Author's note: So I'm aware that there are other stories out there that involve this idea of Maddie and David having their fun evening together, but this wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to be as respectful as I could to the other stories written about this and I hope I managed to give my own take on it. Don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts about this in a review!
A fun time was had by all
"You know, what ever happened to my fun evening?" David piped up.
He was sitting across from her, looking over some notes she had made about their latest case, and Maddie warily glanced at him.
"Really?" she huffed. "You're still talking about that? I already told you that you gave up your rights to a fun evening when you botched my fine evening."
"I thought I more than compensated for that."
Maddie frowned.
"How so?"
David tossed her notes aside and leaned forward a little, looking her dead in the eye.
"The aftermath of that fine evening had me beat into a bloody pulp. I'd say that I paid a hefty price."
Maddie returned his look, a smile erupting onto her face.
"Ah yes, now that was a fun conclusion to a fine evening."
"Are you mocking me, Miss Hayes?" David retorted, narrowing his eyes at her.
"It's just slightly funny that you weren't able to lay a single finger on that Russian and yet I knocked him out."
"Oh, come on! That's not fair. He never saw you coming. No one expects a woman to appear out of nowhere and punch their lights out. You just got lucky."
"Lucky, huh? There is that male chauvinist side of you that I've missed so much. It's not because I'm a woman, Addison. It's because you still punch with your wrists."
David's mouth was set into a tight line.
"If you so much as bring up the word 'sissy fighter' again, I may just have to strangle you," he grumbled.
"If you can manage to get your hands on me first."
Maddie sent him a daring look, before realizing how flirty she had sounded. Of course, David wasn't one to let that slide.
"Oh, I would love to get my hands on you."
He returned her stare and she gulped, knowing that this was one of those moments where her attraction towards him flared up. Of course, she was never going to let him in on that.
"You probably wouldn't be able to pull it off anyway," David said, interrupting their tense moment.
"Excuse me?"
"Showing me a fun evening. For someone who loves the symphony and fancy restaurants so much, I doubt you would know how to get down."
He was baiting her. She knew it. However, as always, she was walking right into his trap.
"I was in the modeling industry, David. I know how a party works."
"You know how a party works, yes. Have you ever participated, though?"
"Ha ha! Aren't you hysterical today."
Maddie rolled her eyes at him and got out of her seat, fumbling through some files in her cabinet.
"So prove me wrong. We promised each other a fine and a fun evening. I wasn't able to pull it off, I'll admit to that. Now, if you can organize a fun evening, you'll get to declare yourself the winner and you can throw it into my face any time and any way you like."
That got Maddie's attention. She turned around with a slight smile on her face.
"Any way I like?" she asked.
"Any way."
"So I take it, since it's a Friday and all, that you want this fun evening to take place tonight?"
David shrugged.
"Hey, I also had a short notice for my fine evening. It's only fair," he winked at her. "And I, for one, can't wait to see what you come up with."
"I still haven't said yes yet."
Maddie watched as he headed for the door, thinking that everything had already been set in stone.
"Oh, but you're going to. The chance to stick it to me? That's not something Maddie Hayes has ever passed up. So, what time are you going to pick me up?"
God, that man was so sure of himself! He was right, though. The thought of winning this and being able to bug him about it was… alluring.
"How about ten?" she found herself saying.
He threw her a dazzling smile.
"Ten p.m.?! That late? Aren't you supposed to be in bed by 09.30 p.m.? My, my, this really is going to be a fun evening."
"Easy on the wisecracking, Addison! I might still cancel," she bit at him.
David held up his hands in surrender.
"I'll be on my best behavior. I'll see you tonight."
With that, he exited her office, whistling some annoyingly cheerful tune. Crap, he had done it again, hadn't he?! She had taken the bait and now, she was going to have to throw a fun evening with the biggest party boy of them all.
Oh, hell…
Maddie knocked on David's door later that night, feeling slightly anxious. She had been going over it in her head again and again; was this really such a good idea? Hadn't their fine evening together proven that maybe they needed to stay away from going on dates with each other? He was her business partner; she still needed to work with him come Monday. What if something embarrassing happened? Then again, she was still his boss. She could swear him to secrecy regarding anything.
He opened the door, wearing dark jeans and a white shirt, which was rolled up at the sleeves. The first few buttons were left unbuttoned, revealing a bit of his chest to her. She quickly shook her head, trying not to notice how incredible he looked.
"Well, hello there," he drawled.
Maddie's throat felt a bit dry as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Hi. Are you ready?"
"You betcha! You look nice," he told her.
"Thank you."
She had dressed the opposite of their fine evening, wearing a simple, strapless blue dress, which ended just above the knees. A bracelet and tasteful earrings finished off the ensemble.
"So where are we going?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."
Maddie exited the apartment building with David in tow, revealing a cab waiting for them.
"A cab, Maddie? Really?"
"What?" she shrugged. "Were you expecting a limo?"
"I'm just surprised, that's all."
He slipped into the cab after her, looking around curiously when they began their drive towards an unknown destination.
"I'm just really interested to see what your idea of a fun evening is. I mean, you've always detested my fun evenings."
He winked at her and Maddie shook her head.
"Passing out on the floor of a bar is not fun. It's rather sad, really."
"Sad, huh? Then how come I'm never sad about it?"
