Seventeen
Max
Everything was going to shit again. Amber was at Mia’s and still pissed about the misunderstanding with Natalie and I was determined I wouldn’t be the one to break the radio silence first. Teenager-ish of me I know.
The hotel owners who had commissioned me to build their bar were getting pissy about the delays with the project. Rory Hopton my, ex-employee had also started shouting his mouth off about me with an agency I used for staffing. Luckily it hadn’t done any reputational damage, yet. But I knew I needed to send a message to the punk. So, I set Gabriel on his arse as my attorney.
To literally add insult to injury, I’d almost lost a fight in the ring. The guy I’d been pitched against was half my size but starting pulling some ninja shit; he led me a merry dance for several rounds before I’d KO’d the fucker.
Work was stressful. My foreman Wes was still off sick and I was sure I’d seen Alexander Harker parked outside the site. I’d walked towards the Land Rover Discovery that kept appearing, possibly waiting for Amber to appear, but it had always driven off. I’d taken a note of the license plate and sent it to Gabriel to ask if there was any way he could get it traced. He knew dodgy people go figure.
What was rich was that the guy who I thought was Harker parked in the same place each time. If he’d had anything to do with staking shit out during his criminal past, he sucked dick big time. I’d found out from Jonny that Harker had a dodgy background before taking Amber. Not that that would stop me frombeating him to death with my bare fucking hands if I had the chance. If it was Harker, he’d driven away like a complete pussy. Some hotshot criminal, he probably had a background of nabbing handbags from old ladies, the cowardly cunt.
Talking of criminals, Gabe was still having issues with his father’s dodgy client Gerard Kinlan who was also pressuring him to join his dad’s business. On the night he’d dragged Leonie's arse out of Aquarius, someone had broken into Gabe’s apartment and he’d suspected it was something to do with the Kinlan’s. This had led to Leonie finding out Gabriel owned a gun which hadn’t gone down well.
Amber had stayed on at Mia’s for a few more days so Jonny had said and I left her to it. I missed her like mad but what could I do? I wasn’t one to beg, well, not yet anyway. At least I got to see her in my dreams and fuck me, they were becoming more and more vivid as each day without seeing her passed by.
It was Saturday night, my thirtieth birthday and I felt like an old fart. I would rather have spent the evening with Amber and was dying to WhatsApp her but I decided against it. I didn’t want to come across as desperate; she said she needed space so I had to honour that.
Felice’s was buzzing. All my friends were there when I arrived apart from Gabriel who turned up late as usual after I’d hounded him to death.
I spoke with Luca for most of the evening. I didspeak with Gabe but he was doing his active-listening thing and it pissed me off. Gabe was distracted, his eyes following Leonie around the restaurant like a puppy. She was working a shift that night and would join us for drinks when she got done. He still held his cards to his chest but I wasn’t stupid. I knew they were fucking. You could tell by her flushed face every time they spoke and that body language. Yep, he’d tapped that for sure. I would have said lucky bastard but I had started to view Leonie like a sister. I still flirted with her; it was far too entertaining watching the expression on Gabriel’s face when I did .
Having not heard from Amber, not even to say happy birthday, I sank my sorrows with weed and booze and got smashed. I’d managed to stay off the cigarettes for a few days as I knew Amber didn’t like me smoking.
Part of me wanted to jump in my car, drive to Mia’s and drag her back by the hair. I was a man of action rather than words but at that point, I was so drunk that I knew I wouldn’t go anywhere near my wheels.
When I got back to my apartment later that night, I picked up my mail and opened what looked like another birthday card. The envelope was pale pink. It was from Amber. I could smell her scent on the paper, almost like she’d squirted it with her perfume.
As was her brand of wit, the card took the piss out of me being an old bastard but the handwritten message made my blood race. She missed me. Relief pumped through my insides.
Happy Birthday. I miss you. Even your lumberjack shirts.
