Chapter Five
WHY THE HECK had Max given Treat her number? More bothersome, why hadn’t he called? She had taken out her battery and rebooted her phone twice and had been checking her messages like she had OCD. She didn’t know why she even hoped he’d call. He was a man with many resources. He could have tracked her down any time after she left the resort, and he hadn’t. She was a fool to have played right into his hands again, sweet apology or not. He was in town to visit his father. Chances were he’d forgotten about Max the minute he’d walked away. The same way he did after Nassau. Maybe seeing her had simply sparked a memory, and he felt guilty for judging her. Well, she’d take that guilty apology over nothing any day, even if she hadn’t been ready to accept it.
Now, if she could only stop thinking about him.
“Max, you’ve done it again,” Chaz said as they left the festival that evening. They had reviewed the day’s financial reports, and it was obvious that he was still thinking about their overwhelming success. It was only the first day, and they had already almost matched the previous year’s total festival revenue.
“Not me, boss. We did it. At least the first day went off without a hitch.” She’d been sure Chaz would say something about how weird she’d acted around Treat, but he hadn’t mentioned him at all. Maybe she’d gotten lucky and no one else had noticed how uncomfortable she’d been, either.
“Don’t forget, you said you’d do the after-party swing tonight. I can’t wait to go home and see Trevor and Lexi. It’s been a long day.” Chaz and Kaylie had been married for just shy of two months, but their twins were two years old.
The after-parties were one of the highlights of the film festival, where locals and fans could mingle with celebrities, dance the night away, and take home expensive swag to boot. But Max wasn’t the partying type, and tonight of all nights, she wasn’t in the mood to pretty herself up and play nice. Maybe she could get out of it.
“Aren’t the kids asleep by now?”
“Yes, but I still like to peek in on them. Besides, they’re asleep.” He raised his eyebrows. “We’re still newlyweds, after all.”
“Come on, Chaz,” she pleaded. “You know I hate these things.”
“It’ll do you some good. You spend too much time working and not enough time socializing. Get out there, Max, and have some fun. Meet a nice guy and let him wine and dine you.”
“I’d rather wine and dine myself while reading on the comfort of my own couch.”
“Max…”
He gave her his I’m-counting-on-you look. The one she’d never been able to deny. “Fine! But you owe me one.”
“Add it to the other million I owe you,” he said as he walked away.
MAX STOOD IN her bedroom staring at her closet, which looked more like a teenager’s than that of an almost-thirty-year-old woman, with too many T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans and not nearly enough grown-up clothes. She inspected the few dresses she owned, then selected two short black numbers and hung them on the closet door. One was tight fitting with a plunging neckline, leaving very little to the imagination, while the other was more conservative with a ring neck and slit pockets at the hips. Kaylie had convinced her to buy the one with the plunging neckline before the wedding, and when she and Treat had first met, she couldn’t wait to wear it for him. But the hours they’d spent in each other’s arms had come with no warning. She hadn’t even had time to change out of her jeans when he’d dragged her out of the restaurant and swept her away for the next several hours. Even though they were the most incredible few hours of her life, when he’d invited her to his room, she’d held back, afraid of the overwhelming emotions that had swamped her. A few hours later, he’d seen her with Justin, and the desire to look sexy had disappeared.
Maybe she should have run after him, cleared up the situation right away. But the awful look he’d given her had thrown her right back to the boyfriend she’d thought she’d known who had turned on her with a vengeance. Max was brave, but she wasn’t brave enough to walk directly into potential fire. She needed to remember that now, as she romanticized Treat and his apology.
Her cell phone rang, and for the second time that day, Max froze.
Her phone sat in the middle of her bed, lighting up like a beacon. Her traitorous heart went wild, hoping it was Treat. The incoming phone number came up as restricted. Her mind raced through scenarios. What would she say if it was Treat? What would he say? What if he asked her out? Should she go? She wanted to go, despite everything. He’d apologized, hadn’t he? Even if she’d pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about.
