Dirty Little Secret (AU,M/L,MATURE) Chap 20 - 11/26/12 [WIP]

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Reamhar
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Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:40 am
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) AN, 15th May

Post by Reamhar »

Man, Nibbles you are such a Drama Queen :roll: :lol: :lol: Here you are if only to keep you from nagging even more.

Un-beta'ed so sorry for any mistakes. Nibbles made me post it!!! :lol:

Thank you to everyone who left feedback. :D

Part Eleven


Liz pulled herself straighter against her pillows and tried not to wince at the unforgivingly bright light coming in through the open curtains. Squinting at Maria she studied her face, and sighed.

“Get on with it Maria before you burst a blood vessel trying to keep quiet.”

Maria smiled, her voice deceptively soft and cajoling, “I think we need to have a conversation about you ogling Max’s goodies all evening.”

“Maria! I did not.”

“You so did. I swear at one point I almost reached for a Kleenex to wipe the drool off your chin, and that was before you were stinking drunk.”

Liz spluttered in reply. “I was not that bad.”

Maria fixed her with her ‘stare’ and they held eye contact for several moments in silence. ‘The stare’ never failed, and Liz caved quickly to its potency.

“Oh God I was that bad, wasn’t I.” Liz groaned, burying her face into her knees. “I was cringe worthy wasn’t I? No-no, don’t answer that, please.”

“Yep, that’s all I’m trying to say.” Maria replied with sham solemnity, but spoiled it by breaking into peals of giggles at the expensive of a now beetroot red Liz.

~~~~

Surrounded by vibrant music and energetically dancing bodies, Maria and Liz returned to their original table and a fresh round of drinks. The nightclub was beginning to get busy, and it was warm despite the building’s air-conditioning working hard to chill the air.

“I don’t know what’s in this,” Liz said, indicating her cocktail, “but it’s really good.” The fruit juice concoction felt refreshingly cooling as it slipped down her throat.

“Too fancy for me,” Maria replied, “I’m happy with white wine. I’m a chardonnay girl.”

“Do you even know if that’s chardonnay?” Liz teased, and Maria pulled a cheeky face in reply.

“It’s doesn’t matter, it’s wet and tastes good!”

Despite the stresses of the evening, Liz was feeling a new determination regarding her non-relationship with Tess. The hostility between them was a problem, but she was not going to allow it to dominate her new life as it had in the past. Liz was drawing a line in the sand tonight and intended to stick to the boundaries she would be setting.

Trying to casually scan the room for Max, Liz let her gaze drift around the room. When she finally spotted him he was talking to Isabel some distance away. With what she hoped was a subtle, Maria proof plan she tried to study him over the rim of her glass while she drank. He was standing in profile to Liz, but, disappointingly, her view was blocked partially by Isabel’s body.

As she watched Isabel and Max appeared to finish their conversation and Isabel walked away. Liz straightened where she sat, eagerly anticipating Max’s return to the table, but let out a disappointed huffing noise when she saw him stop, and remove his cell phone from his pocket. He turned his back toward Liz and away from the noise of the dance floor, most likely so that he could hear his telephone conversation better.

Maria’s chuckling caught Liz’s attention and she turned back to Maria trying to understand the source of her amusement.

“What’s so funny?”

“You should really try to be less obviously eager. You know?” she chided gently.

Liz pulled a face at Maria. She was disgruntled to have been caught in the first place and irked by Maria’s amused scolding even though she recognised that there was sense in what Maria was saying. Still, it annoyed Liz that Maria didn’t seem to trust her to know how to handle herself.

Liz was sensible enough to understand that she had no idea from where the intensity of her reaction to Max originated, or where it might go, but she was certain of one thing; she wanted to follow through on what she was feeling. Despite Maria’s concerns and despite the sensible little voice inside her head that was trying to convince her to slow down. College was over, and with it a new life stretched in front of Liz, and she was ready to embrace the possibilities with open arms.

“Did you just pout at me?” Maria broke into peals of laughter, causing Liz to scowl at her harder.

“That’s not very nice Maria.”

“Chill grumpy Liz, I’ll play nice. It’s just that you look so cute when you’re thwarted. I’m pretty sure Max will be back soon.”

Liz turned again towards Max who stood with his back to her still talking on his cell. Disappointed by his absence, she was easily placated with the rather pleasant view of his strong back and…

“Liz, are you checking out his ass?” Maria demanded in a loud voice, making Liz jump guiltily

“What, no!” Unfortunately the flash of red creeping across Liz’s face and neck totally gave her away.

“Man, I’ve seen it all, Liz Parker checking out a boy’s assets.” Liz’s scowl was back, Maria noted with amusement.

“Maria, I have had boyfriends, you know.” She muttered aggrieved on Max’s behalf as calling him a ‘boy’ seemed something of a disservice.

“Yes, with the emphasis being on the word, ‘friend’.”

Liz couldn’t quite manage to look Maria in the eye, unhappy to be having this conversation at all, never mind in public.

“I did get up to a little more than holding hands you know.” She shot back defensively.

Maria quirked a carefully plucked eyebrow at her friend. “I don’t counting some furtive teenage fumbling behind the bleachers when you were still wearing a training bra, as sexual activity.”

“I dated more people than Kyle in High School, Maria.”

“I know that.” Maria tried to appease her insulted friend. “What I’m trying to say is that a couple of quasi-boyfriend relationships in college are very different from what you seem to be anticipating with Max Evans. He’s older than you, and much more alpha-male than you’ve ever gone for before.”

“There was Philip.” Liz’s blurted out angrily, and then instantly regretted her choice of rejoinder. This time it was Maria turn to scowl in response.

That set expression of determination on Maria’s face never boded well, Liz thought, as she desperately tried to work out a way to back out of this particular subject.

“So what about Phil, how much naughtiness did Liz get up to with that sex god?” Maria pursed her lips, and waited for a response.

“Phil who?”

“Don’t play with me girlie, Phil Werner, aka Phil ‘The Weiner’, the science nerd who followed you around like a sick puppy for most of freshman year until you gave in and went out with him.”

“He’s a bad example.”

“He was your example!” Maria replied. “I think he is a very good example to illustrate my point. Don’t get me wrong, Phil was a nice guy. A little bit shy, but genuinely a good person, but he was hardly what you would call sexually charismatic.”

“Great Maria, so you’re saying I can’t attract sexually attractive men?”

“No, far from it, I’m saying that the boys you have gone out with to date have in no way prepared you for the sex on legs that is Max Evans, who is very much attracted to you.”

Liz’s smiled broadly. “He is?”

Maria rolled her eyes at Liz’s clue-less-ness. If she hadn’t noticed the way he had been watching her for most of the evening, then she was beyond blind.

“Look before you climb back onto your Max-induced cloud nine, you need to understand. Max hasn’t lived as a monk. He’s had relationships, and they have all been ‘no strings attached’.” This had been true when she had been dating Michael and Maria could see no reason for why this relationship related habit would have changed to date.

Maria, spotting Isabel heading back to their table, hurriedly tried her best to wrap the conversation up before she was caught talking about her revered older brother.

“Yes, he’s a hunk of manly yumminess, but he’s also a player, and you’ve never come up against someone like that before.”

“Maria, you make it sound like we are about to declare war or something.”

Liz experienced another flash of frustrated at Maria. Maria’s habit of over-protectiveness was going to take some time unlearn. She wasn’t sure how to express to Maria that she wanted to takes some risks this time around, or why, but an honest reply seemed like the best approach.

“I want this, Maria, I want to learn to feel this. Maybe he is just the risk I need to take.”

“What risk is that?” Isabel asked as she sat down beside Liz.

“Oh nothing, we were just discussing Liz’s extracurricular college activities. She’s been trying to convince me how busy she’s been.” Maria replied a little too quickly.

“So you were a hard worker at college? No surprises there, you always were an overachiever!” Isabel teased.

Maria managed to choke back her natural amusement, but didn’t manage to contain her tongue. “Actually, no, but she’s intending to work very hard in the future.”

“Maria!” Liz shoved Maria on the shoulder as her mirth erupted with a dirty giggle, and Isabel realised that they were talking at cross-purposes.

It was a relief, actually, to have returned to a lighter conversation following her earlier argument with Maria. Fair enough, it was a case of denial, denial, denial, but if it was going to help her get through the rest of this evening Isabel was happy to embrace it.

“Where’s Max?” Isabel asked.

Liz turned and pointed to one side of the room, and Isabel was amused to see a small frown cross her face. “He was standing over there.”

“I’m sure he’ll reappear at some point.” Maria said with a roll of her eyes.

Isabel reached for her drink, and took a sip from what she was beginning to realise was a fairly lethal combination of spirits and fruit juice. The pleasant fuzziness it supplied was a usefully calming balm for her more than frayed nerves.

She let her eyes drift around the room, looking for Tess, and was guiltily relieved when she didn’t see her. She concluded that she was most likely with Xavi which was probably for the best.

Max’s absence suggested that more drama was either on its way or had already arrived. Her stomach tied in knots at the thought, but she was unwilling show her unease. So Isabel did what Isabel did best, she pinned on a smile and forced her anxiety back.

They passed a pleasant 45 minutes or so talking about nothing in particular. When conversation lapsed into a temporary silence Maria realised that she wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable with Isabel as she had expected. She lounged casually back on the sofa and watched Liz and Isabel finish the dregs of their drinks as the cocktail waitress seamlessly delivered another round to the table with perfect timing before whisking the empty glasses away.

When she caught Liz’s eye and smiled, Liz suddenly slide over to sit by Maria and completely out of the blue pulled her into a tight hug.

“Liz, babe. Needing some air at this end.”

Liz pulled back and smiled broadly at her best friend. “Oops sorry.”

“What was that for?”

“For being there for me all the way tonight. It means such a lot to me.”

“I love you too.” Maria replied, slightly surprised by Liz’s uncharacteristically spontaneous hugging. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was just something a little “off” with Liz’s behaviour which couldn’t necessarily be explained away by her friend OD-ing on Max Evans.

“Well, obviously, I mean that too, but I just want you to know how grateful I am.”

Maria noticed Liz’s attention wandering towards the throng on the dance floor searching for Max for the thousandth time. She decided to try to keep Liz’s attention just a little bit longer.

“You’re grateful? How grateful?” A mischievous smile slowly spread across Maria’s face.

If Liz had been paying more attention she would have known to be more cautious with Maria. That smile had gotten them both into trouble at school more than once with one harebrained scheme or another.

“Why?”

Isabel watched the exchange between Liz and Maria speculatively, knowing that Maria was up to something.

“I want to play ‘dedications’.”

Liz groaned audibly. “Oh, God. By what rules? Anonymous or public?”

“I’ll throw you a bone, anonymous works for me.” Maria replied, surprised that Liz wasn’t trying harder to get out of this particular game.

“And you won’t, say, let me buy you lunch instead?”

“Nah-ah, you said it. You’re grateful, remember?”

“I’m beginning to change my mind on that one.” Liz took another sip of her drink, and considered her options regarding the challenge that Maria was offering.

Isabel observed the look of concentration on Liz’s face with amusement.

“No way! You two still play your dumb musical truth or dare or game?” Isabel laughed.

Liz took another sip of her drink. “Don’t look at me, it was her idea.”

“Sshhh, Iz, she’s thinking. It’s painful to watch, I know, but the cogs in that big brain of hers are just starting to creak into life.” Maria replied. “Hear that creaking, and see the little puff of smoking coming out of her ears?”

“Okay, I have some ground rules.” Liz decided she was feeling bold, so why not go for it. “Two turns each, no more, and all three of us play. We all vote for the winner.”

Maria put on a mock serious face, “And the prize, for the winner?”

“Who said anything about a prize?”

“Forfeit to one of the losers, winner’s choice.” Isabel chimed in, deciding to get into the spirit of the game.

“Oh, she’s good!” Maria applauded by clapping, and Isabel took a bow in return.

“I’m not singing.” Liz interrupted. When Maria looked like she was going to argue the point, Liz pulled a stern face. “No singing.”

The pleasant mellowness that Liz had been feeling made her confident that she could deal with a little harmless fun with her friends, but public impromptu karaoke just wasn’t going to happen. In all of their time together as friends, Maria had never managed to get a public performance out of Liz; Alex maybe, but never Liz.

“No singing?” Isabel echoed, sounding disappointed.

“I’m a singing in the car with the windows closed kind of a girl.” Liz reiterated absently moving her eyes away from the dance floor to look up towards the balcony.

Maria nodded her agreement to the stipulation, surprised Liz had agreed to the game at all.

“How about this; one song each to be requested with the DJ, plus a bonus points for guessing who the song is dedicated to?” Isabel suggested. “And no Maria, it can’t be someone who isn’t in the room.”

“You’re on, I’ll start.” Maria replied eager to get started before Liz had a chance to change her mind and get all sensible. Isabel pulled a pen and an old envelope out of her purse and handed them both to Maria.

“Write it down, I’ll get the DJ to play them. He has a thing for me.”

“Why aren’t I surprised?” Maria replied dryly, but wrote her song down, then passed the paper and pen to Liz.

“Watch and learn Maria.” Isabel said with a smile before sashaying across the dance floor hips swaying and catching the eye of the DJ without difficulty with a little wave and an air kiss, as she walked over to his booth.

“Pa-leezze!” Maria grunted with a grimace. “She hasn’t changed much.”

“You two used to get on fine once upon a time.” Liz replied, happily encouraged by her realisation that, despite being in the same building as Tess, she was having fun.

“Yeah.” Maria replied, adding sotto voce, “Right until she thought I was going to take Michael away.”

“Hmm.” Liz replied eyes cast upwards towards the balcony.

Maria turned to confirm her suspicions, and found that Liz was once again stalking Max. Max was standing in profile talking to a dark haired man, but they turned and walked away together into the crowd before Maria could get a clear look at his companion.

Startled, Maria stifled a gasp in her throat, and forced herself to breath. People who worked in Paris did not turn up in random nightclubs in Boston. Maria counselled herself sternly. She had stopped seeing imaginary ex boyfriends in a crowd years ago, and was not going to let herself start the habit again because she was back in the company of Isabel.

Liz nudged Maria on the arm. “Hey, no unhappy faces tonight. I want to have fun!” Liz terminated her sentence with a small hiccup and a giggle.

“Sorry.”


Since it had always been easier for Maria to focus on Liz than herself, she was happy to have a distraction. Maria took her time and scrutinised Liz’s bright, smiley face rather than analysis her Michael neurosis.

“Liz? Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m great.” She replied with just a bit too much perkiness to be typically Liz.

“Oh look, there’s Isabel, let’s dance!” Liz downed the rest of her drink, and bounced up dragging Maria out onto the dance floor.

Isabel was standing waiting, and waved for them to join her before the next song started. There was an unholy gleam in Isabel’s eyes. Maria recognised that a throw down of sorts was about to take place.

“Let’s do this Deluca, you’re going down.” Isabel said with a grin, and Maria flicked her hair over shoulder defiantly in response.

“I don’t think so, Evans.”

“Hey, aren’t I in this?” Liz asked.

“Of course you are, sweetie, all the way.” Maria replied

“Damn straight!” Liz replied with another hiccup as Isabel grabbed her for a hug, and they swayed together to the music companionably until the song changed, causing Liz to whoop loudly and Isabel to join in with a wide grin.


If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says
15 miles to the... Love Shack! Love Shack yeah
I'm headin' down the Atlanta highway,
lookin' for the love getaway
Heading for the love getaway, love getaway,
I got me a car, it's as big as a whale
and we're headin' on down
To the Love Shack
I got me a Chrysler, it seats about 20
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money



Maria almost stopped dancing in shock. Liz Parker whooped and Isabel joined in? It was unheard of! Maria was now surer than ever that something loopy was going on and the game was temporarily forgotten as she watched careful, controlled, sensible Liz Parker jumping around the dance floor like a lunatic, and whilst Isabel clapped enthusiastically.

By the time the chorus started Isabel and Liz where dancing back to back, screeching out the lyrics and just about managing to sound musical whilst doing it.


The Love Shack is a little old place
where we can get together
Love Shack baby, Love Shack bay-bee.
Love baby, that's where it's at,
Ooo love baby, that's where it's at



Holding hands, Liz spun away from Isabel, managing to perform a neat little spin without falling over while singing at the top of her voice.

Lo-o-ove Shack! Funky ,shack, funky little shack….. No wait, that was wrong.”

Isabel giggled back at Liz, and they starting dancing together again leaving a bewildered Maria to try to figure out why Liz, the original control freak, and Isabel, the Ice Queen had suddenly lost it.


Sign says.. Woo... stay away fools,
'cause love rules at the Lo-o-ove Shack!
Well it's set way back in the middle of a field,
Just a funky old shack and I gotta get back



When two men moved towards them, Isabel moved back allowing the strangers to join their circle and Liz followed her lead. Maria kept dancing perplexed. Something just wasn’t right.

Glitter on the mattress
Glitter on the highway
Glitter on the front porch
Glitter on the hallway



Pondering, an unsettling idea popped into Maria’s mind. Despite drinking fruit juice all evening Liz was clearly looped, and Isabel seemed to be in the same state. Maria was beginning to wonder if Liz’s drink could have been spiked, and grim faced she scanned the room for her number one suspect.


The Love Shack is a little old place
where we can get together
Love Shack bay-bee! Love Shack baby!
Love Shack, that's where it's at!
Huggin' and a kissin', dancin' and a lovin',
wearin' next to nothing



Maria found Tess easily in the crowd, standing by the bar apparently being chatted up by some beefcake. Whilst her expression was smiling and flirtatious, her eyes weren’t paying attention to the man she had dangling on her every word. In fact they seemed mostly to be staring over towards Liz. The self satisfied little smile on Tess’s face was enough to incriminate her as far as Maria was concerned.


Liz tried to perform another little spin, but this time stumbled, and was caught in the arms of one of their male companions. She smiled gaily to her saviour and started to sing straight into his face. He took this as an invitation to pull her closer, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her towards him, so they were rocking together in time to the music.

When Liz’s companion tried to let his hand wander down over her behind, Liz pulled away from him with an outraged squeal. Maria grabbed the opportunity and took Liz’s hand and pulled her off the dance floor back to their seats. When her male companion tried to pull Liz back, Maria gave him a death glare.

“You don’t want to do that. She has a very big, very possessive boyfriend.”

Liz giggled happily in response, unaware the Mr Wandering-hands had backed down immediately. “I do? Nobody told me that.”

With the distraction of Isabel happily bopping away on the dance floor, it took Maria a few minutes to persuade Liz to sit, and calm down as the music continued to thump away in the background.

Maria used subterfuge in the end. “Babe, I’m beat. Can’t you keep me company for a while?”

“Sure.” Liz replied, but she pulled an unhappy little face, her eyes straying to where Isabel was dancing.

“Just take a minute Liz, you seem a little looped.”

“No, I’m just having fun.” She replied with a too bright smile.

Liz reached for her drink, and took another long swig, before Maria had a chance to grab the glass.

“Can I try some of that?” Maria asked.

“Sure, anything that’s minez yures, wait, that came out wrong. What’s mine is yours.” Liz replied concentrating carefully to get the words out more clearly the second time around.

“Thanks.”

One taste of Liz’s drink was enough to reveal to Maria that her ‘fruit juice’ had a healthy dose of vodka amongst other spirits it.

“Tropical punch. My ass.”

Liz looked confused. “Why would someone want to punch your ass?”

Isabel came bouncing over to the table with a triumphant smile on her face. “I got you Deluca, I know who this songs about. It’s about the club? Isn’t it? Tricky, tricky, but I worked it out.”

“Yes, you got me.” Maria, replied, more interested in finding a way to get over to Tess to give her a piece of her mind, but unwilling to leave Liz in her current state unguarded.

Her point with the song, prior to not giving a damn about the game anymore, had been a pop at the club. As expensively decorated as it was, it was pretty much a pulling joint, or a posh love shack.

When Isabel punched a fist in the air and shrieked, “Yes!” Maria knew that she had entered an alternative universe. Sober Isabel would never lower herself to behave in such an undignified manner. But since Isabel had been drinking exactly the same thing as Liz, she certainly wasn’t sober anymore.

“Isabel, what are you drinking?”

“Fruit cocktail. It’s kind of potent, but in a good way, you know?”

“Oh I know.” Maria replied, muttering under her breath, “Bitch.”

The song changed, and Liz started bouncing in her seat energetically. “It’s my song, it’s my song!” She trilled, before standing up beside the table and clapping.

“Liz, sit.” Maria said forcefully, and Liz complied automatically, but pouted whilst dancing along in her seat.

“I’m not a dog Maria.” She slurred softly in rebuke.

“I know sweetie, I’m sorry.” Maria apologised wryly.



Are you blind
Blind to me trying to be kind
Volunteering for your firing line
Waiting for one precious sign
The flicker of a smile
You should try it just once in a while
Maybe it's not quite your style
It's simply too easy to do
And you might not see it through



Isabel started to sway to the music by the side of the table, but bumped against it sending several of the drinks toppling.

Maria was starting to feel like she was in the middle of a chimps tea party, when Max appeared beside his drunk sister.

“Max!” Isabel squealed, and launched herself at her brother. “My big brother!”

Maria mimicked chugging back a drink over Isabel’s shoulder, and mouthed the word “wasted”, just in case Max missed the point.

“Yeah Iz, I think we established that at dinner.”

“Maxwell Phillip Evans don’t you take the Mickey out of me.” Isabel replied, managing to copy the doom laden voice that their mother, Diane, would use.

“Or should I say Michael.” She said conspiratorially with her finger against her lips to mime a shushing noise. She winked then dissolved into a drunken giggles.

“Isabel, are you maybe just a little bit tipsy?” Max grinned laughing heartily at Isabel’s hurt expression.

“Are you suggesting that I’m drunk?”

“I think I am.”

Isabel scrunched her face up comically, as though trying to work out a particularly difficult equation. “You might be right.”

Liz was sitting with the same gooey-eyed mesmerised look that she had worn on and off through dinner, and she once again seemed to be studying Max’s mouth with worrying intensity. When she sighed like a love sick school girl when he laughed, Maria had to stop herself gagging.

“We’re playing a game.” Isabel informed him importantly. “I’m winning.”

“You are not!” Liz replied standing up just a little too quickly for her legs.

Max automatically caught her, and easily pulled her into his side.

“Steady now.” He replied, and Liz smiled drunkenly back at him from his arms.


So find yourself another place to fall
Find yourself up against another brick wall
See yourself as a fallen angel
Well I don't see no holes in the road but you
Find another place to fall



“This is getting to be something of a habit.” Max said looking down at Liz with that same lazy, confident smile that she was becoming so addicted to.

“You have the luv-erlly-iest smile,“ Liz slurred softly with a besotted grin on her face.

Max turned to Maria ready to ask for an explanation of the state that Isabel and Liz where in, but Maria had bigger fish to fry.

Max, have you got these two, I need to go speak to someone,” Maria indicated, holding the remains of Liz’s drink with determination.

“Sure.” He replied swatting Isabel’s hand way as she tried to grab his cell phone out of his pocket.

“You work too much, give it to me.” Isabel demanded with a pout. “I saw you on the phone earlier.”

“No. “Max replied with an amused smile warming his eyes as he fended off his drunken sister affectionately.

“Hey, that’s my drink,” Liz protested, finally noticing the glass that Maria was holding in her hand.

“Have mine.” Isabel replied, putting the ¾ full glass in Liz’s outstretched hand.

The word, “No.” was on Maria’s lips, but Liz managed to drain the glass before Max removed it from her hands, with a knowing looking in Maria’s direction.

Maria threw up her hands in frustration, more determined than ever to track Tess down.

“Liz, stay with Max.” She said firmly before turning and disappearing into the crowd on the dance floor on a direct path to the bar where Tess was still flirting with her male companion.


Are you proud
To have founded a brand new behaviour
With hatred and hurt as your saviour
But nobody's choosing to follow
So you choke back the tears and you swallow
Men who have ruined your life
You consume them with minimum strife
But now you have got indigestion
The antacid comes as a question



Liz began to sing happily along to chorus of her song, swinging her hips automatically to the music and brushing up against Max’s side at the same time. As distracting delectable as it was having Liz brushing against him, Max turned his attention to his cell phone when it began vibrating in his shirt pocket.


So find yourself another place to fall
Find yourself up against another brick wall
See yourself as a fallen angel
Well I don't see no holes in the road but you
Find another place to fall



He answered the phone with a curt, “Max Evans,” but kept his arm looped around Liz, loosely holding her against his side.

Isabel rolled her eyes at her brother and his workaholic tendencies, before turning her attention to Liz with a calculating smile.

“So Liz, this is your song, huh?”

“Mmh - hmm,” she replied, much more interested in the way she could feel Max’s muscles tensing and releasing as she brushed against him, than in the silly game which felt like it had started a life time ago.

Daringly, Liz twisted slightly, bringing her chest into brief contact with Max’s chest before pulling away when her bravery deserted her suddenly. She was rewarded by Max’s arm tightening to still her movements while holding her closer against his side.

Liz settled for leaning against him, enjoying his solid warmth and the pleasant aroma of his aftershave.

Are you alive
Is there a young woman hiding inside
Does she know that we're trying to help her
Is she totally frozen with fear
If you let her come out for a day
She might even like it and stay
But it's gonna take you to invite her
Coz you seem so determined to spite her



Despite Liz’s focus on her gentle, tentative attempts at seduction, Isabel was still trying to win the game.

“Liz, is this your song?” Isabel bullied.

“Yes, it’s my song,” she replied, her eyes wandering betrayingly to where Tess seemed to be having a heated discussion with Maria, but snapped straight back to Max when he shifted slightly as he talked on the phone.

Isabel rolled her eyes. She took Liz’s hand and tugged Liz with great reluctance away from Max’s distracting embrace. Isabel wanted Liz’s full attention, because she wanted to beat Maria at her stupid game. She had a score to settle.

“Come and dance with me.”

Max waved them away, whilst still talking on the phone, but continued to cast his eye on the dance floor just in case of trouble. This particular night club was a pick up joint, and while he was confident that Isabel could handle herself, Liz gave off too much of an innocent vibe for him to be willing to leave her alone amongst any predatory males. Drunk or otherwise.


So find yourself another place to fall
Find yourself up against another brick wall
See yourself as a fallen angel
Well I don't see no holes in the road but you
Find another place to fall


(Another Place to Fall – KT Tunstall)[/i]


With a huff of annoyance, Liz fell into the rhythm of song and danced beside Isabel unwillingly. The room started to swim a little without the solid support of Max. To distract herself she turned back to Tess and Maria again, and unconsciously sang what she was thinking about her step sister and their situation.

“Well, I don’t see no holes in the road, but ya-aa-who, find another place to fall.”

“No hole in the road?” Isabel questioned.

“I’m done being her whipping boy, Isabel. Or would that be whipping girl?” Liz mused, stopping dancing briefly as though thinking and dancing was too difficult to achieve simultaneously.

“So it’s dedicated to Tess? I might have known.”

Liz groaned inwardly when she saw the triumphant smile on Isabel’s face.

“Cluedooz.” Words weren’t quite coming out right again. “quoodos.” Liz shook her increasingly fuzzy head to try to clear it, but still couldn’t manage to wrap her tongue around the term she was seeking. Instead she opted for a simpler response, and slapped Isabel on the back. “Well done, you!”

Isabel staggered slight under the force of Liz’s nudge. She appeared to be about to say something, but stopped suddenly with a hand to her mouth.

“You-I think I need to go sit down now....actually I need to go to the bathroom. Oh,God.” Looking just a little green around the gills she swayed gentle on the spot like a tree in the wind before darting off in the direction of the restrooms.

Liz was left alone on the dance floor as her song finished and melted into the heady strains of a ballad. Unconsciously she started to sway gently to the beguiling beat, letting the melody wrap around her senses as the rest of the room melted away.



Maria stalked over to have it out with the blond witch, her body language threatening.

Tess watched Maria’s determined approach with an impassive expression on her small face. From Tess’s perspective she’d played this scene before. Maria to the rescue was nothing new to Tess.

“What have you done you spiteful bitch?” Maria snapped.

“Why should it be my fault that little Lizzie can’t hold her drink?” She replied with a taunting smile on her glossy red lips.

“You know she never touches alcohol after her father, ever!” Maria spat, wanting to slap the smug smile straight off Tess’s face.

“I thought after so many years passing you might have grown up, but you know what? You’re the same spoilt, jealous little girl that you always were.”

“Maybe it is embarrassing for you that your precious Liz has been throwing herself at Max like a slut. But how is it my fault?” Tess replied coolly, leaning back into the body of the muscular beefcake that she had been speaking to before Maria turned up.

Maria felt her temper ratchet up another notch, but she was torn between finishing her argument with Tess, or getting Liz home. The scorn on Tess’s face made her mind up for her.

“You know, even drunk she still threatens you. You’re pathetic.”


Liz had never enjoyed this sense of freedom before. She could feel the music vibrate through her like it was weaving through her muscles to be released back into the world through the sensual sway of her hips which were moving gently in perfect time to the beat.

With her head tipped to the side exposing the vulnerable skin of her neck she effortlessly moulded her body into a sensual curve as her hips sketched the figure of eight movement of a belly dancer, moving in slow sensual circles.

She extended her arms above her head and repeating the gentle circling of her hips, with her arms as her eyes slid closed. She was a tiny, delectable beacon of womanhood moving gracefully amongst the throng of other dancers, and yet set apart from the rest.

When someone moved to stand behind her, Liz didn’t hesitate to move back into the encircling protection of their arms. Body against body, she relished the warm contact of her back against a broad, familiar chest.

With more daring than she could ever manage sober, she moved her hips to sketch the figure of eight movement again, allowing the soft curves of her behind to bump into the cradle of Max’s hips, before withdrawing only to return again.

Max’s almost inaudible groan, made her flush softly with reaction, and caused a softly curling heat to spring to life inside her belly.


“Liz the big college graduate, drunk and shaking her booty on the dance floor.” Tess sneered with malice. “And you call me pathetic?”

“It would appear that Max doesn’t agree with you.” Maria said with a wide grin, pointing to where Max and Liz were dancing.

Tess’s face fell when Max put his arm around Liz, pulling her into the circle of his arms and back towards the shelter of his body. His body language screamed possessive protectiveness as he hunched over Liz, his large hands spanning her small waist.

Maria turned back to Tess, amused by the expression of fury on the little blond’s face, and eager to rub her nose in it since such a golden opportunity was available.

“They look good together, don’t they?” she said conversationally. “Max doesn’t seem to mind that Liz is a bit tipsy. And maybe, just maybe, by spiking Liz’s drink you’ve loosened the inhibitions she’s been forced to build just to survive your relentless bullying.”

Tess jumped out of her seat and shrugged off the grasping hands of her muscular companion.

“Look at them they’re all alone in their own space. I doubt they even realise anyone else is in the room.”

Tess watched furiously, as Liz pressed herself a little bit closer to Max and he responded by turning her around so they faced each other. Liz tucked her head under his chin and laid her face against his chest as they moved together. When Max’s hand started to run through Liz’s hair Tess saw red and was ready to break them up in any way available. She started to walk towards them but stopped when Maria called out her name.

“Tess, I think you forgot something.....” Tess swivelled around to tell Maria to go to hell, just in time to meet the flying contents of Liz’s tropical punch, fruit pieces and all.

“Your drink.”

Maria flicked her hair over her shoulder with a smirk and melted away into the crowd before Tess could react.

Beefcake who had been silently observing Tess and Maria bitching at each other, tried to help his damsel in distress as she stood looking like a walking fruit salad with pieces of orange and kiwi stuck to her hair and outfit, and liquid dripping off her chin onto her chest. Despite his best efforts, he was destined to be a thwart knight in shining armour. When he reached out to help Tess, his hands were slapped away with an enraged squeal as Tess stormed off to the bathroom alone leaving beef cake dangling a piece of orange in his fingers plucked fresh from her fruit decorated cleavage.
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Reamhar
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 11, 6th June

Post by Reamhar »

Thank you to everyone who left feedback and please keep them coming. :D

To answer a question. Max is older than Liz, Maria, Michael and Isabel by 4 or so years.

Again this chapter is unbetaed so any mistakes are entirely my own fault.


Part Twelve


“You didn’t.” Liz explained, horrified.

“I so did!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Would this face lie.”

“Yes.”

Maria replied with a push against Liz’s shoulder.

“Hey, less of the punching, I’m already in pain here. Okay, you threw my drink over Tess, and lived to walk away?”

“If I live to be a hundred, I don’t think anything could top that moment for perfect pleasure. It was truly a Kodak moment.”

A sly smile crossed Maria’s face. “So, belly dancing to getcha’ man. I knew that belly dancing DVD would come in useful.” Liz groaned in reply.

“What happened to the Liz Parker special?”

“Pardon?”

Maria hopped spryly off the bed and began to mime dancing by shifting her weight clumsily from foot to foot. “You know, the classic handbag shuffle.”

Liz started to laugh, but stopped with a groan, clutching her sore head.

“Believe me, babe, you need to write the producers of that DVD a recommendation letter, because you were getting your grove on thanks to them.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Sure.”

“It wasn’t about Max, there was something about the music, and the rhythm of it.”

“And the alcohol.”

“Maria!”

“Welcome the world of the social drinkers. Music plus booze equals a desire to dance, no matter who you are. You’re lucky you looked good out there. You could have been doing the funky chicken. Following the dancing stage, you would have moved onto the munchies, if you hadn’t passed out, that is.”

“Yuck, I can’t imagine that adding junk food to this hangover could be a good thing.”

“You haven’t had the full drunken experience until you do.”

“I think I’ll pass thanks all the same.”

Maria climbed back on the bed. “Good choice, my big brained friend. Good choice.”

“So I looked good?” Liz asked with a slight blush.

“Max certainly seemed to think so.” Maria replied, watching the red colour darken across Liz’s face along with just the hint of a satisfied smile.

