Beyond Eighteen(23)

I hope she picks up. Come on…pick up! But it went straight to voicemail.

“Joanie, call me. I need to talk to you. It’s about Nick.” I flipped my phone closed and slipped it into my pocket. I guess I’ll hear from her tomorrow. It was probably for the best that Max left me in a mushy steaming pile of arousal. Damn, it’s hard to recover from him.





Chapter Ten


~ Max ~





I tried to adjust my hard-on to be less obvious as I walked down the stairs. Wilson and her “I need you” talk had me all worked up. I tried to think about anything but touching her warm creamy skin and how her sweet aroma filled me and drove me fucking insane. And man, once I felt how excited she was to be with me… Shit, stop thinking about it. She’s upstairs waiting. What in the hell am I doing? Dan can wait. He has to wait.

I was about to turn back and head upstairs to Wilson when Dan saw me. “Hey Max, I got a message from Cal. He sounded pretty serious. What’s up?”

I took a huge breath and hoped he didn’t notice the fucking tent in my pants. I turned the corner into the living room, leaving Wilson upstairs alone, waiting, and ready.

“Hey, Dan. Yeah. He and I wanted to know if you knew anything about our dad’s deal with Buck.”

For the first time, when I looked at Dan wearing a suit, I noticed how stiff and uncomfortable he looked. He’d always shown up wearing suits before, simply because he’s usually coming from work at GP, but tonight, it seemed like he was a prisoner of those three midnight-black pieces. His two-tone gray striped tie seemed to strangle him, forcing the little extra weight he carried in his neck to bulge from his collar. He shifted his black leather laptop bag from one hand to the other in a nervous sway.

Dan grabbed the knot of his tie, tilting his head back and forth as he loosened it away from his collar. His fingers fumbled awkwardly to unfasten the top button on his shirt, like he was working against the clock to relieve the pressure building up in his neck. He took a sharp breath, ready to say something, when Camille shot in from the dining room with her arms thrust in the air. She was relieved to see Dan home from dropping his parents off at their hotel.

“Did your parents get all settled?” Camille asked.

Man, I don’t have time for this. I want to handle this business and then get back to my own. Upstairs.

Dan swooped in and gave her four rapid kisses: one on her nose, one on either cheek, and one peck on the lips. It was something they always did.

“Hey, honey. How’s Mom doing?” Dan asked.

“She’s holding it together the best she can, keeping herself busy in the kitchen making Dad’s favorite—sea bass,” she answered as she helped him untangle his tie from around his neck.

“The whole thing hasn’t really sunk in yet. I guess keeping busy helps,” he said, still clinging to Camille.

I didn’t want to be impatient, or a dick, but my girlfriend was upstairs waiting for me and I needed to see if Dan knew anything about Buck and Dad’s contract. I wanted to get back to Wilson.

“So, Cam, do you think Mom still needs your help in the kitchen?” I asked, trying to get her to leave so Dan and I could talk.

Camille flashed me a strained look. “I’m sure she can handle it, Maximum,” she snarled as her eyes pierced mine. She hated it when I called her Cam.

“There you are! Alright, Dan, what in the hell do you know about Buck taking fifteen percent of our father’s company?” Calvin roared as he busted into the living room. His eyes met Camille’s and I could see he knew he’d fucked up, yet again.

“What are you talking about, Cal?” Camille asked. The smile Dan planted on her face just seconds before vanished. As she looked around at each of us, daggers could have shot from her eyes and none of us were going to flinch. We just stood silently gawking at one another.

“Dan, what is Cal talking about? Buck took fifteen percent of Daddy’s company?” Camille asked.

“Sweetheart, I need to talk to Max and Cal. Can you—”

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

Dan clutched Camille by the biceps, making her look him in the eyes. “Sweetheart, let me talk to your brothers alone,” he whispered.

“Anything you are going to tell them—” she snapped.

“Camille, right now is not the time! Now please go into the kitchen, help Mom, and keep her from coming in here,” I interrupted. Camille’s eyes filled with tears and her porcelain cheeks burnt crispy red. I hated it when she started crying.

“He was my father too, Max,” she yelped.

“I know that. Don’t you think I know that? And right now our mother, who just lost her husband, is in the kitchen alone. I’m asking you to think about her. Go in there, be with her, and let Cal and I talk to Dan,” I steamed. I could feel my gut beginning to boil. I was reaching a point of just needing this situation to be over.