Page 49 of Maxim

In the bar, when he took control of the situation and ensured my friends got home safely. The night in the park, where he almost killed the guy who attacked me.

It’s like he wears many masks.

Not wanting Max or his driver to see me, I tuck my long hair into a low ponytail and pull my baseball cap down over my head.

Max won’t expect me to be in this cafe. He thinks I’m at the office. Unless he comes back outside in the next few minutes, he won’t know I was here. I leave some cash on the table as a tip for the waitress and walk out just as the glamorous brunette who arrived earlier stands.

She’s talking loudly on her phone, gesticulating in the air with long red acrylic nails. The woman really is stunning with her shiny hair and perfect makeup. I see her glance my way and instantly dismiss me.

Her call ends and she huffs with irritation before barging past me like I don’t exist. The door swings open to let another customer in and she sweeps outside on a cloud of expensive perfume, her heels clacking loudly on the tiled floor.

Every inch of her is perfection, from her slim legs and perfectly toned butt to her pretty, pouting lips.

I trail outside after her, dipping my head. Just as I reach the corner where I need to turn left, I hear a woman’s voice.

“Maxim! How are you, darling?”

It’s him. I know it is. And the gorgeous brunette is a fan, clearly. It’s like there is cement in my shoes, rooting me to the ground. The thought of another woman with Max forces me to spin around.

The brunette reaches Max as he strides toward the waiting SUV. She intercepts him, practically throwing herself into his arms. When her lips meet his mouth, I turn away and walk as fast as I can in the direction of my office, feeling sick to my stomach.

Chapter thirty-five

Max

After checking for a new message from Natalya, I tuck my phone back into my pocket, smiling like a teenage boy with his first crush. Artem catches my eye but thinks better about commenting. It’s one of the reasons why he’s my driver most of the time. Unlike Sasha, who would be teasing me unmercifully by now, Artem knows when to keep his mouth shut.

Kolanski finally agreed to a meeting after weeks of dodging my requests. The oily fucker made my skin crawl as usual, but he did agree to put the paperwork in place for my casino development, so we can finally break ground next month.

This should be enough to keep my partners happy.

The whole encounter lasted less than twenty minutes, fifteen of which Kolanski spent bitching about how the press needed gagging. I have a feeling he’s referring to the article Natalya is writing about him, but since he doesn’t know I am aware of her, I said nothing.

By the time I left his office, I was ready for a stiff drink. Once this casino development is well underway, I will look at ways to remove Kolanski from office. I doubt the electorate will be too distraught if the city’s mayor is involved in a fatal accident.

I know I won’t be.

The only potential side-effect of removing Kolanski is the possibility of someone honest taking his seat. That would potentially cause me difficulties, but it’s not an insurmountable problem. I’m sure I can maneuver things so I get the candidate I want in the hot seat.

Anyway, it’s not something I need to think about today. I have more important things on my mind, like where to take my malyshka for dinner this evening.

Just as Artem opens the car door, I hear a woman calling to me.

“Maxim! How are you, darling?”

I recognize that voice. Melina? Irina? All I can remember for sure is that she’s a model or influencer and she annoyed the crap out of me the two times we saw each other.

I took her out twice and regretted it on both occasions. The woman was vain, self-absorbed, and boring as fuck. From Artem’s smirk as she approaches, he remembers her too. Probably because she treated him like the hired help.

“Busy,” I say through gritted teeth a second before she smacks her lips on mine.

“What the fuck?”

She jumps back in surprise, not expecting my rejection. Artem is on the verge of laughing, I can tell, but I ignore him.

“Maxim, I haven’t heard from you in a while, I thought maybe we could—”

“No.”

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