Central Park was nothing like I’d ever seen in my life. It had to be the most beautiful place on Earth. At least to me it was. This wasn’t an ordinary park; it was another world. The only park I ever went to growing up was the one by my house in Miami. A small piece of land with a few swings and overgrown grass that wasn’t regularly cut. We were near mid-park when I spotted a familiar statue ahead.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked in excitement.
“Depends on what you think it is.” Max smiled.
As I approached the sculpture, I was in awe of the beauty standing before me.
“Oh my God, it is. It’s Alice in Wonderland. That was one of my favorite Disney movies when I was a child.”
I climbed up and ran my hand along the bronzed mushroom that Alice was sitting on.
“Sit down and I’ll take your picture.” Max smiled.
Suddenly, I felt like a kid again as I became giddy and sat in front of Alice while Max snapped a picture.
“Come up here and we’ll take a selfie.” I waved my hand for him to join me.
He climbed up the statue and sat down next to me. He held up his phone in front of us and snapped a picture.
“I have an idea,” he spoke as he took my hand and helped me down. We walked over to where the horse and carriages were parked. Max pulled out a wad of cash, handed it to the man in the carriage, and then helped me up. “Have you ever been on a carriage ride?” he asked.
“No.” I smiled as I sat down.
“Well, now you can say you have. We’re going to tour Central Park in style, Miss Knight.”
As we sat in the carriage, I took in the beauty of Central Park. I felt like a princess for the first time in my life and, I must say, I enjoyed it.
“Why don’t you tell me about your real childhood,” Max spoke as he looked at me.
“There’s not that much to tell. My dad left us when I was two and my mom struggled her whole life to support us. She got pregnant with me at seventeen and dropped out of school. My grandparents were upset and kicked her out. When I was old enough to work, I got a job, finished school, and then worked full-time to help her with the bills. My childhood was not a magical one but my mom did the best she could and she worked really hard. I couldn’t fault her for that.”
“She never married?”
“No. She dated a few guys for a while, but they always turned out to be lazy jerks. Kind of like Justin. It took me a while, but I finally saw the kind of person he was and where his life was going, which was nowhere, and I wasn’t going to be stuck with someone like that. I have goals and dreams for myself.”
“You certainly do, Emma.” He smiled.
“What about your childhood? It couldn’t have been all bad growing up rich and spoiled.”
He chuckled. “It wasn’t all that grand. I was more of a trophy for my mom and dad than anything. Their first born, and a son at that, who would take over my father’s company and carry on the Hamilton name and image. Everything in my life, since the day I was born, was carefully planned and calculated. The private school I went to, the friends I was allowed to hang out with, even the college I attended.”
“Which was?”
“Columbia. I had to follow in my father’s footsteps and even join the same fraternity he was in. It was like he was reliving his youth through me and I hated it.”
“What about your sister?”
“She’s going through the same thing, but she’s more of a rebel than I was. They are the reason why I won’t settle down with anyone. It’s all a show.”
“Does your mom know about your dad’s affairs?”
“I don’t think so and, if she does, she’s stupid not to have left him by now. But she’s just as money hungry as he is, so I’m not sure she’d ever give up the Hamilton name or lifestyle. One time, we were on vacation in Hawaii and my mom had taken ill with a migraine. My dad took me and my sister down to the beach and then told us to stay and build sand castles while he went and talked to someone he knew. I watched him as he walked up the beach and to a hotel room not too far from where me and Fiona were playing. After a while, I got up and peeked inside the door wall that I saw him go through and watched him fucking some other woman. I’ll never forget the feeling of sickness and disappointment that shot through me.”
“I’m sorry, Max. How old were you?”
“Thirteen. It was at that moment that I realized what a fake he was.”
“Did he know you saw him?”
“No. But it was that day that I started acting differently towards him. He wasn’t my hero anymore. A few years later, I was at a hotel, having lunch with one of my friends who was staying there, and I saw my dad and some woman walk through the lobby and to the elevator. I quickly got up from my seat and watched them get on the elevator and go up to the third floor. I ran up the stairwell and made it just in time as they got off the elevator and watched what room they went to. I sat up against the wall outside the room and listened to the moans that came from inside. It made me sick. For some reason, I thought that maybe Hawaii was a one-time thing with him. When the moans stopped, I knocked on the door. I wanted nothing more than that asshole to get caught. Surprisingly enough, he opened it with a towel wrapped around his waist. The look on his face was priceless. I just shook my head at him and left. Later that night, he took me out and said he was sorry and that he’d never do it again. He told me that if I told my mom, I’d be cut off and lose everything. There was no use in hurting my mom anyway.”
There was a sadness in his voice when he spoke about his childhood. Here was a man who had the world at his fingertips but was unhappy. I grabbed his hand and he looked over at me with a small smile.
“I’m sorry he’s such an ass. But I don’t think you’re anything like him if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Not really. I just don’t have any desire to be tied down to one woman for the rest of my life and play the happy little married couple with the perfect family. It’s not my style. I don’t like to answer to anyone. I do what I do and I do what I please. I don’t need some girl trying to control me. I watch my mom try and do it with my dad and look what’s going on in that relationship.”
