Chapter 27
Sophie
Stepping out of the restroom, I was surprised at the pleasant time I was having. Those events were usually nothing but anxiety and dread. Having Linc and his family there had made such a difference. For once, Lou looked relaxed and like she was actually having fun.
“Fancy seeing you here, Nebraska. You’ll have to tell me your secret. It looks like you’ve got more than one fellow wrapped around your finger in there.” I turned around to see Lindsey towering over me in her heels and a red dress that felt like an assault on my eyes.
“Oh, I don’t think you’re surprised to see me at all, Linds. I can call you that, right?” I stood up straight, ready to get this over with.
“Look, I don’t want to start any trouble.
Care to take a walk with me? We can have a chat, girl to girl.
” She smiled, her teeth bared in a sinister grin.
There were far bigger issues to deal with.
Lindsey was nothing but a gnat, an annoying distraction that would keep coming back if we didn’t swat it away.
Now seemed like a great time to hand Lindsey her walking papers.
“Alright. A quick walk and an honest chat. I think I can handle that,” I told her as she arched an overly manicured brow at me. Side by side, we slowly meandered around the historic mansion.
“Such a cute family you have there. Found yourself a real good replacement daddy. Linc will do all the day-to-day stuff while your ex pays the bills. Nice gig you got set up.” Lindsey finally broke the silence.
“Oh, I’m not sure I would call it a gig. I’m not getting paid to do it. Not the way Max is paying you, at least. What is it you promised him?” Surprise flashed across her face before she masked it.
“He wanted me to get in between you and Linc so he could win you back. It obviously didn’t work, but he’s good for the money and thinks he still has a chance, so here I am.
Plus, it’s not a hard job, since I do miss Linc.
The years really look good on him, and that house?
Yeah, I could get used to that.” Her eyes sparkled with avarice, and it had me raging.
Linc was so much more than eye candy or a sugar daddy.
“Enough. Why are you really here, and how do we get you to leave?” With an exaggerated sigh, Lindsey dug around her purse before pulling out a compact. Primping in her reflection, she finally turned to me.
“So Max paid me. Big whoop. It was just a business transaction. But he’s not finished with you or Linc. Not by a long shot,” Lindsey said, her face stony as she snapped her compact closed, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. We had wound our way toward the back of the mansion now.
“Are you going to tell me what he has planned, or do I have to pay you for it?” I asked, unsure what to make of all it.
Max was an asshole. That wasn’t news. Recently, though—or at least, since I started dating Linc—he had changed.
All of a sudden, he was acting possessive, jealous, like we were still married or like he had some right over me.
The sunroom looked eerie at night. The glass walls made it feel like I was surrounded by the night sky, as if it could push through the ceiling and suffocate me. She headed for the door that led to the back garden, and I stopped.
“Where are we going?” I asked, tired of the games.
“Look, I don’t know everything, but Max has something up his sleeve. He made me sign some documents… So he has something to use against Linc.” The sound of shuffling shoes came from the hallway as two waiters walked toward the kitchen.
“My ass is on the line here too. We can’t afford anyone to hear us. Stop being a pussy so we can finish this,” she said, clearly agitated.
I felt like that girl in the scary movies—the one who goes down to the dark basement for no reason.
Unsure of what to do, I hesitated. Then, the sound of voices echoed out far too close, drunken clamors and loud laughs indicating a group of people approaching.
Instinctively, I found myself following her.
Stepping into the cold air was like a slap, goose bumps breaking out on my skin. Lindsey grabbed my arm and pulled me to a dark corner surrounded by brick walls and densely trimmed hedges. Her voice lowered, and my fear tripled. She looked genuinely afraid. What does Max have planned?
“What is it? What did he have you sign?” I asked, panic creeping in.
“He’s put together some pretty damning information against Linc.”
“Right, what damning information could he have? You’re the biggest blight on Linc’s record, after all,” I snapped back, tired of the high school games.
“I didn’t say the information was true. With enough money, it doesn’t really matter, does it? Even if his mommy is a judge. Might just bring down the whole family, with what Max’s concocted.” Fear washed over me. As much as I wanted to argue and deny what Lindsey was saying, doubt crept in.
