keepsmiling7 Well, it's big news in the society pages. Not so much the media itself, like it would have been if Max or Isabel had married.
Alien_Friend The Michael we met at the start of the fic wouldn't have given Carla a chance, and although I’m sure that there are a lot of people who don't really agree with letting her away, for me it was a real sign of progress on Michael's behalf. He knows that revenge gives you nothing.
Earth2Mama Michael knew Carla well enough that he knew she wouldn't go without trying something, so he had her watched. But it was Chris who did all the hard work and figuring out.
Roswell_Fan86 I think you're going to like what Max and Liz do next!
FSU/MSW-94 Her plane should be landing soon, so get thee to the airport!
Natalie36 Thank you.
begonia9508 Carla was pretty despicable and Michael could have had her arrested for any number of things, but Michael is giving her a chance, because she never had one before. If she pulls the same stunt again, she's going to prison. She only gets one chance.
mela3 I can't remember if I ever planned a Maria/Carla smackdown. It's very possible that I did. But I’ve been writing this fic for years and plotlines have been created and dropped a number of times over, so unfortunately there's not going to be a Maria/Carla smackdown. And after seeing what Carla did to Isabel, I think Maria's probably the lucky one.
killjoy It's ok, you can call Carla a bitch.
sarammlover Thank you, I was proud of Michael in that part too.
Helen of Roswell Welcome! To be honest, a small part of me was rooting for Carla too, because I created a whole backstory for her which I’ve really only touched upon during GD, it is pretty tragic, and I think makes her actions far more sympathetic and understandable. I understand why people hate her, that's what I wanted, but I feel sorry for her.
As always, big thanks to
Michelle in LA for betaing this part for me.
And to
Fehrbaby who made this banner for me when I first started writing this fic, back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. I’ve been planning this part for so long, right from the beginning and I’m so excited to finally, finally be posting it. I hope you enjoy it.
I had aimed to get Gold Diggers finished this year, but as you can see, that didn't work out so well. So it'll carry on until next year. Thanks for sticking it out all this time. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas.
Gold Diggers – Chapter Fifty-Three
Liz stepped into the kitchen and inhaled deeply.
Chocolate.
“Mmm, that smells amazing. What are you making?”
“Chocolate cake,” Amy said. “I seem to remember it's your favorite.” When Amy had arrived that morning and found that the only food Liz and Alex had in the apartment was cereal and frozen dinners, she'd immediately gone to the nearest supermarket and returned with several bags of food. She'd spent the rest of the day cooking and baking in order to stock up the freezer so that Liz would have real food to eat while she was doing her exams.
“Thank you so much for doing all this, Amy,” Liz said gratefully. With everything that was going on in her life, Liz simply hadn't time to shop let alone cook. That, coupled with Alex’s inability to make anything more than a boiled egg meant that she'd been living on a diet that mainly consisted of Corn Flakes since Maria had moved out.
“It's no trouble, sweetie,” Amy said as she patted Liz's cheek, leaving a smudge of chocolate on Liz's face. “Do you want to lick the bowl when I’m done?”
Liz looked at it longingly. “I'd love to but I’ve got to go in a minute.”
Maria joined them in the kitchen then and stood with her hands on her hips and mock glared at her mother. “Hey, where's
my chocolate cake?”
“Ask your maid to make one,” Amy said flippantly.
“Ha, ha,” Maria said dryly. “My maid's chocolate cake kicks your chocolate cake's ass.”
Amy flipped a spoon at Maria, spraying her with some of the mixture. Maria squealed, but wiped off the chocolate with her finger, then licked her finger. “Ok, your chocolate cake is pretty awesome.” She picked up a spoon and tried to dig into the bowl, which Amy was holding out of her reach.
Liz laughed at their antics.
She had really enjoyed having them around all day. She and Maria had played with Maddie and talked about Max. While Maria wasn't wholly on the Max bandwagon yet, she was happy that Liz was happy and even managed to sigh when Liz told her about Max's declaration of love. In the afternoon, Liz had sat down in the kitchen with Amy and they'd talked about Grandma Claudia.
