Fran watched the limousine as it disappeared down the street. Maggie pulled her aside earlier to tell her that they were all leaving the house to give them some privacy.

Shutting the door, she went to the study in search of Maxwell. When Fran entered the office, she was surprised to find it empty.

Making her way upstairs, Fran noted how oddly silent the house was. As she entered the bedroom, Maxwell walked out of the en suite, tying the sash around his waist.

He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Hello darling."

"Hi sweetie. I was wondering where you disappeared before the kids left."

"I have a special surprise waiting for you."

When she stepped into the bathroom, tea light candles were scattered in various corners, immersing the room in a soft, flickering light. The jacuzzi had been prepared for them, filled with thick foamy bubbles.

She slipped her arms around Maxwell's neck and kissed him. "You're just full of surprises."

"The evening's young," he replied returning her kiss. "There'll be more surprises waiting after our bath."

As he opened the door to leave, Fran asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to check on the rest of the details for our evening and make sure everything's in place."

When he reentered the bathroom, Maxwell heard the gentle swish of the water as Fran's hand swayed to the tune she hummed. As he drew closer, his mind leapt at the sight of her body barely covered in bubbles.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Come on in. The water's warm."

"Close your eyes," he teased unknotting the sash.

Fran covered her eyes, looking through her slightly parted fingers. Maxwell settled across from her, sinking into the hot bathwater.

"You know, the view's much better than the time I saw you in the shower."

"I knew you peeked!"

"I hope you don't mind. You're too sexy to resist."

Stretching out his hand, Maxwell beckoned her to him. "Come here."

Slicing through the soapy water, her body moved with a cat like grace as she made her way toward him. Fran bent her head toward his, grazing his lips with her own.

Maxwell's hands slipped over her wet skin, encircling her in his arms. Parting from their kiss but not from his embrace, she turned around and settled against his chest. His lips caressed her skin, nibbling softly at the curve of her neck.

"Niles made an interesting comment to me one day while we were working on plans for your office."

"What did he say?"

"He said that we've been married for twenty-one years."

"But we've only been married for sixteen years."

"Darling, he knows how long we've been married."

"Then why did he say that?"

"Fran, its Niles we're talking about. You know he says things just to be provocative. However, he did have a point. Even though you were working for me, we did act like a married couple."

Surprised by his honesty, she replied, "We shared just about everything; our thoughts, our dreams, our fears."

Maxwell smiled. "We argued - a lot."

"We did everything except for one important thing." She looked at him over her shoulder. "But you made up for that when we got married."

"Yes, and we're still making up for it," he replied kissing her shoulder.

Fran pulled slightly out of his embrace to grab her bath sponge and body wash. Pouring the thick creamy gel onto the loofah, he took the sponge from her and began to wash her body.

Maxwell stared at the woman lying contently in his arms. She closed her eyes as her body relaxed against his. Maxwell realized that over the many years he knew Fran, he had slowly turned his soul over to her.

She owned him completely as he hoped he did her. Fran could never truly understand the depth of my love for her, he thought trailing his fingers down her arm.

Taking his hand in hers, she intertwined their fingers. "Do you know how much I love you?"

His mouth dropped open in shock. Although he shouldn't have been surprised, it still unsettled him when she read his thoughts.

Regaining his composure, Maxwell replied, "I can only hope as much as I love you." He kissed the nape of her neck. "I'm sorry about what happened the other day."

"Don't worry about it Max. That's in the past."

Maxwell sighed. "You don't understand."

Fran turned in the tub to face him. "What don't I understand?"

"I was already angry with David for sending that damn script overnight and even angrier at myself for doing work during our vacation. I took my anger out on you and I apologize for doing so. Can you ever forgive me?"

Leaning into him, she pressed her mouth to his. "There's nothing to forgive because I already knew you were upset before we had our argument. I shouldn't have left the house."

"You were angry."

"But after I calmed down, I should have come back to discuss it like an adult."

"When you didn't come back right away, I began to panic. If I lost you, I would never forgive myself."

"I told you before I'm not going anywhere Maxwell Sheffield. You are stuck with me for eternity."

He rubbed his nose against Fran's. "You are simply amazing."

"I love you too." Her fingertips traced his shoulder, leaving a soapy trail across his skin. "Max?"

