Page 47 of Enemy Boss

Chapter 36

Cullen

Idash out of the house and run to my car. I jump in, start the engine up and head back towards the office. I almost expected my car not to start but it did. And surprisingly, the traffic isn’t that thick either. Is the universe actually on my side for once?

Maybe not, because of course it’s typical that the one day I didn’t bother to bring my work laptop home with me from the office because I was determined that I wouldn’t need it is the one time I actually do need it. I think the universe just likes to fuck with me. It gives and it takes away and it gives, and it takes away and the cycle just repeats itself. I’m going to stop that cycle though. If I’m right about this, then I won’t let the universe take Max away from me again.

I’m pretty sure that I break every speed limit there is to get back to the office and I come pretty close to running a red light, but I make it back to the office in record timing and in one piece. The universe took away from me by leaving my laptop at the office, but then it gave back to me by letting me get it without getting a ticket or totalling my car.

I’m not much liking these hippy dippy thoughts I’m having, but I can’t seem to stop them. I guess that’s what I get for wanting to think about anything but Max. Wish granted, think about crazy stuff instead and start to think it makes sense.

I park my car and jog to the building and across the lobby. I wait impatiently for the elevator. It finally comes and I go up and make my way to my office. I greet a few people as I make my way down the hallways but luckily no one wants to stop me to ask me anything or for a chat. I get to my office and go in and close the door behind me.

I go to my desk and sit down and look at my computer monitor. Now that I’m here, I’m almost afraid to look, because I have found it; the one spark of hope. And if I’m wrong about this, then it will be extinguished for good. But I have to know. I have to.

I open my emails and find the incriminating one from Bill Bryson. I open it up and I click to open the attachment and there it is. My stomach whirls and my heart skips a beat. I was right and it’s there in black and white. The email is signed off by Max.

Max is two different personas in one person. Lucy at work and Max outside of the office. This email is signed off as Max. It really fucking is. I’m not seeing things or just having a moment of wishful thinking. If Max had really sent that email, it would have been signed off as being from Lucy. She was telling me the truth the whole time. She isn’t a great actress – she genuinely had no idea what I was talking about. I don’t think she was right about Bill Bryson making this up though. The figures are all too accurate, and he wouldn’t know my secretary’s name, let alone her nickname. This has to be from someone who knows Max by her nickname but either doesn’t know it isn’t her real name or doesn’t know she doesn’t use it at work.

I don’t have time to mull over any of that stuff now. It doesn’t seem important when compared with what else I have to do. I have to get to Max’s place and tell her how sorry I am that I didn’t believe her. I have to win her back. I will get down on my knees and beg her to forgive me if I need to. I will do whatever it takes, give her whatever she asks for. I can’t believe I didn’t take her word for it when she said it wasn’t her. But surely if she looks at it from my point of view, she will see why I did what I did. God, I hope so.

I jump back up and retrace my steps back to my car. I switch the engine on and head towards Max’s apartment building. I push it, but I stay within the speed limits, or at least almost within them this time. I park my car up in Max’s parking lot and run around to the front of her building. I don’t bother ringing her intercom, knowing the door will be open anyway. If I give her a chance to send me away without me getting inside, I think at the moment, she might take it, but I think if I can just see her face to face, I can make this right. God, I hope I can.

I take the stairs two at a time and hurry towards Max’s apartment. I reach out to knock on the door when I realize it’s not actually closed all of the way. This sends a spike of concern through me. I know it’s probably nothing, just an oversight as she came inside, but it’s not like her to be so careless when it comes to security. I suppose it could be my fault, that she was upset because of what I said and that made her careless.

I don’t know whether to knock or whether to just push the door open and announce myself. I’m debating it when I hear a voice from inside of Max’s apartment. A male voice.

“I’m done being nice now. I am going to kiss you. You will kiss me back and then you will tell me that you love me. Or I will make you,” the voice says.

I blink in shock. What the hell. Surely, she hasn’t replaced me already. No, of course not, I tell myself, relief flooding through me. It’s the TV. It has to be. I almost laugh at my own paranoia, but then the voice comes again. It has fallen to a whisper, but I still hear the words.

“Say it Max,” the voice says.

It definitely isn’t the TV then, because whoever it is in there is using Max’s name. I almost turn and walk away but there is something menacing about the voice and some of the words make it sound almost like whoever is talking is trying to force themselves on Max. I know it probably isn’t that, but I can wait another moment or two just to be sure.

“I will never say those words to you, Ross.” This time the voice that has spoken belongs to Max. Ross. Who is Ross? I think, judging by what he is saying, that he might be her abusive ex-boyfriend. But how would he have found her? I want to go in there and find out, but if I do that and it’s not her ex-boyfriend, I will look ridiculous, so I wait and listen some more. Max is talking again.

“Not because it’s too soon, or because I’m afraid that I will scare you away. I won’t say those words to you because they are simply not true. I don’t love you. I love Cullen,” she says.

She loves me. After everything, she fucking loves me. I could happily do a little dance, but I remind myself that Max could be in danger, and I stay alert and wait for the other voice to respond.

“You had better keep that name out of your damned mouth girl because you and him are done. You are with me now and nothing and no one will keep us apart this time,” the male voice says.

My hand is reaching for the door almost of its own accord. How dare he speak to my woman that way. I will fucking kill him.

“Don’t fucking test me here Max,” the voice says as the door to the apartment opens all of the way.

A flash of red anger clouds my vision at the sight that meets me as I step into the apartment. Max is pressed up against the wall, her wrists held over her head with some guy pinning them in place with one hand. He has his toes on top of hers, probably to stop her from kicking him. And he is holding her face roughly and moving in to kiss her. Her eyes are closed, and tears run down her face. She is trying to turn her head away from him to avoid being in the path of his kiss, but he is holding her face too tightly for her to move her head.

I don’t hesitate. I cross the floor in four strides, grab the back of the man’s shirt collar and drag him backwards away from Max.

“What the fuck?” he says as I drag him off Max,

Her eyes fly open as she is released from the man’s grip, and they widen in shock when they see me. I spin the man around and smash my fist into his mouth and nose. Blood explodes from his nostrils and his lips, and his hands start to come up towards his face as he staggers backwards. I punch him again, before he can get his hands to his bleeding nose, and he goes down, unconscious. I half hope he’s dead for what he has done to Max. I ignore his fallen body and turn to her.

“Are you ok?” I ask.

“I … Yes. I am now,” she says.

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