Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle
_______________________________
Chapter 24: Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall
A long walk home for our intrepid hero and heroine…
Max wasn't quite sure how she managed to get Logan home to Fogle Towers that night. Fortunately he wasn't a mean drunk, but he certainly was an amorous one. Every block or so, he attempted to stop and make out. She kept refusing and pulling him along with her, but come the next block he would try again. She had to hand it to him for persistence.
As they walked, she kept her arm around his waist to steady his steps, but she had to keep slapping away his hand which kept dropping below her waistline. When he discovered that he could slide his fingers below the waistline of her plunging dress, she had had enough. She came to a dead halt after she grabbed his hand from where it had found its way.
Turning to face him, she gave him her best drill sergeant glare. "Logan that is enough."
He just gave her one of his patented smiles. "C'mon Max. I wasn't doing anything …much."
She tried another tack. "Logan, do you want my dress to stay where it belongs while we walk home? Or would you like me to give all of Seattle a peep show?"
He looked at her for a moment as he tried to process what she had said. "What about when we get home? Will you give me a peep show?"
Max looked at him thoughtfully. If she got him home she was sure she could deal with him. Almost sure anyway. "We can talk about it there."
He smiled smugly and started to lean in for a kiss, "Seal the bargain," he breathed against her lips.
Max pulled back quickly and held out her hand. "Seal it with a handshake, Logan."
He frowned but complied. Max sighed in relief as they started out once more and his hands stayed (mostly) where they belonged. She actually thought they might make it home without further incident, but then Logan spotted a gaudy neon sign and stopped dead.
"What now?" Max was getting exasperated.
"I'm tired. I need to rest. You do too." Logan was already at the door of the Blowfish Tavern. He pulled out his wallet and paid the burly bouncer who stepped aside to let him enter. Logan reached back for Max, but the bouncer blocked her way.
"Sorry buddy. No females allowed except the working ones already inside."
Max sighed in relief but Logan had already pulled out his wallet again. He peeled off several bills and the bouncer hesitated a moment. Logan handed him one more and he stepped aside and waved them in, leering at Max as Logan dragged her past him.
Inside the air was thick with cigarette smoke and the music was almost deafening. Max saw immediately what the bouncer had been talking about. Men filled the tables and sofas that the bar was furnished with, scantily dressed females strolled about clearly looking for customers, and others performed lap dances for their patrons.
Logan pulled Max over to an empty table and held up two fingers to a harried looking cocktail waitress, who wasn't wearing much more than the lap dancers. Max dropped into a chair next to him, but another bouncer appeared from nowhere and gave her a narrow stare. "You're either working or you're out of here." Max stood up and was about to let him know exactly what she thought of that idea with a well placed kick, but as she drew her leg back Logan took the opportunity to grab her hand. He caught her off balance and she fell back onto his lap.
"No problem buddy." Logan winked at the bouncer and once again a bill appeared from his wallet. Just then the waitress arrived with their drinks, and an altercation broke out across the room between two drunken patrons who wanted the same dancer at the same time. The bouncer hurried to deal with it, leaving the two alone.
Logan's arms were securely around Max and he was nuzzling her neck once again. She tried to wiggle free and he lifted his head up and looked at her with a grin. "You gonna give me a lap dance princess?" She glanced over and her eyes met those of the bouncer.
Turning to Logan she hissed, "You are so gonna regret this tomorrow, Logan Cale." With a smile plastered on her face she ran her hand through his hair and then softly down his neck. "Drink your drink and we're out of here. Unless you want me to put on a show that I guarantee you won't like."
Something in her voice must have penetrated his sodden brain because he reached out and obligingly picked up his glass taking a swig of whatever it contained. "You better do more than just play with my hair, princess. Our friend is about to head back here." He shot her a triumphant smile.
Max's temper got the better of her at that. Nathan could have told Logan that Max in a temper was not a pretty thing, but he had never seen the need. Before he could stop her Max stood up from his lap. She reached down and hiked the hem of her dress above her knees and next thing Logan knew she was straddling his lap.
"You want a lap dance, Logie?" Her voice was soft and Logan smiled at her happily, placing his hands around her waist. Max reached up and used her hands to spread her abundant hair out in a fan as she leaned into him. Using her hair as a shield from prying eyes she ran her tongue over his neck.
Logan smiled happily. Suddenly he jumped. "Ouch. You bit me." He gave her a hurt look.
Max just gave him an innocent stare as she leaned backwards, letting his hands support her as she arched her back. Logan stared hungrily at the cleavage revealed above her bodice by her position. He leaned forward, drawn magnetically by that succulent flesh. Before he knew what had happened, Max straightened up and her head accidentally bumped his. Logan felt dizzy and his hands dropped from her waist as he reached up to rub his abused forehead.
"Oh Logan, I'm sooo sorry. Maybe I better get you home to look at that." Max rose from her place on his lap, and took his hand pulling him out of his chair. Logan was still seeing stars and didn't resist as she reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet throwing some bills on the table for the waitress before she hurried him out of the club.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Logan was fairly subdued for the rest of their trip choosing to sing Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer to pass the time as they walked. Max was happy to let him since it seemed to be keeping him harmlessly occupied. She heaved a sigh of relief when they entered the lobby of Fogle Towers.