Maddie refrained from answering him.
"Hey, are we headed towards Sunset?" David sat with his nose glued to the window, the excitement almost dripping off him. "Are we going clubbing, Blondie?"
She rolled her eyes at the nickname he had given her eons ago and sighed.
"We are."
Ten minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of a club called 'Gemini,' and David's eyes almost bugged out of his head.
"Gemini?! You are aware of the fact that you have to practically namedrop to get in there, right? Your regular Joe would never be allowed in. It has been that way for years."
Maddie glanced at her fingernails in an almost bored manner.
"I did namedrop," she replied haughtily.
"Really? Whose name did you drop?"
"My own."
He shot her an incredulous look and she bored her eyes into his, warning him not to go there.
"I may be somewhat of a has been, David, but my name still opens doors from time to time."
"Hey, I never meant to imply…"
He held up his hands in surrender and she quickly pushed past him, heading for the entrance of the club.
"Are you coming or what?"
David scurried over and Maddie almost smirked with the fact that he was obviously impressed. She was so going to win their little arrangement tonight!
The club was just beginning to fill up and Maddie's eyes scanned the crowds, looking for the acquaintance that had allowed them in here. When she spotted him, she made her way over, David still in tow.
"John, how lovely to see you again," she greeted.
John had worked for the agency that Maddie had been signed up with. Luckily for her, he was related to the owner of 'Gemini.' The darkhaired man leaned forward and kissed both of her cheeks enthusiastically.
"Madolyn, you look absolutely stunning! I was surprised when you called and asked about coming to 'Gemini' tonight. I was happy to pull some strings for you!"
Maddie sent him a small smile and turned to David.
"John, this is my business associate, David Addison. David, this is John Mansfield. I know him from my modeling days."
David and John shook hands warmly, greeting each other.
"Well, let me get you to your table! I've got the perfect spot; semi-private, but still overlooking the club."
He escorted them to the back of the club. Meanwhile, David leaned close to Maddie and whispered: "Semi-private, huh?"
Some teasing could be heard in his voice and Maddie shot him a look over her shoulder.
"Don't get any ideas, Addison."
John showed them their table and they both sat down, seeing that they indeed had a perfect view of everything that was going on in the club.
"Can I interest you in some champagne?" John asked.
Maddie thought about it for a second, before realizing that champagne wouldn't belong to a fun evening.
"No, I think we'll both have a kamikaze," she answered, remembering the drink that David had bought for her when they had first met.
John raised his eyebrows at her, clearly not used to her bold choice in drinks.
"Of course, I'll arrange that for you. Have a good time. Maybe we can catch up later tonight."
And with that, he was gone.
"A kamikaze, huh?" David smirked. "Are you trying to knock me out before the fun can actually happen?"
"Were you trying to knock me out when you served it to me at that bar a few years ago?" Maddie shot back.
"Touché. So what's the deal with Mansfield? Is he some old boyfriend, or something? He seemed awfully willing to pull his 'strings' for you."
Maddie gave him a conspicuous look after he air quoted the word 'strings.'
"John is simply an acquaintance from my modeling days, David. That's it."
"If you say so."
The kamikaze showed up on their table and Maddie knocked it back in one go, thinking about how she would make this evening fun for David.
"So, did you go to nightclubs often in your modeling days?"
David had moved a bit closer to her, since the music was rather loud. This way, they could hear each other a little better. It made Maddie highly aware of his presence, though. Their thighs were almost touching and his arm was casually draped over the back of her seat.
"Not very often, but yeah… sometimes. For a model who was still in the industry at that time, the Sunset nightclubs were the perfect place to make connections, you know?"
David nodded, a twinkle becoming apparent in his eyes.
"I'm still having a hard time imagining you up on that dance floor. You're going to have to show me your moves tonight."
"Dream on, Addison!"
Maddie crossed her arms in front of her, needing the attitude to distance herself from him somewhat.
"We're not going to dance? Then what's the point of this evening? Are we just going to sit here all night? What did you do at a club during your connecting days?"
"During those days, I mingled… I connected… I talked… I even flirted a little."
"But you never got up and danced? I was right! I knew you never actually participated in the party at hand."
Maddie almost hissed at him.
"I was there, wasn't I? I socialized, which was important!"
"Well, you're basically saying that, even though there was a party going on around you, you were still working. You never left the office, so to speak."
He had her there and she knew it.
"You don't know a thing about the modeling industry, David. I don't expect you to understand!" she spat. "You only know a good party."
Her bottom lip protruded and she raised her chin in defiance.
"We have to dance, Maddie. Otherwise, I'm not going to rank this as a fun evening."
He was pushing her buttons to get to where he wanted and she knew it. She couldn't stop herself, though.
"So this is only fun when you say it's fun? I thought I had arranged for this evening, not you!"
"Yes, but you determined that our fine evening wasn't a fine evening, even though I did my very best."
"That's unfair! You made me look like a fool that night, that's why it wasn't a fine evening!"
His lopsided smile seemed to be etched permanently onto his face and Maddie wanted to pummel it right off!
"Are you folding, Miss Hayes? Because then, I'm going to declare myself the winner over our agreement."
Maddie stared at him incredulously.