~~~~


When the ballad they had been dancing to ended and changed to something faster paced, Liz pulled back from Max and looked up at him expectantly. She felt like her body was tingling from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and back again.

Liz Parker the best behaved of all the good girls was feeling a lot drunk, a little naughty and very determined.

Moving her hand to the back of his neck, she tugged gently, pulling his head down to her level so that she could speak to him. Max obliged, dropping his head down and to the side so his ear was beside her mouth.

“I’m feeling hot can we go outside for some air?” Liz asked breathlessly.

Max nodded in response and, sheltering Liz against his body, steered them across the busy dance floor towards the stairs to the second floor and doors that opened to an outside deck.



Driven by the desire to get Liz home before Tess had the opportunity to take any kind of retaliation, Maria plough a path across the dance floor searching for Max and Liz as she went. She spotted them heading towards the stairs, and called out to Liz, but her voice was drown out by the DJ as he announced the next song.

“And this one’s dedicated to Maria.”

Despite her determined haste, when the first notes of the familiar song played, Maria found herself immobile in the centre of the dance floor and as close to hyperventilating as she had ever been in her life.

A voice in Maria’s head began screaming at her to make her legs move; to retreat, but she remained where she stood as the first lyrics of the song enveloped the room and an odd sense of calm settled over her.


There's always something in the way
there's always something getting through
but it's not me
it's you
it's you



Maria had known somewhere deep inside that this moment had to come. Meeting Isabel again, opening old wounds and catching a glimpse of the ghost of her regrets, had to bring them to this point. So here she was, at the point at which her oh so neat and oh so cowardly escape of so many years ago had to be accounted for.

She felt the warmth of him at her back, and closed her eyes, tears tracking down her cheeks from under her closed eye lids.

“Don’t do this to me, Michael.” The words formed on Maria’s lips, but never escaped as a sound as gentle hands turned her around and drew her into achingly familiar arms.


Sometimes ignorance rings true
but hope is not in what I know
it's not in me..me
it's in you, it's in you

it's all I know
it's all I know
it's all I know



When he began to move in time with the music, she moved with him automatically. Like breathing, dancing with him was something that she would never be able to forget.

No one before they got together, and no one since had ever managed to make her feel safe by simply holding her close like Michael could. Just for this moment in time Maria allowed herself to feel small and protected against the relative bulk of his body.


I find peace when I'm confused
I find hope when I'm let do.
not in me ... me
in you
it's in you



Maria indulged herself with the familiar warmth and sensation of simply being held again. Despite her crimes, she was weak enough to want this punishment.

Michael turned them slowly in time with the music and Maria followed willingly, allowing the rest of the room the blur down until she could only focus on the two of them moving together like time had never passed.

Her head automatically tucked under his chin, turned into his neck, in the position he had laughingly called her place.


I hope to lose myself for good
I hope to find it in the end
not in me ... me
In you
In you
In you

it's all I know
it's all I know
it's all I know


Maria realised that if she remained tight against his chest she didn’t have to see what was written on his face, so she burrowed closer.


in you
in you
it’s in you
in you



Michael was the wronged party here, and she didn’t even know if he understood why. He had always known that she had been lying when she left him, just never why. Too much too young, and too many regrets.



There's always something in the way
there's always something getting through
but it's not me



With a strength that she didn’t realise she possessed, Maria pulled back from her safe place, and look up into his inscrutable face. His expression had never been that closed to her when they were younger. She was to blame for that.

“Why?” She asked in a quiet voice.

Why were they here now and dancing to this song. Despite understanding how hauntingly close to their past the lyrics were, she still needed to hear him explain why.

“Because you never let me say goodbye. You made all the rules.”

Maria swallowed nervously, a sudden bad taste in her mouth because of the truth in the statement. She had never allowed him even that much.


it's you
it's you
it's you



Maria struggled to find words enough to apologise for her crime. Knowing before she spoke that she could never make amends.

“I wasn’t brave enough to say goodbye to you in person.”

Michael remained silent, his face unfathomable.

“I just....I was..... oh God, I don’t know what I was....” Maria stuttered, swallowing a sob.

A small smile played across Michaels face, softening his hard expression, and his arms tightened around her briefly.

“It’s okay. We’re okay.”

Maria stifled a sob, confused by the smile and feeling undeserving of the forgiveness it seemed to promise.

“We’re saying goodbye to that life now.”

His arms dropped away, and with them his protective warmth as he stepped back from Maria leaving her feeling cold.

“Goodbye, Maria.” He said softly.

Maria watched him walk away through a blur of regretful tears. It seemed that Michael had been destined to get the last words after all.


There's always something in the way
there's always something getting through
but it's not me

it's you
it's you
it's you.

You - Switchfoot





Max lead Liz outside onto the deserted deck, and stopped by the railing were a pretty view of the city lights reflecting onto the water was laid out before them.

“Is this better?” He asked leaning with his back against the railing as Liz pretended to admire the view.

“Yes.” She replied softly, “It was getting a little crowded in there.”

Liz turned back to the view. She hadn’t been lying when she said she was feeling warm, but it was a pleasant sort of fuzzy warmth, spoilt only by the fact she was feeling dizzy.

Max turned so that he was side on to Liz looking out across the harbour, and Liz shiver with reaction when his chest brushed against the bare skin of her shoulder.

“Are you cold, do you want to go back inside?” Max asked, and Liz shook her head urgently. She definitely didn’t want to go back inside.

“No, I’m fine honestly.”

“Come here.” Max tugged her back against his chest, much as they had been on the dance floor, and Liz melted against him as his warm strength settled around her again. Shivering again her skin reacted with another electrifying little jolt to his closeness.

Max rested his chin on top of Liz’s head and took pleasure in the sensation of holding her close again, enjoying a moment of silence after the hustle and noise of the dance floor. While he was not unappreciative of how attractive Liz was, or how intelligent, he was still perplexed by how comfortable he felt in her company; as though he had known her for years rather than hours.

Max Evans handsome and experienced man of the world was feeling a lot jet lagged, a little floored and very attracted to Liz Parker.

Wanting to see Liz’s face suddenly, Max turned her around so that her back was to the railing, and studied her small features intently. Just how was it that this glorious little woman was having such a profound effect on him?

Liz looked up into Max’s face, and found his expression slightly confusing. She felt as though he was trying to find the solution to a puzzle and that the answer for him was written on her face. Turbulent amber eyes met chocolate brown, and her awareness of him kicked up a notch. Despite the coolness of the night air, Liz started to feel rather warm again.

“Who are you Liz Parker?”

Liz cocked her head to the side, and spoke the first words that came into her head, completely unaware that she was having an in vino veritas moment.

Her reply, though slightly softly slurring in response was completely honest.

“I’m not sure that I know the answer to that myself. Does anyone ever really know? Does it matter?”

“It does to me.” Max’s expression was intense, as he stroked her cheek with soft fingers.

“I am what people need me to be. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“So who are you tonight?”

Belying the sudden heaviness of the conversion, Liz’s previously solemn face lit up with a smile. “Happy.” Max returned her smile.

“Happy and a little bit high on life I think.” He said softly, pulling back from her slightly. “Perhaps we should head back to the table. Maria will be getting worried.”

Liz shook her head vehemently, unhappy with the distance he was suddenly putting between them. Despite being inebriated, Liz recognised that Max was about to offer to take her home, and not for good reasons. After such a messed up and yet amazing day, she was unwilling to let it end with her being tucked up in bed with her proverbial bed socks and coco. So Liz decided to act rather than wait to react.

“I was thinking that I would like try something again.” She said, looking up at Max through dark, half lowered lashes.

“And what was that?” Max asked, puzzled by her sudden shift from drunken ditziness to seductive kitten.

“This.” Liz said, slamming herself against his chest, and connecting her lips to his with more haste than seductive finesse.

Max hesitated fractionally, nonplussed by the suddenness of her approach. Before he had time to martial his inner gentleman, Liz’s soft tongue pressed against the seam of his lips asking softly for entrance.

Max opened his mouth instinctively, shaping his lips to Liz’s softly with first one kiss, followed by another, and then another. Each kiss slightly firmer, slower, and deeper than the one before.

When Liz moaned against his mouth, Max came undone. He scooped her tight to his chest, dragging her head closer with a hand in her hair as she opened eagerly to the increasingly more urgent thrust of his tongue.

Time ceased to mean anything outside of the sensation of skin touching skin and frantically moving lips and tongues. When oxygen became a problem, Max fisted a handful of Liz’s hair and tipped her head with gentle force to the side so he had access to the skin behind her ear and the elegant curve of her throat. Liz’s throaty groan of reaction when Max trailed his tongued across her collar bone inflamed Max further, and he pulled her hips tighter to his own and pressed her firmly back against the railings.

The unwelcome interruption of too loud voices and a female giggling brought Max back to reality unwillingly with a muttered oath.

Max lifted his face unwillingly from the creamy skin of Liz’s neck, his breathing fast and uneven. Liz moaned softly, protesting the loss of contact.

Liz felt her senses slowly coming back to her one at a time as she crashed back into her body. With legs like rubber and an increasingly woozy head she was struggling catch her breath leaning heavily against Max when he started to speak.

“Are you okay?” She blinked owlishly at him for several seconds, trying to gather her scattered thoughts.

“I’m, aahh – okay. Just, ahh – give me a second.”

Max studied her unfocused eyes with concern.

His inner caveman couldn’t help but smile, confident in the knowledge that Liz Parker was as thoroughly affected by him as he was by her. That confidence was reflected in the smile on his lips.

“Emmm, yes, I’m fine....maybe.” The kissing had been, well, wow, but the dizziness and nausea that seemed to be following closely behind the ‘wow’ were far from pleasant.

When Max’s face blurred out for a second, Liz grabbed onto two handfuls of his shirt to try to steady herself as the floor felt like it was sudden rolling under her feet.

Max’s shit eating grin falter slightly, melting into a more concerned grimace. There was something about the way Liz’s eyes seemed to be unfocused that brought Max down from his lust filled high and little more under control.

Max dropped a soft kiss onto her forehead and encouraged her to lean closer so that he could support more of her weight. He waited until her breathing had slowed before he tried again.

“Liz?”

“Hmm, Ma-ax?” she slurred softy against his chest, sounding more asleep than awake.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Tired....dizzy.”

“Maybe it’s time to get you home.”

