Fifteen
Amber
My entire body was singing. The encounter between Max and me had been another first. Was I proud of the fact that I’d just let him screw me in the bathroom, possibly not but it had felt so good. It was one of those moments when you knew you shouldn’t but couldn’t help yourself.
The sex had been wild and free and I had loved how that made me feel. Max’s dominating behaviour during sex was a complete turn-on as it felt natural and unforced. I remembered hooking up with a guy a few months ago where we’d discussed our likes and dislikes between the sheets and it had been plain awful. It had almost felt like I was in a bad version of a Fifty Shades novel and the guy hadn’t known what he was doing at all. He certainly hadn’t been confident. He’d kept apologising every two minutes when he’d thought he’d hurt me.
Why was intimacy with Max so amazing? Sex was the closest way you could be with another person and when you liked that someone, it made it feel worthwhile and deep. And dare I say, lasting? Nothing like what I had with Zander. I pushed that looming thought that he was now free to one side. I wanted to work out why Max made me feel so much more.
Because there are real feelings involved. You’re falling for him.
I glanced towards the archway that led to the bathroom, where the hell was he? I checked my purse for my phone, thinking about texting him, but of course; Max still had my mobile. I still felt annoyed that Max and my father had conspired behind my back. When would everyone stop treating me like I needed a saviour?
Because you do. My inner voice needed to do one, either that or Max should come back from the toilets and stop me from having too much thinking time. We still needed to talk. I knew Max would want to know more about the kidnapping and what happened with Zander.
Eventually, he appeared and our eyes met across the crowded dance floor. He was so handsome and strong and he made me feel so good. Why the hell shouldn’t I trust him and explain about that shitty phase in my life; he already knew half of it. Maybe, like Mia, he’d understand.
Thoughts of Zander continued to swim through my thoughts and I felt slightly nauseous. What if he did come for me? And if he did, how would I feel if I saw him again? Disgusted, excited, what?
As Max walked towards me with a tender expression, my heart skipped a beat and thoughts of Zander went away.
You are falling for him.
“Apologies, I got stuck with the granny bitches from hell,” Max said with a smile. I shot him one of my own.
“Did they catch you in there?”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I used the famous Hunter charm,” he said with a quirk of his head.
“You do have some then?” I batted back with a head tilt.
“You know it, baby girl,” he chuckled arrogantly and pushed some of my hair behind my ear. “Are you ready to go home?”
A twinge of disappointment fluttered through me. I didn’t want the night to end.
“OK,” I said, feeling slightly awkward. As far as I knew, to Max, this thing between us was only physical to him.
He pushed his face down into mine, his eyes narrowing. “I mean my home?”
Hope shot through me. “Oh. OK. Is that a good idea?”
Max skimmed his knuckles down my cheek. “Absolutely. I want to show you my crib. I have the most amazing king-sized bed. Don’t you want to see it? ”
“I think what just happened in the bathroom proves I do,” I replied with a croak to my voice.
And his next words lit me up. Emotionally.
“I don’t mean that. I mean, I want you to spend the night with me. We can talk and I did promise you the best eggs in London remember? And by talk, I don’t mean shoot the shit. I want to know everything about you, Amber.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. Don’t sound so surprised, you’re a pretty amazing woman. Annoying as fuck some of the time but—you keep me on my toes like no other woman ever has.”
“Thank you, I think—well, apart from the annoying comment, but I’ll let that slide,” I grinned.
And that sealed the deal.
When Max gave me my phone, I had several missed calls from Mia and knew exactly why she’d be calling. She would have found out that Zander was free.
I messaged Dexter and asked him to bring the car around. And he drove us to Max’s apartment without comment. It didn’t feel uncomfortable when I sent him away, Dexter shook Max’s hand and I heard him whisper something about taking care of me. It was like he was pleased that something was going on between us. Like he respected Max but I supposed he would, my father did. Almost like the son he never had.
Max’s apartment was located on the top floor and wrapped around one corner of the building. It was extremely contemporary and had a long balcony with views of the Thames and the London Eye.
In respect of furnishings, it was minimalist. There were no pictures on the walls, just the basics you needed in your house, although basic is probably the wrong word to describe the décor. Everything was good quality and high-end. There wasn’t much colour, it was painted in light grey and black. Grey walls, andblack leather sofas in the living room and even the kitchen units were grey .
