Romance Dead-ends

"Don't care if you are or not; does the truth hinge upon who your parents are? Please, doubt you being the boss's daughter would matter much longer, so it kind of frees me to speak so candidly to his lovely daughter, which I am enjoying immensely at the moment."

"And why do you say that?" Terry asked, slyly running her eyes down Max's body.

"Oh, got a feeling my head is about to be on the chopping block. Not that I mind; at least I can say I met an angel before the ax came down," Max flirted.

Terry was about to speak only to have the doors roll open. "Mrs. Archer, it was very fortuitous, at least for me it was, in meeting you. I do hope you have a lovely day," Max said as he exited the cab.

Terry was so transfixed by that unprovoked flirting it left her rather stunned, putting it mildly. It wasn't until the doors started to roll closed that her mind seemed to function once again. Her hand darted out, keeping the doors from closing. She just couldn't believe her heart was racing like it was. She couldn't remember when the last time someone flirted with her like that, namely her husband. She couldn't help but feel how her body had responded to that impromptu flirting she was the receiver of and how that just made her lips lift into a smile.

Smiling warmly as she caught sight of her younger, by a few seconds, sister. She didn't begrudge Stephine for going to work for her father, yet she knew it was only a matter of time before her sister would have to look for another job when their father stepped down. "Hey, sis," Terry said sweetly, noting how her twin was eyeing her.

"What happened?!" Stephine asked with a grin on her lips as she peered up at her sister.

"This guy just flirts with me out of the blue," Terry said, her eyes flickered up seeing Max standing in her father's office. Feeling her face heating all over again when she detailed every word Max spoke to her.

"Damn, sis, look at you; I told you, you wouldn't be single for long when you dump that loser," Stephine said with a guileful grin. "So do I know this man?" Turning around when all her sister did was point behind her. "Him?! Oh, Terry, you can do so much better than that loser."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Other than the fact he nearly ran me over yesterday, he has no future here; even Dad thinks so," Stephine said, although that technically wasn't true. She just didn't like Max all that much. Remembering the ass-chewing, she got from her father after he had watched the camera feed from yesterday.

"Still, sis, he is cute," Terry mused as her eyes lowered to Max's ass. Wondering what the two of them were speaking about.

"Okay, yeah, maybe," Stephine agreed reluctantly. "Just don't get your hopes up; his type of people aren't the kind that are good in relationships. Fucking yeah, but that's about all. So if you want that itch scratched, get it done, and toss him away." Terry kept her mouth shut at the attitude her sister displayed. Pondering if Stephine had forgotten that Orin was from a wealthy family, as she calls her kind of people, and look at what her life had become as of late. Very glad they had signed a prenup before tying the knot, she wasn't about to give the man a dime of her money if he was cheating on her. Hence why she was there at her father's office to see what the P.I. her father had hired for her so Orin wouldn't get suspicious of her.

"Max, I can't apologize enough for this morning. I'll make sure she's reprimanded for the lie she told." The two sisters' heads turned as their father's voice could be heard as he opened the door. Seeing Stephine's face heating, arching an eyebrow at her sister and giving her a pointed look. "Hello, sweetheart, I hope you haven't been waiting out here for too long," Greg spoke with a warm smile on his lips. "Why don't you come in, and we'll have a talk," he said, gesturing for her to enter his office.

"Nice meeting you, my angelum lucis," Max said in parting as he passed her. Not seeing how her head snapped over to him, nor how red her face was as he walked towards the elevators. Just because he was an IT technician didn't me that was all he was. He did go to one of those fancy colleges, at least online he did. He just never bothered to tell his parents about it or anyone else for that matter. Max knew she would understand the Latin phrase even if no one else did. Riding the elevator down to the parking structure, given how his work day was done. Just because the CEO kissed his ass to keep him from filing a complaint against his daughter with HR didn't mean he was going to give more to the company than he has in years.

A month later...

In the month since that faithful encounter while Max did have a woman in his bed three to four times a week. He just couldn't shake Terry from his mind. He just couldn't figure out why. Sure she was beautiful, sure she had a thousand-watt smile, a chuckle that warmed his heart, yet still, he just couldn't put his finger on why she commanded so much of his mind when they'd only spoken for less than five minutes. Max was sitting at his desk, bored as hell, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for his workday to end, or that was until the phone on his desk began to ring.

