The Talented Miss Parker - AU M/L ADULT [COMPLETE]

[nicola]

XXVI

Liz wandered around the house with a glass of ice cold water in her hand and a piece of lemon in the other. When she found herself in front of the door she was originally headed for she stopped and sucked in a deep breath before pushing it open with her foot.
Max sat on his leather chair behind his big desk staring blankly around him and smoking a cigar. His free hand rested on the polished timber in front of him and his tense body just screamed with aches of sitting too proper for too long. His mouth opened as he placed the cigar in-between his luscious lips again and he barely registered that he wasn’t alone anymore.
Liz walked slowly and gracefully up to him and placed the water and lemon on the desk in front of him. When he didn’t look at her she walked behind his chair and ran her fingers through his dark, soft hair comfortingly. She knew what had pushed him into his current state of depression and wished he would talk to her about it. She heard him sigh and could practically feel some of the stiffness in his body try to escape him through his mouth. The room was dark and the only light was coming from little green lamp. When his head arched back into her hand she was glad that what she was doing was helping him. She massaged his head with her thin feminine fingers and ran her nails over his scalp.
When he reached up and took her hands in his own she walked back around to face him and sat down on the edge of his desk. “They are gone,” she spoke quietly.
He nodded and reached for the cup of brandy that was nearly empty. Next to it, a picture frame with a photo of his family sat with a thin layer of dust on it.
“I was thinking,” she said picking up the piece of lemon. “That if we want to quit smoking we have to punish ourselves every time we have a cigarette.” She picked up the cigar and stabbed it into the ashtray until it broke. She handed him the piece of lemon and his eyes darted from it then back to her before he finally took it from her and bit into it. He swallowed with some difficulty and she watched his eyes water and one tear drip down his face. She knew it wasn’t only from the lemon that was making his eyes so wet.
She stood up and climbed onto his chair so she was straddling his hips to comfort him. Her floral summer dress rode up her thighs and was left bunched up under her hips. She brought her hands up his neck and caressed his cheeks with her fingers.
“Talk to me,” she whispered kissing his cheekbone.
He shifted so he could kiss her neck and his hands moved so they were rapped around her back. “I could have a step sister,” he whispered. “I can’t bear to think of it.”
“I know,” she said. Max closed his eyes and rested his forehead against her shoulder. Liz waited for him to speak.
“I don’t want to think about it but I can’t stop,” he said. “I wish I didn’t know because now I feel like it’s my responsibility and I should be doing something.”
Liz rested her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. “Call her,” she whispered. “I don’t fully agree that you should I just want to live here and forget about all that back there but I know it’s unrealistic and we can’t just run away from our problems.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do,” Max mumbled. “I want to live here without worries but I as I said, I can’t stop!”
Liz paused. “Do you blame me?” She asked.
“No, God no Liz, I love you more for taking me there because you wanted to help. I’m mad at my father and her, never you. Don’t think that,” he said.
Liz still couldn’t help but think this was all her fault. If she’d never taken him there…
“I know what you’re thinking,” Max said. “And I want you to stop, how were you to know that Angie would have a child? You were just trying to help me.” He kissed her lips. “I just have to decide what I want to do now.” He pressed her body into his. “God Liz, I’m so sorry about making this more complicated.”
Liz smiled. “Life can’t just be a breeze,” she said. “You’re worth everything we have to go through. And maybe now we’ll be even.”
“Even?” Max asked his eyes glowing with love. “How?”
“Well, you know it was my fault we were enslaved within a cell for a month and you having father issues makes us even, very fair if I say so myself,” she said sarcastically grinning. “And I do.”
“Oh right,” Max said. “Very fair.”
They kissed again passionately this time not stopping when their bodies began to hum with arousal. Liz ran her hands up and down Max’s chest. “I love you,” she confessed.
“I love you,” he responded. The material of her dress was so thin he could practically feel her smooth skin under his fingertips. He ran his hands up and down her back as she began to teasingly rub up and down against his lap. He dropped one of his hands to her thigh and drew agonizingly slow circles up towards her hip. This was all he had been able to think about doing tonight when he watched her glide around all their guests laughing, talking and offering food. Michael and Maria had thrown them a welcome home/engagement party and all of Max’s friends were there. Liz’s revealing dress had tormented him and in the end he couldn’t bear it a second longer and had to excuse himself from the room. That’s when he had come in here to drown himself in his thoughts and poisonous substances such as nicotine and alcohol.
Now that he was alone with her, he could no longer help himself; he had to fell her bare body against his. He instructed her to put her hands up and he quickly tugged her dress off her. When he saw her breasts in the dim light, his mouth suddenly went dry; he loved it when she didn’t wear a bra.
Liz’s hands worked at his shirt briskly and as much as his feverish hunger urged him to just take her fast, he tried to extend the moment in hopes to enjoy it more.
Inside Liz was smoldering and ached to be touched by him. She finally got his shirt off and threw it behind her onto the desk. Looking at him now, sitting before her panting and flustered she found his appearance extremely erotic. They kissed again allowing their naked chests to join sending torturous shivers of delight to sizzle through them. Liz increased the insistence of her caressing his erect lower half until they could take no more and tore his pants and her underwear from their bodies.
Max lifted his hips up off the chair so she could remove his boxers and then sat back onto the leather with a soft thud. It felt good against his burning skin but it did not compare to the feeling of Liz’s soft unique body stroking his. Her ass was positioned on his strong thighs and her arms went around his head when he begun suckling her breast.
She panted loudly and arched her chest into his face urging him on and demanding he not stop. How quickly their control had disappeared taking with it all sense of reality and replacing it with pure heaven. Max switched breasts, not wanting to neglect the other but was quick to replace his mouth with his hand teasing, pinching, and pulling. When he kissed his way back up to her mouth Liz spoke, telling him, he was a Godsend and she couldn’t believe how happy he made her. That no one fulfilled her as he did.
She wondered how he managed to suddenly grow multiple hands when he was touching her. It seemed as though he was touching her everywhere at once causing goose bumps to spread across her whole body. She kissed his neck, his collarbone, his chest and his shoulders trailing her tongue all over him not being able to get enough of his distinct spicy taste. No one tasted as good as he did.
The whole house was silent apart from the occasional creak and howls it made in displeasure when the wind attacked its weatherboard. Max and Liz were oblivious to everything but each other and would not stop for anything, even if a world disaster were to take place at that very moment.
Max’s hands combed Liz’s hair some how managing to tousle it in an attempt to keep it out of their faces. Their lips were like a magnet, always being sucked back together. They caught each others eyes and they smiled lovingly together. “Max,” Liz purred. “So you’ve already had it on this table?”
“Not on this chair,” Max panted back.
She laughed and Max felt his heart constrict with content. How could he not love this woman and everything about her? She was perfect to him.
Together they brought her down onto his erection, fulfilling both of their desires as she stretched to accommodate him once more. The heat that radiated off them was enough to provide warmth for an entire platoon of men but they weren’t willing to share. This was their own private moment that they knew no one else but them would get to experience it, that seemed to make it more enjoyable.
Max hoisted Liz up his shaft by one hand holding her exposed ass and the other holding her hips like a handle placed their just for his convenience. She slid back down again this time burying her face in his neck to keep from passing out. She could feel the roars and moans coming from his throat and knew he was as close as she was. Thinking of them together and causing this rapture of emotion, this complete and utter bliss, made her rise higher and higher. It was times like these they both realized how pliable they were, even if caused them to endure aches and pains later.
Max bit down on her ear lob when he was about to erupt in an explosion of pure gratification. Liz’s hands bunched and clenched Max’s arm muscles where she was clutching him. “Oh God,” She cried. “Please, oh please…”
“One more babe, one more…” Max puffed.
Liz fell down onto him again and gasped in pleasure. She was filled with such perpetual joy when she was with Max. When he caused her to explode, she felt radiant for a very long time afterwards.
Max’s liquid warmth filled her seconds after she fell and they clung to each others sweaty bare bodies for life they were going to be torn away from one another if they didn’t. Max blew on her forehead to cool her down and she complained that his breath was hot and was just making her more on fire.
She climbed off him and shuddered sadly at the loss of his body. “C’me on,” she said.
Max was still trying to think coherently and barely heard her. He grunted, “huh?”
Liz laughed as she picked up her dress and underwear. “I said, come on.”
“Where?” Max asked amused at his current state of undress and new content that he earlier had lacked.
“We got a lot of gifts tonight, did you see all that chocolate? If you come maybe I’ll let you eat it off me.” She was already at the door and on her way out. “It’s your choice…you could stay in here and sulk if you want.”
Sulk? Max thought. How could he suck after that? After she’d made him see stars?
When his legs didn’t feel like jello anymore he finally got up and went after her. He found her lying on their bed on her stomachs and eating chocolates out of a big box. She smiled at him, “Go get what’s left of that wine in the refrigerator will you?”
When he came back, she was in the same place still eating the chocolates. He put the wine and glasses on the bedside table and then climbed onto the bed beside her.
Not being able to help himself he sat on her ass and massaged her shoulders and back with his big –pleasure giving- hands. Her hair was long and silky so he had t brush it over her shoulders so it wouldn’t be in his way.
Liz moaned and felt her body hum to life again. “Oooh that feels so good,” she cooed. “Don’t stop.”
Max kissed her shoulder. “Who said I was going to?”
“Hmm,” Liz mumbled. “Sometimes your mean like that.”
She could feel his package on her lower back and wiggled her ass to tease him. He played back dropping his hands round her front to fondle her breasts and pinch her nipples.
Her breathing became more erratic, her heart thundered in her chest. She could feel the liquid warmth spread up her legs slicing her stomach and making her shudder. However, she didn’t want him to know how he was effecting her so she continued to eat the chocolate, hoping that would serve as a diversion.
Max knew very well what she was doing and in these times, he was the one in charge for once. He ran his lips up and down her spine, smiling when he heard he suppressing a moan. “Liz,” he spoke. “What did you think of Jude tonight?” He asked.
Wha—? Liz had no idea how to reply at a time like this and Max knew it. She swallowed. “Jude? Which one was he?”
Max massaged her lower back. “The one with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, he was wearing a white shirt…”
“Oh that one,” Liz said quietly. “He was okay, funny guy.”
“Hmm.” Max grinned. He leaned forward and kissed her jaw line slowly making his way to her chocolate filled mouth. He licked the chocolate of her lips and while doing so, let his hand slip down between her legs to where she was saturated. There was still some of his seamen on her inner thighs from their escapade in his office.
“Max!” Liz cried loudly. “Please, please…”
Max laughed, he had won again. He flipped her over in one swift movement and she rapped her arms around his neck pulling his mouth down onto hers. Their movements were quick, determined and passionate.
She rapped her legs around his waist forcing him to enter her fully. His tongue was in her mouth and the taste of chocolate only added to his enjoyment. When the flavor was fading he lifted one arm up and searched for the box of chocolates. When he found it he picked a random one, put in her mouth, and watched as she scrunched her nose up in disgust.
“Nougat, ew,” she mumbled.
Max smiled and kissed her again, now choosing to begin his movements in her lower body. He thrust in and out of her never removing his lips from hers and opened his eyes to watch her when she climaxed. He erupted just seconds after and they clutched each other whispering words of love.
When Max got up off her he crawled over to the dresser and picked up the wine. Not bothering with the glasses he unscrewed the lid and drank from the bottle. Liz climbed up the bed still with the chocolate and spread out on her back with her head on her pillow. She swigged some wine from the bottle too but when he climbed on top of her again she didn’t know what to do with it so she threw it onto the floor with a chuckle. Max laughed before covering her mouth with his again. Now that he had her full attention, he planned to keep it all night long.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


Liz woke up with Max lying on top of her with his head on her chest. She yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Her body ached like she knew it would.
Max woke up, scratched his balls and then sat up. He really needed to pee. Upon noticing Liz was awake he smiled and kissed her lips innocently before climbing off the bed and heading in the direction of the bathroom. Liz heard him call minutes later, “God, what did we do last night?”
She laughed and waited until he came back to reply. “What you mean you don’t remember?” She asked. Her muscles felt sore and overworked.
He fell back beside her and yawned. “I remember experiencing total bliss many times,” he mumbled. When he could, he rolled onto his side and rapped his arms around her. “We made a lot of mess,” he said. “Maybe we should hire a house keeper.”
Liz snuggled into his chest and spoke exhaustedly, “Is that why you had one to begin with?”
Max had his eyes closed. “No, because I can be lazy then and not clean up my own mess.”
With a sigh, Liz started to drift off again. “I have a work interview at one, don’t let me miss it,” she whispered.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXVII

When Liz woke up again it was 12:45. She sprung up and cursed loudly. “I have an interview in fifteen minutes! OH My GOD!” She punched a sleeping Max in the chest. “You suck Max Evan’s I told you not to let me sleep in!”
She leapt out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom. She had the quickest shower of her life, then ran back into the bedroom and searched through the wardrobe for something respectable to wear. She pulled on a white blouse, black skirt and matching knee length jacket then pulled her hair up into a bun. Max watched with amusement while he was stretched out on his back on the bed.
“I hate you!” She hissed before running out of the room and grabbing the keys to his Porsche. “BYE!”
She was supposed to meet Elle Edwards, the fashion designer, at her studio. Luckily it wasn’t that far away and she got there only five minutes late. At the front door a woman whom Liz guessed was Elle’s current assistant, led her through the elegant house to a huge white room. Elle was a striking woman that could easily be a super model; she was from a town called Brighton in England and her English accent amused Liz immensely. She was friendly and greeted Liz like she was an old friend, proximity was formed instantaneously.
“Take a seat, take a seat,” Elle said. She sat down on a couch near a large set of windows and Liz sat on a sofa chair next to her. “First of all, I’ve never believed in formal interviews, highly over rated. Tell me about yourself because in this job if we don’t click then it just won’t work.”
“Well,” Liz said. “Before I say anything I want to apologize for being late. My thick boyfriend chose to be a pest this morning.”
Elle laughed. “Men are just stupid asses aren’t they?” She said. “And don’t worry; I didn’t even notice you were late.”
“Well I am relieved,” Liz said smiling. “So you want to know a bit about me? Well, I’m from New York and I’ve just moved here with my boyfriend. I’ve worked for Veronica’s Secret as an assistant Manager where I had a large input in the fall line…”
“I know, I know. I’ve seen your C.V it’s very impressive, no, what I really want you to tell me is about is you. What you like, what your fashion style is.”
“Me?” Liz said.
“Sure.”
“Clothing, I have to admit I am stuck in the past. I love anything that resembles what would have been worn between 1900-1945. I hate where fashion is going, you don’t have to show a lot of skin to look dazzling but people feel compelled to keep up with models so clothing is getting skimpier every season.” Liz looked around and saw a poster on the wall. “See that dress there is elegant by why does it have to be so short? I’m not modest or anything I have a good body and I’ll flaunt it but I like to be comfortable and I wouldn’t be comfortable in that.”
Liz knew she was being very prejudiced but she wanted to be herself and let Elle see what she was like now. Nothing was worse then hiring someone and then finding out they were just being kiss-ass during their interview.
Elle was smiling so she mustn’t have said anything too terrible. Being critical of her boss’s work before she was even hired wasn’t something you normally did if you wanted to get the job.
“Well, that’s what’s wrong with it. I’ve been trying to find what’s off about that design for a month.”
Liz stayed for another fifteen minutes answering Elle’s questions and just talking.
“Just one last question,” Elle said. “This job will be an on-call one a lot of the time. I’ll need you to come in when I need you. Is there anything you consider more important then your career that would ever be your first priority? Be honest, please, I understand that we all have lives of our own.”
“Max,” Liz replied.
“And is that your boyfriend?”
Liz nodded. “He comes first,” she said. “I’m sorry, he wouldn’t keep me from coming in most likely…but he’s my main concern.”
Elle nodded. “I understand.”
“Thank you,” Liz said standing up. “It was nice meeting you, even if I don’t get the job. Good luck with your hunt!” She pulled on her suit jacket.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll be honest with you, you’re the best I’ve seen so far.”
“I’m glad,” Liz said.
“Harriet will lead you out.”
When Liz got home she walked out the garage door on the side of the house and out to the back garden. She smiled at the sight before her. Max was lounging around on a beach chair drinking beer with two other males. They were all wearing nothing but swimming trunks and were laughing at something. Music was blearing from the C.D player inside and she had to walk up and stand in front of them to get them to notice her.
She put her hands on her hips. “Hi,” she said.
A chorus of, “hello,” “hey,” “Hi babe,” was her reply.
“How was the interview? Did you get the job?” Max asked.
“She’s going to get back to me,” Liz replied. “So, who are your friends?” These two guys hadn’t been at the party last night. How could he have more friends? The invitation list to the wedding was going to be huge! And that was without everyone she wanted their too.
“Well,” Max said. “I don’t know, I just got bored so I went down to the beach and let whoever come up if they promised good conversation.”
“Ha ha, Max the comedian,” Liz said.
“Smart ass,” one of the guys said to Max. “I’m Karl, this is Daniel. You must be the woman who finally tamed the beast? It’s nice to meet you Liz.” They both shook her hand.
“Max should I be worried? That’s not the first time I’ve heard someone refer to you as ‘the beast’.”
Max grinned. “If you’re not worried already then you have nothing to lose sleep about. You’ve see all the beast tendencies I possess.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “So, why weren’t you two here last night?” She asked.
“We couldn’t make it,” Daniel said. “But that’s why we’re here now.”
“Oh.”
Max grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him. “Join us,” he said.
“Oh Max no! You’re all sweaty and gross!” She pulled away. “I’m going up to the house, do you guys need anything?”
“We’re sweet thanks,” Karl said.
“Max, don’t drink too much you have that interview at five-thirty, remember?” Liz kissed his cheek on her way back to the house. When she was inside she turned the music down a little bit and undid her hair from its tight bun. In all the jobs and all the interviews she’s had over the years, she couldn’t remember ever having one as pleasurable as today’s, she was swollen with pride.
She walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water out of the refrigerator when she heard Max’s bare feet patter across the lino as he entered. She turned around and looked at while she pulled the cap off her bottle.
He kissed her neck. “Do you mind them being here?” He asked.
“No, of course not,” she said. He continued kissing her neck and nibbling on her ear until her legs felt weak and she started drifting downwards. “Ah, stop right there,” she said pushing him away. “Nice boys aren’t supposed to do that.”
“Who said I was a nice boy?” Max asked.
“I was under the impression you were,” Liz said teasing him.
Max raised his eye brows. “Well you can’t have gained this impression last night…I distinctively remember you saying something about being very naughty…”
Liz blushed.
Max laughed. “That’s got to be one of the first times I’ve ever seen you blush. It is unbelievably strange and very, very arousing.” He rapped his arms around her waist.
Liz pushed him away again. “You’ll get that awful coconut smelling sunscreen all over my clothing,” she said. “Besides you have guests, go attend to them.”
“They won’t mind if I disappear for a little while—“
“Max Evans!” Liz hissed. “No! You’ll have to control yourself until a more appropriate time. You have friends over for heavens sake.”
Max rolled his eyes and kissed her lips tenderly. “Fine, but I’m not happy. So, do you think you got the job?”
“I have a good chance,” she said. She ran her hand through his hair. “I’m ringing the hair dresser to make an appointment for you after your interview.”
“Hmm, whatever,” he kissed her again.
“Wait a minute, no; you definitely have to get away from me. I’m supposed to be mad at you.”
He sighed. “What did I do?”
“I told you not to let me be late to my interview but you didn’t wake me up!” Liz said.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Max said. He reached behind her and opened the fridge to grab some more bottles of beer.
“Well I have to blame someone, it can’t be my fault,” Liz said.
Max grabbed her finger, put it up to his lips and pretended to bite it off. She giggled and watched him walk away with a smile on her face.
After wandering around cleaning up and folding washing she decided to go down to the beach and have a swim in the cold water. She got into her bikini, rapped a towel around her waist to cover her thong-clad-ass and walked down to the beach wearing her sunglasses. She didn’t want Max’s friends to think she was like all the other girls Max had ever had and didn’t know if showing her ass off was a good way of doing that.
“Where are you going?” As she was walking past.
“For a swim,” she replied. The water was beautiful and felt wonderful against her sore body. Damn her muscles, she thought. They were still sore from last night’s activities.
She only stayed down at the beach for about half an hour before walking back up to the house. Max was still sitting in the same place but one of his friends, Daniel had left. She took his seat next to Max and dried her wet hair with her towel.
“God I missed this,” Max commented. “I missed this place.”
“It’s beautiful here,” Rick agreed.
Liz watched his face without him realizing it. He was staring off into space, deep in thought. She didn’t like not being able to read him. She usually knew what he was thinking and feeling but right now she had no idea.
“Hey,” she said. “Have you got enough sunscreen on?”
Max snapped out of it. “Yeah, I have more than enough on,” he said.
Liz leaned over her chair and looked at his back. “You look sun burnt, lie down on your back I’ll rub some more on.”
“Who could say no to that?” Max said.
Rick wiggled his eye brows.
Once he was lying on his back Liz sat on the edge of his chair and squirted some of the sunscreen on his back. She spread it out and massaged it into his shoulders, lower back, spine and then continued even when it was all rubbed in. He had closed his eyes and a peaceful look now rested on his face and she wanted to keep it there. When Rick was looking away she leaned down, pressing her wet bikini into her back and brought her lips down to his ear. “I love you,” she whispered.
Max opened his eyes and looked up at her. She smiled and continued massaging his back while he watched her. Never had she been more beautiful to him.
Around four-thirty Rick left to go home and Liz went inside to start making dinner. When followed her he stood in the doorway watching her fluff around the kitchen in her summer dress. She always wore hat lately to cool down in, she wore nothing underneath it and with every little move she made it tantalizingly revealed what was underneath. He ripped off his shorts like he had wanted to do all afternoon and sighed. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, doing her best to not turn around.
When he saw that she wasn't paying attention he fell back onto the couch with a huff and put his hands behind his head. After turning the stereo off with the remote he turned on the television to the sports channel.
A few minutes later Liz called out to him, "Max can you set the table please?"
Sluggishly he gradually eased himself up again and walked into the kitchen to do what he was asked. Liz was about to turn around and tell him to put some clothes on she’d never get dinner done when the telephone started ringing. “I’ll get it,” she said with bated breath. She practically ran from the room, cursing herself for getting so aroused.
“Hello?” She said into the phone.
“Liz?” Maria replied. “What are you up to?”
“Oh hey Maria I’m just making dinner, how’s Michael?” Liz watched Max as he set the table, he leaned over to put the knife down and she closed her eyes. She wasn’t going to make it.
“He’s at work and I don’t have any jobs tonight so I’m just hanging out,” she sighed.
Liz caught Max’s eyes and quickly looked away. “Oh, don’t stay home alone, come around here and have dinner with us. Max has to leave soon to go to a job interview. We can watch some DVD’s and eat popcorn and chocolate.”
“Oh Liz that would be awesome! Thank you. How long till dinners ready?” Maria asked.
“I only just started so give me about twenty-minutes to get it ready and thirty minutes to cook it… say an hour?” Liz said.
“Okay, sure. Do you need me to pick up anything? The DVD’s, chocolate?”
“We have some DVD’s here but unless you want to watch muncho action movies like die hard, you better get some.” Liz swallowed when she saw Max approaching her. “Ah, Maria I got… I got to go.”
“Okay, I’ll get some DVD’s,” Maria said sounding eager. “What about pop corn and chocolate, do you have any?”
Max walked around behind Liz and started unbuttoning her dress. “Chocolate? Yeah we have some, you better get…oh!” Max licked her revealed skin. “Pop corn.”
“We don’t have chocolate,” Max said.
“What?” Liz asked. “We got heaps last night, how can we possibly have none?”
Max slipped his hands inside her dress and kissed her neck. “We, ate it, remember?”
Liz closed her eyes and arched into his hands that were now cupping her breasts.
“Hello? I’m still here!” Maria called.
“Oh,” Liz said. “Sorry, Maria you better bring chocolate and pop corn too, sorry. I owe you.”
“Sweet as. I’ll be there in an hour, bye!”
Liz chucked the phone down and turned around to face Max. “Oh Max, please…”
He lifted her up and she rapped her legs around his waist. “Is now an appropriate time?” He asked amused.
Liz kissed his lips fervently. “No, yes, fuck I don’t know Max God I need you now!”
Max laughed as he headed toward the couch. He positioned her down on the cushions and pulled her dress off her. She wasn’t thinking logically anymore, she should have been worrying about Max getting to his interview on time and cooking dinner but all she wanted was for him to be obscured within her.
She tightened her thighs around his hips and he propelled into her finally.
Liz moaned and pressed her lips to his. When they both released Liz lay shivering blissfully with her eyes closed. “Thank you,” she mumbled.
Max ran his hand through her hair. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered taking her lips again.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “So are you,” she said.
He looked down at their exposed bodies and ran his hand through his hair. “Do we have time for once mo—?”
Liz laughed. “Yes you big lug, quickly otherwise you’ll be late!” She rapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down. “This time, make me see stars,” she whispered.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXVIII

