a/n: Again, thanks so much for the reviews! just a heads up.. I'm looking at probably 5-7 chapters total here.

Chapter 3: New Plan

Max looked at her watch for perhaps the 50th time that day. "Where the hell is he?" she growled, losing her patience. "Forget it, I'm not waiting up for him!"

She opened the door to leave only to be floored to see Alec standing on the other side, just about to knock. In fact, he came incredibly close to knocking on her face.

"Do you mind!" she complained, as she motioned for him to move out of the doorway.

"Maxie, why so rude? I'm cutting out my fun time to go save you and Logan's collective butt," he commented as he stepped aside.

"Your butt is the only one that's gonna need saving if you screw this up tonight," she warned him, turning to shut the door.

As she turned around, she took a moment to take in his outfit. She almost gasped. He was wearing a suit and tie and looked more professional than she could ever imagine him looking.

"Why are you all dressed up?" she asked before thinking.

"Well, I figured it was the only way I could get in without looking suspicious," he commented.

"So what, you're my first appointment for the evening? I don't think so," Max argued.

Alec laughed, "Now, Maxie, as much fun as that would be…Hey, that really isn't such a bad idea! Would you like to practice your role on me?"

Max looked to the side and then rolled her eyes. "Whatever. No worries, Pretty Boy. I'm all set in that department."

Alec nodded, taking interest to where the conversation was headed, "Maxie! Got some skills you'd like to share?"

Max smiled, "Well, I do have some moves I could practice on you."

"Really?" Alec responded, grinning like a little boy on Christmas morning.

"Yea," Max commented, "Should I do it now?" She gave him a devious smile.

Alec stood still, shocked, but with a satisfied grin on his face. He looked Max up and down before accepting. He spoke in a lower voice, "Maxie, I give you my permission to practice whatever you'd like on me. Just keep the wig on, will you? You don't look so hostile with that hair color."

Max grinned back to his surprise. "Good!" she said, clearly pleased. Then, before Alec could react, she moved as only a transgenic could and kicked Alec from a unique side angle with a spin.

Alec grunted in slight pain as he worked to keep his balance, but found he'd been knocked back a small distance. He then looked up to Max with a knowing look, his lips tight, and his face nodding. "Right, of course. A new fighting move."

Max smiled, "Well, thanks for the practice. Ready to go?"

Alec touched his tongue to his teeth making a click noise just before commenting, "Well, I guess I should have known."

Max gave him a puppy dog face, "Aww, Alec. I'm sorry." Then she went back to her usual annoyed face, "What can I say? I owed you for earlier."

"I thought that was what tonight was for," Alec reminded her.

Max shrugged, "Let's just say, that was just a preview of what will happen if you don't come through tonight."

She started walking fast to make it to her ninja, and he followed, making the same stride as she did. "Hey, so aren't you gonna let me tell you my background before we just show up," he reminded her.

"Oh yea, what's your story?" She asked as she got to her bike.

"We can take mine," Alec offered.

Max shrugged. "Whatever, just as long as we're there in 10 minutes."

Alec only offered so that he would be the driver. He knew if Max was behind the wheel, his next comment would cause her to throw him off more than likely. This way, she had no choice. He made a smirk as he took off.

"So," Max prodded, "Come on? Are you telling me, or what? We'll be there soon!"

"Oh," Alec said, acting like he'd forgotten, "Didn't you figure it out? I'm going as your pimp."

"What?!" Max asked him, shocked. So that explains the suit! She punched him light enough that he wouldn't wreck his bike, but hard enough to make him feel the moment of pain.

"Ow," he complained. "Come on, I'm driving here."

Max shook her head, "You know, I should have guessed. Why else would you offer to come except to completely humiliate me for your own pleasure. What, were you bored? No plans for tonight?"

Alec laughed at her accusation, "Max! I already told you. I felt bad about earlier. No worries, by the end of the night, I will have done something so that you're glad I came."

Max rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I can't wait to see Logan's reaction when you just show up. And as a pimp, no less."

Alec smiled, "Come on, we both know Logan needs to loosen up. I think it's gonna be a pretty fun evening, Max. You shouldn't be so tense, though. A good prostitute never has that 'I'm gonna kick your ass' attitude of yours that's so unfeminine."

"Just keep pushing your luck, Alec! This is only going to make tonight more painful for you!"

