I can’t keep my hands off of her. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing I have to have my hands on some part of her. They usually end up on her fine ass. But today I have to go to work, can’t put that shit off any longer.

She was having a grand opening in a few days, but she’d done most of the work in the last few days from home. I’m a sorry excuse for a man, because I was the one who seems unable to be away from her.

“Max.” She stood on her toes with her hands on my shoulders and pecked me on the lips inside the open door. “You have to get going.” I know she was laughing at my ass. We’d been standing in the doorway for the last ten minutes saying goodbye.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I knew it was Tony’s annoying ass. “I’m coming, keep your shorts on.”

“You need me to come up and get you?” I hung up before the laughter he was fighting hard to contain escaped. It was his third phone call.

“I don’t wanna go. Come with me.” I pulled her in for another kiss and wrapped her up tight. “I told you, I have some stuff to finish up here.” I damn near pouted. “Fine!”

I turned and walked away, refusing to look back. I lasted until I reached the elevator. I could still feel her eyes on me as the doors slid open. She was standing in the doorway watching me with a knowing smile on her face.

The last few days with her have been the best fucking days of my life. I never knew life could be this good. Never knew that loving someone else as deeply as I do her could bring such peace, instead of the turmoil I’d always imagined.

I gave her a little finger wave as the doors closed and already felt the emptiness. “Don’t say one fuck to me.” I growled at Tony after getting in and slamming the door.

“Pitiful!” He shook his head and started the car.

That would be the correct assessment, I am pitiful. I’m not saying she isn’t as clingy as I am, but the fact that I’m even saying that shit in a sentence says it all. I must’ve said ‘where are you going?’ a hundred times in the last three days.

Each time she left my sight I called out for her or went in search of her after two minutes went by. The only good thing about that shit is that it seems to have upped her self esteem a bit.

With each day that passed she seemed a lot more confident, and the shadows had receded from her eyes. But what about me? I have a panic attack at the thought of her leaving the damn house. Like some asshole was just waiting around the corner to take her away from me.

“This is some bullshit.”

“What’s eating you?” I didn’t even mean to say that shit out loud. His nosy ass was eyeing me down in the rearview mirror. Nosy fuck!

“I’m not talking to you. Go for it you said, just let yourself relax and go with the flow. Asshole.”

“Dude, get a grip, people have been getting married for centuries it’s not the end of the world.”

“Who said anything about getting married?” The fuck!

“Isn’t that where your ass is headed?” Well yeah, but who the fuck asked you?

“Just drive the fucking car. Don’t forget you’re picking the kid up from mom’s.”

“That ought to put the brakes on your shit. You know how many phone calls I’ve fielded for your ass in the last three days?”

“What the fuck, is the world gonna end if I don’t take care of every little thing that crops up?”

“Uh, don’t shoot the messenger, but up until now that’s the way you wanted shit. Your micro managing ass.”

“Stop talking to me.”

“I had to talk aunt Sophie out of coming to the city to check up on your ass.” Shit, I’d turned off my phone. I looked now and saw more than fifty missed calls.

“The fuck! Don’t these people have anything better to do than annoy my ass? What did you tell them?”

“That you were unavailable what else. You got that shit out of your system now, or can I expect you to pull another disappearing act? If you hadn’t answered me that one time I wouldn’t have known that you were okay either. Pussy whipped motherfucker.”

“I wonder whose fault that is. You’re the one who

showed me the dancing shit, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were gonna lose your shit and forget you have a business to run.” He had a point, but fuck if I cared.

I felt a little bit like I’d just come out of a coma. The world outside looked different and I honest to fuck did not have any interest in anything but her. I didn’t even have to be fucking the whole time, just as long as she was within reach I was fine.

“Your ass needs rehab, fucking addict.”

“Fuck you.” He was laughing his ass off as we walked into the club and when I pulled my phone to call her he just shook his head and headed for his regular spot at the bar.

“What are you doing baby?”

“The same thing I was doing when you left twenty minutes ago. Working on the computer. Max what’s wrong?” I liked the fact that she sounded a hell of a lot more assertive these days, but I had to get back on my game.

“Nothing’s wrong. Tony’s picking Travis up in another hour so listen out for the door.”

“Okay, now let me go, I have Sherrie on the other line.”

“What are you two up to now?”

“She wants to go shopping.” That sounded innocent enough. “When are you going?”

“I told her it’ll have to wait because I’m low on funds right now.”

What the fuck! “No you’re not babe. Your bank card should be in the mail no later than tomorrow.”

“My what?” I added her to my checking account online and didn’t tell her ass because I didn’t need the drama.

“Your bank card, tell Sherrie you’d be available to go shopping Monday.”