It probably wasn't the best way to spend time two days before her finals, but Liz looked at it as a mental health day, which she'd badly needed.
Alex joined them in the kitchen. He grabbed the spoon from Maria and licked the chocolate from it. “So, guess where I’m off to now?”
“Tanning salon?” Liz guessed.
Alex cut his eyes in her direction. “I got a job.”
The three women exclaimed in surprise and delight.
“I know a guy who runs a residential center so he's giving me a few shifts until I figure out what I’m going to do next. And, I’m starting tonight.”
“Alex, that's great,” Liz said, leaning over to give him a hug.
“I'll make you some lunch,” Amy offered. “Or, midnight snack. What do you call it when you eat it in the middle of the night?”
“Food?” Alex guessed. “You don't have to. I’ll grab something there. But, uh... what time are you heading home on Monday?”
“After breakfast, I guess. Why?” Amy asked curiously.
“I was thinking that I’d go home and see my parents so I’ll catch a ride with you, if that's ok?”
Amy nodded. “Of course.”
Maria and Liz exchanged surprised looks before hugging Alex silently.
He grinned at them, silently acknowledging their support. “All right, I gotta go.”
“I’ll walk out with you,” Liz told him. She grabbed her backpack and kissed Amy’s cheek. “I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Maria.”
“Bye, guys,” Maria called after them.
“I'm really glad you're going to see your parents, Alex,” Liz said as they walked down the steps to their cars.
“You were right, I should have talked to them a long time ago,” Alex sighed. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I'm helping Max out with... a thing,” Liz said. “I’ll catch you later.”
Alex waved at her as she climbed into the car and drove away.
***
Max had picked up an extra shift in the nursing home on Saturday afternoon so Liz had suggested that she'd meet him there. It gave her a chance to spend a little time with Grandma Claudia before Max was finished.
When it was time to go, Liz kissed her grandmother goodbye and went to meet Max. He had changed into his stripper outfit and was waiting for her beside her car. He smiled as he watched her approaching the car.
When they came face to face, they both hesitated uncertainly for a moment. Then Max caught Liz's hand and pulled her close to his body. “Hey,” he said softly before kissing her.
Liz pulled away reluctantly as the kiss grew more heated. “Hi. Are you ready?”
Max shook his head and groaned. “No. Do I have to do this?”
“I guess not, you don't need the money anymore. But there's going to be a very disappointed bride-to-be if you don't. You don't want to ruin her party, do you?”
“I guess not,” Max sighed. “Ok, let's get it over and done with.”
“Hop in.”
As Liz drove to the hotel where the bachelorette party was being held, she noticed that Max was growing more and more restless. His left knee was jiggling and he barely said a word.
“You're going to be great,” Liz tried to assure him. “Once the music starts, you'll get into it and you'll see that you've got nothing to worry about. Just have some fun.”
Max nodded but still said nothing. He went pale as the hotel came into view.
Liz bit back a giggle and led him inside. She went up to the reception desk to ask where the party was being held and to find a place where Max could get ready. She came to Max a minute later. He looked ready to bolt. She knew the feeling.
“The party is in the pool house out back. They're still eating dinner, so we have some time. The receptionist said that there's a suite of meeting rooms on the mezzanine level that aren't in use right now, but the rest rooms are open, so you'll have plenty of privacy to change there.”
“Ok.”
“This way,” Liz grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs and into the men's room. “Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve ever been in a men's room.” She looked at Max who was still looking pale. “Take off your shirt.”
Max looked surprised. “What?”
“Take off your shirt,” Liz repeated. Noting his reluctance, she grinned. “Come on, if you can't do it in front of me, how will you be able to do it in front of twenty-three screaming women?”
“Twenty-three?” Max asked hoarsely. “That's a lot.”
“Not really. Shirt.”
“Right.” Max pulled off his shirt and folded it neatly.