"The winner?! After what I have endured that night, you have the audacity to sit there and say that you've won? We haven't even been here half an hour, David. You just wait and see!"
"So we're going to have our dance, then?"
The mischief in his eyes brought forth two different emotions inside of her; one part of her wanted to flat out kill him, the other part got a bit lost in the pull that she felt towards him. This night really had been a mistake. Drinking and letting loose around David Addison could potentially be dangerous and she definitely felt why right then and there. He had leaned forward a bit more during their tiff and Maddie found herself staring at his lips for a split second, while some really strange things were happening inside of her.
Oh well, that must be the alcohol talking.
She pushed him back in his seat and shook her head.
"You're something that I scrape from the bottom of my shoe, Addison," she grumbled.
"Yeah, well, how about I let your shoe be for a second and get us some more drinks? Another kamikaze?"
"Sure, let's make this a night I definitely can't remember tomorrow morning."
David shot her a flirty look and headed for the bar.
Why was she still working with that man? He clearly had other insights in life; all pleasure and barely any business. He mocked her lifestyle day after day and she let him do it. Why? Why did she let him make sexist remarks at the office? Why had she allowed any of it, instead of firing him? Lord knew that he deserved to be let go; he blatantly disregarded her as his boss!
Wait… what was happening at that bar over there? Was that woman flirting with David? Maddie narrowed her eyes as some blonde placed her hand on David's bicep and laughed in a way that seemed a bit over the top.
She slid to the edge of her seat to see what David would do about it and fumed when she saw him smiling back at her. He seriously wasn't picking up another woman on their date together, now was he?! The blonde wasn't leaving, though, or so it seemed that way.
"That man!" she hissed. "That horrible, disgusting excuse for a human being!"
Really, he couldn't let up on his urges for one evening? Well, they were here together and she wasn't going to let him do this to their fun time. She was in this to win, damn it! If he left with another woman, that would surely put a kink in that cable.
She got up and casually sauntered over towards the bar, to where David and the blonde were talking.
"Really, David," she started, interrupting the conversation that was going on. "Where do they have to get those drinks from? Some of us are thirsty over there," she complained, moving a bit closer to David to get her point across to the woman.
"I've got them right here," he answered, obviously a bit surprised by her interruption. He turned towards the other woman and gave her a polite nod. "Nice to meet you."
Maddie smiled at her victory. She threw the woman a look over her shoulder, before calmly letting David guide her back towards their table.
As she sat back down, her eyes were shooting fire at him.
"Okay, so what did I do now?" David asked, seeing the smoke coming out of her ears.
"What did I do, he asks?! How you, to pick up a woman while you're out on a date with another one."
"Whoa! Wait, that wasn't what I was doing!"
"Really? Then how come you were doing that thing with your eyes and throwing her your flirtiest smile?"
"I have an eye thing that I do?" David asked her, a bit amused. "And you noticed?"
Maddie halted for a moment, thinking about just what had slipped out of her mouth a few seconds earlier. She instantly understood how this looked on her behalf and her eyes dropped down to her drink, wanting to disappear in it.
"Look, Maddie. I was at the bar when she approached me. I already told her that I was here with someone, but she didn't give up that quickly. I was being polite while I waited for our drinks. That's all. I know the rules. I would never pick up another woman while on a date, and I certainly wouldn't do that while being out with you. I wouldn't do that to you."
His voice turned almost hoarse with that final sentence and Maddie felt something unwanted stir inside of her. God, she really had behaved like a lunatic, hadn't she?
"Now, what was with that look while we were walking away?"
Damn, had he seen that?
"What look?" she played the innocence card.
"You know exactly what look I mean. The one you gave to the other blonde. What was up with that?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
There was that lopsided smirk again and Maddie could feel a blush begin to spread across her skin.
"Sure you don't. If I didn't know any better, I could swear that it almost looked like you were somewhat jealous."
"Jealous?! Maddie hissed. She decided to go with 'offense was the best defense' tactic. "If I wasn't here to win this thing, I would have gladly let you walk away with that to be rid of you!"
David wasn't convinced; he simply leaned back in his seat with a cocky smile on his face, looking annoyingly sure of himself.
"You were jealous."
"I was not!" Maddie almost stomped her foot underneath the table. "If you know what is good for you, Addison, you'll shut up about it right now!"
She grabbed onto her drink and downed it in one go again, needing to take the edge off.
"Now, how about that dance?!"
It wasn't even a question. Maddie pulled him to his feet, trying to distract him from the entire situation of her behaving like a jealous girlfriend. He followed her out to the dance floor, this time knowing when to stay quiet.
When they reached the dance floor, however, Maddie realized that she had never been really good at this. She knew how to dance in a ball room, but letting her hair down and grinding to some funky music that was playing had never been her cup of tea.
Damn, she was going to look like a fool!
"You know, being out on a dance floor usually means that you're required to move," David joked, not having picked up on her mixed emotions yet.
He was already bopping around to some tune she had never heard of before.
"I usually don't dance to this type of music," she mumbled.
"It's not that hard, Maddie. Just sway to the rhythm."
When he noticed that she still wasn't dancing, he grabbed onto her, and she let out a yelp.
"What are you doing?!" she wanted to know.
"Making you have a little fun! Come on, acquire the dancing position. I'm here to help you relax, goldilocks."