“Max, what did you do?” I’m not having this fucking conversation.

“Do me a favor, tell Sherrie to hang up and call me.” If there’s one thing I know about my sister, she knows how a real woman’s supposed to be treated. Tony and I have been drilling that shit into her head since she was old enough to date.

“Max!”

“Just do it baby, I’ll see you later.” My phone rang two minutes later and I still hadn’t touched any of the work that was waiting for me, hadn’t even

booted up the computer in fact.

“What’s up big brother?” I gave her a quick rundown knowing that she’d know what to do. Her shopaholic ass would have my shit spent in less than one afternoon.

“Oh you don’t have to say another word bro, I’m all over that shit.”

“Where is it that you’re taking her by the way?”

“Right around the corner from your place, where you think? All the good stores are right there on fifth. But wait, are we talking motor vehicle type money or nah?”

“She doesn’t need a car, but whatever she wants make sure she gets, except jewelry, that’s my department.” She said some shit like ‘Hermes here I come’ and I imagined her dancing around the room the way she does when she gets excited.

“Before you ask, yes you can get some stuff for you too.”

“Oh you know you don’t have to do that. I like your girl, so she’s as good as my sister. And you better be keeping her around. She’s not like the rest of those yard sale Barbies you usually fucks with.”

“How would you know? You never met any of them.”

“Exactly!”

“So this is set for Monday, what about the baby?”

“Mom’s taking her out to the island to spend the day with aunt Sophie before I lose my fucking mind.”

“Didn’t you want a baby? Is it really that hard?” I was thinking about the fact that I was more than a little bit certain that I’d bred Annabelle’s ass one of the times I came inside her in the last few days.

“It’s not hard per se, just takes getting used to. I can’t get up and go the way I used to and Trevor seems to think I’m supposed to have the kid latched onto my tit twenty-four seven.” I heard her husband in the background.

“Yeah I know you thought this being a mother shit would slow me down but joke’s on you. Now your ass got babysitting duty when I take my girl Belle to the club next Saturday night.”

“What was that?”

“Not talking to you right now Max. I’m talking to this slick motherfucker here.”

“Did you just say you’re taking Annabelle to the

club?” Yeah, no, that shit’s not gonna happen.

“Like I said, I’m not talking to you right now, I’ll deal with your brand of crazy later. About that other thing don’t worry. By the time I get through with her she’s not gonna think twice about spending your shit in the future. Let me go take care of this fool, catch you later.”

Better him than me. He knew what he was getting into when they hooked up and swore up and down when Tony and I cornered his ass that he was in for the long haul. At least I no longer have to worry about her crazy ass.

I settled down enough to turn my attention to work until Tony interrupted me a few minutes later to let me know he was heading out to go pick the kid up.

I went back to what I was doing, already orchestrating how I was gonna fuck her with someone else in the apartment. This is what my life has reverted to. Everything revolves around fucking Anna, pun intended.

I walked around the apartment after hanging up the phone doing one last walk through before Travis gets here. Making sure there was no evidence left laying around of what Max and I have been up to in the past three days.

When I found myself looking under the couch in the media room for underwear my face went up in flames. I very distinctly remember what we did in there when we were supposed to be taking a movie break.

I might not have left any evidence out in the open, but I felt it each time I moved. Even a quick soak in the tub hadn’t done much to ease the soreness between my thighs.

I rubbed them together now as I remembered the feel of him there. Fluttering my hand in front of my face to cool me down I headed back to the kitchen where I’d left my laptop.

I’d lied to him earlier when I told him I was working, because now that he wasn’t here and I could think again, my mind refused to settle down.

I guess it’s to be expected after all that had transpired between us in the last few days. Even my ingrained distrust of the opposite sex hasn’t been able to hold up against his onslaught.

He’s completely taken me over. Me, the levelheaded girl who had more than enough reason never to trust a man again in this life has fallen completely under his spell.

No matter how I try to hold onto my usual arguments it’s just not happening, and it’s all because of the way he’s made me feel. Not just the amazing sex, but his attentiveness and care. The surprises just keep on coming.

I’m not very sure about people’s sexual habits, but a quick search through Google has assured me that any man who has sex with a woman five times in one day is very much invested. Of course there was a lot more involved, but I got the gist.

Again, it’s not just about the sex but also the fact that each time he made sure I was right there with him. He wasn’t selfish and seemed more interested in my wants than his own.

I’ve heard enough stories to know that that’s not always the case. And we’re not talking quick ten- minute rolls in the sack either. Each time felt like at least a half an hour of foreplay, which usually left me ready to climb the wall by the time we get to the good stuff.

It’s in the way he touches me, those soft tender touches that makes me feel like in that moment, I’m the most important thing in his world. Something I never knew I needed or would want.