Liz wolf-whistled as he stripped, causing Max to blush. But once he was completely topless, Liz found herself staring at Max and his magnificent pecs. She bit her lip and got busy looking in her bag to stop herself from blatantly ogling Max. She found what she was looking for and pulled them out triumphantly. “Got it.”
“What's that?”
“Temporary tattoos. I thought that if you made a few changes to your appearance that it would be easier to convince them that you're a lookalike and not the real Max Evans.”
“Good thinking.”
“So, tribal design or Celtic cross?”
“Uh, I don't mind.”
“Maybe I’ll use both,” Liz thought aloud. She opened the pack and read the instructions. “All right. I’ll put the tribal design on your arm. Can you turn?”
Max aligned his body so that his left arm was facing Liz. She wet the piece of paper and placed it carefully on his arm. Then she rubbed it hard with the side of her fist. She concentrated solely on the tattoos and didn't allow herself to think about the fact that she had her hands on his bare skin.
Max grinned at the look of concentration on her face.
Liz noticed the grin. “What?”
“You're so cute.”
Liz blushed. “Thanks.” She motioned for him to turn again and went through the same procedure with the Celtic cross on his shoulder blade. When she was satisfied that they were ready, she carefully pulled away the paper and stood back to admire her handiwork. “There. I think it looks great.”
Max flexed his arm muscles and turned to look at his back in the mirror. “They look pretty real.”
“Yeah. But wait, there's more.” Liz reached into her bag again and pulled out a tube of hair gel. “Do something with your hair.”
Max applied the gel generously giving himself a slicked back, wet look. When he was done, Liz handed him a fake eyebrow stud.
“How does it look?” he asked.
“Hmm. Well, I don't think it would fool your mother, but I think that somebody who only knows you from photographs might be convinced that you're a fake.”
“You know what? I’m not that bothered one way or the other. If they figure it out, I’ll just say that I did it for a laugh. What's the worst that can happen?”
“Exactly,” Liz nodded. “Just have fun with it, Max. It's not demeaning or sleazy. It's harmless fun. Although, they might get a little handsy.”
Max took a deep breath and nodded, trying to psych himself up. “Ok. I’m ready. Let's do this.” He clapped his hands together and made for the door.
Liz blocked his path. “Wait, wait! You're not dressed. And you need to oil yourself up first..”
“Oil?”
“Oil.” Liz held up a bottle of baby oil. “Take off your pants.”
“Uh... why?”
“So I can put this on your legs.”
“Does it have to go on my legs?”
“Yes,” Liz said authoritatively. She spent so long getting ready to go on stage each night that she was enjoying having the boot on the other foot.
Max unbuttoned his pants and stepped out of them. He was very aware that he was standing in front of Liz in just a pair of boxers. He cleared his throat. He was nervous again, but it was a different kind of nervous this time. “Uh... Ready.”
Liz bit her lip. She hadn't thought this through. Max was practically naked in front of her, and she was going to have to rub oil all over him. She tried not to let him see how nervous it was making her.
She poured some of the oil onto her hands and stood behind Max. Her heart was racing as she began to massage the oil onto him. His skin was warm, his muscles hard. He smelled amazing, felt amazing. Slowly, she made her way around to his front. She paused to put more oil on her hands, then took a deep breath and began to slowly massage the oil onto his chest.
Liz was intensely aware of the feel of his skin beneath her hands. When her hands smoothed over his heart, she could feel it beating rapidly. His breathing was labored. She could feel him swallow nervously.
She looked up and met his molten gaze.
They reached for each other at the same time. Their lips met in a bruising kiss. They pressed together trying to get as close as they possibly could to each other. Max's hands roamed down Liz's back and under her shirt so that he could touch her skin. Liz tangled her fingers in his hair.
They fell backwards towards the sink and Max blindly lifted Liz up onto it, stepping into the space between her legs.
Liz moaned at the feel of his body pressing against her core. Her whole body was on fire with a desire for Max. She dragged her hands over his back, pulling him closer.
She'd never felt this way with any other guy. She wanted Max to take possession of her and she wanted to possess him.
