The Boyfriend Sessions (24 page)

I had reached breaking point.

Since last Friday, Maddy had been giving me the silent treatment. In fairness, I’d probably deserved it, but a week had passed and all we’d managed so far were a few brief and painful discussions about work. Suddenly my concerns about mixing friendship with business didn’t seem so stupid after all.

If I’d had my way, I would have confronted her on Monday. A well-timed text message as I caught the train into the city that morning made me think again. Scarlett’s text was precise:
Keep your big mouth shut or she’ll eat you alive. She needs time to deal with it. Particularly if you want to keep banging her big brother.

I sighed and pushed myself away from my desk with a wry grin. At least I knew my friendship with Scarlett was intact. I’d actually caught myself wondering a few times why Scarlett had to be an only child. If it were her big brother I was banging, I had a feeling she’d be far more accepting than Maddy.

Maddy had even called off my ex-boyfriend counseling session this week which meant it was serious. Not that she’d told me directly. An apologetic and unusually quiet Cate had informed me of that on Monday.

I waited for my computer to shut down, keeping a careful eye on Maddy’s office on the far side of the building. It was six o’clock on Friday evening and most of the staff had already left, but predictably Maddy was still working.

With a deep breath, I picked up my bag and headed to her office. She’d had enough time to stew in my opinion, and perhaps it was selfish of me, but I couldn’t bear the tension between us any longer.

I knocked firmly on her door.

She sat behind her desk, typing furiously. She looked up from her computer momentarily then back to her screen.” “I thought you’d have plans tonight.”

She wasn’t going to make this easy, was she? “Nothing that can’t wait.” I sat in one of the chairs opposite her desk to make it obvious I wasn’t going away.

It was true. I did have plans tonight. With Max. We were going for dinner then I was planning on staying the night, but I’d already warned him I wanted to talk to Maddy first.

Like Scarlett, he’d advised against it. When I’d told him it had gone on long enough, his response was to simply raise his eyebrows at me. He’d avoided Maddy all week too and she hadn’t made any effort to contact him. As far as I could tell he was happy with that. Coward.

I returned my attention to my friend. She continued to ignore me for another minute, her red, manicured nails glinting sharply as she typed. Even when she was furious, she was stunning. Today she wore a tan suit contrasted by an azure top, with her dark hair held tightly back in a high ponytail.

Finally she hit the return key on her keyboard—a little angrily in my opinion—and turned to me, her eyes wary.

“What do you want, Christa?”

“To talk to you.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to say.”

I looked incredulously at her. “You seemed to have plenty to say last week.”

“Well, I’ve had time to process it now and I don’t have anything further to say about it.”

Uh huh. She wasn’t going to go all corporate and business-like with me on this one. “Nothing? So I’ve got your blessing then?”

“I didn’t say that.” Her response was razor sharp and her eyes flared dangerously for a second.

“So you’ve got absolutely nothing to say about me seeing Max?”

“Nothing that you’d want to hear.”

I tried not to flinch. “Perhaps not, but I think it’s best if we clear the air.”

“To what end?”

“Oh, I don’t know, so we can continue being friends?”

Maddy blinked and her lips formed a long, thin line while she considered my response. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to seduce my brother.”

She leaned over to shut off her computer while I struggled with the indignation bubbling in my chest. “Is that what you think I did?”

She didn’t look at me as she reached for her bag. “Anyone can see my brother is hurting right now, Christa.”

“So you think I’ve taken advantage of him?”

Her eyes met mine. “Yes.”

I blew out a long breath while I willed myself to remain calm. I’d obviously seen a different side to Max these past weeks. Yes, he was hurting, but he was also attempting to enjoy life again and if I had something to do with that, then I didn’t think it was a bad thing.

“He’s a willing participant,” I replied carefully.

“Oh, I can only imagine.” Her mouth curled into an uncharacteristic sneer, which had me sitting back in shock. “I bet he didn’t stand a chance.”

To hell with staying calm. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Maddy said slowly, leaning over her desk to make her point, “with all your sassy, sexy cuteness, how could he resist? Sure, it’s all fun and exciting now, but neither of you realize what’s coming. He’s going to wind up with another broken heart and you’ll have one more man to add to your long list of failed relationships.”

I swallowed, paralysed at the words from my best friend. My oldest friend. “Is that what you honestly think?”