Liz shook her head half heartedly. “No. Don’t want to. Want to dance with you again.

“How about if I come with you?”

“Hmm.....do you promise to come with me?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then, as long as I get to stay with you.”

Max slid one arm behind Liz’s knees and picked her up bridal style. The suddenness of the movement made Liz squeak in fright and tighten her hold around his neck.

“Oh! Make the room stop spinning.” She pleaded, and Max chuckled, but he stood still trying to give her time to adjust to be held.

“Just close your eyes and you’ll feel better.”

Liz shook her head.

“Don’t you trust me?” Max joked surprised by how much he wanted to hear her answer.

Liz tucked her head into the crook of Max’s neck and sighed softly. “You’ll stay with me?”

“Yes.” Max felt the soft brush of her eyelashes against the skin of his neck as her eyes drifted closed and his skin tingled with even that feathery light contact.

“Of course I trust you,” she murmured dozily.

“Good to know.” Max replied walking back into the building.

“Silly Max.” Liz replied even more quietly as she snuggled closer against his chest, enjoying the soft sound of his answering laughter.

“Still, like I said, good to know.”



Up on the balcony looking down on the dance floor Michael stood apparently studying the people dancing below, but in reality studying Maria. Isabel joined him where he was standing leaning against the handrail.

“Michael, I don’t know if you’s noticed, but itz dark outside, and you’re inside, so the dark glass-ez, slightly wasted.” Isabel slurred.

“Not nearly has wasted as you are apparently.” Michael replied pocketing his sunglasses.

“Have you spoken to Maria yet?”

“Yes, you can see how well that went for yourself.” He indicated where Maria was standing at the bar, chucking back what looked shots.

“Look, I did my part. I set up your rend-ez-vous.”

“I think you want to stick to words with only a couple of syllables there, Iz.”

Isabel punched Michael on the arm in response to his cheek. “She’s here, as you asked, you didn’t say anything about being sober. Besides, being squiffy is fun. It kinda suits Liz. She’s much less serious with a few cocktails to loosen her up.”

“Liz is here?”

“You must be dumber than you look if you didn’t realise that. They’re still as joined at the hip as ever.”

“Izzy whizzy, that wouldn’t be just a little bit of your green eyed monster showing?”

“Don’t call me that! You know I hate it.” Isabel stepped back from the banister to level an icy glare at her younger twin, but rather spoilt the effect by stumbling awkwardly with a small squeak of fright.

Michael caught his sister by her arm to steady her, trying not to laugh as she started to look just a little bit green around the gills.

“Anyways, Liz seems much more interested in being joined at the hip with our big bro tonight. There’s something going on with those two.”

Out of nowhere a rather dishevelled looking Tess appeared beside Isabel and grabbed her arm, and tugged it urgently.

“Isabel, we’re leaving now.”

“Hello Tess, how nice to see you. How are you today?” Michael asked sardonically while extracting Isabel from Tess’s grip since her tugging seemed to be having an adverse effect on Isabel’s already shaky balance.

“Whatever, Michael, I don’t need any of your shit tonight, okay?”

“Likewise, since I was talking to Iz first. Why don’t you come back later, and I won’t need to give you shit for being rude and interrupting.” Michael replied far too calmly.

“I can’t find Max, and I want to go now.” Tess said with a slight quiver in her voice.

Michael wanted to ask Tess why she thought he gave a damn what she wanted. Tess was Max’s pet project, not his, and Michael found the way his older brother run around after Tess profoundly annoying. Even Isabel in her most diva moments failed to be as demanding as Tess on a normal day.

Isabel, noticing the undercurrent of upset in Tess’s voice suddenly seemed to sober up slightly, and put an arm around Tess’s shoulders. Michael made an irritated grunting noise under his breath; Isabel to the rescue as usual. Tess was wholly undeserving in his opinion.

Now that he had taken the time to really look down at the annoying little blond in front of him, Michael realised that she was soaking wet, and vibrating with anger. If Max and Liz had been hitting it off, and Liz was quite as wasted as Isabel, maybe Tess had been put in her place for once by her far gentler younger sister.

“Tess, is that kiwi fruit in your hair?” Michael asked in devilment, realising that out of Liz and Maria, Maria was a more likely candidate for the drink that Tess appeared to be wearing.

Rather than reacting with anger, Tess burst into tears, and seemed anxious. “I can’t find Max, and I want to go home now.” Isabel’s arm around Tess tightened, and she looked worried.

Michael muttered an oath under his breath, then told himself what he was doing now was for Isabel’s benefit and Isabel’s alone.

“Look, neither of you are in any state to drive. I’ll drive you.”

“What about Max?” Tess complained.

“Most people would be asking about their sister, Tess.” Michael chastised. “Max is more than capable of looking after himself, and Liz isn’t, from what Iz said.”

When more angry tears ran down Tess’s face in response to his rebuke, Isabel intervened between her brother and friend. “Michael, stop it.”

Michael threw his hands up in surrender, before pulling his car keys out of his pocket and waving them in front of Isabel to show he was willing.

Michael walked behind Isabel and Tess down the staircase, and was almost at the bottom when he saw Liz and Max emerge from the balcony. Max was carrying Liz who looked for all the world like she was asleep in his arms. Judging by her slightly swollen lips and flushed face, they had been doing a little bit more than talking outside.

Michael waved at Max, car keys in hand indicating that he was leaving, and then pointed over to where Maria was leaning against the bar look slightly the worse for wear. Max nodding his understanding of Michael’s unspoken request. He would make sure that Maria got home safely.

Driving a booze soaked Tess home, hadn’t been Michael’s plan for the evening, but then neither had holding Maria in his arms while she cried. What he’d wanted to do was talk to Maria, but there would be time enough for that later. Monday would herald the beginning of a whole new week and with it new opportunities. Content with that knowledge, he was happy to leave things as they were for now


~~~~

“I fell asleep on him didn’t I?” Liz asked, “that’s why I don’t remember what happened next.”

“You were half asleep when we left the night club and out cold by the time we arrived at the house.”

“Well, I guess in terms of another item on Liz’s list of embarrassing behaviour, falling asleep seems fairly mild.”

Maria nodded sagely. “That is very true.”

Maria got up of the bed and began tiding up things in Liz’s already tidy room. Liz watched Maria flutter around the room with no particularly purpose for several minutes before she got fed up waiting.

“Okay Maria, what else happened?”

“Nothing,” Maria replied, her back to Liz.

“Maria, just tell me!”

“Okay, okay. Calm down. The thing is, Liz, you talk in your sleep.”

“I can’t make coherent conversation around Max when I am stone cold sober and wide awake. What the hell did I say whilst asleep and drunk?”

“Most of it was incoherent, Liz.” Maria soothed.

“Most of it? Meaning some of it wasn’t?”

“Unfortunately, well from your point of view I suppose, yes.” Maria rejoined Liz on the bed and stretched herself out propped up against the pillows beside Liz.

“Let’s just say that he has no doubts about how much you like his muscles and his caboose.”

“Shit! Shit! SHIT!”

“Calm down Liz, you were drunk, Max is a grown up. He certainly didn’t seem to think anything less of you for it. You were quite adorable, really.”

I horrible thought occurred to Liz. “Who put me to bed?”

“I did.” Maria said quickly. Way too quickly.

“Maria!”

“Max did. Physically put you into the bed, I mean.” Maria rolled her eyes when Liz blushed. “He didn’t see anything. I changed you.”

“It’s weird, I honestly don’t remember any of that, but I have a memory that Max was in bed with me. Or maybe it was a dream?”

Maria looked suddenly shifty. “It wasn’t a dream. When you were changed, Max came back in to say he was heading home, and you got quite agitated. You kept saying, ‘you promised’ and got quite cross with him. In the end he lay down with you until you fell back to sleep.”

“I’m stunned he did go running screaming out the door at that point, let alone stay to sleep on a sofa half his length. He couldn’t have been comfortable.”

“It was late, he was very jet lagged and we came home in your car. It’s not as though Alex’s room is in any state to be slept in. He asked if he could stay. I told him it was fine, but wouldn’t he be more comfortable at home. He said yes, but that he had ‘promised’.”

“That’s...” Liz trailed off, at a loss for words.

“Adorable, bizarre and sexy as hell?” Maria replied on behalf of Liz.

“Well yes.”

A not entirely comfortable silence feel across the room as both Liz and Maria thought about how to bring up the next topic.

“So.” Liz said.

“So.” Maria replied.

“Are we going to talk about the pink elephant that has suddenly appeared in the room?” Liz asked softly.

“Would that be the elephant called Michael?” Maria asked.

“Yes.”

Maria shook her head “Not now. I’m just not ready....”

Liz twined her fingers with Maria’s and squeezed her hand. “I’m here whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

A door banged downstairs, and Alex’s voice shouted a cheerful. “Hello! Where are my ladies?” Then louder, “anyone home?” Before he started to climb the stairs.

“In Liz’s room.” Maria hollered, causing Liz to flinch at the volume.

Alex burst into the room with a flourish holding out two bunches of flowers in front of him, and grinning widely.

“So did my ladies miss me?”

“Yeah, like toothache.” Maria replied with a wry smile.

“Of course we missed you, Alex.” Liz replied sweetly.

Alex climbed onto the bed and positioned himself between Liz and Maria putting an arm around both of them.

“So, what’s been happening with you two? No Barbie pink bedrooms yet I see.”

“Liz got drunk off her ass.” Maria said conversationally.

“Maria danced with Michael Evans.” Liz shot back in retaliation.

Alex’s lips formed a ‘o’ of surprise, and seemed to get stuck in that shape for several seconds.

Maria scooted off the bed and put her hand under Alex’s jaw to gently close his mouth.

“I’m going to put on some coffee, do you want one?”

Alex nodded mutely as Maria walked out of the room.

Liz wiggled until she was lying flat against her pillows and stifled a yawn while Alex observed her casualness with wide open eyes.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened? What have you two been up to?”

“You need to speak to Maria about that, I don’t remember it all.” Liz replied sleepily. “I have my first ever hangover to sleep off.”

Alex pulled himself of the bed. “I guess I am going to have to do that.”

Alex was almost out of the door when Liz called out to him. “Alex, remember to ask Maria about Tess and the fruit cocktail. She’ll enjoy telling you about that.”

“So let me get this straight. Michael is back after God knows how many years, and you, the family t-totaler got drunk enough to have memory lapses” Alex shook his head disbelievingly when Liz smiled sweetly at him in reply. “Did I just get off the plane and arrive in bizzaro world or something?”

“You know, I am wondering that myself.” Liz replied serenely. “But I think I actually rather like it.”

Alex left Liz’s bedroom muttering under his breath about weird women.

Liz snuggled down under her quilt and dragged the pillow that Max had slept on under head so that she and press her nose against it. Perhaps Alex was right. He had returned home to bizzaro world, but from Liz’s point of view, it was shaping up to be a rather wonderful place.
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Reamhar
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 12, 14th June

Post by Reamhar »

I know I suck at updating. What can I say. :? My laptop broke? Actually that did happen, again (I’m jinxed with electronics apparently), but I am slow normally so that doesn’t actual wash does it. So, sorry. However, another chapter for anyone who is still reading. Once again I grovel.... :oops:

Unbetaed, all mistakes are my own. :oops: I'll fix that later, honest.

Can I just say, I feel kind of sorry for Maria at the end of this chapter. :lol:

Naturally profound thanks to everyone who took the time to read, and leave reviews.




Chapter 13

Marcia Munroe turned back the cover on a folder holding her notes about Tessa Parker and set her pen against a new blank page ready to begin their next in what had been a long line of fruitless sessions.

Over on a brightly coloured, toy strewn couch Tess sat ramrod straight regarding Marcia with an expression that might be considered as haughty had it not been on the face of a pretty eight year old child. Angelic with her white blond hair hanging like a halo around a heart shaped face; Tess’s china blue eyes were watchful. Tension evident in her carefully arranged little body.

“How have you been Tess?”

“Fine, Mrs Munroe.”

“You can call me Marci, Tess. Remember?”

Tess’s lips pursed briefly in reply, as though Marcia had suggested something improper, then her face relaxed into a calm mask with which Marcia was becoming familiar.

“Mrs Munroe is fine.” She replied sweetly, trying to take control of the conversation.

“If it makes you more comfortable, Tess.”

“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” Tess replied, smiling warming, but Marcia recognised that that her mask was as tightly in place as ever, the double meaning in the little girl’s words clear as day; ‘you’re not important enough to make me uncomfortable’.

In Tess’s world letting people effect you meant vulnerability, and her past history had taught her to avoid letting people have that kind of power. Her carefully orchestrated, politely presented facade was her first line of defence. The notes that Marcia had taken from Jeffrey Parker provided plenty of evidence that this approach to dealing with her world was causing damage. Night terrors, tantrums, separation anxiety being but a few of the symptoms that were worrying Tess’s father.

Marcia schooled her features into a smile, trying her best to formulated a way to break through to Tess.

“Perhaps today we can talk about your mother.” Marcia asked, and watched with equal measures of professional detachment and pity as Tess’s tense little body flinched.

“If you’d like.” Tess replied politely, her voice strangely devoid of emotion over what should be a very emotive subject.

“I would.” Marcia pressed.

Tess sat up straighter on the sofa and stared Marcia down. “She dead. What would you like me to say about that?”

This time it was Marcia’s turn to internally wince at the coldness in Tess’s voice.


~~~~


The weekend passed peacefully enough for the residents of the ramshackle townhouse. Alex’s return brought with it his usual happy knack of spreading good humour and warmth. So if Maria was a little quieter than normal, or Liz a little more distracted by her thoughts no one seemed to notice especially. Certainly, none of the happy threesome commented when they spent their Sunday together exploring Boston’s coffee shops at their leisure with the Sunday newspapers and each other for company.

When an extravagantly large bunch of flowers was sitting on the porch waiting for Liz on their return that afternoon, Maria seemed suspiciously unfazed. Alex tried to get an explanation from Maria for the delightful blush that lit Liz’s face or the rapidity with which she disappeared to her room with the unopened card that had been attached to the flowers clutched in her hand.

Maria’s grunted reply delivered with a roll of her almond shaped eyes was that Liz was “Evans obsessed”. Unhelpfully obtuse, this only confused poor Alex more. Because neither of the ladies in his life seemed willing to be more forthcoming, he was still confused when he left for work on Monday morning.

~~~~


Liz crossed then uncrossed her legs nervously, trying hard to stop herself from fidgeting. Sitting with her fellow junior attorneys in the large boardroom on Monday morning waiting for their orientation programme to begin, she cast her eyes around the room trying to find evidence that even one of her new colleagues shared her anxiousness. Her efforts where futile. They all looked at ease in their surroundings, and Liz’s agitation worsened.

She checked yet again for invisible pieces of lint on her immaculate black suit skirt, and smoothed the flawlessly ironed material with her suddenly sweaty palms. Risking another quick look around the room, she regretted it immediately. Still no change. Why did everyone else have to look so much more comfortable in their environment than she felt? Giving herself a mental shake, Liz told herself to get a grip.

When the HR Director tapped the conference table to bring the room to order, Liz sighed with relief, grateful for the distraction of having to listen to somebody else instead of her own insecurities.

Induction packs, pens and paper were passed around the room, and Liz opened the glossy package of documents eagerly, please to have something to keep her restless hands busy.

The HR Director was a confident orator and as her calm and well practised presentation began, Liz let herself relax. Chanting her well practise mantra inside her head, Liz tried to focus. She was where she was supposed to be. She deserved her place at this table as much as anyone else.

~~~~


Maria’s adventures in the working world, started very differently to Liz. A world away from the formality of the law offices of Halshaw, Evans & Parker Maria was sat with Ailsa Hernandez the gallery manager enjoying a muffin and a vanilla latte at Coffee Bean on the Go, a cute little coffee shop around the corner from the gallery.

Ailsa shuffled a small amount of paperwork in front of her; until she was satisfied that everything was complete.

“I think that covers all of the boring admin parts.” She said with a smile. “No more need to sign you life away for me today at least.”

Maria smiled warmly. “No problem. So what’s next?”

“What, didn’t I explain to you at interview that we spend most of our day hanging out in coffee shops?” Ailsa deadpanned in reply, enjoying the hesitation on Maria’s face.

“I’m just playing with you Maria, we should be heading back. El Hefe, as I like to call him should be finished with his client meeting. You have some time scheduled with him this morning to go through the way things work in the workshops. Then you will spending the rest of the day with me in my world front of shop, so to speak.”

“El Hefe?” Maria queried vaguely recognizing the words as Spanish without understanding the meaning.

“The boss.” Ailsa replied with a laugh. “We should head back otherwise you’ll be late.”

“Oh, yes of course.”

“Let me get the bill, and we’ll go.” Ailsa stood and walked over to the counter leaving Maria on her own briefly.

A soft “ding” from Maria’s bag back had her stretching over to retrieve her cell phone eagerly anticipating a reply from Liz.

~~~~


Reams of paperwork later a break was called. Liz was pleased to swap her pen and pad for a cup of coffee. She couldn't remember a time when she had signed her name so often in the space of a few hours.

Liz chatted affably and enjoyed a coffee and a deliciously sinful Apple Danish before retrieving her cell phone and finding a quiet corner to check for messages. She knew with complete confidence that Maria would not be able to resist texting to find out how Liz had got on and to gossip about her own first day at the gallery. Text-a-holic that Maria was there was no chance she would not succumbed to the temptation.

Sure enough an envelope icon on the screen on the phone confirmed that Liz had a message. With a small smile Liz clicked open and read the text displayed.

How's it going? Playing nice with the other suits?

Liz’s fingers moved with practiced ease over the keypad, sending her reply quickly back.

Presentations and paperwork so far. Hand hurts from signing name so often!! Having coffee break now. You?

Two small sips of coffee later Maria's reply arrived.

Phfft. Coffee now??! I've been in a coffee shop all morning so far. Jealous?

Liz’s reply was humorously succinct.

Artistic Slacker

Corporate Drone.


Liz stifled a giggle with difficulty.

LOL. Bohemian waster.

LMAO you better believe it. You're just jealous honey!!!


Noticing that people were beginning to move back into the conference room, Liz’s next reply was intended to try to end the conversation quickly, but despite running out of time she couldn't resist razzing Maria some more.

Do you intend to get any real work done today at all?

Sure. Boss is paying bill just now. Then going back to the gallery. Wish me luck? Company girl!!

Sure. It's the least I can do. Good luck when you finally get around to doing some real work. LOL. Just kidding. Good luck.......... Artist’s Moll.

OMG ROFL!!!!! I wish. You know it has been a bit of a dry season recently.


Liz could actually imagine Maria rolling her eyes as she typed that reply.

Besides, I can go one better on the insults than you! LAWYER!

Liz selected a disgruntled smiley in reply and added some text after it.


Love you too. Seriously, see you at home tonight? My turn to cook? Lasagne sound good?


Absolutely. Sounds yummy. Good luck yourself. Later Sweetie.


Liz joined the small group of people who were walking slowly back into the conference room and slipped her cell phone back into her bag. Smiling at several people who were already sitting at the table, and returned to her chair to wait patiently for the room to quieten and again.

The door to the breakout room was still open and the murmuring of quiet voices was audible through the conference room door. Liz scanned the room discreetly noticing that everybody who had been there since the start of the meeting seemed to have returned to the room. This meant that whoever was talking next door must be new. The next speaker perhaps? A thrill of excitement shot through Liz.

It finally all felt real. She was really here. Graduated. Beginning the career of her choice in the city that had become a second home to her with her two best friends for company. For the first time in a long time Liz allowed herself to believe that everything was going to work out fine.

The HR director stood up and smiled warmly to the room at large.

“I'm sure you're all pleased to hear that we have now finished the paperwork part of this meeting. Does anyone have a sore hand?” A wave of laughter rolled around the room in response to her gentle humour.

“We’d now like to move on to discuss the training and mentoring details of the Associate Placement Programme.”

Liz listened eagerly. One of the reasons that the junior attorney posts at the firm were so highly prized was the comprehensive training programme into which they would all be inducted Halshaw Parker Evans was an old and prestigious firm. That prestigious reputation attracted a high calibre of clients, casework and as a by-product produced extremely desirable experience and networking connections for the junior attorneys starting out their careers with in the programme.

“A pivotal part of the success of this programme is our mentorship scheme. You will not only be allocated a supervisor as required by the State Barr Association but also a professional mentor. Your mentors should be regarded as a confidential source of advice and support for your personal and career development while you are with the firm. All of the individuals involved in the mentorship programme are at the top in their field as I'm sure you all will be given time. You should be proud to be in this room. Halshaw Parker Evans is recognised as a centre of excellence. Take a look at the people next to you. You and they represent the best and brightest graduates of your respective schools. So welcome.”

It may have been Liz's imagination but it seemed that the new attorneys sitting around the table and Liz herself appeared to sit a little straighter and taller following the praise of the HR Director. It was difficult not to be prideful after being described as the creme de la creme!

“Now, I'm sure you have all had enough of me talking. So I am delighted to introduce one of partners and an individual who has been central to making and maintaining the mentorship programme as the success that it is.”

A masculine chuckle sounded from the back of the room near the door, and a dark suited man walked to the front of the conference table.

Liz’s eyes tracked his progress with a sinking sense of familiarity. When he turned to address the room she froze in her seat horrified. This could not be happening.

“Selina, with such an introduction you are going to make me blush!” he chuckled, a charming smile warming his handsome features.

The HR Director smiled almost girlishly in reply, and seemed to lose her rhythm momentarily with in her previously flawlessly timed presentation. But if she was flustered she covered it quickly by directing her attention back to the people seated around a conference table. Liz could sympathise. She experienced moments of incoherency around Max Evans too.

“Ladies and gentlemen I would and like to introduce you to the ever charming Max Evans, one of the senior partners.” Selina sat down handing the attention of the collected people over to Max.

Despite her best efforts, Liz could not make her brain stop repeating the same words over and over again in response to the realisation that Max was one of her bosses. The repeated an increasingly anxious litany of, “Oh God, oh God, OH GOD!” Shouted inside of her head to the point of being painful.

With the urbane charm that seemed to come so naturally to him Max addressed the group. His words were practised, professional and to the point; much as the HR director’s had been. Both had clearly held such meetings before.


From Liz’s point of view he may as well have been repeating the words rhubarb rhubarb over and over again for all the sense his words made to her in her current state of panic.

Unperturbed and apparently oblivious of the effect he was having on Liz, Max continued to address the room his hands moving to illustrate whatever point he was making. The words continued to mean nothing to Liz as she instead focused on the movement of his hands, the expression on his face, and his eyes.

When her eyes drifted to his lips an unwelcome realisation happened and the colour drained from Liz's face. Her lips knew those lips; intimately. More panicky thoughts raced through Liz’s head. The main and most disturbing of them being that she was a living cliché of the girl who had snogged the boss!

Liz had a sudden urge to bolt, but through sheer force of will she forced herself to remain in her seat and to concentrate on what was happening around her instead of the nightmare of panic swirling around in her mind. Propriety had to come first, losing her breakfast perhaps second, most of all she needed to survive the rest of this meeting until she could find somewhere to be alone.

“Are there are any questions?” Max asked waiting. His eyes drifted casually around the group of people in general while actually trying to observe Liz in particular. What he saw on her face was not pleasing. She looked sickly for want of a better description, and he frowned in concern.

Liz seemed to shift uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze, dropping her own eyes away from his to stare down at the table. Max cursed inwardly, irritated that he had not tried harder to speak to her before this meeting. Circumstances being what they were over the weekend the opportunity had not presented itself and now he was paying the price.

Max knew the routine of these inductions well. Well enough to know that he would not have an opportunity to speak to her one-to-one until after lunch. Still he tried to convey to Liz his support and a promise of explanations through his silent gaze but she did not lift her dark haired head to look at him again and he was thwarted.

Suppressing a frustrated growl, Max acknowledged that Selina had taken over again as she organised the group to split into smaller teams to be taken on a tour of the building which he knew would end with an allocation of their cubicle space, IT equipment and meet and greet seasons with the Supervisors.

Politely professional Max smiled his way out of the room and headed back to his office scowling darkly only once he was in the corridor. It was clear what had started as an unexpectedly wonderful introduction was going to descend into a cluster fuck of epic proportions if he did not take control of the situation. His personal life at present was already something of a nightmare to deal with, leaving Max with the feeling that he was constantly having to spin more and more metaphorical plates just to hold ground never mind gain it. Despite that he wanted to find space for Liz in his world. If it required extra effort on his part, he didn’t mind because he was sure she was worth the effort.

With this in mind he stalked by his secretary's desk and requested that she set up an appointment for him with Elizabeth Parker that afternoon. Settling behind his desk he leaned back into his chair with a ragged sigh.

Ignoring the open laptop that should be drawing his attention, he instead directed his mind to deciding just exactly what he was going to say to Liz when she arrived. Depressingly he was drawing a blank at present.

