“Max, well Maximilliano Lucchese if you want to get specific. Look at you all grown up. Are you shopping for a girlfriend?” He glances at the dogs and chuckles. “Holding her purse dogs I see.”
I roll my eyes. He slaps my shoulder. “I’m only kidding. Whatever gets you the woman, right? Although with your charm and looks, all you need is a little more attitude. I’m more than happy to give you some pointers after I get on the job at hand.”
“What job is that?” The question feels pointless since I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s here for the same reason I am.
“You know Mr. Giovani. All about keeping little Juliana safe. Haven’t seen her since the ...” His face pales, but he brushes it off when he sees the female attendant.
She looks him over, forgetting all about my existence. Max eyes her right back, his gaze sweeping over her curves like he could tell how she’d feel just by looking at her. She blushes. Of course, she does, for a man Max’s age, he has the ‘aging like wine’ specialty that movie stars pull off.
His light brown hair has a light salting of gray, but he’s kept in shape. Obvious muscle layers his body and even though I have at least two inches on him height-wise, he’s built like a triangle to his tapered waist before his long legs. Of course, he dressed in a suit tailored to him.
“What can I help you with?” She asks.
“What kind of thing would you like to wear from here?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare.” She waves away despite the hungry glint in her eye.
“I’d buy the whole store if you were the one modeling it for me, sweetheart. Especially if you’re only wearing lingerie and a blush.”
She fans herself and laughs.
Juliana opens the curtain a little to show me the chain piece. I’m so fucked. I imagined her plenty of times in college, but seeing her here in front of me with next to nothing hiding her body as the chains follow the curves of her breast and the thong number has chains that caress her thighs ... all I want is to tear it off her.
Of course, then I’d have to make up for ruining an expensive get-up by licking and kissing every inch of her body until she forgets what she lost. Juliana smirks at me. “Shame you can’t join me without us getting in trouble.”
“Juls.”
She shuts the curtain. “Just one second and I’ll be out.”
Max has the saleswoman eating out of the palm of his hand. I’m sure a bomb could go off and she wouldn’t notice anything. Especially when she strokes down his chest where he left an extra button undone.
Julianna thankfully walks out a minute later, in her dress, holding up the chained outfit and two others. She taps my nose. “Imagine what else you could see if I’d let you in my house.”
“Oh?”
“These are pretty tame.” Her lips skim my ear. “You could get me into lingerie if you have a juicy secret to trade.”
“Bribery.”
“It makes the world go round, sweet Gio. Or haven’t you figured that out yet?” She pats my chest.
“I’ll call you, sweetheart,” Max promises, but then he sees Juliana. She freezes, totally and completely as she stares at him. He looks her over with twice as much appreciation as he gave the attendant. “I think your father might be trying to kill me.”
“Max.” She breathes.
“And you remember me.” He takes her hand and turns it over, kissing her wrist. “I’m honored to hold a place in your head, Juliana.”
“You’d rather hold something else,” I say under my breath, making him chuckle.
8
JULIANA
The heat in Max’s eyes tingles all across my skin. I think my nipples are hard from his look alone. His dark eyes have me mesmerized. I think Gio used that word earlier, but Max is ... forbidden fruit.
And clearly, my messed up self has a thing for the forbidden because I don’t care that he’s fourteen years older than me. Hell, Konstantin may have been my serious teen crush, but Max was the guy every female friend I brought over stared at with drool running from their lips.
He smiles, his eyes glow brighter and it breaks the spell. Cocky, sure of himself, and all too aware of that rugged sex appeal he has. He’s used to women being unable to look away and he’s used to getting what he wants.