“I’m not happy about it either.”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t actually form any words, so it was just as well.

Maddy stood and contemplated me coldly from behind her desk, all six feet of her. “I’m not going to fire you, if you’re worried about that.”

Well, that was a bonus. “You were considering it?”

“I did. But you’re too much of an asset to me right now, so I need to put my personal feelings aside, whatever they may be.”

Naively I hadn’t even thought about that aspect. Not seriously anyway. Suddenly I was glad that I was too much of an asset, as Maddy so eloquently put it.

“And our friendship?” I asked weakly, because that was the main thing occupying my mind.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, I could see a mixture of pain and disappointment swimming in them. “I don’t know.”

What did I expect? As usual, I hadn’t thought through the consequences of my actions. If I’d realized it would end with my oldest and dearest friend telling me she wasn’t sure she wanted to be my friend anymore then maybe I’d have given it more thought. Stupidly I’d assumed our friendship was airtight and I’d taken it for granted.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the sting of tears blurring the corners of my eyes. The truly confusing thing was, I was glad it happened. I was enjoying being with Max so much, perhaps too much, but I wisely chose not to give voice to those thoughts. “I didn’t plan for this to happen.”

Maddy sighed deeply. “You never do.”

Then she picked up her bag and marched steadfastly from her office, leaving me alone.

Our conversation was over.

*

“The food can’t be that bad.”

I glanced up at Max, who watched me with a look of concern. We were at my favorite seafood restaurant, Garfish, in the harbor-side suburb of Kirribilli, a ten minute walk from my apartment. The alfresco restaurant buzzed with the dinner rush and the seafood was delicious, despite the fact I was absentmindedly pushing my blue-eyed cod around my plate.

“Sorry. The food is lovely. I’m just distracted.”

“I told you to leave it a little longer,” he said quietly, referring to my earlier conversation with Maddy.

“I know. But I think hell will have to freeze over first and I’m not sure I’ve got that long.”

His warm chuckle soothed my nerves and I gripped his hand eagerly as he reached over to me. “She’ll come around. Just give her time.”

“I don’t know, Max.” I let my fork fall to my plate with a loud clatter, drawing the eyes of a few of the other restaurant patrons currently enjoying their Friday night dinner. “I’ve never seen her like this with me before. It seemed very final.”

“She didn’t fire you,” he pointed out.

“True. But she didn’t seem certain of our friendship anymore either.” Frustratingly, I could feel tears welling in my eyes for the second time that evening.

“Hey.” He squeezed my hand gently. “I’ll talk to her, alright?”

I let out something resembling a hiccup and a snort. “She can’t disown you, you’re blood.”

“Exactly. It’s going to be fine, Christa, I promise.”

I wanted to believe him, I really did, but her words kept echoing in my mind. “She thinks I seduced you,” I blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow and I could see the beginnings of a grin forming at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s not funny,” I protested.

“Yes, it is. You did seduce me,” he finished with a shrug.

“What?” At the bemused look of a waiter, I lowered my voice. “How? When?”

Now he was grinning and the laughter lines around his eyes had their usual distinct effect on my gut. “It wasn’t deliberate,” he admitted, “but that’s all part of your charm.”

I groaned then reached for my wine, drinking it gratefully, the woody effects of the Merlot completely lost on me. “I’m not sure I understand. She called me sassy and sexy and cute.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” His lips were still twitching.

“Cute isn’t sexy! I’d give anything to be as drop dead gorgeous as her and she’s the one accusing me of seducing men! She’s got no idea.”

Max observed me silently for a long moment. “You don’t see it, do you?” he asked.

“See what?”

He leaned in until his face was only inches from mine. “Cute can be damn sexy. And what’s even more appealing is that you seem to have no idea just how downright sexy you are.”

I forced myself to breathe, desire pooling in my stomach. “So I’m unwittingly seducing men with my cuteness?”

“You’re seducing me now.”

I swallowed and wished for a moment we weren’t in a restaurant, but at home or somewhere private. “I’m sorry.”

Max eased back gently, as conscious as I that we were in public. No point frustrating ourselves. “You don’t hear me complaining.”

“No, I don’t. I told her as much.”

“I bet that went down well.”

“Not really.”

He relaxed in his chair and laughed softly. It was catching and I felt myself crack a small smile.