Liz and Maria sat together at the dinner table clucking and laughing like little old women that had had too much to drink. When Max came out dressed in one of his best suits they both cooed and told him how handsome he looked.
“Come here,” Liz said. She fixed his collar and kissed him good bye. “Remember to go to the hairdressers on your way back.”
“Oh is Maxie-pooh getting a hair cut?” Maria asked.
“Yes he is, finally,” Liz said. “Look he’s getting bangs, they make him look younger don’t you think?”
“Yeah they do, is that a bad thing?”
Liz scrunched her nose up. “No, not really but I think the little bit sticking up at the front is cuter.”
“Yeah you’re probably right,” Maria agreed.
“Can I go now?” Max asked.
“Yes,” Liz said kissing his lips tenderly again.
“You taste like Garlic,” he commented.
The two women laughed like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. “Are you two drunk all ready?” He asked.
“Of course we aren’t,” Maria said.
Max’s outing was uneventful; when he got to his interview they took one look at his achievements and hired him. The young hairdresser flirted with him while she cut his hair and Max flirted back but felt bad about it so he went brought Liz some of her favorite wine before going home.
Maria and Liz were lying around on the couch watching Bridget Jones’s Diary when he walked in.
“Oh Mr. Darcy is so yummy,” Liz said.
“Oh I so agree,” Maria was sucking on a piece of chocolate.
When they spotted Max they made as much of a fuss about him as they had when he had left. “I picked this up,” he said putting the wine down on the coffee table.
“My favorite!” Liz said excitedly.
“What did you do?” Maria asked.
“Excuse me?” Max said shocked.
“Well you don’t buy a woman her favorite alcoholic beverage unless you feel guilty about something,” Maria said.
Liz rolled her eyes. “Maria you read too much Cosmo Girl.”
“I know,” she snorted.
Max could hear their conversation as he put away the dishes in the kitchen. “I would have to say my worst sexual experience would have been with Rick Romano, I would be lying there with him above me and he’s pant and drool and hiss like I’ve never heard!” Maria said. “He smelt really bad too.”
“That’s nothing,” Liz said. “I was once with a guy that would moan his own name when he was doing me. He’d cheer himself on for heavens sake!”
Max dropped the plate he was holding and it shattered on the floor.
“Max is everything okay out there?” Liz called.
“Yea—yeah.” She did who?
Liz continued, “At first I thought I’d miss heard him then all of a sudden at the top of his lungs he’d start screaming, ‘go Jack you can do, yeah Jack you beauty!’ It was disturbing.”
Maria and Liz’s laughter was loud and animated.
Max couldn’t believe what he just heard. He was horrified by the mental pictures of Liz with someone else filling his find. “Jesus,” he muttered to himself.
“There was this other guy that always wanted to do it doggy style,” Liz added.
As if that hadn’t been bad enough! Max covered his ears but he couldn’t help but picture it yet again. He felt sick to the stomach.
“So how often do you and Max go to it now?” Maria asked. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“Don’t you dare!” Max called from the kitchen.
Liz laughed.
“Spoil sort,” Maria hissed.
“Max and I still have a very active sex life for your information,” Liz said.
“Do you? Michael and I are starting to dwindle now, only three times a week and usually no more then twice at a time! I know I shouldn’t complain but it used to be so much more. It’s depressing.”
“Oh, poor you,” Liz said. “Tell him he needs to buck up his ideas. I read somewhere that role playing lights the fire again.”
Maria laughed. “I could get him to dress up as a fire fighter,” she said.
“Well Max is a professor so I could be a naughty school girl,” Liz offered. They laughed noisily together. “I won’t tell you how many times Max and I have sex then it might depress you.”
“If you did it once a day it would depress me,” Maria said. “Just tell me, is it more then that?”
Liz checked to see that Max wasn’t in the room and nodded mutely at Maria.
“You bitch! It’s not fair!” Maria cried.
When Max was finished eating his dinner he came and sat down on the couch next to Liz. The end of the movie was just coming up and Liz sighed. “I want that,” she said.
“You want to run down the street in your underwear?” Max asked.
She hit him with a pillow. “Why aren’t you like Mr. Darcy?”
“I’m sorry!”
“I’m kidding!” Liz said rolling eyes.
They watched Jaws next and when the couple went skinny dipping in the beach Liz commented that she and Max should do that.
“They get eaten by a shark!” Max cried.
“Yeah but we won’t,” Liz argued.
“That’s what they thought too.”
After Maria had gone home Max went outside to smoke. After a short while Liz came out and spun around in front of him. “How do I look?” She asked with her lips pursed.
Max turned his gaze to her and gasped in shock. “Oh, my, God,” he said. He tried to say something else but he couldn’t form an English sentence.
“I’ll take that as a good sign,” she said placing her hands on her hips. “You know this evening while I compared our sex life to Maria and Michael’s I realized we were being a bit excessive. We have been together too long to be as horny as we are. Did you know that only thirty percent of women climax during intercourse? After thinking about it I realized that BECAUSE I’m obviously in that thirty percent, THAT is why we have such a healthy sex-life. Aren’t we lucky?”
Max’s mouth opened and closed, he still could not form any words, let alone sentences.
Her skimpy see-through pink underwear with black lace trimming was too much for him.
“Max, it’s just underwear, expensive underwear, but still just—
She laughed. “You want to go inside and make love now?”
He was still opening and closing his mouth.
“Nod if it’s a yes,” she said.
He nodded.
“Come on then, put that cigarette out. I’ll get you a piece of lemon.” She walked away swaying her ass from side to side purposely.
He was completely and utterly whipped. He was a goner, she would kill him. He got up and followed her in knowing that she had somehow slipped into the Kings seat in the relationship. When it came to her he was putty in her hands.
He collapsed back onto their bed and closed his eyes. He knew he didn’t need to do anything she would do it all, she knew every inch of his body and she would do it all. She was a burning fire that he knew would never blow out. He just didn’t know how he was going to survive her.
He just didn’t know how he deserved her.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

His fingers tapped on the desk in front of him and his eyes rested on the phone. He should do it but he couldn’t do it. From this moment on his whole care-free life would be over as he knew it all because of this phone call.
Liz didn’t deserve to have to put up with this. She deserved nothing but his full devotion to her and if he rang and his suspicions were confirmed he wouldn’t be able to give her all of him. Part of him would feel obligated to someone else. He could hear Liz singing in the kitchen from where he sat in his office and his heart swelled with love. He worshiped her.
“Our love is like a ship on the ocean,” Liz sang. “Don’t rock the boat, don’t rock the boat baby.”
Max stifled a laugh.
He could do this; nothing he did would stop how he felt for the tiny woman who was a terrible singer but somehow managed to end up sounding superb to him.
He didn’t particularly enjoy listening to Jammin’ Oldies on a Sunday afternoon but Liz seemed to and wouldn’t allow anything else while she cleaned.
He was getting off the point; he had to stay on the subject matter. The truth was he would rather have been anywhere doing anything rather then doing this. Maybe if he told Liz he’d clean the oven she’d let him leave his office?
No, as much as she hated doing it, she wouldn’t let him get away with it.
Never in his life had he been so torn.
“I want candy!” Liz sang. “I want candy!”
Max rubbed his eyes and yawned. With a deep pain in his stomach and a throbbing head he slowly picked up the telephone and dialed the number on the piece of paper in front of him.
It rang once, twice, thrice and then he crashed it back down on the receiver. He couldn’t do this.
“She’s my cutey, she’s my tutty fruity, she’s allllllright, and she’s got what it takes!”
Max couldn’t believe he had just heard his girlfriend sing that. All he could think was, oh my God.
Suddenly he heard Liz yell. “MAX EVANS HUUUUUURRRRRRY UP!”
He cupped his ears and patted them to make sure they still worked.
Liz continued singing. “You’ve got to know when to hold her, know when to fold her, know when to walk away…!”
On his watch the time read one-twenty. Jesus, he had been in there for an hour. He had missed lunch!
His stomach leading him he picked up the phone again and dialed the number. It rang four times before being answered.
“Hello?”
Max swallowed. “Angie?” He asked.
“Yea it’s me, who is this?”
“It’s Max, Max Evans.”
He could practically feel her shock. “Max? Hi! What are you doing?”
Living in Emotional hell where all they play is Jammin’ Oldies. “I’m ringing from Italy,” he said.
“Oh, really?” She asked. “Why?”
He swallowed again. “Look, first I better start by telling you why I left New York back when we were dating,” he said.
“Oh…kay.”
“I caught you with my father,” he said. “Having…sex with my father.”
She gasped. “Max—I-I, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter, that’s not why I rang. I rang because I just…I have to know if my fathers the father of your child.”
There was silence on the other line.
Time seemed to stop.
“Max,” Angie said. “I’m glad you rang. I’m pleased I can quiet your worries; my daughter isn’t in anyway related to your father. I’m sorry that you thought that.”
Max let out the breath he was holding and rested his head against the back of his chair. He closed his eyes and sighed, he couldn’t believe the weight that had lifted off his shoulders.
“Is that all you wanted?”
“Yeah, that’s all,” Max said. “Thank you, thank you…”
“That’s fine, I’m glad I could help. Again, Max, sorry about your father—“
“Yeah, it’s a little late for that but I appreciate it. Look I’m sorry that the father ran off on you, even if it wasn’t my father.
“That’s sweet of you,” she said. “Thank you.”
“I have to go now,” he was anxious to leave. He had to go hug his wife! The wonderful little sprite!
“Well, okay, see you.”
Max slammed the phone down and when he looked up he saw Liz leaning against the door frame. “Come dance with me,” she said.
He got up and walked towards her. “I love you,” he said. “I love you so much.”
“I know you do,” she replied. “You couldn’t live without me.”
Out in the lounge, ‘the limbo rock’ by Chubby Checker was playing. He took her in his arms and they danced around the lounge laughing. When they were tired Liz sighed happily. “I trust you want your lunch now?”
“Yes please,” he said.
“Come on then, time to feed ‘the beast’.”

[nicola]

XXIX

“Are you sleeping?” Liz asked while she stroked her soul mate’s forehead, brushing his wispy hair to the side of his face. His eyes twitched before opening and he looked up at her with love.
They could hear the water lapping up against the side of the yacht and the sea gulls squawking and flying around but they were oblivious. All they knew was each other.
“What’s wrong?” Max asked running his fingers through her hair.
She kissed his temple and shifted so she was on her stomach at his side. He lay on his back half watching her and half watching the sunrise behind her.
“Nothing,” she replied. “I was just thinking.”
“Yeah?” he mumbled. The blanket covered their lower bodies but their naked upper halves were exposed to the morning air. It wasn’t hot but was lukewarm with a slight chill that had traveled from the arctic. It warned the village that winter was only a month off.
Max and Liz, knowing that the searing weather conditions would not last much longer, headed for the yacht to spend the night under the stars. They listened to music, ate food and worshipped each other in the closest way possible.
“Tell me about what you are thinking about,” Max said quietly.
“I was thinking about you,” Liz replied honestly.
He smiled. “I’m glad.”
She rolled her eyes but quickly switched back to being serious. “You know how people say that God is the only one who can see and understand you completely, that you can’t hide anything from him?” She saw Max nod. Quietly she continued, “I want you to be the one who can do all that. I don’t believe in God but I believe in you and you’re the one that I want to see me.”
Max swallowed. “Why do you love me so much?” he asked.
“Because you’re the one,” she replied simply. “You’re my only one, the one that everyone spends their whole life searching for.”
He cupped her cheeks and said he agreed. “With it all, what you just said. All of it, I want you to know me best.”
Liz kissed his lips. “It’s not very hard to know you; your favorite things are food, sex, alcohol and sleep.” She laughed tauntingly.
Max smiled. “You forgot one thing on that list.”
“Really?” She asked. “What’s that?”
“You,” he answered pulling her closer. “You’re my favorite thing.”
“Prove it,” she said slipping her thigh over his.
“Not yet.” He tangled their hands together. “I have also been thinking and maybe we should elope, we have too many friends.”
Liz buried her face in his neck. “I know,” she said. “I considered it too but just imagine how much fun a huge beautiful wedding would be, the more I think about it, the more I want it. Besides, the best part is the parents of the bride always pay for it all.”
Max laughed.
“And I want to spend hours getting ready and pretty for you so I can walk down the isle and see the look on your face.”
“Why don’t you just spent hours dressing up for me everyday?” He grinned childishly.
“Yeah right,” Liz snorted. She looked at him with big puppy-dog eyes. “Please can we, please?”
He didn’t need much convincing. “It was just a thought; I never said I actually wanted to elope. I don’t mind having a big wedding and inviting everyone. We can and have the biggest party of our life time.”
“Yay!” Liz sat up. “Let’s have it just after Christmas like the 27th or the—wait! No we HAVE to have it on New Years! Then we can start the New Year married.”
Max treasured how excited she was. “We better start preparation then, huh?” He yawned.
“Yes!” Liz cried. “I’m thinking white and lavender as the signature colors…oh it’s going to be so magnificent.”
Max ran his hands through his hair. “As long as I don’t have to wear it…”
Liz looked perplexed. “Okay…” she said. “Strange mind you have there Max.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“I have to go,” Liz said pulling away from Max on the couch.
“What?” He asked frowning. “Where?”
“I am going to get a manicure and a pedicure,” she replied. “I haven’t felt feminine in a little while and Maria was going with some girlfriends so I said I’d come.”
“But we are half way through watching a movie,” Max retorted.
“It’s Die Hard, Max,” Liz said. “If I hear Bruce Willis say, Yippee-Ki-yay-mother-fucker, one more time I may start saying it as a force of habit.”
“You haven’t seen it that many times,” he said.
The phone started ringing giving her a quick escape from the conversation.
“Hello, Liz speaking.”
“Liz! Hi.”
“Who is this?” She asked frowning.
“Elle,” she replied. “I’m calling to tell you, you got the job. I want you as my assistant.”
“Really!” Liz exclaimed. “I mean, that’s wonderful, thank you.”
Elle laughed. “Your welcome. I need to see you; I have a proposal for you. When are you available?”
Liz jumped up and down. “Uh, three hours, I can meet you at one if you’d like.”
“Ah, bad luck I have to be somewhere at one. What about tonight? Say, seven? We’ll make a dinner date out of it. You can bring your boyfriend if you’d like?”
“That would be awesome,” Liz said. “I’m so happy! Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, I’ll look forward tonight. I have to go now, see you then.”
“Bye,” Liz said. As soon as she hung up she danced around and did pirouettes through to the lounge. She stopped in front of the television and put her hands on her hips.
“Excuse me,” Max said trying to look around her at the T.V.
“Guess what?”
“Who was on the phone?” he asked, evidently not caring. He motioned for her to get out of the way.
She grabbed the remote and turned the movie off. “Stop, for two seconds,” she said.
“ARGH!” Max exclaimed. “You did not just turn off Die Hard. I demand a divorce.”
“We aren’t married,” Liz said. “How can we get a divorce if we aren’t married? You’re crazy.”
“Well…then I demand you turn it back on.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “I want two seconds of your time, you are being pathetic. Now, guess what?”
“Please don’t make me guess I want to watch Die Hard.”
“That was Elle on the phone,” she said.
“Oh, that’s nice, can you turn it back on now?” He asked. “Who’s Elle?”
“My new Boss you asshole!” Liz threw a pillow at him. “But obviously your stupid movie is more important to you then I am, so,” She threw another pillow at him, “I’ll leave you two alone! Maybe it’ll fulfill your sexual needs better!”
She stomped to the door and threw on her jacket. “I’m going to dinner with her tonight at seven, if you come, or if you don’t, I couldn’t care less!”
“I’m supposed to go out with my friends to the pub tonight!” he called.
“Of course, you do!” She slammed the door after her and drove to the beauty salon in a huff. She couldn’t believe his thick head sometimes, he could be so insensitive!
While she sat getting her nails done Maria asked what was wrong.
“Max, he’s so…” she hissed. “Is it like talking to a brick wall when Michael is in front of the television? I swear Max likes that thing more then me.”
“Amen,” the lady doing her nails said. “I agree completely, I give you my word my man dumped for his set.”
“Oh,” Liz said. “I’m sorry.”
“Ah, I’m not missing out on anything.”
“Liz, you just got to know how to work them,” Maria said.
“No, I don’t think so Maria. I’m sure that if I stood nude in front of him while he was watching Die Hard he would get more turned on by the film then by me. He’s obsessed with it, God I hate that movie.”
“Max is always all over you, I think you are overreacting a little bit.”
Liz shook her head. “I’m just so mad! I mean, I was trying to tell him that I got the great job I wanted so much and he wouldn’t even glance at me.”
“You got a job?” Maria asked. “Awesome! Is that the assistant clothing one?”
“Yes,” Liz said. “She wants me to meet her for dinner tonight. She told me to bring Max but I am just so irritated with him, I don’t think I will. That’ll teach him.”
“Liz…” Maria said. “This isn’t like you and Max, you are getting married in less then a month. Go home and make up with him. This job is a big deal.”
Liz thought about it for a second. “No, no way. I’ll just end up throwing things at him.”
“Okay,” Maria said. “But if you and Max can’t make it together none of us have any hope.”
“You know what the problem is?” Liz sighed. “I love him too much, I have him up on this pedestal and every time he does something wrong it completely throws me off.”
“He’s human Liz,” Maria replied. “He’s a HUMAN male for heavens sake; we can’t expect anything from MALES.”
“Males aren’t that bad,” Bianca, Maria’s friend butted in. “They have their moments.”
Liz bit her lip. “I just wish he’s want more from me then sex, sometimes I feel like that’s the only time he likes being around me.”
“Liz, no,” Maria said. “Max loves you, you are just upset.”
“Yes, I am.” Liz got up when her nails were done. “I have to go find something to wear tonight. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Okay, bye.”
Once she was gone Maria turned to her friends. “I’ll bet you a million dollars she’ll be cooing about how much she loves him tomorrow.”
“She seemed really upset.”
“They’ll be fine. It’s Max and Liz!”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“For the next two weeks I’m going to be in London,” Elle said. “I want you to come.”
Liz stared at her in shock. Leave Italy, for two weeks?
When she had got home after shopping that afternoon Max wasn’t there and had gone to teach his first class. She knew that he would have because he had told her the day before he had work.
Despite her annoyance with him, she was disappointed that she wasn’t here when he had left. She didn’t want his first class to be a bad one because of their fight. She’d waited around for him to come home and when six-thirty rolled around she got exasperated again because it was apparent he had gone out with his friends.
Now, at dinner, upset and alone she didn’t know how to react to her new boss. She knew it was an important decision and didn’t think it was smart to decide what to do when she was so emotionally distraught.
“I understand it’s a big thing to ask of you before you even start work for me but I had no alternative, the trip came up out of the blue. It’s even worse that it’s over Christmas, but you could request your boyfriend join you on Christmas Eve and through Christmas day. I leave on Friday and will get back December twenty-seventh.”
Liz bit her lip. “I’m getting married on the first,” she said. Everything was planned for the wedding by now and she would be back in time to finish any final preparations…so the trip wasn’t entirely out of the question. She really could gain a lot from working on this great job.
“I understand,” Elle said. “I’m aware that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to come but I thought I would present you with the offer nevertheless.”
There were footsteps behind them and Liz turned to see Max walking towards the table. He kissed her forehead and took a seat. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he said.
The waitress came along and set up a place for him at the table.
Liz was surprised to see him.
“Elle, this is Max, Max this is Elle,” she introduced them and they shook hands politely.
“Liz and I have just been discussing the next two weeks,” Elle explained.
“Oh,” Max said.
Liz swallowed. “Elle wants me to go to London with her,” she said. “And I want to go.”
Max looked at her shocked. “You’ve already decided, just like that?”
“No,” Liz said.
“You don’t have to decide tonight,” Elle said. “Just in the next day or two.”
After dinner Max and Liz drove home without verbal communication but as soon as they got inside the house Max spoke.
“So, we have one silly quarrel and you tell her you’ll run off with her?” He said.
“I didn’t tell her I’d go,” Liz said shoving past him and heading towards the bedroom.
“Fundamentally you did!” he followed her. “What about Christmas? What about the wedding for heaven’s sake?”
“If you’d give me two minutes to explain without screaming at me maybe I’d tell you!” Liz kicked her high heal shoes off.
Max took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. “Look, I’m sorry about being as ass this morning but don’t leave. Don’t go to London.”
“Don’t go?’ Liz asked. “Max, this is a great opportunity.”
“What about me?” he asked.
“You? What about you Max? What’s gotten into you today you are being very selfish,” she said. She started unbuttoning the back of her dress. “IF I go, you would be able to fly to London on Christmas Eve and we’d still have Christmas together.”
“What if I don’t want to fly up?”
“Then I’ll stay home!” She cried. “I never said I WAS going Max, I just said I’d like to but if you won’t let me then I won’t!”
“I’m not in charge of you, I’m not going to tell you not to do something.”
Liz sat down on the bed in her underwear and cupped her face in her hands. “I understand this isn’t a good time to just up and disappear but I’ve never had a chance to do something like this and I really desire to go. It would mean missing you for the better part of two weeks but that’s what telephones are for. You are working now and you’ll be at work nearly everyday anyway, I’ll just be stuck around here.”
“I’m not going to keep you from going, I’m just saying I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said. “You barely even know this woman.”
“I’ll get to know her on the trip,” Liz argued. “And if you weren’t such a dick head this morning maybe I wouldn’t have liked the idea so much.”
“I already apologized for this morning,” he said.
“Some apology!” Liz spat out.
Max came and squatted in front of her. “We can’t talk rationally about this trip until you stop being mad at me,” he spoke softly and lovingly.
“Well I can’t stop being mad at you until you tell me why you did it! I wanted a few minutes of your time, that’s it. That makes me feel so pathetic, like you favor the damn television over me.”
“You know that’s not true,” he said.
“Do I?” She retorted. “I’m just the silly annoying girlfriend that’s only good for a lay because every other time I’m nagging you.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “Come on Liz, you’re being childish. You KNOW none of that’s true.”
Liz started to cry. “I want to go on the trip.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXX

Max wandered around the room in his checkered pajama pants which he personally hated, but Liz liked. He was wearing a hole in the floor while he waited for her to get out of the shower. They had parted their separate ways to cool down and now that he was thinking rationally again he wanted to end this. He wanted to finish this, what ever it was, so they could go to bed and sleep, or even better, have amazing make up sex.
He turned out the lights when he heard her coming and switched the lamp by the side of the bed on.
She came in wearing a towel and Max thanked God, maybe that would make this easier.
He sat down on the end of the bed and patted the spot next to him.
“I’m calmed down now,” she said quietly. “And I think I am overreacting, just a little bit.”
Max shook his head. “Come here,” he replied. It was always easier to come to a truce when they were touching. She approached him slowly, unsurely, and stopped when her bare feet were on top of his.
“You aren’t overreacting,” he alleged. He took her hands in his and kissed them.
Liz looked down at him, she was defeated, and she didn’t want to fight anymore. “Max, I was thinking while I was in the shower and I realized that, maybe, we’re fighting because we have pre-wedding jitters.”
Max swallowed. “Why would that be? I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this wedding.”
“Max you’ve gone from being a playboy to being engaged, I don’t expect you to adapt to the change easily,” she explained. “I admit that I’m a little scared. I mean, I love you but being so committed to someone is new for me.”
“So you don’t want the wedding?” He was confused.
“No! No, no…I want it as much as you do but that doesn’t stop me being a little panicky about it.”
Max hauled her down onto his lap. “You don’t have to be worried,” he said.
“You mean you aren’t worried, just a little bit?” She asked. “Not at all?”
“Not so far,” he replied. “But we have a little while to go yet.”
Liz gulped. “Max,” she said. “The trip—“
“You should go,” he said. “I don’t want you to but you’re right it’s a good opportunity. And maybe it would be a good idea for us to spend some time apart prior to our wedding.”
“You want time apart?” she asked hurt.
“No, personally I think it will suck being away from you but maybe it will bring us closer together when you get back. And I expect your ‘Elle’ knows that when I’m there for Christmas I don’t intend to share you.”
Liz had tears in her eyes. “I don’t intend to go away when your there with me,” she whispered. Max wiped the tear from her cheek.
“What’s wrong, I thought this is what you wanted?” He tucked her wet hair behind her ears. “Are you still upset about what I did today? I’m sorry, I really am.”
Liz sniffled. “I’m not upset about that anymore,” she said. “But thank you for apologizing, that’s all I wanted.”
Max hugged her and she buried her face in his t-shirt. He spoke, remembering her comment about him working while she stayed at home. “I’m only working for the next four days because the students go on their Christmas Holidays after that.”
“Oh yeah?” She asked. “I won’t go if you don’t want me to Max.”
“I’m not going to hold you back,” he said.
Deciding they really had over talked this for today she asked him what she had been wondering all afternoon. “How was today? Did they like you?” She lifted her head and looked at him.
“I think so,” he answered. “I enjoyed them, they are a great audience.”
“So they want you back?”
“Yes.”
“Oh that’s fantastic Max!” She cried. She rapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. At this moment, it suddenly became very aware that she was in towel. She pulled away and stood up. “I have to get dressed,” she said.
“Excuse me?” He asked. He reached for the fastening up above her breasts. “I don’t think so.”
“Max…”
He pulled her towel off her and let it drop to the floor. “Liz…”
“Max…”
“Liz…”
“Max…”
“Liz…”
“Max…”
“Liz…”
Liz rolled her eyes. “You’ll never let me win will you?”
“Never.” He grabbed her by the waist and tossed her down onto the bed. A second afterwards he pounced on her and kissed her neck. “You’re so tiny,” he whispered. “Why are you so tiny?”
Liz struggled to get him off her. “I’m not tiny, I’m strong!” she pushed and pushed on his chest but he wouldn’t budge. She fell back with a huff. “You’re mean.”
“Ah-huh,” he mumbled. He slid her legs apart with one of his hands and slithered down her body so his face was in-between her thighs.
“Max…”
“Liz…”
“Do it…” she purred as his breath brushed against her tingling skin. He laughed and brought his finger up to her opening. Gently he slid it inside her and stroked her inner walls while his mouth descended on her nub. He covered her with his lips and while stroking, he licked as well.
Liz’s body burst to life and her whole body tingled with goose bumps. “Oh wow,” she mumbled. The things he could do with his mouth…he was amazing... “Don’t stop,” she moaned.
Max pulled his finger out of her warmth and replaced his finger with his tongue, probing her entry with his soft, wet mouth. He couldn’t get enough of her, when her fingers grasped at his shoulders and hair he slid her legs further apart so he could have more room.
Liz opened her mouth in a silent scream when she climaxed making her a shivering blunder of hot flesh. Max grinned childishly, pleased with himself, and wiped his mouth before kissing her breasts and neck once more.
“Max,” she moaned. “How do you do it?”
She snuck her hand under the elastic of his pants and took hold of him. He was hard and pulsing with the desire to be relieved like she knew he would be. She ran her finger through the hair on his testicles and up the under side of his shaft. There was pre-cum on his head and she ran her finger over it and continued up and down with her small fingers.
Max nibbled on her ear, panting onto her neck. “Oh my God Liz…”
She smiled and pulled her hand out of his pants. “Take your clothes off,” she said. Max whipped his t-shirt and off and stood up to rip off his pants. Liz crawled up the bed so her head was on the pillows and he leapt on after her.
They held hands as they made love and then afterwards, because they couldn’t sleep they walked down the road together and brought ice cream.
“Max, do you hate fighting with me?” Liz asked as they walked back.
“Well, nobody likes fighting Liz.”
“I know…” she trailed off. “I don’t know what I mean.”
“Yes, Liz I hate fighting with you. It’s one of the worst things,” he said. “But everyone has disagreements; it’s just something we live with.”
“I know,” she said.
“You’ve been very…emotional lately. You aren’t pregnant are you?”
“You’re going to ask me that every month aren’t you? You have for the past three.” She looped her arm through his. “Are you afraid I won’t tell you if I am?”
“No,” he said.
“You really want a child don’t you?” She stopped licking her ice cream and looked up at him. “Do you want a boy or girl?”
“Either,” Max replied. “I don’t mind, as long as you give me one. Provide me with one for Christmas.”
Liz laughed. “Okay, they aren’t too expensive at the shop on the corner, what’s it called?”
“Babies-R-us?”
“Yeah that’s the one,” Liz couldn’t stop laughing. She nudged his arm. “Now that you mention it I have been rather dizzy lately.”
“Really?” Max asked becoming overly serious.
Liz didn’t know what to think of his anxiousness to be a father. “Max, don’t get your hopes up.”
He chucked the cone of his ice cream in the bin and rapped his arm around her shoulders. “I can’t help it,” he said.
“You don’t just want a child so you can prove to yourself you’ll be a better father then your father, do you? Because you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“I guess part of me does,” he said. “But, no, I just genuinely want a child. Something that you don’t need money to get. Well…you need it once you have it but it’s just, so innocent and everything you do affects their future.”
Liz finished her ice cream and put her hand in the back pocket of his jeans. “Most people don’t see this side of you, it’s makes me glad I get to see it,” she said. “When you are passionate about something, you really are.”
“Of course,” he agreed. “I want some pancakes with cream, let’s go in there, maybe they have some.”
“And if they don’t?” Liz asked following him into the café.
“You can make me some when we get back and I’ll eat if off you,” he grinned.
“I don’t think so, I don’t feel like getting all sticky,” she said. “And besides I’m too tired.”
Max laughed. “Well let’s hope they have some then.”
They took a seat at one of the little tables outside after ordering something to eat. “Did you see Elle tonight?” Liz asked. “She liked you.”
“Liked me? What, are we in junior high again?” Max kissed her cheek. “I don’t care if she wanted to fuck my brains out.”
“She couldn’t, she’s a female. Anyway, you’re a liar, of course you’d care,” Liz said. “And she’s very attractive, of course you’d let her get her hands on you. I’m just afraid she’ll offer.”
“I am too,” he said. “Maybe we should get a babysitter to look after me while you’re in London. I might get lonely in that big house and go try to pick someone up at a bar.”
Liz stared at him blankly. “I thought you said hearing about me sleeping with other men made you sick? You promised you wouldn’t say anything again because it does the same for me?”
Max swallowed. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“As long as it’s just talk,” she whispered leaning into kiss his lips. “It would hurt too much to have you not feel the same about me.”
“You know I do,” he replied.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Liz sat on the plastic chair at the airport clutching her jacket and handbag on her lap.
Where was he? He said he would come and see her off.
She glanced at her watch again and sighed. Her flight was boarding, if he didn’t get her in two minutes she would have to leave!
“Babe, I’m so sorry I’m late!”
She spun her head around and glared at Max walking up behind her.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” she said.
“What? Never,” he replied taking her jacket and bag from her. “Is your flight boarding now? Where’s Elle?”
“I’m supposed to meet her at the boarding gate five minutes ago,” Liz said.
“I got held in by the university and then there was bad traffic on the way here. Guess what?” They power walked towards the boarding gate. “They offered me a full-time job for next year.”
Liz’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really, really,” he said grinning.
“They must really like you,” she said. “They have good taste.”
“No I think it was all the requests from my female students wanting me back again,” he teased. Liz rolled her eyes.
“Liz! There you are—hello Max.”
“Elle…I’m sorry I’m late,” Liz said. “Would you get our seats, I’ll be two minutes?”
“Okay…” Elle said. “Don’t be too long we don’t want to leave without you.”
When she was gone Liz wrapped her arms around Max’s neck and hugged him goodbye. “I love you,” she said. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”
“More like a week and a half,” he corrected her. They kissed as if in fever. “I love you too.”
When they broke away they rested their foreheads against one another. “I’m going to miss you; I’ll ring you as soon as I can.”
“You better,” he said. Reluctantly they pulled apart and Liz took her jacket and purse.
They shared a forlorn stare before she walked down the passage backwards. When she was about to turn the corner she waved and he waved back.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