~~~~

Entering the airy glass fronted former warehouse building from which the gallery was run Maria followed Ailsa passed the white walls and vaulted ceilings of the main display area. It was being prepared for a new exhibition by a small army of workers, unpacking pictures from packing crates and climbing up and down ladders placed at different points throughout the room.

They climbed an elegantly understated glass and metal spiral staircase to the offices above, were Alisa paused outside a closed door. Smiling encouragingly at Maria she knocked, and a muffled voice call, “come in,” in response.

“Go on in Maria, you’ll be fine.....” Ailsa prompted with a hand in the small of Maria’s back as the door swung open.

Squaring her shoulder’s Maria let her face relax into a smile and proceeded into the room which felt dimly let compared to the white walled extravagantly illuminated space of the main gallery.

Half way into the room, Ailsa’s jokingly teasing voice sounded behind Maria as the door started to close, “He’s never been known to eat a new employee yet.”

Maria’s automatic response of a nervous giggle, cut off in her throat and morphed into a muffled gasp as the man behind the desk raise a tousled brown haired head and regarded her with a wry expression.

Characteristically, her immediate thoughts were expressed through her lips with an explosion of sound.

“Holy shit!”

~~~~
“What are you most afraid of Liz?”

Eight year old Liz regarding Dr Jojo solemnly through her fringe before replying in a subdued voice.

“That Daddy doesn’t love me anymore and will leave home.”

“But your Daddy already has left home, Liz. You understand that, don’t you?”

She nodded solemnly, her Daddy had explained that to her. “Mommy locked him out because she’s a bitch.”

“Who told you that word, Liz?” Little Liz looked worried, scared that she had said the wrong thing. It was very important to say the right things because there were consequences.

“It’s okay, Liz, you won’t be in trouble if you tell me.”

“Will Mommy?”

“No.”

“Not even from Daddy?”

“I won’t tell, Liz”

“It was Daddy.”

Later that day Dr Jojo wrote up her notes for the court regarding the suitability of James Meyer as a candidate for sole or joint unsupervised custody of his young daughter. Her recommendation was not in his favour.

That was the first time that Nancy Meyer failed in her attempt to leave her husband.
User avatar
Reamhar
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:40 am
Location: UK

Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 13, 25th August

Post by Reamhar »

Sorry I am posting this in a bit of a hurry. I will leave a post later with the thanks, etc.


Chapter 13


It was 3:45PM when the email from Max’s secretary arrived in Liz’s inbox, by 16:00 she was out the front door of the office with her fury adding speed to her feet as she charged towards the parking lot.

Luckily for Liz her new employer operated a flexitime system. Not that she particularly cared at that moment. It was only Monday, but as far as Liz was concerned the weekend couldn’t possibly come fast enough.

~~~~

Earlier the same day.......


Liz did her damnedest to drag her rattled nerves back under control after the orientation meeting disaster. Her very best, but still the thought kept running around in her head; she had made out the boss. Worse, she had crashed into his car, tripped into him in a toilet, played footsie (admittedly unintentionally) with him and then got so drunk that she had to be put to bed. Alone!

Gah! Didn’t cover it.

Dig me a hole and bury me and my embarrassment almost covered it.

Just shoot me now, worked too.

It was hard to understand what was stressing her more; that she was in this situation in the first place, or that she was completely out of control in the situation. The embarrassment was bad enough, but secondary to how frightening being out of control was for Liz. She was completely out of her comfort zone and unsure what to do next.

Lunch came and went, and Liz managed to eat a sandwich without much enthusiasm for the meal itself. Everybody else ate, so she joined in as expected. She met with her legal supervisor, sat through meetings about the allocation of work and future cases. In all ways, playing the role she was expected to fulfil, she was diligent, attentive and contributed to the discussions when necessary, but inside she was quaking.

The technician from IT came passed her cubicle at two in the afternoon and set up her laptop, phone and docking station. Chatted her through accessing the network and emails, and left with a cheery wave and appreciative backward glance. For the first time that day Liz was left alone with her thoughts with time to catch her breath.

Studying her desk phone she considered calling Maria for support. It was tempting, but Liz knew what would happen as a result. Maria would come up with a plan, strategise ever move that she should make, and expect it to be put into action. It was comforting to know that Maria had always and would always have her back, but Liz needed to feel like she could handle herself and her own life.

Hadn’t that been the whole point of returning to Boston; a new start? Liz decided against involving Maria. What Liz wanted was someone to listen, but not fix this for her, so she picked up the handset and dialled a familiar number.

“Parker Residence.”

“Hey, DeeDee, it’s Liz.”

“Liz, hun. How are you? How did your dinner go?”

“Good. No drama – well... sort of.”

“That’s great.”

“Dee, Is my mom in?”

“Sure, she standing right here. Bye, hun.”

“Liz? How’s your first day going?” Inexplicably Liz felt choked up, and struggled to make her vocal cords work again.

“Liz, honey?”

“Not so good, mom. Look, can I talk to you?”

“Of course sweetie, you can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Oh, mum, I’ve made such a mess of things.,....”


~~~~

Comforted by her conversation with Nancy, Liz managed to make herself concentrate on some background reading she had been given to catch up with. Nancy, as ever, had been the voice of common sense, and suggested that Liz simply spoke to Max. That there was no point worrying about something until there actually was something worry about.

Greatly mollified but her mother’s straightforward analysis of her situation, Liz promised that she would try to catch Max at the end of the day. With that as an action plan, she felt better.

When Max’s secretary’s email arrived into her inbox with a melodic “ping” her nerves were rattled slightly. She was confused why he would have his secretary make such a formal request for a meeting, but tried her best not to over analysis it. Instead turning her attention back to her reading materials.

From that point in the afternoon until her alloted appointment, time seemed to crawl for Liz until, as summoned by Max’s email, she made her way to the third floor. Liz read the name plates on the doors until she found the correct suite of offices, and enter a large curving reception area decorated tastefully in shades of heather and coffee coloured fawns.

Stopping at desk behind which Max’s Assistant sat, Liz made herself smile, and say, “Excuse me.”

Emily Brunelli, lifted her head with a practised professional smile and asked, “can I help you?” Her smile warmed further when she recognised Liz as Jeff Parker’s youngest daughter.

“Liz, it’s been a while since I last saw you visiting you Dad. How is your first day in the big office going?”

Liz smiled bashfully. “Great thanks. Only slightly bewildering.”

Emily laughed softly, her eyes flicking to the clock on her desk and she grimaced.

“I’m sorry; Max had an unexpected visitor drop by.” Emily’s pleasant face tightened slightly with careful, but not quite concealed, annoyance. “If you take a seat, I expect he should be free very soon.”

Liz sat obediently down in the indicated chair, and waited as requested. Her heart suddenly felt like it was in her mouth again with nerves with each tortuously slow minute that ticked past. She started to practise her “conversation” with Max in her head to try to calm down.

To the benefit of her nerves, she didn’t have to wait long. Girlish laughter was followed shortly by the office door opening as Tess exited through Max’s office door. If she was surprised to see Liz waiting patiently to enter Max’s office, it wasn’t shown on her face. Instead a slowly widening smile graced her features as she witnessed Liz flinch involuntarily at the spectre of Tess leaving Max’s company.

Max called out to his secretary through the door, and Emily stood up, pad in hand and entered his office, closing the door discretely behind her.

Dressed in a shoe string strap cream and pink floral dress and strappy sandals in the thoroughly professional environment of Max’s masculinely decorated office, Tess looked as out of place as an exotic lily in a bed of weeds, but she still managed to own the room. Liz felt suddenly dowdy in her black skirt suit.

With the exit of the secretary, Tess’s smile disappeared, and she stood and studied Liz like she was a particularly unattractive a bug under a microscope. Feeling threatened, Liz instinctively stood up, clenching her hands into fists ready for a confrontation.

Liz’s eyes flicked to a pretty silver watch on her wrist, registering that Max was now late for their appointment and Tess’s smirk was back.

“Still standing in line behind me, Liz?” she sneered. “Guess nothing much changes.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do with you day, Tess, than bore me?” Liz asked, steel in her voice.

“Actually, yes, Tess replied, collecting shouldering her bag. “But Max is worth being late for, you know?”

Liz tried not to flinch at the implication in Tess’s suggestive tone, and borrowed a weapon from Maria’s arsenal by rolling her eyes at Tess. Disinterestedly, Tess turned her back and headed out of the door with a casual flick of her hair.

“Oh and Liz, I didn’t need an appointment to see Max, you should remember that.” Was her parting shot as she sauntered out into the lobby leaving only the scent of her perfume behind her in the now claustrophobically small feeling reception area.

Emily reappeared and smiled at Liz with a conspiratorial twinkle in her eyes.

“Phew, is he ever in a mood. Has been all afternoon.” She moved across to a filing cabinet built into the wall and began to flick through one of the drawers. “ All because he can’t find his car insurance details for a meeting.”

Liz blanched.

All because he can’t find his car insurance details.....

Waiting in line behind me.....

I don’t need an appointment.....


“Of course he is lucky to have me, because I keep a copy on file here.” Emily continued to ramble, completely unaware of the dawning horror on Liz’s face.

Summoned by an email....

“And here it is!” She pulled some paperwork out of the drawer and waved in her hand triumphantly.

“I’m such a fool.” Liz said out loud. “Idiot!”

Emily blinked at Liz, nonplussed.

“Sorry?”

Liz tried to cover up her outburst as best she could, but she was honestly more interested in beating a hasty exit than caring if she left Max’s assistant with the impression than she was a lunatic.

Liz’s smile was forced, her voice uneven. “I’m an idiot. I totally forgot that I have another meeting.”

She pantomimed looking at her watch. “Can you please tell Max, I mean Mr Evans that I was sorry but I had to go?” She started to back towards the door, bumping painfully into Emily desk as she retreated.

“Just tell him I’ll email him my insurance details, and that should sort all of this out.”

“Liz, wait, he’s expecting you now...”

But Liz had already left, walking rapidly with her head down and face overted from anyone else in the lobby, muttering the word, “Stupid, stupid, stupid, “ as she walked.

Emily’s grumpy boss did not improve his temper when he heard that Liz had left. In fact his mood got even worse when she passed on her message about emailing insurance details. He looked positively demonic in his anger.

This was a facet to Max that Emily had never experienced before. Her normally urban, charming if slightly aloof boss had cursed up a blue streak too when Emily confirmed that she had summoned Liz to his office by email. This had been the point when Emily wonder if she would have a job when the conversation ended such was the extent of Max’s dark annoyance.

She did as it turned out, but only by a hair breath in her opinion. She was grateful when 5PM came around she was able to present Max with the industrial size bouquet of flowers that she order on his behalf, but to his very specific details.

Doing her best to end a bad afternoon, Emily bravely stuck her head around Max’s office door before she left, to wish him goodnight.

What she saw made her think better about speaking to him. Max was setting in profile to his office door with his elbows on his knees, and his hands fisted in his hair staring down at his feet with a particularly frustrated expression on his face.

Emily backed out of his office and shut the door softly without Max noticing, such was his concentration.

Grabbing her coat and her bag, Emily walked off towards the elevator lamenting what was turning into a particularly tricky week. Made worse by the fact there were still four more days of to survive!

~~~~

Maria felt suddenly light headed as she regarded Michael sitting behind the desk that was supposed to belong to her “boss”. This had to be some sort of sick joke, right? Right!? The word reverberated around in her head as she shrieked the question to herself internally.

Immediately on the defensive, Maria drew herself up as tall as she could manage and narrowed her eyes at Michael.

“You’re kidding me, right? First you turn up at the nightclub, now you’re sitting in my boss’s office? What game are you playing Michael?”

“Go look at the name on the door, Maria, I am the boss.”

“Wh-what?” She stuttered stupidly, unable to wrap her brain around the softly spoken honesty in his voice.

“I’m not playing games Maria.” He added his express deadly serious.

“But you live in Paris!” Maria accused. “How can you be here too!”

“You were the one who left Boston, Maria.” Maria flinched at the implication, then flushed guiltily at his too accurate jab at their shared past.

“I’ve lived here for most of my life.”

“I don’t believe you.” Maria’s voice was like gravel, rough with upset.

“I’ve lived in several places Maria. I have business interests in Paris, London, New York and Boston, but I live predominantly in Boston now. I have an apartment and work room above the gallery in fact.”

“You live here,” Maria repeated. Moving the words around inside her head and disliking their meaning intensely. “But I work here! You CAN’T live here.”

Michael laughed a rich mocking sound. “And yet I do.”

“We can’t be together like that. It’s too coincidental to be true.” Maria denied desperately.

“Yes, it does rather seem like you are stalking me, doesn’t it?” he said evenly, laughing harder when Maria stamped her foot in frustration.

“I’m stalking you? Are you kidding me?”

“You seem to be asking me that a lot today.” Michael replied patiently before throwing his hand out towards her with an expansive gesture amusement and irritation both readable on his face.

“Join the dots, Maria, Nancy told you about this job, because my mother spoke to Nancy about. Diane is a silent partner in this gallery. Are you telling me that you didn’t know that?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Maria growled in reply. What was he trying to pull here; he had to be the one who engineered this nightmare!

“Stop trying to make this all sound so reasonable. You must have known when you saw my application this would happen.”

“Why? Ailsa is the business manager for this gallery. She has discretion to hire and fire. I trust her implicitly.”

“But?”

“But what?” Michael growled back in response, losing his calm suddenly. “By the time I realised it was you, you had already accepted the position and arranged to move you life across the country.”

“I don’t know...” Maria whispered her fire suddenly extinguished by anxiety. She needed this job.

“Look Maria, there is no grand conspiracy here. This is what it is.”

“I don’t know if I can do this.” She replied and Michael hated the defeated tone in her voice. It didn’t sound right coming from Maria. It reminded him of how she had been before she left, and the comparison hurt in strange ways.

“Why? What happened between us happened a life time ago. We’re adults, why shouldn’t we be able to move past it.” He muttered in reply, turning to look out of the window suddenly, shielding his expression from her too knowledgeable eyes.

What happened......

It....

Life time ago....

The words cut Maria to the quick. How casually he referenced the single most heart breaking event in Maria’s life. He seemed so unaffected, and she still felt stained by the memory.

Unable to help himself, Michael turned back to face Maria. Caught up in her own grief, Maria missed the softening of Michael’s expression, and the way his hand twitched on the table top as though he had to stop himself for reaching out.

When he spoke, he was all kinds of professional again. Aloof and regulated. Not the wild, artistic boy that she had loved beyond reason “life times ago”.

“You are the best candidate for the job, Maria, you deserve it, but don’t think you won’t have to work to continue to earn it.” He warned.

“You’re an arrogant ass, do you know that.” Maria seesawed back to anger again, and relished its return.

“And you still don’t have a verbal filter, so I’ll let that pass.” He smirked provokingly.

“How noble of you.”

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you head home? Decompress and decide if this is something that you can handle. I’ll understand if you don’t want to come back. If working with me is too much....” he trailed off goadingly and Maria willingly snapped at the bait.

“You’re right, I do deserve this job. I worked my cute little ass of in college for this type of opportunity, so I’ll be damn if our past history is going to spoil it for me. So bring it on Mr Evans. I’ll be here tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that.”

“Fighting word, sweetheart. You know, I actually expected you to turn and run.”

“To hell with you Michael, you don’t know me anymore.”

“That’s true, but I’m not so sure that a leopard can change its spots. You run. That’s what you do.”

Maria’s shrill scream of rage, was accompanied by the her lobbing her handbag straight at Michaels face, but he neatly ducked, which only in sensed Maria more.

“Fuck you, Michael and the stuck up Bostonian blue blooded horse you rode in on. You don’t know me. I will be here tomorrow. I will do this job and I will do it so bloody well that you will eat your words.”

Bagless, Maria stormed out of the office, passing a gaping Ailsa on the stairs as she went.

Michael waited until Maria was out of earshot and then started to laugh uproariously, as Ailsa walked into his office, with a look of concern on her face.

“Here, she should be just about realising that she is going to need this if she wants to be able to unlock her car.” Michael said, handing the bag calmly to Ailsa.

Ailsa studied him carefully for several seconds, before accept the bag. “She Maria, isn’t she? The Maria. Your Maria.”

Michael nodded wryly, finding it amusing to hear Maria referred to rather like Madonna or Cher might be. So infamous that no second name was required.

