Max’s grip on my waist tightened.
“Don’t start.”
I opened and then shut my mouth. I had too many things to tangle with; I didn’t want to deal with her right now.
“We’ll talk about this when we get home.” He flashed a smile and nodded to the others in front of us. A lump dropped into my stomach at his ominous tone.
The tour finished in a blur, ending with Max and Gatsby shaking hands again.
“It’s been a pleasure.” Max nodded to him. “We need to sit down sometime.”
“Yes, I’d love to have you for dinner.” Gatsby flashed a smile just as fake as Max’s. He turned to me, reaching for my hand. “And Daisy, it’s always a treat seeing you.” He lifted it to his mouth and pressed his lips to my skin. It burned with a hunger I’d never felt before. I longed to run into his arms, but forced myself to stay next to Max. Gatsby’s kiss and his gaze as he let me go told me what he couldn’t.
All in good time.
“Yes, dinner sounds great. I’ll be in touch. I love what you’ve done with the place.” Max snatched my hand and dragged me out of the building and to his car. He got into his side and gripped the steering wheel tight as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“You’re not dancing there.”
“What? Why not?” I protested.
“Oh, don’t tell me you don’t see how he looked at you. What about this private room? Fully furnished? That wasn’tcheap. How exactly did you convince him to allow your company to perform there?”
My mouth suddenly felt dry. What should I say? Flashes of this morning, with Gatsby and I in the tub, with his mouth...
“Nothing! We just... talked. I danced for him.” I shrugged.
“Did you ask for that private room?” Max demanded.
“Of course not!” I exclaimed. “Everyone already hates me. Why would I make it worse? You saw how jealous they got. I would never ask for something like that.”
Max kept the permanent scowl on his face as he drove us home.
We got inside, and I tried to rush to my room, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him. “It doesn’t matter anyway. It was a waste of his money, that room. Even if I do allow it, you won’t be dancing there for long.”
“Allow?” I started to protest, but he cut me off.
“Actually, I’ve been up to my own decorating. Come, I want to show you something.”
I ripped my hand out of his grip and reluctantly followed him up the stairs.
“I know you’ve been upset about our September sit-down. It can be hard when things become real. I’ve allowed you to live in your own little bubble. Your selfishness is my fault, really. I let it go on for too long.”
He was rambling on about things I wasn’t entirely sure of. We reached the second floor, where our private wings were. He turned to the right, taking me to his side of the house.
“I opted to put the room here, because once we’re married, we’ll be sharing a bed. This is what I was talking about. I let you have this little fantasy life of your own room,your own belongings. Soon, we’ll be sharing everything, Daisy.”
With each step down the hall, the pit in my stomach grew larger. The shadows that filled this house for as long as I’d lived here grew darker, larger, and more threatening. We stopped in front of a door, and he turned, smiling.
“Go ahead, open it.”
Swallowing, I reached for the knob. I turned and pushed the door open. Max flicked a light on and together we peered inside.
I stiffened, looking around the room.
“What is this?”
Max pushed me inside. I protested, digging my heels into the carpet, but he was stronger than me. I stayed by the door, ready to bolt.
