Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed! You can't believe how big a motivation that is!
Feedback is always welcomed! So please continue with it- and now enjoy the next chapter.
**
Warning
*
"Max? What's the matter?" Cindy's voice was full of concern. It wasn't often she saw her tough roommate like that.
"Can't talk. I need to get ready. I'm meeting Tom in an hour."
Cindy followed her into the bathroom and watched her hold her face under the streaming cold water. When Max straightened, Original Cindy could see the red rims under her eyes. Max had been crying.
"Please. What happened?" She stepped closer. "Come on, you sit down and try to collect yourself and Original Cindy will fight those swollen eyes of yours."
Max tiredly agreed and while she sat on the couch, mentally repeating the fight, Cindy rummaged in the kitchen and eventually presented two used tea bags. "That's gonna help." She sank down on the couch one leg tugged under her other and made Max put her head back. Then she gently played the tea bags on Max's closed lids.
"Okay, what happened, Boo?"
"Logan happened. He's jealous. He spied on Tom and tried to tell me he's dangerous. Why is he doing that?"
Cindy shrugged, her eyes cast to the sky. "Maybe because he likes you?"
"Logan doesn't like me. He's got no room for feelings like that with all his working and self-pitying…"
"Max, he is a nice guy…"
"And so is Tom! And Tom's actually available for me, he's not out of reach like Logan!"
"Maybe you just would have to be patient with your rich boy, he's been through a lot."
"I'm tired of it! He can't expect me to wait forever! He just has no right o interfere with my life like this. If he liked me he should've told me. He's old enough." She took the tea bag from her right eye and checked her watch. "And now I have to get ready. I'm meeting Tom."
"What are you gonna do?""
"No idea. He asked me to meet him down at the harbour, in an old warehouse. It's a surprise." Max beamed
"Wow, you really like that guy." Cindy wrinkled her nose to make her position on men clear.
"Yeah, maybe I do. He just…he makes me feel special, you know. He doesn't know anything about my past. He likes the girl I'd like to be." She smiled happily, the fight with Logan disappearing further and further in into the back of her mind.
That was when her beeper went off. "Logan," she frowned, deleting the message immediately. She really didn't want to talk to him, or even think about him right now. Then the phone rang and she looked up, rolling her eyes. "Don't answer it," she ordered sharply.
"Whatever you say, Boo. Whatever you say." Original Cindy didn't like it. Something seemed off here. But she didn't have the heart to tell Max right now. There would be plenty of time to discuss that later on. One more date couldn't hurt.
But the way Logan had acted. Of course, he was jealous! But he had never struck her as the kind of guy who would be that mean and try to step between Max and happiness without good reasons.
Max rushed past her. "I'm out! See ya!"
**
Logan sat motionlessly in his office, feeling like he was caught in a very bad nightmare with no way to wake up. Had he really had this fight with Max? Had he really said those things? Had she really meant those things?
Without quite realizing what he was doing he wheeled to his computer and opened the file on Tom.
When his eyes fell on a mobile phone number he considered it for a moment and then opened another file.
Only a few weeks ago Sebastian had provided him with new software that enabled him to record phone calls made from one cell phone to another. He didn't really expect much from it, but there was not much more he could do right now.
Right then he heard his apartment door being unlocked. For a second he hoped it would be Max- but Max would never use a key to enter his apartment.
"Hello?" he asked, not really feeling like talking to anyone.
He was taken aback though when Bling entered his office, looking pretty down, something Logan hadn't seen ever before.
"What's up?" he asked, his own problems forgotten for the moment. "Bling?" he pressed when there was no answer.
"Nothing." The tall man shook his head. "Forget it."
"Doesn't look like nothing. Come on. You sit down, I'll get us some coffee and then you tell me what happened."
Logan gestured for Bling to precede him to the kitchen. While Bling collected his thoughts, Logan put coffee mugs, milk and sugar on the counter and then carefully brought the coffee pot, too.
He transferred to one of the stools and filled the mugs.
"So?" He intently looked at his personal trainer and best friend.
"Turns out Denise is married. She just wanted to talk. No big deal."
"I'm sorry, man."
"It's okay. My own fault after all. I could have had her back then, but I didn't want to make the commitment. I was a jerk and now I have to pay for it. What can I say? Life goes on."
Logan looked at him deep in thoughts. He hadn't expected this tough bear of a man admit something like that. But maybe he had a point…
"I beg ya, Logan. Don't make the same mistake I made with your girl. Take the risk now or you'll regret it forever."
Logan sighed. "Might be too late already."
"Why?"
"Let's just say I really pissed her off and sent her running into the arms of another guy- while I turn out to be the bad guy."
"But you're gonna fix this, right? She hardly knows this other guy. You two have something special; don't throw it away that easily."
"Maybe. But the way I acted, I really don't think she'll ever talk to me again."
"God, Logan. What did you say?"
A ringing from his office saved him. "It's his phone!"
"What?"
Logan quickly transferred back into his chair, almost toppling over, and hastily wheeled to his office just in time to hear the conversation.
"I'll do it today. You'll have her in a few hours."
"Good."
"Just make sure you have my money waiting."
"As long as you get her to me in one piece."
"It's a pity. She's a pretty hot chick."
"Do your job."
With that the connection was broken.
"Damn it." Logan hit his fist hard on his desk. "I have to warn her."
He dialled her beeper's number. He knew it by heart, but with sped dial it was faster. "Max, don't go see him. It's a trap!" He didn't really expect her to believe him- if she even checked the message before deleting it.
He called the phone at her apartment, letting it ring countless times. "Don't get through," he exclaimed frustrated. Then he pushed back. "I have to find her. You stay here, maybe he makes another call."
Before Bling could even react Logan had left the apartment.
