Reyona saw the waiter coming from the back and whooshed out a breath of relief. She beckoned to him and asked for her bill.
"Don't worry, put it on my tab" Maxwell told the waiter.
"No, I would not…" Reyona started to protest but the waiter had already moved on to the people calling him at another table. "Do not expect a thank you from me" she said and turned to leave.
Hold … shit" Maxwell muttered as he realised that she was leaving already and had no intention to slow down. He looked at his watch at 8:55 pm and stood up to follow her out.
She was headed towards a Phytonic Blue BMW X3 and Maxwell confirmed that he had not been wrong early. The woman sure had class. Well, he did not care about that. He just knew that if he let her go like that, he would blame himself.
She whirled back a few distances from her car "What is this? Is this how people address one another in bars these days?" she asked with a raised brow.
"You sounded as if you…" he raised his hands as her brows went higher "Look, I am sorry. I just… you just" he was not about to make a fool of himself by telling her that her presence just sort of bowled him over and he reacted poorly. "Okay, I am sorry for my action. I was only teasing you, you know. You make it so easy"
She gave him a steady look "So, this is my fault?"
"Yes. I mean, no. you… can we please talk later? Do you mind if I have your number? There is someone I have to meet and…"
Reyona was incredulous "Why are you asking for my number. Can't you see that…oh" she completed as she realised that her ring was not on her finger.
She wondered what happened to it for a moment before she remembered that in a moment of anger when she had parked by a roadside, she had removed it as it seemed to be sitting there as a symbol of her foolishness. She had not put it back on.
She closed her eyes as she berated herself for not thinking right. No wonder this ridiculous man had thought…
She dipped her hand in the pocket of her jacket and brought out her wedding band.
Maxwell thought as if his chest had been smashed with a club as he felt an indescribable pain in his heart when he set his eyes on the shiny diamond ring "Oh"
"Yeah, oh" Reyona repeated as she put on the ring firmly. She had no idea why she felt hollow as she said "So, you should know now that your attentions were highly unwanted and unflattering" she said firmly.
Her voice sounded condescending to Maxwell and he had no idea why anger filled his chest as he fired back at her "Do you enjoy playing games, ma'am?"
Reyona scoffed "Games? Ma'am?" she had no idea why his accusation or the look in his eyes irked her. She said firmly to herself that she cared not about what he thought of her action "what games are you talking about?"
Maxwell knew he should just leave her be and go face what he came here for after all but he just couldn't. "The one you seemed used to playing. There is only one reason why a married woman would deliberately remove her ring when coming to such a place" he flung his arm carelessly towards the bar where the strains of the band's music were still flowing out the door wrapping the two of them in its melancholic embrace.
Reyona fleetingly thought him dangerous as he moved closer to her. She dismissed it as being fanciful and stood her ground even when her feet wanted to move back of their own accord.
His midnight black eyes seemed filled with the tempest that could boil over and sweep her feet from underneath her. "It is none of your business what I do or what my intentions are'' she whispered without having any idea why "Good God, you don't even know me"
The fact that she did not step back excited Maxwell beyond comprehension. The look in his eyes that had made men scramble most of the time and made some tremble only had her tilt her head back in a challenge as she gave him a defiant look. Maxwell knew he just had to have his hand on her. Her wedding ring and games be damned.
"Oh yeah? Do you want to deny that you deliberately sat at my table intending to make me notice you? Did you tuck your pretty little ring away just so you can have a free wild night? Well, my lady. You have no idea of just how wild the night could be" he whispered to her in a way that made her shiver slightly even as her blood heated.
"What are you talking about? Are you…" her words died out as she felt her breath back up her lungs when he held her upper arms none too gently. The jolt of heat that slammed into her system made her wonder briefly if she was having a heatstroke. Not that she would have any idea what that was as she had never had it before. She was sure that his firm hands on her shoulder though was the reason why she was not dissolving into a puddle of sensations at his feet.
She decided that she must be coming down with something when she felt his hot breath across her lips as he said "Damn it, lady. I don't care about whatever games you play but I care when that game affects me and makes me want to…"
"If you do not meet me inside in the next one minute, Maxie; I am leaving and I don't want to see your call"
Reyona looked behind his shoulder to see a woman pass behind him to the entrance of the bar.
"Shit" Maxwell said there was the only person who called his name like that. He looked behind him just as the door swung close behind the burly woman. She couldn't think of a better term to use for the woman who seemed to have enough strength to knock down a man. She felt that the voice sounded familiar as well but she shrugged it off. She knew nobody with that kind of build.
Reyona shrugged his hands off her shoulder "Your meeting, I guess?" she scoffed "You are one to talk"
She turned away from him and entered her car before he could say anything else.
"Assholes are a dime a dozen these days," she thought to herself as she left the parking lot of the bar.
She had no idea why she was so angry. The nerve of the idiot had to accuse her of playing games when he had been perfectly willing to flirt with her a few minutes ago all while he was waiting for his burly woman.
She hoped the Amazon-like woman gave him enough grief and knock him around too for the record.
He was probably married as well and the woman was just one of his many many girlfriends. Yes, that would make sense why he quickly came on to her like that. He must be a casanova that jumped from one woman to the other.
Bastard.
She was sure he had intended to kiss her.
Not that she would have allowed it though. No, she wouldn't. She was not a loose woman.
"No, just a jilted one" her subconscious whispered sinisterly.
Reyona sighed as her house came into view. What was she doing, thinking of the habits of an asshole that she would never set her eyes on again?
What did she care if the man slept with all the women on the side of the coast and beyond?
She had her licensed bastard waiting for her to come back so he would spin off more lies to her.
No, she had no business with a midnight-eyed stranger.