"Maxwell Larson speaking," he answered when he placed the receiver against his ear.

"Hello, Max, this is Greg Archer; please come to my office." Max just looked oddly at his phone when the line went dead, knowing that the entire month after Greg's ass-kissing was the first time they had spoken to one another.

"Where are you going?!" his boss barked as Max moved past his door.

"Big boss wants to see me unless, of course, you'd rather I call him back and tell him you forbid me from going to his office," Max spoke with a sinful smirk on his lips at how quickly his boss's trap snapped closed. "No? Okay then," he mused before continuing on to the elevators.

Max ignored the expression on Stephine's face as he approached her desk. Wondering why it felt like she was sizing him up. For what purpose, he couldn't say, nor did he want to know. Stephine wasn't the kind of woman he was attracted to, no matter how very similar she was to her sister Terry; it was her attitude that killed it when she opened her mouth.

"Mr. Archer wanted to see me," Max said as politely as he could. Seeing how Stephine picked up her phone and whispered into it.

"He'll see you now," Stephine spoke, wondering what her sister saw in a man like him, given how Terry has been asking about him ever since she had her lawyer serve the divorce papers to her now soon-to-be ex-husband.

"Good morning, Max; thanks for coming up," Greg greeted, gesturing to the seat that sat before his desk.

"What's this about, sir?" Max asked, taking the offered seat.

"I need you to do a personal favor for me," Greg stated, seeing how that eyebrow of his rose as those words left his lips.

"I don't know, sir; your wife might not like me standing in for you. Although if she looks anything like her daughters, I can take one for the team." Max was expecting to be thrown out when he said that, not watching the man burst out in laughter.

"She'd eat you alive."

"Worth it, I would think," Max retorted, getting another howl of laughter from the man.

"Witty, good sign of intelligence," Greg praised with a nod. "I know you met my daughter Terry." To this, Max returned Greg's nod. "Well, she's having problems with the network she and her partners had installed to run their office."

"What kind of problems?"

"Slow internet connection, data being lost when it's transferred to their server to be stored. The list goes on; I'm sure she can tell you more in detail when you get there."

"Huh?"

"She asked for you personally to work out the bugs in the system. Can you do it?" Greg asked with a knowing smile.

"Sure, I guess," scratching the back of his head, "but I have no idea how long this will take until I know the extent of the problem," Max stated, wondering if he would be able to keep his eyes off of her.

"That's fine," waving off Max's worry, "take as much time as you need to ensure her system is stable. It's making her very frustrated in not being able to access patients' records when they're extremely busy."

"So do you want me to come back here at night and in the morning to check-in or just go straight to the site?"

"Whatever you feel best to ensure the job gets done in an expedited manner," Greg said in a friendly tone.

"I'll see to it; I best get going then..." Looking down when Greg held out a slip of paper with the address to Terry's office. "What do I tell my manager?"

"I'll handle it; you just focus on the job at hand," Greg stated, wishing him good luck as he reached for his phone. Max had a feeling that that 'good luck' wasn't alluding to the job.

"You better not hurt her." Stephine's words stopped him in his tracks.

"She's married; I don't mess around with married women."

"She isn't anymore, so you better not hurt her or..." Max looked down when the sound of the pair of scissors closing caught his attention. "Catch my drift?" Stephine asked in a protective sisterly voice.

"Perfectly," Max answered before heading off towards the elevators.

Max was wearing a shit-eating grin as he strapped his bag to the back of his bike. Recounting how furious his boss was after telling him he was heading out to do the job Mr. Archer had asked him to do. How he loved sticking it to that arrogant sod. Backing out of his parking space once he was sure his bag was secured tightly to the back. He had no wish for his gear to go spilling out into the streets and busting into millions of pieces. Pulling out the slip of paper, inputting it into his GPS before inserting his earbuds. The sound of the engine died away as Max sped off towards his fate.

"What's got you all worked up?" asked one of the dental assistants noting how Terry had been keeping close to the front of the office for the past ten minutes. "You're not hoping that ass is going to show up, are you?"

"What?! God no?! I don't want to see Orin if he was the last man on Earth," Terry spat at the thought of her cheating future ex-husband.

