Page 13 of Crush

I pushed back in my chair, to give myself some space and this caused Max to slide off the edge of my desk and lean over it. I watched as he planted both hands on the surface, his eyes drilling into mine. He loomed over me, vibrating with dark impatience.

“Stop fraternising with my staff and speak to your friends on your own time. You’re here to learn about project management. That’s theonlyreason youarehere,” Max lectured.

“Fine, is that all?”

“No that isnotall. Did you take a phone message for me recently?

I released a loud, elongated sigh. “Not that I remember.”

Max quirked me a look to say he didn’t believe me. “Really, no one called me from the Council?”

BOOM!

Ah, yes. I had taken a call for Max. “Oh, yeah. Robert someone?” I attempted to keep an innocent note in my tone knowing what was coming.

A muscle in his jaw started to tick. “Please don’t tell me you told Roger Beresford to go fuck himself,” Max growled.

Sticking my nose high, I replied coolly, “Fine I won’t.”

I’d taken a call from that pig of a man for Max on Friday and he’d been thoroughly offensive. Talking to me like I was a silly empty-headed secretary.

Max released a huff and looked toward the ceiling, his body was so tense, that you could almost see the angry vibes rolling off his shoulders. He took a beat to gather himself before he cast me a look so sharp it could have cut glass. “Are youintentionallytrying to crap all over this project?”

As if I’d purposely try to screw him over. Yes, he annoyed me but I wasn’t the type to ruin a man’s livelihood. I lowered my chin, a hurt expression tugging at my features. “No. I'm not, as you so eloquently put it, trying tocrapover anything. He was rude to me.” I attempted to sound like I was the one who had been wronged. And I had been, sort of.

Max rubbed the scruff of his jaw. “So, what, he was rude to you. Couldn’t you just suck it up like anyone else would have done?” I noticed the sleeves of his horrendous shirt were now rolled back, revealing his thickly veined forearms.

Leaning back in my chair I gave him a like-for-like glare. “No. I couldn’t justsuckit up Max,” I huffed. Offended that he thought I’d allowanyoneto treat me like shit. And yes, I did once but that was in the past. I wasn’t the same girl anymore.

I watched as he started to knead the back of his neck, his hand furiously working the muscles there. Goodness, he was cross. He momentarily pinched his nose between his thumb and finger and closed his eyes whilst stating. “In business, the world is full of idiots but with the important ones you have to play nice.” Max dropped his hand and shot me a pointed glare as he added. “On occasion, weallhave to take one for the team.”

Take one for the team! As if.

Feeling put out I muttered. “Notgoing to happen. I don't ‘take one’ for anyone thank you very much. Not anymore.” I said the last bit under my breath.

He shifted from one foot to the other. He couldn’t keep still. “What doesthatmean?” Max stropped off before fisting his hands by his sides. Probably to stop himself from shaking the shit out of me. I can honestly say, the man looked like he wanted to murder me in cold blood.

I crossed one leg over the other and allowed my foot to bounce, trying to appear at ease. “Exactlythat. I'm no man's little bitch. He spoke to me like I was his lackey. He knows better now.” I noticed Max’s eyes skimmed briefly over my exposed thigh before he recovered.

He then exhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring as he lowered his voice as Anne, his mean-looking assistant walked past the window. The old bat was making her way up to the office they shared. “He could stop my license. Do you get that? No license, no liquor which equals no bar, Amber. You need to call him and apologise.”

Shooting Max a dismissive look, I started pressing the keys on my laptop. “I don’t think that will cut it, to be honest. He was rather upset. Roger gave me another message for you after the first one with atotallydifferent tone.”

He looked at me like I was a lost cause. “And you were going to deliver this message to me, when?”

“Err, now?” I began sweetly, clearly enjoying his annoyance.

“And?”

“You’re not going to like it,” I pointed out, pulling an eek expression with my lips.

“Try me.”

I paused for dramatic effect. “Well, he said if you want the license you’ll have to go down to his office and suck his dick.”

“Brilliant,” Max snorted with disbelief, raking his hands through his hair. I watched as Max prowled back and forth in front of my desk. Oops.

His next words were muttered under his breath. “Fuck. This is so not fixable. Iorderyou to call Beresford and apologise.”

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