Page 50 of Tempting Max

He frowns momentarily but recovers and picks up the Quickdraw IPA. “Flavorful, smooth, with a nice bite,” he comments, setting the glass down. “My compliments to the brewmaster.”

I smile stiffly because it doesn’t sound like a compliment when he says it. “I’ll tell him you said so.”

He smiles in a way that shows all his teeth and I can’t get over the sheer amount of smarm on this man. “Please do.”

When he picks up the third glass, he looks through the liquid as if he can see the individual ingredients. "What can you tell me about the lager?”

I clear my throat, wishing he could enjoy his drinks in private without walking me through each one. “Well, it’s the lightest of the three lagers we currently make. The low brewing temperature keeps it crisp yet smooth on the way down.”

“You know your beers,” he says, tipping it into his mouth with a grin.

I don’t bother to point out that it’s my job, I just drum my fingers on the underside of the counter and hope he hurries this along.

“It’s perfect.”

He said a nice thing, but it doesn’t come out nice. It comes out like the information makes him mad and I’m starting to get nervous. “I’m glad you like it.”

Setting that glass down, he picks up the porter and sniffs it like wine. “A fine roasted malt,” he mutters and downs that one.

“I see the rumors are true about this place,” he says without trying the last drink. “Delicious, nearly perfect brews, beautiful location,” he looks me up and down and then keeps talking directly to my tits. “Not to mention, the gorgeous staff.”

I choke back the bile in my throat and give him a stiff smile. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

His eyes slip down my body again and just when I think he’s going to say something completely vile, Max bursts out of the brewhouse door, with a slam that rattles the entire building.

“What thefuckare you doing here?” He shouts at the man sitting in front of me.

I’ve never seen Max like this before, like he’s a predator, like he’s ready to kill. I take a step back, not understanding what’s happening.

“Just making sure you didn’t steal any of our recipes,” Smarmy answers back.

In the blink of an eye, Max is on the man, hand on his neck, lifting him up by his collar. “Myfather’srecipes. Not yours,” he growls.

“Max,” I shout as the man starts to choke. “Stop!”

But he doesn’t hear me, I’m not even sure if he’s aware of where he is. I feel helpless as he drops the man to the floor and prepares to pummel the living shit out of him.

“Max,” I scream again, but he doesn’t even hear me.

In a flurry of motion, Liam flies out from the back office with Elliot—who I didn’t even know was here—on his heel. It takes both of them to pull Max backwards from the man on the ground and Liam holds him by the front.

“He’s not worth it, Max. He’s not worth it. It’s not worth losing everything over.”

While they have him pinned. The creep in the suit scrambles to his feet, clearly scared out of his mind. “I should sue you for assault,” he screams.

Max struggles to free himself but Liam puts in a superhuman effort to keep him still.

“I can let him go and then you could be dead,” Elliot tells him with a dark, threatening voice I’ve never heard before. It’s chilling. “And then who would you sue?”

Max, looking like a rabid dog, snarls at the man. “Leave now, never come back, or I will tear you limb from limb. Do you understand?”

I swallow, watching the scene in front of me, wishing I could do something, wanting to pull Max in my arms, despite his terrifying appearance.

It takes a few moments, but suit-man adjusts his tie and coat. “Don’t even think about setting up shop in Golden,” he snarls. “If I see you there. Any of you, I sue.”

“We wouldn’t be caught dead in the same town as you,” Liam tells him. “Now get thefuckout.”

And finally doing the smart thing, the man turns on his heel and leaves Redpoint.

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