Max asked if I wanted a shower and when I came out of the bathroom and walked into his thoroughly masculine bedroom, he’d left me a T-shirt out to sleep in. He was so thoughtful and attentive, totally different to the boar I had thought him to be.
It was late and we spoke briefly about the kidnapping. I didn’t go too deep in respect of my relationship with Zander and Max didn’t push it. I decided that I would reveal things piece by piece so that it didn’t become overwhelming. Max said that he was ready to listen to the full story when I was ready to talk and that there would be no pressure from his side.
As far as what was going on between us, we didn’t talk about what we were doing and I was too scared to bring it up. It was early days and yet I felt so strongly about him, I wasn’t tough enough for him to knock me down by saying it was just sex, or friends with benefits, not yet.
He had to care about me? Or why would he want to know so much?
I fell asleep in Max’s arms that night without a care in the world, feeling safe and cared for.
And for the first time in forever, I felt like I could trust again.
*****
After what was indeed the best breakfast ever, I left Max’s apartment during the early hours of Sunday. He loaned me another T-shirt and some joggers that I had to roll over at the waist and led me downstairs to my waiting car.
It felt odd being in my heels but the chances of seeing anyone I knew were none existent.
Max kissed me softly on the mouth in front of Dexter and said he’d see me at work the following day. He also said that he wanted to introduce me to his friends and invited me to drinks for his thirtieth birthday at Felice’s, the restaurant where he’d first kissed me. It almost felt like another meant-to-be moment but I knew I needed to take it slow. I had to establish what, if anything would happen now Zander was out.
Max watched the car as we pulled away, his hands in the pockets of his jogging bottoms.
You know where I am if you need me. Max messaged.
I smiled at my screen and then called Mia.
*****
Over the next week, Max was busy with work but he made time for me. We ate lunch together at Rita’s café on site and you could tell from some of the looks from colleagues that they thought we were seeing each other. And we were, sort of.
Max even kissed me at my desk and Annie witnessed it, her entire face beaming through the window as she made her way up the stairs to her office. It was nice to see the battleaxe had a softer side.
Mia dropped by the office a couple of times, asking if I had heard anything from Zander which I hadn’t, yet. She had started seeing Luca more and explained that she thought she was falling for him. I kept my feelings about Max to myself even though she gave me the third degree.
Daddy had also been on site with Max showing him the progress of the bar build and he had taken me to lunch. Max’s name came up several times but he didn’t ask outright if we were together. And again, were we? We seemed to be going with the flow and I was fine with that for the time being. I told Daddy that I knew Zander was free and promised him I had no intention of seeing him. And that was the hard bit, part of me wanted to see him. To get some type of closure but I knew it wasn’t a good idea .
One evening, Max came to the house to see my father and we ended up going riding together. Max was an experienced horseman and was more than comfortable on Shadow’s back.
On Thursday, after work. The shit hit the fan. Max was off-site at the docks, something to do with those warehouses he had purchased and I was tasked with locking up. Everyone had already left. Wes, the foreman who usually locked up was ill and so the job had fallen to me.
I was dressed down in tight jeans, sneakers, a tank top and my raincoat when I saw him.
Zander.
He had come for me, just like I suspected he would.
I thought back to that night when the police had swarmed the house—the patronising buttoned-up counsellor who had dropped my case like a hot rock. Once it was identified I had been intimate with my captor, my case had fallen outside of her pay grade. Within four hours, I’d been handed over like an unwanted parcel. The invasive tests and questions I endured had probably scarred me for life.
That was the night he had been taken away—arrested by the police for numerous offences so I had been told. He was a criminal before the kidnapping. That was also the last time I had seen him, until now.
My breathing felt restricted, like there was a noose around my neck and it was slowly being drawn tighter. The man holding the other end of the rope was now standing across the road like a fucking apparition.
Alexander Harker.
I suddenly felt like I was in an alternative reality as a ball of dread exploded in my stomach; that terrifying feeling sat somewhere between my guts and my legs. If there was a twilight zone, I was sure I was in it.
Walk Amber, you can do this .
