Page 67 of Maxim

“I really just needed to wash my body.” I shrug as I move to the couch to put on my shoes. Once they are laced up, I stand. “Ready.”

“All right, let’s go.” As I approach him, he holds something out to me. “And eat this.”

I take the granola bar from him and smile. So much for not being hungry, I guess. I follow him out of the house and to his SUV.

“What are you doing?” he asks when I move to get into the back seat.

“Am I not supposed to sit back there?”

“I mean, you can if you want, but you don’t have to,” he says as he opens the passenger seat door.

“I can sit up front?”

“Yes…”

Before he changes his mind, I jump into the vehicle. He chuckles as he shuts the door. As he gets in and starts to drive, I look around. The seats are buttery soft leather with red stitching. Then on the dash is possibly the biggest screen I’ve ever seen in a vehicle.

This feels like a fantasy. Is this a spaceship?

“You good over there? You’re looking around like you’ve never seen the front of a car before.”

“I’ve never ridden in the front seat,” I confess.

His head whips toward me real fast before looking back at the road. “Surely you’re wrong.”

I shake my head. “No, Father wouldn’t allow it.”

“Huh,” he mutters under his breath as he checks his mirrors.

He drives for a few more minutes before turning into an empty parking lot.

“All right, let’s go,” he says as he shuts off the SUV.

I open the door and jump out.

“I would have opened that for you,” he says when I meet him at the hood.

“It’s all right. I can do it. Now where are we going?”

“Come on, follow me.”

I eye the small bag in his hand and the blanket that’s over his arm. I wonder what he has planned.

We walk down a tree-lined path and I can’t help but look around. It’s so beautiful, and yet not a person is in sight.

Is this place just a well-kept secret, or do people just spend too much time indoors?

“Over here.” He points off to the side.

I follow his line of sight and gasp. A beautiful pond lays ahead. It has lily pads so big they look fake. The quacking ducks make me smile as I watch them swim around.

When Maxim comes to a stop next to the water, he lays out the blanket. “Sit,” he demands as he crouches.

I kick off my shoes and sit on the blanket. “What are we doing here?”

“I figured you were feeling a little cooped up and could use some fresh air.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”