PJ observed Max’s demeanor. He sat there like a deer in headlights. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he kept fidgeting in his seat. One thing PJ noticed that he didn’t do was remove Miss Simone’s hand from his chest. That irked her more than she let on. She refused to let this woman push her buttons. If Max allowed her to touch him so intimately, then that let PJ know where she stood in his life. And when was he going to tell her about this job offer?
She watched as Max and Simone conversed as if she didn’t exist. In a normal situation, PJ would insert herself into the conversation, but right now she wanted to see how long it would take for Max to realize she was being ignored. Not a good plan because they chatted for over five minutes, and not once did he even look her way. She sat quietly listening to the conversation and observing the woman.
Simone was pretty and petite with shoulder length brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Her pouty lips looked like they might have been purchased or altered with some sort of injection. The woman had a banging body and seemed to have everything going for her. PJ thought she looked like a Hollywood temptress. She definitely had a face that was camera ready. The bitch even smelled good.
“Max you simply must come by the cabin and have a drink with us before you leave. We’re hosting a little get together on Christmas Eve. I’ll call you later with the address. See you later.”
The woman sauntered her beautiful ass off toward her friends as PJ sat there playing the part of the invisible woman. Steam was coming out of her ears as she waited for Max to acknowledge her once again. She would not normally cause a big scene in public, but she felt a scream coming on. He had better say something and it better be now. He looked up at her as if he just realized she was there.
“So, PJ, what do you want on your pizza?”
No, this mother fucker didn’t just sit there acting like nothing happened. She was about to give him several pieces of her mind when the waiter decided to play captain save a ho.
“I’m so sorry for the wait. Here are your drinks. Now, what can I get the lovely couple to eat?”
Max sat there looking at PJ with expectant eyes. Her blazing ones shot back at him. There were few things that she hated more than being ignored, like racism and sexism. There was no way he was getting away with that.
“I think I’ve lost my appetite. Just bring me a keg of beer.”
Max let out a very uncomfortable laugh and then ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. He instructed the waiter to bring them a pitcher of beer and watched as the man almost ran to get away from the awkwardness at the table.
“Is everything alright, PJ?”
“Oh, so you can see me. I was beginning to think I cloaked in invisibility once I took this seat.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play with me, Max. You know good and damn well what I’m talking about. You sat there talking to that woman for well over five minutes, and not once did you glance at me. You didn’t even have the manners to introduce me. That’s just basic common courtesy that you would extend to any associate, let alone the woman you profess your love to.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, babe. I was just shocked to see Simone and I didn’t know how to react.”
“Don’t you dare say her name to me. It seemed like you knew how to react when she was touching all over you. And to top that off, she mentioned a job offer. However, you never mentioned that to me. But don’t worry. I get it. Your silence speaks volumes. Let’s just eat and go back to the cabin. No need to talk any further.”
The tension across that table was palpable. The poor waiter was reluctant to approach the table. He was so damn nervous that he ended up dropping the beer mugs on the floor. Good thing they were empty.
The ride home was no better. After texting Latti that they were ready to head back to the cabin, they met up in the lobby and then loaded into the car. You could have heard a mouse peeing on cotton inside that car. There was no chatter, no music, and no air. When they arrived at the cabin, PJ immediately retreated to the room she intended to share with Max and collected her things. She promptly moved into the guest room down the hall, where she took a shower and crawled into bed for the night.