Sweet Tooth [HS]

THIRTY SIX

Later.

Max fought her way through the crowded foyer, bleary eyed and desperately in search of the bathroom. She was going to wet herself if she wasn't careful and she didn't think any of these people with their designer shoes would very much appreciate Mackenzie Sweet's piss on them right now. Or, on second thoughts, maybe they would. Arabella had just shown her pictures of the million-dollar extension in her sex dungeon, so maybe piss on expensive shoes might not be the end of the world.

Rich people weren't just rich, Max was coming to learn they were actually all bonkers too.

Just now she'd been smoking with a guy who told her his cat was fed on caviar. And a couple earlier explained that they had to get every single red item removed from the restaurant they'd been to because it was the wrong month for red. And it had been Alan on the way here who made it sound so simple to get his bed from home transported to his hotel rooms when he travels because- well, Max didn't know.

But she didn't particularly care.

Not when she was literally about to piss on everyone's Louboutins.

She had nearly reached the end of the hall now, and was pleased to discover a long, curving staircase leading up to the floor above. There was no hope finding a bathroom down here, there were far too many people to even attempt looking for a door, and they were probably filled with diabetic models doing coke in them anyway. Shoving past a gorgeous blonde girl who looked like a fairy, Max managed to escape from the chaos of the foyer and start climbing the glittering marble steps up to the floor above. She passed two of the most attractive boys she'd ever seen kissing pretty aggressively against the banister, but apart from them, the upstairs seemed practically deserted.

She chanced a brief glance behind her as she made it to the top, unable to help but skim the crowd below her for any sign of Harry. It was his afterparty, after all. And yet she hadn't seen him once.

She'd texted him after the show telling him well done, and had assumed he was going to come and meet them all. But nope. They'd been whisked away by security and herded into limousines and had somehow ended up at this incredible estate in Central London and well - now Max was drunk. And Harry was nowhere to be found. And she needed to piss.

Giving up her search for Harry, which was useless anyway because the place was packed, Max hurried along the hall. If she were more sober she might have stopped to admire the artwork on the walls or the beautiful tile floors or the Swarovski crystal lighting fixtures- but Max was like a shark right now. She had to keep moving.

She opened every door she could find, not taking any time to appreciate the immaculate contents of the rooms, but rather groaning in misery when there was no toilet.

Finally, however, she stumbled into a bedroom with an en suite door that was wide open.

"Fucking finally," she sighed in relief, bolting for the door and slamming it shut behind her. She cursed at herself for wearing a jumpsuit but didn't hesitate to yank it down so she was sat on the toilet basically naked, her lovely outfit pooling at her feet.

After she finished her business and redressed herself, Max took a second to sort out her hair and makeup. When she was happy, she made her way back down the hall and pulled out her phone to ask Lexie where the fuck she'd got to. She couldn't be bothered to traipse through this palace in search of her - the party would be over by the time they found each other again.

(00:24) Maximus: Wherr th e  fuck r u I'm on the stairssasssas    Xxx

Max steadied herself on the banister and let her eyes skim over the crowd below as she waited for Lexie's reply. Perhaps her drunken state made everything look more magnified, more intense, but Max was sort of entranced by what she saw. It was just this throng, this pulsing wave of exquisite people - of glitter and feathers and champagne and diamonds and posh voices and flawless faces and Max was rendered speechless. Couldn't help but admire the view. Everyone was so beautiful. Everything was so perfect.