Page 17 of Kai
Marie tilted her head, her vermilion smile unwavering. "Oh darling, don't play coy. The way you looked at him said everything. I'm just here to save you from any misunderstandings. Kai and I are unbreakable."
Maxie tried to suppress the fury rising up inside her as she folded her hands on the desk. "What you have with Kai is none of my concern, Ms. Sato. It's good that you're so confident about your relationship -- but I assure you, there's no misunderstanding to clear up."
Marie shifted, the leather of her pants rustling as she leaned forward slightly, her gaze narrowing. "You're very composed. I admire that. But let me warn you, men like Kai don't linger in the past. They only move forward." Her voice softened intosomething resembling a purr, a note of triumph dancing on her tongue.
Maxie allowed a small smile to flicker across her lips, though it lacked warmth. "Thank you for the advice. I'll consider myself duly warned." She glanced at the clock on the wall, a subtle cue that the conversation had reached its limit.
Marie rose with fluid grace, her smugness undiminished. "I hope we understand each other now. Have a lovely day, Maxie." With a final flick of her hair and a lingering smile that threatened to sink into condescension, she swept out of the room.
Maxie let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her hands tightened slightly on the edge of the desk, her thoughts swirling. Whatever Marie Sato had meant to accomplish, all she had done was stir a storm Maxie thought she had already left behind.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she took several deep breaths and tried to get back to her tasks. She certainly did not have time for all that drama.
*****
"That bitch." Yvette picked up her wineglass, eyes blazing furiously. "Why the hell didn't you call me? Or kick her out of the store?" She rounded on her friend. "Why on earth are you so goddamned nice? The woman came into your territory -- into your space and told you to stay away from her man, who by the way is not even hers. The fact that she had to come to you to mark her territory, means that the territory is in dire danger."
"Territory?" Maxie lifted a brow as she settled back and stretched her legs out. She had called her friend on her way from the store and decided to drop by.
Making an impatient gesture with her free hand, Yvette stretched sinuously. "Darling, we both know the female of the species. She came to you because she feels threatened. Did she mention the visit he paid to you on Sunday?"
"No."
"Exactly." Her friend pointed the glass at her triumphantly. "He never told her about it. That simply means that they are on shaky ground. And another thing -- he went out the other night to a gala put on by his company and he was solo."
Refusing to let that influence her thinking and her heart, she took a sip of wine. "How do you know that?"
Yvette cast her an incredulous glare. "You know better than to ask that question. And she has been whispering and complaining that he is not sleeping with her." A smug smile played around her full lips. "There's definitely trouble in paradise."
"That has nothing to do with me."
Yvette sent her a knowing look. "Tell that to someone who doesn't know you. Darling, you're still hooked on the guy, and I cannot blame you."
"It doesn't matter," she muttered.
"Has he called?"
"No. And I'm happy he hasn't. No doubt he got the message from his last visit."
"You think so?"
"I certainly hope so. I have no intention of complicating my life with the likes of Kai Tanaka. That bitch is welcome to him."
Her friend merely sent her a level glance that almost had her squirming.
Maxie studied the liquid swirling in her glass, letting Yvette's words simmer in the back of her mind. Her friend's fiery determination was always admirable, even if sometimes exhausting. "I'm not hooked on him," she said finally, her voice quieter now, yet firm. "I've moved on."
Yvette's smile didn't falter, but the knowing tilt of her head spoke volumes. "Moved on? Darling, you're holding onto your independence like a shield, but shields don't prevent feelings." She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the armrest of her chair, eyes glinting with mischief. "This woman, Marie, doesn't scare you. It's him -- the idea of opening that door again. That's what ties you up in knots."
Maxie let out a scoff, shaking her head as she reached for the wine bottle and topped up both their glasses. "You always think you know me better than I know myself."
"Because I do," Yvette replied simply, raising her glass in a toast. "To loving yourself enough to admit it."
Maxie clinked her glass lazily against Yvette's, refusing to let her friend's relentless insight crack the walls she'd built around her heart. "To forgetting Kai Tanaka," she countered, her lips curving into a defiant, if brittle, smile.
Yvette's eyes sparkled, though she didn't echo the sentiment. Instead, she leaned back, sipping her wine with the kind of smugness that rivaled Marie's earlier departure. "We'll see, darling. We'll see."
Chapter 6