XXXI

The cold wind breezed in anytime someone opened the front door and Liz shivered and eyed her coat longingly. In front of her was a salad and omelet that she now wondered why she even ordered. Elle was busily chatting away with two women about a new idea she’d just had and when they asked her opinion Liz would just nod, smile, and say, “I agree with Elle.”
She couldn’t really care less. She stared around the room blankly, the metal chairs were ridiculously cold, and who wanted to sit on cold chairs when outside it was snowing anyway? She wondered if her ass would stick to it when she tried to stand up.
On her lap rested her two hands, her left on top of her right so she could glance down at her engagement ring every two minutes. She felt lost and out of place, she didn’t want to stay here anymore.
She missed Max unbearably. So much she felt tears sting her eyes, it had been a week since she had seen him and she couldn’t believe the effects her withdrawal from him was having on her state of mind.
Yesterday she had taken a pregnancy test, hoping for him but knowing otherwise what the results would be. She had sobbed with her head in her hands when she discovered she wasn’t, as she had known all along. The fact that she wasn’t pregnant wasn’t enough to make her cry; it was her absence from Max and his voice.
She had rung him and talked to him deep into the morning hoping that would make her feel better but just ended up furthering her hopelessness. She ended up telling him how much she hated this job and wanted to come home, how much she missed him and how sad she was. She could tell he was at a loss, not sure what to do and she’d felt bad about adding to his burdens.
“Liz,” he had said. “You’ll be okay love, it can’t be that bad. I’ll be there in two days and then after Christmas we’ll come home together. Why don’t you plan how we’ll spend our time when I get there?”
“We’ll spend it here, in my room,” she said. Max had laughed and said that was fine with him. Before he left he told her he loved her and missed her and couldn’t wait to see her again which made Liz cry when she hung up. She snuggled into her pillow on her big empty bed and stared at the ceiling, it was nothing like the one in her and Max’s bedroom, and that aggravated her.
She couldn’t stand to sit here in this café for a second longer. She loathed it; she detested Elle’s business friends and their boring conversations. This job was nothing like she had expected to be and she dreaded having to tell Elle that she didn’t want it anymore. She could do it as soon as they got back to Naples.
Liz dug into her purse and grabbed her little cell phone; she made sure it was securely enclosed in her hand before pulling it out. “Excuse me,” she said. “I’m just going to freshen up.”
“Oh I’ll come,” one of Elle’s associates said. Liz cursed under her breath and got up from the table with a smile on her face. They walked in silence to the women’s bathroom but as soon as they were standing in front of the mirrors the lady started talking.
“So how do you like the job?”
Liz smiled. “It’s wonderful, thank you. Excuse me.” She evaded conversation, much to her relief, and disappeared into the toilet stall, cell phone in hand. She sat there waiting until the lady left but she was taking forever.
To pass time, Liz unbuttoned her blouse and undid her bra at the back. It slipped down her arms and she took it off entirely and rested it on her lap. With a sly grin, she picked up her cell phone and used the camera on the front to take a picture of her breasts and send it to Max. While she put her bra back on she heard the lady outside take a deep impatient breath.
“Miss Parker! I’ll see you out there,” she called.
“Okay!” She called back. She hoped her cell phone wouldn’t ring before the lady left but because of her wretched luck it rung just as the door was being drawn open.
She clamped her hands over her mouth, she couldn’t answer it yet!
The door closed and she scrambled to answer it. “Liz Parker, sex cherub here, how can I pleasure you?”
“Since when do you answer your phone like that?”
Liz smiled brightly. “Hi Max, get my picture?”
“Clearly,” he said. “Your customary impeccable timing backfired on you today; I was just with two other professors and the vice-principal.”
“Oh,” Liz said trying not to laugh. “Well did they see it?”
“I’m certain one of them did,” Max replied. “I can’t imagine what they think of me now.”
Liz couldn’t help it, she laughed. “I’m sorry!”
“I don’t care,” he said making it obvious that he really didn’t. “Send another one.”
“No, I put my bra back on now.” She heard the bathroom door open and started whispering. “I really should go…”
“Why are you whispering, where are you?” He asked.
Liz could hear two people talking outside as they looked in the mirror. “I’ll send you another picture,” she said. “But this time I’ll be respectable. I’ll ring you right back.”
She hung up and held the phone out in front of her, making sure she got the toilet roll holder in the picture. She smiled brightly and clicked then after it had sent, she speed-dialed his number. He answered laughing.
“That’s why, I really should go,” she murmured. “Three ladies are sitting outside waiting for me and I’ve been in here too long for them not to start to wonder.”
She loved the sound of his laughter. “Let me guess, you’re at a restaurant?”
“Ah huh,” Liz said nodding as if he could see her. “Supposed to be talking to two fashion magazine editors but it’s too boring for me.”
Max sighed. “You saved me from falling asleep myself, they are all great guys but…let’s just say, don’t ever let me get like that when I’m their age.”
“Okay, I won’t,” she said.
“Oh, the florist rang and said she needed someone to go in and confirm the flowers and make sure they were correct for the wedding.”
“Yeah?” Liz asked.
“I sent Maria, I knew I’d screw it up some how if I went,” he replied.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she said. “Has my dress arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Great!” She cried happily.
“I have to go now, they are calling me back,” Max said. “I love you; have fun, what time is it there?”
“Just after nine in the morning,” she replied. “Are you at the pub?”
“Yes, it was their idea.”
“Max, I don’t mind, I’m not your mother.” Liz buttoned up her blouse. “I love you too, see you later.”
“Bye babe.”
When Liz got out into the restaurant she explained she got a call and apologized for taking so long.
They didn’t seem to mind and she finally started entering the conversation and eating her food, now with a grin on her face.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Liz fluffed around her hotel room tidying up and putting things away when there was knock on the door. She went and answered it and found Elle on the other side.
“Hi,” she said. “Cleaning up?”
“Yeah, just a little bit,” Liz replied. “Did you need me to do something?”
Elle walked into the room shaking her head. “No, no I just wanted to talk to you. So, when does Max get here?”
“I was going to leave for the airport in half an hour; his earlier flight got cancelled so he doesn’t get here until ten,” Liz replied. She was on cloud nine; she couldn’t wait to see him.
“Oh, okay,” Elle said. She took a seat on the end of the bed. “Liz, I’ve been sensing that you haven’t been enjoying working for me.”
Liz’s smile faded. She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation until they got back to Naples. “I just…I don’t think I’m cut out for it,” she replied.
“Well you are doing a wonderful job,” she said. “But I guess if you aren’t happy, you aren’t happy.”
Liz felt bad. “I’m sorry, I will stay for the rest of the time you need me, I just don’t think it’s the right job for me.”
Elle nodded. “It’s a shame,” she said. “Are you sure it’s not just a homesick thing? Because once we’re back in Italy…”
“It’s not a homesick thing,” Liz answered.
“Damn. You are so good at this!” Elle got up. She bit her lip and seeing she was distressing Liz, smiled. “I‘m glad you’ll stay until the 27th I’ll require your help.”
Liz nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay.”
“I guess I’ll just have to suck all your ideas out of your head as I can before then,” Elle headed towards the door. “It really is a shame.”
“I’m sorry,” Liz repeated.
“It’s okay,” Elle said. “I hope you have a good night. You will be coming to the Christmas party tomorrow won’t you?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good,” Elle said. “Because I want you there.” Before walking out she turned and said, “Tell Max I said hello.”
“I will.” Liz closed the door after her and then sat back on the bed with a sigh. She wasn’t going to let that ruin her night, not when she had been planning it for the whole week. She walked into the bathroom to put on some make up when she noticed she’d got out her contraceptive pills and left them on the sink in reminder to take it before Max got there. She held them in her hand and gazed at them vacantly for several minutes before smiling and chucking them in the bin. If she wanted to give Max his present, or at least give it a go at making it, those wouldn’t be much help.
When she got to the airport she had an hour before the plane landed, it was running late. She busied herself in the stores and found the last gifts that she needed to complete her Christmas shopping.
When it was finally time to go meet him she left her shopping bags on the plastic chairs by the window over looking the runway and waited impatiently. She rocked back and forth on her heels watching and waiting while the passengers walked out and greeted their families.
Max was one of the last people off, which she later scolded him for. When she saw him she couldn’t wait any longer and ran up and leapt on him.
He laughed. “Missed me that much huh?” He kissed her forehead and held her tightly against him.
“Yes I did!” She admitted. “So much, Max God please don’t ever let me leave again.”
Max cupped her cheeks. “This last week has been as bad for me as it has for you, I don’t think I COULD let you leave again.”
They pressed their lips together and kissed fervently. When they broke apart Liz closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. “Let’s go eat,” she said.
“Eat?” He asked. “By eat, you mean dessert first, right?” he nibbled on her neck.
“No, food first, dessert last.” She grinned.
Max snarled. “Fine, where are we eating?”
“In the hotel room,” she replied.
“Oh that’s okay then…” They walked up to where she had left her bags. “Oh, someone’s been shopping,” he commented.
“I had an hour to kill while waiting for your plane to land,” she said. While they were in the taxi Liz spoke, “Guess what? I told Elle I don’t want to work for anymore.”
Max looked shocked. “You did?”
“Yes,” she said. “I promised I’d stay until the twenty-seventh though.”
“Are you serious, you just…quit?”
She nodded.
Max frowned. “Is something wrong? It doesn’t seem like something you would do.”
“I don’t want to get a job,” she said. “And I certainly don’t want this one.”
Max had a puckered brow. “Liz…”
Liz put her finger on his lips. “Let’s not talk about it okay?” She smiled. “I’ve been dying for you to get here and I don’t want to ruin Christmas by talking about work.”
Max was still concerned. He watched her closely throughout dinner; she seemed fidgety but not different in any way. She was usually so passionate about her work so it just didn’t fit with what he knew about her to see her just flick this one away without second thought. He wondered if maybe she’d secretly found a new job? He wanted to ask her but he knew she didn’t want to talk about it.
Liz noticed he wanted to ask her something and sighed. “What is it?” She asked.
Max bit his lip. “Are you going to get another job?” He asked.
“Do you want me to?”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t care less; all I want is you to be happy. Working usually makes you happy. You are confusing my pea-size intellect.”
Liz laughed. “Don’t tell your students that, a physics professor is supposed to be smart.”
“I think I have them convinced,” he said. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “You will tell me if something’s wrong won’t you?”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Of course I will, nothings wrong!” She said. “I just want a break from working, why is that so hard to believe?”
Max’s eyes roamed her face. “Because you love working!”
“Well I don’t anymore!” She argued. “Please, Max just let it go. Please? I just don’t want to work right now. Who knows it might pass, in a week I could want a job again, I don’t know or care, that’s then and this is now.” She rubbed her fingers over his knuckles. “If I change my mind I’ll let you know.”
He opened his mouth to stay something but she stopped him by getting up from her chair and walking towards him. “Shh…” she murmured. She pulled him up from his chair and urged him in the direction of the bed.
When they were lying on the bed kissing Liz broke away and looked up at the man she loved with all her heart. “Max, you know if I ever have your child, I’ll have flab and stretch marks in places I don’t already have them.”
Max doubled over. “I’m well aware of that, that’s just a price I’ll have to pay.”
“You’ll have to pay?” Liz asked doubtfully. “It’s my body.”
“It’s my body,” Max said. He pulled her dress up over her shoulders and looked down at her lace bra and underwear with hunger. “From your ears,” he kissed her ears. “Down to your breasts.” He kissed in-between her breasts. “To your navel,” he whispered bending down to kiss her stomach. “And your—“
He shifted her underwear to the side so he could kiss the dark clump of hair covering his entrance gate to her body. She closed her eyes and smiled.
“Your knees,” he reluctantly continued downwards where he kissed her knee cap. “To your ankles and
Heels,” his voice was husky as he pressed his lips to her ankle. “And to the very end, your toes,” he kissed her big toe. When he sat up he smiled brightly. “Like I said, it’s my body.”
“Right, right,” Liz said reaching for him. “Sure, of course. Your body…” She tugged at his woolen sweater and unbuttoned the top of his pants. “Please Max.”
He stood up and stepped out of his shoes, shaking his head and laughing.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

[nicola]

XXXII

Once Max got down to his boxers he stopped.
Liz frowned. “Do you not understand the urgency here or have you forgotten what to do next? What with going without a whole week and half and all.”
Max smiled. “No I was just thinking.”
“You’re thinking?” Liz asked grimacing faintly. “You aren’t supposed to be thinking, you’re supposed to be doing.”
“The wedding night,” Max said. “That’s what I was thinking about.”
Liz sat up, grinning. “What about it?”
“Well, are we just going to go home? That’s pretty boring; we should stay at a hotel, or at least somewhere different.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “But do we have to talk about this now?”
She grabbed his waist and lugged him closer to her. The ‘beast’ in her came out as she ripped his shorts down his muscled thighs, causing his knees to buckle slightly. He continued standing but when she leaned forward, still gripping his hips, and took his erection in her mouth he didn’t know how much longer his legs would last.
She ran her hands up and down his thighs in motion with her mouth shifting aloft and downward on his shaft.
Max’s eyes rolled back and he moaned. When he tried to step away Liz groaned and looked up at him.
“What now, love?” She asked.
He kicked off his boxers and climbed onto the bed, lying on his back. “I cannot continue standing while you do that to me,” he said.
Liz smirked and wasting no time, climbed in-between his legs and seized him in her jaws once more. She couldn’t get enough of him! Her tongue darted over his tip and little by little she took more and more of his roasting flesh into her mouth.
In the minute when Max thought she would choke if she took anymore of him, she would slither backwards again, rubbing her lips over him.
His legs bent and his toes crumpled as he neared completion. When he emptied into her mouth Liz gulped in surprise, once, twice. Max was still trembling and breathless when she dabbed her lips and chin where some seamen had escaped her mouth.
He had his eyes closed and a satisfied smile parked itself on his lips.
She lay down on his chest and kissed his neck, causing friction with her tongue against his sizzling skin. Speaking of searing warmth, the pit in her stomach had opened in a blazing fire and amid her legs pooled sweltering lava.
She felt his hand slide up the back of her thigh but when he came in contact with her ass he stopped. With a low grunt, he spoke, “Why are you still wearing underwear?”
Her chest rumbled with laughter. “Because you haven’t removed it yet,” she replied. He opened his eyes and looked down at her smiling face; he couldn’t help the flicker of his spirit at the vista of her gleaming.
“Well then,” he said flipping her off his chest and onto her back. “We had better do something about then hadn’t we?” He scratched at her underwear, finally, lucratively, getting them off her. She propped herself up on her hands so he could disengage her bra and smiled when she felt his lips on her shoulder.
“Do you know how beautiful you are?” He asked hoarsely. He was ogling her petite structure and her gorgeous face. His manly hands caressed her abdomen and then made his way downwards over her hipbones. “You are the most amazingly alluring woman I have ever met in my entire life.”
Liz smiled, her eyes never leaving his piercing stare. He lay on his side next to her, propped up on one of his arms—Liz could see the muscles bulging under the weight of his body—and she laid on her back her face level with his.
Her nose brushed his face as she placed butterfly kisses on his cheeks. “Not in the entire amount of woman you’ve met?” She asked faintly, almost inaudibly. His hand arrived at her dark territory covered with curls and he occupied himself with them, twisting the small hairs between his fingertips. She shuddered in delight, craving him to carry on downwards to the pulsating heat.
“Not,” he whispered, kissing behind her ear. “In the entire amount of woman I’ve met,” he finished. His shoulder brushed hers and they both moaned slowly driving each other insane with their candid movements.
Liz let her head drop back so he could suck on her neck, savoring her sugary skin. She could feel his arousal pressing into her thigh and she knew if they didn’t get the show on the road it would be over before it started. She let her elbows buckle, sending her back down onto the comfort of the mattress. Max continued devouring her neck, gradually easing his body on top of hers and sliding her legs apart with his knee.
Liz rapped one of her arms around his neck and the other sought out his hand which entwined with hers as soon as they touched. Their movements were tender and appreciative, but attentive to their desires.
When Liz rapped her leg around Max’s thighs, he slid inside her; not forgetting to give her hand that was clasped in his a gentle squeeze. Liz recognized that this moment was completely unprotected and completely natural like the way it ought to be. It wasn’t like they ever used any form of contraceptive other then the pill but knowing that the baby-preventing substance wasn’t inside her made her feel diverse in a way. She knew what the result of this could perhaps be and it made her belly do flip flops.
“Kiss me,” she whispered against his masculine smelling hair.
Their eyes caught for a moment before their lids closed to relish in the joy of their lips brushing gently. Every part of their bodies was touching as Max moved in and out of her unhurriedly. They wanted the moment never to end so they both could enjoy the closeness of being combined again.
Liz’s mouth opened in silent scream, only to be covered by Max’s. She bit down on his bottom lip gently, she was so close, she was so saturated…
“Oh God, Liz,” Max sighed against her mouth. Their firm stomachs were pressed together… their chests, their hips, their mouths…
Together their insides fizzed and bubbled as the lava simmered over and exploded, frothing inside their lower stomachs. As if she had been clenching all the muscles in her body, her limbs flopped and slumped back with a puff. The air around them was boiling, so hot steam was gathering on the windows.
For a long time they lay like that, showering each others faces with kisses and adoring one another.
“I love you,” Max whispered against her ear.
Liz let the leg that was rapped around his waist slip away back onto the bed and gradually Max moved off of her and lay down beside her.
Max looked down at her face and wiped away the thin layer of sweat above her upper lip. She smiled, showing all her teeth.
“So you aren’t asleep,” he said. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and regular.
“No, I’m very relaxed,” she whispered. “I can’t move my body, you’ll have to drag me up under the covers otherwise I’ll stay here.”
Max smiled. “Righty then,” he put his arms under her arm pits. “Up we go then.” He lifted and moved her so her head was on the pillows. Liz laughed and opened her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said.
Max kissed her lips. “Merry Christmas eve,” he whispered.
Liz glanced at the clock on the wall it read 1:05AM, it was definitely Christmas Eve. Her body was still buzzing with stimulation and she was not finished with Max yet. He lay back on the bed and put his hands behind his head.
When he closed his eyes Liz seized upon on him, now ready for a second round and a third and fourth…
In the morning they were both so tired they slept right through until lunchtime, nestled on their big bed. When at last they woke up they went and soaked in the bathtub together.
“There’s this Christmas party tonight…” Liz said.
Max sighed. “Let me guess, we have to go?”
“We don’t HAVE to but Elle wants us to and I feel like I should at least do this for her…”
“Just for an hour,” Max said.
“Okay, we just have to make an appearance.” Liz ran the soap over her chest idly, watching the soap bubbles foam on her skin. She rubbed the froth into her stomach; speculating if right now the formation of new life was taking place. She hoped so, she really and truthfully, completely did.
Max had his head back against the end of the tub and was running his hands up and down her arms; he looked like he was going to fall asleep again.
Liz buried her face in her chest and sighed contentedly. A silence passed over them, the comfortable manner of a married couple who had been collectively joined for forty-years. In the future they would sit on the couch reading the Thursday trader and a vogue magazine with bunny-ear corners with the same silence hanging over them. A thought cross Liz’s mind, if they already had what took most couples forty years to develop, what would they have themselves in forty years? Liz anticipated it would be more then something all people wished for, an unyielding communion.
Her wet hair was beginning to dry against Max’s warm body so eventually she eased herself off his chest and hopped out of the tub to get dressed. When she came back into the bathroom she watched him through the mirror as she did her makeup. He was cleaning himself with the soap and, not being able to help herself, she went and knelt by the side of the tub. She unscrewed the lid on his shampoo and he leaned his head forward so she could massage it through his hair.
In a quiet voice he sang, “When we met light was shed. Thoughts free flow you said you've got something deep inside of you. A wind chime voice sound, sway of your hips round rings true echo's deep inside of you.”
Liz smiled. “What made you get that song in your head?”
“Dunno,” Max replied.
“Sing more; you know how much I love your voice.”
Max hastily continued, “Fall breeze blows outside, I don't bring stride. My thoughts are warm, and they go deep inside of you, oh yeah. And I never felt alone till I met you. Friends say I've changed I don't listen cause I live to be deep inside of you. Slide of her dress, shouts in darkness I'm so alive I'm deep inside of you. You said boy make girl feel good but still...deep inside...STILL! I've never felt alone
Till I met you
I'm alright on my own
Till I met you…” Max saw that she had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know the rest,” he said.
Liz cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips. “You should have been a star,” she said.
Max shook his head. “No way.”
“Right, the whole boy band thing,” Liz said. After she finished washing his hair she left to look in the phone book for somewhere to eat.
Max came out of the bathroom smelling wonderful and his scent drifted everywhere in the room.
“Who are all these presents for?” He asked being nosey.
“Everyone back in Italy,” she replied. “Michael, Maria, there’s one for your sister and her husband and some of the girls back in New York…”
“Oh damn, here I was hoping they’d be for me.”
“Nope, sorry,” she teased. “How does Tai sound?”
“It sounds delicious, let’s go.”
Liz wrote the address down on her hand and closed the phone book. “Are you wearing that?” She asked.
Max looked down at himself. “Is something wrong?”
“No it’s just…” Liz stood up. “It’s very formal for a dinky little Tai restaurant.”
“I figured I’d get dressed for the Christmas party now, why get changed twice during the day?”
Liz rolled her eyes. Under her breath she muttered, “You don’t mind taking your clothes off several times throughout the day, though.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing darling,” she smiled. “Let’s go.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXXIII

