Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle

-----------------------------

Chapter Thirty-Three: Girl Power

In which our heroine hears some words of wisdom…

"Logan will you go somewhere with me tonight?" Max asked him later.

"Umhmm," he replied absently as he read through his messages.

"It's kind of different from your usual," she warned him.

"Okay." He still was only half listening to her as he read one of his emails. "Damn."

"Damn what?"  Max leaned against the edge of his desk.

Logan finally looked up at her. "Nothing important."

"You mean, you don't think gun running on a massive scale into the state of Washington through the Port of Seattle is important?" Max looked frankly skeptical.

"How did you read that?" He looked at her askance. "You were across the room."

"I told you I could zoom in on things. That was nothing. So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing you're going to be involved in." He closed down his email. "Where are we going later?"

"You'll see. Don't dress for anything society though."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Logan took her at her word and she looked him over appreciatively when he emerged from his room dressed in a pair of jeans and a casual cotton sweater that clung in all the right places. She was wearing a pair of low cut blue jeans and a tight red top that didn't quite reach to the waist, leaving several inches of golden skin exposed. Logan smiled and lightly ran his finger over her exposed skin, raising goose bumps on it

Max slapped his hand away with a mock frown, "Later." She picked up her leather jacket and pulled it on. She smiled when she turned and saw that Logan had pulled on one of his own.

"Nice jacket," she approved.

He just gave her one of his heart-stopping smiles and took her hand as they entered the elevator. When they reached the garage he followed her to where she had parked her motorcycle.  There was a silence, as he looked it over critically.

"Nice bike." He finally said and Max beamed at him.

"You ready?" she asked.

"For what?"

"I promised you a ride."

Logan grinned at her words and ran his gaze over her. "Anytime, Max."

A jolt of heat shot through her at his innuendo and she remembered the hours earlier in his bed. "On my bike, Logan."

He raised an eyebrow; "I'm game. Never tried that before."

Max shot a look at him and climbed on the bike deciding her best bet was to ignore his teasing. "Let's blaze."

Logan climbed on behind her and locked his arms around her slim waist. With a grin Max took off out of the garage. Once they were outside, she gunned the engine and they raced down the streets. The feel of Logan pressed close against her, his hands hot against her exposed skin thrilled her and she threw back her hair and laughed from the pure pleasure.  Logan for his part was well aware of Max tight against him and it was all he could do not to let his hands wander upwards from her waist. Only the speed at which they were traveling, and the thought of what might happen if he distracted her, kept him in check.

Max took a few extra turns to lengthen their ride but finally she pulled into an alley. "We're here."

"Where might here be?" Logan looked around curiously. Max grabbed his hand and pulled him to a nondescript doorway. When she pulled it open a blast of raucous music hit their ears.  Logan followed her down the steps into a crowded bar wondering how she had found this place.

"Welcome to CRASH, Logan." Max turned and smiled at him. When she looked at him like that, he knew he couldn't say no to anything that she might ask, so he shrugged mentally and set himself to enjoying himself.

Max was waving to someone and she tugged on his hand, pulling him through the crowds toward a table set near the game area. A beautiful black woman was seated there along with a lanky young man.

"Original Cindy and Sketchy this is Logan." Max was introducing him. Logan was amused when the woman looked him over critically and then inclined her head in tentative approval.

"So this your man, sugah?" she was asking Max.

"He's mine." Max agreed and Logan didn't miss the note of possessiveness in her voice. He was surprised that it didn't bother him, as it would have had it been Ashley or one of her predecessors.

Sketchy was holding out his hand and Logan shook it and then dropped down into the chair the other man indicated. Max sat between him and Original Cindy, and Logan casually dropped an arm around her shoulders.

"You want a brew, man?" Sketchy was asking. Logan started to nod and then noticed that the pitcher on the table was empty.

"I got it." He rose and picked up the empty pitcher and headed toward the bar.

Original Cindy watched him go and nodded in approval. "He's hot, sugah and it looks like the boy got some manners as well."

Max just smiled as she enjoyed showing Logan off to her new friends. Just then a hand fell on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Kendra standing there.

Max looked her over and gave her a mock frown. "What did you do to Bling the other night?"

Kendra grinned. "Ask what he did to me. The man has some serious skills when it comes to gong banging." She dropped into the chair Logan had vacated next to Max.

"To what?" Max asked.

