Well, here's the next chapter. I'm going to try and post a new chapter every Friday as long as my work/travel schedule doesn't get too insane. Enjoy!
Chapter 2:
"I thought this wasn't your scene." The girl called out, standing on the landing with an imported beer in each hand. Maxie had put a flag on his name so the second he walked into the exclusive club she was alerted via her earpiece and instantly went on a visual search to find him, which proved not to be too difficult because he didn't blend well.
Jason took a second to take in her appearance. The girl really didn't leave much to the imagination when it came to her body. She was wearing a ridiculous short dress that barely covered her ass; with two strips of material crossing along her ribs just enough to cover her tanned breasts beneath, before crossing back to her neck . Leaving her toned stomach and smooth back completely exposed. There was even a tiny jewel hanging from her navel, and of course she was wearing a pair of platform heels that couldn't have been comfortable at all.
"You have pool tables. I like pool." Jason said before lining up another shot, the ball rolling into the pocket almost effortlessly. "How'd you know I was here with all these people?"
"It's my job to know who's in my club." She explained taking a few steps forward, so she wouldn't have to yell over the music to hear him. "I asked the waitress, I brought this up for you." Handing him one of the beers before taking a sip of her own beer. "So again with the jeans and biker boots, I'm assuming you aren't here on a leisurely vacation then?"
"Excuse me?" He said taking a pull of his beer, turning to look at the blonde taking a few extra seconds to take in her tanned and toned legs only extended by the heels.
"Well your dress code doesn't really scream the mood to get to know the locals so I'm assuming you're here for business, not pleasure, especially since you've been inside my club for an hour and have yet to meet a woman."
"This is not my idea of pleasure?" He said banking another shot, this time the ball bounced off the corner pocket and away from its intended spot, the cue ball falling into the pocket.
Maxie thought about taking his comment and running with it but she couldn't quite place his reaction to her charms yet, she walked over towards the pocket the ball had fallen into retrieving it before walking towards him, marveling at his height. "I think I may know a place that's more you're style; you might find it more pleasurable?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't wander off with strangers." Jason smirked taking the cue ball from her outstretched hand, letting his larger hand lightly grasp her during the ball exchange.
"Funny." She said moving to lean against the pool table affectively blocking his next shot. "I'm sorry I was an ass earlier at the pier. But this is South Beach and you can't expect the local or tourist men to be charming as you and defend my honor from the occasional drunken mob. I spend the majority of my job prying drunken college guys and tourist off my ass so I really have and can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, but prying guys of your ass would probably be easier to avoid if you at least covered it." Jason suggested slowly inching his pool cue against her body sliding her out of the way of his shot.
"So you've been checking me out?" She smiled happily moving to sit on one of the bar stools along the wall, continuing to sip her beer. Reaching into her haphazardly curled hair she pulled a small earpiece out setting it down on the high top table.
"You're not trying very hard to cover yourself—"
"It's part of the job."
"You're not a prostitute are you?" Jason asked stopping his game and turning to her, mostly to see her reaction. He knew that she wasn't a prostitute; but he almost enjoyed ruffling the younger woman's feathers. The girl left her stool and as quick as her heeled feet would allow and she slapped him ineffectually with her tiny well-manicured hand. Jason tried to keep his laughter and amusement contained but it was almost a lost cause.
"I'm genuinely offended by the comment! You're not from around here are you?" Jason didn't respond causing the girl to continue. "This is Miami Beach. The fact that you can't see my nipples is a pretty impressive statement."
Jason almost chocked on his beer, "I have noticed a certain lack of clothing from all the women."
"See most guys would be enjoying that fact."
"Well I guess I'm not most guys." Jason said taking yet another sip before setting it on the table next to her. "And I never said I wasn't enjoying the view."
Maxie smiled at his sly comments; she knew he wasn't actually flirting but from his brusque demeanor she knew that this wasn't his usual mode of wooing. "How about this, we play a game, if I win you come with me to the other bar, if not I'll leave you alone and your tab will be on the house?"
"Are you actually trying to steal your own clubs business?"
"What, are you afraid that you might get beat by a girl?"