Maddie slipped her hand in his and felt him pull her a little closer.
Right, maybe this was the wrong way to go about distracting them from her peculiar behavior with the blonde woman at the bar. His nearness brought forth a whole other predicament. Before she could analyze the fluttering in her stomach, he began to move them to the beat of the music.
"See, not bad at all, Blondie. Anyone can dance with an Addison attached to them," David wisecracked.
Maddie felt herself gradually becoming more relaxed with her movements. Maybe it was the alcohol kicking in or maybe it was the fact that he was a good tutor, but soon, she found her hips moving on their own accord.
"There you go!"
Ten minutes later, an actual smile graced her features. She grabbed onto David's shoulders while they danced freely. This really was a lot of fun! He twirled her around and she landed with her back against the hard planes of his chest. They simply continued dancing in that position. His hand was at her hip, holding her close and that's when Maddie felt it again. She arched her neck to look up into his eyes and her stomach almost clenched with a certain need. He returned her stare, smiling down at her.
This was still the alcohol talking, right? There was just no way that she could be having these feelings for David Addison right now. Come on, he was David! If there was ever a man out there that was more wrong for her than him, she had yet to find him. Yet, the accelerating of her heartbeat had nothing to do with the fact that she was dancing. It almost pounded against her ribcage. Maybe it was simply the combination of a lot of factors; the pulsing music, the alcohol, the entire atmosphere of having a fun night… She just needed to shrug it off.
The kamikaze flowed freely and Maddie came to a point where she simply didn't care anymore about what she looked like on the dance floor or what her feelings for David were. She squealed with delight as he dipped her and she threw her head back, enjoying the moment of absolute freedom.
"I always suspected there was fire underneath that icy exterior," David told her when he pulled her back up.
Maddie's hands crept up David's chest all the way towards his neck.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Addison."
David's expression turned serious and for a second there, the music wasn't the only thing electric inside of the club.
"And you never will," she continued, sending a smirk his way.
His eyebrows shot up.
"Never?"
"I think hell will have to freeze over first."
"I'll see what I can do about that."
Maddie swallowed with difficulty, becoming wary of the heat that shot back and forth between them. She quickly broke free from his grip on her and stepped back.
"Where are you going?"
"To get some more drinks. I'll be right back," she excused herself.
John Mansfield was standing at the bar when she approached it and waved her over.
"John! I'm terribly sorry that we didn't get to talk yet."
"That's all right, you seem to be having fun. That's good."
Maddie sat down on one of the barstools and gave him the once over.
"It's a nice club. Your family did well."
"Thank you. So," John started, a smile adorning his features. "You and your business associate, huh?"
"Me and my business associate, what?"
"Oh, come on, Maddie. I'm not blind. I see the way that you look at him," he teased.
Maddie frowned at him, while placing her order with the bartender.
"I really have no idea what you're talking about, John."
"Sure you don't. I've known you for a long time, but I have never seen you be so comfortable with a man before."
"Comfortable?!" Maddie threw her head back and laughed. "You need to see an eye doctor, John. David Addison might be the last man I would ever feel comfortable with! He constantly keeps me on edge with his lewd behavior. Honestly, you're mistaken. There's nothing between us."
John shook his head.
"I'll take your word for it, but just in case you were wondering and overthinking things… he looks at you the exact same way…."
The ride back home was quiet. David was slightly drunk and had his eyes closed, making Maddie wonder whether he was asleep or not. It was for the best anyway, she didn't really want to talk. The conversation with John had sobered her up considerably.
Was there really something going on between her and David? Sure they flirted a bit on occasion, they bantered and provoked each other, but it was just something they did, right? It was the way they communicated with each other. It didn't mean anything else.
Still, the attraction that she had somehow always felt when it came to him had been intense that night. Of course, alcohol could heighten feelings to a certain point, so maybe she shouldn't read too much into that.
The cab that was driving them pulled up at her driveway and she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the night was over. David had insisted that the driver drop her off at her house first. Something to do with chivalry, he had said.
Maddie smiled when he opened his eyes and looked around sleepily.
"Are we there yet?" he mumbled.
He really did look adorable in that moment.
"We are. So did I win, or what?" Maddie wanted to know.
"Wait. Let me walk you to your door."
"David, you're drunk. You can barely walk, let alone walk me to my door."
David scowled at her.
"I'm not that drunk! You have yet to see me that drunk!"
"Please!" Maddie held up her hands in a dramatic gesture. "I've seen the aftermath of it plenty of times and that is more than enough for me."
He didn't answer her and got out of the car before she could object. He was at her door in a heartbeat and held out his hand for her to take.
"See? I'm still quick on my feet," he smirked.
"You're quick, all right."
She took his hand and let him escort her to her door. They quietly walked side by side and for whatever reason, David talking about a 'quick feel at the door' after they had had their fine evening penetrated Maddie's brain. He wasn't expecting that right now, was he? Sure, they had gone on a date together and that usually came with a goodnight kiss, but they shouldn't cross that line. They should never cross that line…
Of course, they had already crossed that line once. However, that had been a hurried farewell kiss in an underground garage and it had been so unexpected and quick, that she hadn't had time to really think about it. They had agreed that it had been due to the straining circumstance of him having to go into hiding. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, they had both forgotten about it.