**
TBC
A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed! You can't believe how big a motivation that is!
Feedback is always welcomed! So please continue with it- and now enjoy the next chapter.
**
Warning
*
"Max? What's the matter?" Cindy's voice was full of concern. It wasn't often she saw her tough roommate like that.
"Can't talk. I need to get ready. I'm meeting Tom in an hour."
Cindy followed her into the bathroom and watched her hold her face under the streaming cold water. When Max straightened, Original Cindy could see the red rims under her eyes. Max had been crying.
"Please. What happened?" She stepped closer. "Come on, you sit down and try to collect yourself and Original Cindy will fight those swollen eyes of yours."
Max tiredly agreed and while she sat on the couch, mentally repeating the fight, Cindy rummaged in the kitchen and eventually presented two used tea bags. "That's gonna help." She sank down on the couch one leg tugged under her other and made Max put her head back. Then she gently played the tea bags on Max's closed lids.
"Okay, what happened, Boo?"
"Logan happened. He's jealous. He spied on Tom and tried to tell me he's dangerous. Why is he doing that?"
Cindy shrugged, her eyes cast to the sky. "Maybe because he likes you?"
"Logan doesn't like me. He's got no room for feelings like that with all his working and self-pitying…"
"Max, he is a nice guy…"
"And so is Tom! And Tom's actually available for me, he's not out of reach like Logan!"
"Maybe you just would have to be patient with your rich boy, he's been through a lot."
"I'm tired of it! He can't expect me to wait forever! He just has no right o interfere with my life like this. If he liked me he should've told me. He's old enough." She took the tea bag from her right eye and checked her watch. "And now I have to get ready. I'm meeting Tom."
"What are you gonna do?""
"No idea. He asked me to meet him down at the harbour, in an old warehouse. It's a surprise." Max beamed
"Wow, you really like that guy." Cindy wrinkled her nose to make her position on men clear.
"Yeah, maybe I do. He just…he makes me feel special, you know. He doesn't know anything about my past. He likes the girl I'd like to be." She smiled happily, the fight with Logan disappearing further and further in into the back of her mind.
That was when her beeper went off. "Logan," she frowned, deleting the message immediately. She really didn't want to talk to him, or even think about him right now. Then the phone rang and she looked up, rolling her eyes. "Don't answer it," she ordered sharply.
"Whatever you say, Boo. Whatever you say." Original Cindy didn't like it. Something seemed off here. But she didn't have the heart to tell Max right now. There would be plenty of time to discuss that later on. One more date couldn't hurt.
But the way Logan had acted. Of course, he was jealous! But he had never struck her as the kind of guy who would be that mean and try to step between Max and happiness without good reasons.
Max rushed past her. "I'm out! See ya!"
**
Logan sat motionlessly in his office, feeling like he was caught in a very bad nightmare with no way to wake up. Had he really had this fight with Max? Had he really said those things? Had she really meant those things?
Without quite realizing what he was doing he wheeled to his computer and opened the file on Tom.
When his eyes fell on a mobile phone number he considered it for a moment and then opened another file.
Only a few weeks ago Sebastian had provided him with new software that enabled him to record phone calls made from one cell phone to another. He didn't really expect much from it, but there was not much more he could do right now.
Right then he heard his apartment door being unlocked. For a second he hoped it would be Max- but Max would never use a key to enter his apartment.
"Hello?" he asked, not really feeling like talking to anyone.
He was taken aback though when Bling entered his office, looking pretty down, something Logan hadn't seen ever before.
"What's up?" he asked, his own problems forgotten for the moment. "Bling?" he pressed when there was no answer.
"Nothing." The tall man shook his head. "Forget it."
"Doesn't look like nothing. Come on. You sit down, I'll get us some coffee and then you tell me what happened."
Logan gestured for Bling to precede him to the kitchen. While Bling collected his thoughts, Logan put coffee mugs, milk and sugar on the counter and then carefully brought the coffee pot, too.
He transferred to one of the stools and filled the mugs.
"So?" He intently looked at his personal trainer and best friend.
"Turns out Denise is married. She just wanted to talk. No big deal."
"I'm sorry, man."
"It's okay. My own fault after all. I could have had her back then, but I didn't want to make the commitment. I was a jerk and now I have to pay for it. What can I say? Life goes on."
Logan looked at him deep in thoughts. He hadn't expected this tough bear of a man admit something like that. But maybe he had a point…
"I beg ya, Logan. Don't make the same mistake I made with your girl. Take the risk now or you'll regret it forever."
Logan sighed. "Might be too late already."
"Why?"
"Let's just say I really pissed her off and sent her running into the arms of another guy- while I turn out to be the bad guy."
"But you're gonna fix this, right? She hardly knows this other guy. You two have something special; don't throw it away that easily."
"Maybe. But the way I acted, I really don't think she'll ever talk to me again."
"God, Logan. What did you say?"
A ringing from his office saved him. "It's his phone!"
"What?"
Logan quickly transferred back into his chair, almost toppling over, and hastily wheeled to his office just in time to hear the conversation.
"I'll do it today. You'll have her in a few hours."
"Good."
"Just make sure you have my money waiting."
"As long as you get her to me in one piece."
"It's a pity. She's a pretty hot chick."
"Do your job."
With that the connection was broken.
"Damn it." Logan hit his fist hard on his desk. "I have to warn her."
He dialled her beeper's number. He knew it by heart, but with sped dial it was faster. "Max, don't go see him. It's a trap!" He didn't really expect her to believe him- if she even checked the message before deleting it.
He called the phone at her apartment, letting it ring countless times. "Don't get through," he exclaimed frustrated. Then he pushed back. "I have to find her. You stay here, maybe he makes another call."
Before Bling could even react Logan had left the apartment.
**
TBC