"Rack 'em up."
The instant they walked into Ted's Hideaway Jason knew that this place was more his style. And just like the pier, and her club she walked into this place like she didn't have a care in the world. She walked up to the bar disregarding the men who whistled and wolf-called at her as she went by; clearly appreciating the barely there outfit she wore.
"Ted," Max smiled, lifting the bar top and stepping behind it to hug the man behind the bar. "Can I get my bag and the key?" She asked sweetly. Jason was soon standing just the other side of the bar watching her move, she smiled moving away from the bar. "Ted this is Jason, Jason Ted. Neither of you like my outfits; why don't you discuss that while I change, I'll be back in a minute."
Jason gave the all-knowing nod to the man behind the bar and watched as the spunky blonde walked through the crowd towards the back of the bar, soon disappearing through a door that said "employees only". Jason stood back waiting and taking in the view of the place which was definitely more his style than the high fashion place he had been an hour before. It fondly reminded him of Jakes, which instantly brought back memories of home. When Max returned she was wearing a pair of denim shorts with and a tank-top that still provided ample cleavage. It continued her theme of clothing choices, and she had even exchanged her heels for a pair of canvas wedges with straps that crisscrossed up her calves.
"Teddy can I get a beer for myself and the guy who apparently doesn't speak to strangers." Maxie laughed exchanging the bag that held her clothes for two beers. In the time he had spent with the girl he couldn't imagine her drinking more, she had to weigh about 100 pounds soaking wet he didn't know where all the alcohol went, or how she was still managing to stand straight.
"I'm Jason, nice to meet you Ted." Jason shook hands with the man behind the bar while Maxie moved over towards the jukebox. He was pleasantly surprised when an 80's rock song began to play through the speakers.
"You a friend of our girls?" Ted asked watching Jason watch Max.
"I helped her out the other day." Jason supplied, he didn't know the relationship between the two so he was very vague in his explanation not wanting to allude to anything that might get back to Max.
"I bet that went over well." Ted laughed, apparently he knew her personality well. "She's a stubborn pig headed girl. But she's a sweetheart."
"I hope you're not listening to everything Teddy tells you." Max said reappearing, "some guys on the strip were giving me a hard time. Captain America here helped out."
"Maxie you need to be more careful." Ted said being protective of the young blonde.
"I was fine," she demanded, "Ted as you know, I've been taking self-defense classes since I could walk."
"You live a dangerous life huh?" Jason smirked, thinking how funny it all seemed.
"I grew up in Texas with my grandmother, my parent's," she paused, "their careers didn't exactly cater to having children. So by the time my younger sister was walking it was basically fend for yourselves; hence the self-defense classes."
"I can't picture you living on a farm in Texas."
"Trust me I was no farm girl." Maxie said taking another pull of her beer. "So since you're not from Miami where are you from mystery man?"
"New York, couple hours outside of the city." He said leaving the exact location elusive.
"I would love to live that close to that much fashion?" She said picking at the label on the beer bottle.
"You sound like my best friend, she actually is from Florida." Revealing slightly more about himself, he knew it wasn't safe to be too friendly with people in this town but Jason was sure he could defend himself against the pixie blonde, even with her so call self-defense classes.
"She huh? I'm surprised a guy like you is friends with any girls, but the fact that you described her as your best friend means one of a two things—you either grew up together, or she's a fun buddy." Maxie smiled watching Jason choke on his beer. "I guess I found my answer."
"Not that it's any of your business but we're just friends, she was married to my business partner I'm the God father to her children."
"You don't have to defend yourself, there's nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life." Max smiled motioning for Ted to bring them another round of beer. "Sorry, I just work in an industry where there's a lot of bullshitting so I try not to do too much of that outside of work."
Maxie smiled as Ted brought over a few beers also setting a bottle of water down on the table. "Maxie drink this." He said smiling at Jason before returning to his post, always keeping a watchful eye on their table.
"So Maxie is it? What happened to Max?" Jason said twisting the cap of his beer shooting it across the table.