Max glared around the large foyer with revulsion. He truly loathed this, the phoney business people acting as if as if they actually wanted to be here. Everything these people stood for aggravated Max. He was here for Liz only, but not even she could make him enjoy it…
“Want to dance?” Liz leaned up and whispered in his ear.
Okay, maybe she could. But everyone else still irritated him.
On their way out to the dance floor Elle stopped them. “Liz, Max so glad you came!”
“Elle, hi,” Liz said.
“Max, it’s great to see you again!” Elle touched his arm. “You look wonderful as always, you look good too Liz. Now Liz don’t think about business tonight, just eat, drink and enjoy yourself.”
“Oh thank you Elle,” Liz replied.
“Don’t thank me. I’ll leave you two alone; it looked like you were on your way to the dance floor.” She spun around. “Mark hi! So glad you came!”
Max didn’t want to say anything but there was something he didn’t like about that woman. He didn’t know how Liz would take it if he let his unease out in the open.
When they reached the dance floor Liz wrapped her arms around his neck. “I feel so mean for quitting just like that. But I don’t want to keep this tedious job for everyone other than myself…” She said.
Max kissed her lips. When he pulled away he spoke kindly, “don’t feel bad, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Her scent was sweet and zesty at the same time, he couldn’t describe it, but he knew if it could be articulated as a color it would be a light ginger with a trace of scarlet. That aroma she possessed stimulated desires inside him like nothing else. Her fragrance was one of his most favored qualities in her. It allured him like a piece of fried chicken to an obese man on a diet.
He felt her rose-petal lips on his ear and her silken eyes lashes on his neck. “You know that night last week when I rang you at two in the morning?” She whispered huskily.
Max swallowed. “Ah-huh.”
Her lips traced over his collar, running down the warm flesh hidden by his button down shirt. Max spun them around so her back was to the wall and no one could see what she was doing to him. How she was affecting him.
“That night when I was so…aroused and I needed you to talk to me?” She ran her hands up and down his back, nearing the molds of soft tissue at the peak of his thighs. “The things you said you would do to me if you were there…God when I was touching myself to your voice I felt so…”
Max gulped. Oh, God…
“On fire, the things you said Max, I’d never heard you,” she let out a moan. “You have never spoken to me like that before. I was lying there on the bed unclothed with the receiver to my ear and my hand touching my breasts and my wet…”
Max groaned. He attempted to say something but all that came out was incoherent mumbles.
Liz continued. “And it was as if you were there with me. Will you talk to me that way again?” Her hands ran around to his front and over his hipbones. She could feel his prick rubbing against her through her dress. She cupped it gently. “Did you enjoy it as much as I did?”
He sucked in a breath. “Yes…” His eyes wandered over her body that was enclosed tightly in her black dress with a décolletage that exposed her tanned breasts that were moving up and down because of her hasty breathing. She was so aroused, how had she suddenly slipped into the passion induced daze.
“I feel you,” she whispered. “I know you are enjoying what I’m saying…”
“God yes,” he mumbled. “Let’s leave.”
“Not yet.” She rubbed her thighs against his. “Talk to me Max… tell me what you’ll do when we leave.”
He could do this, if he could just think lucidly for two seconds. With a grin he started, “I will press you up against the door and kiss your neck,” he innocently pecked her skin with his lips. “I’ll rub my tongue along your collar bone and rub my stiff as rock arousal against you.”
“Yes?” Liz whispered. She quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure people weren’t watching them. Her pants were loud in Max’s ears.
“We’ll be so frantic for each other that we won’t be able to get to the bed. I’ll spin you around and gradually ease down the zip on the back of your dress, sucking on the skin of your back as more is revealed. My hands will trail down your shoulders pushing the straps down your arms.”
Liz looked up into his blazing eyes. “It’ll plunge to my feet as a puddle of silk and you’ll stay behind me kissing my shoulders. You’ll be throbbing in your pants,” she said.
Max smiled against her mouth. “I already am throbbing in my pants,” he whispered.
She smiled back. “I know I can feel you…”
His hands held her tighter around his waist. “My hands will hook your underwear and pull them down your thighs, exposing your round ass to me. I’ll press your bare breasts against the wooden door as I push into you, rubbing…”
They both shuddered. “You’ll reach behind you and unbutton my pants and I’ll tug them down my legs with my boxers…”
“Please Max,” she whispered.
“Yes, you’ll say that because you always say that. You know how it makes me feel,” he whispered back deeply. “I won’t turn you around to face me; I’ll reach around you and play with your erect nipples in my hands. Kneading them, teasing them…”
Liz wanted him so much. The erotic tête-à-tête they were having set a pulsation through her body that was so loud it walloped in her ears and made the blood whoosh against her temples.
“God Max,” she muttered.
“I’ll enter you from behind,” he whispered. “So I can see your shaped back and your beautiful, tanned ass. You know how much I love watching your behind. You’re so wet…”
“I am so wet,” she agreed.
“I’ll bury my face in-between your shoulder blades and drive in and out…”
“In and out,” Liz said nodding. She compressed her teeth and closed her eyes imagining it. She wouldn’t be surprised if she climaxed right there on the dance floor. The people around her be damned!
“Do you know how it feels to be surrounded by you?” Max whispered closing his eyes and burying his face in her hair. “Incredible, unlike anything else…I know your insides so well by now I’m convinced that if I ever even attempted to be with someone else it would feel wrong. You’re made for me, you know that?”
Liz’s teeth grinded together. “I know,” she panted.
“When we both reach the peak, when we both arrive at that one second when we are both about to release, I’ll spin you around and cover your mouth with mine. You’ll wrap your legs around my waist and I’ll plunge into you once more, erupting within you…”
Liz’s mouth opened widely and she held back a shriek. She couldn’t take it any longer; she had to have him now!
“There’s a bathroom,” she said. “Max, now, Oh God take me there now!” She kissed his lips ardently, flicking her tongue over his and sucking on his mouth.
Max took both of her hands in his and they turned around to head away. “Max,” Liz whispered tugging on his arm. “You better let me walk in front of you, don’t you think?” Her eyes roamed over the tent he was sporting his pants.
Max grinned. “Yeah, good idea.”
They very sneakily, or so they thought, snuck through the people and towards the toilets near the staircase. There were four women in the ladies stalls so they hurried into the disabled toilet room further down the hall. Liz slammed the door behind them and locked it with unsteady fingers.
“Come here,” Max demanded.
Liz leaned her back against the door and leaned up to kiss his lips. “Oh Max,” she whispered against his open jaws. “How do you do this to me…?”
One of his hands was on her thigh and the other grasped her hipbone. Outside footsteps could be heard and gossiping women walked back and forth to the cubicles but inside they were ignorant of whatever thing.
Max moaned when he had to undergo Liz’s hands frantically pulling at his pants. Breaking their link for two minutes, he unfastened his tie and the top button on his shirt, allowing himself to breath properly. Liz pushed his jacket off his shoulders and looked up at his face through half-open lids. His cheeks were a flustered pink and his mouth puffy from their kisses, he looked implausibly sexy.
Finally his pants were undone and Liz exhausted no time slipping her fingers down into his checkered boxers to clutch him. “Like velvet over steel…” she whispered to herself trying to describe the feel of him.
His hot musky smell invaded her senses obscuring all else out.
Max brought his hand up her thigh, towing the material of her dress with it, when he felt the textile of her g-string he hooked it under his fingers and tugged it down.
“Maybe we should just never leave the bedroom…” Max thought.
“Yeah,” Liz panted. “Fantastic idea!”
Once her ‘underwear’ was down her legs she kicked them away and lifted her thigh to wrap around his waist. “Now Max…now!” She whispered.
He thrust into her, lifting her feet up off the ground and holding her ass in his palms. There movements were fluent and swift and they both released speedily. When they were catching their breath afterwards, Liz with her forehead against Max’s, they were quite surprised with themselves for what they had just done. Liz slipped down off Max’s body and stood with wobbly legs in front of him.
Giggles exploded from her. “Oh, my…” she said looking down at herself. “Oh my…what was that?”
Max tucked himself back in and did up his pants with a smile on his gorgeous face. He couldn’t help the laugh that snuck out of his mouth when he saw Liz.
“I don’t look that horrendous do I?” She asked. Her underwear was at her feet, her lipstick was smudged, she had red marks on her neck and breasts from where he had sucked and nibbled on her skin. Her dress was crinkled, her hair unkempt, her lips puffy…overall she looked like she had been mauled and ravished.
Liz slipped her g-string up her legs and into place again then ran her hands up and down her dress to try and straighten it. Max wrapped his arms around her little body and held her against him.
“We never finished our dance,” he said.
“We’re in a cubicle,” Liz replied in disbelief as he started swaying her back and forth. “You’re crazy.”
“No I just had a wild aspiration to dance,” he said.
“If you sing I’ll dance.”
“Request a song, milady.” Max spun her around.
“Okay…” Liz put her finger to her lips. “Jack Johnson, Flake.”
Max bit his lip as he tried to remember the lyrics. “Never mind then.”
“I know she said it’s alright,” Liz started the song. “You will make it up next time…”
“I remember now!” Max grabbed her. “I know she knows it’s not right…”
Liz grinned.
“There ain’t no use in lying. Maybe she thinks I know something, maybe she thinks its fine. Maybe she knows something I don’t…”
Liz spun Max around; he had to bend to get under her arm and continued the song when she noticed he couldn’t remember the words. “I’m so, I’m so tired. I’m so tired of trying…”.
They sung the chorus together, “Seems to me that maybe, it pretty much always seems no. So don’t tell me you might just let it go! Often times were lazy, it seems to stand in my way.”
Liz buried her face in Max’s chest. “This toilet smells, let’s go…”
Max laughed. To him Liz was voluptuous and he was aroused by her even straight after they’d just had hot, crazy, sexy sex against the toilet door.
“Give me a minute to straighten up,” she instructed.
“Okay.” He unlocked the door and walked out. Liz was wiping her lipstick when she heard Elle’s voice. “Max! I was just looking for you.”
Liz closed the door and listened.
“You were, I mean, you were?” Max coughed.
“Yes…” Elle said. She stepped forward and put her hand on his waist. “Max I was wondering if maybe you wanted to… meet up some place? I’m very attracted to you and I…”
“Excuse me?” Max said stepping away.
“Liz doesn’t have to know,” Elle’s voice was huskily. “Could you get out tonight?”
“No way,” Max replied.
“Another night?”
Max couldn’t believe this woman. “When I said no way, I meant as in: It’ll. Never. Happen. I’m getting married in less then two weeks!”
Liz chose this moment to make her appearance be known.
Elle stammered. “Liz…”
“Yeah,” Liz said fuming angrily. “You know how I said I’d stick around and help out until the twenty-seventh? It’s not going to happen. We’re leaving…now.”
“Liz I…”
“Don’t try to explain, it’s not going to do you any good.” Max took Liz’s hand and started leading her away. Elle crossed her arms over her chest and watched them leave gauche.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXXIV

“I just can’t believe the nerve!” Liz ranted and raved. “What kind of a woman offers herself like that? I’ve never in my whole life even thought of intruding on some ones relationship like that, how could she be so cold?”
Max put his hand on her knee. “Calm down love,” he said.
Liz took deep breaths. After a few silent moments she turned to him and said, “Would you have said yes if I haven’t been there?”
Max sighed. “Liz!” He exclaimed. “Do you not trust me at all? You don’t seem to.”
She bit her lip. “I’m sorry I just—the nerve! How rude of her!”
Max wrapped his arm around her and forced her head down onto his shoulder. “Liz I love you, you know that but if you don’t trust me we won’t last two minutes. I trust you more then I trust myself, can’t you feel the same way?”
“I do, I just…” she sighed. “I worry, I can’t help it! I’m paranoid. Look at you, you’re gorgeous…I guess I should just used to women throwing themselves at you.”
His ego grew with all her compliments. He tried not to let his head get too big. “We’re going home tonight,” he decided. “Excuse me, driver do you have the phone number for the airport by any chance?”
“Yeah, sure mate,” the driver reached over and popped open the glove box. He had a tattered phone book inside and quickly handed it to Max, keeping his eyes on the road. “There you go.”
“Thank you,” Max said. He flicked through it and when he found the number he was looking for he pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed. Liz closed her eyes with her head still on his shoulder; she could just fall asleep…
She listened to Max talking to the person on the other line and when he hanged up he said. “This must be our lucky night, there’s a flight leaving for Rome at a quarter-to-twelve and once we get there we can rent a car and drive straight to Naples. We’ll get there very early, but…”
“Do I have a say in this?”
“As my soon-to-be-wife you will need to learn to honor and obey me, I think this is a good time to start,” Max replied. He glanced at his watch, twenty-to-eleven. “We only a short while to pack but we’ll make it there on time.”
“Okay,” Liz said.
“Okay?” Max frowned. “What no, ‘no I will not do this, I will do as I please’ You mean to tell me you’re actually doing something I want for a change?”
Liz gave him a look that said, ‘I would take that back if I were you’.
“Well Liz, how often do you listen to me?” Max asked. When he saw she was fuming, he quickly shut up before the time blast inside her went of. He could practically hear the tick, tick, tick of the bomb counting down.
When they arrived at the hotel they hurried upstairs to their room where they packed everything.
“I have to have a shower,” Liz said.
“We don’t really have time…”
“I’m not asking Max, I’m telling you. Unless you want me to sit on the plane with my thighs sticking together because of you!”
“Why would that be my fault?”
Liz looked at him in disbelief. “Who the hell put the sticky paste there?” she exclaimed. She was loosing her temper, it was all because of Elle and she was taking out on him. She instantly regretted her behavior.
“Oh yeah, uh…go take a shower, you’re right.”
“Can you unzip me please?” She asked. He placed a kiss on her lower back when her dress was unfastened.
She twirled around. “Max I’m sorry I’m being so—how I’m acting, I just...”
“Shh, I know, my brain is a little slow right now because I’m stressing out to get us to the airport on time. I’ll have everything ready by the time you get out. Go try and unwind a little.”
“I won’t be long,” she said. Before parting she leaned up and placed a quick unsullied kiss on his lips.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Max looked away from Titanic, the motion picture performance on the airplane movie screen and pulled Liz’s headphones off her ears. With a smirk he asked, “If I were Jack handcuffed to that pipe for ‘stealing’ and you were Rose, would you come through that sub-zero water to save me?”
Liz yawned. “I never would have believed you stole in the first place,” she replied tiredly.
Max smiled. “Would you stay on the ship with me until it sank, even if I were a poor little street rat?”
“Hell no, I won’t tie the knot with no scrub,” Liz teased. “You can putrefy in the callous arctic water for all I care.”
Max frowned, but couldn’t wipe the amused smile off his face.
“No, I’m lying I’ll become a Popsicle for you any day Maxie-pooh,” she said. She leaned up and kissed his lips. “What kind of life could I lead knowing I left my one true love to breathe his last breath alone?”
Max glanced back at the screen where Rose was declaring her love as the life seeped out of her onto the wooden float she clung to. “You know what’s wrong with this movie? Jack should have been the one who lived; he’s the man after all. Then he could have taken the diamond, gone, and lived the life he’d never had before.”
Liz smacked him on the arm. “You chauvinistic swine! I should kick your ass for saying that.”
“Ah, but you won’t because I’m right.”
“Like hell you’re right,” Liz snorted. She looked back at the screen. “Oh look, he’s sinking to the bottom…”
“What a pussy, couldn’t even hold out, if that were me[i/]—“
SMACK! Liz thumped him on the head this time.
“You go girl!” The woman in front of them popped her head over the seat. “You, Mr. are a pig, how could you say such things?”
Liz and Max glanced at each other. Liz doubled over…
“I’m truly sorry,” Max said to the lady at the same time as rubbing his head where Liz had hit him. “I will dutifully keep my opinions to myself from now on. I have learnt my lesson.”
“I should think so,” she said nodding her head gruffly. Muttering to herself she sat back down on her seat. “What’s gotten into the youth of today?”
Liz continued to laugh.
“Oh it’s so funny!” Max mocked her.
Liz rolled her eyes. “Shut up and let me watch the end of the movie, dork.” She pulled her head phones on and blocked him out.
“ROAD TRIP!” She later squealed running towards the rental car after they’d got the keys. Max quietly speculated where all her oomph had suddenly come from? “I’m driving!” She cried hopping up and down.
While they were driving with the heater on and the windows closed, Liz turned the radio up loud. She sung gleefully along with the Christmas music.
Max groaned, inwardly praying he wouldn’t have to put up with the noise for the whole drive.
“Why don’t you ring Michael and Maria and ask if we can still get in on their Christmas dinner plans? We don’t have a turkey but we can make something…” Liz trailed off when she noticed the bags under his eyes. Soothingly, she lifted her arm and massaged the back of his head with her free hand. “Or you can sleep if you want? Just put the chair down.”
“I’m fine.”
Liz pulled the car off the road at the next turn and switched the engine off. She climbed onto his seat and reached for the lever to put the seat down and then lay down half on top of him, half at his side. “Sleep love,” she whispered consolingly.
“Liz…”
“Shh,” she buried her face in his neck. “It doesn’t matter if we arrive late, we’ll just sleep when we get there anyway.”
Max kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you,” she said. She had only intended to stay with him until he fell asleep but ended up drifting off with him. When she woke up she glanced at her wristwatch and sprung up in alarm. “Oh God!” She said.
Max groaned and burrowed closer to her in his sleep but she shook him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Liz let’s just stay in bed today…” he mumbled still half-asleep.
“Wouldn’t that be fun?” Liz responded. “Max, wake up.”
He opened his eyes and groaned. “Oh God we’re still in the car…” he remembered.
“And it’s 9:30AM,” Liz said. “I’m spending my Christmas morning in the core of no where in a car … get up we have to get going.”
When she crawled off the seat and back into the drivers side Max sat up and readjusted. “Argh, how did we sleep that long?” He asked.
“It wasn’t that long,” Liz replied. She turned the key on the engine, it stalled. She put it in neutral and tried to start it again. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing.
“Oh hell!” She cried. “Oh no, no… no…no!” She looked at the gauge on the gas tank. It said full.
Max sighed.
“I wanna go home Max! You’re the man, go fix it!”
Max leaned over and tried it himself. Nothing. With a sigh he reached over the seat and grabbed his jacket before opening the car door and stepping out into the snow. He closed the door behind him and Liz watched worriedly as he popped open the lid and worked to find the problem.
Max stared blankly at the engine in front of him. He had no clue of what to do, it was too early for him to function properly. In high school he’d taken some mechanical classes, if only he could remember something…
He didn’t know much about diesel engines.
He rubbed his hands together and blew on them. It was cold. It had stopped snowing but the ground was white, he could barely see the road.
Cold. Diesel engines had trouble starting in the cold. Max checked the combustion chambers; they were too icy, the air just couldn’t get hot enough to cause the fuel to ignite. Where were the little glowworms he used to screw in on the side of the combustion chambers in high school? He searched and found them successfully. He needed to heat them up a little so the air could get warm enough during compression. Otherwise the engine was drawing below-zero air into the cylinders and expecting it to warm to 540C in the one-up-one-down motion of the pistons.
Max walked back around the car and opened the door. “I need a lighter,” he announced.
Liz looked around her. “You smoke, you’re bound to have one around here somewhere,” she said.
Max thought for a second. “Ah! I brought one at the airport; it’s in your purse.” Liz reached over to the back seat and searched through her bag for the lighter. When she finally produced it she handed it to him. “What do you need that for?” She asked curiously.
“When I wave to you try the engine,” Max responded. He closed the door again and tramped through the sludge to the engine. He clicked the lighter and lit the little glowworms one by one but by the time he got back to the first one it was cold again. Biting his lip he lit the first one and the second then waved to Liz and went through the rest quickly. Liz tried the engine but it stalled again. He walked back around to the car and asked Liz for some paper to burn.
“You’re not lighting a little fire are you?” She asked.
Max cocked his head to the side. “Oh no, Liz, love, never play with fire. Do we have anything?”
Liz popped open the glove compartment. “We have the car manual…” She handed it to him. “We’ll just pretend it wasn’t there when we got the car.” She winked.
Max grinned. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” He ran back around to the front of the car and lit the booklet, holding it up to the glowworms. He waved to Liz and she cried out in glee when the engine started.
He stamped out the paper in the snow and closed the lid before running around and hopping into his seat again. “Am I good, or what?” He boasted.
“Very good,” Liz agreed.
She put her foot down on the accelerator and the car lurched but didn’t drive forward. “Oh what now?” she groaned. She pushed down and the car revved and screeched but was obviously stuck in the snow. A cry of despair parted her lips and she fell back onto her seat with annoyance. “This cannot be happening!”
Max held his head in his hands. “I don’t suppose there’s a shovel in the boot?”
“I’ll make a big guess and say no,” Liz replied. “ARGH!” She banged her hands on the steering wheel.
“Well look on the bright side, at least now we have heat,” he said motioning to the car heater.
Liz whimpered obviously on the verge of tears. Max leaned over and kissed her forehead, soothingly he whispered, “don’t worry its okay. We’ll be fine.” He was not looking forward to getting out in that bitter cold again.
“Let’s try digging the snow in front of the wheels,” Liz said taking a deep breath. “At least we can do that much.”
“Put a coat on,” Max sat opening the car door. “It’s freezing out here. You don’t have any gloves for yourself do you? Put whatever you can on.” He stepped outside and closed the door after him.
The front and rear tires were immersed deep in the snow and he began digging around them, his fingers ice-covered and frozen right away from the cold.
By the time he’d dug around the first wheel he would rather have endured his hands being amputated then the stiff frozen pain that shot though his arms right now. Liz was on the other side digging, she had gloves on but they were thin woolen ones that would not keep much cold out. Max went through his suitcase in the boot and grabbed some old shirts to rap around his hands while he dug. Unable to move his fingers he got Liz to tie them.
“Max,” she said worrying. “Your hands…stop for a little while.”
He shook his head. “They’ll be fine, don’t fret. Have you had any luck?”
She shook her head. “Not much, give me a little while.”
Max went around to the other side and continued digging for a while. He heard Liz walking around him about twenty-minutes later. “Max, let’s try again. Give your hands a break,” she said. They both climbed into the car and Liz put her foot down on the accelerator and the car drove forward about 5 feet before getting stuck again.
Max and Liz both let out a loud sigh. “We have your cell phone but will anyone come out on Christmas day? Everywhere will be closed. Or there’s Michael and Maria,” Liz alleged. “Oh this sucks I don’t want to bother them on Christmas!”
“We have to try,” Max said. He reached over to her purse again and pulled out his cell phone. “Well, even if someone is open, the batteries are dead.”
“You’re kidding?” she said. “This just gets better and better!”
After sitting there in silence for several minutes, Liz put the car on park and turned to Max. “Let me see your hands, are they sore?” She asked.
Max held his pink hands up. “They’ll be fine,” he said. “They just need warming up.”
Liz nodded. She took them in-between hers and rubbed his palms and fingers soothingly. “Looks like we aren’t going anywhere, so we may as well make the most of the experience. Have you ever spent Christmas in a car?” She smiled. “Do you want your Christmas present?”
Max smiled back. “Sure, why not?”

[nicola]

XXXV

“For Christmas lunch we have, three different assortments of chocolates, beforehand, of course, gifts for other people…I’m sure they’ll forgive us.” Liz tore the rapping paper off one of the boxes. “Ohhh we have dark chocolate, dark chocolate, or oh what a surprise dark chocolate.”
Max stifled a laugh. “Can we get past the eating and get to the part where you give me my gift?”
Liz had her seat right down so she could lie down on it. “You give me mine first?” She asked.
“What makes you think I remembered to get you one?”
“If you don’t give me one, I don’t give you one,” Liz said matter-of-factly.
He leaned over, kissed her lips and produced a black box with a red ribbon wrapped around it. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered. “I love you, now…forever, in a car, in a hotel, in London, in Rome...”
Liz’s face melted. “Awww Max,” she cooed. “Thank you, I love you too.” She kissed his lips and then pulled away. “What did you get me?”
“Open it and see,” he answered looking down at her. His eyes were twinkling and his hand cunningly slithered to her thigh where it caressed up and down.
Liz rolled her eyes. “I’m not having sex with you in a rental car,” she said. “I think I better make that clear before you get any ideas.”
“Too late,” he replied kissing her neck.
“Move so I can open your gift!” Liz shoved at his shoulders.
Max sighed and moved off her. “Okay…okay, hurry up.”
Liz tore at the paper and then opened the box. “Oh, my…” she said her mouth going dry. “Fuck me; this would have cost a fortune!” She pulled out the diamond studded chain necklace. “Max, wow…wow.”
Max smiled. “So you like it? I want you to wear it on our wedding.” He grabbed her hair in his fist and twisted it away from her neck so she could put it on.
“Like it?” Liz asked as she leaned into him and kissed his lips. “I adore it, it’s stunning…thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he purred. “There’s also a bottle of that perfume you like in the boot, you can have it when we get home.”
“So charming,” Liz murmured. “Well the gifts I got you are no where near as nice as yours…”
“I don’t need a present, just let me…” he tugged her turtleneck sweater. “Make love to you.”
“No.”
“No?” Max asked. “I don’t think you have a say in the matter. It will warm my hands!”
Liz tried to get him to stop kissing her but his seductive hands began unbuttoning her jeans. “Max!” she whined. “Stop!”
“I can’t.”
Liz elbowed him in the ribs and he winced. “Oh that hurt!”
“There is more where that came from,” she said. “Now back off you sleazy hog.” She rubbed where had just hurt him. “I want to give you my gift.” She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope and a box.
She gave him the envelope first and he pulled out the voucher inside.
“$100 for Fig leaves…what’s that?” Max asked curious.
“It’s a lingerie store, I decided you can pick out what you want for me, that doesn’t really count for a gift though, this is the real present…” She handed him the box.
“You mean there’s more?” Max choked. “Oh my GOD, I can pick anything?”
Liz laughed. “Something without straps, so I can wear it under my wedding dress…”
“Your dress doesn’t have straps? Oh hell,” Max moaned.
His devotion to her made her heart swell, he was so sweet. “Open your other gift,” she instructed.
“I don’t need it,” he handed it back and focused his attention on the voucher. “Just leave me alone to fantasize about the possibilities of this little piece of paper…” He lay back on his chair.
Liz rolled her eyes. “Max…”
“Hmm…” he had his eyes closed.
Liz pinched his arm. “Stop picturing me in filthy ways,” she said. “And open your other gift…”
“Oh, that ones sexy…” he purred ignoring her.
“MAX!” She screamed. “Stop it!”
His eyes popped open. “Stop what?” He grinned. When he saw she was about to throttle him he took the box from her. “Okay, I’ll open it but frankly I think the first gift is enough.”
He tore the paper off and inside was a watch. “I needed a new one…” he pulled it out. “You remembered the one I liked?” He asked awed.
“Of course I remembered,” she replied. “Do you like that gift?”
He took off his other watch and slipped the new one on. “Yes, I do, but not as much as the voucher…” He grinned. “Come here, I can’t sit up.”
She crawled onto his seat and kissed him.
“Thank you,” he said. “Your gifts are wonderful.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I’m glad you like them…you know, there’s a catalogue in my suitcase that goes with that voucher.”
Max sprung up. “You tell me this now?” He leaned over her and pushed the button to pop the boot then hopped out of the car and went to get it.
Liz laughed to herself.
When he came back he lay down and Liz crawled onto his chest and ate from the box of chocolates.
“Ohhhh…look at that one,” Max’s eyes were glued to the catalogue. “I like that one.”
Liz peaked at the picture. “Oh my God, I AM NOT wearing that,” she said.
“It’s my voucher, you will wear what I choose for you to wear,” Max argued. Liz shoved a chocolate in his mouth and took the catalogue off him. “I may as well wear nothing if you choose that.”
“Good idea,” he said tugging at her sweater again.
Liz sat up. “If we have sex now, we won’t be having it again until the wedding night.”
“WHAT?” Max cried. “No way…”
“Max, I want to wait,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it and it’s a good idea…”
By the look of his face Max strongly disagreed. “WHY?”
“It will make it better on the night!” She answered. “By waiting it makes the anticipation stronger.”
“You can’t make me do this,” he said.
“You have hands; you can masturbate if you are that desperate.” Liz ran her fingers through her hair. “Please Max, for me? It’s only a week.”
“I believe you want to torture me because it brings you enjoyment, you like having power over me,” Max sulked. “Can we at least do everything but?”
“No,” she replied. “Nothing until the night.”
Max groaned. “Oh God, this isn’t fair.”
She kissed his lips passionately. Her lips remained on his when she spoke again, “It will prove you really love me.”
“You mean the necklace and engagement ring wasn’t enough?” He asked.
She stared into his eyes. “It’s a week, a week only.”
“Can we at least today? I specifically remember you saying ‘if we have sex now’.”
Liz laughed. “Yes I guess I did say that didn’t I? It doesn’t make the fact we are in a rental car any nicer.”
Max closed his eyes. “You know I wrote a song for you too, well actually I didn’t ‘write’ it, it just came to me,” he said.
“You did?” Liz asked in surprise. “Sing it to me.”
“No,” Max sulked. “Not now.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “It’s a WEEK, Max!” She punched him in the chest. “Not even that, just six days.”
“Six days too many,” he uttered.
“Shut up.” Liz sat up and straddled his hips. There wasn’t very much room in the car so she had to bend her back so her head could fit under the roof. She wasn’t very comfortable. “Sing me your song,” she said.
“No it’s too corny, I’ll write it down for you and give it to you in a card or something.” He opened his eyes.
“Max, no…” she leaned down and kissed his lips. “I want to hear it. You don’t have embarrassment around me, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he retorted. “Fine I’ll just sing the dim-whited song. When I see your smile…”
“That’s not singing that’s talking, do it properly or I won’t even make love to you today like I said,” she said. “I’m waiting.”
“Okay, okay, how did it go…” he trailed off. With his eyes closed he sang, “When I see your smile, it feels like I’m falling,
It’s not for anyone else to know.
The way your face could light the bitter dark of every street in every town I ever go…”
Liz felt tears sting her eyes. It made her heart ache to know that she was the only one that would experience the aptitude he possessed. His voice was so astonishing, if only he would do something with it!
“When I see you smile first thing in the morning,
it raises curtains on your lazy eyes,
Could it be that you and I have the greatest love to ever be, how could this have been?
It’s not for anyone else to know, for anyone else to know…
When Friday night arrives we’ll let it pass outside the door, this is not for anybody else, anybody else to know…”
Liz sniffled and wiped her eyes. Max opened his eyes. “Oh Liz, don’t cry…”
“I’m not crying.”
He wiped the tear from her eye. “Oh those tears in your eyes must be my imagination.” He rapped his arms around her and drew her close to him. “Have you taken your pregnancy tablets?” He asked. He lifted his hips and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “Never fear I am prepared…”
Liz grabbed his wallet off him. “Your prepared, well that’s wishful thinking isn’t it?” She opened his wallet and stopped short when she saw the little picture of her in the snapshot pocket. “Oh Max that’s a terrible photograph of me.”
“It is not,” he said.
Liz went to take it out but he YANKED it out of her hands. “That is mine, do not touch.”
She watched him pull out a condom in a foil sachet and she shook her head. “You don’t need that,” she said.
He looked at her. “Don’t I?”
“Nope,” she replied.
“You did take your pills?”
“Nope. Haven’t taken them since I left Naples a week and a half ago,” she answered.
Max frowned. “When was I going to be informed of this?”
“When I get pregnant.”
“What the—? Thank you so much for bringing me up to date.” Max looked a little annoyed.
“I thought you wanted a child!” She cried.
“I do! But I’d like to be told when we’re trying!”
“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “I wanted to surprise you.”
Max swallowed. “So you’re not yet, I mean—“
“It’s too soon to know,” she replied. “Max, I’m ready.”
He sucked in a deep breath. “Are you sure?” He didn’t wan to get his hopes up and then be let down.
“Yes.” She kissed his lips. “I’m ready, I want to have your child.”
Max closed his eyes. “Okay so you managed to find a gift that topped the voucher, I didn’t think it’d be possible…”
Liz laughed. “I knew it could be done.”
He opened his eyes again. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered. “You’re just so wonderful, I don’t know how to act around you sometimes.”
“Be yourself, that’s who I love,” she whispered back taking his lips against hers. She undid the button on his jeans and unzipped him. “You better make the most of this,” she said.
“Like I wouldn’t anyway,” he replied as he pulled her jersey over her head. They kissed feverishly and tugged at each others pants, suddenly they had no control left…
At times when they made love it was about pleasing the hunger, the burn that evaporated their skin and left just the souls to unite. Other times it was about needing to feel close to reinforce the reality that they were each others only…
This morning it was equally both.
“Hello?” There was a knock on the foggy car window. “Are you all right in there?”
Liz sprung away from Max in shock and they shared a panicked, flustered look before fixing their appearances and opening the window.
“Having a bit of trouble there?” The man asked grinning at the couple inside. “I was just driving past…is your car stuck?”
“Yes,” Max replied.
“What a day to be stranded, I can give you some help. The tires aren’t buried too deep. We’ll just tie a rope off my truck…”
“Thank you,” Max said. “For a minute there we were worried we’d be stuck here all day.”
“You’re fortunate, it was only by chance I was driving down here today.”
Max told Liz to stay in the car when he hopped out and went to help the man tie a rope between the two vehicles.
“Names Ray,” the man said holding his hand out.
“Max, it’s nice to meet you.”
It didn’t take long to get the ropes tied and then Ray went and hopped in his truck. Liz put her foot down on the accelerator at the same time as Ray and after several revs of the engine they were on there way back onto the road.
Max untied the rope and thanked the man profusely.
“Don’t thank me, have a good Christmas.”
“You too,” Max said. “See you.”
“Bye.”
After the man was gone Liz picked Max up and they were on the way. “Maybe we will get to have a Christmas dinner after all?” Liz asked. “We’ll be home in less then two hours..”
“Yes, thank God.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

