Rockin' the Boss (9 page)

“Ashleigh…,” he began.

“Max, please. Don’t talk. Right now,
all I want are a couple of glasses of wine and something to eat. But before
that, I’m going to take a long, hot shower.” I gulped down the second glass in
front of him, walked back to the bar, and poured another.

“Baby, please hear me out.”

“No, I just learned my husband whom
I thought was dead is in fact alive, having faked his own death. And I’ve
learned that the man I’ve fallen madly in love with has an entire side of
himself I was unaware of. Now, please let me take a shower. I promise we’ll
talk. I just need…” I turned and almost ran toward the master bedroom in tears,
leaving Max standing alone in the living room.

Inside the sanctity of the bathroom,
I turned the water on full force, opening both showerheads with hot water. I
striped off my clothes, found a large, fluffy towel, and hung it nearby.
Opening the door, steam escaped the capsule. I sat down on the built-in bench
and sobbed. Once the tears started flowing, they would not stop. Slowly
regaining control of my emotions, I stood under the spray.

Get
over it, stupid.
This doesn’t change
how you feel for him, nor does it change the way he feels about you. What you
need to do is get a grip and help catch Richard at whatever means it may take.

I towel-dried my hair in front of
the mirror, grabbed the fluffy, lavender-colored robe I kept behind the door,
wrapped it around myself, and strode down the hallway.

Reaching the large, sun-filled
living room, I found it empty. Max was nowhere to be found. Walking through the
apartment, I searched for him until I re-entered the main area and found a
handwritten note that sat on the cocktail table. I picked it up and read.

“Ashleigh, I’ve gone for a walk to
give you some space. I’ll pick up dinner on my way back. I love you. Max.

I paced the room before I decided to
busy myself by getting dressed. I picked out every item with extra care, from
the bra and black lace thong to the pants and blouse.

Finally satisfied with my
reflection, I walked back into the living room. Wandering the perimeter, I
walked over to a small glass cart strategically placed in a corner of the room
and opened another bottle of Cabernet, pouring myself a glass and striding over
to the sofa.

The next thing I knew Max was kneeling
beside me.
“Ashleigh, I’m back, my love.”

I opened my eyes slowly, taking in
his masculine scent first. He had a look of concern on his face as he helped me
into a sitting position. “I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?”

“Half past eight. Are you okay?” He
sat next to me.

“
Mmmm
, yes.
Max—”

He cut me off before I could go
further. “Don’t, Ashleigh, I’m fine. I thought you needed some time to think.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Are you hungry? I brought Italian
from a place down the street.”

“Yes, I’m starving.” I stood up
alongside him. “Max, I love you. Please let me apologize. Today simply knocked
the wind out of me, but it doesn’t change the way I feel for you.”

“I know, love, you don’t need to
apologize. I love you, Ashleigh, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help you
through this. Now, why don’t you get us some plates, and I’ll pour us some
wine.”

We sat at the cocktail table in
front of the couch and enjoyed the manicotti Max had purchased along with salad
and bread. Setting my fork down, I turned and eyed Max as he ate.
“I guess
we need to talk about this stuff. Is there anything else I need to know, any
skeletons still hiding in your closet?” I took a sip of wine and held the glass
tightly as I waited for his reply.

Max wiped his mouth with a napkin
and sat back against the sofa. He didn’t look directly at me. Instead, he
seemed to be carefully thinking about how he was going to respond to my
question.
“What exactly do you want to know?” He finally turned toward
me.

“Well, for starters, are Lisa’s
claims true? That you have some sort of secret sex life.”

Picking up his glass, he swirled the
contents before taking a drink. “Lisa’s claims are a lie. The only time I’ve
ever been in one of those clubs was when Richard demanded I show up.” He took
another swallow and grinned mischievously at me. “I certainly don’t need an
alternative lifestyle, love, when I have you.” He leaned over and kissed me
gently on the cheek.

“I had to ask. Anything else I don’t
know?”

“There’s only one other thing, and
it’s
part of the reason the feds want us to do this. I spent
a few years in the British Special Air Services. When my career was in a lull,
I decided to try something different and ended up in the SAS.” The sides of his
mouth twitched, and I assumed he was thinking about his stint in the elite
unit.

“Holy
shit, Max!
You’re full of surprises. One last question for tonight,
and then we’re going put an end to this subject. Exactly what kind of clubs are
these?”

“Honestly, baby, I don’t know. The
few times he had me join him, we were in a private room. The only thing I saw
was scantily clad women when I was being taken to him.
Nothing
out of the ordinary.
But that could have been for show. I guess we’re
going to find out, huh?”

“We’ll see. I haven’t made a
decision. I have a lot more questions for our friends before I commit myself.
Okay, enough of this, let’s get this mess taken care of so we can have the
evening to ourselves.”

He helped carry the remnants of dinner
to the kitchen. Placing the dirty dishes on the counter, I shooed him out of
the room, insisting I didn’t need further help.
“Go on, this will only take me a few
minutes.”

When I walked back into the living
room, I noticed Max had turned some music on and dimmed the lights. He stood at
the window, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. I walked up behind him and
placed my arms around his waist.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes it is, at least from up
here.” He took my hands and led me back to the couch. “Come, let’s sit for a
while. Would you like a brandy or wine?”

“No, I think I’m fine. I want to be
clear-headed when we meet with these feds tomorrow. But I’ll go get some
sparkling water from the fridge. Would you like one?”

“Yeah, that’s probably a better
choice. Hurry though.”