Yours truly, Amber (aka The Antichrist) x
P.S. You have your friend Gabriel to thank for ratting you out!
Gabriel had told Amber my old name for her, the meddling twat.
I traced my fingers over the girly handwriting and lifted the card to my face. That sweet scent lingered. The emotions churning through me spread like a lightning bolt to my brain. All I could think about was touching Amber’s skin, feeling her next to me or better yet, under me as our bodies united in the most intense sex either of us had ever experienced. It suddenly felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest, one that only she could fill.
I proudly displayed the card on my kitchen counter next to the ones from my parents, and friends, Luca’s having his perfect model face on it, the cock-end .
I then did something that wasn’t the best idea when smacked off your tits on alcohol; I pulled out my phone and called Amber.
Amber
“Do you think I should get my tits done?” Mia huffed, pushing her boobs forward as she stared into the mirror.
WTF?
“Random much?” I pointed out with a snort. My best friend had an amazing rack, much bigger than mine and so I didn’t know where she was coming from.
“Luca likes big breasts,” she informed me, her reflection peering at me from across her bedroom.
My nose scrunched, “No. I don’t think you should change a thing, especially not to please a guy. And I thought he dated models.”
“So?”
“Well, models are usually flat-chested,” I stated, looking down at a picture of one in the magazine I was leafing through. The girl was like a stick. “You shouldn’t ever change yourself for a man.”
“You did,” Mia said unhelpfully.
“That’s different. I didn’t know any better,” I replied, fanning my face with my hand. Mia always had the heating on in her room and it was blazing.
Changing the subject at the speed of light was Mia’s speciality, “You don’t have to go home tomorrow you know,” Mia said as she started brushing her hair in front of the mirror. She was sitting with her back to me at her large dressing table and was finishing her nightly routine before painting her nails. It was slotted at one end of her bedroom and was surrounded by lights and recording equipment. It was the place she filmed most of her YouTube videos .
I was on her bed, flipping through an old copy of Vogue. “No, I should go home really. I feel like I’m hiding from my past here like a wuss. I’m also a spineless bitch for missing Max’s birthday party.”
“Hardly a party, it was drinks at a crappy bar. And you didn’t miss it, you sent him a card,” Mia pointed out. A card, for his thirtieth, how shit was that? I hadn’t even made it myself. I bought it from the petrol station. Mia’s reminder of that paltry gesture made me feel worse and I knew at that moment that I would make it up to him. I’d seen a stunning TAG watch which I knew he’d love. Although the guy already owned several Rolexes. Maybe I needed to be more original.
I now knew I’d overreacted about the Natalie thing like a silly shrew. The thought that I may have fucked things up with him over something so small played on my mind but I’d stopped myself from messaging him. Men liked the chase remember. Text messages were not the way to deal with my fuck up. I needed to talk to him in person andexplain why I was so insecure. Max still didn’t know the whole story about the kidnapping and what happened with Zander.
During our forbidden relationship Zander had cheated on me, several times. Me being the infatuated sap that I was had always forgiven him. And now I’d let Max in and was scared he’d do the same.
“Luca said he didn’t talk to any of the women at the drinks tonight. Well, apart from that blonde that his friend is banging.”
“Leonie,” I said. She was the girl from the bathroom the night of the charity ball.
“Yes, the dancer.”
So, she was a dancer. I wondered what type. Mia knew more than me it appeared and then she revealed why. “Luca tried to bang her until Gabe warned him off. Literally cockblocked all his mates. Very telling. ”
“And Luca telling you that doesn’t bother you?” If I found out that Max had fancied her, pissed off is too mild of a description as to how I would feel.
“No, we’re open about stuff like that. Besides, it's in the past. He’s mine now.” I liked how possessive Mia sounded as she had been the biggest player I knew in the past. Playing boys at their own game and winning that is.
“Well, I’m not surprised. She’s pretty in a little lost girl way.”
“Anyways. I heard it from Luca that Max’s Natalie wasn’t there either,” Mia said, spinning on her chair to face me.