Max pressed against Liz, pushing her back against the mirror behind her. The action caused the automatic tap to come on and Liz squealed in surprised at the feel of cold water on her butt.
They pulled apart, red-faced and breathing harshly.
Liz slipped down off the sink.
Max grabbed some paper-towels and handed them to her so she could pat herself dry. “I'm sorry about that.”
“It's fine,” Liz smiled with embarrassment. “It's probably a good thing. I don't want my first time to be in a men's room.”
“I'm sorry about that, too,” Max told her.
Liz grinned. “Don't be. It was fun. We should do it again some time.”
“Definitely,” Max nodded eagerly. He glanced down at Liz's top. “Sorry about your clothes.”
Liz looked down and realized that she'd gotten oil all over her white top during their make out session. She grimaced as it was one of her favorite shirts. “Crap.” She handed him the bottle of oil. “Why don't I go and see if they're ready for you while you finish doing this.”
Outside, Liz rushed straight into the ladies room next door and splashed cold water on her face as she tried to calm down. Her body felt overheated.
Liz had dated a number of different guys over the years, she'd even had a couple of fairly serious relationships. Although she'd never gone all the way, she'd had some pretty heavy-duty make out sessions in the past. There had been a few times when she'd wanted to take things to the next level because she liked the guy she was with, or just to get it over with.
But she'd never felt this way before. She'd never craved somebody in a physical way before. All she wanted to do was go back to Max and continue her exploration of his body until she knew every inch of it. She wanted to touch every inch, kiss every inch. She wanted him to do the same to her.
Finally, she felt under control and was able to leave the safety of the restroom though she found that her legs were still shaking as she walked down the stairs and her whole body was still humming.
Liz located the bachelorette party with ease. She just followed the sound of the raucous laughter. The meal had concluded and the party games portion of the evening had begun. Currently twenty-seven women were making bridal costumes out of toilet paper and laughing themselves silly at the results. She managed to find the party organizer and told her that Max was ready.
After receiving her instructions, Liz went back to get Max. She knocked loudly on the bathroom door and didn't enter until Max called her in. She didn't want to run the risk of seeing him undressed and having a repeat of earlier. Not then, anyway.
Max was dressed and back to looking nervous.
“It's just a few minutes, and then it's over,” Liz told him. “Have fun!”
“Ok,” Max told her, but he didn't even hear what she said.
“Let's go.”
Max followed her out hesitantly.
Heidi, the woman who had hired Max was waiting outside the pool house for them. She beamed when she saw Max. “Wow, the resemblance is uncanny,” she said in awe.
“I know, it's quite amazing,” Liz agreed with a straight face.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Heidi said to Max. “My sister is going to be so thrilled!”
“It's no problem,” Max told her unconvincingly.
Heidi pulled an envelope full of cash out of her bag and handed it to Liz. Then she turned to Max. “Ready?”
Max took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Yes.”
“Follow me.”
Heidi opened the door and stepped inside. Liz could hear her call for silence before she excitedly announced that she'd met somebody who wanted to stop by and wish the bride-to-be congratulations.
That was Max's cue. He didn't move, however, but stood rooted to the spot. Liz gave him a not-so-gentle nudge, and he almost stumbled through the door.
The effect was instantaneous. There was a collective prolonged and eardrum shattering scream from all the women inside. Liz had to remind herself that the women present were in their thirties and forties and not teenyboppers.
She waited a minute until the music started before slipping into the room and standing by the door.
Max was standing in the center of what could only be described as a mob of women.
When Liz had been there earlier, all the women had been scattered in around small, elegantly dressed tables sipping champagne and delicately eating desserts. They were all dressed immaculately and groomed expensively. The room had reeked of class and sophistication. Now, chairs had been pushed over, shoes kicked off and decorum forgotten. They were all grouped around the small stage, grabbing each other, screaming and generally behaving like eleven-year-old girls at a Justin Bieber concert where Robert Pattinson and the male cast of Glee had joined him on stage.
