Chapter Thirty
Lucy
“I have just got off the phone with Suzy. She said you are amazing and that you’re starting tomorrow night!” Riley’s excited voice carries over the phone. “I knew you would like it.”
“I loved it, and Suzy was lovely. Honestly, how can I ever thank you for this?” His excitement is contagious. I have an extra skip in my walk as I head back to Tommy's place.
“No! I’m the one who should be thanking you. We really needed something extra to add to the bar. I’m not sure if it’s the area, but it’s quieter than my other venues. So hopefully now we have you adding that little something extra, we will start to get more custom coming in.”
“I don’t know how long it will be for, are you sure that’s okay?” I ask, worried I'll be leaving him in the shit once again when I leave.
“No, not at all. Also, I’ve arranged with Suzy so that you get a set wage, rather than tips like the others, since you won’t be doing solos.” He says, and relief floods me. Dancing on stage is second nature for me, but going off and doing a lap dance? No, thank you!
“That’s amazing, honestly, thank you so, so much!”
“Listen, I’ve got to go. You just do what you do best, and make sure to message me when you finish tomorrow so I know how you’ve got on.”
We say our goodbyes, and by the time I hang up the call, I’m already outside Max and Tommy's building. I know they’re both out at the minute, and all I want to do is sleep, but where do I go? I have a key to Tommy's place, so that makes more sense. But I really want to go to Max’s. The thought of him crawling into bed next to me later sends a flurry of butterflies in my stomach.
No, I will have to go to Tommy's and hopefully see Max tomorrow before my first shift. As soon as I get to my room, I drop down onto the bed, pulling off my clothes in my haste to sleep. All the excitement from the past twenty-four hours must have caught up with me, because the next thing I know, I’m jostled awake.
What the hell? Is there an earthquake? Is this it? Is this how I die?
My panic starts to rise until I notice a presence slipping under the sheets, and I would know that groan anywhere. Max has climbed into bed with me in Tommy's spare bedroom.
“Max! What are you doing?” I whisper-shout at him.
“Missed my girl. Too much whisky. Need sleep.” He mumbles as he buries his face in the crook of my neck.
“What if someone finds out?” I chide, wriggling out of his reach. The stubble he has from not shaving for the past few days is tickling me so bad. The last thing we need is for me to burst out laughing right now. “Does Tommy know that I’m in here?”
“Shhh. Please. Too loud. Everything will be fine. Just sleep, baby.” He rambles on some more. “Turn around and back on in, I want to hold you.”
Even in his drunk state, he needs to be close to me. Max has so many different layers to him. I love finding out about a new one each time I’m with him. He tugs me into him as hislittle spoon, twirling a piece of my hair around his finger. The feeling of being in his arms settles me back into a deep sleep.
“Luuuuucy,” Max sings down my ear just as the beginning of morning light breaks through the curtains. “It’s time to wake up.”
“Ugh, how can you be this chirpy after a night of drinking? I didn’t drink and feel like death.”
“That is because of years of practice. Now, you might want to get out of bed. Shit went down last night that I need to fill you in on before you head out there.” He nips at my ear as he tries to rouse me some more.
“What shit? Why didn’t you tell me last night?” I bolt upright in bed to stare him down.
“Because I knew it would panic you and you needed some sleep.” His cocky smile is in place, melting me as it always does. But when I don’t smile in return, he huffs out a breath and sits up next to me. “Okay. Long story short… Tommy and Maya connected, had a dance, and had a great time. Then someone barged into Maya's room and left her a letter that scared her, and we think it was from Jake. Who the police think is the main cause of the accident, by the way. So everyone came back here to speak to the police and ended up staying. I don’t think anyone knows you were even here.”
My eyes grow wide, and my throat begins to tighten.
“Hold up, so the police were here last night? And multiple people are here now?” My voice wobbles at the realisation. “How the hell did I sleep through all of that?”
“You were shattered. That is exactly why I didn’t want to worry you when I found you asleep in here.” He says. Like that is the most natural thing in the world to do.
“Max! Be serious. What are we going to do?” My voice is starting to rise. I can feel the edge of hysteria coming on.
“I am going to give you my key, and you’re going to head upstairs to my place and wait for me there.” He smiles, pulling the key from his pocket.
“But… what if they see me?”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Everyone is asleep except Tommy. He has just left for his run and won’t be home for another twenty minutes.”
