The Promise Pact (Promise to Love Book 1) (2 page)

Kaya’s body stiffened as he approached. She tried to look away, but she couldn’t. Despite every alarm bell ringing in her head, she narrowed her gaze to his deep mesmerizing eyes.

He moved closer to her, his face just mere inches from her lips. His warm breath forced her heavy-lidded eyes to close.

“Please kiss me,” he pleaded.

“I can’t,” her quivering voice uttered.

“You can. Please!”

“It’s just one kiss. Just one, I promise,” he moaned as his mouth came racing down against her lips. Every nerve in Kaya’s body was set on fire. She quickly parted her lips and his tongue plunged into the wet canal of her mouth.

“Please more,” he moaned in between kisses. Her body responded to his request. She dipped her neck back and wrapped her arms around him. A flush of emotions rushed through them causing a range of feelings to rock their young bodies.

“Mmm, you need more,” he managed to utter as his tongue planted small kisses, then intense small bites up and down her neck.

“Yes, yes I do,” she gasped as the warm flood gate opened between her thighs causing a greedy ache from beneath to pull him closer. What was happening to her? What was that unusual tense feeling stirring in every part of her body? Why was she losing control?

Max couldn’t control himself. He needed more. Wanted more. Sure he had his fair share of beautiful girls but this was different. This was a mixture of fear, excitement and a deep need to have something
meaningful
.

“Kaya, just a little more,” he begged as he reached down and claimed her throbbing breasts, he could feel her nipples through the dress and squeezed them delicately until her eyes rolled back. He immediately cupped her ass with his other hand while his mouth claimed her fully, again. They were caught in the throes of passion, two young kids feverishly feasting on each other until…

A familiar black Mercedes coup pulled up next to Max’s BMW and startled them out of their moment. Kaya recognized the troublemaker immediately.

“Billy, what are you doing here?” Max barked with an odd expression planted on his face.

“Why am
I
here?” he chuckled. His detestable laugh made both of them feel uneasy.

“Yes, you?” he uttered visibly agitated.

“Same as you bro, I’m here to hook up with the help.”

Kaya felt her knees go weak and she grabbed Max’s hand for support.
His eyes shifted to her vulnerable face, he studied each expression and drank in her pain.
Just breathe Kaya.
You’re alright, he’s not going to let anything happen to you.

“
Max let’s just go,” she sobbed gripping his hand tighter. She turned to look at him but he looked away. Then, she felt his body stiffen. He went ice cold, frigid to the touch. Seconds later, he released her hand completely.

“Max, don’t do this,” she begged.

Her pleading and sobbing words forced him to stop dead in his tracks. She took a deep breath. The moment seemed to last forever. And then the moment was gone, and he turned and walked away.

Billy broke the deafening silence with his next insult, this one more hurtful than the last. “Don’t cry Kaya, as soon as Max speeds away I can take you for a ride,” he chuckled.

“Billy shut up and let’s go,” Max shouted slamming his fist on the hood of the car. Billy could see something different in his friend’s eyes. He knew better than to utter another sound. A fragile line had been crossed but just how far he had gone Billy would never know. Throwing the car into high gear, he cranked up his music and let out a deep howl as his car bolted down the street. Max drove away seconds later.

Kaya stood there frozen and ashamed. The first man she had ever touched, let alone kissed had vanished into thin air leaving her exposed and afraid.

Completely out of her mind and crying Kaya headed back to the school and waited for the janitor to fetch Ms. Roy. The moment she saw her she ran into her comforting motherly arms.

All was lost.

Babbling incoherent thoughts, she replayed the horrifying events of the evening to Ms. Roy. She vowed at that moment never to utter his name again. It would take Kaya years to fully comprehend what had transpired that fateful night. Years to vocalize the deep pain she found lurking in her heart.

Max had stolen her innocence and crushed her heart.

