317 Pride vs Saving business 2

Max gently ran his fingers over the bite mark. "Sorry, love. I got carried away. It will not happen again."

Liz remembered how that pain vibrated through her body, giving a boost to her orgasm and her lips stretched into a smile.

"Don't worry about it. I heal fast. The good thing is that it can be covered by my dress." She pulled the sleeve back up, completely covering the mark. "Next time, you can bite harder."

Max chuckled. "Thank you for your permission, but I am not a sadist. My goal is to bring you pleasure."

Liz cocked an eyebrow. "Really? While battering my insides on top of a sink, you are thinking about my pleasure?"

Max hummed in confirmation and spoke without breaking the eye contact. "I realized that for me, there is no going back to a life without you and I want you to feel the same. I want you to think about me as someone indispensable in your life. I want you to feel me for hours after I made you scream in ecstasy… and maybe even walk funny. In order to achieve that, I will fill your life with my presence and unexpected pleasures so that in those moments when I'm not by your side, the only person on your mind is me."

Liz was speechless and Max was serious. Was this another promise? It sounded like it. A life filled with Max and pleasure… Liz liked the sound of that even if it would make her walk funny.

Max inched closer and pecked her lips. In the next moment, he slapped her behind. "Let's go. Your dad is waiting, and we are not sure if those two left… probably not. Wimp's business is in trouble, and he looked desperate enough to beg under that frown."

Liz had a feeling that Patrick is a 'wimp', but she wanted to confirm. "Who is a wimp?"

"The guy who hopes to get inside your panties while claiming to be better for you than I am."

Liz confirmed that Max does not want to say Patrick's name. Well, she can't blame him.

"Max? Did you do something to his business?"

Max tilted his head and observed her. "Would you mind if I did?"

"No. I'm just curious."

"By end of the lunch, you will get your answers."

Liz saw the torn fabric on the floor. "Shit, Max. I need to go upstairs and get panties."

"Don't." Max took her panties and put them inside his pocket.

Liz blinked. Is he serious? She is wearing a dress, and it will be breezy.

As if he can read her mind, Max pulled her into a tight embrace and spoke in her lips while squeezing her butt cheeks. "You not wearing panties will be our little secret, sugar."

Liz wanted to object. It was a crazy idea. But Max kissed her, and he is all around her, and she just had mind-blowing sex… and she agreed.

…

Patrick looked at Max and Liz who enjoyed their meal while exchanging glances and whispers, and he didn't have any appetite.

Patrick exhaled and swallowed his pride with difficulty. He spoke to Max without looking at him. "Mr. Anderson. You said that you can help me with the issue my business is facing."

"I didn't." Max responded curtly.

Patrick thought that his ears malfunctioned. "What?"

Max looked at Patrick with a straight face. "I asked about your problem. I never said that I would help you. As a successful businessman, you should know that making promises without understanding the situation is irresponsible."

Patrick exhaled while chanting curses internally. "My business is facing issues. Can I have a few minutes of your time, Mr. Anderson? I hope that you can provide me with insight on how to deal with the situation."

Max nodded in approval. "I like your attitude. I will listen."

Max gestured to Patrick to go ahead.

Patrick felt like there is a rock in his throat. He took a few gulps of water, trying to wash it down, but it didn't help. Max is infuriating! But what can he do? He needs Max's help because it seems that Isaac has no intention to step in himself.

"During the night, there was a surge of negative information related to my business."

Max's eyebrow arched. "Negative information? How is that a problem? Every business faces positive and negative feedback. You can't please everyone."

"This is different. It's overwhelming. Negative reviews for my products flooded my site and several others. The average rating on my site went from 4.6 to 2.1 stars. There are blog posts about inhumane work conditions at my company. This morning I woke up to an inbox full of emails from angry customers who vowed not to use my services anymore."

"Are they true?"

Max's question made Patrick look at him with a frown.

"Why does that matter?"

Max smirked. "Let's say that there are a hundred negative reviews. You see that something is fishy, and you want to discredit them. However, it gets proven that one of the reviews is truthful. That will make the other 99 reviews more credible, and you will be perceived as someone who wants to silence critique."

Patrick rubbed the back of his neck with a lot of force. "You are saying that I need to review all of them one by one?"

Max shrugged. "This is something your marketing team should handle. Or legal. Depending if the negative information is true or not. And definitely your customer support will need to put in some overtime until this is settled. Take care of the true ones by making those customers happy and then you can sue the false ones…"

Liz listened to Max as he spoke in more detail and she could listen to his voice for hours and get lost in it.