“The one and only. Hurricane De Luca in person. My Maria.”


~~~~


Max knew he was in trouble the minute Maria answered the door. Dressed in too large, paint smeared overalls, she was talking animated into a cordless phone. She speared Max with a glare, her blue green eyes narrowed in warning, shoulders square and mouth tense with temper.

Yes, he was in trouble. He thought, giving himself another mental slap on the head for handling the situation with Liz so badly. One question occurred. How was he going to get past Maria, who was doing a formidable impersonation of an angry Pit-bull at the moment, to speak to Liz and apologise for being an idiot?

“Hang on a minute. He’s arrived.” Maria muttered into the phone before dropping the hand holding the phone to her side as she propped herself casual against the door frame blocking the opening completely.

Max wondered if it was a good or a bad thing to be expected while reading Maria’s body language with a practised eye. He understood her unspoken message clearly. She was the gate keeper, and he didn’t have a key. Yet – he added to himself silently, unwilling to lose this particular non-verbal argument.

Max forced his body to relax into a non-threatening posture, producing a charming smile without effort, while casually bring the large, carefully selected bunch of flowers into her view. Perhaps he should have bought two bunches.

Max was a planner, and he had actually considered and discounted that idea. From the little that he knew of Maria from her time with Michael he already knew that that wouldn’t work. If Maria had a point to make, she was going to make it, and he would just have to suck it up.

So, if he wanted to spend time with Liz, he had to make peace with Maria.

Michael had always described them as being like Siamese twins; deal with one you had to deal with both. The concept at the time had seemed rather abstract to Max, since he had never actually experienced Liz and Maria during that time. Being away at college and suffering through a rebellious refusal to have anything to do with his father meant, Boston, and all things in Boston were avoided because Philip Evans lived and worked there.

“Flowers twice in one week, Max, wow you must be interested. Go figure, because a “come to my office email” sent by your secretary just screams interested don’t you think?”

Max’s smile faltered. “Maria, I fucked up, I know. I’m here to apologise and explain….”

“We’ll come back to that subject in a moment.” Maria dismissed with a flick of her hand. “First I have a phone call for you.” She extended the phone towards Max with satisfied smirk on her pretty face. Max took it gingerly, handling it like an unexploded bomb.

“Liz?” Max questioned, turning his back on Maria.

“An email, Max, an email! Are you insane!” Isabel’s shrill voice vibrated out of the headset with enough volume for Maria to hear, and smirk in reaction.

“Isabel? How the hell did you know about that?” Max muttered angrily.

“Don’t even start with me Maxwell Evans. Just don’t. I warned you in the night club what would happen to you if I thought you were playing games with Liz. She too good for you player bull shit.”

“Isabel.” Max tried to interrupt with his most reasonable voice, but Isabel just continued to rant.

“Shut up and don’t ‘Isabel’ me Max. Sort this out, or I will sort you out!” The sound of Isabel’s shrill voice still echoed in his ears several seconds after she slammed down the phone on him.

Max handed the handset back to Maria silently. He had to give her kudos for that move. Getting Isabel involved was a masterful, and not one he would have anticipated. Isabel and Maria were not exactly BFF to say the least.

They appraised each other silently for several seconds, the satisfied little smile melted from Maria face slowly, to be replaced by a more normal one.

“Is Liz at home, Maria?”

“No, she’s went home to have dinner with the parental units. She wanted to go through some paperwork that Nancy was looking after. Her car insurance details.” Maria said pointedly. “I don’t expect she will be back until late, if at all.”

Max’s face fell, reflecting a frustrated scowl. “I messed up big time, didn’t I?”

“You most certainly did.” Maria replied levelly.

“Can I leave a message at least?”

Max’s normally confident and debonair attitude seemed to have shifted suddenly, and he looked uncharacteristically unsure of himself in this situation. He raked a restless hand through his hair, leaving ruffled disarray where glossy smooth coiffeur had been before.

Maria studied him for several second, from his frustrated amber eyes, tense posture to the dark designer jeans and shirt he was wearing. She liked him like this. He same more normal for once, less like the player she was worried about. Not that she wanted to admit this even to herself, his restless movements were reminiscent of Michael once upon a time.

“Of course, however, I am a great believer in actions speaking louder than words, Max.”

Maria popped her hip out and touched her finger to Max’s designer clad chest with a cheeky smile, and then made a gesture to her paint cover overalls. “How do you feel about time served through hard labour?”

Max smiled, recognising that an olive branch was being offered. “I could be an advocate for corporal punishment.” He replied quirking a dark eyebrow in reply.

“Corporal punishment?”

Max recited straight from memory, for Maria’s benefit, his voice monotone as though lecturing to a group of students, but his eyes playful. “Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain intended to discipline or reform a wrongdoer or to change an undesirable attitude or behavior.”

“Why, Max, I didn’t know that you liked your bread butter that way.” She replied breathlessly, her expression absolutely deadpan looking up at him threw her lashes flirtatiously
.
If Max was shocked, it didn’t register on his face. Instead he stared back at Maria with wicked, sinfully seductive smile playing the game.

“But…” she drawled in reply, “I’ll leave that up to Liz I think.” Maria wasn’t sure if she imagined the sudden darkening of Max’s eyes as that particular mental image hit him.

Man, oh, man was Liz in trouble when Max caught up with her finally, Maria chuckled quietly at the thought. Suddenly more comfortable with the thought of Max and Liz together. She was hopeful that an evening of painting and decorating, and hopefully honest conversation between them might develop that comfort further.

“Don’t worry, Max, I’m not interested inflicting physical punishment to your person, only your clothes. Give me those flowers; I know a bedroom that they will look beautiful in once we have finished painting it.”

Max sighed internally with relief. It looked like Maria was going to give him a second chance after all. Now all he had to do was track down Liz.

Maria took the flowers from Max and turned into the house as Max followed. “I should warn you, however, that I only have one set of overalls and I do not intend to share, so I hope you aren’t too fond of that outfit.”

Max grinned. It appeared it was his clothes that were to be the victim of Maria’s corporal punishment.

Max closed the front door behind him, quietly make plans in his head for tomorrow, and what he would say to Liz when he got her alone.

Unfortunately, Max had no way of knowing at that point, just how much difficulty he was going to have achieving that aim. Maria knew what Liz’s likely reaction would be, but didn’t feel charitable enough to share it with an unsuspected Max. Because, after all, all male indiscretion require a certain amount of pay back, didn’t they. If Max had thought to speak to Michael about the mental Machiavellianism of his former girlfriend he might have been in a better position to understand what he was going to be up against tomorrow…..
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 13, 27th Sept.

Post by Reamhar »

Thank you to everyone who left a review. They are always welcome. :D



Chapter 14


9 Years Earlier


Jeff Parker contemplated the empty spaces at the breakfast table where Nancy and Liz should have been sitting. Both had gone out for breakfast that morning together, Liz; because she wanted to get out of the house and Nancy; out of worry for Liz.

Jeff wasn’t a fool; he understood the sacrifices that Liz had made by leaving the only home she had known since she was a small child. She had willing left friends and family behind so that he and Nancy could settle down together. Homesickness was to be expected, but the recent and all consuming sadness she seemed to be suffering from felt like something more.

It pained him to see it, because she truly had become like a second daughter to him. He was glad she and Nancy were together this morning and hoped that some one to one time with her mother might help draw her out a little. Besides, school would be starting in a few week times and knowing that Liz was an enthusiastic student, filled him with the hope that it might be just the distraction that she needed. If looking forward to that failed to perk her up, he had another plan up his sleeve for prior to the school year that was sure to help.

Tess bounced into the breakfast room and leaned over Jeff’s morning paper to kiss him on the cheek before helping herself to scrambled eggs and bacon from the dishes laid out in front of them. A relaxed smile brightened her small features as she settled herself at the table and attacked her breakfast with obvious enjoyment.

“Morning, sweetheart.” Her smile brightened even further in response to the endearment.

“Hey, pops.”

“Who was on the phone?”

“Isabel, she wanted to chat.”

“It’s pretty early, was anything wrong?”

Tess grimaced, and Jeff understood why. Diane and Philip Evans were in the middle of a very acrimonious divorce, so domestic bliss was hardly the order of the day in the Evans household.

“Max left for college this morning, she was a bit upset about it. Michael has gone all emo and won’t talk to anyone, so Isabel needed to off load some stuff. I’m going over there later to hang out.”

Tess turned away from him to pour herself a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice, and Jeff consider how best to bring up the subject of Liz while he had Tess to himself.

Nancy and he had expected some problems introducing two teenage girls into a household as step sisters. The interesting thing was that there had been absolutely no problems at all. They were both unfailingly polite to each other, no outward tension at all. They had hoped that from such benign beginnings warmth might have grown between the girls, but if anything there seemed to be a growing distance between that neither parent could explain. There was no hostility, petty jealousy or angst. In fact, there was absolutely nothing. That in its self was odd. They had as much connection as two strangers walking past each other in the street. Having been prepared for hormonely fuel antipathy, the lack of reaction, for want of a better description was perplexing.

“Nancy and Liz popped out, perhaps Liz could go with you to see Isabel later?” he asked tentatively.

“Sure, I’ll ask her, but she’ll most likely say no.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me why Liz and Nancy went out so early?”

Tess looked at her father straight in the eye without a hint of guilt on her face, in fact, without much of any expression at all.

“No, should I?” she asked carefully.

“Liz has become very homesick recently. Nancy found the friendship bracelet that she gave you in the waste basket in her room. We wondered if you two had had a falling out or something?”

“No, no drama,” Tess replied softly, then rolled her eyes at Jeff. “The bracelet got broken when I was horsing around with Max, I threw it away. I guess Liz found it and read more into than there was. I can apologise later if you like, but I really don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

“Maybe so, Liz hasn’t actually said anything but Nancy is pretty sure she’s upset about it.”

“I meant to buy another replace it. It’s no big deal. I gave Max hell for it, and he took me out for a hamburger to apologise.”

Jeff looked uncomfortable for a moment and laid his newspaper down to pay closer attention to Tess. “I’m not sure that I approve of your ‘horsing around’ with an eighteen year old boy, Tess, even if it is Max.”

“Oh come on, dad, it’s Max we’re talking about here. I’ve known him forever, and I am nearly fifteen you know, not five.”

“Perhaps, but you’re still my little girl.”

“Paa-leeaze,” Tess teased. “Anyway, it’s rarely just Max and I; we all went out to get that burger.”

“All?”

“Isabel and Michael came too, though I don’t know why Michael bothered, he just kept his face stuck in his sketch pad the whole time. It’s easier to get conversation out of a brick wall than him when he is in one of his moods.”

“Didn’t Liz want to go?”

For the first time since the conversation had begun Jeff saw irritation flash across Tess’s composed face. “No, should I have asked? She spends most of her time talking to Maria on the phone, or moping in her room. It really didn’t seem worth the bother.”

“Liz is trying to find her feet, Tess, maybe you could try to include her with your friends? For your old man?”

Tess pouted, but flashed a beguilingly sweet smile at her Jeff, her huff forgotten. “Sure, anything thing for my old man, besides, schools starts in a few weeks. Liz will probably settle down fine when she has more to keep her occupied.”

“So Michael is being moody, that must be tough for Isabel.”

Tess nodded, enjoying having her father to herself for once, and she intended to keep his attention for as long as possible. With even more effort she project bouncy effervescence into her voice, and engaged her father with stories about Michael, Max and Isabel’s home life. Anything was better than hearing him worrying and simpering about Liz. As to the truth about the friendship bracelet, she considered that to be a bullet well dodged.


~~~~


Liz kept reminding herself in the car on her drive to work that she was going to pick the mature plan when she got inside of the glass and concrete office. Mature plans involved meeting with and talking to Max. Mature plans meant standing up straight, facing the problem and dealing with the outcome head on, whatever it might be.

She was still telling herself that when she parked in the under grounding parking lot at 6AM when only the security guards and janitors were in the building. And she was not sneaking around per se when she walked across Max’s abandoned office and left her insurance documents in the centre of his completely empty desk.

In truth, Liz was too confused to know what she was really doing in this situation, yet alone what Max’s motivations where, at all. Yesterday, storming home surrounded by a cloud of righteous anger, she thought she understood everything. Max was flirt, that night had meant nothing to him, and in the cold light of day when faced with his dalliance in his own workplace he decided to freeze her out. That was the most plausible explanation for Liz, since it didn’t really make sense to her why somebody as good looking and successful as Max would possibly be interested in boring old Liz.

She’d not been angry at Max so much about the whys, more the manner in which he had chosen to brush her off in his office. Having his secretary summoned her by email had lacked class in Liz’s opinion, Tess being there to lord it over her had just been the icing on the cake in the end.

That afternoon she drove straight home to see her parents and invited herself to dinner, completely unable to face Maria, and her inevitable questions about her dreadful first day at work. After the questions would have come sympathy, and perhaps a gentle “I told you so”. However it may have played out, Liz had been unwilling to squirm anymore about it in person to Maria than she already had to herself. Instead she phoned Maria to explain her absence at home, asked her to listen, but not comment on what had occurred with Max, and said that she was visiting with Nancy and Jeff until she calmed down some.

Maria did as she was asked, and said she would see her later if she decided to come home. She was even good enough to give Liz and reason to ask to stay the night if she wanted in her old room, as Maria was going to start decorating Liz’s bedroom.

After a meal in the soothing company of her parents, where the only sticking point had been Liz’s confession to an over protective Jeff about her fender bender (sans details about the victim), Liz had put on her big girl panties and headed home.

Maria had been in bed when she got in, and had left her a note which said simply, “hugs” beside a vase full of flower. Sitting on the shabby, scratched kitchen counter the obviously expensive arrangement of flowers looked very out of place. A bit like her and Max together; quiet, plain Liz and confident, sexy Max. How pathetic, she’d thought.

But the note that Max had left attached to the flowers, had thrown her back into confusion. In it he apologised, said that he’d never expected her to be summoned by email and stated in no uncertain terms that he’d fucked up. So what was she supposed to think after that? That douche bag Max had left the building for good? That sweet, attentive, protective Max had returned? Or that he was playing games?

Which brought her the state of affairs that she was in at the moment, alone at her desk at 6:30 in the morning trying to decided quite what she could say when they next met. Because they would meet, Max’s note had been quite clear on that point.

Liz was still muttering about mature plans under her breath and unpacking her laptop and paperwork onto her desk one of the supervising attorneys appeared by her shoulder.

Andrew Martin was an unassuming man of medium height and build, who really wouldn’t stand out in a crowd for being anything other than ordinary. Standing in front of a jury, that mask of normality would disappear to reveal a sharp mind, even sharper wit and one of the most talented defence attorneys in the State.

“Good morning, Liz, you’re up bright and early.”

Liz jumped with fright because she had been so absorbing with her inner thoughts about Max.

“Hi, Andrew, sorry you startled me. Yes, I wanted to get a head start on some more catch up reading.”

Lies, all lies. She’d wanted to get in and out of Max’s office before he or his assistant had a chance to delay her escape.

Andrew made a soft humming noise in response and seemed to be considering something. Liz wondered why he was hovering instead of heading on to his office.

“I came in early myself to drop some stuff off before heading out to an early meetings. How is your diary for today?”

“I haven’t anything scheduled except a catch up with Jill at eleven.”

“Great, you can come help me out. I’ll email Jill and let her know I’ve borrowed you for the day. We’ll be out all day does that present you with any problems?”

In side Liz’s inner procrastinator was doing back flips with glee. Here was a legitimate reason to defer having “the talk” with Max. To hell with the mature plan! Since a large part of her was still convinced that all that Max was going to have to say was, “have a nice life,” escaping to assist a truly gift defence attorney seemed like more of a blessing than a curse.

“No, no problems at all.”

“Great, I’ll meet you down in reception in 10 mins?”

“Sure.”

“Good, good, see you then.”

And with that parting, her day was mapped out for her and Max was essentially avoided.

~~~~



Max arrived slightly later than normal that morning hoping to catch Liz at her desk. He’d missed her yesterday, and was determined that the same was not going to happen today. Plus, he’d brought gifts and too early a delivery would render the surprise ruined. Well, cold and congealed at the very least.

Max walked across the open plan office towards Liz’s cubicle giving of the air of easy confidence that was second nature to him. He acknowledged the various greetings that were called his way as he progressed across the floor, but didn’t linger to speak to anyone in particular focusing solely on catching Liz.

The sight that greeted him when he stopped at Liz’s desk was not welcoming; an empty desk, empty cubicle and absolutely no sign of Liz. He checked his watch and a worried scowl crossed his face when the time it displayed confirmed that this was exactly where Liz should be.

In his breast pocket his Blackberry vibrated with remember about his first meeting of the day. Max pulled it out of his pocket and with a soft curse and silenced it. He was out of time, yet again. Max left his gift – a latte and breakfast bagel – on Liz’s desk and stalked back towards the stairs and his office. He was on his cell phone talking to Liz’s supervisor Jill, before he reached first staircase to confirm what he suspected had happened; Liz was on the run which put him into the position of a not so reluctant hunter.
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 14, 28th Nov.

Post by Reamhar »

Chapter 15


“In our home, Helena, while Tess was in the other room; have you completely lost your mind?”

“Tessa didn’t know what was going on, and neither would, you if your hired busy body, Deidre, hadn’t got involved.”

“DeeDee did what she thought was best for Tess. She doesn’t understand the reality of our marriage.”

Helena sneered at Jeff’s affectionate name for his House Keeper, but channelled the hostility back to Jeff. “Do you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Do you still understand the reality of our marriage?”

Jeff Parker paused for a beat before replying. Looking at the face of his wife, which was twisted into an ugly mask of loathing, he tried to remember when it had happened. When their life together had turned his youthful, beautiful wife into the bitter harpy who stood in front of him.

When he replied, his voice weary, “I remember very well, Helena, and I remember that it suited us both. I remember that it made you happy once. What I don’t remember is how we came to be here.”

“So I’m a disappointment then,” she sneered, throwing her head back as she radiated angry defiance. “Guess that just matches up with life in general.”

For the briefest of seconds her defensive mask dropped, softening her expression and he was again able to see the woman who walked down the aisle at his side at their large, society wedding. As quickly as it started, the moment was over, and the mask was back; brittle and hard.

“As much as I am to you I expect,” Jeff replied dryly. “I never pretended that we were anything more than we are.”

Helena sighed, a harsh rattling sound. “I know. I guess my mistake was thinking I could find something different.”

Jeff had the urge to offer her comfort, but knew it would be rejected. “You can’t help how you feel but he’s married, Helena.”

For the shortest of moments there was a twist of pain on Helena’s face, and she shut her eyes briefly. When they flicked open again they were china blue and hard as flint.

Jeff signed internally, recognising that she was pulling away from him. He squared his shoulders, settling back into the role of husband and stranger. “The Conways are coming to dinner tonight. They are important clients of the firm.”


“You don’t have to explain, Jeffrey, I know my job very well,” she replied with a businesslike tone.

Jeff nodded brusquely before beginning to back away from his wife.

“Dinner will be served at 7:30 with beef wellington for main course. Aubrey Conway’s favourite dish.”

“Very good. I will see you then.” Jeff turned on his heel and left the room with a steady measured stride heading for his office. The fight was over but the tension remained. As he left the room, his thoughts - as before the confrontation – revolved around the heighten tension in their marriage, and how much longer they could keep the facade together for Tess’s sake.

From her hiding place behind the luxurious floor length drapes by the open patio doors, Tess remained tense and alert, and waited for her chance to escape.

Helena smoothed her already flawless hair, and sighed. Her heels clacked against the wooden floor as she turned to the leave the room. Over her shoulder with an strangely voice, she called back to her hidden daughter, “eavesdroppers rarely hear things that they want to, remember that next time, Tessa.”

Biting her lip, Tess whirled from her hiding place and raced out into the garden. Her only thought was to run away from this prison of a house. To run and keep going until this hideous life was so far behind that it lost her over the distance she travelled.

In reality she run to the comfort of Isabel’s bedroom, the warmth of Diane Evan’s kitchen and the normality of family life in the Evans household that had been so forgotten about in her own.


~~~~

Maria broke the news to Liz about her new working relationship with Michael over breakfast on Wednesday morning.

Liz took a careful sip of her coffee and watched Maria’s too composed face for several seconds. “So, how did you leave it?”

“I flung my bag at him, and stormed out,” Maria replied matter-of-factly, then grimaced. “Now I have to go back into work and deal with him on a day-to-day basis. That’s going to be fun with a capital F!”

“And is that what you want to do?” Liz asked carefully.

“Yes. What else can I do? I mean, are you intending to resign because of Max?”

“Well, no...”

“So why should I?” Maria’s tone was defensive.

“I wasn’t suggesting that you should, it’s just...things between you and Michael were pretty intense at the end.”

“And it isn’t between you at Max?”

“Stop changing the subject, Maria, what Max and I have...well, I’m not sure what Max and I have... but it’s hardly the same.”

“So why was he around here last night, while you were on the run, and why is it, after another day of work, that you still haven’t spoken to each other yet?”

“I was at an off-site meeting with one of the attorneys.” It was Liz’s turn to be defensive.

“I call bullshit!” Maria rolled her large eyes.

“Okay, fine, I was presented with an opportunity to run and hide and I took it.”

“Like I said.”

“Indeed, so I expect today will be the day for that particular talk.”

Maria mimicked Liz’s wry tone. “Indeed.”

“Fine, laugh it up at my expense, but don’t think I haven’t noticed that you just changed the subject yet again.”

“What is there to say, Liz? It was a long time ago, and we were children, really. This job is a great opportunity, I can’t waste it by letting what is ancient history get in the way of my future.”

“Maria...”

“Liz, that’s the way I want it to be, so that’s the way it will be...” Maria popped down from the stool she was sitting on a grabbed her keys off the breakfast bar. “And I guess there is no time like the present to get started.”

~~~~

Liz was contemplative when she left her car in the parking lot and walked to her cubicle. The question at hand was; should she go looking for Max, or wait until Max came to find her? When she arrived at her desk it was clear that she had already had a visitor.

A cinnamon and apple muffin and vanilla latte from Starbucks were sitting on her desk beside her laptop dock along with a single, white rose. There was no note. Liz picked up the rose and couldn’t resist smelling the delicate flower which was softly perfumed.

“My, my, somebody is a lucky girl,” Jill, Liz’s supervisor, observed with a grin.

Liz blushed, and dropped the rose hastily onto her desk from where she had been holding it against her nose. “It’s from a friend...”

“You friend has nice taste,” Jill teased. “Anyway, I just wanted to say, I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about you, from a certain attorney.”

Liz flushed even redder, wondering just which attorney Jill was referring to. Could office gossip have started already? “Oh, really?”

“Yes, Andrew was full of compliments for the way you helped with collecting the depositions for his current case.”

“It was all part of the job...” Liz did her best to keep the relief she felt out of her voice.

“That’s true, Liz, but you apparently showed a lot of compassion and maturity while dealing with some difficult subjects. That’s about more than just the job , trust me on that. So praise given when it is due.”

“Thanks,” Liz replied with a self depreciating smile.

“So, are you working with Andrew today?”

“We have a meeting this morning to wrap stuff up, but after that I’m open.”

“Great. Can you drop by my office at 10, and we’ll go over some work allocation.”

“Sure, see you then.”

~~~~

Gathered around a large meeting room table later that morning Liz was busy scribbling notes onto a legal pad as Jill briefed the assembled group of junior attorneys.

When her Blackberry vibrated on the table beside her, she ignored it, and carried on watching the presentation. When it vibrated again only seconds later, Liz shot a guilty look up to Jill and fumbled to switch to cell phone off.

“It’s fine, Liz, this is a good point to take a break, why don’t you go check your messages.”

Liz smiled quickly at Jill, and stared down at the screen as coffee was served to the meeting, and people left the table to form informal groups as a quiet hum of conversation filled the room. She had two text messages.

Did you enjoy your breakfast? The first one asked.

Liz checked the message details, but didn’t recognise the cell number from which the text had been sent, and there was no name in the text itself.

Perhaps cinnamon and apple was the wrong choice. Would a breakfast bagel have been better? The second text said.

Liz typed back a response tentatively. It was very nice, thank you.

Of course you missed the bagel yesterday, so how am I know if you are a muffin or bagel girl? The text was followed by a miserable looking smiley, and Liz’s lips twitch into a half smile.

b]You left me breakfast yesterday too?[/b] While the more cautious part of her was telling Liz to hold back, the new, sassy Liz that she had tapped into at the weekend wanted to come out to play, because Max deserved a least a little payback.

Of course, but my grovelling rather fell short yesterday, don’t you think? You missed my grand gesture, and it turned from a tasty breakfast treat into a cold, grease spot on your desk. Not good.

{ b]Not good for what – your ego?[/b]

Separated as they were by the technology, Liz found it easier to give back more than she might in person, and she liked it.

Ouch! Point well made. However, you didn’t answer my question.

Which one?

Whether you are a muffin or bagel loving girl?

And why is that so important?

In the event that my texting grovelling fails, I will of course need to return to plan A, which is to seduce you with breakfast delicacies. Duh!

