Always, in December(56)
She did look incredible that evening though, in a black dress, white stripes on the top half, with red painted toes pointing through her open-toed stilettos and a pendant hanging at her neck, just above her breasts. Her arms were bare and tanned in a way that, even if the color was out of a bottle, made her look somehow more alluring, and she’d done her eyes in that way that made them look even more blue.
They shifted out of the way of another few people coming in, and Max took a sip of his drink, wishing it were alcoholic so that it would take the edge off, as he scanned the room for Chloe and Liam.
“I’m glad I’m here,” Erin said, and Max glanced down at her again to see that she’d put her drink on the ledge that ran along the wall behind them.
“I’m glad you’re here too,” Max said. Because whatever else may be the case, that much was true.
Then she stepped into him, tilted her face up and kissed him. Her lips were firm, and sure, and tasted of lip gloss, like she always did. He didn’t resist it—they’d been dancing round it the whole weekend, so why the hell not? It was just a friendly kiss. And yes, there was a familiar stirring there, signs that the chemistry hadn’t gone away. Maybe it was impossible for it not to be there, given their history, the fact that they knew exactly which buttons to press.
She pulled away, smiled in that sure way of hers, then picked up her drink and set off into the fray. He closed his eyes briefly, then followed. It would be so damn easy just to slide into it all. To go with the flow this evening, have a couple of drinks, and end up in bed. It was her last night here, and she clearly wanted to. And, God, it had been four months now. Maybe it would even be easy to carry it on, to move in with her, settle back into each other. She knew everything about him—or pretty much—meaning he had a hell of a lot less capacity to upset her.
They did an obligatory circle of the artwork—they were all a bit too obscure for Max—then climbed the stairs to the next level, where they found Liam and Chloe by the bar. They ordered another drink each—all on the house this evening apparently—and Max tried not to think about the heat of Erin’s arm pressed next to his.
Liam took a swig of his beer. “Well, look at us all, standing around in the new place to be in the up-and-coming part of town.”
“Think Brooklyn’s been ‘up’ for quite a while, mate.” Max accepted the fake gin and tonic that Erin handed him. “And don’t you live just around the corner?”
Liam made a face. “Around the corner’s a bit of a stretch. But either way, I have no shame—not all of us can afford to sponge off our parents.”
“Think that’s a bit of an oxymoron?” Max cocked one eyebrow at Erin in question, who allowed herself a little smile.
“Oh God,” muttered Liam, jerking his head almost imperceptibly toward the other side of the room. “Incoming.”
Max swiveled in time to see Tim, senior partner, and Bradley, the owner of this place and Max and Liam’s client, zero in on them. “Well, better now than when you’re all drunk,” Max said, making Chloe grin.
“Liam!” Tim exclaimed, budging his way into the circle and clapping Liam’s shoulder, even though he had to reach up to do it. He pushed his glasses back on his nose and smiled benignly around the circle. “I was just telling Bradley here what an excellent job I think you’ve been doing.” After muttering something to a nearby waiter with a tray full of glasses, Bradley stepped up, smiling on cue. Max knew full well not to be conned by that smile—Bradley was as sharp as they came, and seemed to have unerring focus on anything he dabbled in, despite the number of ideas he seemed to throw up. It was probably why he was still ripped, even though he was mid-sixties.
“Yes, yes,” Bradley said, nodding to Tim as if indulging a small child. “I’ve been impressed by the work that Max and Liam have done so far, but let’s see how it all looks when it’s done, hey?” He gave the general circle a wink and they all smiled back obediently. Max wouldn’t actually be at the company to see the final block of fancy “bespoke” apartments, but he was under explicit instructions not to mention that he was leaving, in case that caused any uproar.
“But yes,” Bradley continued, taking a glass of champagne that the waiter brought up to him, “I’m glad you could all make it. I wanted all my people to see the kind of vibe I have in here, gives you a better sense of the type of thing I go for, you know.” He took a sip of his champagne, not so much as blinking at the use of “my people.” Max arranged his face into something he thought indicated sage agreement, though he saw Chloe’s eyebrows shoot up, and hoped she wouldn’t say anything.
“It looks like a marvelous set-up,” Liam said, gesturing around, to which Tim and Bradley just nodded.
“Yes, I think so, but it all depends on whether it can turn a profit, doesn’t it?” Bradley looked away for a moment, scanning the room—presumably for someone more interesting or important. While his back was turned, Max mouthed “marvelous” to Liam, with raised eyebrows, and Liam shrugged a little helplessly. “Ah, here’s my PR man,” Bradley continued. He waved someone over, then turned back to them, slightly blocking Tim from the circle as he did so. “I wanted to get everyone in the same room, you know. It’s good for business, isn’t it? Always good to make connections, to celebrate the successes with the people that made them so.”