Chapter 3: Here For The Food
Three sharp knocks on the door, that’s his signal. Or at least, that’s what he decided his signal was. Every time he went over to Stacey’s place for food, that’s the way he knocked.
He was pulling his shirt on when the door opened. There stood Stacey with a smug smile on her face.
Max scowled. What the hell is she smiling about?
He couldn’t stop himself from giving her a once-over. No matter how much she grated on his nerves, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at her body.
Green eyes, blonde hair, and a rack that could knock someone out. Seriously, they could be used as airbags, floatation devices, and pillows. But he wouldn’t touch this slut with a 39 and a half foot pole.
Rolling his eyes, he stepped inside. She moved aside to let him in.
Behind him, Stacey called out, "Told you it wasn’t too much food. A bottomless pit has arrived."
Hearing this, Max knew someone else was inside. It wasn’t a man; she didn’t have that high-pitched, nasally, fake sweet voice.
Only when he completely entered did he see who it was. A stranger. At least to him.
She didn’t have the same worldly vibe as Stacey. She looked like someone the world would chew up and spit out. Her eyes were far too innocent for his liking; it reminded him of himself before he became a manipulative bastard.
He looked between the girl and Stacey. Seeing Stacey’s mischievous grin, he frowned and continued walking towards the table.
The girl standing there was looking between him and Stacey.
"Don’t think too much. I don’t have anything to do with her," Max said preemptively. "I’m only here for the food."
He stretched out his hand. "Max, nice to meet you."
"Cassie," she replied, blushing.
Max smiled. He knew he had a natural charm. There weren’t many women who didn’t find him attractive. He didn’t spend all that time at the gym for no reason.
Not to mention, he made sure to get regular check-ups. According to his doctor, he had a clean bill of health.
His dentist told him his teeth are pristine. For a man like him, a great smile is always an asset.
There’s also his wardrobe and confidence. No matter how much a woman claims she likes a man’s personality, will she really turn a man down if he looks good?
Otherwise, all the scum Max knows wouldn’t be in relationship after relationship.
So seeing Cassie blush, he could understand.
"Cassie," he repeated it slowly. He flashed her a smooth smile. "How do you know Stacey?"
"Friends," she says, voice inching higher. "We used to live in the town. She moved away, but we still kept in touch. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of coming out here. She told me about how many opportunities there are and..."
Cassie caught herself before she said too much. She realized she was rambling.
Max smiled. He tilted his head, listening to her talk. He watched the blush creep up. He watched her cover her mouth when she felt she was talking too much.
He had perfected his ’interesting’ face. He could keep people talking by leaning forward to make them feel he was hanging on their every word. That head tilt made him seem open and honest and like a good listener.
Only he knew he didn’t listen to half the things a person said.
As for Cassie, he listened. He didn’t know enough about her yet to zone her out or predict her speech patterns.
He chuckled, "You don’t need to be embarrassed. You’re cute when you ramble."
The blush that hadn’t faded came back with renewed vigor.
"Alright, that’s enough of that." Stacey pulled their hands apart. "Are we eating or flirting?"
"Flirting," Max said simply. At the same time, he found a chair and busied himself with putting food on his plate.
Stacey pulled Cassie to sit, then sat next to her and started piling her plate.
Scoffing, Stacey said, "Don’t flirt with my friend. All charisma and charm. Men like you only know to use your good looks to seduce people."
"Oh!" He raised an eyebrow. "When did I seduce anyone? Have I ever tried to seduce you?"
"I’m immune to your seductions." Stacey folded her arms over her bulging chest.
Max’s eyes watch her chest rise and fall.
"Immune. Sure, that’s the reason." He rolled his eyes. "You aren’t my type. If I had to choose," he turned to Cassie. "I think your friend and I would be a good match, plus I’m an ass man."
When he said it, his eyes fell on Cassie’s voluminous posterior.
Cassie caught the look and blushed again.
’Are all men in the city like this? First that driver and now him.’
Despite the blushing, when she saw him looking, she couldn’t help leaning forward, letting him see more of her globes. It was an almost unconscious act. The man’s suave nature was charming her, and she hadn’t even noticed it.
The rest of the meal went by quickly. When they were halfway through the meal, the cleaning lady finally came out of the room.
As Stacey was seeing her off, she asked for payment. At first, Cassie was confused; she already had an agreement with Ricky. When she found out the scumbag hadn’t paid the cleaner yet, she almost had smoke coming from her ears.
Cassie decided she would pay it. Since the room being cleaned was her own, she would make the payment. It was an expense she hadn’t planned to facilitate, and it broke a good part of her savings, but the problem came because of her own room, so she took on the responsibility.
Max saw this and couldn’t help shaking his head. He was calling Cassie a ’sucker’ in his mind and calling Stacey a ’sucker’ of a different kind.
He was sure she gave that old bastard Ricky at least a hand job; in the end, she had to pay for it herself.
For the rest of the meal, it was Stacey complaining, Cassie soothing her, and Max laughing at her misfortune.
Max patted his stomach after the meal. He was full and ready to deal with the freak of nature.
"Well, ladies, thanks for the food. Sorry to dine and dash, but I need to get to work."
No sooner had he said it than his phone began to ring. He waved absentmindedly and left the apartment.
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