Max

Max’s POV

I handed the big, burly man a card. He peered at it for a moment before waving me in. I took one last, long look around before walking inside. The adjoining door led me to a private lounge, dimly lit with soft music playing in the background.

A few people lingered in different corners, and the servers, both male and female, wore flimsy dresses as they moved across the room carrying drinks. I squinted, scanning for her briefly, and then I saw her, with her back to me. I walked up to her and sat across from her without a word.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. She wore a black tube dress that clung to her slender figure and high-heeled shoes. “Shots,” she offered, pushing a small tray toward me.

I sat up straight. “No, I’m here to talk, and I need to be clear-headed when I do it.”

A hint of a smile played on her lips, her bright blue eyes boring into me as she took a sip of her wine. My gaze wandered to her blood-red nails curling around the glass,