CHAPTER ONE

Max King stood comfortably in his massive corner office staring out at the beautiful Manhattan skyline. His well-defined muscular shoulders and impeccable deltoid and pectoral muscles flawlessly filled out his crisp white button down shirt. He donned tailored Armani pants that cupped his chiseled ass while his warrior thighs defined his A-list look.

He looked priceless.

His crew cut hair was still dark, but now welcomed shimmers of bronze instead of his youthful gold. Physically, the years had been good to Max. Every few months, it seemed as though he appeared as one of the top eligible bachelors in the city. Max was not only gorgeous but brilliant. At 34, he had been named partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York, a feat not earned by many. Max was often spotted at the swankiest nightclubs and hottest social events around town with the most beautiful women New York had to offer. He was the envy of many. He had a lot to be proud of but deep down inside something was
missing
from his perfect textbook life. He just couldn’t articulate what it was.

“Let’s see!”

Max quickly flipped open his cellphone, and scrolled through the countless names of models and actresses inside. He needed a date. “Actress Heidi Cannon, nope. Investment Banker Elizabeth Conley, nope. Singer Cameron Buck, nope. Shit!”

Tomorrow night Max had to attend
New York Gives
, one of the most talked about Upper East Side high society donor events, on behalf of the law firm. The problem was Max needed a date, not just any date, but the right one. For some reason, Max was always selected by the partners to attend all upper-class society functions. Maybe it was the fact that he was born into wealth and privilege, so he knew the difference between a salad fork and an entrée one. Or maybe it was his gorgeous media hyped looks that always brought in the bucks. Whatever reason, he was the firm’s “it” boy when it came to schmoozing and keeping everyone’s radar on one of the top law firms in the business. Secretly, he hated attending these events, one mind numbing cocktail party after another. But the world had grown fond of his philandering lifestyle. He knew each partner reveled in his playboy ways, each one living for the next salacious media worthy story. Each one living vicariously through Max’s raunchy sexual escapades. But, he was growing tired and restless of it all. Each time one of these functions came up, he agonized over who to bring. For some reason, the events always ended in disaster. Nowadays, he didn’t even enjoy the late night sex. More often than not, he would place his date in a cab and head straight for home. His cookie cutter dates were all the same, either she was too beautiful with not enough brains or too brainy with no real sense of humor or too skinny and afraid to eat. His life seemed perfect, but Max was bored.

He breathed deeply.

“Mr. King, your 1pm appointment is here,” said Ruby, his reliable 55 year old assistant whose raspy voice came through the intercom system.

Annoyed about his next meeting and securing the right date for the upcoming event, he tucked his cellphone in his pocket and stood.

“Thank you Ruby, please have Mr. Fox come in.”

Max paced around the room. His mind was churning. For two days, this unexpected meeting with Mr. Jeffery Fox had him on pins and needles. Of course, Max had done his due diligence, and contacted his firm’s investigative department to look into the southern lawyer’s background. After an entire day of research and digging, the team had found nothing. Mr. Fox was harmless. Still, he wondered why the old man was so interested in seeing him at once.
What type of legal document did Mr. Fox have for him? Why did the document have to be read today?
Max had a million questions swarming in his head but no clear answers. He was a man who thrived on being in control, complete control. Maybe that’s why he went into law. The law was about facts, control and most importantly, it followed a strict set of rules. Rules Max understood
.
But, something about today’s meeting felt different.

Ordinarily,
Max wouldn’t see a soul without an appointment. His schedule was too busy. But the moment the persistent Mr. Fox mentioned the reason for his visit was Ms. Roy, his high school Chemistry teacher, he immediately agreed. How could he not meet with Ms. Roy’s attorney?

For nearly fifteen years, Ms. Roy and Max stayed in contact with one another. When he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania she was there smiling from the stands. He could still remember her warm motherly hugs and kisses when he earned his law degree from the New York University School of Law. When a mysterious illness slowed her down years later, she still showed up at every major event he needed her to attend. She was there for him when he received his first job from law school and consoled him when lost his first case. Years later, when her illness was diagnosed as cancer, she remained adamant about attending his partner unveiling, and cheered him on from an automatic wheelchair. When he received the call from South Carolina that she had died in her sleep a month ago, he quietly reminisced about the woman who had helped change him for the better. She was his friend. He missed his friend.