I knew he was out of prison, so his appearance shouldn’t have knocked me for six. But it did; severe shock at seeing him in the flesh bounced between my temples like a wiper blade. He was still sex on legs with a body made for sin. But I knew from experience that this sexy man was a bottomless pit that swallowed your self-worth whole.
Zander stood across the road, facing the muddy entrance into Max’s construction site with the Thames behind him. Luckily, the area was busy. People were milling around, some jogging or walking dogs and there were a handful of people by the railings looking out at the river.
I stared across, taking in the intenseness of his expression. One thing was more apparent than ever, this man was a stranger to me now.
I glanced over to Dexter. He watched me intently, waiting for me to climb into the car.
“I’ll just be a minute,” I said with a nod towards where Zander was waiting. Dexter turned and glanced over to where I had motioned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“Do you want me to come with you?” He questioned, his hand sliding inside his coat.
“No, I’m fine. It’s an old friend,” I lied. Alexander had been many things to me, but I’d soon realised ‘friend’ wasn’t one of them. “I won’t be long, wait for me in the car, please.”
I swallowed as I awaited Dexter’s reply, “As you wish. Signal if you need me.” The hand that had moved underneath his coat dropped to his side and he pushed the back door closed and made his way to the front.
A shiver slipped down my spine. Zander had kidnapped me once before but surely that couldn’t happen in broad daylight? Even though I was nervous, I felt safe, especially with Dexter nearby. He was my driver and security and I knew from his earlier reaction that he had brought his gun .
I nodded my thanks as Dexter climbed back into the car. His focus remained on Zander, and I could see by theset of his jaw that he wasn’t happy. I so hoped he didn’t call my father. I imagined he knew exactly who the man across the street waiting for me was. Daddy hadn’t increased my security detail, but he had explained at lunch that he’d told Dexter to be on high alert and why.
Pulling my bag tighter into my shoulder, I crossed the road and moved slowly towards the man who had been my first lover at just fifteen. The thought of it left a sick taste in my mouth now.
I took my time as I needed to regain some of my composure. Zander had changed with age, but he still packed that same attractive punch to my hormones. He looked taller than I remembered even though I would have gained some height since the last time I had seen him. Zander was big and broad and still mind-numbingly good-looking with a square jaw, shrewd silver eyes and black hair that was greying at the temples; that was new.
Standing before me there was no doubt that he was still the hunter, and I the prey. Anxiety pooled into my senses, making me feel hot. I couldn’t allow my previous history with this man toaffect the woman I now was.
And that was the deciding factor for me, right there. I no longer wanted to be the prey; at least not his. The man standing before me had screwed so much with my head as a girl that I knew I could not allow him to do that to me as a woman. During my teens, he had made me into a needy mess, desperate for any scraps of attention he could feed me.
I would not allow this man to blow my future to shit. That slow burning ember in the pit of my stomach was nerves and that was all—it had to be. How could I feel anything towards a man who had pounced on me as a minor? When I didn’t know any better.
As I crossed the road and came to stand before him, he stared down into my face, missing nothing, “Freckles, you haven’t changed at all. Still so beautiful,” Zander purred, his tone still rich and throaty as I remembered. His nickname for me flipped a switch, it made me feel like the fifteen-year-old version of myself, unprotected and vulnerable. Panic started to bubble beneath the surface and helplessness started to take over. I took a step backwards and his eyes narrowed at the gesture.
“Zander. I should say good to see you but I’m not sure that’s the case.”
I paused and took a deep breath before I quickly added, “How have you been?”
The man had lost his freedom for the last five and a half years and I was partly the reason for that. Although I hadn’t testified, maybe he still wanted revenge.
He grimaced, his brow scrunching, “It’s aprison, what do you think?”
I chewed my lip, “Well, I can’t imagine it would be easy. You do know that I didn’t testify.”
He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I know. I knew you wouldn’t. A woman such as you would never betray her man.”
Fuck. He went there quickly. I arched an eyebrow, “But I wasn’t a woman was I, I was a girl.”
Zander dashed across his jaw and said with a head tilt, “You’re point being?”
Straightening my shoulders I got swiftly to it, “I was only just sixteen Zander. I was terrified when you didn’t come back.”
There was an awkward beat of silence.
“I know and that’s why I’m here now.”
