Natasha was watching him, her lips parted a little, but she snapped her mouth shut at her sister’s voice. “Right. The reason for the time apart.” She drummed her fingers on the table and glanced over at Max. “Since you’re here, and you’re a guy—with a dick, I’m assuming—I want your opinion on something.”
Max wrinkled his brow. “My opinion on Wayne?”
“Sort of.”
Max frowned. He had met enough of the Waynes of the world to know they’d never take the time to make sure Natasha was happy. Still, she’d clearly had a rough evening, so maybe it was time to soften his assessment a little? Nah.
His opinion of Wayne could be summed up in two words: pretentious asshole. The handful of times they’d met in person, Wayne had found a way to mention his super-important medical degree and how he was irreplaceable. Max had resisted a sarcastic retort about his own days at Princeton for Natasha’s sake. And because the douche probably wouldn’t have recognized sarcasm if it bit him in the crotch.
Natasha took a deep breath. “Okay, here’s the question. What are some of the reasons you might not be interested in...sex with a girlfriend? And then you set her free for a bit.”
Whoa. Not what he was expecting. And the thing that came to mind immediately would hurt. It was exactly what she didn’t want to hear right now, so he searched for something that might make her feel better, instead.
“Um, maybe if you have surgery on your love stick, and it’s in recovery?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Or maybe you’re doing some experiment with getting your girlfriend super horny before talking her into a sexy scenario involving—”
“Stop,” said Natasha, putting her hand up to cut him off. “Wrong person to ask. Alya?”
Alya furrowed her brow. “You want me to say it?”
Natasha nodded.
“Okay. He wants to shag other women,” said Alya softly.
Natasha glanced at Max for confirmation, but he said nothing.
Her mouth tugged down at the corners. “You were thinking it, too, weren’t you?”
That had been his first guess, followed by the possibility that Wayne was gay. There was no way to give her an honest answer without hurting her.
“What reason did he give?” asked Max.
Natasha shrugged. “Too tired. Too busy. And he really is tired and busy.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “What kind of blow job can you be too tired for? I’m curious.”
Her face flushed a deep red. “You heard that?”
“I heard it, but I’m having trouble understanding it.”
Natasha smiled a little, but it faded quickly. She bit her lip. Had Wayne, the self-important wanker, made her feel likeshehad done something wrong? Hell no.
“And he suggested you take some time off to have sex with other guys?” asked Alya.
“He didn’t say those words exactly, but he implied it.”
“Did he want you to report back to him?” asked Max. “Is this a kink thing?”
Both Natasha and Alya burst into laughter.
“I’m pretty sure Wayne is kink-free,” Natasha said with a snort. “He doesn’t seem to be into sex much at all.”
What the hell kind of man wasn’t into sex? A list of all the things he’d be into with Natasha came to Max’s mind, but it definitely wasn’t for her sister’s ears.
Natasha’s expression grew serious. And a little sad. Damn. She took a couple of gulps of fizzy water and glanced at Max as she set down the glass. “I’m really going to regret telling you all this tomorrow, aren’t I?”
He gave her a soft smile. “I’ll be sure to use it against you.”
Natasha met his gaze and smiled back, just a little at first, but then her lips curved up into a full smile.Goddamn. After three years of watching these dickheads come in and out of her life, she deserved so much better than this. A crease had formed on Alya’s brow, and Max was almost sure she was searching for a way to brighten up her sister’s disastrous evening.