Max was standing on the stage in the middle of them, stiffly moving his hips and trying to remember the moves he had practiced all week. He wasn't having much success.
There was a look of shock combined with terror in his eyes. Liz had warned him it wouldn't be as civilized as the
The Dangerzone, but clearly Max hadn't believed her. Now faced with twenty-seven women screaming themselves into a frenzy, Max had no idea what to do.
His eyes scanned the room, looking desperately for some sort of escape, and landed on Liz. She could see the relief on his face and the silent, desperate plea for help.
She gave him a big cheesy grin and two thumps up. Max just looked at her pitifully.
Liz realized that they had forgotten to bring any music with them and the classical music that was playing wasn't exactly setting the scene. Luckily, Heidi came to the same conclusion and quickly changed it from the CD to an R&B track that Liz didn't recognize. It was slower and more sensual than the cheesy music Max had practiced to but Liz doubted that he could hear it over the sounds of the screams anyway.
He was still moving stiffly and uncertainly, without the musical cues, he had no idea what to do. Again, his eyes met Liz in a silent plea for help. Liz started to sway her hips in time to the music and gestured for Max to join in. With his eyes locked on her, he began to imitate her moves.
She deepened the sway and slapped her ass. Max did the same. Around them the decibel levels doubled.
Liz put her hands behind her head and threw in a few pelvic thrusts. Max followed suit. She could see that he was starting to loosen up now. She flexed her arms and watched as Max did the same. Again the women screamed.
Max managed a faltering smile. He changed pose and flexed again to more screams. His smile grew wider. He still had a deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face but Liz could see that he was slowly relaxing into it and even beginning to enjoy himself.
Liz signaled him to make eye contact with the bride. He tore his gaze away from Liz and focused on the woman in front of him of who looked like she was about to die of excitement. He was growing more confident now, and was using the dance moves he'd learned. He kept darting looks over in Liz's direction but he was also giving more attention to the women around him.
Liz began to clap her hands and chant. “Off, off, off!”
The party-goers quickly joined in, clapping their hands and stomping their feet loudly.
Max opened the top button of his shirt and parted it to let them see the glimpse of skin beneath. He grinned a little shyly when he was met with wolf-whistles and screams. Bravely, he cupped one hand around his ears and again the chant grew. “Off, off, off!”
Slowly, and with a teasing grin, Max undid the next button.
The door to the pool house opened and a member of the hotel's security team poked his head in. He grinned when he realized what was causing the commotion and ducked out again.
When Liz turned back to Max, she found him encouraging the bride to open the next button. In fact, she didn't need much encouragement, and instead of opening just one button, she grabbed the two sides of the shirt and ripped the whole thing open.
Max looked stunned for a moment, before smiling again. He caught her hands and led them to his chest to allow her to feel his pecs.
Liz bit down on her jealousy.
Not wanting to be left out, the other women crowded closer to Max. They caressed his chest, squeezed his biceps and even pinched his ass.
Max's eyes widened in surprise and gulped visibly. He niftily dodged out of their reach and climbed onto a table. He wiggled his ass a little, then began to undo the buttons of his trousers.
Liz had to cover her ears to muffle the sounds of the screams as Max suddenly ripped the pants off. Unfortunately for him, the left leg didn't come apart the way it was supposed to and it was left dangling around his ankle. Not for long though. It was quickly ripped off him by one of the women, who held her trophy aloft. Three other women tried to wrestle her for it.
Max caught Liz's eye, unsure of what to do next. He had tighty-whities on under the heart-covered boxers he was currently wearing. He hadn't planned on removing the boxers, but one look at the feral crowd around him and he knew he wasn't getting out of there until the boxers were gone.
Liz grinned mischievously at him. “Off, off, off!”
Max shot her a murderous look. Liz didn't care. She wanted to see what was under the boxers just as much as the baying mob did. More, if possible.
Again the crowd took up her chant and soon the whole building was vibrating with the noise they had created.
Max did a little more shuffling on the spot in time to the music, but it was mostly thrusting and wiggling his ass. He played with the waistband of the boxers and even lifted the hem to expose his white thighs.