XXXVI

It was 2:24pm by the time they pulled up the drive way to their house. They parked in the garage and Max unloaded their luggage while Liz went inside to ring Michael and Maria. It took seven rings before Michael picked up and Liz exclaimed loudly, “Merry Christmas!” Before even saying hello.
“Hi Liz,” he said. “How are you?”
“It’s Liz?” Maria exclaimed in the background. “Give it to me, give it to me!”
“I’m good Michael, thank you…”
“LIZ?” Maria said into the phone, “Hi girl, Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you! What have you been up to?”
There was a pause. “I’ve been cooking all day, how’s London?”
“I wouldn’t know, I’m not there,” Liz replied. “Max and I flew home last night. I was wondering if we could get in on your dinner plans tonight. We’ll make something to bring around…”
“Why aren’t you in London anymore? What happened?”
“Argh, I’m not even going to begin explaining over the phone,” Liz said. “I’ll explain later.”
“Okay. Well of course you can come around for dinner. We’re having Karl and Daniel and their partners over. Also, Alice, Chris, Greg and Dean, my mom and Michael’s parent’s will be here too.”
“Are you sure it won’t be too much trouble?” Liz asked.
“What’s two more?” Maria said. “We want you to come. Be here by six-thirty, okay?”
“Thank you Maria!”
“No thanks necessary Ria, just be here! I have to go; I’ve got tones to do. See you later?”
“BYE!” Liz hanged up.
Max was in the bedroom lying on the bed with his hands behind his head. Liz climbed onto the bed and sat on him. “Am I heavy?” She asked.
He snorted, “Yeah right.”
Liz caressed his chest passionately. “They said we can come. Karl and Daniel are going to be there, so you’ll get to see them before the wedding like you wanted.”
Max closed his eyes. “I think I need to sleep before we go or I won’t be able to stay awake.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m going to go and make something to take with us and then I’m going to shower…”
“Hmm, I would help but I’m too…”
“Just sleep,” Liz cut him off.
“I have that song in my head,” he mumbled opening his eyes.
She smiled. “What song?”
“The one that Bobby Darin sings…the one that goes—Don’t tell me not to live just sit and putter, life’s candy and the suns a ball of butter…Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.”
Liz laughed loudly. “You know Barbara Streisand sings that song too…” She kissed his forehead.
Max rapped his arms around her to hold her against him.
“Max…” She warned.
“What am I not allowed to kiss you?” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I was thinking, how are you supposed to get pregnant when we aren’t having sex?”
“Max I’m not talking indefinitely here.”
“Thank God, because then I’d really be in trouble.”
Liz tried to get free of his hold on her. “Let go of me I have to start cooking,” she said.
“No you don’t, it can wait two minutes,” he argued. He buried his face in her hair and sighed. “Just stay here with me for a little while.”
“Last time I did that I fell asleep and we got trapped in the middle of nowhere,” she replied.
Max kissed her neck. “We’re not in the middle of nowhere now.”
It didn’t take him long to drift off and when he did Liz got up and covered him with a blanket. She kissed his forehead affectionately and couldn’t help standing and watching his serene striking face. His head tilted to the side sluggishly and his lips were ajar, she noticed that he was quite pale looking. She frowned, hoping he wasn’t sick.
Outside the sky was a dark grey, it gave off no daylight so the house was badly lit as if it was nearing evening. She jumped when a rip of noisy thunder clattered in the heavens like an expanse of metal being shaken back and forth.
Liz closed the curtains in the bedroom, glanced at Max once more, and then walked towards the kitchen to begin cooking. She had to turn the lights on it was so gloomy.
Getting out a couple of her Italian recipe books, she sat down at the table and decided what to cook. Eventually she settled on Green Garlic Tagliatelle, Calzone and Tiramisu.
Setting the book down on the bench on pg94 Liz went about getting out the ingredients. First she would male Green Garlic Tagliatelle.
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
250 g/9 oz mushrooms sliced
500 g/1 ¼ Ib fresh green and white tagliatelle
250 g/9 oz frozen chopped leaf spinach, thawed and drained
115 g/4 oz full-fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs
4 tbsp single cream
50 g/2 oz chopped, unsalted pistachio nuts
2 tbsp shredded fresh basil
Salt & Pepper
Sprigs of fresh basil, to garnish
Italian bread, to serve
Gently heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the spring onions and garlic for 1 minute, until just softened. Add the mushrooms, stir well, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened.
Liz just hoped the chow would turn out as well as in the photograph. For the next two-and-a-half-hours she set about making a delectable, mouth-watering banquet. The aromas of cooking deluged the house and Liz hummed to herself as she danced around putting this in here, that in there, water in that and basil on this…
Tiramisu, a much loved Italian dessert with coffee and amaretto liqueur, was the concluding dish. Arrange almost half of the sponge fingers in the base of a glass bowl or serving dish. Combine the black coffee, coffee essence and amaretto and sprinkle just over half the mixture over the fingers.
Liz hummed, someday we’ll meet in Lvov my love and I while whipping the cream and milk together until the mixture was fairly stiff and could easily be spread or piped over the dessert. The tangs of the mixture made her senses sizzle with desire and yearning snuck up on her without her being aware of it. She swayed her hips from side to side and licked the mixture off her fingers, her hair whipped around and back and forth, across her face and down her back…
She ran her hand down her body as she bent her knee’s, swaying side to side. Her head lolled back and her eyes closed, now vividly dancing sensually for an audience of one. The fantasy beat pulsated through her body; she was no longer in the kitchen in an apron but in a candlelit paradise beach wearing a tight, skin hugging, strapless, red dress that revealed thigh, breast, lower back…
A pair of familiar male hands touched her hips, her taut belly, massaging, caressing, grasping, clutching, and scratching at her. The sexual rocking of her hips earned a soft moan against her ear, she would not stop, could not, did not.
The sand wisped through her toes as she moved her feet, she could feel his body against hers, waving with hers, brushing with hers. His pleasure-giving hands ran up her sides, contacting her breasts, stopping to fondle them then continuing to her arms, running from her elbows up to her hands that were clenched in the air. When you touch me baby it’s torture, brush up against me, I get chills all down my spine… Her ass stroked his lower anatomy, gaining a large response that had already been swelling with the storm. The beats of the drum were like throbs of pleasure starting at her toes and shooting up her body, burning her insides and setting her skin on fire.
Lips brushed her ear, her neck, stopping on her shoulder where a tongue snaked out and swiped across her brown silk skin. The bonfire to their left lit their skin in a bodily flush, cherry and hot, their lips unlocked escaping pants into the air. Waves crashed onto the shore, going completely unnoticed; the moon shone above, the stars twinkling, tree branches thrashing…
The owner of the hands was revealed when she was spun around and was brought clad up to his body. His eyes were dark, shining with arousal, his mouth shaped in a sexual, teasing grin that assured her things her mind could not even envision. Sweet dreams of rhythm and dancing, sweet dreams of passion through the night. The music was playing, their hearts were pounding their legs tapping, sliding, stirring. Her fingers scratched at the skin revealed under his white badly buttoned shirt, his sleeves rolled up, and his stomach grit and hard.
A lip brushed, sending shivers, convulses, through their bones, causing whimpers, gasps. His strong arms spun her around, her dress bellowed out; her hair bellowed out, her feet slipped…
The night froze; she looked up at him from the sand, her hands still in his, and the beach began melting away. The sand below her dripped into a black chasm never to be seen again, but soon replaced with ashen silk sheets… He remained above her, his clothes now gone, her clothes now gone, their hands still grasped.
He pulled her up flush against him, his exposed body touching every part of hers. The music still overflowed in the moonlit room, the king-size bed. Beginning a new dance, she was swung back, her leg wrapping around his…his lips leaning down to suckle—
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Liz was snapped out of her fantasy panting furiously and burning red hot. The oven told her the food was done and she was finished.
“Oh my,” she whispered to herself feeling her flushed cheeks. She took the food out of the oven, rapped it and prepared it to be taken away and proceeded cleaning up. She looked down at the Tiramisu dessert and with a sly smile she wondered whether it would have the same effect on the people who ate it this evening, as it had had on her.
Now her whole body was aching with desire and the pit between her legs was wet and thumping for release. Running her fingers through her hair, she headed towards the bedroom to see if Max was awake. He wasn’t. He was still sleeping heavily, his face buried in their pillows. Sighing, she quickly decided on a gown to wear tonight and then headed for the shower, maybe she was the one who was going to find this next week unbearable…Maybe she was the one who hated the decision to wait the most.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Max,” Liz purred, “Darling wake up.” She caressed his forehead, kissing his cheeks, his nose. “Sweetheart, it’s time to get up.”
He shifted, pinning her beneath him and she had to keep from moaning. God she wanted him! She would not give in; she made the rules she’d just have to live with them.
“Babe,” she said. “Wake up!”
His eyes snapped open and groan escaped his lips.
Liz frowned. “What’s wrong darling?”
He swallowed. “I feel like I’ve been hit in the head with a brick.”
She put her hand on his forehead. “You do feel hot, maybe a bath would help? I made one for you just the way you like it.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Can you get up?”
“Give me a minute,” he answered. He rolled off her and lay with his hands behind his head. Liz sat up, worried and concerned, and put her hand on his chest.
“Do you need anything? Is there anything I can get you?” She asked. “Maybe I should take your temperature, do you want it under your arm, in your mouth, or…anally?”
Despite himself, he laughed.
She smiled; she knew that would amuse him.
“I don’t need my temperature taken thank you, I just need a minute.” He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “God it smells good in here, have you been cooking?”
Liz’s eye’s flashed. “Yeah, I-I have. Just cooking.”
“What’s the time?”
“Ten past five,” Liz replied. “Are you well enough to go out?”
He took her hand in his. “I’ll make myself well enough to go out. Would be able to get me some pain killers?”
”Of course, go hop in the tub before the water gets cold.” She got up off the bed.
“You look nice,” he mumbled with his eyes roaming over her.
She smiled. “Just, nice? This dress is worth—“
“I’m sorry, you look beautiful, help me up?” He held his hand out to her. After Liz helped him up she left him alone to bathe and lay down on their bed to read. After forty minutes she called to him, telling him he better get out if they wanted to be at Maria’s on time. She went to the mirror and stood brushing her hair when he walked in butt naked a beautiful. She stared at him through the mirror. He was oblivious to himself. She wanted him.
He walked over to her and nudged her with his leg. “What?”
She bit her lip, she couldn’t reply.
He nudged her again. “What?”
Not looking at him, because she couldn’t, she asked, “Feel better?”
“Mmm Hmm,” he mumbled. He nudged her again.
She started backing away. “Is there a reason you’re harassing me?” She had to keep her eyes from roaming downwards. The task was proving to be very difficult indeed.
He laughed. “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting strange.”
Liz opened her mouth. “I,” she mumbled, “AM NOT.” In one moment she was going to pounce on him! Technically they had never got to make love in the car so maybe one time would just make up for then?
“Your all jumpy,” Max said. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed. No, this was just cruel! “I’m not going to talk to you until you put some clothes on,” she said.
Max turned around and cracked up laughing. He knew her too well and she could not hide anything from him, not even this.
“Liz Parker’s horny!” He cried. He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out something to wear for the evening. “Such a shame we have to wait a week…”
Liz’s body was pulsing. She poked her tongue out at him.
“That’s mature,” he said.
Her eyes wandered over his backside, his muscular lower back…
“Oh God,” she moaned. She fell back onto the bed. “Take me, please?”
He laughed harder. “Nope sorry, I’m out of action for the next 168hours.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXXVII

Her lips brushed his earlobe when she whispered to him, “Are you okay?” Her hands affectionately caressed his arm up and down. He massaged his eyes, took a deep breath and turned to look at her.
“Do you have anymore of those painkillers on you?” He asked. “I guess the ones I took while I was in the bath are wearing off.”
Her face crinkled with concern. “Do you want to go home?”
He knew she had been looking forward to this Christmas dinner and he didn’t want to ruin it for her. Even if just the mere sight of food was making him queasy. “No, I’ll be fine,” he replied.
The alarm did not leave her features. “Maybe we—“
“I said I was fine,” Max cut her off. “Forget it; let’s just go take a seat.”
Maria came and hugged Liz and made sure she had a seat near her so she could get the dish on what happened in London. Max rubbed his temples to try and make the room stop spinning.
Liz kept shooting troubled looks at him every few minutes. Finally it was time to eat and while the talking went on around him Max tried to put on a joyful countenance. His good friends Karl and Daniel were late but when they got there they introduced him to their girlfriends and greeted Liz with a kiss on her cheek.
Max looked down at the food in front of him and felt his stomach turn over. When he noticed Liz noticing his reluctance to eat he smiled at her and picked up his fork. She watched him take a mouthful of pumpkin and potato into his jaws but just as soon as he did the color drained from his face and he shot up from the table. “Excuse me,” he spat out before hurrying down the hall.
Liz was more then panicked now. She excused herself directly afterwards and went after him only to find him retching in the lavatory. She grabbed a facecloth from the towel cupboard and dipped it in warm water before kneeling beside him and taking his face in her hands.
“We’re going home,” she said. “I know you’re trying to hide it but you’re not doing a very good job.”
She dabbed the cloth around his lips and forehead, wiping the perspiration on his flushed cheeks. He looked at her with admiration while she brushed the hair from his forehead, running her fingers over his scalp and down the back of his head to his neck.
“You must be getting the flu from being out in that snow this morning,” she whispered. “We’ll go home and I’ll take care of you.”
She started to get up but he grabbed her. “I feel better a bit better now, and though having you look after me is one of the greatest things in life I want to go back out and join the party. I don’t need to eat but you need to enjoy yourself.”
Liz didn’t look convinced. “I’ll get your coat,” she said getting up and walking out of the bathroom.
“Is everything all right?” Maria asked when she got back into the dinning room.
“Max isn’t feeling well, we’re going to—“
“Stay,” Max walked up behind her, cutting her off. “I’m fine now; I just don’t think I can eat much. I wish I could, considering how long you cooked for. I’m sorry.”
“Its fine, I’m just thankful your okay,” Maria shrugged.
Liz glared at Max disapprovingly and went back to her seat at the table. Max followed her, making sure that his seat was close against hers so he could keep her assured he was fine. He knew that if it were her that wasn’t well he would have carried her home by now, but he was a man and he felt that because of that he couldn’t just go running home every time he got a little unwell.
Under the table while she ate he put his hand on her thigh and massaged her through her dress. She closed her eyes for a moment and then, refusing to look at him brushed it away and turned to Alice and Greg and started talking to them.
Damn, Max thought. He was in a catch-22 now. He turned to Karl and his girlfriend, Tessa.
“Max, so tell us is all planning for the wedding done?” Tessa asked.
Max nodded. “Most of it, we only have a few things left to do like picking the flavor of the cake and…” He had to pick out what was going under Liz’s dress. Can’t forget that. “Deciding where to go for the honeymoon too, but my mom and sister are going to come and help Liz and her mother with what’s left.”
“Oh, how nice. When do they get here?”
“The 29th,” Liz entered the conversation.
“Liz!” Maria cried. “Tell me what happened in London right now.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “It’s not a good story,” she said.
Max sipped his glass of water and said nothing.
“I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I thought I would, I’d told her before Max got there that I didn’t think it was for me,” Liz explained.
Amy Deluca switched seats with her husband so she could join in with the conversation. “How did she take it? Was she mad?”
“Not really,” Liz replied.
“That’s good. I Hope you can find another job you like. Why did you leave early?” Tessa asked.
“I just—” Liz saw Max looking at her out of the corner of her eye. “She told me that I didn’t need to stay if I didn’t want to.”
Max spluttered on his water.
“Oh okay,” Tessa said. “It would be awkward though after that anyway.”
“Yeah.”
“This is delicious,” Daniels partner Tania commented.
“Oh Liz made that, what’s it called?” Maria asked.
“Um, that’s the Green Garlic Tagliatelle,” Liz replied. “I’ve never made it before; I’m relieved it turned out okay.”
“I can’t wait to taste that coffee and liquor dessert you made,” Amy commented, “Looks absolutely scrumptious.”
Liz smiled. Her body still hummed with tribute of the fantasy that had occurred while making that. She might have to give that another go some other time this week. She looked at her main artiste and he said, “We’ll have to take some home so I can taste it when I am able to digest food again.”
“I’ll make another one,” she offered.
Maria went and got Max some painkillers to help him through the evening and Max gladly swallowed them. When they moved into the lounge room Liz made Max promise that if he started feeling bad again they could leave.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m just worried ‘tis all,” she mumbled.
Max pulled away from her. “I might be contagious, stay away from me.”
“No.” She sat closer to him so her hip was pressing into his side. She kissed his cheek and forced his arm around her shoulders.
“Why didn’t you tell them the truth about what happened in London?” He asked.
She didn’t look up at him when she replied, “It’s embarrassing for me…flattering for you, but embarrassing for me.”
“Michael we’re going to dance, I love this song,” Maria said. She tugged him to his feet and walked out onto the balcony. Liz watched them go; wanting to dance too but knowing Max was too ill to move. She sighed.
“Let’s go dance too,” Daniel said to Tania. Tania waved him off saying she didn’t feel like it. He glanced around the room, his eyes stopping on Liz who looked like she wanted to get up too. He asked her and she agreed. Before getting up she squeezed Max’s arm once and then left.
Max sat back on the couch with a huff and watched as Daniel wrapped his arms around his fiancée. Prick, Max thought suddenly not liking him very much. How dare he ask his Liz to dance?
He couldn’t hear what they were saying to one another but Liz appeared to find it very amusing, she was laughing.
He spun her around and flung her back into him like Max usually did with her. Max grunted.
“Karl,” he said, “Do you have any smokes on you?”
“Sure, here,” Karl replied pulling out his fancy little silver container. Max pulled one out and thanked him. That’s what friends do, he thought. NOT ask other peoples fiancée’s to dance.
He was supposed to be quitting smoking but right now, he didn’t give a damn.
When the song ended Max couldn’t have been more relieved. Only, Liz didn’t come back inside, she then danced with Michael. For Gods sake, Max thought.
Liz finally came back inside after what Max imagined had to have been about ten songs. She sat down next to him out of breath and flushed, took one look at him and said, “Oh you’ve had a cigarette Max, you said you’d try.”
He ignored what she said. “You’ve had a dance, did you have fun?”
Liz frowned at his sour attitude. “Are you—?” She noticed his pale face and put her hand on his forehead. He pushed it away.
“Stop doing that, I’m fine,” he hissed.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “Just because you’re too God damn stubborn to go home and rest like you should be, don’t take your temper out on me.”
She got up and walked away.
“Trouble in paradise?” Michael asked taking a seat next to him.
Max moaned. “No, I’m just being a jerk.”
“You sound like crap, no offence,” Michael said.
“I do?” Max asked.
“Hmm mmm,” Michael mumbled while gulping his beer. “So what really happened in London?”
“What makes you think what Liz said isn’t true?” He asked.
“I didn’t notice anything, it’s Maria who is under the impression she was lying.”
Max thought about what Liz said about it being embarrassing and decided to respect her wishes. “She was telling the truth, nothing else happened.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that on to the very nosey Maria.”
Max smiled. “Thanks.”
It didn’t take Max’s pain killers long to wear off again and this time he could barely keep his eyes open. He closed them for a minute and when he opened them again Liz was standing in front of him with his coat. “You promised,” she said.
“I can’t argue with you anymore,” he sighed. She helped him up and they said goodbye to everyone before driving home.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Liz knelt on the bed next to Max’s shoulder. “Here,” she whispered. “I made you something. Do you feel any better?”
Max swallowed. “Depends on what you mean by better. What did you make me?”
“A lemon and orange drink. It should help your throat; hopefully you can keep it down. I’ll put it here on the nightstand.”
Max’s voice was nasally and croaky. “Thank you,” he mumbled.
Liz shifted so she was sitting on the side of the bed. She brushed his hair off his forehead and pressed her lips to his skin. “I—”
“Babe,” Max cut her off. “Don’t get close to me; you’ll just get sick too. Then who will I have to look after me?”
Liz lay down on the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his neck and whispered, “Is this too close?”
“Yes.”
They had got home an hour ago and Max had removed his clothes and hopped under the covers, he hadn’t moved since.
“I’m sorry for the shocking Christmas day,” he said with a sigh.
“What was bad about this Christmas? I had a fantastic time,” Liz replied.
“That’s a bit far-fetched. First getting stuck in the car and then me being sick…I assure you it will be better next year.”
Liz smiled. “We might have a child to share our Christmas with next year.”
Max buried his face in her hair. “That’s true, let’s toast to that. Go get something to drink.”
“You can’t have any alcohol.”
“I’ll toast with my lemon and orange drink,” he said amusedly. “Go on, get a drink. I’ll bring myself to sit up somehow.”
Liz smiled. “Okay.”
When she came back with a mug of coffee she sat down in the middle of their big bed and crossed her legs under herself. Max propped himself up against the headboard.
“Some youthful couple we are, toasting to Christmas with a lemsip flu drink and coffee,” Liz said.
“I think this is the best way to toast,” he argued. “Okay, so here’s to next year and the possibility of new life being brought into our…spiritual union.”
Liz stared at Max thoughtfully. “That’s a nice way to put it.” She clinked her glass with his. “I’ll definitely drink to that.”
The both sipped their drinks and then put them down on the bedside table.
“I think you should sleep in the other bedroom tonight,” Max said.
“No.” Liz didn’t even bother saying anything else. There was no point in arguing with her but nevertheless Max never learnt.
“I am sick Liz, which part of that don’t you understand? No, in fact I’ll go in there so you don’t have to be kicked out of this bed. I’ll see you in the morning, goodnight…”
He went to get up but stopped and held his head in his hands. “Is it just me or did the room just convulse?”
“It’s just you,” Liz said. “Get back into to bed right now.”
Max lay back. “If you love me you’ll give me a piece of mind, just this once.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” When he didn’t reply she got up and turned off the bedroom light. “Don’t forget to drink your orange and lemon. I’m going to watch television. I’ll be back soon.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

[nicola]