A strange thick silence stretched between us before he said, “Did you miss me?” he drawled, pushing a strand of my hair back behind my ear. I managed not to flinch at his touch as he stared down at me with an odd affectionate look. That wasn’t good. I had to crane my neck to meet his predatory gaze. The man ate me up, his eyes moving to sweep up and down my body like a starved man. I felt a dart of relief that I had belted my raincoat giving me a layer of protection .
Luckily, his next words, slapped me back to the present and the stirring of the anger I’d kept deep down started to resurface.
“It’s been torture, me trapped in there and you out here. You must have missed me. Missed us?” He gestured between our bodies with his hand.
“Us? A very fucked up us,” I pointed out in a firmer voice than I thought I was capable of.
“How can you say that? Yes, there was an age difference but who gives a shit about that in the face of what we shared?”
My lips twisted and I braved a glance at Dexter. Shared? That one was rich. God, how clueless I’d been back then.
Not allowing myself to be lured into his trap, I questioned, “What are you doing here Zander?” Tilting my chin to stare up into his fathomless face.
“I’m here to see you.” He pulled a face, his steely eyes drilled into mine.
I folded my arms over my chest and glared up at him with a curious expression, “Why?”
“You know why and don’t do that. You know I hate that,” Zander said stepping forward into my space, his hands peeling my arms from that position. Of course, he had always hated defensive body language.
I tugged my hands from his and cast another glance toward Dexter. He looked poised to climb out of the car and I shook my head, signalling for him to stay put.
“I wouldn’t touch me if I were you. Dexter won’t be happy about it,” I explained with a flick of my head. Zander didn’t look impressed but he took a step back.
“I take it Dexter is your latest fucking guard dog?”
“Just tell me what you want and then go, Zander.”
Another silence and then the wind flared, stinging my cheeks .
My mouth snapped shut. He was being evasive on purpose. This was one of his tactics to fool me into saying or admitting something I didn’t want to. Up to his old tricks again, but this time I saw right through him.
“Zander?” I prompted, smoothing down my hair.
“You know what I want, Amber. The same thing I always have. You.”
Once those words left his mouth, genuine repulsion kicked in. The way he was looking at me suggested he’d thought we could pick up where we left off which was insane. My pulse doubled in speed. I had no way of knowing what he’d gone through in prison. There was a good chance that the man before me today was even more unhinged than his past self.
“What you’re saying is ridiculous?” I said, the grooves in my frown was almost painful.
“Is it? I know we haven’t seen each other for a while, but I still care about you. Prison didn’t change that.”
“No, but life outside of it changed me. I am not the same person I was back then.”
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say?” Zander volleyed back with a slight, awkward smile and in that moment, I saw a flash of vulnerability and it tugged on my heartstrings.
Fuck!
He must have seen me weaken as he hastily added, “Please Amber, just come with me. There is stuff I need to say. Bring the dog if it makes you feel better. You know I’d never hurt you.”
“That’s not how I remember it.”
His expression became pained, “I made mistakes, that never should have happened but I wasn’t well at the time. I told you that.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Yes, I remember. But what we both did also hurt others.”
“Like who? ”
“My father,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.
This caused Zander to snort and shift moodily from one foot to the other. “He’d never given a shit about you before I came along,” Zander sneered, rolling his shoulders. He appeared so much broader and had put on some weight but his muscles still looked like they were sculptured from hours spent in the gym.
We’d argued about Daddy loads when we were forced to move houses. Almost like Zander was jealous of my father which reminded me of that one time when he’d asked me to call him Daddy. I’d seen it as a bit of sexy fun, butnow I understood exactly what that meant and it wasn’t a kink I craved. I found ‘Daddy’ kinks revolting and twisted.
When I didn’t answer he brought out the big guns.
“Look, just give me a chance to explain. You owe me that much.”
“Go on then, explain,” I said with a raised hand to encourage him to spill his bullshit. There was no way he could justify what he had done. He’d been the adult—I was the teenager.
His expression darkened as he shot a glance around the area, “Not here out in the open, somewhere quiet. There’s a coffee shop around the corner. I want you to come with me,” Zander stated in a lofty voice, holding out his hand, expecting me to take it. The whole conversation was messed up.
His expression said that he expected to be obeyed as I warily eyed his hand. No please, nothing in his tone to sugarcoat the offer or to entice me to go with him. It was as base as always; Zander would say jump and I would ask how high. Well, not anymore.