“Don’t call her Max’s Natalie, that makes me feel worse and anyway how would he know that? Maybe they never met?”
“There were no girls there with, what did you call it? Shit brown hair?”
I groaned, feeling annoyed at how I had overreacted.
Mia tilted her head as she watched me with a sympathetic look, “Why don’t you stay another night, Luca is coming over tomorrow. He’s bringing a stash of weed.”
“You guys are pretty thick,” I said partly to myself whilst readjusting the top of my shorty PJs.
“I suppose so. The guy knows how to go down on a girl, what more could you want? Please stay.”
I smiled, closing the magazine. “No, I’m not into playing gooseberry to you and your carpet-munching man friend. I’m ready to go home now. I need to see Max; tell him about Zander and the creepy flowers.” As expected, Mia’s interrogation had prevailed and I’d told her everything, hence her keeping me there a few more days until things blew over. Whatever ‘things’ were.
My phone vibrated and Mia dropped the brush and dashed over to grab it before I could. “Talk of the devil,” she said, eyeing my phone. I pushed to my feet and snatched it from her, putting my finger to my lips to motion for her to be quiet .
“Hello,” I answered, my heart squeezing in my chest at the thought of Max calling me.
“It’s me,” he said. His voice was deeper and huskier than usual and a trickle of heat skirted across my skin.
“Happy Birthday. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Did you have a good time?”
He cleared his throat before answering, “It was OK.”
I could tell he’d been drinking. “You sound like you had a good time,” I pointed out, pacing around Mia’s bedroom as she started to paint her nails whilst pretending not to listen.
“How so?” Max asked.
“You’re slurring,” I replied with a small laugh.
He chuckled and I felt it in my toes. “I may have overindulged with a few bevvies.”
I plopped myself down on Mia’s dressing table chair which she’d vacated when she’d grabbed my phone. “Well, you need to be careful at your age.”
Another laugh came down the phone. “Funny. You’re brave when you’re miles away.”
“Yeah, so what are you going to do about it?” I goaded.
“I’ll just have to punish you when you get back.”
I grinned at my phone. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Silence greeted me for a moment before Max said, “You know I didn’t kiss Natalie, right?”
“I know. I was being a silly cow and I overreacted. I must have been having one of my bunny boiler days,” I explained, feeling like a complete loser. I also had no right to feel that way, Max, and I were not together. We were fucking, end of. That thought made me sad.
“I quite like you jealous,” he admitted. I kept tight-lipped.
Another beat of silence came and I wondered if he’d fallen asleep.
“Hell, I feel rough. ”
“You should go, get some sleep. You’re going to need your energy tomorrow night,” I informed him with a sultry tone.
“Fuck yeah. When are you back?”
“Tomorrow, late afternoon. Dexter’s picking me up after lunch,” I told him, my chest swelling at the thought of seeing him.
“Tell him you can’t wait to suck his cock,” Mia whisper-shouted.
I held my phone against my chest, hoping to mute her comment, “Mia, shut up,” I shouted back before putting it back against my ear.
“Is that Mia?” Max asked.
“Yes. She’s being vulgar,” I explained shooting Mia the stink eye. She batted her lashes at me with a feigned innocent smile.
“That’s why she’s well-matched with Luca. He’s a dirty bugger too.”
“He’s coming over here tomorrow. They’re quite the thing.”
Max laughed, “I know, he was talking about her tonight and he made me feel like a needy fucker.”
“Needy? That’s not like you,” I began fishing. “Who do you need?”
“You know the answer to that. She’s tiny, with hair the colour of burnt embers. She has a cracking body and a mouth on her that would tempt a saint.”
“Really?”
“Yep, and I’m looking forward to showing her all the other ways she can use that smart mouth.”
That shitty feeling I’d felt ever since seeing that bitch kiss Max was lifted.
“I fucking need you, Amber. So much,” his voice was almost pained.