XXXVIII CONCLUSION

It was murky outside, gloomy, sinister even; it was snowing, and as the clock leisurely passed onto the twenty-eighth of December 2003, his somewhat tranquil siesta was ripped from him when his soul mates high pitched screech shook the walls.
Max shot up swiftly and ran across the room, trying to disregard the excruciating throb in his head and the churning of his abdomen. Through his unclear, red, bloodshot eyes he ran into Liz who was dashing around in the dark. He grabbed her, he could barely see her. “What?” He cried. “What’s wrong?”
She jumped in shock. “What are you—?” She asked. “Get back in that bedroom young man!”
“What did you scream for?” He demanded. Someone was banging a drum in his brain. THUMP, THUMP, BANG, BANG, WHACK, WHACK. He chanted along with it. OW, OW, OW.
“I was watching a scary movie,” she answered sheepishly.
“Alone?”
“I was petrified because I thought I saw someone in the dark moving around and I couldn’t find the light switch!” She sucked in a deep breath. “Still can’t, can’t see you, where are you? Don’t let go.”
Max led her back into the bedroom and turned on the bedroom light. It was like he had lived in the dark his whole life and had suddenly stumbled upon the sun. A shot of agony ripped through his eyes, shooting down his spine. He clamped his hands over his eyes.
“Oh God, look at you,” Liz said. “Get back into bed.” She took his arm and lay him down. Afterwards she turned on the bedside lamp, and went back to turn off the main light. Pulling off her clothes, she slipped into some flannel pants and a turtleneck shirt before joining him.
“Are you okay? You look dreadful,” Liz said. She climbed under the blankets and scooted close to him. “I would go make you something but I’m too afraid to go out there alone again. What do you want? What can I do for you?”
“Nothing,” he mumbled. “Stop fussing, just sleep with me. Let me hold your hand.”
She gave him her hands and watched as he kissed them. “I hate seeing you like this,” she muttered. “I wish I could do something to help.”
“You are helping, by being here.”
She turned off the lamp and lay down close to him. “Max will you hold me please? I’m so scared because of that movie. I feel safe with you.”
He rolled onto his back and wrapped her arms around her tiny body. Feeling her warmth, her love, her breath on his skin. “What movie was it?” He asked.
“What lies beneath,” she answered shuddering.
“That isn’t a scary movie!”
“It is so,” she argued. “With the freaky man and the freaky woman he killed.”
Max tried to laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
“For you maybe,” he said.
When they woke up the next day, Liz spent the whole morning cleaning to get the house nice for the arrival of their families. Liz’s mother would need picking up at twelve-thirty and Max’s family would need picking up that evening. She had a lot of work to do and it was doubled because Max could not get up from the bed. In amongst the flutter of things to do she managed to run him a bath and make him some tin soup. “Try and eat it,” she said. “Please? You haven’t eaten in over two days, you’ll be so weak.”
“If I don’t eat anything I don’t have anything to throw up,” he commented.
“Please try? Please?” She kissed him and hurried off to finish cleaning. She dusted all three bedrooms and the lounge room, she changed the sheets on their bed, she sorted out the office, she scrubbed the kitchen until it was glistening and then went into the bathroom to clean in there too. Max watched her while he was soaking in the tub.
She talked to him, “I need to go grocery shopping but my mom could help with that. We are going to need so much food. Do you think Isabel will stay here or at a hotel? We can fit my mother and—”
“What about your stepfather?” Max asked. “What’s his name again—Nathan wasn’t it?”
“Yes, he doesn’t get here until the thirtieth.” She scrubbed the sink, frantically brushing her hair out of her face every two minutes.
“I really did choose a bad time to get sick didn’t I?” Max felt extremely guilty for not helping.
“If you chose to get sick, I would strangle you,” she said. “But as you didn’t, don’t worry about it. I’ll get everything done I just…need to make a timetable so I can everything in. OH! You ate your soup? How does your stomach feel?”
“Not as bad as it was yesterday,” Max said.
“Well that’s good right?” She wiped the mirror. “I’ll pick up some more painkillers from the drugstore when I go shopping. I really can’t convince you to go to a doctor?”
“No,” he said.
“Okay,” she relented. “Tomorrow the lady from the bakery is coming around with the different flavors of wedding cake so we can pick which one we want. I wanted to do that with you but you won’t feel like tasting cake will you? On Wednesday I have to go and help set up and then pick up Nathan at 4:30 in the afternoon. We have the rehearsal that night and then the 31st is the day.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Oh I hope you’re better by then.”
“So do I,” he said.
“Well, when your mother gets here tonight she’ll be able to look after you when I can’t, that will be nice won’t it?”
“I like you looking after me.”
Liz finished cleaning the bathroom and glanced at him. “Are you ready to get out?” She asked.
“No,” he answered.
“I need to clean the shower…” she sighed mumbling to herself. “I’ll do it while I’m in there so I can save time.”
“Ohh do I get to watch?” He asked grinning teasingly.
Liz’s lower stomach burned. She wanted to make love so much it hurt but she knew they couldn’t, especially now with Max sick. She left the room to get a towel and when she came back she fought for self control and quickly took her clothes off. She jumped into the shower and tried not to think about the fact Max was watching her.
Three minutes into her shower he climbed out of the tub and came and joined her. Liz jumped in shock and slipped on the soap, nearly falling and breaking her back.
“Max, no get out, you can’t torture me like this…” she groaned.
“What?” He asked bending down to pick up the soap. “We can be naked together and not do anything sexual…and if we can’t we really need to practice getting some restraint.”
“You’re finding this all very amusing aren’t you?” She asked. “Get out right now!”
He ran his fingers through her hair and piled it up on top of her head.
“I’m serious!” she whined. “Maaaaaaaaaax!”
“Calm down,” he said stepping behind her and running his strong, thin fingers over her scalp. Liz closed her eyes and leaned into him, feeling some of her stress evaporate with the steam in the bathroom. He massaged her scalp with his magical hands and then picked up the soap and ran it down her spine and over her hip. His lips were on her neck, she could feel his shallow puffs of air on her cheek.
“Hmm,” he mumbled. “What were you saying?”
“Nothing, nothing at all,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes and moved closer still so his body was pressed up against her back. “You’ve been taking care of me, let me take care of you,” he whispered.
“Okay,” she purred. The heat melted her from inside out and she was left as a pile of sludge in his arms. Very gently he rubbed his arousal against her ass, never stopping his hands moving up and down her hips and thighs with the soap.
He spun her around to face him and lathered her breasts with lavender-smelling foam. “You’re going to be very clean,” he mumbled while staring into her eyes. She bit her lip.
His hands dropped to her stomach where they grasped the span of her flesh. He couldn’t help himself; he kissed her lips slowly and passionately, filled with everything he felt for her. He made love to her mouth in a way they both craved in their sex. When he pulled away he felt so dizzy he had to stop, he physically could not remain upright or he would collapse. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“Max?” Liz asked.
He swallowed. “I think I better go get dressed.” Opening his eyes, he smiled lightly and pushed open the shower door. Liz watched him get out and pull a towel around himself, before leaving the room without as much as a glance in her direction. She moaned loudly and held on the wall to keep from falling down.
When she got out she finished cleaning the bathroom, emptied the bath tub and then went into the bedroom wearing a towel. Max was lying on the bed in his white pajama pants with his hands behind his head. She approached him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “Get some sleep love.”
“That’s all I have been doing,” he muttered.
“Get better please,” she said. “You know my life depends on it.”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. As if they’d agreed on it, Liz climbed on the bed and lay down at his side with her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight with his lips against her damp hair. “I love you,” he whispered.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Liz picked up the box in front of her, hoping her mother wouldn’t notice if she quickly hid it behind the muesli.
“Oh!”
No such luck.
“Are you pregnant?” Nancy demanded loudly, grabbing her arm.
Liz swallowed. “I don’t know…Max and I are trying…” she trailed off. “I don’t think so, but I’m going to find out anyway.”
Tears filled Nancy’s eyes. “My babies going to have a baby.”
“We don’t know that mom,” Liz said. She sighed; she wasn’t in a good frame of mind to talk about this right now. She dropped two of the boxes in the trolley and continued down the isle ignoring her mothers dry sobbing and planning of a grandchild.
“Oh I just can’t believe it, what a good Christmas gift!” Nancy added. “Because you never gave me one.”
“I did I just didn’t get a chance to send it. I’ll give it to you back at the house,” Liz replied.
“You know Nathan will be even happier about a grandchild, even though you are just his step daughter, you know how much he loves you.”
Liz rubbed her forehead and sighed. She had a headache and she was exhausted from running around this morning. Right now it would have been nice to be in bed with Max, with his arms around her and his lips on her forehead. Out of the blue she felt a strong, cavernous yearning to run home to see him.
“Let’s hurry and get this done shall we? Do you want to help me cook dinner tonight? We have Max’s mother, sister and her husband coming over,” she said.
“Of course I’ll help you! What else am I good for, other then paying for the wedding but the credit will have to go to Nathan,” Nancy replied. “So what about Max’s father? When does he get here?”
Liz clenched her teeth at the thought of him. They had put ‘The Evans’ on the wedding invitation, not wanting to write Philip Evans name in case he decided to come. They did not want him there but they were not bad-mannered people and would not deliberately invite his family and not him. He could make up his own mind but Max was doubtful that he would come; surely he wouldn’t have the nerve to do that when there was such hostility between the three of them.
“I don’t know,” Liz mumbled shrugging off the question. She did not want to let him ruin this week, it was very vital that it was prefect.
“There’s something about that Philip Evans, to be quite frank with you I’m not completely sure that he isn’t a bit of a shit,” Nancy said.
Liz stifled a laugh. “Mom, I see eye to eye with you on that one.”
“Oh good, does that mean you didn’t invite him?”
“Well he’s Max’s father, we had to invite him—we’re just hoping he won’t come.”
“We? So Max has the same opinion of him?” Nancy said. “Poor Diane, she’s such a beautiful, kind, divine woman, how she got stuck with such a brute, I’ll never know.”
“I completely agree.”
When they got home they found Max lying on the couch eating ice cream and watching cartoons. He got up to help bring in the shopping bags but Liz ushered him back to the couch. “You’re starting to eat again, you must be getting better.”
When Nancy wasn’t looking Max grabbed Liz’s ass and whispered in her ear. “I’m getting horny again too; I really must be getting better.”
Liz’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, finally I’m not the only one.” She winked at him and went to put the groceries away. Max’s head still felt heavy and it was hard for him to eat solid foods, he’d been in the kitchen while they were gone trying all the foods in the fridge to see what he could have. He didn’t think he’d touch cream, peanut butter, or cheese ever again.
When Liz walked by the couch she pitched the painkillers at him and he caught them on his chest. “What’s that?” He asked motioning to the two other boxes.
She held them up so he could see.
His eyes darkened. “When are you going to take one?”
“Not today, tomorrow maybe.”
He nodded.
From the bedroom she called, “You still have to cash in your voucher, when are we going to do that?”
“Now? Let’s go now!” He yelled back.
She came back into the room. “You’re sick, you can’t go anywhere.”
“Liz?” Nancy said. “Where are your cookbooks? What are we having for dinner?”
“I’ll show you,” Liz replied. “I was thinking a roast with Chicken and stuffing.”
Max’s stomach churned. “Yuck,” he mumbled to himself. “I’m going to get dressed and then we’re going.”
“No—”
“Liz, take the man out for heavens sake. I’ll start dinner.”
Max grinned at Liz. “I like you Nancy.”
She laughed.
Liz mouthed, ‘dork’ at him and went to get the cookbooks.
When they finally left (an ‘hour’ later) they headed straight to FigLeaves. Max wandered around commenting on how nice this was, and how sexy that was, having a field day while Liz sat on a chair in the corner watching.
“What about this?”
“Piss off.”
“I like it.”
“Um, no.”
“Um, yes.” Max held it up to her body. “Yes I can see some definite potenti—“
“You can SEE everything in that. Pick a different one.” Liz tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Am I going to have any choice or are you the one picking?” He asked with a hint of venom in his voice.
Liz rolled her eyes. “I just don’t want anything sleazy.”
“Have faith in your husband-to-be,” he said with a bat of his eyelids.
“That’s easy for you to say,” she mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, dear.”
Max flashed her a cheeky smile. His head was spinning but he was determined to find something that they both liked. The task was proving to be very hard.
“Can I help?” A sales lady asked.
“Yes, would you please show that lady over there to the changing rooms? I would like her to try on this,” Max said.
“No!” Liz exclaimed.
Max shrugged at the sales lady and she smiled and walked away.
“Max Evans!” She cried. “This is taking much longer then it needs to!”
“Liz Parker!” He cried back. “Whose fault is that? Whose the picky one here?!”
Liz grudgingly got up from her chair and walked around. “What about this one?”
“No that one doesn’t reveal enough,” he answered.
Liz rolled her eyes and put it back.
“This?” Max asked.
“No, nothing red,” she added, “don’t even pick that next one up. NO leather either.”
“You are absolutely no fun,” he said. “What do I see in you? I bet that sales lady would wear that.”
“Maybe you should marry her then.”
“She’s not completely unfortunate looking…maybe I should?” When he saw her shoot him a ‘do not push me’ look, he laughed. “Okay, well that’s more then half the store you have said no to. I think we can safely say you’re the problem here.”
“Okay FINE!” She exclaimed. “Pick whatever you damn well please, I’m past caring. Get what ever you want.”
She walked back over to her seat and slumped down. She was just tired, she wanted to apologize for being grumpy but that would probably somehow end with an argument too.
“Ohh!” she heard Max cluck. “Animal print.”
She sighed. “Please no.”
Twenty minutes later he finally decided on what to get her. It was a thin, see through-corset looking thing that was black. It came with matching see-through underwear and thigh-high stockings.
“Okay, go try it on,” he said.
“If I try it on, you won’t be seeing it. You only get to see it after the wedding,” she said.
“Ohm,” he grunted. “Never mind then. Let’s just get it.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXXIX

Sitting in the bathroom, Liz stared down at her blood-covered underwear with a wash of melancholy flooding over her. She knew she was being ridiculous; it was unrealistic to believe she would have got pregnant from her and Max’s escapades in London.
But she had held the hope nevertheless, and now it was gone and she felt a hollow hole where it had been.
Her heart hurt and because of that the worst case scenarios begun filling her mind against her will. What if she couldn’t have children? The thought brought on a despair so strong she couldn’t continue to sit upright. If she could not give Max the children he so dreadfully wanted, he would no longer want her. And if he did, for some magical reason, still love her, how could she continue with him knowing she was depriving him of his greatest wish? How could she live knowing that?
A clogging blanket tied around her throat and she suddenly found it very hard to breathe. She dropped her head into her hands and fought the urge to cry. Oh she couldn’t bear it, she couldn’t bear the thought.
Jerking her from her torment, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll be out in a minute!” She called, trying to hide the waver in her voice. It was early, six-twenty and she was surprised anyone was up.
The door opened and Max stepped in, closing it behind him. He took one look at her and said, “What’s wrong?”
With all the effort to stay composed, Liz’s mouth and forehead crinkled. A sob escaped, her eyes glossed over. “Nothing,” she whispered pathetically throwing her old underwear to the ground. She had a new pair on and she was wearing a bra, but she felt exposed and wretched sitting on the side of the bathtub.
Max looked down at the blood, swallowed and got down on his knee’s in front of her. Looking at him, her tears a second away from falling, Liz opened her mouth to speak, “I—”
He put his fingers on her lips. “Shh,” he breathed. He knew, and she knew it, and he knew that too. Taking his hand from her mouth, he patted his bare chest right in front of his heart. “Come here,” he said soothingly.
She sat there for a long time—her face pressed into Max’s chest—and cried.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Before Nancy was awake, a little while after Liz had stopped crying, Max ran them a bath and together they hopped in, across from one another, and soaked.
“I’m going to smell like a girl when I get out,” Max commented.
Liz smiled. “Who else gets to smell you but me?”
“You have a point.” Reaching for her hands underneath the bubbles, Max intertwined his fingers through hers. He stroked her knuckles, her palms, her engagement ring, and her wrists softly. It was so gentle and sweet Liz closed her eyes and purred.
Max watched her face unwind and pressed his thigh into hers comfortingly.
“You know,” she murmured quietly. “Your sister is so beautiful.”
“She is,” Max agreed. But I’m sitting in a bath tub with someone more then beautiful, he thought. I’m with an angel, there was no way Liz was anything but celestial.
“She looks good even though she’s six months pregnant.” She was hoping he missed the pang of hurt in her voice, her face, the spasm of tenderness in her heart when she said that.
He didn’t. He squeezed her hands tighter.
“You have a question for me?” he asked softly.
“Do you want a question?”
“No,” he replied.
“Then I won’t ask,” she said.
“I never said I wouldn’t answer it, I just said I didn’t want it.”
“Max,” he voice cracked. “What if…what if I can’t get pregnant? What if I can’t have your children?”
He swallowed. “Then we’ll adopt,” he said simply.
“No,” Liz argued. “It’s not the same, it’s not,” —she shuddered— “All those times when we forgot protection, or in Germany, and each time we never got pregnant.”
Max’s face was comforting. “We didn’t want children then, we were lucky.”
Liz swallowed. “What if it wasn’t just luck?”
They were silent for a long time. Max stared into her eyes. “What makes you think it would necessarily be you that’s the problem?”
“But—”
“No, let’s not talk about this anymore. There haven’t been that many times when we haven’t used protection. You’re worrying over nothing and if by some chance either of us can’t make a child, then it won’t change anything. It won’t change how I feel about you at all, and if we can’t have children, I’ll have you all to myself and I don’t mind that at all.” He opened his arms to her.
She got up and moved so she was nestled between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his neck.
“Whoa,” he groaned throwing his head back. “Don’t move a muscle, period or not, sickness or waiting a week, I’ll jump you right now.”
Liz chuckled against his neck. She could feel him swelling against her lower belly. Quietly she said, “You haven’t been throwing up as much. Will you be okay for cake testing today?”
“Maybe,” he paused. “Ergh, maybe not after all.” He stomach grumbled.
Liz sighed. “I guess it will just have to be the females then,” she said.
After a short silence Max said, “Please don’t worry yourself over getting pregnant. If it happens, it happens, just let nature follow its path.”
“Okay,” she mumbled. “I just got all worked up for no reason.”
Max ran his hand up her bare back to her neck and back down again, not stopping until the swell of her buttocks.
“That feels so nice,” she murmured. She tightened her hold around his waist and masked herself deeper in his neck.
“I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress,” he said. “I think I had a dream about it last night. Well actually it was about taking it off…but even so.”
Liz smiled. “Don’t get your hopes up too much; I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You couldn’t disappoint me even if you tried,” he said. Sucking in a deep breath he sunk back further into the water. “We’ve come a long way haven’t we?”
“Hmm,” Liz mumbled. “Do you ever wonder what you’d be doing now if I’d never come to Italy?”
“I know what I’d be doing,” he said. “Do you know you are the only good thing my father has ever done for me?”
“What about this house? What about your yacht?” She said, but she knew what he meant.
“You mean the yacht and house you’re making me sell?” He asked.
“We haven’t bothered yet, I doubt we’ll get around to it,” she said. “And that yacht has too many memories attached to it now. This house does to”—laughing she added—“and I thought we already re-de-virgin-ized everything?”
“Along with everything that hadn’t already been de-flowered,” he said.
“Max will you”—she lifted her eyes to his—“ever talk to your father again?”
“No,” he said. “Don’t ever talk about him, understand?”
She nodded. She understood.
“We aren’t going to let that bastard ruin our wedding, you hear?”
She nodded. She heard.
“Let’s get out,” he said. “I’m getting a little light headed again.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Ohhh,” Isabel moaned. “That one is so good!”
“Which one? Let me taste!” Maria cried.
“No me!” Liz whined. “It’s my wedding.”
The chocolate dissolved on Liz’s tongue, seeping delicious dark sugar down her throat. She threw her head back in bliss and smiled brightly. “That is heaven,” she mumbled.
“Pure heaven,” Maria agreed next to her. She rolled her head to the side to look at Liz. “Who ever said fruit cake was a good wedding cake was seriously disturbed.”
“I agree,” Liz said. “Okay so we’ve narrowed it down to…seven.”
The three girls giggled together while their mothers rolled their eyes.
“Oh to be young again,” Diane said.
“Hmm,” Nancy agreed.
Amy laughed. “Oh hell, we ARE still young. What on earth are two talking about? Liz hand me a taste of that one would you?”
The bakery lady stifled a laugh.
A half-asleep Max, dressed in nothing but his pajama pants, sauntered past the couch scratching the back of his head. He looked like he had just woken up; his hair was all ruffled and messy. He yawned and headed towards the kitchen.
“Max, you may be sick but we have company, put some clothes on!” Liz said not glancing at him.
“It’s my house,” he retorted. “You are lucky I put pants on.”
“And you want to marry him?” Isabel asked. “What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know,” Liz said with a sigh.
When Max reemerged again he came and sat down next to her on the couch and kissed her neck. In Liz’s opinion, he was sitting too close to her so she tried to shift away, only to have him follow her. She paused eating the cake on the plate in front of her. “Try this, it’s the best. I think this is the one we should have.” She scooped some of the cake onto her fork and fed it to him. “Good huh?”
He licked the fork and the little bit that had got on her hand. “That’s nice,” he mumbled.
He had that look in his eyes. That look, that everything. She mouthed, ‘not now’ to him but he only shifted closer to her and looped his arm around her waist.
Slipping his hand onto her ass, what he thought was sneakily, Max moved closer still so his whole side was pressed against hers. Liz looked at him disapprovingly, begging him to stop.
He pressed his lips to her ear. “Why do you look so fucking incredible? Why are you practically oozing happiness? I don’t think you’ve ever looked better.”
There were days when Max couldn’t stop touching her. His hands were magnetic and she was steal, days when he just couldn’t hide his love from her. He loved her equally very day but some days he could control himself in public. Today was one of those days when he couldn’t.
“No, this one,” Maria said. “Why not cheese cake?”
“Cheese cake isn’t the best type of cake to use for a wedding because of the large quantity you’ll need but I suppose we can do it if you want it,” the bakery lady said.
Trying to ignore Max and his naughty looks and hands, Liz nodded her head. “Yes! Cheese cake, chocolate cheese cake!” she said. “That is what I want.”
“I want you,” Max whispered.
Liz shot him another ‘look’.
“And what does the groom think?”
Max looked away from Liz for the two seconds it took him to say, “I don’t care.”
Liz pinched his arm.
“Ow!” he exclaimed. “Oh, I mean cheese cake is wonderful.”
Maria and Isabel laughed.
“Where’s Kyle?” Max asked. His hand massaged Liz’s ass through her jeans.
“He’s gone to the store,” Isabel replied.
“Can we keep all these testers?” Maria asked.
Max swooped in for Liz’s mouth when no one was looking but Liz turned her face away causing his lips to smack against her cheek. He groaned loudly in disappointment causing everyone to look at him.
Liz shoved his hand off her ass. “Go back to bed Max.”
“No,” he argued. “I’ll go outside for some fresh air.” He got up, disappointed that he couldn’t even have two minutes alone with his horse and cart.
“Max don’t be—”
“I’m not being anything,” he said.
As he walked away Liz said, “Put a shirt on before you go out…ph no, it’s raining you better stay in.”
”I’ll stay under the veranda shelter,” he argued. He opened the draw by the stereo to grab—
“Don’t you dare have a cigarette!” Liz yelled out to him.
Damn, Max thought. He pulled his hand out of the draw and closed it. There was no point in trying to hide his smokers breath now. The last thing he needed was Liz being annoyed at him. Operation make-Liz-beg-for-it would never work if she was too grumpy to talk to him.
He was sitting outside for ten minutes when Kyle got back from the store. “Felling better?”
“Sure,” Max replied. “What did you buy?”
Kyle pulled out a six pack of beer.
“Ohh…” Max exclaimed. “Thank God!”
Kyle handed him a can and then sat down next to him. “It must be really awesome living here; it’s like a never ending holiday.”
“It is great,” Max said. “But soon it’s going to go from being my bachelor pad to the family home.”
“So you and Liz are going to have kids? I never thought of you as the father type. Was that Liz’s idea?” Kyle asked.
“Its something we both want,” Max answered. He was alright talking about his want for children with Liz but he didn’t want to with Kyle.
“Well one word of advice,” Kyle said. “Don’t argue with a pregnant woman.”
“Has Isabel been giving you a hard time?” Max asked.
“You could say that,” Kyle grunted.
Twenty minutes later Liz popped her head outside. “Max,” she said. “You’ve been out here long enough; do you never want to get better? Come inside.”
“I am better,” Max said. “I don’t need to come inside.”
“Oh okay, so you have just sleeping all day because you’re lazy?” Liz had her hands on her hips which usually meant she didn’t want any argument. “Do you want me to make you something to eat?”
“Yes please, I’m starving,” he said.
“Okay, I will—if you come inside.”
Max groaned.
“Do you purposely do exactly what I don’t want?” She asked. “Max, please?”
Grudgingly he got up.
“Good,” she said. “Now what would you like me to make you?”
He followed inside, leaving Kyle who was laughing at his inability to say no to Liz.
“French toast,” Max told Liz. “I want French toast.”
“Is that right?” Liz asked. “Would you like it in bed or on the table?”
Max’s eyes glowed devilishly. “Both,” he said.
Liz rolled her eyes. “You are such a dork.”
“An adorable dork,” he said. He bent down and bit her bottom playfully. “Is the cake lady gone?”
“Hmm,” Liz mumbled. She grabbed the milk and eggs out of the fridge. “Diane, Nancy and Amy all went shopping and Maria and Isabel are watching a DVD.”
“Oh, so nobody will come into the kitchen and interrupt us.” He bit her ass again.
Liz jumped. “Stop!” she cried. “That hurts, how would you like it if I did that to you?”
Max grinned. “Maybe you should find out.”
“What’s gotten into you?” She asked.
Reaching around her waist Max unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her hips so he fondle her bottom. He stroked her through her underwear at first but obviously he didn’t like that because he slipped his hands under the elastic and stroked her skin.
“Max how am I supposed to make French toast, anything, with you doing that?” Liz clutched the bowl to her chest as she mixed the egg and milk together. “Do you want sugar in this?”
“Oh I want sugar alright.” He spun her around and covered her mouth with his own.
“Hmm,” she mumbled. “What I really need though, is you to get the bread for me.”
“Okay.” He let go of her and her pants fell to her feet. She yelped and frantically pulled them back up. Max laughed as he walked to the pantry to get what she needed.
When he came back she flicked a spoon-full of the mixture at him. “Don’t be such a—”
“Who do you think you’re dealing with around here?” He yelled. He dug his hand in the bowl and chucked a handful of the sticky, runny goop on her face.
“I don’t know,” she said. “But obviously you don’t know who you’re dealing away!” She dumped the bowl on his head and ran squealing from the kitchen.
He ran after her, ignoring the confused stares from Isabel and Maria. He caught Liz in the bedroom and rubbed his egg covered body all over hers.
“OH YUCK!” Liz screamed. “That’s just merciless! I bet none of your other girlfriends let you do that twice!” She wiggled trying to get away from him. “Let me go!”
Max snorted. “Oh yes, that’s going to happen.”
“Did you just snort? Who snorts? Nerds with braces and glasses and pimples don’t even snort anymore.”
“Oh well I guess handsome, charming man do,” Max said. He threw her down on the bed.
“Max stop,” Liz said. “Isabel, Maria and Kyle are in the next room. Stop this right now…let go of my breast. Do you want me to knee you in the nuts?”
“I can think of one thing I want you to do to my nuts but it doesn’t involve your knee.” Max grinned rubbing himself against her crotch. “Come on! It’s been five days! I am going to DIE!”
“No!” Liz cried. When she saw he wasn’t going to let go or relent she knew she needed to do something quick before this got completely out of hand. “Look, if I do one thing will you leave me alone until after the wedding?”
“Most definitely not,” Max said. “What thing?”
They rolled over so Liz was on top of him. She portrayed his devilish grin as if she was the original inventor. Max’s body hummed with anticipation, his grip on her loosened…
Hooking her fingers under the elastic on his pants she toyed with the material and then ran down to grope him through his pants. Just when his defenses fell she leapt away from him and headed for the door. He was just as swift as her and leapt in front of the door blocking her exit way.
“Got to be faster then that Liz,” he said. Her eyes flashed, his eyes flashed.
She moved left, right, left and was around him. Walking down the hall she turned her head back to him, “Got to be quicker then that Max.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