Alec only deepened his smile at her growing anger. This was definitely going to be fun!

-------

As they pulled up to the club, Alec held out his arm to Max.

She looked at the gesture, and then at his face in disgust, "You're kidding, right?"

He shrugged, "You know, you're right. Come to think of it, it might be more believable if you can't keep your hands off of me as we go in."

Max rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm roughly. "Let's just go and get this over with!"

"Max," Alec commented, "We've got to work on your touch. So rough, so manly. You're not a fighter here, you're a lover."

Max closed the grip on his arm tighter. On a normal person, it would seriously hurt them, but for a transgenic, it was just a bit painful. "Alec!" she breathed as they walked closer to the door, "I am warning you for the last time. If you keep this up inside, cover or not, nothing's gonna hold me back from introducing your pretty little face to the pavement!"

Alec moved his arm to go around her just as they walked through the doors so that she couldn't back away from him without looking obvious.

She was fuming inside, but smiled all pretty, putting her best ditzy face on, while scanning the room for Logan. Shit!, she thought, glancing at a clock. They were late. Only 5 minutes, but still, not a good way to start out the night when Logan told her what time she needed to be there by.

"Are you ready Maxie?" Alec breathed into her ear in a deep and low voice so only she could hear him.

She smiled at the crowd of people, still scanning, before leaning to whisper back, "The real question is, are you? Like I said-"

Alec pulled away and interrupted her before she could repeat what she'd already told him countless times, "Yea, yea, you're gonna kick my ass."

He led her to the table where she breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed Logan.

Logan was laughing a bit, and looked like he had just finished telling some story when her eyes met his. He first almost laughed, noticing her hair, before he noticed the person walking beside her. At the sight of Alec guiding her to the table, Logan's face was momentarily frozen in an unreadable expression.Max wanted to laugh at his reaction. Not because she didn't agree, but she knew what he had to be thinking. Frankly, she was thinking the same thoughts. What the hell was he doing here? For Alec's own good, he'd better prove himself just like he said, she thought, while grinning to the group.

"Gentlemen…" Alec began.

Oh great!, Max thought, please don't ruin this! He was probably going to ham it up. After all, he was only here to have fun, right?

"Allow me to introduce to you, my finest lady. Kendra."

Max almost gasped that he'd given her the name of her former roommate. Did he know? It was like he was purposely trying to throw her off.

The men nodded, apparently pleased at the sight of her. Ugh, Max thought. Sometimes men were such pigs. Though she'd purposely worn a suggestive outfit, it didn't make their reactions any less annoying. Which one is Christian?, she thought, eyeing them all with a devious look, but really just trying to pick them over to find the boss.

"And you are?" Logan asked, staring intently at Alec, clearly wanting some explanation for why he was there.

"Ah," Alec said, "You must be Logan Cale. Glad to finally meet my best customer firsthand."

Logan laughed out of embarrassment and also shock at the comment, while returning the handshake. "Hahaha! Right, of course. Your business has always left me…" he trailed, not sure how to finish.

"Satisfied?" Alec replied with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows and a pointed finger at the man.

Logan snorted, "Oh, right. That's definitely it."

"So what's the big cheese doin' here?" one of the other men asked, nodding to Alec.

"Well, Kendra here is my most beautiful lady. She's usually booked solid."

Max just laughed a bit to release some of the tension that was quickly building within her. So, he's suggesting that I really get around!, she thought. She pictured her fighting technique in her mind and Alec's stunned reaction from earlier to keep her from punching him in the face right then and there.

"Buuuut," he continued, "Mr. Cale is my best customer! So I wanted to deliver her personally tonight! Care if I join you fellas?"

The men were still goggling at Max, and so of course didn't offer any rejections to Alec's request.

At their welcoming expressions, Alec looked to Max, "Kendra, why don't you take a seat with your customer." He smacked her on the ass to get her to move.

Max looked up at him with her mouth open, about to yell and slap him, but then turned to the men. Damnit!, she thought, as she realized she had to play nice while she had an audience.

"Of course!" she replied with a giggle, sitting beside Logan. She looked to him apologetically, but for obvious reasons couldn't explain, and so Logan just nodded toward her in a fake introduction.

"Well!" Alec said as he took a seat, rubbing his hands together. "A night of poker is it? Let's get this party started!"