"Between the sheets, Max. Hot sweet lovin'. That boy is in the know. Twelve straight hours."

"No way." Max was disbelieving.

Kendra just looked at her. "Logan has his own serious skills in that area. Don't tell me he hasn't shown you just how many ways and for how long you two can do it?"

Max felt herself blushing.

Kendra looked at her knowingly, but then her smile turned to a frown. "Max, you did remember what I told you, didn't you? Has he seen you in the red gown yet?"

Max shook her head. Before Kendra had a chance to continue, Logan returned and placed two pitchers of beer on the table.

"I might have known you'd be behind this, Ken." He leaned in and gave her a kiss, then he poured two beers which he handed to Kendra and Max.

Kendra just laughed. "C'mon Logan you know how boring all of those society parties get. I couldn't leave Max to be subjected to nothing but those."

Kendra had taken Logan's seat, and there were no more open chairs at the table. Logan was still pouring out beers so Max jumped up meaning to go pull over another chair, but instead Logan sat in the chair she had vacated, and then reached out for her hand. With a quick tug she found herself sitting on his lap. Logan took a sip of beer and then turned his head to give her a quick nuzzle on her neck. Max felt sparks shooting through her all the way to her toes, as she felt his hot breath on her neck and his free hand teasing at the waistband of her jeans.

Original Cindy and Kendra exchanged knowing looks. "Newlyweds." Kendra explained with a shrug.

Max flushed but Logan just grinned. He tightened his arm around her waist when she would have tried to rise from his lap. Conversation flowed easily, primed by multiple pitchers of beer as the night wore on.  Logan continued to tease Max with subtle touches and light kisses, until finally Kendra took pity on her.

"Hey Sketchy, why'nt you guys go play a game of pool?" she hinted. Sketchy looked at her confused by her sudden command.  Kendra shot a look at Logan and he shrugged.

"Max?" She looked at him in confusion. His hand had just been teasing lightly over her stomach (and lower) under the cover of the table and her mind was elsewhere. "Can I get up?"

Max stood up quickly, then dropped back into her chair as Logan and Sketchy headed over to the pool table. She reached out for her drink, but Kendra stopped her.

"Max." her voice was stern. "You didn't listen to what I told you the other day, did you?"

"What?"

"Max, you are well on the way to being Logan's sex slave. I can tell the signs."

Original Cindy laughed. "Boo, she already there."

"I am not." Max declared indignantly. Kendra and Original Cindy just looked at her knowingly.

"Max, I love Logan dearly, but if you let him he'll run all over you. You need to take some charge of that boy." Kendra didn't mince her words. "You wanna end up like Ashley?"

Max stared at her aghast. "I wouldn't."

"If you let him keep playin' you like you doin' tonite, you gonna end up bein' his pet on a leash, boo." Original Cindy advised. "I may not play for the co-ed team, but I know the boys." Kendra nodded in agreement.


Max thought over their words. She flushed in annoyance as she remembered how easily Logan had distracted her from her earlier attempt to talk about Eyes Only and her participation in it with him. Kendra and OC watched her silently. Finally Max looked up. "You're right."

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Kendra asked curiously.

Max just gave her a secretive smile. "Logan Cale is going to find out that I'm no Ashley, is what." She refused to say anymore and their conversation turned to the relative merits of the all girl team as opposed to playing co-ed. Kendra and OC were still arguing good naturedly when Logan and Sketchy came back to the table.

"Max, you coulda told me he was better than you." Sketchy complained.

"He taught me." Max twinkled as she shot a look at him. "Remember, Logan?"

Logan smiled at the memory. "Yeah, and you turned my teaching against me as I recall."

Max shot him a sultry look. "Was it my fault you couldn't keep your mind on the game?"

"Yes." Logan shot back. "And you did it on purpose, didn't you?"

 "Maybe." Max smiled. "Want a rematch?" She stood up and posed with her hand on a hip. Logan swept his eyes over her as he remembered her leaning over a pool table to reach for a shot. His jeans suddenly felt uncomfortably tight. 

"Not tonight." He caught her hand. "Let's go."  There was a husky note in his voice.

Kendra winked at Max. "Remember what I told you."

"I got it covered." 

With that she strode out of CRASH in front of Logan, who took a breath as he watched her walk up the stairs in front of him. He had a feeling that somehow things had just slipped out of his control…

End of Chapter Thirty-Three…TBC