Thanks to...
Zanity
L-J-L 76
BehrObsession
Earth2Mama
begonia9508
anonymousarfan
Icequeen
clueless
roswell3053
POM
Jess79
belleoftheball
RoninBehr
nibbles2
Elci
Ellie
Lady_vixen **Hello sister, give my nephew a kiss for me**
LairaBehr4
Lurkers-Hello!
<center>Chapter 11 </center>
Just as Max was nodding off face down on his comfortable king sized bed, the shrill ringing of his cell phone had him groaning out loud, just 15 minutes of uninterrupted quiet that’s all I need. Without looking at his cell he hit the silent mode button and covered his head with a pillow.
A smile crossed his face as he felt his eyes growing heavy, sweet, sweet silence.
Not 2 minutes later their was a knocking on his bedroom door that soon turned into pounding.
“Freaking ay, I’m coming Michael.” he sighed heavily as he made his way to the bedroom door opening it slightly.
There stood Michael holding out the cordless home phone,practially sticking it in my face before turning around and walking away without saying a single word.
Max looked at the phone and saw from the caller ID that it was Isabel calling, well better now to get it over with and tell her everything versus putting it off.
“Hey Isabel, I was going to call you later...” he never had a chance.
“You couldn’t even tell me, your own sister?” Her voice was raised and her tone very, very annoyed.
“Tell you what?” What the hell is she talking about?
“That you are getting MARRIED, I have to find out this way, you are so on my shit list Max, this is just...just.” She sighed.
“Isabel slow down, how the hell did you find out that I’m getting married?” Does news really travel that fast?
“That’s besides the point, I cant even begin to tell you how upset I am, we need to talk... I’m coming over.” Max was left with the dial tone buzzing in his ear, with a heartfelt sigh he looked at his bed and walked out of his bedroom.
<center>~*~</center>
Liz stepped out of the dressing room as Isabel was rushing out of the store talking loudly into her cell phone,Tess was standing just outside the dressing room with her mouth hanging open.
“I feel bad for you,she seems like a royal bitch and your going to be in-lawed to her, at least for a while anyways.” Tess laughed as Liz shook her head from side to side.
“I should call him, this looks so bad, it seems that she had no idea huh, he hasn’t told anyone yet I bet and her I am shopping away with his credit card, maybe he wants to call this whole thing off and that’s why she doesn’t know.” Liz was now cracking her knuckles, a habit that Tess knew she did when she was nervous.
“Stop, that sound grosses me out, and if he didn’t want to do this, I think he would have called you by now, we’ve been out for like what 4 hours?” Tess grabbed Liz’s arm and began to usher her out of the store.
“Let’s go get some coffee.” Tess pointed to a pretty little brownstone coffee shop across the street from where they were.
Once they were seated warm coffee in hand Liz relaxed some what, that was of course before Tess opened her mouth.
“So you never told me... did you guys talk about sex?” Tess licked the whip cream off her straw while raising one eyebrow suggestivley as Liz’s jaw dropped.
“No we didn’t talk about sex, there will be no sex, this is a business arrangement that’s it.” Liz was making quite a production of stirring some more sugar into her coffee much anything but look at Tess who could read her face like a book.
“A huh.” Tess grinned her blue eyes twinkling.
“I’m serious Tess.” Liz took a sip of her coffee as Tess continued to grin like an idiot.
“None, of that.... I mean of course who wouldn’t want to sleep with him, he’s gorgeous, sexy, nice...but I wouldn’t comprise this situation even if I wanted to.” She was now twirling a long strand of chocolate brown hair around her index finger over and over again.
Tess smirked and rolled her eyes.
Oh Lizzie you have no idea what your getting into she thought but maybe just maybe this is exactly what you need.
<center>~*~</center>
“Well hello to you too.” Michael barely got out, before getting pushed slightly out of the way by Isabel who was calling out Max’s name and barging into the apartment.
“Max!” Setting her purse down on the brown leather sofa of Max’s apartment she headed straight towards his bedroom down the hall.
“He’s in the kitchen, what’s going on...oh wait you heard about it right, Max getting hitched?” Michael called out.
She turned around so fast that her hair fanned out across her shoulders, the look in her eyes had him regretting he even said that.
“What?” Her eyes were narrowed now in the look he knew really meant “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Umm nothing, I gotta go, some place to be, bye.” He turned around ready to run when the sound of sniffling had him turning around.
“So everyone knew but me?” Her eyes had a glassy sheen to them, fuck I don’t know how to handle crying females.
“No it’s not like that, listen just talk to him before you start getting all hormoned out on me.” Michael took a few steps towards her and not really knowing what to do he patted her on her back.
“I’m not hormoned out okay, I’m upset that’s all” Isabel patted her cheeks with her palms.
“Max get your ass out here, your sister’s here!” Michael yelled out, he had tried his best to get the water works to stop with no progress, this definitely was not his arena of expertise.
Max walked into the living room and found Isabel starring at the floor and Michael doing some very obscene hand gestures at him.