I didn’t know what to say at that moment. I was in shock that he would even say something like that to me. “Hang in there, Hamilton.” I smiled.
“I am.” He kissed the side of my head.
****
We grabbed some lunch at the Central Park boathouse and, as I was sipping my wine, Max looked at me in a panic.
“Take the ring off. Now!”
What the hell? I slid the ring off and clenched it tightly in my hand just as a beautiful, tall, dark-haired woman approached us.
“Hey, Max,” she said as she looked at him and then over at me, giving me the bitch look.
“Hey, Aria.”
“We still on for tonight? Remember you said you’d take me to that new club that just opened up?”
“A new club opened? How did I not know about this? I would love to go with the two of you.” I smiled.
First, his eyes widened before he narrowed them at me.
“I’m sorry, but who is she?” Aria asked.
“So rude of me not to introduce myself. I’m Emma. It’s nice to meet you. I’m a friend of Max.”
I held out my hand and she looked down at it and turned away. Ah, this was going to be fun.
“Emma, I don’t think that club is really your scene,” Max spoke.
“Really? I happen to love clubs. So it’s settled. Aria and I would love for you to take us.”
“Then I’m not going!” Aria chimed like a two-year-old on the verge of a tantrum.
“Oh, please, Aria. Do come. I’m kind of thinking right now that since it’s a new club and all, that it would be packed with people and you’d have to wait in an incredibly long line with the hopes that they let you in. Max, on the other hand, can pull some strings and get us right in. Am I right?” I smiled at Max.
“Yeah,”
he said, deadpan.
“Fine. Pick me up at eight o’clock.” She stomped away from the table and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Max asked in seriousness.
“Please. Get over yourself. I just need a ride. I won’t be hanging with you two lovebirds. I’ll call Hannah and Austin and ask them to meet me there.”
He shook his head at me. “This isn’t a game, Emma.”
“I never said it was, Max.” I took a sip of my wine and slipped my ring back on.
Chapter 9
Hannah, Austin, and his boyfriend, Dominic, were going to meet me at the club. I honestly didn’t know what possessed me to say that I’d go. It was probably the sick feeling I got when Aria said that Max would take her. My body was still on fire from the morning sex we’d had and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I looked at myself in the black sheer, spaghetti-strap, baby-doll dress with the jewel-accented empire waist and smiled. I bought it back in Miami for a friend’s wedding but didn’t get the chance to wear it since she called the wedding off. I slipped into a pair of black, round toe, stiletto heels with a bow and sprayed my curly up-do one last time before the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, Darren was standing there, smiling at me.
“Good evening, Emma. Are you ready?”
“Hi, Darren. Just let me grab my clutch.” I hooked my arm in his as we walked down the hallway. “Is she in the car?” I asked.
He looked at me with a sly grin. “Yes. She’s in there. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Not really.” I smiled.
He opened the door and I slid inside next to Max. I swear he gasped when he saw me.
“Hello, Emma,” he spoke.
“Hi, Max. Hey, Aria. You look really pretty.” As pretty as a hooker waiting on the street corner.
“Hey.” The only word she could seem to muster up.
“Thanks again for the ride, Max.”
“No problem. I made a call and had your friends put on the list so they won’t have any problems getting in.”
“Thank you.” I smiled big.
“My pleasure.”
We pulled up to the club and Darren held out his hand to help me out. “Have fun in there and stay out of trouble.” He gave a small smile.
“I can’t make any promises.” I winked.
I watched as Aria grabbed Max’s hand and they cut in front of me to get into the club first. Whatever. She was a skank in a skintight white dress that showed the outline of her thong. The only reason I noticed was because her ass looked mega huge. I stepped into the club and sent a text message to Hannah, asking where she was.
“Sitting at a table to the left of the bar.”
The blaring bass of the music was causing the floor underneath my feet to shake. Bodies that tangled all over the dance floor crowded the new club. Aria dragged Max over to the bar and I took off to find Hannah and Austin.
“There you are!” Hannah smiled as I sat down next to her. “You look hot!”
“Thanks.” I reached across the table and shook the hand of Dominic, Austin’s boyfriend.
Before I knew it, Max sat down in the empty seat next to me and handed me a mojito.
“I figured you’d want one. Reminds me of another time.” He winked.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet my friend, Max Hamilton, and his friend, Aria.”
Hannah had the same reaction on her face as I did the first time I saw him. “Oh my God, Emma. He’s so fucking hot.”
I gently smiled at her and took a sip of my drink. Aria stood up and grabbed Max’s hand, leading him to the dance floor. I sat there and watched as that slut moved her body up and down Max, grinding to the beat of the music. I touched the arm of the waitress that walked by and asked her to get us a round of lemon shots. I wasn’t about to sit here and watch the two of them sober.