More than that, from what I knew of Max and Helen, blackmailing Linc with false information was an easy task for them.
Threatening to take down Abigail too? I couldn’t stand it.
Money wasn’t everything, but fuck, could it cause a lot of damage in the wrong hands.
Lindsey started speaking again, pulling me out of my internal thoughts.
“Anyway, it’s better if you speak to him yourself.” Confused, I jumped when a man grabbed my arm. Without any control, I was turned around and pulled against a chest—Max’s chest.
“Are we done here?” Lindsey asked, looking over me, focusing on him instead.
“Leave town. Don’t come back,” he said, and Lindsey’s shoulders drooped before she shook it off.
“Aye-aye, captain. This was fun! We should try it again sometime,” she said with false cheer before walking off without a backward glance. I moved to follow, not interested in anything Max had to say, when he grabbed my other arm, pushing me against the courtyard wall.
“Max. Let go. You’re hurting me,” I told him. His grip on my arms was tight, his sweaty palms flexing as he used more force to keep me still, pinning my whole body against the wall. He looked off. Is he drunk? His eyes were bloodshot, his face flushed, and he wasn’t speaking.
“MAX. What the fuck?” I yelled, hoping someone would hear me. Instead, he just moved in closer, slamming his body against mine as he covered my mouth. He buried his face in my hair after and inhaled. I wanted to cringe.
“Fuck, you smell so good. Better than I remember. You have no idea how much I’ve missed this.
Missed us.” My hands were pinned to my side, the wall rough against my back.
Max grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back as he pushed closer.
I froze. His obvious erection was pressed against my center, and he groaned.
He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes on my lips. As he leaned in, I tried to pull away—then a thought came to mind. I remained still, pliant, and let him kiss me, letting him believe I wasn’t fighting him.
“Sophie, baby, you’ve made your point. I’ll divorce Nat. I won’t see her again, or anyone else. Just come home.”
“Max. Please… I want to touch you,” I said, trying to push back the vomit rising in my throat. His eyes widened, and his grip on me loosened. I slid my hands up his arms, trailed them over his back, and then to his chest. He staggered back, and I finally had enough room.
My hand locked in his hair, and I pulled him toward me.
His eyes closed, and with fear, panic, and hope, I gritted my teeth as I thrust my knee up, feeling a sense of victory when I connected with his abdomen.
Max dropped to the ground with a yell, and I started to run.
Jumping over his prone form, my heel sank into the grass, but he grabbed me by the ankle and brought me down to the ground.
He flipped me over, and in an instant, was over me, pinning me to the ground as he let the full weight of his body settle on top of me. Thrashing on the ground, Max’s grip became bruising, his nails digging into my skin as I tried to free myself.
“Help! Someone help me!” I screamed, my hands clawing into the dirt and my body jerking forward, trying to gain any space I could.
Slamming my head up, it collided with Max’s nose in a sickening crunch.
Blood dripped out of his nose and down his chin, landing in sickening blobs on my face and chest.
“WHY?” he roared. “Why do you always have to fight me? You will come home with me. I’ve had enough of this!
” he screamed, spittle flying as he moved a hand to my throat, squeezing.
I could no longer breathe. Tears were streaming down my face as I struggled beneath him.
Attempting to throw him off me, I lifted my lower body up.
He groaned in response, loosening his grip on my throat.
I took in a rattling breath. The cold air hurt, but I inhaled it greedily.
My brain was foggy, and it took a minute to focus on what Max was doing. He ground his hips against mine, and used the hand that wasn’t on my throat to pry my legs apart.
“You feel so fucking good. Never been this hard in my life. Never wanted anything as much as you,” he muttered as he rutted against me.
I tried to move, to knee him in the balls or something, but he had me covered, his height and weight pressing down on me.
There was a determined look on his face as his grip on my throat tightened, and I panicked.
The edges of my vision were going dark, the night sky sucking me away, just as I had feared.
A dark shadow landed over me, blanking my view completely.
An inhuman sound broke through the air, and suddenly, Max was no longer on top of me.
A heaving, raging Linc had tossed him off me like a rag doll, Max landing in the grass several feet away.
Linc stalked over to where he was lying in the grass.