She sure remembered it now, though. Would it be different if they kissed without such a frenzied situation? How would it feel if it were a deliberate kiss, without any excuses about why they were doing it?
Her front door loomed ahead of her and Maddie bit her lip.
"Okay, so I'll just admit to it," David suddenly spoke up.
What? What was he talking about?
"Your evening exceeded mine, so I guess you've won. I'll accept whatever you have in store for me."
A smile broke out on Maddie's face.
"I won?"
"I had fun," he begrudgingly admitted.
"Don't make it sound like it's such a dirty word when it involves having fun with me."
Maddie crossed her arms in front of her and stared him down.
"Well, I didn't think that you'd be able to pull it off. Seeing you and your moves on the dance floor will forever be haunting my memories, honey."
"You're hilarious."
"I'm serious. Thank you for tonight."
David leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
How it came to be was something that Maddie would lie awake over for nights to come, but in that moment, it was the most natural thing in the world. Her arms dropped down to her side, shedding the closed off attitude. It was as if everything moved in slow motion; the way his lips hovered inches above her right cheek… the way her head turned to the side on its' own accord, making the friendly intended kiss land on the corner of her mouth… the way David leaned back a little in surprise, searching her eyes…. the way her resistance regarding him was suddenly non-existing….
They were like magnets in that moment: fighting the pull would prove to be futile. He waited and she closed the distance between them, feeling overwhelmed when their lips finally fully touched.
It was nothing like their smooch at that garage, that had been all despair, done without thinking and full of goodbyes. This was soft and leisurely. He was exploring a path across her bottom lip, taking his time, before his tongue explored the exact same path only seconds later. Maddie knew what he was doing; he was testing her to see if she wanted an out.
She wanted in, though.
When he deepened the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. A soft moan escaped her when the tips of their tongues touched… carefully at first, but with increasing passion. Maddie felt his hand stroke across the skin of her back, making small circles that left goosebumps in their wake. Finally, he ended up tickling the back of her neck. When his fingertips brushed across a certain place right below her hairline, her knees buckled.
She couldn't stop the guttural groan that left her, or the fact that she held onto him even tighter. There was a fire burning in the pit of her stomach.
David noticed her reaction and he deliberately brushed the same spot on her neck again, making her eyes almost roll back in her head. Damn…
"Oh, you like that huh?" he whispered, releasing her lips for a moment.
"Don't be so full of yourself. You're barely leaving an impression on me."
She tried to sound levelheaded and stern, but her breathing was labored and her cheeks were flushed a bright shade of crimson.
"Uh huh," David mumbled, clearly not believing her.
To prove his point, his lips stirred that notorious spot again. Then, his tongue came out to lick it.
"Oh my god!" Maddie exclaimed, not knowing what came over her.
Her loins were positively throbbing.
"I'm definitely going to remember this one," David quipped.
Before she could answer him, he was back at her lips, giving her one last taste of his tongue inside of her mouth. She didn't think she had ever been kissed like this before after a date. Her hands almost pulled at his hair, her emotions getting the best of her.
Then, he withdrew and it was over, leaving her shivering on her doorstep.
"Well," he started, looking a bit frazzled himself. "I uh… I guess I'll see you on Monday."
"Yes, see you then."
"I'd better get going. The cab driver is waiting for me."
Right, the driver. He had witnessed the whole thing, hadn't he? A blush crept up her skin with that knowledge.
"Sure, you don't want to keep him waiting."
The air around them was tense and Maddie wrung her hands together.
"So… have a good weekend, then."
David took a few steps back, indicating that he was leaving.
"Yeah, you too."
He touched two fingers to his lips to blow her a kiss and turned around to head towards the car. Mere seconds later, he was gone, leaving Maddie to wonder what the hell they had just done….
"Good morning, Miss DiPesto," Maddie greeted her secretary upon entering the office.
Her eyes nervously flitted towards David's office doors, hoping that he wasn't in yet, but at the same time wishing he was.
"Good morning, Miss Hayes! How was your evening with Mr. Addison?"
Great. Maddie had forgotten about the fact that Miss DiPesto always seemed to be aware of everything that was going on at the office, even the bets made between her and David.
"It was all right, she mumbled, keeping it vague.
Miss DiPesto raised her eyebrows at that assessment.
"All right? So you didn't win, then?"
"Oh, I won."
Maddie tried to be as casual as she could about it, keeping a blank face.
"Do you have the file on the Lindenberg case for me? I want to work on it somewhat, before our closing interview," she asked, trying to change the subject.
"Sure."
The secretary handed her the file and Maddie gave her a quick nod, heading for her office with quick strides. Right before she reached her doors, she turned around one last time.
"Oh, Miss DiPesto?"
"Mr. Addison isn't in yet."
Right. Had it really been that obvious what she was going to ask about? She had tried to play it as cool as possible.
"Thank you," she almost snapped, feeling a bit irked about the fact that she had been so easy to read. She slammed the office doors behind her, throwing her purse onto her mauve couch.
Why was she behaving this way? It wasn't like she was some teenager, nervously awaiting the arrival of her first boyfriend! Why couldn't she seem to get into a calm state? She had been on edge all weekend, lying awake at night to ponder over that kiss. Would it really change so much? Had it changed something already?
