“I did no such thing!” I shouted. Blood rushed to my face as I burned inside with anger.

“Calm down, Max,” Thomas said quickly. “I know you didn’t, but I have to read what you are being accused of, so we can discuss our plan.”

Closing my eyes to calm down, and then opening them again, I agreed with a heavy sigh. If this one accusation got me this angry, I knew the rest would make me explode. I had to settle down for Jenna’s sake. She shuddered when I raised my voice and I didn’t like that I made her feel afraid.

“Max, let him finish,” Jenna said softly. That’s all it took for me to find that peace again. Her smile and her tender, angelic voice automatically made me surrender to her request. She was my anchor, my strength, and I would do anything for her.

“Alright.” I kissed her hand as I held it, and placed it down on my lap again. “Go on, Thomas.”

“It gets worse. She said you mentally and physically tortured her, using whips, handcuffs, other sex toys, and even blindfolding her. She’s claiming you mentally abused her by calling her names, and embarrassing her in front of her co-workers. She alleges she is no longer able to hold down a job, for fear any boss would do the same. She claims you threatened that if she did not comply, not only would she not get a recommendation from the company, and you would make sure she would never be hired anywhere else again.”

“This is absurd. I should sue her for causing me grief,” I shook my head with a small laugh. “Unbelievable. This woman did not think things through. All of this is false.” Almost all. I told Thomas we used sex toys, but they were her idea. She was the one who purchased them. As Thomas continued down his list, I wanted desperately to take Jenna out of the room; I saw the disturbed expression on her face. She had heard enough.

She couldn’t even look at me when I called her name. She looked anywhere else but my eyes. Maybe I was overreacting. I hoped I was, but I was sure I was right. I could read Jenna like a book. That’s how in tune we were. My gut told me things were going to change between us and at that moment, I wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go.

“I think we’ve had enough for today, Thomas,” I said sternly.

“Max, I just have a couple more.”

Looking at Jenna, she already looked drained from information overload, not to mention the shock of hearing all the cruel things I had supposedly done. Hopefully, she felt like she knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t do those things. I wish I knew what she was thinking. It was driving me insane.

“Thomas, I thank you for doing your job, but I really think you and I should meet again tomorrow. I’m taking Jenna home. She and I need to talk this out.” Without his consent, I stood up and tugged Jenna out of her daze, helping her out of her seat.

“Max,” Thomas started again.

“No, Thomas. I mean it,” I said firmly. If he tried to talk me into staying, it wasn’t going to be a polite conversation. We were already near the door.

“There is something else.”

“What is it?” I huffed, feeling irate.

“I think it’s best if you and Jenna saw less of each other during work hours. Try not to be the source of any rumors. People are bound to talk, and we don’t need anyone making assumptions. The prosecutor will call Jenna to testify. I also need to set a date to meet with Jenna alone to help her get ready. This is my professional opinion as your lawyer. If you want to win this case, these are my suggestions.”

I knew Thomas meant well, but I didn’t like anything he said. What happened next was something I could not have expected or prepared myself for. For the first time, Jenna’s hand slipped away from mine and she walked out the door without waiting for me to open it for her. It felt as though she was saying goodbye. At that moment, a dagger twisted in my heart and all I could do was hope I was misinterpreting her reaction.

27

TAKING MY HAND AWAY from Max’s hold, I pushed the door and walked through. Max always opened doors for me, but this time, I was in control. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him with me. I was just deep in thought and only wanted to get out of there as fast as I could.

We didn’t talk much during the drive back to my apartment. In fact, it was the first time being around him, he hadn’t made me smile. When we got to the front of my apartment building, two men that looked like secret service stood their ground. They were the men Max had hired to ensure the paparazzi would stay away. With a nod to them, we headed up to my place. As soon as we got to my door, Max stood in front, preventing me from entering.

“Jenna. Talk to me, please” he said softly.

If this were another day, I would have jumped into his arms right then and there. He looked so alluring and tempting, the way he leaned against the door in a natural pose, but I had to remain strong. Smiling, I gazed into those welcoming eyes that looked so sad. “Max, I’m fine. We should do what Mr. Shaw suggested. I can even work from home.”

“Babe….” He leaned into me, but thoughts of what Crystal threatened to tell the whole world made me sick. My poor Max. His reputation and the company his family worked so hard for would crumble, just because of one crazy, vindictive bitch. It wasn’t fair!

When I finally looked at him again, he continued. “Get some rest. I know this is a lot for you to deal with. I didn’t want you to hear all those things about my past with Crystal. I was young and naïve. I certainly didn’t want to give you all this stress. I wouldn’t have brought you into my life if I had known this would—”