Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male(131)

I took her hand and guided her into her bedroom. I went and ran the water in the tub, dropped in a few bath beads, and went back to get her undressed. She stood there in the same place I left her, watching me. I pulled my t-shirt off her naked body. Then I walked her into the bathroom. I pinned up her hair, and she got into the water. She grabbed her legs and rested her chin on her knees as bubbles surrounded her body.

“I’ll be right back,” I said as I left her in the bathroom.

I grabbed two glasses and the bottle of whiskey. I poured me and her each a drink.

When she looked up, I handed her a glass and said, “Take a drink.”

She did and then made a face. I poured her another and told her to drink again. I was hoping it would take some of the edge off and make her relax some. It’s better than giving her a valium. While she soaked for a while, I stripped the bed and remade it with new sheets and a blanket of hers I found in her closet. I heard my cell ring. When I went to answer, I saw it was Diane.

“What?” I said into my phone.

She paused then asked, “Where are you?”

“I’m over Maxine’s. Tiffany passed away yesterday, and I’m here keeping her company.”

“Is that where you went off to last night?” I didn’t reply, and she said, “Are you fucking her?”

“Is there anything you need?”

I knew I was getting angry, but I tried to stay calm.

“You son of a bitch, I will not stand back while you tramp around with your little ex-whore.”

See how I get treated when I try to be nice? She must have forgotten who I was and what our relationship means to me. I figured I’d remind her. So I decided at that point to tell her who Maxine really is to me.

“That’s ex-fiancée…” I heard a sharp breath catch on the phone, so I let that soak in for a second before I added, “Diane, let me remind you that our relationship is a business deal and nothing more. Yes, you might have known me the longest. But what you and I have is nothing compared to what Maxine and I have. If there is a chance I can be there for her when she needs me, you can best believe I’ll be there. So, I suggest you let what I’ve just said to you soak in a little.”

“I will not sit around here and wait for you, Mason.”

“And that’s fine, Diane. It will save me a lot of trouble if you could just please give the key to Martinez when you leave my house.”

I hung up on her. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. My cell rang again, and I looked at it. It was Roland, so I answered.

“Do you have any good news for me?”

He chuckled.

“I may. First thing first, I talked to my guy, and he said we are a go for operation, ‘Fuck the cartels’.”

“Oh yeah, when?”

“In about two weeks?”

“Okay, well let me know the details later.”

“You coming along?” he asked me, and I laughed.

“Really? I can’t believe you’d asked me that fucking question; of course I’ll be there. I have some unfinished business to attend to… Speaking of which, have the two been escorted back to South America?”

“Yup, they are deuces.”

I ended my call with Roland by reminding him to call me in a day or two before we depart for South America.

I didn’t know what the job would entail. I just knew I needed to be there. I wanted to make sure Maxine was safe from these fuckers, and I can’t do it on the sidelines. Besides, it’s been a while since I went on the road with Roland on a job. After I went with him to find Alex’s killer, I made frequent trips with him. No one knew about it—except my brother, of course. He didn’t understand why I went on the jobs, but I told him it was either this, or I’d be three times that asshole I was becoming.

He simply said, “Don’t get shot.”

I know he will not be happy about this trip, but it’s unavoidable. The last trip, though, spooked the hell out of him. So, I’m going to try and hold off telling him until I leave.

I went in the bathroom to find Max in the same place I left her. She looked up at me, and I smiled. I reached for her sponge thing and body wash and proceeded to wash her.

I took my time and went over her body, not saying much to her but directing her to move around so I could get all of her.

I left her there to grab her towel and then helped her out. I wrapped a towel around her and carried her into the bedroom. As I sat her down on the bed, she looked at the blanket.

I asked, “This blanket is yours, right?”

She nodded absentmindedly, and I continued to get her dressed.

For the rest of the night, we sat on the living room couch. We had a little bit of lasagna. Actually, it was Maxine who had a little bit. I devoured two large servings, and we both went through a bottle of rosé I bought earlier today. Maxine attempted to keep her distance from me.