It was ridiculous to go over something as simple as a kiss so vigorously. They were two adults here and they would continue to work side by side without turning it into a big issue. Hadn't they resolved it the exact same way after their first kiss at that garage?
Of course, with the garage kiss, they could still muster up some excuse as to why they had done it. Right now, there were no excuses. She had deliberately turned her head to the side so he would kiss her. She knew it and he probably knew it as well. She had wanted to be kissed by David Addison.
And what a kiss it had been indeed…
Automatically, her hand reached up to touch that spot on the back of her neck that she hadn't known about before. She shivered with the memory of what his fingers, lips and tongue had been able to do with it and what her reaction had been. If he hadn't pulled away when he had, how far would she have let him go?
As if stung by a wasp, she quickly dropped her hand down to her side again and flopped herself down into her desk chair.
"Fool!" she hissed at herself.
The Lindenberg file lay in front of her and she buried herself in her work.
David entered the outer office a little while later, being anything but quiet about it. He was busy singing a song that Maddie instantly recognized as 'Livin' it up Friday night' by Bell and James.
Really, now? Did he have to belt out those specific lyrics in an office where nothing stayed a secret? Did that man have no decorum? Of course, she already knew the answer to that. She rolled her eyes and waited for him to get it out of his system. Interrupting him right then and there and confronting him about it would only prove to him how much their Friday night had affected her.
She read through some of her notes about Lindenberg and waited for him to waltz into her office like he always did.
He didn't disappoint. Two minutes later, he barged in with a chipper "Good morning, boss!" and almost threw himself into the chair across from her desk, spinning it around like a five-year-old would do. Oh, why did she have Peter Pan as an associate?
The sad part about it was that she had tried to change him into a responsible adult not long ago and had come to realize that she actually liked him just the way he was. Wasn't that a hoot?
"So, did you have fun this weekend, boss?" David asked, stopping his self-created merry-go-round to look at her intently.
Keep it together, Maddie…
"Of course I did," she began. "Wasn't that the whole point?"
She shuffled some papers around, pretending not to be too invested in their little talk. Would he bring up the kiss, though?
"We sure did, didn't we? I have to say; Maddie Hayes out on a dance floor and drinking kamikaze until the wee hours of the morning is not something that I expected to happen. You amazed me."
Maddie looked up into his eyes, wishing that they hadn't been so damn green.
"I amazed you?"
"Yeah, you did. So what's my punishment?"
"Punishment?"
"The torture that you cooked up just for me for losing our bet, or whatever you want to call it," David explained.
"Oh, that." Maddie turned her eyes back to the file at hand. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"I guess so."
She could feel him looking at her in a certain way and she was just so glad that he wasn't able to notice the heart palpations she was having. Someone needed to say something here, but it wasn't going to be her. She didn't want to embarrass herself anymore than she already had over this little predicament.
"Well…," David began, clearly leaving an opening for her.
"Well…"
"I guess I should head over to my office and get some work done."
"All right."
Maddie almost crumpled the file in her hands with how hard she was gripping it. He really wasn't going to bring up the kiss, then? She watched as he got up from his seat and headed over towards the door.
"David!" she blurted out without thinking.
"What?"
He turned back around, a quizzical look on his face.
"Are we… going to talk about what happened on my doorstep?"
There, it was out. The ball was in his court now. She watched as a small, teasing smile began to appear onto his face.
"Ah yes, what did happen on your doorstep?"
Wait. Was he going to turn this around on her now?! Sure, she shad been the one to turn her head to start the kiss, but he had been the one to lick her dam neck!
"Why don't you tell me?" she shot back.
"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.
"Yes, you."
Great. This whole thing was turning into a ping-pong match with the way they were going!
"I don't know, really. I guess it was a perfect way to say goodbye after such a fun date."
Maddie's jaw almost dropped open.
"And that's all there is to it?"
"Why? Is there more?"
His eyes were boring into hers, as if he was willing her to confirm that it had indeed been more. She nervously bit her lip, thinking about how to answer that. He was her business associate and she was his boss… What would happen if they started something more and it failed? Their entire business was on the line here….not to mention her emotional state. If she admitted to having restless nights this weekend, thinking about that kiss, that would pretty much be her laying her heart out on the line. He was someone who went through women like he went through his underwear. She couldn't risk it with him. Things would have to stay just the way they were.
"I suppose you're right," she said. "It was a good way to say goodnight."
Something resembling disappointment briefly flickered in his eyes after she had said that, but it was gone so soon, she began to wonder if she had seen it at all.
"Right. I'll be in my office if you need me."
Maddie sat staring at her closed office doors for a long time after he had left, wondering what his response would have been, had she answered differently…
Quick note: Of course, had this been an actual extra episode of 'Moonlighting,' they would have it end right here, wouldn't they? But hey, I'm not the creators and I'm not going to drag this out any longer than necessary. So here comes the epilogue!
Another kiss swept under the rug. Another way for them to act like nothing had happened between them at all. Maddie tiredly rubbed her eyes, her own emotions giving her a headache. She had thought this through, right? If she and David were ever to get involved romantically, that would surely complicate a lot of things. She was a professional. Making out with your employee was anything but professional!
