Max had told her that he was going to finish with Belle. What if Belle really loved him? Then it would destroy her if he split up with her. It was, admittedly, hard to tell what Belle thought of Max – she definitely seemed to enjoy the glamour of their relationship, going out with a famous ex-racing driver, hanging out in all the hip clubs, being taken out to expensive restaurants. But, then, it hadn’t stopped her flirting with Dallas and doing God knows what else . . . Crystal tried to remember if she’d ever actually heard Belle say that she loved Max. She never had, had she?
She spent the rest of the day in a loved-up haze. Last night had been the most intense sex of her life and she couldn’t stop thinking about Max even though she knew she should have been putting 100 per cent into her work. Everyone noticed she was distracted and she got several ear bashings from Dallas.
‘Sorry,’ she told him, after a particularly weak performance, ‘I guess it’s nerves.’
Dallas looked disgusted: he despised it if his performers showed any kind of weakness.
‘If you’re nervous now, what the fuck are you going to feel like on Saturday? Get a grip, Crystal; I don’t have any time for losers.’
Crystal tried her best to pull herself together for the remainder of the rehearsal and by the end of the day she had managed to get out of Dallas’s bad books. When she checked her phone at the end of the session Max had texted her, asking her to go over. Crystal didn’t hesitate this time in saying yes. When Belle and Tahlia asked her what she was doing, she lied, saying she was meeting one of her friends in town for a quick drink.
This time when she arrived at the club she went straight to the back door. She felt breathless with desire, anticipationand guilt. She rang the bell and a few minutes later Max opened the door.
‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he said as he pulled her towards him by her jacket and kissed her.
Crystal wriggled away from him, trying to shut the door, paranoid that they would be seen, but Max just laughed. ‘There’s no one outside, babe.’
Upstairs in his office was a rerun of the night before. Champagne, kisses, feverishly pulling off each other’s clothes and tumbling on to the bed. The sex was even better now they knew a little about each other’s bodies. Crystal loved what he was doing to her with his hands, with his tongue, but she liked it best when they were fucking, when it felt like he was part of her, when she could pretend that he belonged to her . . .
Afterwards she demanded, ‘Give me a cigarette then.’
Smiling, he lit a cigarette and passed it to her.
‘That was amazing, babe,’ he whispered stroking her hair. ‘
You’re
amazing.’
Crystal enjoyed the compliment for a moment, then asked the question that wouldn’t go away, even after the mind-blowing sex.
‘Have you worked out what you’re going to say to Belle yet?’
Max frowned. ‘I don’t know, I guess I’ll say that we were drifting apart, that I need my own space, that kind of bollocks.’
That wasn’t good enough for Crystal. ‘Do you love her?’ she found herself asking.
Max looked annoyed. ‘Do we have to talk about Belle? Do you think I’d be with you, if I loved her?’
‘But do you think she loves you?’ Crystal persisted.
Instead of answering he took his cigarette and hers and placed them in the ashtray; he pulled her back down beside him and kissed her. She kissed him back, hoping the kiss would block out the questions in her head. Max broke away first and reached once more for his cigarette. ‘Don’t look so worried, babe, we’ll be okay. You’ve just got to be patient.’
Crystal felt a surge of anxiety and guilt run through her. She lay down, her head on his shoulder, Max lightly caressing her back.
Would it really work out okay? Would she and Max be together?
‘Anyway, I almost forgot. I bought you something today.’ He reached under the pillow and pulled out a small velvet box
She spent the rest of the day in a loved-up haze. Last night had been the most intense sex of her life and she couldn’t stop thinking about Max even though she knew she should have been putting 100 per cent into her work. Everyone noticed she was distracted and she got several ear bashings from Dallas.
‘Sorry,’ she told him, after a particularly weak performance, ‘I guess it’s nerves.’
Dallas looked disgusted: he despised it if his performers showed any kind of weakness.
‘If you’re nervous now, what the fuck are you going to feel like on Saturday? Get a grip, Crystal; I don’t have any time for losers.’
Crystal tried her best to pull herself together for the remainder of the rehearsal and by the end of the day she had managed to get out of Dallas’s bad books. When she checked her phone at the end of the session Max had texted her, asking her to go over. Crystal didn’t hesitate this time in saying yes. When Belle and Tahlia asked her what she was doing, she lied, saying she was meeting one of her friends in town for a quick drink.
This time when she arrived at the club she went straight to the back door. She felt breathless with desire, anticipationand guilt. She rang the bell and a few minutes later Max opened the door.
‘Hey, gorgeous,’ he said as he pulled her towards him by her jacket and kissed her.
Crystal wriggled away from him, trying to shut the door, paranoid that they would be seen, but Max just laughed. ‘There’s no one outside, babe.’
Upstairs in his office was a rerun of the night before. Champagne, kisses, feverishly pulling off each other’s clothes and tumbling on to the bed. The sex was even better now they knew a little about each other’s bodies. Crystal loved what he was doing to her with his hands, with his tongue, but she liked it best when they were fucking, when it felt like he was part of her, when she could pretend that he belonged to her . . .
Afterwards she demanded, ‘Give me a cigarette then.’
Smiling, he lit a cigarette and passed it to her.
‘That was amazing, babe,’ he whispered stroking her hair. ‘
You’re
amazing.’
Crystal enjoyed the compliment for a moment, then asked the question that wouldn’t go away, even after the mind-blowing sex.
‘Have you worked out what you’re going to say to Belle yet?’
Max frowned. ‘I don’t know, I guess I’ll say that we were drifting apart, that I need my own space, that kind of bollocks.’
That wasn’t good enough for Crystal. ‘Do you love her?’ she found herself asking.
Max looked annoyed. ‘Do we have to talk about Belle? Do you think I’d be with you, if I loved her?’
‘But do you think she loves you?’ Crystal persisted.
Instead of answering he took his cigarette and hers and placed them in the ashtray; he pulled her back down beside him and kissed her. She kissed him back, hoping the kiss would block out the questions in her head. Max broke away first and reached once more for his cigarette. ‘Don’t look so worried, babe, we’ll be okay. You’ve just got to be patient.’
Crystal felt a surge of anxiety and guilt run through her. She lay down, her head on his shoulder, Max lightly caressing her back.
Would it really work out okay? Would she and Max be together?
‘Anyway, I almost forgot. I bought you something today.’ He reached under the pillow and pulled out a small velvet box
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