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was inconsistent. The truth was, Max made me want sex.
    I squeezed my thighs together and knew I was wet. My nipples were even hard and I knew he had seen them shining through my bathing suit like a lighthouse in the dark. Granted the pool could be blamed for that.
    I gently rubbed over my sensitive breasts and my breathing increased. I dropped my hands to my side and tried to think of something else like puppies or kittens.
    My phone beeped with a text message and pulled me from my fantasies.
     
    Richard: Baby, let's go out tonight.
    Me: Can't, sorry.
    Richard: Why not?
    Me: Told mom I would stay home and out of trouble this weekend.
    Richard: Fuck her. She's a bitch anyway.
     
    I hated it when he talked about my mother that way. Sure she hated him and made it very clear that he wasn't good enough for her baby, but he didn't have to be so disrespectful all the time. Yes, there were moments when I felt the same way about her, but she was my mother. She was all I had left and I loved her. I sighed.
     
    Me: Okay then, tonight.
    Richard: It's a date. I'll be there at 6.
    Me: K.
     
    I wasn't sure why I suddenly changed my mind. Maybe it was because I wanted to see if Richard would be any different tonight. Maybe it was me giving him a final chance to prove himself. I wished things could change but deep down I knew they wouldn't.
    I picked up my things and walked inside. The doorbell rang and I looked out and saw a man with bags of Chinese food. I opened the door and he looked me from top to bottom.
    "Damn," he said then handed me the credit card slip.
    Way to make a girl feel uncomfortable.
    I hurried and signed Max's name on the receipt, left a tip, then handed the paper back to him. In the distance, I heard the water stop and smiled.
    "You made my day, sexy." He gave me one more look over before handing me the plastic bags. I shut the door as soon as I could. Ick. He made me feel dirty.
    I placed the food on the table and made my way up the stairs. I pulled some old cut off shorts and a tank top from my dresser and walked into the bathroom where Max was standing wearing nothing but a towel and a smile.
    "Sorry," I said then shut the door quick. That image would be forever burned into my retinas. His towel hung so low I could see the top of his pubic hair. Trimmed nicely. He must have had just enough time to cover himself whenever I opened the door. I took a few steps back and my bedroom door opened.
    "I'm finished. It's all yours," he said.
    "Umm…thanks."
    As he turned to shut the door, I spoke. "Oh, food is here."
    "Awesome." He continued on his way.
    I walked into the bathroom and the smell of his soap still lingered. It was fresh like the ocean breeze. I slipped off the cool, wet bathing suit and stepped into the hot shower. I washed every part of my body, even the sensitive areas that begged for attention, but I didn't linger. I much preferred the touch of a man than the touch of my hand. My hormones were going wild and I needed to stop. I knew that if this went on any further and my mother found out, she would say I was acting out, doing this on purpose to ruin her soon-to-be marriage. Recently, she made me feel like I was nothing more than her own personal terror. I couldn't help that I was a constant reminder of my father.
    I stepped out of the shower and dried my body then towel dried my hair. After I was finished, I slipped on my clothes then picked my wet bathing suit from the floor and hung it over the sliding shower door. Before going downstairs, I ran my fingers through my hair and applied some lip-gloss. A nervous bubble grew inside my tummy, a feeling I hadn't felt in years.
    I sucked in a deep breath and made my way to the dining room. One step at a time, I told myself that I needed to get my shit together. White boxes with bright red Chinese symbols on the outside were placed all over the table. Chicken, egg rolls, cheese wontons, lo mien, Max had ordered the whole menu.
    He walked in with paper plates and