Twenty-Seven
Max
Annalise's laughter was infectious, and shaking off Venus' parting words, I turned to look at the woman beside me. She was an absolute goddess. Watching her work, and do it so competently, was the biggest turn-on ever.
She shocked me by throwing her arms around me and giving me a huge hug, clinging onto me, her body quivering with spent adrenaline.
"We did it. We fucking did it," she said, the words muffled against my chest.
Closing my eyes, I enveloped her in my arms, savoring every bit of her body against mine. God only knew if I'd ever get to feel this again.
She pulled back slightly to glance up at me. "Sorry. I just... I just..."
"Don't ever apologize for hugging me."
Her smile lit me up inside, something uncharacteristically sweet and vulnerable about it.
There were loud noises from the other side of the office, and I let her go. Clearly, a party was going down without us.
"Come on, Dee . I think you're about to be celebrated."
Taking her by the elbow, I led her back to the conference room where the vultures had descended. Everyone was raiding the ample food that had been catered, the champagne popping, sounds of revelry all around. Bringing Venus La Fleur on board was the biggest accomplishment that Insight Ink had ever seen.
The CEO in me was beyond proud, and seeing it firsthand was more than I could have hoped for. But I only had eyes for one person in the room. And that was her of course.
Veronica gave a toast. Then Annalise gave a toast, thanking everyone, especially me, for helping her, and cheers went up all around. The conference room became the scene of a pre-party, everyone deciding to go out for a Friday night on the town together to celebrate.
I made sure to discreetly notify my assistant to have Max Sterling extend congratulations to the team and let them know to expense the evening's celebration to Echelon. And more cheers around the room after that news was announced.
Annalise beamed at me from her seat across the table. Yeah, I could get used to that look from her.
Fuck.
Eventually, the room cleared out, everyone leaving behind a big mess that Mona grumbled about.
"I've got this," Annalise insisted. "I need to do something, move around, clean up, process this, before I go out tonight."
Mona shot her a look, assessing and observant. "Okay. I get it. Just don't be too long." She glanced at me. "And no shenanigans in the conference room."
"What?" Annalise gasped. "Of course not."
Well, damn, I hadn't been thinking of that. But now that she said it, I couldn't get it out of my mind. Annalise spread out on this sleek table, naked, maybe with a chocolate strawberry on her bare stomach. I'd trace her body with it, following every inch with my tongue.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Sterling," a sharp voice said.
Annalise was glaring at me, her hands on her hips, her eyes alight. We were the last two remaining in the room, and I was desperate to go to her, grab her to me, and kiss the hell out of her.
But I didn't. I shouldn't. The ball was clearly in her court, and I didn't know if she'd ever return it.
She picked up a few empty flutes and set them off to one side. There was still some food left on the end table, and I filled up a big plate, sitting down and hoping she'd join me.
Grabbing a champagne bottle, I topped us both off, pushing her glass toward her. "Can't let this go to waste, right?"
"I suppose." Flopping down in the chair next to me, she stole a vegan caviar blini from me and inhaled it. "I'm so fucking tired. And hungry."
I shoved my plate over closer to her. "Help yourself."
"Thank you. And thanks for all your help with everything today. You were... you were... well, you were a big help." She slumped forward,cradling her head in her hand with her elbow propped on the table. "Sorry. That was lame. Just thank you."
Laughing, I resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. She was so damn close, I could smell the sweetness of her shampoo. Fucking hell. Just being around her was torture.
"You're welcome."
Her head nearly sideways, she kept nabbing stuff from the plate and eating it. She looked exhausted.
"You're welcome," I repeated. "But you deserve all the credit for this one."
"Oh, I don't know about that."
"Oh, I do know."
"So I suppose this means you're leaving, right?" she asked, changing the subject. "Going back to your real life?"
There was a note of something in her voice that was different, and I realized this was a chance to initiate some kind of plan—Plan A, I'd call it—to make her miss me.
"Yeah, next week. Monday. I just wanted to see this Venus thing through."
"Good," she nodded, swallowing. "It's about time. I'm sure you're way behind on all your CEO stuff."
I chuckled. "Yeah, all my CEO stuff awaits."
"Of course. I bet you're swamped."
All I could do was nod. "What about you? How long are you going to be Cordelia Dole?"
"I—I don't know. I don't really know the end game, honestly, and what the hell I should do."
That surprised me. Shocked me actually. She seemed like the type of person who always had a plan. "So you're just going to play this role indefinitely?"
"I guess so."
"Isn't that hard for you, though? I've been there, and I think it's fun for a little while. But then, it just gets hard."
"That's what she said."
