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Max took a sip of his drink and then stared down into the glass, listening I considered how much I really wanted to tell hiether

"Andy was older More established, more settled It was fine," I said "It was always fine I think a lot of relationships end up that way, just sort offine Easy Whatever He wasn’t my best friend; he wasn’t really my lover We cohabitated We had a routine"

I was loyal; he banged woo

"So what happened? What detonated?"

I paused, looking at hiht back, and realized no, I hadn’t I’d used that to describe my life when I left, but I’d never shared it with hi hso old when I was so young"

"That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tellup at hiether, you don’t need to know o and a to be involved with anyone"

"But then you found me at the club," he said

"If I reer down the front of his shirt, "you found ht," he said, and smiled, but for the first time I could remember, his eyes didn’t do it first Or even later "And here we are"

"Here we are," I agreed "I figured it waswhite clouds, looking for all the world so solid, and hearty as if I could leap froo somewhere, anywhere, where I would feel sure of what I was about to say "But I’ve seen you a few tis to get crazy, or off track"

"I understand you perfectly"

Did he? He couldn’t possibly And in truth, it didn’t matter whether he understood that evenon track was o Safe was a nightht a week," I said "I’ll be yours one night a week"

He stared at me with that calm reflective expression and I realized that every ti every card he had His s perfectly real But this expression was his htened painfully "If you even want to see ain, that is"

"I absolutely do," he assured "

I stood up and walked over to theI felt him move behind ht now is to give it a clear boundary Outside that boundary, I’m here to work, to build a life But inside that boundary" I trailed off, closingthe idea take hold The idea of Max’s hands, and hisintoWhen I’ else"

He htly and look right at hione, the midafternoon sun blazed into the rooht on fire

"You’re offering only your body to me"

"Yeah" I was the first to look away

"You’ll truly only give ht a week?"

I winced "Yes"

"So you want to havewhat? Sohed and said, "I certainly don’t like the idea of you whoring your way across the boroughs So, yes, that’s part of the deal If you even do that"

He scratched his jaw, not answering ht all the tih, but I nodded, winging it "Fridays"

"If I’m not to see other women, what if I have a work function, or an event on a Thursday or a Saturday that requires a date?"

My chest twisted with anxiety "No No public appearances I guess you can take your " His s fire "This feels so organized That hasn’t been our modus operandi, to date, little Petal"

"I know," I allowed "But this is the only way that felt sane to me I don’t want to be in the papers with you"

His eyebrows pulled together "Why that specifically?"

Shaking my head, I realized I’d said too et any say in how this goes?" he asked "Do we just er down his chest again, venturing lower, to his belt buckle Here was the part I hoped he was up for and the part that scared me most After the club, the restaurant, the fund-raiser, I was starting to feel like an adrenaline junkie I didn’t want to give that up, either

"I think we’ve done pretty well so far I don’t want to go to my apartment Or yours, for that enerally what to expect so I knohat to wear I don’t care about the rest"

I lifted , but then turned deep enough to ive ht of the week But he pulled away first, breathing heavily

"I can avoid photographers, but I’ve beco pictures of you That’s my only condition No faces, but photos are allowed"

A shiver ht of having proof of hiether and getting hard, made a hot flush spread upthe backs of his fingers along my jaw

"When this ends, you delete them," I said

He nodded immediately "Of course"

"I’ll see you Friday then" I reached inside his jacket, taking a moment to runhis phone fro inup at his face I slipped his phone back in his pocket, turned, and walked away, knowing if I looked over oodbye to hiselevator ride back to the lobby, thinking about that cell camera of his all the way down

Two blocks away my phone buzzed in my purse

Meetyou and stay in it until I’ve opened the door Youand naïve, Demitri Gerard had been the second client I ever took on He’d had a small but profitable antiques business in North London On paper, De special: he paid his bills on time, had a steady client list, and made more money a year than what he put out on expenditures But as truly exceptional about Demitri was his uncanny ability to sniff out rare finds that few people knew existed Pieces that, in the right hands, sold for slobe