“I actually feel sorry for her right now,” Max told me. “You know what she’s like. Incredibly loyal and controlled. Think about it. She loves her big brother and she loves her best friend. She’s trying to protect both of us from getting hurt and now we’ve gone and done something as unpredictable as getting involved with each other. It must be torment for her.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“But I’m not going to stop seeing you because it makes my little sister uncomfortable.” There was a fierceness to his tone that surprised me. The Spencer stubbornness rearing its head again.

“What if it means losing my best friend?” I asked quietly.

“You’re not going to lose your best friend. And I’m not going to stop seeing you.”

Well, then. It was settled apparently. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he eventually spoke to her.

“Now eat your main so we can order dessert,” he instructed impatiently.

“This is why you have to work out so much isn’t it? Your sweet tooth.”

“That and I need to satisfy you.”

I choked on my mouthful of fish.

He gave me a mischievous smile. “You make me work up quite an appetite.”

I grinned cheekily at him. “Well, eat up then, Spencer. The night’s still young and you’ll need all the energy you can get.”

The apartment was dark when I pushed open the door two hours later. Max waited in the car downstairs while I ran up to grab a few things for the weekend.

Strange, I could have sworn Cate had told me she would be home tonight, but maybe she’d gotten a better offer. It was probably a good thing. She’d seemed distracted and distant all week and I had no idea why. I’d been too scared to ask her if it had anything to do with my little revelation about Max and I. Frankly, she didn’t seem angry about it, so I was happy to run with distracted and distant while she came to terms with it.

I didn’t bother turning the hall light on and strode straight to my room to locate some items of clothing. The blinds were open, the moonlight casting a bright glow across my reasonably tidy room. Truth was, I hadn’t been home much lately to make a mess.

I flicked the light to my ensuite on and grabbed my favorite bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Male hair care products just did not cut it. Two minutes later, bag packed with the essentials for what would most likely be the rest of the weekend, I switched off the light and headed back out into the hallway.

And stopped when I saw a thin line of light illuminating the hallway carpet coming from under the main bathroom door. I hadn’t noticed it when I’d come in. This was technically Cate’s bathroom as I had the ensuite. It looked like she was home after all.

I debated whether to say hello or not. Then inwardly kicked myself. What was the world coming to? Just because I was seeing Maddy’s brother did not give me reason to skulk around and ignore my friends.

I walked over to the closed door and was just about to knock when I paused, my ears registering an unfamiliar noise.

Sobbing.

Cate was crying.

God, what was wrong? There was no way I was leaving now without making sure everything was alright, my latest revelations and sins be damned.

“Cate?”

The sobbing stopped suddenly and I heard the sound of her shuffling around in the bathroom.

“Christa?” She was trying to hide the alarm in her voice, I could tell.

“I just came home to grab some things. Is everything alright?”

A long pause followed and I knew better than to say anything, even though I was dying to. Eventually the door opened a crack and I tried not to gasp when I saw Cate’s tear-stained face.

“Sweetheart! What’s wrong?” What had I missed? This couldn’t be about me and Max surely? And if it wasn’t about that, then what was so desperately wrong that I was too involved in my own life to miss?

“Oh Christa!” Cate sobbed again and then she was in my arms, crying on my shoulder.

I hugged her gently and stroked her back, unsure what to say or where to begin. Once the sobbing subsided, I pulled away and looked at her, concern etched on my face. “Come into the lounge room and let’s talk, hey?”

Cate nodded, almost childlike, and allowed herself to be led to the two-seater lounge. I switched on one of the lamps rather than the overhead light, which bathed the room in a warm glow.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.

Cate’s expression was so stricken, so absolutely devastated, it had me wondering if something had happened to one of her family members. She stifled another sob and wiped her eyes, then looked at me forlorn.

“I slept with one of the partners at work.”

“Oh.” My response came out in a soft whoosh. Well, that was unexpected. “When? Who?”

“David,” Cate said with a moan. “The hot one. The married one.”

“Oh.”

This sort of news coming from Scarlett wouldn’t really have rated a mention. If Scarlett had done something similar it would have been good fodder for discussion over a wine or two at dinner. For Cate, this was altogether different. Sweet, romantic Cate, who was still looking for Mr Right. Who was devoutly opposed to one night stands. I also had an inkling that sleeping with a married man was up there on her ‘won’t go there’ list too.

“How long has it been going on?”

