floor. I lay down and allowed him to undress me, unbuttoning my shirt so that it fell open. I wasn’t wearing a bra, and the moment he realized that, I saw him grin.
“That helps,” he said and leaned down to kiss my small breasts. I felt my nipples become erect the moment his tongue circled them, and as he sucked on them, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy rush through me. The alcohol had helped me to let go of any inhibitions I had, and as I lay back, I stretched my arms out and allowed him to completely take control of my body. He pulled off my jeans, then my panties, and pulled my legs apart, placing his head in between them. I gasped as he sucked, and licked, and fingered me until I could take it no more. I tried to pull him away so that I wouldn’t come but he stopped me.
“No,” he said. “I want you to come.
I want you to enjoy this.”
I thought about resisting, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop him. It was just too good; it simply felt too wonderful. If this is what it meant to relax, then I was more than happy to sign myself up for it. He licked again, and my body shivered at his touch. I reached out and stroked his hair, massaging his head as I gave him completely to the feeling. I came over and over and over again until my body melted to the floor. Afterwards, he lay back beside me while I tried to control my breath. I turned to look at him, and he kissed me gently on the mouth.
“That was amazing,” I said. “Want to know something?”
“Of course, . . .”
“I haven’t come like that in years. Maybe ever.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “I’m serious. I do realize that you’re going to get a big head after hearing that, but I feel like you deserve to know. I mean, holy crap, Max. That was insane. My body thanks you. My mind thanks you. Every part of me thanks you,” I said, and I leaned in to kiss him. “And now,” I said as I sat up. “It’s your turn.”
“You don’t have to, Madi. I wanted to do that for you.”
“I know,” I said as I pulled off his jeans. I was pleased to see that he was hard and ready for me despite thinking that he wasn’t going to get any. “But I want to do this. I’m not ready to stop.”
“Uh, there’s a condom in my jeans pocket,” he said.
I laughed. “You’re carrying one around now? I’d mock you, but I’m too happy to really care.” I reached for his jeans and pulled one out. I opened the packaging and pushed it on him, then I sat on top of him and slowly lowered myself down. He slid inside me with ease, and I was pleased to hear him moan in pleasure.
“Keep your eyes open,” I said as I sat up and slowly began to rock over him. I took his hands and put them on my breasts. I thrust slowly, then with more and more passion. He was hard, but grew even harder inside of me, and I liked that I had this sort of control over him. He stroked my breasts, squeezing them and looking into my eyes. The look that passed between us was intense and powerful, and I was surprised that neither of us looked away.
It was only when he was just about to come that he closed his eyes. His head tilted to the side as he cried out in pleasure. And as he trembled and came inside me, he whispered, “You’re amazing,” over and over again. I won’t lie; it was nice to hear him say that.
“Wow, look what happens to us when we drink cocktails,” I said as I slowly made my way off him.
He grinned. “Those were some potent drinks, that’s why. Not that I’m complaining. I say we make cocktails every night. Madi, that was incredible. You’re like my stress reliever here.”
I chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing. I could get used to this feeling. I had no idea it would feel so good to be this relaxed. Except . . . .”
He looked worried. “Except what? Is there a problem?”
“Yeah . . . carpet burns,” I said as I pointed to my knees.
He laughed. “Yeah, same here. I didn’t feel it at the time, though. But my knees are starting to hurt.”
“I have just the medicine for you,” I said.
“Cocktails?”
“You’ve got it. Although, I’m sort of thinking coffee and movies sounds like a plan. I’m not sure I could have any more alcohol right now.”
“Coffee and movies, it is.”
I sat next to Max while we watched the movie. We didn’t hold hands or sit curled up with each other, but we sat close by. Every now and again we would look at each other and share a small smile. I had no idea what was going to happen between us or whether anything even should happen between us. But what I did know was that I felt happy and relaxed, and I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. For once I wasn’t going to think about the future. I was just going to enjoy this moment while it lasted.
Chapter Twenty-One
Max
Madison was in my arms when I woke up that morning. She was still fast asleep, and I could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. I had no doubt in my mind that I was starting to have real feelings for her. This was not just a crush on someone that I sort of remembered, or someone who I just wanted to get into bed. This was something more. I wanted to shake my old self and demand to know why I had never made the move before. Since being with Madison, I hadn’t had one nightmare, and I was certain that I could attribute that to her. I felt happy when I was with her, and more relaxed than ever. I lay there for a while, too scared to move in case I woke her up. But she must’ve sensed that I was awake because moments later, she turned around and smiled at me.
“Morning, sleepy head,” I said and kissed her on the forehead.
