Page 15 of Amethyst

I pull away from Mimi. She’s lovely, with her blond hair pulled into a French braid and her lips painted pink. She’s wearing a pencil skirt and white blouse, which means she probably had a meeting earlier. She’s driven to succeed. Indeed, she’s driven in all aspects of her life, including me.

But Jenna…

I had to see her first, see that it was reallyher.

Now that I’ve seen her?

I can’t marry Mimi.

I don’t want to hurt the woman standing in front of me. She’s given me a lot. But I must end this before someone shows up at my apartment to pack all my stuff away.

Mimi melts against me once more. I inhale her fragrance. Her hair smells like lavender—nice, but nothing like the tropical coconut of Jenna’s hair.

“Mimi…”

She kisses my neck. “Yeah?”

“I need to…”

“Mmm. Me too, baby.” She squeezes one of my butt cheeks. “Let’s go to bed.” She grabs my hand and leads me toward my bedroom.

And I go. Because it’s what I always do.

I’m on autopilot, and I don’t stop it because I don’t know how to. I don’t know what to say to her.

“Mimi…”

“We’ll get there,” she says.

My feet finally stop at the entrance to my bedroom. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure. We’ll talk. But I’m horny as hell right now, Max. Give me a good fucking first, will you?” She fiddles with the buttons on her blouse and smiles, her bright blue eyes shining, and then brushes her lips over mine, poking her tongue between them.

Normally I open, or I’m the one doing the poking.

This time I keep my lips firmly closed, and I step away from her. “Please, honey. I have a lot to talk to you about.”

She meets my gaze, her own troubled. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong exactly. But there have been some developments.”

“All right.” She twists her lower lip. “You’re freaking me out here, Max.”

“I don’t mean to, but something’s happened. Something that…changes things.”

“Changes what, exactly?”

I take her hand and lead her back into the living area. “Sit down.”

She drops to the couch.

“Would you like a drink?”

She wrinkles her brow. “Do I need one?”

“It’s up to you. But I could sure use one.” I walk to my makeshift bar, which is just a standing cabinet where I keep my liquor. I grab two lowball glasses and pour a few fingers of bourbon into one for me. Then I mix a Manhattan for Mimi, topping it with a maraschino cherry.

I bring the drinks to the couch and hand her the Manhattan. She doesn’t take a drink, only sniffs it.

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