Page 38 of Crush

“About what? Max being a gangbanger?” I replied with a grin.

Mia shook her head with an overdone elongated sigh. “No, about your feelings. Max, Max and more,bloodyMax. That’sallyou talk about at the minute. You’re like a broken record, Amber,” Mia complained as she narrowed her eyes at me.

Raising the list again, I moved past Max’s name and started highlighting guests with allergies.

“Feelingsis a bit of a stretch,” I muttered.

Mia chuckled, “Justfuckhim already and be done with it,” she added propping herself up on her elbows and resting her chin in her hands.

As usual, my best friend hit the nail on the head. Despite all my best efforts, I was stillmassivelyattracted to him.

I shot her a look that said it all. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it but it’snevergoing to happen.”

“Why not? You only need to shag him once to get it out of your system.”

Apprehension slithered around my stomach, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It would complicate things.”

Mia omitted an unladylike snort, “Complicate my arse. You’re not having hisfuckingbaby, it’s just sex, you'reoverthinkingit,” she puffed.

“Weworktogether,” I pointed out.

Mia barked a laugh, “Hardly. You said it yourself. You dofrick allthere.”

She had a point.

As much as it was tempting; the sex bitnotthe baby, I had decided against it. The sex would be good but I imagined once wouldn’t be enough.

Plus, Max tearing the shit out of my essay had made me feel bad; like I’d let him down when I’d tried my best and that wasn’t a good sign. It meant I cared about what he thought andthatgave him power.

No,distancewas agoodthing. I’d spent most of that Monday shadowing Linda in the offices, seeing how things were run from an admin point of view. If you were a project manager you needed to know howalldepartments operated. It was as boring as hell, but at least it didn’t mess with my head. It also got me out of that office where I replied to non-urgent emails from the team. At times it felt like some of the guys were emailing me for the sake of it.

It also ensured I didn’t run into the current bane of my life. Maxrarelyentered the admin offices; he was too much of a big shot. His witch of a secretary did the footwork there.

“I bet he has amassivecock and knows exactly where your clitoris is,” Mia bit in with a dirty grin and a wiggle of her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “All bad boys know how to work a vagina.”

I shot her a lopsided smile, “He may be a bad boy. But he’s a bossy control freak with a side of arsehole. You told me I needed to become immune to the alpha male of the species,” I reminded her tartly, crossing off a couple who had sent last-minute apologies for Daddy’s party.

Mia took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. “I’ve changed my mind. You crave the control kink too much.”

Lifting my chin from the clipboard, I rolled my eyes as we’d had this conversation a million times. “Yes,in bedandthat’sit. In everyday life,Ilike to be in charge. Max is overbearing and overwhelming twenty-four-seven. I’ve been there once,rememberand I’mnotdoing it again.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t bringhimup. You were a kid then and not in your right mind. It doesn’t count.”

Swallowing past the sudden boulder in my throat I muttered, “Oh, it counts alright. Why do you think I’m the screw-up I am today?”

Mia looked at me crossly, now full of annoyance. “So, what, you put on a tough bitch exterior to protect yourself, there’snothingwrong with that. Genuine guys are like an endangered species so you’re doing the right thing.And you’renota screw-up so stopsayingthat. You’re a hot female and you have needs.End of.” She finally came up for air.

There was a beat of silence, it wasbrief, but it was there.

“Look, if you refuse to give Mr Nice the time of day, you are going tohaveto go for Mr Not-so-Nice. Find yourself a strong, alpha male who willshagthat tosser out of your systemforever. I know we’ve not been properly introduced, but I’d bet my life on it that Max Hunter fits the bill. Total boss of the bedroom as well as the boardroom. And he’s loaded. Not by your standards, but at least you know he isn’t after your money.”

Irritation edged my voice, “Money isn’t everything.”

“You said it sister, I’d sleep withhimif he were homeless.”

“Mia,” I laughed, throwing a balled-up bit of paper at her. It was impossible to stay mad at her for long. My smile must have stretched from ear to ear.

Deflecting what was a pretty good aim, Mia flipped onto her back. “Yep, I’d climb that like a tree. I bet he’d give you the motherlode of all orgasms.”

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