Max was visibly bothered he didn’t like thinking about the past. It was too difficult and painful. After high school graduation, his mother and father announced they were getting a divorce. It wasn’t a big surprise! Their marriage had been a lucrative financial arrangement. Max was just collateral damage
.
Both of his parents had remarried and now lived on the west coast. They both had
new
children and families to cater to. Max wasn’t part of their new equation. Having a family of his own wasn’t something he was interested in.

Ruby opened the door and ushered the older gentleman into Max’s corner suite. He looked innocuous, at least that’s what Max originally thought. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mr. Fox was holding something in his hands. Max eyed the mysterious document carefully and directed him to the conference table.

They sat.

Max fidgeted. His nerves were getting the best of him. He was normally cool, calm and collected about everything, but something about this meeting had him rattled. He had lots of questions and he planned on drilling Mr. Fox.
He needed facts!

“Mr. King, it’s nice to finally meet you. Ms. Roy said I would be impressed the moment we met and she was right.” Max smiled knowing that the compliment came from his favorite teacher.

Mr. Fox was a clean cut, small city lawyer who appeared confident in his skin. Max’s well decorated office, plaques of accomplishment, and elaborate view didn’t seem to intimidate him in the least. He knew immediately why Ms. Roy had selected him as her personal attorney. There was warmth in his eyes. A hint of kindness. The same kindness she had shown him. Kindness Max always wanted to remember.

“Mr. King, I don’t want to take up too much of your time, I just need you to sign for the package and I will be on my way.”

“There’s no need to rush Mr. Fox. I’ve blocked out enough time for us to go over all the legal documents. I would like to know when Ms. Roy contacted you about these documents since she never uttered a word to me.” Max stated anxiously while sipping on the lukewarm, murky coffee sitting on the conference table.

“Mr. King, I can clearly see you have questions. As a matter of fact, Ms. Roy said you would. But she gave explicit instructions that you must sign the document and let me exit the room before you start reading. She didn’t want you to have the opportunity to ask me anything. She was very clear, she said everything you needed to know would be in the package.”

“What? With all due respect Mr. Fox, that doesn’t make any sense.” He stated with a stern voice. Max was trying to remain calm and cordial to the older gentleman but his patience was running out. He was a lawyer, a first rate lawyer so course he had questions!

“We must respect Ms. Roy’s wishes,” he stated calmly.

“Mr. Fox, when did she provide this package to you?”

Silence invaded the room.

The small- town lawyer shifted a pen in his direction and pointed to the signature line. It was obvious he wasn’t going to discuss anything else. Max grabbed the pen and scribbled his signature on the line. With that, Mr. Fox stood and exited the room.

Max examined the package for a few seconds, then ripped it open. He found two envelopes inside. The first envelope was clearly marked Max King. The second envelope was unmarked. He placed the unmarked letter to the side, opened the one with his name on it and began to read.

Dearest Max,

Nearly fifteen years ago, you brought unimaginable pain to a young awkward girl. I’ve never mentioned the situation to you, nor judged you, but I’ve always known you regretted what happened to Kaya Hanson on your senior dance night.

Max froze. How could she have known his regrets? Was she in contact with Kaya? Had Kaya shared his unforgivable actions with her so many years ago?

My dearest heart, Kaya has blossomed into a beautiful woman. She’s feisty and determined and still smart as a whip. The years have been difficult for her with the passing of her grandmother and death of her mother to drugs. The world has made her harsh and cynical. Her entire life she’s been searching for love but just doesn’t know it. She’s so precious to me. As you know, my life’s passion has been education. Going back home to Charleston, South Carolina, my birthplace, was one of the best decisions of my life. The fresh air. The long country walks and the smell of the ocean salt has brought peace to my life during my final days. But the greatest joy I’ve had is having you and Kaya in my life.