His eyes traveled slowly across my body. I took care to make sure I was dressed conservatively for tonight’s party, but Max was quickly stripping me, making me feel like my pale pink, cap-sleeved dress was non-existent. My blood went straight to my head.
I reached out and grabbed onto the nearest chair.
And then someone cleared his throat and we both realized that Patrick was still standing next to us.
All the noises that were drowned out before were now playing on the highest volume. A wave of voices drifted around me. Music played. Waiters moved in and out of the crowd. A person bumped into me.
Our moment was over.
“I should get back to my guests,” he said slowly.
“You should.”
He stayed rooted in place. And so did I.
He finally took a step back. “I’ll see you soon.”
There he went.
I found Lana a few minutes later. She was standing close to the bar with an anxious look on her face. When she saw me, her face lit up.
“There you are,” she said with relief.
“I saw him.”
Lana frowned. “Who?”
“The host. Max.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded. My heart was still pounding. My head still spinning. “So what do you think of him?” she asked.
“He’s something,” I muttered.
Max was standing close enough for me to point out. He was talking to a guest. Completely unaware that I was staring at him. I took advantage of the situation and nudged Lana.
“There he is,” I said.
Lana looked in his direction. She blinked and then looked back at me. Maybe my feelings showed in my eyes. Maybe that’s what made Lana’s smile fade. “What about Lachlan?” she said.
My spine stiffened and the euphoria I felt seconds ago faded. It felt like my ears had popped and now everything was muffled.
“What about Lachlan?” I replied.
Lana was my best friend. She knew everything there was to know about me and she knew how strong my feelings for Lachlan ran.
“Why did you bring him up?” I never gave her a chance to answer. “He’s not here,” I said firmly. “So let’s not talk about him.”
Lana stared at me a moment longer before she nodded. “Okay.”
She didn’t push to know what passed between Max and me. But if she did, she would’ve understood my reaction. She would’ve seen my fear. No guy had ever made me feel this way except for Lachlan Halstead.
I kept all the memories I had of Lachlan at bay, hoping that I was strong enough to hold them back long enough to leave the party.
The plan was to stay for fifteen minutes, but I couldn’t seem to step out of the tent and walk away. So we stayed. We talked to her parents. I pasted a smile on my face. Danced for one song. And whenever Max was close by, my body came alive, blood roaring in my ears and my heart dancing in my chest.
The evening was coming to a close. Most everyone there had a slight buzz. I was one of them. But I couldn’t tell if it was from Max or the champagne.
Max stepped onto the stage, where the musicians sat. He looked over the crowd and tapped his wine glass. Conversations dwindled. Every head turned in his direction.
He lifted his glass. Everyone did the same. Everyone but me. Mine was pressed against my chest.
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming…” What did he say after that? I don’t know. I was watching everyone around me. They were all falling under his spell. Max pulled people in with his smile, his charm. He knew it was his strength and he used it to his advantage.
I swirled my drink, watching him, wanting to know just how much power he had to slide into this secret circle so quickly.
“I hope to see everyone very soon.” His eyes made contact with mine. I felt a jolt go straight through my body. My first instinct was to retreat, like a wild animal encountering something dangerous.
But he looked away and gave the crowd his charming grin. “Now enjoy the rest of the night!”
Everyone murmured their agreements and drank their wine. But Max didn’t. His eyes found mine and he tipped his wine glass in my direction.
A silent toast.
Get ready, that one tilt of his glass said. His lazy smile disappeared and his eyes became feverish the longer we looked at each other.
I mimicked his actions and tipped my glass.
I had no idea what I was in for.
4—GOING UNDER
Over the next few days, I spent the majority of my time with Lana. I didn’t see Max once. That wasn’t to say I didn’t have the want to see him. My heart and memory teamed up to taunt me. They haunted me with visions of his face and the way I felt that day. I was slowly starting to become impatient. I wanted to see him again. I wanted that feeling back and that scared me. So I was waiting until I could put a lid on this strong desire.
But today that was all about to change.
Lana and I were supposed to be going out for lunch. But she took a quick left and the next thing I knew we were in Tysons—a large business district close to McLean.
We sat there, parallel parked, on the side of the street. Lana drummed her fingers on her thigh nervously, staring out the window.
“Are we going to sit here forever and stare at the people walking by, or are we going to go eat?” I asked.
Lana reached back to grab documents from the backseat. “I need to drop these off for my dad.”
“You want me to do it?” I said.
I knew how she felt about crowds… about people in general. This wouldn’t be the first time that Lana had to run errands and I took over for her. Plus, I was hungry and the quicker we got out of here and to the nearest restaurant, the better.
I expected Lana to hand them over. But her grip tightened on the papers. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
She looked out the window, at the looming building next to us. I looked with her. While people walked quickly to their cars or into stores to get away from the heat, this building stood tall in the humid weather. Above the revolving doors, in black letters, was the company name and I finally understood her hesitance.
I turned to face her. “Max works here?”
She nodded slowly.
“And you’re concerned why?” I smiled. “Lana, I’ve met the guy once. That’s it. There’s nothing to be worried about.”
“But… Lachlan. You haven’t talked to him in days.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Why are you suddenly bringing him up? You hardly talk about Lachlan. In fact, I don’t think you ever have up until a few days ago! There’s nothing wrong with not talking to him,” I replied.
Lana didn’t look convinced and I’m sure I wasn’t doing a good job at keeping my emotions out of my eyes. Every time Lachlan’s name was mentioned I felt a deep pain slash through me.
“Just give me the documents,” I said quietly. “I’ll hand them over to his secretary or one of his co-workers or whoever the hell is here and be on my way.”
Lana didn’t say anything.
“Or you can deliver them,” I suggested.
Lana placed the papers into my outstretched hand. Before I got out of the car I looked at her one last time. She was staring out the window, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“It’s not a big deal, okay?” I said. “Max is just one guy. That’s it.”
“Okay, okay.”
I waited for her to smile. No one smiled like Lana. It transformed her face. She went from being somber and quiet, to someone so beautiful it made you want to do a double take.
But she didn’t smile at me.
I opened my door, knowing this conversation wasn’t over. Not in the least.
“His office is on the seventh floor,” Lana called out.
I gave her a thumbs-up and walked into the blistering heat. If I stayed out here longer than five minutes I was liable to start melting. The heat made everything in the far distance blurry, almost pixilated. I’m surprised steam wasn’t rising from the sidewalks.