The stripper trousers lay discarded on the ground as everybody watched Max. Liz darted across the room and grabbed them before somebody else got them. She'd been warned to bring them back.
After a little more teasing, Max decided to take the band-aid approach and suddenly dropped the boxers to his ankles. He kicked them into the crowd, resulting in another scrimmage as women fought to get their hands on them.
Apart from a small pair of pants that left
nothing to the imagination, Max was wearing nothing. Liz felt her mouth go dry as she stared at him in all his glory. He was magnificent. Every muscle was defined and bulging. Liz had never seen a better looking man's body. He looked so strong, so masculine, so sexy that she almost couldn't breathe. Her eyes were glued to him.
She wanted him so much.
At that point the music that had been playing came to an end. Sensing that was all they were going to see, the women groaned with disappointment but they showed their appreciation by clapping and whistling some more.
Heidi stepped up, brandishing a camera. “Will you pose for some photos?”
Max looked hesitant, but he agreed.
He spent the next twenty minutes having his picture taken with each member of the group. He found that there were two sorts of women. One who wanted a picture of him kissing their cheek or one who wanted a picture of herself fondling his ass. And one woman who posed while licking his chest.
When everybody had their picture taken, Liz waded in and grabbed Max. “I'm sorry, but we've got to go now.”
There was loud groans and even some boos as Liz hauled him outside. Max waved and blew kisses at the ladies.
“Thank you,” Max exclaimed as the door shut behind them. The ducked behind some bushes as he paused to put on his trousers and shirt. There had been no hope of retrieving the boxers he had tossed into the crowd.
“How was that?” Liz asked.
“It was the most fun I’ve ever had, and also the most humiliating at the same time,” Max told her truthfully. “At one stage, I really thought I was going to be gang-raped by thirty women.”
“Twenty-seven,” Liz corrected. “You were amazing, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Max blushed. “And thank you, I wouldn't have gotten through that if you weren't there.”
“Just returning the favor,” Liz told him simply. “Come on, let's get out of here, before they realize you're still here and drag you back inside for an encore.”
Max threw a terrified glance at the pool house and ran.
***
Liz grabbed a couple of glasses and plates from the kitchen and joined Max on the couch in her living room. “How are you doing?”
Max held out a hand demonstrating that it was still shaking. “As well as a man who was almost torn apart by twenty-seven screaming banshees can be.”
“Hungry?” Liz asked with a grin.
“Starving!”
“Good. You can't be that traumatized if you can still eat.” She lifted the lid of the pizza they'd gotten on the way home and handed him a slice. Max wolfed it down before Liz had even taken a bite of her own. She laughed at him.
Max grinned sheepishly. “So, I couldn't help but notice that you couldn't keep your eyes off me while I was up there.”
“Well, you're my student, I had to make sure you were doing a good job.”
“Think I could cut it as a stripper if the high-powered businessman thing doesn't work out?”
“Definitely,” Liz smiled. “With that body, and that smile, and those sexy moves, I can see a bright future for you in the clothes-removing industry.”
Max took Liz's slice of pizza from her and returned it to the box. Then he took her hands and pulled her gently to him. Liz went willingly, maneuvering herself onto his lap. Max slipped his hands beneath her t-shirt and rested on the small of her back. “The only person that I want to strip for is you... What I mean is, you're the only girl in my life, and that's the way I want it to be.”
Liz kissed him sweetly. “Ditto.” She slid her hands around his neck, then grimaced then pulled back. “You're all greasy.”
“Mind if I take a shower?” Max asked. “I think I’m covered in the saliva of twenty-seven women.”
Liz hooted with laughter. “Of course.” She stood up from his lap and pulled him to her bedroom. “Bathroom's through there and there are towels on the shelf beside it.”
She stepped out of the bathroom and went back to finish the slice of pizza. She mentally replayed the evening as she ate. Seeing Max dance like that had been enthralling, arousing even. He really was amazing looking. She'd really enjoyed seeing the fun side of him too.