Why was she still thinking about this in the first place? It had been done; she had said her piece to him and that was that. Yet, it felt like pandora's box had somehow been opened. Suddenly, she saw David in a different light and there was no stopping it. It had been so awkward this afternoon, when they had had an appointment with Mr. Lindenberg at a restaurant. She had desperately tried to keep her attention on the client, but her eyes would drift every now and then, noticing something about David that distracted her to no end; his scent, his lips, the way his shirt stretched across his chest… She was surely going crazy here!
Now, they were on their way back to the office in the confinement of a cramped car and things weren't looking up. Maddie was leaning against her door, keeping as much distance as she could between then, her eyes focused intently on anything that whizzed by her window.
"You're very quiet," David assessed next to her.
"I've got a headache."
It was a lame excuse, she was well aware of that, but it would stop him from nagging her about her behavior.
"Do you want me to drop you off at your house?"
Maddie shook her head.
"No. I still have some work left at the office. I'll just take some aspirin when we get there."
"Are you sure?"
"I said I wanted to go to the office, David! Stop grilling me about it!" she snapped.
"Whoa! I was just trying to be decent here, Maddie."
She said nothing.
"Must be one hell of a headache," David grumbled next to her….
They pulled up at the parking garage and Maddie shot out of the car as soon as it was in its' place. She never once looked back to see if David was following her and really hoped that the elevator would come before he could reach her.
No such luck, though.
She was impatiently tapping her feet on the concrete, almost burning the elevator button right off with her intense stare. David quietly stepped next to her, occasionally looking at her, but wisely refraining from engaging her in any form of conversation.
Finally, the elevator arrived and they both went into their separate corners, waiting to be taken to their office. Save for the muzak, the silence was almost deafening.
Maddie watched her partner from under heavy lidded eyes, knowing that she was being irrational and that she couldn't go on behaving that way. Maybe these feelings would fade over time, but what if they didn't? She would surely have to sell the agency.
The thought of that made her even more cranky, and she stormed out of the elevator when they arrived on the twentieth floor. David kept up with her angry strides, but chose to remain a few feet behind her.
"Miss Hayes?" Miss DiPesto began as soon as they had entered the office. "There's something that I need you to…"
The curly brunette instantly stopped talking when Maddie breezed past her and slammed her doors behind her.
"Damn it!" she yelled, now that she was somewhat in private.
Damn that man! Damn him and his pushy ways to get her to agree to a fun date out on the town. If that date hadn't happened, she wouldn't be in this position! She wanted to go back in time to a place where she didn't know about him or his tongue or that damn spot on the back of her neck!
She stomped into her bathroom to throw some water onto her face. Maybe that would help her relax somewhat. She let the cool substance trickle across her wrists, before dabbing some of it onto her forehead. There, that was better, wasn't it? Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror and she wanted to scowl at herself.
"What are you looking at?!" she spat.
After drying herself off, she flung herself into her desk chair and dealt with things the only way she knew how; by working herself into a coma. Her eyes were almost drooping when her office doors finally opened again, revealing a somewhat worried looking David.
"Are you ready to call it a day, Blondie?" he softly enquired.
"Oh, is it that time already?"
"That time? Maddie, our employees left hours ago."
Maddie checked her watch, seeing that it was 8 p.m., and her eyes widened.
"Wow! I hadn't realized it was that late. I haven't eaten anything."
David smiled.
"I figured, so I come with a surprise… and sort of a peace offering after this afternoon."
He revealed two containers of Chinese food that he had been hiding behind his back and Maddie positively salivated.
"You didn't have to do that."
"I know."
He parked himself at her desk and put the containers on it, handing her some chopsticks. She instantly wolfed to food down, being more hungry than she had anticipated.
"Are you all right?" David suddenly asked, his eyes examining her.
"Sure. I know I wasn't exactly a joy to be around this afternoon, but this makes it all better."
"So the headache's gone?"
"It's… simmering," Maddie answered, using her 'headache' as a euphemism for her feelings.
She watched as David stuffed some noodles into his mouth and shook her head in wonder. Just when she thought she had him pegged, he did something as gallant as bringing her dinner.
"It's still simmering? Anything I can do?"
His mouth was still full when he talked and Maddie shook her head, realizing that she really was working with a big man child here.
"No, I think it will settle down eventually."
"Good. If it doesn't, I give a pretty mean backrub. I hear that those can help."
He shot her a flirty glance and she couldn't help the smile that crept up her face.
"You do, huh?"
"Yep. These hands are magic. All you have to do is ask."
Better not…
"Anyway, thank you for the food. It took away from all of my mulling over things," she admitted, cleaning the now empty containers from her desk.
"You were mulling?"
"Well, yeah. Hence the headache."
David got up and gave her the once over.
"Anything you want to share with the class? I mean, I wouldn't want you to get another headache."
Maddie smiled and walked past him to put the remnants of their food in the trash.
"It's nothing to worry about."
"But if it gives you a headache…"
He let the sentence hang in the air.
"Really, David. It's all right. Thank you for your concern, though."
She placed her hand on his chest in a genuine response and he grabbed it, kissing the inside of her palm. It was a gesture that had been done before between them, but now, after their kiss on her doorstep, there was a fine line. The smile fell from Maddie's face as she stared at him. Her hand was still in his and she felt his touch tingle her skin.
Back away now, Maddie. Think about the agency!