Liz giggled. ’Duh?’ Are top attorneys allowed to say, ‘duh’ ??!!! Come on, Max, you can do better than that.

Okay, I admit my longer term plan was to fatten you up with calorific goodies, so you would be unable to flee from me again. Plan A, part 2 at least.

Wow, you have a long term plan, how Machiavellian of you!

Yes, I rock at long term plans, it’s just short term delivery that I’m bad at. In all seriousness, Liz, I am so sorry. Can we talk, in person please? I know I came across as a complete ass. I should have spoken to you in person before the induction meeting and after.

That would have been the obvious choice, yes, and it’s a bit difficult to understand why it wasn’t your first choice.

Liz chewed on her lip, contemplating whether to send this reply, but she sent it anyway before she lost the courage to be so honestly blunt.

Believe me, I understand what a life fail the last couple of days have been on my part. Maria and Isabel were more than enlightening on that point, even though I understood it myself.

Liz gasped, and then tried to hide it as a cough as she drew the attention of several of her colleagues because of her outburst. Maria got Isabel involved? Man, she must have been mad at Max.

Tag teamed by Isabel and Maria? I almost feel sorry for you...

You do?

I said almost...

Ouch, again. There goes what is left of my ego. Liz giggled again, imagining his wounded expression.

My intentions were always good, Liz, I promise. My delivery just sucked. Not that it is much of a defence, but my life is unmanageably hectic at the moment. Can we talk in person, can I call you?

Liz’s heart sank. Was this were Max, apologised for being an ass, then in the nicest way possible presented her with the royal-kiss-off. A hectic life certainly sounded like the start of a cast-iron excuse...

I can’t, Max, I’m in the middle of a meeting.

Liz grimaced, that was only half of a lie, since people were beginning to drift back towards the table. Upset, Liz tried to give herself some sort of dignified retreat.

So am I, with a boring bunch of people in suits. Which meeting room are you in? Duck out for five minutes and speak to me.

You know I can’t do that.

Afterwards then?

Max, it’s okay, really. I understand, you don’t have to do this.

The Blackberry suddenly vibrated against the surface of the table indicating that someone was calling. Liz jumped guiltily, knowing who it was. She hit reject with shaky fingers. Was he really in that much of a hurry?

You may understand, but I sure don’t. Answer your phone, Liz!

I can’t Max, I just can’t. It’s fine, please don’t concern yourself. I understand what you are trying to say. What we had was fun, and all that. Really, I’m a big girl. No hard feelings.

I don’t know what conversation you were having, but it isn’t the same as the one I am having. Answer your phone, Liz, now! This is too important to get messed up with word games. I mean it, answer your phone.

The Blackberry starting vibrating and jiggling across the surface of the table. It seemed to sound twice as loud as before, and Liz rushed to shut it off with shaky fingers. In her haste she knocked it off the table and it skittered across the polished surface, and crashed down onto the wooden floor with a loud cracking noise.

“Oh, no!” Liz cried as she collected the phone from the floor now in several parts.

Jill appeared by Liz’s shoulder with a concerned expression on her face. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t...I didn’t mean to drop it...” Liz stuttered red faced and anxious.

Jill took the parts from Liz, and clicked it back together easily. “Here you go, no damage done. Besides, IT has hundreds of these. Don’t get so stressed out about it.” The Blackberry started ringing again in Jill’s hand. “You’d better answer that; somebody must want to talk to you pretty badly.”

Liz took the phone back from Jill in the manner of someone being handed an unexploded bomb.

“You can take the call outside, we’re almost finished anyway. Just drop by my office and I’ll catch you up.”

Jill shooed Liz away from the table with a hand on her shoulder, and Liz found herself on the wrong side of the closed meeting room door without understanding how she got there in the first place.

Liz looked quickly up and down the relatively busy corridor, then veered to the right and into a side room with the still vibrating Blackberry. She shut the door of the copy room securely behind her, and lifted the phone to her ear willing, if not quite ready to speak to Max.

“Max?” she asked timidly, but there was no reply except the sound of the dial tone. “Damn it! I’m such an idiot!”

Liz walked on shaky legs over to the silent copier, leaning her hands palm flat against the top of the machine and tried to gather her scattered wits. Why couldn’t she be more like Maria when it came to stuff like this? Maria would have sailed through with a sassy remark, and a flip of her hair, then gone off to tend her wounds in private with her dignity intact. She would most certainly not have ended up in a copier room close to tears.

“I’m so pathetic.”

The door to the copier room opened suddenly, and Liz tensed with her back to the door.

“Sorry, I’ll be finished in just a second.”

Scrubbing the backs of her hands against her damp eyes, she tried to compose herself. Before she had a chance to move, large hands clamped down on her shoulders and spun her around.

“What are you doing...”

Max’s warm hands moved to clasp Liz’s cheeks, and tilted her face up until she was staring into his determined, stormy eyes. He took in her wide, tear damp eyes and his lips tightened.

Max’s hands trailed across Liz’s cheeks, then feather light down her neck, arm and paused briefly to squeeze her hands before settling on her waist. She had started hyperventilate when they got to her chin, the rest had been a trail of fire followed by a mush of words filtering slowly through to her stunned brain.

“That was going to my question.” Before Liz had a chance to answer, he dropped his head closer to her own. “But then I decided that actions speak louder than words.”


~~~~



Day two of Maria’s new job had been mercifully sans Michael, as he out of town. Day three, however, was another matter altogether, but she tried to start out with the right mindset, and Michael proved helpful by not being on the gallery floor when she first arrived.

At eight AM, Maria had been resolved.

At nine AM, she was resolved and determined. This continued through ten, eleven and twelve o’clock, but wavered at twelve-fifty when Michael ventured out of his workroom onto the gallery floor and engaged Isla in a conversation about a new exhibition. When he pulled Maria into the same conversation, asking her opinion and listened to her only slightly stuttered reply he had been cool as a cucumber. Completely unruffled, apparently, while poor Maria’s heart had been thumping against her ribcage like a jackhammer trying to knock down a wall.

By 2PM over a cheese salad and iced mocha in the coffee shop with Ailsa, Maria was hovering somewhere in the zip code of dazed and confused.

Her first day at work had actually happened? Michael’s oh so normal behaviour of today had Maria doubt her integrity of her memories.

Ex love-of-your-life as new boss?

Flaming row?

Bag flinging, angry storm out and tearful drive home?

Yes, yes and yes on all counts as far as Maria’s memory was concerned. And this is how he reacts?

The Michael that she knew, or rather the Michael that she had known, wouldn’t have reacted this way. Her passionate, reactionary, broody to the point of driving you nuts Michael was incapable of acting like the pod person who had walked, talked and interacted with her this morning.

“Maria? Are you okay? You seem kind of quiet today.”

“What, sorry... I was miles away.”

“Hey, there you are,” Ailsa laughed.

“Oh, hell, Ailsa. I’m sorry, I’m not much company just now. Lots going on in my head, you know?”

“New job stress, huh? I heard your boss is a bitch.”

Maria grimaced without meaning to, and Ailsa pulled a face in return. “Hey, I’m not that bad, am I. Am I?”

“No-no. Just ignore me. I need more caffeine today, or something.” Maria replied quickly, trying to not to hurt Ailsa’s feelings. Particular since it wasn’t her as a boss that she had been thinking about.

“Well, caffeine I can help you with,” Alisa replied nodding towards the barista behind the counter. “What’s you poison?”

“Latte to go, I think.” Maria replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Last edited by Reamhar on Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (CC, M/L,Mature) Chapter 15, 13th Jan

Post by Reamhar »

Nag and you shall receive... an update... Not very long and full of mistakes, but here you are anyway.


Chapter Sixteen


Dumping her book bag in the hall, Liz could hear the muffled sound of raised voices coming through several closed doors from the direction of the kitchen. Hugging herself anxiously in a gesture which had become something of an uneasy habit for her, Liz called out to no one in particular.

“I’m home!”

No one answered but the shouting stopped abruptly, leaving a tense, ringing silence behind it. She almost preferred the shouting. Walking with deliberately small steps, Liz made her way into the kitchen, and pushing open the door into the room with her eight year old stomach twisted into the type of nervous knots only an adult should understand.

Her parents were arranged with manufactured calmness on opposite sides of the room, a smashed plate lying accusing on the floor between them. Spaghetti and marinara sauce was smeared across the floor by the plate. Nancy was half hunched over the sink, with her back to Liz, shaking slightly.

Liz’s large, dark eyes flicked between her parents, as if she was unsure of whom to go to first.

James Meyer was standing leaning against the counter diagonally opposite Nancy still dressed in his navy blue hospital scrubs. Dark circles bruised the skin under his dark brown eyes, reflecting the stress of the forty-eight hour shift he had just completed. His job was stressful, and created a strain on him with negative consequences, painting age beyond his thirty-five years in the hints of silver at his temples and generally explosive reactions to life’s normally occurring little irritations. Over cooked spaghetti being the cause of his latest outburst.

Liz stared up into her father’s eyes, which were so like her own, and tried to read from his body language how to react.

Nancy straightened up suddenly, as though coming back to herself suddenly.

“Hi, Sweetie. Good day at school? Are you hungry?” Her rush of words broke the strange silence in the room with agitated noise.

“It was okay,” Liz replied carefully, still watching her father. He sighed suddenly, his shoulders tensing and releasing with the depth of the breath, and a gentle smile for his daughter spread across his face were an ugly, aging scowl had existed before.

“How’s my, Lovely Girl?” he said with warmth, opening his arms for Liz who rushed into his waiting arms with a relieved sigh of her own.

“Daddy!” Liz squealed like any normal eight year old would for the father she adored.

It’s going to be okay, Liz thought, as her father’s arms closed around her surrounding her in the smell of his cologne mixed with antiseptic scent of the hospital that she so loved. With her thoughts and his warm arms came a feeling of security, and the tension and shouting voices were forgotten.

“No more work?” Liz asked as he cradled her against his chest.

“All done for today,” he replied with a playful poke of his finger against her nose. Liz giggled happily in response.

Nancy watched their father daughter exchange with a sinking heart, doing her best to ignore the smear of spaghetti sauce and smashed crockery she could see out of the corner of her eye. It was a reminder of unpleasantness that marred her view of Liz’s obvious delight at having her father home while she was still awake for once. The way James returned his daughter’s delight with equal love made Nancy’s feeling of being trapped even more urgent, and the bruises on her shoulders where his hands had gripped her too tightly ache a little more sharply.

“Are you hungry, Sweetie?” she asked, clamping down on her panic to play Happy Families for Liz’s benefit.

Caught up with describing a school biology experiment to her father, Liz turned to her mother slightly startled. As though she had forgotten she was in the room. Nancy recognised her distraction for what it was; a reflection of her father’s intense, passionate absorption for his vocation, reflected in Liz’s appetite for learning and science in particular. She was in many ways her father’s daughter.

“What would you like for dinner?” she asked again, gently directing Liz’s scattered attention to her earlier question.

“Pizza?” Liz asked hopefully and her father chuckled indulgently in response.

“I think we can stretch to that, what kind would you like?” he asked, keeping his attention on Liz’s face. Nancy recognised his behaviour; his guilt was kicking in now he had calmed down.

“Ham and pineapple?” Liz bit her lip, and then smiled winningly at her father. “And ice cream?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Francesco’s takeout?” he asked, looking up at Nancy for the first time since Liz had entered the room.

James knew that restaurant was her favourite. Nancy recognised the gesture he was making with this offer for what it was – an abstract peace offering instead of the apology his pride would not let him say.

“Do you want to go with Daddy to pick it up?”

“Yes!” Liz squealed happily.

James continued to stare at Nancy intensely, as he set Liz down so she could run out of the room to collect his car keys. Nancy stared back questioningly, then nodded once, accepting his silent apology as she always did. A cautious smile warmed his face briefly, reminding her of the handsome boy she had fallen in love with in High School, rather than the guarded, turbulent stranger he had become over the years. As much as it hurt her to admit it, her love for him was still there, but it felt like it was getting more and more deeply buried inside of her as time and their marriage struggled on.

“Daddy!” Liz called impatiently from the hallway.

James turned to attend to his daughter, and the moment of pseudo forgiveness between Nancy and him ended. When the front door slammed behind him, Nancy felt like she could finally breathe easy again.



~~~~



If Liz thought kissing Max while high on adrenaline induced fear or while filled with alcohol fuelled bravado was explosive, she was wrong. Kissing him on the back of thinking she was losing him was like putting a match to something highly flammable and stepping back to enjoy the flames. It was pure heat, as his lips pressed urgently to hers, and his tongue pushed into her mouth with none of the gentle, questioning hesitancy of their previous kisses. He wasn’t asking for entry to her mouth, he was demanding it. Liz capitulated enthusiastically with a smothered moan while sliding her hands into his hair.

Her perception of place, time and appropriateness disappeared as she followed his lead in a dance made of wet, urgent kisses, wandering hands and breathless reaction.

In the end, it was their mutual need to breathe, that made Max lift his head. Liz unconsciously went searching for his now absent mouth with a protesting sigh.

With a chuckle, Max returned to her mouth quickly, unwilling to hear the unhappy noises she was making because he had stopped. He was gentler this time, his earlier urgency softened by her eager acceptance of the contact and closeness he had been craving. Like a junky after a hit, he was able to focus the heat of his reaction into a tenderer sort of passion to bring them both back to reality quietly. Slowing their kisses and touches, until he was cradling her face between his large hands and dropping delicate, open mouth kisses onto her face before drawing back completely.

Liz’s eyes opened when she felt his final kiss, and she blinked owlishly at him like she was waking up from a most delicious and absorbing dream.

Did he just say something? Interrupting her scattered thoughts, Max’s hand trailed across Liz’s cheek, then moved feather light down her neck and arm before pausing briefly to squeeze her hand. Liz’s breathing picked up its pace again when he got to her chin, the rest had been a trail of fire followed by a mush of words filtering slowly through to her stunned brain.

“Liz?”

Liz shook her head, trying to clear it, so she could understand what he was trying to say to her.

“I’m sorry, what?” she blurted out, letting her eyes take in her surrounds. Oh shit! They were still standing in the Copy Room where anyone could have walked in. Liz’s fingers touched her slightly swallow lips, and she flushed a delicate shade of pink.

“I’m – ehh, sorry. What did you say?”

“Breath, Liz, okay.” Max chuckled before dropping a distractingly brief kiss on her forehead. “I said: ‘I’ll pick you up for lunch at one-thirty’.”

Cupping one of her cheeks again he took a step back from Liz, then another as he smoothed down his hair. Before she completely had her wits back together he was almost at the door.

“One-thirty, Liz. No excuses! Don’t think I won’t hunt you down if I have to.”

“Max, lunch...no...wait.” But he was already out the door chuckling softly as he left.

“Damn it!”



~~~~




Maria was sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a glass of white wine when Liz got back from work later that evening. Liz joined her, putting her laptop bag and car keys down onto the bar before sitting on one of the mismatching stools with a deep sigh.

“That good a day, huh?”

“Yes – no, I mean maybe...” Maria lifted her carefully shaped eyebrows questioningly, and Liz frowned, blushing bright red guiltily under her scrutiny.

“Ahh, I see... it was that kind of day.”

“It was wonderful, and intense and confusing all at the same time.”

“Max and I had lunch.”

“So which one was lunch?” Liz looked confused, so Maria elaborated for her benefit. “Wonderful, intense, or confusing?”

“All three actually,” Liz replied with an adorably perplexed expression her face.

Maria smiled widely at her friend, and got up to retrieve one of Liz’s favourite comfort drinks from the fridge; chocolate milk. After warming it in the microwave, she placed a cup in front of Liz and watched her drink it while making little moaning noises to express its yummy-ness.

Knowing there had to be more to it, Maria waited for Liz to finish some of her drink before prompting her for more information, “And?”

Liz’s returning blush was enough of an answer. “We kissed in Copier Room. And it was...”

“Wonderful, and intense and confusing all at the same time?”

“Yes, but mostly wonderful. But I mean – the Copier Room. That is so not me!” she said bashfully, grimacing with chagrin when Maria laughed softly at her wide eyed confusion regarding the whole event.

Just as Liz was bumping Maria’s shoulder with her own in rebuke, Alex announced his return home with a loud, “I’m home, where are my ladies hiding?”

“Kitchen!” Maria hollered back, only slightly more in control of her mirth by the time Alex joined them at the breakfast bar.

“Hey, you two,” he said cheerfully. “How’s the day treated you?”

When Maria broke into peals of helpless laughter again, and Liz flushed crimson Alex frowned in confusion.

“What did I say?”

This only made Maria laugh harder. Liz sighed, and slipped off her stool to give a confused Alex and hug.

“Nothing, Alex. Maria is just being an idiot. Ignore her, I am.” She walked towards the kitchen door carrying taking her cup of chocolate milk. “I’m going to have a shower.”

Alex cocked his head to one side and stared at Maria questioningly, until she stopped giggling.

“Well?”

“Well, what?” Maria replied, trying to look innocent.

“Well, what did I miss?”

“Nothing.” Alex looked sceptical. “Really, it’s nothing. Liz just ‘had lunch’ with Max,” Maria replied deadpan, before dissolving into giggles again.

R-i-g-h-t...

It took several minutes for her to get control again. “It’s nothing, honestly. She will tell you about if she wants to. I’m really not feeling like cooking tonight, do you want takeout. Chinese maybe?”

“Sure, fine, whatever,”Alex replied, as Maria started to hunt through her bag for her cell phone. “I’m gonna, go get changed.”

As he walked out of the kitchen, Maria was convinced she heard him muttering, “Hormonal women,” under his breath.
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (AU,M/L,MATURE) Chapter 16 - 3/28

Post by Reamhar »

Beta read by the lovely Nibbles.


Chapter 17


Seeing his childhood bedroom emptied out and stacked into nondescript cardboard boxes and trash bags should, conceivably, have made Max feel sad, or unsettled in some way. Instead it felt like a relief. This relief brought with it a whole load of guilt because he was leaving, but Isabel and Michael would have to remain.

Thirteen years old to his eighteen, they had many more years before college or careers might draw them away from this house. So remain they would, within the walls of what both their parent had tried to make a happy, family home. For Max, those four walls may as well have been a pile of ruined bricks, because this house only represented the remains of his parents’ twenty year marriage. Painful silences at the dinner table, closed doors on empty rooms and the general emotional absence of both of his parents held little hope that what had been a good marriage once, could ever be more than just broken.

Max knew it was wrong to see moving from his home of the last eighteen years into a college dorm as an escape, but the wrongness of the feeling didn’t make it any less true. Moving out was what he needed to do, how he could cope, and perhaps the only way he could manage to keep the love for both of his parents intact. Sure, he could have stayed at “home”, and still studied at Harvard, many would have. He could even have chosen one of a number of top colleges across the country; with his GPA he had had plenty of choices.

Instead he chose his father’s Alma Mater because in happier times that had always been the plan. He choose dorms because there he would be away from life in his parents’ marriage but close enough to be support for Isabel and Michael; he was the eldest, it was his job to protect and support his siblings. As he would reflect years later, when he had adulthood, time and experience to be able look back on past situations with a clearer understanding, he had also be barely a child himself at the time.

At eighteen, Max started to uncover secrets to which he should never have been privy. By the time he was nineteen he understood everything far too much for the reality not to poison the relationships he’d been trying so hard to save. It twisted something inside of him to the point where love had shifted close to hate. It was that emotion that had driven him to pack up a dorm room in much the same way as his childhood bedroom had been two years before, and to transfer his college career to the other side of the world. When once living on the other side of the same city had been enough distance to give him protective perspective, he’d later come to need another continent for the sake of his own sanity.


~~~~

Some mornings you can get up, get going and start the day with a smile on your face. Other mornings, it starts right and goes wrong for the most trivial of reasons: being out of milk, a late bus, a flat tyre – whatever. For Liz it went wrong because of the calendar on her Blackberry and a rather large realisation.

This was why Maria found Liz in her room on a Saturday morning dressed and lying on her made bed staring at her cell phone with a perplexed expression. Maria paused in the open doorway and waited to be greeted, but Liz was too busy worrying about the past appointments on the cell phone’s screen to notice that the frown on her face and slight pout on her usually smiling mouth was being watched, assessed and worried about by Maria.

A casual glance at her calendar had made Liz acknowledge that two weeks had passed since the copier room incident and that first lunch with Max that she had been so freaked about. More lunches had followed, occurring around her work and Max’s not insignificant travelling and work commitments. With Max travelling to Europe across two long weekends within the fourteen days, and diary clashes, Liz calculated that they had managed seven opportunities for food, conversation...and not much else.

“Headache?”

Liz jumped a little, and turned to face Maria who was still standing in the doorway. “Sorry, what?”

“Bad smell?” Liz’s face scrunched up in confusion as she pushed herself up onto her elbows and sat up with her back against the headboard.

“Aliens stolen your memory while you were being intimately probed?” Maria waved her fingers in the air to emphasis ‘intimately probed’, and smirked at Liz’s grossed out expression.

“Maria! What are you going on about?”

“Well there has to be some reason for the expression on your face, either that or something on that cell phone has upset you in someway.”

“It’s nothing.”

“R-i-g-h-t. Maybe you feel you’re in need of an upgraded handset? iPhone maybe...or has somebody peed on your cornflakes this morning?”

“Eww, just ee-ww!”

Maria sat on the bed beside Liz, stretching with satisfied sigh before settling as Liz placed her Blackberry on the bedside cabinet.


Maria sighed. “So...”

“So...” Liz parroted and then fell silent.

The silence remained for several minutes until Maria sighed again loudly. “Well, this is riveting.”

“Sorry, it’s nothing really.”

“Really, your miniature Miss Havisham impersonation is nothing? Right...”

Liz rolled her eyes. “I don’t want a lecture, okay. Promise?” Maria nodded, Liz tried to scowl threateningly. “Show me your hands.”

Maria lifted both hands palms up and wiggled her fingers to show they were not crossed.

“I want to hear the words.”

“Oh, come on. I already showed you I don’t have my fingers crossed.”

“Maria!”