"Yes Fran?"

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to tell me the truth."

"All right sweetheart. What do you want to know?"

Her hesitant eyes met his. It shouldn't have mattered, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Remember when we were in Sacramento and you cooked for me?"

"Of course." Maxwell drew her in his arms. Pressing his lips against her ear, he whispered, "Do you want me to serve you breakfast in bed?"

"Hmmm. There's an idea for later. What I want to know is – well, since your schedule was so busy, when did Niles or Robert have time to teach you how to cook?"

His eyes widened in shock. "How – how could you have known?"

"I just took a guess. So which one was it, Niles or Robert?"

"It was Niles. I was planning to surprise you this summer when we went on vacation but then my schedule became clear unexpectedly. I still can't believe you knew."

"That's what you get for underestimating your wife."

Maxwell leaned forward and kissed her. "I've learned my lesson. Believe me, I'll never do that again."

"Well since you were truthful," Fran said taking the washcloth from his hand, "I guess you should be rewarded."

She dipped her hand in the water. Lathering the gel into the cloth, Fran gently ran the soapy cloth over his skin, washing him the same way he bathed her earlier. They frolicked in the water, sensually and playfully touching each other.

When the bathwater cooled, they rose from the tub, wrapping themselves in warm thick fluffy towels. Slipping into his robe, Maxwell secured the sash around his waist, curled his hand in Fran's, and bought it to his lips.

"Give me a moment before you come out. I want to make sure everything is ready for you."

As Fran entered their bedroom, she gasped in delight. Candles of all sizes and vases of long stem roses adorned the room.

Light jazz hummed softly in the background. The black floor length gown she wore fluttered around her as she glided across the room. Maxwell extended his hand, offering her a champagne flute.

"You've been busy," she replied watching him pour the sparkling wine in the glass.

"I wanted our first night together to be very special."

"This makes me wonder what else you have planned for the evening."

"Have a little patience sweetheart." Raising his glass, he smiled. "To us."

She met his with a light tap. "To us."

They watched each other sip the effervescent liquid. Setting his flute on the table, Maxwell took the glass from Fran's hand.

"Dance with me?"

Wordlessly she slipped into his embrace. Fran hummed contently, swaying to the rhythm of the music. Her mouth parted against his as he threaded his tongue between her lips. Her hands slid downward, stroking his back as they danced.

Slipping loosely from her arms, Fran's eyes followed the movement of his hand and watched him pluck a strawberry from the crystal bowl resting on side table. Holding the berry to her lips, Fran parted her mouth, gnashing the fruit between her teeth.

Maxwell watched the juice dribble from the corner of her mouth. He licked the trail from her skin, savoring the flavor of the berry that balanced perfectly with the taste of her on his tongue.

Picking up a berry, she pressed the fruit lightly against his lips. He was about to open his mouth to take a bite when Fran moved it, dangling the strawberry teasingly out of reach. A flush of desire welled within her as she watched Maxwell brush the fruit with his tongue, slowly circling its tip.

Fran could almost feel the softness of Maxwell's mouth on her breasts, licking and tasting her flesh as she watched him obscenely suck the fruit. He heard her gasp; her breath grew shallow with each passing moment.

When he could stand it no longer, he grabbed her wrist and drew the fruit to his mouth, nibbling at the fullest part of the berry. His right hand slowly cupped her breast, caressing her nipple through the negligee. His fingers moved up her arm to brush the thin strap from her shoulder.

As the loop slipped from her shoulder, her gown fell in a slash of black silk across her torso. He reached over and plucked the berry from her hand. Her nipple tightened as he caressed her with the tip of the fruit. Placing it against her swollen flesh, Maxwell slowly bit down into the berry, drawing the tip of the fruit into his mouth along with the tip of her breast.

His left hand repeated the actions of his right, stroking her nipple with this thumb. Her moans became louder, whispering his name in heavy desire. He switched the partially eaten berry back to his left hand, rubbing the fruit against her skin before drawing them back into his mouth.

Steadying herself against his body, Fran slipped her hand between the slits in his robe and caressed his hardness. She felt his moan reverberate throughout his body when she pressed her palm against him.

She slipped the remaining strap from her shoulder, letting the gown fall softly down her body. With the remains of the berry, Maxwell drew a liquid trail from her chest over her stomach, down to the curve of her hips. His mouth followed suit, pausing to lick and nibble her skin.

