Max watched as the doctor began to warm up to him slowly, the stiffness in his posture easing little by little, and then his gaze shifted to the man who sat comfortably next to lanie. He scoffed under his breath. Woah! This one was sothing. With the kind of looks that could easily make Adam grind his teeth in jealousy at how close he sat to lanie, the man should have been a threat.
But it seed lanie’s earlier reading of the situation had been dead-on accurate. For all his pretence and delulu confidence, the man didn’t actually physically appear that drawn to lanie at all. His attention, his gaze, his subtle lean- it was directed almost entirely at Dr. Jung. He looked ready to stand and bash him over the head for getting too close to the doctor...
Max rolled his eyes and let out a quiet breath, looking back at the man with a shake of his head. Well, at least there was one good thing here. The doctor wasn’t just smart and sharp-tongued, he was actually good looking too. So, if flirting was to be had, then it wasn’t the worst way to pass the night.
He gave a small nod to himself, lips twitching at the thought. Not bad at all. A good-looking date on one side and Adam’s prized, limited-edition bike safely in his possession on the other-yeah, that was more than a decent haul for the evening.
Just then, he felt a light tap on his hand and turned his head, blinking as though he had missed sothing important. It took him a second to realize the doctor had actually spoken to him. He cleared his throat, offering a quick smile. "I’m sorry. I spaced out for a minute there."
Elias raised a brow, his expression carrying that mix of curiosity and challenge that Max found oddly entertaining. "Really? And what exactly were you thinking about?"
Max felt his grin spread wider across his face. Oh, he loved it when soone left the door open for him like that. A question with no boundaries. A chance to play. He leaned in slightly, his tone smooth, teasing, "I was thinking of riding you."
The way the doctor’s eyes widened, just for that brief instant, was worth every word. Max chuckled softly to himself, and then, with deliberate ease, leaned closer and lowered his voice, clarifying, "I ant riding with you... I got a new bike from a friend recently, that I’d like to take you on. So, we should plan a next date. What about tomo..."
Before Max could complerte his question or Elias could form a reply, Cadence suddenly pushed his chair back and stood. His voice was low, tight, almost cutting through the air. "I am feeling unwell. Excuse ."
Both lanie and Elias turned instinctively, their eyes following his retreating figure as he walked away, each step brisk, shoulders tense.
Dr. Jung’s gaze lingered on Cadence’s back, his jaw tightening, before he finally shifted his attention to lanie. "Aren’t you going to follow him?" he asked, the edge in his tone betraying his concern.
lanie tilted her head, the faintest curl of a smile playing on her lips, sharp and thin. "Why would I? You forget, I’m not really ’with’ him. If you’re so worried, you follow him. Unless, of course, you’d rather stay here and keep flirting with Max."
That last line hit its mark. Dr Jung glared at her, the kind of glare that carried frustration and sothing unspoken beneath it, before he abruptly stood and hurried out, following after Cadence.
The mont both n were gone, silence settled at the table. lanie slowly turned back to Max, her eyebrow raised, her expression unreadable. "I didn’t know you were so talented," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Apparently, you can seduce won and n both."
Max leaned back comfortably in his seat, the grin never leaving his face. He gave her a wink, his voice light and mocking in equal asure. "IYKYK."
"Should I be jealous of your closeness with Adam?" lanie’s voice carried that sly, testing edge as she glared at him with deliberate sharpness. "Dr. Jung has been silently standing behind Cadence, doing everything he can to support him. And all of that only because he wants to be close to him. Could it be that you too are always available to help Adam because you want to be with..."
Before she could finish, Max’s patience snapped. He leaned forward and smacked his hand lightly but firmly against her face, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to cut her off. If Adam heard the ideas in her head, he would bla him definitely.
"Are you insane?" His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at her. "Listen, I know I swing both ways, but even if I was strictly one way, your husband would still be the absolute last person on the list. He’s too perverted. So, don’t start pouring vinegar jars all over this nonsense."
For a second, lanie only glared at him, eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line as if weighing whether to push further. Then, slowly, she exhaled and gave a short nod, her expression smoothing into sothing calr, though not without that ever-present glint of calculation. "Hmm. I’ll keep an eye on you. Keep away from my husband." she said finally in a threatening voice.
Max rolled his eyes at that, leaning back in his chair with a huff. Of course, she would. lanie always had to get the last word in, even if it was disguised as sothing casual.
But then, he had an idea and grinned," Hmm. I’ll stay away..But did you know that your husband and I have a checkered past... Hmm? I’ve ’seen’ as much of him as you have because sotis we shared a woma...." In the next minute, Max found his mouth stuffed with a large bite of beef as lanie warned him," For future reference, it is better that you have no mory of my husband’s checkered past..."
Max grinned as he slowly chewed with his mouthful... The evening could not have ended on a better note..."
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