"Then what's..." she turned her head to the front of their office as the rumble of a motorcycle engine could be heard coming through the glass. Innocently looking up, seeing the interest in her boss's eyes as she gazed at the rider of said vehicle. Biting her lip to keep from teasing her friend as Terry just couldn't take her eyes off the man. "Got to say, he does look ten times better than Orin," she teased, seeing Terry's cheeks heating.

Terry's heart was thumping hard in her chest as she watched how he strolled up to the front door of her practice. While she knew the clothes her father's company forced him to wear didn't reveal much of his body, that didn't stop her imagination from running wild. Noting how Max stopped for a moment in his tracks when their eyes caught one another's. Seeing how the luster of his blue eyes shimmered in the light as he drank in her form. Her body moved on its own as she walked over to the door that separated the waiting room from the receptionist area and the rest of the office.

"Thank you for coming, Max," Terry said in a light, warm tone as she held out her left hand to him.

"Anything to see the angelum lucis once again," Max stated in a flirty tone as he shook her hand. Feeling no wedding bands on her left ring finger as he did. Seeing how her face heated to a nice rouge.

"Do you mean that?" Terry asked in a shy tone.

"Most definitely, so I hear you have a serious problem."

"We do; I'm hoping you can figure it out since the company we hired to put the system in are idiots," Terry said, gesturing him to follow her. Feeling her face ripening at the display of her friend as she led Max to where their server was stored.

"I don't know, Mrs..."

"Call me Terry, Max," she said in a warm tone as she dropped her chin to keep him from seeing how interested she was.

"Well, Terry, I'm sure they were blinded by thy beauty to even think straight. I know it's going to be extremely hard for me as well," Max flirted, noting how Terry lightly pressed her fingertips to her lips.

"You think so?"

"Mmmhmm, anyone who's had the pleasure of meeting you knows that to be true," Max stated with a coy smile.

"Even if I'm soon-to-be-divorced?" Terry asked curiously.

"That's even better," Max answered, noticing how Terry was slyly glancing at him.

"Oh? Do tell."

"Gives me the chance to spend time with such a lovely woman, that is, if she's interested in a man like me," Max said, throwing out his line, hoping she would take the bait.

"So you ride a bike? Are they any fun?" Terry asked, leading him to the closet that housed their server.

"Depends."

"On?"

"Who you're with," Max said in a sly tone. "Never been on one?"

"Nah-uh," Terry uttered with a shake of her head.

"Then what do you say, you, me, the open road, this Saturday," Max stated as he noted how she pulled a set of keys from her lab coat pocket.

"Like a date?" Terry asked in a small voice.

"If that would alleviate your woes at spending the day with a very interested man," Max said, watching how she looked down as he took the pen that sat in her breast pocket. Feeling her gooseflesh on the tips of his fingers as they skimmed along the back of her hand. His eyes flickered up, noting how she was staring down at her hand as he wrote his cell number on the palm of it. "That's my number, call any time," he uttered in a sinful tone. Watching how she fumbled with her keys as she tried to unlock the door to the closet which housed their server.

"I have to go check on patients; I'll check back with you in a few, alright?" Terry spoke, fumbling with her words. Not even Orin made her feel this desired before they married.

"You know where to find me," Max nodded, sticking his head out the door, watching her leave, a little saddened when her lab coat hid how her ass looked as she walked away.

Max got to work, looking through all the server's ports and whatnot to get a bead on what the problem was. Blowing out a hard breath as he saw the mess the whole system was as he ran his hand through his black hair. Knowing it was going to take a week or more to get the whole mess sorted.

"That didn't sound good," Terry uttered, catching Max off guard.

"Yeah, you should be asking for a refund with the shoddy work they did," Max stated as his eyes ran down his laptop's screen. "What system do you need the most right now?" he asked, peering over at her. Trying extremely hard not to notice how the light of the hallway haloed her red hair.

"Our file system, it's been erasing all new information we add to it. Can you stabilize it first?" Terry asked, peering into the room.

"I'll get right on it. Have to make a call first," Max said, pulling out his phone. Hitting the enter key playing Train's 'Angel in Blue Jeans' over their intercom. Smiling sinfully at her as he swayed his hips to the beat as he walked backwards to the front of the office. Seeing how red her face was getting when the lyrics got to the part of the song where the lead singer sang the line waking up in someone's arms. Wondering if no one's ever been this forward with her as he walked outside to call Mr. Archer.