“It’s been years Zander, almost six. We’re strangers now. I don’t owe you anything.” The arsehole still thought he could control my life.
Zander’s jaw jutted forward with irritation, a look I remembered well. “I don’t see you as a stranger, freckles. I’ve kept an eye on you over the years. I didn’t just walk away, even inside. ”
And that was pretty much the final nail in the coffin. “You’ve had me watched ?”
Puffing a breath, Zander replied, “Yes, but not in a creepy way. I just wanted to make sure you were OK. I know you struggled at first. I hated that I couldn’t get to you, hold you. Make all the lies they said go away. Give me a chance, Amber; to put things right.”
Shaking my head, I responded, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Zander,” I was pleased that I was managing to stand my ground. Max would be proud.
Max! His perfect face swam into my head and at that moment, I wished he were there, surrounding me with his strength.
“Please, Amber. I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about Zander. What you did, what we did was wrong. I get that now.”
“How was it wrong?”
I didn’t dress it up, “You had sex with me when I was underage.”
His face scrunched up and he looked confused and there was a beat of silence before he replied with an ashen face, “It was more than that and you know it. And you were almost sixteen; a mature sixteen I might add. Surely you haven’t forgotten what we did for your sweet sixteenth?” His voice thickened, and I could see from his expression that he was reliving that night. It had been a mixture of special and sweet before it had turned into something else much darker.
My stomach rolled and I suddenly felt sick. “It’s in the past now and that’s where we should leave it.”
Zander jabbed a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated, “That’s not what you want.”
My heart started to thunder in my chest. “You see that’s where you’re wrong, Zander. You don’t get to tell me what I want anymore, ”
Zander growled under his breath and then attempted to reason with me again, “Look, you grew up strong and I like that but please, at least walk with me for a while.”
That little girl inside me wanted to walk with him but as I thought about my options, I knew I needed to leave. Zander was a master manipulator and would get in my head if I let him.
“Look, my driver is waiting. I am happy for you that you’re out of prison and can rebuild your life, but I am no longer part of that now. Too much time has passed, andI’m different. We both are. Just leave it. It’s better this way, find someone who can give you what you want.”
“ You’re what I want,” he mewled. It was an odd sound, I had never heard his voice so flat.
“No, it’s over.”
It was like watching someone insert a pin in a balloon and it slowly deflating rather than bursting, his shoulders dropped and his face contorted with pain. “You don’t mean that.”
I hated to be the one who had caused that look but what could I do, “Goodbye, Zander.”
Zander caught my arm, “Wait, we’re not done.”
His touch was like an electric shock and I glared at his grip on my wrist.
As my eyes narrowed, I trained my gaze upwards and he released me and held his hands up. “I’ve thought about nothing but you for years. And I know what happened between us was unusual but when you know you know. I loved you; I still love you, Amber,” Zander confessed, dropping his hands helplessly to his sides. I found it interesting that he called me by my name, something he rarely did.
Shaking my head, I smiled weakly, “No. You don’t, and you didn’t then. You used me, manipulated me. If you had been a decent man, you would have delivered me back to my father and walked away. You didn’t, you took what you wanted and to hell with the consequences. As I said, I am not the person I was back then. I’m strong and confident and nobody brainwashes me. You wouldn’t like the woman I am today.”
He released a sigh of impatience before glancing around the street. After a deep breath, he then pinned his eyes on me, “OK, I get it, you’re a woman now, but you can’t say that I didn’t have something to do with shaping the person you are today.”
“Oh, I’d give you credit for some of that, but it’s the darker half of me that you’re responsible for. You were the man that crushed me, Zander. And I won’t ever let that happen again.”
“You don’t mean that,” he grunted again, one large hand wrapping around my bicep. “You just want to punish me for abandoning you.”
“Everything OK, Miss Swift,” Dexter's voice suddenly bled between us.
Zander shot him an annoyed dismissive glare.
“I would let go of my arm, Zander.”
“I’d do as she asks mate, right now,” Dexter husked, opening his coat to reveal his gun which sat in a shoulder holster.
It worked and I was free, my skin itching where Zander had held me.
“We belong together, Amber,” Zander whispered, his expression still determined but I could see he was hurting.