"Small car accident," she breezily called out to the doorman on duty, whose jaw almost hit the floor at the sight the two of them presented. "Seattle really does need to mark their railroad crossings better." The doorman stared as he hurried over to hold the elevator door open for her to guide Logan into it.
"Nixty-sine bottles of beer on the wall…" Logan sang off-key as the astonished doorman gaped at his normally sophisticated and suave resident.
The doors of the elevator slid closed and Max let go of Logan. He leaned back against a wall and started to slide down it, still softly singing to himself. Max sighed and grabbed him before he ended up on the floor. Logan let himself fall forward. Max found herself pressed back against the opposite wall, with Logan leaning his weight against her. He took the opportunity to start kissing her neck again, while his hands happily roamed down her sides.
Max grabbed his hands and started to pull them up, only to find that he had somehow gotten hold of the hem of her dress, and it was rising with his hands. At the same time his mouth was making its way down her neck to the top of her dress. She remembered what he had done with his teeth in the rail yard shed, and she had a feeling that she was about to give him that peep show he had wanted.
His lips and tongue were making it hard for her to concentrate, but she pulled herself together and yanked his hands away from her dress hem. Unfortunately the fabric wasn't designed for the abuse it had already suffered, and she heard a ripping noise. She looked down and suppressed a squeak of alarm. The side seam of her dress had opened all the way to her waist, affording Logan a clear view of one of those lacy little things Kendra had insisted she buy. He reached out a finger and hooked it into the narrow strap that curled around her hip.
Luckily for Max's remaining attire, the elevator reached their floor and the doors opened with a soft ding. Logan was distracted and Max seized her chance to pull away from him without losing any more of her clothing, as she dragged him out of the elevator.
"C'mon Romeo. We're home." Logan tried to grab her again but she ducked away and gave him a seductive look. "Don't you wanna do this in a more comfortable place?"
Logan brightened at that "My bed is extremely comforshable...comfora…it's soft."
They were inside by now, and Max closed the door behind them with a sigh of relief. "Why don't you go on ahead, and I'll just slip out of this dress and be right there."
Logan looked at her and leered, "Don't you want me to help you? I'm very good at helping slip clothes off."
"Yeah, I noticed that." She sighed. "Wait in your room and I'll surprise you."
"Surprises are good," he agreed. Max watched in amusement as Logan made his unsteady way to his bedroom. When he reached the doorway he smiled back at her. "Don't be long. I have a surprise for you too."
"I just bet you do," she muttered as she headed to her room. She fully intended to be wearing more clothing before she made any more attempts to deal with him that night. Something along the lines of a suit of armor.
She wasn't going to bother with him again, but her conscience got the better of her. The thought of him passed out on the floor all night didn't quite sit right, so she finally padded softly down the hallway just to take a peek.
When she cracked open the door of Logan's room there were no lights on. Lucky she had cat's eyes and could see in the dark, she thought. She was relieved not to see Logan collapsed on the floor. Instead he was sprawled face down across the bed and soft snores reached her ears. She smiled and tiptoed over to where he lay fully clothed.
"It'd serve you right if I left you like this," she mused to herself even as she was pulling off his shoes and socks. That done she eased him out of his jacket and then rolled him onto his back so she could undo his shirt. His tie had been lost somewhere between the train and the tavern. Shirt disposed of she looked at his pants for a moment. With a sigh, she decided her humanitarian mission clearly dictated that she remove those as well. He was going to ache in enough places in the morning, might as well make him as comfortable as she could for the remainder of the night. It wasn't like she had any curiosity about what lay beneath his expensively tailored clothes after all. Not one bit.
The pants were quickly disposed of and her task was done. Boxers were perfectly fine to sleep in, they would have to do. Actually they did very well… Control yourself, Max.
Logan continued to snore softly as she stood and looked him over with a slight smile on her face. His chest was chiseled without being overly pumped, and it was lightly furred with golden hairs that narrowed into a V leading to …don't go there… She moved her gaze to his legs. They were long and well muscled. She wondered if he was a runner. His stomach was flat and his arms were toned. She nodded in approval. Logan definitely kept himself in shape. Suddenly she was seized by an urge to lean down and run her tongue over his chest. She hesitated but then remembered that he had certainly not hesitated earlier when the situation was reversed.
She placed her hands on either side of him and leaned in for a taste. His skin was smooth and firm and had a slightly salty taste. Max smiled to herself at her daring. Suddenly she was aware of a faint change in his respiratory patterns, and when she looked up it was to see a pair of blue eyes looking back. He had a smug grin on his face as his hands came up and pulled her on top of him. "Took you long enough," he said before his mouth was on hers. Max kicked herself mentally. She knew better than to do what she had done. Never trust a sleeping dog.
Logan's kiss continued, and she felt herself falling once again into that spell he seemed to be able to weave around her so effortlessly. She didn't know what would have happened, but suddenly the arms around her slackened and she pulled back from his lips. Logan gazed at her happily but then his eyes closed and he started to snore again.
Max used the opportunity to jump up. Looking down at him, she smiled in spite of herself. She dropped a kiss on his forehead and quickly left the room before her inebriated Prince Charming could rouse again.
End of Chapter Twenty-four…TBC…