"Werther's Enterprises, Mr. Archer's office." Stephine's voice came over the line when she answered the phone.

"Hello, Stephine, I need to speak to Mr. Archer."

"And just what have you been doing to my sister?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Max retorted with a smirk on his lips.

"I'm warning you if you hurt her, I swear..."

"It seems you think I have some nefarious plans for her."

"I hear talk about you. You're a player. My sister doesn't need a player, you understand?"

"Didn't know we were dating yet, or do you know something I don't..." Keeping his chuckle to himself when he was quickly transferred to her father.

"Yes, Max, how bad is it?"

"Very."

"How long do you estimate to get it up to be stable?"

"Week... maybe two, depending on how much of their screw-up I have to fix physically," Max stated, looking out onto the road, watching everyday life playing out before him.

"Alright, you just keep me up to date, inform me if you need any hardware to swap out, and I'll have it delivered as fast as I can."

"Yes, sir, I'll keep you informed."

"Good. I'll let you get back to work."

"You know you shouldn't tease her so much," the woman said as she let him through the door once Max had reentered the practice.

"Who said I was teasing," Max retorted with a coy smile, causing the woman to snicker as she went back to her desk while he headed back to the closet he would be in for some time.

"Hey," Max poked his head into Terry's office when it was around lunchtime.

"Yes, Max," Terry said sweetly, peering up from her paperwork due to her not having a patient scheduled until one-thirty that afternoon.

"I'm going out to get some lunch. Your file system should be up and running now; that's all I could get done before lunch," Max said, seeing the elation on her face.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, if it's still giving you problems, let me know when I get back, unless..."

"Unless," Terry cooed, waiting for him to continue.

"You'd like to come and have lunch with me," Max said with a hopeful smile.

"Y-y-you want to have lunch with me?" Terry stammered.

"Mmmhmm, you, that is if you're not too busy."

"No," fighting back his grin at her hasty reply, keeping his amusement hidden as she cleared her throat, "no, Max, I would like to go to lunch with you," Terry said, quickly getting to her feet.

"Might want to lose the coat, don't want it getting caught on the back wheel."

"We're taking your bike?!" Terry asked nervously.

"Mmmhmm, unless you don't want to be holding me tight," Max stated with a lift of his eyebrows as he spun his keyring around his finger.

"But my purse..."

"My treat, so you don't need to worry." Max couldn't look away when he finally got a good display of her body that her coat had hidden. He had to say he liked what he saw.

"What?!" Terry asked, feeling her face heat beneath Max's gaze.

"Your ex is one stupid bastard," Max answered truthfully.

"Thanks," Terry uttered in a bashful tone as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked around her desk. Seeing him step off to the side and gesture with a bow for her like she was some princess.

"Oh. My. Fuck!" Max muttered in his mind when he got his first glimpse of Terry's ass. "He was definitely an idiot."

"So, any place you want to go?" Max asked as they walked down the hall side by side.

"You don't have a problem with fish, do you?" Terry asked, hoping that he wasn't allergic.

"No, why?" Max inquired, peering over at her.

"Well..." Noting how his gaze dropped when she looped her arm around his, "there's this little place I like to go to that serves the best fish in town," Terry said with rose-colored cheeks. Feeling so nervous being on her, while impromptu, first date since being married eight years ago.

"Fish it is then," Max nodded, ignoring how the ladies were shooting Terry approving looks and nods as they walked through her practice.

Terry watched how Max lowered the foot pegs and pulled a helmet out from his left saddle bag. Reaching out for it tentatively, "Relax, as long as you hold on real tight and move as I move, you'll be fine," Max said in a caring voice, causing Terry's eyes to zero in on his face.

"Okay," Terry uttered in a weak voice. Feeling her body heat as her hand slipped into his as he helped her onto his bike.

"You set?" Max asked once her arms were tightly wrapped around him. Trying not to get hard when her breasts were pressing into his back as well as her right cheek.

"Mmmhmm." Terry's eyes went wide as Max started up his bike, biting her lip at how the vibrations of the engine were playing on her neglected mound. Realizing this was as close as she's been to a man in months.