“Only this week. I’ve slept with him five times,” Cate whispered, ashamed.

I forced myself not to raise my eyebrows. “Is it over?” I asked carefully.

“No. He left an hour ago after … ” She trailed off and looked at me guiltily. “He had to go home to his wife.” The sobbing started again and I watched with a pained heart as she cried into a clump of already sodden tissues.

Poor, poor Cate. This must be torture for her. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know!” she wailed. “When we’re together it’s amazing.” Her eyes looked exhausted as they met mine. “Mind-blowing, if you must know. But it’s so wrong, so very, very wrong.”

I sighed and reached out to hold her hand. “How did it happen?”

She glanced at me quickly then stared out the window, at the lights of the houses overlooking Lavender Bay casting their twinkling reflections across the darkened water. “We’ve always gotten along well. I never really thought much of it because he was off limits, if that makes sense.” She shrugged. “I mean I was always professional with him because it was at work, you know? But this year we’ve been working a lot more closely on several clients, plus I’ve been helping him win some new business as well. Working late nights to finalise presentations, that sort of thing.”

She twisted the tissue in her hands. “After we won a particularly important client, he suggested we go out for drinks to celebrate.” She looked at me again, her eyes pained. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

I closed my eyes for a second. Please don’t tell me he took advantage of you, I thought silently to myself.

“We got talking and suddenly the professional barriers came down. I found myself telling him about me and he revealed he was unhappy with his marriage. Has been for about five years, but doesn’t know what to do about it. His children are eight and five.”

I winced. He had a family too. Wonderful.

“Nothing happened that night, but after that it was different between us. We started flirting. It was very subtle at first. I’d only realize what was happening after I’d walked away and then it was too late to catch myself.”

“Did he initiate it?” I was still trying to get a handle on whether she’d started things willingly with him.

“Kind of. It was last Friday night and I was still in the office. I thought everyone had gone and I was on the phone to Maddy.” She hesitated, then continued. “It was kind of a heated discussion. Maddy was furious at you and Max, and I was trying to get her to see your side of the story.”

“Oh. Really?” God, she was beautiful. We hadn’t even discussed it, but here she was standing up for me when I was worried that she would be angry with me.

For the first time that night, Cate gave me a brief smile. “Really. Anyone can see you’re both crazy about each other. Maddy’s just too stubborn and pigheaded to see that right now. She’s too busy trying to protect you both.”

“Crazy about each other?” I repeated, somewhat dumbfounded. She was obviously viewing the world through her romantic Cate-colored glasses again. “Well, I wouldn’t say—”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Christa!”

I stared at her, open-mouthed.

She shook her head at me. “Max is in love with you, anyone can see that. Except for Maddy because she doesn’t want to right now. And you, even though you’re clearly in love with him.”

“Wait a minute—” How had this become about Max and I? She was wrong and exaggerating the relationship, and putting her usual Cate perspective on things.

As if reading my thoughts, she glared at me. “But I’m not talking about you right now, okay?”

Ouch. Her tone was impatient and I shut up.

“So I think I yelled something down the phone at Maddy and hung up on her. When I turned around, David was standing by my desk with a pale expression on his face.”

“Why?” That didn’t make sense. What did Max and I and Maddy have to do with him?

“Because I think my parting words to Maddy were something along the lines of ‘You don’t choose who you fall in love with, Maddy. Sometimes you’ve just got to let go and take a risk and see what happens.’ David overheard it.”

I nodded slowly. “Right.” This was starting to make more sense. “He thought you were talking about him?”

“Exactly. When I realized he’d overheard what I’d said and how he’d taken it, I jumped up to try and explain. But I didn’t get a chance because that was when he kissed me.”

“Wow. I’m guessing you didn’t fight him off?”

Cate colored slightly. “Something like that. I couldn’t stop myself. When he asked me to go to dinner, I accepted, and you can probably figure out the rest.”

“Sweetheart.” I sighed and squeezed her hand again. “What are you going to do?”

“End it, obviously.” Her expression turned dark. “I was going to do it tonight, but it seems I have absolutely no self-control.”

I couldn’t help myself and grinned.

“It’s not funny!” Cate protested.

“No, it’s not,” I agreed. “I just get where you’re coming from, that’s all. Six months man-free remember?”

“Oh. Well. It’s not such a hard stretch to believe about you.” At my wounded expression, she quickly added, “No offence intended.”