She stared at the ringing phone as if it were a land mine. Her mind reeled, but she couldn’t hold back. As she’d done the night she’d fallen into Treat’s arms, she threw caution to the wind and dove for it, quickly pushing the green icon. “Hello? Hello?”
She was met with dead air.
Max ended the call and banged her head against the mattress. She waited for her message light to blink, and when it didn’t, she pushed to her feet with disgust.
“You’re such a fool,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. She stripped off her clothes on the way to the bathroom and stepped angrily into the shower. “An idiot, a chicken.” She scrubbed her scalp so hard she was sure she was leaving scratches.
By the time she dried off, she’d calmed down a little and thought maybe it was better this way. No hard decisions to make, no trying to figure out if he was going to be like her ex, sweet one minute and crazy the next. She dried her hair and fluffed it into a sultry style around her face, then assessed herself in the mirror. She looked pretty good.
Max hadn’t been on a date since her night with Treat. Not that she dated much anyway. She’d been denying her sexual urges for years—literally—because of the frightening scenario that had unfolded in the bedroom with her ex, Ryan Cobain.
She could do better than a man who would judge her, and as an idea formed in her head, a hopeful grin lifted her lips.
Maybe it was time she broke that wretched streak and forgot Treat altogether. It wasn’t in her nature to pick up a man, and even the thought of it petrified her. But a distraction from her past, and from Treat, was just what she needed to move on. She was confident in every aspect of her life except the one Ryan had ruined for her, and she hated that. Though she wasn’t sure how to get past it.
Everything started with baby steps, right? If she could get out there and flirt a little, she’d have people other than Treat to think about. That was a good place to begin. First she needed to look hot, not just good.
She turned on some music and danced as she got ready for her big night. She went heavy on the makeup, which took some time since she hardly ever wore any, and stepped into one of the few lace thongs she owned, feeling naughty and a little uncomfortable. She wanted to feel sexy, and this would help. At least that’s what Kaylie always said. Sexiness is a state of mind and starts with what nobody else sees. She slithered into the skintight dress with the plunging neckline and spun around as the tunes escalated, slipping her bare feet into a pair of efficient black heels. She stood before the mirror, surveying herself from top to bottom. Her dark eyeliner said, Take me, her body screamed, Touch me, and her crimson lips whispered, I’m in control, but the total package, including the efficient heels, shouted, Faker!
She kicked off her heels and stared at her other footwear options with a frown. Efficient, efficient, efficient. No matter which dress she chose, she’d feel like a fake. How on earth did I make it this far? She snagged her phone from the bed and texted Kaylie.
Can I borrow your high black heels?
Her phone vibrated seconds later. High black heels? lol. You mean the take-me-now heels?
Max rolled her eyes and texted back. I guess.
Kaylie’s text came fast. Who’s the guy?
She responded, Festival after-party. Yes or no?
A minute later her answer arrived. Yup. Babies are sleeping. I’ll leave the heels on the porch.
Max squealed, immediately worrying that maybe she’d interrupted a private moment between Chaz and Kaylie since Kaylie said she’d leave the heels on the porch. Oh well, what was done was done. She couldn’t worry about that now. She spritzed on her sexiest perfume, put on her flip-flops, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed for Kaylie’s house.
Twenty minutes later she was walking up Kaylie’s front steps. As promised, the black stilettos were on the front porch.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Treat!”
Max gasped. “Kaylie! You scared the daylights out of me!”
Kaylie came out of the dark garage and into the light of the porch. Her blond hair was tousled, and she wore a nighty that barely covered her underwear—at least Max hoped she was wearing underwear—and fuzzy slippers.
“Sorry, but if you’re borrowing my heels, I want details.”
Max wished she had some to share. “I’m not seeing Treat. I’m going to the after-party because your husband wanted to spend time with you.”
“Aw, he’s so romantic. Chaz said Treat showed up today. Did he call you? I knew there was something going on at the wedding.”