By the time they arrived, Terry knew for certain that there was a very large wet spot on her panties. Feeling slightly embarrassed at how hard her nipples were, she knew he could feel them on his back as they rode towards the restaurant. Seeing the quick glance of his eyes as he helped her off his bike yet made no mention of her hard buttons. However, she wouldn't let go of his hand as they walked toward the establishment.

Excusing herself once the hostess had shown them to their table. Her breath shuddered as she ran the tissue paper along her moist labia. Feeling her thighs tremble as she did, knowing it was the first near orgasm a man had indirectly given her in over a year. Her ex might be a cheating bastard for however long Orin had been stepping out on her. She was always faithful to their marriage, no matter how tempting and alluring the offers to stray were. Praying she can find a man who feels the same about marriage as she did. While she was in lust with Max, given how he had flirted with her without a care of who she was related to. She did hope there was something more to it than just a physical attraction. One: true she did desperately need to get laid, two: she loved how he looked at her; not even Orin looked at her like Max did when they first met when she was eighteen. Freshening herself up, wondering why she couldn't see the signs before they were wed at the age of twenty.

"Sorry for the wait," Terry said as she slid into the booth once she had returned to their table.

"No worries, so what's good here?" Max asked, his eyes ran down his open menu.

"Their catfish is really good, and so are their crab cakes."

"What do you think, get like an appetizer of crab cakes and split them while we wait for our meal to come?" Max asked, peering over his menu.

"Sounds good," Terry said from behind her menu. "So, Max, tell me about yourself; I know you work at my father's company, but why?"

"To piss off my folks," Max answered, taking a sip of his soda once their waitress took their order.

"Huh? I don't understand," Terry uttered in confusion.

"Well, see, my folks are so uptight nothing... here showing you would be easier and faster than telling you," Max said, pulling out his phone and bringing up the saved texts he had received from his parents. Who, to his amazement, has yet to contact him since a month ago. "See for yourself," he stated, handing Terry his phone. Watching how her face remained placid while her eyes went from varying degrees of shock, anger, and disgust.

"I can't believe they treat you like that," Terry said, aghast at what she had read.

"Yeah, well, don't have to deal with that any longer."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking," Terry spoke, wondering how Max could appear so different than what she had read and understood to be two very shallow, vain people.

"Got written out of the will, so I'm finally free," Max sighed.

"That's just..."

"Typical of them," waving off her concern, "not that I really care. They only care about how much money I'm making and what kind of job I have, so they can boast about it to their snobby friends. If I cared a damn about money, I would have gone off to those fancy schools, hobnobbed with all those well-off fools, and kowtowed to their demands. If I was interested in money, that is," Max said into his glass. "As it stands, I make good enough money for my lifestyle; if something changes, I'll finally use that degree I got, not that they would know about it."

"And can I ask what kind of degree you have?"

"Other than the one I have for IT?" Max asked with an arched eyebrow, seeing her nod her answer. "Business degree."

"So, are you thinking of going into business or something?"

"Maybe, if I get tired of working at your father's company, I have been thinking about picking up and moving somewhere lately. Only stuck around for the will, but that's out of the window."

"But you're not thinking of moving, are you?" Terry asked, trying to keep her hope hidden.

"Have you ever seen an angel before? I haven't until a month ago; I think I would be mad if I simply left now," Max flirted, smiling into his glass as he brought it to his lips.

"Here you go, hons," their waitress said, placing their crab cakes between them and two small empty plates before them. "Enjoy."

Terry kept her eyes on her plate, missing how Max mouthed 'Wow' at the size of the crab cakes. "So, can I ask, what's up with your sister?" Max inquired, causing Terry's head to snap up.

"What do you mean?" Terry asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"She's under the impression I have some nefarious plans on you."

"Well..." Picking at her crab cake, "she has told me you sleep around; after my breakup with my husband, she's in a protective mood."

"Yeah, I might sleep around, but they're single, so am I, something wrong with that?" Max asked, flashing Terry a pointed look.

"No, I wasn't saying that yet..."

"You can't know if I'll sleep around on you?" Max finished for her, to which Terry weakly nodded. "Honesty is important in any type of relationship, no?"