I laughed. "I see I'm rubbing off on you."
"Nope. Not in the slightest. Never."
She lifted her head to drink some champagne, and it occurred to me then that the thing Annalise lacked was confidence in her own abilities. After seeing her working with Venus, the thought and care she put into everything she touched, there was no reason on earth she couldn't be the one in charge.
"Have you ever thought about starting your own publishing company?" I asked.
She choked on her drink, and I waited patiently for her to recover. "Excuse me? What?"
"Your. Own. Company."
"No. No fucking way. I'm not ready for that."
"Yes," I insisted. "Yes, you fucking are."
"You're hilarious. And delusional."
"Yeah, I know. But we're talking about you, babe. You've got the brains, you've got the experience, and I'm betting you have the capital. The only thing missing is faith in yourself."
She rolled her eyes. "You listen to all those motivational dudes, don't you?"
"Again, deflecting, my dear."
After guzzling down more champagne, she took a second to scoff at me, her cheeks tinged pink. "Deflecting. Projecting. Transferring. Repressing. Denial. Rationalizing. Min—"
"It sounds like you've seen your share of therapists," I interrupted.
"Who me?" she said with a laugh. "You know, for the first time in my life today, I had an inkling of what it felt like to be a lecherous guy."
"What? How?"
"Venus' boobs. My God, they're spectacular, and all I wanted to do was stare at them. But I kept having to remind myself to look up. Keep my focus on her face, her eyes. And it made me think of all the times I've said that to a man. My eyes are up here ."
She was definitely getting a slight buzz.
"I mean," she went on, "did you see her flashy red bra under that suit?"
"Uh, no. Unlike you, I've learned to keep it in my pants."
Clapping a hand over her mouth, she suppressed a laugh. "That was all highly unprofessional of me. God, how embarrassing. And here you were just saying I should start my own company. Please don't tell anyone. It's not like I'm talking to the CEO of the whole damn enterprise or anything. Oh, my God, I'm such an idiot."
"First of all, you're talking to me. Me . I'm just Max to you. I want you to be able to tell me anything, to be completely comfortable and yourself around me."
"Weirdly, I am," she said, shutting her eyes.
I waited, hoping she would expand on that, say something more, say anything else that might give me hope.
"I am too," I finally said.
But she didn't appear to hear me, her eyes still closed, her breathing slow and steady. I watched her carefully, wondering if she was asleep, if it was even possible to fall asleep just like that.
And knowing I might not see her for a while, I studied her, memorized the way her lashes lay against her cheeks, the heart shape of her face, the way her nose turned up a little at the end. It was all so her. So fucking enticing to me. The whole damn package.
A noise at the door caught my attention, and I looked over to see one of the caterers enter the room. "Ah, sorry to interrupt. But I was told to go ahead and get started on the breakdown."
Annalise's head popped up. "Oh, whoops. I meant to clean up a bit."
"Ma'am, respectfully, that's what I get paid for," the man said with a smile.
"I'm too tired to argue. But thank you. I appreciate it."
Watching her interact so pleasantly with someone that others in Annalise's position and with her upbringing might look down upon, it only fueled my obsession with her.
Oblivious to my thoughts, she leaned back to stretch and yawn. "I've got to admit, as much as I want to celebrate tonight, I've got nothing. A big part of me just wants to go home, put on my comfy pants, and curl up on the couch for the rest of the night."
"Understandable."
"You're coming, right?"
We were supposed to be going on that date tonight so I could reveal my real name, but obviously, that was out now. "No, I can't. I've got Max Sterling commitments tonight."
"Oh."
Was that a look of disappointment on her face?Hell, yeah, it was. Score one for Plan A.
The caterer left with a cart full of dishes, plus a generous tip from Annalise, and I pushed back my chair, not wanting to hold her up from her big night out. But her next words stopped me in my tracks.
"With who? Anyone I know?" she asked.
Interesting question. Very interesting question. "Why do you want to know?"
She twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. "Oh, uh, just curious."
Something about the way she was acting was highly suspicious, and I could only hope that it might be jealousy. Was she wondering if there were other women involved?
A slow smile spread across my face. "Why, Annalise," I began, "are you asking because you're... worried?"
"Worried about what?" she shot back. "Like I said, I was curious. But forget it. I'm not anymore."
I cracked up laughing. This girl was an absolute hoot.
Standing up, it was time to make my exit before Plan A completely backfired on me. After all, I had no Plan B at this point.
"All right, babe. I've got to run. Have a great time tonight. And be safe."
I didn't like walking away from her like this, but she'd made it abundantly clear we couldn't continue our relationship. So the only thing left to do was leave her wanting more.