XXXX

“Stop that!” Liz giggled. “You better not do that tomorrow or we’ll never make it to the ‘I do’s’.”
Max lifted her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said to the parson “We’re finished aren’t we? Can we go now?”
“Well actually—”
“PUT ME DOWN!” Liz cried. She pinched his ass and he yelped and dropped her.
“I’m very sorry Jim, you’ll have to excuse Max he hasn’t been himself the last few days,” Liz said. She shot an annoyed look at Max while she smoothed down her dress. “Now, where were we?”
“I think we should start again,” Jim said. “Why don’t you walk down the isle again and we’ll start over…”
“Sure,” Liz said. She spun around and discovered Nathan standing down the other end. “Nathan!” She screamed. “Oh my God! Hi!” She ran down to him and jumped into a fierce hug.
“Lizzie you look more striking every time I see you.” He laughed and held her back tightly.
“She does doesn’t she?” Max remarked walking after his over-enthusiastic fiancée. That was her secret, Max concluded. She was replacing sexual dissatisfaction with zest. That must be it, how else would she have lasted this long? This morning when they were loafing around in bed he had convinced her to jerk his gherkin for him, or to put it more kindly, relieve him of his added ‘stresses’. She hadn’t taken much persuading which led Max to believe she was as horny as he was.
“You must be Max Evans,” Nathan held his hand out. “I’m sorry I missed you while you were in New York, I was away on business.”
“That’s fine, we’re glad you could come,” Max said.
“So this is the husband-to-be,” Nathan said to Liz. “Have you gone through the procedure I taught you?”
“Of course,” Liz replied. “He passed with flying colors.”
“Huh?”
“Well he must be worthy then,” Nathan said. “Because Max, if you hurt my Lizzie I’ll shove your pecker down your throat.”
Liz laughed loudly at the expression on Max’s face. “Calm down Max, like I would let him go anywhere near your goods, I’m the only one allowed down there now.” She noticed Jim standing down the other end waiting for them impatiently.
“Nathan, do you mind? We have to finish our rehearsal so we can finally go home.”
“Of course not! Let me practice walking you down the isle,” Nathan said.
“Do we have to do this again? We’ve done it a hundred times, why did Maria and Isabel get to go?” Max grumbled as he walked back up the church to stand next to Jim. For the last time for the evening he watched Liz walk with Nathan and as he handed her over.
“Can we stand like this”—Max faced Liz with his hands in hers—“or do we have to stand side by side?”
“You can stand however you like,” Jim said.
Liz leaned up and kissed Max’s cheek. “Tomorrow you’ll be mine.”
Max looked at her puzzled. “Liz, what are you talking about?” He led her hands tighter. “I already am yours.”
When they got home it was past eleven and both of them were tired. Nathan said goodnight and went into Nancy’s room leaving them alone, which was exactly what Liz didn’t want. She saw the passion in his eyes and she sprinted to their room, grabbed her nightgown and went to—
“Where are you going?” He asked leaning on the door frame.
“I’m going to sleep in the spare bedroom.”
Max chuckled. “No you’re not.”
“Watch me.”
He wouldn’t let her out the door and she let out a loud frustrated sigh. “Do you not respect me at all?”
Max smiled mockingly. “Do you not understand me at all?”
“Max, let me go,” she said. “We have less then 24 hours to go; you’ve been able to last this long, why not one more night?”
“I don’t want to,” Max whined.
“I don’t want to either but…” Judging by the grin that seeped over his lips, she decided that perhaps that was the wrong thing to admit? “I have been so proud of myself for holding out this long; it’s got to be a first since I was like, fifteen! In one minute I will tear off your clothes and do everything of been dreaming of all week…” she groaned. “Please do this for me.”
Max sighed and let her go. “Fine, but I’ll go in the spare room I won’t kick you out of your bed. Why are you looking at me like that?” He said. “Perhaps I have more discipline then you, huh?”
Liz leaned up and kissed his lips softly. She was about to pull away when what was left of her restraint slipped away. “Screw this,” she mumbled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down on hers for more. She kissed him fiercely, overpoweringly and possessively until they could no longer breath and had to part for air.
Liz kissed his neck while unbuttoning his shirt…
“Liz,” Max grabbed her hands. “Stop.” He would throttle himself later but he knew how much this meant to her and he wasn’t going to let her be thwarted with herself afterwards. Displeasure was not something he wanted her to feel after any time they made love. He kissed her forehead and stepped away from her. “Goodnight Liz, I love you.”
He walked out the door and was about to close it after him when Liz popped her head out. “I’m not going to get any sleep,” she said.
“Neither am I,” he uttered. They looked at each other longingly before parting.
Liz lay in bed staring at the ceiling. What was that song?
Didn’t it go.. All night long, I’m horny, all night long, I’m horny, all night long. You’ve got me horny in the morning and you know…
Yes she definitely related to that song right now.
She watched the clock as each excruciatingly long minute passed by and fought the urge scream and tear her hair out.
“I’m horny, horny, horny, horny,” she sang to herself. “SO horny, I’m horny, horny, horny tonight.”
Giving up, she climbed out of bed and sauntered out of the room. She opened the spare bedroom door expecting to see Max either masturbating or wide awake but he was neither. His soft, even breathing was a very clear indicator that he was fast asleep.
Sighing, she walked over to the bed and climbed in next to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his side muttering quietly that he was very lucky to be able to sleep so easily.
“I thought you wanted to sleep in separate rooms?” Max’s out of the blue voice interrupted her reverie.
Her eyes shot open. “You’re awake?” she asked. “You’re awake!” She sat abruptly and tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Barely,” he replied. “But yes.”
She got up off the bed. “Get up, come on…”
“What? Why? Where are we going?”
“We are going out to the kitchen to make margaritas,” she replied. At a snail's pace Max followed her out to the kitchen in his cotton boxers, yawning and rubbing his eyes every two minutes.
Liz started pulling things out of the fridge. “Go put some music on will you? I’m not going to get any sleep tonight.”
Max scratched his ass and sighed. “If you are going to start freaking out about the wedding…”
“I’m not!” Liz reassured him. “I’m just so aroused that if I don’t keep busy I may just kill myself. I want tomorrow to come quicker.”
“Staying up isn’t going to do that.”
“It will, because I can’t sleep.” Liz brushed her silk and lace nightgown down and tied her hair up into a loose bun. “Do you want one?”
Max rolled his head from side to side. “Sure, why not?”
While she was making their alcoholic potions Max turned the stereo on quietly.
“John Mayer,” Liz said to him. “Put John Mayer on, I feel like listening to him…he’s inspirational don’t you think?”
Max shrugged. He couldn’t care less; he wished he was still in bed.
“Max, do you know what I was thinking earlier?” She said.
“I don’t know—what?” He lethargically slumped down onto a chair at the dinning table and rested his head in his hands.
Liz came and sat down in front of him with a jug full of drink, salt and lemon. She poured them both a shot each. The light in the kitchen was the only luminosity in the house but it lit up where they were sitting brightly.
“Dating is glorified and very impractical,” she said. “I mean, people date for what, three months trying to be faultless so that the other person likes them but then the real them manages to slip out eventually and the next three months after that is spent trying to figure out the real them…I think that is what’s different about us. We were ourselves from the second we met.” She gulped down her drink.
“I was a little different but not drastically,” Max swallowed his shot in one gulp. “But I understand what you are saying.”
“Max…tomorrow, are you nervous?” She asked.
“I’m not nervous about getting married but I’m a little edgy about all the people that will be watching,” he admitted. “Tell me again how our guest list managed to reach one-hundred and sixty-two?”
“It’s because of all our friends and their partners and so on,” Liz said. “I bet you that there won’t be that many people there.”
“How many of them are from New York?”
“Oh at least seventy,” Liz said. “Nathan’s and mom’s friends and children and my country club ‘friends’.”
“Oh well, as long we don’t have to stick around for hours taking to them all. I intend to leave for the hotel as quickly as possible.”
Liz’s eyes flashed. “Me too,” she mumbled. She gulped down another shot glass. “Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if we both turn up drunk?”
“At least it wouldn’t be one of us,” Max offered. “It’s our wedding, we can do whatever we want.”
“Hell yes,” Liz slurred. She hopped up, and took his hand. “Dance with me, I love this song.”
“Okay.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other clutched her hand at their sides. She rested her head on his chest.
We got the afternoon; you got this room for two. One thing left to do, discover me, discovering you…
One mouth to every answer, your skin like porcelain. One pair of candy lips and your bubblegum tongue. And if you want love, make it. Your body is a wonderland.
Max kissed Liz’s forehead.
“We could just run away,” she mumbled. “Ditch our own wedding.”
“Run around Italy for the rest of our lives?”
“And France, we’d have to go to France too,” Liz added.
“We can eat cheeses and drink wine…”
Liz smiled. “Go to Venice and ride around in one of those boats…”
Max chuckled, his chest rumbling against her face. “Stay only in the nicest hotels…”
“Compliments of your father?” Liz asked smiling.
“Sure, why not?”
“We could get our portraits drawn by some artist on the street.”
“And go to the Moulin Rogue, I’ve always wanted to see that place.” Liz looked up at him and they shared a gentle kiss. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you,” she whispered back. Max clutched her side and pressed his face into hers, pretending to eat her lips mumbling num, num, num while their mouths made slapping noises. Liz laughed and tried to get away, “You crazy man,” she said.
“Crazy in love,” she thought she heard him say. Looking up at him Liz felt something warm her insides. An indescribable empathy deep inside her grew and evolved and out of the blue something became very clear to her. Her corporeal pulsate that she had once thought was stimulation, something that enticed the excitement of arousal was suddenly something much more then that.
Unexpectedly, she comprehended that her arousal wasn’t physical, it was emotional. The sensation she was experiencing was there merely because she had been neglected the physical closeness with Max, not neglected making love in general. Her mind and body were telling her that she needed to feel that type of proximity that she got only with Max.
He was smiling in a way that was only reserved for her. His eyes held that burning love that only she got to see. Stepping away from him, she could not tear her eyes from his vital-to-her-existence-face.
“What?” He asked. He was frowning now. “Babe, what’s wrong?”
Part of her feelings, of course, were just unadulterated arousal, but it was the fact that it was only a ‘part’ of it.
“Nothings wrong,” she said, her mouth was suddenly very dry. “Max…”
He took her in his arms again. “You look…I don’t know. Like you’ve just—”
She cut him off by covering his mouth with hers. He tasted of margaritas, salty, tangy and he tasted of himself. He tasted perfect, he tasted like hers.
“Hmm,” he mumbled. “Do you want to go to bed now?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to sleep,” she replied. “I just…I can’t enlighten you because I can’t explain it. I realized something.”
“You did?” He asked licking his lips.
“Hmm,” she mumbled. “Come on.”
They left their cups and drink out on the table but turned the kitchen light off. Once they were back in their room Liz pulled off her night gown and stood naked in front of him. She took his hands and put them on her breasts before kissing him softly and passionately.
“Liz,” he said pulling away. “I don’t want to make love to you and have you regret it afterwards because we didn’t wait until the wedding night.”
“I won’t regret it,” she said smiling. “Trust me. I’ve just realized that what I’m doing it has a whole other dimension to it and waiting makes no sense to me now. Why did I say such a dim-witted thing? What WAS the point?”
“I’ve been wondering that since you said it.” Max laughed.
Liz laughed too. She felt like singing with joy. “Come on…” she said.
Max picked her up and walked around the side of the bed, placing her softly in the middle of the ruffled unmade covers.
“Turn on the light Max,” Liz said softly. “I want to see you.”
Max leaned over and switched the beside light on before returning his full attention to her. She tugged at his boxers, wanting to glimpse and touch him. Max stood up and stripped his shorts down his legs, leaving them on the floor.
“Oh God, quick,” she moaned her head arched back into the soft pillow. “Please…”
Max spread her legs as far as he could and kneeled in-between her thighs. “Look at me,” he said. “Are you sure?”
“Don’t ask me that,” she said, taking his lips between her own. She wrapped one of her arms around his neck and the other reached down to hold him. She glided her tongue over his, urging it into her mouth while her hand stroked his length up and down. “Of course I’m sure.”
“Oh God Liz, I’ve missed this so much,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too,” she purred back.
Max took her breast into his mouth, sucking and nibbling on it, needing it between his teeth. His hands massaged her inner thighs, moving upwards and finally stroking her saturated heat. Liz arched into his hand urging and begging him not to stop. Never to stop.
“I’ve waited six days for you Max, you only, please…” She cried. Her hands grasped at his arousal, needing it inside her. She guided it to her entrance and rubbed his head against her nub. “Oh Max…”
Max shuddered in delight. Nothing felt better then his Liz pressed up against his burning skin. It only increased his desire to know what he felt was felt by her too.
His mouth returned to hers. “Give me your hand; I need to hold your…” She immediately intertwined her fingers through his. She held his hand tight, squeezing it in reminder of how deeply she felt for him. Their hands went above her head and Max took his opportunity to dive into her slowly but urgently. They groaned together into their wide open mouths, panting onto each others faces.
“You are so beautiful,” Max moaned opening his eyes to see her passion-filled face. She looked into his eyes, feeling her heart swell with worship.
Her walls were tight around his swollen hard member. Her slick wet juices wrapped around him burying him, drowning him. He was in her again! It had been less then a week but it had been a life time. He almost couldn’t believe he was going to spend the rest of his life doing this, feeling this.
He slid out of her before thrusting back in roughly. She cried out, her hand grasping his tighter and her lips stretching with the width of her open mouth. He was showering kisses over her neck, her cheeks, her forehead, adoring her, needing her, wanting her, having her!
The range of emotions that were flooding over them was more then you could get from a one nightstand. Their love, their arousal, their need combined and doubled sweeping through them.
“Oh Max! Please! God, don’t stop!” She clenched her thighs against his hipbones. She was so close; she had been waiting for this, building this for too long.
Their bodies made slapping noises as they moved together, pleasuring each other. They took each other to new exhilarating, electrifying heights.
The tight wave of satisfaction crept up on their joined bodies at the same time. They did everything as one, shared everything and reaching the pinnacle on pleasure was no different. They cried out into each others mouths as they flew over the top, crashing into the shore.
Max collapsed against his soul mate, burying his face against her neck. Trying to catch his breath he said emotionally, “Please don’t ever stop us from doing that again.”
“Never,” she whispered. “Never again. Don’t move, don’t get off me. I need you, again…don’t ever stop.”
When he looked at her with astonished and taken aback by her neediness, she smiled brightly, her eyes glowing, and said, “What? Unlike you I don’t need a rest period.” She was ecstatic, burning with love.
They didn’t get any sleep that night, they joined and exploded together, joined and exploded together, making up for all the time they had lost. Together they saw the stars and tumbled back to earth as one.
As if pervaded with his deathless leaven…All earthly stuff—emotions, anguish, passion—had been transmuted to the stuff of heaven.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Oh God, he’s here.” It was ten-thirty, twenty minutes before she planned to walk down the isle and she was panicking about the groom’s father. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried to scrub away the frown lines that were appearing on her forehead.
How could Philip Evans have the nerve to come to their wedding? He had never been anything but horrible to Max, and Liz sure as hell didn’t want him there. How could he do this? He was going to ruin the day for them, she knew it.
She ran her eyes over her dress, deciding whether she was happy with how she looked or not. It wasn’t like she could change her mind now. After an incredible morning and night it was all going to be ruined because of one egotistical, uncouth, insensitive prick. Why did all good things have to be bust, why?
Through the mirror she saw Max step in through the door and close it behind him.
“What are you doing?” She demanded spinning around. “You aren’t supposed to see me yet, it’s bad luck!”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

[nicola]

XXXXI

Standing in the door way, Max felt his heart constrict in his chest. He sucked in a deep breath. “Wow,” he said. His eyes roamed up and down her body from her toes to her face. “Wow,” he repeated.
“Max!” Liz cried. “Go away!”
He didn’t leave, instead he approached her, unable to keep from touching her. She was the definition of stunning. She was an angel and for some reason she was his. He took her hips between his palms and stared down at her unblinkingly.
Liz could see the admiration in his eyes. His hands burned her skin but she could not stay away from the flame. He touched her softly, kindly as if she were a newborn baby; his fingers traced the material of her dress up her sides, over her breasts and up her throat.
He caressed her cheeks, stopping to admire her soft skin. “Wow,” he repeated again.
“So you like what you see?” She asked hesitantly.
Max let out a quiet moan. “Like?” He cupped her cheeks, brushing her long wavy hair behind her ears. “Like is not a word I would use at all.”
“What word”—her face grew red—“what word Max?”
He couldn’t help himself; he pressed his mouth to her temple, the small sweet-smelling spot of skin at the end of her jaw, and lastly her cheek bone. “I don’t know,” he answered her sincerely. “I just don’t know.”
Liz brought her hands up to cup his on her cheeks. “I have some bad news,” she said regrettably.
“Nothing bad,” he mumbled. “Don’t tell me, don’t ruin this…” He leaned his forehead in against hers, his nose touching hers; he dropped his hands from her cheeks and rested them on her hips for the second time. “I just don’t know how I’m going survive you.” He had tears in his eyes; he tried to blink them away. His voice cracked when he began to sing the one line he knew from a distant song. “Some day, when I’m awfully low, and the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight.”
Liz smiled. “Max…”
“Hmm?”
“You are supposed to be out there next to the priest waiting for me,” she said.
Max pressed his mouth to her lips. “Why would I do that when I can be in here?”
She chuckled. “Darling…”
There was a knock at the door. “Liz?” It opened. “I don’t want to make you panic but Max is—oh, hey there you are!” Maria put her hands on her hips. “Get out there right now Mister! Oh you’ve gone and ruined her makeup! Good one! Great.”
Max and Liz shared a knowing glance.
“That’s dreadful fortune you know, seeing her before the ceremony? You have just doomed yourselves to the cold hand of divorce.” Maria tried to pull him away from the bride. “Go away; we have to fix her make up now.”
Isabel came in through the door. “Max?” she grabbed his arm. “Everyone’s been looking for you; we all thought you’d done a runner. Come on! You aren’t supposed to see the bride before the ceremonial, its—”
“Bad luck?” He asked. “So I’ve heard.”
He was dragged out the door; looking back he caught Liz’s eyes and pressed his hand to his lips. She smiled lovingly.
Isabel whacked him over the head. “You are such a brat, go out there right now.”
“Okay! Okay! Jeez!” He left her standing there as he walked briskly away. He ran smack into someone around a corner and rubbed his head in pain. “Damn it, excuse—
He looked up to find none other then Philip Evans staring down at him. His jaw tightened. “What the—”
His eyes darkened. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Max?” Diane asked shocked by her son’s attitude. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Max stormed away cursing under his breath. Wait until Liz found out, she was going to be so upset…
He just had to come and destroy it for them didn’t he? Was it his soul purpose to ruin Max’s life?
He was seething and livid by the time he reached the head of the church. He looked out over all the people in their seats and tried to calm down. It was not a good idea to loose his mind right now.
“Jim?” Max asked. “God help me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I just—” he groaned. “Tell me something to lessen my fury?”
Jim patted his arm compassionately. “You shouldn’t be mad; it’s your wedding day. You are marrying a beautiful young lady, remember? What could possibly have gotten you so wound up?”
“It’s a long story,” Max said. “One I don’t have time to tell.” He pictured Liz in his mind, she would help him. She would be his strength. He pictured her moaning under him while he made love to her. He pictured her smile, he laugh, her kind heart. He pictured her soft hands running through his hair, her sweet lips on his, her tender whispers in his ear on their pillow.
Everyone stood up when the ceremonial music began, signally the commencement of the big event. When Isabel immerged through the big doors all done up and beautiful Max suddenly found it very hard to be anything but content. He watched his sister proudly, thinking she looked stunning even though she was six months pregnant and had a slight bulge where her flat stomach used to be. Next, his two best friends who walked together, grinning at him teasingly, which made him chuckle. When they reached him Michael punched his arm supportively and winked.
Every person, including Max, held their breath when lastly it was Liz’s turn. He clenched his hands together, praying for the strength to get him through this. She smiled at him, saying ‘nothing will keep you from me now’.
He had to keep from falling to his knees and crying.
Her walk towards him seemed much longer then it had been last night. He waited impatiently until finally she stood in-front of him, his entire life, his Liz, his beautiful, petite, unique, wonderful, amazing Liz. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly while Nathan kissed her cheek and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”
Liz smiled thankfully and then turned all her attention to Max who was still looking at her admiringly. She found it hard to believe he could be so wholly devoted to her and still be so awed by her appearance. She had been so worried her dress would dissatisfy him but looking at the high regard glistening in his eyes she could see he still thought of her as attractive.
Max kissed her lips lightly, and then they both turned to Jim, their hands still linked. Throughout the ceremony they continued to tighten their hold on each others hands when a passage meant a lot to either of them. While he was speaking Liz tried to recall every breath she had ever taken with Max. From seeing him on the beach, to being locked in a cell with him, to him panting above her on their bed. Some memories she flinched remembering, saying goodbye to him at the airport in Germany, her heart breaking into a thousand miniscule pieces. Not knowing whether she would ever see him again. The one that she could remember most vividly, standing by the pond in Germany screaming ‘MAX! MAX!’ into the darkness, terrified he was drowned and vanished forever. The raw terror that shredded her insides. And, him lying in bed, pale and ill not able to get up, vomiting, while she whispered into his ear, ‘soup, Max, or tea?’’
Then there were some memories that made her heart beat speed up with desire and happiness. His laughing face as he ran naked across the beach at four in the morning and then diving into the dark water. ‘It’s beautiful, don’t be such a baby!’ he yelled. And, kneeling down in front of her, he looked into her eyes with a small box in his hands. The words, ‘you make me complete,’ coming off his mouth.
Never in her life would she be this sure about devoting herself to one person. “I, Elizabeth Parker, take this man to be my husband—” She smiled brightly at him before repeating after Jim. “I, Elizabeth Parker, take this astonishing man to be my husband.”
“To live together in the covenant of marriage—”
“To live together in the covenant of marriage,”
“I will love him, comfort him, honour him and keep him—”
“I will love him, comfort him, honour him and keep him.” Tears trickled down Liz’s cheeks. Max’s love was shining brightly in his eyes. He squeezed her hands for support.
“And obey him.”
Liz smiled through her tears, rolling her eyes. “And obey him.”
“And, forsaking all others, be faithful to him until death does us part—”
Sucking in a deep breath Liz finished bravely. “And, forsaking all others, be faithful to him until death does us part.”
Max was very sure his legs would give out beneath him any moment. He concluded that his blood was running cold in his veins—that must have been what caused his heart to hurt like it did. Liz already unconditionally loved him, comforted him, honoured him and kept him. She didn’t obey him; her attitude was very holier-than-thou and she was far too confident to be told what to do. There was no way his Liz could be in a relationship where the male dominated; he had learnt that about her long ago. She wanted to be equal with him and he was willing to give her that. Especially since he had been brought up by parents who had a relationship much like the type Liz detested and seeing how that was going Max was certain he didn’t want to end up like them.
He loved how sanctimonious Liz was, it comforted him to know she could look after herself.
When it was his turn to recite his vowels, he did it with absolute faith that nothing would stop him from keeping true to them, until death parted him from her.
Liz Parker, seconds from being Liz Evans, made him whole. It was as simple as that. She gave him what he didn’t know how to repay, but he would spend the rest of his life trying.
The ceremony couldn’t have gone quicker for the couple who were so deeply in thought and so deeply in love. Before they knew it Jim announced with enthusiasm, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Still holding her hands tightly in his own Max stepped into Liz and swooped down to cover her mouth. She moaned quietly for only him to hear and swiped her tongue against his teasingly. When they broke apart they looked into each others eyes and smiled.
“Oh my God,” she said expressively.
Max continued to smile. “What?”
“We’re married!” she looked like she couldn’t quite comprehend it. She kissed his lips softly once more before turning and looking at all their guests who were watching them with cheerfulness. Nancy was crying while Nathan hugged her, trying to console her.
Maria hugged Liz tightly. “I can’t believe you two got married before me!” Liz hugged her back with one arm, not willing to drop her grip from Max’s hand.
As if some upper preeminence had intended their joining all along. The over powering need to be together, touching in whatever which way was strong and they weren’t going to deny it for anyone.
They walked back down the isle together, thanking everyone who congratulated them.
“We’ll see you at the reception right?” Max would ask and everyone say yes.
When they were out on the steps Max leant down and whispered in his brides ear. “Aren’t you glad we didn’t run away now?’
Liz looked up at him and smiled. “I don’t know, when we get to the hotel you’ll have to convince me we made the right decision.”
First they were going to the beach so the photographer could take pictures of everyone and then they had the reception at 6:00pm. On the car ride there they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
“Husband, do you have any idea how good you look in that tux?” Liz murmured against his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair pulling him down on top of her. The car door dug into her back so Max shifted so she could rest her head on the seat. They couldn’t get close enough, her puffy dress kept getting in the way.
“Oh Liz,” Max moaned. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, he felt like he was a sixteen-year-old virgin again. Liz took hold of them and placed them on her cheeks, stroking them with her own.
She melted at the love in his eyes and he melted back. “You picked the tux,” he reminded her.
“Yes, and I have good taste,” she said.
“Christ yes,” he agreed. “You look stunning.”
They kissed avidly, clinging to each other for dear life until the car came to a halt. The driver opened the door for them and Max helped Liz out of the car, his hand clutched tightly in hers.
When she tried to pull away Max wouldn’t let her go.
“Give me one minute! I’m right here!” she laughed. She let go of his hand and tried to bend down but found it very difficult in her tight-fitted dress.
Reading her mind, Max knelt down in front of her and unbuckled her feminine shoes for her. He slipped them off her feet and without either of them knowing, the photographer took a couple of pictures of them.
Straightening up, Max leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Better?” He asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied.
“When everyone’s here, why don’t we start with the bride and her bride’s maids and then you Max with your best man and then everyone together?” Sharon the photographer smiled. “You two look so gorgeous, it doesn’t really matter what you’re doing in the pictures they’ll turn out wonderful!”
Liz and Max smiled softly at one another before thanking her for her compliments.
It didn’t take long for everyone to arrive and assemble behind Sharon listening to her instructions.
Liz, Maria, and Isabel all stood together holding their flowers in place while photos were taken of them. Max watched Liz laugh at something Maria said and almost expected the sky to open up and scoop her back into heaven, demanding to know how one of there angels had ended up on earth.
Next it was his turn; he stood with Michael and Kyle while Sharon danced her professional dance around them.
“Bride and Groom and parents!” Sharon said next.
Liz swallowed, walking up to Max and taking his hands in hers. “Max your fathers here—”
“He’s not coming in the shot,” Max said clenching his jaw.
“Who’s not?” Nathan asked taking his position.
Nancy looped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Darling I wish I’d had time to fix my make up,” she said.
“You look fine mom,” Liz reassured her. “Beautiful.”
Diane clutched Max’s arm, feeling him stiffen when he saw Sharon grabbing Philip and shoving him towards the group. “What’s going on Max?” Diane asked. “What’s gotten into you?”
“He’s not—”
Liz grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear, “Max, I don’t want him in it either but it’s just a picture, it’ll be over quickly I promise.” She kissed his jaw, looking up into his storming eyes. “Hey, happy remember? Wedding day?”
His lips twitched. “Liz, I swear to God if he—”
She cut him off by kissing his mouth softly. “Darling, wrap your arms around me and we’ll get it over and done with.”
The three men stood at the back with their wives in front of them and their hands on their shoulders.
When Sharon demanded just the woman and then just the men and Liz had to step away she sang into Max’s ear quietly, remembering something from the past. “Remember?” She whispered. “Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade…”
“Bette Midler,” he muttered grinning.
“Hmm,” she said smiling brightly. “Courage Max.”
“Courage Liz.”
She walked away from the group biting her lip and watched Philip stand close beside his son with Nathan on the other side. You could practically feel the tension burning off them. What was he doing here? It wasn’t because he was actually going to congratulate them was it? It couldn’t be that, it seemed very unlikely.
The photo’s were taken, snap, snap, snap and then it was finally time for her and Max’s chance under the camera, unaccompanied. Max wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes emotionally.
She kissed hips lips chastely. “Nearly done,” she mumbled. “And then do you know what I’m going to do to you when we’re in private?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” he asked huskily.
“I’m going to—”
“Front on!” Sharon called.
Liz spun around and pressed her back into Max’s chest, posing for the next round of pictures.
Max pressed his lips to the skin behind her ear. “You’re going to what?”
She shivered. “I’m going to—”
“Now everyone!” Sharon called.
They both groaned.
The whole group of people gathered together for the final photo’s and then Max and Liz practically sprinted to their car, Liz holding her dress up and picking her shoes up on the way.
“Max! Liz!” Maria and Isabel ran after them. “Sorry, one last thing before you go…”
“Yes?” Liz asked. Max was already in the car tugging at her dress to get her to hop in.
“You have to get to the reception smartly so you can start the first dance. What song do you want?” Isabel asked.
Liz and Max glanced at each other. “I don’t know…”
Max remembered what Liz had said last night. “John Mayer, Liz you like him right?”
“Oh yes!” she cried. “Anything by John Mayer, my CD’s at home.”
“Okay,” Maria said.
Liz went to hop in but they stopped her. “What?” She asked.
“Congratulations!” they both cried bursting into tears. Liz’s face softened.
“Oh you guys!” she exclaimed pulling both of them into a hug. “You are so sweet!”
Maria and Isabel bother cried on Liz’s shoulder.
“Okay, you better go, Max is getting jumpy,” Isabel whimpered. “We’ll see you later.”
Liz finally got into the car and as they drove away she waved goodbye to them out the window.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Give me one second, I need to pee.” Liz detached herself from Max as they entered their hotel suite.
“Okay, but don’t you dare take that dress off,” he said grinning.
Liz looked back at him and laughed as she closed the bathroom door.
Max took off his jacket and draped it over a chair and then started unbuttoning his shirt. He was so happy, he ecstatically overwhelmed with happiness. He had just removed his shoes and socks when Liz came back and kissed his neck.
“Come on…” she said taking his arms and leading him to the bed.
“Leave the dress on, leave it all on,” he said. “I want to make love to you while you look like this.”