"I think so," Terry answered, taking a bite of her crab cake.

"So I'm going to lay out some honesty, and I hope you don't interrupt..."

"I can do that," Terry nodded; while she knew her breakup from Orin was still new, she did feel drawn to Max. She hoped that there would be something there that they could build on.

"I might sleep around, but this is the first date I've had in five years," Max said, seeing the shock playing across Terry's face.

"Were you married?" Terry stammered.

"No, nothing like that, never met that one that screamed to me to pop that question... but who knows when that woman will appear or already has, and I just haven't realized it yet," Max said with a coy smile, getting another round of blushing from Terry. "No, when I was eighteen, five years ago, I was still in high school, and I came home one day to find my then-girlfriend in bed with my sister, who is now her wife."

"You're shitting me?!" Terry whispered low.

"Nope. They were on me to go to their anniversary, that was a little over a month ago," Max said, finishing the last bite of his crab cake.

"Did you go?"

"Do I look stupid?" Max retorted. "Why do you think I got written out of the will?"

"And they were badgering you to go to it?!" Terry uttered in shock, to which Max nodded. "And I thought my life was fucked up at the moment."

"Welcome aboard to the 'life likes to shove the 'silver bullet' up your ass' train," Max said, holding out his hand to her, which, as you can imagine, got a hearty laugh out of Terry, who shook his hand.

"Max, if this turns out to be something more..."

"If we do make it official, I give you my word. I'm a one-woman man, and I'm a man of my word," Max said in a stern tone that said he took commitments seriously.

When their meal arrived, Max learned why Terry became a dentist and didn't go into the family business. He did find it sweet how she worked with low-income people to help them get the oral care they needed. To her thinking everyone deserved a beautiful smile, Max had to admit, at least to himself, that he did like seeing her smile.

On the ride back to her office Max did note how she was holding on to him. Her hold was tight, yet he felt it held a light caress in it, or he could just be reading too much into things. He noted how Terry's coworkers had a spring in their step as Terry led him back to the closet.

"Thank you for lunch, Max; I had a very good time," Terry spoke as she peered back at him as she walked towards her office.

"Not as much as I did, and you're welcome," Max said, seeing that smile forming on her lips that she tried to hide before continuing on. He wouldn't deny he did stare at her ass as she walked away. Wondering how well it would look out of those scrubs.

"Max?" Terry's voice filled the air as the hour of four o'clock passed.

"Hmm?"

"The practice is closing," seeing Max focused on his work, "how does it look?" Terry asked, wondering how much time they would have together before he headed back to her father's office.

"Bad, very bad, I'm going to have to rebuild most of the network from scratch."

"How long do you think that will take?"

"Week, maybe two depending on if it's just software or if I have to order replacement hardware," Max answered as he powered down the system. "Can I leave my gear locked in here?"

"Of course, you can," Terry said, keeping her smile hidden so that she would get at least a week with him. "I'll see you bright and early in the morning," she spoke with a smile on her lips as she locked up her practice. Praying he wasn't going to go out and pick up some woman. Hoping that he wanted something more than a one-night stand or a friend with benefits. It wasn't that Max was the first man to ever hit on her. There have been hundreds throughout her marriage to Orin, many of them patients. Yet all they wanted to do was fuck, she wanted to be made love to, and she had a feeling Max was the man that would give her that.

That Saturday afternoon...

"So Terry, spill," her mother, Darla, said as she stood in her daughter's former bedroom after Terry had just gotten back from wherever Max and she went off to.

"I'm in trouble!" Terry sighed in happiness as she fell back onto her former bed that her parents were allowing her to use while she saved up enough to get a new place or until the house she and Orin once owned sold. Sure her parents had money and could probably buy her a house just as good as the one she once had; nevertheless, she wanted to do it herself on her own terms and knew her parents respected that.

"Oh? So soon?" Darla cooed, not hiding her smile.

"I know, I know, but there's just something about him," Terry said in a dreamy voice.

"You know, if you're feeling this way, I just might have to take that young man up on his offer," Darla joked; they all knew what Max had said. Greg had a good laugh at the dinner table a few nights back.

"Nope, you got Dad; this one's all mine," Terry uttered her proclamation.