Max heard a faint ringing. “There was nothing going on at the wedding, and he didn’t come to see me. He’s in Weston visiting his dad, and it was just a coincidence that he was at the festival.” I wish he’d been there to see me. No. I wish he’d come to see me weeks ago.
“Danica would tell you that there are no coincidences in life,” Kaylie said. Her older sister was more like Max than Kaylie. “Hey, is that your phone ringing?”
“I thought it was the house phone,” Max answered.
Kaylie shook her head. “We turn off the ringers when the kids go to bed.”
Max ran for her car and tugged the door open, but her phone had already stopped ringing. She checked the missed call log and saw the restricted number had popped up again. She let out a breath and felt the confidence she’d bolstered begin to deflate.
“Sorry, Max. Were you expecting him to call?” Kaylie asked.
Max couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Not really. He asked for my number, but you know how that goes.”
“Sometimes men suck,” Kaylie said. “Oh, Max. Look at you. I didn’t even notice how gorgeous you look. Girl, if he is at that after-party, he won’t be able to keep his eyes—or his hands—off you.”
“Thanks. I’m sure he won’t be there.” Treat didn’t seem like the partying type, which was one of things that had attracted her to him. He was strong and confident, but not showy or arrogant. Until that look. The look he already apologized for. If anything, she needed to apologize to him for acting rude when she was flustered this afternoon.
With a sigh, she said, “I’m not like you, Kaylie. This would be so easy for you. I had to talk myself into dressing like this, and I still feel like I’m playing dress-up. All I wanted was to look sexy and flirt a little to get my mind off of…”
“Well, you sure fooled me into thinking you were confident about how you looked. Listen, this is all there is to it. Flirting, meeting guys, it’s all a game. It’s them against you, and usually you both have the same agenda—to get the sexiest one into bed.”
“Kay—”
“Save it, sister. And trust me, okay? I know what I’m talking about. The next time you see Treat, you act as if you’re the sex-starved man, like you can’t keep your eyes or hands off him. That’ll knock him off his game, and you’ll start to see the real him.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.” A sex-starved man?
“If you want to win him over, then you have to. Then, when he thinks he’s going to get you into bed, you pull back. Remember, you control the strings. Think of him as a marionette and yourself as the puppet master.” Kaylie looked up at the dark sky. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Hey, that’s good. I just made that up.” She looked at Max and said, “Anyway, when you’re in control, you’ll totally knock down his defenses and it’ll be more comfortable—for both of you.”
Max shook her head. “I don’t know if I can play games, Kaylie.”
“Listen, Max. At that point, you won’t have to do anything. You pull away and he sees you as the queen of seduction. You follow through and you’re a sexual tigress. Win-win.” Kaylie shrugged.
“What if I want to be with him and he turns me down?”
“Any man who turns you down isn’t worth it.” Kaylie must have seen Max cringe, because she quickly added, “No way. Did he turn you down at the wedding?”
Max shook her head. “No, but I turned him down when he asked me to go back to his room, and then we had a misunderstanding the next morning when he saw me with Justin.” Kaylie had been in the elevator when Max had gotten on the next morning wearing the same clothes as she’d had on the day before. Kaylie had teased her about her walk-of-shame outfit, but she hadn’t known about Max and Treat’s evening together. She’d only assumed, as Treat had, that Max had slept with Justin.
“Oh, Maxy. You said you didn’t hook up with Justin.” Kaylie pulled her into a hug.
“I didn’t, but Treat assumed I did.” She’d never told Kaylie about Ryan, or what she’d been through with him, and she didn’t want to get into that now. It was too private, too embarrassing.
“Well, trust me. He won’t hesitate after you do this. Win-win. You remember that.” Kaylie ran her eyes over Max and said, “More importantly, remember that you are in control of your own emotional state. I learned the hard way that misunderstandings can spread like weeds if you let them. So if you really care about Treat, you might bring some Emotional Roundup with you, so you can nix any more of them.”
“Emotional Round Up,” Max repeated.
Maybe she could pull this off after all.