“Ooooh,” she squeals. “Oh yeah.”
A man’s grunts can be heard in the background.
“Yes, sweet girl,” he hisses. “Just like that.” Then a male hand reaches forward, tweaking a pink crest, and that’s all I need to see. It’s obvious that the woman’s riding the man cowgirl style and that they’re in the middle of a hot session of sex! What the hell?
But then, the man’s low growl comes again.
“Fuck baby, yes. You’re so young and sweet, just the way I like them. Your pussy’s so tight, and I can’t wait to see you limp across the stage because I’ve given it to you so hard.”
Suddenly, I know that it’s Max banging this woman. His voice was muffled, but I’d recognize those dirty words anywhere. My lover’s a filthy talker, and he’s whispered similar phrases to me while we were in bed together.
The phone drops from my lifeless hand, switching off on its own, as my mind races. Evidently, Max took this time apart to end our relationship permanently. He’s obviously banging one of his celebrity clients, and she’s likely about to walk across a stage to collect an award of some type. Maybe a Razzie, but it could even be an Oscar or a Grammy. He doesn’t want me anymore, and yet I didn’t even get a chance to tell him about our child.
A broken cry escapes my chest as pain makes me double over, clutching my stomach. How did this happen? How did I go from single woman to single mother at the drop of a hat? Even more, how could Max have dumped me so carelessly?
But I already know the answer because it was my own fault. We were never in a relationship. If anything, we just shared some good times at my parents’ cottage and that’s all it was. The gorgeous older man never wanted anything more, and my new discovery puts an end to everything.
13
Max
It’s been seven days since Rachel left in the middle of the night to go back to New York to deliver a baby. It’s been six days since I last talked to her. Five days since I got called away for a last-minute job doing make-up for a young debutante. Evidently, Katy Mellon is graduating from high school and wanted her hair and make-up done professionally. She’s a brat, but the job paid well, and I decided to take it.
But now, I need to talk to Rachel. I’ve called her a million times, but she never picks up. Not only that, but my emails and texts have gone unanswered. What the hell?
As a result, it’s come to this. I’m standing in front of her parents’ apartment building, ready to ring the bell. I need to get in touch with his daughter, and now Maurice is my only hope. Surely he won’t kill me for dating his daughter. Or will he?
I groan into my hands. Of course he’s going to kill me because a man never expects his oldest friend to bang the little girl he raised. And I did it on his property, no less. Shit.
I press the button for the Champion apartment and when the door buzzes, I heave it open and step into the building before waiting impatiently for the elevator. Maurice meets me in the hallway of the thirteenth floor and claps me on the back in a friendly manner.
“You okay, bud?” he asks. “It sounded serious on the phone.”
I shoot him a look as we step into the apartment.
“We need to talk because it is serious.”
“Oh shit,” he replies. “What’s up, my man? Did some socialite throw a shit fit because she didn’t like her dress, ruining her make-up along the way?”
I shake my head as we step into the living room, taking seats on the couch.
“No, it’s not that. We’ve been friends for a long time, right?”
The middle-aged man nods, looking confused.
“Yeah, we’ve been friends for most of our lives. There’s not much you could say that could jeopardize that,” Maurice reassures me.
I nod.
“Good, I’m glad to hear you say that because it’s part of why I’m here today. I’m telling you myself so that you won’t find out from the gossip mill later on.”
Maurice squints at me.
“Okay, you need to just spit it out, Max. You’re starting to freak me out, honestly.” His brow crumples in concern.
With that, I take a deep breath.
“I slept with Rachel.”
His face doesn’t change at all in the seconds following my admission. In fact, Maurice looks confused.
“Who? I recall a Candace and also a Leonie from last year. But Max, we’ve been friends for thirty years, and you’ve cut a swath through the female population during that time. So who’s the new girl?”
Oh shit. This is even worse than I thought, but I soldier ahead.
“I slept with Rachel, your daughter. We were at the cottage together, and we fell in love.”