The sound of the shower came on and she pictured him standing under the water as it ran down those bare pecs and over his incredible six pack. Liz rubbed her legs together. Ever since their encounter in the restroom, she'd been experiencing a hot, tingling sensation all over her body that seemed to be centered between her legs. Thinking of Max naked, and in her shower, was making her even hotter.
She licked her lips and tried to calm down. What she really wanted to do was strip off and join Max in the shower. But she couldn't do that. They'd hardly been officially dating for a week. It was too soon, too fast.
She should wait.
Thing was, she'd waited before. Usually, she waited too long and the relationship was over before she was ready. She suspected that her desire to wait was probably what had hastened the end of a few of her past relationships. Liz didn't think she had to worry about that with Max, she felt that he'd wait as long as he had to.
But, she didn't want to wait. She wanted to be with Max. Now.
Quickly, before she lost her nerve, Liz made her way to the bedroom undressing as she went. She stood at the door to the bathroom for a moment, her hand trembling nervously. The sound of Max singing to himself reached her ears, and Liz laughed before letting herself into the steamy bathroom. She could make out Max behind the frosted glass doors.
She exhaled shakily and pushed back the door and stepped inside.
Max stared at her in surprise.
“Hi,” Liz said shyly.
“Hi,” Max echoed.
Liz's eyes dropped south and she bit her lip. It was the first time she'd actually seen a man naked this close up. She looked back at Max's face and saw that he was inspecting her body.
She was used to men staring at her body now, but it felt different with Max, like this. She felt more vulnerable, but safer than she ever had before at the same time.
She took a step closer, pressing her breasts against Max's chest, skin to skin for the first time.
Slowly, Max came out of his stupor and his wrapped his arms around her and lowered his lips to her. Their kiss was slow and steamy. When they broke apart, Liz grabbed the loofah and began to wash Max. She did it slowly, taking her time to get to know every part of his body. When she was done, he took it from her and did the same to her.
Liz giggled when he slipped the loofah between her legs to caress her inner thighs. She squirmed at first but she relaxed and allowed Max to continue his ministrations. He dropped the loofah and caressed her gently with his hand. Liz threw back her head and moaned. Max pressed closer, causing Liz to bang against the door of the shower.
“It's kind of small in here, wanna take it somewhere a little more roomy?” he asked.
Liz nodded.
Max turned off the water as Liz stepped out and grabbed two towels. They wrapped them around their bodies and returned to the bedroom. Liz wished that she'd had a chance to tidy and make it a little more romantic.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Max pulled her gently onto the bed. Max's lips immediately found her own. The movements of their bodies against each other caused the towels to fall away and once again they were skin to skin. Liz moaned again as Max moved down to her breasts.
“Max,” she panted. “Max?”
“Mmm?”
“Have you got a condom?”
Max raised his head. “Uh, sure. Hang on.” He pulled away from her reluctantly and went in search of his pants.
Liz rolled onto her side and watched him. She was beginning to really enjoy the sight of Max's naked butt. She watched as he found his wallet and searched through it.
“Shit!” Max swore. “I don't have one.” He couldn't believe that tonight of all nights he didn't have one in his wallet. “Are you on the pill?”
Liz shook her head. She wasn't on the pill and even if she was, there was no way she was going to have unprotected sex with Max given his track record. Not until he'd been tested at least. “Alex might have one. I’ll go have a look.”
She hopped out of the bed and ran barefooted into Alex’s room. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought that once she'd never have left the sanctity of her room unclothed, but now it didn't even bother her in the slightest.
She looked around the room, wondering where Alex would keep condoms. Or even if he had any. Oh God, please let him have some!
“Max!” she called. “If you were a guy where would you keep your condoms?”
Max appeared in the door way and leaned against the jam. “Did you just ask
if I was a guy?”
Liz reviewed what she'd just said and laughed. “Oops. Seriously, help me look.”
Max went into Alex’s bathroom while Liz searched the drawers in Alex’s dresser and nightstand.
