Page 26 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

“B ye,” I say softly before pressing my lips to his.

“I’ll try to be home as soon as possible. I’m sorry that Thea isn’t here yet. She will let herself in when she arrives.”

“I’ll be fine. Go.” I push him toward the door.

“Lock the door after me,” he says as he slips out.

I roll my eyes and do as he says. After the door is securely locked and the code he’s now given me is typed in, I head down the hall to the bathroom.

I step inside and shut the door before turning on the shower.

While I wait for the shower to heat, I take off my clothes.

Quickly, I tie my hair up in a bun on top of my head to keep it from getting wet.

As I do, I stare at myself in the mirror.

Two weeks.

It’s been two weeks since we had sex for the first time.

I still look the same on the outside, but I feel different.

Maxim has me hooked on all things him. The way he touches me in and out of the bedroom, the things he says to me, everything.

I heard one of the girls who worked for Father while I was working behind the bar talking about getting dick drunk.

I thought it sounded ridiculous, but now I get it. I’m officially dick drunk. As soon as Maxim touches me, I want to strip naked and let him devour me. It’s borderline insane.

Sighing, I push thoughts of Maxim away and get into the shower. I don’t waste any time as I make myself clean. I do take my time, though, and make sure I don’t miss anything when I shave.

It’s kind of weird that I have to shave now. I used to think it would be so nice to do it all myself, but now I see the benefits of waxing. Maybe once this is all over, I’ll find a new aesthetician to handle it for me.

By the time I step out of the bathroom, I hear some banging going on in the kitchen.

“Hey, give me a minute to get dressed!”

“Take your time,” Thea yells back.

Quickly, I get dressed and head toward her.

“How was your shower?” she asks when she sees me.

“Good.”

“Yeah? You are looking a little flush. Did Maxim not take care of you before he left?” she teases.

I roll my eyes and try to ignore the way I feel my cheeks heat. “You’re ridiculous.”

I told her after our first time. Not because I wanted to gossip, but she is my only source of judging if what I am feeling is normal. She was ecstatic. I guess she has been rooting for us from the beginning.

“You love me,” she teases.

“What did you bring today?” I ask, nodding toward the bag that sits on the counter.

“Oh, that’s a puzzle that’s going to piss us off, and one of us will probably rage quit.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because every single piece is clear. We will have to put it together based on shapes alone.”

I feel my eyebrows raise. “That sounds…”

“Like a pain in the ass.” She laughs.

“I bet you’ll rage quit before me.”

It’s the truth too. I have way more patience than her.

She scoffs. “I don’t take bets that I’m bound to lose. I’ll one hundred percent quit before you. I have no idea how you stay so calm.”

I do. It was being raised by that monster. I learned how to deal with a lot of things. Putting together a difficult puzzle? Not a big deal.

The puzzle sounds like an absolute nightmare, but one I’m up for. I’m totally game for something that will get Maxim off my mind for a few hours.

“Should we get started?” I ask.

She holds up her hands. “Oh, don’t get too excited. It’s only a puzzle.”

I roll my eyes and head toward the box.

“I brought you a sandwich too.” She starts to rustle through a bag.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do that. We have food here.”

She slides it across the counter toward me. “It would be rude to get myself one and then not bring you anything.”

“How was your night?” I ask as I unwrap the sandwich.

She grabs two bottles of water from the fridge, handing one to me. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

As we eat, she tells me about how Alexei took her to an abandoned movie theater and surprised her with a screening of Dazed and Confused .

How freaking sweet is that? I’m not quite jealous.

Maybe envious is more accurate, but I feel some sort of way over the fact that they can be seen together.

My father knows that I’m with Maxim, but under the circumstances, it would look weird if he and I were always out on the town.

Maybe someday when this is over. I let myself think of the future for the first time. How it would be with him.

“Hey, Сонечко, I’m home,” Maxim yells as he comes into the house.

“You’re home early,” I tell him as I slide into his arms.

He leans down and kisses me hard. “Is that okay with you?”

“Of course it is. You know I like spending all my time with you,” I tease.

He growls as he kisses me again. All too soon, he pulls away.

“You need to go get ready.”

“For…”

“Did you forget what today is?” he teases.

My body tenses as I freeze.

Oh god. Did I forget something?

“Relax. It’s just the anniversary of when I saw you for the first time,” he says soothingly.

“Wait, you want to take me out for the anniversary of the first time we met?” I ask, caught completely off guard.

“I mean, yeah, unless you don’t want to.”

“Of course I want to!”

“Good. So go get ready. We have a reservation for six sharp.”

I pull away and start walking backward toward the bedroom.

“Have I told you that I love you today?” I ask.

He tips his head from side to side. “You might have when you woke up with my head between those thighs, but that was hours ago.”

Even after all this time, I can’t help but blush when he says something dirty.

“I hate you.”

“I love you too. Now hurry up. I don’t want to be late.”

“Hey, are you with me?” Thea says as she snaps her fingers in my face.

Guilt settles in as soon as I realize what was missing from my fantasy.

My siblings.

I frown. I feel like shit for letting myself get so caught up in Maxim that I’m forgetting them. It’s like not having them here has made them an out of sight, out of mind thing. I hate that.

I’ll do better for you, I promise them.

“Of course I am. Now let’s get started on this puzzle from hell,” I say, clearing my throat.

“Hey, Alexei said it will build character.”

I scoff. “Right…and that’s why he said we should do it together and not the two of you.”

A line forms between her eyebrows. “You actually might be onto something.”

“That’s what I thought,” I tease as I open the box.

I was wanting a distraction from Maxim, and it looks like I have it. Let’s just hope the both of us are still alive by the time he comes home.

“Are they ready?” Jan asks.

