The Only Way is Up

Part Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight

Nicole slept like a baby, her head on her hand, curled up against him. But Max couldn't sleep, couldn't begin to relax. After her enthusiastic encounter as she walked through the door, they'd eaten in their state of half undress, then rushed upstairs to continue things until she fell asleep. And that was when his mind finally cleared, the haze of lust and desire lifted.

And his father's sarcastic grin popped into replace it. He had to work out how to deal with it. But first he had to decipher what the hell was going on. Was this a conspiracy that Nicole was involved and complicit in?

He glanced at her sleeping form and sighed, he couldn't believe that, she was innocent. There had been no hint that she was interested in his father before this meeting, in fact she didn't ask him anything about his past. Everything he knew about her contradicted the way his mind was thinking. He had to believe she was innocent; hell his father was evil enough for two.

Despite all his internal conflict, he still wasn't able to dismiss it all, he'd opened his heart to Nicole, and she wasn't being truthful with him, he knew that. There was no way that the meeting with his father was accidental, and no way that it was legitimate through her work. Yet she lied that it was. He didn't want to get hung up on it, he didn't want to NOT trust her, but he was struggling to see any good in the situation.

It was four am, there, was no way he was going to be able to sleep. So he slid out from under her and headed downstairs.

His father wouldn't expect him to call at this time, and he needed the element of surprise, there, was no way he was going to be able to sleep. So he slid out from under her and headed downstairs.

His father wouldn't expect him to call at this time, and he needed the element of surprise.

"Da?"

Max was torn between hatred and pleasure at that very moment as his father sounded very disorientated.

"What is your game?"

There was a pause for a moment, then his father's deep, unforgiving voice answered, "ah, Maxim. What game are you referring to?"

Max sighed, "I love that you play games about your games Aleksi." He refused to call him father, he didn't deserve that. "What are you doing with Nicole? If you hate me then take that out on me. Don't involve her in your war."

"Ah Maxim," he chuckled in his very annoying way. "You think that you can walk away from the family, you think that you can be what YOU want to be."

"I DO!" Max almost shouted, "so this is what you plan, to use my life, my friends against me?"

"I will do what it takes to make you do what I want. This woman...she is someone you care about."

Max saw red, "what are you playing at? Tell me what you want from her; I swear if you hurt her I'll kill you."

A theatrical gasp came along the phone line. "Such brave words, she is an integral part of my plan, I will admit. You have a decision to make. The same that you've had for the last ten years. Come home..."

Max laughed, "a choice...come home or? Or you'll do what?"

His father let out a sigh, "I have the power to get my way Maxim, you know that. I have the power to control you, I always have. And I can ruin Nicole's life in a heartbeat, in just the same way that I ruined yours."

Max floundered for a moment, ruined his life? That was a confession that stunned him, but before he could question that, his father finished with, "four weeks and it all starts. The choice is yours."