“You know it’s the same for me right,” I replied, not wanting Mia to hear me being overly gushy.
“Have you touched yourself whilst thinking about me?” Max husked and heat pooled between my legs.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good, you can show me tomorrow. ”
“You’ve got a deal,” I said, clamping my legs together as Mia glanced over with a suspicious look. Nosy cow.
Max chuckled before saying. “I know you’re not alone and so can’t talk so I’ll let you go. I just needed to hear your voice. I’ve missed you so much.” His raw confession sent an ecstatic thrill through me but I batted it away; he misses your body Amber, not you.
“I’ll message you when I’m on my way back. Will you come to the house? Daddy’s away for the night. Maybe you could stop over?”
From his tone, he was very much up for that. “Now you’re talking.”
“Goodnight.”
“Night sexy. Oh, and Amber,” Max whispered.
“Yes,”
“Dream of me.”
I was grinning from ear to ear as I ended the call. Looking up, my eyes met Mia who was wearing a disgusted look on her face.
“What?” I said, throwing my phone on the bed.
“ That was tame. You could have at least gone into the other room and had some phone sex. That’s probably why he was calling,” she scoffed.
I rolled my eyes and followed my phone onto the bed. “It sounds like he’s just got back from his party. He wasn’t calling for phone sex, Mia.”
“When a man calls at this time of night it’s for one thing. Luca and I have phone sex most nights, it’s awesome.”
“Well, you can keep the details of your bean flicking session to yourself thanks,” I scoffed with a shake of my head. God, I loved her, her sense of humour was the best.
Mia then plopped down next to me, blowing her freshly painted nails, and giving me a thorough breakdown of what she and Luca got up to on the phone. Despite what I’d said .
I pretended to listen but my thoughts were elsewhere. I couldn’t wait to see Max andfeel him inside me again, those strong arms wrapped around me or his hands on my arse. Max pushed the buttons of my spanking kink and I wanted him to do so much more. I had hard limits and he hadn’t even touched the sides.
Zander Harker could no longer hurt me. He didn’t have that power anymore. That strange infatuation I’d had for him, had been eradicated by another—a man who held my entire being in his hands.
I wanted to tell him the truth but the thought of rejection was too painful.
He doesn’t love you. He’s obsessed with you. It isn’t the same thing.
And I knew I was screwed. I had fallen in love with Max Hunter. A man who had been my monster but was now the man of my dreams.
Max
I woke up with a hangover from hell. Luckily, there was a silver lining to my day. Amber was coming home. After dragging my arse out of bed, I took a piss, hit the shower, and then dressed before making myself the strongest of coffees.
Checking my emails, I replied to one from Wes who was due to return to work the following day thank fuck. He had recovered from the flu but his wife had finally given birth and I’d had to honour his paternity. The roofing works were being finished during that week on site and I needed everyone firing on all cylinders.
Amber had messaged to say she’d be back at the mansion around four and I wondered about buying her a gift. Flowers or some shit like that. I didn’t want to come across as cheesy but I wasn’t the best at choosing presents for women. What can I say, the real gift was between my legs. What, I’m a smug twat so sue me .
After talking to her on the phone last night, I had come to a decision. No more messing around. I would ask Amber to be my girlfriend and tell her how I felt about her.
I was in love with my little Antichrist. Who would have thought it? If she didn’t say it back, I’d just have to take it like a man.
Not seeing Amber every day had been tough, to the point where I’d started to pine. Something that I had never done over a woman.
Amber was now so deep under my skin that I couldn’t be without her.
What if she doesn’t love you? And are you really ready to date?
Was I terrified at the thought of starting an actual relationship? Yes. But the excitement of sharing my days with her outweighed my fear.
Amber kept me on my toes. She didn’t put up with my bullshit and I needed a strong woman. She was honest and kind and most of all she had courage. Amber had scars that ran deep and I would be the one to help her heal. I intended to draw out all her demons and we would fight them together. Hopefully, Harker had taken a hike and fucked off like she must have told him to.