But she wasn't thinking about the agency. She was thinking about his lips, trailing a path across her neck until they reached that spot. From the look in his eyes, he was thinking about it as well.
"Uhm, I think I'm ready to go home now," Maddie tried to break the spell.
"Sure. Can you drop me off at my place?"
They were still looking at each other, neither of them moving an inch.
"I think I can manage."
Seconds ticked by that felt like minutes as all the air seemed to have been sucked out of the room. David pulled on her hand, making her step forward a bit. They were so close now that all it took was for one of them to lean an inch forward and it would be done for.
"Where are your car keys?" David asked, his voice so husky that it sounded like pure honey.
Maddie frowned, as if trying to remember where she had left those damn things.
"I think they're in my bag," she almost whispered.
"Good."
Out of nowhere, their lips smashed together frantically and Maddie mewled against his mouth. Now this was the correct medicine to her headache… Her hands clawed at his chest, one part of her wanting to push him off her, the other part needing him to be as close to her as possible. She almost wept when she tasted his tongue again and he began to back them up against her desk. The hard surface pushed into her rear, while his lips left hers to paint a path down to that spot she had fantasized about for hours. When he finally reached it, her mouth dropped open in a silent scream.
"I've been thinking about doing this all day," David breathed, pulling her up against his hard body.
Really? He had been in as much turmoil today as she had been?
"I thought we had agreed that our kiss Friday night was nothing more than a perfect goodbye after a fun date?" Maddie threw at him, at the same time rolling her eyes in pleasure when he pressed baby kisses to that newfound erogenous area.
"Let this be a perfect goodbye after a good office day, then," he retorted, his hands traveling up her thighs.
"So cheesy," she bit at him.
Her hands pulled at his tie, loosening it a bit, when a door opened and closed in the outer office. They both instantly sat up straight, listening intently to hear who was out there.
"Housekeeping!" someone yelled. "Anyone in here?"
"It's Roberta," David said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I don't know why you're so happy about that. She could still walk in here and see what we were doing."
Maddie pushed him off her and began to straighten her clothes.
"We should clean up this office and head home."
"You're probably right," David agreed.
They quickly made her desk proper again and headed out, greeting the housekeeper in the process.
"Hi, Roberta. We were working late again," Maddie said with a smile, knowing that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for them to be at Blue Moon when housekeeping showed up. "We're going home now."
"Mr. Addison, Miss Hayes.. have a good evening."
They both nodded at her and quickly left the office.
The elevator ride down was every bit as quiet as the way up had been hours earlier. Maddie was lost in thought, thinking about what they were going to do. Clearly, they needed to talk about things now. They couldn't sweep it under the rug anymore. David walked to the BMW ahead of her, his hands shoved in his pockets and she followed his every movement. She could still feel his lips on hers and her body shivered in need.
"Well," David began, as soon as they were seated in the car. "I guess we've mastered the goodnight kiss, haven't we?"
Maddie leaned her head against the steering wheel and groaned.
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. Maybe we can make it a habit?"
She turned her head to look a him, hoping to see something serious, but finding a teasing smile instead.
She scowled as she started the car, driving him back to his apartment.
"The Lindenberg case was a big hit for Blue Moon, wasn't it?" he piped up next to her. "I mean, it brought in a lot of money and we managed to solve something again. We're getting good at this."
Maddie could hardly believe her ears. He was making small talk after what had happened between them? He seriously wasn't going to talk about it anymore? She kept her eyes on the road and let him drone on, not really listening. This was exactly why she couldn't start anything with him; he didn't take any of it seriously.
A little while later, she pulled up in front of his apartment, her mood not having improved. David unbuckled his seatbelt and sent her one of his famous lopsided smirks.
"We're at another doorstep," he teased her, and she instantly knew what he was joking about.
"Get out!" she hissed at him.
"Wait, Maddie…"
"I mean it! I'm done with you for today. I just want to go home, run a bath and get into bed and I don't want to hear anymore of your lewd comments!"
"Maddie, I'm sorry. I was just teasing a bit. I know that we need to talk. This whole thing is mind boggling for me as well," he admitted.
When she remained silent, he continued: "Look… clearly, there's something happening here and that has sent us both into a tailspin. What are we going to do about it? I don't know. All I know is that I really want to kiss you again. I can't seem to stop thinking about it… about you."
Maddie was almost afraid to look at his face after those words, fearful that he was pulling her chain yet again. When she looked up, however, she saw something else. She saw sincerity.
"And I know that we've got the office to worry about and what not… But with you, I can't seem to bring myself to care about that."
David Addison had never been a man to flat out tell you how he felt. Baring his soul was not his strong suit. The walls around his heart were insanely high and Maddie was well aware of that. However, for him to say what he had just said was already more than enough for her.
"Do you mean that?" she asked, a bit unsure.
She watched him swallow something.
"I really do."
Her mind was set. She got out of the car, leaving him stumped.
"Maddie, what are you doing?" he wanted to know, stepping out of the car as well.
"Bringing you to your doorstep," she answered him, locking her arm with his.
David stopped dead in his tracks, positively gaping down at her.
"I hear there's a kiss waiting for me there," she explained, sending him a meek smile.
When the meaning of her words sunk in, he returned her smile by tenfold.
"Then by all means, Miss Hayes. Let me lead the way…"