The madam nods. “Training wise, yes. They will be prepped the day before, like usual.”

“Have you had any issues with any of them?” the mystery business partner asks, speaking in front of me for the first time.

Maybe this is progress.

“Some have been more…spirited than others but I have it under control,” she says confidently.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jan says.

“The spirited ones are my favorite.” The man with no name turns and whispers to me.

I want to throw up. I’ve been trying to figure out more about this guy, but it’s like he’s a ghost. Not a single person has uttered his name. At least not around me. It’s driving me insane. I need to know who he is so we can find him if he slips away. I refuse to let him live.

“Well, lady and gentlemen, this is going to be our best sale yet.” Jan claps with a pleased look on his face.

“I hope so. We only have the one young one this time,” the guy quickly becoming my number one enemy points out.

They have almost a hundred men and women up for auction, and he’s concerned that there’s only one that is underage? He would die if he knew she was really eighteen. He needs to get the fuck out of here with that.

“Yes, that is disappointing, but we will next time. We can’t kidnap too many kids. It creates panic and shit,” Jan tells him.

The man looks at me. “Why didn’t you grab any more young ones when you did your run?”

“Because I never had the opportunity with the storm and all. Besides, that’s the kind of heat we don’t need right now. Taking a kid and selling her so close to home would be less than smart and we both know it,” I echo what Jan told him.

He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, Jan cuts in.

“He brought us good product. It’s fine.”

The madam nods. “There’s one male from his last run that has taken to the training beautifully. He will make someone extremely happy.”

Jan’s eyes gleam. “Make sure you give me his name ahead of time. We will start the building on him higher than the others.”

“Yes, sir.”

He looks at his watch. “I have somewhere I need to be. Do any of you have anything before we leave?”

“No, sir,” the madam says.

I shake my head no when he looks at me.

He stands and buttons his suit jacket. “Very well. You know what? I’m feeling generous. You all can take the day off tomorrow.

“Are you sure?” The madam frowns.

“Yes, yes.” He checks his watch again. “I have to go or I’ll be late. You know the way out. Walk with me.” He aims the last demand at his partner.

The madam turns toward me. “Walk me to my car?”

“Of course,” I say as I stand.

We walk out of the office and then the house in silence. For a moment we pause on the front steps and slip on our sunglasses before continuing to her car.

“Such a gentleman,” she says when I open her door.

“I try.”

I don’t miss the way her eyes check me out through the safety of her sunglasses. I bet those cost her hundreds of dollars, and yet they don’t hide her eyes for shit.

“Would you like to get a drink sometime?” she says suddenly.

“Excuse me?” I rear back.

She licks her lips and steps forward, running her hand down my chest. “I’m single, you’re single. We could have fun together.”

I step back, letting her hand drop between us. “As flattering as that is, that won’t be happening.”

“You have needs.”

I can’t help but smirk. “That are very much being met. Besides, old used-up pussy isn’t really my type. You have a good day.”

Her face turns red, and I don’t bother waiting for a response. I turn and stride away.

“You’re going to regret this, Mr. Boyko,” she calls out as I walk away.

I won’t.

I have a woman at home who loves me. One I can’t keep my hands off of.

The kind of girl who’s constantly on my mind, twenty-four seven.

I’d be a fucking fool to mess that up. Especially for a madam of all people.

The same madam who put her through so much shit that she doesn’t feel like she can trust herself.

No, the madam will die too. We don’t normally kill women, but she is as bad as the men.

When I get into the SUV, I rest my head against the headrest, giving myself a moment to decompress.

We’re close. So fucking close.

As soon as this is over, Olena, her siblings, and I are on the first flight out of here and taking a vacation. Something we all are overdue. Shit, I’ve never been on a real vacation. All of my travels have been Bratva-related.

I wonder if they’ve ever had a proper vacation. Probably not knowing Jan, but who knows?

I’ll have to ask.

When I turn on the vehicle, I check the time. Well, shit. I was expecting to spend all day and most of the evening cooped up in her dad’s office, but an idea quickly forms in my mind. I could go straight home, but I have a stop I need to make first.

I put the car in drive and head to my destination. It takes me about thirty minutes to get there, and it’s fifteen minutes out of the way, but it’s worth it.

“Hi, welcome to Sweet Treats. What can I get you?” the lady behind the counter says.

“I was wondering if you have any banana bread left.”

The woman nods. “Of course. I just put some fresh slices in the display and I have some coming out of the oven in about ten minutes. How much would you like?”,

“All of it.”

Her eyes widen. “A-all of it?”

“All of it,” I confirm.

“Yes, sir. Would you like anything else?”

“Do you have any pumpkin bread? Or anything like it?”

The woman winces. “No pumpkin on hand, but we could make it for a special order. As for anything else, I have apple cinnamon bread and a lemon one as well.”

“I’ll take all of that as well, please,” I tack on like an afterthought.

“Are you sure? That’s going to be a lot.”

“I am, and if you don’t mind, go ahead and charge me for two loaves of the pumpkin if you can have it to me this week.”

“Hey, not only can I have it to you this week, I’ll have it delivered to your doorstep if you want.”

“Deliveries are an option?”

“Yep. Only Monday through Friday, though.”

“Then go ahead and add some more banana, and maybe some lemon if possible, to be delivered at the same time,” I tell her as I pull out my card.

“Man, you’re about to make someone’s day. Well, someone other than me, I mean,” she says as she starts to bag everything up.

“I hope so. You own this place?”

“I do.” She wipes off her hands on her apron. “Hi, I’m Holly, consider me your bread dealer.”

“Hi, Holly, it’s nice to meet you. You are going to make my woman incredibly happy.”

Her eyes dance with humor. “I aim to please. Now let me get you rung up before the oven goes off.”