After taking a couple of painkillers, I threw myself on the couch and relaxed my eyes. I so needed to feel better before I saw Amber.
Just as I was about to doze off, my phone rang. I decided to ignore it. The shrill noise cut off and then started again. That happened around six times and I lost my shit and snatched it from the floor. Turning it over, I could see the call was from Gabe. I was not in the mood for any shit, I swiped the screen.
“What the fuck dude, take a hint. I have the biggest hangover of—” I began, but my friend cut me off. He sounded anxious.
“Did you sign for a package at mine?” his words ejected from his mouth like gunfire
My head swam as I tried to establish what he was talking about. “What?”
“A package came here; did you sign for one recently? ”
I wracked my brain, thinking about when I was at his apartment. Weeks ago.
My thoughts jumped back to that day when I was alone with Leonie waiting for Gabe at his apartment and had signed for an envelope for him. He must have meant that. I remember the day well as I gave it to Leonie. Gabe then turned up and was a complete mean twat towards her.
“Max!” he yelled down the phone.
“Fuck. Err, yes. A while ago though, a big envelope. I gave it to Leonie. Why?”
A beat of silence fell down the phone and I pushed to my feet, now feeling worried. What the hell was going on?
“Stay on the call,” Gabe grunted.
I started pacing around my apartment, completely at a loss as to what was so fucking important in that package.
“What’s in the package?” I shouted into my phone. I could hear Gabriel banging around wherever he was calling me from.
“Gabriel! Are you there? Talk to me damn it!”
Nothing.
I was just about to hang up when Gabe came back on the phone and his words chilled me to the bone.
“Leonie has been taken,” he said in a strained voice.
WTF? Taken? Like Amber was taken? Kidnapped. Panic shot through me.
“What do you mean? When? Where?” I snapped, adrenaline pumping through my chest. I gripped the phone so tight I was surprised it didn’t crack.
Gabriel told me to stay by my phone and I did. Placing it within hearing distance on my bed, I changed my joggers for jeans, pulled on a sweater and grabbed my Timberland boots. Gabe needed me and so did Leonie from the sound of things. The beast in me roared at the thought of trouble. Conflict was my middle name and I was ready for a fight .
As I was searching for my wallet, Gabriel called back and I grabbed the phone, swiping quickly to answer.
“What do you need?” I said like rapid fire.
He said he’d pick me up and that I was to be outside my apartment in ten. I pocketed my phone, pulled on a jacket, and then grabbed my keys.
Forget butterflies, bats were causing chaos in my stomach; a whole cave of them. What if we were faced with something we couldn’t handle? I batted off the silly notion. Gabriel owned a gun and was a crack shot. He wouldn’t pause for thought if Leonie’s life was threatened and I had always been the muscle. A man who was good with his fists.
Sacking off the lift which appeared to be stopping at every floor on its way up, I took the stairs, two at a time, sweet Leonie’s face swimming into my thoughts.
Hang on sunshine. Help is on the way.
*****
The next hour was like a bad crime drama. You had to be there to believe it. Leonie had been snatched by Gerard Kinlan’s son Kai Kinlan. He’d been tipped off that Gabriel was involved in compiling some incriminating paperwork against his criminal father. The same man that Garrett Knight, Gabriel’s old man worked for. It was all bollocks, of course, Gabe was no snitch.
To cut a long story short, Kai’s tearaway stepsister had been the one responsible for digging for dirt on Gerard and had sent the documents to Gabriel. We didn’t know why she chose Gabe, maybe in the hope that he’d do something with them; him now working for a well-respected law firm that went after hardened criminals. They had come in the form of the envelope I had signed for and luckily, Gabe and I were able to deliver the documents to Kai Kinlan to trade them for Leonie. It all went to plan until Kai’s stepsister appeared on the scene. It turned out Kai’s father was fucked anyway as the clever little minx had mailed another set of the papers she’d sent to Gabe to the cops.