“Nothing,” she sighed as Max came back into the room and shook his head. “Shit.”
Max hopped from foot to foot. “Fuck.”
Liz looked at the clock on Alex’s night-stand. “There's a seven-eleven around the corner. It might still be open.”
“I'm on it.” Max hurried back to collect his clothes. He shoved his feet into his shoes and ran out of the apartment while pulling his t-shirt on over his head.
At the exit of the apartment complex he looked both ways down the street and cursed. Which corner had Liz meant? He decided to go left and hurried down the street. Once he rounded the corner he realized it was a residential area and there was no store in sight. Cursing, he turned and jogged back in the opposite direction. As he rounded the corner, he saw the lights of the seven-eleven just as an employee shut the door.
Max sped up and threw himself at the entrance of the store. “Please, please,” he pleaded.
The store employee shook his head.
Max pulled a twenty out of his wallet and pressed it against the glass. “Please. I just need a packet of condoms. You can keep the change.”
The employee on the other side of the glass paused for a moment before disappearing. He came back a moment later with a packet of condoms and opened the door.
“Thank you,” Max exclaimed. “You are a kind and wonderful man and you will go to heaven for this.”
“Whatever,” the guy said, as he took the money from Max's hand.
Max kissed the packet in relief and raced back to Liz's apartment. He just hoped that she hadn't changed her mind while he was gone. He was panting from the exertion by the time he got back to the apartment.
Liz was dressed in a small silk robe when she opened the door to him. “Was it open?” she asked hopefully.
Max brandished the pack. “Bow chicka wow wow.”
Liz giggled. “Then get your cute ass in here.” She pulled him back to her bedroom and Max noticed that she'd used the time he was gone to create a romantic atmosphere. The lights were off and she'd lit lots of candles, soft music played and she'd even scattered rose petals on the bed.
“Cheesy, I know, but it's my first time so I thought that I’d make the effort,” Liz shrugged bashfully. “So...”
“So, where were we?” Max said. He paused, wondering how to go about recreating the mood. Slowly, he began to remove his clothes. At the party, he'd been cheesy-sexy, but now his movements where fluid and sensual. He kept his eyes on Liz the whole time, and watched with barely concealed delight at the way her breathing became shallow and her eyes darkened as he revealed more and more skin.
When he was naked, he took Liz in his arms and kissed her gently until she moaned in his mouth. Slowly, he undid the belt around Liz's dressing gown and let it drop to the floor. Then he lifted her up and carried her to the bed.
He took his time, slowly he caressed and kissed her body making sure that she was comfortable and ready for him. The sound of Liz's soft moans was music to his ears.
“Please, Max,” she breathed after a while.
He brushed her hair away from her face and cradled her cheek for a moment, staring deeply into her eyes before entering her as slowly and gently as he could.
Liz gasped and winced a little at first and Max waited until she nodded for him to continue.
He moved slowly, far more concerned with her pleasure than his own. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Liz nodded. “Yes, better than all right.”
As he neared his climax Max sped up a little, his thrusts becoming a little more forceful though he tried to hold back. He came with a groan. Liz gave a gentle cry of satisfaction as she experienced her own climax. It wasn't an orgasm, but it was a pleasant feeling of culmination.
Max moved gently off her. “It gets better, with practice.”
Liz smiled at him and caressed his cheek. “It was great, really.”
Max raised an eyebrow dubiously.
“You were perfect,” Liz continued. “You were gentle and sweet and it was lovely. I know it wasn't mind-blowing, but I really and truly couldn't have asked for anything more for my first time. And I’m really glad that I got to have this with you; that you were my first.”
“Me too. It means a lot to me that you trust me and love me enough to allow me to be your first,” Max told her. “And I just want you to know that I think you're perfect, too.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. Max wiggled around trying to get comfortable. “Ugh.”
“What's wrong?” Liz asked.
“I think I have a rose petal in my ass.”
Liz laughed and snuggled closer to him. Liz kissed his cheek. “I love you so much, Max.”
“I love you too, Liz,” Max told her.
***