She remembered that Max asked Quentin to blacklist Patrick's company E-Sand. But it's a weekend, so Quentin probably didn't do anything, and even if he started spreading the information, it will take a few days for results to show. Max also asked Ian to dig out information about E-Sand, but she didn't see Max follow up on it. When did Max manage to create this mess? Liz was not sure how or when he did it, but she had to agree that Max is amazing. And she knew that Max is behind this.

Last night, Patrick was looking down on Max and trying to sabotage him, and now Patrick is asking Max for help. Liz thought about how this is the case of instant karma, delivered by Max. Her boyfriend.

Max glanced at Liz and saw that she is looking at him dreamily like he is the only man on the planet. He hoped that she will continue looking at him like that for a long time.

Max put his hand on Liz's thigh under the table. It was not too high, or too low, but the fact that she is not wearing any panties made her super-aware of his touch. His thumb moved slightly, caressing her over the fabric of her dress, and she was unable to focus on the conversation because her core tightened and she felt the wetness pooling. Oh, God! She is aroused! She focused on keeping a straight face.

Liz flinched when Patrick slammed his fist on the table.

"This won't work! It will take too much time and my business will be ruined by then!"

"You asked me for my input, and I am giving it." Max said coolly. "Is this your first time to face such a crisis?"

"It's obvious that someone is doing this intentionally." Patrick hissed.

Max enjoyed seeing Patrick being driven into a corner and he decided to push his buttons. "Who would target your business intentionally? A competitor? Or did you offend someone personally?"

Patrick paused and blinked. He bolted out of his chair and pointed a shaky finger at Max. "It was you!"

"Can you provide proof? Your imagination does not count." Max said smugly. "I might sue you for slander. And you might lose that finger as well."

"I've never seen more shameless bastard in my life!" Patrick screamed.

Isaac had enough. "Patrick, apologize."

"He is ruining me and I need to apologize?"

"Why would Max ruin you? He met you yesterday." Isaac stated a fact.

"He is lying!" Patrick was trembling from anger.

"Get out!" Isaac squeezed through his teeth and looked at stunned Robert. "I see Max as part of my family, and your Patrick is disrespectful. Take your son, and get out. Or my security will take you out."

Robert's mouth opened and closed. He stood up and led Patrick outside in silence.

Patrick was stupefied, aware that he made a mistake. They came to ask for help, but somehow it turned out in him screaming at Max and getting kicked out. Now that Isaac said it, Patrick remembered that he met Max only yesterday and there is no way that anyone can make so much damage in one night. But, who could it be?

Isaac exhaled when Robert and Patrick left. "Sorry about them."

Max chuckled and squeezed Liz's thigh. "No problem, Mr. W."

"How did you do it?" Isaac asked Max.

Max's lips stretched into a wicked smile. "I have my ways."

"Is this it, or will there be more?" Isaac continued probing.

"He just got a taste of the appetizer. I don't leave my enemies with weapons to fight back."

Isaac smiled and nodded in approval.

Liz looked at her father in disbelief. "You knew that Max is behind it, and you defended him?"

"I didn't defend Max. I refused to help Patrick and I told him to talk to Max. I didn't interfere until Patrick started screaming like a child throwing a tantrum and I told them to leave because they are disrespectful. How is that defending Max?"

Liz stifled a laugh. Max and Isaac are both sly and it's no wonder they are getting along well.

Max had one question: "Why did you refuse to help Patrick? I thought that you and Robert are good."

Isaac exhaled. "So did I. After the party last night, I watched the security footage with a goal to understand more about the gossip. What I didn't expect was that I would hear Robert encourage Patrick to get close to Liz because of this…" Isaac extended his hands and waved toward the surrounding. "He said something like… Isaac has only Liz, and all this will be hers… and if Patrick marries Liz and becomes my son-in-law, it will be his."

Liz saw the disappointment in Isaac's eyes. "I'm sorry, daddy…"

"Don't be. It's my fault. I prefer to focus on my hospital and my work and a few people who are close to me, and because of that I neglected to see the foxes around me."

"Now I know from where Liz got it." Max said.

Liz smiled at Max's words and looked at her father. "What will you do?"

"I will deal with Robert. Let's not talk about them. You kids are leaving in a few hours, and I want to enjoy them… Eat up. I've got your favorites for dessert." Isaac glanced over his shoulder and he didn't see the butler. "I will go and tell them to bring them out…"

���Daddy, I will gain ten pounds over this weekend…" Liz whined after Isaac.

"Don't worry, sugar." Max's breath kissed her neck. "I will help you stay in shape…"

Liz's hair stood on ends. He called her 'sugar' again.

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