She grinned. “Good morning, handsome.”
“Wow, handsome? That’s much better than the usual names you call me.”
She laughed. “How do you know? You don’t even remember the things I used to call you. Horrible, horrible names.”
“I don’t believe you one bit. You’re too sweet to call me names.”
“You’ve got to be the first person to ever call me sweet. Not even my sister calls me that. She knows me too well.”
I chuckled and reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, clearly I’m the only person that knows you well enough to see through the tough exterior.”
She grinned. “We’ll see. I’ll challenge you to another arm wrestle today.”
“Oh yes, good idea,” I said. “I like arm wrestling with you.” I thought of the night before and what had happened when we’d tried to arm wrestle after a cocktail. “In fact, I think we should have a cocktail before we try.”
“You know, Max? I think I’m good with that idea. I’m going to go shower. Breakfast?”
“How about we go out again? I’m dying to go back to that restaurant.”
“You want pastrami for breakfast?” she said and crinkled her nose in disgust.
“No, but I do want that coffee again. And I have a feeling that they will make some amazing breakfasts.”
“You do realize that we’re going to get in huge trouble with the chief when he finds out that we’ve gone out again.”
“Yeah, but he’s not going to find out, so we’re safe.”
“You’re not going to tell him?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I won’t tell you if you don’t.”
She thought about it for a while and then grinned. “They don’t call us Team Maverick for nothing. Okay, I’m just popping into the shower. Let’s go after that.”
I chuckled and resisted the urge to join her in the shower even though it was more tempting than anything else. I had to make sure that she was okay with everything that was going on before I got too serious with her. I knew that I wanted things to get serious, but I still had no idea where her head was at. Perhaps I’d ask her after a cocktail tonight.
We snuck out to the restaurant, and I wondered if any of the guards had seen us. It would probably be a good thing to have someone watching us, but I still wanted to be in and out without the chief finding out. I didn’t want him to get too annoyed with us, and I knew he was already upset that we had gone out the day before. Anyway, it was just one cup of coffee. We would be in and out in no time.
We made our way straight to the café and found the exact spot as we had the day before. The same waitress walked up to us and recognized us immediately. Her smile was just as big as it had been the last time.
“You came back!” she said.
“Of course. That was the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life. Can we please get two of those? And, do you do breakfasts?”
“We certainly do. We make amazing chocolate croissants, but we also do a big bacon and egg breakfast if that’s what you prefer.”
I looked at Madison, and we said, “Chocolate croissants,” at the exact same time and burst out laughing.
“You made the right choice,” the waitress said. She turned to walk
away but turned around and walked back to us. “You know, I just wanted to say that I think the two of you make a beautiful couple. I see a lot of people day in and day out, and it’s easy to spot the ones who are in a relationship that will last.”
“Oh, uh . . .” Madison started.
“Thank you,” I said and decided not to correct her. The moment she was out of earshot, I turned to look at Madison and grinned. “Beautiful couple? Team Maverick is on a roll.”
Madison was slightly pink, and she quickly looked down and pretended to be looking at something in her lap. When she looked up, she smiled. “Only the best team in the world,” she said.
The coffee arrived and once again I was reminded of what bad coffee I had been drinking all my life.
“This stuff is so good. I want to have it every day of my life. What are we going to do, Madi? I’m going to wake up every morning and want this stuff. Just the thought of waking up tomorrow without it makes me sad,” I said in exaggeration.
“We can’t keep sneaking out,” she said. “So, you better drink as much as you can today.”
“Good idea. Want to join me on a caffeine high?”
“Only always,” she replied.
The croissants, like the coffee and the pastrami, were incredible. Dark chocolate was melted in the middle of the perfectly flaky pastry, and each bite was like a taste of heaven.
“Okay, seriously, this is the best café in the world. They can do nothing wrong.”
“I’m totally buying one of these to go,” Madison said. “I’m almost finished this one, and I already want another one even though I’m full. These guys are amazing. I wish I had one of these places near my home. I’d go all the time.”
I took another bite and sighed happily. “I don’t know, but . . .”
“What’s wrong?” Madison asked as I trailed off.
I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. A man had just walked into the café and the moment I had laid eyes on him, my heart had started to beat uncontrollably in my chest. Flashbacks of the night of the bust came flooding to the forefront of my mind. He was skinny, almost soft looking, and from afar, he could easily be mistaken from just another office worker in a suit. And yet, there was something about him that was different from everyone else. He had an air of authority about him that was impossible to miss. And the moment he opened his mouth, his voice—squeaky and rat like—betrayed who he was.
Dirty Maverick (The Maxwell Family) Page 12