It’s the things he whispers in my ear when he’s deep inside me. And the way he can’t seem to keep his hands off of me. I used to think of that as pawing when I’d see other couples having their PDA, but now I know what I’ve been missing.

Now if we’re in a room together for more than ten minutes without his hands on me I’m the one who searches him out. I feel…alive in a way that I never experienced before. Like there was a whole other person living inside me, waiting to be awakened.

Nothing outside of dance has ever made me feel so alive, so in control. That’s the biggest part of it. Instead of feeling like the little woman, like he was going to take me over and run my life, I feel stronger being with him. And how cute is it that he didn’t even want to leave for a few hours to go to the club?

His actions, unbeknownst to him, have gone a long way to making me feel secure in this new relationship I find myself in. For once I’ve decided to put aside all my angst and fears and take this little slice of happiness for myself. I no longer tack on for as long as it lasts on the end of that statement which for me is like a milestone.

I was just about to pour myself a glass of juice when the doorbell rang. A quick look at my watch showed that it had been almost two hours since his call. Damn and I hadn’t gotten anything done.

My mouth fell open in surprise when I opened the door to a huge bouquet of flowers. “Hello?” I couldn’t see the person behind the flower arrangement, just feet as I reached out to take it.

I only got a split second view of the face when the flowers were lowered and even less time for the memory of where I’d seen that face before to register.

Too late, I tried to slam the door shut, but a hand reached out and grabbed me. I struggled in an effort to get away, the scream locked in my throat as fear threatened to overpower me.

“What do you want?” I tried to reason with the man who had yet to utter a sound. He didn’t need to, his face said it all. “You bitch, you ruined my life.” I felt the burn from the scratch of his nails on my neck and fought back tears.

I tried to think as he advanced on me, the door slamming shut behind him. I moved backward until I hit the wall, my heart racing sickeningly in my chest.

I felt a moment of weakness as my limbs grew limp and my mind went blank. It was the look in his eyes more than his size that struck fear in me. He looked nothing like the cocksure man who’d accosted me in the club that night.

“I didn’t do anything to you, I didn’t even…” He didn’t let me finish as he struck out, hitting me across the face so hard I saw stars.

When he raised his hand again I came out of my stupor and raised my knee. I caught him in the balls and made a run for the door as he doubled over in pain.

The door flung open just as I reached it and Travis was standing there. “Hey sis…” He took one look at my face and pushed me behind him. “ No Travis.” I tried pulling him back out the door, but was left grabbing air.

He went after Morrison and I ran down the hallway for my phone in the kitchen. My fingers shook hard as I tried to hit redial and I made my way back down the hallway as I heard a body slam into the wall.

“Max?” I didn’t realize I was screaming, tears running down my face.

“Baby? What is it, what’s the matter?”

“Help.” It was all I could get past my lips. I heard him scream something before I dropped the phone.

Now I had a new fear. The fear that my little brother was going to kill this fool and end up in jail. “Stop Travis, he’s bleeding.” Not only that, he wasn’t moving.

I finally succeeded in pulling him away from the now comatose man who was laid out on the floor. “Let me see your face.” He held me away from him and studied my face before turning back to Morrison.

“No, let’s call the cops, Max is…Max.” I picked up the phone and he was still there. I could hear traffic in the background as he barked orders at someone. “Max.” He came back on the line.

“I’m here baby, I’m coming to you. Tony should be there any second, he was just around the corner when you called.” As soon as the words left his mouth Tony came busting through the door.

He took one look at Morrison and pulled out his phone. I thought he was calling an ambulance but it sounded like he was talking to the cops. “We have to get him out of here before Max gets here. Fuck!”

He ran his hand over his head and face as my brother stood with his arm wrapped around me. Morrison started making waking sounds and we all turned to him just as I heard feet approaching the door. It was the cops.

Both Tony and I released our breath as they came in. Were they hanging out downstairs? They took our statements after calling an ambulance for the man who was now very loud with his threats.

It was then I saw the damage Travis had done to him. His eye was swollen, his lip split and one of his arms seemed to be hanging rather awkwardly at his side.

His slurred words made no sense, but I got the idea that he was once again blaming me for his plight. I almost felt bad when they put the cuffs on him and led him out, but I was grateful they did it before Max showed up.

One of them took pictures of my scratches and the red mark on my face from where he’d struck me. We were told we had to come down to the station in a day or two and the detective gave me his card and some kind of leaflet.

When I saw Tony having a quiet word with the detective I understood why everything had been handled with such haste. They knew each other.

Max showed up not five minutes after they left. I’d been holding up fine until I saw him, and then the

shakes begun. The whole thing must’ve lasted all of half an hour but felt like a lifetime.