All Chapters of PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Maxima picked up her tray and followed. Since Georgia was leading the way, she didn’t see the tray until Maxima had placed it in the middle of her desk. To Maxima’s horror, a cry of distress slipped out of the woman’s mouth when she eyed the tray. Georgia threw her hands up.“Oh, no, Max!” She shook her head and took a step back.“No, no, no.” Maxima had no idea what to do. She’d worked so hard, and she thought she’d done such a good job.“But… You haven’t even tasted anything…” A pair of stricken blue eyes met Maxima’s.“I can’t, Max. I’m on a strict diet. Twelve hundred calories a day. It’s killing me.” Nonetheless, Georgia gazed at that tray like a gambling addict at a slot machine.“And I’m so hungry… I’m so damn hungry all the time. I’m thirty-five years old, wouldn’t you think by now I’d have learned willpower?” Georgia took a step forward and then sharply back.“Please, get those things out of here.” A diet?

Friday night, after a tough day at work when it seemed like Eric Hall had spent a lot of time with old and new clients and none whatsoever getting ready to retire, Liam came home to an apartment that smelled like heaven.“She’s cooking again,” he mumbled to himself. “Things are back to normal.” He closed the door behind him, waiting for Maxima to come and greet him. But all he could hear coming from the kitchen was music. No ‘Dinner’s almost ready!’ or ‘How was your day?’. Since Sunday, Maxima has been acting strangely, treating him like a roommate, going out early in the morning, and coming home quite late. After he found the engagement ring in the key dish, after the cold phone call they had the other night when she was out partying with her friends, Liam understood that things between them had completely changed. The day after that phone call, when he bumped into her in the apartment by pure luck, Liam asked her if she was alright. Maxima was cheerf

For some reason, Billie felt nervous. Which was ridiculous. She was a grown woman who’d been longing to get him alone for weeks, not a damn virgin. Now that Timothy seemed to want to let her into his house, she wondered what other intimacies were in store and whether she was as ready as she thought.“So, Billie… Would you like to come in?” Trying hard not to let him see her feelings, Billie nodded and followed Timothy inside. It was always interesting to get inside a single man’s house. Was he a slob? A sports junkie? Did he have a collection of comic books or superhero memorabilia? Had he decorated his space? Were the legacies of past girlfriends to be found around the house? All this was yet to be discovered as Billie walked into his living room. And felt a strange sense of peace. There was very little in the room. A few pieces of comfortable furniture, some black and white photographs hanging on pale gray

“The king prawn canapés are a huge hit,” Danielle, the waitress Maxima had met while working at the restaurant, said, running into the kitchen with another empty tray. “One of the guests made me stand there while he ate ten of them. I’m not kidding, Max! I counted.”“Good thing I made lots!” Maxima exclaimed in a tired but happy voice. Actually, Maxima was having so much fun. This was the work she loved, what she felt she’d been born to do. She took pleasure in food and loved to share that pleasure with other people. Maybe not to the point that some guy would gobble up ten king prawns in a row… But Maxima supposed his greed was a compliment of sorts. After sending Danielle out with another tray, Maxima checked on her bartender. And had to smile. Liam was having the time of his life, she could tell. He was laughing and joking with the customers while pouring drinks with deft assurance. She glanced at her watch, which told her that the scheduled cocktail hour

After a while, Liam got out of the tub, grabbed a towel from the rack, and gave it to Maxima. Then he took one for himself and worked it over his body, wiping the wetness away. Her gaze followed the movements of his hands, enjoying the show. Liam was hugely aroused, and his cock strained upward toward his belly.“Finish drying yourself off, Max,” he said and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be waiting for you in the bedroom.” Then, he walked out of the bathroom. Maxima wrapped the towel around her and hugged the material close. She went towards the mirror and started drying her hair. But she stopped and stared at her reflection. At her equally happy and sad reflection in the mirror. Maxima knew that this dream wasn’t going to last once the morning came. This was their last night together, under the same roof. This was her last night living her fake fairytale. In a few more hours, she’d leave. And, maybe, she won’t have her glas