Roth & Maximus Showdown
Because of some references in Bitter Confessions, I knew I needed to work on this Roth & Maximus showdown. Since books 1-4 are from Jasmine’s POV, this scene will appear in an extra book (5) that will show different character POVs (mostly Roth’s). I wrote pieces of R & M showdown in 2021 when I was on Patreon, but I didn’t know as much as I do now (post Bitter Secrets release). Now, I need to know exactly what was said, which meant writing the scene in its entirety from beginning to end. I thought it would take a day or two.
Psh. I’ve been writing most of my life and still can’t accurately judge how long a scene will take, and I should have known better. This is R & Maximus we’re talking about. This shit has been brewing for years. The confrontation is from Maximus’ POV and ended up being 8k words long. I spent 5 days on this chapter, but it was worth it!
What usually happens is whenever I “hear” (don’t tease me about hearing voices. I’m a writer!) a line or realize something should be mentioned in a future scene, I’ll open that file/book and write a little context for future me and deal with it when the time comes. This sometimes results in a clusterfuck of random quotes and ideas to sift through. As in most cases, there were mild, medium, and insane versions of this confrontation and I had to choose what suited them based on what I know of these men.
Here are some snippets from the scene:
“He ducked into the back seat, wrapped his coat around him to ward off the chill, and was pleased when the driver floored it. He didn’t have time to waste. He planned to be in London just long enough to blackmail a man and be back home in New York before sunrise.”
“He couldn’t resist throwing stones and when that didn’t give him the results he wanted, he graduated to grenades, and then dynamite. And still he waited. That gnawed at him. It gnawed at him that his daughter couldn’t see the writing on the wall and it gave him ulcers that the man who married her wouldn’t give up the charade.”
“Care for a drink, Maximus?”
As if he would accept anything from the man who had stolen his daughter and publicly humiliated him. Before he could say no, he caught sight of the familiar label of his favorite Scotch that Roth held aloft.
“Those bottles are hard to get,” he said and watched him break the seal.
“I got a couple.”
“Why?”
“I knew this day would come.”
He kept his irritation from his expression. “That I’d want to discuss a proposition?”
“That you would come to me.”
He ignored the searing heat that spread across his chest. Roth could act cocky now, but before he left the penthouse, Roth would be half the man standing before him right now.
“What brings you here at this hour, Maximus?”
Roth poured Scotch into two glasses. He didn’t offer it to him, he left it on the table. Mind games. Boy didn’t realize he created this game.
-Book 5 Excerpt, Singed Series
Writing them together was surreal, but also epic! I love writing male POV, but it tends to give too much away, so I don’t it often. This got me so pumped to write Roth’s book! But first, I need to get through several books…
The power plays in this scene were stifling. Their verbal jabs give me life! I thought things were settled, and then Roth came back with a counteroffer that surprised the hell out of me and pissed the fuck out of Maximus.
When you write a scene like this there’s a lot of mad typing, pausing, considering, checking facts from past books, snickering, more thinking… You want to get the tone right, and it was a little bizarre because this confrontation happened before he and Jasmine divorced. Roth was still referring to Jasmine as his wife, which, again, pissed Maximus off.
Originally, I started this scene from Roth’s POV before realizing it would be much more effective to have Maximus take the reins. His inner monologue swept me away. He’s truly a force to be reckoned with. Unapologetic, unforgiving. He sees things one way and doesn’t even consider other people’s feelings—he just does what he thinks is best. Period. One of my favorite things is his inner monologue in the beginning. This takes place on the same day that Jasmine comes to him. He immediately goes to deal with Roth. His thoughts about his youngest daughter are fascinating… and revealing. He’s not the most compassionate man. He can be cruel, but he has good qualities, too. Once you all read this flashback, hopefully you’ll all gain a better understanding of him.
I’m so glad I allowed this scene to unfold at its own pace. I understand so much more now. Now, I’ll be able to leave breadcrumbs in books 3 & 4, and it will make your future read of this scene much more dynamic!