"We'll see, we'll see," Darla teased, checking herself out in the dresser mirror. "Not bad for a forty-nine-year-old woman; I'm sure I can teach that young man a thing or two."

"Mom?!" Terry gasped, but both women couldn't hold back their laughter.

"All joking aside, I am happy you're putting that disaster of a putz behind you," Darla said in a motherly tone. "So, when can I expect you to bring this man home to meet us?" Darla wore a bemused smile at the sound of her daughter's groan.

"Little early for that, don't you think?"

"Never too early to meet the parents, so will we be meeting his?" Darla asked, unsure why she saw a dark cloud over her daughter when she asked that question.

"I don't think that's ever going to happen, Mom. Doubt I ever want to meet such despicable people I've ever heard about," Terry spat.

"Huh?" Scurrying over to her daughter's side and sitting down on the bed beside Terry. "Tell me." Darla's lips were tight as Terry detailed the text she had read on their impromptu lunch date. "That's horrible; I can't believe any parent would willingly and deliberately treat their own son like that."

"Me either; I can't begin to understand what his childhood was like; at least I had you and Dad," Terry said, leaning into her mother.

"Well, when this young man finally becomes a member of the family, I'll have to baby him," Darla said, continuing her teasing of her daughter, getting an eye roll out of Terry. "Dinner will be ready soon, come down when you're ready," she uttered from the door of the bedroom when she peered back at her daughter. Seeing how Terry nodded and reached for her phone.

Chapter Three

Three weeks later...

A pounding came upon Max's door around five that Thursday night. "Terry?!" Max muttered; his eyes quickly ran over the injuries that marred her face. "Wha..." His words were muffled and cut off when she threw herself into his arms. Max gently guided Terry into his apartment, shutting the door as he did. Noting how tightly she was clinging to him as they lowered themselves to his couch. He didn't say a word while she trembled against him.

He just let her know he was there and that he wasn't leaving. Nevertheless, the questions had to be asked.

"Who did this to you?" Max asked in a caring tone. While they haven't officially said they were dating, they both knew they were, hence, why he hasn't brought another woman back to his apartment in nearly a month.

"Orin," Terry said weakly.

"We need to call the police," Max stated, reaching for his cell phone that sat on his coffee table.

"No?!" Terry uttered, stopping him.

"Why? The man assaulted you; he needs to go to jail," Max said in a stern tone.

"Please, Max, he doesn't know I'm here. If you call the police, then he will know I'm staying here," Terry uttered, a slight fear lacing her words.

"Alright, I don't like it, but if you're sure," Max muttered, seeing her weak nod. "Let me go get some items to take care of those cuts," he spoke, getting to his feet. "So, what happened to your regular glasses?" Max asked, gently sitting her backup glasses down on his coffee table once he had returned with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some cotton balls, some small Band-Aids, and his tube of Neosporin.

"He broke them," Terry uttered weakly, trying not to wince at the sting of the alcohol. She didn't have trouble seeing Max's face given how she was nearsighted, as Stephine was as well; she wore contacts while she, herself, preferred wearing glasses. That was the only way anyone could distinguish the two of them apart. So she saw the worry in his eyes when he took care of her wounds, even if his face didn't show it at the time. She couldn't help it; her body moved on its own. Sinking into the kiss, she had planted on Max's lips. Feeling her arms wrapping around him, loving the feel of his lips on hers regardless if her lower lip was throbbing at the time. This was their first kiss, and God! how she ever enjoyed it.

"Who knew an angel could kiss so... wantonly," Max cooed in a sinful tone.

"If you play your cards right, you may get another," Terry replied, matching his tone.

"Then I'm so going to make sure I cheat," Max retorted with a coy smile. "You hungry?"

"I could eat," Terry said with a nod.

Terry tried not to let her mind focus on if he ever had a woman in that apartment other than to fuck as they ate their meal. She knew she was coming into this relationship with baggage, and knew was Max was too. Yet she couldn't stop herself from imagining what it would be like with Max between her legs. Feeling his tongue tasting her little peach, the way her muscles would... Shaking the thoughts from her mind as she stared down at her dinner that Max had prepared for her, rubbing her thighs together, feeling the heat forming in her womanhood. While she didn't want to start off this relationship based on sex, nonetheless, sex has been on her mind for the past three weeks. How it took extraordinary effort on her part when Max was at her practice not to drag him into her office and just ravish him. Her head glanced up as a knock came on Max's door.