"Well, international man of mystery my full name is Mariah Maximilliania Jones. I'm named after my grandmother from Texas, so she's the one who started calling me Maxie. Professionally I go by Max because this is a man's world—or at least chauvinistic pigs would like to think so, I go by Max so that people will actually take meetings with me. Plus it makes it more difficult to stalk me if guys don't know my real name."
"Understandable, what guy wouldn't want to hit on you after seeing the whole package." Jason smirked knowing it would probably set her off. He usually didn't try and provoke people, but there was something about the scowl that came across her face, that brought a smile to his.
"Jackass," She bit out, taking another sip of the beer before moving to the jukebox to pick another song. It didn't take too long, for a guy from the bar to walk towards the petite blonde and do his best attempt at a pick up line. He watched Maxie entertain the guys advance for a minute or two before pointing over towards the bar where Ted was watching with almost a glaring fatherly gaze. Without a second thought the guy hoping to get Maxie's phone number or more; quickly said his goodbyes and moved towards another part of the bar to find a drink.
"Not interested?" Jason asked when she finally returned.
"No, also Ted never lets me go home with anyone." Maxie pointed out singing along to the ACDC song she had chosen.
"So I take it you come here often?" Jason asked.
"I come here most nights. I can't really drink in my clubs so I have to find my own space. I met Ted when I first came to town after I graduated high school. I actually lived in the apartment above the bar before I moved into my condo, and even worked a few months behind the bar."
"You said clubs, how many?"
"My promotions company runs three independent night clubs and we oversee special promotions for another twelve." Maxie smiled; she loved talking about business because it was one of the few areas in her life where she was one hundred percent confident inside and out about how things were going.
"Your company?" He asked, actually taking an interest in someone else work; plus the more he got her to talk about herself the less he had to say about his business and about what had brought him to Miami.
"Yeah, I still answer to a boss; but one day I'm going to run the company the way I want, I just don't have enough capital to make it a reality yet." She smiled thinking and dreaming ahead, she was the number one promotions worker at Markem Promotions and was primed to take over as soon as Colin Markem retired; which seemed like it would never happen.
It was then that Ted called out last call breaking the bubble that the two had found themselves in for the last hour or so.
"I should probably head home; I have a meeting tomorrow morning." Maxie said gathering the bottles and shot glasses that had accumulated. Jason grabbed the few she couldn't carry and made their way over toward the bar where Ted was cashing people out and taking last minute drink requests.
Maxie was just about to ask Ted what the damage was for their night of drinking when Jason laid a stack of bills on the bar top, "This should cover ours."
Maxie looked between the two men oddly intrigued by Jason's tactics. "You just get more and more interesting. Before you go back to New York you've got some gaps to fill in for me."
"Maybe tomorrow?"
Smiling at the tall, brooding man in front of her she reached into her small clutch and pulled out her iPhone entering his basic information before handing the phone off to Jason. "With the exception of the meeting, I actually have tomorrow off. It's Monday, not the biggest club night." She explained not sure why she was entertaining the idea of spending time with a tourist.
"So tomorrow." Jason spoke handing the phone back before raising a hand to say goodbye to Ted before leaving the bar.
Maxie watched him leave before plopping down at a bar stool waiting for Ted to deal with the remaining customers.
"So a new boy, Maxie?" Ted asked finally coming to stand beside her. "He seems different."
"Different?" She asked confused where Ted was going with that statement. She had made it a general rule not to bring the guys she dated to this particular bar. She knew better than to bring guys to meet Ted it was almost like they were meeting her father.
"He seems nice, a little on the quiet side to be your taste but maybe that's a good thing." Ted explained patting her on the arm. "How long have you been dating him?"
"Just met him on the boardwalk today." Maxie smiled standing and stretching her arms over her head. "I have a meeting with clients in the morning, I'll see ya soon Teddy."
Ted watched the young blonde girl walk out of his bar and couldn't help but laugh at how clueless she was when it came to the opposite sex. Since he had met the petite woman four years prior he had only met two of the men in her life, one had been a colleague and the other she would now only now refer to as "the mistake".
He was interested to see how the Jason situation would play out; and just when Maxie was finally going to let her guard down enough to let someone in.
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