“I should say it’s over but that’s ridiculous as it was over when you got caught. I haven’t heard from you in almost six years,” I rasped, sweat drizzling down my back.
“I did write to you—you know—in the beginning,” he announced.
“What?” His revelation forced me back a step.
“I think we should go, Miss Swift,” Dexter said.
“Just a minute,” I replied, raising my hand, needing to question Zander. “What do you mean? I never got any letters. ”
Zander scanned my face. “They were sent back unopened with a threatening note from your father’s legal team.”
What letters? I remained silent, hopefully maintaining my poker face. If I had received the letters, would it have made a difference? That was something I would never know.
“I never want to see you again, Zander. Just get on with your life and allow me to live mine.”
His mouth opened to respond but he was interrupted.
“You heard the lady,” Dexter’s voice was now one that brooked no argument. The relief I felt was palpable. That closure that I had always needed felt within reach at last. I pushed Zander’s comment about the letters to one side. “Go on, take a hike. She wants nothing to do with you.”
“What the fuck has it to do with you,” Zander snapped irritably.
Dexter slid his hand into his coat and placed his fingers on the handle of his gun. “I think we understand each other,” he replied with a forced smile.
Zander’s eyes flashed as he saw the butt of the weapon, “What, you’re going to shoot me in broad daylight? I doubt that very much.”
“I was thinking of just a kneecap to start with.” Dexter moved to stand closer to me, so that his arm brushed mine, “But, under the circumstances, I think they’d pat me on the back, mate. Shooting a man that molests little girls.”
I didn’t appreciate his comment and neither did Zander. He turned away from the other man and glared down at me with a look of disgust. He clearly didn’t understand why others looking in would have seen it that way.
I felt a pang of regret that Dexter had used such cutting words that were indeed twisted to fuck. Zander had been messed up and what he did was wrong but he wasn’t a fucking kiddie fiddler, not in that sense. A master manipulator who fell for the forbidden.
“I won’t ask again and if I see you anywhere near her Ladyship, you’ll be back inside before you know what hit you. ”
Dexter placed an arm around my shoulders and started to steer me away.
I swallowed my smile even though it was still bittersweet. I had never heard Dexter speak in such a way but I was thankful for his support.
I allowed myself one last look at the face of the man I once thought was my everything. “Goodbye, Zander.”
My words dragged him back from his daze and he shook his head as if to clear it before he snarled. “We’ll see.” An angry flush marked his neck, causing me to swallow; I used to be scared by that look. It reminded me of that handful of times when he’d taken it too far.
And that was that. I shut the door on that part of my life. I just hoped it remained that way.
His ‘we’ll see’ had probably been his attempt at getting in the last word. He was angry and hurt but he’d calm down. He was freshly out of prison and surely had his entire life to replan. Zander would forget about me over time.
I wasn’t sure what insane scenarios Zander had cooked up in his head in prison. Did he think I would want to get back together, after all the time that had passed? As an adult, it didn’t make any sense.
Dexter escorted me to the car and guided me into the back. The soft leather was welcome against my shaking legs.
As we pulled away from the curb, my entire body went floppy and I tugged open the belt of my raincoat, pushing my bag off my lap as I suddenly felt restricted.
I now realised that I had no desire for the man who stole a major part of my childhood from me. I no longer wanted his dirty promises and rough touch. With Zander it had been about sex, what he had awakened in me as I had been transitioning from a girl to a woman. I’d been confused and obsessed with the fairy tale. Believed he’d had all the answers for giving me the attention I had lost when my mother died .
My palm itched to call Max, but I called Mia instead. She didn’t answer so I left a message and asked her to call me.
“Are you OK?” Dexter said as I lowered my phone, his eyes watching me through the rear-view mirror.
I nodded and smiled, “Yes, I’m fine now. More than fine,” I replied, looking through the back window. Thankfully Zander was gone.
“You don’t look it,” he said, his eyes searching my face.
“Please just drive.”
He nodded and raised the glass partition between us, giving me space.
The more I thought about my meeting with Zander as an adult, the more confidence I felt.
For the first time in years, my head was the clearest it had ever been and I felt a sense of closure.
“Am I taking you home Miss? Or somewhere else?” I knew he was referring to Max’s apartment.
“Just home, please. Thank you.”
I needed some me time before I saw Max.