Chapter Twelve
Max
Fuck my life.
Friends? What the hell was I thinking?
I wasn’t thinking, that’s the problem. Now I am stuck with being platonic around her, when all I want to do is worship the ground she walks on. Only I could get myself into this situation. I have to physically stop myself from stomping down the stairs like a petulant child who didn’t get their own way. What a bloody nightmare. I want to go home, have a drink, and crawl into bed. The hangover is really starting to kick in now, and this is just the icing on the cake.
I pop my head into each room, trying to find my brother/taxi driver/unpaid landlord so we can get the hell out of here, but he’s nowhere to be found. The race is on late tonight, and that will be the highlight of my day. If I can get Lucy out of my head, that is. I thought I was obsessed with her before, but now I’ve seen her, held her, it’s ten times worse.
I can hear noises from the kitchen, so I wander over to see if he’s snuck away from the others too, but what I walk in on definitely wasn’t on my bingo card. Tommy is holding onto Maya, kissing her with so much passion that I can’t help but stare. I didn’t think those sorts of emotions were possible for that tyrant. It’s not just one-sided either. She looks to be exactly the same. I have always known there was somethingbetween the two of them. I think everyone around them knew, except themselves. I should be happy, but I’m in too much of a stinking mood to be. They haven’t noticed me standing here, ogling them. Which means that anyone else could walk in, and I have a feeling they’re not ready for that.
“Sorry to break this up, but we need to leave to make it back in time for the Formula One. But I have got to say, it’s about bloody time you two gave in to each other.” I wink and force a playful smile before walking off to say bye to the others. Their faces were priceless! I can’t wait to rip him over this when we’re alone. Maya looked like a deer in the headlights. Chuckling to myself, I bid my farewells and go out to wait for Tommy by the car. It’s only a few minutes until he’s here. A smile played at his lips.
The moment our arses are in the seats, I spin on him.
“Sooo, are we going to talk about…”
“Nope.” He cuts me off. “Not a word.”
“You party pooper. That was the most interesting thing that’s happened all night.” I moan, but I don’t push any further. I know Tommy, and he will spill the beans in his own time.
“Where did you disappear to?” He asks nonchalantly.
Was I gone for so long that everyone noticed? I hope mum didn’t. That’s the last thing I need. If she says anything about it to Lucy, she will only pull away again. And we can’t have that.
“I just ran up to say bye to Lucy,” I say as coolly as I possibly can.
“Was she okay? She seemed a little off. Did you notice?” He asks, his brows furrowed.
“Yeah, a little. I think she was just overly tired from the travel. It must take some time to come back down to reality after her kind of work.” When what I really want to say is… no,she’s a mess and I can’t do anything about it because Mum is a dick.
Of course. Those words never leave my lips.
If there is anyone in this world I would want to talk to about this, it would be him. I can’t do that, though. What if he reacted the same way Mum did? God, he could even be worse. Something in me knows I probably could tell him, but that would be opening a whole other can of worms I’m not ready for. Especially when I don’t even know what’s going through Lucy's mind.
When Fallon mentioned other men she could have been with, I lost it. I don’t know how I didn’t manage to snap the fork I was holding in half. I mustn’t be as strong as I think I am. I have no right to feel like this. I’ve been with other women, not that I’ve enjoyed it much. Or that I have ever not thought of her while fucking them. Because I do, every time. So, of course, she would have slept around. But knowing I was her first has me territorial.
I’m in this for the long game. I don’t know how I’ll win her over. Or even if it is possible. But God loves a trier.
“Max,” Tommy calls as I walk past his office door the next morning. “Come here a second.”
“What’s up?” I ask, relaxing back on his fancy chair in the corner. “Got another mission for me, boss?”
“A mission? Is that what we’re calling it now?” His eyes roll at my attempt at a joke. “But yes, I do have a mission. I want you to work from here for a while. That way I can go back and forth between head office knowing it’s in safe hands when I’m away.”
“Aw, I think that might be the nicest thing you have ever said to me,” I beam at him, to which he scowls.
“You’re making me regret asking you.”
This is just what I needed, the perfect excuse to hang around Worcester for a while. For one reason, and one reason only. Now I really do need to find my own place. I will have to get Lana, Tommy’s assistant, to look into it for me, because I am useless at this shit. My mind is a million miles away, conjuring up schemes to win Lucy over and what size television I’m going to get when I finally hear my name being called.
“Ey, fucker, you weren’t listening to anything I’ve just said, were you?” Tommy rubs the back of his neck as he scolds me.
“Sorry bro. I’m just thinking of where I’m going to live, seeing as you are shacking up with Maya,” I wink.
“Maya and I are not a thing,” he says, but I can see the sly smile he is trying to hide. “But I like the sound of you finally fucking off out of my apartment.”