"You are so beautiful, so desirable," he whispered between kisses. "I never tire of wanting you."

Parting her thighs, Maxwell slowly licked the length of her soft wet flesh. She began to sway, pushing her hips against his probing tongue.

His name tumbled from her lips in an incoherent moan. Every fiber within her body tightened, pushing her to the edge of pleasure. He teased her, alternating the movement of his tongue.

"Maxwell," she pleaded, drawing his name out in a desperate moan. "Max..."

Cries of ecstasy filled the room as her limp, satiated body slumped against his. Maxwell drew her into his arms, cradling Fran as her breathing began to settle.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded as her breath began to even out. As their lips met in a soft kiss, she tasted the dewiness of her sex laced with the flavor of strawberries and champagne.

Looking into his eyes, Fran whispered, "Take me to our bed Maxwell. Make love to me."

Her fingers unknotted the sash, pushing the robe from his shoulders. She caressed his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles. Maxwell gathered her in his arms and carried her to their bed.

Pressing her lips against his neck, Fran nibbled on his skin, drawing his flesh into her mouth. She felt his hungry growl rumble through him as he lowered his body next to hers.

"Fran, you have no idea how much I missed you. I ached for your voice, your presence. I love you so much my darling."

He kissed her, brushing his lips down the length of her inner arms and wrists. The tip of his tongue darted out, caressing the center of her palms before softly kissing her hands.

Maxwell stretched the full length of his body against Fran. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moved her mouth close to his.

He could feel the warmth of her breath against his mouth. She kissed his lips, starting at the corner of his upper lip, moving to form a complete circle.

Slowly she licked his lips until she felt his tongue touch hers. As she opened her mouth to accept him, Fran pushed him onto his back.

"Do you want me?" she asked grinding her hips into his. He drew in a sharp intake of breath as Fran pressed her lips against his throat. His eyes closed, lost in the sensation of her body moving against his.

"You know I do," he hoarsely replied. His stomach tightened as her tongue spiraled around his belly button, dipping inside his navel. "Fran - please."

She smiled, shaking her head. "Not yet."

His control was weakening. He didn't know how much longer he could stand her delicious torture. Maxwell gasped when he felt her tongue trace his hard length. She slowly circled the tip of his manhood before engulfing his thickened flesh between her lips.

The sight of him slowly slipping in and out of her mouth mesmerized him. He fought the rising desire to plunge himself into her full wet mouth.

When he slid from her parted lips, Fran bore the hungry look of a lioness ready to devour her prey as she edged along his frame. Positioning herself over his hips, she lowered her body onto his.

Fran paused, savoring the delicious sensation of his manhood trapped inside her body. His hands spread across her back, folding his arms around her waist.

As she pressed her mouth against his, Maxwell slowly switched their positions. When Fran's eyes locked with his, a heavy moan poured from her throat. Her insides knotted in passion and desire as she answered each stroke and thrust of his body with her own.

Fran contemplated the man above her as he murmured her name in a declaration of love. Her love for Maxwell went beyond their physical expression. She was bound to him, emotionally and spiritually. They were the true definition of soul mates.

She clung to his body, wrapping her legs around his waist. Panting his name, she arched her body into his a final time as she cried out in ecstasy.

He allowed himself the pleasure of watching her lose herself to the sensation of their lovemaking. She was always beautiful to him, never more so than when he witnessed her in the peak of passion.

Mere words could not express the happiness he felt as she openly gave of and reciprocated their mutual love. She tempered his stoic solid reasoning with her fiery passion and zest for life. As he succumbed to their passionate lovemaking, his last clear thought was how he would love her forever.

They lay together, their arms wrapped loosely around each other. Both took gulps of air, waiting for their rapid heartbeats to calm.

Maxwell turned toward Fran and pressed his lips to hers. He reached down to intertwine their fingers.

"Don't ever leave me again Fran. I couldn't bear it. These past few days without you have been hell."

"I will never leave you again. I need you by my side always Max, just like you need me."

He smiled, tracing the contours of her face. "Bashert."

Fran closed her eyes against the sensation of his lips brushing across her skin. "Bashert," she whispered and captured his mouth with her own.