“Isabel what’s wrong why are you crying?” Max took her by the elbow and sat her down on the sofa next to him.
“I was just trying on a dress for a friends wedding I’m walking in, and I hear this woman talking about Max Evans getting married.” Isabel was still sniffling a little bit and was refusing to look at him.
“Okay, that wasn’t the best way of finding out, I agree with you there, but really I was going to call you tonight and tell you, I was just so caught up in everything that I didn’t get a chance to, but I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug.
“So then its true, your going to do it?” Isabel finally looked up at him a look of sadness on her face.
“Yeah its in the works.” he nodded as he spoke.
“Oh Max, no... don’t do it, this isn’t the way it should be, you should get married because you love someone... not for the sake of a company, your cheating yourself and this woman who agreed to it.” Isabel was starting to become more animated.
“It isn’t ideal I know that, but this is what’s going to work for me and for her, trust me, I know what I’m doing okay?” Well maybe I don’t know 100% what Im doing but who knows what could happen Max thought but did not say out loud.
“Max when you told me about this plan of yours I didn’t think you were really serious.”
“Izzy not everyone can have what you and Alex have, this is something that I have to do, I really need your support.” he reached out and squeezed her hand briefly.
“I just really didn’t think you were going to go through with it, I guess Im shocked, understandably though.”
“I didn’t think it was going to happen either but trust me, I got it all under control, well almost all of it.” Max threw the bait out... let’s see how long it takes...
“What do you mean?” Isabel was beginning to sit up straighter.
“I could use some help you know with the wedding, I told Liz that I would take care of all the details and I really don’t want to go find a wedding planner, then its going to become this big production...” he trailed off.
“I can help, you know I love this kinda stuff.” Her eyes were now lighting up at the idea of being involved.
“Okay one request, noting outlandish, think very small, maybe 25 people tops, I have to ask Liz if she wants to invite anyone, didn’t even think about that.” Max frowned, that was kind of rude of him.
“All right, count me in, oh man when are you going to tell Mom and Dad?” She was not biting her bottom lip a look of apprehension on her face.
“That’s another thing... I was wondering if you could maybe invite us to your house this weekend, and that way I could have you there for back up when I do tell them, what do you think?”
“You owe me, but okay, I want to be there anyways when you tell them, you know what this is going to be kinda fun.” She was now getting up and grabbing her purse off the sofa.
“So we are okay, your not mad anymore right, I really was going to call you tonight and tell you.” Max was now walking her towards the door.
“I’m not mad, I was just a little hurt...but I understand now, umm maybe you should give your... fiancee... a call though, I was kind of a bitch to her friend, bye.” She shrugged her shoulders before she walked out closing the door behind her.
Max could only shake his head from side to side as he went back to his bedroom.
<center>~*~ </center>
What the hell was it now, if Tess is calling an hour after she had dropped her off at home, she was going to curse.
Liz was finally home after the torturous afternoon and early evening of shopping with Tess.
“I don’t want to go shopping again tomorrow Tess, I’m really tired.” Liz said all in one breath as she picked up the phone and began talking before Tess could even get a word in.
“So you don’t like shopping I take it?” Max’s smooth voice drifted into her ear, making her sit up in bed and grab her sheet closer to her chest. When she realized that she was covering herself up she quickly let go of the sheet. Duh Liz he cant see you!
“Max, I didn’t know it was you calling, I thought you were my friend Tess and she, well the thing is that umm...yeah I actually do hate shopping.” They both laughed.
“It’s all right, I don’t mean to call you so late, but I just talked to my sister who informed me of what happened tonight, and I wanted to say sorry.” Max turned off the flat panel TV on the wall before sitting down on the corner of his bed.
“Max, sorry for what, I’m sorry for her finding out that way, it was just so unexpected you know...was she terribly upset with you?”
Max stretched out on his bed and enjoyed hearing her soft voice, she was very easy to listen to, he gave himself a mental shake at where his thoughts were heading.
She had made it more then clear that she was in this for business and personal reasons.
He couldn’t make this out to be more then what it was, he promptly remember the other reason he called for.
“So, I was wondering if you would be free this weekend, I’d really like to introduce you to my parents and re-introduce you to my sister.”
OH no, the dreaded meeting of the in-laws, okay this is part of the deal Liz you cant say no she thought.
“Of course, what should I wear?”
Max smiled “Whatever you feel comfortable in, were actually going to my sisters house, I’m sure her husband is going to be grilling something on the Barbecue, he loves that thing.”
“All right, at what time do I need to be there?” Mental note to self Liz thought, get a bus transit schedule tomorrow.
“I’ll pick you up let’s say around 4-ish, Saturday?”
“Okay, see you then Max, take care okay?” Liz laid down once again in her bed.
“You too Liz, see you at work tomorrow, bye.”
Liz groaned after she hung up the phone, there was one big detail she had forgotten she was now engaged to her Boss.
Not wanting to think about what was going to be said at work tomorrow she closed her eyes, tomorrow was a another day right?
Maybe the word wouldn’t even get around, she placed the phone back into its cradle and shut off the small lamp by her bed.
