It was a gorgeous night. From the vantage point of the rooftop of the W Hotel, I had a completely new perspective on LA. At least I did in a visual sense.
We found two of Krystal’s friends who she’d been meaning to introduce to me—Julia and Rachel. They were also aspiring actresses, and within ten minutes of being introduced to them I heard them talk more about auditions and agents than Krystal had in the month I’d been living with her. Odd.
When they got around to talking about the famous people they had seen here before, Max’s name came up.
“Speak of the devil,” Julia said.
We all looked in the direction she nodded toward.
Holy shit. There he was. Over by the outdoor bar area. He was speaking to two men I didn’t recognize, and then we made eye contact. A slow grin appeared on his face and he mouthed the word: “Surprise.”
And surprised I was. Actually, that’s not even the word for it. There might not be a good one to describe what I felt—my breath hitched in my throat, my knees got weak, and I felt a tingling sensation all over my skin that left my nipples hard and a faint ache between my legs.
“I’ve heard stories about that guy,” Julia said.
Krystal looked at me with a worried expression. I was glad I hadn’t told her what had happened in Max’s office earlier that afternoon.
Rachel sipped her margarita. “Do tell.”
Yes, please do tell, I thought. Maybe I needed to know more about Max before I let him give me the surprise he’d promised earlier.
“Total womanizer,” Julia said.
Krystal looked at me, then at Julia. “Have you been on the receiving end of it?”
Julia said, “No, but I’ve heard things. Lots of things.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Just that he’s fucked a lot of actresses.”
Krystal laughed. “Oh, the horror. Hey, it’s Hollywood. He’s hot and single. No laws against him doing what he wants.”
Julia turned to Krystal. “Don’t tell me you—”
“Nope.” Krystal shook her head. “I’ve only seen him in person one time, actually.” She looked at me.
“You?” Julia said, giving me a look up and down, like I was someone Max wouldn’t look twice at. At least that’s how I took it.
I didn’t bother to answer her. I just smiled. I knew what was about to happen, and I decided to let that speak for itself.
Rachel swirled her drink. “He could do whatever he wants with me. Look at that body. Damn.” She was biting her lower lip.
“Oh, holy shit.” Julia’s eyes got huge. “Is he… Yep. He’s coming over here.”
“Come to mama,” Rachel purred.
But he didn’t go to Rachel. He came up to me.
“Hello, Olivia.” He kissed my cheek.
I whispered, “What are you doing here?”
His mouth was still near my ear. “Surprise…”
Rachel and Julia looked at me, shock registering on their faces. They looked at Krystal, who shrugged, with a grin on her face.
Max put his hand on the small of my back. “Everyone having a good time so far?”
Krystal and the girls said they were.
I didn’t bother introducing him to Rachel and Julia. Their disdain for me was obvious in the way they looked at me, but I didn’t care.
Max looked at me, then at the girls. “I hope you ladies don’t mind, but I need to steal Olivia away for a little while.”
All three shook their heads.
When we got a few feet away, Max asked me who drove.
“I did. Why?”
“You should give your car key to Krystal.”
“Why?”
“So she can get home.”
I laughed nervously. “I know what you meant, but…where are we going?”
He kissed me lightly on the lips. “It’s a surprise, remember?”
I got my car key out of my bag and walked the few steps back to Krystal and handed her the key.
“You’re leaving?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Julia and Rachel both looked at me with their mouths open.
“He said he has a surprise for me,” I said. “I’ll see you later. Or tomorrow. Or…whenever.”
I turned on my heel and walked away, feeling like I’d just won the championship round of the catty girl playoffs.
SEVEN
Thirty minutes later, we were in Malibu, turning into the driveway of a huge house. Palm trees dotted the lawn, and the house was illuminated by lights shining up from the ground.
Max pulled into the garage, turned off the car and said, “I can’t wait to get you into my house.” He got out and came around to open my door for me. When I stood, he took me in his arms and kissed me ferociously.
“I can’t wait to see your house. It looks beautiful.”
“That’s not why I want you inside.” He took my hand and led me inside.
We entered through a door in the garage, and it led right into an expansive living room. It was dark—everything from the walls to the floor to the furniture, shades of rich browns and reds, with small pools of light from lamps around the room. His office was bright and modern looking, but his home was all warm tones, very masculine.
Just like him. And just like the possessive way he kissed me again when we were barely inside the house.
My purse dropped to the floor. Max slid the zipper down the back of my dress and it fell to my ankles. I stepped out of it, finding myself standing there in my bra, panties, and heels.
“You have a way of getting me naked, Max.”
“I love when you’re exposed to me.”
His lips sealed around mine, his tongue hungrily exploring my mouth.
I managed to pull away a little. “Don’t I get to see you?”
He moaned from deep in his chest. “I want you to see me. Undress me.”
His hands fell to his sides and he stood before me, waiting.
Holy shit. I was about to undress Max Dalton and see his gorgeous self in the nude.
I untucked his shirt and slid it up his body, my hands underneath, feeling the muscles in his stomach and chest. I unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it over his shoulders and it joined my clothes on the floor.
He was in just as good a shape as I’d imagined. His chest was broad, covered by a thin field of fine hair. I put my hands on his pecks and felt how taut they were.
When I looked up at Max’s face, I saw his eyes smoldering with intensity. I kept eye contact with him as I lowered my hands down his stomach and found his belt. Hearing the metal-on-metal clink as I unfastened the buckle was like a chiming alert: You’re about to touch his cock…