With another wave of her open hands, Maria grimaced and begrudgingly said, “Promise.”

“It’s Max. Well, not Max, it’s this thing with Max and I.” Liz dragged a frustrated hand through her hair. “To be honest I’m not entirely sure what it is between Max and me.”

“Okay...but I thought things were going well?”

“It is, I think.”

Maria read the confusion in Liz’s expression easily, and frowned, trying to remember any problem that had been apparent or hinted at in conversations that she and Liz had shared in the last couple of weeks since the copy room smooch incident. Nothing came to mind.

“You’ve been meeting at lunch, I don’t know a few times now?”

“Seven times now,” Liz replied, her eyes straying to the discarded cell phone.

“So you’re thinking you’re not seeing enough of each other?” Maria guessed.

“No, it isn’t about the amount of time. I mean, we’ve had to fit meeting up around his schedule, and mine. Even then it was only when we had time to meet up a reasonable distance from work just to make sure we didn’t stir up any gossip.”

“So, you think that Max is trying to keep seeing you a secret?”

“No, it’s not him. That was my suggestion. The seeing each other away from work, I mean. It’s difficult enough being a partner’s daughter without being another one’s...” Liz hesitated, another partner’s what – what were they exactly? “I didn’t want to be open to accusations of favouritism.”

“And Max was okay with sneaking around?” Maria asked.

Liz reacted to the scepticism in Maria’s voice with a slightly defensive tone. “That isn’t what we were doing!”

“Depends on your point of view, but If it isn’t that, what is the problem? From what I’ve seen between the two of you, things were pretty intense. I don’t believe for a second that Max isn’t very interested. You already know what I think about that. He’s way more alpha-male than you’ve dealt with before.”

When Liz scowled at Maria’s re-run of an already unpopular previous conversation, Maria rushed to placate her. “But we’ve already covered that subject, so quit mentally growling at me.”

“Yes, it was intense.”

“Was? As in was?” Maria watched Liz’s shifting expressions and realised exactly just what the problem might be. “You can’t think¬-”

“Good morning, My Ladies!” Alex interrupted. Dressed in plaid PJ bottoms and grey t-shirt he was radiating his normal morning cheerfulness. He walked around to the opposite side of the bed from Maria and sat, sandwiching Liz in the middle as he bumped her with his hip until she made enough room.

Maria clicked her fingers, and pointed at the door with loving rudeness. “No offence, Alex, but unless you have some pastries and coffee hidden in that frankly heinously grampa PJ-outfit, you need to get gone. This is girl talk!”

Liz hooked her arm through Alex’s elbow and tugged him against her side. “Ignore her, we weren’t talking about anything in particular.” She raised her eyebrows at Alex pleadingly, trying to send him a silent save me message.

“Oh no, Liz. You aren’t getting away with hiding behind Alex. This is a conversation that needs to be had.”

“It’s cool, Maria is just being her normal queen-bitch-of-the-morning self. I’ll stay if you want me to.”

Maria leaned over Liz and point at imperious finger at Alex’s face with mock anger. “If I’m Queen of the morning or whatever...which, by the way, is the worst insult ever, you must be the Morning Elf. Shouldn’t you be off shooting rainbows out of your ass somewhere, or something.”

“Tetchy, tetchy.” Alex bared his mint-fresh, newly brushed teeth and mock snapped at Maria’s still pointing finger. “Stow it Queenie, we all know you don’t “do” morning, but there’s no need to bring the rest of us down.”

Maria sat back against the end of the bed again, but only after landing a few pokes against a protesting Alex’s cotton covered chest.

Alex slung his arm around Liz’s shoulders and squeezed. “So what’s the matter, is morning-breath over there picking on you?”

“No.” Liz smiled and leaned into Alex’s lanky length, happy for the diversion.

“Liz is having man troubles,” Maria interrupted.

“Really, do you need me to have a man-to-man with Max for you? Because if he not treating you right, I would you know – have a talk with him.”

“That’s won’t be necessary, honestly. But thanks anyway.” Liz smiled at Alex, trying not to think of the absurdity of lanky, gentle Alex against muscular, confident Max in any physical manner without letting her amusement show on her face.

Maria was less sensitive about it, and burst into peals of laughter. “Yeah, like that would end well for you.”

“You wound me, Maria. Deep, deep, wound in my...”

“Your manly ego, sure. It’s nothing that isn’t meant with love, you know that.” Maria blew him a kiss.

“So, what’s the problem with your new man-candy? I thought things were doing okay?” Alex asked, moving to sit cross-legged in front of Liz and Maria.

“I don’t know, nothing, can we forget Maria ever started this conversation please?” Liz pleaded.

“Hey, I didn’t start it, you did with the cell phone staring and incoherent rambling about lunches, schedules and what-not. I just tried to clarify if for you, then Alex interrupted me. Rather rudely, I might add.” Alex blew Maria a kiss cheekily.

“Well, since you’re such a queen of the whatever-” Liz grumbled

“Morning,” Alex added helpfully.

“¬-Morning, know-it-all, why don’t you tell us what my problem is.”

“That was what I was trying to do, duh!” Maria rolled her eyes, and Liz blew out an annoyed breath in response.

“Maria!”

“Sweetie, I’m only teasing you. I think I know what you’re trying to get at. You’ve basically gone from hot smooches to two weeks of, how many was it?”

“Seven,” Liz said morosely.

“Two weeks of seven scheduled lunches.”

“What’s wrong with good food and conversation?” Alex asked, and was rewarded with another eye roll from Maria.

“I told you that this was girl talk, Alex. Keep up or go and get us breakfast!” Alex put his hands up in a sign of surrender.

“From copier room groping to polite lunch. I can see the problem, can’t you?”

“Oh, I get it. Nightclub bump and grind to lunch. Ouch!” Alex said.

Liz levelled an embarrassed glare at Maria. “You had to share that level of detail, didn’t you?”

Alex moved to hug Liz by way of a sorry, but she had already pulled a pillow over her face to hide, muttering from behind the cushioned cloth, “Thanks for that.”

Maria patted her leg, not the least bit repentant. “You would have told him yourself eventually. Come out from behind there, in all seriousness, I want to try to explain something.”

Liz’s lowered the cushion enough to reveal her eyes to Maria.

“Didn’t you come home from the first “lunch” kind of spaced out about the intensity of copier room smooching and a little bit freaked out by the whole getting your jiggy on in the workplace?”

“Yes, sort of,” Liz mutter, still half hidden by the pillow.

“And don’t you think you might have communicated that to Max at the first lunch?”

“No, we never spoke about it directly,” Liz muttered again, a hint of defensiveness in her tone.

“Maybe not directly, but what did you say to him indirectly? Think about it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Think about it Liz, even Alex gets it, and he’s a boy.”

“I honestly don’t know what you mean.” Liz lowered the cushion completely away from her face. “Explain, please.”

“You told him that you were happy to see him, but away from work, that you didn’t want people to know you were seeing each other at work, then proceed to diarise the meetings in. In fact, he had to chase you down into a copier room, kiss you senseless, then spring a lunch date on you. What was he supposed to think about that?”

“We’re both busy, I don’t see any problem with making appointments...”

“You’re missing the point completely. Think about it. You’ve gone from hot, wet, illicit making out in the heat of the moment to diarised lunches.”

“I knew he didn’t like me the same way I like...” Liz whispered miserably.

“Oh, not this again!” Maria grumbled. “How many times, the man is into you. Enough, already. Too into you, if you want my honest opinion.”

“Alex squeezed Liz’s hand reassuringly. “Maria’s not trying to say he’s blowing hot and cold on you. I think she’s trying to explain he’s trying to slow things down for you. It sort of sounds like you asked him to.”

“But I never actually asked him to slow anything down!” Liz said in a small voice.

Maria got a hold of Liz’s other hand, and said, “You never asked him to, but you reaction to the whole car insurance/meeting/disappearing act probably made him think you were skittish, then you want to keep it all like some sort of unmentionable secret that you’re meeting up. What was he supposed to think?

“I know he was a bit of an ass, what with the email summons, etc, but still...”

“I just wanted to avoid gossip at work...”

“I know it sounds very logical in that oh so logical brain of yours, but can’t you see why Max may have thought you needed him to take it slower?” Maria asked. “And now you’ve got yourself into a cell phone staring knot about him being too gentlemanly after pushing you up against a night-club’s railings and dry humping you in public.”

“Jesus, Maria, enough with the detail sharing!” Alex moaned.

“Whatever.” Maria waved her hand at Alex dismissively. “You’ve got yourself caught in the gentleman trap. You’re giving the man mixed messages and he’s trying to go at your speed.”

Liz thumped the mattress with her fist in frustration, scrambled off of the bed and started to pace in front of Alex and Maria. “Okay, I admit it, I’m in over my head here. What do I do to fix this? It feels like we’ve gone from having some sort of very warm connection, to polite...polite ¬- I don’t even know what we are!”

“I don’t see the problem. I told you he’s a lot more experienced than you are. Maybe going it slow is what you need just now. Sounds like a sensible way to proceed to me,” Maria replied.

“For heaven’s sake, Maria, don’t go all second mother on me on this subject again! I don’t need the same lecture, over and over. I get it. He’s a man of the world and I’m a bookish, little mouse beside him.”

“That isn’t what I meant!” Maria protested, slightly wounded by the accusation that she was being overprotective.

“Okay, okay. Let’s everybody calm down,” Alex said, ever the peace keeper. “Maria would never think of you as some sort of mouse, Liz. And Liz knows you’re only being protective because you love her.”

“Exactly! That’s why I said what I said. It has nothing to do with your looks or some weird notion that you’ve got that Max is somehow not on the same level as you, that’s total bullshit. You’re beautiful, and clever, and kind. Max is lucky to be allowed anywhere near you and I don’t want to hear you say any different!” Maria said sternly.

“I was trying to say that I think you might benefit from moving a bit slower until you feel more comfortable.”

“Then why does it feel so uncomfortable. It’s like there a distance there, and don’t understand why. I know I’m a bit in over my head, but I was sort of enjoyed being out of control. It made me feel, I don’t know...”

“Exhilarated?” Alex suggested.

Liz frowned, admitting mentally to herself what she couldn’t out loud, even to her best friends. It had made her feel confident and sexy. And in the face of the Tess’s as yet undefined competitive possessiveness about Max, it had given her some very necessary courage.

“Sort of. It felt scary-nice, now it feels like I’m stuck and don’t know how to move things along.”

Maria slid off the bed, and tugged Alex up with her. “You’re going to have to do what woman for generations have done. Use your womanly wiles.”

“Okay, I think I need to butt out of the girl talk! I can feel my testosterone levels falling as we speak,” Alex said, backing towards the door. “And I have a feeling comfort food is going to be needed at some point soon. How about I get us some Starbucks and something sticky to go with it?” Alex darted out of the door before anyone could argue the point.

“Now there’s a man who knows how to make himself useful. We’ve trained him well.” Maria murmured. “You sit!” She pointed to Liz and then the bed. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Liz took a seat on the corner of her bed, obedient but dubious as to Maria’s motivations.

Returning quickly, Maria threw a catalogue into Liz’s lap. “I have brought a little reading material for you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Liz protested, shoving the Victoria Secret catalogue onto the bed like it had stung her.

“Why?”

“You’ll suggest a lap dance next. We haven’t even slept together, and you think I need to be buying lingerie?”

“Let’s examine the evidence shall we?” Maria replied going over to Liz’s dresser and pulling out several pairs of identical white cotton panties.

“So?” Liz said defensively. “If I was wearing granny panties I’d understand, there’s nothing wrong with my underwear.”

“True, if you’re a nun. Think of it like your wardrobe in general, you have more than one outfit, so you should have different underwear.”

“I have different underwear!” Liz protested.

More rummaging in Liz’s drawer followed, until Maria produced another pair of panties, identical to the white ones, except black in colour. “Yeah, there’s world of difference there, Liz.”

“Make up your mind. One minute I’m going too fast, then too slow. Now you want me to leap ahead to quantum speed. You’re barking up the wrong tree with this plan.”

“Oh Alex, I’m lying through my teeth to you, but it felt – oh, I don’t know – scary nice,” Maria repeated in a breathy version of Liz’s voice before reverting to her own. “Once again I call bullshit, it made you feel out of control and sexy as hell. Admit it!”

Liz blushed red once again, putting her hands up to her hot checks. She was so busted.

“And there’s nothing wrong with feeling like that, but if you want to move things along, you need the right equipment. Think of it as Wonder Woman and her crown.” Maria moved over to Liz’s wardrobe and began looking through the clothes. “Or Super Man and his over the tights underpants.” Her hand skipped along the hangers of dark coloured work clothes. “You need the right clothes.”

“And you think Victoria’s Secret is the way to go?” Liz asked, looking at the sultry, suggestive smile on the face of the negligee wearing model on the front cover of the catalogue.

Maria turned back to face Liz with a considered expression on her face. “No, actually I think your whole wardrobe needs a makeover to help your confidence. To give you the tools, bla-de-bla, whatever.”

“So we’re going shopping are we?” Liz replied, not exactly thrilled by the prospect.

“It’s only because I love you that I’m willing to do this, not for anyone else. I’d happily never share breathing space with Ice Queen again” Maria muttered to herself, pulling out her cell phone and dialling a number.

“Isabel? It’s Maria. Look I know this is a bit out of the blue, but Liz is looking to update her wardrobe, we were wondering if that offer of cost price shopping was still open?”

“Maria?” Isabel did her best to hide her surprise that Maria would voluntarily be calling her for anything. Well, anything less than to arrange a Max verbal roasting, but that had been more than necessary! “Hey, look I’m kind of busy. I’m knee deep in trying to get the Boston store ready after a refit; we’ve got a new computerised till system that nobody seems to be able to work. It’s a mess, and it doesn’t seem to matter how much money I spend on techies, nothing’s getting done.” The last sentence wasn’t so much shouted down the phone as to the room in which Isabel was standing.

“Wow, frustrating.”

“You have no idea; can we do a rain check?”

“It’s for Liz, she needs a bit of wardrobe confidence, you know how it is?”

“What has he done this time?” Isabel murmured.

“Oh nothing, this is more for Liz. Well, maybe a bit of mutual benefit – if you see what I mean.”

“I do, unfortunately. Thanks for that mental image.”

Sarcasm, your name is Isabel Evans, Maria thought with rising annoyance.

“Look, I do want to help, but until I get this computer system sorted out, I’m stuck.”

“What if I said I could bring an off duty computer-whiz with me. Genius type.”

“I’d say bring him along, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Maria took the address details of the store and confirmed that she, Liz and Alex would be there in an hour or so.

“Maria, I’m really not sure about this.”

“I know, but you need to think about this as the right uniform for the job. It’s going to help your confidence, but you have to do the rest.”

“How?”

“You need to actually go on a date, away from working lunches, and business suits and schedules. And you’re going to have to ask him, because he seems to be letting you set the rules. I mean, do you even speak to him outside of work? I don’t remember him calling the house, but then he maybe calling you on your cell.”

“He did, initially, then it ended up being sort of flirty emails more than anything else.”

“How very Bridget Jones of you. How flirty?”

Liz raised an eyebrow, and flushed pink again. “And there’s the Blackberry messenger.” Lots and lots of Blackberry messenger, Liz thought to herself followed by another blush.

“Oh, really? And would you be willing to let me see these messages?”

“Absolutely not!”

Maria laughed loudly. “Well, there you go. You just need to get you inner-flirt to operate one to one. You were doing fine at the nightclub.”

“I was drunk, that’s hardly a good thing.”

“So maybe you need a glass of wine before you go out to dinner instead of lunch. You’re not your father. You can have a drink and be okay after it, and you’re not the self conscious teenager that you were before we started college. You can talk to Max like an equal, and even get your freak on without the world coming to an end.

“I still think I like the slow plan, but if you need to go faster, then I’m happy to cheer you on.”

There was the sound of the front door slamming down stairs, and Alex called out, “Coffee’s up!” It stopped Liz from telling Maria off yet again for being smothering. Instead, they both headed downstairs for caffeine and sugar hit.
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Reamhar
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (AU,M/L,MATURE) Chapter 18 - 29th Ju

Post by Reamhar »

Beta read by the lovely Nibbles. :D

Chapter 18


“I never thought I would see you sleeping overnight in this room again,” Tess said, watching Max as he stared out of the window, into the garden where are marquee was being set up for Isabel and Michael’s birthday party.

“Hmm?” Max asked absently. “Sorry, what did you say, Tess?” Max turned to face Tess.

“Nothing, it isn’t important. When do you fly out?” Tess asked, suddenly taking an intense interest in the pattern on the cover of the bed on which she was sitting.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

Tess continued to trace the pattern on the bedspread as Max watched her hand moving with quick, almost jerkily nervous circles. Max left the window and walked over to the side of the bed where he hunkered down to her eye level.

“You seem kind of off, are you okay?”

“Such eloquence from the future hot-shot lawyer.” Tess raised her head and looked at him. “Those English girls aren’t going to know what hit them.”

She brought her hand up to his face and trailed her fingers down his check, throat then chest before sitting back against the bed with a flirty little smile on her face. When Max sat down beside her on the bed, she tried to repeat the suggestive little chest touching manoeuvre, but he caught her hand and pulled it down to her side.

He knew this mask, this was Tess the newly turned sixteen year old playing at being a sex kitten but the act didn’t carry through to her pale, blue eyes. How had his mother put it; old eyes in a young head? Tess liked to pretend, act out, or just plain act up but it was all from the same sort of source: past hurt, future insecurity and defensiveness.

“You will have a whole party full of teenage boys to chase after you in a few hours, you don’t need be like this with me. Come on, talk to me.”

Tess stood up quickly with an annoyed little sigh and moved away from Max to his earlier position at the window to stare out. Max recognised this tactic too: distance, control, then defensive walls up.

“I thought we were passed this sort of stuff. Talk to me.”

“What if I don’t want to play with teenage boys; what if I wanted to play with college boys?” She sent a small smile over her shoulder followed by a little, flirty giggle, then she presented her back to him again.

“That’s not going to happen, either.” Two could play the distance game, and Max turned Tess’s defensiveness back on herself.

“Look, I’ve got a lot to sort out before I leave. If you want to play silly games, I could do with getting on with something more important.”

“Max, you don’t need to be like that...”

“Neither do you. Now either tell me what the matter is or let me get on with something else.”

Tess continued to try to play-act, throwing a pout his way and Max responded by walking to his bedroom door and holding it open. She was half way out of the door when she eventually dropped the act.

“You’re leaving.”

“We’ve already established that.”

“I’m used to you being close.”

“I haven’t lived next door to you more than two years. That’s nothing new.”

“But you’re leaving, not just moving to a dorm on the other side of town. You’re really leaving the country. It’s not the same. How am I going to be able to talk to you? Ask you stuff.”

“Practise your flirting skills?” Max teased gently and Tess actually let him see the completely natural flash of embarrassment pass through her eyes. It was a rare thing for Tess; an unguarded moment.

“We’ll talk the way we always have. Phone, email, I’ll be back for visits.”

“I don’t think you’ll be back. I think you are going to have this whole big adventure in another country and you’ll forget about me.”

“Maybe we won’t speak to each other every day, but we haven’t been doing that anyway.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It not about distance, it about picking up the phone when I need a dose of annoying blonde moppet, or you sending an email if you want to drive me nuts with one of your questions, or comments, or rants because Pam isn’t dressing right or Michael is being more sarcastic than usual.”

“It’s not the same,” Tess said with frown.

“No, it’s not the same, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to forget you or that I’m not going to miss you.” Max held his arms open towards Tess. “So, can I have my goodbye-hug now because we know you think that P.D.A’s are so embarrassingly uncool in general.”

Tess pressed herself against Max’s chest for the briefest time, not even long enough for him to close his arms around her properly before she was back out in the corridor again.

“I’ve got to go help Isabel talk some sense into Michael. He says he won’t join in the party unless the DJ plays some Nirvana, or some other grunge crap that he likes to get depressed to. Isabel wants to tag team him into submission. So I should go. You know – sort him out or whatever.”

“It’s fine, I catch you later.”