"Hello..." Max's voice stilled as Stephine stood before him. Noting the bag, she was holding in her hands.

"Well? You going to let me in or...?" Stephine asked in a snide tone.

"Terry, your sister, is here," Max stated the obvious, seeing how she looked around his apartment yet was wise enough to keep her tongue in her mouth. However, when Stephine saw her sister, she rushed to her side.

"Oh, my God, what happened?!" Stephine asked in a worried sisterly tone. "It was Orin wasn't it?!" she asked in a testy growl at her soon-to-be ex-brother-in-law, knowing this wasn't the first time she's seen her sister's bruised and battered face.

"Yes, and you're being rude to Max," Terry said, her eyes gestured down to the plate when Stephine took Max's seat.

"It's fine, Terry, you two talk; I'll finish eating by the pool," Max spoke, plucking his plate off the table along with his glass.

"Max, you don't have to; this is your home," Terry said in a soft tone.

"It's fine; take as long as you need to," Max uttered with a warm smile before heading out the door.

"Why are you being rude to my boyfriend?!" Terry asked with a pointed look, taking her sister by surprise.

"Boyfriend?!" Stephine exclaimed. "Him!"

"Yes, he's my boyfriend," Terry nodded firmly, trying not to blush, knowing they hadn't officially said they were dating.

"Oh, Terry, you can do so much..."

"Like Orin was so much better?!" Terry snapped.

"Okay, but he was a fluke. Look at this place, Terry; you make more money than he does. Why are you slumming it with one of the IT guys?" Stephine asked, trying to understand.

"Sis, I love you and all, but you're one shallow bitch, you know that?!" Terry uttered, seeing Stephine recoil at that. "There's more to it than just money. If that were the case and all I cared about was money, I would have stayed with an abusive, cheating bastard."

"But what do you see in a guy like him?" Stephine inquired, trying to understand.

"Look at my face Steph. Do you think I did this myself?" Terry uttered, gesturing to the bandages. "No, I did not," she spoke once Stephine nodded. "No, Max was the one that saw to my wounds. Do you think that ass would lift a finger to do what Max did? Hell no! He would say I deserved it. Does it look like I deserved this?!"

"Huh, never thought he would be that kind of man," Stephine admitted after listening to her sister listing off the traits that drew her to Max.

"You shouldn't judge people based on what they make or rumors, Stephine, I know Max is a good man, he might be a bit rough around the edges, but he's a good man."

"Yeah, maybe, but is he still sleeping around?" Stephine asked with a pointed look. Only to turn in her seat as Max's door flew open and Max stormed in.

"Sorry, but I need a fucking beer," Max stated; his dishes clanged on the counter, his annoyance was clear, given the grip he had on his phone that was in his left hand. "Didn't mean to interrupt," he said politely to the two of them once he had his cold brew in his hand. They watched as he brought his phone back to his ear. "Now, what the fuck do you want?" Max growled as he strolled back out the door.

"What the hell was that about?" Stephine asked in a curious tone.

"I have a feeling I know," Terry answered, watching how he paced along the walkway in front of his apartment's window. His voice filtered through the glass as they noted the exasperation in his voice.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"His parents, I think?" Terry mused.

"Why would a call from his parents put him in such a mood?" Stephine asked at a loss.

"Because they're beyond despicable, it's why he doesn't talk to them very much; actually, I think this is the first time they've spoken in months."

"Really? They can't be that bad..."

"I saw their texts Steph. He showed them to me; they are that horrid," Terry nodded firmly.

"Damn, no wonder it appears he always has a chip on his shoulder," Stephine muttered as she leaned back in her seat. "You going to be okay here?"

"Mmmhmm, Max won't hurt me; I know he won't," Terry said with a nod.

"That's not what I'm worried about, sis," Stephine said, flashing her sister a coy smile.

"Steph?!" Terry gasped, growing very red in the face. "He would never?!"

"Maybe not him, but those," pointing at her sister's hard nipples, "say you would," Stephine teased, getting a groan out of Terry. "Sis, I am happy that you're happy after what happened with Orin. I just hope this guy is going to be good for you."​