Chapter 9 #2
My plan to shift some of Lorde’s focus off of me was quickly backfiring. “When I meet him, I’ll know,” I said, but she paid me no mind. She and Pat had their heads close together as if they were coming up with some devious plan.
The words I’d spoken hung in the air, gnawing at me. Why? Was it Lorde? No. The man lived in another country, and I knew nothing about him.
Pat’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“I know what you mean. I said the same thing to Lorde, but he keeps blowing me off. They are both good looking, you would think finding men they were interested in would be easy, but nope. And they don’t want to listen to anything we have to say,” she stated louder than necessary, and everyone at the table, with the exception of Lorde and me, nodded in agreement.
I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw, chastising myself. I should have kept my big mouth shut. We’d both been outed at a fancy gala during dinner conversation. This night was going to shit rather quickly.
“Family,” Lorde snorted.
“Yeah,” I agreed, uneasily, fighting a level of embarrassment I’d never experienced before. The bad thing was, I’d brought it upon myself.
It was weird. Most of the time, I erected a wall between myself and every other person on the planet with the exclusion of a couple of people.
Fizz, my parents, and Gina were the only ones I opened the door for, and they were only allowed so far in before they faced another wall.
No one had ever scaled that one. It was tall, without a door or stairs. Impossible to breech.
I’d boxed myself in, terrified of being hurt or disappointed, not wanting anyone to see my truth.
With strangers, I was polite and conversed easily with them, holding myself back, never becoming invested in the other person.
Lorde was different. I still had all of my walls in place, still shielded myself, but he was banging against a side door I didn’t know existed.
I never brought up marriage, nor did I ever bring my mother into my conversations unless I needed her to take over so I could move on to another person.
I blamed his eyes. They were dark blue, whereas mine were a light blue, and his looked as if something swirled in their depths.
“Do you have any big plans while you’re visiting?” I asked.
Lorde shook his head. “Not really. My aunt mentioned something about going sailing, but I think she might be mental. It’s too cold.”
Nodding, I snickered and agreed, “Yeah. Maybe in the summer. How long are you going to be here?”
“I’m not certain. I have some business to take care of before I can leave.” His smile seemed strained and sad, but I was positive, I had misinterpreted it.
A tap on my shoulder demanded my attention, and I found Fizz standing over me. Bending down, he whispered, “Dessert and coffee are about to be served.”
I wiped my mouth and dropped my napkin onto the table. “If you will excuse me.” I stood up and had to steady myself by using the table because I felt a little lightheaded.
“Max, you okay?” Fizz asked quietly.
“I think I got up too fast. I’ll be fine,” I reassured him, not wanting to admit I had probably drunk too much.
“Are you certain?” Lorde’s voice buzzed in my ear, and I had to close my eyes and bite down on my lip to stop myself from moaning. What the hell was it about this man?
LORDE
I fought my attraction to Max all night.
After we arrived, Aunt Pat wanted to look around and take in the various exhibits, only returning to the party when Max stepped up to the podium.
The moment he looked at me, our gazes locking together, I couldn’t breathe.
I’d known he was handsome, and his eyes had haunted me since I first saw them in my vision, but I wasn’t expecting the connection.
Something inside screamed at me to run, to forget everything about destiny, plans, and revenge.
I couldn’t move. My body refused to budge if it meant leaving him. What in the bloody hell was going on with me? He was nobody. Just some wanker who needed to pay for the sins of his ancestors. His whole family deserved to be wiped out after what they did to ours, but we would settle for him.
Why? I asked myself. Why him? Why now? Why not before?
I learned a long time ago to not question my mother and do as she instructed.
If I followed orders, life at home was fine, but the switch could be flipped.
Kelly Brandt disliked relinquishing control; it was a wonder she sent me here to handle Max instead of coming herself.
But what she hated even more so was anyone questioning her or her motives.
Pat said the magic she was born with and power that came with it had gone to her head, turned black with the hate and need for revenge.
It wasn’t like some in positions of power who used their authority to do whatever the hell they wanted.
For my mother, it had literally gone to her head and knocked a few screws loose.
Virginia’s cruel streak matched Mother’s.
Unfortunately for her, her gifts were limited.
Therefore, Kelly remained in charge even though she’d been born second.
Through the years, my questions went unasked and unanswered until they were almost forgotten. Being in the same room with Max brought them all back. But it wasn’t only my insecurities and doubts, I also heard Pat’s voice asking, “What then?”
Max’s speech over, we moved to the table we were assigned to, and before we could say anything, his head jerked up, and he looked directly at me.
I couldn’t form any words or do anything.
What kind of power did this man have? That had to be it.
What else could it be? He either cast a spell over me or… I didn’t want to think about the “or.”
While we chatted, his voice wrapped around me, bathing me in warmth. It wasn’t as deep as my bass voice, but it was silky smooth, and I wished he would continue to talk even after everything got awkward.
Standing, he wobbled, and I sucked in a breath, jumping to catch him. I couldn’t allow him to fall. I hadn’t hesitated, hadn’t stopped to think or consider the consequences, moving strictly on instinct.
“I think I got up too fast. I’ll be fine,” Max spoke the words while his fingers had a white knuckle grip on the table.
“Are you certain?” I only meant to show my concern, yet the way his body vibrated had my dick hard.
What would it be like if we were away from people and alone?
No! He was the enemy. Maybe if things were different, if our families’ pasts didn’t dictate our future.
Why could I convince my head of that, but nothing else?
“Positive. Thank you,” Max said, stepping away from me toward the other man. I thought his name was Fizz, and I wasn’t sure what their relationship was, but I was jealous. Me! I shouldn’t be. This was nothing more than a job, I reminded myself for the hundredth time.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” his voice echoed through the PA system, and I blinked.
When had he returned to the podium? I sank into my chair and tried to regain some of the control I’d lost. He continued, “I hope you enjoyed your dinner. Before we get to the dancing portion of the evening, get your pocketbooks ready because it’s auction time.
I will be your friendly neighborhood auctioneer, Maximillian Lux.
For those of you who weren’t in attendance last year, I’m sorry.
For those of you who were, you knew what you were getting yourself into.
” The sounds of laughter flittered through the crowd.
A brunette woman wearing a bright green ball gown walked out like she was holding one of those Academy Awards instead of what looked to be a bust of someone.
She set it on a tall display table and showed it off using her hands, reminding me of one of those girls on any of the gameshows my father enjoyed watching.
“First up, we have a sculpture by Erik Durant. Bidding begins at two hundred.”
Immediately, people in the audience went wild, and I quickly found out why Max apologized. He sucked. Unlike the auctioneers, who usually spoke so fast no one could understand him, his words came out in a slow and even tone, and he had a hard time keeping up with the bids.
“Thirteen hundred dollars going once, going twice,” he paused, “SOLD!”
They auctioned off anything from art to dinners made by some famous chef, to a day spent with someone famous. They were raising a lot of money for their charity, some items going for as high as twenty thousand, but the only thing that had caught my attention was Max.