Tess hesitated for the briefest of moments. “Sure, later.” Then walked off away with her blonde curls bouncing.




~~~~


Michael and work. Work and Michael – problems, problems, problems. Except it wasn’t, and this was more than a little confusing for Maria. She had expected drama and prepared for it, but a bit like a firework that somebody had forgotten to light, nothing happened.

Personal tension aside, Maria was happy to be able to say to herself that the job was everything she had hoped it could be and even more. She enjoyed working with Ailsa and they had quickly found a rhythm working together that was fun and effective.

Michael was around all of the time but absent from her day to day work in general. Maria spent most of her time working with Ailsa in the gallery, and Michael spent most of his time in his workshop or office. It seemed to Maria as though some sort of border had been quietly drawn between them without a word being said.

On the surface it was all so very grown up, professional, and detached; well sort of. If her heart jumped in her chest the first time she saw him and the day felt longer because he didn’t always come out of his workshop for his usual coffee at ten in the morning. Then that was something she had to work on and the rest was going okay, considering the circumstances.

As the week went on Maria found herself with less time to ponder the conundrum of her working situation because they had an opening night exhibition party that Friday evening. Her days were filled with new art pieces arriving and dealing with the artist, Luka McKenna, who was a talented but extremely hands on still life artist. He seemed to take a particular interest in each and every facet of how each painting was presented, lit, and hung. As Ailsa put it, he was a bit too intense about his art, and had apparently found a favourite in Maria who got to deal with his passionate interest multiple times a day.

Ailsa watched the artist’s growing comfort with Maria’s ability to care for his art with quiet amusement, and had pretty much left Maria to run with her apparent talent to handle the eccentric young artist. Maria had simply been getting on with it, and was used to his almost hourly demands by email or on the phone, never questioning his need for increasing levels of involvement in the minutiae of setting up the gallery for his paintings.

It eventually got to the level of him requesting that Maria sent him digital photographs of each of the paintings as they hung in the gallery so that he could make sure that the pictures created the correct aura when hang together. Maria was unclear how a painting actually could have an aura, but she was willing to humour him in the name of doing her job well.

This was a small exhibition by the standards of the gallery, but one which Ailsa had allowed Maria to run pretty much solo, and Maria was keen to repay Ailsa’s trust by doing a good job. So, if her artist was fussing, she was more than willing to sooth him.

Luka had caught Maria two minutes away from leaving for the day with Ailsa with another bout of fussing directly to her cell phone and resulted in Maria waving Ailsa goodbye and promising to lock up after her once Luka had been suitable humoured. Successfully having managed to deliver all of Luka’s increasingly bizarre requests to date, Maria didn’t stop to think if the current request for a specific photograph from a very weird camera angle of two pictures in a specific corner of the gallery was possible never mind reasonable. Unfortunately she also didn’t stop to think whether standing on the top of a step ladder, leaning over with a digital camera out at arm’s length in order to capture the “aura” of the correct two paintings was particularly safe.

When a voice boomed, “Maria! What the hell are you doing?” From the unlit far end of the building, Maria should perhaps have been forgiven for jumping in shock. To be fair, everything else that followed was somewhat inevitable, Maria reflected in the couple of seconds that it took for her to wobble, try to save the situation and then fall rapidly towards the gallery’s grey tiled floor. The ladder clattered in one direction, the camera and Maria in the other as she screwed her eyes shut.

There was a loud and breathless, “Ooof!” Followed by the slapping of flesh against flesh and then flesh against floor followed by silence. Pain sliced through Maria’s right wrist, and she cried out with a small wail, pulling the offending limb against her chest as best she could while slumped across Michael who was sprawled out underneath her on the floor.

Michael’s hands came up to cup Maria’s face as he watched her intensely, taking in her shocked tears and pained expression.

“Are you okay, no bleeding?” he asked, slightly winded. Maria blinked back at him but didn’t answer immediately. “Maria, are you okay? Is anything broken?”

“I think I broke the camera.”

Michael shut his eyes and let out a gusty sigh of relief as he let his head drop back against the floor with a soft thump. He pushed her off of him gently and helped her to her feet. He looked around at the scene of the crime; the six foot high ladder lay to one side and the remains of the digital camera, smashed into pieces, lay at Maria’s feet.

“What in the name of God did you think you were doing?” His voice was tense, but quiet with softly simmering fury. “Do you have any idea of what you could have done?”

“I needed to get a picture for Luka, I’ll pay for the camera.”

“I don’t give a shit about the camera!” He pointed furiously at the remains of the digital camera on the floor. “That could have been you!”

Suddenly coming back to herself, Maria responded to Michael’s now shouting voice with a shouting voice of her own. “I was getting the job done, Michael. Luka wanted a particular photograph. Obviously I didn’t think I’d be doing an impression of a Flying Wallenda. It was an accident, you don’t have to be an ass about it!”

“I just saved you from potentially smashing your head off the floor because of your own foolishness, and I’m an ass!”

“Yes, you are an ass. Where do you get off¬–”

Maria was cut off mid rant by Michael slamming his lips down onto hers and kissing her until her toes curled. The movement of his lips created a liquid heat which flowed from the top of her head, down her spine, curled and boiled through her stomach and down to the tips of her toes and then back again. Every one of her nerve endings hummed to life until she felt like she was drunk with the sensation.

Then it was suddenly over and she surfaced separated from Michael against whom she had previously been melted.

“It’s nice to know that that still works to shut you up.”

Maria saw red. Instant, and blinding red and launched her hand towards his face without thinking twice about the consequences; including the cost of trying to slap someone with an injured wrist.

The pain hit her so hard that her vision blurred for several seconds as she cradled her throbbing wrist to her chest again sobbing.

Michael tried to approach her with his hands stretched out, his expression contrite despite his reddening cheek, but Maria stepped back from him with a muttered expletive.

“Stay the hell away from me!”

“You’re hurt. Let me help.”

“You’ve helped more than enough, keep yourself and your lips over there! Oh sweet Jesus this hurts like hell.

“I need to call, Liz. Get her to pick me up,” Maria muttered to herself, while trying to search through her shoulder bag singlehandedly for her cell phone only for the bag to be knocked to the floor, scattering the contents as it fell.

“Can I not get a break today! Damnit!”

“Maria?”

“Leave me alone, Michael. You and your shouting, and your hot lips, and you’re not having coffee at 10 o’clock. Just leave me the hell alone.”


“Would it help if I said sorry?” Michael asked. “And if I pointed out that you actually managed to get me a good one?”

Maria turned to look at Michael and saw where he was pointing to his cheek and the red mark against his face. She had actually managed to leave the imprint of several fingers.

“That’s your fault too! I was brought up to know better than to ever hit anyone. You drove me to it!” she spluttered.

“That I did, every single time you have ever hit me,” Michael said, steadfastly working to suppress his grin.

Maria found herself trying to hide a smile as memories of previous slaps ran through her head. Some of those had ended up with kissing, too.

“I did get you good, didn’t I?” Maria chewed her lip, feeling guilty now that her adrenaline levels were dropping and her wrist was going from sharp pain to a more steady throb. “I shouldn’t have hit you, but you were being an ass.”

“Duly noted,” Michael said with a nod of his head. “Now, will you let me drive you to the Emergency Room?” He bent down and scooped the contents of Maria’s bag together. “Please?”

“Sure, I guess it’s the least you could do.”

Later that night in bed after clear x-rays, some rather spiffy pain killers and being allowed home from the E.R. with a sling and instructions to rest up, Maria had time to contemplate that Luka had not got his pictures, driving to work was going to be interesting with a sling and that she and Michael had kissed. Suddenly their working relationship was a whole other level of complicated and then some.

Back at the gallery after dropping Maria at home, Michael made sure to lock the ladder away in the basement, smiling to himself as he consider his task as Maria proofing the place. There would be no more flying ex-girls for this gallery owner.
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Reamhar
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Re: Dirty Little Secret (AU,M/L,MATURE) Chapter 18 - 29th Ju

Post by Reamhar »

I’ve borrowed a bit from the Jude Law/Sienna Miller nanny-gate story for back story in this chapter. I don’t know that anyone owns it as such in a copy write way, but I happy to admit it isn’t my original idea. :)

Unbetaed. All mistakes are my own.


Chapter 19


Maria’s Tuesday had ended in a fully suck-tastic manner, and it didn’t look as though her Wednesday was going to start any better. She ached from lying on her back all night because of her wrist and her cell phone had several messages from Luka getting more and more hysterical about not having receiving the photos she had promised. Worst still, because of getting in late from the hospital she’d slept in and hadn’t been able to catch Liz to ask for a lift. With Alex away she was going to have to pay for a taxi.

Without her normal morning shower and with a herbal tea in a thermal cup, Maria was trying to lock the door, hold her bag and not drop her breakfast drink when a car horn sounded from the kerb. She turned towards the noise to see Michael leaning over from the driver side across to the open passenger door.

“Maria. Sorry I’m late.”

Maria walked across to the car and leaned into the open door. “Apologising for being late would rather suggest that you were expected in the first place.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Michael replied. “I guess you didn’t get a good night’s sleep then?”

“We didn’t get back until two, and my wrist is killing me, what do you think?”

“That you’ll think twice before you dangle off a ladder next time.”

Maria’s brows drew together in an annoyed line. She knew she was being a bit of a got-up-on-the-wrong-side-bitch, but did he really need to be such an ass about it?

“Michael!”

Michael held up his hand in truce. “Okay, peace grumpy girl. I just assumed you’d need a lift because the of ER saying you were to rest your arm.” Michael looked at the sling on Maria’s right arm, and flashed a winning smile. “You left your prescription in the car last night, so I took it to the pharmacy for you on the way here.”

Maria hesitated but when Michael got out and came around to where she was standing to help her into the seat, she wasn’t really left with much of a choice, so let him take her bag and drink while she settled. He joined her in the car quickly, and passed her the drug store bag.

Maria was begrudgingly touched that he had thought to get the pain killers. Her wrist was throbbing in the manner of a bad toothache and she knew that she would need them to get through the rest of the day. Of course, getting a drug store bottle open with one working hand was going to be interesting.

Watching the slightly perplexed expression on Maria’s face as she stared down at the bag on her lap, Michael guessed at the reasons pretty easily. He took the bag from her before she had a chance to argue, checked the dosage on the bottle and tapped two pills out before passing them to Maria.

Maria took the pills quickly with a long gulp of her tea. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Good morning, and whatever,” she said with a slight grimace, admitting to herself that she had perhaps been a bit rude.

Michael stared at her with a raised eyebrow as if to say – is that it?

“I appreciate the lift, it was nice of you.”

Knowing that a begrudging thanks was the only one he was going to get Michael accepted Maria’s thanks with a silent tip of his head as he started the engine and merged into traffic.

“Like I said, you’re welcome.”

“But I could have got a taxi...”

“Maria!” Michael sighed exasperatedly. “Drink you tea and just accepted the help, okay?”

“Fine.”

“I saw that eye roll.”

“Eye roll?” asked Maria innocently, taking a sip of her drink while hiding her smirk behind the cup. “I’ve no idea what you mean...”

~~~~

Liz’s plans regarding Max had had to wait. Max had been scheduled to return to the States by Monday, but due to developments in a case he was handling his return was delayed until Friday morning at the earliest. This gave Liz some unwelcome extra time to freak out and over analyse their situation. It also let Liz began to sort out her thoughts about what she wanted to achieve when Max returned.

Distance and time differences allowing, talking to Max by electronic means continued. Their current teasing subject of choice had been the wonderfully weird emoticons available for use within Blackberry Messenger. It amused Liz to see that Max could put as much effort into finding her an appropriate emoticon as he did his work.

Max’s first offering of a pig emoticon came about through Liz emailing him about what had happen in her day, and mentioning a takeaway disagreement between Alex and Maria. As was often the case, neither housemate had won on the subject of which food to order for dinner and, due to a misunderstanding, had arranged separately for Indian and Chinese to be delivered in vast quantities. Ever the peacekeeper, Liz had ended up stuffed-to-the-point-of-bursting with both types of cuisines to avoid being accused of taking sides.

When challenged with the need for an emoticon to represent the takeout-aftermath, Max had delivered the pig emoticon, and continued to make her laugh each day he had been gone by finding appropriate and wonderfully outlandish new emoticons every evening, based on their day’s communications. It was a trivial thing to find so endearing, but Liz found each new cartoonish picture on her cell phone delightful.

When Maria had asked why she was giggling over her cell phone on the evening the pig emoticon was sent, Liz explained the source of her amusement and Alex introduced her to a website called crackberry.com. Ever since then, she had been competitively emoticon-ing every chance she could get. Despite her best efforts, and Alex’s pointers, Liz was inclined to believe that Max was sort of winning.

On Thursday afternoon, her time, when it was early evening for Max and slightly before he was likely to be leaving for the airport. Liz took the first of her baby steps and phoned rather than messaged Max. She didn’t have long to wait before Max answered.

“Liz? Hi.” His voice was muffled by the background noise of a car engine. “Is everything okay?”

“Hey, Max. Everything’s fine, I thought I’d give you a call before you caught your flight.”

Because I miss you and I have nefarious plans to wile you with my womanly whatevers. Oh, and Maria’s approves fully as do my ovaries, that’s okay isn’t it? And breathe Liz.

“You sound kind of surprised to be speaking to me.” Liz tried to sound dryly amused but ended up giggling nervously. She slapped the open palm of her hand against her forehead as a silent reminder to stop being such a dork.


“It’s unexpected but no less of a wonderful surprise,” he replied smoothly. “It’s nice to hear your voice at any time. I’m just in the taxi heading out to the airport. How’s your day been?”

“Fine, no dramas. I’m not sure you can say the same though.”

“Yes, it seems news of the divorce has been leaked from somewhere. I wasn’t planning any sort of television appearance this trip.” Max laughed, and Liz enjoyed the sound of his amusement. “Did you see it?”

She wasn’t ready to admit that she had stayed up specially to see Max on CNN regarding the press frenzy surrounding the divorce case he was handling. His client was Serena Lister, a British actress, who was divorcing her estranged husband Ed Harding, an American actor, following his alleged dalliance with their children’s nanny. They were both regarded as Hollywood royalty and as such very news worthy.

“I might have seen the clip,” she said. “You seemed very composed.”

“Composed? Really, I thought I was thoroughly dynamic and devilishly handsome. I’m wounded.”

He had been all of that and more; lithe and muscular in his dark suit, eyes serious and intense as expressed his clients request for space from press intrusion. Liz had been mesmerized, and Maria had laughed her head off at Liz being transfixed in front of the TV.

“I think your ego will survive.”

“Are you still helping Andrew with his case?”

“Not at the moment, but I maybe shadowing him on the next stage.”

“I heard from Michael that Maria took a bit of a fall at work?”

“Yes, she sprained her wrist but is doing okay with it. I didn’t realise you’d have time to catch up with the gossip from home when you’re travelling.”

“I try to make time to catch up with Michael and Isabel. Being away so much just means I need to try a bit harder to pick up the phone. We tend to talk to each other every couple of days.

“Are you playing nicely with the other baby lawyers?” he asked teasingly.

“Of course, but I’m not sure that I approve of the term ‘baby lawyer’, school was too much hard work to end up in a career were baby can be added to the title.”

“How about just, baby?”

“In what respect?” Liz asked carefully.

“As in, how do you like your coffee, baby.”

“Oh...” Oh!

“I feel like we maybe need to explore pet names, isn’t that what people do at some point?” Max teased.

“Okay...but Baby? I don’t think so, try another.” Liz felt her cheeks warming but tried to relax into Max’s banter.

“How about, Poppet?”

“Sounds too like puppet, could get unfortunately confusing if used in the wrong conversational circles.”

“Sweetie?”

“No.”

“Honey?”

“That’s just about as cheesy as baby.”

“Sugar?”

“Perhaps we should avoid any confectionary related pet names?”

“Well, I can see you are going to be a fussy girl friend, Ms Parker.”

Liz hesitated. “Is that what I am? I wasn’t sure if we were at the point of needing labels.”

“Don’t you want a label?” Max asked his voice more careful.

Liz bulked at answering such a direct approach. “Well, it seems that you have already given me label...em...it’s not one that a minded hearing,” she replied, a little breathless and rushed.

“Well, then I guess we have a new label for you, sweetheart.”

“I’ve missed you,” Liz blurted out and the felt her heart leap into her throat with the realisation of what she had just said.

“I’ve missed you, too,” he replied with warmth in his voice which made Liz melt despite the thousands of miles between them. “So when can I see you?”

“I’d like to see you tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

“I think that could be arranged. I try to have Emily keep my schedule clear so I can catch up on my first day back after travelling. Do you want to meet for lunch?”

Liz winced, scheduled lunch, here we go again. “No, actually I had something else in mind. Do you think you could maybe finish early? Sort of a late lunch?”

“I’m intrigued, just what do you have planned for me?”

“Well, you’re going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out.”

Max chuckled. “I’ll look forward to that.”

“About four?”

“That will be a very late lunch.”

Liz bit her lip and contemplated a bit more teasing back. “Perhaps it’s more an earlier dinner, or maybe it’s got nothing to do with food at all.”

“I’m intrigued even more.”

Liz heard the sound of the taxi driver talking to Max, and a car door opening. “That’s me at the airport now, I should say goodbye,” Max said, regret in his voice.

“Okay, bye, Max.”

“Goodbye, sweetheart, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~~~~


Friday morning arrived and Liz followed through with her carefully considered, four stage plan for not-lunch lunch with Max.

Step one. – involved wardrobe improvements. Liz had only been able to justify taking the afternoon off of work, so she didn’t have time to get home to change for the occasion. She had sorted through her newly invigorated wardrobe and selected a dress which Isabel had insisted was perfect for a day to evening look. It was a simple sleeves shift dress, with a high neckline fitted top and slightly flared skirt which moved nicely. Silky to touch, it was covered in an abstract paisley style pattern of pale greys and power blues. Worn with a jacket and smart shoes it looked very conservative, but when the jacket was removed the sleeveless style and split back design were revealed. Liz loved it because it was pretty, yet practical and just a little bit naughty. She added a soft, cashmere wrap and flat, strappy sandals to her bag to change into later.

Step two. – Involved food. Liz wanted to keep things simple and a short trip to a deli that Max had mentioned he liked sorted out a simple picnic. She bought French bread, cheese, ham, fruit, olives and soft drinks, just enough to fit into a small rucksack she had already packed with cutlery, paper plates, and a blanket. Provisions packed, she left them hidden under her desk and tried to get on with some work instead of clockwatching.

Step three. – was about stealth. Liz wanted their outing to be a surprise and Max didn’t make it easy for her. Throughout the day her Blackberry pinged and buzzed repeatedly as Max tried to cajole and charm for clues about their outing. Liz remained stoically silent on the subject, even though each of his messages had her smothering giggles behind her hand or pink faced with embarrassment depending on their content. It had taken an act of steely will on her part to stop herself from visiting Max in his office before the arranged time because she had missed him so much.

Step Four. - was finally about transport. Her car, his car, a taxi? This was the one point on which Liz had struggled to know what to do for the best. She was still uncomfortable being open about dating Max at work, so leaving together from the office wasn’t an option. Part of her knew that her need for secrecy was illogical. Max was not her supervisor, and held no direct sway over her work and given who her father was, if people wanted to point fingers and whisper about favouritism she was as likely to be a target because of Jeff as Max. She needed to know she was being judged on her work performance for her own self-confidence as much as anything else. It felt wrong not to discuss it openly with Max, but she couldn’t quite make herself bring the subject up yet. She just wasn’t ready.

She eventually opted to leave her car in the parking lot at the office and asked Max to meet her at a shop that was a short walking distance away. Max agreed without questioning Liz why, and she added a chilled bottle of wine to her goodies while waiting for Max to arrive.

So plan executed, appropriately dressed and bag of edibles at her feet, Liz was waiting outside of the agreed shop for Max to arrive and she was nervous. She was trying to decide if she had time to phone Maria for a pep-talk when a black Porsche Cayenne, all salacious curves and purring engine, pulled into the kerb and stopped. Max climbed out of the driver’s door in all his muscular magnificence still in his dark blue business suit but tieless and came to her side with a lazy grin on his face.

Liz was too busy trying not to check her chin for drool to notice the change of car from his usual BMW. Not confident that her voice could be quite trusted not to squeak rather than speak, Liz waved at Max in greeting, then immediately wanted to slap herself for being such a drip. It was just Max, there was no need to turn into a ball of goo at his feet because he was wearing her favourite suit and because his honey amber eyes were smiling down at her the way she loved. Liz gave herself a mental shake and reminded her self – plan, stick to the programme.

“Hey,” Max said, putting a large hand onto her hip as he dropped a kiss onto her forehead before pulling her into a hug.

“Hey,” Liz replied, returning his hug and burying herself against his warm chest with a weird sense of relief, thinking I’ve missed you more than I should have.

Liz felt him smile against her forehead before he trailed small kisses down her skin, from nose to cheek to ear; each small peck of contact a flare of teasing fire. When he came to her mouth, his lips moved sweetly against her own with three soft, sipping kisses.

Pulling away, Max hugged Liz against him again, and with his face in her hair said softly, “I missed you, too. Just as much as I should have.”

Busted, Liz groaned quietly. “I swear, I have no mental filter around you.”

Max cupped her warming cheek laughing softly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’ll bet,” Liz said wryly.

“You’re perfect just as you are. No artifice, I find it refreshing.” Max held the car door open for her, and Liz climb inside, as Max put her bag into the back of the car and shut the door.

Liz watch Max walk lithely around to the driver’s side, and muttered under her breath, “I regularly find it mortifying, but that’s just me,” before Max had had a chance to get back into the car and hear her properly.

“What did you say?” he asked absently, fastening his seatbelt.

“Nothing. New car?” Liz’s eyes widened in sudden panic.

“Liz?”

“I didn’t break your car more than you said did I? Is it written off? God, Max!”

“Calm down. You’ve gone from new car to written off car in less than ten seconds, slow down a bit. My old car is fine, fixed and completely road worthy. Isabel needed a new car and I decided it was time for a change. That’s all.”

Liz let out a gusty sigh, hands moving nervously in her lap where Max caught them in his own and held them still gently. “Sorry, I just thought... well we’ve already established that I sometime don’t use my inside-head-voice properly sometimes. The accident was so jarring, I never really understood how your car came off so apparently lightly.”

“German engineering.” Max shrugged with a laugh. “It’s just a car, which was insured. Nobody was hurt, that’s the most important thing.” Max lifted Liz’s hand to his face and placed a kiss against her palm. “No more stressing about it, okay?”

“Sure, sorry.” Max delivered another kiss to her palm before returning her hand to her lap.

“So, I have an afternoon off with my lovely but slightly nervous girlfriend,” Max teased. “Question is, where are we going? Or are we still at, ‘if I tell you I’d have to kill you’ status?”

Liz laughed loudly, feeling better despite her freak out. “No, we have now relaxed that status. Does this car have a GPS?”

Max looked at her with a slightly wounded expression, and Liz rolled her eyes his pseudo bruised ego. “Not that I doubt for a second that this car doesn’t come fully loaded, as it were, but can you show me.”

With a few buttons pressed, and the entering of a zip code. The car purred to life as Max followed the GPS to their intended destination.

Thirty minutes later, the GPS announced tonelessly, “Arriving at destination, Arnold Arboretum, on left.”

“Fancy a picnic by any chance?”

“Wouldn’t say no,” Max said as he cast her a sidelong glance while parking the car.

“I thought we could take a walk up Bussey Hill to work up an appetite, stop to admire the views of Boston to remind the weary traveler among us that he’s home, then find a quiet spot in the shade and have some food. Sound good?“ Liz bit her lip, trying gauge the expression on Max’s face.

“How long have you been plotting this you little minx?”

Liz waved her hand casually as Max locked the car and slung her bag over his shoulder. “It’s just something I pulled together quickly.”

Max held his hand out to her and she happily slipped her own into his as he twinned their fingers together. “I’ll bet, and I can’t think of a single person that I would rather go for a picnic with than you.”

Liz laughed, and bumped her shoulder against Max. They headed off at a leisurely pace into the beautiful greenery of the park.
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