Page 75 of Surrender: XXX Maxim
We both know the final round that awaits at the end of this game.
The one in which he’ll finally declare checkmate.
Or submit to utter defeat.
* * *
We spendthe night in the club, sharing the bed that feels more broken-in than those in any of his other dwellings. In some moments, a sliver of space separates us. Other times, I regain consciousness in his arms, cocooned by his scent. By the time morning comes, I stir to find Maxim already dressed, pacing at the foot of the bed, a cell phone held to his ear.
“I’m ready,” he murmurs into the receiver. “With or without him… Only way. Be ready when I call.”
He hangs up and spots me from over his shoulder, his expression obscured by shadow. “Tomas will take you to the suite,” he tells me. “I’ll meet you there. There is one thing I have to do first.”
He doesn’t say what. In silence, he picks up my discarded dress instead and helps me into it. When he leads me through the club, it’s empty, bathed in darkness. Tomas is already waiting at the entrance, a car parked in the driveway behind him.
Before I leave, Maxim takes my hand, drawing me close. His lips find my temple, lingering for a second before he pulls away.
I watch him reenter the club alone, curious as to what task might be on his mind now.
A part of me warns that I’ll soon find out.
For better or for worse.