I reappeared with two glasses and
handed one to Max as I sat down. He looked at me with mischief in his eyes.

“What are you up to? I know that
look.” I eyed him curiously, knowing him well enough to know he had something
cooking in that handsome head of his.

He produced a small jeweler’s box
and placed it in my hands. “I wanted you to have something to remind you of how
much I love you every time you wear it.”

Opening the small container, I found
a pair of sapphire earrings. “They’re exquisite. Thank you. I’ll cherish them
always.” I removed them from the case and walked over to a mirror, put them on,
and smiled.

“You like them then? They reminded
me of your eyes.”

“I love them, thank you.” I walked
back toward him and sank down next to him. I leaned over and kissed him first
on the cheek, then lightly on the lips. “I love you, Max Frazier.”

“I’m glad you like them. I love you
too. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Chapter
Seven

Max and I were awakened the
following morning by a phone call from Agent Keller, who informed us someone
would pick us up in an hour.

“Come on, love, time to get up.” He
leaned down, pecking me softly on the lips. “Would you mind making some coffee
while I grab a shower?”

“No, they aren’t going to give us
any peace until we get this over with.” I rolled out of bed and watched Max
walk toward the bathroom. Shaking off any lustful thought I might have had, I
headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. But the coffee maker refused to
cooperate.
Time for a
new one.
I started a
kettle of water instead.
It’s either
instant or tea.

When I returned to the bedroom, I
found Max just leaving his shower. I handed him a steaming mug.
“It’s
instant, I’m afraid. Seems the coffee maker decided to die.”

An hour or so later, we were sitting
in the same conference room as the day before. Agent Keller and his band of
agents greeted us. I felt my stomach knot up once again at the thought of what
might transpire. I was aware of Max gazing at me, and I tried to stay on top of
my emotions.

“Good morning,” Keller started the
conversation. “I trust you’ve had time to digest what we discussed yesterday,
and you both had a good night’s sleep.”

“Yes, we did,” Max replied, taking a
sip off the cup of hot coffee in his hand. He glanced over at me again.

“Ashleigh?” Keller asked me,
noticing I was looking across the room toward the door.

“What do you want me to say?” I
snapped back at the man, taking everyone, including Max, off guard. “You turned
my entire life upside down, and you expect me to be what, happy? Now, can we
get this underway and stop with the niceties? I need to contact my attorneys so
they can file for a divorce and undo whatever else this mess will cause.”

The discussion went on for two
hours. Max and I were briefed and questioned extensively. Our break was more
than overdue. I quickly walked out into the hallway.

When Max reached me, I was on the
phone with my attorney, giving him whatever information he needed. When I ended
the call, I strode over to Max and into his embrace.

“Everything okay?” he asked, kissing
the top of my head.

“Yes. They’re going to contact
Keller immediately so they can get whatever they need from him, and then
they’ll start drawing up my petition.
Now
I can breathe. All I have to do is tell my father, and I’m not sure how to do
that.”

“We’ll figure it out. Just relax. I
think we’re almost finished.” He put his arm around my shoulder and guided me
back toward the conference room.

We sat and waited for Keller to
return. He reappeared, shaking his head, an ever so slight grin on his face.
“I
just had a talk with your attorney, Ashleigh. He was quick, I must say.”

“That’s why he earns the big bucks.
He’s efficient and nothing gets by him.” A smug grin of satisfaction crossed my
face.

“When will Max be finished with
these appearances? I’d like to get him on a firing range, and you need training
on how to use a firearm, just in case.”

“He should be through Thursday,
unless something new comes up. I can forward his itinerary to you so you can
schedule anything around it.” I glanced over at Max. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of
course.”
He looked over at Keller.

“When and where is this operation
going to start? I want to at least tell Papa about Richard being alive.”

“I understand, and I have no problem
with that as long as nothing is said outside this room regarding what has been
discussed about what the two of you are going to do. As far as
when
, we need to get you ready, and
where
will be decided when we feel the
two of you are prepared. I
will
tell
you, it won’t be in Atlanta. We understand Richard’s big business transactions
take place either here in New York or out in Los Angeles.”

While exiting the building, Max and
I decided we would rather leave on our own than ride back with the feds. Max
took my hand and began walking.
“You hungry, love?
How about if I take my favorite girl to a late lunch?”
He
whispered in my ear as I peered over jewelry in a shop window.

“That sounds wonderful. Did you have
somewhere in particular in mind? I can think of nothing better than to spend
some time alone with you over a nice meal.”

“Come on then—” His sentence was
interrupted as it began to rain with a vengeance. Both of us soaked to the
bone, Max finally hailed a cab.

Laughing inside the warmth of the
car, I pushed the hair out of Max’s eyes. “How about we stop at the deli near
the apartment and grab some stuff to eat. We’re too wet to go anywhere else.
But I want a rain check, Mr. Frazier, perhaps for dinner.”

“
Me
thinks
that’s a better plan, my lady. I seriously doubt we’d gain entrance like this.”
He smiled broadly, his accent thicker and sexier.

Entering the apartment, we removed
all of our rain-soaked clothes. I took the two bags of groceries, with Max’s
assistance, into the kitchen.

“Come on,” he said, taking my hand,
“hot shower first, food second. We’re both freezing cold from being wet so
long.”

Once under the steaming water, we
lathered each other with the richly-scented lavender soap that was my favorite.
Max took me in his arms, his mouth commanding over mine as his palms slid down
my body.