Page 44 of Surrender: XXX Maxim
“I thought we might try something different tonight,” Maxim says while dropping cooked hot dogs onto a plate. “Something…informal.” His gaze cuts in my direction, and I squirm. Again, it’s as though he’s reading my mind.
Or even more unsettling—he’s starting to know me too damn well.
“I want that big one!” Ainsley demands, appearing beside him, her eyes fixated on the food. “Or maybe that one. Or that one…”
The rest of us scatter onto nearby lounge chairs. Ironically, it’s no different from how we used to eat, but with actual silverware and a mansion backdrop rather than a filthy living room.
And a newcomer whose presence is impossible to ignore.
As if sensing all eyes on him, Maxim tosses a fresh wave of food onto the grill. “Did you enjoy the attractions?” he wonders as the meat sizzles—his attempt at small talk, I realize. It doesn’t come naturally to him, at least not in this context. But as stiff as his voice sounds forming the words, they land innocently enough.
“Yes!” Ainsley beams, practically bouncing on her toes. “I had so much fun, though I rode the spinny ride too many times and threw up on Mikie’s—”
“No reminders, please,” Mikie pipes up from his position near the pool. He cradles his head in his hands, and I notice a damp splotch on his shirt. “It took two bottles of water to get it out.”
“Don’t be such a baby,” Ainsley snipes. Then she turns to Maxim and points to the spatula. “Can I help? Please?”
“Well…” His movements slow as he processes the request. “If your sister doesn’t mind, then I suppose so—”
“Ainsley,” Daisy says from a nearby chaise, “leave him alone. You’re bothering him.”
“No, I’m not!” Jutting her chin into the air, Ainsley tugs on Maxim’s pant leg. “Right?”
“Right.” No match for her, he surrenders the spatula and stoops to help her tend to the sizzling food. Under his guidance, she flips a hot dog by herself and howls in triumph.
“See?” Her impish grin could easily be classified as smug. “Hewantsme to help.”
“You don’t have to be a little brat about it,” Daisy bites back. “But all you’re doing is getting in the way.”
“Hey!” I stick out my hand, inserting myself as the referee. “I think it’s okay as long as she is careful—”
“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” Scoffing, Daisy crosses her arms. “Like you give a damn about her safety.”
“Daisy…” I resist the urge to groan out loud. “Do we have to do this now?”
“Do what? Lie? Eat dinner like a good little family?” She rolls her eyes at the plate of food balanced on the end of the grill. “Are we really pretending like everything’s okay? Like we weren’t shot at the other day? Like we aren’t missing school? Like this isnormal? Oh, I’m sorry. I guess we’re just going to keep acting like what happened at the other house really was a gas leak—”
“Daisy.” I stand and start toward her, fighting to keep my voice level. “We can talk about this in private—”
“Private? Like you give a damn aboutprivacy! We don’t even know who he is!” She points at Maxim and jabs the same finger at me. “Or who you are to him. Are you dating him? Screwing him? Are you some kind of high-class hooker? His mistress? What the hell is it? Or—” She hisses, her eyes narrowing. “Are you going to act like Mama and want us to call him ‘Daddy?’”
“Knock it off!” Mikie snaps, appearing at my side. “Stop being a bitch.”
“Don’t be so stupid!” Daisy laughs at him, her voice high-pitched.
Whatever triggered this, it isn’t about fucking hot dogs.
“She hasn’t denied it,” she points out, propping her hands on her hips. “And don’t pretend like you don’t know how she got her money before, Mikie. The slutty dresses? The late nights? Do I have to spell it out? She was a fucking prostitute. And this? It’s just a fucking buy-off—”
“I care about your sister,” Maxim interjects from his position near the grill. Silence falls instantly. It’s as if the entire world stops, heeding the authority he exudes in every word.
Daisy grits her teeth, ruthlessly defiant. “I’m sorry, but what is that supposed to mean to me? Because all it’s meant so far is bouncing around from place to place with no fucking clue as to what’s going on.” Her voice breaks. Tears spill down her cheeks, and it’s painfully clear what today, despite all of Maxim’s effort, truly was at the end of it all. A Band-Aid. “I’m not the only one who thinks it’s fucking weird,” she adds. “I’m just the only one brave enough to say it. I’ve already been through four stepdads, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want another one. And it’s not good for Ainsley, or Eric, or any of us to have strange men bounce in and out of our lives because they pay the bills for a few months.”
“True,” Maxim concedes, still tending the grill. “Stability is important, and words are meaningless. Which is why…I’ve asked your sister to marry me.”
His statement is met with more silence. Unbearable, overwhelming fucking silence. I can’t even look at Daisy, or the others for that matter. I stare at the sky instead. A swath of orange paints the horizon like fire, burning up the peace of the day, and leaving darkness behind.
“Um…okay.” Mikie clears his throat, ever the peacemaker. “Is that true, Frankie?” I force myself to face him, prepared for the worst. But his expression doesn’t convey anger or shock. Just confusion.