Downing two rounds of lemon shots, the effects of the alcohol mixed with the three mojitos started to take over. As soon as “Uptown Funk” blasted through the speakers, Hannah grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. I let loose, shaking my hips to the beat and moving my body around in a seductive way that suggested I was an easy target for sex. A tall and good-looking guy slithered in my direction, pressing his body up against mine as he smiled and our hips moved in sync. The final straw was when his hands grasped my waist and Max was near me in a flash, grabbing my wrist and leading me off the dance floor and through the club, to a hallway off to the side where nobody was allowed to go. He pushed me inside a small room, a room that was an office with a desk, a couch, and a couple of chairs. He turned on the light and slammed the door, locking it from within.
“What the fuck, Max?!”
“Shut up.” His mouth crashed into mine as his hands went up the back of my dress, cupping my ass as hard as he could. He broke our kiss and his angered eyes stared into me. “Don’t you ever do that again as long as we’re engaged. Do you fucking understand me, Emma?”
I was stunned and shocked by his tone and his behavior and I didn’t like it. The only reaction I could muster up was my hand slapping him across the face.
“Don’t you ever, and I mean ever, fucking talk to me like that again! And don’t you ever grab me like that again either. You have no right, you sorry son-of-a-bitch.”
I stomped out of the room and quickly made my way down the hallway, sending a text message to Hannah telling her that I was sick and had to leave. My stomach was nauseous as I left the club and headed down a street that I wasn’t familiar with. I didn’t know where I was going and, at this point, I didn’t care. Getting away from him was the only thing I wanted to do. I felt the vomit rise up in my throat as I stepped into the alley and bent over, releasing the alcohol that needed to escape me. A pair of hands lightly gripped my arms as I flinched.
“It’s okay, Emma. It’s me,” Max whispered.
As soon as I was finished, he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the curb where Darren was waiting with the door open. He slid me in the back seat and I turned and faced the window.
“Emma,” he spoke.
I put my hand up, signaling him not to say another word. Darren pulled up to my building and Max slid out, holding out his hand to help me. I pushed it away.
“I don’t need your help.” I heard him tell Darren that it was okay to leave and I abruptly stopped before reaching the door.
“Don’t you dare follow me up to my apartment. You aren’t welcome.”
“You’re making a scene, Emma. Let’s just go upstairs and get some coffee.”
I huffed and stumbled away from him. I couldn’t find my keys, so Max found them for me and slid the key into the lock. As soon as I walked in, I kicked off my shoes and threw my purse down. The door shut and Max took hold of my arm, pulling me into him and brushing his lips against mine.
“I never got to tell you how fucking sexy you look in that dress,” he spoke in between kisses.
A part of me was still angry at him for earlier, but the other part of me desired him inside of me. I kissed him hard, practically throwing myself at him to let him know that he could fuck me. A moan rumbled from his chest as he pulled down my panties and dipped his fingers inside of me while his mouth devoured my neck. My fingers raced to unbutton his pants and release his hard cock in my hand. As I slid his pants down, he stepped out of them and kicked them away while unzipping the back of my dress and letting it fall to the ground. His other hand grasped my breast and his fingers tugged at my hardened nipples. Max picked me up and set me down in front of the couch, turning me around so I was bent over. He didn’t waste any time as he thrust inside of me, gripping my hips as moans escaped our lips. My body was heated and my heart was racing in sync with each thrust. His hand released my hip and his finger traveled down, circling my clit and sending my body into pure bliss as I began to climax. Yelling out his name, I gave in to my release as his thrusting slowed and he submerged himself deep into me while filling my insides. His h
ot breath trailed along my back as he moaned in erotic pleasure.
He pulled out of me and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft and with bated breath.
“Yeah. I really want to go to bed.”
He turned me around so I was facing him and picked me up, carrying me across the apartment and to my bedroom. He set me down and pulled back the covers.
“Would you like me to stay?”
I gave him a small smile and nodded my head as we both climbed into bed and he pulled me close to his body, where I fit perfectly.
Chapter 10
I opened my eyes as the sun filtered through the crack of the closed curtains. I noticed I was alone and couldn’t remember if I told Max to stay the night. I could smell fresh coffee brewing, so I unsteadily climbed out of bed and slipped on a pair of panties and a t-shirt.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Max smiled as he looked at what a hot mess I was.
I put my hand up to prevent him from speaking. “Lower your voice.”
He chuckled. I took a seat on the stool at the counter as he handed me a cup of coffee and set a glass of orange juice in front of me.
“I’m making French toast. Would you like some?”
“Maybe one piece,” I moaned as I leaned across the counter.
“Maybe you shouldn’t drink so much and you wouldn’t feel like shit.”
“Oh please. Like you don’t ever get drunk.”
He smirked as he turned and looked at me. “You have a powerful hand.”
Was I sorry that I slapped him? No. I wasn’t. He deserved it. “Yeah, well, I have a powerful knee too if you want to try me.”
“Ouch. That’s not even funny.” He lightly laughed.
I sat and stared at his muscular back as he cooked the French toast, daydreaming about running my tongue up and down his spine as the ends of my hair tickled his back. I sighed.
“You had no right last night, Max. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do with other people. That’s not how this works. We have an arrangement and that’s all. If you want to change the agreement to where neither one of us sees other people for the next couple of months, let me know. Because the same rules apply to both of us, not just me. And by the way, what happened to Aria?”