The whole thing was a shit show. Leonie thankfully hadn’t been injured, just shaken up. Kai was a mean motherfucker but he hadn’t come across as the type of man who would harm a woman. I’d wisely remained silent during most of the exchange. I knew Gabriel had been at school with the guy and the stories about his behaviour were colourful, if that was the right way to describe it. Something about Kai having bitten the ear off one of his peers. Nice.
As I said, all was going well until the stepsister aka said dirt digger shot Kai and then fucked off. The wound appeared to be superficial and so she hadn’t killed him. At least, he was still alive and barking out orders like a cocky motherfucker when he’d allowed us to leave. I remember his words of warning that we were never there and saw nothing. Yes, I liked danger but I wasn’t stupid and upsetting the mafia had never been on my ‘to-do’ list. Not even close.
I’d seen some fucked up stuff in my time but that day's shenanigans had been on another level. All I’d been able to think about was how I would feel if that had been Amber tied to the chair. My fists flexed as I thought about beating the crap out of Alexander Harker. Of course, his wrongdoings were in the past but, sometimes the past came back to haunt you. Shit happens.
I drove Gabriel’s car back to mine with him and Leonie in the back. Mainly to allow Gabriel to comfort his girl. She’d been held at gunpoint at the end of the day although she handled it well.
I kept watching them in the rearview mirror. Talk about loved up, they were all over each other.
It had taken my friend a while to get there but I knew he wasn’t stupid enough to not realise he was onto a good thing with Leonie. She was sweet, kind and loving and wore her heart on her sleeve .
I made sure I was my usual flirty self to piss Gabriel off and he suggested I find myself a girlfriend. And of course, I had, she just didn’t know it yet. Not being ready to share the news with my friends at that point, I said something about Natalie satisfying my needs or some shit like that and then moved the hell on.
And now I too had fallen, and for a woman whom I thought I couldn’t stand to start with.
I knew that my angst towards her had mainly been because she’d appeared so unforgivably indifferent to me and gave as good as she got. I’d never been treated with disdain by a female and although annoying in the beginning it became refreshing. Forcing me to partake in the chase; something I had never needed to do as soon as I turned fourteen. I thrived on challenges and Amber-Leigh Swift had been one of my life's biggest challenges. The fact that her passionate nature burned as fierce as my own was also a bonus. And she had kinks too, bad girl kinks and I couldn’t wait to introduce her to all the ways I liked to punish a woman with pleasure. The thought of tying her up with my belt had me hard within seconds.
I was thoroughly looking forward to finding out just how responsive she’d be to my darker side. So far, we hadn’t yet scratched the surface, no pun intended. Knowing how passionate, tough, and forthright Amber was as a woman, I imagined she’d take it all and beg for more. I had never been with a woman who was as highly sexed and who wasn’t afraid to let go sexually as Amber.
Even though she was a painfully beautiful woman, I was also in love with her mind; it truly was a case of heart and soul. I wanted all of her, the good, the bad and the ugly. In just a few weeks I had come to see through all her bullshit barriers to find the real woman beneath. And God she was worth it.
A knot formed in my stomach. I just hoped she felt the same way. If not, I may have to go all caveman on her arse and drag her to my lair. If she didn’t love me, as my girlfriend, maybe she would come to love me in time. Either way, I wouldn’t rush her. We would take it one day at a time.
I had never thought of myself in relationship terms but that was probably because I had never been in one. If Amber said yes, she would be the first and I would treat her like my queen.
Once I arrived home, I took the lift to my apartment to change my clothes and more importantly my boots, having stood in dog shit during our not-so-heroic rescue.
It was now dark outside and Amber would have been home for hours. I hoped she wasn’t pissed at me. I checked my phone to see if she’d messaged me and my spirits dipped as I saw there was nothing.
Sod it. I’d make an entrance and woo the shit out of her. Get ready baby, I’m coming for you.