I rolled my eyes. “None taken. Far be it for me to offer you relationship advice and I’ve not even met the guy, but maybe this isn’t a fling for him? Maybe if his marriage is as broken as he says, he might actually be serious about you?”

I didn’t want to voice it right now, but stranger things had happened. It pained me to admit it, but just look at my mum. The man I’d come home to discover her with thirteen years ago had turned out to be my stepfather and they were still together all these years later.

“I won’t be a marriage wrecker!”

I bit my lip at Cate’s obstinacy. She was so moral, she was forgetting that David also had a hand in wrecking his marriage.

“Are you in love with him?” I asked.

Cate blinked, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t know. Chemistry doesn’t mean I’m in love, does it?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, her words hitting a little too close to home. I forced myself to find my voice. “Not necessarily, but it is part of it.”

“Well, then I’ll never know will I? I’m going to end it because it’s just not right. I mean, he’s my boss for God’s sake. And what about his kids? I can’t believe I’ve let this happen! I feel so sick.” She was back to berating herself and the tears were flowing again. “I’ll have to change jobs.”

“Oh, Cate. Don’t say that. That’s pretty extreme.” Although I seemed to recall that’s the length I’d gone to after my failed engagement to Nick several years earlier.

I watched her sob softly into her tissue again for another minute before I made my mind up. “Right, that settles it. Miranda DVD. Now. You pick the episode.”

It was something of a tradition between the two of us. Our absolute favorite television show was the series by British comedian, Miranda Hart, which essentially involved all manner of slapstick and ridiculously silly British humour. No matter our mood, it was guaranteed to have us rolling around in laughter.

Cate’s eyes lit up. “Graveyard episode?”

I smiled. One of the best. It didn’t matter how many times we watched that episode, it was side splitting. Miranda and her mother are walking through a graveyard after attending a funeral, and Miranda moans to her mother about how the latest encounter with a prospective beau has been particularly embarrassing.

We looked at each other, our eyes dancing then said in unison, “I wish the ground had just opened and swallowed me up!” At which point Miranda unceremoniously falls into an open grave. Stupid, but painfully funny.

We laughed together and I stood to locate the DVD from the television cabinet.

“Where’s Max?” Cate asked, curious.

“Shit!”

The buzzer sounded and I looked at Cate in alarm.

“Get him to come up,” she said, with a shrug.

I did as instructed and moments later I opened the front door for him.

Thankfully, he didn’t look annoyed, just confused. “I was worried you’d stood me up.”

I stood on tip toes and gave him a quick kiss, then whispered in his ear. “Cate needed me.”

His eyes darted from me to Cate sitting in the lounge room, still in her bathrobe.

“Hey Max.” She waved, but it was obvious she’d been crying.

He returned his gaze to me. “Everything alright?”

“Not really. I can’t really explain except to say man troubles … 
”

“I don’t want to know,” he replied quickly, making me grin. “Do you need to stay here tonight?”

The fact that he knew to ask, made my heart melt. “Kind of. If that’s alright.”

He leaned in and gave me a long, slow, suggestive kiss. “Of course it’s alright. But I’ll miss you.”

“Christa, you don’t have to stay,” Cate called out. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, she does,” Max called back. “I can live without her for one night.”

God, he was sweet. I raised my eyebrows at him. “You just want to go home and play computer games don’t you?”

He paled and I shoved him gently. “I’m joking.”

“I was going to—”

“Play computer games, I know. And I’m going to watch silly DVDs with Cate. You don’t have to be making love to me all the time you know.”

Max studied me for a moment, his eyes twinkling. “Are you sure?”

“A bit of absence will help to build the anticipation for next time.” I stood on tip toes and whispered in his ear because I definitely didn’t want Cate hearing the next part. “You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to get me naked and crying out your name in desperate abandon.”

I smirked at Max’s sharp intake of breath. “Making it hard to leave, Bubbles.”

I trailed the hand resting on his shoulder along his arm and then down over to his thigh, rubbing gently. “Speaking literally are we, Mighty Max?”

Max let out a soft laugh. “You’re such a tease.”

I reached up and gave him a long lingering kiss, in reply to his earlier one. “I won’t be teasing tomorrow, I promise.”

He pressed his forehead to mine. “I can’t wait.”

I waited until he’d entered the elevator before shutting the front door and turned back to Cate.