XXXXII

Unhappy with his request Liz struggled to get up from the bed but he pushed her down again. “Max,” she moaned. “No.” She hardly recognized her voice; it was thick with longing, urging yes, Max, yes.
“No?” He asked with perplexity. He looked down at her, one of his hands roaming up her thigh until it found the end of her silky stockings. “I think this dress will cause a bit of a problem…” He was on his knees in-between her thighs trying to hold up the material and touch her at the same time. He had removed her underwear, leaving only her stockings and garters beneath all the petticoats and layers of material.
Liz found it very amusing and tried not to laugh. “Of course it will cause a problem, you silly man. What are you thinking?” She sat up and put her hands on his chest. “But if you must have me in this dress…” She pushed him gently onto his back and slid one thigh over his lower stomach slowly. When her thighs were straddling him, pressing into his sides, she lifted herself slightly and tried to slide down onto him only to miss and hit his lower abdomen. She laughed loudly, saying, “Oops! Where are you? I knew this dress was a silly idea!” She couldn’t see what she was doing at all.
Max grinned up at her. “A little further down…oh! Right there, yes I think you found it.” His eyes drifted shut and he arched his hips into her. She was so tight around him, so warm and wet, so perfect.
Liz lifted the dress as far as she could, clutching it against her chest so she could hoist herself up. Max opened his eyes again, watching as she leant forward, putting her hands on his chest and thrusting her hips upwards and downwards.
Her breasts bounced slightly under her corset and Max swallowed to keep from groaning. He ached to feel her mouth on his but he knew it was impossible at the present moment.
Liz’s cheeks grew flushed as she moved faster, doing what she knew so well. Her nails grasped at his chest, she felt so full with him deep within her. So full, so complete, so right. She remembered their first time on his yacht, she had been on top then too and now again, as their first time as a married couple. She smiled at the thought and closed her eyes as she thrust down again, their bodies making a quiet slapping noise. She could feel beads of seat gathering between her breasts under her dress and she licked above her top lip to wipe away the perspiration gathering there. She would usually take much longer to get this sweaty but she was very hot under all the material of her gown.
When she heard a groan escape Max’s mouth she knew he was close and opened her eyes to look down at him. He panted quietly and knowing this would be the last time, she forcefully propelled herself down again. He exploded shooting his hot fluids deep within her. She sat there, thoroughly unrelieved and still aching for release.
Max ran his hand through his hair and tried to catch his breath. “Oh God…” he muttered. It took him a couple of seconds to realize he hadn’t shared his immense emotion.
She got off him and stood up on the carpet with unsteady legs. “Would you?” She motioned the tie on the back of her dress. Max sat up slowly. “Liz you didn’t—”
“Hmm, too busy worrying you’ll stain the dress,” she said. He kissed her shoulders and back while his fingers pulled the ribbon undone vigilantly.
When he was finished he watched as she slipped it down her body and then finally, off. It took her a while.
“Ohh, I almost forgot you were wearing that,” he said. She stood before him, her g-string missing from the black lingerie set, revealing the small clump of hair covering her jewels; her hair was unraveling and her cheeks rosy pink. Her thighs were quivering.
She climbed onto the bed, straddling his hips once again. “How could you forget?” she asked breathily. “Do you want to kiss me?”
“Yes,” he mumbled. Cupping her cheeks, he pressed his mouth to hers softly and kissed her keenly and lovingly. She opened her mouth to him, allowing his tongue to brush hers.
His busy hands slid down her sides, over her hips, down her lower back to her ass where he held her tightly. He massaged her bare skin with his fingers urging her closer to him.
She moaned quietly and pulled away. “We’re married Max,” she reminded him.
“Yes,” he said looking into her eyes, as if to say, what’s your point?
She rolled her eyes and shifted her legs so she wasn’t sitting on them; instead she sat her bare ass on his hairy thighs. She plucked one of the hairs out and he jumped.
“Ow!”
“You’re such a wimp,” she mumbled. She bit her lip and her legs went around his waist, his arousal which had already sprung to life again, pressed into her heat. “Max, can you believe it? Married! I never thought I would actually experience it in my life. Did you?”
“No,” he admitted honestly. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, we have to have hot sex some more and then afterwards maybe it’ll hit me.”
She laughed without much humor. “Max!”
“I’m sorry, but how can you expect me to think when you are sitting on top of me like this?” Sneakily, he grabbed her, flipped her onto her back and entered her before she could utter a yelp. His lips crashed down on hers and his hand snuck down in-between her lips to stroke her clit.
Liz arched into his hand, bringing his arousal deeper inside her. “This could be classed as rape,” she groaned.
“Oh yeah? Well your wedding ring suggests otherwise,” he said. He wanted to touch and taste her breasts but he didn’t know how to get her black shirt off. “Liz,” he whined, “Take it off…”
He tugged at it but Liz stopped him, saying, “You’ll rip it!” She sat up and pulled it over her head. Lying back down she covered her breasts with her hands. “Tell me,” she demanded.
“Tell you what?” he asked.
“If you don’t know you shouldn’t have married me.”
Max thought about it for a second. “Oh right,” he mumbled. “I love you.”
“First guess, you are good.” They kissed passionately, not stopping for air until they were going blue in the face. Liz nibbled on his bottom lip, tugging it with her teeth, sucking it into her mouth. One of her arms went around his back, touching his muscled smooth skin and the other around his neck holding his face in place—his lips in place.
“Liz,” Max panted. “I can’t breathe.”
“Open your mouth,” she whispered looking into his eyes. “I’ll breathe for you.”
Near the end of their love-making just when Liz was about to climax Max stopped and pulled out of her.
She looked at him shocked. “What are you doing?” she demanded while panting. “Finish what you start!”
Max grinned down at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she whimpered. “Please Max, I’m so close!”
“I know.” He kissed her breasts, sucking her nipples and teasing them with his teeth while she moaned and arched into him begging him not to stop.
“Max!” she cried out loudly
He moved his kisses lower, over her stomach and down in-between her legs. He held her thighs apart with his hands and pressed his mouth to her wet centre. She groaned loudly, her hands clutching at the ruffled bedspread and her head bending back into the pillow.
Max ran his tongue over her nub, drinking her salty warmth. Her moans urged him on, filling him with renewed desire. Would he ever fail to be aroused by her? He doubted it very much. His hands held her thighs tighter, trying to get closer to her. His tongue dipped out of his mouth into her centre, thrusting inside her like he had with his arousal minutes ago. Her loud cries ceased when she finally reached the peak and convulsed against him as she tumbled down. Leaving nothing but her shivering flesh.
Max sat up and looked down at her, her hair had fallen out of her clips and her cheeks were bright red, her eyes glowed brightly.
“Oh my God,” she moaned. She took his head in her hands and pushed it downwards. “Again?” she demanded. “Please? Again?”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Max what did you think of me when you first saw me?”
“I don’t think you want to know.” Lying on his side, Max was tracing his finger up and down Liz’s spine from her neck to her tail bone.
She shivered. “That crude huh?” she asked. “I want to know, tell me.”
“To put it kindly, I wanted to fuck you.” He grinned childishly.
“That’s put kindly?”
“Very kindly.”
She laughed loudly. He smiled but he had a solemn glint in his eyes.
“Why do you think Philips here?” he asked almost inaudibly.
Liz sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling it and tucking it behind her ears. She knew he had been thinking about his father, as much as either of them wanted to forget his appearance, they were both very curious as to what his motivation of vulgarity was. She rolled her face to the side to look at him.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “But he hasn’t caused any trouble so maybe he—”
Max cut her off before she could finish, “Don’t say it; he’s not here to make amends. You don’t know him as well as I do. Mom probably made him come.”
Reaching out, Liz rubbed his chest comfortingly. “Don’t let him ruin your day Max.” The sides of her mouth twitched. “You know what I love?”
“I know what you love,” he mumbled. “But I’m not in the mood.”
“Go on.”
“No,” he resisted. “Don’t make me.”
Now grinning, Liz came back with, “If you do what I love, I’ll do what you love.”
He smiled. She knew that would work.
“What song?” he asked.
“My funny Valentine.”
“Why that one?”
“Does it matter?” she licked her lips.
“Just curious.”
“Because you sang it when we walked home from that club on the first night met you. When you were ‘supposedly’ drunk, or have you forgot?” She kicked her legs back and forth in the air.
“My funny Valentine, sweet comic Valentine, You make me smile with my heart, Your looks are laughable, un-photographical, Yet you're my favourite work of art . . .
Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak? When you open it to speak, are you smiling?
But don't change a hair for me, Not if you care for me.”
“That’s my favorite part,” Liz said. She sat up and lay down on top of him, kissing his chest she moved lower…
“What part?” he asked hoarsely.
“That don't change a hair for me bit,” Liz answered.
“Oh.”
Liz ran her finger down the jet-arrow line of hair leading down from Max’s navel. She pressed her lips to his hip and flicked her tongue against his hip bone. His skin felt so warm. “Can you see?” she asked. “Or do you want to turn on the light?”
“I can see,” he answered.
Her finger trailed a line down his shaft and then she followed the same route with her tongue. Upon reaching the end, she opened her mouth and took him into her jaws. He moaned and pressed his hands into her head.
Her fingers massaged the hairy sacks that hung between his thighs and she leaned up to rub her breasts over them. Covering his shaft again she took more and more of him into her mouth, as much as she could. Her lips ran over his pulsing skin, her tongue caressing it with swift, passionate strokes.
He groaned loudly and arched his hips forward, startling her slightly, forcing more of him into her mouth.
“Christ Liz, oh…” Max’s mouth was dry and his throat hurt, his eyes were closed and his hands clasped at her tightly. When his gasps became louder and furious Liz pulled away from him and sat up.
“You did it to me…” she mumbled.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed.
She smiled. She shifted so she was straddling his hips and drew patterns on his chest. “Besides,” she said. “We need everything in here”—she groped his balls—“to be in here”—she patted her lower abdomen—“so we can make a baby.”
“Oh I needed to know that because my mother missed that talk,” Max joked.
“Ha ha ha.”
Grabbing her, Max lay her down on her stomach, spread her legs and entered her. “Here, I better give you something to gnaw on.”
Liz laughed. “Don’t want to burst your bubble but—”
“Better not finish that sentence babe.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Darling?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you promise we’ll never become one of those boring couples who show no affection towards one another?”
“I promise.”
“Will you tell me you love me on a daily basis?”
Max looked at her skeptically. “What are you worried about?”
“So many marriages go down the drain; I just don’t want us to end up that way.”
“We won’t”—he paused—“I promise.”
“So you’ll never lie, cheat, abuse or harass me?”
“How could I?” he asked. “I have picked up your good will and honesty.”
“I’m serious.”
Climbing on top of her, Max spread her legs and slid inside her. “Liz, with all my heart,” he said, kissing her lips. “I promise you that I will love you, comfort you, honour you, and keep you, until death does us part.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

XXXXIII

Standing in front of the double doors, Liz Evans felt as if she was about to walk into her future. Her hand tightly grasped her husbands and she could see him staring at her out of her periphery. He was waiting for her cue. Though he didn’t understand her hesitancy he said nothing, waiting…waiting…
“Max,” she suddenly said turning to him. “Do you feel…hmm I don’t know, strange?—wait that’s the wrong word.”
Letting go of her hand, he cupped her cheeks. “You know what I feel?” he was looking at her with those infinitely enticing eyes. “I feel outstanding, thrilled and about to combust with happiness. And you know what I think? I think that you are thinking too much! What are we standing here for? Let’s go get wasted with our friends and dance the whole night away…”
Liz rolled her eyes. “I feel like this day is the day of the rest of our lives. It’s intimidating.”
“Wow,” he said, his eyes glowing. He couldn’t help it; he was too ecstatic to be alive and here, with her, married to HER! It was too much. “I thought I would be the one having commitment problems.”
“I do not have commitment problems.”
“Oh, you do.”
Liz stamped her foot once. “You misunderstand me. I don’t have problems; I’m just overwhelmed by it all.”
“Ohhh,” he cooed clearly too preoccupied with his delight to care what she was saying.
She was gritting her teeth together but it wasn’t working well because she was smiling. “I think we should go back to the hotel room.”
“Oooooh so do I,” he said.
“Okay…let’s go.”
“Wait, no we can’t. This reception cost a puck load; we have to go in there. Oh and what about your chocolate cheese cake?”
She bit her lip. “Yes, there is that. Damn you’re sexy when you’re right.”
He grinned. “Not always?” They were in a heated embrace, attacking each-others mouths avidly when the double doors swung open.
“Oh there you two are! You’re late silly billies!”
Didn’t want to stop. Weren’t going to stop.
“Max Liz! For Christ’s sake.”
“Leave us alone, Iz,” Max mumbled with his lips glued against Liz’s.
Liz was the one to pull away and straighten her clothes. “Is everyone here?”
“All 190 accounted for.”
“As in, one-hundred-and-ninety?” Max asked shocked.
“We didn’t even invite that many!”
“Some brought guests,” Isabel shrugged as if to say, what’s a few more going to matter? She had had two-hundred and something at hers.
The large hall was packed and warm, with friends and family bubbling with happiness for their couple. Max and Liz were pushed out onto the dance floor to start the first dance abruptly.
Wrapping his arms around his gorgeous wife, Max pressed his mouth to her temple, her forehead…
I just remembered that time at the market
snuck up behind me and jumped on my shopping cart
and rolled down aisle five
you looked behind you to smile back at me
crashed into a rack full of magazines
they asked us if we could leave
He fought with the urge to put his hands on her ass, knowing it wouldn’t be appropriate with everyone watching them.
Slowly people started to join them on the dance floor.
“Liz?”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you love me?”
She buried her face deeper into his neck. “I love everything about you,” she answered.
“Specifics?”
“Looking for an ego boost are we?” she smiled. “I love your smell, muscular, tangy but spicy and deep at the same time. I love your laugh, your silly sense of humor. At the same time, I love it when you’re serious about something. When you sing you get that serious concentrated look in your eyes.”
“Is that why you like me singing?”
“Part of it.” She swallowed. “Would you like me to go on, it could take a while…”
“We have a while.”
She smiled - the glowing going straight to her eyes. “Are you regretting marrying me now and need reassurance?”
“No, I’m worrying you haven’t realized you’re too good for me yet.” He stared into her eyes unblinkingly.
“If not you then who?” she whispered taking his mouth. Her hands behind his neck massaged his short, soft hair. “I love the side of you only I get to see. I love your smile and how gentle you are with me. I love how protective, how jealous you get of other men I do as much as dance with. You’re possessiveness is infuriating but its you and I love it.”
Max had tears in his eyes. “Stop, I can’t take it anymore.”
“Can’t take what anymore?”
“I need you.”
“Again?” Liz asked, she was grinning. Two hours. He couldn’t believe it. His body perched with desire and it hadn’t been thirty minutes since they had left the hotel room. A whole two hours of doing nothing but making love to her over and over and over and here he was, thirty minutes later and he wanted more. Needed, thrived and was in desperation for more. His hands grew sweaty.
“What?” Max laughed at the expression on her face. “It’s my wedding night, I have one obligation and that is to make love to my beautiful bride.”
“Husband, did you not just do that for the past two hours?” He just couldn’t stop kissing her and she wasn’t about to let him stop.
“Two hours? If you think that was a lot wait until I get you back to that hotel suit.”
Liz shuddered. “Ooooh.”
I sleep with this new girl I'm still getting used to
my friends all approve,
say "she's gonna be good for you"
they throw me high fives
she says the Bible is all that she reads
and prefers that I not use profanity
your mouth was so dirty.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
With a sigh and her head resting on her hand, Liz watched Max fool around with his friend, Jeremy’s daughter. He was so wonderful with the little girl, perfect in fact. She just wished it were their child he was playing with. She was terrified she’d never be able to give him that part of their lives.
“What’cha thinkin’ bout?”
Smiling at Maria, Liz scratched her temple. “Nothing, everything.” Brightening she asked, “Are you drunk?”
“You were frowning, that’s not a good sign on your wedding day.” Maria slurped down the last of the wine.
“I wasn’t frowning,” Liz argued.
Looking down into her empty glass, Maria appeared as if she was about ready to cry at the loss of the alcohol. “Come on Lizzie, let’s get sloshed.”
“I have a feeling you already are ‘sloshed’.”
“Liz, let’s dance.” Max held his hand out to his new bride. “Again.”
“I thought you were dancing with little Emma?”
“She got tired of me, said I was boring. Dumped me for Jacob Harding.”
Liz smiled. “Want to hear a joke?”
Max frowned. “Sure?” He pulled her to her feet.
“A husband says to his wife, ‘Dear, did you hear that rumor that the postman has had all the women in the village except one?’ And his wife exclaimed, ‘I bet it’s that stuck-up Mira at number thirty!’”
Max laughed but then asked, “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Of course not dear.”
She was sitting in the car with her bare feet up on the dashboard. She wore her hair up in a clip and her sunglasses rested on top of her head. She was singing along with the radio, the sun illuminating her petite figure. Suddenly she turned her head to him, “Want to hear a joke?”
Once they were back on the dance floor Liz pressed her face to Max’s shoulder and went silent.
“Is something wrong babe?” Max looked concerned.
“No, nothings wrong. I guess I’m just tired. I want to dance and have you hold me in your arms.”
“That I can do…” he paused, “I’ve been thinking, let’s do it.”
“Do what?”
“Last night when we talked about running away…let’s go, I want to backpack around France.”
Immediately Liz came back with, “You have to go back to work, we need the money.” She frowned at herself, when had she turned into Miss. Responsible? She used to be so carefree. Maybe she was getting older?
“I don’t go back for another three months, and we do have the money. We can stay in backpackers’ hostels. I’ve done it before; the people you meet are just…amazing.” Max’s face was radiant and as much as she wanted to agree to his articulate scheme, she hesitated…
“Backpacking Max? I’m not really sure I could pull that off.”
Max was determined not to give up. “Have you ever tried it before? Ever?”
“No…and with good reason.”
“Are you sure?” He asked. He was giving her that puppy dog look that she usually gave into.
Liz tried to be indifferent. “Yes and you know this really isn’t a good time…”
“Why not?”
She sighed and dropped her head. “Can we talk about this later?”
“When later?”
“Later that’s not now.”
“Will you consider it?”
“I’ll consider it.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“He’s your son for Christ’s sake, go congratulate him.”
Liz wished she hadn’t happened to hear that. She hid behind the flower arrangement and listened.
Philip said nothing.
“Liz?” Max walked up behind her. “What are you—?”
“Max?” Diane said.
The color left Max’s face. “Oh…”
Diane nudged Philip. “Say something!” she hissed quietly.
“Don’t bother,” Max said. He took Liz’s arm and ordered she came with him.
“What no loud ugly scene like you’re used to?” Philip tittered under his breath.
Liz tugged on Max’s sleeve. “Don’t Max, please. Let’s get a drink.”
“I’m not going to say a word,” he replied. They walked away and Diane groaned quietly. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked her husband shooting him a crushed look. “Why do you do this?” She walked away.
“I want to get drunk,” Liz told Max when he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Maria and Michael already are, why aren’t we?”
“Because while we were fucking like monkeys all afternoon they were drinking.” He grinned at her. He was remembering.
“Do you have any idea how much I love the look on your face when I make you come?”
“No I don’t,” Liz whispered still reeling.
His hands ran up her stomach and over her breasts, fondling them. “Do you know how much I love the taste of your nipples?”
“Suck them,” Liz begged aggressively.
He did, gently, his tongue devouring her soft cherry-colored skin. Her hands ran through his hair, her hips arched into him.
“Your hands,” he continued. He sat up and took her hands, kissing her palms. “I love your feminine, tiny hands.”
Liz was moaning.
Sliding her legs apart, he laid down in-between them. “Your body is unlike all others.” And I’ve seen a lot of others, he thought. “It’s as if you’re made up of everything that I want, everything that arouses me.”
His beautiful worshipping of her body was driving Liz insane with need.
“Even your toes are perfect,” he said lifting her leg up to rest on his shoulder. He titled his head to the side and kissed her inner thigh. “You’re so soft, all over.” Slowly he entered her. “Being inside of you feels like nothing else on earth…”
Liz stared devilishly at the chocolate cheese cake in front of her. Everyone was waiting for her to cut it and all she wanted to do was bury her face in the cream and eat her way through to the plate. Max pressed his chest against her back, his hands clutching hers while they held the knife. Unexpectedly his lips brushed her ear. “We have to take some of this back to the hotel room afterwards,” he whispered.
Grinning, she whispered back so no one would hear, “Oh? And why would we do that Mr. Evans?”
“So I can lick it off you, why else?”
They cut the cake and then another three had to be brought out so everyone could get a piece. Max sat down on a chair and pulled Liz onto his lap so he could feed it to her. He had a hard time staying upright when she licked his fingers every time the plastic fork entered her mouth.
“Hmm,” she would purr. “That is so good Max.” She knew her voice reminded him of when they were making love so she wasn’t surprised when she felt his boner press into her hip.
Suddenly someone clinked their wine glass. “Time for a toast,” Michael said.
“Oh no,” Max said. Thinking, he’s drunk what is he going to say?
Liz licked the cream on the side of his mouth off and grinned teasingly at him. Suddenly it was hard to care what Michael was about to say.
“When I meet Maxwell,” Michael started, “I knew we immediately had a brotherly bond. We met a strip club in Venice…”
Liz raised her eye brows at Max, who shrugged innocently and looked away.
“We both had the hots for the same girl, remember her Max? What was her name…Val! The one with the huge knockers?”
Max nodded hesitantly, not knowing how Liz was going to react.
“Anyway Max had had less experience then me at the time i.e. none.”
Everyone laughed, Max swallowed embarrassedly.
“That quickly changed though,” Michael said grinning. He stopped grinning when he saw the look on Liz’s face. “But of course,” he went on. “None of them made Max as happy as he is with you, Liz. Did you have any idea that when you first got here Max said to me, ‘I have to fuck her.’ That was just a first because then he’d go on about how beautiful you are. The moment I saw you hop out of Max’s car wearing your black dress and leather boots I knew you were exactly what Max needed to ‘tame’ him so to speak.” Michael paused. “The fact that you didn’t seem to show any interest in him drove him insane. You were the one to break him Liz and for that you’re one talented woman. Max, when I say this I mean it with all my heart, I think you’ve met your match. You’re perfect for one another and there isn’t a doubt in my wind that until death does you part you’ll be joined at the hip. Liz, I just ask you don’t keep Max from the pub on Thursday nights.”
Liz smiled.
“Maria’s going to sing a song for you if she can make it to the stage.”
Maria walked wobbly past them, kissing them both on their cheeks once before reaching the microphone.
“Hmm,” she mumbled. “Since you two inspired me for the song I’ve decided to give it to you. I hope you like it. It’s called ‘Honestly’.”
I believe
I believe
I believe
I believe the love you talk about with me
is it true, do I care
honestly, you can try to wipe the memories aside
but it's you that you erase
'cause there's no place that I could be without you
it's too far to discard the life I once knew
honestly, all the weather storms are bringing
are just a picture of my dreams
'cause when I think of you as mine
and allow myself with time
to lead into the life we want
I feel loved, honestly
I feel loved, this honestly
I believe you mean the best that life can bring
I believe in it all
honestly, you can try
your heart is just as long as mine
is it ours to let go
'cause there's not place that I could be without you
it's too dark to discard the life I once knew
honestly, a single wrong is not enough
to cover up the pain in us
'cause when I think of you as mine
and allow myself with time
to lead into the life we want
I feel loved, honestly
I'll make a joke so you must laugh
I'll break your heart so you must ask
is this the way to get us back
I don't know, honestly
I don't know, this honestly
there's no place that I could be without you
honestly
there's no place that I could be without you
there's no place that I could gleam without you
there's no place that I could dream without you
there's no place that I could be without you
honestly
Liz was crying by the time she had finished. Max pressed his lips to her forehead and tried to console her. He held her tighter against him and wiped her eyes.
Diane was next to cling her glass and stand up. “Max I remember when you used to run around the house naked with your army hat on and you always drove Isabel insane prodding her with your gun.”
Everyone laughed.
“Oooh, that came out wrong, it was a plastic toy gun don’t worry. You’ve come a long way since then haven’t you?” she had tears rolling down her cheeks and quickly dabbed them away. “Liz, darling, thank you for looking after my boy. Thank you for being the best thing that’s ever happened to him. You are one of a kind and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect daughter-in-law. Max, I swear to God if you screw this up I will hunt you down. You have been the man I always wanted you to become since you’ve meet Liz and I hope you see how much she has done for you. Anyway, enough blubbering. Congratulations both of you, I love you both dearly. Anything you need, I’m here.”
Liz mouthed, thank you to Diane and Diane smiled and blew a kiss.
Near twelve everyone went outside onto the balcony to watch the countdown on the beach below. Max and Liz danced slowly by the doors at the back of everyone, swaying to the quiet tunes coming from inside. Their foreheads were pressed together and they were oblivious to what was going on around them.
“Okay,” Liz mumbled.
“Okay?”
“I’ll go to France but…I’d rather go in a car and stay in a hotel.” She kissed the side of his mouth.
He rolled his eyes. “You make me want a cigarette.”
She smiled. “Not the only thing I make you want I hope.”
“What are you, crazy?”
“Crazy in love.”
“Just crazy. Crazy infinitely.”
FIVE
FOUR
THREE
TWO
ONE~ HAPPY NEW YEAR!
They kissed. They kissed as if they were young again once again meeting on the beach in the hot sun, or running together in the mornings, or flirting teasingly as they diver under the waves. They kissed away Germany and their cell they had once shared, raw for one another; they kissed as if he was leaving her at the airport again. They kissed as if he had just proposed again, they kissed as if they hadn’t been able to for years. They kissed away pain, argument, Jeff Parker and Philip Evans. They kissed away everything, leaving behind only what remained—the souls of Max and Liz.
“Happy new year, Max,” Liz whispered breathless for him staring up at him with her heart in her eyes.
“Happy new year Liz.”